Tag Archives: 31 days of good

(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: 12.22.12

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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(31) Days of Good: 12.21.12

World didn’t end after all.  Ball’s in your court Mayan calendar.

 

curumin_arrocha

Brazilian artist Luciano Nakata Albuquerque, aka Curumin, has one of the most diverse backgrounds and unique styles in music today.  Born to Spanish and Japanese parents, he grew up in São Paulo and was influence by the sounds of Jorge Ben, Tim Maia, Bebeto, Run-RMC, and the B-52’s.  At only 8 years old, he formed his first rock band and he hasn’t looked back since.

♩Curumin – Selvage [from Arrocha]

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electric_guest_mondo

2012 was a breakout year for Electric Guest.  The Los Angeles-based indie pop duo released their debut studio album Mondo (produced by Brian Burton, aka Danger Mouse) and played a handful of the year’s biggest music festivals, including SXSW, Bonnaroo, Sasquatch, Montreux, Outside Lands, Splendour in the Grass, and more.

Electric Guest – This Head I Hold [from Mondo]
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geographer_myth

San Francisco’s Geographer is one of my favorite new discoveries.  They’ve been making music since 2008, when Michael Deni (vocals, guitars, synthesizers) moved from New Jersey, but it wasn’t until Paste premiered “Life of Crime” last December that I took notice.  With a self-described sound as being “soulful music from outer space”, the trio has been hard at work the last couple of years and it’s certainly paid off.

Geographer – Life of Crime [from Myth]
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islands-asleepaforgetting

Islands is one of my favorite bands of the last ten years.  The band’s latest album, A Sleep & a Forgetting, was released early in 2012 and inspired by the end of frontman Nicholas Thorburn’s marriage.  “This album is far more personal than any I’ve made before,” Thorburn explains. “I left New York after the end of a relationship and came to Los Angeles. There was a piano where I was staying and that’s where I wrote these songs. This record deals with loss, with memory and forgetting and with dreaming. I started writing it on Valentine’s Day and it’s coming out on Valentine’s Day.” (via ANTI-)

Islands – In A Dream It Seemed Real [from A Sleep & a Forgetting]
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princeton_rememberance_of_things_to_come

“The string pop music that Los Angeles-based Princeton has conjured up is reminiscent of Ra Ra Riot, but whereas the latter band has a frantic sense of urgency, the members of Princeton are content with laid-back tunes that mesh with the Southern California lifestyle.  One full length and a handful of EPs later, Princeton is back with their second LP Remembrance of Things to Come that showcases the weaving of East Coast prep school pop and sunny California road trip jams.” (via Paste)

Princeton – Remembrance of Things to Come [from Remembrance of Things to Come]
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(31) Days of Good: 12.20.12

explorers_club_grand_hotel

This six-piece from Charleston, South Carolina does a mighty fine job of channeling the Beach Boys (with a hint of the Ruby Suns mixed in).  They have a great “vintage California sound” that always seems to brighten up my day.

The Explorers Club – Run Run Run [from Grand Hotel]
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grizzly_bear_shields

It’s been three years since Edward Droste and company released the critically acclaimed and fan friendly Veckatimest.  This year the band released Shields, their fourth album.  This album didn’t just meet my expectations, it exceeded them.  “Half Gate” is easily one of my favorite Grizzly Bear tracks.  Probably second favorite (after “Two Weeks”).

♩Grizzly Bear – Half Gate [from Shields]

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m_ward_wasteland_companion

The seventh solo album from one of the best guitarists in the biz today (and  the “him” in She & Him)

♩M. Ward – Primitive Girl [from A Wasteland Companion]

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saint_motel_voyeur

Saint Motel are a Los Angeles four piece with a very fun and dynamic indie pop sound.  This year’s Voyeur is their debut full-length.

Saint Motel – 1997 [from Voyeur]
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tame_impala_lonerism

Australian rockers Tame Impala released their second full length this year.  This record was a surprise favorite of mine.  I’m not a huge fan of classic rock and even less so of the classic rock inspired sounds being produced today.  With that said, these guys have definitely lived up to the hype and I’m really happy I took a chance on them at Outside Lands this year.

Tame Impala – Why Won’t They Talk To Me? [from Lonerism]
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(31) Days of Good: 12.19.12

ab_soul_control_system

Part of the TDE crew of LA rappers including Schoolboy Q and Kendrick Lamar, Ab-Soul continues in the ways of socially conscience rappers like Mos Def. Be sure to check out his side project Black Hippy with his TDE label mates, and frequent collaborations with the likes of A$AP Rocky and Childish Gambino.

♩Ab-Soul – Illuminate (feat. Kendrick Lamar) [from Control System]

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nas_life_is_good

Life Is Good is Nas’ best album in some time featuring guest stars ranging from Rick Ross to Mary J. Blige. “A Queen’s Story” sounds as big as a film score with a string heavy beat under stories from the street.

♩Nas – A Queen’s Story [from Life Is Good]

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killer_mike_rap_music

El-P produced Killer Mike’s entire 2012 release R.A.P. Music, mixing the MC’s southern styling alongside El-P’s experimental production. This does not sound like Top 40 Hip-Hop and that is why we love it.

♩Killer Mike – Big Beast (feat. Bun B, T.I. & Trouble) [from R.A.P. Music]

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azealia_banks_1991_ep

Mixing house music and Hip-Hop, Banks has become arguably the best in a group of new female rappers to burst onto the scene in the past couple years. Banks is the real deal and could hold ground with any of her Harlem cohorts. She has been a muse of fashion legend Karl Lagerfeld and is currently in London working with Florence and The Machine producer, Paul Epworth.

Azealia Banks – 1991 (feat. Lazy Jay) [from 1991 EP]
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