MP3

Listen / MP3 / Music — 10 Comments
19
Nov 09

Sia – You’ve Changed

Sia Youve Changed listenYou sure have changed Sia. :)

Sorry, that was lame. Let’s start all over.

Sia, who happens to be one of my favorite artists ever, decided to give her fans a taste of what she’s been working on to follow up 2007’s Some People Have Real Problems. So yesterday, she Tweeted a download link of “You’ve Changed”, which will appear on her forthcoming album, We Are Born.

The first thing you will notice about “You’ve Changed” is that it is danceable (!!), something Sia hasn’t bothered to work with on Colour the Small One or Some People Have Real Problems. To be honest, she was probably too busy working on timeless modern classics like “Breathe Me” and “Soon We’ll Be Found” to worry about making you move your hips.

This change makes sense though, right? I mean, people don’t have real problems anymore, right? Let’s just dance. Continue reading →

Listen / MP3 / Music — No Comments
19
Nov 09

Rain Machine – Give Blood (Music Video)

YouTube Preview Image
I personally find it rather frustrating when a band member decides to launch a solo career but simply ends up sounding like the original band he/she was originally a part of. It makes me wonder: what’s the point? But of course, that’s the fan talking in me and we all know fans have no regard for musicians lives or feelings and only want our music tastes to be satisfied. Nevertheless, I can say I am satisfied with “Give Blood,” Kyp Malone (of TV on the Radio)’s single off his solo debut. This is probably because I am a fan of TV on the Radio and, you guessed it, it pretty much sounds like them.

The music video features Kyp in what appears to be a non-seedy hotel room playing his guitar. But then he starts pulling bodies out from under the bed and things get only slightly weird from there with some clay creatures and (gasp!) hand claps. Download “Give Blood” below: Continue reading →

Listen / MP3 / Music — 4 Comments
19
Nov 09

U.S.E – River of Love

U.S.E River of Love listenPhoto by Sarah Murphy Jurado

Holy crap is “ River of Love” cheesy. I mean, it’s called River of Love, seriously, by the group United State of Electronica – a band that self identifies as “disco pop.” Completely, unabashedly, poppy and over the top – the little snare hit, the snappy guitar riffs, and of course the alternately auto-tune-crooning and soaring-coed-chorus vocals.

From the first twenty seconds of this song you know exactly what the next three and a half minutes are going to sound like, the lyrics are the same old same old talk about love and girls and boys and yadda yadda… So why can’t I stop listening to it?!

This song is like a bag of mothafuckin’ Skittles — bright, sweet, unsophisticated, you were supposed to outgrow that sweet tooth years ago — but damn if you don’t want just one more taste. Keep this one on stand-by for 3 am makeouts in the summertime.

MP3: U.S.E – River of Love

U.S.E’s Loveworld is out now via Rebel Group. Buy the album at Insound or at Amazon.

Listen / MP3 / Music — 5 Comments
18
Nov 09

Little Dragon – Runabout

Little Dragon Runabout listenPhoto courtesy of Little Dragon’s Myspace Page.

Is there something in the water in Gothenburg, Sweden? The Knife, The Tough Alliance, Jose Gonzalez, Jens Lekman, and now Little Dragon – those damn Swedes just keep pumping out irresistible pop melodies in a variety of weird incarnations.

Little Dragon’s track “Runabout” is certainly a slice of quirky pop, but it is uniquely, wonderfully sun-soaked; the soundtrack to a leisurely bike ride on the nicest day of summer, when you’re headed to your best friend’s house or the beach or a BBQ. A whistling flute echoes the nouveau-nu-wave synth line echoes singer Yukimi Nagano’s light-as-a-feather voice, while groovy almost-Caribbean percussion keeps it all moving along. I’ve heard it snows in Sweden, but listening to “Runabout” makes you question the very existence of something called winter.

Elegant percussive flourishes abound, the bass-line hits that unobtrusive-yet-omnipresent spot all good bass-lines strive for, and Nagano repeating “Runabout…runabout the streets…” sounds like a prescription for fun.

All in all, a tightly crafted piece of danceable pop that should be firmly entrenched in your “recently played” to prevent depression until spring comes. I would say more, but I have to go dance with my new girlfriend Yukimi. Continue reading →

Listen / MP3 / Music — 11 Comments
18
Nov 09

Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Hysteric

Yeah Yeah Yeahs Hysteric listen

Karen Dancing In The Rain (Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Osheaga 2009 Montreal) by Anirudh Koul

Rarely am I at a loss of words. Rarely is “wow” the only thing I am able to express audibly. “Hysteric,” when played live, is one of the few songs that make the words fall out of my head and out of my reach. Continue reading →

Listen / MP3 / Music — 6 Comments
16
Nov 09

Tune-Yards

Tune Yards listenPhoto by Filkoe

I saw Tune-Yards (not TuNe-YaRdS, as I’m afraid of my shift key) open for the Dirty Projectors last week while visiting the cold and wet Salt Lake City. I had no idea who they (I later found out it was just a she) were, but the gorgeous, all-over-the-spectrum noises this woman was making, all on her own, mind you, was downright awesome.

