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.

Audio Track Direct Downloads!!

Procrastination has taken serious hold this evening. Instead of working I compiled all the songs mentioned in previous posts that I have in my collection but haven't provided for download. I then figured out how to write the code for hyperlinks so that you could instantly download any of these tracks by clicking on the blue text. So. Here you go. This blog shit is addictive...
1. Misty Blue - Dorothy Moore
2. Yeah Yeah - Matt & Kim
3. Like Eating Glass - Bloc Party
4. Nike Boots - Wale
5.Pon de Floor - Major Lazer
6.Hold You - Gyptian
7.Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay - Otis Redding
8.Footsteps in the Dark - Isley Brothers
9.Brown Skin Lady - Black Star
10.Thieves in the Night - Black Star
11.Respiration - Black Star
12.Luchini - Camp Lo

Album Preview::Common - "The Dreamer/The Believer"

Just caught a first glimpse of two tracks off of Common's new upcoming album, The Dreamer, the Believer, due out on December 20th, 2011. Produced by No I.D., the album unveils a fresh electronica-fueled feel to back up Common's artistic flow, and includes guest appearances by two legendary poets, Nas and Maya Angelou. Below you will find videos for "Blue Sky", "So Sweet", and a behind the scenes promo video of the album photo-shoot.

"So Sweet" (filmed in Haiti) was originally only made available online with a $1 donation to J/P Haitian Relief Organization. It's now available for free, but Common continues to raise money to support relief efforts in Haiti.



Maya Angelou on Common:

“I wanted to speak about Common, who is extremely uncommon. When I first heard him, I knew he was rare. I thought, my goodness, this young man…hello. So good, so talented, well raised. When I met his mother, I understood much. I will always support him. I know that I stand on the shoulders of great men and women. And I know there are young men and women who stand upon my shoulders” - Maya Angelou

Seriously. Is there anything this guy does that isn't awesome? Loved by Maya Angelou? Raising money for Haiti? New album? Oh, and he just released a new autobiography, "One Day it Will all Make Sense", that is a New York Times Bestseller. Sick. And the ladies love him. Read why you should too here.

5 Reasons You Should Still Be Watching Music Videos

For as long as I can remember I've had a serious obsession with music videos. As a kid raised in a house without cable, sleep-overs with friends weren't just an excuse to stay up past my bedtime, they were an opportunity to offer my delicate developing young psyche to the gods of MTV and VH1. I happily did so, from the moment I would arrive until the sun came up the next morning. Though my parents were inevitably pissed I would be returned to them without a wink of sleep, I was giddily happy about whatever new song, artist, or dance move I had discovered the night before.

Things have seriously changed since then. Does MTV actually show videos anymore? Does VH1 still exist? In today's ever-connected internet age, my guess is that most folks catch music videos online passed on by friends on Facebook or Twitter or some such thing. I've heard many of my friends say they don't even watch music videos anymore. To me, this is a tragic statement. Yes, music on its own is still powerful. But there is something special that can be added to this experience through visuals.

So, if you are one of those people who are hatin' on videos, here are 5 reasons to change your mind.

1. INNOVATION
We have come a long way since "Video Killed the Radio Star". Some particularly thoughtful artists have started to get creative, and explore how to make the video medium fresh and exciting. Here are two great examples.

"We Used to Wait" - Arcade Fire
If you only click on one link in this post, you should click on this. This experimental video allows you to interactively participate with the song's theme of childhood revisited. You can plug in your own childhood address, and then images of that location are incorporated into the video. You are asked to write a letter to your former self, and then that is put into the video. Its kinda amazing, and definitely a bit creepy.

"House of Cards" - Radiohead
This video uses 0 cameras or lights. Instead, the video is the result of visualizations of data collected from 64 rotating lasers that basically use 3D plotting technologies to gather information about shapes and relative distances between objects. Another example of Radiohead being light-years ahead of pretty much everyone else.



2. NOT JUST FOR PROFESSIONALS ANYMORE
Famous artists and big budgets are great and all, but one of the greatest things about music videos these days is that almost anyone with a camera and a clever idea can get in on the fun. Here are 4 of my favorites in one playlist.

