Posted on February 13, 2013 by papergarden

Paper Garden’s Lovely Hearts Club was ever-so-wonderfully mentioned in a feature on Choose My Music via The Guardian today! When asked the question, “What’s your favourite music blog aside from your own (and why)?”, Choose My Music’s very own Dom Paczko answered with this:

The Brooklyn-based record label Paper Garden Records has a great little music blog called Lovely Hearts Club – I have been lucky enough to get to know the guys behind the label/blog through my own adventures and they have a really good ear for brilliant and occasionally quirky music. Essentially I want to be them in every possible way.

Read the full interview from Choose My Music on The Guardian

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Posted on November 30, 2012 by papergarden



Now come with me if you will on a journey into the strange world of Biscuithead & the Biscuit Badgers. Their latest single ‘Dinosaurs‘ sees these cheeky chaps go prehistoric! If dinosaurs ruled the earth again then surely Biscuithead would support them on their first tour, so long as Tyrannosaurus rex gets the prawn sandwiches he likes. 

We all like a joke but seriously, this Leeds based quartet is known for their theatrical performances and tackling very serious issues such as cheese, facial hair and what they found under the sofa after last night’s dinner date. With two successful albums clamouring for your attention- Interspecies Disco (2010) & The Greatest Show On Toast (2011), Biscuithead & the Biscuit Badgers now need your help to make ‘Dinosaurs’ go bacterial by sharing its stop motion animation video, created by Kerrie McKinnon.

The single is now available for purchase on bandcamp and CD Baby; also there are several tangible merchandise oddities up for grabs on their site under the “tiers of fandom“. Hope you enjoy stepping into the strange world of Biscuithead & the Biscuit Badgers as much as we do!

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Posted on October 25, 2012 by papergarden

Watch Civil Twilight / Ra Ra Riot’s “River” Remix Video on YouTube

Though Civil Twilight has quite a bit to brag about, including having been on tour with MUTEMATH over the past couple months and recently exceeding the 100k Facebook fan mark, this may still be a first introduction for many of you.  Originally from Cape Town, South Africa, the band is now based in Nashville after having recorded in various locations between London, NYC and New Jersey.

Back in March, Civil Twilight released its sophomore album Holy Weather…a few months later, they put some of the tracks in the blender with a bit of Red Bull and glitter, and VUALA – a brand new Remix EP!  Released last week via Wind-up Records this danceable delight adds another dimension to an already other-worldly album (yep, we threw in an ‘Ancient Aliens’ reference).

This is no ordinary remix album, though…when we found out that long-time favorites Ra Ra Riot got a hold of Civil Twilight’s ‘River’, our ears perked up.  But when we watched the trippy visual pairing of the remix directed by Kyle Thrash with GIFs animation by Matthew DiVito’s (as recently spotlighted by the one and only Frank Ocean), our eyeballs popped right out of socket!

Head over to Paste Magazine for the video premiere and stream the entire Holy Weather: Remix EP, which also features the always lovely School Of Seven Bells. If you’ve enjoyed this glitchy-dance-party installment of Lovely Hearts Club then head over to Civil Twilight’s itunes and show them some love!

Listen to Civil Twilight’s “Fire Escape” remix from School of Seven Bells on Soundcloud

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Posted on October 9, 2012 by papergarden

We are proud to announce our Lovely Hearts Club CMJ Showcase of 2012! We’ll be bringing sounds from far away lands like Winnipeg, Mexico City & Dublin straight to the heart of Williamsburg at Spike Hill on October 19th starting at 1:00pm! What’s not to love about free live performances and prizes from Royal Canoe, I Can Chase Dragons!, Bouts, Conveyor and Eli Mardock!

1:00 ::: ROYAL CANOE

1:45 ::: I CAN CHASE DRAGONS!

2:30 ::: BOUTS

3:15 ::: CONVEYOR

4:00 ::: ELI MARDOCK

RSVP [contact-form 6 "Contact form 1_copy"]

RSVP on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/events/320935548005182/

Prepare your ears with this SoundCloud set featuring tracks from each LHC band: http://soundcloud.com/papergardenrecords/sets/lovely-hearts-club-cmj

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Posted on October 8, 2012 by papergarden

“The genre-defying Winnipeg 6-piece unleash the restraints on inspiration allowing their sound to traverse territory that more referentially self-concious pop groups wouldn’t cross…an expansive, communal electro-pop experience worth getting a grip on.” – CBC Radio

“Royal Canoe . . . have an expertise in energetic psychedelic pop…deconstructed, slithering, intriguing.” – Indie Shuffle

It amazes me just how little I know about our neighbors in Canada and what they do all day up there. Fortunately, there is Royal Canoe giving us a glimpse into the life of a 6-piece indie band as they constantly pump out inventive psychedelic pop from a dump of a rehearsal space in Winnipeg, Manitoba. These songs come fully loaded with catchy hooks, falsettos (with or without the pedal effects) and rhythms that make it near impossible to slap a genre or “sounds like” on the package.

