Beko DSL AMDISCS compilation

The always weird, always great AMDISCS released a two part compilation on Beko a few weeks ago that I'm just now getting into. Grab the 49 song Christmas present for free at Beko or check out the track list below, along with a few links to my current favorites.

AMDISCS Compilation Vol. I
1. Jef Barbara – Cocaine Love
2. CVLTS – Cave Configuration
3. Wild Eyes – House of Metal
4. Libraries – Byrd$
5. Catamaran – Pastels
6. DannielRadall – Love Is You
7. Wools – Björn Borg
8. Golden Axe – Sexual Angel (feat. Princess Chelsea)
9. Keep Shelly In Athen – Running Out of You (DannielRadall Remix)
10. Luke Chrisinger – Absolute One
11. Police Academy 6 + Unouomedude – Icarus
12. Kodak to Graphe – Feel It Out (Port Cit33 Remix)
13. Ʌ – The Whaler
14. Ride – Courtship
15. M△S▴C△RA – Quiet Glimpse (feat. The Present Moment)
16. Mellow Grave – Melatonin
17. Dream Boat – India (feat. Last Kiss)
18. BL§§D ØU† – //MYR†L3//WYCKØFF//
19. The Present Moment – Feast on Fire
20. Elekseveneks – Seeds of Dispair
21. Walsh – Dark Future
22. Bad Karaoke – My Girls
23. Craig Cruiser – A Flooded Room
24. Teams – Mind Us
25. Every – Mstrtfcked, U

AMDISCS Compilation Vol. II
1. Ra Cailum – Innovation
2. Monroeville Music Center – Seeing Spots
3. Luke Chrisinger – Absolute Two
4. Jef Barbara – Turn On (Demo)
5. Craig Cruiser – Asleep on the Couch
6. Medallion – Get Pitted!!
7. Kodak to Graphe – Greyn Steri
8. Chrome Wings – Drip City
9. Lord Boyd – Mane
10. Police Academy 6 + Top Girls – Fill In the Blanks
11. Star Slinger – Everyday Dance
12. Yound Adults – Campfires
13. Dream Boat – Sunday
14. Every – Triangularathonanon
15. Catamaran – Shadow Boxer
16. Pariah Carey – City of Ash
17. Mediafired – Cinderella’s Big Score
18. Ʌ – Tide Plane
19. Ghost Animal – In Your Room (Golden Axe Remix)
20. Walsh – Chic I Dawgs Bluddd
21. Bad Karaoke – Sueno
22. Spent Man (Maine Coons) – Flawed Every Day
23. Teams + Ra Cailum – 7EVEN DAZ3 A W33D
24. Chat Logs – Arithmetics and Decay

Guest Post: Andrew Daw's year end list

Andrew Daw is one of my best friends. As this list will probably show you, we have very similar musical tastes. I can't think of anyone I enjoy discussing music with more(all though there are a few people who he's tied with) and he always has an open invitation to post on this blog. Daw listed his 10 favorite albums of the year, and 8 of them were in my top 15!

10. Weathervanes - Freelance Whales

9. The Suburbs - Arcade Fire

8. Contra - Vampire Weekend

7. Sir Lucious Left Foot - Big Boi

6. All Delighted People - Sufjan Stevens

5. Real Life Color - Magic Man

4. Age of Adz - Sufjan Stevens

3. Gorilla Manor - Local Natives

2. Teen Dream - Beach House

1. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy - Kanye West

Heavy Hawaii - Teen Angel

2010 Recap: Top 15 Albums

15. Notorious xx - Wait What?

14. Age of Adz - Sufjan Stevens

13. Wild Smile - Suckers

12. All We Grow - S Carey

11. Contra - Vampire Weekend

10. Stoned Alone - Coma Cinema

9. Down There - Avey Tare

8. The Suburbs - Arcade Fire

7. Halcyon Digest - Deerhunter

6. High Violet - The National

5. Gorilla Manor - Local Natives

4. The Wild Hunt - The Tallest Man on Earth

3.My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy - Kanye West

2. Real Life Color - Magic Man

1.Teen Dream - Beach House

School Knights - F*#k the Beach

School Knights music video (F*#k the Beach) - Speaker Snacks Film Series - Episode #5 from Crazy Horse Studios on Vimeo.

