Will Stratton Is a Badass . . .

and a kind gentleman to give away his excellent tunes.

Here is another bandcamp freebie, and it will please the folk out of you.  Listen to opening track "You Divers" from Vile Bodies and once you get to the 1:38 mark, you'll see what I mean.  Vile Bodies is one of the best free EPs on bandcamp.  His other albums are certainly worth a listen and a buy.  Stream the beautiful "Who Will" from 2009's No Wonder or check out his latest New Vanguard Blues.

Free and legal Mp3: Ben Talmi - "Scales of a Fish in The Sky"

Who is Ben Talmi?  I don't know--some dude who records music in his bedroom, but his bedroom recordings sound much more polished than your average bedroom tune.  His For the Dreamers EP is a collection of inventive pop tunes with varied beats, moogy goodness, precise guitar work, and enjoyable vocal harmonies.  Mr. Talmi, your songs a good, and more people should hear them. I hope you inspire more like you to pick up their instrument of choice and sing and record a song for its own reward.  Long live bedrock! (RIYL Postal Service, Death Cab for Cutie)


Edit: OK, so Ben Talmi is not the anonymous amateur confined to his bedroom and meager recording gear I had imagined him.  He also records music in a studio and sings and writes for Art Decade, a band from Boston.  Here is a pretty fresh video of an Art Decade performance with a string quartet.


Royalty (Acoustic With String Quartet) from Art Decade on Vimeo.

January 2011 Playlist - Ride the New Year Waves

Cold Cave - "Life Magazine (Delorean Remix)"
Tree Wave - "Sleep" [Mp3 via official band site]
Crystal Castles vs. Health - "Crimewave"
Washed Out - "New Theory"
The Crystal Stilts - "Love is a Wave" [Mp3 via stereogum]
Wavves - "Baseball Cards"
The Drums - "Let's Go Surfing"
Surfer Blood - "Floating Vibes"
Ducktails - "Killn' The Vibe (Ft. Panda Bear)"
The Shins - "Black Wave"
The Decemberists - "The Wanting Comes in Waves"