Posts Tagged: Hercules and Love Affair


15
Nov 09

Lady GaGa – Bad Romance (Hercules and Love Affair Remix)

Lady GaGa   Bad Romance (Hercules and Love Affair Remix) listenYes, this happened.

I’m confused as to why this isn’t better than it is? Hercules and Love Affair was one of our favorite albums of 2008, if not our favorite. And “Bad Romance” is one of the better pop songs to be released this year. This should have been a match made in heaven. Instead, it sounds kind of awkward and mismatched.

I think maybe a funky 70s bass guitar loop like the one found on “Hercules Theme” would suit the remix better. Throw in the rumbling, rolling percussion of “Athene” and maybe slowed the vocal track a bit and we’d have a winning, throwback Hercules and Love Affair remix of “Bad Romance”, instead we have a half-baked one, or the ones that you can tell were only made to pay the bills. Continue reading →


21
Aug 09

Best Songs of the Decade (2000-2009)

I wasn’t going to do this. Working on the Best Albums of the 2000s was going to be enough work. But after reading through some pretty great lists by Pitchfork, I Guess I’m Floating and Gorilla vs Bear, I was reminded of something very important — although the album is the most vital instrument a musician has at his disposal to get an idea or feeling across to listeners, we can’t undermine the importance of a song. A song gives you small doses of relief, comfort, or what have you, minutes at a time.

I gave a fair amount of thought into this list, but for the most part, I knew how it would turn out. This list is mine and mine alone; I am inviting you to my world where I don’t need to explain myself or answer to anyone. But as always, I encourage you all to leave your thoughts and your personal picks in the comment section.

I would like to end with… well, I can’t really say it better than Connor from IGIF. The last 10 years have been the biggest of my life, especially my life as a music lover, so these next 120 songs are the songs that have shaped and molded me into whoever I am today. That’s as personal as it gets.

1. LCD Soundsystem – All My Friends
from Sound of Silver (2007)

2. Radiohead – Idioteque
from Kid A (2000)

3. Outkast – B.O.B.
from Stankonia (2000)

4. The Killers – All These Things That I’ve Done
from Hot Fuss (2004)

5. The Arcade Fire – Neighborhood #2 (Laika)
from Funeral (2004)

6. TV On The Radio – Wolf Like Me
from Return To Cookie Mountain (2006)

7. Panda Bear – Comfy In Nautica
from Person Pitch (2007)

8. Roisin Murphy – Ramalama (Bang Bang)
from Ruby Blue (2005)

9. Britney Spears – Toxic
from In The Zone (2003)

10. Arctic Monkeys – Leave Before The Lights Come On
from Leave Before The Lights Come On EP (2006)

11. Spoon – The Way We Get By
from Kill The Moonlight (2002)

12. Sia – Breathe Me
from Colour the Small One (2004)

13. Kanye West – Jesus Walks
from College Dropout (2004)

14. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Maps
from Fever To Tell (2003)

15. Animal Collective – Peacebone
from Strawberry Jam (2007)

16. The Knife – Heartbeats
from Deep Cuts (2003)

17. The Strokes – Barely Legal
from Is This It? (2001)

18. Daft Punk – One More Time
from Discovery (2001)

19. Beyonce – Crazy In Love
from Dangerously In Love (2003)

20. The Arcade Fire – Intervention
from Neon Bible (2007)

21. Animal Collective – My Girls
from Merriweather Post Pavilion (2009)

22. Radiohead – Jigsaw Falling Into Place
from In Rainbows (2007)

23. M.I.A. – Paper Planes
from Kala (2007)

24. Hercules and Love Affair – Blind
from Hercules and Love Affair (2008)

25. Sufjan Stevens – Chicago
from Illinoise (2005)

#26 – 50:


9
Aug 09

Ramalama (Bang Bang)

Ramalama (Bang Bang) music
I have an uncharacteristically complicated relationship with the wonderful Roisin Murphy. I absolutely throw it down when one of her tracks comes on. She is everything I look for in a female vocalist with an electronic twang. However, I have never really cared of any of her releases or bothered to go out and purchase any of her albums until I find them in some clearance bin.

I’ve had a tumultuous few weeks with Roisin’s debut album, Ruby Blue. I have been going back and forth, sometimes enjoying it thoroughly and other times pushing it aside, annoyed. Nonetheless, the album’s titular track was included in the latest pmaCAST episode, and now I’m going back to another favorite, “Ramalama.” I was listening to it earlier today… and one thing led to another… and now I have this little mix on my hands. Continue reading →


8
Feb 09

pmaCAST #6: The “F*** My Life” Episode

pmaCAST #6: The F*** My Life Episode mp3

REMINDER:: WATCH THE GRAMMYS TONIGHT ON CBS 8PM ET/PT!

Have you ever tried counting how many times you say “Fuck My Life” out loud? No? You should. The results may shock you. I stopped counting after my tally hit 13. Maybe I’m just a big whiner, but a couple of days ago I created this playlist on my iPod to de-stress myself. It features some great tunes that have always made me happy and don’t remind me of anything negative — good vibes all around. It worked out pretty well.

