BochiCrew

As I imagine it has been for nearly everyone, this past week has been especially hectic. A lot of my time has been spent travelling back to my parents house in addition to getting ready to pick up and move to Morocco for the next few months. As a result I had to delay the typical Tuesday release of Postcards until today. Today we hear from Goodman, Asian She, and Marching Band. As always, submit to Bochi Crew at bochicrew@gmail.com. Goodman Making his way to New York by way of Providence, multi-instrumentalist Michael Goodman has a lot to boast about with the release of his new album, What We Want . Championed by bright, steel acoustic guitar and clapping, "Won't" serves as a bold closing anthem to the album. Goodman's vocals force me to think back to the Sunday Runners, an old favorite of mine. Won't by Goodman Asian She 14 years in the making, Asian She is the duo of Noah Lebenzon and Thomas Fraggatt. The two met in Lawrence, Kansas home of the ...

Postcards this week takes us from Australia to Alabama to Italy. Featured are The Honey Pies, Beach Weather, and Australasia. If you are a band or just a fan and want to see some of your music up here email us at bochicrew@gmail.com and you might just see it up here in the Postcards feature. The Honey Pies Producing one of my favorite albums of the year, the Australian group, The Honey Pies will start us off. Hailing from Adelaide, these guys have made a big splash in the Australian music scene and hopefully will do the same in the states. Their new album Coconuts just saw its release. I haven't found an album with so many different sounds in a long time. They sound like Albert Hammond Jr. on some tracks, Okkervil River on others, and even like the Head and the Heart at times. In the coming week look for an interview with The Honey Pies on Bochi. In the meantime pick up Coconuts . Nietzche by The Honey Pies Beach Weather Delivering us from the dreary half-hearte...

I am really excited to be writing about one of my favorite acts from the past year. The South London outfit Bastille strikes time and time again with their inventive takes and rehashes. Their most recent endeavor is the blend of TLC's "Scrubs and The xx's "Angels." How they have the vision to mix these two beats me but it works in an odd way. If you haven't landed Bastille's mixtape "Other People's Heartache" get after it. The former is still available along with their follow up "Other People's Heartache Pt.2" Pick them up here . Their website is pretty fun to navigate as well. Also included is an original track by Bastille titled "Flaws." Right around this time last year "Flaws" was playing on repeat around my house. Enjoy the remainder of the weekend.

Week two of Postcards feature here on BC marks another week of strong submissions. Making the top three for the week are Thomas Azier, Eliza and the Bear, and Cajoline. The featured artists fall into the genres of electronic pop, indie rock and nu-disco. As always, keep the submissions coming! Thomas Azier The young German producer Thomas Azier (only 24) drops a verdant track with the release of "Angelene." "Angelene" comes as part of his newest project Hylas 002 which is the second installment of his trilogy. The third and final release of a full album is slated for next summer. In the meantime look for Azier to be lighting up the European tour circuit. I have two copies of Hylas 002 on 10" vinyl for a reader giveaway. The first two to email us at bochicrew@gmail.com with their favorite track from hypem during the past week and a pic of a cool looking postcard get the free swag! Eliza and the Bear The track "Upon the North" l...

The new track "Song for Zula" from long time favorite Phosphorescent just saw its release. The song will be part of Matthew Houck's (the man behind Phosphorescent) album Muchacho due out next March. Marked by stripped down and bare vocals, Houck lays everything out there with "Song for Zula." The lyricism of Houck shines through clear as day with the simplicity of the track. The new album emerges from an intense bout of emotion that lead Houck to pick up his bags and move to the Yucatan peninsula for an extended period. The string arrangement of the song gets me every time. The March release of Muchacho on Dead Oceans is certainly one to be stoked about.

Last night found me at Vaudville Mews in Des Moines for Night Moves. Personally, I have never been a big fan of concert or album reviews as I feel it isn't all that interesting. As a result I am steering clear of a full-fledged write up. I will say this though, Night Moves is still one of my favorite live acts. I saw them open for Oberhofer and if memory serves me right Jonquil last year. While not dance music by any means, there is a raw energy in their live show that simultaneously entrances and forces movement. These guys have won the support of the likes of KEXP and the Current in the twin cities. Night Moves has everything they need to take off and I hope they do. As I have already posted "Headlights," I feature "Country Queen" and "Horses" below. "Country Queen" has already received quite a bit of press from other blogs. I typically avoid posting heavily covered tracks but Night Moves warrants some rule-breaking. Both trac...

On first listen I have to admit Gallant's take of Ke$ha's "Die Young" didn't have me. I opened it up again tonight, to see if maybe, just maybe it might sink in a bit more. Listened to it three times in a row and I can say it did. Certainly a darker take on the song, it forces you to slow down and re-evaluate the original. Personally, I am hit in a drastically different way by Gallant's retake than by ke$ha's. Neither good nor bad, merely unalike. The stripped away guitar with the far-off, silky vocals of Gallant adds more with each verse. Felix Snow and Gallant make for a talented duo. Mirroring the bare bones approach of the rehash, the video portrays a silhouette of Gallant performing against a white backdrop. Enjoy!

We are debuting a new feature on Bochi Crew titled "Postcards." The aim of the feature is to promote the best music that we have received in the past week in one post. The list will be capped at three, allowing for a more in-depth look at each featured artist. Kicking off the inaugural post will be Religion, the night, and Treasureseason. Irresistible is the first word that comes to mind after hearing "Border Crossing" from the split-life living Swedish/English production duo. Boasting an inspiring repertoire on their bandcamp , Treasureseason constructs a dreamy and soundscape. The mellifluous vocals and lyrics of the song capture well what it must be like to hold a band together across the North Sea. The track ends with a question with no answer, "When can I call it my homeland?" Next up is the night. Recently we have been receiving a lot of submissions from bands based down under in Australia (see Wilderness). Staying true to th...

I have been wanting to write this post for awhile but for one reason or another the chance always seemed to elude me. Mainly I wanted to make sure I could devote enough time and energy into this post as Baaba Maal proves to be a tremendously interesting artist. So here it goes, a short history of Baaba Maal and where the tracks "Television" hails from: Born and raised along the Senegal River in Podor, Baaba Maal picked up music at a young age. He received most of his musical education though his school headmaster and mother before enrolling at the University of Dakar and later the Beaux-Arts in Paris. Baaba Maal's path wandered far from his expected path of becoming a fisherman like his father. Maal found much success, becoming one of Senegal's best known musicians while giving back through a variety of charity work. Most interesting to me was the fact that Baaba Maal serves as a youth emissary for the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). ...

With fall coming to a close, we will usher in the winter with a best of the fall mix. The mix contains a variety of artists that touch on a handful of genres. Selecting the songs for this mix took considerably longer than initially planned. With the advent of music blogs, hypem, and bedroom producers, the amount of music that is available now is unprecedented. In the interest of space and time, the list will be kept to eight. Similarly, we won't bog the post down with unnecessary commentary on each track, let the music speak for itself. Starting off running with "Nowadays" from YUS. Now transitioning from YUS into something a bit different with "Deeper" from Alpines. Patterson Hood will always be my go to guy for if I am on a country binge - "Better Off Without" Distant, reflective folk with "Can't You See" by Steffaloo Mellowed out King Krule rework of Angel Haze's "New York" Followed by the...