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I saw this CD by DJ Dayспални while perusing my local Streetlight Records in San Jose looking for some vinyl bargains (sadly there were none, unless you count Bruce Springsteen’s Born to Run for $4). The CD was listed as one of the “staff recommended” albums. After a brief flashback to a Seinfeld episode involving video store recommendations (yes, I watch way too much TV), I checked the CD out and it looked promising.

The tune posted here, A Place To Go, is a really breezy, summer-y instrumental arrangement that, while revolving around a persistent piano line, really throws a lot of different sounds your way. DJ Day does a great job of incorporating organic-sounding instruments (like live percussion, blaring horns, and guitars) with old-school hip-hop stylings (like sampling, scratching, thumping bass lines, and electronic, almost videogame-esque beats). The best part is his arrangements don’t sound forced and aren’t trying to be gimmicky or even all that catchy - the music sounds extremely natural. And that’s an impressive feat, considering he’s dumping so many different influences and sounds into the mix. This song, and album, are a perfect way to keep summer vibes alive even as fall approaches.

I highly recommend checking out this album, The Day Before. You can hear other MP3 samples at his record label’s website, as well as on a little-known niche site called online casinoкомпютри втора употребаMySpace. Plus he’s on eMusic. mach zehnder modulator

tags: All Music author: AX9 comments: No Comments

Looks like Apple finally got their act together and is now offering John Lennon’s for download through the iTunes music store. Lennon was my favorite Beatle music-wise. His solo work had an amazing knack for really simple choruses that would blow you away both in its melody and sheer energy. Instant Karma was an arena-sized juggernaut anthem that helped usher in the large rock sound of the 70’s. Nobody Told Me follows suit with a devastating hook that resonates as well today as it did when it was released, after his untimely death.

Below is a link to the video for the latter song. Obviously everybody on the planet has heard of Lennon and the Beatles, so it’s rather redundant to even highlight him here, but what a damn great musician that old hippie was.

tags: All Music, Rock and Roll author: AX9 comments: No Comments

I’m back from the dead! Hopefully will stick with frequent posting this time.

I recently got into the Blues - mostly of the guitar-driven variety. My favorite blues musician so far is probably Freddie King. He shares a last name with two other huge blues artists (B.B. and Albert) which confused me enough as it was. I picked up his Ultimate Collection CD, and it’s seriously top-notch stuff. Even if you don’t normally listen to this kind of music, it’s a real thrill to listen to. It’s no coincidence he was placed #25 on the list of Rolling Stone’s 100 greatest guitarists of all-time (whatever that even means).

Below is a live video I found that just blew me away - I don’t know exactly where it was recorded, however. Freddie absolutely shreds through Going Down, which is a cover of a Don Nix tune, with some amazing guitar work and soulful singing. The studio cut actually sounds pretty tame after listening to this (!) but both versions are wonderful. It’s a real throwback to the old blues sound, and a clear influence on blues-rock artists, most notably folks like Stevie Ray Vaughan. It must’ve been a treat to hear him (or any of the great blues musicians from years past) really lay into their songs like this.

You can find this song off of Freddie King’s Ultimate Collection CD found here on Amazon.com .

tags: All Music, blues author: AX9 comments: 1 Comment

Jens Lekman - Black Cab

Jens Lekman is a songwriter from Sweden, and he released this song, Black Cab, a few years back on an EP called Maple Leaves. This tune on the surface appears to be a very straightforward, lo-fi pop song with a steady driving beat and light guitar riff accentuating each beat in 4/4 time. It also features Lekman’s deep voice shuffling through lyrics about parties and social awkwardness (oh, and black cabs). In other words, blueprints for a typical indie rock song from the early 00’s.

But as the song progresses, horns and strings fade in and settle into some of the sparse pockets of music. Suddenly you see that the weird beginning of the song (with what sounded like a harpsichord or keyboard) blends almost too seamlessly behind the guitars, creating a really tight instrumental loop. And Lekman’s voice becomes expressive, with his choruses echoing perfectly with the song’s structure and melody…and pretty soon you realize it’s actually a pretty decent track. After repeating this a few times, you might even *really* like the song. I do, anyway. Even if it’s named after, well, cabs.

