New Bon Iver! The Weeknd teams with Daft Punk! New Sylvan Esso! This is like Oscar season at the theatres for me. So much to listen to these days. Squeeee.
10 - "All the Way Down", Kelela
While "Rewind" is still getting an awful lot of play around here, this other Kelela release has snuck into the rotation a little bit. I feel like if Aaliyah had never hooked up with Timbaland, she'd of sounded a bit like this.
9 - "Elodie", Ten Fe
I have very little info about Ten Fe other than they're from London and that this song has much more production value than I'd expect from one of somebody's first kicks at the can. Although the producer, Ewan Pearson, has a lot of experience under his belt (M83, The Rapture, Jagwar Ma). Perfect dinner music.
8 - "33 "GOD" ", Bon Iver
2 million views already? 22 million is just around the corner, I suppose. This album is a bit all over the place and I'm still digesting it. This is one of the most Boniest Iverest tracks "22, A Million" has to offer and so it is the first to get some shine here. Plus, mad points for the Paolo Nutini sample.
7 - "Don't Hurt Yourself (feat. Jack White)", Beyoncé
Apologies for the video selection. Queen Bey leaves me no choice:( Unlike the Bon Iver album, I've had time to chew Lemonade over. Yet still different tracks are grabbing my attention all these months after the album's release. What is Jack White up to these days...? Wikipedia reports that he is in the midst of an extended hiatus from performing live.
6 - "Somebody Else", The 1975
I'm not too sure where these guys came from. Their debut album was released in 2013 but I don't really remember being aware of it. They must have done something right as their second album, released earlier this year, topped the UK and US album charts. They've apparently been big in the UK for a while but only played their first show in the States in 2014. "Somebody" is the fourth of five releases from the album. The third release, "The Sound", enjoyed a few spins on mainstream radio late this summer.
5 - "Sun", The Hotelier
Massachusetts band The Hotelier have already recorded three albums. This song is from their most recent, 2015's Goodness. In case you're wondering about the blurred album cover art in the youtube clip, the actual photo can be found on the album's wiki page.
4 - "In Common", Alicia Keys
Huh? This is Alicia Keys? A very different sound from her - a little tropical club action. My wife has sucked me into watching a few episodes of The Voice, something I have actively avoided before. I've decided that, unless Alicia Keys is very good at presenting a fake persona on TV, she's actually a really cool person. Call me anytime.
3 - "Lite Spots", Kaytranada
Yes, yes. You're all sick of Kaytranada. TOO BAD. My kids love this video and I love CRANKING this song. On repeat.
2 - "St. James", DYAN
DYAN is not Dyan. Or even Diane. It is trio Alexis Marsh, Sam Jones, and Dan Dorff Jr. of Los Angeles, CA. St. James is the band's first release and started circulating just before summer. I love the sound - just the right amount of Florence with that sweet instrumental break in the middle.
1 - "Heart Don't Stand a Chance", Anderson.Paak
It turns out A.P has also done an NPR Tiny Desk concert - check it out here and take a few of his tracks in. Even "Suede". As the note in the comments of the NPR video says, good luck pigeonholing this guy in any genre. Up until I'd heard this song, he'd popped up mostly dropping guest verses on other people's tracks. Well, now I know he can drum. Cool.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Friday, October 7, 2016
Friday, September 9, 2016
September tunes
My son got an iPod for his birthday today and he is stoked to start making his own playlists and rock out in his own little ear-budded world. Sigh. Mini me. Here are the highlights from things I've heard over the past month and a bit:
10 - "Long Distance", Sam Gellaitry
Following the lead of other songs I've featured here like "This Girl" and "Sparta", "Long Distance" is hopping on the horn section bandwagon. Real deep lyrics on this one. She a talk to me, and me a talk to she, but the day is coming that we must meet personally. Sam is 19 and from Scotland, if you're keeping track.
