what’s on sugar-free for july 22 through august 5:

audiocandy+radio has decided to compile the must-hear albums of the summer for this serving of sugar-free. consider it your cheat sheet for all the jamz to keep your street cred. we know it’s hard to keep up with new music between all your beach va-cays.

Best Coast’s Crazy For You

Lands & People EP

Wavves’ King of the Beach

The Roots’ How I Got Over

Menomena’s Mines

Tobacco’s Fucked Up Friends

Villagers’ Becoming a Jackal

Scary Mansion’s Make Me Cry

My lovely boyfriend had the brilliant idea to skip town to New York City midweek to catch Darwin Deez’s only stateside show for all of summer.

Darwin had been away for the last few months, hitting up venues all across Europe and Asia, but he was heading home to the Big Apple before shipping out again for round two of his international tour.

The reality of the awesome trip hadn’t set in until I heard the familiar strums of Darwin’s hand-crafted guitar (it’s a four-string he made himself) from the headphones of a kid sitting one row in front of us on the MegaBus. Extreme excitement overwhelmed me.

You can pretty much map my obsession with indie-popstar Darwin Deez by just reviewing audiocandy+radio archives. From Profiles to blurbs to just the constant inclusion of his music on my broadcasts, I’m in love with the man. So I knew it was going to be a special night.

But all love-lust aside, the man is just a pop genius. His songs are catchy without being exhausting. His one and only album out is a piece of indie pop GOLD.

The show was at Santos’ Party House and the venue ruled. It had great lighting and ambiance, decorated with minimal props that gave the place flare without being cheesy. Darwin and his posse was kind of just roaming about, saying “what’s up” to people and graciously taking pictures.

[We met some wonderful Australian sisters who were living in Brooklyn for a month. Alissa said that Darwin Deez gets crucial airtime on Aussie radio. Wild!]

Brooklyn-based Mixel Pixel and Scary Mansion were the openers. Mixel Pixel was true-blue indie pop, whereas Scary Mansion was almost a fusion of Karen-O-led-Travis-Barker-backed rock. Scary Mansion was great. Check them out on their myspace.

And then it was Darwin’s turn.

It was amazing. The set was sprinkled with dance numbers in which the whole band would break into various choreographed breakdowns and scripted dance battles. They had some fly-ass dance moves.

All theatrics aside, the band sounded amazing. Just like the record, but with more energy. They were sweating pop. Shaun and I were right in front with the Aussies and three other kids from Jersey and we were just dancing so hard along with everyone else in the front.

They went through their whole album, ending with what most would say is their favorite song–”Radar Detector.” Everyone in the place knew the words and it was just so great to see how happy and impressed the band was with the whole place going wild!

They finished their set and I didn’t think they were going to come back. I was bummed because they hadn’t played “The Bomb Song,” The house music came on so I thought I just come one-song short of a perfect night.

But let’s be real; it’s Darwin.

So of course he came back. And of course he played “The Bomb Song.”

So, take Darwin Deez + a perfect pop album + New York City + fantastic people = how Darwin Deez changed my life.

Our friends Indie Bands with a Mission have been selling their one-of-a-kind crafts to help out D.C. area food banks, but they’re breaking new ground Sunday with their first-ever benefit concert at Jammin Java.

They’ll have performances by Rosy Likes Red, Find Vienna (formerly “Clarity”) and Corrin Campbell.

The show will be early, with doors at 1:00pm and music starting at 1:30pm. All ages are welcome.

RSVP to their facebook event.

It’s at the same place where we held JAWBREAKER, but if you didn’t go, or need a refresher on how to get there, visit JamminJava.com.

Spread the love:

I wasn’t able to have my show last week because of BONNAROO (what better excuse, right?). I unfortunately won’t be able to have my show tomorrow either, because I’ll be working.

The upside? I’m going to see the one and only DARWIN DEEZ in NYC Tuesday night. So expect not only an extensive write-up up on the whole experience, but maybe even a profile of Darwin or some live-blogging through out NYC trip.

Follow me on twitter (@paigedearing) for all updates, and add me as a friend on FourSquare too while you’re at it.

Bonnaroo is quickly approaching and I figure let’s just give in and allow ourselves to fully succumb to its powers of seduction and unparalleled bliss.

I’m going to fuel your fall into the chilled-out/party/off-the-grid/i-love-life mindset.

Join me.

1. tesseliate, tokyo police club friday, 1pm, this tent

2. useless, tiny animals thursday, 8:30pm, troo music lounge

3. cotton crush, kevin devine friday, 2:40 pm, troo music lounge

4. stars, warpaint friday, 11:30 pm, troo music lounge

5. young hearts spark fire, japandroids sunday, 12:30 pm, this tent

6. psychic chasms, neon indian thursday, 8:30 pm, that tent

7. sun hands, local natives thursday, 7 pm, that tent

8. warning signs, local natives bonus track

9. animal, miike snow thursday, 7:30 pm, this tent

10. tunnelvision, here we go magic thursday, 6 pm, this tent

11. home, edward sharpe & the magnetic zeros friday, 2:30 pm, the other tent

12. ponerte en cuatro, los amigos invisbles saturday, 5:15 pm, the other tent

13. shake yo thang, big sam’s funky nation saturday, 1:15 pm, what stage

14. samba, baaba maal saturday, 12:45 pm, which stage

15. the ’59 sound, the gaslight anthem friday, 1:45 pm, which stage

16. 90210, wale friday, midnight, this tent

17. magic, b.o.b. ft. rivers cuomo friday, 3 a.m., that tent

18. tribes at war, nas & damian marley ft. k’naan friday, 4 pm, what stage

[ hit me up on facebook chat at Paige Dearing, twitter @paigedearing or skype at audiocandyradioline ]

