Yuksek

They wave the white flag and generally add nothing to the world. They are the French. You may ask, "What about French kissing? French tickling?" Yes, yes...these are both admirable additions to the world as we know it. But do you think they really started these things? Hells no, they just decided to name it after themselves. Stay classy, attention grabbers.

But today, with ACL right around the corner (get ready peoples), TWNS brings you something good from France. French DJ Yuksek tears the dancefloor up with beats sure to inspire the creation of some of your freshest moves. Peep his official website to sample some of his outstanding remixes of bands such as Phoenix, Van She, White Lies, and M83. His album dropped in February and is named Away From The Sea. Motel Face is so down...

Yuksek - So Down

Yuksek - Tonight

Yuksek

For all the furries out there...

"I Wish I Was A Polar Bear" by Ted & Francis

For all the furries out there...

Neon Indian

I'm welcoming myself back from an extended posting absence...my apologies. To celebrate a triumphant return, I've got the first of some very choice nuggets for you today.

First up is my personal theme song (don't ask why) from this summer, Neon Indian's "Deadbeat Summer." Just listen to the Texas-raised Alan Palomo's lo-fi poppy dream-beats and tell me you wish it wasn't still mid July and you're sitting by the pool perving on the scantily clad ladies that are running around in your dreams. Debut LP entitled Psychic Chasms comes out Oct. 13. Check it out.

"Deadbeat Summer"

Neon Indian

Rebirth Brass Band

Counting it down to ACL with the boyz from the Big Easy, the best brass band in the land - Rebirth Brass Band!!! If you're from the South or like jazz music, you should be familiar with RBB. For all you carpetbaggers, Rebirth is a Treme institution formed by tuba player Philip Frazier, his brother Keith, and trumpet player Kermit Ruffins. By combining traditional New Orleans brass band music with funk, soul, and rap, Rebirth has and continues to appeal to younger generations. If you have the chance to see them live, do not pass it up! It's only the second most fun you can have on a hot, humid, southern night.

Do yourself a favor and download "Rebirth Melody/Casanova" and listen from the 3:30 mark on.

Do Whatcha Wanna


Feel Like Funkin' It Up


Rebirth Melody/Casanova


Video of "Casanova" live

Rebirth Brass Band

Texas Two-Step

B-B-Baby Ass is a-a-about to make your pee-pee maker t-t-tingle. In a salute to Austin City Limits - just one month away! - I've decided to highlight two Texas bands at opposite ends of the musical spectrum. First, Ryan Bingham & The Dead Horses released their second major label album, Roadhouse Sun, June 2nd of this year. Bingham lends his raspy, Dylan-esque voice and melodic guitar picking to 12 songs that I'm proud to say were made in Texas. I'm not a huge fan of the genre, but artists like Bingham and Shooter Jennings are doing their best to put the "O" back in "Country." Here are three of my favorite songs from the album and the video to "Southside of Heaven" from Bingham's 2007 release Mescalito.

Day Is Done


Tell My Mother I Miss Her So


Snake Eyes


Southside of Heaven
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jg7H_KpispY

Second is Austin's The Octopus Project, an experimental/indie-pop group that likes to use synths and drum machines to get your toes tapping. Fans of The Go! Team will hear some similarities in the songs, especially in the drums, but that's what happens when everyone uses dem 808s. Kidding. Below are three songs off their 2007 album Hello, Avalanche and a video from 2005's One Ten Hundred Thousand Million. Check out Yvonne Lambert rock the theremin in the video for "Music is Happiness." I haven't heard such mastery of the spooky synth since Paul Tanner on The Beach Boys' "Good Vibrations." Thank you History of Rock and Roll 101!

Truck


Bees Bein' Strugglin'


Exploding Snowhorse


Music Is Happiness

Texas Two-Step

this is NOT passion pit...

I promise. Its the baby face stylings of two young Aussies named Tim & Jean. Perth, way out in left field of Australia, is home to these musical prodigies (Tim is 18 and Jean is just 15) that have recently been featured on Triple J's Unearthed Artists. The Passion Pit influence is almost eerie, a sign they perhaps need some more seasoning to find their own sound...but nonetheless it is a band that this Motel Face thinks he'll be perving hard on in the future...all the credit on this find goes to DEVRA the Aussie traveler extraordinaire.

Check out their song "Come Around"

this is NOT passion pit...

Calvin Harris

Baby Ass back with some music buns so smooth and soft you just want to pinch them. A very beautiful and special young lady, codename Smuth, reminded me that Calvin Harris' new album, Ready For The Weekend, just dropped August 18th in the U.S. The album, already #1 on the U.K. charts, is 14 cuts of electropop that is both emotional and danceable - a difficult balance to strike. "Ready For The Weekend," "I'm Not Alone," and "Dance Wiv Me" are the singles, but also give a listen to "You Used To Hold Me," "Relax," and "Yeah Yeah Yeah La La La." Calvin will be playing three U.S. dates, New York, Chicago, and L.A., beginning in October. Dust off your rhinestone shades and stretch out your calves. The all night dance party is around the corner.

