Acrobatics! The XX and Yeasayer

Every now and then I hit a song that I insta-know I am going to love. Usually the songs I like take about 5 listens to solidify its goldeness, but this song was an easy 2! Now since this is my first post, i'd like to introduce myself a bit. I am not a lyrics guy as much as I am sounds (especially rhythms)! So if a song has amazing lyrics, I probably to get to that until my 12th listen through.

My first topic of the day is going to be about The XX: Islands

The xx - Islands by lunaseeds

I love songs that make me feel like I'm running through a forest, like I am lost and happy and nothing else matters kind of running. (my first realization of this feeling came from The Cure: Close to me (LP Version) The Cure - Close To Me by rebobine ). The key part for me in the XX is circa 54 seconds, the hook is hot, and I am a sucker for good hooks. I love how the drums knock out, beautiful girl singing (Romy Madley Croft) which is reminiscent to Postal Service guest star Jen Woods on "Nothing Better".


And because I can't resist one of my other latest favorites: O.N.E. by Yeasayer.

yeasayer by dwilliamsmorgan

Talk about a happy song! I get sucked in like 57 seconds in... the bass kicks the perfect amount... many fun electronic sounds entice me to bob my head involuntarily and let me just keep living the dream. Like I said, I'm not sure what the lyrics are, but it must be about living the dream in someway. Also check out Ambling Alp... one of Eric's favorite yeasongs.

and also I have to share this awesome acrobatics i just saw, really amazing!

Junior Boys

Forgot about this band... a fun gem from a few years younder. Released in 2006, Junior Boys were one of those bedroom beat bands (triple alliteration!) that almost didn't make it... I liken them to a hellogoodbye meets the knife.
Junior Boys - In The Morning by AntiRebel

Speaking of the knife, most of you probably know them as I did... the silly band that covered Jose Gonzalez from that awesome sony commercial with all the bouncing balls in San Francisco (watch this in High def for pleasurable enjoyment... haha, i got those last 2 words from the Department of Redunduncy Dept.)


Au contraire! (Excuse my French). The knife in fact is the originators of "Heartbeats" Heartbeats by Rabid Records
I can't resist posting my other fav knife song... I think the keyboard melody grooves hard... especially when they hold out certain notes... makes me bob my head! The swedish voice a little weird, but let it grow on you. Also if anyone could teach me how to play this on keyboard, that would be sexy.
Like a Pen by Rabid Records

remix!

3-2-1- Science! Technology and little kids! This is done by the Gregory Brothers, makers of "auto-tune the news",

I'm a huge fan. And so are Zombies:
Also a really cool picture of the sun.

The Very Best: Warm Heart of Africa

Esau Mwamwaya seems like a good guy. Radioclit seems like a bad name. Together, they are a nice group, some would even called them The Very Best. 

Esau's vocals with the production of Radioclit swirls hip-hop, funk pop, and Malawi traditional music. The group has worked with M.I.A. and Ezra Koenig of Vampire Weekend, and now they are doing a show with the latter. If you want to boogie, catch the Very Best with Vampire Weekend, Beach House, and four bottles of wine and thousands of Trader Joe's bags at the Hollywood Bowl on September 26. 

I think "The Very Best" is a great name. When googling them, you may come across The Very Best of Dolly Parton or Chumba Wamba (now that's a loaded album!) or the very best Bret Michaels' STDs.

Cute video here.

Music to warm the heart:

 The Very Best - Warm Heart Of Africa (feat. Ezra Koenig) by alavanca </span>

Posted via email from Ding Dong That's the Song

Beach House: Zebra. Black + white + horses = zebras. Mathematics!

Nice Beach House...

Beach House is good background music while working, unless you are working on making music, then things just get confusing.
I imagine Beach House is perfect for chillaxin' with 1-5 babes by the pool. If that 6th babe comes along, you better get yourself some party music though!

'Propriate Playlists: Chillaxin, 2010 Songs

Catch Beach House with Vampire Weekend and The Very Best at the coolest venue in LA, the Hollywood Bowl on September 26.

We got backstage!! (by we, I am referring to whoever the heck filmed this video... or me and you on the internets!)


