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Best Music of 2011: Best Electro (Part II)

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Best Electro of 2011 Part II

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Image by Javier Medellin Puyou

Kids Of 88 – My House (3:58)

Hey dudes: if you’re looking for a song to sing at your woman while you jump around the dancefloor–this is the one.Try dancing like a maniac while mouthing “I’m gonna take you back to my house! I love the feeling when you touch me baby!” and surely you will get laid.

M83 – Midnight City (4:03)

This sounds like it should have been the lead single on the Tron soundtrack. After releasing countless albums, M83 is finally starting to get radio play with this song. No wonder, as the beat makes it a little less dreamwave than most of their other stuff. It’s hard to tell where the vocals end and the synth begins. And the passioned cry, “The city is my church!” never gets old.

Mr. Little Jeans – The Suburbs (Arcade Fire Cover) (5:12)

Remember when Arcade Fire won that grammy and everyone was all, “Who’s Arcade Fire?” Strange times we live in. They wouldn’t let me on their selection committee, but I suspect one of the reasons they won was for the lyrics that explore suburban angst. Arguably the best of these is this song, “The Suburbs,” a song I can’t seem to get tired of.This cover slows it down for a sexy groove that makes the beauitful lyrics easier to understand.

Neon Hitch – Gucci Gucci (Kreayshawn Cover) (2:40)

Another fun cover that’s a bit easier to sing along with than the original. If you haven’t heard of Kreayshawn yet, just-you-wait. She’s an up-and-coming Oakland rapper, who courts controversy by being not only white, but having a uniquely Oakland-hipster style. Far as I can tell, she doesn’t seem to give a fuck, which is the best way to be. The original “Gucci Gucci” is in my collection, but I recognize that it can be a bit too…boldly obnoxious for many. 2011 was a year for sexy slow-downs, and this one contrasts nicely with Kreayshawn’s brazen and clever lyrics.

Neon Indian – Polish Girl (4:24)

There’s a lot of weird, delightful little sounds in “Polish Girl.” It’s easy to get lost in wondering what toys he’s using to create this-or-that sound. Then I remember the lyrics, and get pulled back into the story of the song, until I hear that sound that’s like Mario just won a green 1-up shroom, and I’m pulled back into the swirly goodness. When there’s too much greatness to concentrate on at one time, you know it’s a song that’s going to stay on the heavy rotation for many months.

Polarsets – Morning (3:43)

Pure, perfect electro.So happy, it almost sounds like calypso. Yet it manages to avoid sounding too sacharine. Maybe it’s because of the emotion in his voice, but it all just works. If you like this song, get this album. One of the year’s best.

Polarsets – Sunshine Eyes (3:40)

No really, you should get their album. Listen to “Sunshine Eyes” and get a lesson in how a perfect new wave song is built. Pure delight from beginning to end. Sounds like: the montage music for your summer romance.

Teams – Stunts (5:26)

The heavy beat on “Stunts” would have made this a good fit for the “Best Dance Music of 2011″ list, but the lack of vocals takes some of the energy out of it, so I put it here instead. If you’re a fan of Ratatat and Caribou this may be the fix you need.

The Knocks – Make It Better (3:53)

You love whistling, right? You love a head-bopping, disco beat with a melody that’s easy to sing along with right? Well then give this a listen.

The Rapture – How Deep Is Your Love? (6:27)

I was very excited to hear the new Rapture album, and while I can’t recommend the whole thing, this song is a winner. Part of what makes the Rapture so great is Luke Jenner’s emotive vocals, and this one is no exception. Four cocktails down, you will have trouble not singing “How deep is your love!” not as a question, but as an exclamation to be shouted to the fullest.

Yacht – Paradise Engineering (3:46)

At the beginning of the year, I was obsessing over their new song “Dystopia (the Earth is On Fire).” Well, I overplayed it and now I’m sick of it. But then I discovered that “Paradise Engineering” is even better. Both songs give a nod to the catastrophic state of the world channeling it all into blissed out disco denial. It’s a soundtrack for oblivious consumerism in a broken world, which makes it more than good pop: it’s the zeitgeist of the 21st century.  

 

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Best Music of 2011: Best Indie Rock

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Best Indie Rock of 2011 PART I

So begins at last my list of the finest songs of 2011. Last year I was all upset about the whole idea that one could even begin to honestly determine the very best songs put out in a year. Not because tastes differ too greatly, but because there’s just too much good music.