19. punch bowl, punch brothers friday, 12:15 pm, that tent

20. but my heart told my head, mumford & sons saturday, 5:00 pm, that tent

21. mushroom men, les claypool friday, 7:30 pm, the other tent

22. underground communication, bassnectar friday, 12:30 am, this tent

23. crystal cat, dan deacon saturday, 12:30 am, this tent

24. i remember, deadmau5 ft. kaskade saturday, 2:15 am, this tent

25. drunk girls, lcd soundsystem friday, 2:30 am, this tent

26. yoshimi battle the pink robots pt.1, the flaming lips friday, midnight, which stage

27. 1901, phoenix sunday, 7:15 pm, which stage

28. VCR, the xx thursday, 11:30 pm, that tent

29. samson, regina spektor sunday, 3 pm, which stage

30. say hey, michael franti & spearhead friday, 8 pm, which stage

31. treat me like your mother, the dead weather saturday, 6 pm, what stage

32. i got mine, black keys friday, midnight, that tent

33. soft, kings of leon friday, 9:30, what stage

34. an american dream, the nitty gritty dirt band friday, 5:30 pm, that tent

35. the silver-tongued devil and i, kris kristofferson sunday, 4:30, that tent

[if you like americana/roots, make a point to listen to Dawn's Early Light every Tuesday from noon to 3pm on audiocandy+radio!]

36. ruby, dave rawlings machine saturday, 3:15, that tent

37. in the midnight, langhorne slim saturday, 12:15 pm, that tent

38. the story, brandi carlile saturday, 1:45 pm, that tent

39. my name is jonas, weezer saturday, 7 pm, which stage

40. el scorcho, weezer bonus track

41. the good life, weezer bonus track

42. young forever, jay-z ft. mr. hudson saturday, 11:30 pm, what stage

43. superstition, stevie wonder saturday, 8:30 pm, what stage

44. signed, sealed and delivered, stevie wonder bonus track

45. isn’t she lovely, stevie wonder bonus track

There’s something undeniable about the excitement of sports paired with a great song.

Basketball highlights from the game’s modern-day greats + Andre 3000′s cover the Beatles = Nike knows what’s up

what’s on sugar-free for the week of june 3 through june 10:

Janelle Monae’s The ArchAndroid
Outkast prodigy Janelle Monae just dropper her highly anticipated The ArchAndroid album, which features a whole gang of cool collaborations from Saul Williams to Of Montrel. Big Boi gets on board for the album’s first single “Tightrope.” Homegirl is paving a musical revolution, and making sure girls everywhere know its possible to do big things. Preach.

Buy the album here.

Drake’s Thank Me Later
Drizzy lived up to his hype with his 2009 debut album So Far Gone. He’s doin it again with Thank Me Later, which finally came out late May after several push backs. He was able to sync up with heavy-hitters Kanye West, Swizz Beats, Nicki Menja and Alicia Keys, creating an album that is destined to get a lot of airtime.

Buy the album here.

Wild Nothing’s Gemini
Guitared with a Smiths-esque style, Jack Tatum dishes some prime dream-pop from Virginia. Oh yeah, he’s touring with Neon Indian so you know he’s gonna blow up this summer.

Buy the album here.

Beach fossils
Beach-pop propelled by dreamy Cali guitar riffs. Ride the chillwave; this is the summer of 2010.

Buy the album here.

Do Make Say Think’s You, You’re a History in Rust
If you’ve never gotten into ambient, lyric-less music, this is the perfect album to open your self to and discover the beauty in the basics.

Buy the album here.

[ac+r golden show] Beats of Resonance
Listen to Rachel every Saturday afternoon from 1 to 4.  Check out all her shows here.

[ac+r debut] Dawn’s Early Light
Listen to Dawn every Tuesday from noon to 3pm. Check out all her shows here.

[ac+r debut] Nite Klub
Listen to Mikey every Saturday night from 11 to 2am. Check out all of his shows here.

[ac+r golden show] tasteBUDZ
Listen to Andres every Wednesday night from 7 to 10pm. Check out all of his shows here.

[ac+r special] JAWBREAKER
You might have missed it. Or you might have danced so hard you were drenched with sweat and had dreams of glow sticks for many nights after. Either way, (re)live the night by listening to our raw cut of the night.

In the meantime, take a listen to the live broadcast that ran through out the night.

LISTEN IN BY CLICKING “ON-AIR” ABOVE. The stream will launch in your itunes!

