[SKOA Premiere] General Fiasco - "Waves"

After a summer of gigs across the country, General Fiasco return with the first taste of their new EP Waves. Today SKOA is proud to give you the premiere of the aforementioned EP's title track, and it's a goodie. The boys from Northern Ireland have crafted a catchy overdriven guitar filled track with a great sing-along chorus that will no doubt become lodged into your subconsciousness for the foreseeable future.

Give it a play or two at the bottom and look out for their EP when it drops on the 14th of November via Dirty Hit. If you like what your ears are hearing then after the jump you can peep some tour dates for their October tour. See you at the Deaf Institute in Manchester if you go along!

General Fiasco - Waves by Dirty Hit

General Fiasco UK Tour:

Oct 22^nd Academy 2 Dublin

Oct 23^rd Thekla Bristol

Oct 25^th King Tuts Glasgow

Oct 26^th Rainbow Birmingham

Oct 27^th Academy 2 London

Oct 29^th Deaf Institute Manchester

Oct 30^th Queens Belfast

[SKoA Presents] Outlines

And once again we're back with another SKoA Presents feature, which we hope to bring you weekly and present your readers with some of our favorite buzz artists. This week, we got one of my favorite alternative hip hop acts/producers from France, Irfane Khan-Acito, Jérôme Hadey and Jay 1 better known as Outlines.

I first heard the group back in 2008, with their single "Now That I'm Free" featuring my favorite Wu-Tang member RZA and fell in love with the group and their debut record Our Lives Are Too Short. The album contained a mixture of Hip Hop, Funk, Electronic, Disco and more along with solid production and amazing melodies. Sadly, after the release of their debut album I didn't hear much from the group, other than a remix they did for Charlotte Gainsbourg's IRM single "Time Of The Assassins" & Outlines vocalist Irfane's feature on Ed Banger artist, Breakbot's single "Baby I'm Yours" until recently when they released an EP for their newest single "I Cannot Think" (in which you can view the extremely weird and kinda fucked up video above). 

Being a producer myself, I love alot of cross genre producers/bands like N*E*R*D, The KickDrums, Colin Munroe, No Planes In Space, Christian Rich, Chester French, Cocaine 80s and Stateless. So give Outlines a try and check out some of my favorite choice cuts from the group which include "Rain Again" and a demo version of "Visions" featuring RZA from their recent EP and others from the band's debut album Our Lives Are Too Short. If you dig it, definitely pick up anything you can find from them, sadly the groups EP is only available in France (and was a pain in the ass to obtain btw) but hopefully we will see an international release soon as well as new album from the gang soon.

Check out more of Outlines @ Facebook | Myspace | Twitter 

[SKOA Presents] Achozen (RZA x Shavo Odadjian of System of a Down)

It's been awhile since I've done a SKOA Presents post and I know this group isn't necessary new but they are fucking awesome and I am happy to share my thoughts on them with old fans and new people that may not have heard of them.

For those that don't know, Achozen is the sweet love child side project of Wu-Tang Clan leader RZA and System of a Down bassist Shavo Odadjian who hooked up in 2005 but didn't reveal the project until 2006 around the time when SOAD went on hiatus. RZA also brought in Wu Killarmy member Kinetic 9 and Wu-Tang Clan affiliate Reverend William Burke to be apart of the project. 

Achozen debuted their first track, "Deuces" online via Shavo's UrSession label's website back in April 2008 and announced that the group was working on completing and releasing their upcoming LP tenatively titled The Album. The Album (if it ever sees the light of day) is set to feature George Clinton, Former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante, GZA, Wu-Tang affiliate Killah Priest, Sick Jacken of Psycho Realm and Leggezin Fin. A majority of the material of the album was featured on the Vin Diesel film Babylon A.D.

The album is currently awaiting distribution and a confirmed label deal, it was rumored that the album was going to be released independently through Shavo's label but we're not holding our breath especially since SOAD reunited earlier this year. But, good news! You can check out 4 tracks (some demos) in the player below. RZA recently posted the demo to "Soul Trigger" for #WuWednesday on his SoundCloud page a couple of weeks back, so we may end up hearing more material sooner than later. Enjoy!

[SKOA Presents] Achozen (RZA x Shavo Odadjian of System of a Down) by Some Kind of Awesome

[SKOA Presents] Kenna - "Static (Unplugged)" Live @ Tainted Blue Studios 5/5/2011

Last Thursday I had the priviledge of attending a private party featuring a very special performance by none other than SKOA founder favorite Kenna. In addition to taking the time to play through his latest release, Land 2 Air Chronicles: Chaos & Darkness, he also shared some back story on a few older songs. One of which was the tender track from his 2007 release Make Sure They See My Face, "Static". He took to the piano and gave what was probably one of the most intimate perfomances of the song to date. You can check out the performance above.

Land 2 Air Chronicles: Chaos & Darkness is available on iTunes.

[SKOA Presents] The Freeze Tag - "The Vision" (Video Premiere)

Straight from the recently made available EP from The Freeze Tag titled Hamster Kid comes this video for "The Vision". As you may already know, The Freeze Tag is the collaboration of Brooklyn MC Bisco Smith with production from Cassettes Won't Listen. The duo, along with the assistance of visual elements from world-renowned street artist Bishop 203 and director Vidoli of Blackwolf, were able to develop a concept EP that was based on the character Hamster Kid, who is the underdog of underdogs.

Hamster Kid fights to stay true to himself while overcoming pressures from peers, naysayers, and society at large. He goes from escaping an opressive undeground corporate complex to finding solace and strength in the optimism of the big city where he rediscovers himself and the aspirations that lay dormant for so long. From there, our hero makes his leap towards the outer expanse in search of the final freedom he has ultimately strived for.

