dslr // january nine // king tuff | sun medallion





all we want, baby, is everything

"...an artist should never be careful, nor should the audience covet. take the shot! embrace the imperfection. create more music, carelessly. we’ve created something here. king tuff should not be inspected or even listened to with critical ears. cut your ears off. rock & roll is meant to be blasted into your cells, penetrated, and absorbed..." - producer bobby harlow

los angeles' king tuff just missed our march ten a month playlist with "bad thing" and if i were a better man that would probably be corrected. instead, we ignore it entirely starting now. with the release of king tuffs second full length inching closer (may 29), it seems only appropriate to revisit their early work. was dead debuted in 2008 and "sun medallion" is among the album's best. download here via brooklynvegan. its genre and origin specific, its charm, timeless. yea, something stupid like that works just fine.

if you missed it the first time, be sure to get (read: right click, save as these blue words, here) the "bad thing" single while you're at it. get real, it only makes sense. welcome to monday, the single worst idea of all fucking time.

dslr // april twelve // craft spells | after the moment





one, because you're beautiful

there are two key components to cauterizing the open wounds that are an average weekend in chico: good morning music and good morning wolf pups. last year's idle labor lp from craft spells got me through more sunday mornings than i care to remember. a song like "after the moment" rinses the taste of refried smokes from your parched palette, soaks the smell of almost digested pizza from your soul and hoists your soggy brain as it begins delicately and diligently restitching a stream of broken moments. or maybe you had a sober weekend and hate wolf pups. diff' strokes for folks and junk. sunday is the best, download the track here and revel in the remaining scraps of our fleeting reprieve dudez!

dslr // january nine // major lazer | get free | featuring amber coffman





topless in your headdress, lizzy how'd you get so cool

this song will be huge. it's already huge. major lazer's switch and diplo are also huge, even more so this year than last. amber coffman of dirty projectors isn't exactly huge, but she should be. save as this junk for download. it's saturday, here's to premature brunches and italicizing things, every things.

accompanying video for "get free" is worth watching:

mp3 | photo | dslr | purity ring | obedear

2009 mornings so dope

a new single from purity ring's debut lp shrines surfaced a couple weeks ago and in that time it's grown on me. is a cyst of sparkling electronic pop bliss still a cyst? "obedear" takes on a slightly darker tone than their previously released tracks but maintains the same dangerously addictive overarching soundscape. if you like what you hear, it's pretty safe to be psyched for the album, set for release on july twenty-fourth. download via their website.

previously on butyouwould: purity ring »

mp3 | toro y moi | talamak // photo | november eight

act one prologue oleander




this is the first in a set that, with any luck, will be up in the next day or two. which means everyone can (maybe) look forward to a collection of photos of people in a basement being posted on the internet at some time probably.

update: full set available after the jump.

considering he's one of the most blogged artists of all time, just about everyone knows (and loves) toro y moi. one of the most rewarding qualities of chaz's music is it's ability to be endlessly rediscovered, like arby's or tom hanks' performance in big. incase you missed it, download "talamak" here and be sure to check up on toro y moi's just-released june 2009 album. it's friday, welcome to the limit.

mp3 // photo | dslr | the king khan & bbq show | why don't you lie?

it's a strange paradise

if you were to ask me (don't), i'd tell you michael salmon hamm (above, left) is the genius who brought the king khan & bbq show into existence, and for all i (don't) know, that could be true, therefor it is and always will be. the logic's irrefutable and the proof is in and around the pepperoni. no background necessary, just know this: king khan and mark sultan have written bangers for years, and "why don't you lie?" is perfect, plain and simp. listen friendsz and download here via the fine folks at fuck yeah! go team!

there's also this internet movie machine:

mp3 // photo | dslr | chromatics | birds of paradise | amtrac rework

chromatics have made several appearances here already, due mostly to the fact that this years kill for love was and is real good for to listen and hear for. the "birds of paradise" remix, by louisiana-based amtrac, is quite a departure from the original; a beat to nudge yall through the midweek malaise. you know the drill, save as this crud for download.

