I can’t believe it’s almost June. This year is flying by!! Well, tons of good music has been FLOODING my ears as a result, so I guess I shouldn’t be complaining. I’m really tired today for some reason, so I am going to just go ahead and get right down to why we are here today… the music!
RichGirl – He Ain’ Wit Me Now (Tho)
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_529_richgirl-heaintwitmenow.mp3]
Not being a HUGE fan of hip hop, this song took me by major surprise! The first time I heard it, was all, “damn! I love this!!!”. It combines a bit of the “lady group” nature of Destiny’s Child, and blends it with the hotness of Amerie (ala One Thing), and together, it certainly has me trippin’. I love the beat, and the fact that all four ladies can sing. This song is ready for the clubs, and I am certainly adding it to my summer playlists. Wiggle wiggle wiggle girl… let’s get that dance on!
Royksopp – The Girl and The Robot
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_529_royksopp-thegirlandtherobot.mp3]
Oh Robyn, how do I love thee? There are so many ways; almost too numerous to count! This track is a fantastic collaboration between Royksopp and Robyn, which I can almost BET Robyn played a big part in (it has her style all over it). If this is just another indication that the Robyn train isn’t slowing down any time soon, it makes me even more excited for her next album; and it makes me happy that in the meantime, she is working so well with other great artists out there. This is definitely the best song on Royskopp’s album, and they did themselves a major favor by working with Robyn. The synth on this track is deep, dark, and pulsating; making this song great for driving or dancing… just don’t do both at the same time!
Miike Snow – A Horse Is Not A Home
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_529_miikesnow-ahorseisnotahome.mp3]
I know that I was singing the praises of Miike Snow last week, but I have to keep singing them; their debut is one of the best albums I have heard all year. It is amazing. With this project, Bloodshy & Avant have seriously raised the bar on the indie-synth pop scene, and produced what is sure to be amongst my favorite albums for all of 2009. I love the pulsating, rhythmic beat in the background, as well as the way in which they vocode the vocals; all making for a toe tapping, and infectious track. The whole album is made up of AMAZING songs like this one, with this probably being my favorite of all. Miike Snow SHOULD be HUGE in 2009, and you can brag to all of your friends that you knew all about them, because music bloggers like me showed you the light. No thanks necessary; just go and download the album already!
Erik Hassle – Isn’t It Obvious
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_529_erikhassle-isntitobvious.mp3]
I have also written about the super-talented Swedish singer, Erik Hassle, who released one of the most beautiful singles for 2009 with his amazing song, Hurtful. As much as I LOVE Hurtful, this song is just as powerful, and with each listen, I love it even more. I love the distorted electro backing track of the chorus, and the emphasis in which he says, “isn’t it obvious that I love you!?!”. It’s a well written track that has the emotive vocals to back up its sentiment, and I always turn up the dial when this one starts playing. AMAZING song. I just realized that he is the third song featured this week by a Swedish artist. Seriously, something AMAZING is going on in Sweden as far as music is concerned, and I hope it keeps on coming!
Butterfly Boucher – A Bitter Song
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_529_butterflyboucher-abittersong.mp3]
I actually heard of Butterfly Boucher a long time ago, because my buddy Deb really likes her, but it didn’t really stick with me, because I couldn’t find her album, as it seems she never got a proper release in the US. Cut to the here and now: Apparently, being on Grey’s Anatomy is the KEY to success, because after this song was on the show, her album has found its way onto iTunes, where I saw it, and was intrigued (having heard of her before). I don’t watch Grey’s, so I heard this song when I sampled the album, and it is epic, haunting, and achingly beautiful. I hope that Butterfly gets more exposure with this album, because songs like this are too wonderful to be ignored.
I hope that you enjoyed all of the songs for today, as much as I have been enjoying them myself. Let me know what you are listening to, and tell me what you think, alright!? Have a great weekend everyone!!
I heard about Parachute through iTunes as well, because they offered up one of their songs as a free download a few weeks back. While I thought that track was just okay, I checked out some of the other songs on their album, and this song blew me away. It is really beautiful, and it makes me glad that iTunes introduces people to some great music; even if it is by way of a different song from the same album. This song is a delicate rock-pop ballad that reminds me of the sweet softness of songs by artists like Joshua Radin, and I can’t get enough of its goodness. 
I love Mat Kearney. I have for a while now. Not only is his voice swoon-worthy, but he is quite the handsome fellow. I mentioned a few weeks back that he was one of the people that I wanted to come out with a new album already (because of how much I loved his first record, Nothing Left To Lose), and it was then that I noticed he was releasing the follow up this month. I finally got my hands on the City of Black and White this week, and all I can say is WOW. With the first listen, I was blown away. Seriously, this is one of the best albums of the year for me, by far. This is one of my favorite tracks from the album, and as I mentioned, I fully expect to see this album near the very top of my year end best of list. Mat certainly did not disappoint with his sophomore album, and I only hope his career consists of more amazing albums like this one. With this release, he has solidified himself a place amongst my favorite artists.
