BochiCrew

Who would have known that a call center could be a great place to write? It clearly seems to be working for 24-year old Sivu. If he keeps putting out tunes like "Better Man Than He" and "Bodies" I don't expect he will have to be holding down a side job for long. Sivu's newest, "Bodies" embraces the biblical tale of Noah and the Ark. Sivu sought to chronicle “a time in my life when everything was a mess. I just loved the idea of wiping the slate clean.” Who doesn't love a good cathartic release? Catch Sivu at Chats Palace on June 4th in addition to the June 3 release of his EP.

Hardly a week went by last fall where EYE EMMA JEDI didn't receive airplay on Grinnellevance, a radio show that my friends and I put on. The three of us got hooked on "Sin," all at different times, which ensured that it wouldn't be leaving the Grinnell airwaves. Since, "Sin", the Norwegian/British outfit have taken a 100 day hiatus to Monda, Spain. The group arrived in Monda via a truck chock-full of equipment and commenced writing, producing, and recording their debut album. Curious why EYE EMMA JEDI chose Monda? So am I but I can't say I know, my best guess is isolation. I can however tell you a bit about the small village. Wait... I actually can't even do that given the dearth of information available. What I can tell you is that the Roman Civil War supposedly reached its conclusion with the Battle of Munda, though unclear whether this town is the same as Monda, residents like to claim so. The town also has a sick castle that dominates...

Sigur Rós have announced the release of yet another record. Kveikur is set to drop June 17th on XL recordings. "Ísjaki", if any indication of the rest of the album, seems to combine aspects of the Sigur Rós of Takk with Jónsi's solo project, Go Do . Find the lyric video below.

It has been a fantastic day for music with the new YADi release and now another new one from Crystal Fighters . Ahead of the May 27 release of Cave Rave , the Fighters released "You & I" along with a fantastical video for the track. I like to imagine that the clip is a little glimpse into the minds of the group. A group known for their surreal music videos, the Fighters offer an anthropomorphic animal love portrait. The video is replete with a singing tree and rhythmically endowed bird and portrays their eventual forced separation. "You & I" is a tragic yarn of devotion, and in the case of the video, literally to the dying end. "You & I" boasts more of the lyrical somersaults and tongue-twisting goodness that have propelled the Fighters across the world. To honor the release of Cave Rave they will again take to road for a world tour, kicking off in Murcia, Spain on May 3. I already have my tickets bought for the June 7 show in Portland a...

I am going to come right out and say it, YADi is my favorite female vocalist. She has crept into my playlists more and more over the past couple of months. YADi has a mystique that reflects itself in her music. The melange of styles and instruments mirror her varied ancestry, Algerian, Italian, and Norwegian blood course through her veins. Just take a look at the instruments she uses, an oud and qraqibs mixed with plenty of electronic elements at times. I always noticed that the cover art for the Mo Laudi remix of "Unbreakable" looked oddly familiar. It took me until watching the video for "The Blow" to realize it was the Hassan II mosque in Casablanca. It's weird watching the video and seeing places I had been just last weekend. The fact that YADi went to Morocco to film the video expanded the soft spot I have in my heart for the British diva. In addition to the stunning cinematics, YADi spends considerable time making sure her cover art is up to par....

I haven't been able to tear myself away from the Brooklyn trio, Wet, this morning. The trio boast a full and warming tone that promises to deliver one through even the worst of times. Perfect for a lazy day in the afternoon sun. Enjoy "Bad Idea" and "U Da Best" !

Today's featured artist is the intrepid Marie Lalá . Find below the press release from Birds Will Sing For You , a label and promotion group dedicated to the Swedish indie scene. Lalá's story seems too far fetched to be real, but rest assured it is. "Marie Lalá has traveled far on her way to her first album: from growing up in safe Blekinge, Sweden, with a life revolving around everything that included horses, to extensive travels around the globe, working periods in Tokyo, a new found love for mountain climbing in Thailand which turned into performances as an aerial acrobat with a circus at the world renowned Glastonbury Festival in the UK and months on tour in China. Marie Lalá had been everywhere and done it all – except being a music performer! Music was a late love for Marie and came into her life by true coincidence. She was worried that an entrance exam to the The university of dance and circus in Stockholm would include musical features, and that fear led ...

Photo Credit: Conclave Conclave Conclave has one of the most succinct bios I have ever received. Take a look for yourself, it is cleaved into two simple sentences: "I make soundscapes. Guest artists navigate their way through them. like a labyrinth of thoughts and experiences. a seamless pattern meant to be deciphered. From where im from doesnt fucking matter. what matters is you making a connection with my music." and "23 year old beatsmith from the land of the thousand islands." The land of the thousand islands being the Philippines. Another highlight to Conclave submissions are the stunning pictures that accompany the tracks, look at the above picture if you don't believe me. You can download "The Lights Are On" from his bandcamp . I am going to sit back and let "The Lights Are On" spin a few times. Club Clique Cat Power's, "Manhattan" has seen its host of remixes, most notably the Ryan Hemsworth and Angel Haze r...