This year I realized I could have thrown together a list in late December, which is what everyone wants. No one gives a damn about 2011 in February, right? But for some reason I couldn’t stop myself from pouring through everything I’d played on my radio stream, in search of something I’d missed. Some time in January, I realized that I don’t do this for you (sorry, readers). I do it for me, so I can be sure nothing gets lost in the music world’s relentless drive toward newer-better-bolder. So these songs of 2011 may be five minutes ago, but they’re worth looking over twice.

 

The Best Indie Rock of 2011 PART I

There’s just too much goodness to fit in one post. In no particular order… tumblr lyzfffljqH1qc30t7o1 500 Best Music of 2011: Best Indie Rockhttp://ginamyte.tumblr.com” />

Image thanks to http://ginamyte.tumblr.com

 

Anna Calvi – I’ll Be Your Man (3:10)

 Dark, dirty, husky, sexy. “I’ll Be Your Man” is a song that would fit in on the True Blood soundtrack. Ann Calvi’s voice purrs against a guitar that croons like a desperately pleading lover. This song is so hot that at the 1:30 mark it actually sizzles.

Beastie Boys – Don’t Play No Game That I Can’t Win (ft. Santigold) (4:11)

I wonder if the “game” that Santigold and the Boys sing about is the corrupt system. It’s fitting that Beastie Boys should work with Santigold: both are vaguely socially conscious and both are pushing the boundaries of hip-hop into new directions, directions that seem particularly popular with indie rockers. While I don’t know if your local rock station would play this bopping reggae beat, I know smooth melodies and Bob Dylan references will win you fans beyond the pop music set.

Black Light Dinner Party – Older Together (4:27)

 A catchy, upbeat piano look and subdued vocals make this 2011′s song-to-dedicate-to-your-crush. With only three songs and no label representation, this is one of the bands-to-watch.

Capital Cities – Safe and Sound (3:12)

 “Safe and Sound” is my current obsession. Every time I hear it I like it even more. Its not often that horns make a pop-rock song, but the trumpets make this single soar. Let this one get in your head and you’ll be wanting it all the time…pretty sure there’s a yo’ momma joke in their somewhere, but we have other songs to get to.

Childish Gambino – Freaks and Geeks (3:37)

Childish Gambino – Let Me Dope You (Travis Wide Remix) (4:12)

You may wonder what this hippity-hopper is doing on my Best Indie Rock list. Well, the lilly-white faces and asses behind YourNewFavoriteBand lack the chutzpah to even pretend to know what the best hip-hop of the year is. But I do know that this fast-rapping, clever gent had to go on my list somewhere. He tends to have lyrics that court the hipsters (like, “girls from Williamsburgh, that’s my fucking kryptonite” or “I got the tortoiseshell frames and the argyle” making a reference to Ariel Pink), and he tends to rap over indie rock favorites like Sleigh Bells, Neon Indian and Grizzley Bear. So maybe Donald Glover isn’t so out of place on this list after all.

Bottom line is this: the puns and pop culture references will go breezing by faster than you can keep track. If you’re one of those who doesn’t like when rappers hype themselves up, Gambino may irritate you at first. But know that bragging is a long-respected tradition in both poetry and hip-hop, and Glover’s comedy pedigree does it better than most.

Cults – Oh My God (3:20)

I put one of their songs here, and another one on the “Best Chillout Music of 2011” list. Cults are so light and airy that you could pogo to it or just bliss-out smiling. Childlike vocals, bells and lyrics like “I could leave you here to stay inside dreaming” make this the happy-go-lucky album of the year.

Dan Sartain – Atheist Funeral (2:27)

If you need a walloping dose of medicine to go with the sugar on that Cults track, “Atheist Funeral” is for you. It’s a droll rockabilly tribute to the atheists. The guitar croons like a hound and the lyrics are anthemic without getting preachy.

Dance And Forget – Can I Still Dance (3:56)

Sweden has been producing some fantastic electro, but that’s not all the little country is good for. “Can I Still Dance” is an indie pop song with enough energy to make the “Hep! Hep! Hep!”s not sound out of place, despite the distinct lack of ska. I love a song that tackles a new theme in a world of cliches, and this one gets bonus points for that: everyone has a song that their ex got in the breakup. Dance and Forget wants to know, “Can I still dance to this song, even though you took it with you?” How they manage to be the first band to sing about this when we’ve all been there is pretty remarkable. The lead vocalist shows off her range while the bass and guitar do such a delightful Tango.

Dum Dum Girls – He Gets Me High (3:00)

 “He Gets Me High” is Heart’s “Magic Man” for 2011. I was a little hesitant to get behind this album because it treads on ground the Raveonettes have already covered, but again and again I found myself coming back to several songs from their two releases this year. If you like shoegaze or if you like the California beach sound but wish it were a little darker, this is the 2011 album for you.