Lovely Hearts Club first got hooked on Royal Canoe with catchy hits like “Bloodrush” & “Hold on to the Metal” off their debut EP Extended Play, released Feb 2012. After watching this creepy video of “Nightcrawlin’” we were left with some odd Yeasayer blood flowing through our veins and I’m willing to bet the other 30k youtube viewers did too. In September we were shocked by two new tracks with genes from Royal Canoe’s hip-hop side of the family, “Show Me Your Eyes” and “Summersweat”, off the EP Purple and Gold. So steam & download “Show Me Your Eyes” here and then give them a hi-5 at a show for giving you such amazing music!

There are plenty of chances to see them in all their live glory this October as they are hitting up several northeastern US states including NYC for our Lovely Hearts Club CMJ Showcase Oct. 19 at Spike Hill!  If you can’t wait that long, well you are in luck because they play Oct. 9th at the Knitting Factory in Brooklyn! Head here for full tour dates and keep up with the band on Facebook & Twitter so you don’t miss out on getting one of these colorful Purple & Gold 7″ records.

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Posted on September 27, 2012 by papergarden

This Dublin based guitar-shredding group of rockers, Bouts, landed in our inbox thanks to an old Paper Garden intern who is now our consultant on all the Irish goods. If you don’t think the Irish know how to have a good time just watch the video Bouts made of “Turn Away”, off their latest release, where they pile a group of their closest friends inside four small walls of a Japanese Karaoke booth, cover those walls with the song’s lyrics and pass around a bottle of Ireland’s finest drink and a microphone.  You probably guessed that this is one of their more sing-along songs so for a heavy dose of their guitar loudness, stream and get a free download of “We Tried” off their self titled EP Bouts, which was released Oct 2011 and is up for free on Bandcamp.

 

 By the end of 2012 the band will have played nearly 50 shows including numerous Irish festivals and in support of bands like We Were Promised Jetpacks, Wintersleep and Presidents of The USA. They somehow found time to put out a limited edition double A-side 7 inch “Get Sick”//”Turn Away” in March. It’s almost sold out but you can still order a copy here or, if you are one of the chosen ones who live in NYC, just grab one when you see the band perform during CMJ! That’s right, they were selected to play at the Music From Ireland Showcases October 18 at Fat Baby and October 20 at The Irish Arts Center and we are very excited to announce that they will be playing at our Lovely Hearts Club Showcase Friday, October 19 at Spike Hill!

 

So keep up with the band on Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr for additional NYC shows and updates on their sophmore album set to release in 2013. Already the band has created a sound that has been likened to Weezer, The Pixies, Pavement and Yo La Tengo so we are excited to see what they will come up with next!  

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Posted on August 2, 2012 by papergarden

If you hail from Argentina, Barcelona or London then you’ve probably heard of the world-traveling mastermind behind Cineplexx, Sebastián Litmanovich. For those of you still trying to pronounce that last name and have never heard of this band, well that is what the Lovely Hearts Club is here for! It is our pleasure to finally share with you the teaser video of ‘Cosas de la Vida Normal’ and intro track on Cinplexx’s upcoming album “Perfume” available October 2012. Sebastian has posted a series of self-made teaser videos on his youtube channel to promote the new album and prove what a brilliant artist he truly is.

 

In Teaser #1, these four palabras (that’s Spanish for “words”) – Rimto, Palomitas, Locura y Deporte, overlay footage from a house party set in the late 60′s sending hints of a psychedelic, disco infused album. If you’re worried that you won’t understand the music because it is in Spanish, fear not, because the universal language of good indie pop will conquer all and you will surely find yourself compelled to swing your hips and snap those fingers while streaming ‘Cosas de la Vida Normal’ in full here.

 

Cineplexx’s sound reaches far and wide not only geographically but in the genre of music that has influenced Sebastian’s writing since the inception of the band in 1998. Several albums (check out the full discography here) have been released over the past decade including “Nuevahola”, which is a compilation of new, old and unreleased songs giving us a taste of his best bits. We hope you find comfort in this familiar yet completely foreign musical encounter as it proves that there will always be refreshing new music to discover no matter how bored you are with the current music trends. Cineplexx plans to be back in the US soon with a full tour supporting the release of “Perfume” later this year. Stay tuned for more details and the release of official music videos from the upcoming album!

