Under the wire! As opposed to the list of things I've been listening to over the past month, it's more what I was listening to in April. Too much time this month hanging out with family and out-of-town friends. Priorities! Anyway, please lend an ear anyway.
10 - "Be Mine", YesYou
This song takes me back to some of those tracks on Moby's Play album: techno laid on top of a bluesy vocal sample. These guys hail all the way from Brisbane and have been recording for over five years. Looks like their debut album was due out "early this year" but I haven't seen any evidence that it's out yet.
9 - "Ch-ching", Chairlift
It's seriously been eight years since Chairlift's "Bruises" was used to launch the 4th generation of the iPod Nano. I still have one of those bad boys and I'm still listening to Chairlift. "Ch-ching" came out last year but I only came across it a couple of months ago. I'll have to listen a bit more to their latest album which apparently name-checks Ottawa in one of the track titles.
8 - "Freazy", Wolf Alice
About a year ago, North Londoners Wolf Alice released Your Love is Cool, an album which spawned a moderate alternative hit in "Bros". Not quite as big a hit as "Moaning Lisa Smile" (a track that earned the band a Grammy nod), nor as catchy to my ear as another song on the album "Freazy". Not too sure what is up with this video, but it seems like they had fun doing it.
7 - "Fight for Us (feat. Rochelle Jordan)", Sepalcure
And we're back to Brooklyn for a slow jam dressed up with some twitchy beats. Sepalcure is Travis Stewart and Praveen Sharma and they released their self-titled (and critically acclaimed) debut album a few years ago. Word on the street is that they were supposed to follow this up with another last month but, as with the YesYou album, I see no evidence that it came out.
6 - "Guard Down (feat. Kanye West and Diddy)", Ty Dolla $ign
Ty$ managed to release six singles off this album since late last year and this wasn't one of them. Regardless, I somehow heard it (I don't typically trawl through hip-hop websites so the entire genre tends to fall through the cracks) and after enough time it took hold. If you're wondering about Diddy's involvement, the spoken word intro and outdo are all him.
5 - "To Know You", Wild Nothing
Wikipedia lists Wild Nothing as an indie rock/dream pop band. There's definitely an element of chillwave in behind the guitars. Some of the vocals remind me of Washed Out. While the track is included on their early 2016 release Life of Pause, it and three other tracks were actually released as singles prior to the album's release.
4 - "Smooth Sailin'", Leon Bridges
Those who have read this blog over the past couple of years know that there are some aspects of songs that draw me in right away. One of those is a little call-response between male and female vocalists. Leon Bridges is one smooth dude and that little aspect of the chorus really hits home for me. Ever since "Coming Home" blew up, I've kept an ear out for Bridges and this is the first of his releases I've enjoyed this much.
3 - "Cheap Thrills", Sia
Apparently now this song is circulating on radio with some Sean Paul mixed in. Not sure that's necessary. As with most of the other songs on Sia's latest album, this song was originally written for someone else (namely, Rihanna, in this case) but then reclaimed by Sia herself. Sia has written so many songs for other artists, it's actually fairly impressive. I've mentioned it here before, but I still go back and listen to her early work with Zero7 and love it tremendously.
2 - "Skipping Stones (feat. Jhene Aiko)", Gallant
Apparently this dude had the sneaky best moment of Coachella this year when Seal hopped on stage with him to perform a couple of songs, including "Weight in Gold", the song that introduce Gallant to the world. Jhene Aiko is a beautiful fit on this track and it certainly looks like Gallant is on track to become the next Miguel.
1 - "Feedback", Kanye West
Kanye is the new Prince. Good luck finding anything of his to share online. There are a lot of really, um, interesting "covers" of his TLOP material online. Guitar covers, theatrical reenactments, learn-to-play keyboard tutorials, you name it. Anyway, best of luck finding a clean version of this song online. But do look. Don't sleep on it, have a good snoooooooze.
Thanks for listening!!
Sunday, May 29, 2016
Tuesday, April 19, 2016
April tunes
Private life has been busy lately - I've been itching to get this posted and now the wait is finally over. Yes! Bring on the spring tunes!
10 - "It's Not Over", ON AN ON
So a couple of years ago, I think I posted about a song called "Drifting" by Nate Eiesland. About a year after the post, I found the song "Drifting" on iTunes by a group called ON AN ON and it turns out it was essentially the same song. So Nate seems to have rebranded himself as part of a trio. "It's Not Over" is way more pop than the folk vibe felt in "Drifting", which was a bit of a surprise. A very light confection for the summer.
9 - "(At Your Best) You Are Love", Frank Ocean
I have no idea how this slipped past my radar last year. Apparently, Frank dropped this Isley Bros. cover online last January on the occasion of the anniversary of Aaliyah's birthday (she also covered the song back in '94). I do love me some falsetto and it's been way to long since Frank Ocean has been in the public eye, so yeah, I'm into this and looking forward to seeing if anything else surfaces in the near future.
8 - "Clearest Blue", CHVRCHES
I'm just about completely done with digesting this album. Consider this the death rattle. But if I had pimped this track earlier, then I would have missed out on this video that was put out in February!
7 - "Chillin'", Rudresh Mahanthappa
I'm not sure how I've been digging up the jazz lately - it's not like I'm expressly looking for it - but there is some interesting stuff out there. I am definitely big on sax and trumpet/keys are probably my runner-up instruments...bonus points for double bass. Rudresh has been putting out albums over the past decade and this track is from his most recent release, 2015's Bird Calls. Love it.
6 - "Afterthought", Disclosure
Another album I've pretty much worked my way through, front to back. Enjoyed seeing the parade of special guests they trotted out on the Coachella feed Saturday night. I have my tickets to this summer's Osheaga festival and am really looking forward to seeing Disclosure, although I'm not holding my breath that they'll be bringing any special guests.
5 - "Love for That (feat. Shura)", Mura Masa
19 years old. Man. I have always been a sucker for the use of strings in pop music. Flutes are a nice touch too. Not sure if Alex Crossan has an album on the way or if tracks are going to continue to drip drip drip onto the web. Either way, he has my attention.
4 - "Five Minutes", Her
I know very little about Her. They are two guys. They are French, from Paris. This is their Facebook page. Their first EP, featuring "Five Minutes", came out in January. Their second EP, featuring a cover of Sam Cooke's "A Change is Gonna Come", is due out in a couple of weeks. I heard "Five Minutes" for the first time late last year and it has turned into a total ear worm.
3 - "Them Changes", Thundercat
Funky! No, seriously. The first funk jam I've been into for a while. Great bass work and a sweet falsetto...nice cameos from Flying Lotus and Kamasi Washington too. My kids are fascinated by the lyrics. "What's happened to his heart?" "Why is there blood on the floor?" "Did someone die???". Also, thanks to the Song Exploder podcast, I know that this is the second time in this blog post that the Isley Brothers (drum sample from "Footsteps in the Dark") are influencing my current tastes.
