Welcome!

Have you ever:
Wished your iTunes would be more full than it is?
Been embarrassed by having too much (or any) Bruno Mars?
Wanted to sound like a snobby hipster by talking about bands that no one knows?
Wanted to feel something from listening to music?

If you answered yes to any of those questions. This blog is for you!

Sunday, January 29, 2012

February 2012 Playlist

Happy February Readers! Musically, January is a light month for me. The first two weeks seem to always be light with new releases, so the month is substantially shortened.

My two favorite releases of the month were the Cloud Nothings’ LP Attack on Memories and First Aid Kit’s LP The Lion’s Roar. The former is a great rock album full of guitar riffs and yelling. A great time if you are into jumping around dancing in your underwear to indie rock music. A harder version of Pains of Being Pure at Heart. If you really don’t like hard rock music, First Aid Kit is for you. This Swedish sister duo is for a long car ride enjoying the scenery as it passes you by. Quiet folk and a beautiful voice. Could be compared to a feminine Fleet Foxes. Check out their cover! (not on the album)



Here is my playlist. The Weeknd is my new artist who isn’t really new, but I just love. Also the SBTRKT song isn’t knew, but I hadn’t heard it yet. The rest are actually 2012 new. My favorites are: Hands on The Wheel, Fall In, Off to the Races, and Wicked Games.

Red - Pop
Blue - Electronic
Green - Alternative
Yellow - Hip hop
Purple
- R&B


Hands on The Wheel (feat. A$AP Rocky) – Schoolboy Q
I love how Schoolboy takes Kid Cudi's Pursuit of Happiness as the background and covers it with his killer raps.





Off to the Races – Lana Del Rey
The first new song off the new Born to Die LP. Off to the Races is more poppy than Video Games or Blue Jeans, but Lana's voice can do pretty much anything on a record...




Fall In – Cloud Nothings
My favorite song from the new Cloud Nothings album. Fall In is a great rock song with heavy drums and a really catchy chorus.





Emmylou – First Aid Kit
The most relaxing song on this playlist. Emmylou is about singing along to the music and being together. Very cute, lovely song.




Wandering Star – POLICA
Weird bass and dreamy vocals blend. Somehow it works super well.





Unless You Speak From Your Heart – Porcelain Raft
More poppy than Wandering Star. Love the tambourine! This electronic track has an uplifting weird electronic feel.




High - Sun Glitters
This reminds me of early James Blake. I love the heavy bass with little to no words. Very minimalist.




Igloos For Ojos – Lovers
I like the guitar riff, reminiscent of riff from Where Is My Mind? but much softer. I also love the lead singer's voice. If you really like this song check out their other great song How Beautiful You Are, but it isn't on YouTube.




La Grande – Laura Gibson
Totally a song I would hear in a TV ad. I like how mysterious this song sounds, like something big is about to happen.




Trails of the Past (feat. Sampha) – SBTRKT
Another great track from SBTRKT. Wonderful background beats.





Hit The Ground (Superman) - The Big Pink
This band just makes really big songs. I'm getting a little bored of it.





Cold Feet – Lost Lander
I love how this song is directed by the vocals and then mixes well with the all the other instruments.




Wolf – First Aid Kit
The last track of the First Aid Kit album. It is the most similar to the Lion's Roar. the least folky on the album and most rocky.




High For This – The Weekend
This is a great beginning to his album House of Balloons. Heavy bass mixed with a falsetto like his. ooooooo how wonderful!



Wicked Games – The Weeknd
Also from House of Balloons. I love the heavy deep guitar and the lyrics about his relationships.



What You Need – The Weeknd
More soft than the others, but just as emotional. The title tells it all. The song just sounds like its tempting you from what you want to what you need. Everyone needs the Weeknd.

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Coachella Lineup 2012

Living in Southern California and being a music nerd, Coachella Weekend is my Christmas. Music festivals to me are times when I wake up early, get to the gates at 12, and spend the entire day running from tent to tent. I have never been a huge fan of shelling out 300 dollars to get drunk and go see Avicii and Deadmau5 and I hope that I can convince some of you to not do that either. I was a big fan of this years Coachella lineup, not as much for the big party names like Swedish House Mafia, Avicii, and Dr. Dre and Snoop, but for the bands playing between 12 and 5 when you can really see some cool acts. So this post is dedicated to bringing these smaller artists to light.

Red - Pop
Blue - Electronic
Green - Alternative
Yellow - Hip hop
Purple - R&B

Friday:
EMA
Worth going just to watch her sing California in CALIFORNIA.





M83
If for no other reason, hearing Midnight City live is worth going to see M83.





Neon Indian
Their recent album Era Extrana will be so much fun to dance to midafternoon




WU LYF
This band is really a hit or a miss for some people. At the surface it just sounds like yelling, but the relationship between the vocals and the electronics makes WU LYF worth seeing live.



Yuck
This is going to be a fun early afternoon Canadian rock concert. They might even wear their signature Canadian tuxedos.



Saturday:
A$AP Rocky
I am a huge fan of A$AP’s raps. It will be a classic all white crowd indie hip hop show.