TENNIS SYSTEM FIRST, THEN JAMES NASTY, THEN DJ DREDDD

did we mention we’re going to be on-air through all of JAWBREAKER?

tune in to www.audiocandyradio.com at 10pm hear the whole thing go down. if you can’t join us, at least get some virtually.

tennis system, james nasty & dj dredd. yeyahhhhh

TONIGHT IS THE NIGHT.

JAWBREAKER comes to life.

If you’re in the DMV (or beyond, though it might take a little more planning), plan to spend your Saturday night with audiocandy+radio and all the love it stands for.

For $15, you’ll gain access to an event like no other. Reverb-heavy Tennis System will warm your ears up with melodic mix of shoegaze and indie rock. B-more’s James Nasty will launch the party into a full-out booty-shakin contest. DC’s Dj Dredd will throw the dance party back to the way hip-hop intended it to go down, with classic old-school jams. Add glow shades, necklaces and bracelets plus visuals projected by Bill Risen. Do not forget the stickers, tattoos and a crowd that down for anything as long as it’s a good time.

YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS OUT.

All ages. No dress code. Full menu. Full liquor bar, for 21+.

All the deets/directions are at http://jawbreaker.audiocandyradio.com.

Doors open at 10pm. Party don’t stop til 2 in the mornninnnn. The event is held at Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Avenue East, Vienna, Va), which is mad close to Tyson’s Corner.

The event is likely to sell out, so come at 10pm. Once capacity is met, you’ll have to watch/listen from outside; we all don’t want you to be that person. We want you IN THE HEART OF THE DANCE PARTY.

Questions? E-mail paige@audiocandyradio.com.

Facebook event is found here.

SEE YOU ON THE DANCE FLOOR, SUCKAAAS

I’ve been a fan of the Company of Thieves for a while, but I came across their 2009 tv debut for the first time today.

Genevieve Schatz rules.

make some requestsss
aim: getataudiocandy
facebook: Paige Dearing
twitter: @paigedearing, @audiocandyradio
skype: audiocandyradioline

playlist

1. i learned the hard way, sharon jones & the dap kings

2. melt my heart to stone (the kickdrums remix), adele ft. big pooh

3. tears dry on their own, amy winehouse

4. 100 yard dash, raphael saadiq

5. i’ll take the long road, naomi shelton & the gospel queens

6. big booty woman, black joe lewis & the honeybears

7. tightrope, janelle monae ft. big boi

[check out pitchfork's talk with her]

8. 22, lily allen

9. mushaboom, feist

10. walk on me, ben kweller

11. soco amaretto lime, brand new

12. god and mars, days away

13. alive with the glory of love, say anything

14. say it ain’t so, weezer

15. konig von deutschland, eko fresh

16. nothing better, the postal service

17. in the aeroplane over the sea, neutral milk hotel

18. glass dance, the faint

19. bad diary days, pedro the lion

[if i ever find "robot says sorry," i'll be sure to share it with you all]

20. run, vampire weekend

[vampire weekend + beach house + dum dum girls = epic tour for later this summer. 9/11: merriweather post pavillion]

08-29 Redmond, WA – Marymoor Amphitheater *^
08-31 Troutdale, OR – Edgefield Amphitheater *^
09-03 Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheater *^
09-05 Chicago, IL – Aragon Ballroom *^
09-07 Toronto, Ontario – Molson Canadian Amphitheater *^
09-08 Montreal, Quebec – Metropolis Theater ^
09-11 Columbia, MD – Merriweather Post Pavilion *^
09-12 Boston, MA – Bank of America Pavilion *^
09-15 New York, NY – Radio City Music Hall *^
09-16 New York, NY – Radio City Music Hall *^
09-17 New York, NY – Radio City Music Hall *^
09-26 Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Bowl *%

21. lover of mine, beach house

22. bhang bhang i’m a burnout, dum dum girls

23. hengils, jonsi

24. kaili, caribou

25. kim & jessie, m83

26. hospice gates, lower dens

27. take it easy, surfer blood

28. new theory, washed out

29. what a drag, bear hands

30. gay human bones, harlem

JAWBREAKER goes down THIS SATURDAY get the all the deets here: http://jawbreaker.audiocandyradio.com

[vote for your favorite ac+r dj to spin a special set during the event]

31. go outside, cults

32. whats in it for, avi buffalo

33. saw you first, givers

34. little secrets, passion pit

35. crossing line, the sea and the cake

36. west coast, coconut records

37. almost waiting, ariel pink’s haunted graffiti

38. answer to yourself, the soft pack

39. burn my shadow, unkle

40. the afterlife, yacht

41. help i’m alive, metric

42. back to the sea, the sandwitches

43. lady daydream, twin sister

44. appetite, chin chin

45. still listening, mount carmel

46. wild mountain nation, blitzen trapper

We are all anxiously awaiting JAWBREAKER next Saturday, but we need your help in choosing which of our ac+r djs should play a mini-set during the party.

BUY YOUR TICKET TO JAWBREAKER NOW

Survey the contestants below, and vote! The winning dj, chosen by you, will take the reigns and hijack the Jammin Java sound system for a small set. Choose wisely!

