Blog: Mixtape Muse

It's time for another edition of "What's Your Muse?" The concept is simple: We ask a band/artist to choose a song that means a lot/the most to them. Then, they record and send us a video of themselves describing why they chose the song. Think of it like a collaborative video mixtape project. In this edition, we hear from Bard & Mustache. Photo by Scott Braun [...]

Christopher Paul Stelling - Songs of Praise & Scorn MMMM In a world of music where production and trends have become increasingly more important than the music itself, it’s rewarding to come across musicians who still believe in a “less is more” mentality and recognize that music is not a magnet for attention and popularity but rather one of the most genuine ways of expressing oneself. Christopher Paul Stelling epitomizes this musical sincerity, and his debut album, Songs of Praise & Scorn [...]

Late to the party on this one, but about two weeks ago I heard this song on KEXP for the first time. It reminded me of groups like Portishead, Eurythmics, and Mazzy Star with its seductive air and atmospheric magic. Singer Channy Leaneagh's lovely voice is filtered through the slight warble of autotune, and while that may seem like a rather overused effect, it feels appropriate and serves to underscore the song's mood. It adds a bit of an experimental edge to what seems like a new wave of pop. Poliça [...]

• POLIÇA - Dark Star

One of my favorite releases of last year was Philly MC Lushlife's fantastic mixtape No More Golden Days . As an introduction to his music, it made a pretty long-lasting impression and got me excited for what was next. Well, what's next is the release of his new LP, Plateau Vision, featuring guest spots from Styles P, Heems, Andrew Cedermark, Shad, and others. From that comes "Big Sur," which you can spin below. Lushlife - "Big Sur" Over a rhythm section mixing [...]

• lushlifemedia - Big Sur

Cheyenne Marie Mize - We Don't Need MMMM Unassuming things are always those that strike the deepest chord within us. Catching us off guard, they are the things that we receive with no pretense, or preconceived notions; they are pure and free, taken in as they come. The unassumingly charming Cheyenne Marie Mize comes across as a relatively quiet person, one who you only get to know through her music. Honesty and profundity abound on her latest release, the six-song We Don’t Need . [...]

• Cheyenne Marie Mize - Wishing Well

I mentioned it on Twitter last night, and here it is. A little mix I made for Valentine's Day to share with you all. It's got new and old stuff. 14 tracks for the 14th. Enjoy. LISTEN: "2 Sides of Love" Valentine's Day Mixtape Note: You must have Spotify to listen.

Greg Bortnichak and Erin Murphy are two of the finest human beings I've had the pleasure of meeting, part of the reason why their existence as Bard and Mustache is all the more special. Aside from being incredibly talented musicians and proponents, and torchbearers, of Sarasota's burgeoning music scene, Greg and Erin are a couple. There've been plenty of relationships in music throughout the ages that have resulted in some great duets/duos, but there's something particularly lovely about the bond between these two musicians -- something that thrives and reveals itself through their music. It seems only fitting that I've [...]

As trite as it is to say, the best word to describe Young Magic's sound would have to be "magical." It really only scratches the surface of what they're doing, but it casts you off in the right direction. At once ethereal and assertive, this Brooklyn trio creates music that skirts the line between pop and alternative classifications: you'll find elements of ambient, hip hop, psych, and electro pop all seamlessly intertwining. The hooks here are just as magnetic as the neon painted skies at sunset, but there is also a haze of mystery to it all that keeps it [...]

On the self-titled David Loris & Co. , Rome's David Loris shares simple yet evocative songs that recall the rhythmic foundation of traditional folk, the lush, acoustic orchestration of The Beatles, and the gentle touch of Elliott Smith. Between acoustic guitars and distinctive mandolin, Loris (and co.) produce light, rhythmic, and sugar sweet songs that fall somewhere between indie pop and folk. The sprightly, accentuated instrumentation makes the music all the more appealing and effective. It's soothing, energetic, playful, and charming acoustic folk-based pop that makes even the darkest of days open for a bit of sunshine. [...]

For those of you that missed it, German artist Bartholomäus Traubeck is a genius. Why? Well, Traubeck has created a way to translate tree rings into music in a project appropriately titled "Years." These circular patterns inside tree trunks have long since been a way to learn about the life of a tree, which seems like a rather dry way of discovering the details on these significant organisms. On the other hand, music has always presented itself as an exciting and terrific way of documenting history, as well as the best, most genuine way of expressing one's story, [...]