Trivia: How many times have the Beach House been to Portugal?
Beach House - Zebra Live at CCVF by ashtapes
Answer: 3!

Not the nicest Beach House...

I would do Aischa to feel better everlong, tell me why!

Kick back! Sometimes when life gives you meatloaf, you will do anything for lemonade... speaking through the generations comes a gem that sometimes you can't help but just sit back, grimmace and play super loud on your drum set. Facial expressions not optional!



I mean love comes in many shapes and forms, and sometimes you need a thought box to really get your point across (in case you don't have a motorcycle to crash through buildings), one day you'll be real.

The remix in English by Outlandish: Outlandish - Aischa by DingDongThatsTheSong

Now this post isn't about love, but the love of music... old and new. Ergo, whilst there is so much gold to catch each other up on, I thought we could share a few favs to get aquainted. And because there is always a WTF moment in any relationship, the British have never lost any sense of irony to our guilty secret love affair with boy bands:


But I digress, I need your help. REALLLY. I would say one of my all time favorite songs is Everlong, and I almost feel ashamed to mention in the same sentence I don't know what the legendary Grohl means when he says "Promise not to stop when I say when." I mean I literally understand the words, figuratively speaking, but your help is without a doubt appreciated.


And in response to hot chip, yes, I want it that way. Or over-easy (see what I did there?).
Tell me why.

Muse Announces Tour, Hints at Austin City Limits

Who tours without going to Texas?! I mean, it's a pretty big state. However Texas does not allow sodomy, but I don't either (in the state of me), so I cannot hate on them TOO much (but seriously, let the buttsex in Texas).

Well, Muse, who rocked Coachella on Saturday night (please watch the video below, it is fantastic!), are skipping that big state around Austin City Limits time (October 8-10 this year). That leads Consequence of Sound's Austin City Limits Guesstival Wire to perk up... According to HERE, Blues Traveler, Green Day, Muse, and Ponderosa might show up in Austin.

With word that Passion Pit and Metric will be supporting Muse on the tour, hopefully both those bands will come along too, because Texas needs some love too... but, ya know, keep the love coming from the front.



Bonus for watching the whole thing: Around 4 minutes into the video, once the song is over, some guy says "My arms hurt!" It's a nice bonus, but not as cool as FIREWORKS!!! Muse, you rock.

Special thanks to Consequence of Sound (an awesome source for all things music).

Muse - Starlight by Koki

Little Secrets / Passion Pit by eli_beaudoin

Metric - Help I'm Alive - Remix by Leon Purviance

Complete tour dates after the jump!

2nd Year Law Student Declares Himself for the NBA Draft

Leaving law school early is something many people do (they often call it "dropping out" but don't be picky here). However Ryan McAteer is doing it for much better reasons - he's "entering" the NBA Draft. With experience holding doors for Kansas players, he's surely to get drafted... by the Clippers. Good luck to Ryan, and I love his announcement:

Ladies and Gentlemen,

First and foremost, I’d like to thank everyone for coming here today. To my fellow law students, professors, and Vicki Palmer (who copied or forwarded my undergraduate transcripts over one hundred times), I appreciate all you have done for me over these past two seasons at KU Law. This year has been particularly rough, especially considering my early exit from the Moot Court Competition and career-low statistics in both Secured Transactions and Business Associations II. That being said, I’d like to announce my eligibility for the 2010 NBA Draft this June.

After talking extensively with my family, NBA Scouts, and Dean Agrawal, I feel the time is right for me to take my game to the next level. We went through a lot of the same process last summer, but then again, at that time I had a paid internship and a credit score above 600. Given the current economic climate, looming unemployment rates in large legal markets and another potentially devastating subprime real estate ripple approaching, this is the right decision for me financially as well. The daily per diem and impending shoe contract have simply become too alluring in light of rising out-of-state tuition and an increased Consumer Price Index relative to average national legal wages. With little or no hope for an externship and a 0% success rate with OCI, the NBA Draft is my next best alternative.