9 - "3 a.m.", Honne
Honne's vocals don't tend to change much from one song to the next so I get caught up in the sameness of some of their releases. I tend to prefer their more uptempo releases...oddly enough "The Night" was my gateway to Honne and it's one of their dragger songs.
8 - "Friends (feat. Bon Iver and Kanye West)", Francis and the Lights
"I'm Francis". Awesome. Jason DeRulo aside, you don't hear a lot of artists name-check themselves in songs these days. Francis and the Lights seems to be primarily referred to as the "musical project" of Francis Farewell Starlite and "Friends" was first heard in Chance the Rapper's "Summer Friends", a track from Coloring Book that has gotten a lot of love online. I warned you recently that anything Justin Vernon gets involved in will likely end up on this blog. I'm just following through. New album drops September 30!
7 - "No Room in Frame", Death Cab for Cutie
DCFC opened up their Osheaga set last month with this track from Kintsugi. It occurs to me as I listen to this: can pop music still have guitars in it? I feel like as soon as you stick a guitar in a song, it becomes pop/rock at best. This is pretty solid pop to me, but format-wise, it probably falls in the cracks between alternative and pop. The deadly adult-alternative/AAA perhaps?
6 - "Don't Fight It", Gavin Turek
I'm trying to think of what 70s song the chorus makes me think of. The keys section in The Doobie Brothers' "What a Fool Believes"? I hate it when something sounds like something else and I can't place it. Anyway, if you're hard up for some light disco, then definitely hit play on this one.
5 - "Kevin (feat. Leon Bridges)", Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Yet another PSA track from M&RL. This time, they're warning about the dangers of prescription drug abuse. FYI Leon Bridges should be guesting on more songs.
4 - "Drivers", Nick Leng
Ahh, sweet quirky percussion! Nick Leng hails from South Africa but now records out of San Diego. This is the title track off his June EP release. It looks like he has released a few other singles online, either to stream on Soundcloud or to purchase via bandcamp.
3 - "Brazil", Declan McKenna
No this was never submitted to be the theme of the Rio Olympics. Apparently, this 18 year-old Brit won Glastonbury Festival's Emerging Talent Competition in 2015 and "Brazil" is written in protest of FIFA "for awarding the World Cup to Brazil in 2014 without addressing the extensive and deep poverty affecting the people of the nation" (thanks Wikipedia). This song had a minor run on American alternative stations earlier this year but does not seem to have put a dent in the Canadian airwaves.
2 - "Say It (feat. Tove Lo)", Flume
Flume is finally getting some mainstream shine with a cleaned-up version of "Never Be Like You". One of Australia's best electronic musicians, Flume has been remixing tunes and releasing albums for almost five years already and, now that Major Lazer, DJ Snake and the Chainsmokers have blown the EDM floodgates wide open, Flume might prove to be a good radio fit. This is my favourite track from his 2016 album Skin.
1 - "Leave Me Alone (feat. Shay Lia)", Kaytranada
I love this album. More tracks to follow in the coming months. Tropical deep house lovers to the dance floor please.
If I'm lucky, I might be able to crank another missive out later this month.
10 - "Long Distance", Sam Gellaitry
Following the lead of other songs I've featured here like "This Girl" and "Sparta", "Long Distance" is hopping on the horn section bandwagon. Real deep lyrics on this one. She a talk to me, and me a talk to she, but the day is coming that we must meet personally. Sam is 19 and from Scotland, if you're keeping track.
9 - "3 a.m.", Honne
Honne's vocals don't tend to change much from one song to the next so I get caught up in the sameness of some of their releases. I tend to prefer their more uptempo releases...oddly enough "The Night" was my gateway to Honne and it's one of their dragger songs.
8 - "Friends (feat. Bon Iver and Kanye West)", Francis and the Lights
"I'm Francis". Awesome. Jason DeRulo aside, you don't hear a lot of artists name-check themselves in songs these days. Francis and the Lights seems to be primarily referred to as the "musical project" of Francis Farewell Starlite and "Friends" was first heard in Chance the Rapper's "Summer Friends", a track from Coloring Book that has gotten a lot of love online. I warned you recently that anything Justin Vernon gets involved in will likely end up on this blog. I'm just following through. New album drops September 30!