Little Racer was, like many things, something I missed last year. The Brooklyn trio released a few singles at the tail end of 2011, the most recent being the "Split For the Coast"/"The Town" single. If you're anything like me, you'll be shaking your head for a while after you hear these songs, frustrated that you're just hearing them now in the second month of 2012. While it seems like every band under the sun is sprouting out of Brooklyn, Little Racer, after just a few songs, seem to be onto something worth repeated listens. Mixing the carefree cool and [...]

The Twilight Sad - No One Can Ever Know MMM 1/2 The Twilight Sad are one of the few bands capable of genuinely turning darkness into underappreciated beauty; sorrow sounds seductive and rather enrapturing in their hands. Over the course of two albums and a handful of EPs, the Scottish band have made a name for themselves with their brooding yet rousing songs rooted deeply in shoegaze’s vast, enveloping character. On their third full-length album, No One Can Ever Know [...]

Yeah, seriously. If they're not browsing /b/ or Reddit, males between the ages of 11-17 will probably spend at least 48 seconds doing something else on the Internet today. That's right, rock-duo Tenacious D are back...even though their last work defined commercial flop. Back before Jack Black had tarnished his career with faults like Gulliver's Travels , Year One , and yes, Nacho Libre , the D carried a lot of [...]

• Tenacious D - Rize of the Fenix

MP3: Rickolus - "Candy Blood" Richard Colado (a.k.a. Rickolus) sounds something like a cross between Guided By Voices, Grandaddy, and Sparklehorse. His jangly pop tunes some more like passionately executed sketches than carefully rendered musical ideas, but that's exactly the soil from which Rickolus' charm grows. This rough characteristic invokes a feeling that things are about to crumble -- as if it's a battle to hold on -- but with a few chords and an underhanded kick of cheer, it all holds up well and strong. "Candy Blood" is from Rickolus' new [...]

• Rickolus - Candy Blood

Daniel Rossen has proven to be the most prolific member of Grizzly Bear, splitting his time between that band and Department of Eagles -- and now, solo pursuits. On March 20th, Warp Records will release Rossen's brand new, debut solo EP, Silent Hour/Golden Mile . Hear a song from the 5-track collection below entitled "Silent Song." It starts off sounding somewhat like a lost Fleetwood Mac song, but as the chord progression begins to change up unexpectedly, we're met with Rossen's signature tonal shifts; it plays like a rustic, chamber pop folk song, [...]

A while back in school, I discovered that my most productive academic writing occurred late at night. We're talking wee hours late. At Goucher, plenty of people stay up most nights in the library until 1am or so, but none of the assignments I felt good about in my senior year were written outside the period of 200am-5:00am. Heck, it was the only time campus wouldn't offer a distraction. For me, dealing with philosophy and political theory (the latter being just a more focused version of the former) demanded peace and [...]

Before we continue, this video is NSFW. Ok? Cool. I saw this a few months back and knew it would be something I had to share with you all. Thanks to my recent fascination with and growing interest in film, I've begun to appreciate music videos more and more. It's not as though I didn't care for them before, but now I view them through a whole new lens. This anime video for Paris electronic artist DyE's single "Fantasy" starts off with a plot centered around a few teens breaking into a swimming pool to drink some beers [...]

• DyE - Fantasy (original)

Googling the name "Hectorina" won't really tell you much about the name or its significance. Instead, you'll probably learn a lot about baby names. What's a Hectorina? Who's Hectorina? Well, this particular Hectorina is a 3-piece math/psych/surf/indie rock outfit out of Charlotte, NC, fronted by Dylan Gilbert (someone I've failed to write about for roughly 3 or 4 years, forgive me) with ex-members of Dylan Gilbert & The Over Easy Breakfast Machine and Linus Van Pelt. The band's been working on a rock opera, which, based on these two songs, sounds like quite an exciting curveball -- at [...]

Nada Surf - The Stars Are Indifferent To Astronomy MMM 1/2 If there’s one thing ‘90s rock stalwarts Nada Surf have proved over the past 15 years since “Popular,” it’s that they are anything but a one-hit wonder band. A journey through their back catalog will provide one album after another of consistently strong power pop rock ‘n’ roll. When plenty of their ‘90s contemporaries have faded or lost their spark, Nada Surf only seem to get better as the years [...]

Fresh off an amazing 2011 which saw the release of his debut album, No Time For Dreaming , soul legend Charles Bradley is gearing up for a new U.S. tour -- and he's bringing The Budos Band and Little Barrie with him. Bradley will also being doing a run of dates in Australia. No Time For Dreaming was incredibly well-received here at Mixtape Muse, and it towered over everything as my top album of 2011 . The "Screaming Eagle of Soul" is also running a special contest for Valentine's Day called "Valentine's [...]