Quickie

So I've been hella busy with finals and all that, but I some how managed to get in some quality music time. Finals = more procrastination, that being said this post is just going to be a quick blurb with some cool beats I found. I also saw Bon Iver live two nights ago and damn it was one of the best shows I have ever been to, but there will be a whole post devoted to those guys later. 

Hot Chip + Peter Gabriel + Vampire Weekend = songs about cape cod with crazy noises.

So everyone who listens to Vampire Weekend songs always hears the line "blah blah blah...Peter Gabriel too". Well, apparently Peter Gabriel was listening and so he got together with some friends (Hot Chip) and did a cover of Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa. It's full of crazy and mystical  sounds with a nice chill Hot Chip feel to it. My respects to Peter Gabriel.  Anyway listen and tell me what you think. To give credit to those I found it from: Abeano

Hot Chip & Peter Gabriel - Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa

Moving on...I'm a huge fan of Minimalism. It's cool. Lykke Li's latest release taps into that minimalist energy with her seductive voice. I feel her voice goes perfectly with the Kings Of Leon feel. The song also has tambourine. 

Kings of Leon - Knocked Up (Lykke Li vs. Rodeo Remix)

Here's a video of Lykke Li with Bon Iver backing her on "Dance Dance Dance". Easily one of the coolest things I've seen in years. Minimalism at its finest.

For more sweet video's Pitchfork has list of top music videos from this year. Check em out. 

Well give you one last track or so rap super group CRS (Child Rebel Soldiers) came out with a newish track or something like that. The group consists of Kanye West, Lupe Fiasco, and Pharrell. Apparently they are working on a full album now with Radiohead beatmaker Joshua Ramos, or at least wikipedia says they are. Anyway here's a N.E.R.D. song they are featured on that's pretty heavy. And just because I don't want to get back to work I'll put the only CRS track that I have on too. Enjoy.

CRS - Us Placers

N.E.R.D. Feat. CRS & Pusha T - Everyone Nose

Eat Your Own Spaceship...

So as we are closing in upon the holiday known as Christmas, there is one artistic endeavor that I would like to recognize, and that is the Flaming Lips's newly released movie Christmas on Mars.



Now this isn't exactly your classic holiday movie, but hopefully it can be the Rocky Horror of Christmas movies, or at least some kind of cult classic, because even though I ended up watching a screening of it at 2 am in the morning (2nd world premiere!?), I enjoyed it immensely. Oh yeah, and the movie is LOUD. I can only wish you had speakers 10 feet tall so that you could experience some of the body shaking noises that this movie produced at the screenings. And be ready for anything (Vagina-headed spacemen!). Regardless, this movie worth the wait (7 years in the making).

Even though the Flaming Lips have wrapped up their summer tour, they are signed up to be a Curators on one day of ATP NY 2009. Exciting. So check them out and buy the DVD!

More cool websites to check out

So with my daytrotter post a ways back, I felt the need to share a few other music websites I've been keeping tabs on. Don't worry, this post isn't going to be about pitchfork or hypemachine, though those can be worth checking every so often.

Seeqpod is a music streaming website with that searches every little crevice of the web to find eactly what you want. Seriously, I have found everything from motown to indie to post romantic classical music. If its on the web, chances are you can find it on seeqpod. They also have a crisp, smooth layout that allows you to simply drag the songs you want into your playlist. It's sites like this that give you hope that at least some people understand the internet and are moving forward. The only downfall is that it doesn't allow you to download the music from the site, but then the RIAA would probably slap a lawsuit on that in an instant. For what it does, seeqpod doesn't leave you wishing for more. It's good, use it.

I am all about the finding new material from my favorite artists. With the all the changes and craziness in the music industry now, artists need get working and continually give us the listeners something new. Sites like daytrotter work just in that way. Give you sweetly unique works for art from your favorite artists. The internet allows you to broadcast anything to your listeners, even say an intimate solo performance in the back of a cab. The Black Cab Sessions is exactly that. Taking artists from all sorts of genres, they get into the back of a cab and video them doing what they do best. Lucky cab drivers. But sites like these are going pushing the music industry in a positive direction. I've only checked out a few so far but the Bon Iver segment was stunning. They have performances from Death Cab For Cutie, Fleet Foxes, and The Kooks just to name a few obvious favorites. Check it out and show some support. We ultimately choose what fails and succeeds in the music business. Enjoy.

