Robert DeLong - Happy

You come here you don't need an occasion
Just an ill-advised itching for the conversation
Got a good sub going, got a good vibration
Getting mixed results from mixing strong libation
 

A Seattle child like us, DeLong moved on to L.A. to ply his trade and hone his sound of singer/songwriter meets electronica. His version of "experimental dance" didn't hit my ears until his third album released in 2015, and specifically the track "Don't Wait Up". For today's MIS, I mined back to his debut album. I love the echoing vocals, the slow, methodic wall of sound that crashes in on you, the almost whistling keys, the trailing piano. "Happy" is definitely a repeatable track and good for building a mood. Let's build up a happy mood for this week, shall we?

RIYL: Big Data, Joywave, Max Frost, Miike Snow

Upcoming Shows

Helado Negro - Come Be Me

You and me can make it forever
I can call you up
And you can say my name
Cuz I been talking about you to everyone
So they know
You're fine

Helado Negro is one of the many monikers for Roberto Carlos Lange, a tropical-electronic producer out of Brooklyn (via south Florida, from Ecuadorian parents), and more of a collaborative effort for the label Asthmatic Kitty. Digging around his discography doesn't disappoint - a lot of mellow grooves, some more energetic, all fairly interesting, some quite moving and speaking to his experience as a POC in the US. I love this latest single for it's end-of-summer dreaminess. 

RIYL: El Guincho, Cineplexx, CLUBZ

Upcoming Shows

Foster the People - SHC

I want to live my life again
But you won't
I'll never understand the winds
But you do
I didn't know I was afraid
But you did
I want to do it again

Well I've been sleeping
Waiting for something
But to feel nothing
At all, avoid the call
Sometimes I'm reckless
Sometimes misdirected
And sometimes when I'm tested
I tend to do nothing at all

"Pumped Up Kicks" was so huge and omnipresent, I didn't realize that it basically came from nowhere. Mark Foster recorded and released it free on his own website and when it went viral he had to scramble to figure out representation, licensing, a touring lineup (now full band), and record an album to include "Pumped Up Kicks" and play on tour. They went from playing in empty rooms to a showcase at SXSW to playing with the Beach Boys at the Grammy's (where nominated for 3) in 16 months! Humongous adjustment to make - hat tip to him/them that the first album had so many gems, and at the same time no wonder the sophomore album was practically unheard. (That may be an exaggeration, I didn't look up the numbers, but I didn't recognize a single song from it when I checked it out this morning.) ANYWAY, this summer the band released it's third LP, Sacred Hearts Club, a groove-driven record that IMO lives up to the promise of their debut. I'm looking forward to their set at ACL next month!

RIYL: MGMT, Phoenix, Passion Pit, Empire of the Sun, Portugal. The Man

 

Upcoming Shows