Autumn (Or What It Feels Like To Fall)

Photo taken by the amazing Anne Kieblesz – Flickr

It’s been a good three months since I’ve intentionally spent more than a few days obsessing over my music folder, reliving every memory for a better sense of direction… but Summer has finally come to an end and a call for change is the only real reason one can find to get through it. I was originally going to present this as some sort of “b-side” to my Summer Mix, but I wanted nothing to do with a format that’d have me thumbing through albums with deaf ears. Embracing the notion of Fall and all of its ambiguous foliage, I chose these songs based on three very simple things: what sounded good, felt right, and above everything else, belonged together… enjoy!

MP3 The Helio Sequence – Lately
MP3 Seabear – Lion Face Boy
MP3 Blind Pilot – Oviedo
MP3 The Rosebuds – Nice Fox
MP3 Arcade Fire – Half Light I
MP3 Shout Out Louds – Moon
MP3 Wild Nothing – Chinatown
MP3 Tortoiseshell – This Girl
MP3 Land Of Talk – Blangee Blee
MP3 Sydney Wayser – Bells
MP3 Ra Ra Riot – Keep It Quiet
MP3 The Dodos – The Strums
MP3 Department of Eagles – No One Does It Like You
MP3 Villagers – Home
MP3 Beach House – Walk In The Park
MP3 Sufjan Stevens – I Walked
MP3 Menomena – Queen Black Acid
MP3 Bombay Bicycle Club – Flaws
MP3 Mumford & Sons – Little Lion Man
MP3 Tokyo Police Club – Hands Reversed
MP3 Lower Dens – Blue & Silver
MP3 The Love Language – Pedals

Spotify Playlist: Autumn (Or What It Feels Like To Fall)

Songs For Dreamers (Inception Mix)

This upcoming weekend brings two of my most anticipated events of the summer, Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago and the opening of Inception. It’s been exactly two years since Christopher Nolan’s last opus, The Dark Knight (I remember because that’s also the weekend I got married) and that is one of my favorites movies of all time. I’ve been trying to stay spoiler-free for this one (although I did read a couple of the all-out rave reviews it’s been getting) but from what I know about the film and its exploration into the world of dreams, virtual reality, and existentialism, I’ve made a Inception-inspired mix that you can download below. I myself will be skipping out sometime during Modest Mouse’s set (sorry Brock) on tonight to catch the film. Enjoy!

Songs For Dreamers (Inception Mix)

MP3 M83 – Highway of Endless Dreams
MP3 Belle & Sebastian – I Could Be Dreaming (BBC Session)
MP3 Elliott Smith – A Distorted Reality Is Now A Necessity To Be Free
MP3 Wild Nothing – Live in Dreams
MP3 Wolf Parade – We Built Another World
MP3 Slow Club – I Was Unconsious, It Was A Dream
MP3 Franz Ferdinand – Lucid Dreams
MP3 of Montreal – I Was A Landscape In Your Dreams
MP3 Radiohead – Nice Dream
MP3 School of Seven Bells – Half Asleep
MP3 The Zombies – Hung Up On A Dream
MP3 Shout Out Louds – You Are Dreaming
MP3 Pixies – Where Is My Mind
MP3 Sunset Rubdown – Shut Up I Am Dreaming

Track Reviews: Spoon, Shout Out Louds, Ted Leo

MP3 Spoon – Written In Reverse

Spoon’s latest single is the first from their new album Tranference, to be released in January of next year.  In typical Spoon fashion, it’s a jittery, on edge piano jam with jagged guitar and Britt Daniel’s trademark howl. If there’s any difference, it’s that the sound is more raw and gritty and the instrumentation is even more tight. Spoon were perhaps the most consistently great band of the last decade and all signs point to that carrying over into the next decade as well.

MP3 Shout Out Louds – Walls

Another 2010 release that I’m highly anticipating is Shout Out Loud’s third album, Work and were’ just now getting our first taste in the song “Walls”. It’s a bit of a slow burner, beginning with a stripped down piano melody and percussion before adding layers of sound and building momentum to a characteristically grandiose finale. This sounds to me like what a Swedish indie pop version of Coldplay’s album, Vida La Vida may sound like (I mean that in a good way).

