E.J. F. posted an article on Loudersoft - Feb 9, 2012, 4:25 pm
Memphis has a strangely disjointed music scene these days, or at least as it seems to me — but I am a native Memphian and a relative outsider at times, even in my own town. Things are changing so quickly these days as I focus on working with Future Unlimited, truly the most exciting new band I’...
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E.J. F. posted an article on Loudersoft - Jan 26, 2012, 5:43 pm
Time is slim for updating these days, I’m gonna get back into that groove soon as things even out. But this banger here? Well, it could not be left unblogged. When Childish Gambino gets remixed by Treasure Fingers, it’s time to get on the good foot and wear your bad leg out on the dancefloor. ...
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E.J. F. posted an article on Loudersoft - Dec 9, 2011, 2:36 pm
A new track from Cloud Nothings‘ forthcoming release on Carpark Records, Attack on Memory, out 24 January.
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E.J. F. posted an article on Loudersoft - Dec 8, 2011, 5:41 pm
Check out the new video from the duo of DFA Records lovelies known as Prinzhorn Dance School. We last heard from Tobin Prinz & Suzi Horn in 2007 when their self-titled debut album was released on DFA. We’re overdue for some wonderful new d-punk, and I think this is a sound introduction to their s...
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E.J. F. posted an article on Loudersoft - Dec 8, 2011, 8:52 am
Once again, another wonderful KITSUNÉ MAISON compilation comes down full of various artists doing various things including this song from the band Computer Magic. The newest compilation, entitled KITSUNÉ MAISON COMPILATION 12: THE GOOD FUN ISSUE, is replete with fun, a melodious song cycle that cr...
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E.J. F. posted an article on Loudersoft - Dec 6, 2011, 8:00 pm
(Photo courtesy of Bob Harris)Confirmed reports out of Nashville tell us that Dobie Gray, one of American music’s most vibrant and timeless voices, passed away peacefully this morning in his sleep. He was 71. No further details are available right now, but I will update this story as I learn more....
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E.J. F. posted an article on Loudersoft - Dec 6, 2011, 7:28 pm
In just two months time, we will be graced with a long-awaited new School of Seven Bells full-length. Entitled Ghostory, the oft-mysterious new wave trio ahem, duo of Benjamin Curtis and Alehandra Deheza has us wound around their finger in preparation to deliver an alluring story cycle of ghost rec...
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E.J. F. posted an article on Loudersoft - Dec 6, 2011, 12:00 pm
James Blake has this terrific, and sometimes awkward, habit of sneaking in a new track at the end of the year. Such is the case with this single, just released digitally and on vinyl by R&S, entitled “Love What Happened Here”. For you James Blake fans, it’s not been an overdue wait for new ...
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E.J. F. posted an article on Loudersoft - Dec 6, 2011, 3:51 am
While everyone is cooing and oohing over Lana Del Rey (whom I presently find to be a bit of a bore quite frankly), I’ve fallen head over heels for a chanteuse named Ren Harvieu whose Salfordian dream pop surpasses the swaddled lullabies I’ve heard from Ms. Del Rey. An honor, then, that Ms. Harv...
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E.J. F. posted an article on Loudersoft - Dec 6, 2011, 2:13 am
I needed an excuse to post this picture — and the Oliver $ remix of Jack Beats‘ “End Of Love” seems like a solid enough reason. House music all night long, y’all. (photo credit: futuristic silence)
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E.J. F. posted an article on Loudersoft - Dec 6, 2011, 1:15 am
Kid Cudi and Dot Da Genius just leaked a snippet of the first WZRD single, “Teleport 2 Me”. It’s an interesting snippet, but what’s most interesting is that it reveals a sample of Montreal band Desire‘s track “Under Your Spell”, made famous this year in the exceptionally popular sound...
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E.J. F. posted an article on Loudersoft - Dec 3, 2011, 7:00 am
Perhaps because of the fact that it’s drawn controversy from The Christian Coalition and Focus on the Family already, it’s worth noting this particular new Christmas anthem that has been served up by the UK band Babybird with a familiar cameo. The band, whose roots date back to the mid-1990�...
