December 2011
[Listen] Titus Andronicus' Patrick Stickles Covers...
Earlier today, Patrick Stickles, the now beardless frontman of Titus Andronicus, let loose a video of him covering Lana Del Rey’s breakthrough hit “Video Games,” which has become one of the most covered songs of the year. The cover, recorded in Stickles’ parent’s living room on Boxing Day, shows off his skills on the piano, and, despite being admittedly out of tune,...
[Listen] Rihanna - "We Found Love" (Star Slinger...
On Christmas day we offered up the great sounding refix from Star Slinger of Mount Kimbie’s “Before I Move Off”. It would appear the Manchester man likes to keep himself busy over the holiday period and has offered up yet another track for fans to enjoy. Mixing up Rihanna’s hit “We Found Love” he turns it into a sunshine filled mix that will put you on the white...
[Listen] Gabriel Stark - "Rolling Through Dallas"
In a mere few weeks, Gabriel Stark will be dropping his latest album _Starky F. Kennedy_. The album delves into the life of former U.S. president John F. Kennedy, and the latest song to be let loose, “Rolling Through Dallas,” is a stark (no pun intended) reminder of how important politically conscious hip hop can be. Dealing with the assassination of President Kennedy,...
[Watch] The Flaming Lips - "I Am the Walrus"...
Seriously can you imagine what Christmas in the Coyne household must be like? Damn these guys look like they know how to have fun. Psych Explorations of the Future Heart points out that The Flaming Lips recently laid down a cover of The Beatles classic, “I Am the Walrus” at Oklahoma City’s Pink Floor Studio. Fitting seeing as the band are to play some shows with Yoko, Plastic Ono Band...
[Watch] Laura Marling - "I Was Just A Card" x...
Earlier we posted The Joy Formidable hitting up the stage of Last Call with Carson Daly and The Audio Perv now points towards another artist that’s had a wonderful 2011. Laura Marling this year released her highly anticipated album, _A Creature I Don’t Know _much to the delight of many and on Carson Daly she shows her worth with two beautiful performances. First up at the top you can...
[Watch] The Joy Formidable - "A Heavy Abacus" x...
In the space of twelve months The Joy Formidable have gone from their humble welsh beginnings to playing arenas and opening for the likes of Foo Fighters. Making sure they keep themselves in the minds of many they last week paid a visit to Last Call with Carson Daly and put in two performances. First up they played “A Heavy Abacus” which you can watch at the top while after the jump...
[News] Crosses (†††) Hint At New EP, '††'?
With their EP _† _still getting heavy play on our iTunes, Chino Moreno and Shaun Lopez’s project Crosses (†††) may have just hinted at another EP coming sooner rather than later! Rejoice! Posting the simple phrase “Celebra†e” to their twitter account along with a ling to the fuzzy footage seen above featuring some ominous sounding tune the title of the video is “††† EP...
[Listen] Dinosaur Jr. Visit KEXP
Just before Christmas Dinosaur Jr. played a visit to KEXP to put in some shred heavy performances of four of their tracks. Whilst at the studios they put in renditions of “Freak Scene”, “Just Like Heaven”, “Little Fury Things” and “Yeah We Know”. Hat tip to A Heart Is A Spade for the heads up on this one. Head on over here to listen to the entire...
[Listen] A Lull - "I'm On Fire" (Bruce Springsteen...
When I hear the phrase “I’m On Fire” I can’t help but think of Kasabian, however long before Serge and co were even a band a great man and musician ruled the air-waves and record players of many. That man was Bruce Springsteen. To honour The Boss, this Christmas Chicago’s A Lull offer up their take on his 1985 single “I’m On Fire”. See what you...
[Watch] Cat Power - "King Rides By" (Official...
Cat Power let loose the video for her 7-minute re-recording of “King Rides By” late last week and the video itself wasn’t what I expected at al. It features the Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao training and will most likely make you feel far too unfit. At least it’s New Year Eve soon and we can all pledge allegiance to the gym for at least a day or two… maybe.
As well...
[Listen] Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire - 'Merry eX-Mas...
