Victor, Fly Me to Stafford is a song by the Hong Kong indie-pop duo My Little Airport. The band was formed by Ah P (Lam Pang) and Nicole (Nicole Au Kin-ying) who met in college in 2001, and occasionally the duo invite friends and relatives to contribute to their albums and even their live shows.

In 2007, the Spanish label Elefant Records released a compilation of the highlights from their two previous albums and it’s well worth checking out. They’re a fun and joyful band and despite their twee-pop sensibilities, they often write songs with strong social and political themes, as well. Victor, Fly Me to Stafford shows off what I like most about them; Nicole’s sweet voice twined with Ah P’s electro-pop casio. If you like what you hear make sure to check out their compilation.

Philip

I don’t remember how I came across Dimlite’s new album Grimm Reality, but I’m certainly happy I did. The songs he’s produced for this record feel like they’re influenced heavily by the past, bits of jazz and hip-hop, weird guitar rock, experimentations with sound. And though that could be a hot mess, somehow Dimlite makes it all work in on chaotic yet cohesive mess. I’m usually shit at describing music, so here’s what Stones Throw had to say:

Titling his third album Grimm Reality might seem to point to a new autobiographical streak in this Swiss musician, but that would be too simple. It’s up to the listener to piece together a version of Grimm’s reality from mere hints: the wistful romance of “XY,” the tension and release of “New, Better Pain” and soon through every perfectly poised moment on this record. Likewise, looking for the remains of a hip-hop influence, or a connection to what’s happening on modern-day dance floors, won’t yield much here. The precedents that spring to mind are all cherished outsiders – Neu, The Residents, Beefheart, Philip Glass – footnotes in mainstream music history but, in an altogether preferable parallel universe, titans of the recent past.

It’s the swirling mixture of sounds that really give the album it’s character. I’ve been listening to the new album from RareBit (who’s track we posted last week) and it’s got a similar sound, if that’s even possible. It’s this melange of styles and historical sounds that are weaved together to create a new, cohesive something. I’d definitely recommend picking up this album if you like what you hear in the track above, titled XY.

Bobby

Over the weekend I discovered the music of Philadelphia natives Work Drugs. Last year, the band played support to Two Door Cinema Club during their North American tour, and during that time, they listened to a lot of Adele. After traveling 8,000 miles with little more then Adele’s album for company, the band aptly decided to pay tribute to the English singer by covering her track Rolling in the Deep.

I really like what they do to the song – stripping it back until it’s barely recognizable and then feeding it through a filter of their own unique smooth-fi sound. I think it works really well and it’s nice to hear such a fresh take on a track that has seen a lot of covers and remixes over the past few months. Make sure to check out more music from Work Drugs here on their Bandcamp page.

Philip

The folks over at Non Projects are continually putting out quality music from quality artists, and this new track from RareBit is one of my favorites of the year so far. The song is called Emergence and it’s a wonderful bit of electronic goodness. It has a bit of a Japanese tinge to it, specifically it reminds me Takagi Masakatsu, which in my opinion is a huge compliment. But RareBit’s track has a rapid beat to it, something I don’t think Masakatasu would do.

Take a listen to the track, and if you dig it, click here to pre-order the Daizo LP and support this local Los Angeles label and let them continue doing what they love.

Bobby

Every now and then I get the song She’ll Be Coming ‘Round the Mountain, totally randomly, for no real reason. I’m pretty sure I sang the song as a child, but I definitely never knew what the meaning was. It wasn’t till about 7 or 8 years ago that I was re-introduced to the song, through a comic called Promethea. Throughout the series there are characters singing the tune, which used as a prelude to the end of the world. When viewed that way it’s the song takes an entirely different meaning which is pretty interesting to me. For whatever reason, it popped back into my head again so i decided to look it up.

According to Wikipedia, the song is in reference to a spiritual song sung by enslaved Africans during the lat 1800′s. The song was actually a reference to the second coming of Christ and the Rapture. Here are the original lyrics:

O, who will drive the chariot When she comes? O, who will drive the chariot When she comes? O, who will drive the chariot, O, who will drive the chariot, O, who will drive the chariot When she comes?

