the living tree

fresh off the boat: tennis 'young and old'

2012-02-08T09:05:00.000-08:00

you guys, i did a bad thing?

i found out that tennis' latest, unreleased album young and old had leaked online, and putting on my very best danny ocean, went right ahead and stole it for myself. of course they unintentionally guilt tripped the hell out of me right after, so i feel bad now? but i pre-ordered it on vinyl too, so i guess i don't feel bad after all? i don't know. it's all very confuzzling.

ANYHOW i think this post is intended to be an impromptu album review, so i s'pose i should do some actual reviewing. um... i guess it's really good? high fives and thumbs up and good number ratings abound. i'm always worried when bands i'm rather fond of make their try at a sophomore album - there's always the worry it won't pluck your heartstrings the same way the first one did. it's kinda like getting back together with an ex - there's the familiarity, and you know you like 'em because you did before, but what if the same magic isn't there? what if they changed and you don't like 'em now? what if they didn't change and now they're boring? what if this metaphor gets away from me?

young and old is produced by patrick carney, who in his part time bangs the drums for this lil band you may not have heard of. that black keys sound is just layered all over the album - the buzz over alaina's voice has been reduced to a light, vinyl-style crackle, which lets it grow into something a little more powerful (see the chorus on petition for an example), while BK's penchant for simple, repetitive and utterly addictive melodies is reproduced here in full. the subject matter has shifted substantially - from sandy shores and rainy squalls, we've shifted to something definitely more landlocked, though that certainly isn't a bad thing. and overall production value hasn't hurt their sound in the slightest. while i'll certainly stay nostalgic for cape dory's basement recording feel, young and old just sounds so much better when played with a little stereo weight behind it.

the verdict? great album, can't recommend it enough. it's a quality stand-alone release that steps out on its own without trying to assume the place of, or break too far away from, their debut. it's streaming RIGHT NOW over at pitchfork, so maybe take a gander?

all of this is moot because i won't say anything bad about alaina anyways.

bring, bring the thunder

2012-01-10T09:20:00.000-08:00

everybody's freaking the hell out about purity ring.

there was a bizarre little blogger's post-new year's movement declaring them the 'sound of 2012', and the other bloggers couldn't stand for such a declaration because they weren't behind it, and have come down firmly on an opposing declaration that purity ring is 'overrated' and 'derivative' and other such blogger buzz-words. meanwhile i'm still dating things with an '11 and am more likely to be able to tell you what month it is in skyrim than this earthly plane.

anyhow, under all of this is some really neat dreamy synth-pop that's not afraid to push some boundaries when it comes to tempo and traditional song structure. ungirthed has already made the rounds, but here's some other options - a little darker, a little more likely to weird out your roommate. should it catch your fancy, i wholly recommend their remix work. you know how the internet works, you find it for once.

purity ring - bellspeak

purity ring - lofticries

o hai there 2012

2012-01-02T10:31:00.000-08:00

absence. family christmas, new year's, general apathy. no apologies.

i don't believe in year-end lists, the same way i don't believe in assigning music to a number or a number to music. arbitrary, subjective, pretentious, mindless - adjectives abound. i like music and music likes me.

here's RAC's 2011 hypem mix. it's your new year's eve playlist, two days too late. it's currently been embedded by some trickery that makes it impossible to embed elsewhere (or at least with my 10th grade comp science talents) but, well, click the link, free download, play loud, love.

thank me later

RAC - hypem 2011 zeitgeist mix

getting me down

2011-12-15T21:13:00.000-08:00

jesus.

pick yourself up and get out on that dancefloor. south yorkshire's blawan has put out a couple of housey post-dubstepish tracks this year that caught my ear, but god damn if this one just won't get out of my head. it's like reznor and ross' social network soundtrack, with that deep dark bass and precision electro, but just packed full of energy in a way that doesn't overdose the track with sugar - and rounded out with vocals that carry just enough modification to match the overall tone.

just make sure to listen on a decent set of speaker/headphones, and press repeat in advance. just save yourself the trouble.

blawan - getting me down

gonna go fishing, down by the sea

2011-12-10T07:45:00.000-08:00

see, wherever human being have been around
you see rectangles and straight lines
'cause we're always trying to straighten things out
and so, that's the very mark of our presence
i don't know why we do it
it's always been a puzzle to me

it's something of a throwback, i know. but it still makes me awful happy.

blithe field - bible school

she made me love

2011-12-05T05:33:00.000-08:00

what's a 'grammy'?

bon iver - love more (sharon van etten cover)

love me like you used to

2011-12-02T08:44:00.000-08:00

i came across class actress in a daytrotter session a lifetime ago. while i'm not sure her sound makes a good complement to rock island's stripped down, analog environment, i enjoyed the free music that was offered to me, and promptly... forgot about it.

lo and behold it turns out she's actually significantly better with studio polish behind her. elizabeth harper's 2011 release rapprocher is, composition-wise, a top-to-bottom exploration of 80's style retro pop, with her lazy, nihilistic voice adding a modern touch; the conflict between the two is really what makes the sound what it is. and what it is is quite, quite good.

and of course, she's fucking gorgeous. i mean, honestly... why do i bother at this point.

here's two songs that she made.

class actress - love me like you used to

class actress - weekend

i'm just saying you could do better

2011-11-29T18:41:00.000-08:00

"he's a tourist."

"he vacations in people's lives. takes pictures, puts them in his scrapbook, and moves on. all he's interested in is stories. basically, leslie, he's selfish. and you're not. that's why you don't like him"

i hate drake. i love drake.

drake - marvin's room/buried alive (interlude)

god damn these people that remind me of you

2011-11-27T10:32:00.000-08:00

as it would happen, that p.s.l.w track from the last post makes for just a darling little segue into this one.

based in fort lauderdale, arrange (@arrange_malcom) is a one-man post-dubsteb post-emo artist that's caught my ear these past few days. his debut LP plantation is up and available for download on bandcamp, and i would strongly recommend it. in a world where channelling the rawer side of emotion into music seems to necessitate screaming and song titles the size of small novels, arrange's minimalist lyrics and ghostly production value bring a depth back to my library that i didn't know i missed. and to add to the fun, it would seem he's part of something of a twitter friendship circle with ricky eat acid (@rickyeatacid) and germany germany (@grmnygrmny) that i can't help but hope and pray will churn out new beautiful tunes.

here's when'd you find me, and a rework of the same featuring sam ray himself.

arrange - when'd you find me

arrange - when'd you find me (ricky eat acid remix)

forget about the world

2011-11-12T15:00:00.000-08:00

ricky eat acid is all i'm going to listen to again ever.

ricky eat acid - ONLY GIRL.

ricky eat acid + arrange - P.S.L.W.

everything he's ever done is available up for pay-as-you-see-fit over on his bandcamp. so listen to his music and then give him some god damn money.

all the things that we thought we were losing

2011-11-07T14:40:00.000-08:00

this'll be brief, i promise.

first, childish gambino's camp drops momentarily, and i'm pretty excited. you can stream it over at npr, so if the darling glover piques your interest in the slightest, do check it out. 'heartbeat' has my ear at the moment, though if the rest of his work is any indication, i'll jump from favourite to favourite over the next little while.

second - drake's latest album/mixtape/whatever it is, take care, just arrived to much fanfare.

i couldn't be angrier.

i love love loved jamie xx and gil scott-heron's collaboration, and drake's take on the title track of his new creation... disgusts me. the man has a production team that's second to none, and yet his version of 'original' music is to take a gorgeous song, let rihanna (retch) repeat the lead vocals and then throw two verses over literally the exact same song with a drum beat added. no modification, no sampling, no musicality - hell, no original thought - just his ill-thought out words over somebody else's music. it's like the man is doing it solely for the attention.

oh.

music is commerce, and i'm familiar with the notion that some treat it as more commercial than others. but there is a solid line between respectful use of a legendary (and recently deceased) artist's work, and the sheer pillage of said work for profit. and toronto's finest just trampled right the fuck over that line.

so get back in the studio. write something. create something.

be an artist.

