Steak Sauce #25 - Les Savy Fav
By Marshall Kuresman

“The Equestrian” is Les Savy Fav’s contribution to Adult Swim’s “Warm & Scratchy” album, and it is also the first single off of the band’s forthcoming album (should be out sometime in the fall).

Please do yourself a favor and see Les Savy Fav in concert if they are ever playing near you. I guarantee it will be the most entertaining concert you ever go to, and their music just happens to be amazing.

http://www.lessavyfav.com/
http://www.myspace.com/lessavyfav

Steak Sauce #24 - Three Six Mafia
By Marshall Kuresman

There’s a reason Three 6 Mafia is your favorite rap group. They drop the best beats, and through their lyrics it comes out that they are just like you and me. Like Three 6, I don’t want to be buying the bitches any clothes or jewelry. All I want is dinner at KFC and some action.

“Suga Daddy” comes off the group’s upcoming “Last to Walk,” album, and I am excited.

Steak Sauce #23 - The Aluminum Group
By Marshall Kuresman

Chicago duo The Aluminum Group is comprised of the brothers Navin: John and Frank. The brothers are, uh, eccentric to say the least. When I first heard “Angel on a Trampoline,” I could have sworn I was listening to Magnetic Fields. These guys are not new to the scene, but they are new to me, and I dig what I have heard so far.

http://www.thealuminumgroup.net
http://www.myspace.com/thealuminumgroup

Steak Sauce #22 - Map of Africa
By Marshall Kuresman

Not much known yet about Map of Africa. I think this album will be coming out on Whatever We Want Records pretty soon for U.S. listeners. The songs that have come out have been awesome, as it appears the album will be full of one retro jam after another.

http://www.myspace.com/mapofafricatheband

Steak Sauce #21 - Mother Mother
By Marshall Kuresman

Canada gives us another great band with Mother Mother. The Vancouver natives have only been playing together as a full band for a little under two years now, but that has not stopped them for putting out one of the year’s better albums. Mother Mother is still a relatively unknown band, but so was The Arcade Fire at one point.

They are currently touring through Canada, but are playing two shows this week in New York, and it highly recommended you check them out if you’re in the area.

http://www.mothermothersite.com
http://www.myspace.com/mothermotherspace

Steak Sauce #20 - White Whale
By Marshall Kuresman

This is White Whale. White Whale is good. Check them out.

whitewhale.us
http://www.myspace.com/whitewhalemusic

Steak Sauce - Midnight Juggernauts
By Marshall Kuresman

Midnight Juggernauts are two dudes from Melbourne, Australia that are part of the electro-rock genre that has been invading the indie scene. I would love to go to Melbourne to see them live (among other reasons), but for now I just have to hope they will come to the US - and hopefully they will bring their friends, Cut Copy.

This song has been floating around for a little while, but I just started writing these again, so chill out. This is the Miami Horror remix, and for the original you should check out Midnight Juggernauts’ myspace page.

Midnight Juggernauts - Road to Recovery (Miami Horror Remix)

By Marshall Kuresman

Hey, remember me? It’s been a while.

Quick post today.

Shortly after moving to Jersey I met a rapper who goes by the name Tool$. I don’t much about him, except that he lives and works in Jersey, and I think he performs at a club down in Trenton sometimes.

Anyway, I got his album and there are some decent tracks on there. His choice in samples brings to mind other songs I’ve heard recently by Kanye and Lupe Fiasco.

Fans of the 80s synthpop group, Art of Noise, might enjoy this Tool$ track, which samples their 1983 hit, “Moments in Love.”

Download here.

Steak Sauce #17 - Camping
By Marshall Kuresman

“The heat of Brazil is reflected through D.C.’s humidity.” – some clever person talking about Camping

For you loyal Steak Sauce readers, I want to apologize for going this long without talking about any German bossa nova. I know you’ve been desperately craving some chilled-out, jazzy tunes sung in a language only the adventurous types who took German in high school understand. Oh, and I guess Germans understand this as well.

Of course I’m referring to Camping, the brainchild of Henning Fritzenwalder. Fritzenwalder worked on his music in a Washington D.C. studio with the help of members of the experimental band, Chessie. The result, Suburban Shore, is an album full of cool, Brazilian, bossa nova beats. The language barrier does not take away from this album, as bossa nova, to me, is more about the feeling the music invokes in the listener and not about the words coming from the singer’s mouth. Careful plucking of the guitar and gentle tapping of the drums are prevalent throughout the album. “Photograph” and “Snowstorm” are beautiful and breezy, while “Agitated” brings some emotion (agitation, perhaps?) out of Fritzenwalder.

Whether you’re a fan of the pure bossa nova sound that comes from Joao Gilberto, or you get your (teenage) kicks listening to some Nouvelle Vague, you’re going to find something about Camping that you like.

Download 1 - Sorry, download server is down. Check back later.

Steak Sauce #16 - Helvetia
By Marshall Kuresman

Straight out of the Pacific Northwest and the underrated Static Cult label, Helvetia have come to entertain us while we lay in, perhaps, a drug-induced haze.

Their album, The Clever North Wind, is chock full of lo-fi goodness with songs that will leave your ears in outer space while your body lays comfortably on that bean bag chair of yours. The band boasts a unique talent in being able to paint dreamy landscapes with their psychedelic rock without sacrificing any noise or intensity. “Hellawaitsya,” “Dusty Rue,” “A Wild One,” and “A Great Division” are just some of the great tracks that stand out on a very solid album.

Though Helvetia still remains fairly unknown to the music community, they are currently touring with Built to Spill and gaining more and more fans with each show they play. If the world is a fair place, this band will get the attention it deserves in the very near future.

Download 1 - Dusty Rue

Download 2 - A Wild One

Steak Sauce #15 - The Whitest Boy Alive
By Marshall Kuresman

I am a proud member of the “Erlend Oye Can Do No Wrong” Club. He showed us he could chill out with his band, Kings of Convenience. He proved he has good taste in electronic music with his DJ Kicks album. And lets not forget that amazing cameo he made on Royksopp’s song, “Remind Me.” His latest project, The Whitest Boy Alive, is a subtle trip back in time to the 80s-I think.

Using “real instruments,” The Whitest Boy Alive still manage to bring an electro sound to the catchy, minimal, bass-infused pop songs. Though the band is definitely more up-tempo than Kings of Convenience, it still features Oye’s soothing vocals so don’t expect to be bouncing off the walls while listening. This is, however, some great head-nodding music.

The new album, Dreams, will be available as an import starting this week. The band will be playing a few select shows around Europe this summer, hopefully gaining enough steam to be able to stop by our small piece of land in the near future.

Download - Promise Less or do More