A nice late Present for some of you today from the Brooklyn resident Mr. Muthafuckin’ eXquire. He’s offered up his new Christmas Mixtape for download and it’s aptly titled for a family friendly audience: _Merry eX-Mas & Suck My Dick._ CoS point out that the Mixtape features some nostalgia too as the track “Killah Tofu” samples the band from _Doug_, The Beets. The track...
[Watch] Blink-182 - "After Midnight" (Official...
Blink-182 have debuted the new official visuals for their _Neighborhoods __featuring__ _single, “After Midnight”. The video sees Mark, Tom and Travis performing in an empty airplane hanger mixed together with scenes of two youths from a Psych ward having the night of their lives. The troubled pair basically cause a lot of chaos in a hospital before anyone manages to catch them. Setting...
[Listen] Frank Ocean - "4 Tears"
As you most likely lie on your sofa/bed in a food coma we’d like to offer you some easy listening from the incredibly talented Frank Ocean. He has to be one of the best presents 2011 has produced. Frank took to his Tumblr page and proclaimed: “i just listened to this a few times for myself. figured maybe some else needed to hear it. it’s called ‘4 tears’.” So, instead of shedding...
[Listen] Mount Kimbie - "Before I Move Off" (Star...
Talented Manchester producer and all round nice guy Star Slinger has offered up his knob twiddling skills to the Mount Kimbie track, “Before I Move Off”. Star Slinger moulds the track into a more bass orientated beast that’s well worth a little listen and some of your holiday time. Peep it below via A Heart Is A Spade.
Mount Kimbie - Before I Move Off [Star Slinger Refix] by...
[Watch] Jónsi - "Gathering Stories" (Official...
Peep some official visuals from Jónsi for his Cameron Crowe co-written track “Gathering Stories” which features on the _We Bought a Zoo _film’s soundtrack. Watch the beautifully animated video up at the top via Pitchfork. http://skoa.co/127TNs
[Download] Kate Nash & The Cribs - "Last...
It’s Christmasssss!!! Not like you guys needed telling but hey, why not grab an extra special little gift from the brothers Jarman aka The Cribs and Kate Nash. They’ve covered Wham!’s infamous “Last Christmas” for fans and you can grab yourselves the download up at the top. I’m going to go and eat some more cheese and drink some more wine. Happy holidays guys!...
[Listen] The xx - "Open Eyes" (Demo)
As was reported last month, English indie pop outfit The xx are hard at work on the follow up to their 2009 debut album _xx_. Today, the group let loose a demo of a song titled “Open Eyes” via their blog, our first taste of what to expect from their yet-to-be-titled sophomore album, which is also without a release date. Either way, you can listen to the song below, or, after the...
[Watch] Muse - "Megalomania" Live at The Royal...
It’s common practice for Muse to offer up a little Christmas treat for fans at this time of year. Last year we got to enjoy the awesome 360 degree video of them performing “Uprising” and “Citizen Erased” live at Wembley. Today fans were greeted by a little glitter covered package on the Muse.mu home page. Once clicked you automatically started downloading a video of...
[SKOA Christmas Premiere] Vesta - "The Voyeur"
Over the last year, Pittsburgh rock outfit 1,2,3 has has garnered the attention of the blogosphere as one of the most interesting and diverse surprises of the year. The band offered listeners a rock record that wasn’t trying to create an identity for itself, it just wanted to give you ten awesome tracks that you’ll want to listen to over and over. It was this carefree attitude that...
[Listen] Radiohead - "Putting Ketchup In The...
As is prone to happen nowadays, old tracks that were left on the cutting room floor tend to surface thanks to the help of the good ol’ Internet. This week, an old Radiohead track has made its way into the hands of the public, and was apparently from the band’s _The Bends/Ok Computer _era. The song, now known to be titled “Putting Ketchup In The Fridge,” is now available...
[Listen] Neon Neon - "Wheels" (Preview)
For the first time in over three years, Neon Neon, the collaborative project between producer Boom Bip and Gruff Rhys, are set to release a song, titled “Wheels.” The song will be included on Lex Records ten-year anniversary compilation _Complex Vol. 1_, which also includes the Dave Sitek remixed “Rhymin’ Slang.” The previously unreleased track was written during...