(1) Dancing in the Rain- Turf Feinz
Oakland-born TURF dancing (Taking Up Room on the Floor)is a form of street dancing that intends to tell as story through movements inspired by everything from popping, to breaking, to ballet and jazz. This video went viral last year, due to the jaw-dropping moves, but what is more powerful to me is the story behind it. Apparently D-Real (white t-shirt) had recently lost his brother in a car accident. In a tribute to his brother, this crew of East Oakland youth went out in the rain to the scene of the death to dance in honor of their lost friend. The results below have now spread world-wide.

(2) "Home" - Jorge & Alexa Narvaez
A father, a daughter, a guitar, a camera and a great song. This one gets me every time.

(3-4) Daft Hands/Daft Bodies
So clever.



3. STORY TELLING
It is not easy to have a cohesive beginning, middle, and end in a <8 minute piece. It can be done, however, and one of my favorite examples of a great song presented through a great story is LCD Soundsytems "Home". I have never seen a robot I wanted to hug more.

4. DANCING
Sometimes the greatest thing about a video isn't the song itself, but the sick-ass dancing that accompanies it. Some of the best videos I have seen lately have introduced me to new dance styles, exhibited moves and coreography I could never possibly master (We've all seen "Single Ladies", right?), or given me a step-by-step how-to about how I too could learn how to "Dougie" like John Wall. Check out a few of my favorites below.



5. VISUAL BEAUTY
HD technology and no longer being limited to a 4+ minute T.V. time-slot (thanks internet!) have freed up artists to think differently about how to visual present their work. Kanye recently took this to another level with his 34 minute "Runaway" mini-movie. Yes, the dude be crazy. Yes, its over the top. But I dare you to watch this and tell me it isn't beautiful and mesmerizing. If you have the time, I suggest watching this full screen.

Kanye, Common, Pusha T, Kid Cudi, Big Sean & Charlie Wilson:: "Good Friday"

Good Friday


I recently found Good Friday while trolling some other fantastic music blogs. The track is sick, especially the infused piano hook, and the driving bass. A great tune to pump up your day. Are you ready to go? La La La Lala...

Misty Blue

Winner!! "This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)"- Talking Heads - Best New Wave Song

The poll has closed, and the winner is "This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)" by the Talking Heads. Because the video for this song came from the epic film Stop Making Sense I figured I would honor the victor by posting a series of clips from this amazing concert movie. The first is a not-to-be missed video of David Byrne interviewing himself about the making of the film. It is a showcase of the intriguingly awkward, strange, brilliant character behind the Talking Heads success.



Stop Making Sense (1984) was directed by renowned film-maker Jonathan Demme, and was recorded during three nights of shows in 1983 at the Pantages Theater in Hollywood. The film was the first ever to be made using only digital audio techniques, and features the now iconic "big suit" and weird dance moves that helped reveal Byrne as a mad-genius of music. Byrne and Demme's expectations for the filming of the shows had dramatic impacts on the resulting product. Because Byrne wanted no color lights to be used to illuminate the performers, the lighting techniques for the movie are unusual. Rarely showing the audience, and keeping crowd noise at a minimum, was intended to allow the viewer to form their own opinion of the performances. Also, the film uses long camera shots instead of the quick-cut techniques, allowing viewers to see the full performance and stage interactions rather than zooming in on individual soloists/performers. Check out the four clips from the film below for yourself. Im particularly fond of minute 4:00 in both "This Must Be the Place" and "Once in a Lifetime"...



When I was about 13 my sister took me to see David Byrne live in Washington, D.C. It was 1994. I didn't know what I was getting into. I remember the psychadelic colors filtered through oils projected overhead, the off-putting voice, and quirky dance moves, the bleary red-eyed college students, unnaturally happy, swaying this way and that. I had no idea what was going on around me. I just knew it was something new, and I loved it. This music is timeless.

