Orange Alert Music Minute

Brooklyn experimental pop darlings Takka Takka have readied their sophomore full-length – the appropriately-titled Migration – for release on July 29th via NY indie Ernest Jenning. True to its title, the record is a leap in sound from the quintet’s modest debut, We Feel Safer At Night. Partially influenced by the spiritual awakening of lead singer Gabe Levine’s Balinese mother, the LP focuses on myth, prayer, and a sonic approach that incorporates a world of music. Everything from Gamelan to blissful tangles of Feelies-esque guitar lilt fit into the gorgeous Migration.

Takka Takka are play at Schubas here is Chicago on July 25th.

Listen to: Everybody Says (mp3)

The Black Ghosts, Simian's Simon Lord and The Wiseguys' Theo Keating, have joined forces yet again to create an incredible collection of scary pop sounds. Their sound is something straight for the 80's, grand and cheesy, thick bass and dreamy harmonies. However, it is the skulls and all of the dark imagery that get's me every time. They are releasing their self-titled debut album this Tuesday on one of my favorite labels, iamsound, and they have already built-up a lot of buzz.

Listen to: Repetition Liks Your (mp3)

If you are going to call yourself Pretty Good Dance Moves you would think you would have to play floor shaking dance music, but the state-line crossing, genre-bending PGDM aren't that concerned with seeing your moves. They are more concerned with layering hazing electronic and fully utilizing the vocal talents of Chicago's Genevieve Schatz (Company of Thieves). Her voice is electric on every track that I have from this group, and honestly one of the finest in pop music today. They are rereleasing their self-released self-titled debut ep on July 15th.

Prince Fatty is the brainchild of British producer and die-hard reggae fan Mike Pelanconi, whose repertoire ranges from the now classic Acid Jazz/Delicious Vinyl of the 1990s to working with established rock and pop icons like Graham Coxon, Sinead O’Conner, N’Dea Davenport and Pharcyde, reggae legends like Gregory Isaacs, Adrian Sherwood and Dub Syndicate, and, more recently, pop artists Lily Allen and Little Barrie.

The hippy, halcyon days of Jamaican music are finding new fans and a new twist on Prince Fatty’s debut, Survival of the Fattest, a collection of playful songs and instrumentals that roll and sway like the dub 45s of old.

Listen to: Gin & Juice (mp3)

Anonymous musician Podington Bear made his musical den on the internet in the beginning of 2007, announcing he intended to write, record and release three songs a week, via podcast and blog. 156 songs total. During this campaign Podington Bear was spotlighted several times on National Public Radio and Wired.com, profiled on numerous blogs, selected as a "Best New Podcast of 2007" by iTunes Music Store editors, and more recently over a dozen of his tracks could be heard sprinkled across the second season of This American Life on Showtime. On June 24th, a little later than first planned, he released song #156, entitled "Graduation". Also on that day, Portland label HUSH Records issued a 10 CD box set collecting these songs, as well as the tenth CD as a standalone, entitled simply The End.

It didn't take long for word to come back that Podington Bear's cover was blown, at least temporarily, to writers and fans who imported the CD into the ubiquitous iTunes application. The user-driven database Gracenote CDDB listed "Poddington Bear Aka Chad Crouch" in the composer field, flashing briefly for those who might take note. While correct on one count, it failed to be precisely right. Chad Crouch is Podington Bear. But the correct spelling of Podington requires only one D, not coincidentally like the popular portable music device.

After just releasing 10-CD box set, incredibly prolific Bear gives away two new albums for FREE to celebrate.

Listen to: Misifit Toys (mp3)