It’s hard to believe but it’s been over two years since HCK!’s first offering. We’ve come a long way, the growth is apparent, looking back at those first posts is a rad experience realizing just how tangible of a difference between then and now there is and how many people have helped to make this one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. This also marks the 100th post for HCK! making today’s mix all that more important for me to get right. Continue reading →
I’m starting to believe I may have the plague; 30 hrs straight in bed with no end in sight. At least I know who the douche was to give me this little gift of death, if someone sees that Shane Sweeting punch him in the face.
Most people load themselves up on Nyquil and vitamin C, I on the the other hand take advantage of my situation. So far today I’ve nearly drank three pots of coffee and have downloaded two gigs of music:) if my internet goes down then I’ll start complaining.
Hopefully by the middle of next week I’ll have the coveted Fall Playlist up. I’ve got the songs gathered I’ve just got to find a way of narrowing the four hundred songs in my own personal fall mix down to twenty-five to pass along. It’s coming I promise.
So here are the download worthy songs I’ve compiled this week:
The title track off of their self-titled EP from this unsigned band out of Chicago who I’ve yet to see live. Hopefully they’ll stop by Indy in the near future so i can change that.
By now it’s not much of secret how impressed I have been by “Shut-Up.” I’m not sure what else I could do to promote that track (Heycoolkid.net, Listen Before You Buy) but I’m trying. “The Human Condition,” the title track off of Jhameel’s self-released EP, shows again how well he uses his vocals to carry and shift the rhythm of a song. His range is incredible, I can’t remember ever even caring about someone’s “range” that’s how much he impresses me, it has something to do with how his vocals are merely part of the song rather than the focal point. How everything blends so well amongst itself is what capture me the most about this track. That and we get a vibe from the song that is quite askew from what should be given off if we were only to take in the content of the lyrics. If you want more head over to his website and pick the EP up for free yourself.
It’s taken me a minute but I’m adjusting to Gobble Gobble’s new name. I still prefer the original and think that the change wasn’t necessary. They make great music though so it really doesn’t make much of a difference, Born Gold just seems so pretentious. This is the single they’re pushing off of the upcoming Bodysongs album coming out on Sept 9 which will include Heycoolkid! favorites Lawn Knives and Boring Horror, I’m yet to find if the re-release will be new versions or not, I do know that they are working on the Lawn Knives Video as I type which I am stoked about so you can be sure I’ll put it up on the facebook page the second it touches the internet.
This is my favorite track from Sound Kapital. The day where simple yet embracing lyrics like “I feel alone, I feel Alright” don’t connect will probably be the end of my love for music and the things it helps me get through. Handsome Furs just continue doing what they do best, which is prove why I hate Canadian music…because it’s so damn good.
Pat Grossi first came onto the scene last year with his highly praised “Curtis Lane EP” that bloggers couldn’t get enough of, myself included. Active Child’s debut album “You Are All I See” came out on Monday and perpetuates what he started a year ago. This is how good Chillwave can be and indie at it’s finest.
I’ve had this song slated to add on a playlist for weeks but have been waiting for the video to go viral before doing so. They started leaking photos from the shoot and two things immediately hit me; one this video could be amazing and two I’ve never been annoyed more by a slow leak. So today the “America’s Son” video has officially been released and I’m instantly in love. I didn’t think it would hold up to my own hype but it exceeds it. Honestly it makes the song better and that is a rare thing indeed. The video actually chokes me up, i could try to explain why but I think once you’ve watched it yourself you’ll completely understand and if not it probably wouldn’t be worth the effort to try.
Audio milk described the Youth Lagoon debut album as “…lush arrangements that travel through his nostalgia while capturing a deep sense of yearning…” which is completely fitting (I think I want something similar as my epitaph). “Montana” drifts and drifts and draws you in slowly then explodes into an unresolved mass of emotion. Hope you dig it as much as I do.
I stumbled upon The Traveling Band a few weeks ago when I caught a live video of them performing “Sundial.”I’ve been getting more and more into them each day since. This is my second favorite song thus far, sundial still remaining numero uno for the time being.
Conrad Plymouth put out an EP earlier today of b-sides that didn’t make the upcoming album. Really? If these songs aren’t good enough to make the cut how incredible is the LP going to be? It’s a name your price thing so if you want it for free you can have it for that but if you want to show how much the songs are truly worth you may have to hold a kickstarter to raise the funds. Once again this was brought to my attention by Tim Showalter on his Strand Of Oaks page who refuses let anything Conrad Plymouth go unnoticed. That dude is nearly as good at noticing great bands before everyone else does as he is at creating music.
How it has happened I’m not sure but this is the first time I’ve featured a song from Pomegranates. I caught these guys at Locals Only a few years ago and have kept my ear in their direction ever since. They were so subtle live and passive, letting the songs breathe and be themselves so each song came across immensely impressive. This song showed up on My Old Kentucky Blog last week and reminded me how I’ve neglected one of my Midwestern favorites.
I’m rather new to Mad Atlantic. Kaelin Bougneit obviously has been influenced by Ben Gibbard and probably the whole year of 2005 and some neutral milk or more likely some band that was influenced by neutral milk. What I’m getting at is there are underlying influences that come across on “Take A Minute And Just Dance” that are far from obvious yet familiar enough that you know instantly whether it’s something you enjoy or not, i definitely enjoy it.
If this song touches radio, which inevitably it will, each and every one of us promoting Lana Del Rey are going to regret how great this song is. If you want to enjoy this song with like-minded people who appreciate music for the artistic aspect you better get to an LDR show soon because next year expect to hear conversations about “America’s Next Top Model” and “Jersey Shore” being shouted over her other songs and then watch those same kids go nuts when this one comes on. It’s a horrible tangent about great music like this, it’s so good we can’t keep it to ourselves and eventually we have to either leave it or appear amongst mainstream followers. I’m going to enjoy it while I can.
