Seasons Clash!

Summer vs. Winter

Cut Copy – Zonoscope

Aussie disco-pop evoke memories of a future summer that include car trips with the windows down and late-night parties on a beach by creating buoyant grooves over downright gleeful vocals. The first half of this record flows together like the river on the cover while being able to discern the different tracks from eachother. On the latter half, the album still has a pretty consistent flow, but the songs are more similar sounding texture wise and are easily lost in the current. Thankfully, the first half of this record is so strong that it avoids sinking by carrying the still good latter half to dry land.

If this doesn’t jump start your countdown clock to summer or the near-robotic future, I don’t know what will.

Key Tracks:

Need You Now, Take Me Over, Where I’m Going, Pharaohs and Pyramids, Blink and You’ll Miss a Revolution

Score: 87

James Blake – James Blake

The high-rising English musician creates cavernous space in your temporal lobes infused with beautiful,  soulful singing and chopped, minimalistic beats that go hand and hand like bread and Nutella. He fills the void left by the absence of Burial in the sensitive side of dubstep and revolutionizes the sound of the genre by creating an entirely new sound completely: one that carries more meaning and a face.

Another item he uses is silence, which accounts for most of the songs, but also accounts for ridiculous buildups that pull the listener right back in and immerses them in silent static while Blake serenades them with his emotional pipes. Also, if this reminds you of Bon Iver, don’t be surprised – they bear plenty of similarities, while they each hold their own unique feel and sound.

This album is fantastic and definitely lives up to all of the hype it was creating over the past few months. If you enjoyed his past EPs or you want to try something entirely new and inventive, you’ll enjoy this.

Key Tracks:

Unluck, The Wilhelm Scream, I Never Learnt to Share, Limit To Your Love, To Care (Like You), Measurements

Score: 91

Bjork – Post

Information:

Released: 1995

Second album by Bjork

Went platinum in 5 countries.

6 out of 11 tracks became hit singles.

Army of Me:

Hyperballad:

It’s Oh So Quiet:

Isobel:

A new year, new features. This time it’s THROWBACK, which is where I feature one or two really good older records for y’all to buy. These records could be ones that I find recently or ones that I have had since I was young. So here we go, dawgs!

THE DISMEMBERMENT PLAN – Emergency and I

…AND YOU WILL KNOW US BY THE TRAIL OF DEAD – Source Tags and Codes

Top 25 Music Videos of 2010

Many music videos were released this year (duh). Many of them were  good (duh).  Many of  them were  bad (duh).

These are the good ones (okay).

Arcade Fire – The Wilderness Downtown

You can put the address of your house that you grew up in and it will be the centerpiece of the video. That’s cool.

Best Coast – When I’m WithYou

Best Coast brings the Californian vibe with cats, In & Out, beaches, and Ronald McDonald. That’s cool.

The Black Keys – Tighten Up

The Black Keys’ kids fight over girl, The Black Keys fight over woman. Hilarity ensues. That’s cool.

Cee-Lo Green – F’ You

If you haven’t seen this video, you ain’t cool.

Cloud Nothings – Hey Cool Kid

Nerdy kid turns a homeless man into a basketball playing android that sets things on fire? That’s cool.

Das Racist – Who’s That? Brooown

A playable video game as well as a sweet video? That’s cool.

Die Antwoord – Zef Side

This is absolutely ridiculous. Yo DJ Hi-Tek… That’s cool.

Duck Sauce – Barbra Streisand

A ton of cameos and a glipse of New York life. Barbra Streisand. That’s cool.

Fang Island – Life Coach

Non computerized slow motion, asian elvis, a castle man, a man of  flowers, a gorilla man, and lighting effects. That’s cool.

Flying Lotus – Kill Your Co-Workers

Crazy animation, funny dialogue, and a simple plot turned into a movie worth watching. That’s cool.

Gorillaz – On Melancholy Hill

It’s a Gorillaz music video. What do you expect? It’s cool.

Hot Chip – I Feel Better

Boy bands, lasers, a head of a big black guy, and nerds in audience of all girls. That’s cool.

James Blake – Limit To Your Love

You think it’s over then the bass kicks in. That’s cool.

Janelle Monae – Tightrope

An asylum, soulful, funky music, Big Boi, and a whole bunch of crazy awesome dancing. That’s cool.

Kanye West – Runaway

35 minutes long incorporating many of the songs from his new album? That’s cool.

Lady Gaga – Telephone

Beyonce bails Lady Gaga out of jail to kill a whole restaurant full of people? That’s cool.

LCD Soundsystem – Drunk Girls

A horde of pandas assault LCD Soundsystem and their set. That’s  cool

OK Go – This Too Shall Pass

The Rube Goldberg machine of Rube Goldberg machines. That’s cool.

