It’s rare to find a young MC out there now that can spit with an intellectual level that matches some of the best in the game, but 17 year old Fieldz shows us that there’s something to look forward to in the hip-hop game. His mix-tape “In My Own World” which dropped last year, introduces us to his smooth and practiced flow while bringing some unheard of tenacity in rappers nowadays. He raps about what he knows and doesn’t try to BS the listener by going off on some drug game/ hood facade. His new single “Hoodie Season”, which dropped earlier in November, really shows an aggressive nature not shown in his earlier mix-tape but still has the lyrical quality of his past singles. There’s no fakeness when it comes to his style and he definitely deserves more rep for the quality stuff he’s spitting.

-Kyle (Scapegoat)

http://thefieldz.tumblr.com/

This a link to his tumblr, you can snag a free copy of his mixtape.

New Album dropping soon: Brain Junk Food

At the end of the semester when autumn turns to winter, my music tastes shift from electronic beats to the softer sound of guitars. That’s why Quilt’s self-titled album is perfect for this time of year. Based in Massachusetts, these just-out-of-college kids make warm psychedelic folk that reminds me of orange leaves falling from the trees.

Upon first listen, it may be easy for some people to dismiss Quilt; the trio wears their inspiration from the psychedelic 60s on their sleeves. However, as much as their sound imitates that of bands like Jefferson Airplane, it still sounds fresh. Where they excel is in the vocal harmonies. The two-to-three-part counterpoint is magical over the driving drumbeats and guitar licks.

Quilt’s debut LP is out now on Mexican Summer. Stream the tracks “Cowboys In The Void” and “Penobska Oakwalk” below, and tune in to KZUU to hear more!

<3, Kelsie

Alexander Spit, Bay Area Native

If you do not know about the Bay Area, SF native Alexander Spit then it is time to change that. Spit’s been dropping classic tape after classic tape for many years now and collecting a solid fan base that is much deserved. Alexander is in collaboration the “The Hundreds” and has put out his last 3 releases, Open 24 Hours, Until Next Summer, and  most recently These Long Strange Nights (TLSN). TLSN has a grimy feel to it that is consistent with what Spit brings to the table, and another very dope mixtape. Spit has been featured on the notable hip-hop blog 2DopeBoyz  as well. These Long Strange Nights is out for free HERE so cop that ASAP.

Alexander Spit ft. CBG “Real RWD pt. 1″

-bryce p.

KZUU 90.7fm

Brief Candles – Fractured Days (shoegaze)

Canyons – Keep Your Dreams (electronic, dance)

Caveman – Coco Beware (indie rock)

The Dø – Both Ways Open Jaws (indie rock)

Los Campesinos! – Hello Sadness (indie rock)

The Prefab Messiahs – Peace, Love & Alienation (post-punk, psychedelic)

Sigur Ros – Inni (post-rock)

Thee Oh Sees – Carrion Crawler/The Dream EP (garage rock)

Tycho – Dive (electronic)

Recent Band of the Week Real Estate took the top spot in our weekly charts for the second time in three weeks, briefly being knocked out of #1 by M83. Their new album Days is incredible, and seeing them live in Boise last week was a huge treat. Keep your eyes peeled for a show review on that soon. I’m also really happy to see SSLYBY staying strong, as well as future-pop geniuses Born Gold in the top 10 along with legends like Wilco and Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy. I expect to see these charts turning melancholy with the upcoming snow, but I’m loving it for the time being!

-Adam

KZUU Top 30, 11/11/11

1. Real Estate – Days

2. Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin – Tape Club

3. Born Gold – Bodysongs

4. Radical Face – Family Tree: The Roots

5. Still Corners – Creatures of an Hour

6. The Strange Boys – Live Music

7. Fool’s Gold – Leave No Trace

8. Wilco - The Whole Love

9. Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy – Wolfroy Goes to Town

10. Shimmering Stars – Violent Hearts

11. Tallahassee – Jealous Hands

12. Mates of State – Mountaintops

13. Megafaun – Megafaun

14. Pepper Rabbit – Red Velvet Snow Ball

15. St. Vincent – Strange Mercy

16. Youth Lagoon – The Year of Hibernation

17. Crooked Fingers – Breaks in the Armor

18. Gabriel Miller Phillips – One for the Crow

19. The Horrible Crowes – Elsie

20. Neon Indian – Era Extrana

21. Peter Wolf Crier – Garden of Arms

22. Phantogram – Nightlife

23. Spectrals – Bad Penny

24. Beirut – The Rip Tide

25. Bombay Bicycle Club – A Different Kind of Fix

26. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah – Hysterical

27. The Decemberists – Long Live the King

28. Dum Dum Girls – Only in Dreams

29. Emperor X – Western Teleport

30. Girls – Father, Son, Holy Ghost

Much like Atlas Sound’s last album, Logos, Parallax shifts between the upbeat, rock-n-roll swag of heroes of the 50′s garage rock scene and electronic ambient music. The pairing results in a mind-bending ebb and flow, bi-polar in the best way. Most of the more upbeat tracks are accessible enough, while still retaining some odd experimentation. “Doldrums” is a haunting 4-minute piece that leads into the garage-rock twang of “My Angel Is Broken”. The tracks back-to-back are the most consumable and representative piece of Atlas Sound music released to date.

