It's time again for Jeff to be one day late with his monthly mix, but it's okay because I'm really proud of this one! This month's theme is covers. These songs would have never come to be if not for the someone else writing the song, but in a lot of cases they exceed the original.
Track 1 - "This Charming Man" by Death Cab for Cutie
The first time I heard Death Cab's take on this classic Smiths song I was completely smitten. I like the original plenty, but it never really stood out to me until I heard this energetic remake of it.
Track 2 - "Come On Eileen" by Save Ferris
I think the first time I heard this song was in the credits of "Ten Things I Hate About You". Save Ferris are amazing (one of the few ska bands I will say that about) and this is a classic.
Track 3 - "I Will Survive" by Cake
While they can be redundant it's songs like this Gloria Gaynor cover that keep me coming back to Cake. Each line is delivered so carefully; John McCrea just totally owns this song.
Track 4 - "Close to Me" by The Get Up Kids
This cover of The Cure's original works so well with TGUK's flair. It was pretty hard to choose between this and their cover of "Suffragette City" but since there's already a Bowie cover on this mix I chose this song.
Track 5 - "Beat It" by Fall Out Boy
Not many people have the vocal range to successfully cover MJ, but Patrick Stump is one of the few. This cover was done at a time when Fall Out Boy was experimenting with a hip-hop sound and it only fits that they chose to make a cover of a great 80's Michael Jackson song.
Track 6 - "Hot In Herre" by Jenny Owen Youngs
Jenny Owen Youngs does such an amazing job of making Nelly's hip-hop single into a folky, pared-down, indie rock cover. It's also really hilarious to hear such a mysogonistic song sung by a woman.
Track 7 - "Telephone" by Pomplamoose
Pomplamoose are a couple(are they married? i dunno...) that have been making a ton of youtube music videos. They are usually covers of popular music done in a completely different style than the original. This Lady Gaga cover is one of their best.
Track 8 - "Complicated" by Ben Gibbard
The version I have of this song starts with Ben talking to the crowd saying that his bandmates never let him perform this song though he legitimately likes it so he is taking the opportunity (since he is playing a solo gig) to play it. I just love how despite the laughs from the crowd he delivers a really sincere version of this Avril Lavigne song (for the most part. i think there's a part where he can't contain his laughter). He also follows the song with the observation that he doesn't think that the situation is very complicated, that it sounds to him like a guy that just doesn't like this girl very much.
Track 9 - "No One's Gonna Love You" by Cee-Lo Green
I was overjoyed while listening to "The Ladykiller", Cee-Lo's new album, upon hearing this Band of Horses cover. I just put this on the November mix! Cee-Lo's version is really great.
Track 10 - "Mad World/High and Dry" by yOya
So you might remember me mentioning yOya in the first mix. They are so fantastic and they have been making cover/mash-ups where they choose two songs that they feel work really well together and cover them simultaneously. In this case it is High and Dry by Radiohead and Mad World by Tears for Fears(also covered by Gary Jules for the Donnie Darko soundtrack). You should go visit their youtube page!
Track 11 - "Bitches 'Ain't Shit" by Ben Folds
When I bought "Songs for Silverman" by Ben Folds I received a 7" single of "Landed" and was pretty confused by the "Explicit Content" sticker on it until I checked out the B-Side. I kept that 7" playing over and over again at my tiny apartment in Fresno until my girlfriend at the time got completely sick of it. The original version of this song by Dr. Dre is almost an afterthought. It is the last track on "The Chronic" and it seems like a joke song but Ben turned into so much more.
Track 12 - "Real Love" by Regina Spektor
This cover of a John Lennon song almost brings me to tears every time I hear it. Regina makes it sound so tragic.
Track 13 - "Crazy" by The Kooks
At some point after "Inside In/Inside Out" came out The Kooks started doing acoustic covers of popular songs in radio performances. There's a great cover they do of MGMT's "Kids". It was this cover of Gnarls Barkley that really stood out to me though.
Track 14 - "I Want You Back" by Discovery
Easily the best Jackson 5 song, this cover is a very different sound than little Mike could have ever imagined.
Track 15 - "Love Will Tear Us Apart" by Fall Out Boy
A great cover of Joy Division's classic. I know, I know... Two Fall Out Boy covers on this mix, but it's okay because they are so different and good in their own ways.
Track 16 - "Major Tom:Rocket Man" by yOya
Another fantastic mash-up from yOya. This one works for so many reasons beyond the songs working well together musically. David Bowie's "Space Oddity" and Elton John's "Rocket Man" have suspiciously similiar subject matter.
Track 17 - "Hey Ya" by Mat Weddle
Weddle is the singer for a folk band named "Obadiah Parker" and while playing an open mic night he performed this cover of the Outkast song. Luckily a bandmate videotaped the whole thing and the recording made its way online and onto the radio.
Track 18 - "Landslide" by The Smashing Pumpkins
I went through a serious Smashing Pumpkins phase in high school (don't get me wrong, I still think they're great, I just don't listen to them as much as I used to) and this song was always important to me. It's such a heartfelt rendition of the Fleetwood Mac song.
Track 19 - "Wonderwall" by Ryan Adams
Of all the covers of Wonderwall I've heard Ryan Adams's is my favorite. He makes the song his own and gives it a haunting tone. The original Oasis version is fantastic but I think if I had to choose one it would be this version.
Track 20 - "Hallelujah" by Jeff Buckley
Jeff Buckley's brief time on this earth left us with but one album and this incredible cover of Leonard Cohen's masterpiece.
This month there were a TON of tracks that didn't make the cut so if you would like a copy of this month's mix and/or the B-Sides let me know and I'd be happy to make you one! Have a great holiday season everyone!
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
November's Mix
Well, because of a late night of Rock Band 3 at Eric's house this mix is a day late, but at least it's for thematically appropriate reasons, right!? Anyways, I felt like doing another theme mix this month would kind of make the blog seem to consist only of theme mixes and that's not what I'm going for so here are a bunch of songs I like that I hope you like too!
Track 1 - "I Turn My Camera On" by Spoon
This one goes out to my good friend Steven who introduced me to Spoon and loves them dearly. Spoon is a really fun band and Britt Daniel (the singer/songwriter at the helm of this band) is extremely talented.
Track 2 - "Bang Pop" by Free Energy
Free Energy remind me of Weezer if Weezer was still good. Catchy, dancy music you just want to stomp your feet to.
