Tag Archives | Music

bowie, golden years

this has pretty much been my theme song lately. i have listened to it every single day… sometimes on repeat. man! what i would give to be in that crowd, funking it up to bowie. please take notice of the dancers on the stages, they have the best moves! bowie is beautiful too. D A M N.

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you called me after midnight

hello troublemakers, here’s a little bonus october mix for you! kind of an early morning with a slight hangover and i can’t play anything too upbeat mix. or perhaps an i’d like to play some music at 1am without waking up the neighbours mix.

most of these songs actually got me through plenty of all nighters at university. fun fact.

you called me after midnight mix - download it here. playlist:

  1. sufjan stevens – futile devices
  2. kings of convenience – i don’t know what i can save you from (röyksopp remix)
  3. the shins – sleeping lessons (RAC mix)
  4. of montreal – the repudiated immortals
  5. air – cherry blossom girl
  6. husky rescue – city lights
  7. yo la tengo – you don’t have to be so sad
  8. RATATAT – swisha
  9. the postal service – against all odds (phil collins)
  10. the whitest boy alive – golden cage
  11. zero 7 – speed dial no. 2
  12. röyksopp – miss it so much
  13. the radio dept. – heaven’s on fire
  14. the xx – islands
  15. telepopmusik – breathe
  16. death from above 1979 – black history month (pollyn remix)

here’s the real october mix, in case you don’t have it already.

all music is for sampling purposes only – please go out and buy the artists’ records & support them at their shows!

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fine folk

october music mix is here! this past month i’ve been spending a lot of quality time with my ipod listening to tunes on my own – in airports, on long flights, walking around in a strange city, driving in my car… and i kept returning to the same kind of music. would i call it folk? perhaps. folk rock? indie folk? indie folk rock? indie folk rock pop? indie folk rock alt-country lo-fi pop? at the very least it’s nice music accompanied by strumming guitars. or banjos. sometimes harmonicas. maybe even accordions. and pianos. a couple even have synthesizers. and lots of harmonising. uuuuuh…

fine folk playing fine music that perhaps isn’t folk but kind of is to me. download it here. playlist:

  1. blitzen trapper – furr
  2. dale earnhardt jr. jr. – vocal chords
  3. monsters of folk – baby boomer
  4. jenny and johnny – new yorker cartoon
  5. edward sharpe and the magnetic zeros – home
  6. vetiver – everyday
  7. taken by trees – my boys
  8. coconut records – summer
  9. fleet foxes – blue ridge mountains
  10. mumford & sons – banjolin song
  11. the mountain goats – no children
  12. jens lekman – your arms around me
  13. beirut – postcards from italy
  14. ben gibbard – you remind me of home
  15. stornoway – boats and trains
  16. great lake swimmers – your rocky spine
  17. ray lamontagne – sarah
  18. cat stevens – how can i tell
  19. simon & garfunkel – bleecker street
  20. tin hat trio – fear of the south

next time you’re in a busy public space with your ipod handy – listen to track 20. quite a weird experience.

ps. two of my favourite songs of all time are in this mix: blitzen trapper / furr and the mountain goats / no children. i have played both countless times and i never ever tire of them.

the album image is by the inimitable gordon parks. inimitable, i say.

all music is for sampling purposes only – please go out and buy the artists’ records & support them at their shows!

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hit the road

september music mix is here! this is not really a ‘road trip’ mix, per se (no tracy chapman / fast car …) – but certainly tunes i love playing in my car. load up your ipod and go for a drive… sing along, too.

yes i have noticed that paul simon is basically on all my mixes so far, just can’t help it! love that little man.

download the hit the road mix here. tracklist:

  1. stornoway – i saw you blink
  2. aloe blacc – good things
  3. phoenix – if i ever feel better
  4. de la soul – eye know
  5. beck – the new pollution
  6. the shins – australia
  7. devotchka – till the end of time
  8. paul simon – kodachrome
  9. bright eyes – another travelin’ song
  10. deer tick – art isn’t real (city of sin)
  11. iron & wine – the devil never sleeps
  12. arcade fire – keep the car running
  13. the postal service – clark gable
  14. smashing pumpkins – 1979

all music is for sampling purposes only – please go out and buy the artists’ records & support them at their shows!