2 - "Evil Twin", Krrum
Last summer's "Sparta" by Ten Walls was the first track in a while that I've been into that featured some bass brass. "Evil Twin" is going back to the well. Some marching bands need to bang this out pronto. All I know about Krrum is that he's from Leeds in the UK and that "Evil Twin" might be only his second release.
1 - "Kiss it Better", Rihanna
Um, NSFW. These days Rihanna seems to be a bit all over the map. Last year's "FourFiveSeconds" was a solid release but then "Bitch Better Have My Money" was pretty out there and "American Oxygen" was not my jam. "Kiss" is, though. Easily her best single (imho) since "Stay" and it might be my favourite song of hers. As in ever. Time will tell.
Thanks for listening!!
10 - "It's Not Over", ON AN ON
So a couple of years ago, I think I posted about a song called "Drifting" by Nate Eiesland. About a year after the post, I found the song "Drifting" on iTunes by a group called ON AN ON and it turns out it was essentially the same song. So Nate seems to have rebranded himself as part of a trio. "It's Not Over" is way more pop than the folk vibe felt in "Drifting", which was a bit of a surprise. A very light confection for the summer.
9 - "(At Your Best) You Are Love", Frank Ocean
I have no idea how this slipped past my radar last year. Apparently, Frank dropped this Isley Bros. cover online last January on the occasion of the anniversary of Aaliyah's birthday (she also covered the song back in '94). I do love me some falsetto and it's been way to long since Frank Ocean has been in the public eye, so yeah, I'm into this and looking forward to seeing if anything else surfaces in the near future.
8 - "Clearest Blue", CHVRCHES
I'm just about completely done with digesting this album. Consider this the death rattle. But if I had pimped this track earlier, then I would have missed out on this video that was put out in February!
7 - "Chillin'", Rudresh Mahanthappa
I'm not sure how I've been digging up the jazz lately - it's not like I'm expressly looking for it - but there is some interesting stuff out there. I am definitely big on sax and trumpet/keys are probably my runner-up instruments...bonus points for double bass. Rudresh has been putting out albums over the past decade and this track is from his most recent release, 2015's Bird Calls. Love it.
6 - "Afterthought", Disclosure
Another album I've pretty much worked my way through, front to back. Enjoyed seeing the parade of special guests they trotted out on the Coachella feed Saturday night. I have my tickets to this summer's Osheaga festival and am really looking forward to seeing Disclosure, although I'm not holding my breath that they'll be bringing any special guests.
5 - "Love for That (feat. Shura)", Mura Masa
19 years old. Man. I have always been a sucker for the use of strings in pop music. Flutes are a nice touch too. Not sure if Alex Crossan has an album on the way or if tracks are going to continue to drip drip drip onto the web. Either way, he has my attention.
4 - "Five Minutes", Her
I know very little about Her. They are two guys. They are French, from Paris. This is their Facebook page. Their first EP, featuring "Five Minutes", came out in January. Their second EP, featuring a cover of Sam Cooke's "A Change is Gonna Come", is due out in a couple of weeks. I heard "Five Minutes" for the first time late last year and it has turned into a total ear worm.
3 - "Them Changes", Thundercat
Funky! No, seriously. The first funk jam I've been into for a while. Great bass work and a sweet falsetto...nice cameos from Flying Lotus and Kamasi Washington too. My kids are fascinated by the lyrics. "What's happened to his heart?" "Why is there blood on the floor?" "Did someone die???". Also, thanks to the Song Exploder podcast, I know that this is the second time in this blog post that the Isley Brothers (drum sample from "Footsteps in the Dark") are influencing my current tastes.
2 - "Evil Twin", Krrum
Last summer's "Sparta" by Ten Walls was the first track in a while that I've been into that featured some bass brass. "Evil Twin" is going back to the well. Some marching bands need to bang this out pronto. All I know about Krrum is that he's from Leeds in the UK and that "Evil Twin" might be only his second release.
1 - "Kiss it Better", Rihanna
Um, NSFW. These days Rihanna seems to be a bit all over the map. Last year's "FourFiveSeconds" was a solid release but then "Bitch Better Have My Money" was pretty out there and "American Oxygen" was not my jam. "Kiss" is, though. Easily her best single (imho) since "Stay" and it might be my favourite song of hers. As in ever. Time will tell.
Thanks for listening!!
Saturday, March 19, 2016
March tunes
Happy March! Welcome to the monthly showcase of a song from the last CHURCHES album, a song from the last Disclosure album and eight other songs. The snow is melting everywhere and I am excited for driving-with-the-windows-down-and-the-tunes-cranked season. Let's see what I'm listening to this month.
10 - "Where the Night Goes", Josh Ritter
Not the typical fare you'll hear blasting out my speakers, but man this song hearkens back to good old times with my wife watching Josh at the Black Sheep or at Bluesfest. There was a time when his album Hello Starling was on constant repeat around here. We also got him to sign our copy of Golden Age of Radio at one point (it says "Holly + John! You are stellar...". Awesome.
9 - "Why Do We Try (feat. Stokley Williams)", Robert Glasper Experiment
Robert Glasper has a new album coming out soon and I'm very interested in giving it a listen. This is from his Black Radio album. I seem to have gotten back into jazz a bit lately, with songs by Rusresh Mahanthappa and Kamasi Washington providing backdrops to my days. Radio has some interesting tracks on it - some fresh tunes, some covers, all R&B- or hip-hop-infused. If you've somehow heard this song before (I hadn't), it's an old Mint Condition song, of which Stokley Williams was the lead vocalist.
8 - "Run Away With Me", Carly Rae Jepsen
So apparently this confection of a pop album that CRJ released last year was good. Everybody really, really liked it. See what I did there? But somehow, even here in Canada, her releases never got any traction at radio and I wasn't even aware of any of the tracks until I was sifting through the best-of lists a month or so ago. As far as pop songs go, this one's pretty catchy. I should probably listen to more of the album.
7 - "Chop it Like it's Hot (Vandelux Remix)", Snoop Dogg and Pharell Williams
I'm not a big "remix of iconic songs" guy. Once you know a song it's really hard to rearrange it in a way that draws my attention. This one's a pretty fun hack at "Drop it Like it's Hot" though. As one blogger pointed out, it starts out sounding like Lou Bega wanted to take a crack at it, but then it shifts gears and gets a lot funkier. Worth a listen.
6 - "Downtown", Magical Cloudz
That, my friends, is a low-budget video. Not as low budget as Li'l Dicky's "Save That Money", allegedly, but still pretty bare bones. So these two guys are from Montreal and this ethereal little number has been stuck in my head for a while. It looks like these guys have been racking up the critical acclaim over the past couple of years, long listed for the Polaris Prize, working with Grimes, touring with Lorde...and then breaking up two weeks ago. If only I had posted this on time, then I'd still be full of hope for more of them in the future. Oh well.