Track 3 - "Fresh Feeling" by Eels
My love for Eels began in high school when I picked up a free Dreamworks Records sampler that had "Sucker Punch" by Eels and "Son of Sam" by Elliott Smith among other less noteworthy tracks. Eels can be pretty hit or miss but I really enjoy their hits.
Track 4 - "Cameras" by Matt & Kim
Matt & Kim's new album "Sidewalks" dropped today and everyone should go pick it up! This is a track from it. They just keep getting better and better. Even when they were extremely garage-y sounding you could tell that Matt & Kim had great pop sensibilities and with more support from their record label they have gotten to do more exciting things with it(like recording the rattle of a loose license plate on their song "Wires").
Track 5 - "Swim Until You Can't See Land" by Frightened Rabbits
My sister played this band for me at our cousin Sara's wedding and they've really grown on me. Scottish indie rock at its finest.
Track 6 - "That's Not My Name" by the Ting Tings
This song just makes me wanna dance.
Track 7 - "Pumped Up Kicks" by Foster the People
"All the other kids with the pumped up kicks you better run better run faster than my bullet." Hilarious lo-fi indie rock ballad. Just try keeping this one out of your head. It's not possible.
Track 8 - "Love Rhymes With Hideous Car Wreck" by the Blood Brothers
The Blood Brothers were a post-hardcore band from Seattle with an incredible sound. They have two vocalists that play off each other's harmonies perfectly. When they broke up a couple years ago it hit me pretty hard because their existing five albums were not nearly enough Blood Brothers to last me the rest of my life.
Track 9 - "Undisclosed Desires" by Muse
Muse are so consistently awesome. Their sound is always evolving and every album they come out with is welcome surprise.
Video
Track 10 - "Black Sheep" by Metric
This song has been getting hopelessly stuck in my head ever since Scott Pilgrim came out (which is a fantastic movie by the way. I think it comes out on DVD soon and you should go check it out. Very faithful to the comic). This is the song Metric did for The Clash at Demonhead. Metric is always awesome (with Emily Haines from Broken Social Scene at the helm how could they not be awesome?) but this song is particularly amazing.
Video
Track 11 - "Get Better" by Mates of State
Mates of State are a husband and wife duo who are just incredibly lovely.
Track 12 - "7/4 (Shoreline)" by Broken Social Scene
Indie-Pop supergroup Broken Social Scene are a rotating group of Canadian musicians with Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning as the primary members of the band. Their illustrious contributors have included Leslie Feist, Jason Collett, Emily Haines, and Amy Millan. They have an amazing sound that is an organized chaos of horns, strings, percussion and vocals.
Track 13 - "Still Fighting It" by Ben Folds
Despite his poor track record with ex-wives, from what i hear he has a pretty good relationship with his kids. This song about his son always gets me. He's a great musician and songwriter.
Track 14 - "Half-Light II(No Celebration)" by Arcade Fire
Their new album "The Suburbs" is a triumph for Arcade Fire. Not that I expected any different since their last two albums were also amazing.
Track 15 - "Notion" by Kings of Leon
For a while I was getting Kings of Leon mixed up with Kaiser Chiefs(not musically, just their names when they are displayed on XM radio or Pandora) which resulted in me changing the station every time they came on. My coworker, Louis, likes them a great deal and was playing an album of theirs on his iPod at work and I asked him who was playing. Needless to say, I was surprised by his reply and after giving them a chance I found that I really like them. Caleb Followill has such a unique voice.
Track 16 - "Lover I Don't Have to Love" by Bright Eyes
Speaking of unique voices, Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes has an extremely polarizing voice. Many of my friends hate Bright Eyes because they can't get past his voice. I have been listening to Bright Eyes since high school and love his lyrics as well as his voice.
Track 17 - "Thirteen Times the Strength" by A Silent Film
This band is from Oxford and their debut is really staggering. They have a lot of talent and if they continue down this path they should be quite successful.
Track 18 - "No One's Gonna Love You" by Band of Horses
Despite their misleading name, Band of Horses is actually made up mostly of humans.
Track 19 - "Long Shadows" by Josh Ritter
This song was in the credits of a recent episode of Bored to Death (you should watch Bored to Death! It's got Jason Schwartzman, Zach Galifinakis, and Ted Dansen. What more do you want? It's also written by Jonathan Ames!)
I hope you enjoy this mix and if you would like a copy of it, let me know.
Track 1 - "I Turn My Camera On" by Spoon
This one goes out to my good friend Steven who introduced me to Spoon and loves them dearly. Spoon is a really fun band and Britt Daniel (the singer/songwriter at the helm of this band) is extremely talented.
Track 2 - "Bang Pop" by Free Energy
Free Energy remind me of Weezer if Weezer was still good. Catchy, dancy music you just want to stomp your feet to.
Track 3 - "Fresh Feeling" by Eels
My love for Eels began in high school when I picked up a free Dreamworks Records sampler that had "Sucker Punch" by Eels and "Son of Sam" by Elliott Smith among other less noteworthy tracks. Eels can be pretty hit or miss but I really enjoy their hits.
Track 4 - "Cameras" by Matt & Kim
Matt & Kim's new album "Sidewalks" dropped today and everyone should go pick it up! This is a track from it. They just keep getting better and better. Even when they were extremely garage-y sounding you could tell that Matt & Kim had great pop sensibilities and with more support from their record label they have gotten to do more exciting things with it(like recording the rattle of a loose license plate on their song "Wires").
Track 5 - "Swim Until You Can't See Land" by Frightened Rabbits
My sister played this band for me at our cousin Sara's wedding and they've really grown on me. Scottish indie rock at its finest.
Track 6 - "That's Not My Name" by the Ting Tings
This song just makes me wanna dance.
Track 7 - "Pumped Up Kicks" by Foster the People
"All the other kids with the pumped up kicks you better run better run faster than my bullet." Hilarious lo-fi indie rock ballad. Just try keeping this one out of your head. It's not possible.
Track 8 - "Love Rhymes With Hideous Car Wreck" by the Blood Brothers
The Blood Brothers were a post-hardcore band from Seattle with an incredible sound. They have two vocalists that play off each other's harmonies perfectly. When they broke up a couple years ago it hit me pretty hard because their existing five albums were not nearly enough Blood Brothers to last me the rest of my life.
Track 9 - "Undisclosed Desires" by Muse
Muse are so consistently awesome. Their sound is always evolving and every album they come out with is welcome surprise.
Video
Track 10 - "Black Sheep" by Metric
This song has been getting hopelessly stuck in my head ever since Scott Pilgrim came out (which is a fantastic movie by the way. I think it comes out on DVD soon and you should go check it out. Very faithful to the comic). This is the song Metric did for The Clash at Demonhead. Metric is always awesome (with Emily Haines from Broken Social Scene at the helm how could they not be awesome?) but this song is particularly amazing.