Granted, neither BAR/BRI nor Emanuel produce a commercial outline for the game of basketball, but KU Law has prepared me well for The Association. I don’t think I will go very high, in fact I probably won’t be drafted at all, yet I did recently attend the Sports & Entertainment Law Symposium and the skills I picked up that day will surely be welcomed by any NBA franchise. Additionally, I regularly sat but a few feet away from Cole Aldrich in the Burge and often held the door for Sherron Collins while exiting the bookstore. I’ve also personally witnessed the football and basketball teams engage in hand-to-hand combat at both Wescoe and The Ranch. The wealth of knowledge I’ve gained at KU Law will surely come in handy once my transcripts are lost in a fire or disappear strangely in the night, but until then there is a higher likelihood of me playing in the NBA than finding gainful legal employment.

Sincerely,

Ryan McAteer

Former J.D. Candidate 2011

University of Kansas School of Law

CC: David Stern, Stu Jackson

Good luck to Ryan, I hope they play this song for him on draft day.
Jock Jams - Space Jam by angellinaross
To those posted songs called "Space Jam" on SoundCloud that give the listener the feeling of floating in space, that's cool, but you really can't compete with JOCK JAMS!

Minus the Bear's new album OMNI Previewed

Minus the Bear releases its new album OMNI on May 4, but you can listen to it right now in full below (thanks KCRW!):

OMNI will be available on-demand April 19 through May 18, 2010.

Also check out the band's website for a free download of the first single "My Time".

Track listing

1. My Time

2. Summer Angel

3. Secret Country

4. Hold Me Down

5. Excuses

6. The Thief

7. Into the Mirror

8. Animal Backwards

9. Dayglow Vista Rd.

10. Fooled by the Night

The album was produced by Joe Chiccarelli who has worked with My Morning Jacket and The White Stripes and has won some Grammys, but who hasn't? 

Also you can check out their tour information here. The tour ends with a trip to Sasquatch up in Minus the Bear's hometown of Seattle, which sound be a grand ol' time.

Minus the Bear's frontman Jake Snider says, “It’s an impactful sounding record.” We like impact! Go take a listen and/or look at cool promotion photos!

Acrobatics!

Xbox 360!

They play music!

For all the photos, check out: http://minusthebear.com/2010/04/photos-omni-la-promo-trip/#more-1527

Not a new Minus the Bear song:
Minus the Bear - Into the Mirror by taking

Jay-Z forgets Jesus, brings Beyonce on stage instead!

Despite rumors that Kanye West, Dr. Dre, Alicia Keys, and Jesus were going to show up to Jay-Z's Coachella set on Friday, only Beyonce came. That is pretty awesome, but I was really wondering how Dr. Dre and Jesus were going to get along.

Here is them singing everyone's 10th favorite Alphaville song, ya know, with some rap in there too:


Also, Jay-Z is going to be B to the etty, W to the hite's musical guest when they join forces to take the world by storm on Mother's Day eve, May 8th. It will mark the first time that both the musical guest and host are over 90 years old. Just kidding! Betty White is only 88.

Scott Stapp of Creed releases Florida Marlins "Fight" Song

Scott Stapp of Creed has released a Florida Marlins fight song, and it is the best worst fight song in a while!
Lyrics include: "a diving catch, a stolen base, a perfect game, a triple play". Other fun baseball things! Peanuts! Hot dogs! Spilling beer on a child to catch a foul ball!


Not sure how to catch a fly ball with your arms wide open, but I know that when Creed reunited in 2009, the world became a better place.


Watch the Marlins soar here:





How does this compare to Prince's Vikings Fight Song (released right before they lost in the playoffs this year. Thanks a lot PRINCE!):



Or how about T-Pain's Miami Dolphins Fight Song?
Miami has the Dolphins
The Greatest Football Team
We take the ball from goal to goal
Like no one's ever seen
We're in the air, we're on the ground
We're always in control
And when you say Miami
You're talking Super Bowl

'Cause we're the...
Miami Dolphins, Miami Dolphins,
Miami Dolphins Number One...


Better Prince Songs:
Prince - Little Red Corvette by musicfromthebook3

Prince - Kiss by iching1111

Cool Album Ideas: I'm from Barcelona's 27 Songs

Pretty song art!

I'm From Barcelona is a nifty (and humongous) band that makes fun indie poppy music that you can groove around your kitchen to while doing the dishes, because the dishes sure aren't going to do themselves!

