So in my last post I mentioned I had been on the road for a while this summer. I didn't have a lot of spare time to look into new stuff. Well now I'm getting back to work…at making some new playlists!! As with past months, I present to you some of the songs I've grown attached to over the summer months. The only difference being that I'm lumping both months into a single post. Here goes:
10. "Drifting" - Nate Eiesland
This is a beautiful song that reminds me a bit of "Bella" by Angus and Julia Stone. Nate Eiesland is a musician who plays with the band ON AN ON and used to play with another band called Scattered Trees. His label, Red Brick Songs, organized a sort of retreat for fifteen songwriters in their stable and watched the magic unfold. This is one of the collaborations, as noted here.
9. "Heavenly Father" - Bon Iver
This is the first new Bon Iver recording I've heard in quite some time. I suppose it will be included on whatever new album the band produces, but for now the only place to find it is on the soundtrack to the Zach Braff movie Wish I Was Here. While I do like the falsetto Justin Vernon, it's also nice to mix in something a little more like "Blood Bank".
8. "I Was Born a Winner" - Freddy McGregor
And now for something completely different. Yes, it's a little piece of 20-year-old reggae. I heard a DJ spinning this a couple of weeks ago and fell in love with it. Hopefully it will keep me warm as the snow starts to fly this winter. Freddy McGregor is almost 60 now and Wiki reports he has released roughly 30 albums. Dude was born a winner.
7. "Ghosts 'n Stuff (feat. Rob Swire)" - deadmau5
Keeping it retro, I can't believe that while listening to The Beat in Vancouver, I stumbled across a deadmau5 track from 2008 that I had never heard before. My original thought was that it was a little derivative of tracks like Wolfgang Gartner's "Illmerica", but then again that track (with an AMAZING video) was recorded three years after this song…so who's zooming who? Some nice vocals from Aussie Rob Swire elevate this track way beyond the instrumental version.
6. "Home (feat. Sam Romans)" - Naughty Boy
This is some happy music right here. Great vocals from Roc Nation signee Sam Romans and a gospeled-up chorus that put a smile on my face every time I hear it. Great pop melodies with a lot of soul…a sound not too unlike that provided by some other guy named Sam who did some other song with Naughty Boy last year.
5. "Emanate" - Phoria
17 seconds. The time it takes from the first harmonized hum until the rhythm kicks in and I reach for the volume knob, turning it clockwise. Quickly. This is such a quiet song with a compelling, quirky percussion until the blast at the end. Oh by the way, Anna Kendrick, maybe this is the beat you were looking for. I checked the wiki page on this fivesome and when I saw comps to Aphex Twin, James Blake and an accolade saying that they were reminiscent of "Radiohead at their best" (I'm sorry, but that's just ludicrous), it definitely raised my eyebrow (not both, 'cause then I'd just look scared). I think I'm going to have to give more of Display a listen.
4. "In the Grass" - Vacationer
Another great summery song. It sounds like something vaguely 80s-ish, but I can't quite place it. Hence my not being a professional music blogger. A super-catchy song that earns bonus points for the flute and horns. If only Vacationer was a Swedish band...
3. "Never Say Never (feat. ETML)" - Basement Jaxx
I'm including the YouTube video as opposed to the Soundcloud embed for two reasons: 1) the Soundcloud tracks from "Junto" aren't available in Canada (boo) and 2) this video is something else. Tw3rk-bot? Twerks per minute=TPM? Classic Basement Jaxx. A great feel to this song for a group that can sometimes make music that's a little less-than-accessible (for every "Red Alert", there's a "Living Room"). I'm looking forward to hearing more off the album.
2. "I Got You (feat. Jax Jones)" - Duke Dumont
Duke Dumont had his first taste of the spotlight many months ago when his "Need You (100%)" was nominated for "Best Dance Recording" at the Grammys. That track never hooked me quite like this one does. The funny thing is that, at first listen, it's tough to pick it out, but this is all one big cut and paste of Whitney's "My Love is Your Love". A great deep house sound and 11 million listeners on Soundcloud can't be wrong, right?
1. "Gold" - Chet Faker
As per usual, I save the best for last. I first heard Chet Faker on Say Lou Lou's "Fool of Me", although apparently his first breakthrough came when his cover of "No Diggity" (who doesn't cover this song now??) went viral in 2011. This song is off Chet's first studio album, "Built on Glass" and has also been reworked by frequent collaborator Flume. The album topped the charts in Chet's native Australia and peaked at #158 on the Billboard 200. I'm not sure if his work will catch on and go mainstream but as I'm sure Vance Joy, The Neighbourhood and Bastille (who have not covered "No Diggity", to my knowledge, but have covered "No Scrubs") now know, it just takes one big break.
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