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Music From Tame Impala, Destroyer, Kurt Vile, Beirut, B-Lines And More

Welcome to Endless Volume, a Nic Bragg column that details all the good tunes he currently has on heavy rotation, plus one local show on the immediate or near horizon that shouldn’t be missed. Scroll, press play, enjoy!

ON HEAVY ROTATION

KURT VILE | Pretty Pimpin’

When word got out that Kurt had headed to California to make his next record, people started fervently hypothesizing how the change of place would influence his already laid back and bluesy psych vibe. Grounded in the desert outside LA, Kurt teamed up with producer Rob Scnapf – the guy responsible for Beck’s Mellow Gold and Elliott Smith’s Either/Or – and started creating a lusher, more fully-flushed out album that supported Vile’s dreamier lines. Pretty Pimpin’ is the first full single from the new LP coming September 25th. Sun-kissed Los Angeles plays a major role in Vile’s driving track. Dig.

DESTROYER | Girl In A Sling

Heavy bias here. Vancouver has always played a role in the world of Destroyer songs. Here’s the first video in support of Bejar’s latest Poison Season release. Locals will certainly recognize the abandoned homes along Cambie St. here. Vancouver director David Galloway casts Dan as a serenader to a city in ruin.

DUNGEN | Franks Kaktus

Swedish freak rockers Dungen are back with their first new material since 2010’s super jammy Skit I Allt. The flute takes most of the melodic leads on this teasing new track which pairs nicely with found footage from a certain era of damaged 70’s talk show rock. Dungen are now signed to Brooklyn’s Mexican Summer label – so expect them to jet over to North America to support their fried new release.

BEIRUT | Gibraltar

Zach Condon is not afraid to mix things up and incorporate loads of new instrumentation to his Beirut vibes. Here, the congas are a new feature in his tropical mix and the lead-off single from his new release No No No – due September 11th. Slow tracking shots across an appropriately Wes Anderson-esque beach shore are a nice visual accompaniment to this upbeat summer jam.

TAME IMPALA | Let It Happen

Depending on where you are at Tame Impala’s brand new epic psyche-pop jam, ‘Let It Happen’ represents everything that is right or wrong with the current indie scene. Taken from their impending new release Currents, the song has a catchy enough vibe and all the dialled in elements to make it a summer splash on the festival circuit. But on the dark side, gone is the organic, free freakout vibe and careless abandon guitar noise of Lonerism. They are on a major now, so 2015/16 should be an interesting year for them.

B-LINES | Normal Again

Vancouver’s B-Lines are set to play their last ever show on September 11th at the Hindenburg. For the last 10 years they have been one of the most exciting live bands to grace our local stages – often opening for larger bands that sucked. Hopefully we have not seen the last of Ryan Dyck and company.

KAREN O | Singalong

Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ Karen O has always been active outside of her main rock persona, scoring films, directing videos, and curating art galleries. Here, we get a glimpse of her lo-fi recordings and an idea of what her solo acoustic records might sound like. The video is directed by fellow New Yorker Alsi Baykal and features some nice random images of everyday people enjoying the Big Apple.

ANGEL OLSEN | Iota

Here’s a new recording of Missouri native Angel Olsen performing a track from her acclaimed 2015 release, Burn Your Fire… . This is a live session for the British site ‘Best of Line Fit’ and it starkly showcases her in a bare bones guitar and voice arrangement.

THE GIG

CHAD VANGAALEN at the Imperial September 19th

Calgary native Chad Vangaalen is making as much a name for himself for his trippy animated visuals as he is for his Neil Young inspired guitar freakouts. Seeing Chad live is a special experience; it’s all about taking chances and experimenting with the arrangements of his songs instead of just faithfully recreating the recorded versions. Blessed with a spooky falsetto voice and a knack for writing ultra catchy pop hooks that are instantly (strangely) alluring, Chad is one of the mainstays of the Calgary Flemish Eye roster that sprouted Women and Viet Cong. The Imperial is a perfect-sized room for this double bill which also features fellow Canadian folk rock icon Hayden on the bill.