The Eclectic Moniker – Easter Island (4:17)

Whatever your expectations are for a band from Copenhagen, Denmark, they probably don’t sound like The Eclectic Moniker. Unless your grasp of geography is truly weak, you probably aren’t expecting the bongo-banging delight that is “Easter Island.” Between the steel drums and a melody that could have been carved from a calypso CD from the Sharper Image, the only signs that they are the Nordic-brothers of Kings of Convenience are the beautiful harmonies and the swelling synth that sneaks up at the end.

Everything Everything – MY KZ, UR BF (3:33)

There’s a story going on in this song that makes you want to listen a little closer. But until then, you won’t be able to resist singing, “He was looking at me like, ‘Whoaaah,’” because how fun is that for a refrain?

Eyes Lips Eyes – Tickle (3:49)

The lyrics are cute and the singing is lovely but the greatness of this song comes from that fast-strumming guitar that licks the side of your face like a friendly pup.

Foster the People – Helena Beat (4:35)

Foster The People – Houdini (3:19)

I know you are just sick of hearing Foster the People. At least where I live, corporate radio has ruined “Pumped Up Kicks” by force-feeding it us, until the phrase “Better run, better run, faster than our bullet” inspires me to bug out my eyes like head bratty Alex in a Clockwork Orange. Because isn’t a bit like that baddiwad veck who’s tied down and forced to take in the same media hour after hour? So I sense that many are feeling some resentment towards the object of this overplay, which is a shame because Foster the People has put out a really fun album. Here are two other songs I enjoy as much as I did “Pumped Up Kicks” (before radio ruined it). Pretend it’s the latest from Passion Pit to clear your mind of prejudice. Check back at the end of the week to get all these batched up as a torrent file.

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Best Music of 2011: Best Electro

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Best Electro of 2011 – PART I

Best Music of 2011: Best Electro

Image via LaughterKey

At last, the best electro of 2011. I’m not ranking these, they’re in alphabetical order. Forthcoming is the second half of this list, as well as the Best Indie Rock and the best Dance and the Best Chill Music. It’s about time, eh?

Born Gold – End of Days (2:38)

Born Gold – Lawn Knives (2:04)

Born Gold were born as GobbleGobble and have changed their names for whatever reason. I don’t like the new name, it makes them sound like another trite eletro band, when they’re probably the most original act on this list. Both of these songs are glitchy, fast, and explosive. They finally put out an album in 2011, so I can take this chance to lavish praise on their sound, which is something like what a zombie-Gameboy would sound like if it had been run over by a train. Not that their sound is 8-bit necessarily…I don’t know what’s the source behind their sound, I just know I like it.

Butcher Blades – Jigsaw Limbs (3:41)

Butcher Blades were a late addition to the list. Jigsaw Limbs is a song that is both as gorgeous and celestial as a cathedral. It’s also a song that’s as dark as that same church’s hundred-year-old cemetery. It’s a lot to pull off in one song, and it does so by swinging between heavenly voices and a mean fucking beat.

Body Language – You Can (Keep Shelly in Athens Remix) 3:26 

Such lovely voices, and then when they stop singing there’s an oddly melodic gutteral sound, like a five-year old trying to imitate the sound of a kazoo. I don’t know, I like the original almost as much as the remix. Here’s the video for Body Language – You Can, which do you like best?

 

Cut Copy – Corner Of The Sky (5:28)

I didn’t give this album a fair shake. I had very high expectations after their last one, and I was a little disappointed. But upon making this list, I had to admit Zonoscope has some very nice pop songs.“Corner of the Sky” is as good an example as any of why I think Cut Copy is one of the bands leading the new wave revival. Maybe I should have included “Don’t Blink And You’ll Miss A Revolution” on this list. Check at the video and let me know if you like it better.

Datarock – Catcher In The Rye (3:20)

A fun song for singing along with. “Catcher in the Rye” sounds like a pop band impersonating the Talking Heads. But unlike the Talking Heads, their lyrics are at times humorous and their beats are usually danceable, even pogo-worthy.

Edwin van Cleef – Lisztomania (feat. Jane Hanley) (4:20)

Phoenix had one of the most celebrated albums of the last few years. I’m a sucker for a cross-gender cover and this sexy version adds a little bit of sway to one of the most popular songs of the past two years. You don’t even realize the it’s been creating a build-up until the breakdown; it’s subtle but lovely.