According to the duo, "'The Vision' is about the idea of a new day, shining light on a brave new world, and feeling like that new day -- that new world -- is filled with limitless possibilities. What it brings is completely unknown; the future is uncertain, and this song fully embraces that.”

I have personally been really enjoying this track. It's really motivational and the visuals that accompany this song truly hit the theme as you see Hampster Kid take on the city. This video hits home to me especially because I know what it's like to stare onto the Manhattan skyline from Brooklyn trying to prepare yourself to take on the obstacles in front of you.

Be on the lookout for the other videos from The Freeze Tag as there is one for every track on the five-song EP, which you can check out in the player below along with remixes.

The Freeze Tag - Hamster Kid by Daylight Curfew

[SKOA Presents] Lavalier - Lavalier EP

Brooklyn-based lo-fi psychedelic indie rockers Lavalier just recently released their self-titled EP, which is available for any price you'd like to send their way (including FREE). The band features former Cloud Room members Dave Horowitz and Steve Milton and at times, depending on the performance, can grow up to 15 members, which includes a 6-piece Brooklyn-based chorus among other crucial elements that appropriately flesh out the band's huge sound for live shows.

Since it's always important to make a good first impression, the EP open's with one of the band's strongest songs, "Santa Claus Ain't Comin'", a pop-esque little number full of hand claps and bouncy beats that make you want to bob around in your chair when you're stuck at work. The EP then navigates back and forth through whimsy instrumental numbers like "Mausoleum Key Party", "Cour des Rosiers", and "I Heart Ichor". The movements in "I Heart Ichor" specifically are especially dark, innocent and beatifully haunting, like something out of a Tim Burton movie. It ends on "Dark Globe", which sparkles with horns and various programming elements coupled with stirring vocals provided by what I can assume is the choir.

This is a solid piece of work with a sound that is clearly heading in a very focused pleasureable direction.

You can stream the entire album below. If you can afford to contribute to this project, please do. If not, at least pass this along to your friends.

Bottle rating after the jump!

Lavalier - Lavalier EP: 3.5 out of 5 bottles

[SKOA Presents] Nikki Kummerow - Firecracker (Full Album Stream)

Australia's folk songstress Nikki Kummerow's self-released debut album Firecracker hit digital shelves today. You may have been fortunate enough to catch her during SXSW at her small handful of shows. If you didn't, you missed out on a gorgeous set of pipes used to broadcast a girl's soul searching all set to airy folk melodies. With the help of producer Aaron Marsh (frontman of now defunct Copeland), Kummerow has crafted Firecracker to almost read like a diary. On the track, "It's Come To My Attention", she bravely sings, "It's come to my attention / that I don't know the state of my soul / while everyone around me / is breaking their back not to know". It's this sort of self-reflection that makes you feel almost as if you're having an intimate conversation with a close friend.

For a mere $7.99 you can pick up Firecracker for yourself. If you need a moment to curl up with Nikki Kummerow yourself, you may stream the album entirely below.

Nikki Kummerow - Firecracker : 4.0 out of 5

[SKOA Presents] Record Store Day The SKOA Way (Guide)

Tomorrow is every vinyl junkie's happiest day on earth! When it comes to Record Store Day, we've been around the block enough times to know how this whole day works out. To help you achieve maximum awesomeness on this the holiest of music nerd days, we've put together a little guide to help you on your quest. Kibbe has provided a helpful guide for Record Store Day Rookies so they can beat the eBay sellers to the records they want and Rocko tells you what releases are simply a must have this year.

Remember: as you're out and about tomorrow, make sure you use the official RSD 2011 hashtag (#RSD11) if you're on Twitter as part of the celebration!

Now onto the guide!!!!

How To Get The Records You Want Before Those Ebay Jerks Do

1. Get In Early: We do not recommend an all night rager tonight if you have a serious number of limited pressing records to nab. Find out what time the record stores you're hitting open tomorrow and plan on being there when doors open (if not a little bit before then).
2. Make A List: The great folks over at Record Store Day have provided a highly detailed list of the records that will be available tomorrow, so have a once over on that and make note of what you want and which ones are limited pressings vs. just being released on RSD.
3. Call Ahead: If you haven't taken RSD seriously before, call ahead to ask your stores how they plan to handle the RSD releases. Some stores set them aside, some put them behind the counter, and others just file the records away like they were nothing special (the nerve!). Also check to see if they're doing anything special to celebrate the big day. You may end up with things like in-store performances, free food, or a special sale.
4. Don't Give Up!: If one store doesn't have a record you want, try another one! Be resourceful! One year Kibbe was on the hunt for a Dead Weather single and had to call from NYC a store in FLORIDA to track it down and put it on hold until one of her friends could go pick it up for her. It may cost you more for shipping to do something like that, but at least it won't be double the price like it would be on eBay!

RSD Releases That You Simply MUST Get Your Hands On

1. Danger Mouse/Daniele Luppi (Rome) - Two Against One/Black

2. Franz Ferdinand - Covers EP

3. Deftones - Covers

4. Rhymesayers Limited Picture Disc

5. Foo Fighters - Medium Rare

6. Gorillaz - The Fall

7. Peter Bjorn & John - Dig A Little Deeper/What I could Do If I Wanted


8. Beastie Boys - Make Some Noise

9. Red Hot Chili Peppers/Ramones - Havana Affair

10. Karen Elson - Vicious/In Trouble With The Lord


11. William Elliot Whitmore/P.O.S - Split 7"

12. Grinderman - Evil