To enter, leave a comment with your full name and a valid email address and your favorite SMD memory -- whether it be a memorable show moment, a favorite song or the first time you saw the band (or, hell, its previous groups, Saving Boy Wonder and Children's Audio) by 10 a.m. Monday, June 22. Winners will be chosen that day and notified as soon as possible.
Incidentally, the band is going to be doing a special performance at Vintage Vinyl at 9 p.m. on Thursday, June 25 too: The Loud Wars in its entirety, from start to finish. To get into that performance, all you need to do is purchase Wars at Vintage Vinyl before that day. It'll make a great father's day gift, right?
In this week's paper, Christian Schaeffer reviews the Pragmatic's debut EP, Circles. He had this to say:
On its self-released Circles EP, it's hard to miss the influence of the Postal Service, the collaboration between Jimmy Tamborello and Ben Gibbard that opened many ears to the beauty of sculpted synth sounds and clicky drumbeats. The Pragmatic carry this torch mostly because of Karl Kling's nice-guy vocals, which are positively Gibbardian in their breathy inflection and sweet approach.
But the Pragmatic's three keyboardists aren't just versed in laptop pop. Buzzy, low-end synths and drum-machine cymbal crashes lend dark-wave electro menace to "Deathmatch," a song reminiscent of the Faint's early forays into synthesizer deviance, while a host of '70s and '80s sounds -- including airy string pads ("Circles"), brusque, squelchy bass lines ("Academy"), and video-game beeps and blips ("You Blame Me") -- influence other songs.
Here's a pairing you might not have expected: Magnolia Summer remixed by the RAC. The song totally sounds like the type of dreamcloud music found in an 8-bit Nintendo game. Like the Super Mario Brothers sky worlds or Zelda's prairie moments when Link is wandering around stabbing bad guys.
The RAC also has a remix of So Many Dynamos' "New Bones" in the pipeline -- and if you like Crystal Castles, you'll dig that. Trust. (I've heard it; it's So Many Discomos, people.) As an added bonus, you can also download the RAC's mix of Swedish popstar Robyn's song "Cobrastyle" below.
Everyone loves free music, right? First up for download is a digital mixtape by the RAC's Andre Anjos that's "inspired by countless hours of sitting around with friends in dark cafes and bars," according to Nicky Digital (which is hosting the MP3). Artists on the mix include Rivers Cuomo, Death From Above 1979, the Mae Shi, Hercules & Love Affair, the Magnetic Fields and my personal favorite, Radio Dept. Snag it here.
And then Vandalyzm offers up two things for free. First up is the song "I Am Majorz" from an upcoming mixtape called B*tch Cause I Felt Like It. (Be warned: That link isn't entirely safe for work, because it's a zshare link.) Second up is even more exciting: It's his entire Megatron Majorz CD. Click here to grab it.
Speaking of Vandalyzm, in the same email he promises some other exciting news...
Via Chromewaves, I found this Web site called Buffet Libre, which recently posted Rewind: The '80s Covers Project, a four-hour (!) mix of '80s cover tunes -- downloadable for free.
The collection has mash-ups (Yes vs. Howard Jones) and remixes (Madonna, Def Leppard, Pet Shop Boys), although it covers a surprisingly diverse array of genres -- from folk-pop to electro, hip-hop to straightforward rock. Notable artists contributing include Dragonette, Mark Mallman, Cloud Room, Oh Snap!! and Electric Soft Parade, although the best part about this collection are the new bands I've discovered. (See below.)
Rewind also has ties to Missouri: Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin contributes a fantastic cover of XTC's "Another Satellite," while the RAC (featuring the Pragmatic's Karl Kling) covers A-Ha's "Take On Me."
The folks behind Buffet Libre were kind enough to let me post a ton of MP3s from the collection for download and stream, although the full compilation can be downloaded at the site. (Every time I listen, I fall in love with a new song.) I also suggest heading to the Web site to find out more about the bands and why they chose the songs they did; the Q&As on the site are entertaining. (AND: The Web site also has a ton more music to download for free.)
After the jump, find covers of songs by Prince, Big Black, XTC, Eddie Murphy, Hall & Oates and more!
I first told everyone about the RAC's impending mix for the music blog Stereogum in my March 12 cover story "E-Mix." And after months of delays, RAC founder Andre Anjos wrote in to say that this Wednesday, June 11 (that's tomorrow), his mix Stereogum Presents...The RAC, Volume 1 is finally going live on the big music Web site.
