Author Archives: Ricky Stephens

About Ricky Stephens

Ricky Stephens is an independent musician and music reviewer from Tampa Florida.

[New] Burial and Four Tet – Nova

Posted by Ricky Stephens - March 5, 2012

Last night TEXT013 was launched on Four Tet‘s twitter and soundcloud page- greeted by much excitement. “Text” being his label and “013” being the release number. The song, titled “Nova”, is another collaboration with the infamous Burial with whom he’s worked in the past; most notably last year’s Ego/Mirror 12in split with Thom Yorke.

“Nova” has gotten great reception, b lining to 40,000 plays in one night (it’s at 130,000 right now after only 18 hours) and resparking our love for the duo. The song itself stirs amid vocal samples for about 90 seconds before a layer of keys really get it moving and get the layers working in harmony.

[New] Tanlines – All Of Me

Posted by Ricky Stephens - March 5, 2012

Mixed Emotions is the debut album we’ve been waiting for. The work, from Brooklyn duo Tanlines,has been spotlighted so far with the lead single “Brothers” (plus remixes) and the latest track titled “All Of Me”. This new single places the band among the ranks of beachy, synthy, indie pop and feels like a day full of sunshine (which is nice because its been so cold here lately). The band’s debut is set for release on March 20th, stream “All Of Me” below.

Tanlines debuted both their album and their first singles on Twitter so follow them HERE for updates.

via:True Panther

Alternative/Rock

[Folk] Xavier Rudd – Follow The Sun

Posted by Ricky Stephens - March 5, 2012

Xavier Rudd‘s “Follow The Sun” is an aptly titled work that seems to be the musical embodiment of feeling the sun shine on your face. The fingerstyle guitars being played high on the neck. The soft but steady bass drum. The exclusive use of harmonica. All of these things match up with the lyrics to conjure images of a Bob Ross painting or a day in the park. It’s the kind of good feeling track that makes me want to call off work and go fly a kite or go spend time with my grandma. Stream below to hear what I mean:

Folk

[Indie] Josh And Mer- Planet Music + Video Premiere

Posted by Ricky Stephens - March 5, 2012

Portland’s own Josh Schroeder and Meredith Adelaide make up the indie pop duo known as Josh And Mer. The two nationally released their debut album, titled Planet Music, on 2/14 and have been met with a wave of blogs and comments and new fans ever since.

Overall the album is an eclectic blend of indie pop that is upbeat and catchy-bending with songs like “Mind Control” and “So It Goes” to really fill out the album and showcase what the band can do. While these songs do break the indie pop flow, seeing a band versatile enough to pull off foot stomping folk one song and synth beats the next is refreshing- and gives them an edge when compared to other Portland bands.

Josh And Mer- Mind Control (Click HERE for free download!)

Josh And Mer- So It Goes

Watch the official video for “Mind Control” below.

Alternative/Rock

[New] Marina & The Diamonds- Homewrecker + Free Download

Posted by Ricky Stephens - March 2, 2012

On April 16th Marina & The Diamonds will release the official first single, “Primadonna”, to precede their sophomore LP titled Electra Heart which set for release April 30th 2012. Until then the band has released two teaser tracks to keep the hype up. The latest release, a catchy track called “Homewrecker”, shines like The Diamonds themselves with its brand of catchy and danceable music. The track is more synth pop than anything we’ve heard from the group before, taking small steps away from the sound they established with The Family Jewels, and really shows the band gearing up for potential radio play. Stream below to hear what I’m talking about:

Marina & The Diamonds- Homewrecker

Exchange your email address for a FREE download of this track on Marina’s official website.

Alternative/Rock

[New] CSLSX & I Break Horses- Violent Sea

Posted by Ricky Stephens - March 2, 2012

The result of a collaboration between the Philadelphia collective CSLSX, whom we first heard from with “Keep on Shining”, and the Stockholm duo I Break Horses “Violent Seas” tip toes the line between today’s chillwave and yesterdays trip hop. The track is an uplifting and breezy gem that’s all about drums, synth textures, and movement- and best of all is that its up for free download HERE.

CSLSX & I Break Horses – Violent Sea

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Download

Watch the moody and ambiguously creepy music video HERE.

[New] Arcade Fire- Abraham’s Daughter

Posted by Ricky Stephens - March 2, 2012

The soundtrack to The Hunger Games movie isn’t out until March 20th, but the hype surrounding its release is growing exponentially. The album is said to feature artists ranging from The Decembrists (a favorite of mine) to Taylor Swift and Maroon 5.

The Arcade Fire gracefully joins the ranks with a two song contribution of original music, their first release since The Suburbs, with one going to the soundtrack and one to the actual movie score. “We were interested in making music that would be more integral in the movie, just as a mental exercise,” Butler says in an interview over at EW. “And there’s an anthem that runs throughout the books, the national anthem of the fascist Capitol. So as a thought experiment, we tried to write what that might sound like. It’s like the Capitol’s idea of itself, basically.” He goes on to maintain that these songs are not pop or commercial, but are rather to further the movie experience. And if I know my Arcade Fire, I think they’ll do just that.

Soundtracks