Changes by Faul & Wad Ad

   If there's one thing musical element that I'm a sucker for, it's a prominently featured saxophone. Really just horns in general, but I think a well executed sax solo is among the most sacred of musical moments. Indeed, perhaps my greatest concert memory was the face melting sax solo at the end of "Midnight City" by M83 when we saw them in Central Park two summers ago. With that in mind, I don't care what your opinions about saxophone are; this song is the fucking bomb. Starts out with a somewhat standard house song opening, before you hear the vocal sample come in and you know it's on. Head starts bopping as the bass comes in, and then a little sax flirtation to get you primed. Then comes the "drop," if you will, which is basically a three minute long tour de saxophone. Goddamn. It feels silly even narrating it for you. This isn't the musical style we typically post here, but I don't care what kind of music you like. This is a song you will like. Your grandpa who only listens to Hank Williams? He'll be getting a Soundcloud account just so he can listen to this song again. I shit you not. Come Thanksgiving, I will be playing this for my gramps and I will report back with the results.
   But on a more informational note, Faul is from Paris, France, which has distinguished itself as a true visionary in the field of electronic music. As of now, his Soundcloud account shows he only has two songs released (I have included both of them for your audial pleasure), but this guy is clearly going to be a force to be reckoned with. That's all I've got for now, but keep an ear out for more of this guy. Écoutez after the break.

Hey Rose by Houndmouth

Houndmouth are among my favorite bands that I've come across since the beginning of our little journey into blog-dom almost a year ago. It started with the Houndmouth EP way back in the beginning, which featured just four songs, but just eeked of potential. To absolutely nobody's surprise, the Louisville-ish (they started in Indiana, just across the river from Louisville, but are certainly a part of the well established folk scene in Louisville) band kicked ass and took names on their debut album. They made a name for themselves out on the concert/festival circuit, where according to anybody with functioning ears, they shredded. I can now confirm that fact, after seeing them in Columbus, OH last week, where what they played could be described in no other way than epic. Really one of the top live shows that this young listener has seen. With that said, I felt there was no reason not to post about them again, because there is no self-respecting music lover that shouldn't know about and love Houndmouth. Listen to "Hey Rose" after the break.

Ohm by Yo La Tengo

Yo La Tengo has been around FOREVER. Like, I had no idea the type of longevity these guys have had. They formed in 1984 in Hoboken, New Jersey (shouts out to the Jerz), and have had more or less the same core group of musicians since the start, and steadily released albums since then. Their discography is vast, but with such talent on the roster, they have some truly excellent work. They are frequently cited as a quintessential critics' band. Your friend whose a huge music snob loves Yo La Tengo. We're not music snobs here, but that doesn't mean we don't like YLT.  Their most recent album, Fade, was released earlier this year and is just excellent from start to finish. For a little taste of what's to be found on the rest of the album, take the song "Ohm." It's got hazy vocals, thoughtful lyrics, and some badass guitar to boot. Listen after the break.

Gary Clark Jr.

Alright Moist Melodies readers. We have done you a disservice through our recent lack of posting. But for the sake of continuity, I'm just going to ignore the lengthy gap between posts and continue as if nothing had ever changed.

Gary Clark Jr. is the truth. He's a blues-rock guitarist in the vein of the Black Keys who is just straight up great. The music is driven in large part by his electric guitar playing which is bluesy and technically skillful. His guitar playing has been given awards by people who should know about guitar playing, so he's got that to fall back on too. But the main gist of it is that Clark takes the blues rock sound of groups like the Black Keys and puts his own spin on it. At times he delves into the realms of hip-hop with his smooth voice rapping over traditional rock instrumentals, and others, he sticks to a more straightforward blues rock song with a sick nasty Hendrix-esque guitar solo stuck somewhere in the middle. His album, Blak and Blu (2012), was the spark I needed to get Moist Melodies started back up, so I take that as a true testament to this album. Seriously, the whole reason we started this blog was to share music that we're excited about. This is music to get excited about. It's been a really long time since I've been so amped about an artist I just learned about. The fire has been rekindled and Moist Melodies has returned. Listen to some jams after the break.

Ezra by Flume

Damn, it's been a while. So much for the really productive summer that we promised ourselves in May. As we left school for the summer, I literally would have fought you if you told me that neither of us would be able to muster up a post for the entire month of July. Alas, I have no great excuse for our lengthy absence. Perhaps you will forgive us, because we got some fire coming your way. While we haven't been posting, we've still been listening to great music, and here's a little sample of it. Flume is an electronic music producer based in Australia. His first full-length album is called Flume, and it's already gone platinum down under. The beat is intoxicating. I could listen to that riff all night and not get tired of it. The rest of the album is equally excellent, and I'd suggest you check out the full thing on Spotify. Enough talking about it. As our "pharmacist" would say, "got some fuego on deck." Truth. Listen after the break.

For Body and Kenzie by Teen Daze

This is some great music. It's off the first full-length EP from Teen Daze, an artist out of Vancouver. It's pretty minimalist electronic music, sticking mostly to simple beats and ribcage rattling bass. But when put together, it's pretty epic. I just want to stare at the album cover and listen to this on repeat all day; it's that good. I'm gonna cheat a little bit on naming the genre, and use the bancamp label of "ambient dance," which I think actually describes it pretty well. At it's core, its lounge music, but it's just quick enough to make you want to get up and move a bit. Anyway, take a listen after the break.

