philadelphia native mirah cant help but share a sweet sincerity in her vocal tones that then surprises and pushes the boundaries of being assertive within respect of staying far away from being too pretty.

along with the help of longtime friend calvin johnson and collaborator phil elvrum of the microphones, dictated in mirah’s 2008 k records release the old days of feeling, unreleased, odd and obscure material from her past is presented that brilliantly connects to the very present. shared inside a well known use for hard crashes of loud instruments, her unadulterated resonating sounds intimately blend in and translate into a pure and emotional impact.

the sun [old days of feeling, 2008]
the garden [advisory committee, 2002]

nicomi nix turner

with a love for anatomy and known for her work as the senior illustrator for emily the strange, nicomi is proudly presenting her solo artwork debut “in vein” currently until august 30,2008 at gallery extraña, 2912 telegraph avenue in berkeley, california.

[the song all around by jel seems to fall deeply in line with the feeling from these paintings. from the 2006 album soft money, vocalist stephanie bohm of ms john soda shares her sensual words to the hypnotic beats of hip-hop producer jel.]

from northern california, artist claire chambers is the proud owner of absolutely small, featuring adorable hand-painted acrylic illustrations and plush toy designs of minature animals. kindly below please find a contribution made by claire for music is art, sharing how music truly influences her creativity.

Music is a huge part of my creative process. It’s really rare for me to not have any music on. I have it on always in the background and it helps keep those nagging inner critics quiet. I’m also really inspired by lyrics and especially misheard lyrics, some of those words have turned into paintings and plush toys. Upbeat music really does give me a bit of an energy boost, something I frequently need! It’s a companion while I create things, and occasionally a muse. My husband is very adept at twisting lyrics into cute turns of phrases that he knows I will like, and those often turn into my creations.

~*~

Absolutely Small Playlist

Que Sera Sera by Charlie Kosei. This song and the rest of the Katamari Damacy Soundtrack is upbeat, quirky, random. It’s also pretty much the soundtrack to my life.

Disconnect The Dots by Of Montreal. The surreal lyrics really help unwind my mind from logical thinking.

Girl Sailor by The Shins. Speaking of surreal lyrics… I love the little word pictures this band comes up with, very inspiring.

If We Can Land A Man on the Moon, Surely I Can Win Your Heart by Beulah is sort of romantic, the tune just resonates with me and gives me a boost.

Pretty Good Looking (For a Girl) by The White Stripes. Sometimes, one must ingest some grit in order to digest things. So I pull out a box of White Stripes. Also, musing on the Jack/Meg relationship makes me feel all gossipy and illicit, and therefore full of ideas.

Frankly, Mr. Shankly by The Smiths reminds me of how awful day jobs are… worse than any day of making art, for sure. So in other words, this song helps me to hang in there.

from portland, oregon, grouper creates delicate music perfect for late nights. sounding as if surrounded inside a crowd full of sullen angels, liz harris has released her third album dragging a dead deer up a hill on type records. cleared aside from past noise efforts, grouper lightly conveys in the beauty of gentle acoustics, electric piano and layered soft melodies that weave in and out, exposing hidden vulnerabilities within an intense bedroom-recorded atmosphere.

l i s t e n

heavy water/id rather be sleeping
invisible

say hi (to your mom) is the main project of mastermind eric elbogen. with over five albums created, say hi’s music has developed into its own stunning collection of warm electronics pulsating within a lyrical storybook of meaningful emotion. after leaving brooklyn and moving off to seattle, the band name lost its original last three words in order to follow along with the aesthetic and new found maturity towards the music’s progression. found deep inside the addicting 2008 release the wishes and the glitch, through the phrasing of soft words to lo-fi melodies from disheartening memories, say hi genuinely speaks to a lost but hopeful generation.

And I haven’t asked for much since I met her, some courage and maybe some heart. But Jupiter, please, will you raise your fists and mend all that keeps us apart? There’s the thing with her father, the thing with me broken, her new jealous ex and the press. And each of them not much worse than the other, but still pretty bad nonetheless.

Because there are spiders, under my skin when she’s not next to me.
And there are spiders, breeding armies.

Happily tethered to their funny spouses with drooling babies on the way, with bright colored sweaters that grow in the dark. Can’t you make us be more like them? There’s the thing with her girlfriends, the whole feeling nothing, the geography of it all. And each of them not much worse than the other, but still pretty bad all in all.

spiders [the wishes and the glitch, 2008]

artwork by will murai

presented by jinners.com and sponsored by after the jump

.featuring the music of.

the end of the world [brooklyn, ny]
show your age
diamond j and the rough [new haven, ct]
betty ford
joe & the flying spoons [brooklyn, ny]
giving the bird

hailing from san francisco, ca, thee more shallows create multi-layered musical intensity full of synthesized moments, flashes of post-rock, pulsating drum breaks, lush strings and narrative whispered vocals settling into loud cries, that share an experimental story without overdoing it. after struggling to find a more dedicated label, the trio signed to anticon records in 2007 releasing their third full-length studio album book of bad breaks, taking elements from their past work and logically progressing from everything they ever recorded.

l i s t e n

night at the knight school [book of bad breaks, 2007]
freshman thesis [more deep cuts, 2004]
2am [more deep cuts, 2004]

sweden’s labrador records recently shared their own free 30 track summer sampler of 2008 featuring a collection of scandanavian pop music from the generous label’s forthcoming releases.

highlights include club 8 remixed by the sound of arrows, new material from the radio dept. and suburban kids with biblical names, plus summertime classics from the acid house kings and [ingenting].

Suburban Kids With Biblical Names – Funeral Face
The Radio Dept. – Freddie and the Trojan Horse
Club 8 – Jesus, Walk with Me (The Sound of Arrows remix)
Acid House Kings – This Heart Is A Stone
[Ingenting] – Släpp In Solen

::download the zip::
be sure to hear the summer sampler of 2007.