Video
Track 11 - "Get Better" by Mates of State
Mates of State are a husband and wife duo who are just incredibly lovely.
Track 12 - "7/4 (Shoreline)" by Broken Social Scene
Indie-Pop supergroup Broken Social Scene are a rotating group of Canadian musicians with Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning as the primary members of the band. Their illustrious contributors have included Leslie Feist, Jason Collett, Emily Haines, and Amy Millan. They have an amazing sound that is an organized chaos of horns, strings, percussion and vocals.
Track 13 - "Still Fighting It" by Ben Folds
Despite his poor track record with ex-wives, from what i hear he has a pretty good relationship with his kids. This song about his son always gets me. He's a great musician and songwriter.
Track 14 - "Half-Light II(No Celebration)" by Arcade Fire
Their new album "The Suburbs" is a triumph for Arcade Fire. Not that I expected any different since their last two albums were also amazing.
Track 15 - "Notion" by Kings of Leon
For a while I was getting Kings of Leon mixed up with Kaiser Chiefs(not musically, just their names when they are displayed on XM radio or Pandora) which resulted in me changing the station every time they came on. My coworker, Louis, likes them a great deal and was playing an album of theirs on his iPod at work and I asked him who was playing. Needless to say, I was surprised by his reply and after giving them a chance I found that I really like them. Caleb Followill has such a unique voice.
Track 16 - "Lover I Don't Have to Love" by Bright Eyes
Speaking of unique voices, Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes has an extremely polarizing voice. Many of my friends hate Bright Eyes because they can't get past his voice. I have been listening to Bright Eyes since high school and love his lyrics as well as his voice.
Track 17 - "Thirteen Times the Strength" by A Silent Film
This band is from Oxford and their debut is really staggering. They have a lot of talent and if they continue down this path they should be quite successful.
Track 18 - "No One's Gonna Love You" by Band of Horses
Despite their misleading name, Band of Horses is actually made up mostly of humans.
Track 19 - "Long Shadows" by Josh Ritter
This song was in the credits of a recent episode of Bored to Death (you should watch Bored to Death! It's got Jason Schwartzman, Zach Galifinakis, and Ted Dansen. What more do you want? It's also written by Jonathan Ames!)
I hope you enjoy this mix and if you would like a copy of it, let me know.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Rocktober: Guilty Pleasures
This month's theme is guilty pleasures. Everyone has artists and songs that they like but are wary to readily admit either because the artist or song in question is... let's say less legitimate than other songs or artists, or because there is a stigma attached. In the interest of full disclosure I am now going to share ALL of my musical guilty pleasures with you.
Just to remind everyone: If you would like a copy of this mix(or any of the previous ones) let me know and I will gladly make you one.
Track 1 - "Yeah" by Usher feat. Lil' Jon and Ludacris
This song has EVERYTHING. It's a classic Usher song about bangin' girls in a club with two more of my favorite guilty pleasures Lil' Jon (YEAH) and Luda. It's just so catchy and Usher will always have a special place in my heart because the very first time I ever got up the nerve to ask a girl to dance (Melissa Klapproth at the 8th grade graduation dance) we slow danced to "You Make Me Wanna".
Track 2 - "Lip Gloss" by Lil Mama
It was six in the morning when my sister, Rachael shook me awake, dragged me to her car and played me this song. I wasn't even mad about the hour at which she made me wake. Also this video is amazing.
Video
Track 3 - "The Only Difference Between Martyrdom and Suicide is Press Coverage" by Panic! at the Disco
PatD are great songwriters with really hooky melodies. At times they are definitely still quite young but overall I like them despite the amount of shit I get for liking them.
Track 4 - "Live Your Life" by T.I. feat. Rihanna
This is a guilty pleasure I acquired from my friend, Steven. T.I. makes fantastic dance music and this song has a good message as well. Rihanna is a pleasure I'm not at all guilty about.
Video
Track 5 - "Thnks Fr Th Mmrs" by Fall Out Boy
Fall Out Boy is probably my least guilty "guilty pleasure". They are legitimately a good band. Patrick and Pete write complex, clever lyrics. The band is always experimenting and growing musically. The only reason I feel the least bit guilty about F.O.B. is that their fanbase mostly consists of tween girls. If more of their fans were like my friend, Monica, then there would be no guilt here.
Track 6 - "Savior" by Rise Against
I have always liked Rise Against, but for as long as I've liked them I've had people tell me that they are like the Backstreet Boys of hardcore. I don't know what the problem is. I don't think Rise Against present themselves as hardcore... Tim McIlrath has an awesome voice and they write some solid music.
Track 7 - "Finding Out True Love is Blind" by Louis XIV
The reason I am ashamed of liking this song is because this band is so vulgar. This is probably their tamest song sexual content-wise... But this one gets way stuck in my head and isn't that terrible.
Video
Track 8 - "Bulletproof" by LaRoux
So I go to Denny's sometimes with friends to play games when we don't have somewhere else to hang. It's usually really late at night and there's nobody else in Denny's so we can hear the Denny's promotional TV show looping over and over. Well for a month or so they were playing this song over and over and I started to really like it. So the only stigma here really is the way in which I found out about LaRoux.
Video
Track 9 - "Hey Mami (Sharaz Remix)" by Fannypack
Ladytron have this album called "Softcore Jukebox" full of their influences, friends, and some other unreleased Ladytron songs. This song was on that mix and I really took to it. The best story I have about this is that I put it on a mix for Rachael and she was driving to Riverside with my at-the-time girlfriend and when this song came on my ex got all flustered and concerned. She kept asking Rachael, "Where does this side of Jeff come from!?" and talking about how she thought she didn't even know me all of the sudden.
Track 10 - "Love in This Club" by Usher feat. Young Jeezy
Just another great Usher song. Mostly just wanted to include this video.
Track 11 - "All Falls Down" by Kanye West
No matter how many dumb things he does or says, how many pop stars he grabs the mic from at a televised award show, how many albums he decides to make with all auto-tune... I still love Kanye. It is at this point that I realize I have not shared any of my hip-hop musical taste with you guys and I want to assure you that I also like legitimate hip-hop (who knows, maybe that will be the November mix).
Track 12 - "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" by Al Green
This song is in one of my favorite scenes from Notting Hill (what? you haven't seen it? you totally should)
Track 13 - "Summer Breeze" by Seals & Crofts
This is a joke. I hope you got it.
