SUTJA GUTIÉRREZ

i just discovered this song on my ipod and gave it a proper listen for the first time.

and because i liked it i looked the guy up. i've never heard of sutja gutiérrez, did you? he seems to be an interesting dj and musician. although from what he writes on his website i kind of get the impression he doesn't like to be called a dj "i’ve never called myself a dj and i hate people who do so. they suck." or a musician "i do more than music; i am not a musician; i don’t even want to be one." or other people for that matter "i met some guys in castelló, who contributed to what i am now but who took many things from me; basically, my creativity. we all have our own creativity flow, and it is not until you share it with others that they modify it their way. and that's what they'll do until they are satisfied. i wasn’t prepared for that." that last one is not completely absurd though.

be that as it may, i think he makes some pretty pretty nice music. and as far as i found out you can download all of it for free from his website. enjoy!

FEEL IT BREAK | AUSTRA

austra is the new project of canadian singer katie stelmanis and feel it break the name of their debut album they released this may. their sound varies between dancy hymns like loose it and darker, more gothic songs like beat and the pulse. minimalistic beats and melodies combined with katies intense voice make for a throughout memorable sound. not to mention the disturbing yet beautiful video for beat and the pulse. american apparel should hire them.

THE LOOK | METRONOMY

i'm in the middle of a technical metamorphosis after surviving the ultimate laptop disaster. so until i get everything up and running again, a song i can't stop listening to these days. the look is from the new album the english riviera by metronomy. synth pop at it's best.

GO | JÓNSI

speaking of jónsi: there might be a tiny chance that you don't already know his music. well, you should! you might know him as the singer of the icelandic band sigur rós. 2010 he released his first solo record go and toured the world with a stunning live show. you can listen to the entire album here. if you ever get the chance to see him perform, you shouldn't miss out. it's a fairytale. truly amazing.

TUNE YARDS

oh, what a great find!! this morning i stumbled upon tune yards and they just made my day. below there are two videos; the first is the official video for the song bizness from their recently released new record whokill. what a cool sound, i thought. somehow reminds me of jónsi, just screamier. and then i watched the next video, it's the same song performed live in a tiny record store. and that's when they really won me over. just watch the whole thing, it's unexpected, it's odd, it's extraordinarily fantastic, i promise.

i have to give whokill a proper listen and will report back with what will hopefully be more amazingness from tune yards.

TOMBOY | PANDA BEAR

it's a fine line between beautiful complex music and complicated exhausting music. and if there's one artist who knows how to keep the balance elegantly it's noah lennox, co-founder of animal collective, with his solo project panda bear. after his masterpiece person pitch from 2007 he's doing it again on his new record tomboy. compared to it's epic predecessor this one is a little easier to listen to with it's 11 listener friendly length songs. some may argue it's too smooth. but tomboy still stands out from the crowd of beach boysy dream pop everyone's doing at the moment. he has simply found a way to take the complexity of person pitch, tidy it up a little and push it in a more accessible direction, but without sounding any less unique. he's raising the bar yet again.

UNDER COVER OF DARKNESS | THE STROKES

for five years i've been waiting for a new strokes record, so for me listening to under cover of darkness feels like coming home. it's the first single from their upcoming album angles, which will be out on march 18. to say i'm excited about this would be a huge understatement, which makes it hard to be objective.
but i guess it's save to say that it's a pretty good strokes song. a little like being taken back in time to 2001. i like it more with every listen. the video is certainly no revelation, but i enjoy seeing the guy's faces again. altogether i think it's quite promising and it definitely makes me want to know what rest of the album will be like.

HIGH SCHOOL LOVER | OREGON BIKE TRAILS

i was just browsing smoke don't smoke and came across this song by oregon bike trails. that's the alias of californian singer/songwriter zack yudin. his kind of 50ies / 60ies dreamy pop just ticks all the right boxes for me. i don't know anything about this guy except that he likes the beach boys and on his bandcamp site you can listen to and download two more equally great songs. looking forward to hearing more from you, zack yudin!

FAKE FOXES | SIZARR

sizarr - fake foxes

in the face of an undeniable lack of german artists on this site, i'm exceptionally happy to present you with sizarr, a young up-and-coming german band from no-no-not-berlin landau, which actually is quite nearby to where i live. still in high school, the three boys have already developed a unique sound by successfully combining different styles from indie-rock to r'n'b to african rhythms topped off by singer fabians striking voice. they skipped the whole performing in youth centres thing and went straight to playing major festivals like the melt! and are hyped in music magazines like intro. and all of that before having recorded a first album. fake foxes is their only recording so far. they haven't signed with a label yet but that shouldn't be a problem with fans like danger mouse, who asked them to play as support for his project broken bells. if they keep going like that, i'd say the future is looking pretty bright and shiny for sizarr.

LACK OF TIME

i've been fairly busy lately, so not much time for listening to new music for hours. but i've got a list that keeps getting longer and longer to remind me of all the great new music out there. sooner or later i'll find some time.

THE WHITE STRIPES BREAK UP

yesterday the white stripes announced on their website, that they will no longer perform live or make any recordings. but apparently third man records will continue to put out unreleased material.
you could have seen that one coming since the band last toured in 2007 and jack white focussed on other projects like the dead weather and working as a producer. in their announcement they give as a reason, that they "want to preserve what is beautiful and special about the band and have it stay that way". this could be a smart move and i know a couple of bands, who should have taken that advice a long time ago. but still it's a little sad. so here for old times sake seven nation army but in the glitch mob remix. epic stuff.

AN ISLAND | EFTERKLANG

this is the 3rd teaser for efterklangs film an island and it's as enchanting as the previous ones. it premieres today and i can't wait to see it. to top it off efterklang invite everyone to host their own private public screenings. you can host one at your home or wherever you like. what a nice and creative approach. read everything about it on the films website. i'll definitely sign up to host one in my kitchen.

GETTO BURNIN | PHONAT

check out this gorgeous video for the song ghetto burnin by phonat! michele balduzzi aka phonat is an italian dance producer who since he at the age of 21 was discovered on myspace lives in london. i highly recommend checking out his website for some really really cool live sets. i don't know about you, but i'm dancing here!

DOUBT | BENSH

i really love this song called doubt. bensh are a up-and-coming band from vienna, austria. they are planning to release their debut record clues sometime this year. definitely something i'm looking forward to.

FAVORITES OF 2010

this comes a little belated - i was at my parents for the holidays and unfortunately there is no scanner. note to myself: wish for some kind of portable scanner thingy next year.
nevertheless i'd like to present you with my - tadaa! - favorite records of 2010. some got mentioned here before, some were left out for reasons i don't remember. the order is random except for arcade fire's the suburbs, which you should imagine to be sitting on a throne illuminated by a dramatic spotlight.


the suburbs - arcade fire

swim - caribou

halcyon digest - deerhunter

total life forever - foals

there is love in you - four tet

one life stand - hot chip

lp4 - ratatat

contra - vampire weekend

odd blood - yeasayer