Weekly Haul: August 7th Edition

Crosses EP

Pardon my french but.....F*****ck!!!  This week is an excellent haul!  Check this....I caught a holy grail of free downloads -- a full EP that just happens to be f*cking awesome.  Okay....perhaps holy grail is an overstatement but, believe me when I say that it's great and --Lucky You --it's still available for free download (Calm down, fellow music sluts....I'll reveal my source during the haul).  You'll notice a few repeats this week and this is because I'm trying out a new tactic.  The Boyfriend has this rule that if he likes three songs by an artist, he officially is a fan.  I'm not saying it's a good rule, but it does have some merit.  So, when it's possible, I'm trying to download at least two songs by an artist to get a feel for their sound and see if it warrants more of my attention.  Today is going to be a sizeable list because I'm just going to list all the songs I downloaded this week (only 15 -- 5 of which from the EP, which will be unceremoniously lumped together because I'm lazy).  Thanks and I hope you all find something you like!

• Crosses EP by Chino Moreno -- For those of you who don't know, Chino Moreno is the frontman for the Deftones.  This is one of his side-projects, for which he collaborated with Far guitarist Shaun Lopez.  The songs on this are more gently ethereal than the sound he's produced with the Deftones.  It's beautifully darkwave, the lyrics are haunting when sung by Moreno, and the EP makes deft use of the electronic keyboard.  The entire album is free and you can find the link at multiple sources, like this one.  A $5 deluxe copy is available with copies of the lyrics and better sound quality (although the free ep sounds great already).  If you want more, a 16-track album is in the works so hold tight.
• Introduction by Florrie -- I downloaded three songs off this album at last.fm -- "Call of the Wild," "Give Me Your Love," and "Left Too Late."  Florrie is an English singer/songwriter/drummer who specializes in electronic dance pop.  She is also the drummer of a houseband called Xenomania and has drummed for various artists, including the Pet Shop Boys.  This is her first foray into solo artistry so give her a fair listen if this is your kind of music scene.
• Ebony Owl Netsuke by Lamb -- Who loves Lamb?  I know I do!  If you're not familiar, just watch "Moulin Rouge" -- Lamb's song Gorecki was heavily sampled (as were a lot of other bands).  No lyrics on this track which means Barbara Mauritz lovely vocals are missing but it's nice, relaxing instrumental track.  Good to run or play video games to.
• Stuck in my ID by Reptar -- Reptar reminds me heavily of Passion Pit, which is another indie favorite you should check out.  Reptar is a relatively new (no Wikipedia page yet, if anyone is interested in filling that out) 4-piece band from Athens, GA.  They are getting quite a bit of attention lately, and it's no wonder why.  This song is infectiously fun, the vocals have an interesting, high-spirited-party boy quality, and the lyrics aren't bad.  And, rumor is, they'll be playing at Lollapalooza this year.  I'm considering making this a song of the day in the upcoming weeks, so watch out for it.
• Nightstalker by Rouge Fonce -- Before you make the assumption--no, this isn't a french band.  They're from Melbourne, Australia and they play in English.  I found this on a quest for Burlesque-style music (I have a latent dream of being a pin-up model/burlesque dancer -- it's best not to ask).  This song starts off with that lonely Western quality I was talking about and then moves onto dreamy, melancholic rock.  They describe their sound as "dark cabaret rock" which is close although the cabaret comes more from the singer's onstage dancing than from the music.  Definitely really sexy -- I could see this in a horror film sex scene.  Not teen slasher....maybe creepy stalker horror, which is my favorite kind.
• Keeper of Secrets by Theatre Des Vampires -- I had to check out more by Theatre Des Vampires and I wasn't disappointed.  "Carmilla" wasn't bad but "Keeper of Secrets" does the band justice as an epic goth ballad.  The track starts out with that creepy sound of children playing -- because children enjoying themselves is always eerie, right?  Again, the lyrics are dark but they are definitely overshadowed by the music on this track, which rocks hardcore.  Excellent drumming and love the use of violins.  Oh, and there is a male voice near the end in addition to Sonya Scarlet's gutteral moaning, which I can't help but find dead sexy for some reason. 
• Trip by Vacationer -- This song gets bonus points for especially relevant lyrics in contrast to my life.  I do need a f*cking trip....to anywhere.  F*ck, I'd gladly go back to the LC just to escape the Tea Party stronghold where I'm living now.  ::sigh:: Maybe I'm just bitter because my parents went to Vegas for their anniversary.  I digress.  Very bouncy drumbeat--simplistic but sometimes that's all you need. 
• 2012 by Young Circles -- This track opens with an onslaught of percussion.  And then it keeps pummeling you with f*cking greatness.  Again, another little known band, so I'm a little low on info.  I'm trying really hard to compare the sound to other bands, because they do remind me of something I've heard before, but I'm having trouble --some help please?  I sense a Flaming Lips influence but I'm not sure that's the main vibe I'm getting.  Definitely another song that I wouldn't mind listening to while I'm partying with friends.  Whatever.  I like it so look for it as a song of the week soon.

Again, a lot of new bands to lend an ear to.  If you can, download crosses ASAP if you like it because I'm not sure how long the links are going to remain functional.