7 - "No Room in Frame", Death Cab for Cutie
DCFC opened up their Osheaga set last month with this track from Kintsugi. It occurs to me as I listen to this: can pop music still have guitars in it? I feel like as soon as you stick a guitar in a song, it becomes pop/rock at best. This is pretty solid pop to me, but format-wise, it probably falls in the cracks between alternative and pop. The deadly adult-alternative/AAA perhaps?
6 - "Don't Fight It", Gavin Turek
I'm trying to think of what 70s song the chorus makes me think of. The keys section in The Doobie Brothers' "What a Fool Believes"? I hate it when something sounds like something else and I can't place it. Anyway, if you're hard up for some light disco, then definitely hit play on this one.
5 - "Kevin (feat. Leon Bridges)", Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Yet another PSA track from M&RL. This time, they're warning about the dangers of prescription drug abuse. FYI Leon Bridges should be guesting on more songs.
4 - "Drivers", Nick Leng
Ahh, sweet quirky percussion! Nick Leng hails from South Africa but now records out of San Diego. This is the title track off his June EP release. It looks like he has released a few other singles online, either to stream on Soundcloud or to purchase via bandcamp.
3 - "Brazil", Declan McKenna
No this was never submitted to be the theme of the Rio Olympics. Apparently, this 18 year-old Brit won Glastonbury Festival's Emerging Talent Competition in 2015 and "Brazil" is written in protest of FIFA "for awarding the World Cup to Brazil in 2014 without addressing the extensive and deep poverty affecting the people of the nation" (thanks Wikipedia). This song had a minor run on American alternative stations earlier this year but does not seem to have put a dent in the Canadian airwaves.
2 - "Say It (feat. Tove Lo)", Flume
Flume is finally getting some mainstream shine with a cleaned-up version of "Never Be Like You". One of Australia's best electronic musicians, Flume has been remixing tunes and releasing albums for almost five years already and, now that Major Lazer, DJ Snake and the Chainsmokers have blown the EDM floodgates wide open, Flume might prove to be a good radio fit. This is my favourite track from his 2016 album Skin.
1 - "Leave Me Alone (feat. Shay Lia)", Kaytranada
I love this album. More tracks to follow in the coming months. Tropical deep house lovers to the dance floor please.
If I'm lucky, I might be able to crank another missive out later this month.
Tuesday, July 26, 2016
July tunes
At least the title of the post matches the month again. I'm another decade older but I still love music. Here are the highlights from my July listenings...
10 - "Only", RY X
The man responsible for my favourite song of 2014 is back in the rotation with the first cut from his new album, Dawn. Actually, "Berlin" and "Sweat" have been available for public consumption for a while - the LP rounds up some tracks from the Berlin EP and adds some new material link "Only". Click here for a review of the album from the NY Times (spoiler alert: it's positive).
9 - "Singularity", New Order
Almost a year now after I first heard Music Complete, I'm still finding gems on the album. I haven't pimped "Superheated" here yet so I'll slip that in here too without being too overt about it. I found it interesting to note that New Order has been recording (with three founding members along for the ride the whole time) longer than lead singer Bernard Sumner had been alive when Joy Division became New Order. It's actually not even close.
8 - "What Do You Want (feat. Josh Taylor & Benny Bridges)", Justin Jay
All of a sudden a couple of months ago, Justin Jay's work began flooding The Hype Machine's website. Everyone seemed to like this guy. He's 22, he's released five EPs of house music and he's starting to hit the electronic festival circuit this summer and HardSummer in California. Flash in the pan or FO REAL?