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E.J. F. posted an article on Loudersoft - Nov 2, 2011, 5:20 pm
Voodoo Village Recordings is one of the brightest up-and-coming record labels to arrive in 2011 and home to an eerily beautiful and mysterious collection of forthcoming recordings from the group Cloak & Dagger. In the interest of full disclosure, the label is run by some long-time friends of mine, n...
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E.J. F. posted an article on Loudersoft - Nov 1, 2011, 11:34 pm
Let me be up front: mainstream hip-hop isn’t really my thing, but I recognize talent and hook when I hear it. I went to a listening session in Ardent Studios recently-renovated (and incredible sounding) Studio C last week and had the chance to hear this track and see this video from Memphis newc...
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E.J. F. posted an article on Loudersoft - Nov 1, 2011, 3:51 pm
The long-awaited full-length Idle Warship album, Habits of the Heart, is out today, 1 November. The power team of Talib Kweli and Res have turned in a fresh and inventive genre-bending album hearkening echoes of classic 80′s synth pop & new wave combined with high-energy R&B and hip-hop. This so...
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E.J. F. posted an article on Loudersoft - Nov 1, 2011, 5:33 am
October’s Very Own has moved into November, and Drizzy’s Halloween night takeover of Power 106 in Los Angeles brought forth a bonus track which will appear on Take Care out on 15 November. With a lot of hyphy flare and swagger, Drake and Lil’ Wayne spit effortless flows in this quick 3-minute...
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E.J. F. posted an article on Loudersoft - Nov 1, 2011, 5:00 am
In this extremely in-depth video, Erykah Badu opens up about her illustrious career & life in music for just over two hours. As part of Red Bull Music Academy’s 2011 lecture series, Ms. Badu traces her career through its roots and inception through an interview and listening session with Eothen �...
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E.J. F. posted an article on Loudersoft - Oct 26, 2011, 7:08 pm
New York City is pretty much already the definition of sensory overload, all by itself, on a random Tuesday, in the middle of nothing, when half of the city calls in sick. So when it’s time for the annual cluster-you-know-what known as the CMJ Music Marathon? If I were Johnny-Five, my circuits wou...
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E.J. F. posted an article on Loudersoft - Oct 26, 2011, 3:13 pm
The Black Keys first single from their soon-to-be-released (and highly anticipated) El Camino feels like the work of a band out to rescue rock and roll from its seemingly overdue extinction. Dredged in thick layers of hill country blues, 60′s psych, sweat and gasoline fumes, there’s little doub...
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E.J. F. posted an article on Loudersoft - Oct 25, 2011, 5:32 pm
Here it is. We have already biked and skateboarded ourselves past the waves of chillness that submersed our mental vessels for so short a time. You know, the puffin’ tough, get high or die, ride the train from the Bowery to the Cloisters listening to Brian Wilson verses over Dilla beats type shit?...
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E.J. F. posted an article on Loudersoft - Oct 8, 2011, 10:58 pm
Abel, ILLANGELO and whoever else lurks in the hazy late night studio shadows with the hottest unsigned hype maybe of all time, aka The Weeknd (pronounced WEAK-und, not WEEK-end), are coming for you. Your ass gettin’ hazed. Once again, you must prepare like a ninja. Get ready, because every level ...
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E.J. F. posted an article on Loudersoft - Oct 7, 2011, 5:03 pm
Last weekend, after weeks and months of ignoring some band I kept getting emails about from Lafayette, LA named GIVERS, I came face to face with them at the Hi-Tone in Memphis for the Grammy GPS showcase & panels. I had planned to hang out for Cities Aviv and then go home, but once they took to the...
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E.J. F. posted an article on Loudersoft - Oct 5, 2011, 3:03 pm
Instead of writing a review, I’m gonna copy and paste this chat log between me and an anonymous friend regarding the new GRIM mixtape, FADED Re-Edits Vol. 1. Feel free to read along as you listen. (12:37:29 PM) loudersoft: have you ever heard of a Memphis label called Voodoo Village? I read that...
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E.J. F. posted an article on Loudersoft - Oct 2, 2011, 6:23 pm
I think my friend Zac said, and I agree, “I know there are a lot of people who dislike Drake. But I like him, and I like this song.” I had the opportunity to meet Drake & his crew when I worked on the documentary ‘Better Than Good Enough’ for MTV last spring & personally, I found him to be a...