don't let it get to you

2011-11-04T04:50:00.000-07:00

it's been a good 9 months since we've heard from vampire weekend, and i'd be lying if i didn't admit - i miss them a tad. that ivy league swing has a way of melting into the nooks of crannies in your mind, and unlike some i just loved contra - the band's growth from a one-note sound to the wildly eccentric, influence-hopping sound their sophomore album offered up struck a chord with me. classifying it with some of more experimental-soft-indie bands out there (here i refer you to appendix a: yeasayer, dirty projectors, yacht) contra was just so much more... digestable. the string arrangements added a delightful second layer to more than one track, and when i came across an eastern influence or two it brought a smile to my face, not a furrow to my brow. lord help me, but i am anglo-saxon to the core, and this form of musical colonialism just works for me.

anyhow, much of the advance in the bands's sound can likely be attributed to "multi-instrumentalist" (whatever that means) rostam batmanglij. like all good 21st century muses, the products of his mind cannot be contained therein, and must be spilled across today's moleskine notebook - the tumblr page. aside from from arrangement work on the side, he's also worked up a couple semi-instrumental tracks, wood and don't let it get to you. the former pulls heavily from bollywood with a smattering of that lovely wine-and-cheese string work that makes a lot of vampire weekend so cheeky, while the latter features an african-inspired machine-gun dreambeat that will have you struggling to keep still in your chair. i'd love to hear more 'weekend soon, but for now... this, this'll do.

rostam - wood

rostam - don't let it get to you

i hope that you're dreaming of me

2011-11-02T18:40:00.000-07:00

it's always interesting what you come across during the wee hours of the morning.

this gem is a deep cut off of mark ronson's 2010 release record collection. alex greenwald's barbershop quartet-ish lyrics work well off of ronson's hop-skip-and-a-jump drumbeat, and rose elinor dougall's sleepy chorus is the perfect complement to the track's wistful theme. it's just the song to accompany your late-night angst in a way that isn't, well... obnoxiously sappy.

it's brooding for the 21st century.

mark ronson & the business intl - the night last night ft. rose elinor dougall, alex greenwald

sunny on the inside

2011-11-01T18:22:00.000-07:00

you guys, i done goofed and i know it.

i stopped posting, and the world of webernet music kept on a-churnin'. beirut's latest came out and RAC made like... three more life-changing remixes and a new black keys single came out and it's so much go damn fun, i can't help myself

in any case, we'll get to all that in due time. meanwhile, here's a little glass candy. they're portland-based and work with italians do it better, who also happen to host portland/montreal hybrid band desire, with whom we've already had something of a tryst. see if it does anything for you.

in an entirely unrelated matter... now i'm not one for waxing poetic about the lives and welfare of our furry friends; in fact, i may be known for playing a little cheeky republican from time to time, just for kicks. but just a couple of days ago, a few gatineau (that's in quebec, for you non-canucks) police officers got a little slap-happy with the sidearms and gunned down a few stray steers because they 'posed a threat to the public'. my green-thumbed (well... more like green-all-over) classmate camille labchuk does a much better job of covering the story over at huffpo canada; but all you have to do is watch the video to really get a sense for what's going on here. aside from the fact that these trained and uniformed officers can't seem to make contact with an animal the side of a smart car at a range of 5 metres (and expend enough ammunition to stop a humvee in the process), the only danger the poor thing seemed to have posed was eating a few reeds and perhaps knocking over a lawn ornament or two.

i mean, jesus h. christ people. it's the twenty-first century. the poor things were off to be made into hamburger anyways, but no person or creature deserves to be slowly (and inaccurately) shot to death on the side of a highway. show a little class.

eternal sunshine

2011-10-10T17:06:00.000-07:00

what am i thankful for?

...

a wonderful take on the defining song of one of my favourite movies of all time. producer brenton duvall takes the hook from jon brion's collecting things and sneaks it under neat mike posner's save your goodbye, updating the daydream-inducing acoustics and piggybacking them into 2012 with a little drum-and-synth work. this track's begging for a remix, but for the time being i like the unpolished version.

brenton duvall - phone rings goodbye

i give you a five minute window

2011-10-01T18:42:00.001-07:00

i saw Drive just a few hours past.

i don't quite know what to make of it yet. it was stylish as hell - plenty of aerial shots of los angeles, of topless strippers standing idly by as a man's hand is reduced to a congealed mess, of gosling staring soulfully (blankly?) through the windshield, out the window, at people, at objects, at seemingly nothing at all - but i'm not sure that there really was any... substance at the end of the tunnel. plenty of people suffered gratuitously violent ends and there was some hint of larger organized-crime concerns, but these elements do not a great drama make; and for a movie named with a single action verb, said verb played a miniscule role in the actual film itself. as much as i am a lover of the pregnant pause, for a character whose background is left entirely to the imagination, gosling's "driver" character is obnoxiously mute, leaving us to question whether his silence truly stems from an inner torment, or just because he ain't so good with the mouth-sounds (or perhaps for other reasons).

in any case, being the stylistic vehicle it is, the film puts its music to the forefront and left me with a few tracks that, while a bit off the beaten track, bring 80's miami back in a bold way. kavinsky & lovefoxxx's nightcall opens the film and does so brilliantly, and desire's under your spell plays a pivotal role in one of the movie's few truly poignant emotional moments.

kavinsky & lovefoxxx - nightcall

desire - under your spell

d'you wanna play with me?

2011-09-29T19:31:00.000-07:00

it's no lie, I love songs that sample audio tracks of children. they are wonderful and adorable and so full of imagination, I don't know what to do with myself. it may come across as a bit of cheap gimmick from time to time, but when it comes to my dearest M83... I have the utmost faith in its artistic authenticity. Speaking of, it might be a bit of an early prediction, but Hurry Up We're Dreaming has my unconditional sponsorship for best album I've heard this year. It's explorative and soaring and emotionally poignant and just... everything I love about music. i clearly have a soft spot for raconte-moi un histoire, but i would recommend the full album with everything i have. don't waste any time - get it. any way you can.

M83 - raconte-moi un histoire

as restless as we are

2011-09-25T12:56:00.000-07:00

you guys, did i mention this remix group i'm into called RAC?

givers - meantime (RAC mix)

this second track has a backstory to it, and rather than try to paraphrase it and misappropriate it for my own, why not read it straight from the source? and follow 'em while you're at it?

RAC - 1979 (ft. Liz Anjos)

homegirl drop it like the nasdaq

2011-09-21T09:15:00.000-07:00

kettle corn! that's a fun-time snack!

i gave up on pretty much anything that the terms "rap" or "hip-hop" can be applied to a while ago, with a few notable exceptions (j.cole, blakroc, probably kanye west too - i'm a white guy in his 20's, fairly sure that i was legislatively mandated to listen to dark fantasy). but in a world dominated by mindless hashtag rap, the consistently hilarious donald glover's alter ego childish gambino is taking off, and i'm happy to follow in his wake. i don't quite know what it is about his music that i enjoy so much - his stripped-down beats seem almost amateurish at times, and his aggressive steal-your-white-girlfriend lyrics seem at odds with his happy-go-lucky day job. maybe it's leftover loyalty from back during his derrick comedy days (i remember being frustrated by constant blank stare responses to my "girls are not to be TRUSTED.... by kevin" routine), or maybe it's the guy's ability to put lyrics out there that test the boundary of acceptable (wait... are you talking about MY girlfriend?) while still getting a chuckle out of me.

here's bonfire, and keep your ears peeled for camp, his latest expected this november.

childish gambino - bonfire

a special tribute

2011-09-05T14:07:00.000-07:00

o hai there.

terribly sorry i didn't notice you; i was just moving to another country and such.

my love for jamie xx is far from a secret at this point; on several occasions i have expressed my considerable enjoyment of his remix work and his groundbreaking collaboration with the late gil scott-heron, and the xx is and shall remain one of my favourite low-key albums in the whole universe. like any good producer, his releases are few and far between - he seems to have mastered the art of pacing, and i feel like i've had a chance to thoroughly process almost everything he's put out there, as opposed to gobbling it up too fast or losing interest, as i am prone to do with artists who go AWOL.

while i wait eagerly for whatever it is that he has to offer next, this BBC essential mix is just lovely - a full hour plus of carefully selected and tailored tracks that do to my ears almost what his original work is capable of. pro tip - if you really want it, it is certainly possible to find a downloadable copy of this online, should you look carefully enough.