5 - "Follow You", CHVRCHES
Another Martin Doherty cut from Every Open Eye. Strong.
4 - "Rewind", Kelela
Thanks to Wikipedia, I have learned that Kelela used to sing both jazz standards and progressive metal. Hm. I listened to "Bank Head" (a Kingdom track featuring her vocals) quite a bit a couple of years back but didn't hear of her again until recently. "Rewind" was the first track released from her debut EP Hallucinogen and I was stoked to hear it appear this season in an episode of Girls. The sound kind of takes me back to Miami house from the mid 90s. Love it.
3 - "Knives", Matoma & Frenship
Matoma is a Norwegian DJ. Not quite Swedish, but close. His debut album is called, wait for it, Hakuna Matoma. Frenship are apparently a couple of guys from L.A. (one of whom sounds like he used to front Bastille). That is all I know. Warning: this song's a bit of an ear worm.
2 - "Masterpiece (feat. Jordan Rakei)", Disclosure
I've just about squeezed every worthwhile track out of this album. This one is a nice slow jam for the ladies. Or the guys. Frankly, whoever is in need of a slow jam to set the mood.
1 - "The Hook", Flybear
Oh man. As far as instrumental electronic tracks go, this one is solid. It will be playing loudly and frequently from my minivan over the coming weeks.
Thanks for listening!!
10 - "Where the Night Goes", Josh Ritter
Not the typical fare you'll hear blasting out my speakers, but man this song hearkens back to good old times with my wife watching Josh at the Black Sheep or at Bluesfest. There was a time when his album Hello Starling was on constant repeat around here. We also got him to sign our copy of Golden Age of Radio at one point (it says "Holly + John! You are stellar...". Awesome.
9 - "Why Do We Try (feat. Stokley Williams)", Robert Glasper Experiment
Robert Glasper has a new album coming out soon and I'm very interested in giving it a listen. This is from his Black Radio album. I seem to have gotten back into jazz a bit lately, with songs by Rusresh Mahanthappa and Kamasi Washington providing backdrops to my days. Radio has some interesting tracks on it - some fresh tunes, some covers, all R&B- or hip-hop-infused. If you've somehow heard this song before (I hadn't), it's an old Mint Condition song, of which Stokley Williams was the lead vocalist.
8 - "Run Away With Me", Carly Rae Jepsen
So apparently this confection of a pop album that CRJ released last year was good. Everybody really, really liked it. See what I did there? But somehow, even here in Canada, her releases never got any traction at radio and I wasn't even aware of any of the tracks until I was sifting through the best-of lists a month or so ago. As far as pop songs go, this one's pretty catchy. I should probably listen to more of the album.
7 - "Chop it Like it's Hot (Vandelux Remix)", Snoop Dogg and Pharell Williams
I'm not a big "remix of iconic songs" guy. Once you know a song it's really hard to rearrange it in a way that draws my attention. This one's a pretty fun hack at "Drop it Like it's Hot" though. As one blogger pointed out, it starts out sounding like Lou Bega wanted to take a crack at it, but then it shifts gears and gets a lot funkier. Worth a listen.
6 - "Downtown", Magical Cloudz
That, my friends, is a low-budget video. Not as low budget as Li'l Dicky's "Save That Money", allegedly, but still pretty bare bones. So these two guys are from Montreal and this ethereal little number has been stuck in my head for a while. It looks like these guys have been racking up the critical acclaim over the past couple of years, long listed for the Polaris Prize, working with Grimes, touring with Lorde...and then breaking up two weeks ago. If only I had posted this on time, then I'd still be full of hope for more of them in the future. Oh well.
5 - "Follow You", CHVRCHES
Another Martin Doherty cut from Every Open Eye. Strong.
4 - "Rewind", Kelela
Thanks to Wikipedia, I have learned that Kelela used to sing both jazz standards and progressive metal. Hm. I listened to "Bank Head" (a Kingdom track featuring her vocals) quite a bit a couple of years back but didn't hear of her again until recently. "Rewind" was the first track released from her debut EP Hallucinogen and I was stoked to hear it appear this season in an episode of Girls. The sound kind of takes me back to Miami house from the mid 90s. Love it.
3 - "Knives", Matoma & Frenship
Matoma is a Norwegian DJ. Not quite Swedish, but close. His debut album is called, wait for it, Hakuna Matoma. Frenship are apparently a couple of guys from L.A. (one of whom sounds like he used to front Bastille). That is all I know. Warning: this song's a bit of an ear worm.
2 - "Masterpiece (feat. Jordan Rakei)", Disclosure
I've just about squeezed every worthwhile track out of this album. This one is a nice slow jam for the ladies. Or the guys. Frankly, whoever is in need of a slow jam to set the mood.
1 - "The Hook", Flybear
Oh man. As far as instrumental electronic tracks go, this one is solid. It will be playing loudly and frequently from my minivan over the coming weeks.
Thanks for listening!!
Friday, February 12, 2016
February Tunes
Happy February! First up, I am pleased to announce that only two of the songs below are brought to you by Disclosure, Tom Misch, CHVRCHES or Jamie xx. So I'm mixing it up a little more this month as compared to last month. Let's get it started.
10 - "The Trouble With Us", Marcus Marr & Chet Faker
I am an unabashed Chet Faker fan. This is some nice stuff coming out of a collaboration with British DJ Marcus Marr. The two got together to put out an EP called Work about two months ago and it works for me. The single has hit the top 10 in Australia, Belgium and now the New Releases chart on this blog. Congrats, guys!
9 - "Grace", Jacob Banks
Once Leon Bridges broke open the floodgates on the old-school soul sound becoming relevant in modern recordings again, it seems to have popped up all over the place. "S.O.B." had some of that gospel rock and now on "Grace", 23-year-old Banks fuses soulful vocals with electronic and symphonic music for a really nice package. iTunes says the song is explicit, but it lies.
8 - "Unlearn the Hatred", New Order
It's been a long climb for New Order to get on this list. I first heard the new album, front to back, while I had a date lunch with my wife in a nice local establishment. After buying Music Complete, while I liked many of the songs on the album (including "Restless", "Singularity", "Superheated" and "People on the High Line") but it took a while for one to really sink in. This is the one. Harder-hitting than many of their former synth masterpieces, "Hatred" has a good thing going on. I'm a fan of them. Possibly in part due to "Regret" being one of my 10 favourite songs of all time.