[News] Holiday Hunger Bundle: Bid on New Music...
Starting today, the Holiday Hunger Bundle, a charity project created in conjunction with the Feed Them With Music charity, is open for music fans to bid on four tracks from of Montreal (“Feminine Effects”), OK Go (“All Is Not Lost”), We Are Scientists (an acoustic version of “Central AC”), and Drive-By Truckers (“The Thanksgiving Filter”). Donations...
[Watch] Mr. Muthafuckin’ eXquire & Dallas Tha Kid...
On Christmas day, Brooklyn rapper Mr. Muthafuckin’ eXquire will be releasing his aptly-titled _Merry Christmas… Suck My Dick_ mixtape, which includes some of his older tracks, before the days of “The Last Huzzah.” We get our first taste of the upcoming mixtape with the video for the track “Motivate To Be Rich,” which features Dallas Tha Kid. The song itself is, much...
[SKOA Presents] The 50 Best Albums Of 2011: 5 - 1
5. Arctic Monkeys -_ Suck It And See_ [Amazon] [iTunes] [Insound]
Long gone are the days when you’d see Arctic Monkeys at The Boardwalk in Sheffield. 6 year later and with 4 albums under their belt, you can’t deny how far the young boys from Yorkshire have come. The thing I love about the Arctic Monkeys is that they don’t have an indefinite recipe for greatness, with...
[Watch] Childish Gambino Visits the Set of David...
After performing his banger “Heartbeat,” off his recently released _Camp_, on Conan last month, Donal Glover, aka Childish Gambino, is back at it again. Last night, Gambino visited the set of _The Late Show with David Letterman _to perform “Heartbeat” for the second time on late night television. The electro-thumping track saw Gambino taking things slow, before he went into...
[SKOA Presents] The 50 Best Albums Of 2011: 10 - 6
10. Metronomy -_ The English Riviera_ [Amazon] [iTunes] [Insound]
With their first two albums, _Pip Paine (Pay the £5000 You Owe) _and _Nights Out_, U.K. four piece Metronomy established their niche with a somewhat-awkward-yet-completely-awesome blend of electronic synths, smooth basslines and subtle guitar riffs. With their third studio album, _The English Riviera_, Metronomy has shown...
[Download] The Weeknd - 'Echoes of Silence'
There are few artists this year who rose to such unequivocal prominence in such a short span of time as Toronto R&B musician The Weeknd, aka Abel Tesfaye. With only two mixtapes under his belt, The Weeknd has garnered attention all over, from the blogosphere to music fans to awards such as the Polaris Music Prize. As the year comes to a close, Tesfaye is giving fans one more treat in the...
[SKOA Presents] The 50 Best Albums Of 2011: 15 -...
15. Beastie Boys -_ Hot Sauce Committee Part. 2_ [Amazon] [iTunes] [Insound]
After postponing _Hot Sauce Committee Part One_ so that MCA could kick cancer in the ass, the Beastie Boys came back with a vengeance on their eighth studio album, _Hot Sauce Committee Part Two. _It has been a thrill and a priviledge to grow old with the Brooklyn trio and the boys certainly did not let us down...
[Watch] My Morning Jacket Cover Gil Scott-Heron...
Wrapping up their winter tour dates, Kentucky rockers My Morning Jacket played one final show at New York’s famed Madison Square Garden last week. The band has been known to play covers while on stage, and this show was no different. During their performance, the Louisville outfit played a cover of the late Gil Scott-Heron’s “The Bottle,” as well as a cover of Bing...
[Watch] Stephin Merritt - "Dream Again" (Franz...
Following Monday’s video for LCD Soundsystem’s cover of Franz Ferdinand’s “Live Alone,” we have the second of three videos to be released this week from the Record Store Day exclusive Franz Ferdinand Covers EP. Today’s clip is of The Magnetic Fields frontman Stephin Merritt’s cover of “Dream Again,” and sees Walkmens, stereos, speakers and all...
[Watch] Swedish House Mafia vs. Knife Party -...
