Gaga Music: Latest News

Watch: PS I love You feat. Diamond Rings: Leftovers

Pete — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Two of our favourite Canadians, PS I Love You and Diamond Rings, teamed up earlier this year to record the barnstorming Leftovers for PS I Love You's upcoming Figure It Out, out later this month through our friends at Paper Bag Records.

Now, thanks to filmmaker Colin Medley, Leftovers has the excellent video it deserves. Medley has directed a bunch of clips for the two bands, and was on tour with the bands in the US recently when they decided to stop by Marfa, Texas, one of the strangest places on earth, to shoot the clip.

Medley takes up the story: 'I was on the road with the bands mostly for fun but also to document the tour any way I knew how. Most nights, PS I Love You would end their set by inviting Diamond Rings to the stage to play their single "Leftovers."

'With no clear plan in mind, I started to tape their performances of the single. Halfway through the tour when we found ourselves with a day off, we decided it might be fun to develop a music video for the song while still on the road. Driving from Austin, TX to Tuscon, AZ, we stopped over in a small town called Marfa, TX (pop. 2000) and rented a trailer for the night.

'Using the song's title as a cue, Paul (of PS I Love You) cooked up an amazing meal for all of us in the small confines of our mobile home, and of course, there were plenty of leftovers.'

Like all Medley's clips, the film was made for almost nothing, but looks great. Check it out below.

Paper Bag Records Join Gaga

Pete — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0700

We're very happy to announce that we're working with the master catalogue of Paper Bag Records, one of North America's best and brightest indie labels.

Based in Toronto, Paper Bag Records has cultivated an awesomely diverse roster of both home grown and international acts since forming eight years ago.

In its early years, Paper Bag helped launch the careers of You Say Party, Tokyo Police Club, Broken Social Scene and Stars; these days the label is working with an enviable roster containing the likes of PS I Love You, Young Galaxy, Born Ruffians, The Acorn, Winter Gloves, Woodhands, Slim Twig, CFCF, Sally Shapiro and Under Byen.

The label also has one of the best damned websites in the business. To hear some of Paper Bag's thoroughly excellent catalogue, download a great label sampler over at their site, or have a listen in our player above.

We've been particularly enjoying the raucous, hook-laden goodness of indie rock duo PS I Love You of late. Check out the video for Get Over, from their debut lp Meet Me At The Muster Station, below.

Sync: Ski Yoghurt TVC feat. Coby Grant

Pete — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Almost exactly a year ago, Australian songstress Coby Grant had her track 'A Song About Me' put to a Scandinavian Bonaqua spot. Now the track, which appears on Coby's Is In Full Colour ep, has been featured in another TVC, this time an Australian Ski Yoghurt commercial.

Check out the spot below:

2011 is shaping up to be a big year for the Melbourne-based songwriter, with a national tour starting this month, and a world tour planned for later this year. For all Coby's news, head over to her site.

Sync: NT Tourism TVC feat. Kyu

Pete — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Rising Sydney experimental pop duo Kyu recently had their music put to a new NT Tourism TVC, via Gaga Master and Popfrenzy.

The surprisingly psychedelic ad, which is being shown nationwide, features Kyu's vocal-and-percussion heavy Pixiphony, from their great self titled debut record, set to some beautiful images of the red centre, the whole thing making you want to drop what you're doing, take a plane up north and never come back.

Check it out below:

Listen to the full version of Pixiphony in our player above. And while you're at, check out High Places' great remix of Pixiphony from last year over at Polaroids of Androids, and Jonathon Boulet's excellent new reworking of Sistar, over at Kyu's myspace.

Kyu is out now through Popfrenzy.

Sync: P&O TVCs feat. Katie Herzig

GAGA — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Nashville-based pop songstress Katie Herzig first came to the ears of many Australian listeners when her infectious track Forevermore was synced, via Gaga Master, to a recent Target Kids ad.

Now another of Katie's songs, the single Best Day Of Your Life, has been synced to a new series of summer ads by P&O Cruises.

Check out the spots below:

For more on Katie Herzig, check out her site.

Sync: Target Kids TVC feat. Katie Herzig

Pete — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0700

In 2006, after a few years fronting the Colorado band Newcomers Home, singer-songwriter Katie Herzig lit out for new pastures, heading to Nashville, home to a famously rich musical heritage and a burgeoning indie scene. There, Herzig started a solo career in earnest, releasing the acclaimed Weightless lp, picking up a Grammy nomination, touring widely and having her songs featured on the likes of Gray's Anatomy KCRW’s Morning Becomes Eclectic.

In 2008, Herzig cut Apple Tree, her third solo studio lp, which won her a legion of new fans and abundant critical praise: NPR called it 'a collection of heartfelt, beautifully executed songs'; Paste wrote that it 'pushes [Herzig's] now-signature style –– brightly textured acoustic pop that’s clever yet sincere, sunny but grounded –– to exquisite new heights.'