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Posted on May 8, 2012 by papergarden

Ever since October of 2011 we have been blasting I Can Chase Dragons! at high volumes in the PGR office. Our fascination started with the release of the single “Diving For Sunken Treasures” and it snowballed from there. Maybe it was the catchy whistling in this debut track that put our ears on the edge of their seats, eagerly waiting each new release. So it is our pleasure to bring to you yet another amazing new track “Republique.”

ICCD! is the solo project of Julio Gudiño, lead singer of Mexico City’s biggest indie band, The Plastics Revolution. We stumbled upon these guys in the middle of a sidewalk jam session at Barton Springs as SXSW 2011 came to an end. Julio led the band for hours but the crowd would not let them stop, even to the point of them having to play some songs twice. He is no stranger to being the frontman of a band and is now pushing his musical limits to the electronic dream pop side of the spectrum. Drawing influences from Panda Bear and El Guincho as he loops electric textures combining organic and synthesized sounds with lyrics in English and Spanish.

He is currently going to school in Boston and polishing up his live set to include a drummer, bassist and visuals that will blow your mind so be on the lookout for East Coast tour dates in the very near future. He also started a Mexican indie label, Dos Pelícanos, and their first act of awesomeness was to release the I Can Chase Dragons! debut album “Expansión” in January. You can purchase it for just $7.92 on iTunes or name your price on Bandcamp.

Last but not least, feast your eyes on the video below of  “Ceder y Crecer” and start day dreaming of flying kites in sun-filled skies and palm trees blowing in the wind.

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Posted on March 6, 2012 by papergarden

Ira Lee produces some of the most bizarre and haunting music we have ever heard. Yet, somehow the bizarre produces a result of unexpected beauty and addiction. We first listened to Ira Lee a couple years back in Montreal when the idea for Lovely Hearts Club first came to fruition.  Now, years later, we see the evolution of his multi-talented character which has transcended from upbeat piano pop to dark and experimental R&B.

Combining key elements of underground hip hop in the style of Busdriver and MC Chris with the raw and obscure vocal style of rock icon Tom Waits, Ira Lee is onto something – and it’s something we love.

Though we first knew of Ira Lee in Montreal, he is quite the traveler – and it shows in his music. The track we’re featuring here, for example, is titled “Drinking Alone In Paris”.

His latest video is titled “Seven Days in Amsterdam”, and features beautiful cinematography immediately bringing to mind the films of Larry Clark.  Ira Lee is an artist across many mediums including film, comedy, visual art, and music…we can’t wait to see what he’s going to come up with next!

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Posted on February 13, 2012 by papergarden

Time and good karma have a funny way of repeating themselves sometimes and coming full circle.  Here and now is one of those times, as we tell you the tale of Paper Garden Records’ first ever release and the Lovely Hearts Club’s newest addition – former Eagle Seagull front-man, Eli Mardock.

Eagle Seagull was the inspiration and jumping off point behind Paper Garden Records‘ entire existence back in 2005.  The town of Lincoln, Nebraska brought the two together, and from there both parties grew into their early adulthood years, quickly gaining international critical acclaim.  With their debut album very much at the forefront of the new indie-rock sound (think Arcade Fire and Handsome Furs), Eagle Seagull began to see shows and tours flow in from the likes of The B-52′s, Tokyo Police Club, Gnarls Barkley, Blonde Redhead, The Faint, and more. In the wake of this immediate success the big, bad major labels came calling, and needless to say, won the signing battle over the humble Paper Garden Records.  After enduring nearly every major label cliche known to man and numerous setbacks to to release of their follow-up album, Eli and the band eventually decided to go their separate ways.

In the two years since the band’s demise, Eli has been hard at work recording and producing his first solo LP, “Everything Happens for the First Time”.  Mixed in Brooklyn by Justin Gerrish (Vampire Weekend, The Strokes), the record is set for release in Summer 2012 and marks a new beginning for both Eli Mardock and Paper Garden.  We are so excited to be working with Eli on his solo record and just couldn’t be happier about this phenomenal family reunion.

Eli will be making his way down to SXSW this year as well, playing the Paper Garden/My Old Kentucky Blog party @ Uncorked on 3/15…stay tuned for more on that soon!

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