James Jean

Some great Moleskin art. Click the images to get a better peep.

I wish I could walk by this every day

Mother

Madre from Andrew Telling on Vimeo.

Artist Profile : WordToMother from Andrew Telling on Vimeo.

Pretty Cool

Cafe cowboy from benedict campbell on Vimeo.

Swindle "Moodswings"

I always like a good animation. This song by swindle is nice, dark and low, but maybe a little repetitive on its own without the video.

Bass Drum of Death

With the ever changing electronic scene (e.g. post-dubstep, psychedelic instrumental hip-hop, chill wave) I often forget about the bands making good ol' garage band american rock and roll. Bass Drum of Death saw a lot of success with there debut album on Fat Possum Records. Here is a taste to see if you like:

Toro y Moi mixtape

Sorry this took so long, but lover boy Ronnie sent me a link up to this cool mix from Toro y Moi.
Modcast says the songs were selected and mixed from his bed. Hope you enjoy here.

Mayer Hawthorne mixtape

If you are a fan of soul music or the recent revival, Mayer Hawthorne is a definite man to check out. He is a great songwriter a has a voice that matches the music style. He recently released a mixtape of cover songs called "Impressions". You can download the mix here.

Here is the track list plus some insight from the man himself off Stone's Throws site:

1. Work To Do
This one features my live band, The County: Quentin Joseph on drums, Topher Mohr on guitar, Quincy McCrary on piano, and Joe Abrams on bass. It was recorded live in a radio station studio somewhere during our Winter 2010 US tour. The tapes recently surfaced, but nobody can remember exactly where we were. The song is originally by The Isley Brothers, and that’s the only version I was familiar with until we started playing it in our live shows and people would come up to us and say “hey, loved your cover of Average White Band!”.

2. Don’t Turn The Lights On
My favorite track from Chromeo’s latest LP. On the surface it’s an electro-funk, dance floor filler, but underneath is a brilliant love ballad with lyrics that reminded me of something from Tyrone Davis. Dave1 (of Chromeo) told me the song is about a guy who falls in love with a ghost, so I wanted my version to have an eerie, ghostly feel to it. Quincy McCrary played the creepy piano solo at the end.

3. You’ve Got The Makings Of A Lover
Textbook Northern Soul from a little known Dallas, Texas group called The Festivals. I was digging for records in NY with my homey DJ Kurse, and the shopkeeper played the 45 in the store. Both of us immediately ran up to the counter and said “yo! what is THAT?!”. The original version was recorded in the late 60s, and the mix isn’t very good. I wanted a version that I could bump. Quentin Joseph played the drums and we recorded them at Sam Beaubien’s studio in Detroit. That’s Sam playing the trumpet as well.

4. Fantasy Girl
This song was written and composed by an amazing man from Pasadena named Steve Salazar. He was born with a heart condition and passed away at the young age of 27. Before he died he recorded one incredible album of demos in the mid-70s with a band called Shorty’s Portion. Peanut Butter Wolf found a copy of the album and I loved it so much that he gave it to me (thanks Wolf!). The vinyl had a handwritten note tucked in the sleeve that was addressed to anyone who could help the band with management, a record deal, radio airplay, etc. I’d estimate there were less than 300 copies pressed. That’s my Dad playing pedal steel guitar and Topher Mohr shredding the guitar solo on my version.

5. Little Person
Jon Brion is not from this planet. He penned this song for the soundtrack to Charlie Kaufman’s film “Synecdoche, NY”. I didn’t get the film at all, but I really got the soundtrack. The original has only female vocal and piano, but I always heard a larger arrangement. Hubert Alexander played some of the piano and I did everything else.

6. Mr. Blue Sky
This one also features my band, The County, and was recorded live, in one take, in a tiny makeshift tent, at a festival in Dour, Belgium.

Download Flying Lotus's new mixtape

Flying Lotus dropped a new mixtape for Stone's Throw named "Lovers Melt". You can download it for free here. There is no track list, but FL said all songs come from "records found in the valley".

The Knife "Pass This On"

The Knife announced they will be releasing a new album in 2012. This is just to show my excitement.

Aardvarck Mixtape Download

I have been really diggin' this mixtape by Aardvarck. It reminds me of the Caribou or Animal Collective mixtapes in that the sounds are so eclectic and historical but blend so well. Aarvarck leans a little more to electronic but he definitely hits some great genres (i.e. jazz, reggae, and hip hop). Give it a listen.
FACT Mix 244 - Aardvarck (May '11) by factmag