"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.

Download Now: "The Noose of Jah City"-King Krule

I know it's been a while since i rapped at you, and for this, we are sorry. As I went on a run today for the first time in a long time, I came to the realization that there are no real winners when this blog goes neglected, just like there were no real winners when I was neglected as a young child. I kid! My parents are great!

Anyways, this King Krule track kinda krules. Like a young, modern day Joe Strummer or Billy Bragg, Archy Marshall aka King Krule sucks you in with the rawness of his voice over a fresh, yet subtle beat. I don't what's more capitivating, the fact that he was born in 1994(that makes him 17 if you're playing at home) and he's singing lines like "My soul is left to drown, suffocating in concrete” or the way he annunciates all his E's.

Judge for yourself.

Download: "The Noose of Jah City"-King Krule

Watch Now: "The Greeks"-Is Tropical

The track is solid. The video is special. See for yourself below.

IS TROPICAL - THE GREEKS (official music video)

One Day We're Gonna Live in Paris...I Promise.

This morning I asked out Paris Hilton. It looked and sounded like this.

To mark such a wonderful denial I have included a mp3 of "Paris" by Friendly Fires. Enjoy!

PARIS-FRIENDLY FIRES(AEROPLANE REMIX)

Watch and Download Now: Gordon Voidwell

If Prince and Alexis Taylor from Hot Chip had a baby, it might look and sound like Gordon Voidwell. No, seriously. Voidwell drops a interlude on his mixtape with a snippet of Hot Chip's "Down with Prince." Like a wonderful buffet of geek chic, new wave, hip hop, synths, and funk, Voidwell throws it all out on the table. But this ain't no Shoney's, homies. This is the real deal. Like Farnsworth Bentley, but with actual talent. Voidwell takes many elements from the past and makes them sound like they're from the future, with no barrier stopping him from combining so many different genres. What's even more intriguing is that Voidwell is able to make race and socioeconomic commentary with his lyrics while still making the music sound like one big party.

Peep the party below.

Download Now: White Friends-Gordon Voidwell

Download Now: Ivy League Circus-Gordon Voidwell

Download Now: The Third Twin aka Daft Punk?

So.... Supposedly, Daft Punk will be playing in 2011 under the mysterious name The Third Twin. This could all be a hoax, but maybe not, since The Third Twin is scheduled to play the Arenal Festival in Spain in August alongside heavy hitters like the Simple Minds, and the Cranberries... Excerpt from Arenal press release below. The Third Twin zip file below that. You decide.


"The Third Twin is a French electronic music duo which is getting very popular around the business in the recent months. The reason is simple: They are directly related to the famous Daft Punk. They are in the second edition of the festival which takes place from August 4-7 at the Playa El Arenal from Burriana, Castellón, Spain. The show up of this mysterious group opens the Arenal Sound line up 2011.

The stage name of The Third Twin emerged supposedly with the aim of publishing the issues proposed by Daft Punk to Disney's movie Tron: Legacy. The company initially considered the material too oriented to electronic sounds because of that they refused it. The company ordered a new batch of compositions more orchestral and traditional which finally took part of the soundtrack of the film which was recently released with great success.

Daft Punk could not sign with their original name, music themes nor use any clear reference to the film for legal reasons. That is the reason why the well-known French electronic tandem had to use allegedly that pseudonym.

The result was The Third Twin or TTT, a music project which contain the songs published that is part of that band sound rejected. It was compiled together in an album entitled Homemade where you can find those tracks such as "Evil Minds" "Technolers" or "The Time is Over." The Third Twin has their own profile on MySpace where they have an extensive music material and songs that made Homemade and reached a great amount of visits on YouTube. (http://www.thethirdtwin.com)

Arenal Sound becomes one of the many international festivals on this category to bring significant DJ's highly praised at the time, The Third Twin. (http://www.arenalsound.com). Just wait and see their performance at the festival to discover if the mystery is revealed."


Download Now: THE THIRD TWIN

TOP 25 ALBUMS OF 2010

Two Thousand and Ten! When did it start? How is it already over? If you didn't know, I kinda like music. ALOT. Sort of overly obsessed. This year brought in some serious gems. Any other year the National would have been my #1 album, but Arcade Fire and LCD had to put out some amazingness that just blew mind. Does it get any better than when "Dance Yrself Clean" clean breaks? Does it get any better than putting headphones on and listening to The Suburbs all the way through like 90 times in a row? And why isn't Robyn my girlfriend yet? FYI, Damon Albarn is genius. Blur better play the U.S. in 2011. Champ by Tokyo Police Club is definitely the most underrated album of the year. And the Walkmen keep churning out albums that make me feel like I should be driving across the country on a deserted highway. When Chris Keating of Yeasayer sings the following on "Ampling Alp," you just know that everything is right in the world and 2010 was indeed an amazing year for music. "Now the world can be an unfair place at times/But your lows will have their compliment of highs/And if anyone should cheat you/Take advantage of or beat you/raise your head and wear your wounds with pride." Nuff said. Thank you 2010.