So when Saturday night came around, I was stumped trying to come up with a theme/tracklist for today’s pmaCAST. Then I had an epiphany: I am not the only guy in the world who needs some de-stressing. My stress is nothing compared to people with real problems! So why should I lock this playlist up in the sweet confines of my iPod? I love you guys too much to do that.

There’s really nothing much to say about this week’s pmaCAST, other than it is meant to be really feel good-y. I start it up with my FAVORITE song of the moment, Feist and Ben Gibbard’s “Train Song.” I follow it up with Little Jackie’s “The World Should Revolve Around Me” and Lenka’s “The Show,” two of my favorite songs out on Top 40 radio. Then comes the Mae Shi with their Christian Bale tribute “R U Professional” — if this song doesn’t make you smile, you’re retarded. Up next are the Veronicas with their brutally stoic and heartless piece of pop majesty, “Untouched.” The next three songs are by artists you should really keep an eye on from now on: The Whitest Boy Alive, Passion Pit, and Ted & Francis. Following them is a club remix (though it doesn’t really sound like it) of Hercules & Love Affair’s “Blind” — one of 2008’s most beautifully sad anthems.

I threw in “Walking On A Dream” by Empire of the Sun (another band you should keep an eye on) right before Lily Allen’s “Fuck You,” off her new album, It’s Not Me, It’s You. This song is trill. Like super trill. I close up the podcast with a new Timid Tiger song. I know some of you are really feeling their stuff, and I’m glad. “Gadget Girls” is another song that will be featured on Timid Tiger’s new EP that will be released here pretty soon, more info on that later, I promise.

So that’s the rundown of what’s playing on this week’s pmaCAST. So tell me, what did/do you need de-stressing on? PS: Check this site out, good for a few lolz

pmaCAST #6 Tracklisting
Feist & Ben Gibbard – Train Song
Little Jackie – The World Should Revolve Around Me
Lenka – The Show
The Mae Shi – R U Professional (Christian Bale Tribute)
The Veronicas – Untouched
The Whitest Boy Alive – Keep A Secret
Passion Pit – Smile Upon Me
Ted & Francis – All Ways
Hercules and Love Affair – Blind (Hercules Club Remix)
Empire of the Sun – Walking On A Dream
Lily Allen – Fuck You
Timid Tiger – Gadget Girls

Download pmaCAST #6 – 43MB | Subscribe via iTunes or RSS Continue reading →


2
Jan 09

pmaCAST #2: The “F*ck Me, I’m Really Saying This…” Episode

pmaCAST #2: The F*ck Me, Im Really Saying This... Episode mp3

I know I said I was feeling good about this whole podcasting thing before, but after seeing everyone’s reaction, I am really feeling good about it now. Big shout out to everyone who downloaded and subscribed to the podcast. I really want to make it a constant feature. Continue reading →


17
Dec 08

The 212 BEST SONGS of 2008

The 212 BEST SONGS of 2008 best of 2008

Continue reading →


14
Nov 08

New Cut Copy – Far Away (Hercules & Love Affair Remix)

New Cut Copy   Far Away (Hercules & Love Affair Remix) listen It’s been quite a while since I’ve heard any new and exciting Cut Copy remixes. Leave it to Hercules & Love Affair to take a song of stellar proportions, like “Far Away,” and craft it into something much, much more. This remix takes you back to Hercules & Love Affair’s dazzling, self-titled debut album.

The production is impeccably smooth and runs like butter through your ears. The musicality breathes you in and breathes you out as soon as Cut Copy’s hipper-than-thou lyrics hit the speakers.

This remix couldn’t have come at a better time — I was just about to make a very rough draft of my favorite remixes of 2008. This one is definitely up for consideration. 

Download “Far Away” remixed by Hercules & Love Affair below:

Continue reading →


4
Apr 08

EW: SONGS ON THE VERGE

EW picks the Spring’s next big singles! But in my eyes, this list is crap, none of these will be “big”… because, well, Rihanna nor Chris Brown are on it.. also HOW can these be hits without Timbaland or T-Pain being involved? This is a little too confusing.

1. TEYANA TAYLOR – Google Me: Download | Link 2
Alright… maybe this song will make it.

2. SHE & HIM – Why Do You Let Me Stay Here
Indie crooner M. Ward + actress/singer/pixie Zooey Deschanel = one delightful country-pop ditty.

3. KATHLEEN EDWARDS – Buffalo
Gorgeous piano stunner from the gifted Canadian folkie.

4. SANTOGOLD – L.E.S. Artistes: Download | XXXChange RMX
Downtown cool filtered through spare, ragga-inspired backbeats.

5. HERCULES AND LOVE AFFAIR – Blind: Download
Indelible, horn-addled electro for the masses.

6. IDLE WARSHIP – Industry Diary
Rapper Talib Kweli and songstress Res take down the music biz, create superhot cut.

7. APES & ANDROIDS – Riverside: Download
Ambitious psych epic rife with squiggles and tambourines.

8. RAFTER – Love Time Now Please
Floaty, horn-filled kook-rock pastiche from the San Diego-based Friend of Sufjan.

9. ELF POWER – Spiral Stairs
Longtime Athens, Ga., collective produce pretty piece of jangle-pop fuzz.

10. SEAN GARRETT – Grippin’: Download | Link 2
Atlanta hip-hopper enlists Ludacris for sweet, synth-driven come-on.