7 - "Gibraltar", Beirut
The first genre Wikipedia attributes to Beirut's music is "Balkan folk". Yeah, when I think of Santa Fe and music, I think Balkan folk. Gibraltar is Track 1 on Beirut's latest album, No No No, released last June. Apparently the album hit the top 50 of the Hot 100 - I suppose they have some sort of a following then.
6 - "Time to Run", Lord Huron
I'm really falling for Lord Huron. I'd still not gotten enough of "Lonesome Dreams" (featured last month) when I stumbled onto this track. Sorry, "Dreams", "Run" blows you out of the water. This risks getting as much run around here as "Fool for Love" did. High standards. Enjoy yet another oaty video from Lord Huron.
5 - "Have Mercy", Eryn Allen Kane
This one's been in the hopper for about a year. A very simple song with not much going on lyrically, but some powerhouse vocals. Kane has worked with Prince already so she's being noticed by some big players. Her debut album Aviary, Act 1 was just released. As in her release party is in Chicago this next week. Cool fact: this song is all Kane's vocals - no instruments.
4 - "Still", The Japanese House
Amber Bain is the woman behind The Japanese House and this song was all over tastemaker best-of lists last year. It's pretty fantastic. The title track from Pools to Bathe In wasnt so much my cup of tea, but this is a beautiful piece of music. Interestingly enough the EP Pools was released in October and then The Japanese House released a second EP, Clean, just a month later.
3 - "Hark (feat. Alfa Mist)", Tom Misch
Another easy-listening instrumental slow jam from Tom. Not really much more to say. By the way, Alfa Mist is a British DJ. Feel free to check this out for more info.
2 - "Tearing Me Up", Bob Moses
Cue the Canadian content! I was a little surprised when searching around for tidbits on Bob Moses to find that they had an interview sitting up on Billboard (read it here). There's a lot in this song that sounds reminiscent of last month's feature "Nightcall", but it's much smoother.
1 - "High Enough to Carry You Over", CHVRCHES
I love when bands can switch up the vocalist. I love CHVRCHES for switching vocalist from male to female as well. Martin Doherty's tracks have a very different feel to them than Lauren Mayberry's and they combination switch things up nicely when listening to a CHVRCHES album as a whole.
Thanks for listening!!
10 - "The Trouble With Us", Marcus Marr & Chet Faker
I am an unabashed Chet Faker fan. This is some nice stuff coming out of a collaboration with British DJ Marcus Marr. The two got together to put out an EP called Work about two months ago and it works for me. The single has hit the top 10 in Australia, Belgium and now the New Releases chart on this blog. Congrats, guys!
9 - "Grace", Jacob Banks
Once Leon Bridges broke open the floodgates on the old-school soul sound becoming relevant in modern recordings again, it seems to have popped up all over the place. "S.O.B." had some of that gospel rock and now on "Grace", 23-year-old Banks fuses soulful vocals with electronic and symphonic music for a really nice package. iTunes says the song is explicit, but it lies.
8 - "Unlearn the Hatred", New Order
It's been a long climb for New Order to get on this list. I first heard the new album, front to back, while I had a date lunch with my wife in a nice local establishment. After buying Music Complete, while I liked many of the songs on the album (including "Restless", "Singularity", "Superheated" and "People on the High Line") but it took a while for one to really sink in. This is the one. Harder-hitting than many of their former synth masterpieces, "Hatred" has a good thing going on. I'm a fan of them. Possibly in part due to "Regret" being one of my 10 favourite songs of all time.
7 - "Gibraltar", Beirut
The first genre Wikipedia attributes to Beirut's music is "Balkan folk". Yeah, when I think of Santa Fe and music, I think Balkan folk. Gibraltar is Track 1 on Beirut's latest album, No No No, released last June. Apparently the album hit the top 50 of the Hot 100 - I suppose they have some sort of a following then.
6 - "Time to Run", Lord Huron
I'm really falling for Lord Huron. I'd still not gotten enough of "Lonesome Dreams" (featured last month) when I stumbled onto this track. Sorry, "Dreams", "Run" blows you out of the water. This risks getting as much run around here as "Fool for Love" did. High standards. Enjoy yet another oaty video from Lord Huron.
5 - "Have Mercy", Eryn Allen Kane
This one's been in the hopper for about a year. A very simple song with not much going on lyrically, but some powerhouse vocals. Kane has worked with Prince already so she's being noticed by some big players. Her debut album Aviary, Act 1 was just released. As in her release party is in Chicago this next week. Cool fact: this song is all Kane's vocals - no instruments.
4 - "Still", The Japanese House
Amber Bain is the woman behind The Japanese House and this song was all over tastemaker best-of lists last year. It's pretty fantastic. The title track from Pools to Bathe In wasnt so much my cup of tea, but this is a beautiful piece of music. Interestingly enough the EP Pools was released in October and then The Japanese House released a second EP, Clean, just a month later.
3 - "Hark (feat. Alfa Mist)", Tom Misch
Another easy-listening instrumental slow jam from Tom. Not really much more to say. By the way, Alfa Mist is a British DJ. Feel free to check this out for more info.
2 - "Tearing Me Up", Bob Moses
Cue the Canadian content! I was a little surprised when searching around for tidbits on Bob Moses to find that they had an interview sitting up on Billboard (read it here). There's a lot in this song that sounds reminiscent of last month's feature "Nightcall", but it's much smoother.
1 - "High Enough to Carry You Over", CHVRCHES
I love when bands can switch up the vocalist. I love CHVRCHES for switching vocalist from male to female as well. Martin Doherty's tracks have a very different feel to them than Lauren Mayberry's and they combination switch things up nicely when listening to a CHVRCHES album as a whole.
Thanks for listening!!
Friday, January 15, 2016
January Tunes
Hello all. Snow is finally on the ground, 2016 is here and I'm ready for another year of finding interesting music that you might not hear on the radio. It was a fairly busy holiday and I didn't seem to take as much time as normal sifting through best-of lists. So some blogger faves from last year might trickle out through this site over the coming months. Apologies for the lag:)
10 - "Show Me Love (EDX's Indian Summer Remix)", Sam Feldt
Confession: I once took a couple of sessions' worth of hip-hop dance classes. I wasn't any good but enjoyed talking music with the 20-year-old who ran the class. Halfway through the first session he told the class that he found this old-school song for warming up that he wasn't sure any of us knew. Enter Robin S. "Show Me Love" always makes me think back to those classes, for better or for worse. This is a nice fresh take on the original.
9 - "Nightcall", KANT
I know very little about KANT. Apparently, he is Danish and in Danish, "kant" means "edge". This is a smooth little number that will have some echoes next week. Now I suppose you'll just have to stay tuned.
8 - "Twinkle Twinkle", Tom Misch
OMG. As if I couldn't already get enough of Tom Misch. This is not from his Beat Tape 2 album, but just popped up online at the end of 2015. Flute. Harp. Beats. A Busta Rhymes sample. My head just broke. And only 11,000 clicks so far!