jamie xx - BBC essential mix (august 27, 2011)
Jamie xx Essential Mix by Young Turks

just cause it feels good

2011-08-31T23:13:00.000-07:00

goodness gracious children, you should probably go out of your way right now and check out active child. the alter ego of LA-based pat grossi, i suppose this act could be considered a union of M83 and the weeknd, with a dose of harp thrown in for good measure. 2011's You Are All I See is getting a fair amount of attention on the blogs, and while i'm still digesting this one (it's not a one-take product, that's for sure), the hype seems to be warranted. feast your ears on playing house - featuring how to dress well, an act that i cannot connect with how hard i try, this one's got a synth hook that'll keep you coming back.

active child - playing house ft. how to dress well

BIRP: i hope the moon is listening

2011-08-25T09:25:00.000-07:00

i am nostalgic for a decade i've never known.

future islands - before the bridge

from the july 2011 BIRP

fall creek boys choir

2011-08-24T12:09:00.000-07:00

sweet mother mary jesus.

i can't feel a damn thing

2011-08-21T19:39:00.000-07:00

okay cats and kittens, it looks like this is going to be a double-post evening but this is an emergency and cannot wait.

i was as skeptical as anybody about the weeknd - it seemed he was about to be snapped up by the drake/lil wayne production team and mashed into whatever godless machine took drake's initial appeal and transmogrified into that mess called thank me later. but this week's free release, entitled thursday, is just as good if not better than house of balloons - it's dark and sexy and faded in all the right ways. everybody's pretty excited about life of the party, and with the club-worthy guitars i suppose i can see why, but the zone is by far my pick of the litter; abel's voice works so well when it's layered over such a devastatingly distorted acoustic sample, and just when you thought he was about to be swallowed alive by his own ego, drake does the track justice with a surprisingly understated verse. pick this one up fo' free as soon as you can.

the weeknd - the zone

the weeknd - rolling stone

birthday

2011-08-21T19:17:00.000-07:00

happy birthday to me.

blithe field - crushing

you gave to me all i know

2011-08-19T17:42:00.000-07:00

i'm getting pretty fucking excited about glasgow, pals.

(FYI that is a place i am going to live in pretty soon).

anyhow, here's some music by a band named bombay bicycle club. they are from london (i'm detecting something of a trend here...), and while you won't find shuffle on it, i would highly recommend their sophomore effort flaws - it's soft and cheerful and poignant without straying too far into melancholy. they'll be playing the barrowland in early october, and you bet your boots i will do my darndest to be there.

bombay bicycle club - shuffle

and for dessert, here's a song about wolves by a man named ben. yes it is from the latest danny macaskill video, and yes i do owe a finder's fee to brother dearest for this one. enjoy.

ben howard - the wolves

p.s. i'm working my way through a couple of month's worth of BIRPs, so expect a little something off the beaten track in the next couple of weeks.

next to a family portrait drawn when you were four

2011-08-09T21:21:00.000-07:00

yes, it has been put front and centre in a mediocre rom-com featuring the most glaring age gap in recent film history, and yes, i am very late getting it on here, but the middle east's blood is still a lovely, lovely song with a hook that you will end up humming under your breath for a time. and while we're on the topic, the recordings of the middle east is quite the delightful collection - a little experimental and a little ambient and a little indie folk, it's the perfect album to put on in the background and read, or play board games, or whatever it is that you like to do during your quiet-time. take the time to listen to soaring closer tsietsi - it takes some nerve to re-introduce vocals after a 5-minute violin solo, but it's done gracefully here. months you'll find on their debut studio album, titled i want that you are always happy, and is also worth a proper listen.

and then shed a tear, because sadly they have decide to retire gracefully as of just a week ago. shame shame shame.

the middle east - blood

the middle east - months

for when you're going off the rails

2011-08-07T16:46:00.000-07:00

let's get right to it children.

the vaccines are probably the best solid rock band i've heard out of the great british isles since the arctic monkeys happened back in say, 2007ish? (sure they are probably still around but really now). they formed in 2010, and they are from london, which is always a good thing, and they have only made one album so far and it is called what did you expect from the vaccines and it is great rock music. post break up sex is one of those honest songs about how sex and love and relationships really work and how they usually get fucked up, and also i like the music that is in it too. do yourself a big favour and pick up this album, while you still have a few summer weekends left to squander drunk on somebody's balcony somewhere.

the vaccines - post break-up sex

the vaccines -wreckin' bar

that's not our deal

2011-08-02T09:51:00.000-07:00

you guys i usually don't get too stirred up about music videos, but this one just makes me giddy. best coast's our deal featuring chloe grace moretz, donald glover, maeby "maybe tonight" funke - even iCarly's up in the mix. check out the mtv uk link below (only way to see it in canada right now) and i'll get a proper embedded version soon, i promise i promise.

http://www.mtv.co.uk/artists/supervideo

the city is my church

2011-07-29T18:56:00.000-07:00

oh hey y'all,

do you remember M83? I DO! anthony gonzalez is the creator of one of my favourite songs in the entire universe AND one of the best album covers ever - it's like playing pictionary for angsty 80's/90's movies - AND one of the only musical acts i know of named after a particular region of outer space (unless perhaps you count young galaxy)

well in any case he is back with a new single, midnight city, and i am smitten. the track is layered, varied, and features the soaring vocals unique to M83 that always remind me of flying. take a gander and see if it tickles your fancy; and be ready to pounce when hurry up, we're dreaming comes out sometime this year. maaaaybe NOW?

how about now?

M83 - midnight city

M83 - we own the sky

p.s. i wrote and posted this FROM MY CAR. it's the FUTURE, you guys.

don't you know that you're making me blue

2011-07-26T17:16:00.000-07:00

okay by now you should have an idea of how i am rather fond of tennis. so imagine my glee when i learned they decided to put together a cover of 60's sweetheart brenda lee, and better yet, release it to the webernets free of cost. the breezy duo brings their unique sound to this classic track, adding a new twist to lee's classic lyrics; and if this track is any indication, we can expect great things from their sophomore effort.

and if you're curious, check out their blog for a little background on the band (and a sizeable dose of adorable).

tennis - is it true? (brenda lee cover)

p.s. we've swapped over to hulkshare for technologic purposes, with the megabytes and the electrons and the science.

they're calling me home

2011-07-19T20:28:00.000-07:00

do i... do i really need to say anything? anything at all?

ellie goulding - lights (RAC mix)
Ellie Goulding - Lights (RAC Mix) by RAC

you took these lies and made them true

2011-07-13T19:32:00.000-07:00

it b-b-baffles my mind that in a world where you can't even turn on the tv without hearing the black keys, New Orleans' generationals can't get any love from the mainstream. these guys have been delivering good, solid bluesy indie rock for a while now, starting with their debut Con Law back in 2009 through the Trust EP and finally this spring's Actor-Caster. i can't say enough good things about this album - it's bold, varied, and refuses to quit from opening track all the way through to the end. i double-dare you to pick up a copy and take it with you on your next road trip. i... kind of want to be their friend?

generationals - you say it too

generationals - greenleaf

why even try to change

2011-07-10T11:05:00.000-07:00

straight from my dear mother's playlist (i kid you not - i have long given up being cooler than her) here is the song that is going to make your summer - theophilus london's suave cadence backed by some sugar-coated vocals and polished off with RAC's secret formula.

one of these days i am going to find a way to communicate why it is that i love andre, andrew and karl so much (and correspondingly, why i can't abide by any any other remix artists). normally i cringe to see the songs i do love so butchered for a dance-hall hook (keep your GRIMY PAWS OFF ADELE) but RAC continues to surprise and delight.

theophilus london - why even try (RAC remix)

as an aside - turntable.fm. how does one access this in canada. HOW.

maybe i'm crazy

2011-07-07T21:27:00.000-07:00

whoa!

somewhere along the way we crossed over the 3k landmark. while only a footnote in the grand scheme that is the internets, i am nevertheless rather proud of myself. i am going to go make an ice cream sundae.

here's some monarchy.

monarchy - maybe i'm crazy.

it's sensible

2011-07-05T21:09:00.000-07:00

so i went away for a weekend, and apparently everybody has decided without me that foster the people have delivered the song of the summer. it has the words 'kicks' in it and sounds appropriately lazy for a summer song and has a bassline and everybody is cool with that.

what the heck, you guys?

