Posts published during January, 2010

01/12/2010

the knife – you take my breath away

how bout a rockin mid-week jam from everyones favorite cryptic brother/sister duo, the knife? right-o then. after staying out of the limelight for a few years, they released a 10+ minute track that is part of a darwin musical that theyve been working on. but i think its a bit strange out of context (kind of like the vampire musical from “forgetting sarah marshall”) so im playing a different song for you. karen dreijer andersson, a dailybeatz favorite, along with her brother olof are responsible for the sometimes creepy and always unique sounds of the knife and hopefully they will tour again soon, because their shows look like quite the experience.

“you take my breath away” is a knife track from the mid 2000s (interesting that just a few days after that decade ended, i cant seem to remember what we called it) and luckily it has nothing to do with the top gun baby-making song of almost the same name. this one is funky, upbeat and even an anthem of sorts with its repeated lines of “we are the people who come here to play/i dont like it easy/i dont like the straight way/we’re in the middle of something/we’re here to stay/and we raise our heads for the colour red.” im not sure what their anthem is proclaiming exactly, but i still like their passion on the subject, whatever it may be. i think all anthems should have a beat like this one. they would be much more effective i think.

the knife – you take my breath away

buy it on The Knife - Deep Cuts - You Take My Breath Away or amazon

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01/11/2010

kid cudi – day n night (party ben remix)

i know what youre thinking. “really? another day n night remix? really?” well, this one is way better than any other one youve ever heard, thanks to san frans own party ben. that is, of course, unless youve heard this one before. in that case, it will be probably just as good as the best one youve ever heard. this post is also in honor of tonights kid cudi show in ann arbor, that i decided a week ago i wanted to go to and was sold out. i searched the web for a press contact, but my efforts were fruitless. so this is all i got, but its pretty sweet. especially if you love funky disco beats.

i believe this is actually more of a mashup than a true “remix”, but thats getting a little techincal for what we are all about here. the other half of the mashup is “shame” by evelyn “champagne” king. the best part is definitely when the saxomophone kicks in. im actually looking forward to busting this one out at the next party, which hopefully will be a roller disco party.

kid cudi – day n night (party ben remix)

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01/09/2010

saturday throwback. bjork – bachelorette

for the third straight week, by total coincidence, a song from the (apparently) great musical year that was 1997. ive been thinking a lot about bjork lately for some reason, mostly about how anxious i am to see her live again (no, nothing is announced or planned, its just me hoping), as her 2007 show at the fox theater in detroit was one of my favorite live music experiences of all time, which is saying quite a bit. and i remember how enamored i was by the reactable that her excellent dj was using. and how she really had 2 djs. and an all female horn section dressed like vikings. how icelandic of her. it was just swell.

before i get to the song, a video from another song from her excellent album “homogenic” (whose album cover my friend tara dressed up as a few years back!) that sum up bjork pretty well for me. the first is her video for “hunter”, where we get to see just how damn adorable she can be, even when slowly morphing into a bear.



and now, the ever epic “bachelorette”. i dont even know what to say about this song, but it kind of gives me chills every time i hear it, and i dont know why. theres also an exceptionally interesting music video to this song directed by the great michel gondry (who pretty much amazes me with every project he touches, and yes, his dvd is on “stuff white people like”, and yes i like it), but this song really kills it all on its own. i think i like the big strings, the dirty percussion, and bjorks extra huge ad libs near the end. so tasty.

bjork – bachelorette

buy it on Björk - Homogenic - Bachelorette or amazon

2 comments

01/08/2010

gang gang dance – first communion

im a big fan of gang gang dance out of NYC. i knew there was something pretty unique about them, but it wasnt until i saw them at this years lollapalooza when it really all made sense to me. i loved the stage presence of liz bougatsos, her interaction with the crowd, and the way she just ALMOST made it rain (which would have been epic). so after that performance i gave their 2008 album “saint dymphna” another couple of listens and am glad i did.

“first communion” is what i feel to be a pretty good summary of what they are all about. its abstract and electronic and almost sounds a bit like some sort of tribal chant. the guitar riff carries you even more into a state of “what is going on? im not sure but its sweet!” it doesnt necessarily come across on the album, but they were by far one of the loudest groups i heard at lollapalooza, and their dj was insanely great as well. check them out if they are playing anywhere near you.

gang gang dance – first communion

buy it on Gang Gang Dance - Saint Dymphna - First Communion or amazon

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01/07/2010

besnard lakes – albatross

we are only a few days into the year, and i already feel completely overwhelmed (in a good way) with new music. i feel like i hear of 5 new bands per day that i love that will have a new album coming out in the next few months. and the most recent is besnard lakes, whose last album “the besnard lakes are the dark horse” was easily my favorite album that i discovered in 2009 but was not released in 2009. so i was pretty excited when i discovered that not only were they releasing a new album in march, but i got to hear a song from it TODAY!

“albatross” is so much of what i love about besnard lakes. i cant really describe their sound, but i love the way that they have such a full sound regardless of whether the song is slow or fast. and this track especially has something really warm about it on top of the hugeness. and i feel like the last album didnt have a ton of vocals from olga, so its nice to hear her so prominently featured on this one. seeing them live would be perfection, i would think. lets make this happen.

besnard lakes – albatross

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01/06/2010

harlem – friendly ghost

to all the electronic haters, rejoice! another rock song! todays song is a relatively new track from austin trio harlem. the song is “friendly ghost” and its our first taste of their new album “hippies” thats being released on april 6. ive only heard a few songs by harlem in the past but didnt love them, but this one was different. i think that unlike the others i heard, this one is just a lot more fun to listen to. maybe i just heard the wrong tracks the first time around, but this one makes me want to go back and see if ive missed anything else. matador records is also giving the song away and you can download it from their website here and get a little more info about the band and the upcoming album.

on a sidenote, inglourious basterds is an excellent film. i pretty much loved every tension-inducing scene.

harlem – friendly ghost

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01/05/2010

julian casablancas – tourist

you know how sometimes songs just follow you around? you just hear them all the time at the most random places? well, that about sums up this one for me. but the more i heard it, the more i loved it. “tourist” is the closing track of “phrazes for the young”, the debut solo album of julian casablancas, the frontman of the strokes. [aside: am i the only person who actually enjoys "first impressions of earth"?]

i really like the imagery of the choruses, and how the chorus changes up every time. after mentioning the city, suburbs, countryside and desert (among other locales) and how no matter where he is, he feels like a tourist, we learn out of the blue that its actually a love song, and then it all makes sense with the closing line: “everywhere i go im a tourist/but if you stay with me ill always be at home.”

julian casablancas – tourist

but it on Julian Casablancas - Phrazes for the Young - Tourist or amazon

4 comments

01/04/2010

felix da housecat – ready 2 wear

finally! my week and a half vacation is over at last and i can finally return to my day job. this is pretty exciting because i was not at all enjoying my life of leisure and the fact that i had the freedom to watch multiple movies in a row whenever i wanted to. in case you cant sense sarcasm, sense it. lucky for me, there will always be a plethora of good tunes to get me through the days like today, like this little number from felix da housecat, the latest of many recording names of chicagos own felix stallings jr. “ready 2 wear” from the album “devin dazzle & the neon fever” is a few years old and so great because as we all know, i love newer tunes that have an old school vibe and its hard to deny that this one fits that bill. there are a few remixes of this one out there, but i dont think any of them match the sound of the original. happy monday funday.

felix da housecat – ready 2 wear

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