7 - "Good Help (Is So Hard to Find)", Death Cab for Cutie
Man this is a strange video. Like The Sneetches on crack. I'm still warming up to Kintsugi - the big alternative hit from last year, "Black Sun", completely didn't do it for me. But there are still some tracks I've found worth listening to. This one is pretty awesome. Now I'm off to punch a star-shaped hole in my head.
6 - "Lake Arrowhead", Nora en Pure
Oh man, does this ever bring back Tiesto-infused memories of summers past. I know nothing about Nora en Pure aside from the fact that she is a DJ (no, really), was born in South Africa and now resides in Switzerland. And she apparently spun at Coachella. But that's it.
5 - "Blue & the Green", Loyal
I saw a live version of this song on youTube and I was confused - who was this woman singing? Where's the male lead vocalist? It turns out that the vocals on "Blue & the Green" are a pitched-down version of the natural vocal track so that pretty much explained everything. I dug up a press release about the meaning of the song, so if you're interested: "Blue & The Green" questions whether it’s better to fight for something once cherished, or the decision to give up and leave this thing behind. Blue and the green represents land and sea (the earth) as well the emotions of sadness and jealousy. So there you have it.
4 - "This Girl", Kungs vs. Cookin' on 3 Burners
For the second year in a row, I had a song on my radar from following some European charts and then that song ends up playing on the radio in Montreal during a visit. Radio there is so avant-garde compared to the stations here:( The song in question last year was "Fade Out Lines" by The Avener and "This Girl" is this year's hit. This song has it all...Disco! Soul! French deep houseness! And a collabo with an artist called Cookin' With 3 Burners, the best artist moniker I've heard since The Kite String Tangle. If this song had touched down in Canada maybe a month earlier: summer megahit.
3 - "Hold Up", Beyonce
Looks like Beyonce went all KanyePrince with her latest album, Lemonade. Snippets of "Hold Up" exist online but you have to go to Tidal just to get unadulterated audio (hence that pitched-out junk video clip I attached). In any case, this is one of the few tracks from the album that I've been able to get into. As with Bey's last album, I'm finding this one to be a bit of a tough listen. And not because I'm Becky with the good hair. Styles are all over the place (a pro) as is accessibility (a con). Stay tuned to see if some other tracks limp onto my monthly suggest lists. One thing for sure: it's going to be hard to actually share the songs with you.
2 - "St. Ides", Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
In case you're not up on what St. Ides is, definitely check out this ad. This song is going toe-to-toe with "Bolo Tie" for my favourite from This Unruly Mess I've Made. The vibe is reminiscent of "Neon Cathedral" from The Heist, one of my favourites from the previous album. Good luck trying to see M&RL in concert over the next while: they're currently Down Under, followed by a victory lap through Washington State and then a leg over in Asia. Man seeing them in Washington would be great.
1 - "Tilted", Christine and the Queens
Doubling down on her first appearance on the list last month, Heloïse Letissier, a.k.a. Christine and the Queens, is back with a great pop track this month. I've seen this one mentioned a couple of times online and in print over the past few weeks, most notably lauded by Elton John in the pages of EW. I was due for a song with some French in it anyway - thanks for filling up the quota nicely!! Plus this has got to be the first song I've ever heard to name check Methuselah.
Hope everyone's summer is going swimmingly:)
10 - "Only", RY X
The man responsible for my favourite song of 2014 is back in the rotation with the first cut from his new album, Dawn. Actually, "Berlin" and "Sweat" have been available for public consumption for a while - the LP rounds up some tracks from the Berlin EP and adds some new material link "Only". Click here for a review of the album from the NY Times (spoiler alert: it's positive).
9 - "Singularity", New Order
Almost a year now after I first heard Music Complete, I'm still finding gems on the album. I haven't pimped "Superheated" here yet so I'll slip that in here too without being too overt about it. I found it interesting to note that New Order has been recording (with three founding members along for the ride the whole time) longer than lead singer Bernard Sumner had been alive when Joy Division became New Order. It's actually not even close.
