New Years Eve Preview

Only one more day left in 2010, and here in Portland people are preparing to wring out every last drop of awesome out of it. We've laid out our top picks for the best events all night, peruse at your leisure after the jump!
And remember kids, whatever you end up doing, if you end up going a little wild this NYE, just keep this in mind: Go balls out, because regrets are for the weak and nobody is going to remember anyway.

New Passion Pit mp3? And Andrew Bird? And Antlers?

And they're all different takes on the same song?
If you're like me, you caught one of the Zync American Express commercials and thought "wow, that's really good music for a credit card ad." That's because, when running with their 'create yours' theme, they had all three of the previously mentioned artists create their own song for the commercials.

Well you can download the full songs now as mp3s. Yay for fun commercials. And yay for the songs being really good.

Passion Pit - All These Trees
The Antlers - Bird Bank
Andrew Bird - Manny's Montage

Every December the 25th...

Happy Ho-Hos to every boy and girl living in Volcano City. Hope Santa will be good to you and deliver some serious vinyl.

Pegasus Dream needs your help!

Portland electro rock band Pegasus Dream needs your help to keep rocking. The band's customized Roland Juno G keyboard was recently thieved from their car, which superbly sucks because they not only can't play concerts until its replaced but they can't get cracking on any new recordings. Luckily they've entered themselves into this Kickstarter contest where combatants raise $2000 - but if they don't make it, they receive nothing. Kind of harsh, but they need the funds for a replacement keyboard, which is one third of their music. Also they want to introduce a sure to be stunning visual element to their live shows.

PegDre puts on an awesome live show and is made up of three genuinely talented musicians...but more than that, they are some chill ass dudes who need a helping hand.

You can donate to them here at the Kickstarter site in any increment you wish. They are at $785 currently and need to make their goal of $2000 by January 17, which is less than a month away! Remember, they get nothing if they don't make it to $2000. $5-50 donations get you a smattering of their awesome merchandise -- their first album Painting Pantheons, stickers, shirts, et cetera -- all of which are extremely viable Christmas presents for the music lover in your life. If you donate $500, keyboards/vocalist Andy Carlson will tattoo your name on his butt. That kid is no liar. He will fucking do it.

Check out two tracks below from Peggy Dre, and toss the guys a few bucks. They're worth every penny!
Pegasus Dream - KGB
Pegasus Dream - Its Ill Eagle

Family of the Year

Family of the Year - LA residents, Edward Sharpe tour alums, self-proclaimed social network creeps. If you're a fan of sounds like ole Eddy Sharpe or Local Natives, then you'll most likely enjoy these two little ditties. I've been saying that Chugjug sounds like it'd be in some quirky indie trailer about a guy returning home and finding his hometown totally changed but finding himself in the process or something. And I mean that in a positive way. Psyche, on the other hand, sounds a little darker, but equally as catchy. Give em a chance.

Family of the Year - Chugjug

Family of the Year - Psyche or Like Scope

Find out more info/buy their albums at their website or listen more on their myspace.

Go Go Bizkitt! kills a party

Gonna keep this short and simple. One hour live set from Go Go Bizkitt's show last month in Toulouse, France. So. Fucking. Good.

Live @ How To Kill The Party!, Toulouse, France 26/11/2010 by Go Go Bizkitt!

Caution: Audio may melt your soul.

Clive Tanaka y Su Orquesta

 

Clive Tanaka from Clive Tanaka y su Orquesta was a Japanese teenage shut-in in the 1990s. One day his sister dropped off a shoebox full of her old cassettes outside of his room and Clive yielded his innate shyness in favor for these newfound curiosities and has been into music ever since.

His album Jet Set Siempre No. 1 is quintessential dreampop, so far released only by his label Tall Corn on cassette. Side A's music - For Dance - is upbeat, yet soft melodies still abound with tropical drums and cymbals. Despite the playful nature of this half of the album, his shyness peeks through again and again by his repeated use of different computerizations of his voice. The instrumental tracks of side B - For Romance - take it down a notch and sound like a washed-out Royksopp. Its like falling asleep on the beach.