The Players

Heath, of What’s Good

most frequently played: sleigh bells, the morning benders, mash-ups
more on his show

Chris, of Alive in Bed-Stuy

most frequently played: christopher paul stelling, gorillaz, adrienne drake
more on his show

Paige, of audiocandy+

most frequently played: beach house, darwin deez, girls
more on her show

Andres, of tasteBUDZ

most frequently played: diplo, paper route gangstaz, the kickdrums
more on his show

David, of BABY EAGLE

most frequently player: bounce, dub stepp, hip-hop
more on his show

VOTE

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

what’s on sugar-free for the week of may 13 through may 20:

Woods’ At Echo Lake
There’s no other way to describe Woods but as psychedlic folk. Each song has such a vintage feel to it in every way, from guitar riff to lo-fi quality to overall sound. Get this on vinyl and get some wine. It’s going to be great night.

Jonsi’ Go
Chelsea of Beauty and the Beats has been obsessed with Jonsi since her run-in with the whimsical Icelander at Coachella. Can you really blame her? Listen to a beautiful collection of arrangements known as Jonsi’ first solo record, guareenteed to brighten your mood.

Born Ruffians’ Say It
Another band bred from the many years spent studying away at school (and probably partying and goofing off), Born Ruffians solidify their commitment to making it as a band with their sophomore release Say It. The bouncy bass lines and playful guitar are still there.

The Great Collide EP
Formed on a post-graduation whim, The Great Collide have a quality EP to show for their first year out of school and as a band. This five-track EP definitely shows the great potential this young band has and how it’s only up from here. Be that kid who was a fan “before they got big,” because it’s gonna happen.

Malory’s Pearl Diver
Germany is home to a lot of bad music. We all remember “du hast mich,” the lyrics that put Rammstein on the map. But we’ve moved past that. And for the better. And so we showcase Malory, a quality shoegaze-pop foursome.

Sleigh Bells’ Treats
We’ve all been waiting for this. Max out your speakers. Max out your energy. Max out to the max. You didn’t even think that was possible. Oh but it is, thanks to Sleigh Bells.

[ac+r golden show] Philos Adelphos
The boys are wrapping up their loose ends at school, and still manage to put together killer shows. Here’s their last Thursday night show of the school year. Don’t worry though; Andrew and Joey plan to keep on truckin through the whole summer.

Check Philos Adelphos every Tuesday 3pm to 5pm and Thursday 8pm to 10pm.

Health’s Disco 2
Health came out with Disco in 2008 chalk-full of remixes by tons of people including Crystal Castles and Pictureplane. They’ve done it again, and appropriately titled the album Disco 2. They’ve invited back some of the same purpertrators, and added a few hard-hitters to the mix (i.e. Gold Panda, Small Black, Blondes, Salem).

[ac+r golden show] Hip-Hop 101: Lesson 23
Guru made a huge contribution to hip-hop via Gang Starr. Remember him fondly with Hip-Hop 101’s tribute to the late and great rapper.

Listen to Hip-Hop 101 every Sunday night from midnight to 2am.

[ac+r debut] Whale in a Cubicle
Like Murphy says, this is her second offical debut. The first take was a little bumpy, but listen to lil’ miss Murph in full glory on her first full-length broadcast. We welcome her with open arms.

Listen to Whale in a Cubicle every Saturday night from 9 to 11.

helllooo people!

tune in for some music to get you through your case of the mondays (if you have them). if you’re feeling great, let the good times roll..

[interact]
aim: getataudiocandy
facebook: Paige Dearing
twitter: @paigedearing or @audiocandyradio
skype: audiocandyradioline

playlist

1. vcr, the xx

2. see a penny pick it up, yacht

3. ring ring, sleigh bells

4. beautiful song, css

5. souvenirs, architecture in helsinki

6. i want you, kings of leon

7. afraid of everyone, the national

[read heath's review of the national's new album high violet]

8. hold you in my arms, ray lamontagne

9. postcards from hell, the wood brothers

10. rain on, woods

11. a baby for free, neutral milk hotel

12. the biggest lie, elliott smith

13. i was wrong, the morning benders

14. again and again, the bird and the bee

15. what a drag, bear hands

16. talamak, toro y moi

17. deadbeat summer, neon indian

18. pleasant experience, small black

19. kaili, caribou

20. get up, washed out

21. year’s not long, male bonding

22. eraser, no age

23. quicksand, lotus plaza

24. we own the sky, m83

25. a teenager in love, the pains of being pure at heart

26. from stardust to sentience, high places

27. you and eye, headlights

28. used to be, beach house

29. take it easy, surfer blood

30. in ear park, department of eagles

31. molly’s vertigo, acrylics

32. oscar wilde, company of thieves

33. songs for dan treacy, mgmt

34. elephants, warpaint

35. friends, band of skulls

36. apply, glasser

37. almost waiting, ariel pink’s haunted graffiti

38. phenomenons, twin sister

39. saw, tanlines

40. big weekend, lemonade

41. art isn’t real, deer tick

42. jackie wants a black eye, dr. dog

42. your touch, the black keys

43. sole brother, born ruffians

44. blood the sun and water, born ruffians

45. come back, born ruffians

They performed on Craig Ferguson’s late night show this past week sounding as good as I remembered them.