Track 14 - "Paparazzi" by Lady Gaga
A lot of people hate her, but I think Lady Gaga is a talented songwriter and singer. She's a pretty self-made pop star and even though they are sometimes a little risque for my taste I appreciate the amount of work she puts into her music videos.
Track 15 - "Helena" by My Chemical Romance
I appreciate pop-punk when it's done well. This brings us to My Chemical Romance. Surprisingly they have beautiful, sweeping albums as well as great singles.
Video
Track 16 - "Stole My Heart" by Little & Ashley
You have probably heard this song on those Kindle commercials. I did too and had to immediately go check out this band. The girl in this band is an actress and a model and is the girl who is actually in those commercials.
Website
Track 17 - "For You I Will(Confidence)" by Teddy Geiger
I'm a huge Tom Cavanagh fan and he had this show that was briefly on network TV then moved to VH1. As it is with all my favorite shows, it was canceled after one season. Anyways, the show was about a talent scout for a major record label whose idealism gets him fired from said label and he goes to an indie label where he's free to do what he wants. His first discovery in the show is "Wayne" who is actually Teddy Geiger playing this song in a crowded New York bar. (the show was called "Monkey Love" and also starred Judy Greer and Jason Priestly. you should watch it!)
Track 18 - "Where There's Gold..." by Dashboard Confessional
People either love or hate Chris Carrabba. I love him.
I'm going to be more prompt in the future, so expect all mixes on the first of the month from now on. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed this month's mix!
Just to remind everyone: If you would like a copy of this mix(or any of the previous ones) let me know and I will gladly make you one.
Track 1 - "Yeah" by Usher feat. Lil' Jon and Ludacris
This song has EVERYTHING. It's a classic Usher song about bangin' girls in a club with two more of my favorite guilty pleasures Lil' Jon (YEAH) and Luda. It's just so catchy and Usher will always have a special place in my heart because the very first time I ever got up the nerve to ask a girl to dance (Melissa Klapproth at the 8th grade graduation dance) we slow danced to "You Make Me Wanna".
Track 2 - "Lip Gloss" by Lil Mama
It was six in the morning when my sister, Rachael shook me awake, dragged me to her car and played me this song. I wasn't even mad about the hour at which she made me wake. Also this video is amazing.
Video
Track 3 - "The Only Difference Between Martyrdom and Suicide is Press Coverage" by Panic! at the Disco
PatD are great songwriters with really hooky melodies. At times they are definitely still quite young but overall I like them despite the amount of shit I get for liking them.
Track 4 - "Live Your Life" by T.I. feat. Rihanna
This is a guilty pleasure I acquired from my friend, Steven. T.I. makes fantastic dance music and this song has a good message as well. Rihanna is a pleasure I'm not at all guilty about.
Video
Track 5 - "Thnks Fr Th Mmrs" by Fall Out Boy
Fall Out Boy is probably my least guilty "guilty pleasure". They are legitimately a good band. Patrick and Pete write complex, clever lyrics. The band is always experimenting and growing musically. The only reason I feel the least bit guilty about F.O.B. is that their fanbase mostly consists of tween girls. If more of their fans were like my friend, Monica, then there would be no guilt here.
Track 6 - "Savior" by Rise Against
I have always liked Rise Against, but for as long as I've liked them I've had people tell me that they are like the Backstreet Boys of hardcore. I don't know what the problem is. I don't think Rise Against present themselves as hardcore... Tim McIlrath has an awesome voice and they write some solid music.
Track 7 - "Finding Out True Love is Blind" by Louis XIV
The reason I am ashamed of liking this song is because this band is so vulgar. This is probably their tamest song sexual content-wise... But this one gets way stuck in my head and isn't that terrible.
Video
Track 8 - "Bulletproof" by LaRoux
So I go to Denny's sometimes with friends to play games when we don't have somewhere else to hang. It's usually really late at night and there's nobody else in Denny's so we can hear the Denny's promotional TV show looping over and over. Well for a month or so they were playing this song over and over and I started to really like it. So the only stigma here really is the way in which I found out about LaRoux.
Video
Track 9 - "Hey Mami (Sharaz Remix)" by Fannypack
Ladytron have this album called "Softcore Jukebox" full of their influences, friends, and some other unreleased Ladytron songs. This song was on that mix and I really took to it. The best story I have about this is that I put it on a mix for Rachael and she was driving to Riverside with my at-the-time girlfriend and when this song came on my ex got all flustered and concerned. She kept asking Rachael, "Where does this side of Jeff come from!?" and talking about how she thought she didn't even know me all of the sudden.
Track 10 - "Love in This Club" by Usher feat. Young Jeezy
Just another great Usher song. Mostly just wanted to include this video.
Track 11 - "All Falls Down" by Kanye West
No matter how many dumb things he does or says, how many pop stars he grabs the mic from at a televised award show, how many albums he decides to make with all auto-tune... I still love Kanye. It is at this point that I realize I have not shared any of my hip-hop musical taste with you guys and I want to assure you that I also like legitimate hip-hop (who knows, maybe that will be the November mix).
Track 12 - "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" by Al Green
This song is in one of my favorite scenes from Notting Hill (what? you haven't seen it? you totally should)
Track 13 - "Summer Breeze" by Seals & Crofts
This is a joke. I hope you got it.
Track 14 - "Paparazzi" by Lady Gaga
A lot of people hate her, but I think Lady Gaga is a talented songwriter and singer. She's a pretty self-made pop star and even though they are sometimes a little risque for my taste I appreciate the amount of work she puts into her music videos.
Track 15 - "Helena" by My Chemical Romance
I appreciate pop-punk when it's done well. This brings us to My Chemical Romance. Surprisingly they have beautiful, sweeping albums as well as great singles.
Video
Track 16 - "Stole My Heart" by Little & Ashley
You have probably heard this song on those Kindle commercials. I did too and had to immediately go check out this band. The girl in this band is an actress and a model and is the girl who is actually in those commercials.
Website
Track 17 - "For You I Will(Confidence)" by Teddy Geiger
I'm a huge Tom Cavanagh fan and he had this show that was briefly on network TV then moved to VH1. As it is with all my favorite shows, it was canceled after one season. Anyways, the show was about a talent scout for a major record label whose idealism gets him fired from said label and he goes to an indie label where he's free to do what he wants. His first discovery in the show is "Wayne" who is actually Teddy Geiger playing this song in a crowded New York bar. (the show was called "Monkey Love" and also starred Judy Greer and Jason Priestly. you should watch it!)