8 - "What Do You Want (feat. Josh Taylor & Benny Bridges)", Justin Jay
All of a sudden a couple of months ago, Justin Jay's work began flooding The Hype Machine's website. Everyone seemed to like this guy. He's 22, he's released five EPs of house music and he's starting to hit the electronic festival circuit this summer and HardSummer in California. Flash in the pan or FO REAL?
7 - "Good Help (Is So Hard to Find)", Death Cab for Cutie
Man this is a strange video. Like The Sneetches on crack. I'm still warming up to Kintsugi - the big alternative hit from last year, "Black Sun", completely didn't do it for me. But there are still some tracks I've found worth listening to. This one is pretty awesome. Now I'm off to punch a star-shaped hole in my head.
6 - "Lake Arrowhead", Nora en Pure
Oh man, does this ever bring back Tiesto-infused memories of summers past. I know nothing about Nora en Pure aside from the fact that she is a DJ (no, really), was born in South Africa and now resides in Switzerland. And she apparently spun at Coachella. But that's it.
5 - "Blue & the Green", Loyal
I saw a live version of this song on youTube and I was confused - who was this woman singing? Where's the male lead vocalist? It turns out that the vocals on "Blue & the Green" are a pitched-down version of the natural vocal track so that pretty much explained everything. I dug up a press release about the meaning of the song, so if you're interested: "Blue & The Green" questions whether it’s better to fight for something once cherished, or the decision to give up and leave this thing behind. Blue and the green represents land and sea (the earth) as well the emotions of sadness and jealousy. So there you have it.
4 - "This Girl", Kungs vs. Cookin' on 3 Burners
For the second year in a row, I had a song on my radar from following some European charts and then that song ends up playing on the radio in Montreal during a visit. Radio there is so avant-garde compared to the stations here:( The song in question last year was "Fade Out Lines" by The Avener and "This Girl" is this year's hit. This song has it all...Disco! Soul! French deep houseness! And a collabo with an artist called Cookin' With 3 Burners, the best artist moniker I've heard since The Kite String Tangle. If this song had touched down in Canada maybe a month earlier: summer megahit.
3 - "Hold Up", Beyonce
Looks like Beyonce went all KanyePrince with her latest album, Lemonade. Snippets of "Hold Up" exist online but you have to go to Tidal just to get unadulterated audio (hence that pitched-out junk video clip I attached). In any case, this is one of the few tracks from the album that I've been able to get into. As with Bey's last album, I'm finding this one to be a bit of a tough listen. And not because I'm Becky with the good hair. Styles are all over the place (a pro) as is accessibility (a con). Stay tuned to see if some other tracks limp onto my monthly suggest lists. One thing for sure: it's going to be hard to actually share the songs with you.
2 - "St. Ides", Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
In case you're not up on what St. Ides is, definitely check out this ad. This song is going toe-to-toe with "Bolo Tie" for my favourite from This Unruly Mess I've Made. The vibe is reminiscent of "Neon Cathedral" from The Heist, one of my favourites from the previous album. Good luck trying to see M&RL in concert over the next while: they're currently Down Under, followed by a victory lap through Washington State and then a leg over in Asia. Man seeing them in Washington would be great.
1 - "Tilted", Christine and the Queens
Doubling down on her first appearance on the list last month, Heloïse Letissier, a.k.a. Christine and the Queens, is back with a great pop track this month. I've seen this one mentioned a couple of times online and in print over the past few weeks, most notably lauded by Elton John in the pages of EW. I was due for a song with some French in it anyway - thanks for filling up the quota nicely!! Plus this has got to be the first song I've ever heard to name check Methuselah.
Hope everyone's summer is going swimmingly:)
Sunday, July 10, 2016
June-ish tunes
Like a competitor in the Top Chef kitchen, I am officially behind. I'm just going to crank this one out so that I can hopefully post a July entry too this month.
10 - "Burn the Witch", Radiohead
The first release from A Moon Shaped Pool has apparently been teased for years and it definitely unlike anything else on the album. I'm looking forward to seeing Radiohead again this summer, though I hope that the show is more lively than most of the offerings on Pool.
