Music To Your Ears

Posted on August 31, 2010 by Very Warm

A nice helping of new-to-me-hopefully-new-to-you music! Hooray!

Glasser – Home

Givers – Up Up Up

Gobble Gobble – Lawn Knives

Braids – Lemonade

Sufjan Stevens – I Walked

How To Dress Well – Ready For The World

Tamaryn – Love Fade

Wise Blood – STRT SRNS

Alright, that’s all I got for this time, I hope you all have a good day!

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It’s A List – 11 Acts I Want to See Before I Die (Or Before They Die)

Posted on August 13, 2010 by Very Warm

The Flaming Lips

After seeing all the hullabaloo from all the festivals this year, saying that this was the best year ever in terms of the musical attendance to the festivals, I thought about all the acts that played those fests and made up lists of acts I want to see before I die (or before the bands die). This is in no order, mind you.

  • Fever Ray/The Knife
    • I just found out about Fever Ray and later The Knife through looking at many peoples “Best of 2009” lists. When I went to go check the music out, I was in awe of how different this sounded from all the other music I had been listening to prior to that. I looked up some of Fever Ray’s live shows and they are ridiculous. Karin Dreijer Andersson, the woman behind the music, usually has strange masks on, usually matching her equally strange outfit. Not only the costumes, I’ve heard, are stupendous, but also the light shows and the sound quality put out are as well. It’s a dark, etheral thrill ride that will make you move.

  • The Flaming Lips
    • The Flaming Lips are pretty much indie rock legends. Starting in 1983, they have released 13 albums since then, all with pretty distinct sounds on each one so each album is different from the next. Their most notable releases would have to be 1999’s “The Soft Bulletin” which is regarded not only as one of the best albums of the 90’s, but of all time. Same goes for it’s follow-up, “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots,” which features the song “Do You Realize??” which is not only used in many commercials but is also the Official Rock Song of Oklahoma, as of 2009. With 13 albums worth of music backing them and crazy antics going onstage like Lip’s frontman Wayne Coyne rolling out into the audience in a giant bubble, many costumed people running around on the stage and massive amounts of confetti, a Flaming Lips show would be pretty much mind-blowing.

  • Lady Gaga
    • Yes, Lady Gaga. Now it would seem that I would despise Lady Gaga, correct? I mean, I’m such an indie kid, I hate music that’s being played on the radio, right? Well, you are wrong! I found that Lady Gaga is actually one of my favorite guilty pleasures! With her two albums never really leaving the Billboard Top 40, she has plenty of money to put on a crazy, spectacular show.

  • Beck
    • Beck is probably my favorite musician/band out there right now and you might be wondering why. I just love his multitude of different sounding albums and endless creativity when making them. Take his album “Midnite Vultures:” one of the most silly things I have ever heard, but he makes it work. The next album he puts out, “Sea Change,” is one of the best things to listen to after a break-up, or after something melancholy. Two completely different sounds, but  it is all Beck. I love live  music, so I would just love to see him and his band live.

  • Animal Collective/Panda Bear/Avey Tare/Deakin
    • Another one of  my favorite acts, Animal Collective, has a pretty large fanbase. Their sound  has definitely evolved since their first album in 2000, “Spirit They’re Gone, Spirit They’ve Vanished,” and they’re most recent full-length,  “Merriweather Post Pavilion” was not only my favorite album of 2009, but favorites of plenty of other well-known media sources like Pitchfork Media, SPIN, and Stereogum. I’ve heard their shows are just big drug-trips without the drugs(well, I’m without drugs, anyways) with dazzling light shows and images showing up on a big screen to help narrate the concert, in a way.
    • Panda Bear, Avey Tare, and Deakin are all members of Animal Collective and they all are doing solo projects this year! Panda Bear played at the Pitchfork Music Festival the day before I came and has a new album out on September 13th, if I’m not mistaken. His first solo album was 2007’s magnificent “Person Pitch,” so we’ll see how the new album stands up to that. Avey Tare is coming out with his first solo album “Down There” on October 26th, and I am looking forward to that more than Panda Bear’s, just because I want to hear what solo Avey sounds like. Then Deakin, the  most enigmatic member of  AnCo, is touring around the US, and I wouldn’t mind seeing one of  his shows.

