The Biggest Pile Of Leaves You Have Ever Seen

This song is simple and happy, you can envision it soundtracking a children's program.  At least that's the impression I felt upon the first few seconds. The simplicity is in the instrumentation, yet there's complexity in the restraint. In order for the chosen sounds to stand out, like the guitar, flute, and xylophone, choices like stripped down percussion needed to be made. I admire composition like this, and can immediately envision proper video to accompany it. Enjoy!

The Biggest Pile Of Leaves You Have Ever Seen - Lullatone (right click to save as)
Lullatone

Whiskey & Ativan

This track is dark, dirty, and dangerous. The whispery vocals put me in a theater where a horror movie is playing, and it's a nail biting scene.  There's lots of bottled up energy within this song, and there's a ticking time bomb ready to go off.  The bassline adds to the drama and the suspense. Enjoy!

Whiskey & Ativan - Straight Razor (right click to save as)
Straight Razor

I Got U

This track has it all. Things just meld together so beautifully throughout this song. I can't hear Jax sing "as long as I got you bay-bay" enough times, it just works so well. The steel drums and piano accompanied by hand claps sounds like a cheesy combination if I were to describe the track without being able to hear it, but when you hear it you understand it. Enjoy!

I Got U Feat. Jax Jones - Duke Dumont (right click to save as)
Duke Dumont | Jax Jones

Music For Listening Vol. 5

Usually I post individual songs, and once in a while I'll post a mixtape of songs I have stitched together. Only a few times in the years of this blog have a shared 1hr DJ sets, and I'm not sure why that is? I love solid blocks of curated and carefully mixed music.  This set in particular has caught me off guard too many times lately. The beginning snags me every time with those French allo's. Then the beat drops, and I'm committed for 1hr. HNNY transports me into a slick 70's film, where the songs sashay in-between clever dialogue. This is one of those sets you put on when the lights are low, there's no plans tomorrow morning, and the night is yours for the taking. Enjoy!

Music For Listening Vol. 5 - HNNY (right click to save as)
HNNY

Pictures On My Wall

There's a coming of age action that spans all teens, putting things on their bedroom walls.  For me, putting pictures up was a very important self definition. Musicians, athletes, and cars were found on my bedroom walls when I was 14.
The scene that XV paints is much more dramatic and traumatic than my personal experiences. Having a wicked step father pushing him down, made the pictures on his walls even more inspiring, encouraging, and important. He was "in a room full of his idols" just as nearly every teenager feels at some point in their life. Enjoy!

Pictures On My Wall - XV (right click to save as)
XV

Select Sundays: Fool to Cry

So I'm sitting around on a lazy Sunday, blitzing through Season 2 of Girls and this song comes on. "Who is this!" A quick Shazam and it reveals itself as a Rolling Stone cover by Tegan & Sara...commissioned personally by Lena Dunham. And produced by RAC. Don't you love it when so many great elements come together as one?

Fool to Cry (Rolling Stones cover) - Tegan & Sara (right click to save as)
Tegan & Sara

Paris

The Magic Man EP "You are Here" has been kicking ass on my speakers for a while. I blogged Waves in December, and now they're back by way of remix. This remix adds more electricity, a bigger dynamic swing, and creates a deeper contrast between the music and the vocals. I love when he sings out "Oh Paaarriss", reminds me a bit of Patrick Wolf's song by the same name. This song digs deep into the emotions of regret and the past, it's interesting how a city can become "a fantasy taking over like a disease", but it's happened before and will happen again. Enjoy!

Paris (Nicita Remix) - Magic Man (right click to save as)
Magic Man | Nicita

With Me

The track opens with beautiful piano, then slaps you with the bass, and then pulls back to where it stays for the night. Things persist this way, growing, changing, and evolving. The hard stop/go adds to the excitement and drama. The finale really wraps things up and leaves you with a blinking red light with a heartbeat just to remind you that you are alive after all of that. Enjoy!

With Me - Cashmere Cat (right click to save as)
Cashmere Cat

Destiny

The laid back tune has a bassline that I've fallen in love with.  The track is laid back, but with inequivalent swagger. The background vocals keep this track dark and mysterious, along with the subtle rather unconventional sounds lurking in the shadows. But that bassline, I just keep coming back for more. Enjoy!

Destiny (Dubtool Version) - John Talabot & Pional (right click to save as)
John Talabot & Pional

Wonderland

I'm feeling happy, and this song oozes happiness. The upbeat strumming of the cello, the melody of the verse, the chipmunk sounding sped up sample repeating paints the canvas with rainbows and smiles. Then when the song winds down and hints at ending, the finale starts and there's a fun build, leaving you with plenty of time to further enjoy the track. Enjoy!

