Because it's December While my EP and 7" lists are on the backburner—as they are proving to be rather difficult to finalize—I decided I would attempt to get everything together for my super-bonkers-crazy 60-song, double-volume 'favorite songs of the year' mix. Now, the amount of time I've spent whittling this down from well over 100 songs is close to embarrassing, so for my sake, let's all just assume that I threw the whole thing together this evening in one quick and painless jiff. I do wish I had the time to sit and explain how much [...]
I love this new song/video from Philly's Reading Rainbow!
Chalk And Numbers Chalk And Numbers are brand new duo from Brooklyn, NY that I've quickly fallen for—head over heels. They play some pretty charming and spot-on Spectoresque pop with gorgeous female vocals and hooks galore! They've put the entirety of their fantastic debut EP, He Knew , up to stream or download for FREE on bandcamp . If you like this song, I would highly suggest you grab the whole EP on the immediate. Fans of classic girl-group pop songs take note! He Knew does not disappoint! [...]
Despite the things I could say about it in other arenas, 2010 was a pretty fantastic year for music. It's no surprise that I was absent from blogging more this year than ever before, but that hardly means I wasn't listening . My intake of new records this year wasn't all that terribly steep and so I expected to have a fairly easy time getting my favorites together in some semblance of an order—certainly not the case. That is why I decided to forgo a numbering system this year. These are my favorite records of 2010. Most of these [...]
Here's a pretty stunning live video Weekend playing "End Times", one of my favorite songs from their new record, a few nights ago with some vocal assistance from Stephanie of Young Prisms. I cannot wait to see these guys live.
Philadelphia's Pet Milk , as I've mentioned before and you will soon find out, play fantastic fuzzed-out pop songs you can totally groove on. Despite my love for them I've still yet to see them play, so for me, this video is pretty fantastic. "Cherry Outline" also happens to be my favorite song from their demo EP! I love the harmonies and noisy solo around 2:25. These dudes rule. Their EP I mentioned above is available to download for free! So do that. The EP is also now available on cassette, too, from Philadelphia's [...]
The end of Pants Yell! was a pretty sad thing for me. Their songs entered my life right around the time I started college and followed me all the way through until the year I graduated. Andrew's words have always meant a lot to me and I guess it's because I feel like I can relate to them so well. If I was going through a bad time, there was a Pants Yell! song to complement my woes . If I was feeling good, that bright picking was always there to accompany my happiness. So, as you can see, [...]
After what was a somewhat disappointingly mild October, November is finally here and has brought with it some seriously cold weathers. Some may wonder why dropping temperatures is any kind of a good thing. Well, for someone who's listening habits tend to be guided almost exclusively by the changes in the weather, November's relatively frigid days and nights have brought some much loved bands and songs back into my life. This mix is my opportunity to share them (and a few new-found favorites) with you guys. I hope you enjoy the crap out of it. DOWNLOADSVILLE: [...]
I could not urge you more to watch the brand new video for La Sera's wonderful "Never Come Around"! There's some killing and a bit of blood then some dancing and dismemberment. It's all just very, very fantastic.
I don't think I've ever mentioned Ida here before (aside from monthly mix inclusions), but they're one of my very favorites and Autumn is the perfect time for listening to them, so here we are. They wrote some of the most honest, heartbreaking songs I've laid ears on and "Tellings" is one of their finest. This live version from 1996 is beautiful!
Shake The Shackles 7" cover art Leave it to the perfect timing of Slumberland to decide to drop the new Crystal Stilts single just weeks into my October resurgence into the brilliance of Alight of Night . Being that I was already in the mood, so to speak, it didn't take much for me to latch on to this new slice of reverb-drenched and Rod Serling-approved pop goodness, but the fact that it's just flat-out great didn't hurt either. [MP3]: Crystal Stilts :: Shake The Shackles [...]
