You already know how much I love the new O+S record. I’m thrilled to offer you a second song from the album, one that I think will give you an even better window into their sonic diversity. “Permanent Scar” is the first single from the self-titled album, and I hope you’ll dig it as much as I have been.

O+S – Permanent Scar

_{You can purchase o+s from Amazon by clicking here. O+S will be appearing at SXSW on Friday, March 20th, 11pm @ The Radio Room.}

There’s a tricky dissonance that wafts through the undercurrent of the most beautiful recordings I’ve listened to in my life. It’s the unexpected collaborations or spellbinding accidents of circumstance that unite elements into original flavors. The illogical syllogisms in music are the ones that surprisingly seem to work the best. Such is the case of O+S, whose self-titled debut will be released via Saddle Creek Records on March 24th.
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Apologies to my regular readers that this video contains an ad. As someone with no hair, I am personally offended that it’s an ad for Pantene; however the video, taken from Saadiq’s masterful 2008 album The Way I See It, is worth sitting thru the ad.

The video transports you back to the 50’s when tailored looks, impecable style and choreographed dances defined your Saturday night. Disc Jockey’s ruled the airwaves and Mempis, TN was finally given it’s star power on the map. Imagine you are the audience and Raphael Saadiq is your entertainment for the night. I instruct you to advise on the above before you press play, evoke the mood and the mood is Soul.

That’s from the press release. So Nikki, if you’re reading this, you might should proof that press release — our city’s name spelled Memphis, not “Mempis”.

Don’t worry: in a couple of months you’ll be able to spell it in your sleep. Now dig some Raphael Saadiq.

photo credit: dongraft

I’ve been bragging about the new Oasis album Dig Out Your Soul ever since it leaked & I’m not one for needless banter about bands that over-hype and under-deliver. Oasis hit this one out of the park. Don’t believe me? Click here to visit them on MySpace and find out for yourself. Win, win, win. Dig Out Your Soul is without a doubt the most well-crafted Oasis album in over a decade & now you can see what I mean for yourself.

I’ve already talked about how much I love Voxpop’s sound here and here. I’ve told you that their songs are delightful & how I can’t wait to hear them live. So, without being repetitive, here’s another track given to Loudersoft by the band entitled “The Boomerang Generation” for you to enjoy. You can hit those other links for previous downloads if you’re feeling them as much as we are.

Voxpop – The Boomerang Generation

Visit Voxpop on MySpace by clicking here.

After exchanging emails with Voxpop’s Alexander Miller, we’re going to eek out a new Voxpop MP3, one at a time in the hopes your excitement about their new songs will be equal or greater than ours.

Some helpful biographical information about the band: Voxpop formed in the wake of Alexander Miller’s exit from UK band The Upper Room, who released an album and a couple of singles on Columbia. They’re doing regular gigs around London, so make sure and keep an eye out for where they’re playing. Since we can’t get to London, we’d be thrilled if you send along some pictures?

Here’s the second round of MP3’s from their as-yet-untitled-and-unreleased new album, a song called “All The Time” along with a proper MP3 of “Hacienda Motel” which, Alexander informs us, is a tribute to the late Sam Cooke who was murdered at the Hacienda Motel in 1964. Enjoy.

Voxpop – All The Time
Voxpop – Hacienda Motel

Visit Voxpop’s MySpace page by clicking here.

I’ve been talking about starting this feature called “If I Had A Million Dollars” – a series of threads about bands I would sign if, in fact, I had a million dollars to help them make a record and promote them. Unofficially, the first installment really belongs to the band Anthem In that I mentioned earlier this week. However, I think you’ll agree with me about installment two.

This morning, bleary-eyed and caffeine-free, I read an email from Alexander of the London-based band Voxpop. I hadn’t quite had my coffee when I clicked thru to their MySpace link to check them out. What I heard really caught me off guard — in a beautiful menagerie of sound (the song “Hacienda Motel” to be specific), I was instantly reminded of the band Suede and of how much I miss them.

Now, don’t get me wrong — Voxpop isn’t a Bernard Butler imitation. They take what’s best about Suede and a number of other great pop and Brit-pop bands and blend them together. You’ve got a bit of Weezer, a bit of Franz Ferdinand, a bit of The Strokes and a dash of Futureheads for good measure. It’s an impressive first outing from a band who has played, perhaps, a handful of shows.

I played this for Maura and she and I agree about this much — God knows this is the band Bernard Butler should be producing — not Black Kids. However, producer Paul Epworth (who has produced Maximo Park, Bloc Party, Futureheads and Kate Nash) found them first. This is extremely solid songwriting. Singing about everything from dead hollywood stars to Jonathan Richman, I can tell you this is definitely a band to watch out for. When I get a new MP3 to post from the band, I will — in the meantime, here’s two of the songs I personally loved the best, “Hacienda Motel” and “Bad News”.

Voxpop – Bad News
Voxpop – Hacienda Motel

You can (and very well should) go listen to more at their MySpace Music page here.

(ed. note: When putting this piece together, we had some technical difficulties with the music player. They’re fixed — full album stream after the jump.)

Solid pop music is a commodity these days and, too often, the things I hear are simply “pretty good” or “okay”. However, in the mailbag today was an email from Brooklyn band called Anthem In. I don’t know how else to say it: I haven’t stopped listening to it from the second I put it on, so I’m very pleased to tell you about the band and about the record itself.

The self-released debut from this foursome comes out on June 24th and is well worth more than a cursory listen. Instant comparisons to lots of other bands will come to mind — Teenage Fanclub, Sloan, Rogue Wave, Death Cab For Cutie, Pinback — but the comparisons are only to give you a place to start from. There’s no Xeroxing going on here — if anything, there’s subtle referencing that never sounds forced.

So, if you already like any of these bands, Anthem In’s self-titled debut will be instantly gratifying. This is the kind of beatific album which walks the fine line between indie pop and radio rock, never stepping too far in either direction, always pulling you further and further in until they’ve got you right where they want you. More music and a giveaway after the jump.

Anthem In – Down

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You know, if Pitchfork is finally catching up with the rest of the world (me) in terms of culture and taste, I can’t fault them for being right. The funk-soul brother name of Kutiman, hailing from Israel, has been a supreme favorite of mine since I heard his single “No Reason For You” on Melting Pot Music last summer, and kudos to the publication we all love to hate for knowing the good shit when they hear it. Their review of Kutiman, the self-titled debut from said funk-soul brother, is a well-deserved accolade for a freshman effort.

This is the pure definition of psychedelic interstellar afro-beat jazz funk, horns, crazy Hammond B-3 keyboards, straight-up junkie rhythms from 1971 banging up the block from outer space to the human race and back again. With guest vocal effects from Karolina, Chaka Moon and Elran Dekel, we get an enhancement to what is already a nearly perfect recording. Furthermore, what I would like to call “the Stanley Turrentine/Ahmad Jamal/Yusef Lateef factor” is all over this joint, a form of high praise that I think is well merited once you get to listen (if you know anything about those cats).

The best part is that while the individual sections of this record are wonderful, it’s much better as a complete work. There’s no filler here, no rush jobs or cutting and pasting — this is some handcrafted, vintage funk/soul shit that will stay with you long after the first listen. So if you are down with the notions and the concepts, then the practice and the performance is here for you to lay your dreams in. Kutiman is set to take on the world, and it’s time you climbed aboard and slid into the groove.

Kutiman – Music Is Ruling My World (featuring Karolina)
Kutiman – No Reason For You (featuring Elran Dekel)

You can purchase Kutiman’s S/T album from Amazon (CD or MP3) by clicking here.