Tag Archives: 31 days of good

2012, 31 days of good, music

(31) Days of Good: 12.3.12

Leave a comment

Since starting this blog three years ago, I’ve been introduced to some really cool electronic music and i’ve really started to enjoy this genre more and more.  I tend to lean more towards the ambient, cinematic stuff, but i’ve been casually expanding my electronic horizons over the years.  So now that i’ve lowered the bar, and you’re aware i’m definitely not a connoisseur of electronic music, please consider these tracks as some of the year’s best electronic music.  And if you’re reading this and saying to yourself, “I hate electronic music”, at the very least you need to give Blackbird Blackbird a shot.  This guy is amazing and he just keeps getting better.  This year’s Boracay Planet is his best yet.

 

♩Blackbird Blackbird – It’s A War [from Boracay Planet]
web//facebook//twitter//soundcloud//bandcamp//iTunes

 

♩Burial – Loner [from Kindred EP]
myspace//facebook//twitter//soundcloud//iTunes

 

♩Dan Deacon – USA I: Is a Monster [from America]
web//facebook//twitter//shows//iTunes

 

♩Lindstrøm – Fāār-i-kāāl [from Smalhans]
web//blog//facebook//twitter//soundcloud/shows//iTunes

 

♩Mux Mool – Baba [from Planet High School]
web//facebook//twitter//soundcloud//iTunes

 

♩Sweet Valley – Final Zone [from Stay Calm]
web//facebook//twitter//soundcloud//shows//iTunes

 

♩Teen Daze – Late [from All of Us, Together]
web//facebook//twitter//soundcloud//shows//bandcamp//iTunes

 

2012, 31 days of good, music

(31) Days of Good: 12.2.12

Leave a comment

Baltimore’s Beach House continue to impress with each and every release.  This year’s Bloom might be their best yet.  It’s definitely my personal favorite from the duo and one my top 10 favorite albums of 2012, which makes it incredibly difficult to pick one favorite.  Bloom is one of those records you can listen to start to finish, over and over again.  “Myth” was my first taste of Bloom and it’s an incredible leadoff track.  “Lazulli” is simply magical…or what I like to describe as “Legend of Zelda” meets dream pop.  Ultimately, I have to go with “On the Sea”.  Now this is just me, but this song makes me happy and nostalgic.  Whenever I listen, I can’t help but take trips down memory lane.  I also really love the “Rainbow Connection”-esque piano in the beginning, and how it delicately builds and builds, but never really bursts.

♩ Beach House – On the Sea [from Bloom]
web//facebook//twitter//shows//iTunes

 

I’ve been a fan of Brooklyn’s Yellow Ostrich for a couple of years now and I love what these guys are doing.  They have such a cool and authentic sound, simply calling them indie rock doesn’t do them justice.  The band had a big year.  The band’s biggest highlight this year was the release of Strange Land — an impressive, and surprisingly sophisticated, guitar-heavy pop record.  And along with touring extensively all year, the band also found time to release a great EP — Ghost.  If you haven’t given Yellow Ostrich a proper listen, you’re missing out.

♩ Yellow Ostrich – Marathon Runner [from Strange Land]
web//facebook//twitter//soundcloud//shows//iTunes

 

It comes as no surprise to those that know me, or read this here blog, that I am a big fan of The Antlers.  They released a full-length, Burst Apart, and an EP, (together), last year.  I figured they’d take this year off, God knows they deserve it.  Lucky for me, and the rest of the fans, the band surprised us with a fantastic new EP, Undersea.

♩ The Antlers – Drift Drive [from Undersea]
web//facebook//twitter//shows//iTunes

2012, 31 days of good, music

(31) Days of Good: 12.1.12

Leave a comment

(31) Days of Good 2012 has officially begun.  Enjoy the ride.

 

After fifteen years making music with Death Cab For Cutie, 2012 saw the release of lead singer Ben Gibbard’s debut solo album (as Benjamin Gibbard) — Former Lives.  I enjoyed this album quite a bit, it was a good change of pace from Gibbard’s more familiar Death Cab material.  One track in particular really stands out from the rest.  “Bigger than Love”, a duet with Aimee Mann (new album Charmer out this year as well) is based on real quotes and love letters between F. Scott Fitzgerald and his wife, Zelda.  This is one of the most devastatingly, beautiful songs i’ve ever heard and very well may be my favorite track of 2012; definitely in my top 10.  It also really makes me want a full album of Mann/Gibbard duets.

According to Gibbard, “I really fell in love with a book of letters called Dear Scott, Dearest Zelda that is correspondences between the two of them beginning in their courtship and ending at the end of their lives, you know, when he was out in Los Angeles working as screenwriter and she was in Ashville in a mental facility.  And it’s a really wonderful, really touching book, because no matter what stage of a relationship one might be in, it is inspiring to kind of read the correspondence between two people throughout their entire relationship and starting with the moments when they’re really enamored with each other and they can’t bear to spend an hour apart, all the way through, you know, there’s a letter that’s incredibly devastating that Zelda writes.”

♩Benjamin Gibbard – Bigger than Love (feat. Aimee Mann) [from Former Lives]
web//facebook//twitter//soundcloud//shows//iTunes

p.s. don’t worry Death Cab fans, the band is not over.  According to Gibbard, “there’s no doubt in any of our minds that we have a lot of things to say and a lot more music to create.” (via NPR Music)

 

Damien Jurado released Maraqopa early this year, his 10th studio album, on Secretly Canadian.  I was lucky enough to catch Mr. Jurado open for Ben Gibbard less than a month ago it was such a good show.  Maraqopa has it’s fair share of worthy tracks to chose from, with “Museum Of Flight”, “Reel of Reel”, and “This Time Next Year” coming to mind.  In the end though, one song in particular stands ahead of the pack.  Now be fair warned, this track is deceptively upbeat, but that could be said for much of Jurado’s catalogue.

♩Damien Jurado – Working Titles [from Maraqopa]
web//facebook//twitter//soundcloud//shows//iTunes

 

Apparently the theme for Day 1 is Ben Gibbard.  Jimmy Tamborello makes up the other half of The Postal Service, but he’s best known as Dntel.  This year he released Aimlessness.  I’m not gonna lie.  I’m a big fan of Dntel, but this album didn’t do it for me.  With that said, there are still some great tracks worth a listen, including “Bright Night”, “Jitters”, and “Still”.  My personal favorite is “Puma”, which sounds like Jamie xx channeling Philip Glass.

♩Dntel – Puma [from Aimlessness]
web//facebook//twitter//soundcloud//shows//iTunes

2012, 31 days of good, music

(31) Days of Good: 2012

Leave a comment

The holiday season is finally upon us and with it comes the 2012 edition of (31) Days of Good!

For those of you unfamiliar with (31) Days of Good, it’s an annual trip down memory lane and look back at some of the year’s best music. There really isn’t a particular order or rank for the songs, I simply pick my favorites and hope you enjoy them as much as I do. Some days will feature a handful of picks, some days might only feature one or two, and like previous years, my good friend and frequent collaborator, Brendan (35mmBeats) will be offering up his favorite tunes of the year as well.

I’m positive some tracks will go overlooked and you won’t agree with every pick, but you’ll still get a hefty dosage of fantastic music all month long…and since 2012 was such a good year for music lovers, you’re in for a real treat.

It all kicks off this Saturday, Dec 1st, bright and early. See you then.

p.s. tune in Dec. 15th for my top 10 favorite albums of 2012