The band's 2006 album "Let Me Introduce My Friends" was awesome. 2008's "Who Killed Harry Houdini?" (good question!) was also pretty awesome. However their new "27 Songs" album is one of the coolest ideas I have heard since The Magic Bullet.

Here's how the band describes the idea: "Inspired by Kiss’ simultaneous release of four solo albums in 1978, “27 Songs from Barcelona” features one solo song for every member in I’m from Barcelona." This video also explains it pretty well:

If you go HERE, you can see a page for each artist containing a nice description and mp3 of all the songs, some equipped with remixes (track 1), videos (track 2), and/or awesome album (or really "song") art.



Some highlights from the song descriptions:
Track 2 : "Performed by: Anna Fröderberg (vocals, “sock-shoe drum” and trumpet ), Rikard Ljung (vocals, omnichord, drums, guitar, random flute and maybe tambourine) and Johan Mårtensson (vocals)" I like when they aren't sure who is playing the tambourine.
Track 9: "Performed by: Henrik Olofsson: vocals, guitar, crappy old mandolin and harmonium." The crappy old mandolin is one of my favorite instruments!


Check out some of my favorite songs after the jump:

Chiddy Bang: "Breakfast" featuring Kate Nash

Chiddy Bang likes good music.Sampling from artists such as Yelle, Passion Pit, and MGMT on the The Swelly Express. The Bang (that probably won't catch on) uses Kate Nash's Skeleton here on "Breakfast" for the Air Swell mixtape. It's getting me excited for Kate Nash's new cd (first single "Do-Wah-Doo" is below) and curious for who Chiddy Bang will sample/remix/"work with" next.

If you like this, you may also like:
'Propriate Playlists: Songs from 2010, Hip-Hop, Remixes/Mash-Ups

Chiddy Bang-Breakfast (feat. Kate Nash - Skeleton) by stndrdeviations

Kate Nash's "Do-Wah-Doo", listen and like it! Her boyfriend, lead singer of the Cribs, is stuck in England because the Icelandic volcano (no, that's not Bjork's nickname) canceled all flights. It looks like no Coachella for the Cribs...



01 Doo Wah Doo by MusicflaskYo


Bjork = Icelandic Volcano? Nope...

Friday at Coachella: A Walk-through

Walk-throughs:
- Iglu & Hartly: Their catchy pop-punk-hip-hop genre is hit or miss live, and usually a miss. We’ll give them a minute as we walk by to Wale on the main stage.
- Hockey: Really like this band, but will only catch more than 10 minutes if Yeasayer is not living up to how good their recorded music is. Instead of catching Street Sweeper Social Club, we’ll grab a better spot of She & Him and relax In the Sun as the end of the day (meaning SHADE and cool temperatures) approaches!
Cluster-Fun: Them Crooked Vultures, Echo and the Bunnymen, Grizzly Bear, La Roux, Imogen Heap, LCD Soundsystem and dinner all get done (somehow) between 7:50 and 9:55.

Missing out on:
- Ra Ra Riot: They were great at San Diego Street Scene and one of their members is in Discovery – one of the coolest duos around.
- Hockey: Going to get a walk through, but wish I could see more. Some really catchy tunes from these guys.
- The Cribs: Kate Nash’s boyfriend’s band. Don’t love them, but would have been nice to see, maybe Kate will be there! (met her during my first Coachella – I am excited for her new album)

Battles
Battle 1: Jets Overhead vs. Alana Grace
Jets Overhead: Low-key lady and guy singers. Spacey (like Kevin, not Pluto) music in background. Nice sound.
Alana Grace: Rock-pop lady singer. Evanescense with less attitude and music?
Winner: Jets Overhead

Battle 2: P.O.S. vs. a beer
P.O.S.: Saw him at Coachella last year. Good rapper, but nothing too exciting!
Beer: Tastes good. Keeps you coooool (in two ways?)
Winner: Beer. Jets Overhead to the beer garden then on to some DJ Lance Rockin Yo Gabba Gabbaness!

