If you haven't yet heard of the awesome jazz-indie-pop group, Lake Street Dive, I am happy to be the one to bring them to your attention. This crew has some serious skill mixing a bunch of styles and influences into infectious, awesome new music. The covers have a perfect mix of nostalgia, innovation, and musical talent, and Rachael Price's voice makes my knees weak. In the first series of videos you will find a few of the group's best recorded live sessions. The second video is Lake Street Dive's entire debut album, Fun Machine, for those of you who want to check out the studio recordings.
As many of you may know, Arcade Fire recently released their 4th album, 'Reflektor'. The album is excellent. Each track is complex, interesting, and beautifully constructed. In usual Arcade Fire fashion, how the group released this album is almost as creative as the music itself. They posted the wonderful 22 minute mini-movie you see below, "Here Comes the Night Time", showcasing songs from the album and a ridiculous group of A-list celebrity cameos(love the Aziz Ansari short, and Michael Cera being soooo Michael Cera). As they did with their last album, Arcade Fire also has an awesome interactive video for the album title track. Check it out.
And as an added treat, check out Arcade Fire's recent performance on Saturday Night Live.
I don't know about you folks, but for me, this Summer has been absolutely filled with kick-ass music. I haven't posted much here at AudioIn-AudioOut lately, so I thought I would catch you all up on a few great tracks with a new playlist. This installment is a mix of treats ranging from A$AP Rocky to Fats Waller. Highlights include my latest obsession (Little Dragon), the wonder that is Laura Mvula, and the best cover of 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun' you will ever hear. Many of these artists will be featured in upcoming posts, but here is a sneak peak to get your dancing feet movin'. Enjoy!
And if you are looking to waste a bit more time on the internets today, I thought you might get a kick out of these three awesome videos. The first is a great musical montage of Stephen Colbert as he dances his way through Daft Punk's song of the summer with an amazing array of A-list celebs (Henry Kissinger?! What is going on here, and why do I love it so much?). This whole thing was done as a F* you to Viacom who disallowed Daft Punk from performing at StePhest Corbchella. The second features Fik Shun, a born performer and street dancer from Las Vegas throwing down the best audition from this season of So You Think You Can Dance. And the third is Robin Thicke, Jimmy Fallon, and the Roots Crew, playing "Blurred Lines" using music classroom instruments. Yes please. Summer is awesome.
When I first heard Rhye I was instantly won over by their sensual yet understated R&B. I wanted more. More of the slinky bass lines. More sighing beauty of the Sade-like voice. More of the minimalist perfection of the musical arrangements. But the interwebs provided nothing but confirmation that the band was shrouded in mystery. Rhye's first single, "Open", was released anonymously in 2012. Months later a hauntingly beautiful video for their EP "The Fall" appeared online. No credits. Then their first full album, Woman, was released without the names of the artists included in the liner notes. They started doing shows, but insisted on being shown only in silhouette, faces obscured.
Then, to blow my mind even further, it was revealed that Rhye is an international duo consisting of American composer/singer Mike Milosh and Danish producer Robin Hannibal. That's right, the lead singer is a dude. A dude who sings in a beautifully adrogenous contralto falsetto.
The mystery behind the group would hold little relevance if the music weren't absolutely stunning. Rhye clearly want us to experience and absorb their music without superficial influences getting in the way. It's an unusual approach in today's music, but it certainly appears to be working. Everything on Woman somehow manages to simmer with white hot intensity. Even without a face for the group, each track conveys a vulnerable intimacy, drawing listeners in. The simple arrangements seem to be an almost perfect counterpoint to the overly-produced style of most contemporary R&B.
In this post you will find a bunch of Rhye videos (and free downloads!).
The first set has the official videos for "Open" (absolutely beautiful), "The Fall", and "3 Days". The second set has two great live KCRW performances ("3 Days" and "Open"). Then there is an awesome 23 min concert from NPR Live. And Finally, commentary from the KCRW crew on what it was like to work with Rhye, and why the duo is causing such a stir in the music industry. Somebody, somewhere, is making babies to this music...
While up late one night a few weeks ago, insomnia and my cable provider came together and gifted me this gem. A Jeff Buckley live performance of "Last Goodbye", recorded here in Chicago back in 1995. It was a great reminder of just what an incomparable talent Buckley was. The man could sing 3.5- 4 octaves without going into falsetto. Ridiculous! Hearing that ability combine with the passion of his performances can raise the hair on the back of your neck.
It seems so strange to me that it has been 16 years since his death, and nearly 20 years since his only studio album, Grace, was released. It was also crazy to learn that Buckley didn't die from an overdose, as was so widely rumored back in the day. As it turns out, he drowned in Wolf River Harbor, a channel of the Mississippi, on May 29th, 1997. He was last seen swimming in the channel, wearing boots, all of his clothing, and singing the chorus to "Whole Lotta Love" by Led Zeppelin. His body was found two days later. He had gone swimming there many times before, and an autopsy showed no signs of drugs or alcohol. He was only 30 years old. A tragic ending for such a young and promising artist.
So, as a bit of a trip down memory lane I thought I would see what other great Buckley performances I could find out there in the electronic ether. Here you will find a playlist of six live performances: "Last Goodbye"; "Hallelujah"; "Lover, You Should've Come Over"; "Sweet Thing" ; "I Shall Be Released"; and "Grace". All of these are worth a full listen, but I am particularly fond of the recordings of "Hallelujah" (listen for the sound engineer's reaction at the end) and "I Shall be Released" (a strange live radio interview followed by a stunning over-the-phone performance).
