The Agency makes me happy! The video I selected does a good job expressing the reason why. Out of Paris France, The Agency is not your average indie rock band, but they do fit nicely in the pocket with any other critically acclaimed indie rockers. A high energy sound mixed with all the perfect gadgetry, which hits just when you think you’ve had enough. An escapade filled with lushes pop, and the moves and shakes to get you dancing. The Agency makes me smile, and I think they will do the same for you.

If you’re not familiar with Koushik its time to start paying attention. His last release Out My Window came out in 2008 on Stone Throw Records(vocal and instrumental release available). Its an album that is widely unknown that needs to be visited by you and others. Its the haze of summer gently humming through the speaks, its indeed my summer time play. When we roll to the lakes beneath the Smoky Mountains, Koushik provides the background. Constant rotation!

“Koushik Ghosh, a first-generation Canadian born to two genetic engineers and brother of Himadri Ghosh from the techno group Teste, goes by just his first name as a producer and singer on Peanut Butter Wolf’s Stones Throw label. DJing since 14, Koushik grew up outside of Hamilton, Ontario, going to Indian classical singing lessons with his mother and listening to bands like My Bloody Valentine and Funkadelic, and later on, Madlib and Jay Dee. After completing his masters degrees in biostatistics and ethnomusicology from the University of Vermont, Koushik went on to release 2005’s Be With (whose sound reflects the eclecticism in his musical tastes), which includes songs off his Be With, One in a Day, and Battle Times EPs. Previous to that he co-wrote and sang two songs on Manitoba (later re-named Caribou)’s 2003 Up in Flames record. Koushik’s long awaited full-length debut, Out My Window came out in 2008 and not very coincidentally, had much in common with Caribou’s 2007 Andorra. ~ Marisa Brown, All Music Guide”

Another groovy band graces the “Sleeper” series. ST is transmitting from Paris, France, and its blazing. For fans of Daft Punk without any doubt. This group solidifies the atmospherics of an intergalactic escapade. Highly Enjoyable!

Katsumi_PF
Uploaded by Vincent_Toulouse. – Independent web videos.

Watching the video below was a wonderful way to start my morning. I have seen Andrew Bird Live a few times, and quite honestly I can’t think of a more impressive performer. Similar to Bird, Language of Kings serves up the same quality. Using a loop pedal looks like a bundle of fun, and Language nails it. Setting aside the way in which the sounds are being recorded, the music is good, its exceptionally good. As the minutes role I continue to hear Jon Brion, who does wonderful Motion Picture Score work. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind kept popping in my head, especially on the tune “Uprooting the Flora.” The images that swoon through the quirks behind my eyes are whimsical and sublime. I really dig Language of Kings AKA Mustafa Shaheen.

From Language of Kings MySpace Bio: ”I’m just an instrumentalist who writes lyrics every now and then. I like to experiment with the texture of tones and timbres and my heart has a deep romance with folk. I started playing drums in 2003 and since then, I’ve been learning as many instruments as I can. Through the magic art of capturing sound known as recording, I’ve been able to layer instrument upon instrument to create what you hear now. It’s a challenging process to be inventive but it’s also loads of fun. All I ask for is to please put on your headphones.”

Language of King’s Heavy Hands is available now.

When the wind swirls the sand through the triangles in the sky, the background on the walk toward that image is Lonely London Lad. A mysterious psychedelic escapade baring visual fruits to the minds while it trips over and over again. If you enjoy the journey which takes you away from realities into the subconscious, Lonely London Lad is the band for you. Its an experimental piece of work mixed with rock, and electronic blossoms – delightful, dark, and profound.

You can purchase, or listen to clips of their double self titled record, and their newest release called Foaming at the Mouth, along with a variety of super groovy swag here – they have it all.

Gust of Wind # 14

Signer, Next We Bring the Fire

CarPark

This Gust of Wind rests in spaces out of this world.

