All Around Sound is Turning Three! - Day 3 Bonus Mix: Daughn Gibson

Last year, the inadvertent discovery of Daughn Gibson through the strange yet not that strange happenstance of him playing a show with ARMS brought the genre-bending incredibleness of All Hell to my knowledge. It's an album I probably wouldn't have sought out myself, especially considering the terms people used to describe it. Largely electronic based with a sort of country swagger. Those two blended together just didn't compute and yet a blind listen proved that it was a thing I was very much into. 

So when I had the idea of spicing up the blog birthday with a series of mixes by bands I like (a tradition started last year by ARMS' Todd Goldstein in a strange yet not that strange twist), it seemed completely natural to ask Daughn Gibson for his input. It was a mix I was excited about getting because I had absolutely no expectations about what would be on it. What kind of genre mashups would I get? It was pretty much unfathomable to me what I'd be receiving so I set my brain to other matters. And of course, true to form, Daughn Gibson's contribution both makes a strange sort of sense and manages to be head-scratching at the same time (especially if you're not familiar with the man). A lengthy album-centric mix that hops from heavy metal, rap, classic rock, and folk, it pretty much covers the wide gamut of genres as we know them. I'd expected nothing. 

Daughn Gibson's contribution: 

Blut Aus Nord - "The Work Which Transforms God" - Imagine suffering the trauma of war while under the influence of a sleazy, psychotropic drug. Guitars that swarm and overwhelm without ever articulating a decipherable riff.

Steve Gunn - "Time Off" - Sunday morning driving music. Beautiful repetitions, incredible guitar playing, memorable songwriting. On repeat.

Fleetwood Mac - "Tango in the Night" - When I find myself in a dark place, this brings me into the light.

Stone Temple Pilots - "Purple" - Not much else conjurs a sweet nostalgia for me like "Purple" This album is how I learned to play drums and was the soundtrack to a family vacation to Delaware, where I met a girl on the beach and was cool for the first time.

Chief Keef - "Finally Rich"  At 3 o'clock everyday I go to Dunkin Donuts for coffee and put this on, loud.through the drive thru.

Steve Gunn's album isn't out at this time so instead there's two videos featuring tracks off of Time Off. One a live video featuring the trio he assembled for the album, another a studio session featuring Gunn solo. 

All Around Sound Is Turning Three! - Day 3: Small Plates Records

With the large pool of music out there to consume it sometimes to have a stable, reliable source to tap for good picks. Better yet if they're actually the ones releasing the music. It's kind of inevitable (at least if you do it right) that you fall into the caring embrace of a label whose rosters is filled with great bands. Dead Oceans, Frenchkiss, Sub Pop, the choices seems pretty much endless but every once in awhile a small label pops up that has exactly what you want without you being at all aware of it. Enter Small Plates Records.

Despite knowing several of their fellas behind the scenes, my knowledge of the label actually came, as it should, from the bands they've worked with. Many of my obsessions over the past year or so have either worked with them or spoke highly off them. Before Guards released their debut full length this year, they had a three song 7" with Small Plates. High Highs, Hands, and Gracie all released EPs. Even signed bands like Hundred Waters found a way to work with the Small Plates Records crew - releasing a two song 7" full of special alternative versions of arguably two of the best tracks off their self-titled debut.

To say I regard the work the small label is doing with nothing but the deepest admiration and respect would be an understatement. So it only seemed fitting to ask a label responsible for not only some of my favorite releases of the past year but also some of my most anticipated releases of this year (I'm looking at you Bleeder EP and Stadium Red Sessions) to contribute in this little celebration of others who've had a definite influence over All Around Sound. Hope you enjoy.

Eamon at Small Plates Records' contribution:

Almost all the tracks were ripped from really filthy vinyl 45s- mainly mid to late 90s dancehall versions on labels from Kingston. Two of the tracks are on the Rhythm and Sound label out of Germany that was doing great digital dub singles in the early 00s.