Though every track is truly an exciting endeavor to sink your teeth into, a personal favorite would be the album’s lead off track, “The Shakes”. This song sounds just like something off of Deerhunter’s Halcyon Digest, but oddly enough sets off an uplifting tone into the rest of the album, with shifting chord progressions, atmospheric synth, as well as Bradford’s voice floating around the track’s final seconds in the most dreamy way. It shows the listener that Parallax is a record that makes us dream in a way that Bradford Cox’s other musical ventures could not.

- Adam & Brennan

New Adds, 11/8/11:

Atlas Sound – Parallax (experimental pop)

Bleeding Knees Club – Virginity (rock)

Blouse – Blouse (dream pop)

Brite Futures – Dark Past (indie pop)

David Lynch – Crazy Clown Time (folk, blues)

King Krule – King Krule (indie rock??)

Korallreven – An Album By Korallreven (electronic, dream pop)

Oneohtrix Point Never – Replica (ambient, experimental, samples)

Owen – Ghost Town (indie folk)

Pterodactyl – Spills Out (rock)

Rob Crow – He Thinks He’s People (folk, rock)

Ski Lodge – Ski Lodge (indie rock)

Wise Blood – These Wings (experimental, hip-hop)

This week’s #1 artist really shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone, but what was surprising is that M83‘s Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming received more plays in one week than any album this entire year! The new album by the French electro-pop artist Anthony Gonzales was played more than double of the #2 album this week, Fool’s Gold’s Leave No Trace. Pretty incredible stuff. Last week’s Band of the Week, Phantogram, debuts at #4, and last week’s #1, Real Estate, drops to #5.

-Adam

1. M83 – Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming

2. Fool’s Gold – Leave No Trace

3. Deer Tick – Divine Providence

4. Phantogram – Nightlife

5. Real Estate – Days

6. Still Corners – Creatures of an Hour

7. Radical Face – Family Tree: Roots

8. Wilco – The Whole Love

9. Born Gold – Bodysongs

10. Gem Club – Breakers

11. Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin – Tape Club

12. Dum Dum Girls – Only in Dreams

13. Balam Acab – Wander / Wonder

14. Case Studies – The World is Just a Shape to Fill the Night

15. Icarus Himself – Career Culture

16. Laura Marling – A Creature I Don’t Know

17. Loney Dear – Hall Music

18. Nurses - Dracula

19. Terra Lightfoot – Terra Lightfoot

20. Beirut – The Rip Tide

21. The Big Scary – Four Seasons

22. Dawes – Nothing is Wrong

23. Feist – Metals

24. Gabriel Miller Phillips – One for the Crow

25. Iceage – New Brigade

26. The Pack A.D. – Unperson

27. Shimmering Stars – Violent Hearts

28. Tallahassee – Jealous Hands

29. Youth Lagoon – The Year of Hibernation

30. Active Child – You Are All I See

The Beets – Let the Poison Out

Dirty Projectors & Bjork – Mount Wittenberg Orca

Dntel – Life is Full of Possibilities

Wavves – Life Sux

The Decemberists – Long Live the King

USF – The Spray

Happy Halloween weekend everybody! There’s not a whole lot of spooky tunes in the preview rack, but we’re still playing the fall jams to pair with this cold weather. I personally can’t stop listening to Real Estate‘s new album Days. It’s been in heavy rotation since they were named Band of the Week, and because of that they rocketed to #1 on the charts this week. They’ll be playing in Boise next Saturday, if anyone wants to accompany this excited Music Director. Neon Indian, who was steadily resting near the top 5 for the last few weeks drops completely off the charts (weird), Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin debuts in the Top 10 with their massive rarities album Tape Club, and Cataldo is still riding the hype wave from the recent show at the Belltower!

-Adam

KZUU Top 30, 10/28/11

1. Real Estate – Days

2. Youth Lagoon – The Year of Hibernation

3. Dum Dum Girls – Only In Dreams

4. I Break Horses – I Break Horses

5. Shimmering Stars – Violent Hearts

6. Sleep Over – Forever

7. Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin – Tape Club

8. Zola Jesus – Conatus

9. Mates of State – Mountaintops

10. Megafaun – Megafaun

11. Nurses – Dracula

12. St. Vincent – Strange Mercy

13. The Big Scary – Four Seasons

14. Blitzen Trapper – American Goldwing

15. Case Studies – The World is Just a Shape to Fill The Night

16. Cataldo – Prison Boxing

17. Feist – Metals

18. Girls – Father, Son, Holy Ghost

19. Tallahassee – Jealous Hands

20. Twin Sister – In Heaven

21. Big Troubles – Romantic Comedy

22. Born Gold – Bodysongs

23. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah – Hysterical

24. Correatown – Pleiades

25. Emperor X – Western Teleport

26. Jens Lekman – An Argument With Myself

27. NewVillager – NewVillager

28. Pallers – The Sea of Memories

29. Prince Rama – Trust Now

30. Active Child – You Are All I See