Listen: Liars – “Mess” (Full LP Stream)

I’ve already expressed my affinity for the new Liars record and shared the first single “Mess On A Misson” as well as something “secret” on our most recent Playlist Series; but lucky you! Today we can share the album in it’s entirety via NPR.  Mess is the band's seventh studio and continues down the more electronic  path the trio focused on with their last record, WIXIW. Mute will officially be releasing the record on March 25th.

Tracklisting:

'Mask Maker'

'Vox Turned DED'
'I'm No Gold'
'Pro Anti Anti'
'Can't Hear Well'
'Mess On A Mission'
'Darkside'
'Boyzone'
'Dress Walker'
'Perpetual Village'
'Left Speaker Blown'

Listen: Warpaint – “Warpaint” (Fulll LP Stream)

It’s been a handful of years since indie rock band Warpaint entered the scene with their 2010 debut,  The Fool, and now the quartet of ladies are gearing up to drop their hypnotic sophomore offering on January 20th via Rough Trade. The self-titled record is composed of twelve tracks running at 51-minutes with some Chris Cunningham video work due to arrive in the very near future, stream the full LP via NPR now.

Listen: Evans – “The Odds” (Full LP Stream)

On November 20, Ian MacKaye will release a record from his latest band, the Evens, his collaboration with former Warmers drummer/vocalist Amy Farinao on Dischord .The record, titled The Odds, follows their 2006 full-length Get Evens.  The album was recorded this summer at Inner Ear with Don Zientara and you can hear the whole thing in full right now via NPR HERE or below. It’s worth noting that the sillouette on the cover is MacKaye and Farina's son Carmine, full track list below…

Track Listing:
01 King of Kings
02 Wanted Criminals
03 I Do Myself
04 Warble Factor
05 Sooner or Later
06 Wonder Why
07 Competing With the Till
08 Broken Finger
09 Architects Sleep
10 Timothy Wright
11 This Other Thing
12 Let's Get Well
13 KOK

Listen: Flying Lotus - “Until The Quiet Comes” (Full LP Stream)

As previously reported LA beatmaker  Flying Lotus will release his fourth album, Until The Quiet Comes, on October 2nd, but as of today you can stream it in full courtesy of NPR. Featuring Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood, Thundercat and Erykah Badu, Untill the Quiet Comes is a glitchy, trippy experimental affair that should please people who already consider themselves a fan of the artist but equally do very little to convince those who are not.

Stream the LP HERE. 

Listen: Grizzly Bear – “Shields” Full LP Stream

We have shared a couple of tunes off of Brooklyn based band Grizzly Bear‘s 4th album, and first since 2009 entitled Shields, which is out next week via Warp. And now you can hear the whole album via NPR. So far my favorite tune is “Yet Again” but as per usual the whole thing is a great listen.

Listen: Passion Pit - "Gossamer" (Full Album Stream)

Today we are pointing you in the direction of full preview streams of two of this summer’s most high profile electro-pop albums and we begin with Passion Pit’s Gossamer. Acting as the follow-up to the bands successful 2009 début, Manners we got  our first taste of the new LP by way of “Take A Walk,” which brought us that familiar sugary sound. Conversely we heard a smoother R&B vibe from their most recent teaser, “Constant Conversations.” If you like what you heard in either of the two tracks then you will be more than happy with the album which follows the same upbeat summery vibe throughout. I heard the album 3, 4 times over the weekend and am stuck on “I’ll Be Alright” for its spitter spatter glitch beat, let us know what stands out to you? Click HERE to listen via NPR and if you like what you hear support the band by purchasing the album on July 24th.

Listen: Fang Island – “Major” (Full Album Stream)

As previously reported Brooklyn’s Fang Island will release their latest album, Major, on July 24^th through Sargent House ,you can hear it in its entirety now, via NPR.

The bands 2010 self-titled record had a great blend of churning guitar harmonies and fret board acrobatics that would even  make Steve Vai happy.  By all indications, Major expands upon the formula adding in more complexity and vocals (which were minimal on the debut). Click HERE to enjoy the 11 track, 45 minute long, sophomore album in full.

Listen: Fiona Apple – “The Idler Wheel…” (Full Album Stream)

Fiona Apple‘s The Idler Wheel.. is due out next week, we have shared several tracks from the LP as well as the first video over the weekend. Today we are going to point you to where you can listen to the full LP, the first in seven years from the singer. Check out the full track list and some choice words from Fiona Apple below before heading over to NPR for listening.

“The only reason that it takes me seven years to do stuff is because I just don’t really have a plan,” Fiona told NPR. “I got a lot of problems, but I’m really good at intuiting what I need to do to be happy with whatever I create. I know when to stop myself, I know when to start, I know when to leave something alone. I guess I just kind of indulge that completely, and so I just take my time.”

Album Stream: Fiona Apple – The Idler Wheel…

The Idler Wheel… Tracklist:
01. Every Single Night
02. Daredevil
03. Valentine
04. Jonathan
05. Left Alone
06. Werewolf
07. Periphery
08. Regret
09. Anything We Want
10. Hot Knife

Video: Björk – “Hollow”

Björk dropped the latest video from her 2011 LP Biophilia. The video for “Hollow,” which premiered on NPR today, is a computer-generated affair exploring the inside of the human body. The clip is a collaboration with the biomedical animator Drew Berry, and makes use of molecular DNA and protein models.

Berry tells NPR that the video is an "exploration of the microscopic and molecular landscapes inside Björk's body." Björk described "Hollow" to NPR as "a Halloween song and quite gothic," conjuring a feeling that comes with "thinking about your ancestors and DNA."

Listen : Grimes – “Visions” Full LP Stream

23 year old  DJ/producer Claire Boucher aka Grimes will be releasing her third full length, Visions, on February 21st via 4AD. The 13 track LP was recorded in Claire’s Montreal DIY loft-space turned record label, Arbutus, and continues down the same path already established on previous releases with its mix of dark beats and twisted effects woven in with the singers unique vocal style composed of wails, purrs and sighs. Check out choice cut “Oblivion” below and the full stream over at NPR right now.

Video: The Boombox Project

I wish I could say that growing up in the 80's boomboxes were all the rage in my hood' but I wasn't that cool nor was my neighborhood and my closest interaction to one was playing with a sweet Transformer named Soundwave.  Upon seeing one first hand I understood peoples obsession with them.  Most were not really that great as far as sound quality goes but they just looked cool. Photographer and boombox collector, Lyle Owerko, created a set of portraits entitled The Boombox Project which showcase 42 different rustic looking "ghetto blasters"..  

These portraits were shown at a gallery show at the Clic Gallery in NYC and released in a book entitled The Boombox Project which features the portraits as well as a number of stylized old school shots of boomboxes in their natural environment. Be sure to check out the portraits on Owerko's website.


film by Paul Stone

NPR interviewed Owerko for a piece on the history of boomboxes you can check out below....

Listen: Rick Rubin, Russell Simmons - Def Jam's First 25 Years

Rick Rubin and Russell Simmons(right) with Run DMC and freind. 

Def Jam  is as iconic as it gets when talking about music labels, especially when it comes to hip hop in the 1980’s. A major launching pad for such seminal acts as Public Enemy, The Beastie Boys, LL Cool , EPMD and more Def Jam and its founders Russell Simmons and Rick Ruben have been releasing instant classics for 27 years, a number that even the most successful of companies would be envious of.

NPR has a great interview with the founders from Weekend Edition Sunday host Audie Cornish who  spoke with Russell and Rick separately about the unique partnership.

Listen HERE.