music minute

Despite clear popularity, Derek Vincent Smith (aka Pretty Lights) is still releasing his music for free. The Colorado based producer release his latest album, Filling Up The City Skies, through his website and in four months it had been downloaded over 70,000 times. Now he prepares to bring the beat again this month on Passing By Behind Your Eyes. It's going to be a hot Summer!

Listen to: Hot Like Sauce (from Filling Up The City Skies) (mp3)

The best electro-pop based always seem to come from Austin. The latest Austin export is Alan Palomo (aka Vega). He released his first single last summer via a few select blogs, but this summer will be all about Vega. His new ep, Well Known Pleasures, will be released on May 19th, and it will be supported by a mini tour. His ep is filled with classic '80's, synths, hand claps, and more, and is soon to be filling club around the world.

Listen to: No Reasons (mp3)

Arkansas is home to the latest singer/songwriter to show a full rainbow of Chameleon colors, Chase Pagan. On his forthcoming album “Bells & Whistles”, Chase displays everything from a soulful honk-tonk to a vibrant folk troubadour to a soaring falsetto. Complete with marching band horns, piano, pysc guitars, this album is diverse, but still simple at its core.

Listen to: Life Garden (mp3)

Last month brothers Roberto and Nathaniel Aguilar (aka Dish) released their first full-length album, Ma Raison De Vivre Ton Amour. These brothers grew up surrounded by music, and let it slowly brew in their own ways. Now they come together, they discovered music together, and the pairing of Roberto’s organic, genre-busting singing and guitar work with Nathaniel’s junk-gypsy found percussion has been a decade in the making. What is most remarkable is the energy that fills their live performances and surprisingly translates on this recording.

Listen to: This Ain’t Livin’ (mp3)

Patrick Watson has a fascinating approach to performing live. He takes his ques from his mentor James Brown. Patrick actually toured with Brown back in 2006 and in Europe during summer 2006, he adopted a dynamic approach to performing and working with other musicians. Patrick admits, "I learned how to be a front man and let the audience conduct you. When James performs, all the musicians on stage watch his hands. He takes cues from the audience's energy and conducts the show with finger movements. He's flexible about his arrangements and pacing and he's attentive to the crowds." Thus, Watson makes every show different, based on the venue and audience. Perhaps the pinnacle of his experience came when he thanked Brown for having him on the tour and James said, "Keep on rocking, little papa." However, don't confuse this to a comparison musically, Patrick is closer to someone like Jose Gonzalez in sound. His latest album, Wooden Arms, will be released on May 5th.

Listen to: Man Like You (mp3)

Brother/sister duo Chris and Kate Farstad wanted to form a band four years ago so they asked Micky Alfano and Mark Ritsema to join them, and together Mouthful of Bees was formed. Two years later the band released its debut album, The End, on Afternoon Records. Their sound was fresh, melodic, and highly entertaining, but the process to make a follow-up was not easy. Before embarking on their next album in the spring of 2008, the band decided to enlist the help of friends Simon Larson and Patrick Swanson for new songs and ideas. In the following months of often-grueling recording sessions, a newer, quirkier and more sophisticated sound evolved, complete with tricky time-signatures, complex harmonies and a larger, more fully-orchestrated sound. When all was said and done, erased accidentally and done again, Mouthful of Bees had created, what else, Mouthful of Bees, 12 diverse tracks of lush, strange, rockin’ pop. Their new album will be released digitally on April 21st and the physical albums will appear in May.

You take a Swedish band and place them in Italy to record an album filled with everything from Blues to Calypso, from Psychedelic to African and Caribbean Music... it can only be a the new Voodoo Rhythm project. Mama Rosin is Cyril "Jeter" Yeterian, Robin A. Girod, and Power Van's Fischer, and this trio has sizzled through Cajun set around the world. Voodoo Rhythm released their second album, Brule Lentement, this past Friday and I can't stop moving.

Listen to: le two-step de l'haricot (mp3)

Kaka (aka Richard Karlsson) sings about the struggle and challenge of life. His upbeat, retro faux-dance tracks give the listen a sense of hope and energy. He shifts gears through genres as diverse as reggae, electro-tinged '80's melodies, and pure indie pop. Through it all he keeps a solid beat, and never gives up. Kaka's self titled album was just released in the UK on March 9th, and he was supposed to come play the Elysium venue at SXSW this past Wednesday but had to cancel his trip. To make up for missing his chance at SXSW he is pushing his joy and tracks out into the on-line media. Here is my favorite track.

Listen to: It's A Longshot (mp3)

LoveLikeFire is a band that I have been following for quite sometime, and I am happy to announce that Ann Yu and company will be releasing a digital ep called William on Heist Or Hit Records on March 23rd. This is in advance of their new full-length album Tear Ourselves Away coming out later this year.

Listen to: Signs (mp3) from William Ep

Band mates since childhood, Singer/Guitarist/Frontman Adam Prince and kid brother/drummer Ian Prince grew up in a musical family in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Now as the foundation of Minneapolis' Story of the Sea the brothers play a vibrant form of jangle pop complete with donated tambourine and satisfying, feel-good handclaps. There's simmer and bounce, and always a rhythm that moves. They recently released their sophomore album Lunar Co.

Listen to: Own Devices (mp3)