Watch and begin your self-destructing yearn to hear them live:

Who: Nashville-based The Great Collide!
What: playing a collection of their sweet (great vocals) & salty (driving drums) pop sound, with The Maida Vale & Les La Britanica; $6
When: TONIGHT, May 5 @ 9pm
Where: The Red & Black (1212 H Street, NE)
Why:

The Great Collide – Les Animaux from The Great Collide on Vimeo.

Read the feature “Nashville Dreaming” ac+r did on the band last year.

rsvp to the facebook event.

i’ve decided to leave the third part of the coachella series for another day. you can listen & see the other playlists for friday and saturday.

today i’m just going to serve some straight audiocandy+. come ready to hear some new music, classics, dream pop, lo-fi, pretty much anything that sounds good. i wanna hear from you too!

interact
aim: getataudiocandy
twitter: @paigedearing
gchat: paigedearing@gmail.com
facebook: Paige Dearing or audiocandy+radio
skype: audiocandyradioline

playlist

1. look, the antlers

2. teen angst, m83

3. gila, beach house

4. fake out, bear in heaven

[both bear in heaven & twin sister are playing on sugar-free this week! buy their albums & check out their tour dates here.]

5. lady daydream, twin sister

6. animal arithmetic, jonsi

7. cotton crush, kevin devine

8. what did my lover say, wolf parade [off their upcoming third album Expo 86, dropping June 29]

9. barnes, pinback

[listen to one of ac+r's newest shows Nite Klub, Saturdays 11pm-2am starting May 29]

10. what a drag, bear hands

11. love letter to japan, the bird and the bee

12. what difference does it make, the smiths

13. south of france, harlem

14. you can’t hurry love, the concretes

15. movie light, soft healer

16. grow, delorean

Yourstru.ly Presents: Delorean “Grow” from Yours Truly on Vimeo.

17. lately, memoryhouse

18. despicable dogs, small black

19. feel it all around, washed out

20. open mouth, kaki king

21. causers of this, toro y moi

22. twins, the pains of being pure at heart

23. go complex, 65daysofstatic

24. sun spots, sleep over

25. oceans, the format

26. the lemon of pink, the books

27. back to the sea, the sandwitches

28. ghost train, summer camp

29. beach comber, real estate

30. it’ll come around, all saints day

31. heart squeeze, eternal summers

32. walkabout, deerhunter + panda bear

33. tonight, the big pink

34. round and round, ariel pink’s haunted graffiti

35. howard, dent may & his magnificent ukulele

36. beach boy, buffalo moon

37. lloyd, i’m ready to be heartbroken, camera obscura

38. sweepstakes prize, mirah

39. heart skipped a beat, the xx

40. in the kitchen, pomegranates

41. music is my boyfriend, css

42. when i’m with you, best coast

43. wet cement, the morning benders

44. floating vibes, surfer blood

45. treat me like your mother, the dead weather

[the dead weather is going to be performing their new album Sea of Cowards LIVE on their myspace at 6 pm EST. pretty sweet if you ask me.]

what’s on sugar-free for the week of april 29 through may 6:

[ac+r debut] BABY EAGLE
“I’ve said it before….I’ll say it again… Im droppin show stoppaz n panty droppazz… Born n raised in Phila PA… Droppin bombs outta greensboro NC… Hola Back…I keep the rotation spinning from oldies to goodies, the smoothest R n B to the grimey BMORE club…. I like to wobble with some Dub STeppa and bounce to some hip hop…Either way i gotch covered…. So listen up and listen good… International BABY E is FLYING to every Comp Comp NEar and Far….” – BABY EAGLE

You will dance.

Check out BABY EAGLE presents: S MY DJ every Wednesday night 10 to 1am.

[ac+r golden show] tasteBUDZ

[ac+r golden show] what’s good dance party

CALLmeKAT’s Fall Down
“my first full-length album, recorded with friend and keyboard wiz Daniel Fridell in his studio in copenhagen. it’s called ‘fall down’.
it was recorded over quite a bit of time, while falling in love with sounds from beautiful keyboards, ugly keyboards, old bass guitars and drums and whatever else was sitting around the room and in the computer. sometimes a sound wasn’t any of those places. then we’d create it. that’s more fun anyway. there’s a beat made of a noisy chair and pixie noises that are really just the sound of an old very blue organ, artificial mice dancing on the table and playing percussion or other instruments in their own subtle way, and much much more. Valgeir Sigurdsson took care of the mastering. enjoy!”

CALLmeKAT – Glass Wall from Yours Truly on Vimeo.

Buy the album here.

