Death Cab for Cutie - "You Are a Tourist"

Death Cab for Cutie - You Are a Tourist

————-Death Cab are at it again - like they ever were gonna stop filling our night time drives and contemplative moods with metaphor-filled lyrics and indie-whimsy. The band will release their album Codes and Keys May 31st, but in the meantime Seattle radio station 107.7 The End have the audio link for you to get a glimpse of the album.

  ”You Are a Tourist” is spacey like “Cath” with groovy-distorted guitars and echoes from Ben Gibbard. The song as a whole is solid Death Cab material, listening to them feels oddly nostalgic but new at the same time. We’re looking forward to hearing more of Codes and Keys this May.

http://blogs.1077theend.com/files/2011/03/You-Are-A-Tourist-Radio-Edit.mp3

Song of the Day

David Guetta feat. Estelle - One Love

—————I made the mistake of listening to “One Love” on the Silent Floor of the library where whispers send panties soaring up people’s rear ends. This song is much too club-ready to hear among the books. David Guetta teamed up with the caramel-smooth swoons of Estelle (American Boy, for those who don’t remember…for shame) to deliver a dance beat worthy of the best glitter-covered venues in the world. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQyGYdRqulQ

Nick Cave and Warren Ellis- Song for Bob

---------------Ever hear one of those songs that instantly makes you think? My answer to that is "Song for Bob" an airy, haunting song from the 2008 movie "The Assassination of Jesse James." If nothing else from the film, the soundtrack is all-together a mournful and beautiful obituary to outlaw Jesse James and the men who turned against him. The soundtrack composed by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis arrests the listener to a heavy-hearted symphony of strings and piano that makes funeral marches sound like pop songs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vz0FSG9h-GI&feature=related

Song of the Day

The Kills - Satellite

——————— The Kills Allison Mosshart and Jamie Hince know that a theatrical, outlaw music video is the way to keep the buzz going on new material.The video looks like an editorialized heist with a wardrobe that would make Nylon jealous and the ultimate getaway car - a vintage Rolls Royce. A macabre yet sultry beat that hints to notions of mischief do more than compliment the duo on “Satellite,” singled from their forthcoming album,Blood Pressures.  This delightfully dark preview to their next album makes us super-excited for more.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hniPVDz12bc&feature=fvsr

Tyler the Creator - "Yonkers"

3/29/11
-------------------This song has captured my interest for a while, but I almost never hear it outside of a smoke-filled room where everyone's so stoned that "Yonkers" is the only thing that can make it better. Almost every element of this song says creepy. The beat sounds like a censored cricket chirp and the result of lots and lots of...inspiration. No doubt this song off of the upcoming album Goblins will be the keystone song of experimental playlists all over.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSbZidsgMfw

Record Sale Findings

Hey All,

  

So the cool thing about local record shops is their secret sales - the ones you only hear about by word of mouth or some private-invite Facebook group. This spring sale was at 641 RPM in Boone, North Carolina. Not only did 641 have a record sale, THE ENTIRE STORE WAS 50% OFF! 

 All. Records. On. Sale.

  

But since I'm broke I couldn't buy up the whole stock. I did make some fantastic finds including (From Left):

1. Belle & Sebastian - The Boy with the Arab Strap

2. Tobacco - Maniac Meat

3. Dum Dum Girls - I Will Be

4. The Smith Westerns - Dye It Blonde

5. Baths - Cerulean

...Excitement!

Song of the Day

**3/25/11
Oh Land - Son of a Gun
---------------I don't watch Kimmel, but from what I've heard he brings some decent performers to wrap up his late show. This girl in particular, Oh Land, just released her self-titled album in the U.S. and did a great job performing "Son of a Gun" on the show. Oh Land hits the mark on their electro-dance worthy beats but what makes it sound so good is an unexplainable dark quality that the music holds.

  After a successful debut at SXSW in 2009, Oh Land have slowly but surely crept her way into the limelight with the help of bloggers Perez Hilton and critics from the LA Times and Billboard. Check out her live performance (and the killer Versace dress) on Kimmel.

http://perezhilton.com/category/oh-land/

It's Been a While...

Hey all on Tumblr/Twitter/Blogspot/Buzznet,

  Woo! Vacation was fun (sorry I couldn’t take you all with me - it would’ve been funner-er). Anyway, I’ve got a little list of musical musicians that I’ve been feeling lately, and hopefully you’ll find one that you like for yourself:

1. B.B. King - the guy is a legend in blues. Plain and simple, if he’s playing this summer at London’s Royal Albert Hall for the equivalent of a $200 ticket, you’ve done something in music. The Greatest Hits route is best for an introduction.

2.Eliot Lipp - Ambient, electro-insert adjective music. Perfect compliment to Four Tet. 

