EMA- Grey Ship

I was planning on making a mix of my favorite music of the year so far, but I'm losing interest in 8Tracks.  So instead, I'm going to just post some streaming links.  This way I'll get to talk a little about each song and link to some neat stuff by each artist.

First up is "Grey Ship" by EMA.  This is probably my favorite song off her solo album and is definitely the most ambitious.  Its about five songs in one and all of them are really good.  The album has received a lot of attention, but I still think its rather underrated.  This is based on absolutely nothing, but I'm guessing her next album will be a gigantic breakout hit.

EMA- Grey Ship


Though I hadn't heard of Gowns before I listened to the EMA album, I've since become a retroactive fan.  Given that EMA was in Gowns, it makes sense that they have a very similar sound.  Gowns' sound is probably more ambitious, but I think the EMA album is more listenable.  Hopefully as more people hear the EMA album, more attention will be given to both projects.

Gowns- White Like Heaven

The Feel Bad Movie of Christmas

So far, I'm more interested in the trailer for this than the actual movie.

A more explicit version of this trailer popped up over the weekend, supposedly filmed in a theatre in Europe.  Now, I've seen my fair share of bootleg video, and this was either the best bootleg ever or something fishy is going on.

Though the camera did move obviously at the beginning of the video, there was none of the typical theatre sounds or signs of people moving around.  Add to that the absurdly good sound quality, the presence of an MPAA label in front of a trailer ostensibly shown in Europe, and Sony's apparent tolerance for someone leaking their top-secret trailer a few days early, and it seems to me that the whole thing was a bit of clever viral marketing. 

Pigs in Space

This is a bunch of indie rock thats come out recently.  I think Beige isn't actually signed to a label... once they get signed though, I think they're going to be huge.  The rest of the mix is relatively well known indie rock.  The more I listen to The Antlers, the more I like the new album.  They played at Stony Brook last year, as much as I'd like to see them I think they're getting too big to come back.

The title, of course, refers to the best skit on The Muppet Show.  If you don't know what I'm talking about, shame on you.  The particular episode pictured below is featured behind the cut.

Space Creatures

1.  Beige- Folds

2. Benediction- Thurston Moore

3.  Little Cup- Thao and Mirah

4. Calgary- Bon Iver

5. I Don't Want Love- The Antlers

6. Waves- Holly Miranda

7. I Get Nervous- Lower Dens

8. We need a Myth- Okkervil River

9. Will Do- TV on the Radio

The Horrors- Still Life

This sounds a heck of a lot more like New Order than that New Order song I posted a few days ago.  The difference is this is coming out in 2011 not 1983.  I really like the new wave/shoegazing revival thats been happening for awhile now.  With the way these things work though, I bet we'll be hearing a bunch of hair metal homages very soon... which I am not looking forward to at all.

Arcade Fire- Culture War

This is the other track thats been leaking all over everywhere.  I like it less than "Speaking in Tongues" but its still worth listening to.  As for the deluxe version of "The Suburbs", I guess it is going to come with a documentary by Spike Jonze as well as some other extras.  I'll be watching the documentary once it hits Youtube and I've already posted most of the extra music... so yay internet?  Though I like the Arcade Fire a lot, releasing a deluxe version of an album for purchase in stores seems a bit silly in 2011.

Arcade Fire - Culture War by MergeRecords

Arcade Fire/David Byrne- Speaking in Tongues

This is an outtake from The Suburbs.  Apparently its being released as part of some deluxe version of the album or something.  Anyway, its obviously leaked all over the internet already.  Well worth a listen.

Arcade Fire - Speaking in Tongues (feat. David Byrne) by MergeRecords

(New) New Order- Hellbent

Somehow there is still new Joy Division/New Order material being released.  This is apparently appearing on some sort of greatest hits collection.  When I first saw headlines about this I got excited thinking it was a new Joy Division song or an unheard New Order song from the 80's.  Sadly, it appears to be neither... I guess the bottom of those particular barrels have already been scraped.  Anyway, though this track isn't particularly necessary, it'll have to do.  I guess I'm going to have to break out all those (two) Joy Division records.

