Posts published during May, 2010

05/19/2010

La Chansons – Totally Beachin’

Another great inbox special today, this time from Greg and Carson Keller, the Marietta, Georgia husband and wife that make up La Chansons. Have I mentioned that I want to be in a husband and wife band one day? Now accepting applicants for said husband and wife band. Just kidding. But, I mean, if I were to get applications in my inbox, it’s not as if I would just delete them without looking at them. Just saying.

Back to La Chansons. Not only are there extremely clear 80s influences in their music, but it also screams summer (both musically and lyrically). And I can get behind that, ya dig? And the best part is, you can listen to a whole bunch of tunes right on their website! I think they’ve all got a good balance of retro vibes without being over the top (despite the extremely 80s song names, referencing leotards, the mall, and workouts, which I imagine to be Jane Fonda workouts). This is not a bad thing.

La Chansons – Totally Beachin’

1 comments

One Year Anniversary “Blogwave Summer” Mixtape!

Happy birthday to us! It’s officially our one year birthday and we couldn’t be happier with how things have transpired over the last year, especially the past few months. While straining my brain trying to come up with the perfect way to celebrate, it came to me almost by accident. Since we’ve never done any sort of mixtape, we asked a bunch of our favorite blogs to each submit a track that reminds them of summer. Then, I mixed them all together (sort of, having never done any sort of audio editing in mah life) and the end result is the “Blogwave Summer” mixtape! It was an interesting project because everyone has a different definition of the perfect summer tune, but there’s a great mix of upbeat and chill that all flows together in the end. The mere fact that I was able to do this is a testament to how far we’ve come this past year , so I’m really happy with how it all came together. I mean it’s no Mondo Boys Weird Summer mixtape, but it holds its own. Oh, and thanks to j-town, whose FANTASTIC image I borrowed for the mixtape artwork.

Here’s the full track list, as well as which blog contributed which track in [brackets]. My eternal thanks to all of the blogs who participated, you are all super rad. And make sure to check them out too if you are not already a reader. Thanks to the ON (Original Ninja) The Music Ninja, you can click on any blog names in the image below to get to their respective sites, so do it! Oh yeah, and since this is our anniversary, I took the liberty to throw not one but two fantastic tracks into the mix.

I’ve provided the file in a couple of different ways. You can download it below as one continuous mp3 file, or you can download it as separate tracks (which will sound exactly the same as the single file when played in succession). You can also stream the whole thing right here in the audio player below if you want a sneak preview, but your best bet is probably to download the zip file. Plus the zip file includes a front and back cover which lists all the songs and blogs that contribute them, so that is nice to have. The whole thing runs at about 1:18, so press play and let the summer tunes take you away.

Download the zip file

Download the single mp3 file

Thanks again to everyone for reading this past year, and let’s see if we can’t make the next year even better.

And here’s a bonus tune that I’ve posted before that JUST missed the cut for this mixtape, but that I listen to almost daily because it’s just SO farking happy. I’m sure it will only get even more play as the days get warmer. I also chose this song because, to quote Mr. Shooter McGavin, “Even though only one of you will become my colleague, all of you…are now my friends.”

Hooray for Earth – Surrounded by Your Friends

Read the rest of this entry »

32 comments

05/18/2010

William Fitzsimmons – So This is Goodbye (Pink Ganter Remix)

Here’s another great track that I discovered recently on RCRD LBL. William Fitzsimmons, the child of two blind parents who was always surrounded by music since he could not communicate visually with his parents, brings us “So This is Goodbye”, a great tune reworked and given a sexy beat by Pink Ganter, which, I think, is a play on Markus Ganter’s name and the Pink Panther? Either way, he’s put a great spin on what was an already fantastic song by Fitzsimmons. It’s that whole electronic slow jam thing that I love so much. If you can’t get into this song (which would be a sin), at least take a moment to appreciate the fantastic beard of Fitzsimmons above.