NOTE: File is for sampling purposes only. But you can download this (and others) for free off of eMusic.com in the 2006 Pitchfork Music Festival Sampler album. Whoo hoo!

tags: All Music, Indie Rock author: AX9 comments: No Comments

Prefuse 73 - Storm Returns

Prefuse 73 is Scott Herren, one of the more innovative hip-hop producers to come out of the early 2000’s. He crafted two really spectacular albums - Vocal Studies + Uprock Narratives and One Word Extinguisher, the latter of which contains this track. Reviews have been mixed on his more recent work, however. I was introduced to this track through a CD swap, and I immediately went out to buy his records after spinning it a couple times.

There’s just something different and innovative about the way his songs play. They’re created by splicing and sampling (what sounds like) millions of different sounds, yet they still work and fit together beautifully. I always particularly appreciate producers who attack traditional music from different angles, and do it really well. The meticulous way his songs are crafted is really special.

Storm Returns, ironically, is a calm tune amidst a whole album’s worth of frantic (yet eclectic) tracks. It’s one of his more simpler arrangements - it struggles to get off the ground during the first few seconds, then launches into a mid-tempo groove. A guitar (or what sounds kind of like one) keeps a really basic melody going, but what I love about this song is the subtle variations in the percussion. There are digital finger-snaps, traditional pounding beats, blips, maracca-esque noises, and other really cool touches. I highly recommend it for music fans of all kinds.

Special link if you want to hear more - a CD Sampler from his record label’s website.

NOTE: File is for sampling purposes only. Please purchase One Word Extinguisher from merchants like Amazon.com or iTunes.

tags: All Music, Electronic author: AX9 comments: 1 Comment

Bloc Party - Banquet (Phones Disco Edit)

I went to see Bloc Party on Friday at Greek Theatre in Berkeley. I thought they were an excellent live act. Lots of bands are either way too boring onstage (*cough* Interpol) or just talk too much and aren’t very engaging. Lead singer Kele Okereke is a great frontman - he keeps the crowd involved and keeps the show lively while remaining humble and funny. This was actually the largest headlining crowd the band had played for, and the band looked perfectly at home. I can definitely see them taking on larger and larger venues should their upcoming 2nd album explode in the States.

In any case, in honor of their performance, here’s a song off of their ‘Remix’ album, Silent Alarm Remixed. Other artists/bands took every song from their debut LP (called, yes, Silent Alarm) and had their way with them. Most of the songs turn out worse than the original, unfortunately, if only because the original songs were so well done in the first place. I chose one that was actually remixed by the band themselves, along with producer Paul Epworth, under the moniker “Phones”.

Banquet is a dance-punk centerpiece of the original album, and the “dance” part of that equation is highlighted with this remix. The track is a crowd-pleaser live (especially as the guitars alternately hit their staccato riffs) and the remix here accentuates the party atmosphere. Electronic elements force their way into the remix, making it sound much more slick as opposed to the rawness of the original. I highly recommend the original album, and if you’re a superfan, the remix album as well.

Video of the band playing Banquet live:

NOTE: File is for sampling purposes only. Please purchase Silent Alarm Remixed from merchants like Amazon.com or eMusic.com .

tags: All Music, Indie Rock author: AX9 comments: 1 Comment

Royksopp - Remind Me (song file)

Royksopp is an electronic group from Norway who make downbeat electronic music that’s also accessible and breezy. Their 2001 album Melody A.M., I’ve always felt, has a soft feeling to it. It’s almost like you’re listening to something organic despite the bleeps, synths, and drum machines that scatter themselves throughout the record. I really enjoy the brand of music displayed on this album. I heard that they went a little more techno-house with later efforts, but I haven’t checked out their later work as of yet.

In any case, Remind Me is a neat arrangement. Erlend Oye (prev. discussed) performs the vocals to this one. The lyrics aren’t particularly profound, but the simplicity in their prose and deliverance are pitch-perfect. Especially stanzas like these: “And everywhere I go / There’s always something to remind me / Of another place and time / Where love that travelled far had found me…” Oye’s soft voice lends itself perfectly to the muffled drums and light synth touches that dart in and out of the background. Very nice song.

As an added bonus, Royksopp made a very cool music video to accompany a remix of this song. I prefer the original version of the song, but the video is pretty cool…!

NOTE: File is for sampling purposes only. Please purchase Melody A.M. on Amazon.com, iTunes, or other vendors.

tags: All Music, Electronic author: AX9 comments: No Comments

The Hold Steady - Chicago Seemed Tired That Night (song file)

The Hold Steady released this album last year, Separation Sunday, and it’s an amazingly straight-ahead rock record. I don’t know why, but I always find myself smiling while listening to lead singer Craig Finn shouting his monologues over the band’s simplistic guitar and keyboard arrangements. I also find myself thinking how much of a breath of fresh air this band is.