Big White Clouds - Small White Clouds

quick update

Obviously since Christmas has passed its time to change my background, but I've been thinking that its a good time to change up the layout/aesthetic of the blog entirely. Unfortunately, I'm really not good at that sort of thing, so who knows how long that will end up taking! If you have any cool ideas for the blog, or you are a visual artist and/or photographer who would be willing help out email me at jonnaz@comcast.net

On an entirely different note, I'd just like to say thank you! I think I can honestly say 2010 has been the best year of my life. Getting to write about something I love has been a big part of that so thank you all for reading. I've already met(well... become facebook friends with) a handful of great people and I'm sure that number will keep growing as long as I keep blogging!

Hoping you all have a great New Year,

Jon

Merry Christmas! Klaxons, JJ, Gorillaz give away free music

Merry Christmas everyone! I know I haven't been posting a lot lately, but I've been either catching up with friends or sleeping my entire break! Anyways, a few bands have Christmas presents available that I want you to take full advantage of!

Stream the Gorillaz Ipad-made album, The Fall in exchange for an email at their website. At the moment only fan club members can download the album.

Download JJ's new mixtape from Sincerely Yours

Stream and Download the Klaxon's new EP "Landmarks of Lunacy" also at the band's website.

Update: Yeasayer is jumping in the holiday madness, asking fans to pay what they want for a live album recorded earlier this year also from their website. (thanks p4k!)

Featured: Bradley Hathaway

I've had the good fortune to see Bradley Hathaway live four or five times, and every time he managed to transform his entire show into something new. I remember one particular night sitting cross-legged on the floor, crying in public when one of Bradley's poems was exactly what I needed to hear. Bradley released the "1000 Angry Panthers" EP earlier this year, a follow up to his 2009 LP "Mouth Full of Dust." Mouth Full of Dust and Angry Panthers are incredibly brave records for a Christian artist; instead of sugar coating the desperation and tragedy of sin, they highlight them while never losing sight of redemption. Bradley has posted a few thoughts on his Myspace that explore the same general themes with a more personal touch; definitely worth your time.

Read Barbra Streisand and Baby

Covered in the Blood - Bradley Hathaway

The Hug Poem (the poem that made me cry!)

Sufjan Stevens and the members of The National's Christmas EP

Sufjan Stevens - Gloria! Songs for Christmas, Vol. 6 by rawkblog

Thanks to Rawkblog for the upload! I'm not sure how long it will last though.

New Releases: Foxes in Fiction - Alberto

Warren of Foxes in Fiction is offering up a phenomenal new EP today for free on his very own Orchid Tapes label. Check out the track list below.

Track List

1. Bathurst
2. School Night
3. Sadiya
4. Borders (Galleries and Foxes in Fiction)
5. Fifteen Ativan (Alternate Version)
6. To Josef, in Texas
7. OCAD Flu

My favorite at the moment are Borders and OCAD Flu, both of which show a more psychedelic side of Foxes in Fiction than I'm used to.

Wise Blood - B.I.G. E.G.O

"B.I.G. E.G.O." from david parker on Vimeo

Really great, professional music video for the first Wise Blood song I ever heard. The video's already starting to generate a lot of buzz, and even though it might be more because of the Star of video than the song itself, any publicity is good publicity right? I can't wait for Wise Blood to take over the world!