Diamond District’s In the Ruff
“The District of Columbia is home to our nations politics and some of the wealthiest African Americans in the country. It is also home to one of the nations largest income gaps with some of the highest crime, murder and STD rates. It is the culmination of these statics that defines DC Hip Hop. Oddisee (producer/MC from Prince George’s county, Maryland) formed this group with solo artist, XO and YU. The idea was to create a mid-90’s boom-bap themed record for the DC, Maryland & Virginia metropolitan area. XO, (born & raised in North West DC) defines what it is to be a black male raised in the district, with lyrics that have a way of philosophizing that street life. Oddisee defines the experience of growing up in black middle class Maryland. Bordering the poverty his and many other families fled to escape, they found the troubles of the inner city came along with them. YU, having been raised in the district, Maryland & Virginia, shows that DC culture exceeds it’s 10 mile radius. “In The Ruff” is the DMV’s soundtrack. its street savvy, politically conscious lyrics and grimy beats depict life in and around our nations capitol.”

Buy the album here.

Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings’ I Learned the Hard Way
Ms. Jones graces us with another album, and we gladly accept. This one is a little less on the let’s-tear-the-roof-off-this-mother and airs on the side of pickin’ up the chins of her soul sistas than have been wronged in the past (and present). Consider this a good serving of chicken soup for the soul, in the truest sense possible.

Buy the album here.

twin sister’s color your life EP & bear in heaven’s beast rest forth mouth
These two acts are going to be touring together this summer. Definitely try and catch them if you’re into experimental, indie, dream-pop, or all three.

07/13 July 13th Cambridge TT The Bears w/ Bear in Heaven 07/15 July 15th Toronto El Mocambo w/ Bear in Heaven 07/16 July 16th Ann Arbor Blind Pig w/ Bear in Heaven 07/19 July 19th Madison High Noon Saloon w/ Bear in Heaven 07/20 July 20th St. Paul Turf Club w/ Bear in Heaven 07/24 July 24th Vancouver The Biltmore Cabinet w/ Bear in Heaven 07/25 July 25th Portland Doug Fir Lounge w/ Bear in Heaven 07/26 July 26th San Francisco The Rickshaw Shop w/ Bear in Heaven 07/27 July 27th Los Angeles The Echo w/ Bear in Heaven 07/29 July 29th Denver Hi Dive w/ Bear in Heaven 07/30 July 30th Lawrence Replay Lounge w/ Bear in Heaven 07/31 July 31st St. Louis Luminary w/ Bear in Heaven 08/02 August 2nd Cleveland Grog Shop w/ Bear in Heaven

Pre-order twin sister’s album here. Buy the bear in heaven album here.

And so we’ve decided to launch the first jawbreaker-related contest. well, it’s more of a raffle.

basically this is how it goes:

1. see how dope jawbreaker is going to be. immediately hit up your crew and tell them the deets. get really excited. maybe even tweet your excitement, if you’re cool like that (@audiocandyradio, follow us!).

2. visit jammin’ java’s site to buy a ticket. $12? for tennis system & a bomb dance party to old school hip-hop and party jams? yes, please. maybe pick up a ticket for your little bro (it’s an all-age show + he can D.D. since there’s a full bar).

3. screenshot & send your confirmation page for your purchase or forward your confirmation page to jawbreaker@audiocandyradio.com.

All entries will be entered into a raffle to win:

a custom Squiid illustration

by the talented Mike O’Brien

Limit one entry per ticket. The winner will be selected at random on May 15 so buy your ticket as soon as possible! Good luck!

M.I.A. has caught plenty of attention with her award-winning music and claims of quittin the music scene.

But she’s back. And she’s raising her game with a super powerful, hard-hitting (no pun intended) video for the first track, “Born Free,” released from her upcoming album.

Teaming up with director Romain Gavras, M.I.A. depicts the violence and horror of genocide, directed specifically towards gingers in this case.

Even though it’s been taken down off youTube, you can watch the video for yourself here:

M.I.A, Born Free from ROMAIN-GAVRAS on Vimeo.

Comment your thoughts.

Hi everyone!!

I skipped town and headed to Bethany Beach, Del. but brought my laptop so I can still come through with the second installment of the audiocandy+ coachella sessions.

I’ll be posting the individual track names later, but the session plays as follows:

2 many djs, almighty defenders, aterciopelados, band of skulls, bassnectar, beach house, camera obscura, coheed and cambria, corinne bailey rae, dj crazy, david guetta, devo, dirty projectors, dirty south, edward sharpe and the magnetic zeros, faith no more, flying lotus, frank turner, frightened rabbit, girls, gossip, hot chip, john waters, kaskade, dj klever, les claypool, major lazer, mew, mgmt, muse, old crow medicine show, porcupine tree, portugal the man, pretty lights, rx bandits, shooter jenngings, sia, steel train, the dead weather, the raveonettes, the tempter trap, the xx, tiesto, tokyo police club, white rabbits, z-trip, zoe

PARTYYY PEOPLEEE. clear your calendars for may 22. history is going down.

you’ve listened to audiocandy+radio, and maybe even hosted your own free-form show, but now experience audiocandy+radio in the flesh for a full-out, dance-til-you-can’t-anymore party featuring the best acts from the DMV.

we’re calling it JAWBREAKER, because you’ll pretty much be dancing so hard there’s a chance you may break your jaw (/hip/leg/hearts).

doors open at Jammin Java at 10pm May 22, and the partay don’t stop til 2 in the morninnn (unless someone wants to throw an after party and keep it going til 6 as snoop does it).

we’re going to have a solid set put down by dc’s own tennis system (indie, shoegaze) and then a sick combination of remixes and old-school hip-hop served by james nasty (ottobar’s mustache dance party) and dj dredd (black cat’s vintage hip hop nights, prince nights) guaranteed to spawn an epic dance party.

tickets are $12 in advance / $15 day of.