The Rain


Ready For The Weekend


Stars Come Out


You Used To Hold Me


Blue


I'm Not Alone


Flashback


Worst Day


Relax


Limits


Burns Night


Yeah Yeah Yeah La La La


Dance Wiv Me


5iliconeator


. . . and the video for "I'm Not Alone"

Calvin Harris

Wolfmother

Sorry it's been a few days since the last post, something about trying to find a job has gotten in the way. But to celebrate ZERO progress, here a few tracks of the new Wolfmother album Cosmic Egg dropping October 13. It's been nearly four years since their chart-topping self-titled debut melted our faces off. Since then, the threesome has become singer/guitarist Andrew Stockdale's solo project since the other two founding members packed it up. Stockdale has replaced his original mates with three even hairier Aussies. At first take, it doesn't seem to deviate far from the original formula...but that's not always a bad thing! Feel free to melt your faces off again...

Wolfmother - "New Moon Rising"

Wolfmother - "Back Round"

Wolfmother

Sigur Ros Remixed

Heading to Vegas in a few hours so thought I'd drop a quick morning post. Found this remix of Sigur Ros' "Illgresi" by Them Jeans (courtesy of gottadancedirty.com). Interesting mix of a spacious Icelandic song that for some reason makes me feel like I'm watching the movie Days of Thunder on ecstacy...

Sigur Ros Remixed

Retro Roots

Okay okay okay . . . it's time I added a little balance to this business before the Rave In My Pants turns my junk neon green and I start shooting lazzzzers out of my eyes. Don't get me wrong. I will SWEAT on the dance floor to Bag Raiders any night of the week, but now it's time to get back to our roots - 'MERICA! FUCK YEAH! I'm gonna start out by showing some love for the late, great Jeffrey Lee Pierce and his outfit The Gun Club (active 1980-1993). They've been credited as being one of the first bands to fuse punk, blues, and rockabilly. Check out some of these classics:

"Sex Beat"


"She's Like Heroin To Me"


"Moonlight Motel"




Next up are the modern dulcet tones of Charlotte's The Avett Brothers, featuring brothers Scott and Seth and bassist Bob Crawford. Formed in 2001, these boys have since pumped out about 11 discs of varying length and are set to release their next full length LP, I and Love and You, in September. Here's the title track off that album plus two of my favorites from their May 15, 2007 release Emotionalism:

"I and Love and You"


"Die Die Die"


"Will You Return?"






If that doesn't satisfy your lust for Americana, you might be better off as an Ex Pat. Football and porno and books about war.

Retro Roots

RAVE IN MY PANTS

Due to popular request (a.k.a. the Hammer of Thor), The white noise sound presents the "Rave In My Pants" playlist. Theses songs aren't the newest, just the best for a latenight creepster dance party. It is definitely noise complaint at 4:30am approved!

Also don't forget to roll out to Thor's birthday party at V Lounge in Santa Monica this Friday night...it will be good looking people dancing hard and making poor decisions.


"Welcome" by Etienne de Crecy


"Turbo Love" by Bag Raiders


"Far Away (The Golden Filters Remix)" originally by Cut Copy


"Chip" by Jupiter


"Phantom Pt. 2 (Soulwax Remix)" originally by Justice


"Rich Man" by Ghostland Observatory


"Ghost Under Rocks (Passion Pit Remix)" originally by Ra Ra Riot


"We Are From Venice" by The Bloody Beetroots


"Vanished" by Crystal Castles


"Lights and Music" by Cut Copy


"Fast Track Live vs. We Are Your Friends" by Etienne de Crecy


"What Else Is There? (Thin White Dukes Remix)" originally by Royskopp


"Stuck On Repeat" by Little Boots


"Work" by Junior Boys


"Bounce" by MSTRKRFT

RAVE IN MY PANTS

Hockey

Portland's own Hockey is singer Benjamin Grubin, guitarist Brian White, bassist Jeremy Reynolds, keyboardist Ryan Dolliver and drummer Anthony Stass. Another serious 2009 buzz band, their full length debut drops September 21. They have called themselves a "dirty, dirty LCD Soundsystem." Works for me. If you're in LA, check their "secret" show out at the Troubador Thursday the 20th or the "real" show at the Echo Friday night the 21st. Or come to my buddy Tom's birthday party at V Lounge in Santa Monica Friday night instead. There will be a serious dance party, but watch out...you may get a deadly case of the RIP ("Rave In my Pants")...

"Song Away"


"Too Fake"


"Work"


And here's a live performance of "Too Fake" from some British TV show...

Hockey

BLK JKS

BLK JKS (pronounced "Black Jacks") hail from Johannesburg, South Africa. Since gracing the cover of Fader magazine last year, they have finished recording a full length album entitled "After Robots" due out September 8 on the Secretly Canadian label. They take some traditional African sounds blended with some indie/experimental pop and make some amazing stuff. No wonder they are one of the most buzzed about bands of 2009. Check out a couple of their songs from their EP released this March entitled "Mystery."

"Mystery"


"Lakeside"



Also, here is a pretty killer video for "Lakeside."

BLK JKS