9 - "Depreston", Courtney Barnett
She was up for the Best New Artist Grammy last year and yet this is the first time I am posting anything of Courtney Barnett's. Then again, Meghan Trainor somehow won that Grammy after having performed at the previous year's ceremony, so I still had some time before Barnett is considered passé, I suppose. There's a great bit in the Song Exploder episode covering this song where Courtney said that after having written the song, she told her friend about the event it was based on, an open house visit in Preston, and her friend told her that the event never even happened in Preston, but in another town. Awesome.
8 - "Bad Blood", Nao
Um, this video is NSFW and fairly messed up. London singer Nao released a pair of acclaimed EPs in 2014 and 2015 and then contributed vocals on the most recent Disclosure album. Nao was named third on the BBC Sound of... 2016 list and now "Bad Blood" is the lead-off track from her forthcoming full-length release For All We Know.
7 - "Completely", Alpines
All bands should be based in cities called Somewhere upon Somewhere Else. Alpines hail from Kingston upon Thames and "Completely" marks their first release since their debut full-length album in 2014. They've been together since 2010 and this is the first time I've ever come across their music.
6 - "Learning for Your Love", Marcus Marr & Chet Faker
While "The Trouble With Us" has been a mainstay on the iPod over the past half-year, I couldn't get behind "Birthday Card" quite as much, possibly due to the lengthy outro. "Learning for Your Love" is pretty solid though. The Work album is proving to be a great uptempo collection of summer jams.
5 - "Track Uno", Kaytranada
Whether you interpret "Uno" as referring to being the best track on the album or just the first, you might be right either way. For some reason this year, I seem to be getting back into instrumental music and so this song is catching me at the right time. I think the first time Kaytranada crossed my radar was when I fell in love with his reworking of Jill Scott's "Golden" in 2013. Looks like the jury is in on his new album 99.9% and the jury likes. I was hoping to catch Kaytranada at Osheaga this summer, but he's playing opposite HAIM and that's just not fair for him.
4 - "Real Friends", Kanye West
Once again, no real stream to share with you. Thanks Mr. West. This is pretty funny though (apparently reaction videos are a thing). "Real Friends" seems to be the second most-favourably received track from TLOP behind "Ultralight Beam" (which I've listened to a few times but it's just not clicking). Erykah Badu actually copped the track from "Real Friends" to record "Trill Friends". Interesting.
3 - "Bolo Tie (feat. YG)", Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
My playlist is getting a bit explicit - a bummer as I keep having to flip through stuff while the kids are around. They're not listening to this one:). The songs on the recent Macklemore & Ryan Lewis album fall cleanly into two camps: will listen to a bunch/will skip almost every time. "Bolo Tie" is definitely one of my favourites on the album with a couple of others likely to make cameos on these lists in the coming months. Stay tuned.
2 - "Roll Up Your Sleeves", Meg Mac
Megan McInerney of Australia goes by Meg Mac and is fairly well known back home. This was her first big hit, to be followed by "Never Be", which earned her a couple of ARIA award nominations in 2015. Personally, "Roll" is more my speed. Meg Mac had a cup of tea touring in the States, supporting both tours for Clean Bandit and D'Angelo.
1 - "iT", Christine and the Queens
Next up on the pseudonym train: Heloïse Letissier, who goes by Christine and the Queens. As per her Wiki page, Heloïse is from Nantes, France and dedicates much of her work to the trans community. It seems that "iT" wasn't released as a single at any point in time, but was the lead-off track from her full-length debut Chaleur Humaine (an English version was released in the UK in February while the original French version was released in France and various other countries almost two years prior). The album reached the top 10 in Belgium, France, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and Switzerland.
Hopefully I'll be back sooner rather than later.
