New Design, New Music, New Season
As you can see, I’ve been messing around with my blog theme. If you know bloggers, you’ll know how antsy we get after about a year with the same blog design. We’re always trying to find ways to make it look cleaner, sharper and in my case, hip to be square.
I’m happy with this new template as I like the posts streaming down the left hand side versus the middle of the two side bars. And I like having two sidebars as half the point of a blog is to direct readers to other places in the blogosphere so it’s important to have plenty of room over there.
Hope you enjoy the new look. Keep an eye out for a new top banner design. I plan to really tweak that up.
As for music I’ve been jamming too, the new M83 and Cut Copy have been the perfect soundtrack to these coming summer months. M83 called his new album Saturdays = Youth because of the obvious, when you think of Saturdays you think of youthful teenage years. His just happened to be in the 80’s watching John Hughes movies and listening to Cocteau Twins. So it’s fitting to say that since summer also reminds us of youth that the release date for his album is perfect timing indeed.
Cut Copy’s new release, In Ghost Colours, is another album that fits nicely into the coming summer days. Their sound is similar in the sense that they mix in that 80’s vibe with the synth melodies. But the two albums in general take on a life of their own. M83 takes the drama of the 80’s and injects it into every song. Cut Copy on the other hand takes the 80’s dance club scene and pumps it through modern day machines and out comes a new age electronic genre that has been coming our way for some time now but there is no question they are going to help lead the revolution.
Stand out tracks for Saturdays = Youth are “Graveyard Girl” and “Couleurs”. The later is an eight minute long jam that rises and rises in it’s presence with each synth line becoming larger then life itself. The opening base line is this fuzzy synth effect that is reminiscent of a lot of the French dj’s such as Justice and Busy P. Gives the song a real tough interior but then you lay a nice floating clean synth line over top, a classic 80’s moment is born. He adds an echo effect on the guitar chord that enters about 3 minutes in and from there he keeps adding more percussion and more deep synth lines. It’s one heck of a ride. In fact, I’ve queued it up for my morning alarm song and it works perfectly. I set it to go off about 2 or 3 minutes before I really want to wake up to ease me into reality.
Graveyard Girl is the single off the album and there’s a great video that was directed by Matthew Frost. Pretty classic 80’s theme here. Distressed teenage girl with no friends hides out in the graveyard and the popular guy who becomes infatuated with her. While he knows it’s not cool to dig the outcast, he can’t help but dream about being with her. Ah, those confusing teenage years.
- Stream “Coulers”: (Real Audio) (Windows Music Player)
- Download: M83 - We Own the Sky (Maps Remix)
- Download: Maps - To The Sky (M83 Remix)
Watch the video for “Graveyard Girl”
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2624877118754524218- Purchase Saturdays = Youth: (Amazon MP3) (iTunes)
- M83 plays at the Middle East Downstairs on June 2nd (Purchase Tickets)
In Ghost Colours is great because it flows like you’re at a club with one song connecting to the next. There are themes that pop in and out. Most notably the theme to the single, “Lights & Music”, you hear showing up towards the end of tracks or stuck in the background. They really did a great job with this album and I look forward to hearing how the live version comes out. They play the Paradise Rock Club on May 12th (Purchase Tickets). Why we get stuck with another Monday night electronic show I have no idea. Oh wait, I know, because Boston is awkwardly stuck up in the northeast and bands either skip us or make a quick trip up here after a weekend long binge in NYC. However, I will say that Hot Chip put on one heck of a show for their Monday night gig so maybe the cure for NYC hang overs is playing an epic show the next night. At least that’s my theory and I’m sticking to it.
- Stream “Lights & Music”:
- Download a remix of the track “Hearts on Fire” by Joakim by just signing up for Cut Copy’s mailing list. Do that HERE. And Stream the remix below
- Buy In Ghost Colours: (eMusic) (Amazon MP3) (Modular)
Top 25 Songs of 2007
While I enjoy looking back at the songs and albums that got me through another year, the actual posting is quite time consuming. So time consuming that I’m not able to include a little blurb about each song. However, I’m sure I don’t need to explain why these songs made it in the top tier. Many are similar and some may be out of order in your opinion.
I’ll just do a quick synopsis of the top songs. The number one song is “Scythian Empire” because it has stuck with me through thick and thin. If I was in my car, walking to work or just hanging out in the apartment cooking, I could put that album and that song on and have all the stress and worries be lifted off of my back. And I put “Someone Great” in front of “All My Friends”, even though it was the latter that kicked my ass during their live show in Boston, because the recorded version of “Someone Great” is so perfect and well crafted that it’s above and beyond the best track, in my opinion, on Sound of Silver. “Fake Empire” is the perfect representation of Boxer, an album well worth a top slot if not the top slot for album of the year.
So without further ado, here is the list.
25. Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings - “100 Days, 100 Nights”
Listen:
Download: Track above recorded at KCRW Live. Download this track and others from this set over at The Smudge of Ashen Fluff
24. Richard Hawley - “Lady’s Bridge”
Listen:
Download: Find this track at Sneakmove.com
Buy Album: From Amazon (US) (UK)
23. Wilco - “Impossible Germany”
Listen:
Download: Find this track over at Music for Kids Who Can’t Read Good
Buy Album: From Amazon (US)
22. John Vanderslice - “White Dove”
Listen:
Download: Find track above at The Sound of Marching Feet
Buy Album: From Amazon (US)
21. Thurston Moore - “Silver>Blue”
Listen:
Download: Get various tracks from the Hype Machine (HERE)
Buy Album: From Ecstatic Peace! (Here) or From Amazon (US)
20. Chromeo - “Bonafied Lovin”
Listen:
Download: Get the above track over at Fuck Yeah! Go Team!. Download “Needy Girl” legally from Vice Records (Here)
Buy Album: From Amazon (US)
19. Feist - “1234″
Listen:
Download: Get the above track from Mr. Mammoth
Buy Album: From Amazon (US)
18. The National - “Slow Show”
Listen:
Download: Get above track from Anyones Guess
Buy Album: From Amazon (US)
17. The Shins - “Phantom Limb”
Listen:
Download: Get above track and more from the Sub Pop Record media page for The Shins (HERE)
Buy Album: From Sub Pop Records (Here)
16. Yeasayer - “2080″
Listen:
Download: Get the above track from Ear Farm
Buy Album: From Amazon (Here)
15. Justice - “Phantom”
Listen:
Download: Get the above track from Allan’s World Music. Listen to the entire Cross album (Here). Download a bunch of legal mixes from Vice’s MP3 blog (Here).
Buy Album: From Amazon (US)
14. Jens Lekman - “Kanske Ar Jag Kar i Dig”
Listen:
Download: Find songs by Jens over at the Hype Machine (Here). Download “The Opposite of Hallelujah” and “Friday Night at the Drive-In Bingo” legally from Secretly Canadian (HERE).
Buy Album: From Amazon (US)
13. Radiohead - “House of Cards”
Listen:
Download: Get the above track from Merry Swankster.
Buy Album: Get the discbox of In Rainbows (HERE). In Rainbows is no longer available online for download. It will be available on a shelf near you on December 31st through XL Recordings outside the U.S. and on January 1st through TBD Records.
12. LCD Soundsystem - “All My Friends”
Listen:
Download: Get the above track from Good Weather For Airstrikes.
Buy Album: From Amazon (US)
11. Beirut - “Nantes”
Listen:
Download: Get the above track from Anyones Guess. Watch the Vincent Moon video for Nantes (HERE) and the all the other tracks off of the Flying Club Cup (HERE)
Buy Album: From Amazon (US)
See the Top 10 After the Jump
