Volcano Choir - Still
Karen O and the Kids - Cliffs
Zero 7 - Ghost sYMbOL
Burial - Fostercare
Venetian Snares - Poor Kakarookee
Lunar Testing Lab - Topaze Bay
Mount Kimbie - Serged
Take - Hollywoodn't
Grizzly Bear + Atlas Sound + Sung Tongs + every other indie band who digs indie music - Pitchfork hype = this dude. creating pop tracks with light layers and acoustic instrumentation in the comfort of his bedroom with only a mic and Garageband, Colin Caulfield is bound to get noticed by the major blogs at some point and heralded as the newest offspring of the naughties' indie explosion. it is rapidly becoming a new decade - where will music go? largely in this direction...that of bedroom pop, independent homegrown (vs road-tested) musicians who get younger and younger and noticed quicker and quicker with the advent of the internet and DIY labels' presence on the web, in conjunction with the coup d'etat of music journalism enacted by music blogs as large as GvsB and as little as this one. radio and magazines have fallen victim, and bedroom music has turned the world of music into a bottomless pit of discovery and self-exhibition that borders on voyeurism. Colin Caulfield is clearly a product of his influences, the elbo.ws and hypem indie cogs, and the wonderful ease of self-promotion in the modern world; and yes, if you scour the usual suspects thoroughly, you could find two more Caulfields for every blog that likes reverb-soaked vocals and instrumentation; but that doesn't matter - at this point in time, I discovered his music, I dig his music, and I hope you enjoy it as well. besides, I'm sick of all the stale lo-fi tape garage jams that have been suffocated blogs these days and this dude's got soul. unadultered, honest, youthful and eager.
as Caulfield is a product of bedroom pop, Tonnatill is a flag-bearer of bedroom beats. Dilla inspired, Stones Throw infused, his productions are choppy, static, and head-bopping infectious - true headphone jams. if only it was easier to make a living as a musician, the world would be a more sonic place. stop paying $60 to see a popstar live...sure, it'll be a spectactle on par with the best Vegas has to offer, and sure, you might catch a glimpse of Bono's bulge or Madonna's arm fat, but those guys don't need your money. besides, most of it goes to the suits anyways. guys like Colin and Tonnatill, they're kids who sell you records in stores, deliver pizzas, make your coffee and answer your phonecalls, but their sounds are more transcendent, far more heartfelt and a lot less manufactured. they can't keep it up forever, so help save music like you would a beached whale or a large clump of wet trees in the amazon. the industry is dying, already three feet deep, and the old ways are quickly fading. support the individual if you respect the indivdual's product. hell, Radiohead are big enough to wipe with $20's for the rest of their lives, but if you buy something from their own website, the money goes to their pockets, where the same pair of hands who crafted the music hold your dollar bills (so, btw, don't buy anything pre-In Rainbows; all that cash goes to EMI and the radioheads aren't too fond of them. download the records and see them live instead). my point is this: people like tonnatill and caulfield are making music at their own expense, with little to no reward at the moment. things coudl change for them in the future - i hope they do - but that can only happen when music lovers unite and help the little man. so if you dig this stuff, go out and let them know. buy what they're selling, send them an email, write on their myspaces or whatever...response keeps people going, apathy kills hte beats. unless you want a world of Madonna's and Bono's. if that happens, I'm pulling a Beethoven and keeping my ear to the ground.
I'm going to be releasing an EP in support of that album I dropped a few months back, Friends. The EP is for the track 'Circus Love,' and features work from close friends of mine who also make music. I've got an unreleased b-side attached to the project as well, and everyone who purchased a copy of Friends will get a bonus track. The EP can be picked up for free in the coming weeks, I'm just waiting for the finalized artwork. After this release, I'm going to keep all things TGRS quiet for awhile, uploading a few things here and there to my soundcloud, but otherwise building up a body of work that I'll be shopping to labels once I graduate, playing more shows, and spending some time with a few collaborations I've got started up.
Here's a collection of tracks I've been playing a lot this summer, and I think you guys may like them too. Some of them stem from unknown, just-starting-out bands, so PLEASE, if you like 'em, look 'em up, support, go seem them live, pick up an album, do something to help the music-makers out - not the music industry. 
Gonja Sufi - Ancestors (produced by Flying Lotus)
Jaylib - Follow Me
Eminem - I'm Having A Relapse (freestyle)
J-88 - The Look of Love (Two Fingers Remix)
Starkey - BounceYour Friends, Conquering Animal Sound from James Scott on Vimeo.
i've suffered too many fevers, too many cold sweats, too many rough dreams
