Words by Scott Curtis.

When PMA asked me to create a mix for them I immediately started putting something together that was all encompassing, a mix to show what Living Ears was about in the past, the present and where I see the future of the site going. I put together a playlist that had just over 40 songs. As I started playing through it what quickly stood out was the number of incredibly strong tracks from the past 3 months or so that stood up to much of what I was pulling from the past. Personal favorites from Panda Bear, The Streets, !!!, LCD Soundsystem and No Age were quickly cut and the list whittled down to a really strong 17.

These are 17 songs –all from this year, some still unreleased– that represent where I think the future of the site, and popular independent music are headed. From woozy dubstep, chillwave, and melodic lofi to pure pop, clouded bloops+bleeps+noise before closing with one of the most direct and beautiful pieces of straightforward indie rock I’ve heard all year.

It’s only a mix but it’s probably my favorite thing I’ve done as a blogger. Much of this music is still relatively undiscovered even by the big blogs and sites out there and I think that most of these tracks are going to be stepping stones for bigger movements that will emerge from their respective genres.

Put on a pair of really good headphones, turn it up and get lost.

Pretty Much Perfect by LivingEars 3980 downloads

Pretty Much Perfect: Tracklist Continue reading →