Carl: The Final Frontier

People of the blogosphere, Carl is back again. Apologies for the time lapse since the last post. Shame on me. I'll make it up to you, I swear. With that in mind, I have for you today, a concoction of awesomeness for your ears and eyes. And another thing before I forget, join Lala if you haven't already. It's the best music service out there. Enjoy. . .

1. Kid Chocolat - "The Secret of the Zombies": I'm not sure where I heard this song or when, but somehow it ended up in my collection, and man, I'm glad it did. A little digging uncovered the fact that the song is not a flash-in-the-pan. Kid Chocolat is legit and his Zombiparti! album is Carl-Approved. Flowing verses about zombies and horror flick samples over flowing beats. Good shit.

2. Metric - "Twilight Galaxy": The standout track from Fantasies. It is moody and sparse, but I'll be damned if it's not beautiful.

3. The Very Best - "Warm Heart of Africa": These guys make some great ass-shaking, feel-good tunes, here is yet another off their soon-to-be-released LP. It's named after Malawi's tourist slogan and features Vampire Weekend's Ezra Koenig. Not that that's a selling point, it's a great song with or without him.

4. Lightning Dust - "Never Seen": Lightning Dust is a newer band on the scene with a shitload of promise. This song is one of their most intriguing efforts off Infinite Light. The song is minimalist, highlighting Amber Webber's ghostly voice, and builds a tension that never quite breaks. It leaves you wanting more. In a good way.

5. Neon Indian - "Should've Taken Acid With You": No album from these guys yet, but Carl will be first in line when it's released. Dizzy, chilled-out pop melodies seem to be their M.O., and I love it. With song titles like "Deadbeat Summer", "Terminally Chill", and "Should've Taken Acid With You" I don't think we're gonna hear any foot-stompers from them anytime soon.

6. Neon Indian - "Deadbeat Summer": See Above.

7. Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros - "40 Day Dream": This is an interesting band. It's made up of 12 people who dress like it's 1970 and drive around together in a converted school bus. They make some good tunes though, including this one, complete with punchy drums and a catchy chorus. Their self-titled album Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros is definitely worth a listen. I'm still trying to decide if it's good or great. I'll get back to you when I figure it out.

8. Antlers - "Kettering": Speaking of great, this song/album from the Antlers is undeniably so. Carl-Approved Hospice in an incredible album start to finish. The theme of Hospice is Centered around a relationship with a terminally ill child. Whether it's autobiographical or not, it certainly feels like it could be. A chillingly beautiful album.

9. Rex The Dog - "Bubblicious": Switching gears a bit here. I posted the awesome video for this awhile ago and may just do it again for those of you that missed it last time. While the video caught my attention first, I realized later that the song was almost as awesome. Dance bitches.

10. Beirut - "Concubine": Beirut aka Zach Condon is an endless source of solid tunes, this is yet another off his March of the Zapotec & Realpeople: Holland double album.

11. Washed Out - "Feel It All Around": From what I've heard, Washed Out (aka Ernest Greene) has a knack for making lazy, dreamy summer soundscapes such as this one. No albums yet, but someone to watch.

12. Theophilus London - "Sabali (Remix)": The UK DJ is hit or miss when it comes to some of his remixes, but he gets it right on this rehash of Amadou and Mariam's "Sabali".

13. The Big Pink - "Velvet": The London-based duo comin' at you with some big-ass guitars. This song just kicks you in the nuts, calls your mom a bitch and doesn't even feel bad about it.

14. The Dodos - "Fables": The Dodos follow up the excellent Visiter with the equally excellent Time To Die. This song stands out as one of the best on the album. Great foot-stomping percussion in this one.

15. Futurecop! - "Tonight's Hero": I know I've sang the praises of Futurecop! here previously, but I'm doing it again. Wanna fight about it? He puts on a great live show, heavily 80's influenced. Synthtastic. Check out his Carl-Approved EP The Unicorn and the Lost City of Alvograth. Beat that name.

16. Freur - "Doot Doot": I heard this bit of hotness from the 80s for the first time the other day and was flabbergasted that I hadn't heard it before. Then I realized it was by a group named Freur and immediately understood why.

---Carl 08.10.09

Gossip - "Love Long Distance"
A disco-pop gem, complete with spandex, keytars and huge balloon heads.


