I had the opportunity to see Friendly Fires, a percussive dance-pop trio from the UK, here in Boston last weekend at the Paradise. Having only released one full-length LP, Friendly Fires, I wasn't sure if these dudes were the real deal - I love their album, but seeing a band in action is the true test for me. Turns out they passed with flying colours (see what i did there?). They weren't just good, they were great. They came on after White Lies (also a great band from across the pond) with immediate and intense energy that showed no signs of slowing throughout the entire set. They had a giddy, yet clean, tight sound and made everyone in the place dance their asses off. Even their sappy songs felt kinetic, with disco bass lines, hand-clapping, hi-hats, shimmering synths and the constant clip of cowbells.
I posted some of their best songs and remixes below as a warmup but do yourself a favor and go see them tear it up on stage. And I strongly urge you to bring your dancing shoes.
M83 - "Lower Your Eyelids To Die With The Sun" (Fully Flared Intro) I'm not a huge fan of skateboarding, but I AM a huge fan of slowmotion skateboarding mixed with explosions mixed with M83's slow-burning dream pop. Incredible stuff.
Panda Bear - "Take Pills" An creepy/trippy ultra-lo-fi video for Panda Bear's "Take Pills"
Lily Allen - "Not Fair" I've always had a soft spot for Lily Allen and always will. You wanna fight about it?
Arcade Fire - "Wake Up" (Where the Wild Things Are Trailer) An alternate version of the Arcade Fire's Wake Up is featured in this trailer. I must say, I'm almost as excited for Where the Wild Things Are as I am for Tron 2.0. And that's saying something.
Hello friends. It's been too long. My apologies, I've been on vacation for a week. Quick post today but there are some gems in here I assure you.
1. Theophilus London - "Hum Drum": Theophilus London is a DJ from London (surprise). His "This Charming Mixtape" has a couple highlights, this is one 'em.
2. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - "Skeletons": The more I listen to It's Blitz! the more i love it. This song is as beautiful as it is haunting.
3. Miami Horror - "Don't Be On With Her": Another bitchin' song from the 80's throwback sensations.
4. Helio Sequence - "Captive Mind": I've been posting a lot from these guys lately. Another solid tune off Keep Your Eyes Ahead.
5. Junior Boys - "Dull to Pause": A yet unreleased song off their yet unrealeased Begone Dull Care. I like what I hear.
6. David Sitek - "With a Girl Like You": Another great song off the Dark Was the Night AIDS benefit compilation which I wrote about breifly here. Gems galore on this thing.
7. Friendly Fires - "Skeleton Boy": Their self-titled album will make you dance. Get it.
8. Phoenix - "If I Ever Feel Better": Their 1901 single from their upcoming Wolfgang Amedaeus Phoenix got me fired up so I went back and listened to some of the classics. This is one of their best.
9. Starfucker - "Florida": I like Starfucker's chill-yet-upbeat sound. . . and their name. Posted a video from them below too.
10. Crystal Castles - "Courtship Dating": Their best song in my humble opinion.
Sigur Ros - "Vaka" Oldie but goodie. I have always loved this song, but with the video it's even better. Gives me goosebumps everytime.
Starfucker - "Rawnald Gregory Erickson the Second" Not sure why I like this so much. But i do.
Bert & Ernie - "Ante Up" I coudn't resist. I promise this is the last Sesame Street remix. . . for at least a week.
Happy Friday homies. Tunes and vids galore below. But first, some exciting news. . .
It has been announced that Daft Punk will be creating an original score for the upcoming Tron sequel. Tentatively titled Tron 2.0, production is set for this spring with a release in 2011. If anything makes more sense than Daft Punk meets Tron, please let me know. Their most recent creations have let me down, but if anything can revive their glory days of Homework and Discovery, this might just be it. I'm having trouble computing how awesome this could be. To celebrate my excitement, the first song, and my favorite Daft Punk song of all time, Digital Love, is dedicated to Daft Punk in their heyday. Make me proud, boys.
