MOKB Premiere : Churchill : “Sing Out Your Love” (Stripped Down)

It is a very dangerous time to be a part of the alt-folk rock scene. It is a genre that is so saturated, it is becoming difficult to differentiate the bands with a few exceptions such as The Avett Brothers, Lumineers, and the love them or hate them Mumford and Sons. One of the bands that has been able to create a little separation between themselves and the rest of the pack is Denver’s Churchill.

They released their Change EP midway last year to glowing reviews and are set to do a Daytrotter session and open for Phillip Phillips, the singer of the song “Home” you can’t seem to turn your television on without hearing. Additionally, the band is nearing a spring release for their debut album. What this all means is that you should expect to hear more of this up and coming band. Recently, they recorded a stripped down version of EP track “Sing Out Your Love” to lovely results. Listen below.

Song : Still Corners : “Berlin Lovers”

Still Corners have their sophomore album, Strange Pleasures, on the way in May via Sub Pop. “Berlin Lovers” is the first single from that album. It has that dreamy, atmospheric sound quality that made their first album worthy of your attention. Download the song below.

Song : Sky Ferreira : “Everything Is Embarrassing” (Twin Shadow Remix)

Pop-singer Sky Ferreira had her song “Everything Is Embarrassing” get a reworking by Twin Shadow. His version has more of an industrial feel in the vein of Depeche Mode. It is a pretty good one. Listen below.

Song : Youth Lagoon : “Dropla”

As recently announced, Youth Lagoon will be releasing the folllow-up to his highly celebrated 2011 release The Year of Hibernation with a new album called Wondrous Bughouse to be released on March 5th via Fat Possum. “Dropla” is the first taste from the new LP. It is a buiding number with a fluttering forest of sounds. You can stream it below.

MOKB Premiere : Low Culture : “Pills”

I realize it’s only the second week of January 2013, but I think I’ve just found my album of the year. Sure, sure, we’ve got eleven and a half months of new releases to check out, but I’ll be damned if come this December, Low Culture’s Screens isn’t at the top of my Greatest Albums of 2013 list.  Just listen to the first few seconds of their single Pills and tell me if you don’t feel the same. Fans of Soul Asylum’s Hang Time, Husker Du’s Flip Your Wig and The Plimsoul’s Everywhere At Once are going instantly recognize a kindred spirit in Low Culture’s sound, yet there’s no retro revivalism going on here. It’s just a vibe you feel when a band’s superior pop craftsmanship and poignant songwriting shines through their effortless whiplash punk. Add a sun-drenched, skate-punk effervesce to all those aforementioned albums and you’ve got Screens, a timeless sounding punk pop gem. Although frontman Chris Mason (Shang-a-Lang/Marked Men) and gang hail from Las Cruces, New Mexico, they’ve definitely captured a luminous So-Cal patina of boardwalks, beaches and the street punk kids that live there, who by virtue of geography, are always having more fun than you are.

That said, MOKB is proud to debut the single Pills off Low Culture’s Screens, out now on Portland Oregon’s Dirtnap Records. If you love this song, I’m here to tell, the entire album is this good.  And for those of you in colder climes, it’s a necessary shot of happy punk-pop Vitamin C to carry you through to spring.

MP3: Low Culture -”Pills”

-Post by Miss Dolly Mod

Video : Nickodemus : “Alkebulan”


Stimulating +  hypnotic = the vibe that takes hold within a few bars of “Under the Volcano,” which opens Nickodemus’ latest album. Moon People’s mostly mid-tempo beats and and engaging effects, with a healthy dose of hip hop  – from the Middle Eastern timbre of the title track to the African stylings on“Alkebulan,” are likely to turn DJ booths into magnets that draw nightflies uttering, “What is this? Gotta have it.” Which is just as apt to occur with Jose Marquez’s “Under the Volcano” remix, during the flamenco-inspired spice of “Los Tarantos,” or around the heady stimulation of  “Vino People.”

I’m still learning about club, trance, global electronica, and any combination thereof. Still, Nickodemus has me going as much as Cheb i Sabbah and my favorite Asphalt Tango artists (although they’re not on AT, members of the somewhat related Romanian firebrands Taraf de Haidouks contributed to Moon People). Nickodemus has a gift for “playing with others:” Along with Marquez, and Taraf de Haidouks, Moon People features Afrika Bambaataa, Zeb, The Spy from Cairo, Jean Shepherd (Navegante), The Real Live Show, Kathrin deBoer (Belleruche), The Candela Allstars, Mobius Collective, The New York Gypsy Allstars, Kissey Asplund, Hallex, and Sammy Ayala (Cortijo).

The Spy F.C. plays oud and bass on this tasty track – Bambaataa’s at the mic.:

Get into the Nickodemus groove at his label’s cyber home: www.eslmusic.com

Post by Mary Leary

Song : Arrange : North

Bedroom producer Malcolm Lacey, aka Arrange, dropped the beautiful and dreamy track from his upcoming album, New Memory. While many are making sounds similar to Lacey, his music comes off more pure in his approach. You get the feeling that he has a higher sensitivity to the world around him and that is evident in the introspective, honest lyrics that read more of an excerpt from a journal, than a song in the lovely North. The song is more of a reaffirmation of his place in the world and appeals to the core of what drives everyone to wake up another day. Stream it below.

New Memory is scheduled for release on July 10th and can be pre-ordered here.