if you had all had the decency to ask my opinion on this - i got opinions - i would have steered you firmly in the direction of metronomy's The English Riviera. i've been over at loose lips more often now that baby brother is writing for them, and mik's given it a glowing review, which is good enough for me. it's doing to the summer of 2011 what Oracular Spectacular did to 2008; giving just enough dance pop and tempo to make a sunday barbecue work, but leaving you with a somewhat darker undertone that, after everybody's gone home, will have you staring at an unattended pool noodle as it lackadaisically traverses an empty pool at dusk, wondering how the fuck you ended up here.

metronomy - the bay

metronomy - loving arm

amor fati

2011-06-26T15:02:00.000-07:00

perfect for a sunny sunday, washed out has let us into his head with a little taste of the upcoming within and without. stepping out from behind the faded indifference that has come to be the hallmark of much of his music, Amor Fati is a little more forward and poignant, but doesn't stray too far from the original washed out model, and goodness am i taken. have a listen, and feel free to join me in my laborious (albeit mental) wait for the july 11 release.

washed out - amor fati

all is silent now

2011-06-24T21:17:00.000-07:00

oh hello. i didn't see you there.

so instead of providing any sort of exposition, i do believe i'm just going to leave you with a host of interesting songs, and you may make of them what you will.

el perro del mar - change of heart (robyn's rakamonie remix)

bombay bicycle club - dust on the ground (banjo or freakout remix)

i break horses - hearts (rar mix)

nicolas jaar - keep me there

you were meant for me

2011-06-19T17:57:00.000-07:00

hey mac!

okay so i'm usually skeptical of compilation albums - bad memories of much dance '99 i s'pose - but it would seem that some of my favourite purveyors of ye fynest musiks are making a tribute album and it seems swell. the reason being, of course, that the subject material is buddy holly, with his trendy glasses and swing-inducing basslines. the album, adorably titled 'rave on buddy holly', is set to feature the likes of my morning jacket, florence + the machine, and (inexplicably) kid rock, plus the black keys, and my personal favourites, zooey and m. ward, which i've provided to you below. have a listen, get excited, and hey, take a little time to sift through some of the man's original tunes. you might be surprised at what you find your head bobbing along to.

she & him - oh boy (buddy holly cover)

the black keys - (ummm, oh yeah) dearest (buddy holly cover)

everything could change

2011-06-11T22:50:00.000-07:00

oh hey there's a new rac mix out and it sucks and i fucking hate it.

noah and the whale - tonight's the night (RAC mix)

i'm moving past the feeling

2011-06-05T22:06:00.000-07:00

there are no words.

no words to do it justice.

mr. little jeans - the suburbs (arcade fire cover)

also this asobi seksu remix is pretty swell.

asobi seksu - perfectly crystal (beach fossils/spirit animal remix)

playing for the heart and the soul

2011-06-04T23:02:00.000-07:00

if one were to be so inclined to combine crystal castles and florence + the machine, the result might sound just a bit like austra. this Toronto-based (!!!) trio has been gathering a little attention lately, first with a NOW magazine cover locally and more recently a feature up on iTunes, and deservedly so - their brand of goth-tinged electronica is instantly memorable. the mix of vocals and instrumentals strikes a new balance on every track of their debut Feel It Break. Lead singer katie stelmanis' operatic voice will hit a nerve you probably didn't even know was there, and if the above photo is any indication, it would seem she's kind of a secret hottie. check out the lead single Lose It and slightly heavier dance-y Beat and the Pulse below.

austra - lose it

austra - beat and the pulse

you can't keep this up for long

2011-05-29T22:07:00.000-07:00

what's the skinny, baby doll?

miracle fortress is based in montreal, but they make up for it by making wonderful delightful indie music (see what i did there?). they were shortlisted for a polaris prize a few years back, but came up short behind patrick watson. their latest album 'was i the wave' just came out a few weeks ago, and while i wouldn't exactly heap praise on it, spectre is just way too much fun - it's an 80's movie in 4 minutes, all drawn-out synths and drum machines and hoppy lyrics. give it a try, see if it fits.

miracle fortress - spectre

also, just because i like you so much, here's some wild ones.

wild ones - you're a winner

little waves our bodies break

2011-05-16T16:13:00.000-07:00

THIS IS AN EMERGENCY.

take the next 5 minutes of your life, donate your e-mail address and go get the new bon iver single.

i never thought i would love something that goes by the name calgary... but i love this, and it goes by the name calgary. oh so very much.

i wish this dream comes true

2011-05-10T20:03:00.000-07:00

i have NO idea what is going on with this track. i don't know who van mccoy is, and i recognize some daft punk lyrics but i don't know what they are doing in here, and troupe gammage sounds like a travelling french dentistry convention. but i love love love RAC and this is gold and i just don't know why i am surprised by these guys anymore, everything they do makes me happy.

van mccoy & the soul city symphony - the hustle (rac edit ft. troupe gammage)

within and without

2011-05-03T22:51:00.000-07:00

ohboyohboyohboy

washed out's debut has a release date (july 11) super-sexy cover art (see above), and best of all, an album opener released to the adoring public. this will be the soundtrack of the modern white person, kids. get on board.

that is all.

washed out - eyes be closed

a post-vacation grab bag

2011-05-01T19:37:00.000-07:00

o hai there!

i bailed on reality for a week to go be in a sun-coma, but now i am back and there is music to catch up on. this one's going to be a bit of a grab bag - just whatever's crossed through my ears in the past 4 hours.

producer chi duly played a bit with the ol' time machine, blending early 2000's coldplay and more recent drake to create something that is, hesitantly, greater than the sum of its parts. don't know if i love this yet - i harbour a deep resentment of all things cold and play, but maybe a little production value will redeem them in my heart of hearts. like all good things in life, the album's available for free download here.

drake & coldplay - forever la vida ft. lil wayne, kanye west, eminem

holding up thoroughly in the 'don't know how long this one'll last' category is the deans list. my hip-hop game isn't exactly tight these days - too many bearded folk-types gracing my recently added playlist to date - but p'haps this one will help bring me back up to speed. the vocal sample has a way of staying with you. and, oh boy, it's another freebie!

the dean's list - dear professor

finally, mansions on the moon is a production dream team - benzi and diplo combined (a long time ago, i'll admit it) to cobble together the band's 'paradise falls' mixtape, and it flows beautifully. i'd highly reccommend the deadmau5 and junior boys tracks, but this one in particular has been in the back of my head for a week or so now. it won't go away, and i can't say i want it to.

mansions on the moon - she makes me feel

oh, and btdubs, this one's free too. you love me.

please stay

2011-04-18T10:20:00.000-07:00

i am absolutely smitten with this 'chillwave' thing that's going on in teh interwebosphere. the faded, 80's loops are the perfect cure to late April, when you miss summer like an old girlfriend and you couldn't care less about the indoor management rule and the sight of cold precipitation makes you sleepy.

summer heart - please stay

washed out - feel it all around

put me on the front line

2011-04-06T13:18:00.000-07:00

today has been a bad day.

something about the combination of early-morning court appearances, a perma-headache of epic proportions and new shoes whose primarily design objective seem to be to transform my helpless feet into mulch has made this particular day, out of most days, rather difficult to bear. and it's days like these that make me glad that there are people out there who make good music.

alexander ebert, of magnetic zeros fame, has released a solo project and it is the perfect accompaniment to 'one of those days' - soulful, sometimes cheerful and sometimes mellow, and all around authentic, his brand of modern folk is just the ticket.

alexander - truth

download me

2011-03-20T23:41:00.000-07:00

so apparently i'm making a habit of becoming enamoured with gorillaz on average 6 months after everybody else.

it's uncanny. without fail, a new gorillaz album/single/video will be released, the scenesters will declare it the new audio bible, and i will be... unfazed. and like clockwork, approximately 6 months later i will come across a particular track (one already located, enjoyed and recycled by the rest of the world) and for some strange reason... love it senselessly.

this one in particular i had the fortune of coming across at the drake a couple weekends ago, and shazam-ed it (that app is magic, incidentally, and it scared me a little) from the dancefloor (which i think is a new height of music dorkyness/antisocialism). i like the brash faux-horn that drives the track, and the vocals are pop-ish in a way that's not trying to hard. the finished product is dancefloor-appropriate alt-pop that's guaranteed to follow you home.

gorillaz - doncamatic ft. daley

gorillaz - on melancholy hill

i thought i'd have other chances

2011-03-13T10:05:00.000-07:00

okay you guys so apparently this whole lo-fi sound thing is here to stay. which is quite a good thing in my view, because i oh so enjoyed grizzly bear's Veckatimest. naturally, i'm enamoured with up-and-comers we are trees. i won't go into great length about their sound, as it's quite similar to grizzly bear, but rest assured that this is heartfelt, authentic lo-fi folk-rock and it is wonderful. check out their bandcamp to hear the length of their first EP, Boyfriend, and samples of the appropriately titled follow-up Girlfriend. i don't know offhand whether there is a full-length in the works, but i certainly hope so.

we are trees - afraid of love

you'll be on my mind

2011-03-04T20:13:00.000-08:00

okay cats and kittens, i'm in the midst of a competitive moot so this is going to be a short one.