Byrne is still making great music. I recently got Everything That Happens Will Happen Today (2008) and really enjoy the two tracks Everything That Happens and Life is Long


Everything That Happens


Life is Long

Mayer Hawthorne-"Your Easy Lovin Aint' Pleasin' Nothin", "When I Said Goodbye"

When my friend Emily suggested I check out a young, White, Soul singer, from Ann Arbor, Michigan, with no vocal training, you could say I had my doubts. It took about 10 seconds of listening to Mayer Hawthorne to throw all my preconceived notions out the window and just appreciate fantastic skill. Here is evidence that soul has no color, and great music can come from unexpected people or places.

Mayer Hawthorne (Andrew Mayer Cohen) did not intend to become a singer. He has worked in music for most of his life, but mostly as an arranger, engineer, musician, and producer. His emergence as a front man came only after the head of Stones Throw Records, Peanut Butter Wolf, heard a few songs that Hawthorne just considered a fun side project. After hearing just two tracks, Wolf signed the artist to the label. Hawthorne has since produced two albums rich in retro-Motown style jams fused with hints of hip-hop. The musical arrangements, high falsetto, and horn flourishes of this music conjures up images of Curtis Mayfield, Isaac Hayes, or Smokey Robinson, but the break-beat production and lyrics signal a modern progression from old-school Soul. Beyond the quality of the music, its pretty amazing that for most of these songs Hawthorne played the role of lead vocalist, producer, engineer, arranger, and played most of the instruments. The artist may be unexpected, but the music is undeniable. These songs are sure to take you out of the gloomiest funk and have you snapping your fingers and tapping your feet in no time. Take a listen.

P.S. Check out the Mayer Hawthorn track "Just Aint Gonna Work Out" on the earlier post User Recommended Playlist. Also, click the hyperlinks below to download the track for your collection.


Your Easy Lovin Aint Pleasin Nothin




When I Said Goodbye

John Lennon:: "All You Need Is Love", "Imagine" :: Birthday Tribute

“There are two basic motivating forces: fear and love. When we are afraid, we pull back from life. When we are in love, we open to all that life has to offer with passion, excitement, and acceptance. We need to learn to love ourselves first, in all our glory and our imperfections. If we cannot love ourselves, we cannot fully open to our ability to love others or our potential to create. Evolution and all hopes for a better world rest in the fearlessness and open-hearted vision of people who embrace life.”
― John Lennon




“When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘happy’. They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life.”
― John Lennon

Ski Beatz - "Winners Parade", "Cream of the Planet", "Luchini"

Just a quick bit of awesome music to brighten your Wednesday. Ski Beatz (AKA David Willis, DJ Ski) is an American Producer who has been quietly influential in Hip-Hop since the mid 90's. Ski produced most of Camp Lo's classic debut album Uptown Saturday Night including one of my all time favorite jams, "Luchini" (below), and helped create J-Z's Reasonable Doubt including tracks "Dead Presidents". More recently his work has included collaborations with Tabi Bonney (Above), Mos Def (below), Jay Electronica, and Curren$y. Each of these tracks are guaranteed to mellow you on your way through the rest of the week.







Luchini (This is It)- Camp Lo


Tabi Bonney-Winners Parade

New Wave Rock :: Vote on your favorite (to the right)!!

A few months back a friend of mine sent me a link to an amazing live clip of The Talking Heads playing "This Must be the Place (Naive Melody)". I have probably watched the video 100 times since, due to my love of the song, the vibe, and the incredible style on display. It got me thinking about some of my earliest pop-music experiences of the 80's, when my sister would fill the house with New Wave hits by the Eurythmics, Men at Work, and The Talking Heads, among others. Steeped in Mod culture, synthesized sound, disco influences, glitter, copious amounts of eye-liner and a healthy dose of androgyny, New Wave was a drug-addled futuristic glimpse into experimental music. The cultural impact of this sub-genre is even more noticeable nowadays, as modern indie-pop acts increasingly revisit New Wave styles.

I have compiled a handful of New Wave favorites below. Take a few minutes to revisit the era, and vote on your favorite song to the right. Id love to hear your thoughts, or recommendations for other killer songs.