Caroline Smith & The Goodnight Sleeps - Calliope

I'm beyond excited to finally be able to share this Caroline Smith & The Goodnight Sleeps track with you. The last track I shared was "Tanktop" which I liked, but her strongest trait, her voice, is obscured. Someone even left a comment saying they couldn't understand a word. But this one is different. "Calliope" has been a standout track, one worthy of obsession.

Caroline Smith & The Goodnight Sleeps - Calliope

The slow start lets you settle into the song until unexpectedly there's a head on collision between folk and indie rock when the drums and bass explode into the song. Sure, she sings about how she's waiting for a boy, but the lyrics I adore are:

"...to make a song a hit, 

make it hit hard in the bone,

move your knees to the beat until you're into it.

When the bottom drops out that's when I begin 

to lose it."

Some songs absolutely hit you that way, it's a top five favorite feeling of mine, and this one achieves that. It makes me think of those concerts I've stood at swaying to the song, and then taken by surprise in an instant, the song arcs and crashes over me like a tsunami, drowning out all other thoughts until there is nothing else in the world but those sounds coming from the stage and my body involuntarily moving to the beat. I live for that moment. And here it is, expressed perfectly in a song.   

The album, Little Wings, will be released on September 20th. For a different side of the song, watch Caroline Smith and Jesse Schuster perform this stripped down version of Calliope inside a former orphanage in Duluth, MN.

Mister Heavenly & Cody Chesnutt

Thanks to Matt at You Ain't No Picasso I caught this video of Mister Heavenly performing one of the best self-esteem boosting songs; Cody Chesnutt's "Look Good in Leather". I always put this on when I'm walking around the city and no matter how hard I resist, this song makes me strut. It'd be embarrassing if I cared, but I don't because I look good in leather...at least that's what Cody is making me think. Seriously, you'll be hard pressed to come up with a song that makes you feel cooler than this one.

Cody Chesnutt - Look Good in Leather

Website // Bandcamp //Buy

Also, Mister Heavenly's new album is fantastic and I suggest checking out the interviews Matt did with each half of the band. I rarely read interviews all the way through but these were too interesting to click away from: YANP Interviews Nick Thorburn and YANP Interviews Honus Honus.

Mister Heavenly - Bronx Sniper

Mister Heavenly - Pineapple Girl

Website // Buy

The Savages - Rock and Roll

"I am rock and roll" is a bold way to start a song, but by the time you get to the second chorus you'll be singing along with The Savages. This was a random bandcamp find, so I know nothing about the band other than I like this song. Their EP is available as a free download on The Savages' bandcamp page.

The Savages - Rock and Roll

Fenster - Oh Canyon

I will listen to anything coming from Morr Music a Berlin based record label with unparalleled taste. There is diversity in their roster but just enough so that it's still cohesive. The latest is Fenster which they posted on their soundcloud page. The vocals are bit obscured but the words you do catch are spiteful despite the happy tambourine you hear. Tambourines sole purpose is jangly happiness, right? Have a listen.

Fenster - Oh Canyon 

Radical Face - We're On Our Way

Radical Face  is releasing a series of EPs called The Bastards because they are the songs that didn't fit onto his full length, The Roots, album due out October 4th. Just like his song "Welcome Home" that made some trips around the blogsphere and even ended up in a commercial, these are songs that make you stop and wonder who it is. This is a song that will make any handclap enthusiast more than happy. The rest of the EP is equally as enjoyable and you can download it for free using the widget or go to the Radical Face website. And if you want more he's also a talented artist.

 We're on Our Way by Radical Face

Penguin Prison - Don't Fuck With My Money

Here's your non-hurricane jam for the weekend. Penguin Prison is a name you should know when it comes to remixes and his original dance pop songs. Good old fun with some funk thrown in. Check out the Penguin Prison website for some freebies. The new album drops September 5th for most of Europe and early October for the US.

  Don't Fuck With My Money by Penguin Prison

Wild Child - That's What She Say

When I was 14 I drew what I wanted for a tattoo. It was the outline of a whale that had "wild child" written in small cursive letters coming out the spout with an infinity sign. Thankfully I never got the tattoo, but I still have the drawing, and a soft spot for the words 'wild child'. I came across the band Wild Child when I was perusing one of Austin's venues, Emo's, and had to find out what type of music a band with that moniker would play. Turns out it's wonderfully addictive indie pop. I love the sweetness of the ukelele in some of the songs, but the best parts are their voices and heartwarming harmonies. Their debut LP is due out this October. You can get a free download when you visit their website.
Find out more: Facebook // Website // Soundcloud

 03 That's What She Say by WildChildSounds
 Whiskey Dreams by WildChildSounds

Alex Winston - Velvet Elvis

Alex Winston has been blowing up the blogosphere and everything she's put out so far has been worthy of listening to. We have yet to see a debut album, but when it's finally announced you can expect to hear a lot about it. For now, she has given us plenty of tunes over the past few months to tide us over. Of course leave it to Franky at Listen Before You Buy to get the new tracks to our ears.
  Alex Winston - Velvet Elvis by AlexWinstonOfficial
  Alex Winston - Fire Ant by ListenBeforeYouBuy

Bon Iver / James Blake Collaboration - Fall Creek Boys Choir

Since it's unofficially "Stream Music That 100 Other Bloggers Have Posted Day" here at NMC I'll just throw this up for kicks. The two met just five months ago at SXSW and have been working on this collaboration via the internet. Today they debuted the track on BBC1 and the track was up for streaming in seconds, literally. It sounds exactly how you'd expect a Bon Iver / James Blake collab to sound...auto-tuned high pitch vocals, and bleeps and bloops and slow beats with a bit of that soft rock of the 80s vibe. I don't care for it, to me it's like the worst parts or the weak points of their musical styles had bad sex, the kind where nobody gets off. So I guess I can't even call this the love child of bad sex. What do you think?

Girls - Honey Bunny

Honey Bunny, the opening track on the new Girls album, will be out on 7″ and digital October 10 through Fantasy Trashcan / Turnstile. The B side will be brand new track Martina Martinez.

Here’s what Christopher Owens from Girls had to say about the track:

“Honey Bunny” was my 19th song to write. I wrote it on my birthday in 2008. I think the fact that it’s No. 19 gives it a little perspective. My first songs were kind of like, “Ahhhh, Help!” This one has a bit of swagger to it, and some reflection about my mother. It’s a special song to me now, not for the sassy swagger bits as much the parts about Mama. But I think for the listener, it could be the exact opposite. The energy and optimism and determination in it is quite appealing. But that’s the great thing about these things, right? The fact that all of us are hearing something entirely different. I believe that.” (via turnstile)