This track comes from the U.K. based SBTRKT, a musical project from front-man Aaron Jerome and collaborator Sampha that combines elements of two-step, dub-step, R&B and Chicago House. Here you will find 3 videos (and a free download!) of "Hold On". The first includes the song with some great choreogrophy from Anthony Lee, leader of the dance crew, KINJAZ (taught and filmed in just a few hours). Second is a live 2012 SBTRKT performance from Sheppard's Bush Empire. And finally, the eerie official video for the song. Check 'em out.
Spring break is upon us, and I am more than excited about the potential for sun and warm. Bring it on. I thought I would share a playlist of 10 tracks I'll be listening to as the days get longer, in case any of you all wanted some music to usher in the new season. Enjoy!
A new track from the Australian electro-pop group, Panama. "It's Not Over" is rich with 80's throw-back style, and though only released last month, the song has already inspired hundreds of YouTube remixes. I still like the original the best, mostly because of the beautiful Bonnie & Clyde themed video. Check it out.
Were any of you as pleasantly surprised as I was with Rihanna's performance at the Grammy's the other night? Don't get me wrong, I love me some Ri Ri, and I think she is a stunningly beautiful woman, but usually her performances are over produced and over sexualized. I always chalked this up to a need to cover up her limited vocal and dancing talent... Anyways, I was thoroughly impressed with her performance of "Stay", a duet with the writer of the track, Mikky Ekko. It was a simple, beautiful, and emotional performance that actually brought the focus onto Rihanna's singing talent rather than her ability to wear little clothing. After watching the show I went and looked up the official video for the song. It is basically 4 minutes of Rihanna sloshing around naked in a bathtub looking sad. Ha! Awesome. Regardless, the performance was lovely, and I think the video is extremely...easy to watch. Only because of the singing. The singing!
In honor of the 55th Grammy celebration this evening I have pulled together 12 picks I think deserve a little metal gramophone. Check 'em out.
1. Album of the Year: Great competition for this one, but I expect Frank Ocean will win this one easily for Channel Orange. Check out 'Thinking About You' in our playlist.
2. Record of the Year: Ocean will likely win this one too, but I love 'Lonely Boy' by the Black Keys. The video is amazing. It's like my wife choreographed the whole thing with her amazing 'go-to' moves...
3. Best New Artist: Frank Ocean should and will win this award. My vote for 2nd place is for the Alabama Shakes, hands down. Seriously awesome old school rock/blues greatness from Athens, Alabama. You probably have all heard 'Hold On', but if not check out the bad-ass Brittany Howard on vocals and guitar.
4. Song of the Year: Miguel. "Adorn You". The other songs infuriate me.
5. Best Dance Recording: Avicii's, "Levels" makes me jump up and down uncontrollably. And the desk humping office dude in the video is a amazing. Enjoy.
6. Best Rock Song: 'Lonely Boy' will probably win this, but just for sake of variation, my 2nd place vote is for Muse's 'Madness'.
7. Best Rock Album: Again, it will be hard to top The Black Keys, but if anyone is gonna do it, I hope it is Jack White, for his album Blunderbuss. Here you will see 'I'm Shakin', my favorites song from that album.
8. Best Blues Album: Joan Osborne is a baller. Her album, Bring it on Home is my pick for this category, especially due to the song 'Shake Your Hips'.
9. Best Rap Song: 'N--ars in Paris' is Shannon's current pump-up tune. It really is a pretty awesome song for just before any recreational athletic activity. It gets the people goin!
10. Best Rap/Sung Collaboration: Okay, this is a lame category, but I just realized that Nas put out a song featuring Amy Winehouse! Whaaa? I am annoyed I just heard about this. 'Cherry Wine' is a really chilled out something special. I miss Amy Winehouse.
11. Best Rap Album:Undun by the Roots is a masterpiece. If you don't have it you should put it on your 'must have' list. Check out the track 'Make My' feat. Big KRIT.
12. Best Traditional R&B Performance: I can't believe people were actually talking shit about Beyonce's talent after she sang along with a pre-recorded track at the inauguration. I mean seriously. What was that about? Watch a live version of "Love on Top" here. She is like Michael Jackson and Diana Ross in one package. Talent.Out.The.Ears.
I have been listening to this groups 2nd album, Coexist all month, and each time I hear this song I play it two or three times in a row. The lyrics are just so poignant and stick so wonderfully heavy in my gut. I love the way the two singers voices complement each other. Sometimes the simplest of songs are also the most gorgeous.
Cherub. Great stuff. Somehow they manage to take talking shit about ex-girlfriends, substance abuse, and drinking too much, and turn it into amazing electro pop party madness that will get even the biggest anti-party cynic to dance their way through the blues.
This self-described 'sexy, avant garde, electro-pop' duo (Jordan Kelly and Jason Huber) from Nashville are on a mission to get everyone on the dance floor, poppin' bottles, and shakin' their cans. Their first digitally released EP, Man of the Hour, started significant buzz that led to a series of successful shows throughout the U.S. and (randomly) Mexico over the past few years, including opening for Pretty Lights and a few great sets at Bonnaroo, 2012. Their second album, MoM and DaD, is available for free download on the great music blog, Elm & Oak, and demonstrates a level of funkiness that defies conventional genre classification. All I know is that Cherub's combination of wonderfully obnoxious vocals, lush synth grooves, and infectious guitar riffs makes me want to party til dawn.
