Clive Tanaka, rumored hikikomori, has been using his isolation to write romantic, laid back, quasi tropical chill wave, and the world’s a better place for it.

Millionyoung :: Calrissian

Millionyoung has been writing some shimmering electro pop all year long, and he’s damn good at it. This new song however, sounds like an artist whose maturing quite quickly. The robust instrumentation (sleigh bells), and rich reverb both work fill up all of the song’s empty spaces. As a result, the whole song has a wieghty atmosphere - pushing down, forging together those distorted vocals, that guitar driven melody, and even the occasional twinkling synth into one unique gem. This song is the first we’ve heard from his upcoming Atmospheric Beast, already shaping up to be one of the most anticipated records of 2011. If this is Calrissian’s jam, I imagine he would prefer to play it only at night, when the stars above his cloud city are absolutely burning. Check out Millionyoung’s website and be sure to pick up a copy of his brilliant early 2010 work.

Millionyoung :: Calrissian

Millionyoung :: Day We Met

Millionyoung :: Mien

Millionyoung :: Sunndreamm

Dream pop O.G.(disregard their rating system its widely recognized as mostly bs.)

Absolutely amazing new Panda Bear material is startling to hit the net, he’s taking his sound in so many different directions it’s ridiculous. The melody of this one is very hard to deny. Scheduled to be 1/2 of his new You Can Count On Me 7”, check out a-side track here. 

neonwaves:

Alsatian Darn Panda Bear (You Can Count On Me [Single - Vinyl Rip], 2010)

This song hasn’t been performed by Panda live, as far as I know, and it is absolutely beautiful. I have always been a huge fan of the lead single, You Can Count On Me, but this song may be my favorite of the two released on this record. The melodies in Alsatian Darn are devastating. I cannot wait to hear this in top quality, it’s going to be a killer.

Bankrobber :: Watch The Yellow

Bankrobber embodies everything that’s great about modern folk music. They have a hugely diverse range of sounds and can do the raspy jangle of The Tallest Man On Earth just as easily as they do the neo-hippie sound of Devendra. That being said, it is obvious that this band takes no cues from anywhere other than their own brilliant creative vision. A new voice for a new decade. On their criminally under appreciated album Midjuly, their sound is lush, rich and evocative when it needs to be without losing the ability to be sparse, delicate and contemplative at times as well. As a band they have a real sense of progression, fearlessly adhering to their own experimental style. This is a band that embraces the changes independent pop music has seen in the last decade and willfully looks towards the future with their own sound, a quality quite rare for any artist, let alone folk artists these days. For being a true independent, it’s amazing to me just the sheer amount of peculiar sounds and abstract atmospheres layered into the production on this album. Every song is a totally unique sentiment; unlike anything I’ve ever heard, and yet as a whole the album works masterfully. One thing is for sure, this album was not easy to make, something this powerful and original is only the product of many laborious hours. In that sense, it’s a shame that this album is being released for free (though what a testament to the character of these individuals), hard work like this deserves compensation. Regardless, I give this album my highest recommendation, and urge people to take advantage of the artist’s generosity and download this free masterpiece right now.

Bankrobber :: The End

Bankrobber :: Tripe

(via)

Easygoing sample laden indie pop with a super sax hook that will bounce around your head all day.

TV Girl :: If You Want It( You Got It)

That’s not all though, check out the slightly more straightforward sound and chugging rock rhythm of “On Land”. TV Girl, another great band from San Diego, definitely have a bright future ahead of them.

TV Girl :: On Land

Aux Arc :: Highnoon

On Highnoon, Aux Arc combine seemingly incompatible elements into something great. A jangly tambourine, chopped up big band samples, a rambling riff conversation between guitars, a ghost croon lamenting “Your love is not for real”, and even some harmonica for good measure. The result is a song that is influenced as much by 50’s doo wop harmonies as it is by the pulsing psychadellic sample heavy music of the 00’s. At any rate this song is absurdly infectious, and an absolute pleasure to listen to, even if it is a little schizophrenic.

Aux Arc :: Highnoon

Also check out an earlier tune called Jumps. If you still need more after that then your in luck, the members of Aux Arc are as prolific as they are idiosyncratic. These guys are the same guys from other noteworthy acts Hula Hoop, Baby Jazz, and Sunglasses, though those bands definitely have their own soundz.

Aux Arc :: Jumps

California’s going through a lot right now, and I wanna express my support for the state. Stay golden, gold coast. No matter how smoggy things might seem looking out from an LA overpass, there’s always San Diego, and according to locals Dirty Gold, the sunrises there are still worth mentioning. 

Dirty Gold :: California Sunrise

Dirty Gold :: Overboard

Call it what you will, modern anxiety, post adolescence confusion, or just pressure. Regardless Kevin Greenspon has felt those feelings and recorded them on tape. Carpool Pepsi is a dark yet hopeful (“We don’t have to pop pills just to feel something” he sings) blur of a song. It rips past, emulating the frantic pace of everyday life while simultaneously evoking the sick sense of being surrounded by concrete. This tune and others are available now in both cassette and CD form on a split release with guitar pop prodigy Cloud Nothings.

Kevin Greenspon :: Carpool Pepsi

Cloud Nothings :: I Apologize