One of the standouts from the album, the jaunty, effervescent closer 'Forevermore' was recently placed in a Target TVC via Gaga Master. As you can see below, the song's sunny tones are a perfect match for the spot's bright, textured animation:

Apple Tree is out now on itunes.

Popfrenzy Joins Gaga

Pete — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0700

Gaga is stoked to announce a new partnership representing the master synch rights for Sydney-based indie label and events company Popfrenzy.

Popfrenzy started out in 1999, when founder Chris Wu crossed paths with two unlucky Japanese DJs and a Jamaican junkie outside a late night Kings Cross venue. The unconventional has continued to drive and define the nature of all Popfrenzy events, tours and releases.

From humble beginnings as party planners for all of Sydney’s cool/geek/indie elite, Popfrenzy has become synonymous with good events, having organised everything from comic book launches and movie fundraisers to prom nights and harbour cruises; each time seeking out new and unusual venues, taking the dedicated Popfrenzy followers from pubs to clubs, warehouses, cafes, backyards, rooftops and even to family restaurants.

Over the past five years, Popfrenzy has been responsible for some of the most fun-filled and successful tours in Australia, having brought to our shores Blonde Redhead, Deerhunter, Patrick Wolf, Les Savy Fav, Gossip, Camera Obscura, Kimya Dawson, Metronomy, CSS and many, many more. The Popfrenzy Records team, meanwhile, has made a habit of hunting down undiscovered gems from around the world, in every genre, from lo-fi dream pop to angular art-punk to the plain, down and dirty punk. Recently, Popfrenzy has released albums from the likes of Of Montreal, Black Mountain, The Juan Maclean, Matt & Kim, The Drums, Best Coast, HEALTH and local artists like Songs.

We're very happy to be working with them. To find out more about Popfrenzy Records, check out their site.

Secretly Canadian, Jagjaguwar, Dead Oceans Join Gaga!

Pete — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0700

Gaga is very happy to announce a new partnership representing the master synch rights for revered U.S. indie labels Secretly Canadian, Jagjaguwar and Dead Oceans. The three labels, who share close associations and resources but remain separate and aesthetically distinct entities, have long been associated with the best in independent music.

Secretly Canadian started out in 1996, in Bloomington, Indiana, where they remain to this day. (If they are Canadian, then it is truly in secret.) From humble beginnings, Secretly Canadian has gone on to develop an enviable roster, containing some of the finest independent acts of the last 15 years, including Antony and the Johnsons, Magnolia Electric Co/Songs: Ohia, Danielson, Yeasayer, Jens Lekman and many more. Now over 200 releases strong, the name Secretly Canadian is synonymous with excellent, forward-thinking independent music. Secretly Canadian also run a thriving distribution arm, handling titles for the likes of Tomlab, K Records, Fat Cat and Temporary Residence.

Jagjaguwar was formed not long after Secretly Canadian, in 1996, with the release of an album by Virginia band The Curious Digit. That was supposed to be it; soon after, though, co-founder Darius Van Arman was mesmerised by another local band, and had to release them. Jagjaguwar was born. Now, over a decade the later, Jagjaguwar, now also based in Bloomington, has put out a wildly diverse selection of over 175 releases, united only by their undeniable quailty. Jagjaguwar's awesome roster includes the likes of Black Mountain, Okkervil River, Bon Iver, Dinosaur Jnr., Richard Youngs and The Dead C.

Run side by side with sister labels Jagjaguwar and Secretly Canadian, Dead Oceans was formed in 2007 to 'focus on bold and timeless recordings, not emphasising a particular genre or scene, but instead fostering a diverse stable of sound-creators.' In its four-year existence, Dead Oceans has put out records by some of the leading lights of modern indie-rock, including Dirty Projectors, Califone, Akron/Family, John Vanderslice and Bishop Allen.

Together, the catalogues of these three labels represent an incredibly rich store of great sounds. We're very happy to be working with them.

The Triangles appear in Spanish beer TVC, go to #1 in Spain

Pete — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0700

Melbourne indie-pop outfit The Triangles recently lent their infectious single Applejack to a new spot for Spanish beer company Estrella Damm. But this was no ordinary synch: in May this year, the Melbourne five-piece were flown out to Menorca, Spain, where they swapped their home town's encroaching cold for warm Spanish beaches, and became part of the shoot.

The spot, which will be heavily featured across Spanish media this month, showcases what we all dream summer in Spain to be: ridiculously good-looking people taking lazy, week-long yacht trips through clear, azure water, visiting beautiful old towns and having all-night parties on the beach. Oh, and falling in love.