Track 18 - "Where There's Gold..." by Dashboard Confessional
People either love or hate Chris Carrabba. I love him.
I'm going to be more prompt in the future, so expect all mixes on the first of the month from now on. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed this month's mix!
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Mix # September
I decided to make this month’s mix a themed mix so I gathered all of my favorite electronic music.
Track 1 – “Flux” by Bloc Party
Bloc Party wrote this amazing song just after completing their tour for “A Weekend in the City”(my favorite album of theirs) so it just ended up on an EP and then was grandfathered onto their next full-length album, “Intimacy”. I love the energy of this song.
Track 2 – “My Skateboard Will Go On” by Anamanaguchi
Anamanaguchi is a phenomenal chiptune rock band (for those of you not familiar with chiptune, it means that a lot of the sounds in the band’s songs are created using an old videogame system. In Anamanaguchi’s case it is a hacked Super Nintendo.) Every other week this summer Anamanaguchi has been releasing a single free on their website and this is one of my favorite tracks from those singles. This band also did the whole soundtrack for the Scott Pilgrim video game (which, if you like video games and own an xbox 360 or a playstation 3, you should totally download.)
Track 3 – “Orange Shirt” by Discovery
I’ve mentioned Discovery before but this song is much more indicative of their sound than “Carby” and I definitely couldn’t leave them off of the electronic mix.
Track 4 – “Little Secrets” by Passion Pit
If you have been following the mixes thus far then you have also heard Passion Pit before. I do have a great story about this song though. My friend, Steven, was going for a jog and, while crossing an intersection with the right of way, nearly got run over by a convertible. While trying to be pissed at the car that nearly hit him he found himself unable because they were blasting this song.
Track 5 – “Desperate Guys” by The Faint
The Faint can be crude sometimes (see their song, “Erection”), but overall they are very clever and catchy electro-dance-indie. They also incorporate strings and electronic music which is a weakness of mine.
Track 6 – “Internet Killed the Video Star” by The Limousines
This song is from “Get Sharp”, the first full-length album by The Limousines. It definitely demonstrates their witty songwriting and catchy hooks.
Track 7 – “Fireflies” by Owl City
I have accused Owl City in the past of being derivative and unoriginal and, while that remains true, he definitely has some good songs, if a bit sugary. This is the first song I heard from him and I liked it only to be more or less disappointed by his album overall.
Track 8 – “Alice Practice” by Crystal Castles
Crystal Castles is another good chiptune band. Instead of backing the chiptune with instruments, however, they layer other electronic beats and vocal distortion over the sounds of their Jaguar soundboard. This song is in an amazing episode of Skins (this BBC show about high school aged teens dealing with sex, drugs, and becoming adults. Really good first two seasons then it turned to crap when the original cast left.)
Track 9 – “Fences” by Phoenix
Phoenix rules. Nothing much more I can say about this.
Track 10 – “A Horse is Not a Home” by Miike Snow
Miike Snow have such an eclectic sound it’s quite astounding. No two songs on their self-titled album sound like the same band made them. It’s all great music though, so this schizophrenia is a plus.
Track 11 – “Hannah” by Freelance Whales
This song is the evolutionary cornerstone between Indie and Electronic music. I really like the lyrics in it too. “Do me this solid if you would pretty lady, please grab your martini and meet me on the balcony”
Track 12 – “Touch Too Much” by Hot Chip
I sometimes throw my iPhone on shuffle at work hooked up to speakers and whenever Hot Chip pops up I feel like I have to explain myself, but everyone just ends up liking it. Analyzing it through someone else’s eyes it always seems goofy but I like them a lot.
Track 13 – “The Reason Why” by Ladytron
Ladytron are definitely one of a handful of pioneers of this genre, somewhere between techno and indie rock. They used to play at a club in SF called Popscene all the time. Very fun to dance to.
Track 14 – “Tristan” by Failotron
I heard this song on an episode of Penny Arcade: the Show (a reality show about the writers and staff that work at Penny Arcade [a webcomic about gaming culture] where they film their writing process and other things that are important to them.)
Track 15 – “Eat That Up, It’s Good For You” by Two Door Cinema Club
Everyone should really go buy “Tourist History” by Two Door Cinema Club. It’s a really great album.
Track 16 – “About Fun” by Psapp
Psapp is a couple from England who decided to make electronic music using recordings of their cats. So all those weird sounds in this song are kitties!
Track 17 – “Heartbeats” by The Knife
Everyone has probably heard the cover of this song by Jose Gonzalez (it was in that commercial with the superballs all bouncing down some San Francisco street.) This is the original, way more 80’s sounding song.
Track 18 – “Something to do With My Hands” by Her Space Holiday
Her Space Holiday is Marc Bianchi, a bay area local, who got tired of the hardcore scene and started making melodic electropop. The lyrics really make this song. “Suck on my fingertips until you kill all my prints so your boyfriend has no clue of how much I’ve been touching you.” Very creepy but in an alluringly honest way.
Track 19 – “This Place is a Prison” by The Postal Service
This is a significantly darker song than the last Postal Service song I shared with you. It is sad and depressing in a really beautiful way though.
That concludes this month’s mix. Next month on a very special episode of “I could make better use of my time on land”: Guilty Pleasures!
Track 1 – “Flux” by Bloc Party
Bloc Party wrote this amazing song just after completing their tour for “A Weekend in the City”(my favorite album of theirs) so it just ended up on an EP and then was grandfathered onto their next full-length album, “Intimacy”. I love the energy of this song.
Track 2 – “My Skateboard Will Go On” by Anamanaguchi
Anamanaguchi is a phenomenal chiptune rock band (for those of you not familiar with chiptune, it means that a lot of the sounds in the band’s songs are created using an old videogame system. In Anamanaguchi’s case it is a hacked Super Nintendo.) Every other week this summer Anamanaguchi has been releasing a single free on their website and this is one of my favorite tracks from those singles. This band also did the whole soundtrack for the Scott Pilgrim video game (which, if you like video games and own an xbox 360 or a playstation 3, you should totally download.)
Track 3 – “Orange Shirt” by Discovery
I’ve mentioned Discovery before but this song is much more indicative of their sound than “Carby” and I definitely couldn’t leave them off of the electronic mix.
Track 4 – “Little Secrets” by Passion Pit
If you have been following the mixes thus far then you have also heard Passion Pit before. I do have a great story about this song though. My friend, Steven, was going for a jog and, while crossing an intersection with the right of way, nearly got run over by a convertible. While trying to be pissed at the car that nearly hit him he found himself unable because they were blasting this song.