Derbyshire's Haiku Salut have just released an animated video for "Glockelbar." The last feature we ran on the trio praised the release of "Los Elefantes." "Glockelbar" stems from the same, tranquil vein that has come to represent Haiku Salut. They land somewhere between Message to Bears and Múm . According to the trio, their newest "chronicles the race to death using only an accordion, a glockenspiel and a glitch plug-in." The video, animated and produced by Mitsuo Toyama , portrays a sleeping boy greeted by a giraffe at his window before being taken on a sleepy ride through the cosmos. I couldn't help but be reminded of the Little Prince. Both "Los Elefantes" and "Glockenbar" are featured on the new album, Tricolore . Do yourself and the band a favor by picking it up here !

It's around 11:30 on Friday night here in Morocco. If I was back in Marrakech I would be grabbing a bite to eat and then getting ready to hit Theatro. Unfortunately, I am back in sleepy Rabat where the closest thing you get to a decent drop and beat is the yelp of a stray dog or some cats going at it on the neighboring roof. The throbbing house beats and vibrant synths in my headphones are as near to the dance floor as I will get. The Jack Beats remix of Foxes', "Beauty Queen" however, has done a better job than most at putting me right there at the DJ booth. Jack Beats packs the young Brit's track to the brim with pickup. Something along the lines of the Energizer bunny comes to mind. The original is a brilliant track in its own right, marking another strong performance by the emerging Louisa Rose Allen. Unfortunately, the remix is currently only available to stream from NYLON Magazine. Looks like y'all will have to wait until May 13th to get your ha...

Louisville, Kentucky producer Amtrac graces us with a remix of of Ellie Goulding's, "Without Your Love." The remix comes as part of Nike endorsed remix package through Interscope that can be snatched here . Fire this one up tonight, warm your feet, and commence the movement.

It is time for another Postcard. The aim of the feature is to promote the best music that we have received in the past week in one post. The list is capped at four to allow for a more in-depth look at each featured artist. This week takes us from Highlife, to vamped Western folk, to beautifully and poetically chaotic beats. Bells Atlas Prior to Bells Atlas I had no idea what the hell the Highlife music was. Two months later, I find myself an avid listener of Cardinal Rex Lawson, a chief inspiration for frontwoman, Sandra Lawson-Ndu. Much like, "Video Star" and "Loving You Down," "Incessant Noise" delves into sentiments that are easily relatable: "Afraid I'll long for what will pass/and find it's empty on the other side/ and so I hold I hold I hold." The track is structured in a brilliant way, with repetition as its hallmark. The repetition hammers home the lyrics while allowing Lawson-Ndu's vocals to roll out organically...

With the constant stream of submissions it becomes easy to forget to look outside your inbox for new music. This post highlights some of the best new releases making the rounds of the blogosphere in addition to some releases that recently landed in our inbox. Oberhofer On a sleepy winter night in Grinnell two years ago, I had the blessing to catch a joint Night Moves/Oberhofer show. The night quickly became anything but quiet as the two groups proceeded to assure that anyone living above the dorm hall basement wouldn't get any sleep so they might as well turn out and dance. Oberhofer proved to surpass my already high expectations for the show. With PBR in hand, everyone put their heads down and focused on the task at hand, dancing to the infectious surfer rock. As Brad Oberhofer crooned, "The city's looking queer and crass, with beer cans growing blades of grass, to look like something new.," I remember my friends and I looking at one another with wide grins...

Photo Credit: http://www.geo.msu.edu/geogmich/IsleRoyale.html Y'all feel in the mood for some good Canadian folk? Jon Lawless, who along with Mary Cassidy brought us the terribly infectious "Carolina," blesses us with a new Tallest Man on Earth-esque track titled, "So Sure." This time around Jon Lawless has teamed up world-renowned fiddler Linsey Beckett. "So Sure" starts as sleepy folk before the steel guitar and Beckett's slurring fiddle escalate to a blissful crescendo. My only complaint is that I would have loved to hear Mary Cassidy's voice alongside Lawless. The two had an irresistible back and forth on "Carolina." To go along with the lyric, "It never hurts to be so sure that you risk it all," I thought I would throw in another track from Lawless titled "Go For Broke." Living fully seems to be a leitmotif for these Canadians. Man, today couldn't get better, another good tune and another victory f...

Photo Credit:leontjew's photostream Do you ever picture your life has a montage? If so, "Medicine" is begging to be the soundtrack. "Medicine" is the newest remix from the NYC DJ duo or as they describe themselves, "Retired JV High School Athletes/ Self Proclaimed Male Models." I mentioned in my last post on The Chainsmokers that I typically steer clear from remixes and yet again these guys have drawn me back. Their most recent endeavor transforms Daughter's mellow "Medicine." One of the best parts of receiving a new remix from The Chainsmokers is the back story to how the remix came to fruition. Here is the latest chapter: Basically we heard this tune on a cold winter day in New York and fell head over heals for it. We were already very familiar with Daughter but as soon we heard this song we knew we had to give it a try. We loved that 'Medicine' for the fact that you couldn't really tell of the song was happy or sad...

With my March Madness bracket in tatters it was about time something came along. Mayor Hawthorne recently released "Designer Drug" ahead of a new album due out this summer. Mayor Hawthorne has already established himself in most of our music libraries and I don't think an overdone write-up or analysis is warranted for this favorite. Enjoy the new track and once the summer rolls around, pick up the album. Did I mention it is a free download? Smoooooth as ever...