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The Pitchfork Experience

Posted on August 10, 2010 by Very Warm

This past weekend a few of my friends and I traveled down to Chicago for the annual Pitchfork Music Festival. We had no idea what to expect, due to never being to a music festival before, so I’m pretty sure we were all excited to see a bunch of our favorite bands play it up.

We arrived just as some dark clouds were forming and sure enough, it rained. Scratch that. It poured. Thankfully, the torrential downpour only lasted about 10-15 minutes and ended about 5 minutes before the first acts broke out their instruments and jammed away. The first two acts that played were Alla, an alternative Spanish trio, and Cave, a throwback psychedelic rock band. Both of the bands, I later found out, were local Chicago bands which is nice of Pitchfork to get some bands out into the open more. But we were unfamiliar with either, so we decided to stake out a good spot before the hoards came.

Early Pitchfork Music Festival

The earliest act we wanted to see was the lo-fi pop awesomefest Best Coast, who played after Cave. We wormed our way through the crowds until we got a pretty decent distance away from the stage. After a bit, Best Coast came on and slathered the audience with their dreamy pop hits. It wasn’t the same as the recordings because Bethany’s voice wasn’t delayed with the live mic, but the songs sounded just as good and energetic. They played a great set and finished with my personal favorite of theirs, “When I’m With You.”

Best Coast

Best Coast

We stayed at the same stage for the next performer, Washed Out, the one-man glo-fi band. I hadn’t heard much of Washed Out before, but one of my friends really liked his material, so I thought that would be enough for me to stay. Before this, though, I got hit in the face by a stray full water bottle that people were throwing out into the audience because of the heat. It also hit a guy that I was standing next to by bouncing off my head and hitting his, but we’ll get to him later. Washed Out started his set and I started to really enjoy his chill beats and synths that he was laying down. Like I said, very chill.

Washed Out

Washed Out

Next up was one of my personal favorites, Beach House. I had already seen them before when they opened for Grizzly Bear back in September, but this time they were performing tracks from their new album, Teen Dream. Which is so far my favorite album of the year so far, so you should go pick that up right away!

We got a pretty good view of Beach House and we could hear them perfectly. Victoria Legrand’s voice is one of a kind, and it melts my heart with her crooning melodies and emotional output. Her hair is also amazing. Their set was probably my favorite at the festival, and we didn’t even see the entirity of it, because we had to rush over to Local Natives, who were pretty much playing the same time as Beach House. This angered me, because those two bands were some of my favorites of this year! What are ya doin’, Pitchfork?

Beach House

Beach House’s Victoria Legrand

Alex Scally and Victoria Legrand

As we reached Local Natives, we all realized that it was unbearably hot and humid out. As the crowd packed in around the stage the more hot and uncomfortable it got. It really impeded our Local Natives watching experience, but they put on a wonderful set with spot-on vocal harmonies and a lot of really good energy, keeping the crowd in good spirits despite the heat. We only caught about four songs, but it was worth it.

Local Natives

Local Natives

After Local Natives we had a well needed break for food, water, and shopping. The festival had a diverse array of food choices and I thoroughly appreciated that. Water was also abundant, which was universally appreciated. The vendors selling band merchandise and other assorted apparel was very nice as well. One stand was selling $1 records! I’m still amazed that I didn’t buy at least 10!

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The 25 Best Albums of the Year (So Far)

Posted on July 28, 2010 by Very Warm

So 2010 is halfway over! What the heck? It is going by so quickly! It also is not running low on a supply of good music. There has been so many good releases so far this year! Know what I’m gonna do now? I’m gonna list them off! (Note, these are in alphabetical order, I’ll preference them at the end of the year!)