BUY YOUR TICKET NOW

(it says $15, but there’s a $3 discount at check-out per ticket)

drive or metro + cab (really short ride) to jammin java (227 Maple Avenue East, vienna, va).this is an all ages show. jammin java also has a full bar (for our 21+ party animals) and a full menu. http://www.jamminjava.com for more info.

there will also be cool visuals projected courtesy of bill risen (http://www.billrisen.com) through out the night. VA’s Indie Bands with A Mission will also be in attendance selling merch to benefit DC food banks (http://www.indiebandswithamission.webs.com/).

rsvp at the facebook event so you can invite all your friends and see if your favorite ac+r dj are going to be in attendance (you know they will. they love dance parties.).

look out for related contests on the site in the coming weeks!

any questions? e-mail Paige.

what’s on sugar-free for the week of april 22 through april 29:

The National’s High Violet
Since “Bloodbuzz Ohio” premiered last month, there’s been nothing but great anticipation for the release of High Violet. Listen to the new National album in preparation for their spring/summer tour, which kicked off today in Virginia at the National Theater (how fitting).

Buy the album here.

APR 22-23: Richmond, VA @ The National Theater
MAY 6: London, England @ Royal Albert Hall
MAY 7: Paris, France @ Le Zenith (w/Pavement)
MAY 9: Berlin, Germany @ Astra
MAY 22: Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern
MAY 23: San Diego, CA @ Spreckels Theater
MAY 27: Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater
JUN 02: Boston, MA @ House of Blues
JUN 5: Philadelphia, PA @ Electric Factory
JUN 6: Washington DC @ DAR Constitution Hall
JUN 8: Toronto, Ont. @ Massey Hall
JUN 16: New York, NY @ Radio City Music Hall

The Black Keys’ Brothers
The southern rock duo has been nothing but busy since their 2008 album Attack and Release. Dan Auerbach has released a solo album, Patrick Carney traded in his drumsticks for bass and started a side project Drummer and the two together helped contribute to the hip-hop fusion group Blakroc. And yet, the Black Keys have managed to compose another album.

Buy the album here.

Minus the Bear’s OMNI
OMNI marks the first release for Minus the Bear under their new record label Dangerbird Records, home to Silversun Pickups. Catch the band play 9:30 Club May 7, with Everest and Young the Giant. All other dates are as detailed here.

Buy the album here.

[ac+r golden show] Buckets of Rain Presents the Beatles Acoustic Complitation
“What I really wanted to do, however, was to present music from the Beatles solo work along side their work together as a band. It is wonderful to hear these songs in a similar rotation and I hope that the overall flow of the Beatles Acoustic compilation will seem natural and moving. These are some of the most beautiful songs ever written. To hear them stripped of all their studio grandeur helps them to shine and resonate in a different but equally cosmic light. Enjoy.”

Read more about Zack’s motivation and see the full playlist here.

Listen to Buckets of Rain every Sunday, 10pm to midnight.

[ac+r golden show] tasteBUDZ
One half of the hip-hop duo Gang Starr Guru passed away this week, losing a battle with cancer. Andres honors his legacy and plays three hours worth of solid jams. Enjoy and reflect.

Listen to tasteBUDZ every Wednesday, 7pm to 10 pm.

[ac+r debut] Beats of Resonance

Listen to Rachel every Saturday from 1 pm to 4pm.

Crystal Castles
Infamous electronic troublemakers Crystal Castles have released their sophomore album, under the same album title. And to make things a little more confusing, they’ve chosen to push the release date for this album up, making it available digitally tomorrow opposed to the original June 7 date. Hey, whatever works.

Pre-order the album here.

Washed Out’s Life of Leisure EP
Call him the professional surfer of chillwave, Ernest Greene is making a name for himself (and a new genre) in the music scene. Lounge to his debut EP, and wait for his next EP High Times to drop some time this year. Catch him on tour with Beach House during the upcoming week down south.

Buy the EP here.

Baltimore hardcore crew Octaves are hitting their stride, releasing their first full-length Greener Pastures, signing with Hotfoot Records and embarking on a spring tour. Audiocandy+radio is luck enough to be exclusively streaming the new album on sugar-free and on-demand. So give it a listen, and compare your evaluation to ac+r resident blogger Brett.

what’s on sugar-free for the week of april 15 through april 22:

Octaves’ Greener Pastures
Baltimore hardcore crew Octaves are hitting their stride, releasing their first full-length Greener Pastures, signing with Hotfoot Records and embarking on a spring tour. Audiocandy+radio is luck enough to be exclusively streaming the new album on sugar-free and on-demand. So give it a listen, and compare your evaluation to ac+r resident blogger Brett.

LCD Soundsystem’s This is Happening
They’re back. We were scared for a little, after rumors of break-up and a three-year slint of no new material. But, rest assured, LCD Soundsystem is back.