3. Adele - no words necessary. Just the number 21.

4. PANTyRAID - a dubstep group I can’t get enough of, mostly for the hip-hop tinged backdrop. It’s got a mix of Ratatat with a lot less grain. If you’re gonna listen to PANTyRAID also hear Black Moth Super Rainbow. 

-Enjoy!

Vacation All I Ever Wanted...

Won't be posting this week. Going on vacation for a little R&R. 

Here's a little EP of what I'll be hearing:

1. Whatever songs apply to the term, "copa cabanna"

2. The Boy from Ipanema

3. Anything Van Morrison

4. Hopefully not Jimmy Buffet

5. Lots and lots and lots of reggae. 

Song of the Day

**3/2/11
Brand New - Soco Amaretto Lime
--------------A pause in the evening to do this post. This song is many things, many things that we don't think about unless the tempo is slowed and the guitar sounds like a heartbeat. Don't mean to sound cheesy here, but this is one of those songs that you just have to listen to to get the real feel for. The ending is particularly noteworthy, as it is abrupt and almost crude - probably the strongest message in the entire song. If you want to stay 18 forever, this is a perfect song off a near-perfect album, Your Favorite Weapon.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LE1Bd_wX1M

Album I Love - Adele 21

I know, I know - 21 has been out for a while. But I literally just got it this afternoon, and I adore it. The girl’s only a year older than I am but she’s singin’ like she’s seen it all and done it all - with class. Soulful is an understatement. There’s some earth-shattering, chills inducing resonance with her voice that no amount of words could ever do justice to describe.

  Adele yanks heartstrings in all directions of love - the resentful, the broken and the satisfied. “One and Only” puts a lump in the throats of the heartbroken while the very next track “Lovesong” is devotional. These are the paradoxes that make 21 all the more intriguing and likable. 

 ”Rolling in the Deep” is right up there with the tenacious power ballads like Duffy’s “Mercy” and Florence and the Machine’s “Dog Days Are Over.” If you’re new to Adele and need a good jumping-off point, “Rolling” is the way to go.

The album closes with “Someone Like You,” where Adele’s vulnerable honesty coupled with her determination to carry on makes for a complicated but optimistic ending. 

Song of the Day

**2/28/11
Washed Out - New Theory

Mixmaking is an artform - some people make jumbled together, out of order mixes that are as creative as a kindergarten’s fingerpainting project. But some are fine works, crafted meticulously and harmoniously to the ultimate listening experience. Washed Out was on one exceptional Pollock of playlists I received not too long ago. 

Washed Out, the stage name for Ernest Greene, is a part of what some call the “chillwave movement” that is happening in music. Washed Out follows the format of Caribou and LCD Soundsystem on a more minimal scale. The song “New Theory” has pop-techno elements that make for a festival favorite. Get it from the Life of Leisure EP. 

Song of the Day

**2/27/11
Foster the People - Pumped Up Kicks
--------------------Some people have New Year's resolutions, but this is my one-week resolution: I will post every day this week! I know, right? I mean, that's sort of what I should be doing anyways but I've been busy as a bee. Like that bee in the White Stripes video though, adorably lonely and such.

  Anyway, Foster the People make catchy pop-tinged haze rock that works well alongside Blur and the Gorillaz. The group from LA formed in 2009 and started some hype from a well-received performance at SXSW. They released a self-titled EP a month ago, and I'm looking forward to where they take their sound beyond the preview.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLK7hrRijes&feature=player_embedded

Mix Time

1. Beach House - Wedding Bells

2. Fruit Bats - Primitive Man

3. Real Estate - Out of Tune

4. Four Tet - She Just Likes to Fight

5. South - Paint the Silence

6. The National - Conversation 16

7, Sonic Youth - Dirty Boots

8. Billy Bragg - The Busy Girl Buys Beauty

9. Jawbreaker - Want

10. Jonzetta - Paint & Picture

11. Nada Surf - Blonde on Blonde

12. Augustana - Coffee and Cigarettes

13. Norah Jones - Be My Somebody

14. Jason Mraz - Did I Fool Ya? (Live at Java Joe's)

15. The Mumlers - Tangled Up with You

16. Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros - Home

Song of the Day

**2/21/11

PJ Harvey - The Words that Maketh Murder

----------------I have to say that PJ Harvey have impressed me. I adore their lead singer, who makes "The Words that Maketh Murder" sound like a weather-beaten tale of impending doom from the days of pirates and rouges. But with a 2011 update, of course. The range of instruments and easy-flowing down beats are wonderful. Get it from the new release Let England Shake. 

http://pitchfork.com/reviews/tracks/12116-the-words-that-maketh-murder/

Song of the Day

**2/20/11
The Blakes - Don't Bother Me
-----------------An album ends and you need something to listen to - happens every day. I was asked what I wanted to hear next, I said "anything that sounds like the Beach Boys took too much acid, recorded some demo tracks during a punk phase and never released it." Wil pulled out a band called The Blakes, and he was pretty spot on with my description.