1. Beach House – Teen Dream

2. LCD Soundsystem  – This Is Happening

3. Janelle Monae – The ArchAndroid

4. Local Natives – Gorilla Manor

5. Gorillaz – Plastic Beach

6. The Morning Benders – Big Echo

7. Fang Island – Fang Island

8. Sleigh Bells – Treats

9. Sir Lucious Left Foot… The Son of Chico Dusty – Big Boi

10. Crystal Castles – Crystal Castles(II)

11. Wavves – King of the Beach

12. Yeasayer – Odd Blood

13. Vampire Weekend – Contra

14. Delorean – Subiza

15. Owen Pallett – Heartland

16. Surfer Blood – Astro Coast

17. Tame Impala – Innerspeaker

18. The Black Keys – Brothers

19. Broken Bells – Broken Bells

20. Portugal the Man – American Ghetto

21. Joanna Newsom – Have One On Me

22. Mumford & Sons – Sigh No More

23.  Suckers – Wild Smile

24. Flying Lotus – Cosmogramma

25. Here We Go Magic – Pigeons

So yes, there is the BEST ALBUMS OF THE YEAR(so far)! Comment? Comment! Have a good day!

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It’s A List – 1/2 of the Year’s Best Songs

Posted on July 26, 2010 by Very Warm

ALRIGHT! So here we are, more than halfway done with 2010! Wow, what a year it has been! What with the earthquakes in Haiti, Chile and China, the Oil Spill, Spain winning the World Cup, the Health Care Bill, and much much much more! But, of course, the FANTASTIC music that has been created this year. Shall we take a look?

  1. Silver Soul – Beach House
  2. Excuses – The Morning Benders
  3. Go Outside – Cults
  4. Cold War – Janelle Monae
  5. Empty Room – Arcade Fire
  6. Sun Hands – Local Natives
  7. O.N.E. – Yeasayer
  8. Diplomat’s Son – Vampire Weekend
  9. Baptism – Crystal Castles
  10. I Feel Better – Hot Chip
  11. Born Free – MIA
  12. Life Coach – Fang Island
  13. Empire Ants – Gorillaz
  14. Lewis Takes Off His Shirt – Owen Pallett
  15. Tell ‘Em – Sleigh Bells
  16. Fresh Hex (feat. Beck) – TOBACCO
  17. Dance Yrself Clean – LCD Soundsystem
  18. Stay Close – Delorean
  19. Daddy Fat Sax – Big Boi
  20. USA Boys – HEALTH
  21. Solitude Is Bliss – Tame Impala
  22. Post Acid – Wavves
  23. I Want To – Best Coast
  24. Slow Motion – Panda Bear
  25. Chinatown – Wild Nothing
  26. Take It Easy – Surfer Blood
  27. Thieves – She & Him
  28. Real Life – Tanlines
  29. While We’re Young – Department of Eagles
  30. Tighten Up – The Black Keys
  31. Heaven’s On Fire – The Radio Dept.
  32. King Night – Salem
  33. Black Sheep – Suckers
  34. Mr. Petersen – Perfume Genius
  35. Power – Kanye West
  36. CMYK – James Blake
  37. Tom Cruz – Plants and Animals
  38. All Summer – Kid Cudi, Best Coast, and Rostam Batmanglij(of Vampire Weekend)
  39. Go Do – Jonsi
  40. Collector – Here We Go Magic
  41. Lifted – Lemonade
  42. Fembot – Robyn
  43. Western Hospitality – Club 8
  44. Yellow Wings – Keepaway
  45. Good Intentions Paving Company – Joanna Newsom
  46. Little Lion Man – Mumford & Sons
  47. Fixed – Stars
  48. Do The Astral Plane – Flying Lotus
  49. The Mermaid Parade – Phosphorescent
  50. Brian Eno – MGMT

So yeah, there is my list. I know I didn’t hook up links for the free song downloads, but I’m tired and I have other lists to put up. Is that koshe? I think so. Comment! Have a nice day!