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niel: things i like right now

things i like right now by niel of a hymn

  1. Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
  2. Black Prairie – Feast of the Hunters’ Moon
  3. Jonsi – Go
  4. Titus Andronicus – The Monitor
  5. Spaghetti Bolognese (eating it and making it)
  6. Long weekends with nothing to do.
  7. Starting work at 10 every Monday
  8. Yellow = (0 Cyan) (20 Magenta) (100 Yellow) (0 black)
  9. My secret free mp3 websites that I can’t tell you about because they are secret.
  10. This presentation
  11. Anything that can stop the censorship of the press. Without freedom of speech we are nothing.

newspaper image from brandon long

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the banjolin song / awake my soul

mumford & sons in paris – two of my favourite things in one beautiful video. oh to be that woman in the window!

this post is dedicated to niel who, by the way, introduced me to funkdoobiest many years ago

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interval workout mix

if you’re a gym goer, or even if you run outside, you might be interested in this 35 minute interval workout mix i put together – it’s all fun electro and remixes of cheesy pop songs. i’ve done a session on the treadmill with this puppy & it’s super helpful not only for knowing when to push your speed/incline up & down (no more looking at the timer) – but your workout goes by quickly. download it here.

(note: there’s a read me included in the zip file showing you the breakdown of the intervals which you should probably scan through before trying it out.)

* just thought i’d take this opportunity to show you this clever packaging for panasonic earphones

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second hand songs

i was compiling my favourite cover songs and thought it would be a pretty great playlist to share. the list was so long that i had to cut it down, and as expected it boiled down to mostly indie / alternative artists. that’s not to say that more well known cover songs aren’t amazing – sinead o’connor’s version of nothing compares to you is arguably more well known than prince’s, but i wanted to share renditions that hopefully you haven’t heard before… enjoy :)

download the mix here. the song list :

1. cake – i will survive (gloria gaynor)

probably the most well known cover on here, this version is so dry & deadpan – as only cake could do it.

2. nouvelle vague – heart of glass (blondie)
nouvelle vague basically only does covers with their signature bossa nova spin

3. rogue wave – everyday (buddly holly)
rogue wave’s version is almost unrecognisable from the original sweet fifties ditty

4. metric – don’t think twice, it’s alright (bob dylan)
it’s nice to hear a girl singing this song, and emily haines’ voice is soothing compared to dylan’s

5. amy millan – i will follow you into the dark (death cab for cutie)
you might know amy millan better as the lead singer of stars. she’s also a guitarist, which you can clearly hear on this almost country version of i will follow you into the dark

6. the morning benders – nothin’ in the world can stop me worryin’ ‘bout that girl (the kinks)
the morning benders do a lot of covers, my favourite of which i already included on a previous mix. this is a close second though.

7. band of horses – the end’s not near (the new year)
i actually don’t know the original version at all, but because i love band of horses this is an obvious in.

8. the tallest man on earth – graceland (paul simon)
i love this version of graceland because it really suits the imagery i’ve always had of the song in my mind, an american south backwoods banjo twang of sorts (even though lead singer kristian matsson is actually swedish). paul simon’s original still gives me goosebumps & always makes me think of south africa, especially because we listened to the album on road trips throughout the country as a kid.

9. daniel rossen (grizzly bear) – too little too late (jojo)
this song is great if only because he’s covering jojo, possibly the most annoying teen singer on the planet (except for bieber?) it has a really ominous undertone too which is kind of hilarious considering the lyrics.

10. passion pit – tonight, tonight (smashing pumpkins)
aah, one of the best smashing pumpkins songs. passion pit recorded this as part of the levis pioneer sessions, which is pumping out some pretty great covers.

11. foo fighters – keep the car running (arcade fire)
i wish this was a better quality recording because it’s a great cover of a superb song

12. amy winehouse – valerie (the zutons)
i prefer this version to the original… i really really really hope amy winehouse makes a comeback.

13. goldspot – float on (modest mouse)
i can’t say i’m familiar with goldspot, but they’ve managed to turn an already upbeat song (by modest mouse’s standards) into something almost over the top happy. you’ll either love it or hate it.

14. florence and the machine – postcards from italy (beirut)
you’d think that anything florence welch sings has to sound good… and you’d be right. i adore the original and i’m very pleased with this cover too.

all music is for sampling purposes only – please go out and buy the artists’ records & support them at their shows!

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doo wop

my copy of the miseducation of lauryn hill was basically the soundtrack to my life when i was 15 (as well as the fugees, actually). to the point where not only did i know the words to all the songs, but i knew the words of the interludes of the children discussing things between each track. i am craving for her to make a comeback, big time. but who knows if that’s ever going to happen? for now i can take solace in one of my favourite ever music videos:

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june is nice

a new music mix for you! mostly newish music, but one old (superb) paul simon tune thrown in for good measure. download it here. song list is as follows:

  1. the shins – goodbye girl
  2. arcade fire – the suburbs
  3. good old war – my own sinking ship
  4. fanfarlo – atlas
  5. she & him – fools rush in
  6. passion pit – dreams
  7. laura marling – goodbye england (covered in snow)
  8. janelle monáe – oh, maker
  9. the sweet serenades – die young
  10. headlights – get going
  11. bishop allen – don’t hideaway
  12. fleet foxes – it ain’t me babe
  13. paul simon – loves me like a rock

all music is for sampling purposes only – please go out and buy the artists’ records & support them at their shows!

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