I owe an apology to everyone for slacking last week and not having a playlist up. I’m now part of the Listen Before You Buy family doing “New Music” posts and this is my first week involved with them it’s something I’m excited about. Having never cared about editing or formatting and only about getting solid tracks out for people to hear has been different. So far it’s a little more stressful than I’m use to feeling from music but once I settle in I’m sure I’ll enjoy it.
Don’t think that anything will be lacking on this end because there’s enough great music coming out to go around and my focus has always been on creating playlists while there’s is on being the first place you go to for individual songs, videos, and honest motivation on what albums are worth picking up. I highly respect them so it’s a great feeling to be a part of it.
I would also like to make sure to give a huge THANK YOU to The Meaty Sauce Review for making my week exponential better with their Heycoolkid! mention in their recent post.
Every week I set out with the thought process that I’m only going to do ten song playlists so i can post more often and have each person that hits on the site less likely to skip over a great song. The problem is I’ve got so use to the 20-22 songs that can fit onto a cd when making a playlist for a friend/cruise/adventure that it’s almost impossible for me to create something with the right flow to it with only ten songs and that’s how I’m defending myself for the following twenty-five songs. [anyone know how to put up zip files I NEED HELP my knowledge of music is far stronger than my knowledge of working the internet. I'm getting better though... I think]
Take the effort to download these tracks because each song is more than worth it:
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Scattered Trees – “A Conversation About Death On New Years Eve” [mp3]
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The way this song slow builds itself and jumps off at the chorus is more than great. This is one of those tracks that i catch myself unconsciously singing along with at four in the morning, i should probably ask my roommates if they notice since I’m doing it with my headphones on. Find out more about Scattered Trees here.
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Colossal Gospel – “Bitter Man” [mp3]
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If your a fan of Fleet Foxes i feel like Colossal Gospel should be a band you start paying attention to since they carry many similarities yet with a more upbeat touch.
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.I’ve tried taking the name out of the equation to approach this song from a different angle but even with that i can’t help but be drawn towards how much this sounds like a modern touch on Simon and Garfunkel’s “Cecilia”. I wish more bands could channel S&G the way Luke Temple has with “Ophelia”. Bon Iver being the only recent artist that comes to mind, possibly Local Natives but maybe I’m just thinking of their phenomenal cover they did.
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Baby Monster -”The Fear Of Charlie Sunrise” [mp3]
With my first post on Listen Before You Buy I chose Baby Monster’s song/video for “The Fear Of Charlie Sunrise” and for good reason. I focused on the undercurrent in that post but when taking in the lyrics and the oh so amazing overall sound of this song there’s a lot less longing involved and whole lot more just down right upbeat indie perfection. Check the post out here I’m rather content with it and it would mean the world to me to know you guys are getting a chance to see what else I’ve got my hands in right now.
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Arctic Death – “Basement Stars” [mp3]
.Solid rock at it’s finest. Arctic Death just dropped their self titled album at the beginning of July. Take a chance to listen through the tracks over on bandcamp I think you’ll find the motivation to get the album for yourself.
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Dead North – “Spot Remover” [mp3]
“Spot Remover” makes me think of a more garage based Alkaline Trio or Themovielife. There will always be a special place in my emo heart for bands that find a way to channel that early 2000′s energy in songwriting without making themselves come across like some throwback nostalgic carbon copy. Dead North have their own sound that is anything but a copy of anything other than solid music.
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Greater Thieves – “Nothing To Do With Space” [mp3]
There are still bands creating great shoegaze and Greater Thieves are one of them. I’d actually thought this track was an instrumental and in the process of just letting it drift on through my speakers realized that “Nothing To Do With Space” lets in on some sparse lyrics that allow this song to develop into something that’s complete and completely fitting to have on at four in the morning. Pick up their entire self titled EP for free over at Bandcamp.
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Young Buffalo – “Only We Can Keep You From Harm” [mp3]
I’ve been kicking myself ever since my first Young Buffalo post for having introduced these guys with a cover. Be it an amazing cover it still hardly does justice to how phenomenal, not to mention genre crossing, this band truly is. Young Buffalo are one of the very few bands where every song sounds different and nearly indistinguishable to tell that it’s them by merely listening. Having three members who take turns with the front man position from track to track obviously helps with this. This track starts off with a very Fever Ray vibe and completely switches the tone with the onset of their rhythm section.
One major strength of Young Buffalo is their strength live here’s a video to demonstrate.
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Boy + Kite – “Think In Stereo” [Mp3]
The list of great summer songs to come out this year is nearly impossible to keep up with.I wish that I would have caught “Think In Stereo” back in June rather than the tail end of August…better late than never I guess. This one from Boy + Kite is good enough to carry over to next year though so it’s not really a loss.
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Grand Hallway – “Apple Tree”[Mp3]
“Apple Tree” may be my favorite track on this weeks mix. If you haven’t figured out by now my full on passion is for any song that is ideal for driving late at night and stirs up a bit of forgotten sadness. Some people avoid it, some people make it a point at least not to surround themselves with it. I choose to embrace it and Grand Hallway flourish in it.
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The best thing Feist has ever done was stepping out from Broken Social Scene and showing us what she’s capable of. Up until this point i thought i had figured her out but “The Park” has me questioning what i had limited myself to believe she was and more importantly was not capable of. With “The Park” she has stripped away the pop sensibility that she carries with such ease, turns out that’s not the only cross she can bare. I get teared up each time i hear this song and it’s her voice that does it, the way she draws so much emotion with those fragile vocal chords of hers. Someone give her a hug.