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Upcoming Attractions – ARCADE FIRE SINGLES

Posted on May 22, 2010 by Very Warm

So apparently the legendary band Arcade Fire has been hinting at some new material to be released this summer or fall. These hints became true when they proposed that they would release two singles on June 1st: “The Suburbs” and “Month of May.”

They did give us some VERY short previews of each track, which is kind of bittersweet. One that they gave us some ideas on what they are going to sound like, but also they leave us begging for more. Here is the PREVIEW.

Eh? “The Suburbs” sounds like a more traditional Arcade Fire song, which is always appreciated, but “Month of May” is more punk sounding which I think is new for Arcade Fire, WHICH I LOVE. Really looking forward to the singles, and especially the new album! Have a good day!

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On Repeat #1

Posted on May 18, 2010 by Very Warm

Here are some albums that have been on repeat for a few weeks, days, hours, and minutes!

Sorry I haven’t put anything out recently, I guess I just haven’t gotten to it.

LCD Soundsystem – Sound of Silver.

–To get ready for the album that came out TODAY, I had to remind myself of the awesomeness that is “Sound of Sliver.” Lots of variety with slow groovy songs to funky headbangers.  Great, funky album that is always nice to listen to.

Crystal Castles – Crystal Castles (II)

The new Crystal Castles album is a lot more gritty and direct than their previous, and I like it. The song Doe Deer is teen angst distilled into one loud, crazy, noisy mess on about 1:40. Excellent period.

Sleigh Bells – Treats

Ah, what can I say about Sleigh Bells? That they skyrocketed in popularity after their release on iTunes, even landing them a spot in Rolling Stone? Sure. MIA loves them? Sure. Can I say that they made one of my favorite albums of the year? YES. I have never heard trashy noise rock sound this good and refined, which sounds sort of strange, but trust me; this stuff will move you. Crown on the Ground is SO groovy, I can’t even stand it. Awesome. Super low price on iTunes as well, go hit it up!

Thee Oh Sees – Warm Slime

I just found this band while doing one of those “related artists” runs through iTunes, and I love their throwback 60’s Psychedelic sound. It really reminds me of what I started listening to in 8th grade. Really good stuff right here, guys.

Crooked Still – Some Strange Country

Crooked Still, a pretty well-known new bluegrass band from California, released their fourth full-length album while on their album tour (NO WAY!) which I obviously went to. The album doesn’t disappoint, Aoife O’Donovans vocals are still as magnificent as ever, and all the instrumental solos are still manic bursts of musical genius. I still have a little bluegrass interest left.

LCD Soundsystem – This Is Happening

Lemme tell you this. At first listen, I didn’t like LCD. This was probably their song “Daft Punk Is Playing At My House,” and also 30 second previews are not that good of an indicator about a song. So sad. Well, I acquired Sound of Silver a little while back and started listening to that and I fell in love with it. So fresh and groovy! Awesome! Well, LCD’s latest (and apparently last!) album definitely does not disappoint. “Dance Yrself Clean” seems like the Stride flavor change gum where it changes from mint to berry, because it turns from a slow moving piece to a sweet dance jam. Yeah, all of the songs are sweet mastercrafted pieces of art. Definitely pick this one up on Amazon.

Janelle Monae – Archandroid

I had no idea what this was when I first saw the cover, but it piqued my curiosity so I checked it out. I was pleasantly surprised to find that Monae creates some fantastic R&B music, not YET clogged by the impressions of society. She calls upon Big Boi from Outkast on “Tightrope”, and silly pop band Of Montreal on “Make The Bus.” Definitely pick this one up, it’s a keeper.