Trying to start a post about this new video was a little hard, mainly because I wanted to type boobies as it’s not everyday you get to do that. So now I’ve got that out of the way you can watch the video for the Swedish House Mafia and Knife Party track, “Antidote”. The video is set in a strip club from the POV of a young gent. He heads to the toilet, dons a mask and then...
[Watch] Arctic Monkeys 'Don Valley Bowl' Trailer
Over the summer, Arctic Monkeys put on two spectacular homecoming shows at Don Valley Bowl back in the city of steel. Naturally with big shows these days, a DVD is to be released of those momentous occasions, and yesterday evening the Sheffield lads tempted fans with a tantalising looking video from the event. The 10 minute preview features 3 full tracks and those span three of their albums....
[Listen] Diplo's SiriusXM ‘Blow Your Head’...
Recorded during his tour of South America in Brazil, Diplo offers up his final mix for 2011. It’s part of his ongoing SiriusXM “Blow Your Head” series and this one is tailor made for the location Diplo played. So let’s look forward to what Diplo has to offer us in 2012 as the year winds down to a close. Major Lazer stuff please? That’d be nice wouldn’t it.
...
[Watch] Rufus Wainwright - "Minuit Chrétiens" Live...
Offering up something a little different for the masses last night, Jimmy Fallon presented his viewers with a musical gift from Rufus Wainwright. He appeared on the late night slot to perform “Minuit Chrétiens” originally by Placide Cappeau. Sound familiar? You may recognise it as the better known Christmas carol “O Holy Night”. Fun piece of pub-quiz knowledge: “O...
[Watch] Mariachi El Bronx - "Revolution Girls"...
Last night Mariachi El Bronx last night stepped into some peoples front rooms via the magic of television. They paid a visit to David Letterman’s show and put in a performance of their track “Revolution Girls”. The track features on _El Bronx II _which you can grab a copy of over on their official site. http://skoa.co/11XqwR
[Listen] Florence & The Machine - "No Light, No...
After having remixed MF DOOM’s “Rhymin’ Slang” just last week, Dave Sitek, of TV On The Radio and Maximum Balloon, is at it again, and this time around he’s remixed Florence & The Machine’s “No Light, No Light.” The song, which was one of twelve featured on Florence & The Machine’s recently released sophomore album _Ceremonials_,...
[SKOA Presents] The 50 Best Albums Of 2011: 20 -...
20. Thundercat -_ The Golden Age Of Apocalypse_ [Amazon] [iTunes] [Insound]
Definitely one of the most underrated albums of 2011, the Suicidal Tendencies/Flying Lotus bassist shines with his smooth, soulful/jazzy solo debut. _The Golden Age Of Apocalypse _is one of those perfect chillaxing (yep, I used that term) albums you throw on a nice weekend morning and just vibe out to. Especially...
[News] Miike Snow Detail Sophomore LP: 'Happy To...
Just two weeks after releasing “Devil’s Work,” the first song from their upcoming sophomore album, Swedish trio Miike Snow have announced the name and date of that very sophomore album. The follow-up to their 2009 self-titled debut will be called _Happy To You _and is set to be released on March 27th via Downtown Records/Universal Republic. The album was self-produced and will...
[Listen] The Internet - "Visions"
Today, Syd The Kid and Matt Martian release their debut album under the moniker of The Internet. Titled _Purple Naked Ladies_, what I’ve heard so far I’ve surprisingly liked quite a lot. A subtle distant sound of ambience and naturally with Syd, I expected it to be pretty laid back and chill. The evidence of this can be heard below in this clean sounding haze of a track titled...
[Watch] Panda Bear - "You Can Count On Me"...
Gorrila Vs. Bear just premiered the brand new visuals from Panda Bear for his _Tomboy_ featuring track, “You Can Count On Me”. Just what you need if you’re stuck in work eagerly watching the clock tick away towards a few days off for the holidays. At least I hope it’s what you want and that you are all going to have a couple days rest with loved ones in the coming week. The...
[Listen] Domo Genesis - "Feel Me Yet?"