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Saintseneca – “Grey Flag” [Mp3]
I made a huge error last weekend when i passed up going to this show. The amazing Accordians had a house show in Fountain Square along with Saintseneca that I had originally planned on attending. Like happens from time to time my friends backed out for something much lamer and left me to make the decision of going to this show alone or not. Normally I can more than enjoy myself at a show alone, the chances of running into a friend is likely and if not I’m not typically one that minds going out on my own. House shows are the only exception i can think of because who really wants to be in someones house with twenty people you don’t know feeling awkward chain smoking and staring at your phone? I will always regret choosing not to go because on Monday i finally took the time to check out the Saintseneca tracks i had downloaded. WOW! Thats the only word that comes close to describing what i instantly thought about this band from Columbus,OH. I have pulled up some live videos and continue to be impressed. DOWNLOAD THIS SONG! That’s not a request. This band is everything that can be right in music. I guarantee I won’t miss seeing them play in town again.
Here’s what I missed and hopefully you won’t:
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Gold Leaves – “Cruel And Kind” [Mp3]
“Cruel and Kind” has a steady pace that just edges you along in passive comfort. Seems like it would be more than fitting to add onto and independent film’s soundtrack, that’s what i’m hearing with each play anyways. Get to know Gold Leaves a little better over at facebook.
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Kites With Lights – “Cosmonauts” [Mp3]
Every day this week when riding my bike to work I have started off with “Cosmonauts”. This may not seem like something worth mentioning but it really is because i never repeat listen. My ride to and from work is the only time i get to relax while listening to the songs that i’ve enjoyed each day, the only chance i get to really experience them. I noticed on day one that this song gives off that eighties movie vibe that is in the action/music scene which is a great way to get you motivated about going into work (think Iron Eagle when pappy gets told to shove his rules “i’m doing it my way” and slips the tape in, the opening scene with the feet from footloose, or i’m trying to think of a good dirtbike/bmx scene from a movie but have drawn a blank- you get the idea though). I guess what i’m trying to say is Kites With Lights have created a song which is a perfect track for doing shit.
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Is it just me or do Yacht remind you of what Matt and Kim would be like if they quit worrying about being “scene” and looking “hip”. I just hope yachts don’t follow along the same path. (Congratulations M&K for making me eat my words for supporting you guys by taking part in that Garbage of a song for converse. Andrew WK? Soulja Boy? Hope you’re proud! Converse is owned by Nike so if you think you’re going to soften this blow with “chuck taylors” it’s not happening… sell-outs. At least your songs fit in well with the scenes on “The Hills”)
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Typically i rank R&B/Soul right next to reggae and drum circles on my list of music I don’t appreciate. Jamie Woon for some reason breaks through the misconceptions I have about his chosen genre to mix into his usually more dubstepish tracks and gets me to at least admit that, although few there are still people making decent music within the genre.
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Neon Indian – “Polish Girl” [Mp3]
My slack in staying up to date on Heycoolkid! has made me just another part of the machine on this one instead of being ahead of the curve but i don’t even think that is of importance since it is Neon Indian and there is going to be blog hype behind whatever he puts out no matter what, being first holds no significance this time.
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Junior Boys – “Banana Ripple” (Stay+ Remix) [Mp3]
As a fan of both the Junior Boys and Stay+ this song just feels right to me.
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Pictureplane – “Post Physical” [Mp3]
Travis Egedy comes across as one of the most natural, and at the same time comfortable, electronic artists around. He manages to prove what he’s capable of without it being forced or unnatural, i wish every person who sets out to mix up something electro were able to do the same thing.
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After looking over the Leagues website and seeing the kind of background these guys have I a suspicion it won’t be long before i regret posting this song. It just seems like Leagues has “Big” commercial radio ambitions and there is no denying with the catchiness and mainstream structure this song carry’s that it is very likely I will be sick of this song, and the people who will get into, before the year is out (think Foster the People). Still the song is good and enjoyable at this point so there’s no reason i shouldn’t give Leagues a fair shake.
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Fool’s Gold – “Street Clothes” [Mp3]
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Anyone else dig when cute girls turn out to be super talented and creative? Just from what I’ve heard from her so far I’ve come to the conclusion that as long as she doesn’t secretly love Kid Rock or have an obsession with Jersey Shore we may actually be meant to be. But then again people like Jenn Mierau have standards which rules me out either way:) At least I can be a fan.
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Cymbals Eat Guitar – “Definite Darkness” [Mp3]
Taking second only to Yu(c)k on my shows I’m stoked about list, Cymbals Eat Guitar will be here on October 22 with Hooray For Earth (!). “Definite Darkness” doesn’t do much to show how great these guys are on their instruments (or at least not as much as previous recordings have- but it does show case how solid of songs they are capable of making. I do without a doubt love the vocals on this track quite possibly more than any other CEG song. I am completely ready to sweat with these guys in October.
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The Roadside Graves – “Love Me More”[mp3]
Songs that speak for themselves should not be this rare. What can i say that you won’t figure out in three minutes on your own? If you think of something let me know and I’ll edit but I don’t see it ever happening. I hope there are bands taking notes from The Roadside Graves at this moment.d
[Also here a cover from Roadside Graves that is one of my favorite covers of all-time The Roadside Graves - "Boy In The Yard (Odawas Cover)" [Mp3]
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Sandro Perri – Futureactive Kid pt 1 [Mp3]
Sandro Perri helped create the level of recognition that experimental-electronic music has now reached and still proves that he has a place firmly planted in the psyche of modern indie music. “Impossible Spaces”, his first album in five years, comes out on Oct 18th.
