Plane Goes Down

The talent that Jason Mraz possesses blows my mind. His voice is amazing, his lyrics are witty with a lovable sense of humor, and his attitude is "yo, it's cool man". For my final post in 2011 I chose an oldie but goodie Mraz track to share. It's a live recording of him and a guitar. I've played this version over a hundred times and it just keeps getting better. Cheers to a fantastic 2011 and looking to kicking ass in 2012. Enjoy!

Plane Goes Down (Live) - Jason Mraz
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Jason Mraz

Twist

Who doesn't love the beautiful sounds produced by Goldfrapp? Add a bit of Jacques Lu Conts genius to the mix and you've got a monster track. And I do mean monster, this song has lots of industrial steam and metal. The build literally sounds like it is being built. Enjoy!

Twist (Jacques Lu Conts Remix) - Goldfrapp
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Goldfrapp | Jacques Lu Cont

Sail Away

It's not often that I come across an instrumental remix.  However, it is often that I find myself loving anything Aeroplane sprinkles their magic upon. This instrumental remix can stand up on it's own as it takes you through a journey. I can't seem to get enough of that persistent siren sounding pulse that drives and drives from the beginning of the song. Enjoy!

Sail Away (Aeroplane Instrumental Remix) - The Rapture
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The Rapture | Aeroplane

Movement

We start off with a strong piano. Shortly after, enters an equally strong male vocal. And that's when things get started.  I love when every aspect of a song is running in stride, and that point for me in this track is when he's singing "and the music, is temptation, and the secrets are temptation..." It just gets me every time! Enjoy!

Movement - The Whip
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The Whip

Mi Rumba

Patience is a virtue. So be virtuous for about three minutes while playing this track.  The slow build doesn't rise fast, or deliver an earth shattering payoff. But that's not what you want. Everything is composed very tastefully with beautiful instrumentation creating an ambient journey. Enjoy! (And Merry Xmas)

Mi Rumba (Genius Of Time Remix) - Kyodai
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Kyodai

Select Sundays: Tell Me (Clock Opera Remix)

Christmas is an especially hard season for your ears as they are bombarded by screams, frustrations, forced greetings, and terrible remixes of old classics.  The other day I kept hearing the same hip hop infused remix to White Christmas as we cruised from store to store. Just make it stop, all of it. The key to fending this audio assault off is to have your earbuds in at all times, and with something actually good queued up. [Illustration credit: Sophia Chang]

Tell Me (Clock Opera Remix) - Clock Opera
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Clock Opera | Au Revoir Simone

Darling, You're So Mean To Me

Welcome to the party! Raise your glass to everyone in the room and sing your heart out to this track. The harmonica, piano, tambourine, and a crowd of people singing. I particularly enjoy the piano jam along with the "ooh ooh ohh la la laa laa" towards the end. Enjoy!

Darling, You're So Mean To Me - Carrousel
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Carrousel

The Deep

There's a beautiful darkness that blankets the room when this song plays. The track is delicate yet strong, thumping its way underneath her beautiful voice. I especially like when her voice toggles between the vocal filter and back. Enjoy!

The Deep - Data Romance
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Data Romance

Dinossa

This is strutting music, straight up. The bass drum pushes hard from the first note through the track. It's one of those songs that slowly and beautiful builds. I imagine myself walking down the street in super cool slow motion the moment that bass guitar starts dittying it's ditty. The ambient vocal tracks and sound effects accentuate the need to live in slow motion while jamming to this track. Enjoy!

Dinossa - Luminodisco
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Luminodisco

Ettertid

The whimsical keyboards jump out of this song and into your ears. The 8bit sounding baseline drives the song home while the simplicity of the drums hold down the beat. At the end it's a big culmination of sound, and it's over. Enjoy!

Ettertid - Per
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Per Byhring

Wildflowers

The vocal sample is a great attention grabber, followed by the iconic 808 drum machine bump. But what sets this song above the average line for me is the beautiful vocals and lyrics. "If you see me in the ocean / floating underneath the stars / don't make any commotion / cause I'm swimming with the sharks"

Enjoy!

Wildflowers - ::M∆DE:IN:HEIGHTS::
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Made In Heights

Select Sundays: 212

With a look reminiscent of Tatyana Ali, but armed with a mouth like Foxy Brown, Azealia Banks is apparently ready to bust out in 2012.  After initialing not believing the hype, I'm all in on Ms. Banks because not only is she a talented rapper and singer, she's got a boatload of charisma just in her flow alone. It's hard for me to decide if I like this track better or l8r, the best 1:35 minutes of rap I've heard all year.

212 - Azealia Banks
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Azealia Banks

The End Starts Today Mixtape #1

Presenting the first mixtape from The End Starts Today.  I have always loved the perfect playlist/mixtape/dj set.  There's something beautiful that happens when a group of songs are put together in a way that they convey a journey and leave an impression. I hope you enjoy what I hope is the first of many mixtapes to come from us.

