Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros – Fire & Water [iTunes Session]

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros just released their iTunes Session with the previously unrecorded song, “Fire & Water”. They have decided to share with us this extra folkie tune… that honestly makes me want to pull out my banjo,corn cob pipe, throw in some hash, and sit on my old plaid couch that’s moth eaten on my front porch. Enjoy!

Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros – Fire & Water (iTunes Session) by VagrantRecords

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros – iTunes Session can be bought herethanks to Vagrant Records.

Track Listing:

1. Up From Below
2. Janglin’
3. 40 Day Dream
4. Fire & Water
5. Brother
6. Desert Song

[New] Iron & Wine – Walking Far From Home

Sam Beam is a man who needs no introduction. Over his eight year career he (or rather his stage name Iron & Wine) has reached the point in his career where he is nearly synonymous with the modern folk genre. He plans to change this with his new album “Kiss Each Other Clean.” While 2007’s “The Shepherd’s Dog” was a departure from the acoustic styling of his previous two albums, I have the oddest feeling it will be remembered as the “Bringing It All Back Home” of Iron & Wine’s career. With “Kiss Each Other Clean” Iron & Wine is going electric, and as witnessed by the opening track which was released last Friday, it’s going to be fantastic.

The song—“Walking Far From Home”—has the magnificent lyrics we’ve come to associate with Iron & Wine, but with the added benefit of a polished backing instrumentation rarely seen among most musical acts today. It, much like the previous efforts of Iron & Wine, embodies beauty.

MP3: Iron & Wine – Walking Far From Home

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Previously:
Iron & Wine – Flightless Bird, American Mouth

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Iron & Wine – Half Moon

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[Indie] Blood Diamonds – “Aries” + “Heart”

This track from Vancouver producer Mike Tucker aka Blood Diamonds shows us all what a bit of carefully chosen sampling can bring to a track. Pulling from all sources of inspiration, not to mention a bit of world music tribal style (hello windpipe!) – Blood Diamonds sound is constantly evolving, placing samples and sounds onto of a rhythmic mash which really makes the track pop out.

If you like what your hearing, then check out his the other tracks on Sound Cloud Page.

Blood Diamonds – Heart

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[Hip/Hop] B.o.B Feat. Wiz Khalifa – Fuck The Money

Bobby Ray teams up with underdog hero Wiz Khalifa in a track that seeks to expand his current audience beyond the K-12 students that ate up his pop-hop singles with Bruno Mars and Hayley Williams. Fuck The Money this sample-driven homage to a rap world before your mother knew who Drake was. It surprises me how much he’s grown as an MC even since The Adventures of Bobby Ray came out. This is great track with a great feel that gives us a glimpse of B.o.B. working out his rap muscle in his downtime before his next sugar-coated platinum seller. Fuck The Money is a reminder that artists that perform pop music have mastered the art of holding back and having a simple, digestible message. It’s nice to see a capable artist like B.o.B. let loose on a track like this.

B.o.B. ft. Wiz Khalifa – Fuck The Money

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[Via Pigeons and Planes]

[Folk] The White Buffalo – Oh Darling

‘Oh Darling’ is a masterful showcase of stripped-back blues and raw emotion from America’s The White Buffalo. Jake Smith’s vocal alternates between soft, husky croons and impassioned howls that grow to a mesmerising climax that will leave any listener in awe of the sheer talent on display. Although the music itself is nothing ground-breaking and follows in a tried and tested alt. rock style, ‘Oh Darling’ is a murder ballad worthy of Nick Cave himself.

The White Buffalo – Oh Darling

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The Phantom’s Revenge – Charlie

If there’s a tried and tested formula for making a decent electronic song, it’s to go get an eighties sample, filter it a bit, hit a few repeats in there and then call it new. That’s exactly what the Phantom’s Revenge has done with his track, Charlie, and what do you know? It works a treat. Now, information’s not exactly easy to find on this guy, but I’m going to hedge my bets and tell you he’s probably French. Electro this good is rarely produced by anyone other than the French, with the noticeable exception of I Think I Like It by Fake Blood, which goes hand in hand with this track – check it out at the bottom. I’m not sure what else I can say really, except for the best quality of this song – it works everywhere – I mean you can be sat on the couch at home, or in a club with another Charlie entirely…

Want more from the Phantom’s Revenge? While creeping his myspace we found mediafire links to all his original songs, some of his remixes and bonus tracks.

The Phantom’s Revenge – Charlie

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Bonus:
Fake Blood – I Think I Like It (Original Mix)

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[Indie] Girls – Heartbreaker

San Francisco based indie-rockers Girls made huge impression last September when they released the excellent Album. To follow up their fantastic debut, the duo produced this deeply sad and personal EP, Broken Dreams Club.

While there are no immediately gratifying songs on Broken Dreams Club like Album’s “Lust for Life” or “Laura” on the EP, “Thee Oh So Protective One” sounds nothing like you’ve ever heard from Girls before, and yet still maintains a familiar and comfortable air about its intensely sad lyrics. Single “Heartbreaker” is more of a return to the thematic styles of Album, but it still manages to feel more mature, tighter, and polished.

It’s hard to immediately describe the sound of Girls, but their music has a certain feel to it. It’s as if they have captured the very spirit of San Francisco, and stored it in songs. And that’s a good thing.

Girls – Heartbreaker

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[hip/hop + dubstep] Zeds Dead & Omar Linx – Out For Blood

Canadian artists are a rare appearance on the music ninja, so in this case I’m proud to present double supersized order of Canadian talent. The Toronto born pioneers of dubstep, Zeds Dead, team up with fellow Toronto based rapper, Omar LinX, to produce what could be the hybrid to bridge the existing gap between dubstep and hip-hop. Omar LinX’s rugged voice and sharp-tongued lyrics, filled with wit, biting humour and clever wordplay, are complemented by smooth, melodic hooks and laced together with signature scratchy Zeds Dead basslines so deep you might be left breathless. Omat Linx’s aggressive style balances perfectly with the intensity Zeds Dead brings to the table. With this song pulsating from your speakers, any attempt to stop the resulting adrenaline rush from spreading would be in vain.

Zeds Dead & Omar Linx – Out For Blood

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