1. Arcade Fire-The Suburbs
2. LCD Soundsystem-This Is Happening
3. The National-High Violet
4. Robyn-Body Talk Trilogy
5. Gorillaz-Plastic Beach
6. Local Natives-Gorilla Manor
7. Yeasayer-Odd Blood
8. The Walkmen-Lisbon
9. Tokyo Police Club-Champ
10. Hot Chip-One Life Stand
11. Wild Nothing-Gemini
12. The Golden Filter-Voluspa
13. Miami Horror-Illumantion
14. Fitz and the Tantrums-Pickin' Up the Pieces
15. Twin Shadow-Forget
16. Surfer Blood-Astrocast
17. Vampire Weekend-Contra
19. Sleigh Bells-Treats
20. Diamond Rings-Special Affections
21. Die Antwoord-$.O.$.
22. Tame Impala-Innerspeaker
23. The Soft Pack-The Soft Pack
24. Secret Colours-Secret Colours
25. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club-Beat The Devil's Tattoo

***Kanye should be on this list but I've only had it for 3 weeks now, so it's tough to say where it would fall.

Honorable Mentions: Rusko-O.MG.!
BBU-Fear of A Clear Channel Planet
Gaslight Anthem-American Slang
Best Coast-Crazy For You
Frightened Rabbit-The Winter of Mixed Drinks

Download Now: "Pickin' Up the Pieces"-Fitz and the Tantrums

A few people have accused me of only listening to one type of music--dance music. That's an extremely false accusation. I listen to all different kinds of tunes on a daily basis. Just today I've listened to the Walkmen, LCD, The National, Hussle Club, Bowie, BRMC, The Horrors, Syl Johnson, Foals, and The Golden Filter. There's no method to my madness! I love it all. If you pigeon-hole yourself to only listening to one type of music, you're making a mistake in life. You're also dumb, ugly, and empty inside. God gave us all these different music genres so they could be heard and enjoyed. The least you could do is have an open mind and explore the wonderful gift that is music.

Although I'm not an expert in the genre, I do indeed like cutting a rug to some good soul music. As of late, there's been somewhat of a trend of white guys getting on the soul train and taking it for a ride. Mayer Hawthrone, Eli "Paperboy" Reed, and Los Angeles-based Fitz and the Tantrums are just 3 examples of why white guys singing soul music is kinda the new black. Though only time will tell where the above mentioned fall in soul's history, on "Pickin' Up the Pieces," Fitz and the Tantrums do it real and perfectly. Soul music comes from the soul and hits you in the soul. With lyrics like "I am oh so tired of loneliness/But the world don’t change" and "But i’m inclined to tell you somethin’/you never show me how you cared for me," this holds very true. I feel like my soul is getting stung by a punch from Ali while I'm simultaneously floating like a butterfly from such a grooving rhythm that the Tantrums provide. To top off it off, "Pickin' Up the Pieces" has dueling vocals. Dueling vocals always get me, but guy/girl dueling vocals are the best. On the second verse, backup vocalist Nicole Scaggs almost outshines Fitz on what is one hell of a track.

Download Now: "Pickin' Up the Pieces"-Fitz and the Tantrums

Editor's Note: You're not dumb and ugly.

Listen Now: "Take Me Over"- Cut Copy

I was gonna blog about something else today, but then I heard this song. New Cut Copy! It sounds so very Australian. As I was explaining to a friend, via email, who could not access the track due to their work taking all the fun out of work, and blocking quality music sites, I told him "Take Me Over" sounded like this....

"The beginning sounds like Men at Work. Then it starts sounding like Cut Copy with OOOOOOOh's and AHHHHHHHHHH's. Then it sounds like Men at Work and then it sounds like Cut Copy again."

So good. With Hearts on Fire, I reach out to a vegemite sandwich.

Cut Copy - "Take Me Over" (Radio Edit) Premiere by modularpeople

Download Now: Take 'Em Up-Shit Robot

Shit Robot, aka Marcus Lambkin, has put out one of the finer dance records this year, his long-awaited debut, From the Cradle to the Rave(DFA Records). Although the title of the album leaves something to be desired, the music and beats on the album do not disappoint. This should come as no surprise, 'cause pretty much everything that comes out of the DFA factory turns to gold. And with guests like Alexis Taylor of Hot Chip and DFA master sensei and LCD Soundsystem frontman, Mr. James Murphy, Shit Robot has made sure his contribution in the DFA gold-making process is a success.