The mix is 40 mins long and consists of 10 tracks:

  Mile Marker - Amy Seely
  Unicorn At Night - Oxford
  Home (Party Supplies Remix) - Edward Sharp & The Magnetic Zeros
  1957 - Milo Green
  Pharaohs - SBRTKT
  Mode (Original) - Bingo Players
  Mother Protection (Goldroom Remix) - Niki & The Dove
  Meridian - Southern Shores
  Los Adolescentes - Denver
  Paralysis - Monstersync

The End Starts Today Mixtape #1 - The Nose
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The Nose

Ready To Wear

Felix throws down a great house track with a fantastic vocal. I love the 80's esque-ness of the track, and how it simply works.
Felix, Nothing I could tell you, you sound good when you play it well! Enjoy!

Ready To Wear - Felix Da Housecat
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Felix Da Housecat

Always Where I Need To Be

Last night I was lucky enough to catch the Kooks live, it was their last day in the United States.  Needless to say my expectations were surpassed. Luke's voice sounds just as good if not better live vs recorded, and his energy is amazing.  In the middle of the set it was just Luke on stage performing 'Seaside', the 16 year old girl in me melted.

This song was the 2nd on their playlist, and really set the tone for the night. Enjoy!

Always Where I Need To Be - The Kooks
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The Kooks

Wood

When I listen to this track I think of symphony.  The different sounds of all the instrumentation come together seamlessly and beautifully with precision is awe inspiring. I feel like one of those snooty wine snobs when discussing this song with others "there's subtle notes of cello, choir, and flute with strong violins, sitar, and tambourine. The standout to me is the pronounced centerstage of the djembe (the african drum)".  But it's okay to geek out about what you love, and I love this track. Enjoy!

Wood - Rostam
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Rostam

Enters

I'm always won over by a set of skillful fingers tickling the guitar strings.  Toss in some violin, and eventually the drums and you've got a winner. At first I wasn't sure if this would be an instrumental, as the time between start and first vocal was unconventionally long, which I very much appreciate. Enjoy!

Enters - Victor Villarreal
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Victor Villarreal

Select Sundays: Riverside

Agnes is from Denmark and lives in Berlin. She just won Best Album, Best Pop Release, Best Debut Artist, Best Female Artist, and Best Songwriter at the Danish Music Awards. That means she's probably pretty great. So far her sparse style and wonderful voice have hit home with me something hard. [Photo courtesy of Dylan White]

Riverside - Agnes Obel
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Agnes Obel

No Shame

I love the sample on this song just as much as I love the music on this song "there's no shame if you feel alright". The beauty of this line is how diverse it is. Hearing it over and over during the breakdown and slow build makes me wish I was hearing it on a smoky warehouse dance floor with all my friends. Enjoy!

No Shame (Goldroom Remix) - Pat Lok
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Pat Lok | Goldroom

Layer Cake

Here's a nice and easy house track. It's smooth and deep, with a bit of sunshine sprinkled on top. The build and break are effortless, just what you need at the end of the night on a drive home. Enjoy!

Layer Cake - Fritz Kalkbrenner
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Fritz Kalkbrenner

On The Road

The beauty of acoustic instruments will forever captivate mankind.  This simple instrumental, composed of guitar and drum is able to paint a complex picture.  I especially like hearing the sound of the guitarists hands sliding up and down the guitar strings in-between notes. Enjoy!

On The Road - L'efance
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L'efance

Your Body

This track jumped out at me while listening to a mix.  First thing I noticed was the beginning guitars, minimal and fun. Next I noticed the lyrics, "I don't want nobody/I don't want nobody baby". The song continues with more lyrics and continues to slowly build. Don't expect a big room anthem, as this is an afterparty smash. Enjoy!

Your Body Feat. Michael Marshall - Tom Novy
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Tom Novy Feat. Michael Marshall

Mother Protect

The smooth keys caught my ears right away. The next thing that caught my attention was her voice, especially when she sings the word "echo". Something about that just sounds so good.  The melody of this song is spot on, you can simply sway to it or dance your ass off -both work. Enjoy!

Mother Protect (Goldroom Remix) - Niki & The Dove
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Niki & The Dove | Goldroom

Select Sundays: On a Train

"Francis" refers to Francis Farewell Starlite, "the Lights" refer to the lights on the stage and not his backing band. While I don't have much affection or familiarity with Eighties stuff, even I think Francis' stuff has a groovy 80's feel. Bloggers love him, critics are swooning, and concert goers laud his dancing...although I'm not sure why about that last one. This track of his will certainly get you off your feet though.

On a Train - Francis and the Lights
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Francis and the Lights

So Close To Paradise

It's close to guaranteed-producer-suicide to touch an anthem, especially a classic anthem that defines and era.  But then again sometimes you face danger and come out a winner, as in this case.  I especially enjoy how the vocal sample is used by repeating and incrementally changing in tone. The song is fast and murky, bringing a range of emotions throughout its 8 minute duration. Enjoy!

So Close To Paradise 3 (Physical Therapy Remix) - Elite Gymnastics
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Elite Gymnastics | Physical Therapy

New Work

Unless you completely lost your hearing prior to 2009 you'll be able to ID Jay-Z featuring Alicia Keys 'Empire State of Mind' track, which jj's song heavily references.  The two are far from similar, as jj's airy vocals and nostalgic perspective couldn't be further from the empowering original. "When we were 17, the skies was always tangerine". The track is sweet and short, leaving you wanting to start it again from the beginning to sing along, as the song is something you feel like you've already heard but you know that you haven't. Enjoy!

New Work - jj
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jj