Track 5 – “Desperate Guys” by The Faint
The Faint can be crude sometimes (see their song, “Erection”), but overall they are very clever and catchy electro-dance-indie. They also incorporate strings and electronic music which is a weakness of mine.
Track 6 – “Internet Killed the Video Star” by The Limousines
This song is from “Get Sharp”, the first full-length album by The Limousines. It definitely demonstrates their witty songwriting and catchy hooks.
Track 7 – “Fireflies” by Owl City
I have accused Owl City in the past of being derivative and unoriginal and, while that remains true, he definitely has some good songs, if a bit sugary. This is the first song I heard from him and I liked it only to be more or less disappointed by his album overall.
Track 8 – “Alice Practice” by Crystal Castles
Crystal Castles is another good chiptune band. Instead of backing the chiptune with instruments, however, they layer other electronic beats and vocal distortion over the sounds of their Jaguar soundboard. This song is in an amazing episode of Skins (this BBC show about high school aged teens dealing with sex, drugs, and becoming adults. Really good first two seasons then it turned to crap when the original cast left.)
Track 9 – “Fences” by Phoenix
Phoenix rules. Nothing much more I can say about this.
Track 10 – “A Horse is Not a Home” by Miike Snow
Miike Snow have such an eclectic sound it’s quite astounding. No two songs on their self-titled album sound like the same band made them. It’s all great music though, so this schizophrenia is a plus.
Track 11 – “Hannah” by Freelance Whales
This song is the evolutionary cornerstone between Indie and Electronic music. I really like the lyrics in it too. “Do me this solid if you would pretty lady, please grab your martini and meet me on the balcony”
Track 12 – “Touch Too Much” by Hot Chip
I sometimes throw my iPhone on shuffle at work hooked up to speakers and whenever Hot Chip pops up I feel like I have to explain myself, but everyone just ends up liking it. Analyzing it through someone else’s eyes it always seems goofy but I like them a lot.
Track 13 – “The Reason Why” by Ladytron
Ladytron are definitely one of a handful of pioneers of this genre, somewhere between techno and indie rock. They used to play at a club in SF called Popscene all the time. Very fun to dance to.
Track 14 – “Tristan” by Failotron
I heard this song on an episode of Penny Arcade: the Show (a reality show about the writers and staff that work at Penny Arcade [a webcomic about gaming culture] where they film their writing process and other things that are important to them.)
Track 15 – “Eat That Up, It’s Good For You” by Two Door Cinema Club
Everyone should really go buy “Tourist History” by Two Door Cinema Club. It’s a really great album.
Track 16 – “About Fun” by Psapp
Psapp is a couple from England who decided to make electronic music using recordings of their cats. So all those weird sounds in this song are kitties!
Track 17 – “Heartbeats” by The Knife
Everyone has probably heard the cover of this song by Jose Gonzalez (it was in that commercial with the superballs all bouncing down some San Francisco street.) This is the original, way more 80’s sounding song.
Track 18 – “Something to do With My Hands” by Her Space Holiday
Her Space Holiday is Marc Bianchi, a bay area local, who got tired of the hardcore scene and started making melodic electropop. The lyrics really make this song. “Suck on my fingertips until you kill all my prints so your boyfriend has no clue of how much I’ve been touching you.” Very creepy but in an alluringly honest way.
Track 19 – “This Place is a Prison” by The Postal Service
This is a significantly darker song than the last Postal Service song I shared with you. It is sad and depressing in a really beautiful way though.
That concludes this month’s mix. Next month on a very special episode of “I could make better use of my time on land”: Guilty Pleasures!
Thursday, August 5, 2010
August's Mix
Until I get my computer fixed I am operating with a severe handicap since about 90% of my music is on a harddrive I can't access right now, but here is the mix for August. I hope you enjoy it!
Track 1 – “Percussion Gun” by White Rabbits
This is the song that got me into White Rabbits. I remember thinking, “This is what it would sound like if Radiohead merged with The Violent Femmes. Awesome!” They are a very catchy and original band.
Track 2 – “Down Boy” by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Yeah Yeah Yeahs are one of my absolute favorite bands. Karen O. (hereafter referred to as “My Future Wife”) is an incredible songwriter and vocalist. Their sound was diverging more and more from their first album “Fever to Tell” and then they released the “Is Is” EP with this song on it, which could totally be the title track of their first album.
Track 3 – “Thrash Unreal” by Against Me!
I tried and tried to get this song into Rock Band while I was working at EA but instead they put “Stop” in (which is a really annoying song to play in Rock Band.) I did get a couple other tracks I wanted into the game, but I would have preferred if they weren’t going to put this song in that they put no Against Me! in there at all…
Track 4 – “Die By the Drop” by The Dead Weather
This is Jack White’s third band which formed at the tail end of a Raconteurs tour during which Jack lost his voice. The Dead Weather’s first album has almost no Jack White singing at all, but thankfully on their most recent album Jack is back on vocals where he belongs.
Track 5 – “Can’t Lose” by We Are Scientists
My friend Ryan first introduced me to this band. Their new album, “Barbara” was really disappointing but their older stuff is amazing.
Track 6 – “She Doesn’t Get It” by The Format
If it were up to me there would be three songs by The Format on every mix. This song really demonstrates how brilliant their lyrics are. “I read every word you said from a poster of a cat/Four books look across your sofa, I thought your coffee table was more clever than that.”
Track 7 – “Animal” by Neon Trees
It is impossible to sing along to this song and not smile. Go on, try. I dare you. My sister will attest to the fact that I spent the better part of this past Sunday whistling or full-on singing this song (she nearly killed me.)
Track 8 – “Nobody’s Accusing You (Of Having a Good Time)” by Hot Hot Heat
This song is from the newest Hot Hot Heat album, “Future Breeds” which is way better than the two albums before that. Their debut, “Make Up the Breakdown” was really good but the two albums between that one and “Future Breeds” just lacked the sound they pioneered in their first album. Luckily they must have realized it as well, because the new album is a return to form.
Track 9 – “Carby (featuring Ezra Koenig)” by Discovery
Discovery is the side project of Rostam Batmanglij, the keyboardist from Vampire Weekend. He and Wes Miles from Ra Ra Riot formed this electronic R&B band but when both of their main bands picked up in popularity the project was scrapped (sadly.) This particular song features Ezra Koenig, the lead singer of Vampire Weekend, so half of Vampire Weekend is in this song.
Track 10 – “Black & Blue” by Miike Snow
Like many people I heard “Animal” by Miike Snow and was instantly charmed by this electronic indie band.