RAC dropped their second full compilation album, Volume 2, and it is the source of all happiness. it's a free download from their site, so snatch that puppy up. right now. it's all gold, start to finish, but phoenix's Armistice stands out - sugar-coated dancey goodness at its finest.

they also pulled together the soundtrack for an interesting little movie called Holy Rollers starring a pre-social network jesse eisenberg. i can't speak to the movie (i'm just popping it onto the dvd player as i write this) but the soundtrack is delightful 90's-era club dance. If You Forget Me is the highlight, with liset alea providing the vocals that add a little emotional punch to the song.

phoenix - armistice (rac mix)

rac - if you forget me (ft. liset alea)

close-hauling with my darling

2011-02-26T09:04:00.000-08:00

alaina moore is fucking adorable.

so i have been holding off on writing about tennis for a while now. first i wanted to wait until their debut Cape Dory came out, and then i wanted to wait until my lp arrived, and then i found out they were coming to toronto and decided to post on their show... and after this long, laborious crusade, we find ourselves here.

i'll open by saying that Cape Dory is, and will be, my favourite album of 2011. i love the band; i love their sound, their aesthetic, their husband-and-wife dynamic, their breezy sailing motif. all of this is delightfully true to form in their live performances. i had the chance to see them at the horseshoe last night and they were rather lovely. alaina moore is a bundle of energy in a flowery top and red bouncing red curls, stepping away from the keyboard when given the opportunity to prance about. and yes, her voice is more than capable of handling the lilting heights of even more difficult tracks like Marathon with ease. husband patrick riley was stalwart despite a somewhat sweltering stage temperature, with touring drummer james barone (i think - they've been through a couple) providing the swinging drumbeat that brings the band's sound together.

tennis' time on stage was necessarily brief - with only Cape Dory's 10 short tracks to work from, a few new songs they've self-admittedly pulled together on the road to round out their set, and a rather adorable cover of brenda lee's Is It True, the set lasted about 45 minutes. short and sweet was the name of the game here, with moore opening most tracks with a quick one-liner (Pigeon, the band's love ballad, was introduced with 'this song is about patrick', bringing about something of a swoon from the otherwise hipster-brand ambivalent crowd). Marathon, being the band's most-circulated single, naturally was the best-received by the crowd, and was arguably the highlight of the night; though i will always have a soft spot for Long Boat Pass.

touring mates holiday shores opened up the evening with with a young, beach house/the drums-sounding set. local talent (and apparently political players) the darcy's followed up with what i thought was a rather loud set, considering who they were opening for, but if that's your thing, you can download their latest 7" here.

tennis - long boat pass

tennis - pigeon

in poverty, my love, we have everything

2011-02-21T17:09:00.000-08:00

young galaxy had the misfortune of releasing their debut self-titled album on the heels of psych-rock darlings mgmt's Oracular Spectacular; it unfortunately ended up slipping under the radar and went primarily unnoticed. unfazed by their split from arts & crafts and a mediocre response to 2009's Invisible Republic, they're back with a new album, Shapeshifting, and it is strong. the vancouver-based trio seem to have hit something of a stride, and offer up a series of catchy, meaningful tracks with well-layered instrumentals and the lovely, half-there half-daydreaming vocals that lend the genre much of its identity. this is dream-pop at its best, children.

young galaxy - we have everything

young galaxy - cover your tracks

only yesterday was the time of our lives

2011-02-13T16:50:00.000-08:00

okay, let's get this out of the way early.

adele's 21 is good. really, really good.

the london-based songstress' growing confidence is evident on each track. we get some piano-based bread and butter on songs like Someone Like You and Turning Tables, and a little bit of that youthful sass on Rumour Has It and Rolling in the Deep. but what i really like about 21 is that as listeners, we get to watch adele stretch her wings, vocally and musically, and try out some new genres and sounds. it isn't always successful - Don't You Remember falls a little flat with overwrought vocals and a vaguely country guitar that wouldn't sounds out of place on a lady antebellum album (in case you were wondering, no, that's not a good thing) - but there are some wins here too. If It Hadn't Been for Love is a standout, borrowing from bluegrass influences with a maturity you wouldn't expect from someone who probably has never visited the locations she's crooning about. and let's all acknowledge that it takes a lot of nerve to take on the cure, and she does so with grace on Lovesong.

tying the whole record together is adele's uncanny ability to put together simple and yet poignant lyrics that are shamefully relatable. i had a song on 19 that stuck with me, emotionally, and i'd be lying if there wasn't one in particular off 21, too.

she'll be dropping by toronto in may, and you had better believe i have my tickets pre-ordered. get excited, people.

adele - if it hadn't been for love

adele - rolling in the deep (jamie xx remix)

was it too much too soon

2011-02-10T08:52:00.000-08:00

about a good 18 months ago, i came across a song called When They Fight, They Fight by a little trio going by the name of 'generationals', or 'the generationals', or something to that effect. i was smitten. i'm a sucker for a good 60's-era swing-style bassline, and this track did it justice and then some. borrowing from vintage acts and adding some new, 21st-century twists like intentionally distorted vocals and hand-claps, it was fun to throw it into a playlist to add a little jump, or to just play it really really loud when nobody else was around. i've since been trying to find a way to get a hold of their 2009 release Con Law with absolutely no luck at all, and it makes me sad. i mean, their stuff has been in a bloomingdale's ad, for christ's sake.

come on.

but when i'd just about given up on all that i hold dear, news from the webernets reached my ears that their follow-up Actor-Castor will be released in late march. better yet, they've proferred up a new single, Trust, which i see fit to gift to you,

generationals - trust

generationals - when they fight, they fight

send you my love on the wire

2011-01-31T18:19:00.000-08:00

well that's it, cats and kittens. against all odds, you ragtag, underdog, bad news bears group of readers banded together and got us past 999 into the four-digit hit range. that's right. one thousand. un mille. a milli.

i am famous now.

i wonder what it will be like to own a pet tiger.

while it severely threatened to push michael cera over the edge of his waning public appeal, last year's moving picture adaptation of the scott pilgrim series was... actually kinda fun. there were a few casting errors (jason schwartzman? what?), but the movie was true to the original, showed off the toronto i know and love, and - best of all - had some great music. songs for each of the bands in the movie were provided by real-life talent, including beck as sex bob-omb, broken social scene as crash & the boys, and metric as clash at demonhead. i particularly enjoyed the last selection, as (a) i will jump at any opportunity to hear more metric, and (b) i couldn't think of a better voice for artsy femme fatale envy adams than emily haines. the soundtrack features metric's recording of Black Sheep, which they tested on the road but didn't find its way onto 2009's Fantasies, and it's a keeper.

metric - black sheep

sex bob-omb - we are sex bob-omb

once and for all

2011-01-29T17:21:00.000-08:00

note: as i write this, the hit counter on this site sits stalwartly at 999. will it cross over to 1000? will it stick, mockingly, at 999? stay tuned to find out!

in celebration of my almost thousandth hit, here's a small present. it comes in steps.

1) get a pair of decent headphones. spend at least $60

2) load this clock opera remix up to your iphone/ipod/zune/mp3 player/listen to it enough times that you can convincingly hum it out loud

3) find a place with lots of tall buildings. less people around is preferable, but not necessary

4) turn the volume up as far as you comfortable can

5) just walk, and let it play

clock opera - once and for all (little loud remix)

do you remember me?