mp3 // video | grimes | genesis | live @ jools holland

fullscreen or else

can't say enough about grimes; the girl radiates music the way a tree gives off oxygen. she's a natural resource, a treasure and nothing less. like a diamond dusted puppy but with so much more (s)wag. canada gets grimes and we get nickelback. we've all heard "genesis" a hundred times and all need to hear it a hundred more. (right click, save link as) download here.

dslr // april twelve // alex bleeker & the freaks | spring jam





another summer prologue, "spring jam" is the perfect way to ease the transition from the joy that is spring to the hell that is chico summer. alex bleeker & the freaks' album by the same name is a must-have unless you're into heatstroking, which, realistically, could mean any number of things. it's tuesday again.

dslr // april twelve // family portrait | mega secrets





banger from summer of '09, "mega secrets" was the song to decide whether you loved or hated family portrait. we love them n you do too. download here n gear up for salty summer nights n chilled out porch parties. ignore mondays, they're a fallacy.

dslr // april twelve // allo darlin' | tallulah





allo darlin's second full length, europe is sweet. cute? the delicate, "tallulah," is definitely one of the albums standout tracks -- it also surfaces memories of that subaru commercial, every goddamn time. australian native, elizabeth morris' delivery is stark and crisp -- spot on. save as this junk or stream as that junk.

dslr // april twelve // spiritualized | little girl





spiritualized mastermind jason pierce hasn't made an album since 2008, which, for most, was waaay too much downtime. though, if there were ever an excuse to step out of the spotlight for a moment, having a degenerative liver disease might be it. pitchfork reports a large portion of this years sweet heart sweet light was mixed while pierce was undergoing an experimental chemotherapy treatment n drugged rather heavily. "little girl" is among the best from a beautiful album. pierce is well n with any luck we'll get another album out of him sooner than later. stream above or download here.

dslr // april twelve // beck | i only have eyes for you







beck has been relatively quiet for a while now, which makes his cover of the flamingos' "i only have eyes for you" seem like a real treat. his, along with several other artist's (ie: no age, devendra banhart) versions are part of a doug aitken project where the songs "...will soundtrack 360 degree video projections cast upon the exterior of the cylindrical hirshhorn museum in washington, dc" (via pitchfork). sounds nuts, have a listen.

sam cooke

was the greatest american singer // songwriter of all time question mark

dslr // december ten // beach house | lazuli





it's been two years since beach house's profound teen dream album cuddled the masses to submission, n until recently, that was just fine. now, with these singles (previously: "myth") from the upcoming bloom surfacing, it's hard to be anything but impatient (the album is real good - despite some grumbling of "teen dream 2" sentiments). "lazuli" is the second single released n bloom is poised to bring peace to the galaxy universe may 15th. update with a legitimate download asap, until then stream above or wait until record store day on the 21st n buy the sneak peek.

previously: sean pecknold directs 2010's "used to be"

dslr // december eleven // phil phillips | sea of love



kelly's dresser mirror n the songs she sang



phil phillips, born philip baptiste, grew up in lake charles, louisiana singing gospel in a group alongside his brothers. in 1959 he released what would be his biggest (only) commercial success, sea of love. he was paid 6,800 dollars n denied royalties n proper credit 'til the day he died. to tuesdays, criminals n seas of love.

dslr // december eleven // a$ap rocky | goldie





harlem's bambino, a$ap rocky has gone from little more than a aesop rock typo to the flagship for the evolution n survival of modern hiphop (opinion). with his first official full-length release, longlivea$ap finally on it's way, it looks like we can expect his stay to last a while. "goldie," produced by hit-boy, is the first single from his debut album n you can give her a listen above or a download here courtesy of fvckswag.

dslr // april twelve // brothertiger | a house of many ghosts





brothertiger's apache feathers ep came out three years ago now n while it might feel dated, "a house of many ghosts" fits this day perfectly. right-click, save as this thing or stream above n chill the fudge out, everyone -- it's sunday.

