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Bonnaroo

Bonnaroo, the four day music and arts festival, begins today in Manchester, Tennessee.

This is the tenth year and the lineup is stellar.

In celebration of Bonnaroo, RCRDLBL has released from their archives a free download of 24 bands performing this year including Arcade Fire, Florence and the Machine, Sleigh Bells, Best Coast, Iron & Wine, and the Black Angels among others.

Featured here is Twin Shadow, the nom de plume of George Lewis, Jr., who developed his chops in Boston before reinventing himself in Brooklyn.

“I Can’t Wait” is from his debut album Forget.

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The Morning Benders

The Morning Benders, the Brooklyn-based band via Berkeley, CA have put together the Japan Echo EP to benefit the Japan Society’s Earthquake Relief Fund.

As Chris Chu (lead singer and guitarist) notes on the band’s website:

Last week we were scheduled to go to Tokyo to play our first show ever in Japan. It was going to be a very special trip for us, and for me in particular. I had always dreamt of going back to Japan to play music. Not many people know this, but I was actually born in Japan, and although I only lived there for a couple years, I’ve always had a deep love for the country and its people. I cannot express how sad and helpless I’ve felt reading about everything that is happening there right now, and even though we couldn’t be there, we wanted to do everything we could to help. We love you Japan.
xo,
Chris

The EP is primarily a remix of their Big Echo album with a couple of other songs. It is only available from the band’s website with 100% of the proceeds donated directly to the Relief Fund.

Here is the song “Promises”, still available on the band’s website as a free download, and the Star Slinger remix.

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“Promises”

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“Promises” (Star Slinger Remix)

Splitting Up Christmas

“Splitting Up Christmas” is a paean to love from Kevin Devine, the Brooklyn singer/songwriter. Originally on the album Make the Clocks Move from 2003, this out-of-print record has been re-released this year.

The song itself is a free download and is our Christmas Song of the Day.

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“Splitting Up Christmas” by Kevin Devine

Frankie Rose

As we have discussed here in the past, Brooklyn has become the new Seattle, the new Athens, the new Orange County, the new Montreal—an area of the world where musicians are releasing music of import. Although dissimilar in sound and style, there are simply too many bands from Brooklyn influencing the current state of alternative music not to acknowledge this geographical incubator.

Frankie Rose is Brooklyn-based and a former member of both Vivian Girls and Crystal Stilts. Her current band is Frankie Rose & the Outs and has recently released an album under the same title. Last year Frankie released the song “Thee Only One” as a solo project. This wonderful rave-up is a free download is the Song of the Day.

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“Thee Only One” by Frankie Rose & the Outs

Care Bears on Fire

Reminiscent of The Runaways but younger, Care Bears on Fire formed in 2005 when they were in the 5th grade! Connected to teen and pre-teen kid-core scene, these are not the adolescents of High School Musical. This trio out of Brooklyn (Sophie, vocals/guitar 15, Izzy-drums, 15 and Jena-bass, 16),has released two previous albums and their second EP, Girls Like It Loud, came out this week. A refreshing change from the sugar-coated Disney fodder, “What I Could Be” is the Song of the Day.

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“What I Could Be” by Care Bears On Fire

Matt & Kim

From Seattle to Athens, Orange County to Montreal, certain areas of North America morph into hotbeds of new exciting music. Currently it now appears to emanate from Brooklyn, NY. MGMT, The National, The Drums, Grizzly Bear and Dirty Projectors, only to name a few, all base themselves in this NYC borough. Matt & Kim, the duo of Matt Johnson (vocals, keyboards) and Kim Schifino (drums, vocals) are yet another Brooklyn-based band, perhaps best known for their award-winning video “Lessons Learned”. Their third album, Sidewalks, is coming out in November. “Cameras” is the first release from that album and is the Song of the Day.

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“Cameras” by Matt & Kim

The Drums

A charming summer song incongruously from this Brooklyn band. It’s doubtful that The Drums do much surfing, but this song is perfect for this time of year (and with a whistle no less!). From their self-titled debut album, “Let’s Go Surfing” is the Song of the Day.

(And if you want to see the band running down the beach to their song, click on the YouTube button in the upper right.)

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“Let’s Go Surfing” by The Drums

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