2010 Recap: Top 10 Remixes/covers

1. Graceland - The Tallest Man on Earth - Paul Simon Cover
2. Comfy In Nautica - Stephen Farris Remix - Panda Bear
3. Oh Naoko - Houses Remix - Sun Airway
4. Boy From School - Grizzly Bear - Hot Chip Cover
5. Nikki - Gobble Gobble - The Dream Cover
6. Wet Hair - Teen Daze - Japandroids Cover
7. Money on My Mind/I am the One - JJ - The xx intro sample
8. In Ruins - Baths Remix - Fol Chen
9. To the Lighthouse - Millionyoung remix - Memoryhouse
10. The Kids Don't Stand a Chance - Mike Snow Remix - Vampire Weekend

Guest Post: Thomas Michael year end list

Thomas Michael is the primary songwriter for Jaded Hipster Choir, and a merciless consumer and creator of great music. This list is in his own words, "The Top 10 songs that I heard for the first time in 2k10" so obviously it isn't just limited to songs that came out this year, and they aren't in any particular order. Enjoy, and expect more guest posts very soon!

• Roman's Revenge - Nicki Minaj
• Until We Bleed - Kleerup ft. Lykke Li
• Reeling the Warmth - Kohwi
• Greater Vultures - Coma Cinema
• Only Girl (In the World) - Rihanna
• I Suppose I Should Say Thanks or Some Shit - Gold Panda
• Lammicken - Braids
• Lightworks - J Dilla
• Water - Teen Daze
• Nemo - Gobble Gobble

Kanye West - Christmas in Harlem/ Monster music video.... Trailer

Oh the Christmas festivities continue. Another song that would have made the Christmas mix if I had it at the time. At this rate I might have to make a volume two before the holiday season is over! Kanye's first verse is solid, as is Cyhi's but Kanye's kind of sucks. Still worth at least a listen though.

Check out Christmas in Harlem at Nah Right

UPDATE: according to Kanye's Twitter, this is an unfinished version of the song, the final version is going to be jam packed with guest verses. I'll post the final version as soon as Kanye releases it.

In other Kanye West news....

Yikes.

Pretty disturbing, so obviously I can't wait to see to see the full version.

Houses - This is War

Well this would've gone great on the Christmas Mixtape, but I just found it 10 minutes ago! I can't be too mad though, after all I still have a new song by the always incredible Houses. Download after the video.

Houses Gift to Alternative Apparel from Houses on Vimeo.

This is War - Houses

Christmas mix

Merry Christmas!!

1. Christmas Time (is here again) - The Beatles
2. Tour All Winter - Coma Cinema
3. 10,000 Watts - Crystal Antlers
4. Mistletoe - Jukebox the Ghost
5. We Come Back - Local Natives
6. Snow is Falling - Darker My Love
7. White Winter Hymnal - Fleet Foxes
8. Do You See What I See - Sufjan Stevens
9. Happy Xmas (War is Over) - Foxes in Fiction
10. On Holiday - Secret Cities
11. Kindle a Flame in Her Heart - Los Campesinos
12. The First Noel - Sufjan Stevens
13. Wonderful Christmastime - Paul McCartney
14. Lost at Sea - Ben Talmi
15. Cold December - Matt Costa
16. Listening to Otis Redding at Home During Christmas - Okkervil River
17. Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) - Death Cab For Cutie
18. Blood Bank - Bon Iver
19. Christmas Medley in D - Teen Daze
20. Bonfire - Memoryhouse
21. Auld Lang Syne - The Beach Boys

Not going to lie, I threw this one together a bit hastily, but there's only 10 days till Christmas, and I'm really not expecting anyone to be jamming out to this on December 26th. This mix is considerably poppier than usual. I'm actually planning on burning this on a few discs and giving it to friends, and not all of those friends are interesting in the usual sort of music I post. Also, several of these songs are from really great Holiday Compilations that came out this year so I'm going to end this post by sharing links to those.

ISO5O Holiday Covers

Ho Ho Ho Canada! Duex

The Christmas Gig (like I said... poppier than usual)

Yellow Ostrich, High Highs Take Away Show

Yellow Ostrich, Traffique, High Life | A Take Away Show | Live @ CMJ 2010 from La Blogotheque on Vimeo.

