Need happy? Listen to Lake Street Dive.

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.

Song of the Month: 'Try' - The XX (Free download)

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.

Check out (and download) "Try" here.

New Music for a New Year. Happy 2013!

2013 is upon us, my friends. Whether you are planning a wild night on the town, or something chill at home with a few loved ones, I thought you might enjoy a little new music. Here you will find a playlist to help ring in the New Year. It features 3 groups that have caught my eye recently. First, Rhye, the L.A.-based soul duo of Mike Milosh and Robin Hannibal. This mysterious group has released only 3 songs through online leaks, but each one hints at the potential quality of Rhye's debut album, Woman, due for release in the U.S. on March 5th. Then we have a few tracks from the British indie-pop band The XX, whose 2nd album, Coexist was released last September. And finally, Visioneers, a Marc Mac Jazz-meets-hip-hop studio project dedicated to producers like Jay Dee, Pete Rock, and Jazzy Jeff.

Be sure to check out the video for the remix of Rhye's "The Fall". The old-school soul train dance line is not to be missed...

Happy new year, you lovely people! I hope 2012 leaves you with fond memories, and 2013 brings new adventure and happiness.

Lykke Li: The Swedish Love-Child of Janis Joplin & Debbie Harry?: Playlist

Okay, so I know I have featured Lykke Li on a couple playlists (#4  & #5 ) already, but I just realized I haven't devoted a post to her yet. Soooo here you go.

Lykke Li is one of the best examples of Sweden's recent outpouring of musical talent. Her live persona is a stunning mash-up of rebelliousness, strength, and sensuality. Kinda similar to what might have happened if Janis Joplin and Debbie Harry ever had a love-child. Like a lot of great music coming out nowadays, Lykke's pop/indie/electronica fusion is hard to categorize. Regardless of what you call it, it is clear that this lady has talent and charisma to spare.

The 26 year-old singer/songwriter popped on the scene with 2008's Youth Novels, a critically acclaimed album produced by Björn Yttling, of Peter Bjorn and John fame. She followed up her debut with killer sets at Coachella and Lollapalooza in 2009. Her sophomore album, Wounded Rhymes, was released in 2011.

Below you will find a 9 song playlist featuring tracks from Youth Novels and Wounded Rhymes . Most of the videos below are fantastic live performances, but I highly recommend getting both albums for yourself. The studio versions of these songs are great. Enjoy!

Temper Trap: Great Music from Down Under

If you have heard of Temper Trap, it is likely because of the breakthrough success of their 2009 hit single, "Sweet Disposition". The song featured in the movie (500) Days of Summer, and seems to have been in the background for every car/drink/sport commercial between 2009-2010. The success brought international attention to the Australian indie rock band (Dougy Mandagi on vocals, Jonathon Aherne on bass, Toby Dundas on drums, Lorenzo Sillitto on guitar, and Joseph Greer on keyboard/guitar) and added to acclaim for the group's debut album, Conditions. Their self-titled second album is scheduled for release later this year, and promises to build on the successful fusion of Mandagi's powerfully eerie wail-of-a-falsetto with U2-like instrumentation that makes Conditions such an impressive first effort.

Yes, "Sweet Disposition" is a fantastic song, but make sure you check out a couple of Temper Trap's other great tunes . I am particularly fond of the the videos for "Love Lost", and the acoustic SXSW session of "Fader" provided below. You can download these tracks for yourself by clicking on the blue text above. Also, for anyone who loved the80's, and Karate Kid movies, I'm sure you will get a kick out of  the video for "I Need Your Love", the pre-released first single from the upcoming album,  "Temper Trap" .

Song of the Week: "Truth" (Remix) ::: Alex Ebert + the Rza

Alex Ebert, best known as the frontman for the band Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros,released a solo effort entitled Alexander in 2011. The album has some real bright moments, but never generated that much attention despite generally positive reviews. The brightest spot on the album is the whimsically haunting "Truth". This track has started popping up on the radar a lot more recently thanks to a remix that features the addition of a few verses from the Wu-Tang mastermind, Rza, for my money one of the most creative and intelligent forces in hip-hop today. Check out both versions of the song below, and be sure to download the remix.

"Truth" (Remix).

Who is this Gotye? And why do I love him so? :::::::::::::: "Somebody I Used to Know"

I heard Gotye's "Somebody That I Used To Know" last week and was singing the tune to myself for days before I caught it again on the radio and Soundhound-ed the hell out of it. Who is Gyote, you ask? I have no idea. But Wikipedia does! "Wouter "Wally" De Backer (born 21 May 1980), also known professionally by his stage name Gotye, (pronounced Go-te-yae), is a Belgian-Australian multi-instrumental musician and singer-songwriter. The name "Gotye" is derived from "Gaultier" (or "Gautier" or "Gauthier",) the French equivalent of "Wouter" ("Walter" in English.) Gotye's voice has been compared to Sting and Peter Gabriel". Thanks Wikipedia!

Download and watch the beautiful and wonderfully catchy "Somebody I Used to Know" here, featuring Kimbra (another artist highlighted recently in the Top 10 Playlist, Vol. 4).



This cover of the song by the band Walk Off the Earth is also worth a good look. It has been all over the interweb, thanks to its clever presentation and some serious talent.