Azealia Banks
This Harlem queen has such a voice totally worth seeing live.





Childish Gambino
I think his album (Camp) is one of the most under rated albums of 2011. Childish is just a fun guy who would give a fun show. Also he might play this Drake cover…


Over (Childish Gambino cover) from Donald Glover on Vimeo.


Jeff Mangum
If you were wondering if there was one artist who I recommend the most all weekend it is Jeff Mangum by so far it’s not even calculable. He recently came back on the radar last year after 10 years of being away from music and missing him play In An Aeroplane Over The Sea or his cover of Daniel Johnston’s True Love Will Find You In The End would really be a waste of 300+ dollars.



tUnE-yArDs
Another hit or miss band. Merrill Garbus has a very unique voice and I love their African Pop influence. Also their rendition of My Country Tis Of Thee is worth seeing.



Sunday:
First Aid Kit
The Lion’s Roar album just came out and it makes them worth seeing not just for the hit single. If you enjoy seeing Fleet Foxes in concert, you would enjoy this.





Real Estate
If you just want to go to a concert to enjoy soft indie pop, this concert is the one for you. Also hearing their new album live is worth going to see them.





Santigold
Santigold has not released an album since 2008, but I never saw her in concert, so seeing her play LES Artist and others will be fun.




The Weeknd
A band I did not really notice until recently. Listening to the combination of The Weeknd’s falsetto voice and accompanying bass filled beat will be an experience.

Monday, January 2, 2012

January 2012 Playlist

This is my January playlist of favorite new songs. The order does not denote which ones I like more, just how I like to play them, but the titles are color coordinated. How fun!
Red - Pop
Blue - Electronic
Green - Alternative
Yellow - Hip hop
Most of these came out in the last moth, but there are some like SBTRKT and Odd Future that I just had not listened to yet. Enjoy! Happy New Year!

1. Born to Die - Lana Del Rey
Lana Del Rey's first single from her new album out at the end of the month. Check out the music video. It looks like an indie version of We Found Love.





2. City Grrl (feat. Ssion) - CSS
This Brazilian rock band would be a lot of fun to see live.





3. Love What Happened Here - James Blake
James Blakes newest song since Enough Thunder. Love What Happened Here is more similar to the older James Blake (ha!) like the Klavierwerke - EP.





4. Wildfire (feat. Little Dragon) - SBTRKT
I'm upset I hadn't found SBTRKT earlier. Pronounced "subtract", this London DJ would be considered post-dubstep. Reminds me of Gang Gang Dance




5. Little Talks - Of Monsters and Men
One of the more poppy songs on the playlist. I love the back and forth vocals. Rolling Stones called them the "New Arcade Fire" but I hear more Mumford and Sons.




6. Seasick - Silversun Pickups
It has been too long since Silversun Pickups have released a new song. While this only comes from an EP, it still shows signs of life!




7. I'm On (feat. Wiz Khalifa, Lupe Fiasco, Big Boi & MDMA) - Trae Tha Truth
Such an all-star cast on this Trae Tha Truth track.






8. My Own Planet (feat. Joe Budden & Mr. Porter) - Royce Da 5'9"
I love the beat and the line "My nigga Notty is a genius / You gonna need a ladder just to climb on my penis"






9. We Are Young (feat. Janelle Monae) - Fun.
Now a song played on a Josh Schwartz show (Chuck), this song is going to be big in the indie pop circuit.





10. Electric Chair - Bleached
Great lo-fi song. I love how the voice harmonizes greatly with the guitars.






11. Parted Ways - Heartless Bastards
This song has kind of a southern sound, but it still rocks hard.






12. This is Not a Song - Islands
Like Seasick for Silversun Pickups, this is the first track released by Islands in like 2 years. They're alive! This track sound like a musical version of Rene Magritte's The Treachery of Images.




13. Days Pass Me By - Kooley High
I mostly like this song because of the woman singing the chorus






14. You - Evidence
Evidence is part of the rapper group called Dilated People. This album made up to 64 on the Billboard 200.





15. Stay Useless - Cloud Nothings
This is the second single from there upcoming album called Attack on Memory out Jaunuary 24th. I can't wait.





16. Orange Juice (feat. Earl Sweatshirt) - Tyler, the Creator
I love Lemonade by Gucci Mane but Earl and Tyler, also known at EarlWolf, take the instrumentals and have a much stronger rap than the man with the ice cream cone tattooed on his face.



17. Round and Round - Hodgy Beats, Jasper and Mike G
I also love Round and Round by Jonell and its nice to see members other than Tyler and Earl making tracks.



18. Earl - Earl Sweatshirt
Lyrically not the best, but more rapper confidence than most 16 year olds.



19. 67 - Mellow Hype
I love Left Brain's darker beat and it goes great with Hodgy Beat's flow.



20. Pigeons (feat. Tyler, the Creator) - Earl Sweatshirt
FREE EARL!



21. Super Market (feat. Tyler, the Creator) - Domo Genesis
Domo Genesis is Odd Future's resident stoner. I wish every stoner I know was as talented as him.