Category Archives: 2012

(31) Days of Good: 12.26.12

chiddybang_breakfast

Philly hip hop duo Chiddy Bang released their debut LP this year (Breakfast) and with it continue to produce some of the most fun and original hip hop out there.

♩Chiddy Bang – Mind Your Manners (feat. Icona Pop) [from Breakfast]

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childish_gambino_royalty_cover

Collaborations with the likes of RZA, Danny Brown, Ab-Soul, Beck, and even Tina Fey, have made Childish Gambino’s (aka Donald Glover) latest mixtape yet another favorite of mine.  Download the entire mixtape for free here.  And see him live if you get the chance, one of my favorite shows of 2012.

♩Childish Gambino – R.I.P. (feat. Bun B) [from ROYALTY]

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el_p_cancer4cure

Jaime Meline, aka El-P, released his fourth studio album this year and continues to push the envelope of hip hop.

♩El-P – The Full Retard [from Cancer4Cure]

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hoodie_allen_cover

Hoodie Allen is one of hip hop’s rising stars.  He works’s super hard and deserves a proper listen, especially if you’re a fan of “alt-hip hop”.

♩Hoodie Allen – No Interruption [from All American]

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we_are_sore_losers

Sore Losers’ “Letter to My Competition” reminds me of good 90s hip hop (the album cover definitely fits the description).

♩Sore Losers – Letter to My Competition [from We Are Sore Losers]

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(31) Days of Good: 12.25.12

kishi_bashi_holiday_flexi

 

♩Ex Cops – Wonderful Christmas Time (Paul McCartney cover)

excopsband.com

 

♩The Head and The Heart – What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve [from Holidays Rule]

theheadandtheheart.com

 

♩Kishi Bashi – It’s Christmas But It’s Not White Here In Our Town [from Holiday Flexi Single]

kishibashi.com

 

♩Paul McCartney – The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire) [from Holidays Rule]

paulmccartney.com

 

♩Rufus Wainwright & Sharon Van Etten – Baby, It’s Cold Outside [from Holidays Rule]

rufuswainwright.com//sharonvanetten.com

 

♩Sufjan Stevens – Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas [from Silver & Gold: Songs For Christmas]

sufjan.com

 

♩The xx – Last Christmas (Live on BBC Radio 1’s Live Lounge)

thexx.info

 

♩Y La Bamba – Señor Santa (Mister Santa) [from Holidays Ruke]

ylabamba.com

 

And though this last track was definitely not releases in 2012, it wouldn’t be Christmas without some Darlene Love

♩Darlene Love – Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)

darleneloveworld.com

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

(31) Days of Good: 12.24.12

ellie_goulding_i_heart_santa

I’ve restrained myself until now, but it’s Christmas Eve and I can’t hold out any longer.  So without further ado, some holiday goodness for this most wonderful time of the year.  Happy Holidays everyone!  Have fun, be merry, stay safe.

 

♩Black Prairie feat. Sallie Ford – (Everybody’s Waitin’ For) The Man With The Bag [from Holidays Rule]

blackpraire.com//sallieford.com

 

♩Damien Jurado – Kalla Hus

damienjurado.com

 

♩Eleanor Friedberger – Santa, Bring My Baby Back (To Me) [from Holidays Rule]

eleanorfriedberger.com

 

♩Electric Guest – Holiday

electricguest.com

 

♩Ellie Goulding – All I Want For Christmas Is You (Mariah Carey cover)

elliegoulding.com

 

♩Fitz and The Tantrums – Santa Stole My Lady

fitzandthetantrums.com

 

♩French Horn Rebellion – Cold Enough (feat. Jody Watley) [from Love is Dangerous EP]

frenchhornrebellion.com//jodywatley.net

 

♩Parenthetical Girls – Rejoice! Rejoice! [from Good Christian Men Rejoice, It’s Parenthetical Girls]

parentheticalgirls.com

 

♩The Shins – Wonderful Christmastime [from Holidays Rule]

theshins.com

 

Tune it tomorrow for more holiday tunes.