7 - "Gosh", Jamie xx
If you weren't sick of me pimping Tom Misch, perhaps you're sick of me pimping Jamie xx. This song starts out feeling like a tease: where's the bass? Where is this song going? Must keep listening... Once it shifts at 1:54 it picks up and then at 2:24 it really starts to soar. Kind of a mesmerizing video too.
6 - "Lonesome Dreams", Lord Huron
I mentioned last month that I had been giving this track some love. Now I am officially sharing it with you. It's from a couple of years back, but that's never stopped me before. Apparently the theme and feel of this video carried through the rest of the videos that they shot for tracks from the album. Looking forward, Lord Huron is part of a VERY NICE line-up at Sasquatch this May. Sigh. Wrong coast.
5 - "Empty Threat", CHVRCHES
Another perennial favourite and on the bill at Coachella this year (sigh. Wrong coast again), CHVRCHES made Rolling Stone's videos-of-2016 list with this one. I am very much in love with this album and am going to promise featuring another couple of songs here before the summer. P.S. Congratulations Rolling Stone on making me read avidly down to #17 on your list of the best albums of the year before making me shake my head and say "Oh, Rolling Stone..." Most years, that happens in the top 5.
4 - "As Crazy as it is", ZHU x A-Trak x Keznamdi
In November of 2015, ZHU released this track (and the one I featured last month) as part of the six-track "Genesis Project". These tracks are not compiled on any sort of album and are only available for digital download. I love Keznamdi's sound - very reminiscent of Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley.
3 - "Streams", JackLNDN
I feel like if I had a part-time gig spinning in a bar where people dress up nicely and drink martinis, this one would be a no-brainer for ambience. When I first saw his name, I thought it was the same guy who did this song I used to listen to in 2011, AndrewLngdn. Similar name, but not quite.
2 - "Flesh Without Blood", Grimes
This might challenge "Entropy" for Grimes's best work since "Genesis". Though not quite as "best list ubiquitous" as Kendrick Lamar, Grimes had herself a good 2015. I still have no idea if she'll become a household name someday or if that's something she even wants.
1 - "Willing and Able (feat. Kwabs)", Disclosure
Yes. More Disclosure. This is what happens when I buy a bunch of albums and then they become my collective soundtrack over the course of a couple of months. Apologies. I saw a recording by Kwabs covering "Bloodstream" on the BBC Live Lounge a while back and thought it was just OK. Apparently he's best known for the single "Walk" although I have to admit to having never heard it until now. And I'm not sure I'll play it a second time:(.
And oh yeah, no snow yet!!
10 - "Show Me Love (EDX's Indian Summer Remix)", Sam Feldt
Confession: I once took a couple of sessions' worth of hip-hop dance classes. I wasn't any good but enjoyed talking music with the 20-year-old who ran the class. Halfway through the first session he told the class that he found this old-school song for warming up that he wasn't sure any of us knew. Enter Robin S. "Show Me Love" always makes me think back to those classes, for better or for worse. This is a nice fresh take on the original.
9 - "Nightcall", KANT
I know very little about KANT. Apparently, he is Danish and in Danish, "kant" means "edge". This is a smooth little number that will have some echoes next week. Now I suppose you'll just have to stay tuned.
8 - "Twinkle Twinkle", Tom Misch
OMG. As if I couldn't already get enough of Tom Misch. This is not from his Beat Tape 2 album, but just popped up online at the end of 2015. Flute. Harp. Beats. A Busta Rhymes sample. My head just broke. And only 11,000 clicks so far!
7 - "Gosh", Jamie xx
If you weren't sick of me pimping Tom Misch, perhaps you're sick of me pimping Jamie xx. This song starts out feeling like a tease: where's the bass? Where is this song going? Must keep listening... Once it shifts at 1:54 it picks up and then at 2:24 it really starts to soar. Kind of a mesmerizing video too.
6 - "Lonesome Dreams", Lord Huron
I mentioned last month that I had been giving this track some love. Now I am officially sharing it with you. It's from a couple of years back, but that's never stopped me before. Apparently the theme and feel of this video carried through the rest of the videos that they shot for tracks from the album. Looking forward, Lord Huron is part of a VERY NICE line-up at Sasquatch this May. Sigh. Wrong coast.
5 - "Empty Threat", CHVRCHES
Another perennial favourite and on the bill at Coachella this year (sigh. Wrong coast again), CHVRCHES made Rolling Stone's videos-of-2016 list with this one. I am very much in love with this album and am going to promise featuring another couple of songs here before the summer. P.S. Congratulations Rolling Stone on making me read avidly down to #17 on your list of the best albums of the year before making me shake my head and say "Oh, Rolling Stone..." Most years, that happens in the top 5.
4 - "As Crazy as it is", ZHU x A-Trak x Keznamdi
In November of 2015, ZHU released this track (and the one I featured last month) as part of the six-track "Genesis Project". These tracks are not compiled on any sort of album and are only available for digital download. I love Keznamdi's sound - very reminiscent of Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley.
3 - "Streams", JackLNDN
I feel like if I had a part-time gig spinning in a bar where people dress up nicely and drink martinis, this one would be a no-brainer for ambience. When I first saw his name, I thought it was the same guy who did this song I used to listen to in 2011, AndrewLngdn. Similar name, but not quite.
2 - "Flesh Without Blood", Grimes
This might challenge "Entropy" for Grimes's best work since "Genesis". Though not quite as "best list ubiquitous" as Kendrick Lamar, Grimes had herself a good 2015. I still have no idea if she'll become a household name someday or if that's something she even wants.
1 - "Willing and Able (feat. Kwabs)", Disclosure
Yes. More Disclosure. This is what happens when I buy a bunch of albums and then they become my collective soundtrack over the course of a couple of months. Apologies. I saw a recording by Kwabs covering "Bloodstream" on the BBC Live Lounge a while back and thought it was just OK. Apparently he's best known for the single "Walk" although I have to admit to having never heard it until now. And I'm not sure I'll play it a second time:(.
And oh yeah, no snow yet!!
Friday, December 25, 2015
My favourite songs: 2015 edition
So last year's multiple posts with screen after screen of links and videos and blurbs didn't seem to be a big hit. Except for the post listing my 10 favourite songs of the year. So here's how I'm going to break it down this year: one post, ten songs and a link to everything else. I looked back over the list of my favourite 100 songs that I either heard first in 2015 or heard first in 2014 but really hit their stride for me in 2015 and realized that I pretty much shared all of them with you over the course of this year. So if you have been following along, there is no real news here. Except for the fact that LCD Soundsystem is getting back together and Radiohead just dropped a new song online. Squee!
