just cause it feels good

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

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

future islands - before the bridge


from the july 2011 BIRP

fall creek boys choir

sweet mother mary jesus.

i can't feel a damn thing

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

happy birthday to me.

blithe field - crushing

you gave to me all i know

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

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

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

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