2011-01-24T20:46:00.000-08:00

theophilus london has got to be the coolest son of a bitch i've ever come across.

the brooklyn native has been massively underhyped; spend a little time looking him up and you'll find he has a couple full-length mixtapes to his name, and a library of interesting remixes and features, including a tryst (musically, of course) with living tree favourite ellie goulding. he's the closest thing i think i've come across to a true hip-hop journeyman, with a flow that could conceivably fit into any scenario or collab, and a killer sense of style that landed him a q&a with gq a few months back. with a network that includes mark ronson & a-trak, be sure to keep this kid on your radar. his latest, A Lover's Holiday, drops on february 8th.

maximum balloon - groove me ft. theophilus london

theophilus london - flying overseas ft. devonte hynes, solange knowles

islands and cities i have looked

2011-01-19T11:32:00.000-08:00

the xx were one of my favourite iTunes additions from 2010; their muted, low-key sound filled a gap in my auditory library, and i found myself letting the album play on loop for inordinate amounts of time, just to enjoy having it around. for the longest time i couldn't quite put a finger on what made their sound what it is, but over time i think the answer's pretty clear - jamie xx. while a lot of the hype around the band has focused on drummer baria qureshi's departure, and the intoxicating lead vocals of romy madley croft (for the record, deservedly so), it's pretty clear that jamie's the source of the band's unique mix. since the release of xx, he's been somewhat all over the place - working on a collaboration album with gil scott-heron and contributing to drake's upcoming sophomore release, to name a few projects - but has found the time to lend his genius to a few remixed tracks, and they're all gold. deceptively simple, these songs contain multitudes; sometime i catch an influence only to get lost when the next verse hits (that off-step snare sounds very hip-hop... but the bassline sounds almost dubstep-y?). they're coyly addictive, giving you just enough to keep listening, and leaving you wanting for more when it's over.

eliza doolittle - money box (jamie xx remix)

there's something very meta about remixing a song on which you were responsible for the original mix, but i'm just not up to the task of diving that far into it.

the xx - islands (jamie xx remix)

gotta put that overtime in

2011-01-16T17:49:00.000-08:00

oh me oh my, 'tis been a while! my apologies for the absence and all that. i would make an excuse, but, well, i'm just not going to.

kid sister's much-anticipated mixtape Kiss Kiss Kiss hit the webernets recently, and it's a winner. mixed by nick catchdubs (on whose pedigree i have literally no information for you), this is a saucy collection of dance-y hip-hop tracks that's sure to do for k.s. what Friday Night Lights did for j. cole recently (i.e. put him on the map). kid sister is something like the girl next door, but kind of a raunchy version - instead of sunbathing on the back deck and climbing out the window late at night to meet the varsity qb boyfriend, she's smoking weed in her bedroom, and passing our on your doorstep at 3 in the morning, covered in glitter. i haven't heard anything this god damn fun since thunderheist. add Kiss Kiss Kiss to your party mix; it'll take care of the rest

the mixtape's available for free download on soundcloud, or pick it up here. or hell, just google it or something.

kid sister - everybody wants (green velvet)

kid sister - right hand hi (caspa remix)

i'm 6'5", 220 pounds, and there's two of me

2010-12-31T10:15:00.000-08:00

2010 was an excellent year for soundtracks.

you've already heard from me in depth about my love for daft punk, tron, and the recent collaboration thereof. but if i had to identify my preferred soundtrack of the year, david fincher's The Social Network takes the cake. i finally had the chance to watch it again last night, and could not get over the musical score. trent reznor (who i generally think is kind of a tool) and atticus ross' (an individual whose tool-ness i have yet to arbitrarily judge) score is dark, ominous and atmospheric. it brings a whole new layer to the film, and particularly to jesse eisenberg's treatment of zuckerberg.

In Motion, which accompanies zuckerberg's half-drunken, late-night creation of the dreadfully hilarious facemash application, is our introduction into the character and undoubtedly the highlight of the soundtrack.

trent reznor & atticus ross - in motion

the score's take on orchestral classic In the Hall of the Mountain King is bold and violent as it frames the nauseating privilege of the henley royal regatta.

trent reznor & atticus ross - in the hall of the mountain king

now your heart is racing, racing

2010-12-29T10:21:00.000-08:00

RAC continues to kill it.

mixing a dreamy, 80's-style synth loop with the RAC basics we've all come to love, this remix of psychic powers' Dreamboat is a can't-miss; as usual, it takes a vocal chorus full of potential and transforms it into delicious dance-pop candy.

the folks over at RAC have a vibrant facebook community, and if you're hooked, i'd strongly suggest you 'like' them (aka acquiesce to their streaming updates) as they are excellent at getting the word out quickly as new songs are churned out of their undoubtedly Wonka-esque machine.

psychic powers - dreamboat (RAC Mix)

let's fall asleep together

2010-12-16T23:19:00.000-08:00

law school is going to put me in an early grave.

but in the meantime, there's teen daze. i've seen a lot of this kind of lo-fi, muted subpop floating around recently, but this is most certainly the best of the crop. it's interesting to note that the canadian producer seems to be something of a creation of webernet 2.0 culture; not so much an artist as a 'project', with guest artists filing in and out and tracks released haphazardly through a lowly tumblr account. the sound is varied from track to track with different influences and instruments. but there's still a sense of cohesion, if more in the themes than anything else; the rose-covered vision of the 80's; the last beach weekend of the summer; the sunday hangover. it's enough to grant you a respite from the abyss that is so innocuously called 'the law', if even for a brief time.

teen daze - let's fall asleep together

teen daze - neon

looking for buckles to loosen

2010-12-08T15:37:00.000-08:00

hello children.

the life of a exam-period law student does not so much permit for hobbies (blogging; sports; sleep; the basic requirements of human life). so without any delay, here is what i'm listening to:

mark ronson's debut production Record Collection is good fun; while Somebody to Love Me is better for study-times, i'd also suggest The Bike Song. d'you suppose riding a six-speed onto bay street is going to cost me a partnership?

mark ronson and the business intl - somebody to love me ft. rose elinor dougall, andrew wyatt

ellie goulding's released her follow-up Bright Lights, which was frankly not that exciting considering it's only a re-release of 2009's Lights. i have no idea where Black & Gold is from, and i'm not terribly prone to find out where. i just like it.

ellie goulding - black & gold

this remix of alpine's Heartlove sounds quite literally nothing like the original; which is to my satisfaction, as it didn't quite tickle my fancy. FISHING's remastering, however, does the trick quite nicely

alpine - heartlove (FISHING backyard bonding remix)

i shoot down the stars, collect them in jars

2010-12-04T11:08:00.000-08:00

desperately seeking an escape from the cruel and unusual punishment that is law school exams, i picked up the first issue of brian woods' graphic novel DMZ the other day. upon arriving home, i read the first five pages; i immediately went out and bought the next 7 in the series. with all due respect to The Walking Dead, this has to be one of the best new IP's out there - it's immersive, subversive, and a whole lot of other 'ersive's' that i can't come up with right now. i'd love to see it fleshed out in something with moving pictures and sounds; AMC, are you listening?

as this is a music blog, it seems apropos to actually provide you with some music. serendipitously, a couple of tracks have dropped into my life that fit the ambiance created by a war-torn, bombed out manhattan island. first is conner youngblood's Monsters. i don't really know what to make of this track - between the time-travelling synth sample, friendly ukulele work, evanescent lyrics and dirty, dubstep-style bass hook, i've been thoroughly confused. all i know is that i can't get it out of my head

conner youngblood - monsters

second up is jamie xx's treatment of gil scott-heron's NY Is Killing Me. i can't think of anything that better captures what must be the dirty and grimy way of living captured in DMZ; a shelled-out manhattan where high-powered rifles, apache overwatch and B2 airstrikes are a regular occurrence.

gil scott-heron - ny is killing me ft. jamie xx

it's getting dark, and it's getting cold, and the nights are getting long

2010-11-30T21:00:00.000-08:00

well cats and kittens, it's that time of year again. the weather gets cold, scarves become acceptable to wear (yes, i'm talking to you, hipsters), and the library becomes a second home. it seems apropos then to return to what is swiftly becoming this blog's bread and butter - understated singer-songwriters. i have a few to offer, and wholly suggest that if you like what you hear, that you go about picking up the full albums, as nothing is more conducive to mindless memorization of statutes than good music.

