Deadshirt Is Listening… Pouring One Out, Electric Boogalooin’, Laughing

Deadshirt Is Listening… Bringing you a rundown of our staff and guest contributors’ favorite new tracks released in the past week after they’ve had the weekend to blast them in their cars, in a club, alone in their rooms, etc.

Julian Ames is pouring one out to…

“Gone Too Soon”
Darkside
Electronic

Farewell Darkside, we hardly knew ye. Darkside was an experimental electronic music project from producer Nico Jaar and guitarist Dave Harrington. I say “was,” because they just announced that the project was “coming to an end,” and that they would play a couple farewell shows. Along with the announcement they released two unreleased tracks that were cut from their 2013 album Psychic, “What They Say,” and the aptly titled “Gone Too Soon.” The song “Gone Too Soon” begins with a funky but simple bassline that gets tampered with and varied as the song goes on. The rest of the song evolves similarly, first with Jaar’s dark and breathy vocals and wispy guitar tones, gradually more elements are added in–first percussion, then more guitars and a piano. Sections of experimentation separate parts where Jaar is singing, and the song eventually trails off into shimmering guitar noise. “Gone Too Soon” definitely keeps the dark-but-not-ominous vibe of the album that it was recorded for. In their announcement, the band added a little “for now” to their statement, leaving open the possibility of more music from the duo in the distant future. It’s great if that is the case, but if not, these two songs make for a decent period to Darkside’s sentence.

“Susie Thumb”
Ty Segall
Manipulator
Garage Rock

California garage rocker Ty Segall has been a very busy bee lately. His music output in just the last two years alone has been staggering–it’s been hard to keep up. Since 2012, he’s put out two solo albums, Twins and Sleeper, the album Slaughterhouse with The Ty Segall Band, Hair, a collaboration with the band White Fence, and Fuzz, as the drummer and singer of the band of the same name. Now he’s preparing to release a new album, titled Manipulator, later this month.

The frenetic nature of his music seems to reflect the pace at which he releases it. This week, Segall released “Susie Thumb,” the newest single from the album. His influences include early garage bands like The Stooges, early metal like Black Sabbath, and glam rock; and all these influences are on display in this song. It’s a blistering garage tune, clocking in under three minutes, with heavy power chords and solos that definitely ape from Raw Power era Stooges – which is totally okay in my book. Manipulator is out on August 26th.

Sam Paxton is electric boogalooin’ to…

“From The Night”
Stars
No One Is Lost
Indie/Dance Pop

https://soundcloud.com/youarestars/from-the-night

From the moment the first notes of “From The Night” ring out, it’s evident that Stars is moving in a bit of a different direction. Sure, the band has flirted with electronica/dance-style trappings in the past (most notably on their previous LP, The North), but even though lead singer Torquil Campbell said recently on Twitter that “we were a dance band in 1999 and we will always be one,” this is the most aggressively that Stars has leaned into that descriptor.

The track is six-plus minutes of syncopated ear-candy. “From The Night” is a powerhouse of buoyant bass, laser-sharp guitar, and the catchiest high hat figure you’ve ever heard. Campbell’s voice takes point on the quieter verses, but the song kicks into high gear when co-lead singer Amy Millan joins in on the choruses. Supposedly, the album was recorded in a studio located directly over a discotheque, an influence that clearly rubbed off on the band in the best of ways. Stars albums typically use their first track as a blueprint or mission statement for the rest of the LP; if that pattern holds with “From The Night,” the band’s forthcoming album No One Is Lost might see them become the dance band they always envisioned themselves as.

David Lebovitz is laughing along to…

“Eskimo Brothers”
Jon LaJoie (as Taco MacArthur)
The League Original Soundtrack
Comedy Hip-Hop

In anticipation of The League’s upcoming sixth season, FXX has finally (yet silently) released the show’s soundtrack. With a few exceptions, it consists almost entirely of songs by Taco (Jon LaJoie). If, like me, you’ve ever wanted to have the original version of the legendary “Birthday Song” or on your iPod or to sing along to his tribute to a Ghost Monkey, this is worth celebrating.

With the album comes this new song from Taco, both an explanation and a tribute to his many Eskimo brothers, an important part of League lore. (If you don’t watch The League and need an explanation, check Urban Dictionary. Yup, it’s a Thing People Think About. I’m not sure if the term was invented by Taco or predates the show, but here we are.) Taco, one of my favorite characters on television today, raps in his usual “too stoned out of his mind to realize that he’s completely ludicrous” style, and it fits his song just as well as ever. In typical League fashion, you will find yourself thinking “how can a human being think like this?” before remembering “Oh, right. It’s Taco.” The song is classic Taco: completely ludicrous, hilarious, and enjoyable. Be prepared to learn about euphemisms for sex you’ve never even considered.

That’s what we’ve been listening to this week – what’s got your ear this week? Tweet your recommendations @DeadshirtDotNet or drop us a line on our Facebook page.

Post By Julian Ames (23 Posts)

Music enthusiast, maker, and soon-to-be master (hopefully). Exiled from civilization for crimes against the realm. Currently lives in Miami.

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