new tunes Tuesday. Round 25. welcome, winter

i discussed with two friends this week their thoughts on winter music. one from here in DC, reaching for the quiet, introspective, somber, snowy. the other soon heading home to Minnesota and longing for time away from the city for endless car rides on wintered prairies, and a simple singer-songwriter accompaniment.

i, too, have retired my summer beats for the similar. i've been leaning heavy on the simple, the chilly, and the pronounced male vocals set against (mostly) beautiful arrangements.

here you have, my winter playlist. (yahoo media player hopefully coming soon!)


1. funeral singers, califone

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-2. island IS, volcano choir

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-3. deep blue sea, grizzly bear


4. nantes, beirut
5. panthers, wilco
6. temazcal, monsters of folk
7. carolina, m. ward
8. honey and the moon, joseph arthur
9. blue ridge mountains, fleet foxes

new tunes Tuesday. Round 24. my boys

following my last post i've decided to give a little nod to (some of) my favorite boys of music.

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beck

{soldier jane, beck}

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dan boeckner, of wolf parade

{ghost pressure, wolf parade}
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jeff tweedy

{heavy metal drummer, jeff tweedy}

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and. AND i get to see tweedy live and solo

tonight at the lincoln theater

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SO excited

new tunes Tuesday. Round 23. LCD Soundsystem... and another special treat

LCD soundsystem hit the music scene in 2002 with Losing My Edge, dabbled in other singles and minor releases the next several years, then came back in 2010 with This is Happening - potentially my favorite record of the year. so they are not so new but have been all over my playlists the past few weeks and kept me awake during some long car trips. new or old? i can't decide which i like better, but i know i love it all - the hooks, the drops, james murphy's affected vocals, even the cowbells. it comes together in totally addictive, beat heavy, dancey, epic songs. check it out:

{daft punk is playing at my house, lcd soundsystem}

{drunk girls, lcd soundsystem}

london dance-punkers also gaining spots on said playlist - New Young Pony Club. here's to colorful video tuesday!

{ice cream, new young pony club}

new tunes Tuesday. Round 22. the many sounds of Justin Vernon

most who know Justin Vernon know him for his work with Bon Iver, and his 2008 gloomy/introspective release Emma, Forever Ago. the album took off and showcased his mellow, folk aesthetic with songs like Skinny Love.

but he's moving on, working with every artist under the sun, and taking on these great new sounds:

{come talk to me, bon iver}

{faded high, gayngs}

{lost in the world, kanye west featuring justin vernon}

new tunes Tuesday. Round 21. life after The Polyphonic Spree

SO. after listening to former Polyphonic Spree member St. Vincent on my bus trip to new york, i started wondering if any of the other countless rotating members of the psychedelic symphony were up to anything notable. i stumbled upon Jesca Hoop's work and loved her sound immediately - passionate, sensual and oddly twangy. her work hasn't turned too video heavy, but give here a listen here:

Feast of the Heart

by jesca hoop 

and an interesting fact about jesca - she used to nanny for Tom Waits' kids! TOM WAITS!

new tunes Tuesday. Round 20. before and after: Metric

{raw sugar, metric}

{rock me now, metric}

before: charmingly sweet electro-pop featuring front woman Emily Haine's kid-like vocals

METRIC
i discovered these guys while living in austria and sharing musical gems with my canadian friends. kathy turned me onto metric. i was totally content listening to the songs above + the likes of their 2001 release, Grow Up and Blow Away for the rest of time. until i finally gave their new stuff a shot and HOT DAMN is it good.

after: edgy glam-rock featuring themes of sex and loads of adrenaline

{gold guns girls, metric}

{satellite mind, metric}

new tunes Tuesday. Round 19. Starfucker

{julius, starfucker}

my upcoming concert schedule has been a bit folk heavy as of late, but no more! because portland electropopstars are a-comin' to town! i say we relive this awesome night with a dance party at their show at dc9. let us all get tickets asap.

their single above (coming out on october 12th) is off of their upcoming album due out early next year. and they be touring hard before its release:

Strfkr Fall Tour
09.23 Neurolux – Boise, ID
09.24 Kilby Court – Salt Lake City, UT
09.24 Urban Lounge – Salt Lake City, UT
09.25 Hi Dive – Denver, CO
09.27 Record Bar – Kansas City, MO
09.29 Juanita’s Cantina Ballroom – Little Rock, AK
09.30 The Collective – Shreveport, LA
10.1 Bottletree Cafe – Birmingham, AL
10.2 Drunken Unicorn – Atlanta, GA
10.5 Local 506 – Chapel Hill, NC
10.6 DC9 – Washington, DC
10.7 Kung Fu Necktie – Philadelphia, PA
10.8 Music Hall of Williamsburg – Brooklyn, NY
10.9 Cafe Nine – New Haven, CT
10.10 TT The Bears – Cambridge, MA
10.11 Casa Del Popolo – Montreal, Canada
10.12 Wrongbar – Toronto, Canada
10.13 Garfield Artworks – Pittsburgh, PA
10.14 Grog Shop – Cleveland Heights, OH
10.15 Bottom Lounge – Chicago, IL
10.16 Triple Rock Social Club – Minneapolis, MN
10.19 Neumos – Seattle, WA
10.20 Roseland – Portland, OR
10.22 Great American Music Hall – San Francisco, CA
10.23 Echoplex – Los Angeles, CA
10.24 Casbah – San Diego, CA
10.25 Plush – Tucson, AZ

new tunes Tuesday. Round 18. Janelle Monae and beyond.

{tightrope, janelle monae ft. BoB & lupe fiasco}

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super quick while i pull myself away from work/listening to this on repeat. CHECK THIS OUT. my friend sent me an invite to the upcoming Of Montreal show at the 9:30 club and mentioned the Janelle Monae was the opener. i checked her out to help decide if it was worth seeing OM yet again. while they're an odd billing together - her soulful, hip-hop, almost punky feel, and their theatrical, suuuuuper psychedelic pop sound - she seems like she'd ROCK live.

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i only got a few songs in and got hooked on this one. it is MAD good.

new tunes Tuesday. Round 17. Mayer Hawthorne

an ode to (baby) Krishna(n) because it's his birthday! well, yesterday. sadly it did not coincide with M Street's new tunes Tuesday. but i will share with you his latest obsession. we reenacted this video to celebrate last night.

{the ills, mayer hawthorne}

new tunes Tuesday. Round 16. second Wilco schoolin'

album number 2, Being There, came out only a year and a half after their first (kind of) tank, A.M., to much critical success – it begins to touch on experimentation, darker imagery, and thoughts outside of their initial alt-country pigeon hole. while a few of my favorite Wilco songs hail from this here album, i again, (i’ll be sounding like a pretty weak fan after Rounds 1 and 2 - much high praise will be coming with later albums, i SWEAR) i am not super duper crazy album numero dos. it’s polished, about 6 songs too long, the songs are short, some are even peppy (gross), and only a handful of songs display Wilco’s true potential. definitely on their way, though.

and check them out sounding twangy on this number.

new tunes Tuesday. Round 15. Sweet D folk radio edition

with the Newport Folk Festival just finishing up this past weekend, i've been starting to check out some the awesome live performances they had. when i don't have time to poke around for new live shows to check out at work, i fall back to these guys that i never seem to get tired of. here are some of my favorite folk acts - ranging from twangy to slightly electronic to bob dylan-esque. ENJOY.

{vice rag, aa bondy}

{sea of tears, eilen jewell}

{king of spain, the tallest man on earth}

{bones of man, chad van vangaalen}

new tunes Tuesday. Round 14. You Say Party! We Say Die!

{glory, you say party! we say die!}

the latest album, XXXX, by this Canadian indie-dance band was initially played to keep me awake on the loooong, late afternoon drives around West Virginia. then. it stuck. it's so catchy (think Ting Tings) and super edgy too (think Yeah Yeah Yeahs). the song above may be a wee bit better on the album - so be sure to give it a listen. my two others faves are There is XXXX and Cosmic Wanship Avengers. mmmm, chick rock!

new tunes Tuesday. Round 13. Broken Social Scene, a deeper look

yes yes yes, i know. i've talked about bss. i've talked about this album. but it's out now! for months! i have to admit though that i didn't get the whole thing until just a couple weeks ago. put it on my ipod an' put it on loop. initial favorites, other than this one, were Ungrateful Little Father, Forced to Love and Lisa Lobsinger's showcase below, All to All. Feist has long been one of my main draws to bss; her voice and edge just bring this rockin' femininity to the group. but with Feist only contributing backup vocals on this album, Lisa has definitely stepped up. i have been soooo in love with this song of hers - the sweet make-up of mellow, spacey electronics, beautiful strings and her pretty, pretty voice. check it out.