Track 11 – “Rally” by Phoenix
I decided to put this slightly older song by Phoenix on the mix because while making the first mix I was torn as to which song by them I should put on it.
Track 12 – “Do You Want It All” by Two Door Cinema Club
When I first heard this band, their song, “Now I Can Talk” was playing on the radio (the song starts out with a vocal beatbox sorta thing) and my friend, Eric, read the title and observed, “They have yet to prove this.” Anyways, this electropop band from Northern Ireland is definitely worth checking out.
Track 13 – “Be Still My Heart” by The Postal Service
If you have never heard of The Postal Service you really must show me your lovely cave. This side project of Death Cab for Cutie’s Benjamin Gibbard is arguably more well-known than his actual band (They did kind of invent a genre.) This song is one of my favorites by them. It’s just a cute little love song, but it’s done in such a musically interesting way.
Track 14 – “Alley Cats” by Hot Chip
Hot Chip makes really mellow electronic-chamber music. My friend Steven first introduced me to them. Their slow melodies really belie their bizarre lyrics.
Track 15 – “Carbon Monoxide” by Regina Spektor
I have been to more Regina Spektor concerts than any other artist/band. She is a classically-trained pianist, a fantastic singer and a gifted wordsmith.
Track 16 – “Journey Through the Past” by James Mercer
After reading my last blog, my friend Jon suggested that I check out the soundtrack for a movie called “180⁰ South”. I have not watched the movie, but it has a great soundtrack. It’s primarily new stuff from Ugly Cassanova (Isaac Brock from Modest Mouse), which is worth listening to, but there is also this incredible song from James Mercer of the Shins.
Track 17 – “I Was a Kaleidoscope” by Death Cab for Cutie
Benjamin Gibbard is an indie-rock robot who can do no wrong (and feels human feelings that he then writes songs about). This is my favorite Death Cab song because of the clever wordplay. “And I was a kaleidoscope. The snow on my lenses distorting the image of what was only one of you and I didn’t know which one to address as all your lips moved and this is when I forget to breathe and all the things I scripted they sound unfounded. And it’s that look that you’re giving me that tells me exactly what you are thinking: ‘This ‘aint working out.’ “ Have you ever heard a breakup sound so eloquent?
Here is Ben Gibbard performing the song acoustically
Track 18 – “New Year's Resolution” by The Limousines
You’ve probably heard “Very Busy People” by the Limousines (If you haven’t you should definitely go listen to it right now!). This is a track off their EP. I really like the direction this band is headed. Really self-aware, cheeky indie-electro-pop can be done well as long as your band isn’t “Cute Is What We Aim For”.
Track 19 – “Believe” by Sam Means
Sam Means is the other half of The Format. He recently put out his first solo work in the form of a soundtrack for “The Sinking of Santa Isabel”, an indie dramedy about a man who decides to live in a treehouse for a summer. The songs Sam did for the soundtrack are mostly instrumental filler but there are six full length songs, this being the best of them.
Track 20 – “It’s Over” by Sondre Lerche
I love ending mixes with this song – not only because this is one of my favorite Sondre Lerche songs – because it’s so appropriate. Sondre Lerche has spent his entire music career seemingly determined not to be categorized. His style ranges from jazz to folk to this type of chamber pop, which is what I think he sounds best doing.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
The First Mix Tape
Just as a forward to this blog and to introduce you to the theme of it I would like to tell you a few things. My wonderful sister, Rachael suggested that I make a blog and I was at a loss as to what I could share with you, the bored people of the internet. Music is my lifeblood and I have always enjoyed making mix tapes for people (especially my sister because she and I have very similar tastes in music.) The idea is that either you a.) have a lot of these songs and can arrange them in the order I suggest, b.) If you trust my taste (which at this point I don't expect any of you to as this is the first mix I am sharing with you) download these songs from itunes and enjoy them or c.) contact me and I can make you a copy of this mix (if you are in the bay area it would be super easy since I can just physically give you a copy. otherwise we can work out a maily-deal)
Without any further ado here is my first mix for the blog:
Track 1 - "If Work Permits" by The Format
I wanted to start the very first mix I made for you all with my favorite song by my favorite band(I suppose that my favorite band is actually a tie between both of Nate Ruess's bands: The Format and fun. Everything he does is amazing.) I love the abrupt tempo change halfway through this song. I'm a sucker for tempo changes. This song also has wonderful lyrics and if you listen carefully you can hear where I got the title for this blog.
Track 2 - "Tell 'Em" by Sleigh Bells
This is just a really fun start to any mix. Sleigh Bells are a newish band that have quickly worked their way into my favorites. They remind me of how I wanted all Le Tigre songs to sound (unfortunately Le Tigre was way more hit or miss than Sleigh Bells are.) Plus if M.I.A. likes it then it will probably make me happy.
Track 3 - "Starring" by Freelance Whales
Freelance Whales seem to be continuing the genre that The Postal Service started and I'm all for it. I feel like too many artists are afraid to make heartfelt electro-pop because they worry that the result will sound too much like a Postal Service clone, which is a real concern (COUGHowlcityCOUGH) but if done well it can turn out as beautifully as Freelance Whales.
Track 4 - "Lasso" by Phoenix
I love the energy of Phoenix's french electro-pop not to mention Thomas Mars's voice is haunting. Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix is one of my favorite albums of the past two years.
Track 5 - "Tighten Up" by The Black Keys
The Black Keys' indie-blues have always struck a chord with me and their new album "Brothers" is no exception. In fact it is probably my favorite album of theirs to date. You should check out the video for this song as it is really well made.
Track 6 - "Party With Children" by Ratatat
My friend allison first introduced me to Ratatat and I instantly loved their experimental instrumental rock. A couple months after she introduced me to them I attended my first and only Coachella and they happened to be playing one of the side stages there. Ratatat just put me in such a good mood.
Track 7 - "Let Your Love Grow Tall" by Passion Pit
This band was brought to my attention by Steven and I thank him dearly for it. Michael Angelakos has that same voice quality that makes me adore Phoenix. The story of how Passion Pit came to be is a great one.
Track 8 - "Giving Up the Gun" by Vampire Weekend
Vampire Weekend blend African rhythms and indie rock so seamlessly it's not even out of place or odd. It just makes you wonder what that quality they possess that other bands don't stems from. The video for this song is also fantastic.
Track 9 - "Fireworks" by yOya
yOya consists of two members: Noah Dietterich and Alex Pfender. My good friend, Leo went to college with these fine gentlemen and played me their debut album. They have a very original style that comes across beautifully. You can check out their music here.
