If you visit the site a ton you might see me post a good amount on Mux Mool because he donates his sweet production to us here at ISO50 and has done some amazing covers, remixes, given away a FREE EP, and even an edit of Carl Sagan. Today his first LP drops called Skulltaste:

“Skulltaste is an old-fashioned epic, and its diversity—both track-to-track and within the songs themselves—is hard to measure. Lindgren’s taste roams all over the map, but it’s this attention-deficient approach that makes Skulltaste such a smorgasbord of an album, tempting the listener with one tidbit after another. Opener “The Ballad of Gloria Featherbottom” hits a quintessential balance between giddily spiraling samples cooled by monstrous slabs of ice-water synth; later, “Get Better John” has a teary-eyed uplift, conjuring a mood somewhere between ‘90s R&B and the Chrono Trigger soundtrack; and the entertainingly titled “SFW Porn” pairs a boom-clap beat to clear-blue keys and a lazily scribbled guitar line. On Skulltaste, Mux Mool tirelessly doles out 20 tracks in 80 minutes, with not a moment of filler. ”

THE GIVEAWAY PART: Since the CD version isn’t going to hit the stores until next week and I have a few copies here we’d like to giveaway the Skulltaste CD(I know CD’s right? so old fashioned) to 3 people on the blog. All you have to do is post 3 songs in the comment section that you like from the Skulltaste LP and we’ll randomly pick the winners, here’s a link to the LP, i’ll announce the winners in Wednesday’s music post, good luck.

Mux Mool – “Skulltaste” CD Winners:
Chad, Erika, Spencer (I have emailed you guys)
Thanks to everyone that played! i’ll line up another free giveaway very soon, hopefully its something we will do frequently on ISO50.

A new Casino Versus Japan was recently released on Freescha’s Attacknine label, I looped this interlude about 15 times the other night, it made falling asleep easier than ever, such a rich sound.

One of the most underrated Warp artists has to be Gravenhurst, She Dances veers off into more of a darker tone that’s less folk which I know them for and its more like early Broadcast with a hint of Pavement like guitars.

Time for crowd friendly indie, a youthful pick me up and Sister Crayon is the band behind it.

I’ve only heard 2 songs by Keepaway, both have been impressive and so was their live show, again there is the Animal Collective comparisons in the sound but they wear them proudly i’m sure. I do really enjoy the way these guys sing “and I got 5 rings” i’ve been saying it over and over all weekend long.

Support Structures by Céline Condorelli “exposes an almost complete absence of literature or theory on what constitutes ‘support’,”. Sounds like an interesting concept, but honestly I would buy based on looks alone.

Via BLDG | More Info via Steinberg Press

The little penguin made his iPhone debut last week with the release of the Plancast iPhone app. Everyone is at SXSW right now spreading the word and drumming up support. I designed some emergency t-shirts and business cards for the excursion and I’m excited to hear how it all went. Should have some pictures of that material this week — I’ve yet to see them in person due to the time/production constraints. Plancast also had a big article in the New York Times a few days ago which was exciting to see. If you look closely, you can see a wee version of the logo in the screenshot. Too bad the penguin didn’t hit the front page!

When I wrote about this project last week, I forgot to mention how different the post-production time has been compared to my normal project routine. For just about every one of my process posts I’ve written here, the work has always been completed in school for an assignment. Once the project is complete, it’s over as far as just about everyone is concerned. It’s been exciting to see this one continue to evolve in the real world — like winding one of those wind-up toys and setting it on the table.

2 of the most talented unsigned bands right now I know are ARMS and Perfume Genius, both cover their respective sounds in very graceful ways. ARMS has plenty of excitement coming from each track that will hopefully kick off a few outdoor parties with friends this summer, preferably at a summer cabin by the lake. Todd puts the right amount of drive behind Emily Sue Pt. 2, it excites me the same way as when I first heard Broken Social Scene. If you like it then you should definitely download it here for FREE, the band is giving away their EP today as a nice prep for SXSW.