  The Blakes hail from Seattle, and have had a varied career independent of labels and within them. In 2009 they released Lights On EP and Souvenir LP. "Don't Bother Me" is from their 2006 self-titled album released on a local label Light in the Attic. It was their first commercially available album, and it's definitely a more pop driven sound.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYUA8QXd99I

Song of the Day

**2/2/11
Shiny Toy Guns - Le Disko (remix)
--------One of the main contributions to my music library is tuning in to what’s playing in coffee shops, record stores and other music-oriented establishments. BeansTalk is my mainstay when it comes to a good hazelnut mocha chai (Mad Monk, if you ever come by in Boone, NC). Occasionally I’ll donate a mix or two to the store to shake things up, but usually I like the music.

Today, it’s Shiny Toy Guns, and I listened to “Le Disko” like I’d listen to a friend I hadn’t seen in a while. This one’s a remix that drew my attention. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nliiohnseU

My Breakup Deevuh Playlist

On my ipod, this playlist is "Deevuh"

1. Beyonce - Irreplacable

2. Alanis Morissette - You Oughta Know

3. Mariah Carey - Shake it off

4. Joss Stone - Dirty Man

5. Amy Winehouse - Stronger Than Me

6. Aretha Franklin - Respect

7. U Don’t Have to Call - Usher

8. Destiny’s Child - So Good

9. Keyshia Cole - Let it Go

10. N*SYNC - Bye Bye Bye

Piano Rock Favorites

Here's a little list:

Something Corporate - Cavanaugh Park
Ben Folds - Emaline
Gary Jules - Mad World


That is all.

Song of the Day

**1/24/11

Tame Impala - Solitude is Bliss
--------------------When finding music, word of mouth can either be a newfound discovery or a ton of hype. When a friend of mine mentioned his long struggle to get Tame Impala on vinyl and played a few tracks from their 2010 album, Innerspeaker, all I wanted to do was hear more.

 Tame Impala are a four-peice psyhcadellic rock band from Perth, Western Australia. My friend described them as Cream meets the Beatles when the Beatles started going off the pop radar in favor of a more experimental direction.They toured with MGMT and got rave reviews for their material, and their popularity is only growing stronger in the U.S. If you like "Solitude is Bliss," check out more from Innerspeaker, particularly "Lucidity" and "The Bold Arrow of Time."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-F2e9fmYL7Y&ob=av2nm

Song of the Day

**1/23/11

Edward Maya feat. Vika Jigulina - Stereo Love

————————-Working in a consignment shop where there are only 4 employees and one boss (Anna) has a few perks, one of which is creative freedom of music selection. We have a few random CDs (Maddona, Lady Gaga, Avett Brothers and Matt & Kim), but also some mixes I threw together on Anna’s request.

Anna worked in radio for 15 years, so I generally trust her opinion on what’s going to be good tomorrow that few people have heard today. One song she loves is “Stereo Love,” and though it’s already a hit, it’s refreshing among theEnrique and Chris Brown draank songs.

“Stereo Love” has a Euro-club everytime-we-touch vibe. It sounds more like an original club beat before air horns and fist pumping - dare we say its more elegant? Also, its similarity to Dirty Vegas “Days Go By” makes it even better.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7APflwi-TT4   —Stereo Love

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIyVABf1rtk   —-Dirty Vegas “Days Go By”

Song of the Day - Daddy Daughter Edition

**1/22/11
Jorge Narvaez feat. Alexa Narvaez - Home
------------------I'm not a fan of musical internet sensations. There was that kid that sang "Paparazzi" at a talent show and got a record deal, there was that other kid that got a record deal for singing some other major hit. It's cool, but other than that it's kind of like, alright, now what?

  With single parent/college student Jorge Narvaez, singing Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zero hit "Home," with his daughter, it impressed me with its simplicity and downright adorable-ness. Narvaez is solid on the guitar and through the mic, but his kid is the poster child for precious child singers who you wanna hug and give a ton of Barbies to. So enjoy my internet sensation exception.

http://perezhilton.com/2011-01-21-jorge-narvaez-daughter-alexa-perform-on-the-ellen-degeneres-show

Coachella Lineup 2011

Yes.

A couple of things:
Most of these bands I'm a fan of, and if I'm not jumping up and down over them (Best  Coast), they fit the festival. Chromeo, The National, Mumford & Sons and Jack's Mannequin would be my Top 4 at the moment, but that's subject to change.
 Aside from festival staples like Kanye West and others like Afrojack and Cee Lo Green, this year Coachella looks like an electronic haze and rock festival. Hip-hop and rap are great at festivals, and I wish the genres were represented more. 
As always, if you're going, take me with you. Otherwise I will watch from afar and envy every last one of you spending three days in the valley without me.  