Foxes in Fiction - School Night

School Night is a re-work of Coma Foxes' School Night, a song you can expect to see in a few days on my favorite songs list. This version is more(I really need to proof read before I post) decidedly prettier, but it ditches the creepiness that made the original resonate with me so deeply. Its going to be on Foxes in Fiction's new EP "Alberto" which should be out sometime this week on Warren's very own Orchid Tapes.

Download School Night at p4k (the yahoo media player hasn't been very cooperative for me in the past few days, I'm not sure what I'm going to do about it yet though)

2010 Recap: Top 15 EPs

Its that time of year! This week I'm going to be rolling out my year end favorites, along with a few friend's favorites. Today its EPs, I've got a list of Remixes/Covers, Albums, and Songs to come, and who knows what my friends will have to say. If you're a TL;DR kind of person expect a recap once everything has been posted

1. `+` - Wise Blood
2. The Years - Memoryhouse
3. All Delighted People - Sufjan Stevens
4. Guards - Guards
5. Boat Boat - Totally Nebular
6. What Happens in Hingham stays in Hingham - Mean Winds
7. Lamp Lighter - MoonLasso
8. Boy - Young Man
9. Adelyn Rose - Adelyn Rose
10. Daytrotter Session - Dale Earnhardt Jr Jr
11. Beach Dreams - Teen Daze
12. Fade Cave - Yellow Ostrich
13. Dynazty - Nazcar Nation
14. Sometimes the Blues is just a Passing Bird - Tallest Man on Earth
15. Coal Mine Canary - The Dundies

Just a few things worth noting: All the EPs with links are free(with the artist's approval of course) and you can stream most of the other ones without too much trouble. Boat Boat actually came out in 2009 (Edit: and its not even an EP!), but I didn't get it until this year (and its short enough to feel like an EP!), so I'm going to count it. I only included the Daytrotter session because it has all the same songs as Dale Earnhardt Jr Jr's Horsepower EP, but it has a warmer feel to it and I always find myself listening to it over the actual EP. And finally, The Tallest Man on Earth's EP would be much higher on this list if his LP didn't overshadow it, you really need to check both out if you haven't yet!!

High Highs - Open Season

Wise Blood - Loud Mouth

Wise Blood just released a new Single on P4k today. According to the site, Loud Mouth will be part of Wise Blood's next EP, to be released on Dovecote records. Loud Mouth is basically a sleek piano jam punctuated by B movie screams and backwards Hymns. Seriously creepy, seriously sexy.

"I'm gonna make it and you know I'm right"

Loud Mouth - Wise Blood (via p4k)

Tree Hopping - The Beat Band

Tree Hopping is the side project of 1/3 of carnival yelpers Totally Nebular. If I had to guess I'd say this guy is the main song writer for Totally Nebular, as they aren't too far apart. The Beat Band is heavier on the tropical influence and lighter on the (already light) hip-hop influences on Boat Boat. The music (except vocals) is made entirely of loops, but it never sounds inorganic. There's also something particularly grin-inducing about hearing the incredibly catchy hooks pop in more than one song.

P.S

This is totally(hah) unrelated:

Day Trotter is KILLING IT with the Pop Montreal Sessions. 4 Braids songs in a single take, an acoustic Diamond Rings session and Oberhofer all in a week? You should probably go download those if you haven't yet.

Mean Cat - The Pumpkin Cup EP

Yikes. Remember when Weezer was actually good? I was 2 years when the Blue Album came out....

Anyways, Mean Cat trade in a similar Sing-A-Long Powerpop, and they don't have any lil Wayne or Kenny G cameos. Rock n Roll ya'll.

Mean Wind - The Guests Are The Guests Are Gone Gone

More melancholic and subdued than their first EP, "The Guests are the Guests are Gone Gone" is still a work of joyously peculiar folk best experienced as a whole.