Bread Handed

Vanilla - Matter of Time

A love letter to the past while looking toward the future. This is how I can best describe the work of Vanilla. I haven’t come across an artist since J Dilla that gives such care and respect to the samples they use. While it can be fascinating to see what an artist can do with a sample, sometimes it overlooks the effort that went into the original work. “Matter of Time” does a fantastic job of balancing between honoring its source material and making a track unlike those before it. Vanilla’s new album Soft Focus is up on Bandcamp, and even though there is a link for a free download, I strongly suggest you throw a few dollars in the way of a very talented artist. Enjoy.

Gold Panda - Mountain

One of my favorite albums from 2010 was Gold Panda’s Lucky Shiner. It was so fully formed, had such a sense of direction; where it want to go and where it want to stop by on the way there. Listening to “Mountain” reminded me of just how great he is at constructing a song. Head over to his Soundcloud for more, and look for this single to drop digitally in the U.S. May 15. Enjoy.

TV Girl - Misery

The late 1950’s into the early 1960’s were a very interesting time in music, because while there were certainly artists looking to express themselves, music was first and foremost a product, something to be constructed and then sold to the public. While it is easy to look at such construction as soulless, this period gave us some of the best hooks and melodies ever known. Perhaps when someone removes opinions from music and just focuses on construction, great music is to be had.

I think this is why I like TV Girl so much; their combination of doo wop-era samples and a modern perspective make for an irresistible listen. They keep putting out gold, and if you liked “Misery”, head over to their Bandcamp for their recently released mixtape, The Wild, The Innocent, The TV Shuffle. As always, enjoy.

Monster Rally - Jaguar

Monster Rally have been one of my favorite discoveries over the past two years. They specialize in exotic, nostalgic loops that start as one thing and end up in an entirely different place. The loops sound so simple, it’s easy to miss the groove and the heart and soul that went into each track. Beyond the Sea is out June 19th via Gold Robot; enjoy.

The Walkmen - Heaven

I think everyone has those bands that hit them at a key developmental point in their life, when they really don’t know what’s going on or about to happen but as long as they have good music, everything seems like it’s going to be alright. The Walkmen are definitely one of those bands for me. I am not ashamed to have first heard of them in a Saturn commercial; however, ten years later, Saturn is no longer around but The Walkmen keep churning out quality albums, full of both energy and a surprisingly comfortable world-weariness. Their seventh album Heaven is out June 5 on Fat Possum Records. Enjoy.

Medla - Anything

I’m always curious by what type of genre someone suggests an artist works within. How does someone define a genre like “noise pop” or “electronic”? In most cases, the artist is miscast, labeled with a genre that doesn’t fit, but that’s missing the larger point: music doesn’t have to be put into genres. Music should be given space to breathe and grow; it’s more rewarding that way.

Medla describes this track as “house”, but it accomplishes a lot more than that on “Anything”. This is the type of music that makes you move, makes you think, makes you feel. Check out their Soundcloud for more head-moving, feet-sliding action. Also head over to Life Crushed, who in general are regularly excellent. Enjoy.

Jewellers - Easier Together

A shout-out to Life Crushed to letting me know about Jewellers and giving me my bass mix every day. Jewellers instantly reminded me the careful sequencing of The Field and the constant groove of John Talabot all rolled into one. “Easier Together” is able to sound like one song at the beginning and something completely different at the end but it still works beautifully as one track. You can head over to their Soundcloud to hear another track, “Sing Trees”, or check out their debut LP Sleep Education over on Bandcamp. “Easier Together” will apparently feature on an upcoming release and I couldn’t be more excited. As always, enjoy.

Acid Aura - Am I Memory

Music creates atmosphere, regardless of the type of music it actually is; creating atmosphere comes with the territory of making music. How then do you explain music that could best be described as “atmospheric”? It’s the first descriptor that sprang to mind when I came across Acid Aura. Not quite a dream, yet not quite based in reality; this is where the music of Acid Aura lies. If you’re a fan of Emeralds or Mark McGuire, chances are “Am I Memory” will work for you as well. Head over to Acid Aura’s Bandcamp and check out a few more tracks in the same vein, and, as always, enjoy.

Real Estate - Exactly Nothing

It’s kind of difficult to say that a band’s best quality is that they are extremely easy to listen to, but that is the best way I can describe Real Estate. I unfortunately slept on their last album Days for a couple of months, and after finally listening to it, the only bad part was that I could have heard this greatness sooner. Adjectives like hazy, relaxed, and laid-back do Real Estate a disservice; their music is really a state of mind, one where you can escape from your day and drift. “Exactly Nothing” is the B-side to the “Easy” single, and it fits right in with Real Estate’s mindset. Take a listen and if you haven’t already, listen to Days, one of the best albums of 2011.

Ricky Eat Acid - HYPOTHESIS

Ricky Eat Acid seems to dwell in the unstable space of acoustic and electronic. There have been many artists who have tried this in the past, and while there are a few successes (Bibio, Boards of Canada, and Millionyoung come to mind), it is undeniably a difficult experiment to pull off successfully. Add Ricky Eat Acid to that list, as his 2011 demos collection shows his journey and the direction in which he’s headed. Jump on over to his Bandcamp and give the collection a listen; chances are you’ll find one to enjoy.