Sleigh Bells – Infinity Guitars

Explosions, baseball bats, rabid dogs, cheerleaders.

Sufjan Stevens – Too Much

Sufjan gets to show off his dance moves, his lady friends, and his trash. That’s cool.

Surfer Blood – Floating Vibes

Surfer Blood does their take on public TV from the age of VHS tapes. That’s cool.

Tame Impala – Solitude is Bliss

A post-apocalyptic society, one crazy dude, and a whole lot of  people walking a certain way. That’s cool.

Vampire Weekend – Giving Up the Gun

A boatload of cameos, tennis and milk bathing. That’s cool.

Wavves – Post Acid

A bunch of stoner skateboarders (Wavves), an alien, montage ensues. That’s cool.

Yeasayer – O.N.E.

A futuristic nightclub, crazy dancers, crazy games of  lasers, and a face shifting guy in construction pants. That’s cool.

My TOP 11 Most Enjoyed Acts of 2010

I have listened to a lot of music this year. Heck, I may have listened to more music this year than any other year! A lot of that music was fantastic and I listened to it over and over again; but what bands or musicians did I spend most of my time devoted to while I’m doing homework, exercising, or just lounging around? Well I’ll tell ya right now! Here are the Top 11 Most Enjoyed Acts of 2010

11. Deerhunter

Before 2010, I liked Deerhunter. They had good songs that if they came up on shuffle I wouldn’t immediately switch off of the song in hopes of a better one. Songs like “Nothing Ever Happened” and “Never Stops” are great, along with Bradford Cox’s solo work as Atlas Sound. He even made my Best Albums of 2009 list last year with Logos, and Best Songs of 2009 with “Walkabout (feat. Panda Bear)”! But with their most recent release, Halcyon Digest, their  appeal grew to massive heights.

The biggest selling point of this album is the song Helicopter, which is my #5 song of  this year. It’s a pretty good song, it doesn’t really matter that I listened to it 35 times in a row one day, but you know, no big. Another song on the album, “He Would Have Laughed” is a tribute to garage rocker Jay Reatard who died this year at the age of 29 of a drug overdose. It is a very touching, but optimistic song, highlighting his life with good vibes. Their album is pure gold, stretching from lo-fi pop tunes to chilling melodies; this album is a must.

10. Fang Island

I have been covering Fang Island since pretty much the beginning of Warm Visions, and they are still one of my favorites of the year. If you missed some of those articles, they describe their sound as “everyone high-fiving everyone”, and that is exactly what it sounds like. Their entire album is a thrill ride on a dragon shooting lasers out of  it’s  mouth into a cloud of radioactive  storms that rain striped lightning. As a start, of course. This album is super motivating and will make all of your small acheivements in the day feel like you scaled the entire Great Wall of China in  an hour, backwards while on fire. Quite the ego boost.

9. Big Boi

Prior to hearing Big Boi and his tasty raps, I did not like hip hop that much at all. I thought it was  all senseless silly making that had to do with killing people, drugs, and being the most intimidating person in the music  business. After I heard Big Boi’s  “Shutterbugg” I erased all of those stereotypes, and dove into the world  of hip hop.

Big Boi’s debut album, “Sir Lucious Left Foot… The Son of Chico Dusty” is a great record, in my Top 20 of this year, it definitely deserves it. The unique sound of  his raps set him apart from the other rappers and make him more accessible, more real. Some real, pumping music, I would definitely pick this up if you are a fan of hip-hop, or not a fan of hip-hop! In the end, you’ll come out liking this a lot more than any other hip-hop you’ll find.

8. Beach House

Ever want to listen to something that makes you instantly bliss out when it hits your ears? Look no further than Beach House and their beautiful new LP (my #2 of this year!). The beautiful voice of Victoria Legrand and the guitar work of  Alex Scally make this duo a force to be reckoned with. For the first half of this year, Teen Dream was the bulk of what I listened to. I only bought two songs at first: 10 Mile Stereo and Zebra. Those two songs are some of the best songs I’ve heard all year, and it made me buy the entire album a few days later.

I have seen them twice  now, the first being last year when they opened for Grizzly Bear and then this year at the Pitchfork Music Festival. The first show I didn’t really know Beach House that well but I still enjoyed the show. Then at Pitchfork, I was really excited to see them because of Teen Dream, a fantastic album that you are  required to own. If you don’t own it you are seriously missing out on some blissful enlightenment.

