The Indie Weekend Mixtape

DAN CROLL

Dan Croll (aka the Hipster Hamlet), shot by music photographer Pooneh Ghana.

My personal Friday favorites from Dan Croll's growing catalogue are from his In/Out Remix album, so that's where I'm going to start this mixtape. 

Recommended:

1. In/Out by Dan Croll, remixed by William Carl Jr.  
2. In/Out by Dan Croll, remixed by Baardsen. 
3. From Nowhere

From Nowhere is one of the most popular tracks off Dan Croll's debut full-length album, Sweet Disarray. The song is also characteristic of the refreshingly young--sometimes boyish--energy that really gives this album a unique life of its own. 

He's just so damn likable.

Exhibits A and B

And it's not just you, if you got a funny feeling when you saw the video for Dan Croll's "In/Out." I, too, scratched my head and thought, Well, this is a ripoff from Azealia Banks' "212" video... 

That's probably because Dan Croll is often mistaken for the extra used in that video. Even more ridiculous, this particular extra is on the receiving end of a vulgar tirade from Azealia Banks in the video.)

Top: Dan Croll Bottom: unknown extra & Azealia Banks

You have to admit, they do look alike. And... are those the same pair of glasses? More from Clash, if you're as amused by this as I am.

REMIX ARTIST COLLECTIVE (RAC)

Created in January 2007 by André Allen Anjos with Karl Kling and Andrew Maury, the Remix Artist Collective pioneered clean, crisp beats with a purpose.

RAC recently released Strangers! Of course, there are some great Friday After Work finds on both Part 1 and Part 2 of the release, but these singles stand out.

4. Let Go, by Kele and MNDR (RAC)
5. Tear You Down, Alex Ebert (RAC)

On Strangers, as in life, RAC's greatest strength is also their greatest challenge. That great strength is the diversity of their talent. As an album, Strangers is heavily weighted towards a few excellent tracks, a handful of really good tracks, and some inevitable mehs. 

As with any diverse population, you'll find a bell-curve of ability (to create hits, dammit!). Weighed as a collective group of musicians and producers, RAC is incredible; so much collective talent. But, the best can't make every track on an album and every song created by "the best" won't necessarily be great. Despite best efforts all around, a few songs miss the mark. 

But, that's the great thing about a collective! Despite a few misses, it's a process that leads to lessons learned all-around in an environment that fosters growth. If taking chances is encouraged by a group of artists, individuals have a unique opportunity to shine, creatively. The burden of any failures is also collective, a weight distributed among many artists. As long as the collective remains successful, overall, it's a positive experience for everyone involved. 

And we, the listeners, benefit more than anyone else.

Having only been around since 2007, RAC has produced hundreds of remixes. That's right... hundreds.

PHANTOGRAM

Phantogram (n.): A 2D image that is distorted using perspectival anamorphosis to appear, when viewing at the correct angle, three-dimensional; usually, standing above or recessed into a flat surface.

6. Fall in Love by Phantogram

7. Nothing but Trouble by Phantogram

It's Friday night. What else would you be doing in LA, if not falling in love or getting into trouble?

Phantogram released their second album and first major-label debut, Voices, on Republic Records. Other notable relevant Republic alumni include James Blake, Lorde, Florence + The Machine, Rhye, St. Vincent, Little Dragon and on, and on. 

Phantogram is in the big leagues now. Want proof? Over at AP, Reed Fischer gave Voices four-and-a-half out of five stars. He went so far as to say that the band's unique sound of "electronic and electric guitar alchemy has simultaneously become more infectious and complex than ever before." Not bad for a sophomore release!

MR LITTLE JEANS 
(Monica Birkenes)

According to an interview with LA Weekly's Art Tavana, Mr Little Jeans/Monica Birkenes is "nothing like the groundskeeper in Wes Anderson's Rushmore, where her musical moniker originates." Thanks for pointing that out, Art.

8. The Suburbs by Mr Little Jeans 

9. The Rescue Song by Mr Little Jeans x RAC

Mr Little Jeans' released her full-length debut album, Pocketknife, in March 2014. It was recorded and produced by Tim Anderson right here in Los Angeles, despite Monica's rural Norwegian roots.

During a Q&A session with ASCAP, Monica Birkenes explains the process of writing and recording Pocketknife:

"There've been great surprises and great disappointments, but it does keep it interesting. The album was written over the course of three years at least, and the sound most certainly went in different directions, especially in the beginning."