Clive Tanaka y su Orquesta - Neu Chicago
Clive Tanaka y su Orquesta - All Night, All Right
Clive Tanaka y su Orquesta - The Fourth Magi

RAC's December Mix

The fine young gents of RAC have released a new mix for the month of December. The Portland transplants have combined some of their favorite tracks and a multitude of their own stellar remixes of electro artists such as Deadmau5, Empire of the Sun, Boyz Noize and Soulwax. Oh and yesss they threw in my personal favorite, their remix of Penguin Prison's Worse It Gets. Its a pretty great state of the union address for RAC, remixes, and electronic music in general. No download option as of right now, but you can stream it below from their soundcloud.

RACDJ's December Mix by Remix Artist Collective

Well done, fellas! Check the complete tracklisting in the full post if you want, but there are a few fun surprises, so maybe keep it hidden for now.

Strength - Metal VIDEO

I love Strength.

Something a Little Loud is a hangover remedy.

It's Sunday. Time to listen to something blissful.

Some may slap the chillwave moniker on this music, I dono what you technically will call it, but who cares.
Little Loud. He makes some fantastic remixes (I hope this isn't one of those times I refer to the band as 'he' then it's not just one person. Fingers crossed).
He's from the UK, makes self-described "New Wave/Psychedelic" music. I first heard his work on the Health remix album, where he turned Nice Girls into my favorite euphoric audio experience of the summer. The reworks of these other songs are equally as good - they're full, all encompassing, happy, danceable (?), and mellow.

Health - Nice Girls (Little Loud Remix) (Great song, but at 2:50 really takes off. That minute and a half of song is one of my favorite of 2010).

Yeasayer - Madder Red (Little Loud Remix) (Mellow remixes of Yeasayer are the way to go, apparently)

Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Round & Round (Little Loud remix) (It's really good?)

Clock Opera - Once And For All (Little Loud remix) (Clock Opera has some jammers, too. Specifically their work on Marina & the Diamond's I am Not a Robot).

Slap on some headphones, throw these on the ole discman, go on a walk, get stoked as shit on life.

Little Loud Soundcloud - Listen to his other remixes, download them, and give a few minutes to some of the original work on the site.

Little Loud Myspace - for more Little Loud info, news, etc.

Enjoy.
Sincerely,
VC.

Soooo... Y'all need some weekend tunes?

It's December. That calls for parties? I dono what you're doing, but if you were in need of a few slammers/jammers for tonight, I believe this post can be of assistance.

Upon looking at these songs, I know you may ask "But Volcano City, what's with these Taio Cruz's and Black Eyed Peas? And mashups? Still?

Well, you know, sometimes, some people just want some top 40. And that's fine and all, but here we get a happy medium. And these aren't yer run of the mill mashups either. Kaskade's and Swedish House Mafia's sounds intertwine perfectly, and the fellows responsible for the top 40 mashes aren't just slapping some rap over some indie. They completely integrate the songs and take them to next-level-banger-status. So when some lady saunters up and asks you to play something recognizable, you can deliver.

Ok, so let's say you're just hangin out, it's still a little early in the evening. You have a friend or two over, but it isn't exactly high energy. Need a transition, start gettin' pumped? Meet Christoph Andersson.

Christoph Andersson - Tuxedo

Now up the ante with a pairing that's so god damned smart.

Kaskade vs. Swedish House Mafia - Fire In Your New Shoes vs. One

And if aforementioned desire of top 40 is expressed, slam 'em with some DJs From Mars FM.

Barbramyte (DJs From Mars Fm Rmx) - Duck Sauce vs. Taio Cruz
Boom Boom 2 (DJs From Mars Bootleg FM Remix) - Blur vs. Black Eyed Peas

And if all else fails, some disco remixed classics will succeed

The Clash - Rock The Casbah (Funkagenda Remix)

Chromeo Ft. La Roux - Hot Mess VIDEO

Chromeo - "Hot Mess" from Paradoxal Inc on Vimeo.

Directed by Jeremie Rozan.