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{all to all, broken social scene}

new tunes Tuesday. Round 12. first Wilco schoolin'

i have decided today that my love affair with Wilco isn't properly represented on this blog. so. today will be an introduction and i will start to school you in the ways of wilco. here is some wilco joy for the short week ahead:
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{casino queen, wilco}

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okay, so wilco became a band around ’94 after the notverypopular alt-country gig Uncle Tupelo disbanded (co-leader Jay Farrar left to form a not only less popular but less… eh, good, band Son Volt) and Jeff Tweedy picked up the Tupelo scraps to form wilco. album ONE came about in 1995 in the form a solid, twangy (hell, even country on some songs!), weed-induced group of somewhat unpolished songs on A.M. (side note: if you are ever in the mood to sip a super good cup of coffee while listening to super good tunes – check out the Chinatown Coffee Company. i’ve gone in maybe 5 times – two of which this album was proudly playing).
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this is their first of two countryish albums – not my favorite, but certainly worth listening to a handful of songs. check this one out too.

new tunes Tuesday. Round 11. the bewitched hands on top of our heads

{work, the bewitched hands on top of our heads}

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french kids, freak folk, messy harmonies, lo-fi vids, cool shoes, non-stop pop, worth a listen. or five. you'll get hooked.

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{tonight, the bewitched hands on top of our heads}

new tune Tuesday. Round 10. The New Pornographers

{crash years, the new pornographers}

THIS. BAND. ROCKS. from leader A.C. Newman's song writing to Dan Bejar's killer voice to Neko Case's folksy flare to the tight, catchy sound of this not-too-sweet supergroup's power pop. their new album Together, out for two weeks now, is GOOD. it's not Electric Version, and certainly no Challengers, but it's very good and worth a listen to to pump yourself up for their show next month (come with me!). check out their older stuff, too - a little more raw and a little more exciting.

Mutiny, I Promise You

These are the Fables

Adventures in Solitude

new tunes Tuesday. Round 9. hello and goodbye to Britpop edition.

i thought it would only be fitting to introduce you to one of my favorite bands of the genre on the day (give or take a week or so) they decide to call it quits. so long, dear Supergrass. you were there for me all the way from 6th grade sleepovers through dance parties in our M Street kitchen. your tunes shall be missed.

{beautiful people, supergrass}

{strange ones, supergrass}

{moving, supergrass}

new tunes Tuesday. Round 8. Wicked Liquid.

{gayngs, the gaudy side of town}

JUST KIDDING! but on first listen to this, knowing that this supergroup's members include the likes of Justin Vernon, Megafaun, and Solid Gold, i was expecting nothing close to the smoothness of this sound. pretty liquid, aint it? enjoy all of the groovy, r&b jams when Gayngs' full album comes out on may 11th.

also, since i was absent for the post last tuesday, please allow the most exciting music news i've seen this year to make up for it.

♡ sweet D

new tunes Tuesday. Round 7. The Morning Benders.

{the morning benders, promises}

The Morning Benders' second full-length album, BIG ECHO, is a group of short, catchy, jangley, sing-a-long-y, indie beats. they combine their San Francisco coolness with some hazey vocals, and a Brooklyn edge (a la Grizzly Bear) in the cavernous instrumentals. and being produced by Grizzly Bear's Chris Taylor, it has that near perfect studio feel (also, a la GB) that may just be better on the album than at a live show.

this album is perfect for some early summer, weekend-nights-on-the-deck listening.

two more favorites from the album:

Cold War

All Day Day Light
♡ sweet D

new tunes (two-for) Tuesday. Round 6. All the Pretty Beards Edition

my excitement for new music and live shows could not be contained this week and thus i must share with you twice the fun (and beards).

{the fruit bats, the ruminant band}

portland/chicago folk-pop group The Fruit Bats played a (short, but) sweet set Saturday night at the Black Cat. they got everyone singing along with this title track from their 2009 album. they may have gotten a little soft and breezey with age, but they still have some badass tunes like this under their belt.

{megafaun, the process}

Megafaun, a rootsy, Americana, banjo-strummin' folk troupe, are coming to the Black Cat (backstage!) on wednesday the 31st. it's psychadelic meets appalachia finger-picking. this song, from their latest album Gather, Form & Fly, is just a peak at all of the soulful harmonizing, gritty guitar playing, and wandering lyrics. OH, if they only had a stompin' board....

come check them out live with me!