'a&e' [kimono kopos mix] | goldfrapp
let's be honest: we all need a little more goldfrapp in our lives.
→ goldfrapp: a&e [kimono kops mix] | video
→ goldfrapp: a&e [maps remix]
→ goldfrapp: happiness [single version] |video
→ goldfrapp: road to somwhere [acoustic version / 'happiness' b-side]
is alison goldfrapp the single most heart-crushingly beautiful woman in music? uh-huh.
man, i'm so crushed out on her it ain't even funny.
SONG OF THE DAY [#305]
SONG OF THE DAY [#304]
'l.e.s. artistes' | santogold
here's a breath of fresh air for you. philly native shanti white, a.k.a. santogold, drops her self-titled debut on april 29th. and it's really good, dare i say great? yep, i dare. it's great! [i've had it on repeat all morning].
though the comparison to m.i.a. are perhaps inevitable, they really don't pass muster once you actually listen to the album. for all its modernity, 'santogold' seems firly rooted in 80s 'indie rock' with only trace elements of r&b/rap present. santogold herself cites acts like the pixes as an influence [tell me that's not a pixies-esque bassline on 'i'm a lady'] and there's more than a passing similarity to missing persons dale bozzio in santogold's vocal delivery of 'l.e.s. artists,' which, in my opinion, is a definite single of the year candidate.
i expect the online fishwraps will start foaming out the mouth and hyping santogold out the wazoo as we get closer to april 29 [hey, wait, that's only three days away! where does the time go?]. as always, take what the say with a grain of salt, but that doesn't lessen in any way what a great debut this is.
→ santogold: l.e.s. artistes | video
→ santogold: i'm a lady [w/trouble andrew]
SONG OF THE DAY [#303]
'hooray' | delays
wow, here's some good news: the new delays album, 'everything's the rush,' drops may 5th! 'hooray' is the first single, but i'm a little more inclined to 'touch down' [i've only heard a handful of tracks, so i can't say for certain which songs i'll like best, obviously.] but since it's the first single, it's worth posting here.
if you've not heard delays before, you're in for a treat. it's not too often these days you get some good, old-fashioned, hands-in-the-air, anthemic rock 'n roll! word.
→ delays: hooray | video
→ delays: valentine | video
→ delays: long time coming | video
→ delays: love made visible | video
SONG OF THE DAY [#302]
'the age of the understatement' | the last shadow puppets
gallopin' ghosts of scott walker!
head arctic monkey alex turner hooked up with his buddy miles kane of the rascals to form the last shadow puppets. i guess the arctic monkeys and the rascals toured together and alex and miles expressed a mutual admiration for scott walker. i LOVE scott walker, so i was eager to hear this. needless to say, i was not disappointed when i did. this is some massively awesome 60's britpop/rock. i think even the most cynical audiophile would have a hard time dismissing this one. and that fact that the intro sounds exactly like muse's 'knights of cydonia' makes it even better!
and speaking of alex turner, he really has turned himself into one of england's premiere songwriters. he's a pretty darn good vocalist, too. now, with two magnificent arctic monkeys albums under his belt and how this, he's poised to be his generations paul weller, methinks. dood is just good. really, really good.
enjoy!
→ last shadow puppets: the age of understatement | live in studio
→ last shadow puppets: in the heat of the morning
→ scott walker: jackie
→ scott walker: the old man's back again
→ keane: the sun ain't gonna shine anymore [walker brothers cover]
SONG OF THE DAY [#301]
'there goes your life' | south
it's always nice when bands you weren't really sure were going to last end up not only lasting but end up creating a remarkable sure and steady body of work. case in point: south.
i honestly wasn't sure they would make it. sure, they had some really assured and confident tunes and they even had the man from UNKLE [james lavelle] and former stone roses frontman ian browne on their side. i even remember hearing 'paint the silence' on the pilot episode of the O.C. i was like, 'hey, that's south!' cool.
but despite all signs pointing towards a potentially grand future, i still wasn't sold--but only because so many great bands never catch on and ultimately fade away. but south has soldiered on and they're releasing their fifth longer, 'you are here,' a week from tuesday. my initial impression is that it is awesome. we're talking some great tunes across the board.. i'd say it's they're most accomplished work in an already impressive catalogue. i've really been enjoying it. i think you will too. better yet, i know you will.