The full list of my 100 favourite songs of the year has been converted into a youtube playlist HERE. I invite you to go have a look. Spoiler alert! The first song on the list is #100 and, as Casey Kasem used to say, as the numbers get smaller, the hits get bigger. I am featuring the tail end of the list (#10 to #1) below.
#10: "My Silver Lining", First Aid Kit
Followers of this blog over the past couple of years know that I've got a thing for Swedish music. This is the country's lone representation in my top 10 of the year. Not the kind of song that I would have listened much to a few years ago, but it really stuck itself in my consciousness this year. I'd say that I regret missing the sisters' show at Osheaga this past summer (apparently it was amazing), but the festival schedulers created a real Catch 22 for me by scheduling them opposite The War on Drugs (more on that later) so regret isn't the right word. "America" and their 2012 recording "Emmylou" were other songs of theirs I listened to this year. Definitely check both of them out.
#9: "Fool For Love", Lord Huron
Interesting. For all of the electronic uptempo music I listen to, we're kicking things off with a couple of rootsy tunes. "Fool For Love" ranked as Billboard's #15 Adult Alternative song of the year and you'd think that with a hit that big, they'd have followed it up with something else by now but I have no indication of what their next move is. With this song as my jumping-off point with Lord Huron, I took the opportunity to travel back in time and explore their previous album, Lonesome Dreams. The title track is definitely a winner and the album is a nice slice of folk.
#8: "Bloodstream", Ed Sheeran and Rudimental
Ed Sheeran's had a pretty nice run over the past year and a bit with hit after hit from X getting played on the radio. Billboard even had "Thinking Out Loud" as their #2 Hot 100 track of the year. Impressive. This track ended up hitting #2 in its own right on the UK, Scotland and New Zealand singles charts, was followed up by Rudimental's minor hit "Rumour Mill" (that just barely missed my top 10) and then the current collabo that you can still hear on mainstream radio in North America, "Lay it All on Me". Looking forward to hearing more from both Sheeran and Rudimental.
#7: "Snake Eyes", Mumford & Sons
When M&S released Babel in 2012, the world shook. It seems that with the band's brief hiatus since then, they lost some steam and the lead single from Wilder Mind, "Believe", didn't quite fare as well as "I Will Wait" did three years prior. But it still got played a lot. "The Wolf" followed and then the current release "Ditmas", but the standout single for me was definitely "Snake Eyes". A bit formulaic for the band (see: "Awake My Soul"), but still a pleasure to listen to.
#6: "Disappearing", The War on Drugs
Even though Lost in the Dream came out early in 2014, I really only warmed up to it after a number of listens later in the year. "Red Eyes" made my top ten list last year and a number of tracks lived on to have an impact on me this year. The greatest of these was "Disappearing", an ethereal track that featured minimal vocals and a five-minute instrumental denouement. Pitchfork apparently suggested that a potential inspiration for this song was Tears for Fears' "Pale Shelter". You be the judge.
#5: "First", Cold War Kids
Seriously, that's five alt-rock songs out of six now. I'm a little stunned. This was Billboard's #3 Alternative Rock song behind only "Shut Up and Dance" and "Renegades". This was my most buzzy track from March and it held sway through the spring and beyond. I still love cranking it up.
#4: "Loud Places (feat. Romy)", Jamie xx
When all is said and done and I look back at the songs to which I was introduced in 2015, this will probably go down as my all-time favourite. It came along a bit late in the year to have as much overall impact as the top 3 songs of the year, but I'll at least take this space to say that I have a special place in my heart for this song (as well as most of Jamie xx's album).
#3: "Fade Out Lines", The Avener
I'm a total word dork and I've decided that French DJ The Avener's name is a play on "avenir", meaning "the future". Then again, Wikipedia says that an avener is the chief officer of a king's stables. I like my idea better. I'm not sure if Phoebe Killdeer and the Short Straws (whose song forms the basis for this mix) will ever surface again, but this has provided some pretty awesome exposure across Europe. Not sure why it wasn't a bigger deal here. Except in Quebec. I have a feeling that "Fade Out Lines" will figure prominently on year-end charts of radio stations like this one.
#2: "One Touch (feat. Rae Sremmurd and AlunaGeorge", Baauer
I never thought this song would click with me this year like it did. I'm not really a Rae Sremmurd guy, but I am an AlunaGeorge guy and I am a wicked bass drop guy. This came off the ß album by Baauer (although I'm not sure if this is the Greek B (likely) or the German ss (less likely). The single apparently only surfaced on the Belgian charts, so I suppose I share something with my Flemish friends aside from a love of frites and mayo!
...drum roll...
#1: "Falling Short", Låpsley
British ambient electronic songstress Holly Lapsley Fletcher (aka Låpsley) takes the crown this year. "Falling Short" is from her debut EP, released in January of 2015. Allegedly a full-length album is due out in 2016 and I will be keeping my ears open for that. I always find it interesting to stumble across a song that I come across digging through music blogs online in mainstream pop culture references and "Falling Short" offered up one of the most unexpected pop culture sightings of the year when it was featured in episode 2 of HBO's "Ballers". Granted, this show featured a TONNE of my favourite artists (such as Gallants, Kendrick Lamar, Daft Punk, Busta Rhymes, The War on Drugs, Major Lazer, The Knocks, Sleigh Bells, Outkast and the above mentioned Baauer) so I guess it shouldn't have come as too much of a surprise.
Thanks for listening and Merry Christmas!
The full list of my 100 favourite songs of the year has been converted into a youtube playlist HERE. I invite you to go have a look. Spoiler alert! The first song on the list is #100 and, as Casey Kasem used to say, as the numbers get smaller, the hits get bigger. I am featuring the tail end of the list (#10 to #1) below.
#10: "My Silver Lining", First Aid Kit
Followers of this blog over the past couple of years know that I've got a thing for Swedish music. This is the country's lone representation in my top 10 of the year. Not the kind of song that I would have listened much to a few years ago, but it really stuck itself in my consciousness this year. I'd say that I regret missing the sisters' show at Osheaga this past summer (apparently it was amazing), but the festival schedulers created a real Catch 22 for me by scheduling them opposite The War on Drugs (more on that later) so regret isn't the right word. "America" and their 2012 recording "Emmylou" were other songs of theirs I listened to this year. Definitely check both of them out.
#9: "Fool For Love", Lord Huron
Interesting. For all of the electronic uptempo music I listen to, we're kicking things off with a couple of rootsy tunes. "Fool For Love" ranked as Billboard's #15 Adult Alternative song of the year and you'd think that with a hit that big, they'd have followed it up with something else by now but I have no indication of what their next move is. With this song as my jumping-off point with Lord Huron, I took the opportunity to travel back in time and explore their previous album, Lonesome Dreams. The title track is definitely a winner and the album is a nice slice of folk.
