Sunday, February 27, 2011

sunday quickie

yeasayer
so, yeasayer's got a new music video for their awesome song "i remember" from their album Odd Blood

get this: it's a bizarre combination of an old dude with a confederate bandana riding his motorcycle through the desert plus crazy, glittery pink smoke with a strange, porn-like ending. there's also a clay head sculpture mixed in. 

and even if you hate it, it's a great song! 
watch the craziness. 

YEASAYER, "I REMEMBER":

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

humpday track

Chazwick Bundick aka toro y moi

everyone loves toro y moi! released monday, his latest album is called underneath the pine. "still sound" is my favorite track so far, and its fun electro-dance beat (and killer music video) will have you dancing towards friday. take a listen and go here to find out all the latest on toro y moi's latest album.

TORO Y MOI - "STILL SOUND":


enjoy!

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

coverage.

i love the way that a good cover of a song can infuse it with all new life. sometimes they don't work out too well, but if they're good, they're REALLY good. 

here are some of my absolute favorite covers by indie artists:

1. local natives - simon & garfunkel's "cecilia":


2. the watson twins - the cure's "just like heaven":



4. jose gonzales - joy division's "love will tear us apart":


3. bat for lashes - kings of leon's "use somebody":



4. she & him - ricky nelson's "fools rush in":



5. fanfarlo - neutral milk hotel's "aeroplane over the sea":


enjoy! what are your favorite covers?

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

humpday track

alex winston

alex winston is a classically-trained opera singer from detroit. her first release, Sister Wife, was released last week...and i'm unabashedly obsessed with this girl! so, this week's humpday track is the title track from alex's EP. all the songs on the 6-track EP are fresh, happy pop, but "sister wife" is my absolute favorite. once you get to the first chorus, i promise you won't be able to stop listening. so, make it to the weekend on this one! 
xo.

ALEX WINSTON, "SISTER WIFE":

Monday, February 14, 2011

love for the grammys

shockingly, the grammys were pretty enjoyable last night! normally filled with performances that elicit a resounding "eh" from viewers, the musicians definitely impressed this time around and the indie world had some big wins. here are the big ones:

1. arcade fire won ALBUM OF THE YEAR!
arcade fire and their well-deserved grammy

talk about a serious accomplishment to get this kind of mainstream recognition. the canadian band's album the suburbs topped just about every "best of" list for 2010, but who knew that the grammys would pay attention?


2. mumford & sons were nominated, didn't win, but put on an AMAZING performance.
mumford & sons
nominated for Best New Artist and Best Rock Song for "little lion man," (they were robbed!), mumford & sons performed and demonstrated the fact that they SHOULD have won! check out the gorgeous foursome's epic performance below: 




3. the black keys' album Brothers won Best Alternative Album (!!!), and their bluesy-pop tune "tighten up" won Best Performance By A Duo/Group.

the black keys


lots of love for the indie world at the Grammys this year, hopefully next year will bring more of the same.

xo.

Friday, February 11, 2011

born this way

lady gaga

so, as of today, our reigning princess lady gaga's newest single "born this way," has been released to the world. i have yet to read any reviews of it, but (and this will probably be considered blasphemy) i'm just not feeling it! maybe it'll grow on me, but i've listened to it several times now and all i can think is mid-80's-remixed madonna. 

what do you think?

UPDATE: perhaps i should eat my words? as of this afternoon, "born this way" broke iTunes history to become iTunes' fastest-selling single ever (in 5 hours) and is currently #1 in 21 countries! wow.


Wednesday, February 9, 2011

humpday track

michael benjamin lerner
this cutie is michael benjamin lerner, also known as telekinesis. his eponymous debut album made a lovely splash in the indie music world in 2009, and now he's back with more!

telekinesis has an awesome sound filled with bright, catchy hooks and great lyrics (for example, one of my favorite songs from his debut was "awkward kisser" - check it out). 

 
 so, for today's humpday track, here's the first single from telekinesis' second full-length album. "car crash" is a bouncy song about love and has telekinesis' bright, punchy sound and witty lyrics. 12 desperate straight lines, his upcoming album, is to be released next week. so, dance to this to make it to the weekend!


ps: for more telekinesis, check out my favorite tunes, "coast of carolina" & "great lakes."


TELEKINESIS, "CAR CRASH":


Thursday, February 3, 2011

bits of music news.

1. no more white stripes!
the white stripes

meg & jack are officially no more. the duo announced yesterday that they are splitting, though it's only to "preserve what is beautiful and special about the band and to have it stay that way." however, jack always has lots of side projects going on, and i guess we'll just have to wait and see what's in meg's future. ultimately, lots of indie children have lost their first indie band love, so it's a sad day!

ps: LA Weekly made this semi-funny list of the "top 10 bands that should have broken up instead of the white stripes" (what's with the best coast & smith westerns hate?)


2. SLEIGH BELLS!
sleigh bells (alexis krauss and derek miller)

the amazing brooklyn twosome alexis krauss and derek miller (aka sleigh bells) have released an official video for their track "rill rill" (easily one of the best on their album, Treats). check it out below:



3. the go! team releases their latest album

my favorite cheerleader-meets-rapper, dance-infused group has released their latest, Rolling Blackouts. filled with great tracks, check out "check yr voice," "ready to go steady," and the title track, "rolling blackouts."