NEW SONG: This Life by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

Stop the presses. Another single from ESMZ's new album, Better Days (due out July 23rd), and it's spectacular. It follows right along with what we've come to expect. Alex Ebert's voice is straight up haunting in the soft opening measures. Then, all of a sudden his voice is backed by a full gospel choir and it starts getting epic. As could be expected with an 11 member band, the instrumentation is unique and really adds to the ambiance of the song. Apparently Ebert was crying in the studio while he was recording this song, which sounds a bit much, but it certainly doesn't take away from the emotion on this track. Tears or not, it's a brilliant song. Can't wait for July 23rd. Listen after the break.

NEW SONG: Pocket Change by Alabama Shakes

It's been a while oh moist ones. Don't have much of an excuse for the lack of posts lately. Probably still hungover from the Flatbush Zombies concert that we attended last week, which culminated in puking out of a moving train car before almost being escorted off of that same train. Naturally, neither of us was fit to do a proper write-up of the concert, but all I can say is that it reeked of radness. There's a suitable review here, but suffice it to say that the speakers blew out in the middle of Flatbush's set as a result of the extreme amounts of fuckery going on. But we're back, and back with a vengeance. By vengeance of course, I mean the Alabama Shakes. Their debut album last year was one of our favorites, and they're keeping the good music coming. Disregard the fact that this song was for one of those vampire TV shows; it's quite good in spite of that. Take a listen after the break.

NEW ALBUM: From the Hills Below the City by Houndmouth

We're pretty big Houndmouth fans here at MM. They've got the perfect blend (in my opinion at least) between contemplative folk and a little more traditional rocking. From The Hills Below The City, is their first full-length album, which is a follow-up to their debut EP. This song features a re-working of several songs from that first release, which makes sense considering how great that first release was. This one does not disappoint as a follow-up, and frankly, they're rocketing up my favorite current bands list. The stand-out new track, if I had to pick just one, was "Long As You're At Home," which swings back and forth from a mournful, slow sound, to some hard-driving, face-melting guitar solos. I just listened to it three times in a row, and it's better each time. In terms of the repeated songs from their first EP, there is no staleness here. They re-worked their biggest hit, "Penitentiary," making it a little grungier in a welcome way. I can't recommend this album enough. You can stream it in full here (sorry that it's Conan. Can't stand that guy's face), and buy it here. After the break, check out a bad-ass live performance of the album's lead single, "On The Road."

Shooting Stars by Bag Raiders

This isn't the type of song you're used to hearing from us, but I'm sure you won't be disappointed. Bag Raiders are a house group, which probably means something to most of you. I must confess that I don't fully grasp the definition of house, except that it seems to be well-suited for house parties. If there is any other house music that is even remotely as catchy as this song, let me know, because I haven't heard it. This song is quickly becoming my jam. Yep, that's right, I'm going to put a copyright on it as my own personal jam. Listen after the break.

NEW SONG: Better Days by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

There's not much that you're doing that's more important than this. New Edward Sharpe is a cause for intense celebration. Their new album, Better Days, is coming out July 23 here in the US of A, and the Edward Sharpe frontman, Alex Ebert, called it "the rawest, most liberated, most rambunctious stuff we’ve done." That is certainly a tantalizing description, and we've been waiting for this new album with baited breath. The album opener, "Better Days" was released earlier this week, and it doesn't quell any of our excitement. Listen after the break.

Miss Lonelyhearts by Robin Pahlman

Robin Pahlman is a man after my own heart. A former lit student, he counts among his influences a Moist Melodies favorite, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, and several others, including Kurt Vile and Iron & Wine. From Finland originally, Pahlman has moved around a good deal throughout the years. On how this informs his music, Pahlman said, "Maybe since I have moved around quite a bit in the past few years, I write songs about space, place, and travel." He also seems to know exactly what elements are surefire ways to get me to like a song, with a heavy use of horns (in Miss Lonelyhearts) and whistling (in Waves). He's hoping to release his first album later in the year, so keep an ear out for him. Listen after the break. 

Silver Soul by Beach House

When I first started listening to indie music, one of the first bands I discovered was Beach House. They were unlike anything I'd ever heard before, and anything I've heard since. Their music defines any label that you might try to put on them. They sometimes border on a post-rock, atmospheric sound, but that is a far from perfect definition. Their music requires exactly how much concentration you're willing to give it. If you put it on in the background while you write a paper, it'll calm you down and keep you focused. But if you want to be actively engaged, there's more than enough going on to keep you interested. Listen to "Silver Soul" after the break.

Late Night Special: Arcade Fire- Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)

As you may know from reading past posts, I really like the Arcade Fire and I've probably already talked about them too much.  So I'll keep this short and sweet, really cool, funky keyboard driven song with strong female vocals and a catchy use of guitar and drums.  Try it, you'll like it.

Oceans by Coasts

Coasts are a folk-rock group out of Bristol. Much to the behest of Colan, my Connecticut-born fellow editor, that is Bristol, England. Which, if we're honest, is probably a good thing in terms of us liking this band. My best attempt at a description of this group is probably not one that they would appreciate, but it's in my head now, so it's being written. They're like a British Yellowcard, complete with the whole ocean theme, except that this band is significantly less embarrassing to play in front of other people. The chorus gets pretty epic; this band is ready-made for soldout arena tours and epic concert montages. Definitely worth a listen, after the break.