Domo Genesis, Odd Future’s resident pot-head has taken to his Twitter account again to let fans enjoy a new freestyle he’s added over Jadakiss’ “Still Feel Me”. He’s titled it “Feel Me Yet?” and it sees him opening up a little about some personal happenings from times gone by. Chances are that after the year him and OF have had you may well of felt...
[Watch] Common - "Celebrate" (Official Video)
Peep the visuals for Common’s track “Celebrate” via Vibe magazine and it shows him, well, celebrating. Living the high life partying it up with a room full of friends. Common’s new album_ The Dreamer/The Believer_ is out now and it’s definitely worth and hour of your time. If you’ve missed some previews that we’ve thrown up in the past month jump over here...
[Listen] Spank Rock's BBC Radio One Mini Mix
Whilst touring the UK recently, Spank Rock stopped by the BBC Radio One studios and the lovely Annie Mac show. SR offered up a mix of future tracks from the duo and the results can be heard below. If you’ve not picked up a copy of their second studio LP, _Everything Is Boring and Everyone Is a Fucking Liar, _go cop it over here.
Spank Rock Mini Mix from BBC Radio 1’s Annie Mac by...
[Listen] Miike Snow - "Devil's Work" (Alex Metric...
After stepping out of the internet spotlight for a while, Miike Snow returned a few weeks ago with a brad new track “Devil’s Work”. Today, Alex Metric offers up a glitch filled dance style remix of the aforementioned track with the results being available for yoru listening pleasure below.
Miike Snow are set to release the follow up to their 2009 self-titled album in early...
[Download] Asher Roth - 'Pabst & Jazz' Mixtape
We’ve had a few samples from Asher Roth’s new mixtape titled _Pabst & Jazz_, but today the young gent has made Christmas come early by offering it for free download via his Tumblr page. The mixtape features 16 tracks and guest spots from Action Bronson, A$AP Twelvy, Casey Veggie, Kenny Keys and Nico Segal to name a few! Grb the download over here. http://skoa.co/11N7C9
[News] Mr. Dream Announce New EP: 'Fatherland'
Brooklyn rock trio Mr. Dream have announced a brand new EP to keep fans busy in the wake of their debut studio album _Trash Hit_, which was released this March. The EP will be titled _Fatherland_, and will include five or six tracks, as the band isn’t even sure how many it will feature. The band has stated that the EP will be released around the end of February, and a limited number of...
[SKOA Presents] The 50 Best Albums Of 2011: 25 -...
25. Theophilus London -_ Timez Are Weird These Days_ [Amazon] [iTunes] [Insound]
Following up his critically acclaimed mixtape/unofficial album, _This Charming Mixtape _and his _A Lovers Holiday_ EP earlier in the year, fashionable rapper _ _Theophilus London earned our undivided attention on his proper debut full length release, _Timez Are Weird These Days._ I have enjoyed watching...
[Watch] LCD Soundsystem - "Live Alone" (Franz...
Eight months ago, LCD Soundsystem covered Franz Ferdinand’s “Live Alone,” one of the tracks from the band’s 2009 studio effort _Tonight: Franz Ferdinand_. Now, the cover has an accompanying video, directed by Gabriel Pulecio. The video starts off with blurry, lens-flared clips of New York City, with visuals of a multi-coloured, L.E.D-infused, heart-type machine interspersed...
[Listen] Azelia Banks - "Liquorice"
You may have heard of Azelia Banks, who between getting voted NME’s coolest person this year and heading up the BBC Sound of 2012 list has also made some pretty catchy bad ass tracks this year. No doubt 2012 will hold some musical gold from the 21 year old, but in the mean time why not enjoy her new track to close out 2011 on a high. Titled “Liquorice” it’s her doing her...
[Download] Memoryhouse - "The Kids Were Wrong"
Memoryhouse are readying the release of their full length debut, _The Slideshow Effect_, for an early 2012 release on the 28th of February via Sub Pop. In build up to that check out the new single “The Kids Were Wrong,” our first official taste of the album. Stream it below via FADER and let us know what you think. Personally, I can dig it. http://skoa.co/11FXrJ