Dent May vs Mayer Hawthorne

This post has NOTHING to do with Napoleon Dynamite, but the image above is probably the closest thing we have to footage of a real battle between these two tropical-soul behemoths.

Let's start with Dent May.



So Dent May may be a joke. Let's look at the evidence:
1) His band is sarcastically named 'Dent May & His Magnificent Ukelele'
2) His videos are super-kitsch (see below!)
3) He went to a pretentious New York film school
4) He's done a ukelele Prince cover



Despite all these factors, I can't help but think this guy is amazing. Jest or not I had 'Meet Me In The Garden' in my head for nearly a month, and his cover of Prince's 'When You Were Mine' is a magnificent re-invention.

Dent May - When You Were Mine (Prince cover)

Myspace: myspace.com/dentmay

Now to Mayer Hawthrone.



Predominantly from a hip-hop background, Mayer Hawthorne looks much more comfortable in a New Era cap than tweed. Hawthorne's style and musical leanings therefore collide in his video for single 'Just Ain't Gonna Work Out', featuring bling and creased trousers and bitches and good manners.



Listening to both back-to-back it's difficult to pull the two apart. There's certainly more honesty in Hawthorne's music than Dent's, and he's already been heavily supported by Mark Ronson. However if I had to pick I'd go for that magnificent ukelele...

Mayer Hawthorne - Maybe So, Maybe No

Myspace: myspace.com/mayerhawthorne

Chew Lips - Solo

Continuing on my catch up on the last 6 months of music, here's Chew Lips!

Featuring stylishly cheeky frontgirl Tigs and backed by her two multi-instrumentalist bandmates, the band sound is as full of jerks and bleeps and it is smooth bass and floaty guitar riffs. Primarily working from programming and keys, they've managed to borrow the sound of YYYs 'It's Blitz' and We Have Band whilst also sometimes sounding like some long-lost Doves track.



Make sure to catch their Kitsune show at La Scala on 20th June, and get this awesome Tepr remix on your techno playlist.

Chew Lips - Solo (Tepr Remix Version Finale)

Myspace: myspace.com/chewlips

The Juan MacLean - One Day

Shazam is a wonderful thing. I'm only just beginning to harness its awesome power, for example it becomes exceptionally useful when you want to know EVERY song from someone's amazing but obscenely obscure 70's disco set.

Well 'One Day' was the first song I ever Shazamed and it's rarely been off my stereo since. It's something of a minimal-disco-electronica masterpiece. Featuring John MacLean (ex-James Murphy best pal) and Nancy Whang (current James Murphy best pal and LCD Soundsystem member), it's another example of the genius of The Juan MacLean.



Download the superb Lazaro Casanova remix below.

The Juan MacLean - One Day (Lazaro Casanova Haunted Dub)

Myspace: myspace.com/thejuanmaclean

Back to life with Local Natives

Welcome back to the blog!! It's now called Travel By Telephone.



So I'm totally obsessed with Local Natives. Ever since I heard the "oooooooooooaaaah boooooos" of 'Airplanes' I haven't manage to listen to any other album. Oh that's apart from Eoghan Quigg's album which is on Spotify and is an unmissable triumph!!

Not only have Local Natives made a superb album fleeting between the greatness of The National, Arcade Fire and to a lesser extent Vampire Weekend, they can also make a damn good viral.



Check out Airplanes and fall completely in love.

Local Natives - Airplanes

Myspace: myspace.com/localnatives