Music Video: Sleep Party People - A Dark God Heart (NSFW)

I tend not to post NSFW videos (trying to keep it family friendly and such) but for this video I had to make an exception. Beautifully shot and with excellent pacing, its the best music video I've seen so far this year. Beyond that, the video captures the overwhelmingly eerie feel of the music all too perfectly. Sleep Party People take cues from dream pop, shoegaze and a combination of classical and electronic instrumentation to create a uniquely dark vision. If you need a comparison, imagine Gem Club injected with subtle terror, over processed vocals and a healthy dose of Donnie Darko influence. Originally the bedroom project of Danish multi-instrumentalist Brian Batz, the project converted unusually smoothly into a 5 piece for their live performances, which are more than worthy of your time.



A Dark God Heart is the first single off of Sleep Party People's second album, "We Were Drifting on a Sad Song" out April 9th on Blood and Biscuits.

Orca Orca/ Qualms split 7"

Last week, Boston dream-poppers Orca Orca and Qualms released a collaborative split single on the web. Although all three musicians (Orca Orca is a one man affair and Qualms is a duo) played on both songs, the two songs have distinct enough feels to justify being separately credited. The Orca Orca track is another slice of the sort of mellowed out lo-fi pop that was unavoidable about two years ago. Vintage Casio tones, slightly more aggressive guitar work and vocals vaguely similar to Ben Gibbard keep the song distinct. The Qualms track is colder, sparser affair with hypnotic guitars and synth stabs swirling around two part vocals. Orca Orca's vocals fit the second track even better than his own, making me hope such a fruitful collaboration won't be relegated to just one single.

Check Out my original post on Orca Orca, and Qualm's first single below.

Regret, Love, Guilt, Dreams - The Bilinda Butchers

San Francisco Dreampop/sort of chillwave duo release their second(?) EP. Of course there's the strikingly obvious MBV reference band name that I could talk about, but I don't think I'm going to.

Seven Saturdays - Secret Things (remix album)

I've been jamming (actually I'm usually studying) to Seven Saturdays for a while now, but I just never got around to posting anything. The Sun Airway remix introduced me to the ambient-pop project, and the Memoryhouse remix has also been buzzing around the web for the past few weeks. Everything on this remix album is just a good as the first two singles and you could probably assume that just by looking at the lineup. Memoryhouse, Sun Airway, Teen Daze, Houses and Millionyoung are all Athid Favorites and none of them disappointed here. To be honest, it'd be quite the feat to disappoint with such beautiful source material, but its always nice to see some of your favorite artists together in the same place. All prior bias aside, newcomers White Sea manage to create perhaps the most triumphant remix of the bunch. An album like this has the potential to make all the chillwave haters shut up for a few minutes and just... chill :)

The album is only available to stream until next Tuesday, no word yet on a physical release.

His Clancyness - Like a Champ

New track from Ottawa's His Clancyness premiered on Altered Zones earlier this week. Jon Clancy trades in some of his usual billowing dreaminess for something a bit more rocking on the tune. Not to say that its not dreamy though, just not particularly billowy. You'll probably find yourself comparing it to the Shins, and that's never a bad thing.

Like a Champ - His Clancyness

Like a Champ is the B Side for Clancy's "What Fury Can't Say" 7" which you can preorder now from 16 Tambourines

Shimmering Stars - Walk Away / Dancing to Music I hate

Shimmering Stars (aka Bedrooms of the Nation) added two new songs to their myspace today, and they're both going to show up on their debut LP. The beautiful harmonies are still in full force, but its easy to tell that the band doesn't need to lean on them as much as they have in the past. Walk Away is a slower number, but the mid section rollicks along at a head bobbing pace. Dancing to Music I Hate is tantalizingly brisk at a minute and a half, but I'm willing to bet it won't be long before its up there with "Sun's Going Down" as one of their best songs.

Shimmering Stars - Walk Away by deliciouscopitone

Shimmering Stars - Dancing to Music I Hate by deliciouscopitone

Sun's going down - Shimmering Stars

Thanks togrrrizzly for the streams, and for generally just being a great blog.

Foxes in Fiction - Hospital District/ Static Cults

ATHID's best bud 4ever, Warren of Foxes in Fiction, released a new single yesterday! Warren is celebrating both the 1 year anniversary of the release of Swung from the Branches and his recovery from some sort of sickness. Both songs are primarily instrumental/ambient affairs, but don't go assuming ambient equates to boring. Hospital Districts is as shimmering and bright as anything Foxes in Fiction have done before and is an interesting exploration of his established style and tone. Meanwhile, Static Cults finds itself in decidedly more chillwave territory. My iTunes keeps telling me that Static Cults is 7 minutes long, but it feels like two or three at the most. Warren chops up his own vocals and set them afloat on a beat thats soothing and airy even for Foxes in Fiction.

