"Best of Friends"-Palma Violets

I will not lie to you. I was first intrigued by this band because of their name. I had recorded Later with Jools Holland on Palladia and they were one of the bands that were scheduled to perform. Unfortunately, I deleted the episode before watching their performance but their name stuck with me. Fast forward to NYE... I'm relieving myself at a urinal at Lincoln Hall, staring at the upcoming concert schedules for LH and Schubas, when I see that lovely name again, Palma Violets. The name just sounds cool, so I had to look them up. This is what I found. They sound cool.

2013: "Best Days"-Blur

A goal for 2013 is to blog more. And the #1 thing I'm looking forward to in 2013 is seeing Blur in concert.

Top 11 Of 2012

1. Joey Bada$$-1999 
2. The Walkmen-Heaven 
3. Merchandise-Children of Desire 
4. Cloud Nothings-Attack On Memory 
5. Frank Ocean-Channel Orange 
6. Miguel-Kaleidoscope Dream 
7. Jens Lekman-I Know What Love Isn't 
8. Chairlift-Something 
9. ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead-Lost Songs
10. Bob Dylan-Tempest 
11. Jack White-Blunderbuss

Honorable Mention:

Tame Impala-Lonerism

Twin Shadow-Confess

Himanshu-Nehru Jacket
Diamond Rings-Free Dimensional

Track Of The Year:
Cloud Nothings-"Wasted Days"

Watch Now: "Evening's Kiss"-Willis Earl Beal

I just love this guy's story (and this song)...
"He ended up with three guitars—a red electric he got at a garage sale, a brown acoustic he bought for $100, and another, smaller acoustic from a flea market—plus a lap harp and a collection of pots and pans for a homemade drum kit. To record he used a cassette-based karaoke machine with one working speaker and a $40 Radio Shack microphone, tracking each instrument individually and finally adding his voice. For special effects, he had to get creative: he'd put the mike up to the body of an acoustic guitar and sing into it for reverb, or cover it in a plastic bag and hold it under a running faucet. "It takes a lot of imagination to have no talent," he says.

Write to him and he will make you a drawing. Call him and he will sing you a song. Chicago's very own...

Watch & Download Now: "XO Boyfriend"-Gordon Voidwell

If you're one of the 3 regulars around here, you probably already know that we got some love for Gordon Voidwell. And if you're one of the 300 million citizens of the United States you probably have heard that Whitney Houston died. In the video below, Voidwell pays tribute to Whitney's "How Will I Know" video. Though the video was made before Houston's passing, this is a great way to honor her past, while simultaneously celebrating Voidwell's future as one of the most unique/freshest/funkiest artists around.



Download: "XO Boyfriend"-Gordon Voidwell

A (NSFW) Valentine's Day Special: "Open"-Rhye

I may or may not have made a Valentine's Day mix this weekend with this extra smooth, Sade-esque track on it. Now there's a extra steamy video for it. If any babies are born on November 14th, 2012, it's not my fault.

Rhye - Open from Rhye on Vimeo.

Download Now: "Open"-Rhye

Watch Now: "I Can't Stay"-Ben Browning

THIS SOUNDS LIKE CUT COPY! OH, WAIT...

Ben Browning "I Can't Stay" from Cutters Records on Vimeo.