Perfume Genius touches on a Red House Painters sadness, really tells a story nicely though. You see songs like this don’t make it to the radio and I don’t get why, so much more there to enjoy that has character over someone else writing a song like this thats in a professional studio with the best equipment ever surrounding them.

The Sight Below makes beauty and misery work on a pristine level, he makes a grey day rich and a loner feel powerful I bet. If you’re a high end dark art boutique and don’t have this playing in the store then you might as well be selling rainbows and playing Lady Gaga club mixes.

When I saw Noveller play last month I was very impressed not only by her sound but how she creates it on stage, she has more pedals than some girls have shoes and gently loops her sound while playing her 2 guitars with bows, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED SEEING LIVE.

This is Chicago-based ham radio operator George Ulm’s radio collection. This is just mind blowing; so many beautiful old machines in there. I would have preferred a room full of synthesizers, but this has it’s own thing going on. This is all housed inside a pretty nondescript house in Ulm’s backyard.

More photos and info at QRZ.com

Warp Records new signing Gonjasufi has a noticeable mindset that is screw whats trending i’m going to make something special that is my sound. With the soul filled song Duet he does wonderful additions/effects that sets him apart from just a one genre track. I personally love the effected guitar and the vocal echo, it really makes me want the song not to end.

New single from Neon Indian, I saw him this weekend perform live, he’s a rock star already, the whole package to entertain live and if he makes more music like this then he’ll definitely outlast the sound he leads. In Sleep Paralysist I hear abit of Human League and spot on synth melodies being layered, definitely a nice teaser for anything new he’s brewing up.

I found The Advisory Circle by just scrolling thru eMusic, its nothing new but nothing that’s broken either. Sometimes its nice to hear calming synth solos for a couple minutes, perfect for a quick daydream in the middle of the work day.

Jon Hopkins’ Light Through The Veins is the lighter side of even what M83 makes on his happiest days in the studio, it certainly has a cinematic sound especially the way the song ends. I’m just more of a fan of the build and layering I guess but the song gets a bit too long.

These are some original mock-ups of Cuban posters; painted on boards and then sent to the printers to have the shapes cut out and separated into colors for silk screening. It’s amazing to see how much the printing industry has changed. It seems that back then the printer had a more of a role in the composition itself, defining the edges and choosing the colors. I can’t imagine dropping off a painting at a modern print shop and expecting them to deliver a silkscreened masterpiece based on it.

Via Cuban Posters

One of the best tracklistings and mixes i’ve seen and heard in a while is this one from St. Louis’ Phaseone that Pitchfork posted yesterday, download it here. Check the tracklist out to see if your interested, i’m sure many of you will be very pleased:

TRACKLIST
Slowdive – Miranda
Curren$y – I’m just dope
Aphex Twin – Fingerbib
Nite Jewel – Want you back (phaseone remix)
Lukid – Hair of the dog
Talking Heads – Listening wind
Tricky – Bad dream
Polanski – punked out
J Dilla – Oxtopus boom boom
Falty DL – Made me feel so right
James Pants – Shower party
Fleetwood Mac – Isn’t it midnight
Teebs – Humming birds
Actress vs. Zomby – Aazz2
Phaseone – Sandra

* Note that the photo above is unrelated.

I was hired about three months ago to design a logo and consult on the brand identity for Plancast, a local San Francisco start-up founded by Mark Hendrickson and Jay Marcyes. As you can probably guess from the name, Plancast a way to broadcast your upcoming plans to your friends; or as it’s often described, Foursquare for the future. The site is exceptionally easy and helpful, and I encourage you to check it out.

By the time I joined on Plancast was up and running, but they were without a logo or distinctive visuals. I began work in December and we agreed on the finished logo a few weeks ago. The project was easily the hardest I have ever completed — as well as the most fulfilling. I almost destroyed myself developing this logo and I am really excited to share the process with you here.

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