Category Archives: music

(31) Days of Good//12.15.17

Easily my favorite song of 2017. I’ve probably listened to this song 500 times and counting and it never gets old. And with lyrics like this, “What’s a song without you? When every song I write is about you,” it’s impossible not to sing-along.

Future Islands – Ran [from The Far Field]
[future-islands.com]

 

Of all the great tracks of 2017, this sly ballad from Allie X’s sophomore effort is the one I returned to almost as much as Future Island’s “Ran.” The snappy production and sweet-sounding melody conceal a breakup ballad that I can listen to over, and over, and over again. And if for some weird reason you grow tired with this track, i’ve also included the unplugged version for your listening pleasure.

Allie X – Need You (feat. Valley Girl) [from CollXtion II]
Allie X – Need You (Unplugged)
[alliex.com]

 

I’m always excited for new material from The Go! Team, but this track has my expectations at peak levels.

The Go! Team – Semicircle Song [single]
[thegoteam.co.uk]

 

“The feeling that we have everything at our fingertips and have no idea what to do with it all is the overarching narrative of Everything Now, as Butler elaborates in the title track: ‘Every room in my house is filled with shit I couldn’t live without… Every inch of space in my heart is filled with something I’ll never start.’ The album completely revolves around the title track, too, as it opens with ‘Everything_Now (Continued)’ and closes with ‘Everything Now (Continued),’ slight variations on the same theme incorporating portions of lyrics from the title track. When the album is played on ‘repeat,’ segue perfectly into one another, morphing Everything Now into a mobius strip of (you guessed it) infinite content. As brainwashing goes, it’s genius—and as a piece of art, Everything Now is not only worthwhile but rather brilliant. (via Paste)

Arcade Fire – Everything Now [from Everything Now]
[everythingnow.com]

 

#31days2017

(31) Days of Good//12.14.17

Wolf Alice – Don’t Delete The Kisses [from Visions Of A Life]
[wolfalice.co.uk]

 

Loney Dear – Sum [from Loney Dear]
[loneydear.com]

 

Curtis Harding – Wednesday Morning Atonement [from Face Your Fear]
[curtisharding.com]

 

King Krule – Czech One [from The Ooz]
[kingkrule.co.uk]

 

#31days2017

(31) Days of Good//12.13.17

A few of my favorite covers from 2017. Am I missing any of your favorites?

Sharon Van Etten – The End of the World (Skeeter Davis cover) [from Resistance Radio: The Man in the High Castle Album]
[sharonvanetten.com]

 

Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton – American Dream (LCD soundsystem cover) [single]
[emilyhaines.com]//[lcdsoundsystem.com]

 

Moving Units – Disorder (Joy Division cover) [from A Tribute to Joy Division: Collision with Joy Division]
[facebook.com/MovingUnits]//[joydivisionofficial.com]

 

Day Wave & Hazel English – PDA (Interpol cover) [single]
[daywavemusic.com]//[hazelenglish.com]

 

Rogue Wave – Let My Love Open the Door (Pete Townshend cover) [from Cover Me]
[roguewavemusic.com]//[petetownshend.net]

 

Japandroids – Love –> Building On Fire (Talking Heads cover) [from Near To The Wild Heart Of Life]
[japandroids.com]//[talking-heads.nl]

 

♩ Middle Kids – All the Small Things (Blink-182 cover) [from Amazon Acoustics]

[middlekidsmusic.com]//[blink182.com]

 

Grandaddy – Love Hurts (The Everly Brothers cover) [from Resistance Radio: The Man in the High Castle Album]
[grandaddymusic.com]

 

The Blow – Greatest Love of All (Whitney Houston/George Benson cover) [from Brand New Abyss]
[theblow.org]//[whitneyhouston.com]//[georgebenson.com]

 

Jim James – I Just Wasn’t Made For These Times (The Beach Boys cover) [from Tribute To 2]
[jimjames.com]//[thebeachboys.com]

 

Benjamin Gibbard – Is This Music? (Teenage Fanclub cover) [from Bandwagonesque]
[benjamingibbard.net]//[teenagefanclub.com]

 

CHVRCHES – Call It Off (Tegan and Sara cover) [from Tegan And Sara Present The Con X: Covers]
[chvrch.es]//[teganandsara.com]

 

#31days2017

(31) Days of Good//12.12.17

“Katie Von Schleicher layers her beautiful voice over a bed of warped and magical sounds. She says she wrote this on a quiet spring evening, windows open, at the piano. When I got to the refrain, I felt better. The chords open up and the tension releases. I’m vulnerable, asking, ‘Do I hold my life?’ But the lyrics affirm a confidence I’ve just spent an album searching for, and they’ll guide me into the next one.” (via NPR Music)

Katie Von Schleicher – Sell It Back [from Shitty Hits]
[katievonschleicher.bandcamp.com]

 

Love this tune…even though I feel guilty everytime I listen as I walk around with my headphones on and avoid human contact.

London O’Connor – NOBODY HANGS OUT ANYMORE [from O∆]
[londonoconnor.bandcamp.com]

 

I know very little about Abadabad. I know the band released their debut EP (The Wild) five years ago. I know they released their follow-up LP (Touch the Feel) earlier this year. I know I dig the lead single “10 Fingers.” Here’s what the band has to say about “10 Fingers” and their latest LP – “The song serves as an invitation to the new sonic architecture of Abadabad, evolving from the lo-fi bedroom sound of The Wild EP into something more alive. The instrumentation and arrangement were inspired by the recording space. Mystic Steamship Co. in Arlington, MA (now Love Magnet in Roxbury) was a small tape studio below a salon in Arlington Center. Ian Doerr’s (producer/engineer) hyper-specific drum sounds and ‘playing’ of the tape delay create the swirling, psychedelic environment that the song lives and breathes in. ’10 Fingers’ was the first song to be recorded for Touch The Feel and laid the foundation for further explorations into the aesthetic and sound, both live and in the studio.”

Abadabad – 10 Fingers [from Touch the Feel]
[abadabad.bandcamp.com]

 

A wistful track with driving synths, stimulating production, and polished basslines. Indie Shuffle really sums it up best – “I would have just said this song makes me feel like making pottery with Patrick Swayze, but that’s a far better and more poetic way to sum up just how spooky-groovy-cool ‘Susan’ really is. (via Indie Shuffle)

Jack Ladder & The Dreamlanders – Susan [single]
[jackladderandthedreamlanders.com]

 

#31days2017

(31) Days of Good//12.11.17

An indie/lo-fi project from Men I Trust’s Emma. Her first single, “Your Name,” is a looping experiment of raw and electronic sounds with hazy vocals.

Bernache – Your Name [single]
[facebook.com/emmabernache]

 

Deptford Goth, the electronic R&B alias of Daniel Woolhouse, creates atmospheric music that flows with sentiment and sorrow. “Weirder in Here” is no exception.

Deptford Goth – Weirder in Here [single]
[deptfordgoth.com]

 

“‘Jumbo Jet,’ a reflective cut, sends the listener off to a distant place beyond where their mind currently resides. The warm track is sharply executed with the pivotal lyrics, This is just the beginning/And this is just a start, that reveals the band’s renewed approach as they glance onward.” (via GIGsoup)

Shout Out Louds – Jumbo Jet [from Ease My Mind]
[shoutoutlouds.com]

 

A Late-night slow jam and one of the many stand out tracks from the UK producer’s debut album.

Mura Masa – Blu (feat. Damon Albarn) [from Mura Masa]
[muramasa.me]

 

#31days2017