 

Song of the Day

**1/18/11
Blonde Redhead - Heroine
--------------Interesting hair combo, right? Great name for a band, though. Today's song "Heroine" is the kind of girly Sonic Youth sound that flows well with those moments where you need to swim in creative concentration. The fluidity of the song is something relaxing and completely nonchalant, which lately is what we've all needed. Take a listen to "Heroine" and "Publisher" from the Blonde Redhead album, 23. 


http://www.myspace.com/blonderedhead/music

Song of the Day

**1/17/11
The Travelling Band - Only Waiting
-------------------My roommate was just watching Skins - no, I actually don't watch it but I thought the music was above the average TV drama band-placement soundtrack. So I looked up the U.K. original series and took a listen to their latest season. Travelling Band, particularly "Only Waiting"  has a pop-folk sound that sounds mellowed out and road trip worthy. I'm really glad that it doesn't sound like the a-typical electronica stoner music - change is pretty nice sometimes

 Get "Only Waiting"  from The Travelling Band album, Under the Pavement. 


http://www.thetravellingband.com/tb/?cat=5

Song of the Day

**1/12/11
Mazzy Star - Fade Into You
-----------------I. Love. Mazzy Star. Yeah, it's on THAT level. If you're impartial or don't like it, it's okay, but I would recommend listening again and again until you love them.
  Why am I pulling a romantic comedy on a band with a weird name like Mazzy Star? The music sounds like the pack the piece and pass it montage. Mazzy Star make wandering, dream-state music the perfect compliment to any activity - studying, making dinner, driving at night, and so on. Plus, the dusty lavender color of their album So Tonight That I Might See, is gorgeous.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImKY6TZEyrI&ob=av2nl

Song of the Day

**1/10/11
Kanye West feat. Bon Iver - Lost in the World
--------------------Ketchup and mustard, indie guys and beards - some combinations are so harmonious, they are accepted and even celebrated (No Shave November). We like our collaborations in music, too. Beyonce and Jay-Z, She & Him and Conan O'Brien, and Aerosmith and Run DMC are key examples of perfect music collaborations.

  Then Mr. West releases his Pitchfork Perfect 10 album with the oddest partner to collaborate with him yet. Bon Iver offered his hushed and mournfully magical rock chops to My Beautiful, Dark, Twisted Fantasy, and you have to wonder what this will sound like, right?

  Lyrically, it definitely rings of a song written by Iver. But everything else is very Kanye, with the copious amounts of autotune, soaring choir and hip-hop beats throughout. It's an inneresting collaboration to say the least, and whether I love it or meh it, I can't say. But have a listen and see what you think.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyQpQhrQ5Zs

Song of the Day

**1/9/11
DJ Nate - Back Up Kid
----------------In terms of rap and hip-hop, a lot of people ask "west coast or east?" I have very good reasons for liking both: my dad's from Los Angeles and I was born in Oakland, but my mom is from New York. So isn't that sort of like choosing between mom and dad?

  While I won't give away my actual favorite, Chicago is home of many of rap and hip-hop's leaders, particularly Common and Kanye West. Now there's a new kid emerging from the windy city: DJ Nate. His song "Back Up Kid" combines traditional hip hop tracks with a little dubstep in the chorus. It's catchy and promising, and his LP Da Trak Genious was released in October, 2010.

So if you're worried about pledging your allegiance to either coast, maybe the middle with DJ Nate is the perfect place.

http://www.planet.mu/discography/ZIQ280

Song of the Day

*1/7/11
Mumford & Sons - Winter Winds
-----------------I'm not a meteorologist, but Mumford & Sons named their song after one of the worst types of weather. Good thing the song is great - the best way to hear this song is if you're taking a heroic drive into unknown lands or chasing your band mates out of the woods and throwing things at them. "Winter Winds" is that kind of full-bodied, dramatic folk song.

  Mumford & Sons, despite a unique sound and heavy bluegrass-driven songs, have garnered a huge following in the U.S. Probably thanks to bands like the Avett Brothers and My Morning Jacket, Wilco and others. Add Mumford & Sons to your list of old is new favorites.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KCg_QEHtkY

Song of the Day

**1/6/11
Donna Summer - Hot Stuff
-------------This song says to me, a fake sitcom-friendly striptease from Will Smith and also, a great ego boost when no one, and I mean no one, is in your room. At all. Or near it.

Why? Because Donna Summer's "Hot Stuff" is, if anything, something to laugh over after you've pretended to be a stallion/faux-sexy dancer who just did the disco dance in a mirror.

Somehow this song is classified as a rock song, mainly because a Doobie Brother and Steely Dan member decided to collaborate with Summer. Whatever, it still sounds like something from the days of bell bottoms and John Travolta. Dance the night away, my friends.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27-TM3q5-Cc