If there’s one thing we love here at All Things Go, it’s summer anthems. This year, Icona Pop are leading way with their bangin’ new single, “I Love It” (via Universal / Company TEN). It’s just about as catchy, electric, and well, fun, as humanly possible. The Stockholm-based duo prove once again that pop music comes as second nature to most Scandinavians.
STREAM: Icona Pop – “I Love It”
Alex Winston hails all the way from Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. After a handful of EPs, Alex worked alongside production wizards and All Things Gold alum The Knocks on her debut album, which was met with critical acclaim. Though she’s classically trained in opera, she’s covered music greats from Chuck Berry to The Rolling Stones, and her songs have been remixed by the likes of Beach Fossils and RAC. Tomorrow night you can catch her as she makes her second stop in DC, alongside local outfit Long Walks on the Beach.
Grab a free download of her stellar Sister Wife EP here, and buy tickets for her show at U Street Music Hall HERE. Doors open at 7PM.
STREAM: Alex Winston – “Velvet Elvis”
STREAM: Alex Winston – “Everlasting Light”
Every now and then we and our partners in crime at Neon Gold Records get the opportunity to bring an artist down to DC so special that it’s impossible not to break our usual schedule. In February, it was Chiddy Bang. This month, it’s Alex Winston. The Detroit songstress has been spending a lot of the past year serenading the Brits overseas. Her record release party in New York last night marked her first show there in a year. Crazy, right? Well we’re making sure the District gets a taste of the fun and hosting a performance by Alex at U Hall, next Thursday, April 19th. Supporting her will be one of DC’s finest acts, Long Walks On The Beach, who we’ve been aching to see again since his performance at our Gibson series last summer.
Join us at U Street Music Hall next Thursday, April 19th for an early show starting at 7PM. Tickets are available now for $7, or $10 at the door. Hurry though — they’re going fast.
TICKETS: ALLTHINGSGOLD.US
STREAM: Alex Winston – “Velvet Elvis”
STREAM: Alex Winston – “Sister Wife”
DOWNLOAD: Long Walks On The Beach – “metaPhysical”
Leslie Feist’s 2011 album Metals might sound like a departure for those that know her for indie-pop gems like “Mushaboom” or the song Apple made famous, “1 2 3 4.” There are no cute pop songs on this record, however, only Feist showcasing some of the best balladeering we’ve yet heard from her, and “Bittersweet Melodies” is one of the record’s standouts. It’s a song rife with nostalgia, not only about fondly looking backward, but also about constantly seeing the past in the present. As such it’s fitting that the song’s video is a slideshow of Irina Werning’s Back to the Future photo project – which is, incidentally, one of the best things on the Internet. Feist wistfully describes touching moments lovingly remembered as images scroll past of adults matching childhood photos outfit for outfit and pose for pose. In some of the more striking moments a handful of the 2011 photos are accompanied by video snippets reminding us that no matter how much we try to recreate the bygone, the past is static and it’s only what we’re experiencing right now that is still fresh and fluid. That being said, the NSFW video is also a celebration of how much of who we were helped us become who we are. Bittersweet melodies, indeed.
STREAM: Feist – “Bittersweet Melodies”
We’re proud to announce the third addition to the ATG Records roster: British pop darling Queen Of Hearts. On May 14th we’ll be releasing the Neon/Tears In The Rain 7″, a double A-Side release that boasts two tracks made of pure electro-gold. Today we’re debuting “Neon” on All Things Go. The track encapsulates everything that we’ve come to love about the striking 24 year-old; leading off with a single pulsating bass line, “Neon” builds momentum with dream-like synths until exploding into a club-ready chorus that showcases the full power of her majesty’s stunning vocals.
We’ll be premiering the Stefan Storm (of Sound Of Arrows fame) produced “Tears In The Rain” later this month as well as a hand-picked selection of first class remixes from the likes of Mark Reeder (Pet Shop Boys, Depeche Mode, Paul van Dyke), Perseus, Ghost Beach, Lightwaves, and DYM (Florence + The Machine, B.o.B). Until then, preorder a copy of the limited edition vinyl HERE for only $5.