The spot features a new recording of Applejack in its entirety, and a couple of quick cameos of the band performing the new take amid all the summertime revelry. Applejack originally appeared on The Triangles' 2005 lp Magic Johnson. The new version –– entitled Applejack (2010) –– will be up on the Spanish itunes store imminently is now up on the Spanish itunes store. Check out the spot below:

The spot and the song have already proven a hit in Spain: the older version of the song is currently No. 1 on itunes over there and the new version No. 2. The band is making plans to head back to Spain to play some shows later this year.

The Triangles began playing together in 2003, and quickly became known for their insanely catchy mix of psych-pop, indie-folk and rock. After two independently-released collections of lo-fi recordings, The Triangles put out Magic Johnson in 2005, via Australian indie Half A Cow Records. The album, which featured a whole host of instantly singable nuggets, received heavy airplay around the country.

In 2007, The Triangles returned with Seventy-Five Year Plan, an album that saw the band exploring a more country-folk-ish vibe. Refreshed after their Spanish adventure, the band is now writing and recording new material, and keeping busy with a bunch of collaborations.

Sync: New TVC feat. Matt and Kim's 'Daylight'

Pete — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0700

Brooklyn dance-punk duo Matt and Kim recently had one of their tracks featured in an Australian Mars TV spot via Popfrenzy. In the spot, which you can check out below, a young man grabs himself a Mars bar and then proceeds to light up the manifest universe –– in this case, fountains, merry-go-rounds and the like –– as day turns into night, all to the strains of Matt and Kim's Daylight, which is a kind of aural sugar rush in itself.

To hear the full track, check out the official video below, in which the duo belt out the song in various places not built for two people + instruments:

New Thrill Jockey vinyl series feat. Jack Rose, Oval

Pete — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Thrill Jockey, those estimable purveyors of fine modern music, recently announced a new instalment of their immensely popular vinyl singles series, only this time with more wax: 84 inches to be precise, in the form of seven 12" singles. All the releases are in very limited quantities, and are already moving quick, with a single from the first instalment, by Javelin, already sold out. Upcoming releases promise an excellent, diverse selection of cuts, from the likes of High Places, Double Dagger (with three different bizarro mask covers –– see below), and Jason Urick.

The series will also feature the last recording of the late, great fingerpicker Jack Rose, whose short life and remarkable body of work touched a lot of people. (See a clip of Jack working his magic in Berlin below). Jack appears with D Charles Speer and the Helix.

Another highlight of the series is the long-awaited return of pioneering German boffin Oval, aka Marcus Popp, who has returned from a lengthy hiatus making music for Japanese video games for his first release in almost a decade. If you want in, it would be best to move quick: the releases are expected to sell out within days of going on sale.

Sync: New TVC feat. Coby Grant's 'A Song About Me'

Pete — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Australian songstress Coby Grant recently had one of her songs featured in a Scandinavian Bonaqua spot. The song, which was rerecorded into Swedish for the ad, is from Coby's Is In Full Colour ep, which you can pick up here. While we can't exactly make out the tagline –– the Gaga staff still not being entirely fluent in Swedish –– we understand it has something to do with refreshment.

Coby's new ep, Fanfare For Love, is out now.

Midlake release The Courage of Others

Pete — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Four years after their acclaimed lp The Trials of Van Occupanther, Texan indie-rockers and Speak n Spellers Midlake are back with their new record, The Courage of Others.

After the classic Fleetword-inspired strains of Van Occupanther, The Courage of Others finds the group exploring their love of golden-era British folk groups like Fairport Convention and Pentangle. This means soft vocals and flutes and odes to the natural world––beautiful, mournful music suitable for wandering through a damp British forest in search of sprites.

An album of subtle delights, The Courage of Others has received a heap of great reviews in the two weeks since its release, with Mojo calling it 'exquisitely constructed, intricately layered, beautifully played' and the Onion AV Club deeming it 'stunning'. NPR USA called it 'a gentle masterwork.' Closer to home, the Sydney Morning Herald made The Courage of Others album of the week, calling it a 'seriously attractive album.'

Sold? You can pick up a copy here. Check out a preview for the record above, or the video for 'Acts of Man', the record's great first single, below.

Stroke: Songs for Chris Knox

Pete — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0800

In June 2009, Chris Knox, legendary Kiwi songsmith, film critic and father, suffered a major stroke at his home in Auckland. Responsible for forming New Zealand's first punk band, The Enemy, in 1977, Chris went on to play in a series of wonderfully inventive Kiwi bands like Tall Dwarfs and Toy Love, as well as racking up a rich catalogue of solo works, becoming something of a living national treasure in his homeland and a revered figure in independent music the world over.