This is me attempting to make up for being late to the party with Stornoway. There isn’t a single song from them that I haven’t fallen in love with. Not a single one! If you haven’t given them a chance I can’t help but ask why not.
I’m closing this weeks’ playlist by letting the song speak for itself. IMR make great emotion driven music, “hollis” is a good example. I’ll leave it at that.
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All songs are for promotion purposes only. If you like what you hear make the effort to get a physical copy or at least go to see the band when they are in town which is even more important. If you are/represent an artist on this page and would like it removed, all you have to do is ask. I honestly believe the art is more important than the artists and will make sure to let everyone know that you disagree with that philosophy.
As if we needed another reason to love Strand Of Oaks.
Hear Ya just put out a Strand Of Oaks session. No need to tell you how great the session is because it’s Strand Of Oaks but i will say tim showalter did out-do himself by covering one of damien jurado’s amazing songs. It took me a few seconds to buy in to this version of ohio since it’s much more stripped down, but by dropping the rhythm aspect of the original picking style Tim’s version brings out a desperation in the song that before had just been an undercurrent. Hope you guys like it as much as i do, it’s depressingly perfect. Good thing there’s not a strand of oaks cover of medication out there, i’m not sure i’d be able to type through the tears.
Since it seems the entire midwest is trapped under an old testament act of god, here’s what’s helping me stop myself from accomplishing anything remotely productive.
1.Eric &MaGill- Old Man Winter
Michigan’s history of bands that perfectly craft captivating minimalistic ambiant hyms is more than enough reason to give Eric and Magill a try, they far from disappoint. Plus Tim Showalter’s been pushing these guys like it’s his job (and for good reason)
For some reason every time this song comes on i immediately imagine myself coming home late at night with a car full of sleeping friends from some epic road trip. Which makes this song more than fitting for today’s playlist…words can’t describe how much i’d rather be on a summer road trip with friends instead of knowing there’s nearly a foot of suck just outside my window.
It seems that people say one of two things when i bring up the love language: The first being that Libraries was one of the best albums to come out last year (made number one on my list) or the second being that they haven’t heard of them which usually prompts me to offer them twenty dollars to burn their nickleback shirts and to try out some real music for once (the second isn’t really true because if i were to see someone in a nickleback shirt I can only imagine i’d be more likely to pray for them than to strike up a conversation about music)
It amazes me these guys are still floating under the radar. The North EP is short and perfectly sweet. They are on my must see live list for this year.
The Head and the heart are my favorite band out . I can’t get enough of their songs. They just signed with sub pop about a month ago which basically means they’re about to conquer the world. They’ll be here in Indy with Iron and Wine in april (um YESSS!!!!)
I was listening to High Highs’ version of this song for a couple of months before i even heard the original, at first i wasn’t sure which i liked better but the original definitely draws out a rawer emotion than high highs. I’m sure if i’d listened to Wild Nothing sooner i wouldn’t even be bringing up the high highs version but there will always be a special place in my heart for any cover song that effectively shifts the overall feel of a song.
Sun Airway is another band that’s been stuck in rotation on my ipod. And every time i become passive to one of these guys’ songs another one comes up for me to fall in love with. my addiction has gone in the order as follows oh, naoko-waiting on you-put the days away
8.Dale Earnhardt jr. jr- Vocal Chords (Diego And The Dissidents Remix)
Does anyone remember those dinosaurs we had as kids that were really tiny pieces of somewhat rubber and then you’d put them in a sink full of water and they’d grow more and more each day, i actually had trouble sleeping once as a kid because i thought it was going to grow to such a size that it wouldn’t fit in my bathroom anymore and then would probably become a real life blue triceratops that i could take with me on “bring your pet to school day” in the second grade. Although i never ended up with my own blue dinosaur Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. are like that for me and if i had to put my finger on this version is kind of like the water.
It seems like every blog I’ve come across has been completely infatuated by jamaica. I didn’t care for their band name so i didn’t give them a chance last year. i know it’s one of the lamest reasons not to listen to a band but occasionally i succumb to it. I should have learned my lesson after Margot was already signed before i gave them a chance. Which was a huge loss for me seeing how they haven’t made an album i’ve appreciated since dust of retreat [which is hands down one of the best albums made in my lifetime] . In my defense i wasn’t twenty one when they were playing the local scene so outside of the occasional nuvo article praising them as the greatest thing to happen in indy since Ryan Adams was spotted at the bagel Deli i was underexposed.
Another solo artist creating amazing music after helping create amazing music just in a different way (?!?) and just like Bon Iver he was once part of megafaun and although Bon Iver seems to create just as much good in either outlet Conrad Plymouth’s strength is on his own. Which makes it a trifecta win for all of us who’ve been paying attention.
Just when i think i’m ready to throw this album on the shelf i find myself addicted to another track. As of late it’s sprawlII partially because i can’t get enough of regine’s voice which is always used too sparingly on their albums and partially because of whenever they do have her sing it puts their music in a whole different genre.either way the lyrics are arcade fireishly perfect (as always).
Arcade fire- Sprawl II (mountains beyond mountains
So For a while there i felt like i no longer was into lcd. Then out of nowhere i got hooked again. I know this song is years old but it’s new to me and the lyrics are perfectly fitting for where i’m at in life.
I heard about these guys maybe three years ago and have heard absolutely nothing else since a friend put them on a mix for me, meh it happens, Still this is what i’m thinking about with the holy cussing snowsuck outside so i’m putting it on todays playlist.