Black Cab Sessions:

Fleet Foxes

Bon Iver

Death Cab for Cutie

The Kooks

Bands with exclamation points are cool...

I now return to the band I was going to highlight in my last post before I found the gem that is daytrotter. I strongly recommend keeping an eye on that site, they are doing some really cool shit that you don't see everyday.

Moving on, Cardiff, Wales band Los Campesinos! (yes they have an explanation point after their name) came out with their second release this year entitled We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed and I have to say I'm a fan. Earlier this year the band their debue album Hold On Now, Youngster which I can't say I was the biggest fan of, but it's worth a listen. The cool thing about these seven kids is that they are riding the turmoil of the music industry with innovation. Releasing two albums in the same year, while touring, is quite a feat. The band members also changed all their last names to Campesinos!. Thats just awesome.

We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed is, to quote pitchfork, full of "self-loathing, anti-romantic" sentiments, with welsh accents.  Watching your ex-girlfriend who your still in love with, making out with some attractive lad while your favorite bands most popular song plays in the background...things like that. Its a nice change from all the lovey sweet happy endings we are used too. Especially when things just aren't going your way and you want to hear someone preach about it. Kinda like emo except not as suck. Musically the band has rough catchy pop textures which they fill with energy. They also have string players which is probably why I love them so much. Strings + european accents = sales. While the CD has no real single, another bold move by the band, the title track is one of the easiest one to get into. The song begins with a simple pentatonic synth line (told you those things are everywhere) that leads into a lush guitar/string texture. Its simple lines like these that pop up all over the album moving you through the phases of each song in between each lyrical verse. The lo-fi-esc quality gives the song, and the album in general, a raw feel which compliments the cynically fueled lyrics. Give them a couple listens through and see what you think. 

I've been trying to do some html work on the blog, if you noticed the read more button below the last post that did absolutley nothing, you're computer is fine, it really doesn't do anything. It took me a few hours of painful frustration to get that button to appear. Hopefully over the next week I can get some more cosmetic changes to the blog, but don't hold your breath. Html is a bitch.

Heres three tracks from We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed, in the order they appear on the album, minus a short instrumental track. The song You! Me! Dancing! from their last album is also worth a listen. I just don't have it. Enjoy.

Los Campesinos! - We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed

Los Campesinos! - You'll Need Those Fingers For Crossing

Los Campesinos! - It's Never That Easy Though, Is It? (Song For The Other Kurt)

 

It's been awhile...

Sorry for the long break in posting! Thanksgiving break was busy with friends and cooking and such. School has also been winding down so I've been trying to knock out final projects. But now back to the music. Generally with the blog I have been focusing on music I like and what I hear in them. So I was going to sit and write and blog post in Los Campesinos!, but this morning I found a website that I felt you all should be aware of. Daytrotter.com is a web dedicated to good music. But the guys there took it a step further. In attempts to break away from the standard music blog pack, daytrotter.com actually brings in indie artist to get new recordings from them. Take Of Montreal for example. Daytrotter brought Kevin Barnes, the man behind Of Montreal, and had him record some acoustic tracks from hit off of Hissing Fauna Are You The Destroyer? and from other previous albums. It's the coolest idea I've found in a long time. Check out the site people. I'll throw some of my favorite tracks down below, but if you want to see the full list of artists they have brought in, head on over to their website. Artists to check out on their site: Of Montreal, Fleet Foxes, Bon Iver, Andrew Bird, Frightened Rabbits, Rouge Wave, Spoon, and Vampire Weekend just to name a few. I'll try to bang out another post in the next couple of days. Good luck on finals all!

Of Montreal - Eagle-Shaped Mirror

Andrew Bird - Fiery Blast

Bon Iver - Creature Feat

Vampire Weekend - M 79