King Jesus, he’ll be driver when she comes, When she comes . . . .
She’ll be loaded with bright Angels When she comes . . . .
She will neither rock nor totter, When she comes . . . .
She will run so level and steady, When she comes . . . .
She will take us to the portals, When she comes . . . .

The song eventually began to change in the early 1900′s into a children’s song, distorting it’s original meaning. It’s interesting how time changes the meaning of things, especially in a time when word of mouth and folk stories were so vital. However, even these may not even be the original meanings to this old, cryptic tune.

Bobby

Jason Robert Quever’s indie-pop band Papercuts are a group with whom I haven’t spent much time with, but their track Do What You Will has creeped its way under my skin and I’ve been humming along to it all day. There’s something charming about Quever’s voice, and the whole thing trots along on a sweet drumbeat which could have been lifted straight from the hazy days of The Velvet Underground. This is dream-pop at it’s sweetest.

The song comes from the bands fourth album Fading Parade which was released last March through Sub Pop Records. It was also accompanied by a neat music video which might be worth checking out. The album is available to purchase through Sub Pop Records.

Philip

I’m a huge fan of Daniel Rossen and his music. His contributions to Grizzly Bear are usually my favorite, and Department of Eagles is a fantastic side project for him. Now he’s signed to Warp records as a solo artist and will be releasing a new EP on march 19/20 called Silent Hour / Golden Mile, which Rosen describes being “like a unified declaration—about unease with the world around you, about indeterminacy in your own life, and the ability somehow to navigate both.”

The song above is called Saint Nothing, and if it’s indicative of the rest of the album, I think Rossen’s created something very quiet and special. The five song EP also features an appearance from Dr. Dog’s Eric Slick, so there’s that as well. For more info about the record, click here.

Bobby

This makes me so happy. The extremely talented and oft-featured Pogo has released a new remix using footage from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Vivian, Carlton, Geoffrey, everyone is excised from the mansion, the early ’90s, the videotape, and moved into an updated digital melody. As the early ’90s would have it, the cast is wearing some of the only clothing that could compete with the song they now live in. But isn’t that part of Hilary’s charm?

I’m a bit skeptical of nostalgia when it seems inauthentic, but this is legit. Watching the Fresh Prince with my sisters after school is one of my favorite memories. We were on a first-name basis with the Banks and watching this again, I think we still are.

Alex

P.S. Did you know that Pogo came to the States and got arrested? He is banned from reentering the country for 10 years which is very sad for us. I would cite SOPA, but I’m a day late.

Shearwater is back and releasing a new album in 2012 called Animal Joy, this time around with the help of the always on point Sub Pop Records. From this track alone I’m extremely excited to hear the rest of the album. It’s got a wonderful pace to it, Jonathan Meiburg’s vocals spilling out like a beautiful brook. The vibe is also a bit more uplifting than their previous material, constantly building up higher and higher. The new album comes out February 14 in the USA and Feb 27th everywhere else, so be on the look out. If this song isn’t weird enough for you, I’d suggest checking out Meiburg’s collaboration with Jamie Stewart of Xiu Xiu called Blue Water White Death.

Bobby

Video via Third Channel on Vimeo

I recently discovered the work of the Norwegian musician and composer Terje Isungset and was really impressed by what he does. Isungset is one of Europe’s most accomplished and innovative percussionists, and he is a true innovator in his creation of ice instruments. For ten years, Isungset has been making and playing these incredible creations by carving them from the ice and he has performed in a number of wonderful and strange locations such as behind frozen waterfalls, inside of igloos and on top of giant glaciers.

The video above gives a brief insight into what Isungset does so well. Directed by Santiago Posada and produced by Third Channel; the film was taken during his performance last year at London’s Somerset House. It shows many of Isungset’s unique instruments including an ice horn, an iceophone and his ice percussion. Each instrument creates a unique and haunting sound and they really need to be heard to be believed. The majority of the instruments are carved from ancient glaciers and were transported to an urban igloo right in the heart of central London as part of three day event which ran last January in the city.

Isungset has also recorded a number of albums which you can check out here.

Directed by: Santiago Posada
Produced by Third Channel.
http://vimeo.com/thirdchannel
www.thirdchannel.co.uk

Philip