#8: "Bloodstream", Ed Sheeran and Rudimental
Ed Sheeran's had a pretty nice run over the past year and a bit with hit after hit from X getting played on the radio. Billboard even had "Thinking Out Loud" as their #2 Hot 100 track of the year. Impressive. This track ended up hitting #2 in its own right on the UK, Scotland and New Zealand singles charts, was followed up by Rudimental's minor hit "Rumour Mill" (that just barely missed my top 10) and then the current collabo that you can still hear on mainstream radio in North America, "Lay it All on Me". Looking forward to hearing more from both Sheeran and Rudimental.
#7: "Snake Eyes", Mumford & Sons
When M&S released Babel in 2012, the world shook. It seems that with the band's brief hiatus since then, they lost some steam and the lead single from Wilder Mind, "Believe", didn't quite fare as well as "I Will Wait" did three years prior. But it still got played a lot. "The Wolf" followed and then the current release "Ditmas", but the standout single for me was definitely "Snake Eyes". A bit formulaic for the band (see: "Awake My Soul"), but still a pleasure to listen to.
#6: "Disappearing", The War on Drugs
Even though Lost in the Dream came out early in 2014, I really only warmed up to it after a number of listens later in the year. "Red Eyes" made my top ten list last year and a number of tracks lived on to have an impact on me this year. The greatest of these was "Disappearing", an ethereal track that featured minimal vocals and a five-minute instrumental denouement. Pitchfork apparently suggested that a potential inspiration for this song was Tears for Fears' "Pale Shelter". You be the judge.
#5: "First", Cold War Kids
Seriously, that's five alt-rock songs out of six now. I'm a little stunned. This was Billboard's #3 Alternative Rock song behind only "Shut Up and Dance" and "Renegades". This was my most buzzy track from March and it held sway through the spring and beyond. I still love cranking it up.
#4: "Loud Places (feat. Romy)", Jamie xx
When all is said and done and I look back at the songs to which I was introduced in 2015, this will probably go down as my all-time favourite. It came along a bit late in the year to have as much overall impact as the top 3 songs of the year, but I'll at least take this space to say that I have a special place in my heart for this song (as well as most of Jamie xx's album).
#3: "Fade Out Lines", The Avener
I'm a total word dork and I've decided that French DJ The Avener's name is a play on "avenir", meaning "the future". Then again, Wikipedia says that an avener is the chief officer of a king's stables. I like my idea better. I'm not sure if Phoebe Killdeer and the Short Straws (whose song forms the basis for this mix) will ever surface again, but this has provided some pretty awesome exposure across Europe. Not sure why it wasn't a bigger deal here. Except in Quebec. I have a feeling that "Fade Out Lines" will figure prominently on year-end charts of radio stations like this one.
#2: "One Touch (feat. Rae Sremmurd and AlunaGeorge", Baauer
I never thought this song would click with me this year like it did. I'm not really a Rae Sremmurd guy, but I am an AlunaGeorge guy and I am a wicked bass drop guy. This came off the ß album by Baauer (although I'm not sure if this is the Greek B (likely) or the German ss (less likely). The single apparently only surfaced on the Belgian charts, so I suppose I share something with my Flemish friends aside from a love of frites and mayo!
...drum roll...
#1: "Falling Short", Låpsley
British ambient electronic songstress Holly Lapsley Fletcher (aka Låpsley) takes the crown this year. "Falling Short" is from her debut EP, released in January of 2015. Allegedly a full-length album is due out in 2016 and I will be keeping my ears open for that. I always find it interesting to stumble across a song that I come across digging through music blogs online in mainstream pop culture references and "Falling Short" offered up one of the most unexpected pop culture sightings of the year when it was featured in episode 2 of HBO's "Ballers". Granted, this show featured a TONNE of my favourite artists (such as Gallants, Kendrick Lamar, Daft Punk, Busta Rhymes, The War on Drugs, Major Lazer, The Knocks, Sleigh Bells, Outkast and the above mentioned Baauer) so I guess it shouldn't have come as too much of a surprise.
Thanks for listening and Merry Christmas!
Tuesday, December 8, 2015
December Tunes
This is it! The last monthly rundown of 2015. It's been a good year, I've found some new artists and some great new songs. Every year, I think "I'm not going to hear a song next year that I'll like as much as I liked (insert song from current year)" but I'm never disappointed. Well, I have been a bit disappointed in The Hype Machine - over the past few months it seems that fewer and fewer songs are clicking with me. Spotify was doing OK for a bit (I'm a cheapskate and was using the free web browser) but now it doesn't seem to want to load anymore. Boo. Apple music has been OK (though I hate not being able to load the songs onto my iPod. Oh well). To celebrate the Closing of the Year, I even offer you a bonus 11th song this month (and also because I might have music hangover in January and the blog might be slow to get up and running again in the new year).
11 - "Shine", Years & Years
It's been a good year for these guys in my opinion. A little disappointed that the Brits couldn't break through in North America but that just means I get to keep them a little more to myself:). This is the third single from Communion that I've put up here and the other two will definitely factor into my tracks of the year, to be released later this month. Years & Years is up for BBC Music Awards' British Artist of the Year Award (to be awarded in a couple of days) against (alphabetically) Adele, Ed Sheeran, Florence and the Machine, Foals and Jamie xx. So, essentially the bulk of my playlist at any time.
10 - "Keep You On My Side", CHVRCHES
In one day I went bananas and bought the new albums from New Order, Disclosure and CHVRCHES. The New Order one was the flattest of the bunch as both of the others had some real gems on them. More on Disclosure coming up. "Leave a Trace" is one of my favourite songs at the moment, but in the next tier of tracks on Every Open Eye, this is the frontrunner for now. Pure 100 proof synth pop straight into your bloodstream. Given that none of this track's youtube uploads seem to have cracked the 20,000 view mark, it doesn't seem to be many other people's fave. So. What.
9 - "Her Morning Elegance", Oren Lavie
This is so weird. I heard this song recently and really liked it. Then I booted up this video and I thought that I had definitely seen the video before. I don't remember the song at all but sure enough the video was in my search cache. It must have been when I was looking for Grammy nominees for music video work as this one was shortlisted in 2009. Wiki says that he revealed in 2012 that he had a second album coming but that doesn't seem to have materialized. Anyway, smooth jam.
8 - "S.O.B.", Nathaniel Rateliffe & the Night Sweats
Ahh the misery of alcoholism laid out in a stomper that sounds like it's straight out of the 50s. I heard this one toward the end of summer and thought it was pretty interesting as a song but it took a while to sink its hooks in me. Now it seems to be a fairly massive alternative hit across the continent. Apparently their performance on Fallon is what ignited their exposure (Future Islands anyone?) and they've been riding the wave ever since.