Miike Snow - "Animal"
Good track, decent video.


Banjo or Freakout - Upside Down
Makes you feel like your dreaming. Great tune too to match. Also, a reminder that the last days of summer are upon us, so go enjoy the beach with the grim reaper, policemen, chickens and a huge purple guy.


Brule's Rules
Dr. Brule offers up valuable tips on living alone.

Holy Carl, it's Friday!

Today we have a grabag of songs for you and, as usual, there is no theme, rhyme or reason to the playlist. Oh wait, there IS a theme - they're all BADASS!

And away we go. . . oh and sorry about the little ads that IMEEM sneaks in the playlists. I guess they have to make money somehow. That said, I'm currently considering other playlist providers.

1. DJ Earworm - "United State of Pop 2008": Earworm took the 25 top billboard singles and mashed them together over a backdrop of Vida La Vida. Pretty f*ckin' catchy I must say.

2. Empire of the Sun - "We are the People": The second single off these weirdos' Walking on a Dream LP. I can fault them for being strange (see video below), but not for creating delightful pop magic.

3. Phoenix - "Lisztomania": I've been posting a lot of songs from Phoenix lately, here is yet another off Wolfgang Amedeus Phoenix. Perhaps not as talented as Mozart in songwriting department, but a touch more fun.

4. Muscles - "Ice Cream": "Ice cream is gonna save the day again. I don't need a number, I just wanna dance with my shirt off." That kinda says it all here.

5. Casiokids - "Fot I Hose": Dudes from Norway deftly piece together glitchy synth sounds and a funky bass line and give us an instrumental of compelling, head-bobbing funk. I was also told that they are "nasty" in concert. This was verified by reviews of their performance at SXSW.

6. The-Dream - "Walkin' on the Moon": Call it a guilty pleasure, call it a man-crush, I don't care, i can't get enough of The-Dream. Love vs. Money is hit-tastic. I'm not a huge Pop-R&B fan and ususally quick to dismiss it, but my guard was broken down by The-Dream. And I'm glad it was. Let him into your life. . . don't be scared.

7. CFCF - "Invitation to Love": A soothing down-tempo jam. A great soundtrack to any daydream.

8. Casiotone for the Painfully Alone - "Lesley Gore on the T.A.M.I Show": Possibly the longest artist/title combo I have written. Simple, sweet and melodic. These guys have more where that came from. See their album Etiquette.

9. Wave Machines - "Punk Spirit": A band from Liverpool. Their first album is due in June. I for one, am pumped. From the songs I've heard, they sound the real deal.

10. Camp Lo - "Luchini": Remember these guys!?!?!? Whatever happened to them? One album then out the door? What gives? I used to dig them. Word on the street is the duo has formed a new group, Freebass 808, and the comeback album is titled MoonBass. . . Yikes. Hey, as an old fan I hope it's good, but let's be honest, this is not a great start.




Vids. . .

Minilogue - "Animals"
The world could use a few more colorful dancing monsters. Incredible video.



Empire of the Sun - "We are the People"
Chances are they're not taking themselves seriously. If they are, beware.



Department of Eagles - "No one Does it Better"
Quoting Pitchfork here: "It's a pretty involved production for this modest (and wonderful) band, filled with singing ghosts, pirouetting legionnaires, and expressionistic death scenes."

Artist Spotlight: Friendly Fires

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.




And a "Skeleton Boy" video for good measure. . .

Songs of the Week

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.

Thank Carl It's Friday

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.

Fun for Your Eyeballs and Earholes. . .

Some new, some old, all awesome. . .

MGMT - "Time to Pretend"
This is what happens when you blow your video budget on hallucinogens and bows & arrows. . .



Casiokids - "I Fot Hose"
This is the Norwegian electro-pop band's new video for one of their instrumental tunes. Cartoons of their own heads on thier own bodies and on the bodies of ceremonial tribal African dancers. Hooray.



Kanye - "Welcome to Heartbreak"
Here we have a bunch of colorful pixelated Kanyes in shitty 80's sweaters singing sadly to each other about the emptiness of money and fame. Boo fucking Hoo.



