Outside Forces: Little Red Lung

Murky instrumental waters start off the album's first song with a mysterious anticipation, broken by lead singer Zoe-Ruth Erwin's pure voice, strong and powerful.

Comparable stylistically to Florence + The Machine, Little Red Lung is dramatic--dark red curtains in a dimly lit theater, pierced with echoing vocals and wrapped in threadlike instrumentals.

Little Red Lung is a Los Angeles based band, something that I never would've expected California to produce after all the ska-punk bands I've heard that originated from there. But this little puff of fresh air comes out like a blooming night-rose; it's haunting and takes the stage with a sweep of its arms. Formed originally as a solo project, the band has since grown into a quartet of musicians working together to produce    quietly theatrical songs that will move you.

Check out the stop-motion music video for "50 Fingers" here and stop by their bandcamp to give the rest of their self-titled album a listen. 

Best of Soundcloud: Black Swan Runners

One of the perks of working at MAGNET is that I get to rifle through their collection of unsolicited CDs and records and pick whatever I want to keep. It was during this search that I came across some cool looking albums that I decided to check out. Black Swan Runners' album, "An Aside" caught my attention when I gave it a listen. It's the kind of echoey guitar and the interesting synth percussion, like in "West of the Ten", that makes Black Swan Runners chill, grey day music.

Hailing from both sides of the Carolina's, Black Swan Runners is a four member band, all dudes, all cool. They've spent time working hard on this album, and the effort shows in the final product.

With vocals that are caught in a dream, the songs on the album each have a kind of cloudy but upbeat quality to them. Check out more of Black Swan Runner at their website and sit back on your easy chair with that cup of coffee this overcast day. 

Anticipated Album of 2013: Matmos

After a five year hiatus, the fantastic Baltimore experimental music mind warp, Matmos, is coming out with an album this February 19th. Having jumped from Matador to Thrill Jockey, Matmos releases "The Marriage of True Minds" as a new start to 2013.

In this album, the duo has collaborated with some of Baltimore's best, including Dan Deacon and Wye Oak's Jenn Wasner, with anticipated fantastic results. Matmos, known for their creatively unusual concoctions of music, blend together electronic sounds with ethnic beats, haunting synth, and nightclub techno, makes a dizzying swirl of musical mastery that can only be expected to be continued in their new album.

Pre-orders are available now at thrilljockey.com for those who can't wait six more days (which is totally understandable. I'm excited for this album, too). In the meantime, check out Matmos' website. 

Electro Dance

Electro Dance, also referred to as Tecktonik, is probably the dance style that I most desperately want to master. Here're two dance gladiators in action, Yarus and Loony Boy.

Philadelphia Bands: Skeleton Lipstick

Electronic 3-D lenses through a neon world lead you by the ears to Skeleton Lipstick's insane music.

Put on your headphones and be immediately encompassed in a world of 80's vibes floating around in their bright legwarmers and holographic images play on the walls. Self described as "an existential synthwave project from Philadelphia, USA," Skeleton Lipstick delivers fresh flashing lights in a deep kiss. Equipped with beat up, ancient synthesizers and samplers from 25 years ago, CM Smith, the creator and sole member of Skeleton Lipstick, brings reverberating vocals and laser gun drum machine beats together for a more than fantastic result.

It's just catchy. That's all there really is to it. Skeleton Lipstick makes an effort to produce creative timewarp music, and it delivers, shoulder pads and all.

Check out more music here and start getting lost in electronic fireflies.

Best of Bandcamp: Firecracker Jazz Band

Straight swinging and sashaying from North Carolina, the Firecracker Jazz Band has the pizzazz to add a little pepper to your life.

A bunch of talented musicians, the Firecracker Jazz Band is exactly what it sounds like: a pop and spark and sizzle of sweet sweet jazz. It's a time machine back to a smoke filled cabaret from the days of black and white cinema.

Excellently composed while still free and heavy like a Carl Sandburg poem, "Wildman Blues" has a flavor that morphs ever so slightly throughout the song, creating a finishing product of speakeasy rhythm.

Check out more of their swinging beats at their bandcamp and stop by their facebook page.

Best of Bandcamp: Deep Sea Diver

Submerged yourself in super-pop melodies with Seattle's own Deep Sea Diver. This collective group of three musicians and a hodgepodge of artists creates some of the most excitable, bubbly music in the acrylic painted world.

Their song, "You Go Running", is definitely the kind of song that can take you down a forested path at a rapid heart pace. Expect foliage flying into your face as you jump over mossy, fallen trees.


"History Speaks," one of a collection of their albums, is a watercolor sketchbook you don't want to pass without giving it a quick flip through its crinkly pages. Only seven dollars on sale at their bandcamp and ten dollars in CD format, it's a price that's worth paying for. Don't forget to stop by their website to check out more tour dates and to buy tickets if you're in the area.

If you don't have the moolah to go to this year's SXSW, where Deep Sea Diver will be performing live, keep an eye out for their upcoming shows as they tour the west coast:

• The Media Club,Vancouver, BC, Canada:  Wednesday 27 Feb 2013
• Aladdin Theater,Portland, OR, US:  Saturday 2 Mar 2013
• The Chapel,San Francisco, CA, US:  Tuesday 5 Mar 2013
• The Satellite,Los Angeles, CA, US:  Wednesday 6 Mar 2013
• 35 Denton Music Festival,Denton, TX, US:  Saturday 9 Mar 2013