We've featured The Grouch here on EPIC FU before, so I thought it might be a good idea to post an update on what he's been up to lately.
The Young Punx are a London-based duo of electronic musicians on the cusp of the mashup/fusion scene - they are known to blend a variety of musical styles in their work, including rock, disco, jazz, and classical. They seem to have a great sense of humor and a Banksy-like appreciation for pop culture.
[ Via: (cross-posted to OMGRICK) ]
Partyshank is a UK powergrime duo made up of Howard P. Sausage (AKA Party Sausage) and Christian Shank - hence the band's name. Funny 'cuz I would have thought the name described the visceral experience of listening to their music. The duo is also noted for coining the term toystep to describe their musical genre/style.
While the band remains unsigned (the purest form of indie), you can check out their touring schedule, purchase t-shirts, and keep up with the band on their Myspace page. They also have a blog where they release downloadable tunes from time to time. Right now you can't purchase the track Virgin just yet, but according to their profile it should be available on iTunes "soon." Hope so.
Some of you Midwestern hip hop fans may already be familiar with the Minneapolis-based collective known as Doomtree. I guess it's fitting we spotlight the group as the RNC rages on in Minneapolis-St. Paul.
Even though Doomtree just independently released their self-titled debut album this summer, many of the group's 5 emcees and 6 DJs/producers have been part of the hip hop scene for years, particularly in the Twin Cities area. Given the size of the crew, it's hard to get them all together in the same place at the same time for a gig, but every December they gather for the annual Doomtree Blowout.
Empire of the Sun is the new collaboration between Australian musicians Luke Steele and Nick Littlemore. Steele is the vocalist/guitarist for the band The Sleepy Jackson and Littlemore is part of the electro duo Pnau. Walking On A Dream is the first single from their forthcoming as-yet-untitled album. Not a TON of info out there about the group, but The Inspiration Room has a good write-up.
Check out the Empire guys on their Myspace and visit the website for the single at walkingonadream.com where you can download the Sam La More remix. Not sure when the LP will drop but I'll be keeping an eye out for it.
Saul Williams is no stranger to EPIC FU. Last year we covered the release of his once-freely downloadable album The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust, co-produced by Trent Reznor. A few weeks ago we explored the controversy around his commercial collaboration with Nike, and today we're spotlighting his latest music video -- Convict Colony off NiggyTardust.
For me one of the standout qualities of Saul's music is the rawness and intensity he achieves while not sounding too experimental or heading into the unlistenable/unenjoyable territory. He's walks a fine line there, and the result is a stand-out experience that tends to stick with you.
NiggyTardust is no longer available as a free download, so you'll have to pick it up on iTunes. It's definitely worth exploring.
DJVT is short for De Jeugd Van Tegenwoordig, a Dutch phrase that translates to The Youth of Today. They are an Amsterdam-based hip hop group known for being playful with their lyrics, and it definitely shows in their video for Hollereer.
Polysics is a Devo-inspired Japanese new wave band that combines punk guitar riffs with the bleeps and boops of wonderfully composed computer-generated melodies. The original 4-person crew came together in the late 90s while still in high school.
Thunderheist is an indie dance/hip-hop group based in Montreal and Toronto. Today's spotlight video is one of three finalists in their recent music video contest. They solicited user-generated videos to accompany their new single Jerk It. The video was created by Noel Paul and Stefan Moore. You can vote for it on Thunderheist's homepage.
I just discovered a series of videos by NME called Track by Track where they ask artists to talk about each track on their recent album -- the inspiration for it, how it came together, etc. In this video, The Ting Tings talk about their debut album We Started Nothing. I really enjoy hearing about the creative process of talented people, so I think NME is onto something here.
After the break I embedded the first track on The Ting Tings' album -- Great DJ, which BTW is an awesome track, if you're curious how the final product turned out.
Pivot's new video for Sea of Blood is being called the "world's goriest puppet shark attack." It's not that I enjoy seeing puppets mutilated, it's just... well... OK I do. And just yesterday Steve and I were talking about burning puppets in the desert.
If you like the music, check out Pivot's website for a free MP3 of Didn't I Furious.
