NXNY Day One! Francis, Flossin, & Jigg!

(In order to both apologize for the inactivity around here and combat this week's SXSW coverage elsewhere on the internet, am.fm.pm is hosting NXNY -New By New York: the Halfass Online Arts Festival- all week. Lots of content, ham-fisted metaphors galore. If you'd like to contribute a post or feature on your own blog, steal the above banner, send me a link, and I'll plug you here.)

Happy Monday, kids. Back in to it? Back in to it. Today's NXNY line up comes to us via Brooklyn, San Francisco, and Thomasville, GA.

The Hold Steady : Bruce Springsteen :: Francis and the Lights : Peter Gabirel. Blue eyed soul is rarely as anthemic as the Francis Farewell Starlite's, lead singer of the BK outfit heading up today's NXNY showcase. With the prestige pedigree of last year's MGMT "you weren't there" Halloween show up their sleeve, F&TL are primed to strike hearts and minds in 2009- and as white digifunk contemporaries across the blogsphere storm our headphones, these guys stand out as both never cloying and never without a hook.

Francis and the Lights' A Modern Promise 12" and LIME/WYN 7" are available via the band's website, linked above.

Francis and the Lights "Striking"

Francis and the Lights "Night Watchman"

Francis and the Lights "Can't Tell Me Nothing" (Kanye West Cover)

Flossin, a collaborative project of Ghostly International mainstay Christopher Willits with drummer Zach Hill, Matmos, Nate Boyce, and Carson McWhirter, released their improvised Serpents EP via Willits' avant-music portal Overlap back in February to general acclaim. In recent weeks though, the EP has served me amazingly as a psychic escape in those late office hours; a catalyst to daydreaming that really drives home the unsubtle need to unplug a bit. Quite possibly the most challenging and progressive digital release of the year, it's incredibly satisfying to hear that the Bay Area has kept things so heady.

Flossin "Crystal Cobra"

If you're inclined to wonder what new ground can possibly be broken on the legacy of Rick James, a man whose autumn years were entirely overshadowed by blow anecdotes, look no further than Tony Draper protege Jigg, a.k.a. Jiggalo, whose re-imagining of "Superfreak" sculpts the original's aloof bop into a Georgia-as-hell swagger anthem- the kind you don't take home to mothaaaaaah.

Jigg Feat. Rick James "Superfreak"

Keep it @ am.fm.pm rest of the rest of the week for much, much new music.