Battlemode - "SW33TTOOTH"

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As someone who's seen Battlemode a few times in the past year, "SW33TTOOTH" has been a highlight of every one of their live shows. Now, the Boston based chiptune band has officially released it as a single, their first on Lonely Ghost Records. It's a beautiful dance song, which doesn't sound possible considering Battlemode's music is Gameboy based, but they pull it off surprisingly well. It's a fun song demanding that you dance to it. It's quite a feat since it's a sentimental song "dedicate to the lost fathers of Battlemode." I can't think of any artist that can make a beautiful and touching song dedicated to their late fathers that's also full of this much joy and fun. Plus, "SW33TTOOTH" rocks harder than any previous Battlemode single.

You can listen to "SW33TTOOTH" below. The single is out now on Lonely Ghost Records. For more on Battemode, check out the band's website. If you're looking for something to do on New Year's Eve, they'll be playing The Jungle Community Music Club in Somerville with DJ Mestr, Linnea's Garden, and Truckers Atlas. Also, keep March 5-8 clear on your calendar for the second Boston Bitdown, the chiptune festival they're curating.

On Repeat...

Minibeast - "High Sea"

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Somehow Peter Prescott of Mission of Burma and Volcano Suns has another band that I never knew about. Minibeast already released an album that I completely missed back in 2012, and they are currently at work on the follow up, Free Will. Based on a track from the upcoming album, "High Sea," Minibeast shares some common sonic ground with Mission of Burma, but with an added emphasis on the groovy side of things. It's basically the noise and dissonance of Burma but heard through a 60s surf groove, as if Frankie and Annette were punks. You can listen to "High Sea" below. Minibeast currently have a Kickstarter to help fund the final production of Free Will. You can get more information on that here . It should be out sometime in June.
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Monday Mix: Newport Folk Festival 2014 Must See Bands

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With this weekend's upcoming Newport Folk Festival, we thought we'd highlight some of this year's can't miss acts. We're focusing on the bands playing smaller stages and earlier in the day. I mean, you're obviously going to see Ryan Adams and Jack White. Instead, these are the acts worth getting there early for, and seeking out the smaller stages. Phox Friday, 1:50, Quad Stage Phox hails from Baraboo, WI, the winter home of the Ringling Brothers' Circus. I'm not sure if that is connected to their music or not, but Phox has an otherworldly charm and a magical feel. They come across as a more grounded St. Vincent or a less intense version of early Tori Amos. Their music is simply beautiful and uplifting.  Reignwolf Friday, 2:55, Quad Stage Truly pushing the boundaries of what can be considered "folk" are Reignwolf. Reignwolf is Jordan Cook, who sounds like a mixture of The Black Keys and Queens of the Stone Age, mixed with just a lit...
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There's a new Limp Bizkit video, because sure, why not?

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Earlier this week I was expressing sympathy for Limp Bizkit. Limp Bizkit just don't seem to be riding that surge of 90s nostalgia that all sorts of other terrible bands from that era are. Sure, they're terrible. But are they really  that much worse than Filter, Alien Ant Farm, and other bands on those 90s nostalgia packages. And then this video is released. The first lyrics to the song are literally "Go fuck yourself." It then features Fred Durst sitting on a toilet, bikini clad chicks pretending to fellate garden hoses and leaf blowers, and Fred Durst talking about fucking bitches, all while wearing a hoodie and a backwards red baseball hat. Then Lil Wayne comes out. Please keep in mind Fred Durst is a 42 year old man.
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