Lately on the stereo

A lazy blog post about some tracks I’ve really been hammering to death on my music player. I thought I’d share some and post a few youtube live performances for you appreciation.

Tenuousness by Andrew Bird from “Noble Beast”.

I think I’ve finally ‘got’ Andrew Bird on this latest album. Not that he wasn’t good before, I just didn’t think much of his previous records – I didn’t know the way in. This song in particular has opened that door.



Little Secrets by Passion Pit from "Manners".

Call them what you will, but this album is a cracker. This song has a great chorus and is a godo alternative to the other more radio friendly songs off this record.



Percussion Gun by White Rabbits from "It's Frightening".

A recommendation from a friend of mine. This album is not bad, but I really like the record opener.



Another One Goes By by the Walkmen from"A Hundred Miles Off".

The Walkmen have defined 2009 for me. This Mazarin cover from "A Hundred Miles Off" recalls the dreamy dancehall sounds of the 50s and 60s.



Young Adult Friction by the Pains of Being Pure at Heart from "The Pains of Being Pure at Heart".

How anyone in 2009 is going to top this record, I’m not sure how. I really love this song and I really hope the Pains make the trip across to Australia sometime soon.



You can tell that I’m in the middle of essay writing hell. I have a lot of assessment and no motivation to write. Frequently, I try kick myself out of these ruts by returning to blogging, hence the series of posts I’ve managed to smash out over the last few days.

Tip Top Tunes #2

Sitting here drinking a lovely flat white from my local Merlo’s coffee stop, and I thought I’d quickly mention some songs I’ve been thrashing to death on my winamp computer stereo.

M83 – 'Kim & Jessie'.
What a song! Listening to it is like taking a time machine back to a mid 1980s, getting out of said time machine, and going to the cinema to watch one of those teenage coming of age flicks that were so common back then. I do really like this particular song (why else would I be talking about it). Similar to another band I really enjoy, the Radio Dept.

Lykke Li – 'Dance Dance Dance'.
The Swedish can do anything. I wish I was Swedish. Arguably, they write the best contemporary pop songs, and have done for the past thirty years. They also love black metal. Lykke's acclaimed 'Youth Novels' album of last year contains this little gem. Simple in approach but well constructed and, above all, effective. Did I mention she is also extremely attractive? Those blessed Swedes.

J. Tillman – 'Under the Sun'.
Ok, this guy is the drummer of Fleet Foxes, but you probably wouldn't pick that up that fact from listening to this record. It doesn't sound much like any Fleet Foxes stuff. This particular song is from his album 'Cancer and Delirium' and while I don't think all too much of the rest of the album, this song is not too shabby. I do like the bedroom recording and the acoustic guitar work in this one (also, is it just me, or does he sound exactly like Paul Dempsey from Something For Kate?).

Girl Talk – 'Don't Stop'.
Girl Talk's 'Feed the Animals' is a great record.I'm not sure if I'm comfortable with aying that, as I'm supposed to HATE mash ups, but this guy constructs some truly fascinating mixes. I could have easily selected three or four songs from this record as my favourites, but I chose 'Don't Stop' because it uses two samples from two great songs - The Cure’s 'In Between Days' as well as Thin Lizzy's 'Jailbreak'.

Well, that was fun. Coffee has been consumed and I'm ready to get back to my normal vocation - study. Have a nice day.

Tip Top Tunes

You want some Tip Top Tunes. Well, tune in. I recommend having a listen to some of these bands and their songs when you fancy a spot of music with your muesli.

* No Age - 'Brain Burner'. Simply sheer energy.
* Squeeze - 'Up The Junction'. Great song about impregnating your girlfriend. Presumably in or around Clapham Junction.
* The Replacements - 'Alex Chilton'. I love the intro chords on this one.
* Electric Light Orchestra - 'Mr Blue Sky'. HEEEEYEYY!
* Eurthymics - 'Thorn in My Side'. My new karaoke favourite. Also, it's chock full of sax offenses.

Quod erat demonstrandum.