DOWNLOAD: Jon Zott - Brothers
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I’m picky with my summer jams, but I think Jon Zott just gifted me my winner. A master at mixing beats and synth so they create actual harmony, Zott gives his voice equal footing this go ‘round and strikes gold. “Brothers” takes its time arriving at the finish, slowing the beat down and fleshing it out with a dreamy chorus and lush topcoat. Zott continues to grow more confident in his own style with each track released, resulting in a much warmer, cohesive feel than his sample-friendly peers. Grab the Brotherswork two-song on Brooklyn’s Intuition Ltd.
PREMIERE: Mode Moderne - Real Goths
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It's easy to imagine how Canada could be a breeding ground for a dark, swirling synth revival, and Vancouver's Mode Moderne has taken the reigns. Refashioning goth with an ambient touch, the five-piece makes light of its roots with a nod in the track title "Real Goths". Industrial-inspired vocals wind their way through a gentle slope of synth and drum machines, coming together for a more melodic take on the minimalism of yore. Grab the 7-inch August 9 on Light Organ.
PREMIERE: Snakes Say Hisss - Comes And Goes
Cruelly keeping us at bay for four years since 2007's infectious I'll Be Lovin' You, Brooklyn's Snakes Say Hisss is finally back and building on its college-era birth. Playing a dizzying amount of much talked about shows in the interim, the foursome has translated that live energy into a distinct brand of synth pop. "Comes and Goes" showcases the group's ability to mix dance-inducing melodies with insightful lyricism in an age when we've grown accustomed to one or the other. Staying young is a common theme and expertly fitting when your act is usually cause for a party pit. Grab the new 7-inch tomorrow night at a joint record release party with Famous Class labelmates Tony Castles. 8:30pm at Death By Audio.
Snakes Say Hisss - Comes and Goes
PREMIERE: Making Friendz - Reject Me
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It is summer, and I would like to drink on a roof and listen to dance music. Thank you, Tami Hart, for making these things possible for me, or at least accomplishing one that allows for the other. "Reject Me" is the second single from Making Friendz, Hart's solo outfit when not logging hours on bass in MEN. Equal parts lo-fi, synth, garage pop and R&B, such crafty mixing of genres was right at home on Hart's former label, the venerable Mr. Lady Records. A longtime player in riot grrrl alum projects, Hart is keeping the catchy, independent flavor of these releases going strong. Check out the fetish-friendly video for "Situation," and grab Social Life June 21 on Last Bummer.
PREMIERE: W-H-I-T-E - Fountain (Lucky Dragons Remix)
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The original of "Fountain" is the perfect introduction to W-H-I-T-E, the moniker of California's Cory Thomas Hanson. Pairing his ethereal crooning with a number of smaller beats, it's a lively take on the normally fluffy terrain of cathedral pop. LA's Lucky Dragons was thus a fitting choice for a reworking, adding its signature blend of tribal and trance to accentuate Hanson's muted shade of a shared love of sampling. "Fountain" can be found on Twin Tigers, out now on Swill Children.
W-H-I-T-E - Fountain (Lucky Dragons Remix)
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DOWNLOAD: Parenthetical Girls - Careful Who You Dance With (Tearist Remix)
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First we had Xiu Xiu's deep dark eighties take, and now Zac Pennington has brought his Parenthetical Girls back to the drawing board. Taking them on this round is LA's Tearist, local favorites and a live force to be reckoned with. The duo's energetic Yasmine Kittles takes center stage while William Strangeland-Mechaca man's the synth, and this dynamic seems to translate into their remix of “Careful Who You Dance With”. Pennington's knack for pop is chopped into a thumping pulse echoing Kittles' own style, while both groups' penchant for a hollowed, electro backbone is accounted for. The track is available on a free download EP, and check out the video for the original here, which premiered earlier this week.
Parenthetical Girls - Careful Who You Dance With (Tearist Remix)
Find More Free Music From Parenthetical Girls Here
DOWNLOAD: Parenthetical Girls - Careful Who You Dance With (Xiu Xiu Remix)
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Parenthetical Girls, the Portland bastion of clean-cut synth numbers, has done it again. After dropping the third of their five-EP series in March, now comes a remix by indie's reigning sinister songmen, Xiu Xiu. With Stewart and company adding a very 80s-appropriate sense of brooding to "Careful Who You Dance With," Zac Pennington's voice could not be more par for the course, a dark piece of pop magic that takes heed of its title. The track can be found on an upcoming free download EP, and don't miss Xiu Xiu's 7-inch this fall, on which Pennington makes his official debut as a new member.
Parenthetical Girls - Careful Who You Dance With (Xiu Xiu Remix)
Find More Free Music From Parenthetical Girls Here
Find More Free Music From Xiu Xiu Here
DOWNLOAD: Jon Zott - Rise & Shine
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Much of music seems to be a family affair these days, what with the Followill clan and brothers Butler sitting pretty at the top of the charts. And while Jon Zott may fly solo, the synth-happy song bug is in his bloodline—big brother Daniel is one half of RCRD LBL favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. The Detroit native now calls Brooklyn home, where tinkering with drum machines and all shades of samplers has landed us with "Rise & Shine," released on the Slow Shine two-song on Intuition Ltd. It's equal parts Wave Race and Ambien, with just enough beat to keep it from tipping into any one genre. Zott's got a way with manipulating noise—always helpful when you moonlight as a producer—and we can only hope there's some familial collaboration in our future.
