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Photograph by Gordon Ball
Hey all, today I have a real treat for you. In the past couple of weeks I reached out to a few of my favorite blogs to see if they wanted to do a weekly multi-blog playlist. I thought this could lead to some great things. Week one is starting with no theme. I thought it was best to let everyone have free rein on the first go around. Moving forward we will have a theme. Enjoy, and if you like what you hear, check out their blogs!
Download a zip of the entire play list here.
La Realite (Yuksek Remix) – Amadou & Mariam
While the Sabali remixes were all the rage last month, now I have another gem from the Amadou & Mariam Remixes album on constant repeat, this one coming from France’s Yuksek. Known for energetic and highly danceable productions, Yuksek’s music all but guarantees a good time. This raucous remix of La Realité heightens the celebratory mood of the original, as the jubilant cheers of a live crowd are further incorporated into the song’s structure. This remix feels like one big party, and by the end I’m tempted to cheer along as well.
Marmalade Kids – Dumbo Gets Mad
On “Marmalade Kids,” Dumbo Gets Mad constructs a brain-damaging piece of psychedelic pop. The crisp drums and fat bass send a false flag, giving the impression that this might be a piece of funk–or at least a Gorillaz b-side. But as soon as the swirling synths and trippy vocals step up to bat, it’s too late. You’re drugged. Call poison control.
With One’s Heart in One’s Mouth – Moving Mountains
With One’s Heart in One’s Mouth is definitely topping the charts on my favourites list. This is a song that has consistently been re-occurring in my thoughts while working, playing, and just relaxing at home.
Friendly Killers – The Black Feathers
I just discovered this tune by The Black Feather a few days back and
was immediately drawn to all the emotion packed into such a minimal
tune. The vocals still manage to bring a bit of warmth to such a dark
song.
It’s nearly impossible to select a track that represents a blog covering a wide range of genres so I didn’t try. Instead, I chose a song from last year that I’ve been playing a lot recently. The last minute is near sonic nirvana for me.
Lead single “Julius”, from Starfucker’s Polyvinyl debut Reptilians, features layers and layers of instrumentation, highly representative of the band’s style and the rest of their discography. Underneath the twinkling synth lines and Joshua Hodge’s distinctive, spacey falsetto lies a simple, throbbing bass line. Much of Reptilians is built with the same musical blueprint; the band’s new album engulfs the listener with its waves of fast-paced, driving melodies and sweeping synth riffs. There is something intrinsically appealing about a unrelentingly chipper synth tune and Starfucker certainly knows this, creating ridiculously catchy indie-electronic songs for us to party and dance to.
I highly reccomened checking out Frank’s review of the album.
Time – Pink Floyd (Pretty Lights Remix)
Is this blasphemy? Can you really remix a classic like Pink Floyd’s “Time”? I’m inclined to say yes, partially owing to the fact that most of us are young enough that Pink Floyd isn’t necessarily an “untouchable.” That might beg the question then, about what *is* untouchable. It’s certainly not The Beatles. Nor is it Bob Dylan. In fact, I’m pretty stumped as to any artist that *shouldn’t* be remixed due to their untouchable nature.
By combining it with a driving tropical beat and lush instrumentation, Lord Huron takes the reverby pastoral folk sound and makes it something much more exciting and transcendent. The music conjures huge expanses of land and sea, and places you, the listener, right in the middle of it. Just hit play, close your eyes, and enjoy. If you like this track, be sure to check out the whole Mighty EP on their Bandcamp.
Take Push Take – The Caulfield Beats
Fantastic electronica which swirls together a stamping, static beat with synths that feel like huge air bubbles rising from 2000 ft underwater. I feel like this is the kind of music that gets shit done relentlessly, as if the robot has encountered some minor glitch and has now got stuck into a loop of smashing up a piece of furniture and then rebuilding it to perfection, with no care for human rationalities or concerns. Just perfection.
Makeshift Kingdom – Sweatshop Union
Canadian hip-hop that’ll make you feel like you’re tripping balls. It’s the first track from Sweatshop Union’s upcoming Bill Murray EP.
This is an odd track. I guess most of my music can be labeled as odd, so that isn’t a great description. I have had this song for a long time now, and I still listen to it all the time. Electricity emits a relaxed warm summer vibe that never fails to put me into a pleasant mood.
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