Tahiti Boy and the Palmtree Family - "1973"
Dancing trees, singing mushrooms, giant waterfowl. What else could you possibly want?. . . besides the heavy drugs these guys clearly scored.



Chromeo - "Fancy Footwork"
Title track and first video from their latest album. The video plays off the creepy bodyless-leg theme they have going on their album cover and live shows. Not a great video, but the song makes up for it.



Zander Bleck - "Beyond the Horizon"
Last but certainly not least, I saw this on Nialler9, another music blog I frequent. Artists often send mass marketing emails to blogs to get their name out. This Zander Bleck creep sent the following (completely serious) email and video to Nialler9. . .

"Leave it to a talent like Zander Bleck to use his entrepreneurial skills, model looks, and amazing vocals, to create innovative and inspirational tunes and music videos that are generating quite a stir worldwide. Zander Bleck has blended his powerful singing and songwriting talent with the top production of Adam Longlands to create a phenomenal mix of vintage rock, pop and electronic sounds. A fresh fusion of club dance beats, British pop, and timeless rock, Zander Bleck offers an unconventional and refreshing style of music for listeners of every age and musical preference. Zander’s vocal talent resonates with artists like Bono and Chris Martin, and his music is energetic, infectious and distinctly a sound of his own. We would love to be a part of your blog."

In a way, Zander and his "people" are getting their wish, but for all the wrong reasons. A gold mine of unintentional comedy. Enjoy, please.

Songs of the Week: 2/10/09

Hello friends. I told you I'd have some more tunes for you today and I'm a man of my word. So here you go. . .

1. Temper Trap - "Sweet Disposition": I posted this song a few weeks ago but need to repost because it's just that good. They are a new band from Australia with only an EP released so far. Eagerly waiting to hear more.

2. The Helio Sequence - "Hallelujah": Great song from the electro-indie duo from Oregon. I highly recommend their album Keep Your Eyes Ahead.

3. Animal Collective - "Summertime Clothes": Yet another incredible song off their recently-released Merriweather Post Pavilion album. If you missed my feelings on the album, they are here.

4. AmpLive - "VideoTapez": A great mashup of Radiohead vs. Del the Funky Homosapien.

5. The Hood Internet - "Light Falsetto Music": Another remix by Girl Talk rivals The Hood Internet, this one mixes The Dream with Cut Copy's "Lights and Music," which is a great song in it's own right.

6. Foals - "Big Big Love (Fig.2)": One of the best songs off the British punk-dance band's Antidotes - a solid album.

7. Jape - "Nothing Lasts Forever": Richie Egan aka Jape from Dublin is an interesting one man electro-folk band. Cool stuff.

8. Elbow - "Starlings": I can't get Peter Gabriel out of my head when I hear this guy sing, but that aside, the arangement and beauty of this song speaks for itself.

9. David Holmes - "I Heard Wonders": A song of of Irish DJ/Film Score-Composer David Holmes' The Holy Pictures.

10. Portishead - "Machine Gun": As I've mentioned before, these guys came back with vengance on thier Third album - this is just another example. Admittedly, it's not for everyone, but unique enough to be post-worthy.




Peter Bjorn & John - "Nothing to Worry About"
These guys seem to be pretty adept at creating what-the-fuck?-type videos (see "Lay it Down" in addition to the video below).

To quote Pitchfork's description of this video. . . "Tatted-up balding biker street-dancing dudes with giant coifs have "Nothing to Worry About" in the second clip from Writer's Block follow-up Living Thing. I think the technical term for a cinematic work like this is "quirky as fuck""



Fleet Foxes - "Mykonos"
This is a great song I featured a couple weeks ago from Seattle-based hippie rockers Fleet Foxes off their Sun Giant EP. I'm not surprised that they complimented it with an equally awesome video after seeing their video for "Winter White Hymnal" a couple months ago. These guys get it.



Royksopp - "Remind Me"
This video is a classic. You may recognize a different version of this song from a Geico commercial. Why a remixed version of the song was put to this video, I don't know, but awesome nevertheless.

Oh Happy Day

Let it be known that today is a great day for music and videos. Why? Because I say it is. One of the highlights, “My Girls” by Animal Collective is one of the first couple of singles from their mind-numbingly rich and colorful new album "Merriweather Post Pavilion". I realize we’re only a month into 2009, but it’s my current frontrunner for album of the year, and I don’t see that changing any time soon. It may just go down as one of the better albums of the decade. This album is no f-in' joke.