1. King Asha - Crank Angle Part 2
2. Power Man - Nuff Respect (Virgin Island Jazzwad Version)
3. Lady Saw & Merciless - Long Til It Bend (Version)
4. Beenie Man - Yaw Yaw (Version)
5. Rhythm & Sound w/ Paul St. Hilaire - Jah Rule (Jah Version)
6. Deenie Ranks - Slam and Go Talk (Version)
7.Merciless ft. Diana - Have A Nice Weekend (Version)
8. Rocker-T - A New Revelation (Version)
9. Rhythm & Sound w/ Shalom - We Been Troddin (Troddin Version)
10. Lloyd Brown - You Got It Goin On (Version)
11. Aaron Silk - Black Power (Jazz-Wad Version)
12. Scare Dem II - Real Thing ($Casino$ Jazzwad Version)

Young Dreams - Between Places (2013)

Bergen, Norway's second largest city, tends to be a particularly rainy place. So it makes a strange sort of sense that instead of writing gloomy, dismal ballads that instead the Norwegian sextet Young Dreams turns toward warmer climes crafting a sort of bright, dreamy, and most importantly sunny style of tropical infused pop rock.

While largely marketed as a orchestral pop band, the real surprise of Between Places is that there's much more at play in Young Dreams than that. Sure, there's some rather stellar string arrangements featured among many of its key songs (The dazzling "Fog of War" outro immediately springs to mind) but the majority of Young Dreams' members wield very rock-friendly instruments. There's no denying a symphonic influence, especially when listening to sprawling 10 minute opus "The Girl That Taught Me To Drink And Fight" and its delicate ebb and flow or the choir-like stylings of "Through the Turnstiles" but many of the tracks on the album take their marching orders not from the classical-leanings but instead a very evident desire for pop mastery. They're ear-catching, the melodies simple and clear; a sort of foot-tapping danceability scattered among most of them.  It's the best of both worlds, actually. The poppy lilt carrying the songs forward while the arrangements transform them into truly memorable musical moments. The sweeping string ornaments making Young Dreams' ability to pull at heartstrings even more successful, more pronounced. 

Between Places is escapism at it's finest. Not only channeling the Bergen six-piece's dreams of greener, less wet pastures but also suiting up their love songs in all sorts of fancy dressings. That's not to say all the songs rely as heavily on fantastical narratives like "Fog of War" and it's gladiator epic but they're far more than your typical sappy love songs. On Between Places, Young Dreams tap into exactly how it feels to be in the midst of youth; hopeful, passionate, vaguely nostalgic but always forward-looking. 

Young Dreams' incredible debut record Between Places is out now worldwide. You can stream it here as well as buy it from the wide majority of retailers. I highly recommend doing so. 

All Around Sound Is Turning Three! - Day 2: The Wild Honey Pie

In a couple days, All Around Sound turns three. To celebrate, we're continuing last year's tradition of featuring mixes from friends/influencers of the blog. Enjoy!

My introduction to The Wild Honey Pie happened through a chance meeting with staff photographer/videographer Alex Munro at Conveyor's record release show. We happened to have a mutual friend there, got along famously, and afterwards would trade music suggestions based on small amount we knew of one another's tastes as well as old-fashioned excitement to share over Twitter. A lot of Alex's suggestions would be bands featured in the Wild Honey Pie's Buzzsessions and/or Honey I'm Home Sessions. It was a strange sort of chance that I happened to meet other staff members as I showed up to various events like one of their co-sponsored CMJ shows or their 3rd Birthday show. While I showed up for the bands, it was after the absolutely stacked with talent birthday show that I realized The Wild Honey Pie is a site I should be paying a hell of a lot more attention to.

While there's a whole lot of worth going on on The Wild Honey Pie, one of my favorite things and the most immersive, time-consuming thing I find myself invested in are their Buzzsessions. Beautifully shot and featuring  absolutely fantastic bands flexing their live chops in an intimate setting, the Buzzsessions are pretty much one of the best things The Wild Honey Pie offers. Something truly unique, and interesting, and truly worthwhile and apparently I'm not alone in that thinking. For The Wild Honey Pie's playlist contribution founder/head bee Eric Weiner chose some of his favorite buzzsessions (which also happen to contain some of my own) as well as a couple of his favorite new tracks.

Eric contribution:

Buke & Gase - General Dome (2013)

It's hard to imagine Brooklyn experimental pop duo Buke & Gase actually attempting to do an "experimental" record but that's what they claimed the Function Falls EP was. Born from their cover of New Order's "Blue Monday", Function Falls explored the duo's songwriting process in a way rather unexpected for the band: relying mostly in part on their own creative improvisations with occasional alterations made by computer. Though it was created after they began work on the new full length, Function Falls points a bit toward what we got in General Dome.

Truth be told, General Dome is like Riposte in a lot of ways. Featuring it's fair-share of short musical interludes and mucking about lyrically in psychology. General Dome psychological themes just happen to be a lot of more insistent, more unsettled than Riposte's. Not surprising considering the sophomore record dwells in darker, less stable debts. Yet that unnerving sense of unease becomes thrilling in the able hands of the duo.