MP3 Ted Leo – Even Heroes Have To Die

After Ted Leo’s last album, Living With the Living, which I saw as a slight misstep, he has a new one coming out next year (and a new label to release it on, Matador). “Even Heroes Have To Die” is a punchy guitar tune with helluva great melody and some slick guitar work. It’s an immensely catchy track that I’d say bodes real well for the new album.

Top 50 Awesomest Songs of 2007

I had so many songs that I loved this year that I had to upgrade my top songs list this year from 30 to 50. If you’ve been reading this site or generally listen to awesome music, many of these songs will be familiar to you, and if you find one you don’t know you can guarantee that I give it my full endorsement (there’s a link by each song choice where you can download/hear the song). I selected songs based on what songs I’ve experienced this year that have been the most memorable, most listened to, most enjoyed, and as a rule I didn’t choose more than one song per artist. I had a lot of fun re-listening to these songs and I hope you enjoy this list (as always, I would ask that you leave a comment if you do). Don’t forget to click the read more… link for the top 25 with reviews for each song. Thanks for stopping by!

50. Georgie James – Need Your Needs MP3
49. Immaculate Machine – Dear Confessor MP3
48. The Broken West – Brass Ring MP3
47. The Manchester Orchestra – Wolves at Night MP3
46. The Clientele – Isn’t Life Strange? MP3
45. Windmill – Asthmatic MP3
44. Parts & Labor – Fractured Skies MP3
43. Broken Social Scene Presents: Kevin Drew – Lucky Ones MP3
42. M.I.A. – Jimmy Youtube
41. Twilight Sad – That Summer At Home I Had Become The Invisible Boy MP3

40. Page France – Mr. Violin and Dancing Bear MP3
39. Rogue Wave – Lake Michigan MP3
38. Noah & The Whale – Five Years Gone MP3
37. Laura Veirs – Don’t Lose Yourself Youtube
36. The New Pornographers – My Rights Versus Yours MP3
35. The Snake The Cross The Crown – The Great American Smokeout MP3
34. Office – Wound Up MP3
33. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah – Emily Jean Stock MP3
32. Feist – I Feel It All Youtube (live on a bus)
31. Loney, Dear – The City, The Airport MP3

30. Avril Lavigne – Girlfriend Youtube
29. Okkervil River – Unless It’s Kicks Youtube
28. Blonde Redhead – 23 MP3
27. The White Stripes – You Don’t Know What Love Is Youtube
26. Ola Podrida – Cindy MP3

CLICK BELOW TO SEE THE TOP 25

Shout Out Louds: Your Ill Wills

As I was listening to the new Shout Out Louds album today, I got to thinking what made the Swedes so good at making pop music. Is it because Sweden is such a peace-loving country? (This might at least explain I’m From Barcelona). Is it because they’re really shy, and use music as their outlet for expressing their emotions (Jens Lekman, anyone?). Is it all the vodka they drink? Is it (as one Swede suggests) because the country has good social welfare and high living standards, and thus have alot of time to do “luxurious things like making pop music”? I would propose that there is something in the Swedish genes that enables them to create perfect pop melodies. Whatever you choose to believe, I’m assured you’ll be pleased with the outpouring of Swedish artists in the upcoming weeks which includes Jens Lekman, José Gonzalez, and my current obsession, Shout Out Louds.

I covered Shout Out Louds first single “Tonight I Have To Leave It” earlier this year, and at the time I would have thought it impossible for the band to match the single on the album, but they’ve actually done it, with a song called “Impossible”. While “Tonight” jumps right in with the full range of sound in the first :15 seconds, this track introduces each of the elements a bit more patiently, giving you a chance to ponder each of the components of the song. The lightly strummed acoustic guitar, the “knock on wood” percussion, the crescendoing strings, the sultry backing vocals, the punchy piano and that amazing opening melody is all compiled over the course of the song to give it a fantastic climax (not before you’re soothed with gorgeous interlude though).

Your Ill Wills is full of wonderful lush, orchestrated pop music with all of which showcase on the band’s undeniable sound. I very highly recommend adding the album to your collection tomorrow, in addition to The Go! Team, The Good Life, Animal Collective, and whoever you choose in the Fifty vs. Kanye battle.

MP3 Impossible
MP3 Tonight I Have To Leave It

Buy Your Ill Wills
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