As Merrill Garbus (the woman) banged and bellowed and wailed through her set, I excitedly tweeted about the excellence my ears were treated to. I’ll be honest, this folk-inspired for-real DIY lo-fi music does sound about a hundred times better live than it does on your headphones, so I implore you to check her out live with the Dirty Projectors, if you can. They will be playing Boston, November 17th, New York City November 18th (Bowery), 19th 21th (Music Hall of W.), and 22nd (Bowery, again).

These are my favorite tracks off Tune-Yards’ debut album Bird-Brains:

MP3: Tune-Yards – Fiya
MP3: Tune-Yards – Hatari
MP3: Tune-Yards – Jumping Jack

Buy her debut album BiRd-BrAiNs and other releases at InSound. Stream the entire album below: Continue reading →

Listen / MP3 / Music — 13 Comments
16
Nov 09

Sleigh Bells

Sleigh Bells listenPhoto by Punk Photo

Sleigh Bells is the loud, creative forced brought to life by Derek Miller and Alexis Krauss. Derek played in a hardcore band, and Alexis well, she was a, uh… school teacher who played in a pop group in her teenage years. With a winning combination like that, you’re bound to to make some noise. Sleigh Bells are, by most accounts, a new band with a fresh take on pop music, and their EP really hits it out of the park.

They demanded everyone’s attention at this year’s CMJ with their loud and undeniably enjoyable set. Sleigh Bell’s EP/introduction to the world, the Magic Metal CDR sounds like what Discovery’s album would sound like if they pumped the volume up to max.

Sleigh Bells’ defining moment, and my favorite song of theirs so far, “Crown On The Ground” is the perfect mix of Beyonce’s “Upgrade U” and Wavves’ “So Bored“.

MP3: Sleigh Bells – Crown On The Ground

Sleigh Bells have also released a new track not found on their Magic Metal CDR. It’s called “Infinity Guitars” and it easily become my second favorite Sleigh Bells track.

MP3: Sleigh Bells – Infinity Guitars

Read on for three other Sleigh Bells tracks: Continue reading →

Music / Podcasts — 18 Comments
14
Nov 09

pmaCAST #21: Looking Better, Shining Brighter Than You Do

pmaCAST #21: Looking Better, Shining Brighter Than You Do musicThe twenty-first episode of the pmaCAST is here. The new episode runs a little bit over an hour and fifteen minutes and features some of my favorite songs of the moment. I’m pretty confident that you all will like this one.

There are two ways I want you guys to get the pmaCAST: the easiest way is to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes, for free of course. Every time I upload a new episode onto iTunes, it will automatically download onto your computer. The version of the episodes found on iTunes are enhanced with chapters (you can skip to whichever song you want), if you have an iPod or iPhone.

For those iTunes-impaired people out there, you can still download the .mp3 version of this podcast by clicking here. Read on for the tracklist of this episode. Continue reading →

Listen / MP3 / Music / TV Shows — 9 Comments
14
Nov 09

Music From Gossip Girl: Season 3, Episode 9

Music From Gossip Girl: Season 3, Episode 9 listenThis season of Gossip Girl has been slow and (more often than not) boring. So slow and boring that I just watched episode 9, thus the tardiness of this post.

I’m going to switch up the way I do these because the plot hasn’t been the only thing taking a toll this season. I’ll still give you every week’s full playlist, but I’ll focus on the tracks that truly made the episode special.

No track played this entire season deserves it more than Anya Marina’s wonderful cover of T.I.’s radio-killed “Whatever You Like”. Continue reading →

Listen / Live Music / MP3 / Music — 12 Comments
13
Nov 09

Vampire Weekend – California English (Live)

Vampire Weekend California English (Live) listenEzra is jumping on the auto-tune? Is this the Discovery influence coming to play? Is auto-tune the new trend in indie rock? These questions can wait, because you have to go listen and/watch Vampire Weekend perform a new track off their highly anticipated sophomore album Contra.

The track in question is “California Enlgish,” and I think I love it already. The energy Vampire Weekend perform it with is rejuvenating and refreshing. Within a couple of listens, you will be trying to sing along. Within 15 seconds, your toes will surely be tapping along to the fantastic beat. Listen to and download “California English” here: Continue reading →

← Older Entries