10 - "Burn the Witch", Radiohead
The first release from A Moon Shaped Pool has apparently been teased for years and it definitely unlike anything else on the album. I'm looking forward to seeing Radiohead again this summer, though I hope that the show is more lively than most of the offerings on Pool.
9 - "Depreston", Courtney Barnett
She was up for the Best New Artist Grammy last year and yet this is the first time I am posting anything of Courtney Barnett's. Then again, Meghan Trainor somehow won that Grammy after having performed at the previous year's ceremony, so I still had some time before Barnett is considered passé, I suppose. There's a great bit in the Song Exploder episode covering this song where Courtney said that after having written the song, she told her friend about the event it was based on, an open house visit in Preston, and her friend told her that the event never even happened in Preston, but in another town. Awesome.
8 - "Bad Blood", Nao
Um, this video is NSFW and fairly messed up. London singer Nao released a pair of acclaimed EPs in 2014 and 2015 and then contributed vocals on the most recent Disclosure album. Nao was named third on the BBC Sound of... 2016 list and now "Bad Blood" is the lead-off track from her forthcoming full-length release For All We Know.
7 - "Completely", Alpines
All bands should be based in cities called Somewhere upon Somewhere Else. Alpines hail from Kingston upon Thames and "Completely" marks their first release since their debut full-length album in 2014. They've been together since 2010 and this is the first time I've ever come across their music.
6 - "Learning for Your Love", Marcus Marr & Chet Faker
While "The Trouble With Us" has been a mainstay on the iPod over the past half-year, I couldn't get behind "Birthday Card" quite as much, possibly due to the lengthy outro. "Learning for Your Love" is pretty solid though. The Work album is proving to be a great uptempo collection of summer jams.
5 - "Track Uno", Kaytranada
Whether you interpret "Uno" as referring to being the best track on the album or just the first, you might be right either way. For some reason this year, I seem to be getting back into instrumental music and so this song is catching me at the right time. I think the first time Kaytranada crossed my radar was when I fell in love with his reworking of Jill Scott's "Golden" in 2013. Looks like the jury is in on his new album 99.9% and the jury likes. I was hoping to catch Kaytranada at Osheaga this summer, but he's playing opposite HAIM and that's just not fair for him.
4 - "Real Friends", Kanye West
Once again, no real stream to share with you. Thanks Mr. West. This is pretty funny though (apparently reaction videos are a thing). "Real Friends" seems to be the second most-favourably received track from TLOP behind "Ultralight Beam" (which I've listened to a few times but it's just not clicking). Erykah Badu actually copped the track from "Real Friends" to record "Trill Friends". Interesting.
3 - "Bolo Tie (feat. YG)", Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
My playlist is getting a bit explicit - a bummer as I keep having to flip through stuff while the kids are around. They're not listening to this one:). The songs on the recent Macklemore & Ryan Lewis album fall cleanly into two camps: will listen to a bunch/will skip almost every time. "Bolo Tie" is definitely one of my favourites on the album with a couple of others likely to make cameos on these lists in the coming months. Stay tuned.
2 - "Roll Up Your Sleeves", Meg Mac
Megan McInerney of Australia goes by Meg Mac and is fairly well known back home. This was her first big hit, to be followed by "Never Be", which earned her a couple of ARIA award nominations in 2015. Personally, "Roll" is more my speed. Meg Mac had a cup of tea touring in the States, supporting both tours for Clean Bandit and D'Angelo.
1 - "iT", Christine and the Queens
Next up on the pseudonym train: Heloïse Letissier, who goes by Christine and the Queens. As per her Wiki page, Heloïse is from Nantes, France and dedicates much of her work to the trans community. It seems that "iT" wasn't released as a single at any point in time, but was the lead-off track from her full-length debut Chaleur Humaine (an English version was released in the UK in February while the original French version was released in France and various other countries almost two years prior). The album reached the top 10 in Belgium, France, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and Switzerland.
Hopefully I'll be back sooner rather than later.
Sunday, May 29, 2016
May tunes
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!!
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!!
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!!
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