Animal Collective is often rejected in some circles as being inaccessible or experimental - while I can understand that some people just don’t have an ear for their previous work, this album brings experimentation and accessibility together, with a much sharper focus on melody than past albums. The rewards that come from listening to the album are endless, every time I listen to the album I uncover treasures undiscovered throughout previous listens. This album is worth checking out, no matter what type of music you’re into.

Playlist:
1. "My Girls", the song of the year so far on the album of the year so far (sorry the song is cut short - the full version can be heard with the video below)
2. “Mykonos”, a beautiful song by Fleet Foxes off their “Sun Giant” EP
3. "Can you Hear My Kids Now", The Hood Internet’s nasty booty-shaking mashup of Lil’ Kim and MGMT
4. “Lay it Down”, a catch new single by Peter Bjorn & John
5. “Frank, AB” by a little known, yet awesome band called Rural Alberta Advantage
6. “No One Does it Like You” by Department of Eagles
7. “No Karma” a remix of Jay-Z and Radiohead off the album. . . wait for it. . . “Jaydiohead” by Minty Fresh Beats
8. “Bounce” by Detroit's very own, Black Milk
9. "Berlin" by electro-80's-folk band, Alaska in Winter




Animal Collective – “My Girls”
The video isn’t quite as good as the song, but that would have to be one hell of a video. Still very well done, howeva.



Rex The Dog – “Bubblicious”
One of my favorite videos of the short year so far.



CFCF – “Crystal Mines”
Creepy/weird/funny as all hell – cut from the 1974 French movie "Les Nuits Rouges". Just try to stop watching. . . you can’t.



The BPA – “He’s Frank”
The Brighton Port Authority aka Norman Cook aka Fatboy Slim returns with 'He's Frank' featuring the legendary Iggy Pop. Quite entertaining. He’s released two other videos/songs I featured on the blog which are also well done. His album “I Think We're Gonna Need A Bigger Boat” is coming out soon, and so far I like what I’ve heard. . .



Peter Bjorn & John – “Lay it Down”
This is video for one of PB&J's songs off their upcoming album “Living Thing.” The video doesn’t make any damn sense, but it's fun to try and figure out what the fuck they were thinking or what types of illicit street drugs they were mixing. . .

Songs of the Week: 1/14/09

Good day friendos. Today, if you don't mind, I'd like to post another array of random tunes and videos. I'll follow up later in the week with an Artist Spotlight on a kickass band you may or may not know about. Stay tuned for that. I have a lot to share, so I'll throw it all at you and see what sticks. . .




And some awesome videos I've seen recently. . .

I love this song and the video doesn't disappoint either. I think I speak for everyone when I say we could all do with a little less creepy mime-tiger facepaint, though. Regardless, get excited. . .

MGMT - "Kids"



One of my favorite songs of 2007. . .

LCD Soundsystem - "Someone Great"



This is an absolutely beautiful song along with acid-trip-esque video. Check out Portishead's album "Third" as well, one of the better albums of 2008. . .

Portishead - "The Rip"



Oh cute they're playing telephone. . . uhhhhh, wait hold on. . . what are they doing. . . did she just. . . hey, that's not how you play! (Great song too, btw)

Simian Mobile Disco - "Hustler"



I have a love/hate relationship with Kanye, but a love/love relationship with Muppet-ized Kanye. . .

Kanye - "Champion"

Happy New Year Bitches!!!

Haven't posted in awhile, the holidays really had me by the balls - sorry folks. I will make it up to you by giving you a heap of awesome tunes and videos. So without further ado. . .