Track 10 - "Cold December" by Matt Costa
This is just an extremely catchy drum and guitar melody. Matt Costa is pretty great.
Track 11 - "The High Road" by Broken Bells
Broken Bells is the result of James Mercer (of Shins fame) and producer extraordinaire Danger Mouse collaborating on some great mellow indie-pop. James Mercer is fantastic and I'll pretty much always like any project he's involved in.
Track 12 - "Starlight" by Mumm-Ra
So here are three weaknesses of mine: Tempo Changes, Dual Vocalists Harmonizing, Strings. Mumm-Ra hit all of these marks very well.
Track 13 - "While You Wait for the Others" by Grizzly Bear
Everyone probably knows Grizzly Bear for their single, "Two Weeks" that has been the backdrop of so many VW commercials by now. Their other stuff is equally if not more fantastic than "Two Weeks". They have this subtle, deliberate progression in their music always building towards a beautiful and cathartic climax.
Track 14 - "Put the Phone Down" by Pilot Speed
This song was actually suggested to me by my Pandora station (one of the only times Pandora has introduced me to something I actually like. Hope you like it too.
Track 15 - "Symphonies" by Dan Black
This song is phenomenal. It also has a fantastic video.
Track 16 - "I Can Feel a Hot One" by Manchester Orchestra
Most of the Manchester Orchestra songs I like are a lot more upbeat than this one but this track is just much more genuine sounding to me than their other songs (not that their other songs sound insincere. This one is just so much more personal)
Track 17 - "The Gambler" by fun.
"fun." is the new project by The Format's singer/songwriter Nate Ruess. They are pretty much The Format 2.0 because Nate's songwriting style is so distinctive. If you like The Format you should not hesitate in buying "Aim and Ignite" by fun. This is my favorite song by them. I really like the storytelling style of this song and there are parts where, between Nate's voice and the subject matter of the song, I can admit without shame that I well up.
I hope you enjoy this collection of songs and I can't wait to hear your feedback!
Without any further ado here is my first mix for the blog:
Track 1 - "If Work Permits" by The Format
I wanted to start the very first mix I made for you all with my favorite song by my favorite band(I suppose that my favorite band is actually a tie between both of Nate Ruess's bands: The Format and fun. Everything he does is amazing.) I love the abrupt tempo change halfway through this song. I'm a sucker for tempo changes. This song also has wonderful lyrics and if you listen carefully you can hear where I got the title for this blog.
Track 2 - "Tell 'Em" by Sleigh Bells
This is just a really fun start to any mix. Sleigh Bells are a newish band that have quickly worked their way into my favorites. They remind me of how I wanted all Le Tigre songs to sound (unfortunately Le Tigre was way more hit or miss than Sleigh Bells are.) Plus if M.I.A. likes it then it will probably make me happy.
Track 3 - "Starring" by Freelance Whales
Freelance Whales seem to be continuing the genre that The Postal Service started and I'm all for it. I feel like too many artists are afraid to make heartfelt electro-pop because they worry that the result will sound too much like a Postal Service clone, which is a real concern (COUGHowlcityCOUGH) but if done well it can turn out as beautifully as Freelance Whales.
Track 4 - "Lasso" by Phoenix
I love the energy of Phoenix's french electro-pop not to mention Thomas Mars's voice is haunting. Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix is one of my favorite albums of the past two years.
Track 5 - "Tighten Up" by The Black Keys
The Black Keys' indie-blues have always struck a chord with me and their new album "Brothers" is no exception. In fact it is probably my favorite album of theirs to date. You should check out the video for this song as it is really well made.
Track 6 - "Party With Children" by Ratatat
My friend allison first introduced me to Ratatat and I instantly loved their experimental instrumental rock. A couple months after she introduced me to them I attended my first and only Coachella and they happened to be playing one of the side stages there. Ratatat just put me in such a good mood.
Track 7 - "Let Your Love Grow Tall" by Passion Pit
This band was brought to my attention by Steven and I thank him dearly for it. Michael Angelakos has that same voice quality that makes me adore Phoenix. The story of how Passion Pit came to be is a great one.
Track 8 - "Giving Up the Gun" by Vampire Weekend
Vampire Weekend blend African rhythms and indie rock so seamlessly it's not even out of place or odd. It just makes you wonder what that quality they possess that other bands don't stems from. The video for this song is also fantastic.
Track 9 - "Fireworks" by yOya
yOya consists of two members: Noah Dietterich and Alex Pfender. My good friend, Leo went to college with these fine gentlemen and played me their debut album. They have a very original style that comes across beautifully. You can check out their music here.
Track 10 - "Cold December" by Matt Costa
This is just an extremely catchy drum and guitar melody. Matt Costa is pretty great.
Track 11 - "The High Road" by Broken Bells
Broken Bells is the result of James Mercer (of Shins fame) and producer extraordinaire Danger Mouse collaborating on some great mellow indie-pop. James Mercer is fantastic and I'll pretty much always like any project he's involved in.
Track 12 - "Starlight" by Mumm-Ra
So here are three weaknesses of mine: Tempo Changes, Dual Vocalists Harmonizing, Strings. Mumm-Ra hit all of these marks very well.
Track 13 - "While You Wait for the Others" by Grizzly Bear
Everyone probably knows Grizzly Bear for their single, "Two Weeks" that has been the backdrop of so many VW commercials by now. Their other stuff is equally if not more fantastic than "Two Weeks". They have this subtle, deliberate progression in their music always building towards a beautiful and cathartic climax.
Track 14 - "Put the Phone Down" by Pilot Speed
This song was actually suggested to me by my Pandora station (one of the only times Pandora has introduced me to something I actually like. Hope you like it too.
Track 15 - "Symphonies" by Dan Black
This song is phenomenal. It also has a fantastic video.
Track 16 - "I Can Feel a Hot One" by Manchester Orchestra
Most of the Manchester Orchestra songs I like are a lot more upbeat than this one but this track is just much more genuine sounding to me than their other songs (not that their other songs sound insincere. This one is just so much more personal)
Track 17 - "The Gambler" by fun.
"fun." is the new project by The Format's singer/songwriter Nate Ruess. They are pretty much The Format 2.0 because Nate's songwriting style is so distinctive. If you like The Format you should not hesitate in buying "Aim and Ignite" by fun. This is my favorite song by them. I really like the storytelling style of this song and there are parts where, between Nate's voice and the subject matter of the song, I can admit without shame that I well up.
I hope you enjoy this collection of songs and I can't wait to hear your feedback!
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