the first song comes from brighton, england's fin greenall. recording under the monosyllabic monicker fink, greenall's voice is quite mellow, but distinctive enough to keep your attention. i love songs like This Is The Thing; it's just as easy to listen to actively as it is to let it ease into the background as you take the first tenuous steps into wordy l'heureux-dube dissent.

fink - this is the thing

our second contribution comes from Lovísa Elísabet Sigrúnardóttir, aka lay low. featuring the most fantastic background in the world (born in london to a sri lankan father and an icelandic mother), she fills the sizeable indie-folk gap in my library left by she & him, who we haven't heard from since 2008. I Forget It's There kind of sounds like what the black keys would sound like, if they were female. and less guitar-y. and more adorable.

lay low - i forget it's there

happy learning!

one more time

2010-11-29T17:06:00.000-08:00

i'm pretty stoked about Tron: Legacy, you guys.

that said, imagine my happiness to discover that reclusive house duo daft punk have been engaged, not only to produce the entire cinematic score (!), but to also appear in the film (!!). while the soundtrack's been slated for release in mid-december, advance copies have popped up online, and i'm happy to share a few samples with you.

the original 1982 movie was a bit of a mess; between the questionable acting, campy romance story and (retrospectively) garish computer animation, the finished product was something only a select few could love. despite it all, i always thought there was a more compelling idea underlying the whole affair, and one i'm truly excited to see fleshed out in modern animation. in the early 80's, the concept of a 'world ruled by computers' was presumptively fantasy; with contemporary computer technology what it was, such a universe could only really be conceived of in the imagination. not surprisingly, though the world has changed a tad in the past 30 years, and Legacy is being released in a context where the most significant powers in our world occur primary in a virtual world well outside our control. where the digital world governs multibillion dollar transactions and nuclear arsenals, the universe of Tron stops seeming so trivial and fantastical, and becomes a little more poignant.

what really pushes my buttons about Tron, though is the notion that for an hour or two, we get a glimpse into the (fictional) mind of someone that is truly a master of a complex and intricate world. jeff bridges returns in the sequel as the programmer flynn with an oscar under his belt, sporting a hefty beard and white robe, and the biblical parallels couldn't be any more apparent. the world of Tron is flynn's world, conceived of in his imagination, and it's fascinating to consider how individuals like him think about these topics. is this how the hawkings and faradays of the world see things; not as a discrete set of mathematical or physical relationships, but as a whole universe, fleshed out by their imagination?

ruminations aside, let's get back to the music. the soundtrack integrates orchestral elements with electronic sampling, and features heavy use of strings with rumbling bass undescoring a lot of the material. the result is fairly striking and full of tension, bringing to mind hans zimmer's work on Inception, or dare I say jack wall's score to Mass Effect 2. while the blogs are somewhat excited about Derezzed, i find that the end title track demonstrates exactly why daft punk was brought on for this project:

daft punk - tron legacy (end titles)

not surprisingly, the duo excel on the orchestral side of things as well.

daft punk - recognizer

you have no idea what you're dealing with

2010-11-26T14:57:00.000-08:00

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is good.

there's no denying that fact. is it 10.0 good? absolutely not. kanye's latest is varied, sophisticated and a unique exploration of the individual who seems to simultaneously be the cockiest and loneliest man in show business. the album as a whole is fascinating - living in the twitterspacebook world we occupy, we've had the opportunity to sample a substantial chunk of the album in advance; as a result, my first listen-through wasn't so much an initial impression more than a revisiting of many tracks that had already carved out a significant space in my head. Runaway is the standout of the show, miles above anything else offered; All of the Lights displays kanye's trademark brassy boldness while putting rihanna right where she should be (on the chorus, and as far away from any verses as possible), and So Appalled is a terrific example of swizz beatz' (beatz's?) ability to turn any phrase in the english language into something cool.

that said, Dark Fantasy suffers from a terrible, debilitating flaw - nicki minaj. i don't think it would be an exaggeration to say that she is the worst thing happening to, not only hip-hop, but music as a whole right now. minaj is devoid of talent, lyrical ability, and an entry-level understanding of basic grammar and pronunciation; and the concept of dual personalities was tired when eminem tried it on for the first time. i will feel a lot better when her undeniably short career comes to a quick close. her presence alone deviates Dark Fantasy from pitchfork's bold rating, and will forever make me press skip when Monster comes on.

so what's next for kanye? thankfully, we won't have to wait long, as his collaborative effort with jay-z, Watch the Throne is due in early 2011. That's My Bitch features the distinctive vocal talents of la roux's elly jackson, and with q-tip on production duty, this one's a winner.

kanye west & jay-z - that's my bitch ft. la roux

life tearing at the seams

2010-11-24T18:29:00.000-08:00

i'm usually pretty 'up' on music. it's fairly rare for an an up and coming artist to evade my attention for a prolonged period of time, and there have been a few bands i've been particularly proud of getting to well earlier than most people - i beat the pitchfork crowd to tennis by a significant chunk of time, and caught on to sleigh bells even before eye weekly picked them up. the upshot of this level of attention? every once in a blue moon, i get to have one of those absolute asshole moments where i get to tell somebody 'oh, yeah, them? they're pretty good. the EP was better though'. it's like being a hipster for 30 seconds.

that, and i get to have lots of awesome music. i'll let you judge which is the real win.

from time to time, though, i will completely miss the boat on a band, and i couldn't have done so more thoroughly than with the naked and famous. mgmt's success with Oracular Spectacular in 2007 spawned a wide variety of copycat sounds, and they arguably fit in that mold, but with one exception - these kids are good. by this point you are likely well aware of their first single Young Blood, but for posterity, here it is.

the naked and famous - young blood

if Young Blood is to mgmt's Time to Pretend, Punching in a Dream is Kids - a little harder-hitting, but no less catchy.

the naked and famous - punching in a dream

you only want it when you're drunk

2010-11-22T23:28:00.000-08:00

i rarely have only one or two songs by a particular artist in my library. if i like one, i feel obligated to add the rest of that particular album to my collection, if only to feel like i've given the artist their due. however, on a few occasions upon listening to a particular track i find myself quite satisfied with the result, and am content to leave it at that. like orphaned children, these songs are destined to be gradually surrounded by other full albums, jealous of these loving and cohesive units until eventually they find a home of their own. orphans need love too, and so i'm passing them off to you to do your part.

i'm not particularly sold on everything everything; that said, this remix is oh so clever. the vocal coleslaw can get to be a bit tiresome at times, but the layering of understated synths, acoustic guitar and a hell of a catchy drum beat take this rendition well above and beyond the original

everything everything - MY KZ UR BF (clock opera remix)

hey marseilles is such a cliche it's almost a shame. Rio combines so many tired new-folk archetypes, it's hard to say exactly whether it's the decemberists, mumford & sons, or the many other carbon copies they're taking their cues from. that said, i can't help myself but enjoy this song. i guess that makes me a sucker

hey marseilles - rio

tv girl's If You Want It rounds out this little motley, bad news bears of a playlist. this one's off their first EP, and i'm curious to see where they take their sound.

tv girl - if you want it

say it's not her fault

2010-11-21T13:03:00.000-08:00

i hate taio cruz.

living with 'popular music' is something we all do; i long ago accepted that there are going to be certain artists that will be shamelessly overmarketed, overplayed and overpaid, and i've taught myself to put on my p-p-p-poker face and suck it up when i find myself in a situation where i have to listen. i'm also not one to care whether a certain artist has 'popular appeal' or not; my library is saturated by as many artists making millions in endorsement deals as those struggling to pay the rent. what i can't abide by, however, is truly poorly made music. there is a significant difference between very popular artists making somewhat decent music, and being handsomely rewarded for their efforts; and those that haven't even bothered to try to make something musically original or lyrically meaningful.

which is why i'm so god damn thankful that robyn exists.

her teen popularity, subsequent withdrawal to sweden and eventual return to the north american crowd are fairly well-know, so i won't go too much into it. what i will say, though, is that she's produced dance-pop of such high quality that she's managed to stretch a single album into three separate packages, and still kept us terribly excited for the eventual release. truly a master of her craft, she produces tracks with simple and poignant messages and unbearably catchy hooks. the complete Body Talk will be coming out tomorrow, and will include Call Your Girlfriend and Indestructible, which i lovingly present to you.