She signed with a subsidiary of Capitol Music Group to release Pocketknife on Harvest Records, located in Hollywood.

BANKS

Jillian Banks goes by the stage name BANKS

Female singer/songwriter and synth-pop extraordinaire, Banks, is working on her debut album. Her upcoming full-length is set to be released in early September 2014.

10. Goddess by Banks

11. Drowning by Banks 

12. Before I Ever Met You by Banks

The Unconditional Mixtape

Caught a Ghost will be the Getty's musical guest for Saturdays Off the 405 on Saturday, July 26th, so here's some new-school vintage-flavored favorites to celebrate!

NICK WATERHOUSE

LA's own Nick Waterhouse makes Paste's Top 27 of 2014 (So Far) with "It #3" off his latest album, Holly.

Check out some new releases with ageless qualities from Los Angeles' Nick Waterhouse's latest "revivalist" album, Holly. My personal favorite off the track list, "It #3," was also on Paste Magazine's Top 27 Songs of 2014 (So Far). The list was curated by Paste's Josh Jackson, who had the following to say about the song which ranked 21st on his list:

On his rendition of his old pal Ty Segall’s 'It No. 3,' Nick Waterhouse smoothes out any garage-rock rough edges and adds the kind of slick instrumentation that…well, that makes it sound like a Nick Waterhouse song.

We really can't argue with that.

CAUGHT A GHOST

Caught a Ghost, a new project from LA songwriter/producer Jesse Nolan and company, released their exquisite debut album, Human Nature, on +1 Records.

Onto the promised "vintagey" vibes from one of my favorite recently-released albums, Human Nature, brought to you by Los Angeles' very own newcomers, Caught a Ghost. Up until recently, their fans waited in anticipation for the album's release by listening to the single "No Sugar in My Coffee" on repeat. No? That was just me? Oh, okay.

Liz Garo explains the band's name and the bandmates unique relationship to one another:

Caught A Ghost is a new project from Los Angeles songwriter and producer Jesse Nolan, featuring kindergarten classmate Stephen Edelstein on drums and sultry vocals and percussions from actress Tessa Thompson. As Nolan explains, the name of his band refers to the sensation of being filled with a spirit of the past. "It's an old expression," he says, "musicians used to say you 'caught a ghost' if you gave a good performance. Like you were possessed." As the songwriter, producer, and lead singer of the band, Nolan is a devotee of music from bygone eras.

KONGOS

South African brothers and musicians, Kongos, find mainstream success in the US with their single, "Come With Me Now."

The South-African brothers collectively known as Kongos released their 2014 ablum Lunatic stateside with Epic (a division of Sony). You might recognize them from Jimmy Kimmel, where they performed one of the best songs on their albumb "I Want To Know," in March.

Billboard's take on the popular single, "Come With Me Now":

It's the fastest-rising debut top 10 on the chart since Lorde's "Royals" last July. 

Originally released three years ago, their album and hit single is still competing with--pardon the pun--pop royalty like Lorde for radio play. 

For more information on the upcoming line up for Getty's Saturdays off the 405 summer series, check out the Getty's blog post on the subject!

Caught a Ghost

Date: Saturday, July 26, 2014

Time: 6:00–9:00 p.m.

Location: Museum Courtyard

Admission: Free; no reservations required

The Stay Cool Mixtape

Well, in case anyone was wondering, it's definitely summer in LA.

If you've been listening to Morning Becomes Eclectic lately--or anything curated by Jason Bentley--you've probably already heard of the up-and-comping band, Somekindawonderful. I'm still trying to puzzle out the whole "Butterfly Militia" thing. But, I digress...

I've been using Oliver Nelson's remix of Somekindawonderful's release, "Reverse," to power through these scorching hot afternoons. It reminds me a bit of RAC's recent album, Strangers, which I'll get to next week.

If you prefer to vibe to something less reminiscent of those EDM days, check out this new, young band out of Baraboo, WI. PHOX's latest release, "Slow Motion" is true to its title; it sounds the way drinking ice cold lemonade tastes.

If you still aren't satisfied, here's my last desperate attempt at making light of this heatwave. Tune-Yards gets funky with one of my personal favorites this week, their single, "Water Fountain."

Stay cool and stay tuned for more music & mixtapes!