→ south: there goes your life
→ south: the pain
→ south: same old story [from 'with the tides,' 2003]
→ south: paint the silence | video [from 'here on in,' 2001]
→ south: a place in displacement | video [from 'adventures in the underground journey to the stars, 2006]
scarlett is awesome
File name: O'Hara, Shana M.
Primary Military Specialty: Intelligence
Second Specialty: CLASSIFIED
Birthplace: Atlanta, Georgia
Grade: E-5
Her father and three brothers were all martial arts instructors. She began her training at age 9 and was awarded her first black belt at age 15. Graduated: Advanced Infantry Training and Ranger School. Special Ed.: Covert Ops School; Marine Sniper School; Special Air Service School; Marine Tae Kwan Do Symposium. Qualified Expert: M-14; M-16; M-1911A1; M-79; M-3A1; M-700 (Remington Sniper Rifle); Mac-10; XK-1 Power Crossbow; Throwing Stars; Garotte; Ka-Bar. "SCARLETT is confident and resilient... it's remarkable that a person so deadly can still retain a sense of humor."
personal quote: 'beauty may be skin deep, but lethal is to the bone.'
SONG OF THE DAY [#300]
'oh my heart' | james
what a happy day it was when the new james album, 'hey ma,' came out. the lohrkes have always been big james fans going back to the early 90s. we were all very sad when tim booth decided to leave the band and we were equally excited when we heard they were getting back together.
but this was no ordinary reunion. it was a reunion of the seven members from the 'seven' and 'laid' albums, including larry gott on guitar and andy diagram on trumpet. and i say this with all sincerity and without the slightest shred of hyperbole: this is the best stuff they've ever done. they sound completely revitalized, rejuvenated and full of purpose. bands simply aren't supposed to making great records like this at this stage of their careers. so, hats off to you, james, for continuing to make great records. thanks for making my life that much better....
→ james: oh my heart
→ james: waterfall
→ james: sit down | video
SONG OF THE DAY [#299]
'every beat of the heat' | the railway children
it feels like it's been awhile since i cracked open the vaults. i think the last blast from the past was the mighty lemon drops, but i could be wrong. i suppose i could check my own blog, but that sounds really boring right now.
at any rate, my sister megan and her boyfriend dustin were at the house yesterday and he was telling me how he heard this song the other day and how it had been a long time since he heard it and how much he dug it. i totally dig it too. it's going on twenty years since this song was released, but it still sounds pretty darn good. the railway children were a really great band; but the sad thing is that they never really *made* it. 'every beat of the heart' hit #24 on the charts and #1 on the 'modern rock charts,' but that was about it. for whatever reason they never really gained any traction.
'every beat' was another one of the staples of KOHS in orem circa 1990. it was one of those songs i'd listen for and hit the record button just as soon as i heard it when, you know, i wasn't trying to figure out depeche mode synth lines on the olde casio tone bank. i eventually got it on cassette tape and it was joyous occasion for all [i.e. me]. that's a good memory.
if you're not familiar with the railway children, i think it's pretty safe to say you could throw them in with the trash can sinatras, the sundays, the lemon drops, the la's and other bands from that 1989-1992 era. what a great, underappreciated era of music! so enjoy yourself some railway children.
→ the railway children: every beat of the heart | video
→ the railway children: music stop | video
SONG OF THE DAY [#298]
'no social' | the shortwave set
so here's the new single from one of my favorite bands from the past couple of years. i really, really, really love these guys. their debut, 'the debt collection,' was super great record, an album of self-described 'victorian funk.'
with their second album, 'replica sun machine' due out next month, they've ditched their copy, paste, edit approach to music and they sound much more like a full-fledged band then ever before. part of this could be due to danger mouse [gnarls barkley, the good, the bad and the queen, gorillaz, etc] taking over the controls after expressing an admiration for 'the debt collection.' that's not to say they've completely abandoned their signature sound, but rather they've expanded it. it's really a pretty remarkable album, in my estimation. they harmonies sail effortlessly [and bare more than a slight resemblance to the best of abba's melodies], the production is tight but but not overly meticulous, and ulrika's voice is still capable of eliciting a sense of nostalgia she so effectively did on 'the debt collection.'
in short, 'replica sun machine' joins white shoes & the couples company, m83, guillemots, and the submarines on 'fave albums from the first four months of 2008.' be sure to check it out. it's frakking awesome.