Wonderland - CEO (right click to save as)
CEO

Flawless

I am becoming a larger Madeaux fan by the minute. His Mean Reds EP knocked my socks off, and his NYE DJ et for SURL I've blasted shamelessly loud more than a few times. Now this Beyonce remix comes with that same Madeaux flavor. The attitude that Beyonce captured on the original is fed some mutant goo and those powers seem to grow tenfold, and that's before you get to the halfway point and things go into orbit. Enjoy!

Flawless (Madeaux Remix) - Beyoncé (right click to save as)
Beyoncé | Madeaux

Pale Shelter

I never would have dreamed that Matthew Dear and Tegan and Sara would ever collaborate, much less on a Tears for Fears cover! Is this my lucky day or what?? The bassline is super and the signature voices of Tegan and Sara, hearing their "oh oh oh oooh" gives me goosebumps! The audio panorama laid in down in front of T&S's vocals allows them to come charging through with fury. I'll be blasting this track on repeat for the next few months. Enjoy!

Pale Shelter Feat. Tegan And Sara - Matthew Dear (right click to save as)
Matthew Dear | Tegan And Sara

Best Intentions

 This beautifully woven song speaks to me. The introduction takes its time, and when the vocals debut they only add to the refinement.  "Wouldn't trade your love". Such a simple line repeated over and over only gives the idea stronger backing. Sometimes that's the way love goes, and this track tells it like it is. Enjoy!

Best Intentions - Satchmode (right click to save as)
Satchmode

Under

I love her accent. I also appreciate the simple composition of the beginning, with simple strumming of the guitar notes alongside her voice. This is a crazy world, and sometimes our dreams feel better than the reality that we need to wake up and face each day. "Dreams are reality, Reality is make-believe". Enjoy!

Under - A.O.S.O.O.N. (right click to save as)
A.O.S.O.O.N.

Ghosts

I'm hit with sincerity, upon the opening lines of this song. He is laying it all out here, admitting wrong, and showing that lessons have been learned. Whether or not this is a reflection of regret or a sharing of experiences for the benefit of others, the delivery is from a humble place. I love the way he sings this song, there's traces of songs that are hundreds of years old and still hovering around a foggy island in Norther Europe somewhere. Enjoy!

Ghosts - The Presets (right click to save as)
The Presets

Together

I'm feeling upbeat and energetic today, and this song best conveys that feeling. The lyrics are happy and wishful, the electric piano tone is one that I associate with happy feelings, and the tempo is in perfect step to dance with your favorite group of people.  The track screams summer-time fun-time and sweaty dance floors. The track celebrates love, friendship, and the feeling of infinity. Enjoy!

Together (Boys Get Hurt Remix) - Reflex (right click to save as)
Reflex | Boys Get Hurt

Twenty Thirteen

2013 must have been a great year for Royksopp, cause their tribute to the year is simply beautiful. I love the throwback style, the really high frequencies and really low frequencies cut so you just get that vintage middle frequency sound. The vocals by Jamie are beautiful, there's a refined and luxurious sense conveyed through them. Enjoy!

Twenty Thirteen Feat. Jamie Irrepressible (right click to save as)
Royksopp | Jamie Irrepressible

Big Bossa

This track comes with so much mojo I can't contain myself. The first go-round I wasn't sure if an early nintendo soundtrack was playing through my speakers or what? That caused me to take a closer listen and what was happening, and what I was listening to. Immediately the genius springs to life, the song is poised, soft, groovy, and pics from multiple eras for inspiration. I do love when a song features an organ, but this song is all organ, it's rare to find that. And if all that isn't enough, there's an epic video to go along with the song. Enjoy!

Big Bossa - Barry Morgan (right click to save as)
Barry Morgan

K-Dreamer

I'm still struck down by the beginning of this song. There's so much attitude in the first 30 seconds, my head can't stay still because of it. I have no idea what the lyrics are saying, but I love how they sound. The composition of this track is so fun, interesting, unique, and engaging. I'm transported to the islands, the street party, and the low rider all at once. Enjoy!

K-Dreamer - Spoonty (right click to save as)
Spoonty

Visual Dreams

I love a bit of trivia, who doesn't? I have been listening to this track since 2011, and about a year ago discovered that this was the instrumental behind a K-Pop song by the group Girl's Generation. I love the colorful sounds and the bubble feel that this instrumental comes with. It really makes sense now that this can match up to the cutesy voices of the K-Pop band, though that thought did not come to mind when I first heard this track. Enjoy!

Visual Dreams (Instrumental) - Robotaki (right click to save as)
Robotaki

Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds

I went through a major Beatles phase in high school, and have held onto the love of their music ever since. This cover does the song so much justice.  I love how they slowed it down, and built it up to a more epic experience.  The vocal effects pay homage to the original, and so does the passion. Enjoy!

Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds (The Beatles Cover) - The Flaming Lips (right click to save as)
The Flaming Lips