Guilty pleasure alert!!! I normally don’t like a lot of the more “hard core” hip-hop/rap, but this track just screams in ecstasy to the wannabe thuggish girl that lives within me. Not only that, but this video is fucking fierce, and Beyonce is just too damn hot on this track to ignore. I will admit that the first time I heard this song, I really didn’t like it, but that was because I didn’t fully understand how to appreciate it. It is exactly like Kelis’ amazing song, Bossy for me; when I first heard it, I didn’t appreciate the amazingness of it. Well, now I do, and I can tell you, that thug girl living within me wants to be a damn diva… and if she were, this would be her bitch ass theme song. Perhaps what I love the most about this song, is that we now know to watch out, because Bey will cut a bitch, for sure.
Finally today, the one hit wonder from the 90’s I promised. I remember hearing this song my junior year of high school, and back in those days, they didn’t have mix CDs, and the only way to get a copy of a song was to record it off of the radio, or go out and buy the damn CD. If you were lucky enough, the band would release a single, but low and behold, in this case, they didn’t (not that I could find anyway). So, I plunked down $16 for a CD, for one song. However, this song got LOTS of play, and has one of the catchiest courses that I have ever heard, and one that still makes me smile. I have no fucking idea what “we love the only all of you” means, but I don’t fucking care; that guitar riff is like irresistible, sweet cotton candy, and I can’t get enough.
Let me start with a one word description of Elizabeth and the Catapult’s most recent release, Taller Children: Amazing. Elizabeth and the Catapult is one of those finds that I still can’t believe I stumbled upon, because of how magnificent they are. What drew me in initially, was the really cute cover, which has brought me to some fantastic music in the past, and certainly did so again this time. The whole album is magnificent, and will certainly be amongst my top records of 2009. The record has a softer side, as well as an eclectic feel to it, and the singer’s voice often channels the might and gusto of singers like Inara George, Aimee Mann, and even Ann Wilson. This was a fantastic find, and one that I am more than happy to sing praises about to anyone who will listen. I LOVE when I find stuff like this on the random!
After seeing Death Cab for Cutie last week, I have been listening to them almost non-stop, and I am constantly reminded of how much I love this amazing band. Seriously, Ben Gibbard’s voice and his diction are both amazingly delicious, and are a total treat to my ears. I have been a Death Cab fan for a few years now, and with each subsequent release, they only get better, in my opinion. The recently released EP, the Open Door, is where this fantastic track comes from, and was released to coincide with them beginning their tour. I love every song on that EP, and I was pleased that they played almost all of them at the show. They are amazing live, and I am glad I got an opportunity to finally see them perform.
This was a free mp3 download from Amazon (as of this writing, it still is, so go and get it!), and I am glad that I checked it out; it’s a beautiful track. I’ll admit that I was initially drawn to it because of the bearded beau on the cover (what can I say… I am a sucker for beards), and I was pleased that he had the musical prowess to really draw me in past a simple glance at the album art. His sound reminds me a lot of Ryan Adams, with just a touch classic rock, updated for the hear and now. This is one of those songs were beautiful music, rugged vocals, and eloquent writing all come together to make some really great music. While this is the only song of his I have currently heard, I am definitely going to check out his recently released album, Ghost Notes.
As a fan of Great Northern’s 2007 debut, Trading Twilight for Daylight, I was excited when I saw that they were releasing a new album a few weeks ago. While I regrettably haven’t had a chance to give it a proper listen, the first track really struck me instantly, and I really liked it right off the bat. Perhaps what struck me most, is how it has a harder, edgier sound than their previous softer stuff. The marching beat coupled with the distorted guitars, and the lead singer’s haunting vocal make this a fantastically “darker” opener for their new album. It has definitely gotten me excited to delve deeper into the rest of the album; which if it is anything like this, I am sure I will enjoy.
Little Boots is one of those artists that everyone is shouting about how wonderful they are, and for some dumb reason, I just roll my eyes and move on. In fact, I think that I ignore songs like this out of spite. Maybe it is the defiant side of me that just won’t give in? Who knows, but I think it was because I heard a Little Boots track a while back and I wasn’t blown away, so I just moved on; clearly, I must have thought, that it was truly just hype. However, she is back on my radar, because this is an insanely catchy track that is tearing up the radio waves in the UK, and I found myself falling for it after all. It has a little bit of the energy and feel of some of Ladyhawke’s work, which definitely bodes well for Little Boots (especially in my book), because of how great Ladyhawke has proven to be. I don’t know if this one will make a big splash on this side of the pond, but I know that a bunch of my readers will really like this one (that is, if they haven’t been enjoying it already, while I was being stubborn). 
