azeda booth: in flesh tones.

dl: AZEDA BOOTH - Big Fists (Z - YSI)

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It's easy to forget about the sad, slow songs when it's summertime. I feel like my ears and body instinctually crave upbeat jams that correlate with the sunny weather, barbecues, and beach-time. Even if it's a cloudy day, I'm grill-less, or I get to the beach so little that I still look Casper the Friendly Ghost's first-cousin...there's some sort of innate tendency to stray away from what I like to call "indoor songs"---the slower, sadder, occasionally experimental tunes I listen to while curled up under a blanket on my couch, reading or drinking a hot cup of tea.

This explains why it's taken me so long to write about Azeda Booth's debut album In Flesh Tones, which was released on Absolutely Kosher back in late July. It's not the type of music to fit in my playlist between BMX and Passion Pit, yet it's one of the best albums that came out this summer. It just, well, shouldn't have come out this summer. The album's opening track "Ran" has managed to get a good amount of hype since the release. But if that's the only song on your iTunes, you're seriously screwing yourself. The musical arrangements paired with Jordon Hossack's scary-ass "I can't believe it's not (but) her" falsetto throw you into a forest of emotional ambiguity. I can hardly understand a word he's saying, I'm not really sure if it's all necessarily sad, and it all makes me want to bust out into some modern dance moves that incorporate a dash of delicious movement.*

This isn't an album made for shoving hot dogs and potato salad into your face, so don't let your summertime musical instincts get in the way when sampling this track. Even if you have to wait until December to grab a copy of In Flesh Tones, you won't regret the purchase.

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- BUY IT - SITE IT - SPACE IT - HYPE IT -

* I love that Eiko Otake's wikipedia entry includes this sequence of sentences: "She is teaching classes in both the dance and east asian studies departments in addition to intermittently organizing delicious movement workshops. They love to dance!" More importantly, I love Eiko Otake.

azeda booth: radiohead remix.

dl: RADIOHEAD - Nude (Azeda Booth remix) (YSI)

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I'm glad I'm not the only one who doesn't like that Holy Fuck remix. After my last post, an internet acquaintance commented back, "The Holy Fuck remix sucks the holy out of my fuck." AMEN to that!

If you're wary of how far behind Dgenetics is from grabbing the crown, let me call your attention to another ITMS!! fave that's in the running-- Azeda Booth. As I write this post, they are just shy of the top ten, and they're only 5923 votes away from taking Holy Fuck holy-fucking down!

In I-promise-this-is-the-last-Radiohead-remix-I-post news, Azeda Booth has just finished recording their first full-length album. It will be released this spring on Absolutely Kosher Records, and it's almost guaranteed to be better than any remix of "Nude" that you've ever heard.

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azeda booth: mysterious body.

AZEDA BOOTH is a Canadian experimental-pop sextet. Mysterious Body is an EP recorded two years ago by only two of its members.

So, uh, why is it being released now? "...The recording is a glimpse into the beginnings of Azeda Booth and a taste of things to come," says the band. Apparently the new material is a bit different, but I respect that they want us to know where they're coming from. Especially when where they're coming from is so good(!).

Mysterious Body is quickly being recognized for two songs featuring male vocalist Jordon Hossack's incredible falsetto-- "Landscape (With Grass)" and "Dead Girls". The songs are considered opposites, but I'm not sure if I agree. Perhaps it is the three mellow instrumental tracks that enclose them...but for me, each of these songs has the feeling of a lullaby. "Landscape (With Grass)" is your mother singing you to sleep, while "Dead Girls" is your tone-deaf babysitter. Neither of the songs have the lyrical content of lullabies (as mothers aren't often singing that "your children hate you"), but don't act like "Rock-a-bye Baby" isn't a little fucked up. Just sayin'.

Azeda Booth also is skillful in creating good short songs. Four out of the five songs on this EP clock under three minutes, and you know how I feel about short songs. If you don't know...well, I like them. Speaking of short songs, be sure to take a listen to "Puddle Duck" on their space. Absolutely beauty-licious.

d/l: AZEDA BOOTH- Landscape (With Grass) (YSI)
d/l: AZEDA BOOTH- Dead Girls (YSI)
(experimental pop)
- site it - space it - hype it -

BLOGWATCH: I Wanna Fuck Dirty Harry, Get Weird Turn Pro, and Indie Selections for Your Erections all have weird names and new tracks off of Bjork's upcoming album Volta. Speaking of Bjork, i was there has a Spank Rock remix of "Earth Intruders". Culture Bully brings us an mp3 of Amy Winehouse's performance of "Rehab" on The Tonight Show. The wirewool offers an interesting take on Diddy's "Last Night", which may make you feel less guilty for liking it so much. MASALA shows love to a radio rip of a new M.I.A. tune "Boyz".