Download the digital 7 inch here.

Kitteh Fur - Winter Will Never Come

Kitteh Fur is a new project featuring Rachel Levy, my favorite fake Canadian! Sort of feeling a Memoryhouse vibe, but with warmer vocals. Of course the video by the ultra-prolific Tearist is appropriately hazy and romantic. When the song and visuals are combined its basically slowcore bliss y'all.

Kitteh Fur - "Winter Will Never Come" from The Tearist on Vimeo.

Unouomedude - Emilia

I'm not really sure when this demo from actionville resident Unouomedude was released, but its new to me so I figured I'd post it. Based on the sleigh bells in the background it could be a christmas track that I'm way behind on, but I feel just fine listening to it January. It reminds me a lot of Teen Daze's sort-of left turn EP Beach Dreams, in all its lo-fi dream pop goodness.

Emilia(demo) - Unouomedude (via his website)

You can also grab a mixtape made by Uno over at 40oz clothing, along with a link to buy a tote-bag he designed, if you're into that sort of thing.

Ela Orleans - I Know

I'm not sure how official this music video is, but I think it fits pretty well. Besides, this song is just too good not to post. I Know has been buzzing through my head since it was first brought to my attention on grrrizzly's first mixtape.

Yohuna - Mateo

You're definitely going to want to check this one out. Yahuna is sort of like a hybrid between Adelyn Rose and HTDW, or maybe a cavernous Moon Lasso. Anyway you want to look at it, Mateo's lo-fi production turn the song into something massive. Yohuna's debut EP "Revery" is out Tuesday, but Mateo is already available on her bandcamp.

Shout Out to Grrrizzly for this!

Kite Collision (Orange Blossom Flyover + Heirloom)

Kite Collision was the short-lived musical project between Ryan Scally and Matt Billington. After starting with some appropriately catchy shoegaze/pop the two decided to move on with their respective solo projects, Orange Blossom Flyover and Heirloom. Both Solo projects are more casual and less radio-friendly, but when has that ever been a bad thing? I've been sitting on these tracks for a while because I haven't been quite able to articulate why I like them so much. Instead of trying to write something overly articulate I'll just post one song from each project and let you listen if you're curious. Enjoy

Beings Without Wings by Heirloom

Vicarious Room of Gold feat. Gracie Jackson by Orange Blossom Flyover

World Puzzle In Two Weeks by Heirloom

Mean Winds - What Happens in Hingham...

I'm hearing hints of earlier AC, particularly Avey Tare and the song "Leaf House" way more folk than freak though.

Shimmering Stars - Sun's Going Down

Is it weird that two of the four music blogs I visit daily are in languages I can't read? Probably. Sometimes Google will translate the page for me, but I like it more when it doesn't. The only thing that can make a song stand out before I hear it is its cover art, its title, the artist. Not to mention I love just about every song I hear on NMB and DS so every song stands out even with out any information or expectations. Anyways, heres a video posted on Delicious Scopitone that I really liked

Shimmering Stars - Sun's Going Down from Delicious Scopitone on Vimeo.

Stream Deer Hunter - Halcyon Digest

Even though I might lose some street cred for saying this, I had never listened to Deer Hunter until a couple of weeks ago when Helicopter was released. I thought it was alright at first, but the more I listened to it the more I enjoyed it. Halcyon Digest as a whole however is instantly enjoyable, I'm definitely buying this the day it comes out. I'm thinking I'll write something vaguely resembling a review of the album once I have more than just an initial impression. Anyways, if you like shimmering 60s nostalgia or stomping bedroom psyche, stream the album in its entirety or song by song over at NPR.

Mixtape by The Unfound

I usually don't post anything on the weekend but this mixtape is too great to not tell everyone about! This mixtape probably does a better job of summing up what I've been listening to in the past few months than mixtapes I make do! Anyways, check it out here.

New music: Guido, Selebrities, Porcelain Raft, ect ect

Alot of new Chillwave this week (but thats every week AMIRITE??) but some of it is you know.... actually good. Guido's probably the only project on here that doesn't go under that category to be honest. His new single isn't 100% in line with his regular sound (I like this more than anything else he's done) anyways, I don't know much about several of these bands so I'll just let the music do the talking today!

On Holiday - Secret Cities (thank you NMB)

See Through - Porcelain Raft

Time - Selebrities (thank you DS)

ski ridder by guido productions

On to Free EPs:

You can grab all of Waskerley Way's new ep Cat Music by clicking right here, or just my personal favorite track off of it, Cattermole(once again via my favorite DS)

Last but not least, Young Man's Daytrotter session is a must listen!