Germany Germany – Take Me Home (3:32)

This is just one of many delicious and dreamy tracks available on Germany Germany’s Bandcamp page. Definitely one of the year’s best albums, particularly if you like dreamwave. The only reason I hesitated to add more of their songs to this list is that many lack vocals, which for some reason I care about. Expect to hear more from this band, as they know how to craft a tune.

GROUPLOVE – Colours (Captain Cuts Remix) (4:32)

I almost put this song on my “Best Dance Songs of 2011″ list, but I decided I don’t always want to dance to it. I’d rather sing along and bop my head. This is a great remix for jamming in the car. I like that his voice is a wee bit rough, it balances the sound. Check out the Best Indie Rock of 2011 list for another Grouplove track. If you want to hear more Captain Cuts, there’s another remix of his on the Best-of Dance list.

Heartsrevolution – Teenage Teardrops (Ugly Kids Remix) (4:00)

You may have noticed that I’m a fan of Heartsrevolution. The woman behind it strikes me as a poet, using music as an excuse to express herself. She makes electro, but it’s a little bit more weird and dark than most of the poppy songs floating around. Many remixes just throw a beat on the first and last minute (to keep it simple and easy for the DJ) but this one stands on its own as a lovely electro song. The keyboard solo at 2:55 is not in the original and brings this home for the win.

BTW, since this is no longer publicly available on their Soundcloud, this link is currently exclusively available on this site.

IS TROPICAL – Lies (3:26)

A fantastic track off one of the best albums of 2011. From the first beat, from the first line, you know this song is a winner. It’s everything good electro should be: a little dancey, a little dark, with some fun layers and sound effects to keep it interesting, and plenty of drops and buildups.

Jhameel – Bernal Heights (3:24)

I fell in like with three different songs on this album and had a lot of trouble deciding which should go on this list. Jhameel’s not making banger dance songs, but they do groove enough to sway with the babe of your choice. They’re not the thick, layered dreamwave sound so popular now either. It’s simple electro. His voice is pretty, but what I like best about “Bernal Heights” are the long rests dropped in unexpected places throughout.

Joywave – Betelgeuse (3:14)

For the first minute, you think, “Oh how lovely.” Then there’s an explosion of tinklie keyboards. The song dances back and forth between synth and harmonies. Danceable, but would also fit in on your chilldown list. Ends on a drum solo because, why not, if you can pull it off? They do.

Kenna – Chains (3:51)

I can’t get enough of this song, and the video is terrific. The driving rhythm is a little dark, you get the sense that something is happening. The line “hey don’t sleep on my escape” is looped through the buildup, and when the beat drops and he sings “Hey, hey hey!” you may want to throw your hands in the air. Though I’m not wild about the album, this is certainly one of the best songs of the year.

 

Check back in a week and I’ll have both PART I and PART II of the Best Electro of 2011 as an easy-to-download torrent.

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Great Indie Lyricists #3: Emily Haines of Metric

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This is song #3 of a playlist for my LYLAS Kat. The subject is great indie lyricists. Each week I’m focusing on the lyrics of one band and why those lyrics are worth delving into.

Hi Kat,

Since you’ve been obsessed with the Mountain Goats lately, we’ve been talking about who some of our favorite modern lyricists are. This playlist was made specifically to answer that question. Today’s band is Metric.

 

It’s no secret that Metric is one of my favorite bands of the decade. One may compare them to chick-fronted rock bands like Blondie or the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. But Metric wins bonus points in having captivating, socially relevant lyrics. I first got hooked on the mysterious “The Police and the Private” and became fanatic with “Patriarch on A Vespa.” I say it’s socially relevant but it’s more poetry than preaching. She’s writing about the world she sees, and as a socially aware person, this is reflected in her writing.

Take the aforementioned “Police and the Private”. She sings:

Didn’t make this up I learned, I learned it from a friend
My friend is coming clean, she told me
Keep one eye on the door, keep one eye on the bed
Never expect to be sure who you’re working for

It’s clear she’s talking about some black market world. Is it drugs? Prostitution? Does it matter which, or does it matter more that the larger point is that “the whole world wants what we’re on…the police and the private, the doctor, the lawyer, the garbage collector“? The tone is desperate and dangerous. Never once does she ask why something the whole world wants is outlawed, as that would be preaching. I liken it to the Talking Heads song “Life During Wartime,” in that capturing the dangers of the lifestyle is more telling and more interesting than a sermon about the morality of those who choose to live in the underworld. The clincher in “Police and the Private” is the last line, Got to get to you the orphanage is closing in an hour. Such a haunting line. Does the character in the song live this dangerous lifestyle in the hopes of making enough money to get her child back? It’s unclear, merely suggestive that criminals lead desperate lives because there are other more innocent lives at stake.