robyn - call your girlfriend

robyn - indestructible

don't you miss me the way i miss you

2010-11-17T19:33:00.000-08:00

one of my favourite things about music is that from time to time it just seems to drop into your lap when you least expect it. finding new songs and artists in unique places is so very much fun, and the context that one comes across music often stays with you in a way that changes its meaning forever. we can all think of the song that played in the restaurant on that awkward first date where you knocked your fork off the table three times in succession; the song from that tv show that you wouldn't dare tell your friends you ever watched; the song that you could really see yourself getting married to. let's take, for example, this video from trials rider danny macaskill. i'll be the first person to admit - i know nothing about trials riding, and i don't have any ambitions to learn anything about it in the future. that said, i do love music, and have always always wanted to go wandering around scotland's craggy foothills, and this video combines both in a way i can't help but enjoy.

the first song featured in the compilation is Wax & Wire by (not surprisingly) portland-based loch lomond. they have apparently been doing some touring with the decemberists as of late, and the comparisons are pretty evident. their debut album Little Me Will Start A Storm will be landing in february of 2011, and i shall certainly be keeping an eye out for it

loch lomond - wax & wire

the second track is from sydney-based quartet the jezabels. the band's sound immediately brings metric to mind, while the vocals are reminiscent of touring mates tegan and sara. A Little Piece comes off their third EP, Dark Storm, and we can only hope for a full-length album soon. in the meantime it will have a firm place in my rotation, bringing to mind images of weather-beaten abbeys, and the morning fog over rolling highlands.

the jezabels - a little piece

i'd buy a big house where we both could hide

2010-11-15T10:31:00.000-08:00

i'll start by coming clean - i have a huge crush on ellie goulding. the English singer-songwriter jumped onto the scene with her debut release Lights in early 2010, and has held a special place in my heart ever since. while i know i should be getting all excited about kanye's Dark Fantasy, which i definitely do not have a leaked copy of wandering about my hard drive, the highlight of my week so far has been ellie's cover of elton john's Your Song. the poignant lyrics of this track lend themselves terribly well to ellie's voice, which has an unnerving way of sounding both timid and confident at the same time. we should see a sophomore album from her sometime this fall, and i'm quite excited to see how her sound develops. if this is any indication of what's to come, well, colour me sold.

ellie goulding - your song (elton john cover)

this track off of Lights should give you an idea of what she sounds like with a little more production and polish behind her

ellie goulding - starry eyed

stealing hearts was your pastime

2010-11-13T20:38:00.000-08:00

Aussie songstress Sia Furler's 2010 release We Are Born was a marked departure from her past sound, and in my opinion, for the better. while i will always love her past releases and their arts-and-craftsy cover art, and consider it a indictable offence to not have Breathe Me in one's library, We Are Born is more fun than a bouncy castle in outer space. while the album is pretty much adorable from cover to cover, You've Changed is a real standout - a quick-paced, light-hearted track with a few standout lines that clocks in at just over 3 minutes, and you really wouldn't want a second more. this album was a particular favourite of mine this summer, and if this track strikes your fancy, consider yourself strongly encouraged to check out the whole package.

sia - you've changed

while not brought off the album as a single, the chorus from Bring Night is just too catchy to ignore.

sia - bring night

when food is gone you are my daily meal

2010-11-12T13:12:00.000-08:00

according to this blog's questionable hit tracker, on over one hundred occasions you lovely people have deemed it worthwhile to see what i'm listening to. and like all insignificant milestones (new baby's 7th month-day? multiple divorcee's third bachelorette party?) this one merits a present. from the archives i grant you The xx's remix of Florence + the Machine's You've Got the Love.

when first introduced to this track by my brother (a writer over at the excellent, Chiddy Bang-loving Straight Goods), he passed along an observation on the topic by a friend of his. "if i met a girl who liked this song, who could just chill out to this song... i would marry her, right there" said friend remarked. while snap matrimonial decisions aren't really in my makeup, the sentiment is poignant, and appropriate. this one remains a staple in my library, and i see no reason to expunge it in the foreseeable future

florence + the machine - you've got the love (the xx remix)

counting all the rainbows

2010-11-11T17:35:00.000-08:00

i am usually loathe to comment on remix culture, as i find it very hard to get into most remixes. there's something painful about watching one of those songs you particularly connect with 'chopped and screwed' (as the kids say) for the red bull + vodka crowd; anyone who cringed every time they heard Jason Derulo's heinous slaughter of Imogen Heap this past summer will understand my perspective. interestingly enough, it's for this reason that i particularly enjoy RAC mixes. their minimalist style strives to retain the original structure and soul of the song, while artfully injecting drum samples and analog synthesizers to give a little jump to the finished product. their recent remix of Madison's Number 1 is a perfect example - all it takes is a fun hand-clap sample and some light synth work to make this into something everybody can move to.

madison - number 1 (RAC Mix)

their take on Zowie's Broken Machine is so sweet, you may want to schedule a dentist's appointment before listening. bazinga.

zowie - broken machine (RAC Mix)

fire in his eyes

2010-11-11T12:54:00.000-08:00

over the past 24 months we've experienced something of an explosion of songstresses with unique voices; from Florence + the Machine's fiery redhead to Lykke Li's Swedish minimalism, there's been no shortage of vocal driven pop (even when on occasion they are snapped up by certain god-awful self-help movies starring Julia Roberts). it's surprising, then, to find that Jagjaguwar's Lia Ices manages to make a mark in what we would otherwise consider something of a saturated marked. Daphne is a tricksy little creation; just when you've eased into the light acoustics and echoing vocals, the song takes a turn due south, the piano and drums show up - and is that Justin Vernon lending his voice? the only downside - we're going to have to wait until January 2011 for Grown Unknown.

lia ices - daphne

made available for free download, the single Grown Unknown seems to borrow some from Sia's latest effort, but it's fun all on its own.

lia ices - grown unknown

take me somewhere

2010-11-10T15:56:00.000-08:00

husband-and-wife duo Tennis have been kind enough to grace us with another single off of their upcoming album Cape Dory, due out early next year. i have to admit, i've been quite excited about this band ever since Marathon was released to the masses and subsequently eaten up by the Pitchfork crowd a while back. Take Me Somewhere doesn't fail to please - a light, airy single that allows Alaina Moore's vocals to take the centre stage. the whole package reminds me of a 60's-era, american dream style beach party, complete with flowery sundresses, white chinos and repressed marital issues. Betty Draper inevitably comes to mind.

tennis - take me somewhere

not surprisingly, adding Daytrotter to the mix only makes things better

tennis - south carolina (Daytrotter session)

keep our questions to ourselves

2010-11-09T08:22:00.000-08:00

at first glance, Harlowe and the Great North Woods seems like nothing special. soft indie-folk sound? check. portland-based? check. long, rural, sufjan-esque moniker? but of course. and yet, there's something here, beyond the plaid-wearing, banjo-strumming images that come to mind. it's as if harlowe, arriving two hours too late to the party and realizing that everybody here shops off the same rack at urban outfitters, have decided to set up shop and play anyway, and thankfully so. roses is mellow, honest and unrushed - a lovely combination for early november weather.

harlowe and the great north woods - roses

and just when you'd come to terms with kinda having a crush on them...

harlowe and the great north woods - the traveler

we will see when it gets warm

2010-11-08T19:56:00.000-08:00

bon iver's for emma, forever ago is an album that truly can't be divided up into individual tracks. for me it will always be one cohesive whole, an exploration into isolation, lost loves, regret and redemption that can't be listened to except from start to finish. and just when i think i've truly come to terms with it all, i come across their daytrotter session of 2008; a brief experience that puts the expression 'tugging at the heartstrings' to shame. whereas justin vernon's original, solo recordings are wonderful in their simplicity, deriving from one set of experiences and emotions, he invites a few friends to join him (probably due to practical constraints), and the results are wonderful. the piano echoes, tracking vernon's lofty vocals, and the tracks chosen suit daytrotter's raw, sleepy sounds beautifully. lump sum is a standout, opening with seconds of white noise, to a point where we wonder if we're actually invited to listen, and i am not ever really sure if i have been; perhaps i've just walked in on him in the midst of introspection, and must be content to sit in the corner, hoping he doesn't notice i'm there.

bon iver - lump sum (daytrotter session)