When Chris suffered the stroke, his many friends and admirers in the music community wanted to help. So they got together a remarkable list of folks who all recorded covers of Chris's songs, and made a record – Stroke: Songs for Chris Knox – to raise funds for his treatment. The lineup on the album is testament to the power and reach of Chris's music, featuring the likes of Kiwi luminaries The Chills, The Bats, The Verlaines and David Kilgour, along with Stephen Merritt, Yo La Tengo, Bill Callahan, Jeff Mangum, AC Newman, Lambchop, The Mountain Goats and Bonnie 'Prince' Billy. To support this most worthy of causes, head on over to itunes.

Sync: Mercedes TVC feat. Sherlock's Daughter's 'Reprise'

Pete — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Sherlock's Daughter's' 'Reprise', from Inertia Music, recently featured in this Mercedes TV spot.

From The Vaults: Soft Machine Volumes One and Two

Pete — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Over the coming months, we're going to take a wander through some of the great records from the Gaga Master vault. In our first installment, we're going to draw from Ace Records' incredible catalogue. Looking at the Ace Catalogue is kind of like looking at a history of music, as put together by some awesome vinyl boffin who lives underground surrounded by 10 metre high shelves of meticulously sorted records. It's intimidating. Faced with such immensity, it's best to take it slow. So, with this in mind, let's start with one undeniably awesome nugget: the Soft Machine's Volumes One and Two.

From the Ace site:

One of Ace Records’ biggest selling titles, the twofer of this seminal British prog-psych outfit’s first pair of long players is testament to the quirky edge the original Machine had in their earliest incarnation(s). The Canterbury legend’s first album, recorded whilst on tour in the US in 1968, and not issued in the UK until Big Beat licensed it in the 1980s, features the spiky songcraft of founder member Kevin Ayers; its sequel introduced another bass-playing writing talent, Hugh Hopper. On both sets, the inventive keyboard of Mike Ratledge and distinctive voice of Robert Wyatt seal the enduring appeal of this cornerstone outfit.

High Places: I Was Born

Pete — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0800

LA-by-way-of-Brooklyn transplants High Places recently directed a trippy video for their single I Was Born, out now through Thrill Jockey. The video was filmed, styled, edited and conceived by the group, who have a new full-length due in autumn this year. Stay tuned!

Gaga gets Ace!

Pete — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Ace Records is, you could say, the grand old statesmen of the Master catalogue. The label itself itself began in 1971 in London, from a market stall selling second hand records. The stall soon grew into two, and then into a successful label. In the early 80s, Ace decided to devote themselves full time to the pursuit of catalogues.

Ace's incredibly diverse catalogue includes rocknroll, R&B, Blues and oldies, as well as 60s soul, World Music, and a remarkable collection of jazz, including imprints like Stax, and Westbound, and Fantasy Records, the largest independent catalogue company in America.

Ace's catalogue now extends to over 1500 items, and is growing all the time. We're stoked to have them as part of Gaga Master.

Cooking Vinyl get on board

Pete — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Gaga is delighted to announce the signing of Cooking Vinyl, one of Britain's most successful independent record labels, to Gaga Master. Cooking Vinyl has achieved remarkable success over the years, and has done so entirely on its own terms. From humble beginnings, the label has not only survived but flourished, weathering all the changes and difficulties that have faced independent record labels in the last two decades.

Cooking Vinyl was set up by former manager and booking agent Martin Goldschmidt and distribution manager Pete Lawrence. In 1986, Cooking Vinyl famously recorded an impromptu live performance around a campfire at a folk festival by the singer Michelle Shocked on a portable cassette machine with fading batteries. The label released the recording as The Campfire Tapes. It went on to sell 250,000 copies worldwide.

Today the company runs a flourishing mail order operation, and does its own press, marketing, online marketing and sales in house, from its HQ in London. It has a fully developed international network in place and its own Cooking Vinyl companies in America and Germany.

The label's wonderfully diverse roster includes Billy Bragg, Frank Black, Echo and the Bunnymen, Cowboy Junkies, Ryan Adams, Ziggy Marley, The Prodigy and Richard Thompson. We're stoked to have them with us.

Thrill Jockey join with Gaga

Pete — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Gaga is thrilled to announce the signing of Thrill Jockey to the Master stable. Thrill Jockey is, quite simply, one of the finest independent record labels in the world. Founded in 1992 by Bettina Richards, the Chicago-based label has been artist-oriented since the beginning, while, at the same time, always giving listeners the chance to really engage with the music it releases. (Thrill Jockey allows their entire catalogue to be streamed online, in the knowledge that listeners need to hear records before they'll buy them.) The label is a model of how to combine musical idealism with smart small business practice.

Thrill Jockey's incredibly diverse catalogue includes many of the finest independent and experimental artists of the last two decades: Tortoise, The Sea and Cake, Mouse on Mars, Tom Verlaine, Eleventh Dream Day, Califone, Howe Gelb/Giant Sand, Oval, The Fiery Furnaces, and Boredoms, to name a few. We're very happy to have them on board.