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It’s A List – 1/4 of the Year’s Best Songs

Posted on April 6, 2010 by Very Warm

So I’m pulling a Pretty Much Amazing, but I wanted to get this out here. I wanted to post my top 35 tracks of 2010 SO FAR. This was a hard process, but I think I got it.

I guess I’ll start at #1, cause it would save space if I did the programmed numbered way.

ALSO!!!!!! – – – The songs that are colored differently or are underlined are links to download the song for FREE! LEGALLY! YEAH! DO IT, SON!

  1. 10 Mile Stereo – Beach House
  2. Go Outside – Cults
  3. Sun Hands – Local Natives
  4. O.N.E. – Yeasayer
  5. Diplomat’s Son – Vampire Weekend
  6. I Feel Better – Hot Chip
  7. Life Coach – Fang Island
  8. Yellow Wings – Keepaway
  9. Lewis Takes Off His Shirt – Owen Pallett
  10. Stylo – Gorillaz
  11. Excuses – The Morning Benders
  12. Take It Easy – Surfer Blood
  13. Stay Close – Delorean
  14. Jolene(Live) – The White Stripes
  15. Good Intentions Paving Company – Joanna Newsom
  16. Lifted – Lemonade
  17. Mingus and Pike – The Ruby Suns
  18. Night – Zola Jesus
  19. Your Hands (Together) – The New Pornographers
  20. Little Lion Man – Mumford & Sons
  21. Jail La La – Dum Dum Girls
  22. Written In Reverse – Spoon
  23. Policy of Trust – Tanlines
  24. Starring – Freelance Whales
  25. New York Is Killing Me – Gil-Scott Heron
  26. World Sick – Broken Social Scene
  27. When I’m Small – Phantogram
  28. Collector – Here We Go Magic
  29. Rainbow In The Dark – Das Racist
  30. My Way – jj
  31. October – Broken Bells
  32. Trick Pony – Charlotte Gainsbourg
  33. Bermuda – Kisses
  34. Dear God, I Hate Myself – Xiu Xiu
  35. Hope Child – Free Energy

So yeah, there’s the list. Surprised? Disappointed? Pleased? Confused? Hungry? Post some responses! Alright, have a good day, y’all.

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Music To Your Ears

Posted on April 3, 2010 by Very Warm

Haven’t posted stuff in a long while, so I thought I would post some music that I have been really digging these past few days/weeks!

Hot Chip – I Feel Better

(such a lolztastic music video, eh?)

Broken Social Scene – Forced to Love, All to All, World Sick

Listen/Buy the song and pre-order their new album HERE!

Dum Dum Girls – Jail La La

Dum Dum Girls – Jail La La

The Ruby Suns – Mingus and Pike

Das Racist – Rainbow in the Dark

Das Racist – Rainbow in the Dark

Get the rest of their free EP HERE

Delorean – Stay Close

Delorean – Stay Close

Zola Jesus – Night

Zola Jesus – Night

Here We Go Magic – Collector

Enter your Email address HERE to get the free mp3!

Cults – Go Outside

Cults – Go Outside

Tanlines – Policy of Trust

Now that is a lot of music! Hope that quenched y’alls thirst.

BY THE WAY, I am going to go see Broken Social Scene this Wednesday. I’m pretty dang excited: one for just seeing Broken Social Scene, and two I’ve heard they are crazy awesome live so we’ll see. Hope you have a good day!

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Review-Sauce – Gorillaz

Posted on March 21, 2010 by Very Warm

Oh mah lawd, y’all. Here it is. My REVIEW. of. PLASTIC BEACH.

I know, I know, not a big deal. You’d rather read some review by Pitchfork or Under the Radar or something along those lines. Sure, that’s cool. Professional, cool. Alright. BUT, this is the people’s take. Haha, wow this is a tangent.

So let’s dive right in! Get it? Cause it kind of has a nautical theme? Okay, that was dumb.

Just FYI, there are no “Feel Good Inc’s” or “Clint Eastwood’s”, or other stickout-super-single-dance-awesomeness-singles, but it makes up for this with it’s overall lushness and consistency.