Tracklisting after the jump; in the meantime, check out the RAC mix of the Pipettes' "Pull Shapes."
In this week's paper, Ryan Wasoba interviewed Tegan Quin of Tegan and Sara, the Canadian duo who's playing the Pageant this Sunday night, May 4, with An Horse. I'd advise anyone who's on the fence about going to buy your tickets now. Just trust me.
Anyway, Ryan's feature is here; outtakes are below. While reading, please listen to the RAC mix of T & S's "Back In Your Head."
Ryan Wasoba: It's been a while since you've played St. Louis, right? Tegan Quin: Oh God yeah, years and years. I think the last place we
played was the Galaxy.
Wow. I think that closed down in 2003, so i guess it has been a while.
Yeah, I remember we rolled in and we were driving downtown. It wasn't actually me, but our drummer was driving and he woke us up and he said, "Oh my God, it's like a war happened here and nobody told anyone," cause it was right around when we were touring and there was a
lot of war talk around then. There were so many buildings that were boarded up and falling down and decrepit and streets were abandoned and it was like, "Where are we?"
Has touring been different since The Con came out?
I think that's the big difference with this record, is that we're consistently playing the same-sized venue, which sounds like the most boring thing ever, but it's a lot better. With every record, every tour is different. One night you're opening for someone the next night you're headlining and every night is different and maybe in certain cities you have a fanbase and another you don't. Sometimes you're playing for 500 people and you feel like the happiest person alive and the next night it's 12 people and you're questioning why you didn't go to the university.
Opening up for Dan Deacon on Saturday night at the Billiken Club is the Pragmatic. "Who's that?" you might ask. Well, it's the electro-pop project of Andre Anjos of the RAC (see my story here) and his roommate, Karl Kling.
Fans of Daft Punk's smooth funk and retro-new-wave synthpop with a desire for authentic, analog sounds will enjoy the Pragmatic's tunes. Behold:
So, Radiohead is holding a remix contest where you can download the raw material of its track "Nude" and make your own version. The public can vote on their favorites at that Web site, although there aren't any prizes to be given out (besides the fact that Radiohead might listen to your work -- which is actually a pretty cool honor). The top ten mixes, according to votes, will remain on the front page of the Web site as well.
What didn't go into my cover story this week on the RAC is that like Scott Vener, music supervisor of Entourage, I knew about the agency long before I knew that Andre Anjos lived in the area -- because of its strong Internet presence. I have had the RAC web site bookmarked for almost a year now, and while perusing my work computer, I found the following MP3s, which I had downloaded randomly throughout the year.
I'll be adding to this post when I get back from SXSW, so be sure to check back. But for now please enjoy some more music.
As I write in this week's Riverfront Times cover story, another band that Andre Anjos of the RAC has remixed is Tokyo Police Club. This young Toronto quartet actually played St. Louis a few years back, opening for Enon at the Creepy Crawl. (Who's still upset that she skipped it? That would be me.) Hopefully the band will come back to town -- even though Elephant Shell, its April 8-released debut on Saddle Creek, should send its profile into the stratosphere. Dreamy, romantic, danceable and catchy, Shell is the perfect soundtrack to a starry-eyed summer.
TPC is playing at 1 a.m. on Saturday night, March 15, at the Dirty Dog bar, headlining the S.C. showcase -- and it's playing a slew of day parties all four days. But for now here's the RAC's take on the band's "Be Good":
One of the group's he's remixed is Ra Ra Riot, whose heartfelt, string-laden indie-rock has started to earn it some serious attention in music circles. The band is also playing a ton of shows at SXSW:
Wednesday March 12th: Austin Convention Center, 5 p.m. Wednesday March 12th: Todd P Party @ Ms. Beas, 9:30 p.m. Thursday March 13th: Saddle Creek/Arts & Crafts/The Onion/Canvas Media Party @ Emos, 1:55pm Friday March 14th: Soundcheck Magazine Party @ Emos Annex, 2:30 p.m. Saturday March 15th: Diesel Party @ Saengerrunde Hall 8:50 p.m. Saturday March 15th: Park the Van/Daytrotter Party @ Emos Annex, 10 p.m.
All MP3s are posted for sample purposes only, and always with permission from the artist or label. If you like what you hear, go out and support the band/musician by buying their record!
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