7 - "Cream on Chrome", Ratatat
Oooooh that opening is so sweet. These guys are off in their own genre. I've been listening to Ratatat for almost 10 years now (my brother was actually the first person who tipped me off, shortly after they had released Classics in 2006) and I still haven't found anyone else who fuses electronic music and guitar work in such an interesting way. Wiki dubs the style "rocktronica" if anyone is wondering. The last minute is not as funky or strong as the front end, but it's not crazy enough to completely derail the song.
6 - "If You Ever Want to Be in Love", James Bay
Yep. Despite the fact that REAL MUSIC CRITICS tend to pan this guy (like this or, WOW, this), I still dig. Although the hat is starting to make me think of Maria Bello's fedora in Prime Suspect.
5 - "Automatic", Zhu X AlunaGeorge
I was thinking the other day about compiling a list of artists that I'm happiest that hunting through music blogs has turned me on to, that I likely would not have known about otherwise. Both Zhu and AlunaGeorge would have been on the list at one time until they had radio hits with "Faded" and "You Know You Like It", respectively this past year (so I probably would have found out about them anyway). I will have to get around to pulling that list together.
4 - "Magnets (feat. Lorde)", Disclosure
This is an interesting departure from the sound that Disclosure put forth on many tracks on both Settle and Caracal (odd fact: I knew what a caracal was thanks to my kids watching Wild Kratts). It's great to see Lorde back (the Mockingjay tracks didn't quite do it for me) and I'm very interested to see what she does next.
3 - "Loveless", X Ambassadors
Another rock-life act that makes REAL MUSIC CRITICS go meh, I have a bit of a soft spot for X Ambassadors ever since we shared a moment in Montreal this summer. Fine, I shared it with many other screaming fans, but it was still good. "Unsteady" had a good run with me and now I've moved on to "Loveless", a much more uptempo romp. An antidote to "Renegades" I suppose.
2 - "Hourglass (feat. LION BABE)", Disclosure
LOL on the Youtube comment "I'm glad to see the silhouettes from the ipod commercials still finding work". This is that Disclosure sound I was talking about earlier. If house music is not your thing, please don't even press play here.
1 - "Ocean Drive", Duke Dumont
One of the beneficiaries of Disclosure breaking through a couple of years back is English DJ Duke Dumont. Though this song sounds NOTHING like his past hits and more like something out of the 80s. The song has topped the US Dance Club charts and was a fairly big hit in Australia. And in my house.
And oh yeah, no snow yet!!
11 - "Shine", Years & Years
It's been a good year for these guys in my opinion. A little disappointed that the Brits couldn't break through in North America but that just means I get to keep them a little more to myself:). This is the third single from Communion that I've put up here and the other two will definitely factor into my tracks of the year, to be released later this month. Years & Years is up for BBC Music Awards' British Artist of the Year Award (to be awarded in a couple of days) against (alphabetically) Adele, Ed Sheeran, Florence and the Machine, Foals and Jamie xx. So, essentially the bulk of my playlist at any time.
10 - "Keep You On My Side", CHVRCHES
In one day I went bananas and bought the new albums from New Order, Disclosure and CHVRCHES. The New Order one was the flattest of the bunch as both of the others had some real gems on them. More on Disclosure coming up. "Leave a Trace" is one of my favourite songs at the moment, but in the next tier of tracks on Every Open Eye, this is the frontrunner for now. Pure 100 proof synth pop straight into your bloodstream. Given that none of this track's youtube uploads seem to have cracked the 20,000 view mark, it doesn't seem to be many other people's fave. So. What.
9 - "Her Morning Elegance", Oren Lavie
This is so weird. I heard this song recently and really liked it. Then I booted up this video and I thought that I had definitely seen the video before. I don't remember the song at all but sure enough the video was in my search cache. It must have been when I was looking for Grammy nominees for music video work as this one was shortlisted in 2009. Wiki says that he revealed in 2012 that he had a second album coming but that doesn't seem to have materialized. Anyway, smooth jam.
8 - "S.O.B.", Nathaniel Rateliffe & the Night Sweats
Ahh the misery of alcoholism laid out in a stomper that sounds like it's straight out of the 50s. I heard this one toward the end of summer and thought it was pretty interesting as a song but it took a while to sink its hooks in me. Now it seems to be a fairly massive alternative hit across the continent. Apparently their performance on Fallon is what ignited their exposure (Future Islands anyone?) and they've been riding the wave ever since.
7 - "Cream on Chrome", Ratatat
Oooooh that opening is so sweet. These guys are off in their own genre. I've been listening to Ratatat for almost 10 years now (my brother was actually the first person who tipped me off, shortly after they had released Classics in 2006) and I still haven't found anyone else who fuses electronic music and guitar work in such an interesting way. Wiki dubs the style "rocktronica" if anyone is wondering. The last minute is not as funky or strong as the front end, but it's not crazy enough to completely derail the song.
6 - "If You Ever Want to Be in Love", James Bay
Yep. Despite the fact that REAL MUSIC CRITICS tend to pan this guy (like this or, WOW, this), I still dig. Although the hat is starting to make me think of Maria Bello's fedora in Prime Suspect.
5 - "Automatic", Zhu X AlunaGeorge
I was thinking the other day about compiling a list of artists that I'm happiest that hunting through music blogs has turned me on to, that I likely would not have known about otherwise. Both Zhu and AlunaGeorge would have been on the list at one time until they had radio hits with "Faded" and "You Know You Like It", respectively this past year (so I probably would have found out about them anyway). I will have to get around to pulling that list together.
4 - "Magnets (feat. Lorde)", Disclosure
This is an interesting departure from the sound that Disclosure put forth on many tracks on both Settle and Caracal (odd fact: I knew what a caracal was thanks to my kids watching Wild Kratts). It's great to see Lorde back (the Mockingjay tracks didn't quite do it for me) and I'm very interested to see what she does next.
3 - "Loveless", X Ambassadors
Another rock-life act that makes REAL MUSIC CRITICS go meh, I have a bit of a soft spot for X Ambassadors ever since we shared a moment in Montreal this summer. Fine, I shared it with many other screaming fans, but it was still good. "Unsteady" had a good run with me and now I've moved on to "Loveless", a much more uptempo romp. An antidote to "Renegades" I suppose.
2 - "Hourglass (feat. LION BABE)", Disclosure
LOL on the Youtube comment "I'm glad to see the silhouettes from the ipod commercials still finding work". This is that Disclosure sound I was talking about earlier. If house music is not your thing, please don't even press play here.
1 - "Ocean Drive", Duke Dumont
One of the beneficiaries of Disclosure breaking through a couple of years back is English DJ Duke Dumont. Though this song sounds NOTHING like his past hits and more like something out of the 80s. The song has topped the US Dance Club charts and was a fairly big hit in Australia. And in my house.
And oh yeah, no snow yet!!
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