New Order - Hellbent (Previously Unreleased) by Rhino UK

Lego Music

I've been super busy the last few days, but right now I'm stuck at home while a plumber terrorizes the apartment.  I'm not sure if that is the cause of the depressing mess that is this week's playlist or if its due to dwelling on the education bubble.  Anyway.... here goes nothing.

microarchitecture

Never Come Around- La Sera
Every Night My Teeth Are Falling Out- The Antlers
The Messenger- Papercuts
California- EMA
Lammicken- Braids
Moses- Chelsea Wolfe
Trying to Pretend- Vivian Girls
White Like Heaven- Gowns

Its a toss up between EMA and The Antlers for my favorite album of the year so far.  After The Antlers released Parenthesis I sort of lost interest.... but the album is really great.  Not as good as their last release maybe (although its still growing on me) but really solid nonetheless.  As far as EMA, if this album is any indication, she is going to be huge.  I expect I'll be hearing her stuff in television montages and blasted from dormitory windows any day now.

Here Forever

The last "How Research Works" post is based on an actual conversation that occurs often in my lab.  I've participated in it multiple times, both as the junior grad student and more recently as the bitter senior grad student.  In a couple of months I'll be the senior-most student in the lab which means that bitterness and cynicism will be expected of me.

This week's mix is a bunch of stuff that has been kicking around my iTunes for awhile.  No real theme this week, I'm thinking that the next mix will have to be something a bit more light hearted.

Don't Forget. Here Forever

1. Astroid Exile- Screen Vinyl Image

2. Magnetic Moon- Crystal Stilts

3. Perfect Life- Belong

4. Breath the Fire- The Soft Moon

5. Keep Slipping Away- A Place to Bury Strangers

6. The Silence Ends- The Vera Violets

7. End Times- Weekend

8. Lovely Weather- The Vandelles

I dislike laugh tracks

Did you know that there is a character on House with the same name as the main character on That 70's Show? Hopefully not because That 70's Show is awful and no one should watch it.

Pretty much everything in this week's mix is from the late 70's.  I hadn't heard of Wire until recently, but I'm a big fan.  Their song on the mix sounds like it could have been written this year.  Really cool.  Anyway,  the normal smorgasbord of internet famous indie rock will return next week.

Eric Foreman is Terrible

1. Gloria- Patti Smith

2. Queen Bitch- David Bowie

3. Vicious- Lou Reed

4. Overground- Siouxie and the Banshees

5. See No Evil- Television

6. Damaged Goods- Gang of Four

7. Police and Thieves- The Clash

8. Mannequin- Wire

9. Psycho Killer- Talking Heads

Vacation Batman

This is late because I was on vacation last week.  I have a few of these in the can now, so it should be smooth sailing for the next few weeks.  The mix is some old stuff, some new stuff, and some stuff in between.

I don't know anything about the context in which the picture was taken, I can only assume it was awesome.

Old Brand New

1.  Tuesday Moon- Neutral Milk Hotel

2.  Deep Blue Sea- Grizzly Bear

3.  Stamp- The Rural Alberta Advantage

4.  Shine- Apples (In Stereo)

5.  Angela Surf City- The Walkmen

6.  Old Flame- Arcade Fire

7.  Grown Ocean- Fleet Foxes

8.  Satellite- The Kills

9.  Another Sky- Akron/Family

They Live

Sort of a random selection here.  Thanks to the internet I'm listening to a lot of bands that aren't signed to labels, don't have any albums, and play in venues on the other side of the world.  Its kind of crazy.  I was reading recently about the technology that will probably replace blue-ray and I can't help but wonder if anyone is even going to bother with buying physical media by then.  Heck, I haven't even bothered getting a blue-ray player.

In terms of the actual mix, its the usual mess of stuff.  I usually can't get into LCD Soundsystem, but I like the track on here quite a bit.  Maybe because its a cover?  I'm not sure.  The title of the mix is, of course, the best line from the best thing Roddy Piper has ever done.

....And I'm all out of Bubblegum!

1. The Grey Ship- EMA

2. The Alter- Why Oak

3. Spell- Slowdance

4. Back Where I Began- Pure X

5. Lord Knows Best- Dirty Beaches

6. Do What You Will- Papercuts

7. The Park- Secret Cities

8. As I've Known- The Wrens

9. I'm Losing Myself- Robin Pecknold (w/ Ed Droste)

10. Advice and Vices- Chelsea Wolfe

11. Casual Diamond- SLEEP ∞ OVER

12. Go Outside- Cults

13. Live Alone- LCD Soundsystem

Midnight Breakfasts

This one is a lot lighter than the last couple.  Not everything I like has to be dark and pretentious, just most things.

