Japandroids “Younger Us”
“Do you remember when you were in already bed got up said fuck it got up and drank with me instead.”

I got interested in Young Prisms a few months ago when Michelle Broder Van Dyke wrote about them in the Chronicle, but I just got around to seeing them last weekend. Their Daytrotter session is worth checking out.

Liars “Scissor” is probably my favorite song of the year so far. It also has an haunting video. Liars also played the song on Tunnelvision.

Man I love Black Mountain. Well really I love anything Steven McBean touches. I wrote about his other project Pink Mountaintops about a year ago. “Old Fangs” from Black Mountain’s forthcoming record is a polished, organ and guitar psych jam.

Speaking of black things, the new Black Keys record Brothers is awesome.

And of course:

Keepaway

MGMT

These headphones woke up today on the wrong side of history—For this year at least.

But that’s not what’s important. I’ve been using these lamentably tacky cans in the office for a few weeks since my usual pair is tied up at the studio. Let’s put it this way: I’m not sure why Skullcandy exists. To help people look like clowns? I understand coveting branded apparel to a certain extent so long as the product is solid.

This is not case. This happy-meal looking hunks of plastic are heavy, uncomfortable, and look ridiculous—Nevermind that you can definitely get a better sounding pair of headphones for $50 bucks. In fact, if it weren’t for the headphones’ solid isolation, they’d sound no better than the complimentary American Airlines crap that’s been at the bottom of my desk drawer for two years.

Not that I ever expected these cans to be anything other than a fashion statement.

By the way, Skullcandy is sold out of NBA Mixmasters, which means there’s a legion of basketball super-fans walking around the streets of this fine country sporting jazzy headphones that sound like crap.

A sound well-honed is hard to come by and joyous on its own, but it’s especially gratifying when friends evolve and rejigger until the evidence of hard work is lost in the music altogether. That’s when you know you got it.

Above: a song-themed laser-cut plastic accessory from Keepaway.

There were a lot of inspiring projects at Maker Faire. More than I’d even be able to break into categories or outline into the specific zones of motivation they stimulate. But as I rode home on the freeway one project stuck in my brain. Beatseqr wasn’t at all the most impressive example of innovation. The 16-step beat sequencer wasn’t even the most impressive music exhibit, but it attacks a very difficult problem with a simple if somewhat limited solution. it is definitely the most intuitive sequencer/controller I’ve ever used. I’m a huge audio nerd who makes music mostly by myself and incorporating sequenced beats on-the-fly can be prohibitively complicated especially since a lot of the time both of my hands are on a guitar leaving me very little time for button pushing. I suspect Beatseqr would solve a lot of the problems music producers like me have by streamlining beat production to it’s most basic functions. I haven’t decided if I’m going to buy one yet, but it definitely rekindled my motivation solve the sequencer problems I’ve encountered in the past.

KUCHAR CO-OPTION or PORTLAND PIZZA PICTURE or AFFECT ACCENT ASCENT from JESSE MALMED on Vimeo.

Portland homeboy, Deep//Leap accomplice and all around awesome dude Jesse Malmed made this video for the “It Came From You” contest, which as I understand it is a contest of some sort. I totally neglected to post this in time to encourage people to vote. All I can do now is encourage you to appreciate. It’s all pretty great, but the magic which occurs about 3:55 in is perfect genius.

Extra Life is some seriously intense, at times creepy, music from Brooklyn. I think (I know) they think the music often gets pigeon-holed as the kind of nerdy esoterica that sends women running for the hills, but it’s incredible, and who needs women with shit this good?

Extra Life’s new record, Made Flesh comes out in a few weeks from LOAF. Here’s the magnificent video for the new jam “Head Shrinker.” Also, scope out Charlie Looker’s blog. It makes me laugh.

7-inch single of “What A Drag” featuring the infamous cover image of a cigarette smoking a joint out now from Cantora Records.

I won’t explain much. I’ve been listening to these songs for one reason or another. You should too. Listen to them with good speakers. Respect the bass.