Empire of the Sun - "Walking on a Dream"



Amadou & Mariam - "Sabali"



Fleet Foxes - "Winter White Hymnal"



White Williams & TV Carnage - "New Violence"



New Pornographers - "Myriad Harbor"



Ah-Ha - "Take on Me (Literal Version)"

Take on Me: Literal Video Version - watch more funny videos

Artist Spotlight: Tigercity

As promised, I wanted to do a spotlight on Tigercity - a four man outfit from Brooklyn. I had the pleasure of seeing these guys rip it up on multiple occasions in Boston. Having only released a 6-song EP titled "Pretend not to Love", they are currently jamming in relative obscurity, but they have the type of tunes and stage presence that have me convinced they will be big one day. Catch them while you can at a small venue. I dare you not to dance. As I mentioned in another post, their sound is hard to pin down - but this is a good thing - a unique sound is hard to come by these days. Their influences range from Prince to David Bowie to Daft Punk to Earth, Wind and Fire. They manage to sound like all of them and none of them at the same time. On top of these influences, throw in some infectious disco/dance beats, Bill Gillim's falsetto crooning and you have pure magic. Again, I can't say it enough, what you'll here below is great, but their live shows are incredible. In addition to their EP, they also have a currently untitled LP ready to roll out soon as well. Check it fools. . .

Songs of the Week: 11/24/08

As a Chromeo fan, I'm always pumped when I catch wind of a new song or remix by these dudes. When I heard they were performing "Kids Don't Stand a Chance" with Vampire Weekend on mtvU's Woodie Awards earlier this month, I thought it would be interesting if nothing else. Unfortunately, they laid an egg. Wow, did it f-ing suck. I blame Vampire Weekend - it sounded like they didn't want to be overshadowed by Chromeo's awesomeness. There was a glaring lack of Chromeo's 80's-R&B-synth vibe. Later, Chromeo released a studio version of the remix which was more along the lines of what I was hoping for.




I rustled up some videos for you too:

47 Miller Gang - "If You Blood Throw it Up"


Why? - "A Sky For Shoeing Horses Under"



I'd recommend seeing these guys live if you can. . .

The Go! Team - "Ladyflash"



Below is the first of three new Radiohead videos to premiere on MySpace Music this week. As a grand prize winner in Radiohead's animated video contest, a guy named Tobias Stretch received $10,000 to turn his winning entry into this full-length video. Yeah, it's weird, but it's too interesting to turn off.

Radiohead - "Weird Fished / Arpeggi"

Hump Day Tunes: 11/19/08

Happy hump day peoples, as usual, I've posted some songs from an array of genres for your listening pleasure: A new song from Beirut, one of Okkervil River's best, a Feist Remix by Boys Noize, a collaboration between Snoop and 100 Suns (a member of Massive Attack) which is featured in the "In Prison my Whole Life" soundtrack, a grooooovy Hercules and Love Affair track, a new song by Ultraviolence, Little Joy's first single and finally, my favorite song off Q-Tip's most recent comeback album, "Renaissance".

Moving Picture Shows: 10/9/08

Hello friendos, I compiled some videos for you. Some are a little old, but I don't care. . .

Have you ever played music with the TV on mute and thought "Hey, this music sneaky fits the scene - but wait, now that I think about it, it actually kinda doesn't"? No? Screw you then. Well that's what this video reminds me of. Ratatat is all about the low-budget video, and this is no different. They take an ABBA video, cut and paste their eyes and mouths in different places, give it a splash of 80's graphics, and Voila! they have themselves a video. A little creepy, but a lot awesome.

Ratatat - "Shempi"



Cool video, great song. I've noticed there are a lot of great songs that sample children's voices in the background. I'll have to post a best of songs-that-sample-children's-voices-in-the-background playlist. Watch for it.

Daedelus - "Fair Weather Friends"



I'd be lying if I said this makes any damn sense whatsoever. It kinda looks like a skittles commercial directed by a wizard on acid. . .

TV on the Radio - "Golden Age"



This song simply HEATS, as does the video. . .

Justice vs. Simian - "We Are Your Friends"



Will Smith's hot new track. . .

Will Smith - "Nice Clean Rap"

Hump Day Tunes

Just a random compilation of some tunes that are helping me fumble through work today. . .

Songs of the Week: 10/6/08

This week I'm posting songs from artists who have held a spot in my music rotation for months. As much as I love looking for new music, I keep coming back to these bands who all have, and will always have, a special place in my ears.



On a related note, I had the privilege of seeing Ratatat and Chromeo here in Boston last week on back to back nights. If they come to a city near you and you don't go, that would be an extremely unwise decision. Here are a couple of videos from Chromeo and Ratatat for your viewing pleasure. . .

Chromeo - "Bonafide Lovin'"


Ratatat - "Mirando"