William Fitzsimmons – So This is Goodbye (Pink Ganter Remix)

2 comments

05/17/2010

Foals – This Orient (Silver Columns Remix)

Surely you all remember from my review of the new Foals album Total Life Forever that one of my favorite tracks was “This Orient”. But holy cow, this totally beautiful remix by Silver Columns takes one of the most upbeat songs on the album and makes it at least a million times more upbeat. I think listening to this remix might be the equivalent of drinking a 5-hour energy (if that’s what you’re into), or at least 2 or 3 of those hours of energy. Or maybe you’re more of a 6-hour power kind of person. Or maybe you think they are all gross and don’t make me feel more awake but just prevent me from falling asleep when I finally want to (or maybe that’s just me). Either way, it is tough to deny the joy that can be found in this remix. Pure joy.

Silver Columns will be releasing their album Yes and Dance on May 31. Can’t wait to see what they’ve got in store on that bad boy.

Also, this one is a bit of a builder, so do not listen to the first 10 seconds and judge the bigness/joyousness of it all. Because it will get way bigger and way more joyous. Just wait for it. If you aren’t feeling the joy, throw on a pair of headphones and try again. I think the result may be different.

Foals – This Orient (Silver Columns Remix)

0 comments

05/16/2010

Computer Club feat. Frankmusik – Losing Streak

I feel like it’s been a while since we posted a straight up dance track like this. We’ve been veering towards the disco/80s dance music lately, so it’s time to get back to our roots a little. “Losing Streak” comes to us from the collaboration between Frankmusik and Computer Club, a true international affair, marrying London and Los Angeles. Fortunately there should be some more dance party action coming up where we can let this one run it’s course. The track is from Computer Club’s Nerd Secrets EP was released recently as well, so make sure to check that one out too.

Computer Club feat. Frankmusik – Losing Streak

But wait, there’s more! Since we have fallen into the wormhole that is the 80s sound as of late, here’s a bonus track — Computer Club’s edit of the classic “Don’t You Want Me?” by The Human League. Forever, this song will remind me of that Chips Ahoy commercial where the cookies are driving the convertible down the road.

The Human League – Don’t You Want Me? (Computer Club EDIT)

0 comments

05/15/2010

Villa Nah – Running On

Time to represent another country that I don’t think has been represented here in the past. I’ll give you a clue. Scandinavia. That’s right, we’re talking about Villa Nah from Finland! Villa Nah is the duo of Juho Paalosmaa and Tomi Hyyppä and they’ve just recently released their debut album Origins this past March. The lead single is “Running On” and it’s real good. I like when there are a bunch of vocal tracks all singing in unison. And it’s great how simple the song starts out and consequently builds up without ever going over the top. Bad descriptions aside, give it a spin. Tasty.

Villa Nah – Running On

buy it on Villa Nah - Origin - Running On

2 comments

05/14/2010

Vitalic – Second Lives (The Bloody Beetroots Remix)

Holy high energyness!! If you are feeling a little asleep this morning, I think this just might wake you up a little bit. The Bloody Beetroots have kicked things up a few notches on Vitalic’s “Second Lives” from their album Flashmob. Check out the video for the original below for comparison’s sake. While it might be a little over the top, it shows just how many things can take place in a bathroom stall.

The original is pretty huge/fantastic on its own, but The Bloody Beetroots remix makes it even louder, almost bordering on sounding like its blowing out the speakers, complete with a futuristic Bloody Beetroots outro. Do you like it, Scott? Do you?

Vitalic – Second Lives (The Bloody Beetroots Remix

0 comments

05/13/2010

[first listen] Caribou – Swim

Ok, so technically this isn’t my very first listen. I did listen to the stream of the album a while back, but to be fair, I was at work and definitely not paying attention. So for all intents and purposes, this is my first listen. I think my very first exposure to Daniel Snaith’s Caribou was at the 2008 Pitchfork Fest and I really enjoyed the live show but like so many others, I just never got around to checking out the rest of the goods. And that brings us to today, where goods will be checked out, this time in the form of Swim, the new album that was released last month. Let’s give it a go!

