LIP Radio - 2

Welcome back to the 2nd episode of LIP Radio! During this hour you’ll hear a lot of new upcoming artists as well as new releases from some of our favorites. This set is a great way to close out the summer and will hopefully get your ears perked and your feet moving! Enjoy!

Track List

1. Band Of Skulls - I know What I Am
2. Devendra Banhart - Baby
3. Vetiver - More Of This
4. Golden Animals - My My My
5. The Asteroids Galaxy Tour - The Sun Ain’t Shinin No More
6. Little Joy - The Next Time Around
7. Raccoon - The Thick And The Thin
8. Sleepy Sun - New Age
9. Homelife - Guru Man Hubcap Lady
10. Blonde Redhead - 23
11. The Generationals - Faces In The Dark
12. Autolux - Turnstile Blues
13. Caribou - Sundialing
14. Restiform Bodies - Sippy Cup
15. Julian Casablancas - 11th Dimension
16. Kleerup ft. Lykke Li - Until We Bleed

1. Band Of Skulls - I am proud to bring you this harmoniously driven, footblistering, guitar slashing, Southampton, London Trio consisting of Russell Marsden (guitar & vocals), Emma Richardson (bass & vocals) & Matt Hayward (drums).  After meeting in college these singer/songwriters found themselves in the studio in late 2008 recording a demo, but finalized a full album by March 09. Unfortunately the album was created before contracts were able to be signed. April 09 saw the debut single ‘I Know What I Am’ as a free download and in weeks of completing the album, the band had a digital audience in the USA, UK, France, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the Netherlands.

Shock Sessions: Band Of Skulls

2. Devendra Banhart - born in Houston, Texas, but brought up in Venezuela is a folk singer-songwriter whose first few records were released on the young god records label from New York City. Acclaimed to be apart of the new weird america (like Woodstock) movement. Other bands included on this new weird america movement include CocoRosie, Vetiver, and Six Organs of Admittance, and Joanna Newsome.

Banhart is considered to have an eclectic style, surreal and naturalistic. His involvement in the Los Angeles artist community is reflected in Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon, released in September 2007. He gained some underground notoriety in New York for performing several of his early shows with underwear on his head for the duration of the performance.

Banhart’s full band, which is currently known as Power Mineral includes Andy Cabic (Vetiver), Greg Rogove (Priestbird), Noah Georgeson, Luckey Remington, Pete Newsom, Otto Hauser (Vetiver, Currituck Co., Espers, Nick Castro), Kevin Barker (Currituck Co.), and others. The band claims to rechristen itself when a name comes to them, and has previously been known as Fried Hummingbird, Vagina Burglars, Hairy Fairy Band, Las Putas Locas, Stoner Boner, Spiritual Boner, Bummer Hummer, Brain Taint, Love Fart, Bathhouse Of The Winds, and First Woman Millionaire among other names.

3. Vetiver - An American folk band lead by Andy Cabic. Vetiver has opened up for Devendra Banhart and Joanna Newsome and often we can find Banhart joining in with this fun folky group! 4 albums released since this their debut in 2004, their latest album, Tight Knit has been getting great reviews and is definitely worth checking out!

4. Golden Animals - originally formed in Brooklyn, NY, by American vocalist/guitarist Tommy Eisner and Swedish-born drummer/backing vocalist Linda Beecroft. After recording their first EP in 2006 in these dense urban surroundings, the couple embarked on a cross-country pilgrimage that brought them to the barren wastes of the California desert (no doubt inspired by one of their key influences, Jim Morrison),   where they began composing new music while house-sitting for cult figure Gordon Kennedy, author of the natural living, pre-hippie manual Children of the Sun. Thus was spawned the Golden Animals’ significantly ’60s infused 2008 debut album, Free Your Mind and Win a Pony, which was produced by indie rock maven Chris Coady (Yeah Yeah Yeahs, TV on the Radio, Blonde Redhead), and released by Happy Parts Recordings.

5. The Asteroids Galaxy Tour - This album is a Danish psych-pop playground. Produced by Lars Iversen, and fronted by cute-as-a-button vocalist Mette Lindberg, The Asteroids Galaxy Tour’s debut album Fruit provides colorful dimensions, pushing the standard pop format. They got their big break when Amy Winehouse asked them to open for her in Copenhagen. In 2008, their single “Around the bend” was featured on an iPod Touch commercial. This band is a fruity gem of Euro pop music. www.theasteroidsgalaxytour.com

6. Little Joy - Little Joy’s self titled debut is one of those albums that always leaves you in a better mood. Comprised of Strokes’ drummer Fabrizio Morreti, Los Hermanos’ guitarist Rodrigo Amarante, and the lovely Binki Shapiro as a multi-instrumentalist, the band began playing together in 2007. Their debut , under Rough Trade Records, was produced by freak-folk minstrel, Noah Georgeson, a major component of Devendra Banhart’s musical entourage.  www.myspace.com/littlejoymusic

7. Raccoon - Rare, long out-of-print split EP from Philadelphia-based bands The Teeth and Raccoon (members Toby Leaman and Scott McMicken later formed Dr. Dog).

