Category Archives: 31 days of good 2010

31 days of good 2010, music

(31) Days of Good: Day 15

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Today’s GOOD comes from three upcoming 2011 releases that i’m super excited about.

First up, the Swedish songstress Lykke Li.
Back in October, Lykke Li dropped her latest EP-project Get Some/Paris Blue. The A-side track, Get Some, has been getting most of the love (you can download the Beck remix here), but my favorite of the two is the B-side, Paris Blue. (Lykke Li’s new album, Wounded Rhymes, will be out sometime 2011)
Next up, probably my favorite noise-pop band these days, Deerhoof.
Deerhoof’s 10th studio album is set to be released in the US on January 25th, 2011, but back in early October, the band released the new track, The Merry Barracks, and if the rest of the album is anything like this, we’re in for quite the treat.
Lastly, one of my absolute favorite bands, The Go! Team.
The Go! Team’s last album, Proof of Youth, came out way back in 2007 and i’ve been patiently waiting for something new from the Brighton-based sextet since then. Their latest, Rolling Blackouts, is set to be released sometime next year and will feature collaborations with the likes of Satomi Matsuzaki (Deerhoof) and Bethany Cosentino (Best Coast). Needless to say, Rolling Blackouts is the album i’m most excited to hear in 2011 and without further ado, the lead-off track, T.O.R.N.A.D.O.


and be sure to check out 35mmBeats for more GOOD
31 days of good 2010, music

(31) Days of Good: Day 14

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What does a lo-fi, beach pop trio have in common with a British wonky pop artist? The man on the moon himself, Kid Cudi.
Both of today’s artists have done more than well for themselves, but there’s no denying the impact Cudi had when he collaborated with Best Coast and Rostam Batmanglij for the converse produced (yes, the shoe company) track, All Summer, and teamed up with Dan Black on the Symphonies EP and the deluxe edition of UN.
Along with the Cudi collaborations and some epic “photobombing“, Mr. Black has been super busy. He released Symphonies in the US at the end of 2009 and this year he toured the US and Canada, including stops at SXSW, Lollapalooza, and Austin City Limits.
2010 also saw the release of Black’s Weird Science mixtape. Like me, you probably associate mixtapes with hip hop, but Black proves pop artists can hang with the best of them. Check out my favorite from the tape below and then download the rest here.
Next up, one of the biggest buzz bands of 2010, Best Coast.
I’ll probably never understand why people long for LA, but I still dig Bethany Cosetino’s story and inspiration. While Ms. Cosetino attended college in NY, she would spend her days longing for the life she left behind in sunny LA. This longing created Best Coast and the debut full-length, Crazy for You, best described as beach blanket lo-fi pop songs about “summer and the sun and the ocean and being a lazy creep”
[BONUS]
Need more GOOD? 35mmBeats has you covered.
31 days of good 2010

(31) Days of Good: Day 13

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(lazy sunday = extra large post on monday)

I’ve pretty much been covering indie, pop, and some electronic music for the last 12 days, so I figured it was about time to branch out and feature some of the best hip hop of 2010.

Now it’s no secret that hip hop isn’t exactly my favorite genre. Don’t get me wrong though, I really enjoy good hip hop, unfortunately, most of what you hear on the radio and TV these days is complete trash. I don’t care if Kanye made a 35-minute film about beastiality, he’s still overrated. And don’t even get me started on Lil’ Wayne’s (over)use of auto-tune and douchebags, like Asher Roth.
But thanks to modern technology, lesser known hip hip artists have been able to produce some really good stuff and if it weren’t for music blogs and especially the The Hype Machine, I probably wouldn’t know about half of the hip hop on my iPod.
First up, the DC rapper Wale. Wale has been blowing up the hip hop scene and blogosphere with his mixtapes since 2005. Always busy at work, last year saw the release of his debut studio album, Attention Deficit, and his Back to the Feature mixtape. This year, he dropped yet another mixtape, More About Nothing, as well as today’s featured track, the oh so good freestyle, Hold You.
More at walemusic.com (you can download all the mixtapes here)
Next up, one of my favorites these days, Childish Gambino. You may be more familiar with his alter ego, the comedian/actor Donald Glover. Childish has been hard at work this year and has been garnering more and more attention for his indie music inspired mixtapes. Earlier this year saw the release of two must listen mixtapes—I Am Just A Rapper and I Am Just A Rapper 2. This year also saw the release of his third album, Culdesac, and quite a few live performances.
The I Am Just A Rapper mixtapes have been on constant repeat since they first dropped, which makes it’s really hard to pick just one favorite, so do yourself a favor and head on over to Mr. Gambino’s blog and download the mixtapes.
Like Mr. Gambino, these last two hip hop acts i’m featuring today don’t hide their love for indie music. Hoodie Allen is a NY based rapper and songwriter, with a penchant for candid storytelling and witty punchlines. Rapdragons are a Baltimore based hip hop duo with fresh lyrics, impressive beats, and huge hooks.
More at timeforthepeprally.com (you can download the complete album, Pep Rally, here)
More at rapdragons.ltdcomp.com (you can download all of Featuring Baltimore here and more)
Even more GOOD at 35mmBeats (and be sure to check out DAY 4 for more good hip hop from 2010)
31 days of good 2010, music

(31) Days of Good: Day 12

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The Drums are an indie pop band from Brooklyn and their self-titled debut was an instant favorite of mine after one listen.

With Morrissey-esque lyrics and a fun guitar pop sound, The Drums are a must add to your music library. Now technically, this track was released at the end of 2009, but it was re-released with the debut LP and is just too good not to feature this year.
Let’s Go Surfing is the perfect combination of surf rock and post-punk, and has some of the catchiest whistling since Peter, Bjorn, and John’s uber popular Young Folks.
(as a little bonus, i’ve also included the Ravoenettes remix)

The Drums – Let’s Go Surfing

More at thedrums.com
Surfer Blood is an indie rock band from West Palm Beach and 2010 saw the release of the these youthful Floridians debut, Astro Coast.
The band has been compared to the likes of Built to Spill, the Shines, Pavement, (good) Weezer, and even a bit of Interpol. I really dig the band’s casual lyrics, pop guitar work, and unexpected melodic turns.
My favorite track from Astro Coast has to be Take it Easy—a frantic and exciting track that perfectly shows off the band’s fluid style.
More at Myspace
And even more GOOD, courtesy of 35mmBeats
31 days of good 2010, music

(31) Days of Good: Day 11

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I’ve written about the next two artists before, so i’m going to keep this post relatively short (and i’m still sick…ugh).

This first pick comes from the album Anything That Moves by the LA band Snow & Voices. I really love this album and my favorite track is definitely Mistress. They’re working on a covers album right now, so stay tuned.
Purchase Anything That Moves via snowandvoices.com or iTunes
You can read my other Snow & Voices posts here and here.
Next up is Nashville singer/songwriter Tristen. Tristen’s debut full-length is due early 2011, but her 7”, Eager For Your Love, packs a whole lot of good in it’s three tracks. My favorite track is definitely the previously unreleased b-side, Cheatin.
You can download the entire 7” for free at Tristen.com.
You can read my other Tristen post and enter to win physical copy of Eager For Your Love and tour poster here.
And be sure to visit 35mmbeats for even more GOOD.