Though they tread in a similar but not congruent territory to Riposte and though they've majorly upgraded their many homemade inventions - including the Buke and Gase in which they derive their names, the real star of the new album is the vocals. On General Dome, Aron Sanchez slips slightly more into spotlight as he trades verse on "In the Company of Fish" and contributes occasional harmonies elsewhere.

But of course, Arone Dwyer's fully on display vocals are what give the songs the majority of their power. Their instruments help establish a mood, sure, but it's through Dwyer's ability to effortless glide from a whisper to a shriek that imbues General Dome with its sense of tension. Yes, even at their most cacophonous, their most rambunctious, the instruments (buke, gase, bass drums, tambourines, etc.) are all rather secondary to the pure versatility of Dwyer's voice. The lyrics might not always be clear but whether or not you can make them out, but Dwyer's vocals still manage to carry them.

So while Buke & Gase might've set out to truly experiment on the Function Falls EP, General Dome manages to remain a highly memorable, intriguingly complex thrill-ride that contains all the quirk the band is known for. The vocals are occasionally affected but the melodies strongly catching and ever clear. General Dome's similarity to Riposte ends up just being that of an incredibly fluid, cohesive album with unique, interesting narratives. The duo have obviously grown and while there are a few directly noticeable changes, there are more subtle factors at play that elevate General Dome above the sophomore slump, over just an okay album, and right onto the shelf of unbelievably incredible records right alongside its predecessor.      

Hear a couple tracks from General Dome here:

All Around Sound Is Turning Three! - Day 1: Rawkblog

In a little less than a week (March 10th to be exact), All Around Sound will be entering it's third year of operation. To help ring in the occasion I thought I'd offer another smattering of playlists belovedly curated by friends of the blog/myself as well as influencers of both my taste and the blog's direction on occasion.

Kicking off the week is Rawkblog, run by LA-based music journalist David Greenwald. My relationship with  Dave is one I wouldn't take likely. Our music tastes are separate for the most part connected at its strongest by a love of indie rock/pop. Dave's single-handedly responsible for me checking out Fiona Apple's The Idler Wheel.... His biggest success/influence, to me at least comes in the form of his digital music club. For $2.99/month and a free subscription to Spotify, each week he sends out his picks for album of the week as well as an older album he feels pairs well with the album as well as a monthly mixtape. That's a lot of music.  In a lot of ways, Dave is responsible for the whole mixtape run on All Around Sound. He also gives some rather excellent behind the scenes help like advice on interviews. We may differ on a few hundred issues like what's an acceptable song of the year (Usher's "Climax" it is not) but overall, I have trust in Dave's taste and look forward to his weekly offerings.

Dave's Contribution - I Came All This Way:

I have a special place in my heart for "unpopular pop," a sorta-genre coined by Jon Brion and first applied to his circle of friends, collaborators and Largo players circa '99: people including Elliott Smith, Rufus Wainwright, Fiona Apple, Badly Drawn Boy, Aimee Mann and others you, uh, probably haven't heard of. Brion's concept rings truer than ever: for bands not candy-coated enough for the mainstream but not fashionable or weird enough for the underground, it's easy to get left on the shelf. For this mixtape, I compiled some of my favorite unpopular pop: picks from underappreciated bands, secret classics from better-known acts and Trashcan Sinatras' "Freetime," the best Britpop song ever recorded, Coachella headliners be damned. 

Listen: Empress Of - "Hat Trick"

There's time when you hear a band talked to so favorably for such a long time that you're almost afraid to check them out for fear they won't live up to  hype. In this case it wasn't a blog or music site overhyping a band, it was Caleb over at Epic Concoction just sharing his fandom in the a show of repetitive concert visits and countless Instagram of the band's live sets detailing their amazingness. I wasn't too sure what to expect but I'm glad I took the time to indulge in Caleb's obvious enjoyment of Empress Of.

In "Hat Trick", the first single from the upcoming Systems EP, Empress Of's appeal is widely apparent. Dreamy, shimmering synth landscapes serve as a showcase for Lorely Rodriguez's nimble vocals. There's laid back beats and an almost lackadaisical forward momentum as the tune chugs along at its own pace. It's layered but revealingly simple at the same time, allowing space between it various moving parts and always making sure that Rodriguez's vocals are front, center, and fully able to flex.