Gotye has produced three albums, Boardface (2003), Like Drawing Blood(2004); and Making Mirrors (2011). I've only heard a few songs, but thus far I'm pretty impressed. Not quite sure why, but a number of his songs are on youtube accompanied by some amazing animated shorts. Check out three tracks, "Learnalilgivinanlovin", "Save Me", and "Bronte" from his latest album.

One More Reason to Love Florence + the Machine :: "Hospital Beds" (Cold War Kids cover)

I am a huge fan of Florence Welch. The girl can flat out sing. I'm sure most of you are familiar with her recent success, particularly the hit Dog Days, which was all over the place last year. Well, if you have grown a bit weary of everyone overplaying that song but really enjoyed the greatness that is Florence + the Machine, I highly recommend checking out her album "Lungs: The B-sides". Most of these tracks haven't hit radio, despite showcasing Welch's powerhouse of a voice. My personal favorite is the cover she does of the Cold War Kids song Hospital Beds. While imitation is the highest form of flattery (Welch has adamantly expressed her love for Cold War Kids, and performed this song at Coachella last year with lead singer Nathan Willett), she makes the song her own with a unique and powerful interpretation.

(don't forget to download the songs for yourself by clicking the blue titles)

Here is the cover for your listening pleasure.

Hospital Beds- Florence + the Machine



For those of you who haven't heard the original yet, check it out below.

Sweden is so hot right now....

I don't know if you all have heard, but Sweden is killing it right now. I was just reminded of this thanks to a preview for the American version of Steig Larson's Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, due out next month. First, it reminded me of how fantastic the original Swedish-language trilogy was. The American version does look pretty sweet. But I highly recommend you all catch the original first (available on Netflix) because I seriously doubt the American Lisbeth could be half as awesome as the bad-ass Noomi Rapace you see pictured above.

The Millenium Trilogy novels/films are not the only awesome entertainment sensation coming out of the little Nordic powerhouse. There are the amazing Wallander mysteries, recently turned into great mini-movies for PBS's Masterpiece Mystery series. More pertinent to this blog, however, is killer music being produced by the likes of the dance-pop goddess Robyn, the indie pop band Miike Snow, and the quirky-yet-enchanting Lykee Li. I put together a few of my favorites from these artists below for you all to check out.

"Treme" - John Boutte; "After Mardi Gras" - Lucia Macarelli & Steve Earl

I always loved me some New Orleans Jazz. I grew up listening to folks like Louis Armstrong, Jelly-Roll Morton, and Wynton Marsalis. But beyond jazz, I really had no knowledge of New Orleans music or the incredible role music plays in that city's history and culture. For that reason I've really been loving HBO's series, "Treme". The writers (also responsible for the best tv show of all time, 'The Wire') do a wonderful job of seamlessly infusing a crazy- wide variety of New Orleans music into an intense drama about a city recovering from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. The impressive thing is that the music is not a backdrop to the story, its an integral part of it, showing the inseparable nature of music and life in New Orleans. A great success of the show is that it has brought new attention to great acts from the Crescent City and elsewhere. Those worth checking out include Trombone Shorty, Kermit Ruffin, Lucia Macarelli, John Boutte, & the Hot 8 Brass Band. The music runs the gamut from poignant to uplifting and includes jazz, brass bands, hip-hop, dixieland, singer/songwriter, R&B, and more. Most can be found online on individual artist albums or on soundtrack albums from the show. Take a look.

Season 2 Music Videos

Season 3 should start at the beginning of next year, I believe, so keep your eyes and ears pealed.

"Block After Block" & "Yeah Yeah" - Matt and Kim

Another great rec from my buddy Erin. Way to go, man. Thanks for the dose of levity to my day. Matt and Kim are a dance-punk duo from NYC. Though I have just heard of them myself, they have been around since '98 and have three choice albums out. As you can tell from the wide and toothy grins that seem perpetually smacked onto their faces, Matt and Kim really appear to be enjoying themselves. Their videos certainly convey as much. They seem to go with schemes that resemble ideas I used to have a pre-teen. You know, the ones you roll your eyes at now because you are too "mature" to do that sort of thing anymore (but you secretly know would be a freakin' BLAST! Like having a food fight like in "Yeah Yeah" or playing tag through New York). Anyways, their music is peppy, their videos are fun to watch. Not a bad thing for a rainy Tuesday afternoon. P.S. Both my pre-teen self and current self would have a serious thing for Kim. So. Damn. Cute.

"Twice" - Little Dragon

My friend Alicia recently said, "I often hear people say that there is no good music out today. That's only true if you're listening solely to FM radio. You may have to dig, but well-crafted, heart-skipping, soulful, original, thoughtful, sexy, foot-thumping, emotion-provoking, head-nodding music is definitely out there! To say it doesn't exist is outrageous, in my opinion". Her suggestion to check out Little Dragon most certainly backs up this statement. A vehicle for the haunting vocals of Swedish-Japanese singer Yukimi Nagano,the groups music is ultra-hybrid blend of acoustic jazz, soul, hip hop, & synth-heavy rhythm and blues. "Twice" is a fantastic example of how Little Dragon can fuse these influences into a passionate, finely crafted, intriguing piece of music. Sit back and enjoy.

Bizness- tUnE-yArDs

My buddy Erin suggested I check out this song last week.  Not only is the music awesome, but the video is mesmerizing (see below).  I promptly bought the whole album (WhoKill) and was not disappointed one bit.  The album is full of excellent songs that do an amazing job of mixing experimental folk elements, really strange percussion, and powerfully emotional vocals.