7. Gorillaz

Gorillaz has been one of my favorite bands since the release of Demon Days  in 2005 and I had been anticipating the release of their new album for quite some time. I had no idea it was going to be as good as  it is. Their new album grew on me quickly; at first I only liked certain songs and was expecting that sort of Gorillaz vibe  from the other albums. But after more listens I found that the sound put out on this album is more  professional than their others; more refined. That Damon Albarn didn’t go  for cartoons making music but people making music! Sure it still had the whimsical feels of being sung and played by cartoons. Either way, I was not disappointed at all with this album and I’m pretty sure  it’s my #4 of this year, which is  saying something!

6. Kanye West

It’s Kanye West: the Great Entertainer. How can you not enjoy his music?

5. Janelle Monae

It’s not often that you hear music like Monae’s in this day and age. Usually it’s computer-generated  garbage that evokes images of trashy clubs filled with disgusting shirtless men and women that wear dresses (if you can call them that) that are so tiny they look like they could burst at any second, especially by the way they are dancing. What is up with dancing these days? It’s  disgusting! Okay, old man rant over, now time for talking. Why can’t we get back to the funky rock of the past and boogie the night away?

Thankfully, Monae’s music does not evoke images of trashy clubs, but of an episode  of soul train if it was played in an utopian future society in another universe that plays funky soulful pop music that is not only inspiriational but fantastic and user-friendly. This  isn’t totally complicated music that will deter possible listeners  away, this is totally danceable music paired with a  great voice. Janelle Monae made one of  the biggest splashes of 2010, and I can’t wait for more of her material.

4. Crystal Castles

With their release of their second album, Crystal Castles II, this band has successfully established a place in a slot for favorite bands. The beautifully haunting synths paired with Alice Glass’ delicate voice is a combination that melts the listener. But then, the synths get sharp and Glass’ voice gets manic and the music becomes completely danceable. Their aforementioned album is GREAT, and is highly recommended for all that read this.

3. Die Antwoord

What can I say about Die Antwoord that isn’t good? Sure, their raps are  over the top and obscene, but somehow I keep listening. Ninja and Yo-Landi entice the listener with a unique sound that not only confuses the listener but also pumps them up with a sort of foreign fury. Listening to the music makes me feel energized by the abrasive raps and beats that they provide, along with the videos as  well. The videos are always ridiculous, even in interviews they seem to have the same character going on.

I found out about Die Antwoord when one of my friends posted their video, “Zef Side” on another one of my friend’s wall. I watched it, being the  creep that I am, and was  slightly appalled at the video and  I  didn’t watch it for awhile  after. Eventually I watched it again and I started to find it  very funny and appealing (not that one part, but you know) and I started to watch more of their videos. Soon I began to really enjoy the music and I listened to it while I did college apps this year, which was an interesting experience to say the least. If you want something totally different from the average hip hop scene, check out some Die Antwoord.

2. LCD Soundsystem

I love LCD Soundsystem. At the beginning of the year, I hated  LCD Soundsystem. I thought Murphy’s voice was awful and I thought all the songs were really bad,  actually. Then I saw the video for Drunk Girls, and I started to come around. I still wasn’t convinced, but then I bought the songs “All My Friends” and “Losing My Edge” and that was what won me over. I just love the sarcastic tone that Murphy emits through his voice and how the lyrics  are so bitingly ironic towards hipsters; it just gets me!

1. Sleigh Bells

Probably the most motivating thing I’ve ever heard, this band encourages me to exercise or move around, be productive, something! I had never been a  huge fan of noise rock or pop until this album, where the slightest bit of distortion blasting guitars and screaming-ish vocals turned me off automatically. Eventually they really grew on me, and they quickly developed into one of my favorite bands, sounding completely different than everyone else that dared to step in their path.

I saw them this summer at the Pitchfork Music Festival and I can safely say that it was one of the most invigorating shows I had even been to and there were only two people, a drum machine, and a whole  lot of  amps on stage! Their  abrasive static sound has found a safe place in my musical heart and I will listen to them every time I exercise now. Thanks  Sleigh Bells! Now I can lose some weight!

Alright dawgs, who were your most enjoyed artists of this  year! Comment below! Thanks!

Top 5 Guilty Pleasures of 2010

This year has been full of fantastic music throughout. I was really surprised at the quality of music that appeared in all realms of music. These stories are the songs or bands that I really enjoyed that some people might think is strange (besides my normal music taste) or really not good at all. The things that are featured are things that I discovered in 2010, it doesn’t specifically mean that the band  or song came  out in 2010.

My Chemical Romance

My Chemical Romance has had a pretty polarized opinion over them. Prior to their release this year, people really either liked them or didn’t because of their image of “ultimate emo-ness” and “blood, tears and black” appearance. Well this album was poised to change things. Gerard Way, MCRs frontman, ditched the emo appearance and was determined on making rock music that was invigorating to the main public and not just to teenagers sitting  in their rooms hiding from their parents and society.