STREAM: Queen Of Hearts – “Neon” [Premiere]
We heard a lot about Haim during SXSW this year. Perhaps it had to do with the fact that we ignored the cries of our swollen feet and hauled ourselves to not just two but three of their shows. More likely, however, their infectious ladyrock managed to rise above the noisy city, shredding holes through the rainclouds hanging over Austin to shower us with musical sunshine. Now those clouds have dispersed to the rest of the country, no doubt bringing word of these three talented sisters with them.
Haim’s sound is timeless; one listen and you’ll feel that their songs could fit in any decade. Their performances, raw with overt onstage sexuality, simultaneously channel a timeline of power rock heroines from Janis Joplin to Alanis Morissette. But their songs present a strikingly contemporary concept of what it means to be a strong female that hasn’t quite found a suitable definition–or place–elsewhere in music. They’re frustrated, but not angry. They’re hurt, but let’s not freak out about it. They allow men to make them question their actions, but never to question themselves. They’ll put up with some shit, but hey, also, fuck you, you know? They’ve finally struck the balance between boy-crazy and man-hating that our schizophrenic gender has been searching for. And, to be fair, I imagine it’s something our weary gentleman-friends have been searching for as well. Which is really cool! Thanks, Haim!
Couple this with something I’ve left out–that their songs are as catchier than a venus fly trap–and you’ll see why we’re all really excited about Haim’s undeniably huge future. Grab a couple songs below, and while you’re at, it go ahead and give them your email address here so you don’t waste any time listening to something that’s not their new stuff once it’s available.
MP3: Haim – “Forever”
MP3: Haim – “Better Off”
It’s been more than a year since we last heard from Charlotte Gainsbourg, when she released her highly acclaimed Beck-produced album, IRM, back in 2010. But Charlotte isn’t one to stay off the radar for very long. She’s always been in the public eye in one way or another since making her acting debut at the age of 13. Also the daughter of songwriter Serge Gainsbourg, Charlotte has just put out eight previously unreleased songs and live recordings and wrapped them into a double album called Stage Whisper. One of its singles, “Anna,” has gotten a nice remix treatment by Belgian disco producer Moonlight Matters. Moonlight Matters embraces Charlotte’s deep, breathy vocals and brings them down a bit further. The instrumentals, while completely different from the original, are bright and capture the melancholic vibe of the lyrics. Get ready to get lost in this one.
STREAM: Charlotte Gainsbourg – “Anna (Moonlight Matters Remix)”
My obsession with Beach House knows no bounds. It cannot be measured in iTunes song plays, gushing adjectives, or Pitchfork rankings (only a 9.0 for Teen Dream? Please). Beach House may be my most indescribable infatuation, followed closely by, in no particular order, Fred Smoot, string cheese, and Terry Crews. I began this post fully ready to take full advantage of Thesaurus.com, remitting myriad whimsical flights of fancy in my lascivious chronicling of Baltimoreans Victoria Legrand and Alex Scully’s newest single, “Myth,” but I decided against such injudicious and doltish follies.
Instead, I will let the standout track speak for itself, and recommend it only to those who love puppies, happiness, candy, world peace, true love, hugs, and anything of that sort.
MP3: Beach House – “Myth”
Niki & The Dove are set to break out in the U.S in 2012, leading way with their magical single “The Drummer.” The Stockholm-based duo signed to Sub Pop last year and have garnered raving reviews across the board, including shouts from NME, Artrocker, and The Sunday Times. This Thursday, the stars have aligned as we’ll be hosting Niki & The Dove’s U.S. headlining debut at our monthly club night All Things Gold, alongside the heart-stopping Gordon Voidwell, Lightwaves, and special guest DJs. Limited tickets available HERE for the very reasonable price of $10.
STREAM: Niki & The Dove – “The Drummer”
STREAM: Niki & The Dove – “DJ Ease My Mind”
Nite Jewel is the alias of L.A. artist, musician, singer-songwriter Ramona Gonzalez. Her sophomore effort, One Second Of Love, is another sexy, shimmery journey through synth-heavy nu-disco-girl-pop. Above is the brand new video for the album’s title track. It may be the perfect antidote to the temptations of psychedelics and dissociatives, because I can’t think of a better way to describe this visual short than as the cinematic embodiement of a strange and horrible acid trip. One Second of Love, is out March 6th on Secretly Canadian.
STREAM: Nite Jewel – “One Second Of Love”
