Author Archives: Dominic Powell

[Psych Rock] Jagwar Ma – OB1

Posted by Dominic Powell - July 16, 2016

Jagwar Ma
O B 1

I was first introduced to Jagwar Ma via BIRP’s May 2013 release. In “Man I Need”, I found a 9-minute long primer to what would soon become a favorite genre of music. The influences of indie rock, glitz-pop, and psychadelia came together to form a symbiotic masterpiece with each piece complimenting the others. While Jagwar Ma has been touring regularly, fans have not been exposed to new material since the debut of Howlin’ in 2013. This week, the first single from the soon-to-be released album Every Now and Then, “OB1” has hit the airwaves.

Opening with a glitzy, reverb heavy loop set under Gabriel Winterfield’s vocals, the track wastes no time to root itself in the same psychedelic framework that made the band so popular in 2013 – and propelled Lonerism to universal acclaim in 2012. “OB1” plays out nicely over the course of a lengthy five and a half minutes, giving an ode to previous works like “Uncertainty” and “The Throw” which take equally as long to build up.

As the song unfolds, a subbed out bass line and a 90s-rock guitar riff carry the bridge and the hook respectively. Overall, “OB1” is a return to form for Jagwar Ma and gives fans a hopeful glimpse into what is in store from them in the second half of 2016. In addition to dropping a new album, fans can catch what is – in my personal opinion – one of the best live performances that exists all over the globe this summer and fall. Jagwar Ma’s website can be found here and a few of their tour dates are listed below the music video.

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[Festival Preview] Noise Pop Anniversary “25 To 25” Event Series

Posted by Dominic Powell - July 14, 2016

The 2017 Noise Pop Festival – a personal favorite of TMN – will return with ten consecutive days of music, film, and art in San Francisco for their 25th anniversary: February 17-26, 2017. Leading up to this quarter-century milestone, Noise Pop is proud to present the 25 To 25 series. Featuring 25 curated music, film, and art events ending with a blowout Noise Pop Festival lineup announcement party in November 2016.

The entire 25 To 25 series will be selectively announced over the next couple of months, with the first batch of music artists arriving today. Series performers include Canadian punk four-piece TOPS; Owen, the solo project of Mike Kinsella of American Football; Philadelphia rock group Sheer Mag; electronic musician Juan MacLean (DJ Set); Norwegian indie electronic duo Lemaitre, and more to come!

Local Bay Area talent will also have the chance to join many of the upcoming music performances, and they are encouraged to apply via Sonicbids.

Filmmakers who wish to feature one of their productions in one of the film events, can visit Film Freeway to submit.

Music lovers can enjoy the 25 To 25 series and Noise Pop Festival 2017 by purchasing single tickets to each of the events or a Super Fan Badge, which go on sale noon (PDT) Friday, July 15 and can be purchased through the website. Super Fan Badges will not only grant access to all of the events in the 25 To 25 series, but all of the shows, events, and pass perks during the Noise Pop Festival February 17-26 as well, clocking in at more than 60 events.

In honor of 25 years of Noise Pop, the producers will be making the 2017 festival a particularly spectacular and memorable year. Crowds can expect a genre-blurring mix of indie, hip hop, electronic, pop and beyond, plus intimate performances set at the Festival HQ, Swedish American Hall. The 2016 Festival, which saw some of the highest attendance numbers for the Festival to date, included amazing sets by Kamasi Washington, Bill Callahan, The Mountain Goats, American Football, Vince Stables, DIIV, Metric, Neon Indian, and many more. Since the Noise Pop debut in 1993, the Festival has featured many emerging performers who have gone on to wide acclaim, including The White Stripes, Modest Mouse, Death Cab for Cutie, The Flaming Lips, The Shins, Fleet Foxes, and Bright Eyes.

Follow along with the Noise Pop Festival news, including the upcoming lineup this fall, at www.noisepop.com/2017, as well as on Facebook and on Twitter.