More breaking news. U2's new album is garbage.
Without further ado, here are some songs. As always, the selected songs tend to jump all over the place in terms of genre, tone, etc. But thats the way it's going to be. Deal with it.
1. Daft Punk - "Digital Love": Classic DP.
2-3. Stars - "Undertow" and "Going, Going, Gone": Two beautiful songs off their new-ish Sad Robot EP. A very underrated album among critcs, mind you.
4. Friendly Fires - "Strobe": Off their self-titled album. These guys make some great head-bobbing music. The entire album recommended.
5. The Helio Sequence - "Broken Afternoon": As recommended before, their album Keep Your Eyes Ahead is great start to finish. This is one of thier slower-burners.
6. Polly Scattergood - "Nitrogen Pink": Yeah, that's her real name. Interesting song, a slow builder with some real emotion that digs in deeper and deeper as the song unfurls.
7. Miami Horror - "Bellevue": Featured them last week. If you're looking for 80's throwbacks, these are your guys. Their Bravado EP is rad. . . bitchin' even.
8. The Presets - "If I Know You": One of the Australian dance-punk duo's better songs.
9. Glasvegas - "Geraldine": One of my guiltier pleasures, this song has god-awful lyrics and a painfully simple melody, but i can't get that damn riff out of my head. Their self-titled album received a lot of great reviews, but don't be fooled. It's not good. I think of them as Scotland's wannabe Coldplay, with less talent. Segway alert!. . . .
10. Coldplay - "Stawberry Swing": Speaking of Coldplay, I'm not the biggest fan but when i first listened to Viva La Vida, this song stuck out as something special. If it wasn't for Chris Martin's distinct voice, I'd have no idea this was Coldplay. Is that why I like it? Not sure.
11. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - "Heads Will Roll": The second single off their highly anticipated new album It's Blitz! A catchy song with a good beat. I'd give the album a B on first listen.
12. The National - "Brainy": Have you ever fell in love with an album, listened to it over and over, left it alone for awhile and then rediscovered it later to find out you loved it even more than you thought you did? No? F- you then. Well thats what happened for me with Boxer by The National. This is just one of the many gems on the album.
13. Phoenix - "1901": The first relese off Phoenix's new album Wolfgang Amedaeus Pheonix. Not too shabby.
Mr. Oizo - "Flat Beat" Amazing.
Deathcab for Cutie - "Grapevine Fires" A boy on a bike experiencing an over-the-top version of what's happening in the lyrics. One of the better songs on their underwhelming Narrow Stairs album.
Sportsday Megaphone - "Meet Me in the Middle" Wait till the end.
Devo - "Freedom of Choice" Worst video ever? You decide. Some things are so bad they're funny. But this one is so bad it makes me angry.
Fellow music lovers, we've come a long way from mixtapes but I still look back on those days with fond memories. In this age of information overload, Carl Winslow vs. Science is an attempt to cut through the crap and recapture that simplicity and magic of hitting the record button and handing the tape off to your friend at recess.
Every week(ish), I'll share songs, albums and videos across multiple genres -- sans fluff -- Carl believes music speaks loudest when it speaks for itself. And please, if you like what you hear, support the artists by purchasing their music, attending their shows and most importantly, sharing it with others.
Thoughts, comments, suggestions? Are you listening to something cool that I don't even know about? Drop me an email.
I had the opportunity to see Friendly Fires, a percussive dance-pop trio from the UK, here in Boston last weekend at the Paradise. Having only released one full-length LP, Friendly Fires, I wasn't sure if these dudes were the real deal - I love their album, but seeing a band in action is the true test for me. Turns out they passed with flying colours (see what i did there?). They weren't just good, they were great. They came on after White Lies (also a great band from across the pond) with immediate and intense energy that showed no signs of slowing throughout the entire set. They had a giddy, yet clean, tight sound and made everyone in the place dance their asses off. Even their sappy songs felt kinetic, with disco bass lines, hand-clapping, hi-hats, shimmering synths and the constant clip of cowbells. 
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