 

Another example is “Gold, Guns, Girls.” The lyrics All the guns, all the gold, in the world…couldn’t get you off seem to be directed at a certain president and his cabinet that were in power when she released the song in 2009. Did she sit down to write a song about a particular politician, or does her pen naturally gravitate to such subjects because they interest her? Would the song be better if she namechecked Bush or Cheney? No, the song is better because it is about a certain type of person that Cheney happens to be an example of.

Download/Listen to Metric – Gold, Guns, Girls

Full Lyrics to Gold, Guns, Girls

 

The lyrics to Patriarch On A Vespa wouldn’t be out of place in the latest urban literary magazine. I’ll print them in full so you can imagine them not in a rock song but within your favorite poetry anthology.

 

Patriarch On A Vespa

Promiscuous makes an entrance
Her mouth is full of questions
Are we all brides to be?
Are we all designed to be confined?
Buy ourselves chastity belts and lock them
Organize our lives and lose the key
Our faces all resemble dying roses
From trying to fix it
When instead we should break it
We’ve got to break it before it breaks us

Fear of pretty houses and their porches
Fear of biological wristwatches
Fear of comparison shopping
Dogs on leashes behind fences barking
Pretty little pillows on floral couches
Until our faces all resemble dying roses
Stop trying to fix it

Patriarch on a Vespa
Runs a red and ends up
Crushed under the wheel

 

I can imagine this getting high marks at the next Berkeley poetry slam, can’t you? But on the contrary, she sings this while playing the keyboard solo and kicking her legs in the air in total bad-ass fashion. The “it” she refers to I presume to be bullshit suburbia and when she shouts “Stop trying to fix it…we should break it” she has created a couplet not matched in the history of rocking out since The Who first shouted  “Meet the new boss! Same as the old boss!” If this song had been popular enough to hit heavy rotation on corporate radio, surely it would have inspired some chair throwing and bra burning.

 

Download/Listen to Patriarch On A Vespa

 

If you want to see some chill-inspiring rockage, check out the thrills she throws down at 1:40. It will give you a sense of why Emily Haines is one of the goddesses of indie rock:

 

Bonus: If this rocks a little hard for you, check out Emily Haines solo career with her backing band The Soft Skeleton. Or if you just can’t get enough, she’s also a sometimes-singer for Broken Social Scene.

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RIP Etta James

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Nooooo! Etta James died today. Leukemia.

My friend Achterom introduced me to Etta James. Of course I knew who she was, like everyone else I knew she was the old broad who sings "At Last." A pretty enough song, with very little spunk. I wasn't too impressed with it. But he went to go see her live, and wouldn't shut up about it. There she was, a woman in her late sixties, making raunchy stage jokes and treating the microphone like a dildo. She was feisty and larger than life, like a queen of the Blues should be. Having (at last) upped my respect for the the Matriarch of R&B, I started playing her more rockabilly songs in my DJ sets. Somehow tracks like "In the Basement" seem to fit in just fine along with heavy dance numbers with thumpin' bass. Maybe that's why Avicii's chose to sample her song "Somebody Got A Hold On Me" for their huge 2011 dance hit, "Levels."

Etta remixed:

Etta James – 7 Day Fool (Whiskey Barons Edit)
Avicii – Levels (feat. Etta James)

Etta served straight:

Etta James – In the Basement (Part I)
Etta James – the Wallflower
Etta James – Tell Mama
Etta James – Spoonful (WMA file)
Etta James – I Just Wanna Make Love to you (WMA file)

Fun facts about Etta James:

  • It's rumored that she dated BB King when she was only 16, and that the song "Sweet Little 16" was written about her.
  • She is believed to be half-white, though no one can say with certainty as Etta never knew who her father was. She suspected it was the pool player, Rudolf "Minnesota Fats" Wanderone.
  • She was a heroin addict and one of the many celebrities who received treatment at the Betty Ford clinic.
  • After Beyonce inaccurately portrayed her in a movie, Etta James said she couldn't stand the singer and threatened that "she would get her ass whooped," though her children claim this was said because she had begun suffering from Alzheimer's.
  • James has received more than 30 awards throughout her life, including six Grammys and entry into The Rock N Roll Hall of Fame, The Rockabilly Hall of Fame and the Blues Hall of Fame.
  • Etta claimed to have written many of her songs, but didn't take the credit for tax reasons.

Def Jef feat Etta James – Dropping Rhymes On Drums (1989)

Etta James singing "I'd Rather Go Blind" with BB King

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