(31) Days of Good: 12.23.12

regina_spektor_what_we_saw_from_the_cheap_seats

“’All the Rowboats’ is far and away the most powerful song on the record (if not the most powerful song Spektor has written to date), even if on first read-through of the lyrics, it’s about a depressing pass through a museum. A haunting piano piece does wonders to cut the soul. The piece rises and falls like a boat caught in a sea storm, and you feel trapped in both the calm and comparative chaos until it ends in what could be small explosions, holes being blasted out of the hull, ultimately sinking the ship and all hopes of survival.” (via PopMatters)

♩Regina Spektor – All the Rowboats [from What We Saw From The Cheap Seats]

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santigold_cover

“This record makes me want to purchase a pair of leopard print jeggings and twerk the night away.” (via Winnie Cooper)

Santigold – Disparate Youth [from Master of My Make-Believe]
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Sharon-Van-Etten-Tramp

“On the uplifting ‘Leonard,’ Van Etten couldn’t be more direct, singing in a gorgeous tangled web over banjo plucks and acoustic shuffle: ‘Well, well, hell / I am bad at loving.’ It may not sound like much read from a lyrics sheet, but sung in her raw, Jeff Buckley-meets-Neko Case-after-a-couple-packs-of-Marlboros croon, it sounds like a profound confession.” (via Paste)

Sharon Van Etten – Leonard [from Tramp]
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(31) Days of Good: 12.22.12

bloc_party_four

“It’s a jerky, dark, and layered record, complete with the kind of adept musical craftsmanship the London band first built its name on. On Four, Bloc Party learns the valuable lesson that sometimes the only way to move forward is to go back where you came from. And like a musical game of Jenga, the band rips out the pieces and starts again with equal parts precision, raw force, heart, and intellect.” (via Consequence of Sound)

♩Bloc Party – 3×3 [from Four]

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crystal_castles_III

“Every new album Crystal Castles release is lacking one thing: a name. Each self-titled entry is instead branded with a number—a good choice, considering each feels like a chapter in the same book, rather than a new novel itself…(III) is fantastically full of energy, jumping from gentle shoegaze or rave-worthy, coked-out beats like with no trouble.” (via Paste)

♩Crystal Castles – Child I Will Hurt You [from Crystal Castles (III)]

♩[bonus] Crystal Castles – Child I Will Hurt You (Joneses Remix) [via Soundcloud]
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hot_chip_in_our_heads

“Hot Chip has slowly grown more sincere and less self-consciously ironic, more romantic but no less nerdy. On In Our Heads, the band knits together references to sounds that made the band possible: Chicago house, Kraftwerk, funk, soft rock, soul. But it’s softer and heavier, an album that sounds like it was made by someone (or five someones) deeply in love.” (via NPR Music)

♩Hot Chip – Flutes [from In Our Heads]

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niki_and_the_dove_instinct_cover

“True to the album’s title, they’ve followed their instincts, crafting a set for themselves that just happens to be brilliant. Their love of pop is evident: from the wistful Italo-disco of the huge ‘DJ Ease My Mind’, to ‘The Drummer’s’ ABBA-like echoed vocals and ‘Somebody’ channelling Madonna’s ‘Lucky Star’, these songs are immediate, intricate and uplifting. Each demands revisiting from the moment it finishes.” (via BBC Music)

Niki & The Dove – Tomorrow [from Instinct]
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san_cisco_awkward

“San Cisco‘s very accurately titled EP, Awkward, is all about crossed signals, misread cues, and failure to take a hint. Heavy on the choruses and heavy on the drums, the Australian four piece delivers infectious pop in the vein of Blur and Vampire Weekend.” (via Surviving the Golden Age)

San Cisco – Awkward [from Awkward EP]
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taken_by_trees_other_worlds

“‘Dreams’ is quite simply a living and breathing moment of perfected love.  It is an orchestrated love story for the ages told by the strings, and the angelic vocals that massages your shoulders into a deep sleep and places you right into a dream world that you will never want to wake from.” (via Et Musique Pour Tous)

Taken By Trees – Dreams [from Other Worlds]
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tiny_victories_those_of_us_still_alive

“‘Mr Bones’ oozes with innovation but can be easily appreciated upon first listen…and the many repeats after that. It is incredible in accomplishing this one key aspect: It’s a song that can inspire the individual to not only believe but also compel that person to make the effort to pursue that desire. Given the romanticism of the song, there’s absolutely no doubt that this song will help make your summer.” (via Life After Nirvana)

Tiny Victories – Mr Bones [from Those Of Us Still Alive]
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