Passion Pit
Our first band has a pretty interesting story. Passion Pit, which is based in Boston, started as a solo project of singer/songwriter Michael Angelakos, who has been writing songs since he was 5 years old. According to his bio, one day Angelakos just stopped creating. Not by choice. His creative well was simply in need of a severe refill, so he started toying with the plug-ins and infinite possibilities of a computer program.
He produced a six track EP titled Chunk of Change, which was intended to be a Valentine’s Day gift for his girlfriend, and as it landed in the hands of friends and acquaintances, they were enthralled by his work. Flash forward to 2008… Passion Pit went from being a solo act to an ever-evolving band, played a sold out show at New York’s Bowery Ballroom, and has gone on to open for several well-known artists, including Death Cab for Cutie.
They’ve just released the first single, “The Reeling,” from their new album Manners, which will be out on May 19th via Frenchkiss Records. Totally dig it. If you do too, you can pre-order the album now at insound.com.
The next step in their master plan, according to the band’s bio, is to take their live show to a level that “matches, and eventually exceeds, Manners ambition and kaleidoscopic soundscapes.” They’ve got a pretty extensive tour schedule for the next several months, so if they make their way to a venue near you, I hope you get a chance to check them out. You can find all the info, tour dates, music, videos, and more on the band’s MySpace page.
“Redemption. Paranoia. Guilt. And brief glimpses of a better tomorrow, all cloaked in pop hooks that truly help the medicine go down.”
Your Dig-It Download:
Download: The Reeling
Passion Pit on Amazon
Passion Pit on iTunes
Seeland
UK based band Seeland is a new collaboration from Warp recording artists Tim Felton (Broadcast) and Billy Bainbridge (Plone). The band formed in 2004, released two singles, and have spent the last few years creating their new full length album Tomorrow Today.
Tomorrow Today consists of 12 tracks and it is said to mix the band’s love of the three minute pop song with sounds and tones you might encounter in the work of Travelogue-era.
They’ve just made the track “Call the Incredible” available. Check it out in the Dig-It section below, and then stop by the band’s MySpace page or L.O.A.F. Artist Page for more info and music.
Your Dig-It Download:
Download: Call the Incredible
Seeland on Amazon
Seeland on iTunes
Lemonwilde
Los Angeles band Lemonwilde has just released their 5 song EP, Red Room. I came across this band when the band’s singer, Joe, contacted us, asking us to check out “Just This Ashtray”, one (excellent) track from the Red Room EP. I took a listen and dug what I heard, so I decided to do a little research on the band before writing about them. Almost every blog I stopped by that wrote about the band mentioned that they were contacted by one band member or another with the opportunity to check out their music. To me, this shows just how hard these guys are working to get their music out there… they’re not just sitting back waiting for fans to come to them. They’re out there MAKING fans… going that extra mile.
When I was checking out their MySpace, I popped in and checked out their March 7th blog titled Red Room, the new recession-proof EP from Lemonwilde, which is all about how to get their new EP for free. These guys got quite creative, I must say. Check out the blog for all the details. We’ve already posted the track from the first step below in the Dig-It section. I definitely recommend you try and get your hands on the rest. If you’d prefer to go the iTunes/Amazon route, you can find links to both below.
Your Dig-It Download:
Download: Just This Ashtray
Lemonwilde on Amazon
Lemonwilde on iTunes
The Decemberists
The Decemberists just released their fifth album Hazards of Love on Tuesday. This album is one of my favorite types of albums, as it’s one that really needs to be listened to from start to finish. Hazards of Love is a follow-up to the band’s breakthrough 2006 album, The Crane Wife, which NPR listeners voted their favorite album of the year. I won’t go into a whole lot of detail about this new album, as we already covered it here. I’ll just say, check it out. I think you’ll be glad you did.
Speaking of NPR, the band played a show hosted by NPR Music at SXSW last week, which was streamed live and has been archived on NPR’s site. Download the entire show here.
Check out a couple tracks from Hazards of Love below. I know we’ve posted “The Rake’s Song” before, but I believe it’s worth posting again. Then make sure to stop by the band’s MySpace page for more music and tour dates.
Your Dig-It Downloads:
Download: The Wanting Comes in Waves/Repaid
Download: The Rake’s Song
The Decemberists on Amazon
The Decemberists on iTunes
Popularity: 4% [?]