This song is just one of the many I could’ve plucked from the album. Finn rails against a lot of things, people, and ideas on this album, but this song shows him stepping back and delivering a commentary on a night in Chicago. Everything blends together seemlessly, and nothing sounds pretentious, forced, or contrived - this song just flows perfectly. Sometimes it’s nice to step and enjoy pure rock music that’s a throwback to the sounds of decades past. This song (and album) is a great example of it all.

NOTE: This file is for sampling purposes only. Please purchase Separation Sunday from Amazon, eMusic, or other vendors. Thanks!

tags: All Music, Indie Rock author: AX9 comments: Comments Off

Final installment of my favorite songs of 2006 so far…

The Strokes - You Only Live Once
Album: First Impressions of Earth

I really think this track got overlooked (along with the whole album) back in January. Other songs became singles off of their album, but this one sports the catchiest guitar/vocal combination on the entire CD, as far as I’m concerned. Plus it just *sounds* like the Strokes, not trying to do anything radical, just rock a little and shout a few words. As far as album-openers go it’s right up there with the two off of their earlier, more popular albums.

Whitest Boy Alive - Burning (song file)
Album: Dreams

Another album-opener, this track epitomizes the summer lazy feelings too. The fact that the vocals are done by Erlend Oye doesn’t hurt either, since he must have one of the most distinctively smooth voices in all of dance music. This band, however, isn’t really an electronic outfit - it’s mostly straight-ahead rock music that uses mid-tempo beats to simply sound like it’s dance music. The guitars on this track lock together with the beat extremely well, and Oye’s voice floats over it while the instruments stay out of the way. Very cool song.

Cat Power - Willie (song file)
Album: The Greatest

While some of the other songs on this list are definitely summer-time songs, this is clearly a “rainy day” song. Though the song is constructed around a simple few piano chords, it’s really a jazzy track to me - trumpets duck in and out as Chan Marshall’s voice drapes across the top of the piano line weaving throughout. I was surprised that I enjoyed the entirety of her album from this year as much as I did, but every song is just really well-composed and it’s even a little accessible to newcomers. At nearly 6 minutes in length, it still doesn’t feel like it lasts long enough.

NOTE: Files are for sampling purposes only. Please purchase these albums by The Strokes, Whitest Boy Alive, and Cat Power off of Amazon.com or other merchants.

tags: All Music, Alt. Rock, Indie Pop, Indie Rock author: AX9 comments: 1 Comment

Part 2 of my favorite songs of 2006 (so far) below….

Herbert - The Movers and the Shakers (song file)
Album: Scale

I still don’t really know what to categorize this song/album as. It sounds as though this Herbert guy simply threw together as many cool sounds together as he could, honestly. It’s got elements of electro, jazz, and God knows what else. At times the song sounds pretty ridiculous, but it’s somehow really grown on me over time, as has the whole album. This track is always hits me like a splash of cold water to the face, and I really like the female vocals (which is apparently by someone named Dani Siciliano).

Gnarls Barkley - Smiley Faces
Album: St. Elsewhere

This group (composed of rapper-turned-singer-mostly Cee-Lo and spinmeister Danger Mouse) is finally exploding in the States after topping the charts for weeks on end in the UK, and it’s thanks mainly to their first single “Crazy”. While that’s a great song, I prefer this one, their 2nd single. It cruises along with Cee-Lo’s vocals blasting over some space-y beats and synth flourishes. Basically the song is filled to the brim with sounds. It’s very infectious, and the album in general is about as feel-good as it gets (despite the lyrical content of most of the tracks - they tend to be about suicide / madness).

I Love You But I’ve Chosen Darkness - According To Plan (song file)
Album: Fear Is On Our Side

I had been anticipating this album for months, and while the album is merely solid, the lead single here is remarkable. When you think dark and brooding, this is the song that comes to mind. It kicks off with a heavy bassline and simple pounding drums, and once the guitar layers join in it becomes the perfect night-time track. The music here is pretty timeless, as it definitely has an 80s-feel to it without being pretentious or cheesy. And with a name like I Love You But I’ve Chosen Darkness, how can you not like these guys?

NOTE: Files are for sampling purposes only. Please purchase these albums by Herbert, Gnarls Barkley, and I Love You But I’ve Chosen Darkness off of Amazon.com or other merchants.

tags: All Music, Electronic, Indie Rock, Snap author: AX9 comments: No Comments