Battle 3: Avett Brothers vs. Sleigh Bells
Sleigh Bells: Lady singer with very big SOUND behind her. Very produced, but the energy of the lead singer makes up for any negative effect of too big a sound. Some catchy stuff and just looks like a good ol’ time.
The Avett Brothers: Country guitar rock. Pretty okay. Would be sort of fun in concert! The slow songs would be no good though!
Winner: Sleigh Bells


Battle 4: Whitest Boy Alive vs. Sleep
Whitest Boy Alive: Really good - reminds me of Cut Copy or even Chromeo a bit, electronic alt-rock bonanza!
Sleep: It feels real good.
Winner: Not sure how long Jay-Z is going on for, plus the best guests may come at the end, so I’m not sure about this one… Gametime Decision.

Plan: 

1. Kate Miller-Heidke
2. Jets Overhead
3. DJ Lance Rock
4. Wale
5. Sleigh Bells
6. Yeasayer
7. (Hockey)
8. She & Him
9. the Specials
10. Passion Pit
11. EVERYTHING
12. Vampire Weekend
13. Jay-Z
14. TBD

Check out: http://www.facebook.com/5Gum  to watch some acts this weekend live if you cannot make it out to the festival!

Friday, April 16th:
LCD Soundsystem
Public Image, LTD.
The Specials
Echo & the Bunnymen
Alana Grace
Passion Pit
Ra Ra Riot
The Avett Brothers
The Cribs
Jets Overheard
Lucero
As Tall As Lions

Saturday, April 17th:
The Dead Weather
Faith No More
Hot Chip
Coheed and Cambria
Devo
Portugal. The Man
Dirty Projectors
Frightened Rabbit
The Raveonettes
Steel Train
Shooter Jennings
The Almighty Defenders
Edward Sharpe & the Magetic Zereos
White Rabbits
Old Crow Medicine Show
Les Claypool
RX Bandits
Aterciopelados
Band of Skulls

Sunday, April 18th:
Gary Numan
Owen Pallett
De La Soul
Deerhunter
Delphic
Local Natives
Matt & Kim
B.o.B.
King Khan & the Shrines
One EskimO
The Middle East

She & Him:
She & Him by berbequim2

Yeasayer:
yeasayer by dwilliamsmorgan

Passion Pit: Sleepyhead
Passion Pit - Sleepyhead by Guilherme Lombardi

Empire of the Sun: "Walking on a Dream" and "We Are the People"

I figured the first post on here should be a bangworthy post! 

I first heard of Empire of the Sun with the Lollapalooza lineup announcement and boy oh crown-wearing boy, was I behind on the times! Named after a book which became a Spielberg movie, Empire of the Sun is weird and fantastic and weird! Luke Steele, the singer (formerly of The Sleepy Jackson), was featured on track 1 of Jay-Z's Blueprint 3 (how many blueprints does Jay-Z need before he starts building something?!).

They are also playing Glastonbury (which announced its full lineup today) and a few other Euro-fests over the summer. Check pollstar for full details.

"Walking on a Dream"

Starting off like it was born in the 80's (this song and I have so much in common), things change to an uppity paced fun bonanza (I hope we have that in common too). It may not reach the same Mt. Everest-esque peak as MGMT's "Electric Feel" but it still makes me want to jump into Lake Tahoe in January (that happened listening to that song and somehow it garnered many watchers but none of us guys gave any autographs). 
This song is so good, rappers can't stop remixing it. Wiz Khalifa has a remix called "The Thrill"and Blue Scholars have a track called "New People" (Best Vonnegut line in rap: "it's all about time like Slaughterhouse Five").
Empire of the Sun - Walking On A Dream by theinsound

 Wiz Khalifa - The Thrill by follione

Blue Scholars - New People {Empire Way Remix} by VinylFluidRecords.com

"We Are the People"

Not partytime like Walking On a Dream but still grand. Around 3:10 the song winds down, and Luke Steele sings that he knows everything about me, well sir, what am I wearing? Nothing? Oh, well that's correct. Good job.

If you like this, you may also like: MGMT, Passion Pit, the creepy Burger King mascot, Of Montreal.

'Propriate Playlists: Party, Songs from 2008.

Empire Of The Sun - We Are The People by entrelosrayos


Music videos after the jump!