Would you guys mind if I kind of just posted songs and videos and stuff without really writing that much about it? I'm down if you're down. Anyway, here's a really good song by Further!
Shrag Scared To Dance have just launched their Autumn fanzine! Their lead interview is with Cats On Fire who talk to them about new material and coming back to play in Britain. Also, they've got a track-by-track rundown of the new Tender Trap LP Dansette Dansette by indiepop legend Amelia Fletcher and The Specific Heats tell them about their recent European tour. Meanwhile they catch up with Shrag, Pocketbooks and Moustache Of Insanity. Here's a taste of the fanzine—an interview from the new issue with the wonderful Shrag! How did [...]
Whoa! This is too, too good! Have a listen to and a look at this video for new song "Imagine Hearts" from the forthcoming Ringo Deathstarr album Colour Trip . It'll be out February 2011 on Club AC30 ! I can't wait. More info HERE .
The greatest, most wonderful month of the year is finally upon us! I couldn't be more excited and I'm sure many of you could only agree! I've thrown together lots of Fall favorites for this month's mix and I think it all came together quite well. I hope you can find a few new favorites to enjoy for Octobers to come! Download link is below. DOWNLOAD IT!!! Tracklist: 01. Beat Happening "Noise" 02. The Frenchmen "Change of Season" 03. The 6ths "Falling Out of Love (With You)" 04. [...]
I hope by now everyone is getting very excited for Popfest New England 2010! If you've yet to get excited than consider this your chance, because I'm going to be very excited about it for a few more sentences. As in the previous years, Popfest New England will be hosted by Skipping Stones Records in Northampton, Ma! This years fest will be taking place over two days — Saturday and Sunday, November 13-14. There are a lot of reasons to go, but here are two big ones: 1) The lineup is super awesome! (see below!) and 2) Northampton is [...]
Happy Labor Day! Here's a quick, yet very exciting, post for today. Judging by how much I love this song already, I think that this new B&S record has the potential to be a very terrific one! I never really had any kind of strong dislike for 'The Life Pursuit' , but after just a few listens to "I Want The World To Stop", I'm already feeling pretty confident that 'Write About Love' is going to be a far more enjoyable experience! Yay! ¡UPDATE! "I Didn't See It Coming" [...]
Sweet Bulbs I've a huger than huge crush on Brooklyn's noisy Sweet Bulbs . Whenever someone asks me to describe what my favorite music sounds like, I'm normally left scrambling words together, getting nowhere fast. What I think my brain is normally desperately trying to describe is exactly what Sweet Bulbs sound like. Strep -contagious female vocal melodies paired with screaming guitar-mess and catchy, driving basslines. It's the quickest way to my metaphorical music-heart. The most exciting thing about Sweet Bulbs though, is that they seem to nail it everytime. As of right now [...]
Chapel Hill's June Though it wasn't all that long ago, I've already forgotten where I heard of June in the first place, but I'm so glad glad I took the chance and downloaded their singles. I'm typically sold on "90s Chapel Hill" anyway, but reviews and descriptions only made them sound even sweeter. June don't sound all that sweet, though. Amongst the woven guitar lines and bursts of fuzz and distortion, Kat Cook's vocal harmonies still manage to steal the show in most of June's recordings. Way up front and mostly bereft of reverb or any [...]
Fall is almost here! I love Fall. This really shouldn't be any kind of secret to anyone that even knows me in the very most remote way. The connection between so much of the music I love and the many smells and sensations of this upcoming season is kind of uncanny, but it's something I've come to truly look forward to every year. There's nothing like putting on the perfect record and going for a walk or even a drive outside in that crispier than crisp air. Anyway, the mix. Well here it is. Take it [...]
S K A T T E R B R A I N
Watch: Trailer for Dave Grohl’s documentary, Sound City
Conchord On Composing Music For Muppets
Webcast: The Kills’ 10th anniversary concert
Hardwell Bootleg Pack 2012