1. Odessa: Heard this one a million times. Talked about it here. Still love it. Funky beat and great start to the album. I love near the end when you can hear the chords a bit more clearly, and the song just all comes together.

2. Sun: Sounds a bit dancy, with lots of wah wahs that ebb and flow. The production on this track is really top notch. There really isn’t much going on at all, and it’s extremely repetitive, but you don’t so much notice that because the production continually switches it up so it sounds fresh the whole time, even though you’re really listening to the same thing over and over. I’m hoping the interesting production will be a running theme on this album. At about 3:40, the song really changes for the first time. Ok, this song is the shit. There, I said it.

3. Kaili: Ok, so I actually already talked about this one too, right over here. Again, really great production. Even with desktop speakers, I can hear the music going back and forth between the channels. And I’d imagine with headphones it would provide a swirling effect with the music just circling your head. Really interesting musically in the best way.

4. Found Out: Slower start than the rest with really short vocal delays. Music kicks in, and all is well with the world. Didn’t expect this much head bopping when the song started. A really great and subtle build up to the full song. Could be a real sleeper track (not in a “puts you to sleep” way, in an “under the radar” way).

5. Bowls: Church bells and harps are the first things I hear. At over 6 minutes, I’m curious to see where this one goes. So far it sounds like a pretty conceptual song. At about 2:15, a new melody kicks in that I enjoy. It all came together a bit in the second half of the song, but not as much as I hoped for. I really like whenever the harp sample comes in.

6. Leave House: A quieter tune with a steady beat that keeps it going. 2:45 in and this song just got way better. A lot of these songs kind of leave you wondering, but then all come together very nicely. I like that. Even though the beat stays the same throughout, the elements making up the beat are always changing. And now we have a beautiful bevy of woodwinds (I hear at least a clarinet and a saxomophone). Interesting stuff.

7. Hannibal: Excellent totally atomspheric start. Again I can hear the music swirling from left channel to right and back again. The deep bass notes are suggesting a beat coming in soon. The music keeps going just ever so slightly out of tune which gives it a sort of old-timey feel even though its surrounded be electronic bits and pieces. Again everything comes together (including a brass section). Just in time to switch it into a house beat and the first vocals of the song at 4 and a half minutes. Again, falls juuuust short for me, but great potential in a live setting.

8. Lalibela: Music sounds like it’s being played in reverse. And really happy sounding too. Nondescript vocals add a nice touch as well. A pretty short track, but very refreshing.

9. Jamelia: I’ve looked at the track list but I didn’t realize how many tracks were names (actual or perceived). Starts out with airy vocals over really soft music. And then at 1:45 it gets really interesting. Maybe the clearest non-falsetto vocals on the album? Again over a beat that seems to fall in and just out of tune ever so slightly for a cool effect. That was the sort of buildup I was waiting for the past few songs. You can hear the conviction in his voice. And then the album fades out into oblivion. A perfect ending.

So, my overall thoughts? I love it. I read an interview where Snaith said that he thought it would be interesting to take dance songs and make them liquid sounding, and that’s exactly what he’s done on so many of these tracks. Even the slower and more subdued songs usually had a nice beat carrying you through. A few songs built up, but I think they could have gone just a bit farther. I’m not sure if Snaith produced the album himself, but major kudos to the producer, whoever he may be. This album was all about the subtleties and I think it’s one in which you will notice something different with every single listen. So with that, I think it’s only fair that I give it many more listens, which I am more than happy to do.

Caribou – Sun

buy it on Caribou - Swim - Sun or amazon

Caribou – Sun (Short Bloom Remix)

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

0 comments
« Older Entries
Newer Entries »