[Electronic] Justice – Safe and Sound

Posted by Dominic Powell - July 14, 2016

Justice
Safe And Sound

Stream Only

Take a moment from your daily Pokemon catching rituals and think back to 2011. Was there even color TV that long ago? How did we get around before Uber? Remember what you were listening to? I would wager that – like all of the TMN staff – you were jamming to Audio, Video, Disco on repeat. Today, almost 5 years since AVD’s debut, French duo and electronic masterminds Gaspard Augé and Xavier de Rosnay have returned with their newest release, “Safe and Sound”. Continue reading →

[Soul] Shy Girls – I Am Only A Man

Posted by Dominic Powell - July 13, 2016

Shy Girls
I Am Only A Man

Soundcloud

While living in Portland, the unofficial American home of counterculture, Daniel Vidmar made his big splash in 2013. How so? In countering the counterculture of course. While his Portland contemporaries rose to fame on the back of a very particular type of sound – bands like The Decemberists, Blitzen Trapper, The Dandy Warhols, She & Him, Starfucker, Ages & Ages, Langhorne Slim, and The Shins – Vidmar took to his bedroom and set out to break the trend. Under the stage name of Shy Girls, he has crafted an alternative R&B sound that remains a novelty, despite the oversaturated landscape of today. Continue reading →

R&B
Soul

[Event Review] Big Black Delta bring the noise at Great American Music Hall – 5/26

Posted by Dominic Powell - June 1, 2016

For this Ninja’s first time inside the Great American Music Hall, I can’t imagine a better first impression that what was left by Big Black Delta. The stage name of frequent M83 collaborator and Mellowdrone frontman Jonathan Bates, BBD impressed right from the jump. With stylistic and sonic similarities to some of the more recent Neon Indian works, Bates weaved together a dynamic setlist in his headlining slot.

Touring in promotion of his just released album – the first new album in three years – Bates gave attendees plenty of reason to continue supporting and following along his artistic journey. Trágame Tierra builds on his explosive electronic sound, pitting icy Scandinavian beats against acoustic instrumentation. Further, the influence of new wave and synth pop were dotted throughout Bates’ performance. Opening with the crowd pleasing “It’s Ok”, Bates kicked a lively performance into high gear. A steady use of vocal modifier throughout the night added a dynamic aspect to the lyricism, one that is unfortunately not present on the recorded version of Trágame Tierra. A lively rendition of “Kid Icarus” midway through was a personal highlight, containing the loud, catchy chorus that attracted me to BBD in the first place.

’Kid Icarus’

Soundcloud

With another release and another tour under his belt, we can only expect BBD to rise to greater prominence; his work with the likes of Kimbra, Debbie Gibson and Brandon Flowers will only prove to help refine his nostalgia-inducing sound. Listeners who missed one of the 26 Big Black Delta stops this spring can cure their fomo by getting a copy of Trágame Tierra here and by following along with Bates’ journey and latest developments on his website.

’It’s Ok’

Download

[Future/Minimalist] POOLS – blue

Posted by Dominic Powell - May 12, 2016

pools
blue

Soundcloud

Ever since the release of “lets get breakfast” in early 2015, TMN has kept a very close eye on each of the releases by mysterious producer/songwriter POOLS. The up-and-coming faceless musician is back from a 3-month hiatus to bring us the latest smooth cut from his ever-expanding catalog. Within the first 30 seconds of “blue”, it is apparent that POOLS has been hard at work growing his unique sound since “Summer Sunday”.

Similar to James Blake or Jamie XX in his ability to create a trance-like soundscape with his music, our only gripe is that the individual pieces are a bit too succinct. Blazing a path down the minimalistic electronic trail, POOLS has a knack for encapsulating and mesmerizing listeners.

While I eagerly await a tour date from POOLS here in the Bay Area, we will continue watching for new releases (and perhaps a reveal) on his SoundCloud.

Future

[Future] Egoh – Come Back to Me

Posted by Dominic Powell - May 12, 2016

Egoh
Come Back To Me

Buy

Brought to us by the eclectic Ivory Oasis, soundcloud listeners were recently graced with the latest iteration of the “future” sound. Building on the sonic DNA of contemporary French artists like Darius, Rusty Hook, and Chahine, the newest producer to the landscape, Egoh, has released his best tune yet.

In Come Back to Me, listeners are presented with a textbook take on the slow building, synth-heavy, summery vibes that have made this type of music so popular. With only sparse, abstract vocalizations, Come Back to Me succeeds almost exclusive on the strength of its foot-tapping percussions and rhythmic beat structure. Aside from a brief electric guitar bridge at the 1:45 mark, the song does not waver from its 16 bar pattern – which could be listened to for ten minutes straight if so desired.

Stay tuned to see what Egoh has in store for the summer season; listeners can keep track of his progress here.

Future