8. Sleepy Sun - Sleepy Sun is it, and one live show is all you need to know they have grasped a sound that is very unique and their own. Having performed their raw, high-energy show on stages shared with acts such as Howlin’ Rain, Earth, Sleep, Fleet Foxes, Dead Meadow, and Citay, they are quickly establishing themselves as a very tough act to follow. This young San Francisco sextet recently released their debut record, Embrace, and I feel this swift ghost like aura and haunting melodies coinciding with duel harmonies is both creative and “dynamic” is still a severe understatement.

The DayTrotter Session is an acoustic detour comprised of three (3) Embrace favorites in addition to a low-key version of the aforementioned Mating Season. You can obtain these glorious reverberations, free of charge, through this Internet (TM) link:

9.Homelife - Homelife isn’t really one entity.  Almost every track has a different lineup of musicians. The result is an eclectic jive, traversing the musical spectrum. The Consistent force behind Homelife is bassist Paddy Steer, and guitarists Tony Burnside and Simon King. Their arsenal of musical collaborators include horns, srtings, marimbas, banjo, and synths of all sorts. Each album, though sporadic and eccentric, is quite cohesive, and will hold your ears tightly beginning to end. http://www.ninjatune.net

10.Blonde Redhead - A multilingual American rock band, Blonde Redhead is made up of band members Kazu Makino and twin brothers Simone Pace and Amedeo Pace. A rare encounter at an Italian restaurant in 1993 sparked the begining of this soon to be head heart thumping sound. Sonice Youth drummer, Steve Shelley went on to produce their 1st self-titled album in 1995. Releasing a new album consistantly every 2 or 3 years, their latest, self produced album, 23 (released 2007) took them to #63 on the U.S. Billboard 200. Already a well known name in the underground and indie music scene, Makino’s high pitched yet soothing vocals will never be something we’re tired of listening too. It’s about that 2 year mark and hopefully soon they will be due for another album!

11. The Generationals - New Orleans based duo Ted Joyner and Grant Widme formed this great sing along to music in 2008 after the breakup of their previous band, Eames Era. Con Law is their debut album and is simply, easy listening. One of those albums you put on with a group of friends on a relaxing summer day, or driving with the windows down and the music blaring, one of those days that we all probably don’t have enough of! Their live performances can be caught including instruments from trumpets, guitars, keys, bass and drums, not to mention multiple background singers to really bring the sound to life. Currently touring, you can find out more information on where to catch The Generationals at http://www.myspace.com/generationals

12. Autolux - This is LA grunge rock at it’s best. The trio known as Autolux have been turning a lot of heads since the release of their debut album Future Perfect. The album spans dirty fuzzy distortions, breakdowns and serenades, and a shit ton of feedback. Autolux have toured as opening acts for Beck, The White Stripes and Nine Inch Nails, and have appeared at The Coachella Valley festival and All Tomorrow’s Parties. Their sophomore album Transit Transit is in the works, and is due out in 2010. www.autolux.net

13. Caribou - Listening to Caribou is like experiencing a strange sound/shape synesthesia. Canada’s Daniel Snaith is a Maestro of electronic composition, who brings sounds to life in unusual ways. Formerly known as Manitoba, Snaith has been producing and releasing music since 2000. The music has a certain psychedelic swell, a very visual feeling. His 2005 release, The Milk of Human Kindness, is a fantastic experiment in sound, and defies any formal definition of electronic music. Caribou’s latest full length album, Andorra, won the Polaris Prize for best album in 2008. www.caribou.fm

14.Resitform Bodies - Joining other groups such as 13&God, Why? and Sole on the hip hop Anticon label, Resiform Bodies are David Bryant, Matt Valerio and George Chadwick. TV Loves You Back was the last full length album released by Restiform Bodies in 2008. For more information and new releases from Restiform Bodies visit http://www.myspace.com/restiform

15. Julian Casablancas - Front man of The Strokes, Julian Casablancas will be releasing is first debut solo album entitled, Phrazes For The Young for the US November 2nd! By the sound of his hit single, 11th Dimension, it reminds us of that classic Strokes sound but a bit more electronic and with a more “dancey” feel. The album will be available for just $4.99 on Itunes, not bad for an 8 song introductions to what this new solo artist has to offer. Keep up with the countdown here http://www.juliancasablancas.com/

16. Kleerup Featuring Lykke Li - Both coming from Sweden, record producer Kleerup and recent breakthrough indie singer Lykke Li collaborated on the single, “Until We Bleed.”  This single was only one off of Kleerup’s self titled album which also featured artist Robyn in the track “With Every Heartbeat.”  The album was released in 2008, the same year as Lykke Li’s debut album Youth Novels. Lykke Li lent her heartfelt vocals for this beat bumping,  chest pounding, beautiful yet almost tragic single.  This song is best described as a “melancholy delight.” If you haven’t already looked into these artists, this release alone will get you intrigued and eager to hear more. Keep up with both Kleerup and Lykke Li here http://kleerup.net/review-xlr8 , http://www.lykkeli.com/

Writers :

Jeremy Saqr - JeremySaqr@thelipmag.com

Megan Prather - MeganPrather@thelipmag.com

Andrew Wyant - AndrewWyant@thelipmag.com