The atmospherics of Signer are pleasant from the start. The record plays with an ease of beauty. The soft hushed vocals are co-mingling with a vast amount of layering. Beats come out of left field, and the feeling gets me high. Ryan McFun from one of my favorite bands, The Ruby Suns, contributes on this record. His vocals are distinct, and go as high as a rocket ship. All the songs are written and performed by Bevan Smith.

Next We Bring the Fire certainly has moments more accessible than others. The song “+ kicks and kicks” is quite funky and blazing with static, while McFun’s vocal adds a laid back feel to its more groovy nature. Signer has an older sounding electronic quality to it, sort of 1990s-esque, with an acidic tone. This impression is left more notably on the tune “glass ceiling.” Its glitch foundations are coupled with a voice trying to get out from behind a dark corner. Most of the album is nothing if not riddled with tons of reverb, and the consistent emotion of searching to be lost.

There is something that reminds me of the ride home during the dawn of an after party, with all the “colorful balloons” floating in the air. As you drive out of the cold darkness, lost in some random inner city with no where to piss, remember, you can play Signer on your way home and all will be forgotten.

- Ryan Boos

Enthine creates wonderful electronic music, not far removed from the realm of Motion Picture score. Enthine’s music is indeed from the mind of an intellectually wonkish producer.

For those of us who enjoy ambient, trip-hop, electronic, and experimental music.

Enthine is an electronic music project from Buenos Aires, Argentina, formed in 2007 by Adrián Vaccaro (b. 1987). His music can be characterized as downtempo/electronic with influences of ambient, chill-out and jazz fused together with experimental math matrices. The first Enthine’s album is called ‘Staregaze’ and it’s a completely independent work. It was recorded between June 2007 and September 2008, and released on November 2008 (Enthine’s Bio).

Click here to listen to the track “Dream without Details.”

Like a warm sweater on a cold winters day, Kashmere Hakim serves our needs. The gracious voice, and pluck of string, feathers the wind through the parallels of paradise.

So, pick up your favorite read, and your most delicious cup of tea. Sit back to this gracious range of falling flakes, on tracks in the smallest corners of the end. Be still with the windows, the creaks of an old house, a distant water drip, and the textures of a loved one. These tunes suffice, these tunes rejoice, these songs sing out to me, and should to you.

Gust of Wind # 13

Atlas Sound, Logos

Kranky

This Gust of Wind wakes you when the dogs howl rides over the empty streets. You lift up suddenly from dreaming of something you vividly recall, but can’t decisively remember.

Bradford Cox has become a name in the last few years that packs several meanings. Not only is he a part of the exceptionally regarded group called Deer Hunter; he also managed to find time to invent a fresh side-project in Atlas Sound. Both have become regulars on many different lists of praise. This album is just another addition to an already impressive body of work that deserves a thorough listen – Sign me up!

Logos has many personalities throughout. From track to track, there is a plethora of emotions, which seem recorded over a time frame consisting of excessive highs and lows. It’s a connection album with Cox waiving a mirror to see his own reflections in different forms of light. In this case the light is the special guests that contribute to the record. There is a small touch of melancholy in all of this, but certainly enough joy to compound the darkness into something more than a lonely impression.

“Walkabout,” featuring Panda Bear of the group Animal Collective, is one of the brightest spots on the Album. It’s a catchy sample with harmonies leaving a memorable touch. The track “Quick Canal,” featuring Laetitia Sadier of Stereo Lab, is the part of the record where you take off in your own head. Her voice soars well over Atlas Sound’s atmospheric steadiness, and this collaboration is worth exploring in the future. Another track that really sounds amazing is called “Shelia.” Cox sings, “When we die we’ll burry ourselves, because no one wants to die alone,” and as the track fades he belts “Die alone together.” Something we all have pondered momentarily throughout our daily lives.

The original flare, and chameleon sensibility on Logos, gives it enough playing power to stick around as a nice addition to any collection.

- Ryan Boos