I was surfing my usual music blogs this week, and stumbled on this MASSIVE ballad by yet ANOTHER Swede bringing the pure power of super-sweet and perfectly percolated pop to my ears. Seriously, what is in the water in Sweden?!? There are so many amazing pop artists coming out of Sweden, and Erik Hassle is certainly among them; this song is amazing and beautiful. This song overtook me with one listen. It’s massive. Keep your eyes and ears open for more on Erik Hassle; I am sure we will be hearing a lot more from him in the coming months.
There has always been something about Mandy Moore that I have liked… I don’t know what it is, and I don’t know why, but I love this girl. This song is no exception; I love the slight country twinge, and the overdubbing of her voice on the chorus. I saw the video, and thought it was a bit stupid, but it wasn’t enough to make me like the song any less. I will definitely be checking out Amanda Lee when it hits stores. 
This is kind of a blast from the “not so distant past”. I featured the Presets sophomore release, Apocalypso in my 
I love Owl City. If you followed my best CDs of 2008 list, you remember that Owl City’s self-released album Maybe I’m Dreaming took the #10 spot on my 
Last but certainly not least today, is sublime electro-goodness from up and coming HUGE sensation Passion Pit. This is their second single, which will accompany a full album release (Manners) from them this month. At first, I didn’t love this song as much as I loved Sleepyhead (which I have posted about before), but that is because Sleepyhead is PERFECT. Well, after a couple of listens, I realized something: Passion Pit is amazing. This song is awesome, and while they are definitely one of those bands I should, by all accounts hate, I actually LOVE them. I love the shrill voice, the pops and beats, I love it all. This is definitely a song that when it comes on the radio, you HAVE to crank it up. Try not to tap your toes and bop your head to this one folks… it’s difficult!
Sometimes, I am told about a band, and for whatever reason, I have to come to them on my own before I really appreciate them. Metric is one of those bands. I managed to catch the video for Gimme Sympathy last week, and I INSTANTLY loved it. Too bad my friend Deb had already been singing their praises for weeks now. D’oh! Well, I am on the Metric bandwagon now, and I have been loving them a lot this week. Specifically, this dance rock number, which really gets me dancing in my seat whenever I hear it. If you enjoyed this song (and how could you not), I highly recommend you snag the rest of their recently released new album, Fantasies. 
I have heard this name a lot, but never really knew who Frankmusik was. Well, I was perusing an iTunes chart, and noticed that he had a song called Better Off As 2 available, so I thought I would at least listen to the sample and see what it was all about. Well, the result was an amazing, jaw-dropping WOW from me; this song is EPIC! I loved it from the first note all of the way through to the end, and I cannot stop listening to it! It has a little bit of the electo-rock sound of Hellogoodbye, yet turns its focus more to the dance floor, like other male solo artists such as Sam Sparro. I can’t wait until Frankmusik’s debut album, Complete Me is released next month; I am definitely looking forward to more of what he has to offer!
Like Frankmusik, I have heard A LOT about St. Vincent, but I had never actually heard anything BY her. Well, I saw the amazing video for Actor Out of Work randomly, and at first, I really didn’t like the song, but I really liked the video (she sits stoically while actors “audition” for her, and all show a range of intense emotion). Well, I listened to the song a couple of times, and I saw the pure brilliance in it. I highly recommend that you listen to this one several times before you make a judgment, because it is DEFINITELY a grower. Those of you that have been singing the praises of St. Vincent; worry no more, I am finally listening!
Now hear me out… I have liked Nick Lachey since he was in 98 Degrees. I have both of his previous solo albums, and I am not ashamed of that fact. My name is duane, and I like boy-band pop. There, I said it. However, this is definitely a great track, and one that I could see getting tons of airplay. Perhaps the third time is the charm for Nick, and this may be the album that brings him the fame he has been seeking since he left 98 Degrees. His first single attempt for this album may have flopped (it was a carbon-copy cover of Take That’s Patience), but this one is definitely a very great pop song, and I hope the rest of the album is just as good. I actually like this song better and better with each listen.
Finally today, I wanted to post something by the amazing Kate Nash, who made it almost all of the way to the top of my year end list in 2007 with her debut album, Made Of Bricks. Well, I have been listening to my ipod on shuffle this week, and this song came up, and it reminded me of just how much I love Kate, and how I hope that she brings us another fantastic record sometime this year. In the mean time, I will just continue to appreciate her fabulous debut, and the few B-sides (like this one) that are floating around out there. Perhaps my favorite thing about Kate is her way of story telling through song, and how she paints such a beautiful picture with her music and vocals. I miss you Kate! Come back soon!