dslr // april twelve // cookies | wilderness tips



wolf
2YR //



"cookies is a band from new york city specializing in popular music" the band sums it up quite nicely on their website. the site also features four ep's available for (free) download. "wilderness tips" can be found on the wilderness tips ep!?!

also, there's this ditty:

mp3 // photo | tv girl | i wonder who she's kissing now

san diego's pop group tv girl have released a number of splits and an ep, benny and the jets (free for download via their facebook) over the last couple years. "i wonder who she's kissing now," from the bands forthcoming debut lp, is the latest single n with the full release just around the corner, it's enough to get real psyched over. give 'er a download here or stream above.

live from knocksteady:

dslr // september nine | january twelve // the memories | softly



pup
2MO //



released via underwater peoples (rules), portland's the memories are set to debut their self-titled lp on the 24th of this month. appropriately, "softly" starts slow then ends aaaaight.

dslr // april twelve // mister lies | cleam



make a move



i know next to nothing of mister lies, but for now, knowing "cleam" is good, should suffice. the chicago-based producer released a four-track ep back in february n i've neglected it for long enough. the hidden neighbors ep is available to stream or purchase via the artists bandcamp found here.

also, see mister lies "false astronomy:"

dslr // june nine // dive | how long have you known





"jangling brooklyn indie rockers" basically sums up zachary cole smith's (of
beach fossils) side project, dive. last week the band announced their new album oshin n released their first single from the lp, "how long have you known." sounds familiar, sounds great. also check out dive's "sometimes" from last year n give it a download here.

update: you can now download "how long have you known" here courtesy of bestnewtracks!

photo // mp3 | beta frontiers feat becky ninkovic | hondo

gorillavsbear released their march 2012 mix a few days back, n it's just fine, but beta frontiers' "hondo" really steals the show. the track features becky ninkovic of you say party n her vocals fit real nice. a funky, electronic beat serves as an ideal backdrop for becky's topnotch vocals.  if you can spare a dollar or skip a chicken sandwich, go support the artist and buy "hondo" here or download the (free) march mix linked above.

UPDATE: or just (right click, save link as) download here.

turns out the video is super tight too:

dslr // april twelve // chromatics | lady



we're all so many drunks with the radio on and the curtains drawn, we're trapped in the belly of this horrible machine, and the machine is bleeding to death





"lady" was the third single released from chromatics' full-length kill for love, which i've referenced twice in as many days; the album's real good.

april twelve // air france | it feels good to be around you | memory tapes rework





air france recently split, which is a bummer, but if it sparks sick bands to do tribute reworks, i think we'll be ok. memory tapes' version of this song is arguably better than the original. right-click, save as this.

remember air france. "no excuses" from 2008's, no way down:

dslr // april twelve // sun kil moon | sunshine in chicago







last week i mentioned sun kil moon's "sunshine in chicago" n i've finally found the time to throw it up. it's a super dope sick tight song. download it here.

dslr // april twelve // the dirty projectors | gun has no trigger





dave longstreth (a former yale student - no big) has been producing music for quite some time now n has collaborated with an impressive list of musicians. the first time longstreth's work surfaced as dirty projectors was in 2003 when the glad fact was released. the band just announced their new album swing lo magellan which is set for a july tenth release date (in the united states). "gun has no trigger" is the first single from their upcoming full-length. download it here.

dslr // april twelve // chromatics | back from the grave







chromatics released the wonderful night drive album back in 2007 n have been -- aside from a number of single releases -- relatively quiet since. until now! kill for love, the bands second full-length has made it's debut n has already garnered significant critical acclaim. i haven't had a chance to listen entirely through yet, but if this song is any indication, it's gonna be a tiny bit sick as fuck.

accompanying video for "back from the grave"

dslr // february twelve // jai paul | jasmine







the last time we heard from jai paul was with 2011's re-release of the incredible "btstu" demo (which, sort of interestingly enough, was sampled by both beyonce n drake within a month of its release). click that download if you missed it. since that time, there's been hordes of music nerds fighting over the uk natives scraps. "jasmine" surfaced yesterday n it looks like he may have done it again. happy april.

update: download available via the beautiful people at bestnewtracks!