Upon listening to From the Cradle to the Rave, one would think that Taylor or Murphy might steal the show on the album. This does not hold true, however, as Nancy Whang (LCD Soundsystem and The Juan Maclean) completely steals the show with her vocals on the standout track, "Take 'Em Up." Full disclosure: After seeing LCD Soundsystem 7 times this year(nerd or awesome? Probably both), I have developed quite the crush on Ms. Nancy. She's one of those girls that's cool without even trying. On this track, her almost seductive vocals make staying at the party for way too long sound like a good idea. Note: When you think it's time to leave, LEAVE. If you're not convinced of Nancy's charm, wait till the 4:37 mark where she kinda crushes it with a Deborah Harry-like rap that's also very reminiscent of her vocals on LCD's "Get Innocuous."

Watch the awesome video for "Take 'Em Up" and Nancy in Rotoscope below! Btw, more girls need to start wearing puffy Zubaz-like pants. You just got own it like Nancy does!

DOWNLOAD NOW: "TAKE 'EM UP"-SHIT ROBOT

Shit Robot - Take Em Up from Eoghan Kidney on Vimeo.

Bonus Viewing: THE NANCY SHOW!!!

Download Now: All Day-Girl Talk

Girl Talk released his new album today. For free. It's called All Day. You'll probably have an easier time downloading the album right here then through the Illegal Art website. So, yeah, download it.

Download Now: All Day-Girl Talk

Tracklist:
01. Oh No
02. Let It Out
03. That’s Right
04. Jump on Stage
05. This Is the Remix
06. On and On
07. Get It Get It
08. Down for the Count
09. Make Me Wanna
10. Steady Shock
11. Triple Double
12. Every Day

Download Now: "Something Else"-Diamond Rings

If you've visited us before, you'd know that we have been big fans of Diamond Rings(John O'Regan) since his infancy. We were instantly captivated by his first single "All Yr Songs" and mesmerized by the NBA jerseys that filled the accompanying video. Now, John O. is back with his debut album, Special Affections, which is filled with 10 tracks that I will now coin as Bedroom Polaroid House.

The album is filled with many gems, but Special Affections' standout track is clearly "Something Else." With a killer homemade beat and a super catchy guitar riff that reminds me of New Order's "Ceremony," Diamond Rings' admiration for a special someone comes off so sincerely with that mild lisp that accentuates many of his lyrics. There's a serious innocence that fills all of John O's vocals throughout the album that makes it extremely difficult not to like Diamond Rings and Special Affections, so it should come as no surprise that his music and eye make-up are currently garnering so much buzz. Bedroom Polaroid House, FTW!

Click here to read an interview that we did with Diamond Rings last year.

Download Now: "Something Else"-Diamond Rings

Download Now: The Tangible Presence of The Miraculous-The Crystal Ark

Epic and Banger. These are two words that have been extremely misused in describing music as of late. Daft Punk at Coachella '06 equals epic. Band of Horses at the Metro, not so much. Queen at Wembley '86 equals epic. Weezer at the Aragon, probably not. Actually, definitely not.

Banger. The remix that your friend made the other day, not really (though i do give them credit for trying 'cause remixing is not an easy task). "The Tangible Presence of the Miraculous" by The Crystal Ark? Yes. Total banger.

Released on DFA, Gavin Russom has created a track that is both epic and a banger. If you've seen LCD Soundsystem before you may recognize Gavin as the multi-instrumentalist with the involuntary "business in the front, party in the back" look, and on this track he takes the lead, creating a 12 minute plus monster. With a pulsating Brazilian influenced beat and sensual Latin vocals, "The Tangible Presence of the Miraculous" is dance floor ecstasy in non-pill form. At around the 8:32 mark, your life as a music fan peaks in glee as you and the dance floor are, indeed, ON FIRE. BOOM!

Enjoy.

Download Now: The Tangible Presence of The Miraculous-The Crystal Ark

Download Now: "Some Might Say"-Secret Colours

I have a new favorite Chicago rock band. They're called Secret Colours and they rule. Call them psychedelic, call them shoegaze or just call them awesome, Secret Colours combine all these elements to make music that would get Anton Newcombe so excited, he might kick you in the face. Sure, they sound a bit like the Brian Jonestown Massacre, but the BJM sound like a bunch of other bands too, so quit making comparisons and let's enjoy the fact that both bands pay homage to sounds of the past and they both do it well.

On "Some Might Say," my favorite track off of Secret Colours' self titled debut, the dreamy instrumentation and the buried vocals exemplify Secret Colours' divulgence into the past. With the vocals at a whisper you're put in a relaxed state of mind throughout the song until you're hit with a bomb of distortion and a rocking guitar solo. That's how I like my rock 'n' roll. Dreamy and distorted. Pretty much, if you sound remotely like the Jesus and Mary Chain, I'm gonna like you. Secret Colours, I like you. You may sound like the past, but you're presently my new favorite Chicago band. Way to go, dudes!

Secret Colours play Subterranean on Friday at 9pm. $8.

DOWNLOAD NOW: SOME MIGHT SAY-SECRET COLOURS