This album really did just that, in my eyes. I liked  MCR before and I was really looking forward to their album coming out and was  really really pleased with the result. The music is poppy and has great synth and guitar hooks that draw in the listener and they ultimately create a great record with a whole new musical outlook! If you can’t see through MCR’s image and listen to the music, you’re seriously missing out.

Post Rock

Godspeed You Black Emperor, This Will Destroy You, Explosions In the  Sky, Mogwai, Tortoise… What do all of these bands have in common? Their average song lengths are usually 10 minutes or longer! Ahh yes, Post rock: pretty much extremely long songs that build and build until they break into chaos for a few minutes, then the song goes back down into it’s  original, slow, quiet, self. They usually have orchestras, or many people playing stringed instruments behind the main melody, if you can call it a melody. There usually is just underlying dissonance and then chaos for the most part. It’s definitely modern music, most of the music being described as to what an apocalypse would sound like.

Godspeed, the band I am most familiar with, splice old interviews and speech clips in that really boost the tension and  set the mindset. Showing this music to friends is probably one of the worst ideas one can come up with. This  music is for personal listening only, for you to think about life and pondering your existence. If you were to show this  to your friends they would get bored in a second, leaving you with a bunch of crushed dreams of thinking that you could change your friends’ outlooks on life by some minimal music. Think again, hipster.

Bed Intruder Song

It truly made my freaking day when I first heard the bed intruder song, thinking that people can make entertainment even better by putting a musical cliche over it. I had seen the actual interview  prior, and thought it was funny as is, but then I actually saw the song and it just blew it up big time. Of  course now  it’s  one of the most popular videos on Youtube and on iTunes, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t like it anymore just because it’s popular. That would be dumb.

 People mainly don’t like it anymore because it is overplayed and annoying now that the kids that they really despise are singing it in their French class, right next to you, when you are just trying to do your work. I still sing it whenever someone makes a comment having  to with windows, or people being dumb; I’m still there. I’m that kid. But I’m not in a French class.

For the few people who HAVEN’T seen it

Witch House/Dubstep

These two things may have totally different meanings and are not really related at all, but I feel that they are pretty related so here we go. Witch house, a  form of electronic music and a relatively new  genre of music features  electronic artists that create spooky, dark electronic music that feature deep basslines. Salem, a witch house group(?) has a song in my Top 100 called King Night which was nothing like I  had never heard before. The sound is  really unique on its own and it stands up for the genres name as well!

 Dubstep, as many of you may know, is another form of electronic music that usually consists of a huge, intrusive bassline and someother drum melody besides that. Some of my favorite dubstep artists though, like Burial and Forest Swords, don’t really follow the huge bassline formula and creates more mood/feeling music, which I absolutely love. The dubstep that is popular right now follows the formula of big, heavy, basslines that are  perfect for subwoofers in your Honda Accord, you college kid you. So in the end, I am fans of both of these forms of electronic music, but not total fans.

 ~Die Antwoord~

Die Antwoord, a rap collective from South Africa, has created some of the most obscene music I have ever heard. I’ve heard a lot of  music in my days, and I’m only a teenager. But I’m pretty sure I’ll hear nothing else in my life like this. The thing is, about this music, is I actually really like it. Yes, some of it is some of the trashiest stuff I’ve ever heard, but it’s still really different from a lot of  the other  music I’ve ever heard! 

The raps consist of not only english lyrics, but also Afrikaans lyrics, culture, and folklore and features some South African rappers like Jack Parow and a friends of theirs Wanga. They describe  the sound as  “zef”, a South African slang term that has some correlation to the American “white trash” but is described by Yo-Landi Vi$$er as “associated with people who soup their cars up and rock gold and shit. Zef is, you’re poor but you’re fancy. You’re poor but you’re sexy, you’ve got style.”

 The group consists of Ninja, the machine-gun rapper that sports not-a-shirt and some very interesting tattoos (those are real, yes), Yo-Landi Vi$$er, his trusty female rapper sidekick that apparently has “constant erotic fantasies”, and the ambiguous DJ Hi-Tek, who apparently “went missing” this year. You can see him in the video down below. They made a big splash with this video, and it was mostly their worldwide debut sparking huge acts like Diplo and Aphex Twin collaborating with the group.

 I am faithfully contributing to their battle to be at the top of the music world because I really like seeing people’s reactions when they listen to the music. It really is polarizing music that either makes people energized and into it or repels them right away. I’m really glad that I found these guys, even through the insanely obscene lyrics. Thanks,  Die Antwoord!

VV Caution: This one is pretty darn explicit. Just warning you.VV