It starts with an enigmatic orchestral intro that is actually quite nice. It is also the music that started the “tour” of the Plastic Beach. Next is the groove starter, with Welcome to the World of the Plastic Beach. This song features Snoop Dogg and I feel like even though it sounds sort of silly with all his “Crack-A-Lackin'”, it fits well as the second song on the album. If they placed this anywhere else in the album, it would be a real buzzkill. This really gets the momentum going for the rest of the album to use. Snoop Dogg makes a nice greeter. I hope he starts working at a Meijer or something: “Welcome to the World of Meijer, dawg”. Thanks, Snoop Dogg. You keep being you.

Alright, so next is White Flag featuring Bashy, Kano, and the National Orchestra for Arabic Music. Bashy and Kano pass some sweet raps to eachother while the Orchestra plays while they take a break. The Orchestra really fits well with this “Island theme” and creates a nice picture in your head. Bashy and Kano’s raps are nice at the beginning, but get kind of old after awhile. Some great stuff on the way.

This is about where the album really starts moving, and the album’s heart starts pumping out good sauce. Rhinestone Eyes, which really is a really nice track for Albarn’s “2D” slower vocals. The lyrics are nice, and the amount of electronic effects are just right. After is Stylo, which you probably all know (if you have read my blog previously). Mos Def laying down some crackling rhymes, Albarn sweet vocals, and Bobby Womack’s crazy preachin’ voice really gets you into it. Then Superfast Jellyfish, where De La Soul raps about breakfast. Always fun. Really reminds me of a 60’s commercial. Yes, even with the rap.

After Jellyfish is one of my favorite songs on the album, Empire Ants featuring Little Dragon. When Albarn is singing, it reminds me of their song Hong Kong, which I also really like. Then when Little Dragon comes in, the sound is beautiful. The lead singer, Yukimi Nagano, has a great voice for this sort of song, and the lyrics are sweet. After that is a great electro-jam out named Glitter Freeze. Ireally like all the effects put into it, makes me think of the future. Next is Some Kind of Nature featuring Lou Reed. Lou Reed was the lead singer of the great band The Velvet Underground. This song is really groovy and Reed’s voice fits really well into the mix.

On Melancholy Hill is next, and personally, I didn’t really like this one as much. I don’t know. It just doesn’t do it for me on this one. BUT, it gets right up on it’s feet with Broken, another one of my favorites. The beginning reminds me of Pikmin. But Albarn’s voice is perfect on this one, and the chorus is very emotional. I also like the cheesy sythesized strings during the chorus. What. It’s good.

Next is Sweepstakes featuring Mos Def and Hypnotic Brass Ensemble. Mos Def is awesome on this track, and it all feels really natural. The build until the end is excellent, too. At first I didn’t really get it, but after a few listens I found I got it. After is Plastic Beach featuring Mick Jones and Paul Simonon. This one, again, I didn’t really get at first listen. I really like the chorus with the bleeps and blips in the background. Then is To Binge, where they bring back Little Dragon. Nagano’s vocals are ghostly and Albarn’s are normal, I guess. Good song.

The second to last song is Cloud of Unknowing, where Bobby Womack returns for a very soulful performance. Awesome. Last is Pirate Jet, which is a Velvet Underground-sounding closer. This is sort of like the last song on Demon Days which is named Demon Days. With the sort of chorus and trailing ending; the lyrics have good placement as well, so I guess it works. HA!

WOW! It’s over. Sorry if I typed too much, I just had some descriptions I had to word out. So in my opinion, this ranks up there with the other Gorillaz albums, and it doesn’t disappoint me in the least. My score is 89%. This was a great listen, and I’m really glad it didn’t let me down after about 3 months of anticipation.

If you have heard the album/certain tracks, leave comments below! Or if you have some stuff to say, comment! Have a good day!

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