Beach Fossils actually played at Stony Brook this week, though I didn't make it.  I heard they were well received.

1.  Millions of People Running Around- Magic Bullets

2.  Daydream- Beach Fossils

3.  Most Wanted- Cults

4.  Breakin' the Law- The Babies

5.  Fallen in Love- Smith Westerns

6.  Life at Dusk- Minks

7.  Georgia- Yuck

8.  Zombies- Surf City

New Lab Soundtrack...

I'm really obsessed with this album.  I can't understand how I missed it until now.

Folding Paper

Sometimes when I hear something new, especially something I really like, I end up with a lot more music than I intend.  This is exactly what happened when I heard A Place to Bury Strangers.  Not the best name for a band sure, but I really like their stuff.

The mix title is sort of a reference to Blade Runner since I think some of the music on the mix sounds kind of (but really not at all) like Vangelis' score.  The picture is from Metropolis.  It isn't really related to anything, but its a nice (albeit very cynical) metaphor for graduate school.

1. Hatred of Music I- Tim Hecker

2. It's All Write- aTelacine

3. Come See- Belong

4. となりのサターン (My Neighbor Satan)- Boris

5. MOSES- Chelsea Wolfe

6. Bad Volcano- The Vandelles

7. Ego Death- A Place to Bury Strangers

8. Hatred of Music II- Tim Hecker

9. Conscience Collider- Screen Vinyl Image

10. Hallo Spaceboy- David Bowie

Yes. That is, in fact, an industrial David Bowie song.  Apparently he made an entire album like that in the mid 90's.  There was supposed to be a follow-up but it never materialized.  The album is really decent actually if you can get over the fact that it is Bowie trying to make a Nine Inch Nails record.

Fear of Snow

There is a distinct 80's influence on a lot of new music that I like. Pretty much everything sounds like either Sonic Youth or The Jesus and Mary Chain.  A development I am perfectly fine with, by the way.  Lots of staring at the ground and mumbling. Anyway, the Triángulo de Amor Bizarro track on this mix probably doesn't fit so well with the rest, but I really like it anyway.

1. Shake the Shackles- The Crystal Stilts

2. Crazy Rulers of the World- Surf City

3. Some Candy Talking- The Jesus and Mary Chain

4. Christine- Siouxie and the Banshees

5. There is a Light that Never Goes Out- Dum Dum Girls

6. Sometimes- My Bloody Valentine

7. Blue LA Strip- The Vandelles

8. El Baile do los Caidos-Triángulo de Amor Bizarro 

Drone

...and now for the polar opposite of last week's mix.  This mix is a bit longer than usual, which is due the length of many of the songs and the eight song minimum.

I got into both Mogwai and Explosions in the Sky in college, when I listened to music mostly while working in the lab or hanging out in my dorm room.   Though there is some new stuff on this playlist, this is basically a list of things I listened to while a senior in college.  Things haven't changed much, though my iTunes library is now significantly more eclectic I have a real apartment.

We've been covering the sensory systems in Biopsych lately.  The title of the playlist is a reference to that. As usual, the title and the contents of the list are unrelated.

The Angel, the Bad, and the Wise

Rumor has it that Quentin Tarantino is going to be directing a western next.  Considering all of his films save Jackie Brown are essentially transplanted westerns, I'm pretty excited to see how it turns out.  I'm guessing there will be good dialogue.

Anyway, awhile ago I posted a playlist based on what I think the soundtrack for a Quentin Tarantino directed western would be like.  Here is a revised version based on what I would use as the soundtrack to a western.

Mostly this is just excuse to play Nick Cave covering Johnny Cash, Johnny Cash covering Nic Cave, and some live Tom Waits.  The Guadalupe Plata song in the mix is from one of their free albums available online.

Leftovers

I really like the putting out a half hour playlist of the music I've been listening to every week or so.  I don't even mind if no one listens, I just like pseudo-broadcasting random things into the ether.



This mix is mostly made up of odds and ends that didn't make it into the last mix.  Probably a bit less downbeat than last time, but still mostly along the same lines.

Next time: Something completely different

Boris

So... when I said they were eclectic,  I meant it.

Boris in 2011

Boris in 2006 [with Sunn 0)))]

Their discography actually gets even crazier than this.  I'm probably scaring my participants away at this point.