[playlist] Hump Day Power Play (3-7-2012)

Steve Mason Editition

One of the most talented (yet underappreciated) songwriters of our time is the focus of this week's Hump Day Power Play. Most notably known as the ex-frontman of The Beta Band (now defunct), Steve Mason is the brainchild behind an expansive catalog of genre-bending classics, which somehow managed to mix experimental folk with psychedelia and electronic pop. Mason released a solid breadth of solo work under numerous monikers, including King Biscuit Time, Black Affair, and simply Steve Mason. There's really not another band out that's produced a sound that quite resembles any of Mason's work, and for that I think he's truly worthy of all praise. For this week's playlist, I tried to compile some of my favorite tracks from all of his projects.

By the way, if you like The Beta Band songs, be sure to check out The Aliens (i.e., The Beta Band sans Mason).

Hear it by simply clicking here. Playlist is below.

:: Hump Day Power Play (3-7-2012) ::
01 :: "I Walk The Earth" - King Biscuit Time
02 :: "Broken Up A Ding Dong" - The Beta Band
03 :: "Dry The Rain" - The Beta Band
04 :: "Easy" - The Beta Band
05 :: "Broke" - The Beta Band
06 :: "Space" - The Beta Band
07 :: "Japanese Happening" - Black Affair
08 :: "Squares" - The Beta Band
09 :: "Stress Position" - Steve Mason
10 :: "Lion Thief" - The Beta Band
11 :: "The Way You Walk" - King Biscuit Time
12 :: "Inner Meet Me" - The Beta Band
13 :: "Troubles" - The Beta Band
14 :: "I Know" - The Beta Band

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[new music] Steve Mason - Boys Outside

New Music from Steve Mason

For fans of Beta Band, King Biscuit Time, or even the slight departure of Black Affair, the news that Steve Mason was making a new album brought nothing but joy and anticipation. It now appears that we now have a concrete date for all the waiting to end. Announced this week via Twitter, Mason has reportedly finished his newest LP entitled Boys Outside, which will be released under his own name on March 10, 2010. Mason enlisted the help and production skills of Richard X, as well as his label Black Melody.

To tide fans over until next year, Mason will be dropping the first single "All Come Down" this November 23 (pre-order here). You can listen to a snippet here, and from the sounds of the new track, it's going to be one amazingly chill album (which we all can appreciate). A video is posted below showing the progression of Mason & Richard X songcrafting a new cut for the record.

Pre-order :: Steve Mason - "All Come Down"

[news] Steve Mason - Two New Songs

New Music from Steve Mason

Posted a while ago, we reported that Steve Mason was working on a new King Biscuit Time album. However, now over at Steve Mason's new MySpace page, this album will apparently be released under the name "Steve Mason." Two songs to be released are streaming at his MySpace page, and according to producer Richard X, the first single will be "All Come Down." Expect a short EP in the next few months, and a full LP early next year (if all goes well). For the full details, Steve posted this:

Yes it's me - BETA BAND / KING BISCUIT TIME / BLACK AFFAIR. It's time to step out of the shadows and confront society. So what the hell is going on? Well, I'm about 3/4 of the way through recording a new album which i will put out under my own name, Steve Mason. The songs are fully realized in demo form but i really wanted someone to lift a little of the pressure of production of my shoulders and Richard X offered himself up. So we are working through my demo's and re-doing all the vocals and any other parts which need it. The results are amazing. Best songs i've ever written and they SOUND big. I reckon i will put a 4 track EP out in about 2 or 3 months then maybe one more and do the album very early next year. There will be fresh music up here very soon. But it's not quite ready yet. See you on the ice.......

Check out the new tunes (here).

Ten Tracks - the Future of Music???

Ten Tracks offers great music at an even greater price.

Record labels these days are trying just about anything in order to stay afloat in the digitally pirated waters. The old ways are out (R.I.P. Tower Records), and some new ways have proven successful (ie Radiohead, NIN, etc.); however, it seems that having an established fan base and mainstream notoriety definitely allows for these aforementioned ventures the positive outcomes. What about the up-and-coming bands that no one has ever heard of? Where do they fit into this new label system? Sure, MySpace and the blogging community (see also RCRD LBL) do their part in getting the lesser known bands their due exposure, but what else is out there?

A label I recently discovered seems to be ditching a lot of rules that once were a part of the music industry's golden standard. Rather than raise the price of an album to recoup the loss in overall sales, online label Ten Tracks has come up with an idea that practically gives music away. For all the fine print, go here, but to just give you the short of it, here goes: each month Ten Tracks releases a digital album of ten songs (makes sense) from various artists (both known and unknown). Each song can be purchased individually for £0.30 each, or the whole album can be purchased for merely £1.00 (a £2.00 saving!). Currently, there three different types of albums each month (called "channels"). Every month each channel will release a new bundle of ten tracks. A description of each channel is posted below:

The Police Box - modern folk, electronica and songwriting
Optimo - world-renowned future-music variations
Open Ear - selection of italo-disco rarities and cutting-edge production flair

I've listened to the October and November Police Box discs - really good stuff on there. So far, many of the bands showcased have come from the Scotland area. Included in that bunch are King Biscuit Time, The Aliens, and Black Affair (all ex-Beta Banders). That's probably why I've enjoyed them so much. For a listen, help yourself:

MP3: King Biscuit Time - "I Let Her In"
MP3: The Aliens - "Pernickitty Jack"