Something For The Ladies

Neutral Milk Hotel – “The King of Carrot Flowers Pt. One” Today,...

draxiom — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 10:00:05 -0600

Neutral Milk Hotel – “The King of Carrot Flowers Pt. One”

Today, fourteen years ago, In the Aeroplane Over the Sea was released by Merge, and it went on to define a generation of music. Its unique and intricate songwriting, haunting vocal melodies, and incredibly elaborate instrumentation have not lost a bit of their luster. It is inarguably among one of the greatest albums of the late 20th century. Today we felt it’d be appropriate to celebrate it. Join us in revisiting these songs like the old friends that they are.

Happy birthday, Baby Carrot Two-Headed Flower Boy. Have fun playing pianos filled with flames over the sea. You’re fourteen and loved more and more each passing day.

City and Colour - “The Girl” I know this probably...

inscien — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:31:00 -0600

City and Colour - “The Girl”

I know this probably isn’t a new song or band to most of you guys, but in the midst of my companions pop parade, it’s my job to bring you soothing folk melodies. City and Colour is actually a one man show, permeating America from the northern border. He has a newer album out than this one, but this is such a great song that I had to remind everyone it exists.

Needle – “Sunsets” Needle’s EP Saint Timothy’s was written...

draxiom — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 19:22:00 -0600

Needle – “Sunsets”

Needle’s EP Saint Timothy’s was written (and recorded?) in the proximity of a small church in a small town. You get that feeling a lot from the sound, something very quiet and intimate but also at the same time fairly spacious. Imagine it like Beach House is performing a headline show in the library of Versailles. I like it—I’ve been running low on cool-down music, a much-needed fuel for my livelihood that my fast-paced hyper-influential media mogul lifestyle seems to devour constantly these days.

Sleigh Bells - “Comeback Kid” Remember when Sleigh...

cxianet — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 13:55:00 -0600

Sleigh Bells - “Comeback Kid”

Remember when Sleigh Bells made an album that was loud and thrashy but people dug it? Now Alexis Krauss is a bigger part of the writing team and she’s adding melodies to Sleigh Bells well-established noise, Sleigh Bells is bound to be catchier than ever. I just want to dance to this song in a sweaty, crowded, dark room.

Chairlift - “Amanaemonesia” Those synths in the...

cxianet — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 19:43:55 -0600

Chairlift - “Amanaemonesia”

Those synths in the chorus drive me mad every time. Catchy synths and soaring vocals are a couple of themes in Something. I’ve been pretty busy in the year of 2012 so far, and this is both one of the few new albums that I’ve heard this year and one of the best.

Whistle Peak – “Wings Won’t Behave” I’m not on some...

draxiom — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:51:00 -0600

Whistle Peak – “Wings Won’t Behave”

I’m not on some random folk bender, as much as it seems that way. It just happens that a lot of independent and smaller label bands are folksy for some reason, but that’s beyond the point—There’s something delightfully hypnotic about Whistle Peak’s electronic poppy folk shtick, and I quite enjoy it. The group is signed to Karate Body Records in Louisville, and the new album from which this song was taken drops on the 14th this month.

Preorder it here if the tunes interest you, buddy.

Oyster Boy – “Waiting For Magic Mountain” When someone told me...

draxiom — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 21:46:00 -0600

Oyster Boy – “Waiting For Magic Mountain”

When someone told me to listen to their friend Oyster Boy (whose nonexistent Wikipedia article would describe an independent unsigned punk-folk artist from the great state of New Jersey), they told me that “he’s really talented and he hates everybody.” That’s the best description I could come up with, too.

Give the guy some love, he doesn’t have a big fancy label to short him on his royalties yet.

Andrew Jackson Jihad – “Back Pack” I like honesty in...

draxiom — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:59:00 -0600

Andrew Jackson Jihad – “Back Pack”

I like honesty in songwriting, especially when that honesty is obscene and unpopular. I like to think that I am obscene and unpopular (I’M JUST NOT POLITICALLY CORRECT, NOM SAYIN’? THAT’S NOT HOW I WAS PRO-GRAMMED, NOM SAYIN’? IF YOU CAN’T HANDLE IT TOUGH LUCK, NOM SAYIN’?), so when songs do it it makes me feel good. I like songs that make me feel good.

I think I forgot how to write the blogs.

Chateaubriand - “The Sunset (ft. ...

arrondissement — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 15:10:00 -0600

Chateaubriand - “The Sunset (ft. Destronics)’”

I’m currently reading works by one of the founding fathers of Romanticism, François-René de Chateaubriand. What a happy coincidence.

Pandr Eyes - “Shinin’” I guess this is what I...

cxianet — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 14:51:37 -0600

Pandr Eyes - “Shinin’”

I guess this is what I imagine Cassie would sound like if she was produced by Drake producer 40. Ferren, much like Cassie, never sounds like she’s trying to hard, never oversinging, and always making it work.