Listen to their new album; no beat goes unloved.

Pre-order it here.

Broken Social Scene’s Forgiveness Rock Record
Forgiveness Rock Record marks the first album in five years for this Canadian super-group. Oh how sweet it is to hear their sound again. It’s hard to top their self-titled 2005 release, but with a few solid listens, it’s pretty hard not to fall in love all over again with this collective.

Listen to a few tracks on-demand:

Pre-order the joint here.

[ac+r debut] TasteBUDZ
Born into a world without music, our hero, the then young jazzy whitebass traveled through space and time and emerged in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the year 1910. He soon fell in love with a sound art called music and consumed as much of it as possible over the last century. He brings to you a collection of his evolving favorites ranging from jazz and hip hop to rock, experimental and electronic in his show TasteBUDZ Wednesday Nights on audiocandy+radio from 8-11.

[ac+r golden show] ac+ coachella special, part 1 of 3: Friday
Paige is traveling across the nation to hit up one of the biggest music festivals on American soil. And for what? To reach musical nirvana. Here’s the first installment of her three part journey in play a song for each artist playing the epic line-up. Friday’s schedule is up first.

Listen to her show audiocandy+ every Monday afternoon 3 to 6.

Tennis System’s The Future of Our History
DC natives Tennis System produce a (loud) sound similar to if the Pixies had been a new young band in 2010, with a moderately substantial diet of shoegaze and even some pop in their time off. A band not to sleep on; not like you could if you wanted to anyways.

Buy their album here.

I’m lucky enough to be going to COACHELLA this weekend. So in preparation, I’m going to do a Coachella-themed show today. I’m going to try and play at least one song from each act on the bill. We’ll see if three hours is enough time.

Artists:songs in green means we’ve covered it. Pink is what’s playing right now. Blue marks tracks suggested by listeners; make yours via comment, @audiocandyradio or i.m. ‘getataudiocandy.’ We didn’t get to the orange tracks, but check them out!

friday’s line-up

aeroplane: “paris ft. au revoir simone”

alana grace: “black roses red”

as tall as lions: “love love love”

baroness: “a horse called gologotha”

benny benassi: “love is gonna save us”

calle 13: “atrevet te, te”

ceu: “malemolencia”

deadmau5: “tiny dancer remix”

deer tick: “ashamed”

dj lance rock: “what’s in my bag?”

echo & the bunnymen: “bedbugs and ballyoo”

erol alkan: “we are your friends remix”

fever ray: “triangle walks”

gil scott-heron: “the revolution will not be televised”

grizzly bear: “while you wait for others”

hockey: “too fake”

iglu & hartly: “in this city”

imogen heap: “hide and seek”

jay-z: “girls girls girls”

jets overhead: “where did you go?”

kate miller-heidke: “caught in the crowd”

la roux: “bulletproof”

lcd soundsystem: “all my friends”

little dragon: “twice”

lucero: “my best girl”

pablo hassan: “spitting dragon”

passion pit: “little secrets”

perry farrell: “wish upon a dog star”

p.o.s.: “drumroll”

proxy: “dancing in the dark remix”

public image limited: “disappointed”

ra ra riot: “too too too fast”

she & him: “why do you let me stay here?”

sleigh bells: “crown on the ground”

street sweeper social club: “promenade”

the avett brothers: “paranoid in b flat minor”

the cribs: “we share the same skies”

the dilligner escape plan: skipped, too hard for my taste

the specials: “pressure drop”

the whitest boy alive: “golden cage”

them crooked vultures: “new fang”

vampire weekend: “diplomat’s son”

wale: “chillin ft. lady gaga”

wolfgang gartner: “push and rise”

yeasayer: “ambling amp”

Look out for future ac+ installments where I’ll cover the Saturday & Sunday line-ups:

saturday

2 many djs, almighty defenders, aterciopelados, band of skulls, bassnectar, beach house, camera obscura, coheed and cambria, corinne bailey rae, dj crazy, david guetta, devo, dirty projectors, dirty south, edward sharpe and the magnetic zeros, faith no more, flying lotus, frank turner, frightened rabbit, girls, gossip, hot chip, john waters, kaskade, dj klever, les claypool, major lazer, mew, mgmt, muse, old crow medicine show, porcupine tree, portugal the man, pretty lights, rx bandits, shooter jenngings, sia, steel train, the dead weather, the raveonettes, the tempter trap, the xx, tiesto, tokyo police club, white rabbits, z-trip, zoe

sunday

b.o.b., basbsonicos, charlotte, gainsbourg, club 75, de la soul, deerhunter, delphic, dj david fallica, florence & the machine, gary numan, gorillaz, hadouken!, infected mushroom, julian casablances, jonsi, kevin devine, kin khan and the shrines, little boots, local natives, matt & kim, mayer hawthorne, miike snow, mutemath, one eskimO, orbial, owen pallett, paparrazi, pavement, phoenix, plastikman, rusko, sly stone, spoon, sunny day real estate, talvin singh, the big pink, the glitch mob, the middle east, the soft pack, atoms for peace, yann tiersen, yo la tengo