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E.J. F. posted an article on Loudersoft - Sep 23, 2011, 9:00 am
Sometimes I need to connect with my inner BAMF. Go HAM. Or (insert assorted acronyms here). And lately when that happens, I listen to Childish Gambino. If you’ve turned on a television any time in the past year, you probably recognize Donald Glover as “Troy” from NBC’s Community. And if you...
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E.J. F. posted an article on Loudersoft - Aug 25, 2011, 7:24 pm
Nashville trio The Ettes have a new record out called Wicked Will via Krian Music Group. One of the songs, “Excuse”, has a terrific new Tom Scharpling-directed video starring none other than Patton Oswalt. Pretty clever use of $81M if you ask me.
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E.J. F. posted an article on Loudersoft - Aug 25, 2011, 4:48 pm
September 6th sees the release of Charlotte Gainsbourg’s Terrible Angels EP (Because Music/Elektra) featuring two unreleased songs — the Conor O’Brien/Villagers-penned “Memoir” and this title track, written and produced by Beck. Also included on the EP are two videos, one of which is this ...
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E.J. F. posted an article on Loudersoft - Aug 17, 2011, 9:56 pm
Abel Tesfaye + ILLANGELO + remix work from Grandtheft = this ridiculously hard house track. Get with the program.
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E.J. F. posted an article on Loudersoft - Aug 17, 2011, 5:27 pm
The nail-gun Nashville duo known as Jeff The Brotherhood are having a pretty great year. Their album We Are The Champions is drawing stellar reviews from everyone & they’ve been blowing up shit from one end of the continent to the other in their live show. Now, Jake and Jamin have released a new...
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E.J. F. posted an article on Loudersoft - Aug 17, 2011, 10:00 am
It’s like The Tallest Man on Earth, Mumford and Sons and The Avett Brothers had a blissed-out, stripped-down baby. And that baby was called Saintseneca. And the baby was good. Saintseneca hails from Columbus (the Ohio version), and according to their Tumblr will “play anywhere, especially where...
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E.J. F. posted an article on Loudersoft - Aug 6, 2011, 2:38 pm
Don’t sleep on Memphis right now. Cities Aviv & Royal T are flipping the game. Fade into view of the never-ending night.
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E.J. F. posted an article on Loudersoft - Jul 26, 2011, 11:42 pm
M.I.A recorded this song before the Vickileekx Mixtape, and then posted it to her Twitter as a response to the death of Amy Winehouse. If you missed it, it’s very good if rather eerie. M.I.A. – 27 ::: M.I.A. – 27 — Lyrics ::: said your all mouth and no brains all rock stars go to heave...
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E.J. F. posted an article on Loudersoft - Jul 26, 2011, 5:19 am
The Michel Gondry-directed video for Björk’s song “Crystalline” from her app-album Biophilia has arrived. Enjoy. ::: Purchase Biophilia for iPhone or iPad :::
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E.J. F. posted an article on Loudersoft - Jul 23, 2011, 7:21 pm
Every time someone in music dies, I have to sit around and find new ways to eulogize them or talk about their work. It gets to the point as a writer where I feel like I’ve twisted every coinable phrase. I adjust each sentence to fit the mold of the subject and properly send them off into the sunse...
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E.J. F. posted an article on Loudersoft - Jul 21, 2011, 2:22 pm
:: CMYK 2 — Wheat-Faced Edition :: CMYK is a monthly showcase of live music and visual art under one roof. This month’s CMYK will offer an extraordinary interactive visual arts opportunity that will give everyone the chance to leave their mark on the beloved Hi-Tone. Come be a part of live ar...
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E.J. F. posted an article on Loudersoft - Jul 21, 2011, 1:32 pm
Cities Aviv and Royal’T bring the heat with a new South Memphis-made banger straight out of the attic. Good Hoodkeeping? APPROVED. Cities Aviv x Royal’T – Araw
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E.J. F. posted an article on Loudersoft - Jul 19, 2011, 9:00 am
Few relationships in music video history have the longevity of the Beastie Boys creative partnerships with Spike Jonze. Once again, the Academy Award-winning director/screenwriter teams up with the B-Boys (as he has so many times) to whip up an inventive video, this time turning everyone involved i...