Onra - “The Anthem” The instrumentation of old...

cxianet — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 14:35:03 -0600

Onra - “The Anthem”

The instrumentation of old Chinese records is sick. I’m glad that someone figured it out and decided to make some beats with them.

Miniature Tigers - “Boomerang” Judging by this first...

soundsofsilvazws — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 21:12:00 -0600

Miniature Tigers - “Boomerang”

Judging by this first single and the first music video off Mia Pharoah, the new Miniature Tigers album will be much more fun and danceable than their previous work.

The Shins - “Simple Song” The first new song from...

soundsofsilvazws — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 12:28:00 -0600

The Shins - “Simple Song”

The first new song from The Shins since 2007 plays like something off of Wincing the Night Away, with an upbeat rhythm and bright guitar that provides the perfect soundtrack for this 50 degree January day in Chicago. And even though the only remaining member from the original Shins line-up is James Mercer, the melodic guitar-pop remains as catchy as ever.

The Shins are also part of a recently-released, stacked Coachella 2012 bill.

Literature - “Criminal Kids” One thing that I really...

cxianet — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 22:28:31 -0600

Literature - “Criminal Kids”

One thing that I really love about the age that we live in is the willingness to share and the ease at which the internet makes that possible. Kip of The Pains of Being Pure at Heart tweeted about the debut of Austin’s Literature about a week and a half ago, and I was able to easily download it because the band is offering it up on Bandcamp for free. It’s been on repeat since, something that I never would have found if it weren’t for the big ups from a bigger band or the band’s willingness to share their tracks for free. Arab Spring sounds a lot like something that Kip would like, a nice little cross between The Pains of Being Pure at Heart and hometown band (the sadly defunct) Voxtrot.

Da Bang - “Cut Cut Cut” Da Bang is from Beijing, but...

cxianet — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 14:46:47 -0600

Da Bang - “Cut Cut Cut”

Da Bang is from Beijing, but you probably wouldn’t have figured that out on your own because their album 少年邪 (aka Bone Hug) developed along the current trajectory of alternative music. Drawing influence from simply the best of the early 2000s, Bone Hug is a record that feels remarkably fresh. Lead singer Pupi is amazing, resembling a Fever to Tell-era Karen O on “Down Down Down” and doing her best Sue Tompkins talk-singing on “Danger”. The synths on “冰心” (the album’s only track sung in Chinese) are bizarre in a manner that The Knife might be proud to call their own.

While Western observers like to focus on the parts of East Asian culture that are over the top, there are genuine attempts by artists to do something in a different vein. By simplifying the Asian cultural experience, the West has fetishized by omission, unfair to the Chinese youth that face a certain societal restlessness with very real problems. “Cut Cut Cut” tackles one such problem, describing a terrible, twisted, sick co-dependent relationship, mirrored by the song’s frenetic buildups and dizzying comedowns.

And hey, if you’re not willing to make this political, just listen to the tunes because they’re bomb as hell.

Soft Pipes - “Stay Pretty” Soft Pipes is the work of...

cxianet — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 20:55:24 -0600

Soft Pipes - “Stay Pretty”

Soft Pipes is the work of Anthony Polcino who sounds a lot like Julian Casablancas. The progression of “Stay Pretty” is nice, starting with the sound of a fuzzy guitar and turning into something a lot dreamier than anything The Strokes would ever do.

Christmas Minimix

cxianet — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 10:00:06 -0600

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Merry Christmas! Here is a 5-track minimix from us to you!

Common - “The Dreamer (feat. Maya Angelou)” This and...

cxianet — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 13:30:55 -0600

Common - “The Dreamer (feat. Maya Angelou)”

This and this are why you shouldn’t make Best Of lists until the year is actually close to being over. In a year where everyone was talking about the new kids of hip hop like The Weeknd and Drake, the older generation answers back with Maya fucking Angelou. Sure, it’s less buzzy than Jamie xx, but my god. Amazing.

Likes Lions - “Futures” I normally don’t click...

cxianet — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 17:56:00 -0600

Likes Lions - “Futures”

I normally don’t click on those advertisements for other bands, but I managed to find Likes Lions through the Last.fm page for Tellison. It turned out to be a really good thing because this 5-piece from Sheffield is actually really good. Adorably, the band’s name was supposedly conceived when they realized that they all like lions even though they all prefer tigers. Their EP is for free on their Bandcamp page now. You might as well. It doesn’t hurt that it’s actually pretty good. Or that there’s a cat on the EP’s cover.

Get It, Girl.

cxianet — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 14:00:05 -0600

Download

Whether it’s 3am on a Monday night and you’re cramming for finals or it’s 9pm on a Friday night and you’re ready to hit the club, just remember that you’re fly as hell, girl. You got this.

This is a collaborative project I did with the wonderful Nolan over at POPMG. He knows a ton about pop music and is a genuinely nice guy! He is also very much a dude, so fellas, don’t be embarrassed about how much you love this, too.