This week, I’ve chosen to include 11 tunes that I’ve been enjoying as of late, although the material isn’t quite up to date.
Bros – Panda Bear
The highlight track off of last year’s amazing album, Person Pitch. I got into this Panda Bear tune a little late last year, however, it’s Beach Boys’ relaxed, harmonious vibe got me easily hooked.
The Bronze – Queens of the Stone Age
This is one of my favourite QOTSA songs, and I’ve recently rediscovered it, playing it near constantly. It’s off of their B-Side/Rarities record, Stone Age Complications. “The more you’ve found, the less you’ve been around,” croons lead singer Josh Homme, and he couldn’t be more right. Dig it.
Give to Love What’s Love’s – Adrian Orange & Her Band
This song is the child of singer/songwriter Adrian Orange, who also goes by the stage-moniker, Thanksgiving. The avant-jazz is certainly something to check out. The trumpet solo at the 3:51 mark is awesome as well.
Faces on Fire – Times New Viking
Here’s a cut from this year’s tremendously good, lo-fi record, Rip It Off. Times New Viking are great at combining the dirge of lo-fi with simplistic pop and this is just one of the many songs off their new record that I’ve been getting into a lot lately.
Happy Hippo – Cloud Cult
I love every piece of this track: that keyboard noise in the beginning, the electronic sampling after the second verse, and the song’s sobering ending. This is off their 2005 record, Advice from the Happy Hippopotamus. These guys have a new album dropping April 8th and I’m looking forward to it.
Neck Escaper – No Age
This is a band that I couldn’t quite into when their album came out last year, but after repeated listens, I started to like it more and more and the more I listen, the more I enjoy their tunes. Their album, Weirdo Rippers, is a collection of the numerous singles and EPs they put out in 2007, and the majority of the record’s tracks are quite good. Highly recommended.
What I See – The Dirty Projectors
This song comes of last year’s concept record, Rise Above, which was the Dirty Projectors’ take on Blag Flag’s historic record of the same name. Each song on the album is a re-imagining of the Black Flag songs all from memory, however, you don’t need to be a Black Flag fan whatsoever to enjoy their stuff.
Jody – The Dodos
Despite the fact that there’s absolutely no way for me to prove it at this point, I stumbled onto these guys, and this track, before Pitchfork added it to their Forklist a week or so back. I really dig this song. The band is a guitar/drum duo out of California and this track is off their upcoming second record, due out on March 18th. Very cool tune indeed.
Re: Stacks – Bon Iver
An acoustic ballad of sorts, this is the closing track off of Bon Iver’s debut, For Emma, Forever Ago. It’s romantic and crushingly beautiful, much like the rest of the record. I’ve got to pick his album up on vinyl immediately.
Ativan – Atlas Sound
This Jesus and Mary Chain-tinged song is one of the many dream-like tunes off of Bradford Cox’s (Atlas Sound is his solo-moniker - the man is also Deerhunter’s lead singer) debut album, released a week ago. Many of the songs have a lush ambience to them combined with pop sensibility. Perhaps not as good as Deerhunter’s material, the music is still solid and this is a highlight track.
Home – The Last Dinosaur
I’ll end this first edition of mixtape with a somber track from the unsigned UK act, The Last Dinosaur. The song has meek beginnings (simple percussion, piano, and finger-picked guitar), but it builds into a gorgeous, crashing climax; a wonderful song.
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