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E.J. F. posted an article on Loudersoft - Jul 13, 2011, 9:00 am
Daniel Trudeau calls himself Pregnant, and the music he makes is not at all unlike that idea: beautiful, uncomfortable at times, and fraught with significance. Life Hard : I Try is Pregnant’s first release on Mush Records. It’s a thick and complex landscape of pop, decorated with Trudeau’s li...
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E.J. F. posted an article on Loudersoft - Jun 27, 2011, 1:34 pm
First off, congratulations goes out from us to the whole Fool’s Gold crew on the launch of their new retail space at 536 Metropolitan Ave in Brooklyn. Reports from various sources around the web all tell us the good news we expected: the space is pretty spectacular and anyone who attended Friday�...
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E.J. F. posted an article on Loudersoft - Jun 27, 2011, 12:48 pm
*Old Man Voice* “Waaaaay back in ’89, I got dragged by a buncha n’eer-do-wells from my College Radio Station to see some ol’ mystery band name of Sykurmolarnir at this club name of CBGB‘s. You whippersnappers are too young to remember that place, but it was, what is it you kids say these ...
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E.J. F. posted an article on Loudersoft - Jun 27, 2011, 9:00 am
Mathematically speaking, Talib Kweli + Res = Idle Warship. Since first tested back in 2000, that has been the basic formula that mathematicians and scientists use to start all known Idle Warship equations and binary structures with. When placed into any known audible subroutine, the resulting audi...
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E.J. F. posted an article on Loudersoft - Jun 26, 2011, 10:50 am
It’s been less than 24 hours since marriage equality passed the New York senate, and what better way to celebrate than with a gay icon (Adele ) singing a song of heartbreak that’s been remixed into (you guessed it) a dance beat. The synergy is so fabulous I almost wish they could’ve spun this ...
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E.J. F. posted an article on Loudersoft - Jun 26, 2011, 10:47 am
The Weeknd has been in the studio banging out new tracks because, well, when you’re currently one of the hottest tickets on the planet at present, why wouldn’t you? Drake might have made the song “Trust Issues” famous, but Abel Tesfaye turns this song out by placing his deliberate, uncompro...
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E.J. F. posted an article on Loudersoft - Jun 21, 2011, 7:15 pm
You know what it is — Beastie Boys featuring Santigold remixed by Major Lazer? GWAN DEN.
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E.J. F. posted an article on Loudersoft - Jun 17, 2011, 4:33 pm
The idea of putting together a unique pop-up visual arts showcase in a local music venue has been on my mind for a long time. My concept for CMYK was born out of heading out to constantly experience pop-up musical performances from bands at art galleries for so many years. The notion that pop-up sh...
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E.J. F. posted an article on Loudersoft - Jun 13, 2011, 7:42 pm
I’m a sucker for a good back story. So when I stumbled upon the Wikipedia entry for “ghost estates” while searching for the band of the same name and found out that the term refers to abandoned houses from a boom and bust in Ireland called the Celtic Tiger period,  I was pretty much smitten (...
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E.J. F. posted an article on Loudersoft - Jun 13, 2011, 10:25 am
One thing you know if you’ve been reading about Bonnaroo 2011 is this: it has been HOT. Not just regular hot, but quite possibly hotter overall than any previous installment of Bonnaroo. I spent the day chasing shade, water, and occasional air conditioning while many festival goers simply withs...
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E.J. F. posted an article on Loudersoft - Jun 11, 2011, 12:50 pm
I will admit, I was a bit heavy-handed yesterday in my assessment about some of what goes on down on the ground at Bonnaroo. I mean, yes — that stuff DOES happen, but I gotta be fair. It’s not like the only things that happen are grandparents trying to cop weed and kids flopping their collective...
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E.J. F. posted an article on Loudersoft - Jun 10, 2011, 12:30 pm
We made it to Bonnaroo! Though we actually got in on Wednesday night, logistics prevented us from getting into the festival until Thursday morning very early. We have to send a shout out to Andy Keil from fellow Strangers in Stereo member Pop’Stache & his crew for letting us crash on the floor o...
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E.J. F. posted an article on Loudersoft - Jun 10, 2011, 12:29 pm
I don’t write a column for anyone else, I write for myself, so I can be completely honest about my experiences at Bonnaroo without fear of retribution. The worst thing anyone can do is not invite me to come back, but I’m past the point of caring about that after one night of General Camping. T...
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