→ the shortwave set: no social [radio edit] | video
→ the shortwave set: yesterdays to come [my fave from the new album!]
→ the shortwave set: casual use [one-off single -- yes, that's a madness song they sampled]
→ the shortwave set: repeat to fade | video [from 'the debt collection']
SONG OF THE DAY [#297]
'ok!...lobster' | hello seahorse!
wow! hello! seahorse! is! awesome! they! use! lots! of exclamation! points! not! only! in! there! band! name! but! in! their! songs! too!
mark this date: april 8, 2008--the first time a band from our neighbors to the south have made a visit to spitcake. yes, it's true. hello seahorse! hail from mexico city, mexico. i think they should be called 'hola caballito del mar.' i'm just sayin'. viva la revolucion!
so i'm pretty sure you're all going to eat this up. it's really hard not to like. sure, they sometimes run dangerously close to too-cute-for-their-own-good territory, but it's all good 'cos the songs are solid, the vocals charming, the good vibes plentiful. in fact, i had a strange compulsion to whack a pinata with a baseball bat while listening to them. i love pinatas. and candy.
y'all know i'm not big on comparisons, but if you want one, maybe think of them as as mexico's answer to the boy least likely to with maybe a little bit of au revoir simone and camera obscura thrown in for good measure? maybe? i guess you'll just have to listen for yourself, which i think you should. 'ok!..lobster' and 'won't say anything are both from their newest effort, 'hoy a las ocho,' which hit stores, oh, sometime last year. check it out. es buenisimo!
→ hello seahorse: ok!...lobster
→ hello seahorse: won't say anything | video [hey look! the guy in video plays drums while driving! hey, i do that too...only i don't have...um...drumsticks. that what fingers are for.]
SONG OF THE DAY [#296]
'you, me & the bourgeoisie' | the submarines
wow, i gotta tell ya, this new submarines album is out-frakking-standing! i smell a band on the cusp of greatness!
the impeccably-named john dragonetti and blake hazard [if those are their real names i'll eat my foot] have been doing their thing [and when i say 'thing' i mean a revolving door romance and writing songs together] for awhile now. they met in boston through a mutual friend, hooked it up, moved to la-la land, wrote an album, broke up, realized the songs they were writing were about each other, got back together, etc, etc, etc. so we should all be thankful they got back together 'cos this is some amazing dag.
i think 'you, me & the bourgeoisie' is the first single from the upcoming 'honeysuckle weeks' which drops next month. it's already on my short list for favorite album of the year, so check it out.
→ the submarines: you, me & the bourgeoisie
→ the submarines: sub symphonika
SONG OF THE DAY [#295]
'evil' [radio edit] | ladytron
rumor has it the ladytron comes out june 3. this is excellent news 'cos i love me some ladytron. unlike a lot of bands, they seem to actually be getting better with each release. and since 'the witching hour' was supremely awesome, i can only imagine 'velocifero' will rock mightily.
when i heard the new album was coming out, i went back and listened to the older stuff for the first time in a while. some things will always be awesome. among them are flute solos and gothy chick playing synths. there's no flute solo in any ladytron, but sexy gothy chick abound! i'm just sayin'.
but getting back to the music, aside from 'destroy everything you touch,' i think 'evil' is my favorite song of theirs. i particularly enjoy the radio mix/edit, whatever you wanna call it. it's got a more frenzied beat and some nice guitar flourishes not on the album version. those of you in SLC, ladytron will be here june 2, the eve of the album's release. i hope to see you there.
ladytron is also giving away a new song, 'black cat,' at their website. so check that out here.
check out the video for evil and download the radio remix below.
→ ladytron: evil [radio edit]
→ ladytron: destroy everything you touch [catholic vesion]
SONG OF THE DAY [#294]
'i feel electric' | rubies f. feist
i don't think i've ever met a synthesizer i didn't like. that's just the way it is. so it stands to reason that i'd dig rubies new single, 'i feel electric.' it never hurts to have feist provide some guest vocals, either. i win, you win, rubies win. win, win, win. and that's how you resolve conflict. i don't know what that has to do with anything.
so, yeah, rubies. this is pretty slick and sexy stuff. i've heard that same description applied to astroglide, but that's a different story. rubies are from cali and they're touring this big, round of earth of ours. so if they happen to come to your particular locale, check 'em out.
→ rubies: i feel electric [f. feist] | video
→ rubies: i feel electric [max essa remix]
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
