Daft Punk - Aerodynamic (Laurent Mathieu Remix) [electronica]

Well, while we're on the topic of covers, I recently came across an album of remixes of Daft Punk's Discovery album from 2001: Re-Discovery, released around late 2012. The songs are a bit modernized but I'll admit that a lot of them a bit repetitive... Well anyway, here's one of the ones I particularly liked, a remix of "Aerodynamic" by Laurent Mathieu.

The Birds and The Bee - Kiss On My List [indie pop]

The Bird and The Bee are an indie pop duo from California. I still remember how I first came upon their music: Many years ago, I was loitering in Chapters and a very pleasant cover of "How Deep Is Your Love" was playing. Well, I looked around on YouTube and, at the time, that was the only similar sounding one. To this date, I'm still not sure if their version was the one I heard at Chapters that fateful day. Nevertheless, it has become a staple on my iPod ever since.

I've recently looked up again on their music and it looks like they released an album in 2010 chock full of Hall & Oates covers, Interpreting the Masters Vol. 1 - A Tribute to Daryl Hall & John Oates. Here's their version of "Kiss On My List", which is probably the only Hall & Oates song I can sing off the top of my head.

Memoryhouse - The Kids Were Wrong [dream pop]

I've recently been relistening to Memoryhouse's The Slideshow Effect album and it does seem a lot better than last remembered it. Was just looking them up on YouTube and it really seems they have a lot of videos, especially live performances. Well, this isn't a live performance but a very nice music video to one of favourite songs on that album: "The Kids Were Wrong" (I could've sworn I made a previous blog post on this but whatever, maybe I changed it to Sleep Patterns afterwards). The singer is so pretty, I think I have a crush :3.

1099 - While The City Sleeps [post-rock]

1099 is a Norwegian post-rock band that had previously release two EPs in 2008 and 2009. They've very recently put out an eponymously titled LP, on which this song, "While The City Sleeps", is found. Check out their Bandcamp here.

The song has a cozy jazz element to it. It really reminds me of stuff from Cowboy Bebop. The song prior to this on the album (Iron Fist (Death Is Here)) is actually very opposite in tone. Listening to them one after another really gives a nice contrast.

Kathleen Edwards - Mint [alt country]

I've been lurking the Polaris Prize short-list for the past bit. Kathleen Edwards, alternative country singer since the 90's, was on there with her Voyageur album. "Mint" is a song that stood out for me from that album. Wonder why I never heard any of her stuff growing up.. well probably because I only listened to the Edge and MuchMusic.

Hope Sandoval & The Warm Inventions - Clear Day [mellow pop]

Hope Sandoval is both the lead singer of the prominent-in-the-90s dream pop band Mazzy Star and a solo musician. My exposure to her music is best characterized by the term 'second-hand', in that I seem to hear (and really like) covers and remixes of her music prior to hearing the originals (and even prior to knowing she was the original artist). This has happened a total of three times and I think I've blogged all three of those songs here, so that's certainly quite the string of coincidences (the three songs are "Suzanne" by Asobi Seksu, the Gui Boratto remix of "Paradise Circus" by Massive Attack, and "Fade Into You" by Stumbleine).

So, why not give her music some credit, finally. Ha. This is "Clear Day" from her solo/collaboration album with The Warm Inventions, Bavarian Fruit Bread, released in 2001.

Club 8 - Football Kids [indie pop]

Some more indie pop from Sweden, heard this around the time of the Sambassadeur entry. Club 8 is a duo from Stockholm and have been making music since 1995. "Football Kids" is from their 2007 album The Boy Who Couldn't Stop Dreaming. Very simple, very nice.

treasureseason - Ocean Beach [dream pop, chillwave]

Another reading week will start right after I finish the two tests this week ...and part of me has already vacated my typically chaotic headspace. Although I don't have any plans of going anywhere warm and sunny, the prospect of doing it does seem to do some good.

This is "Ocean Beach" by London-based treasureseason, consisting of a mix of British and Swedish members, from their eponymous 2012 release.

Beach House - Forever Still [dream pop]

Watching this video really adds another level to the appreciation I have for Beach House's music. Just being able to connect the music to the actual people creating it seems able to infuse a sense of energy into the otherwise more sterile process of simply listening. Too bad, looks like they were in town back in October. 

Background info on the video here. Order of songs is "Wild", "The Hours", "Wishes", and "Irene".

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

That was some gnarly snow storm... what better way to commemorate this than to put up a few songs about snow! Hopefully that's the end of it... I need to go downtown to study tomorrow v_v.

"White Winter Hymnal" by Fleet Foxes from Fleet Foxes [2008]

"Through The Snow" by The Depreciation Guild from Spirit Youth [2010]

The Sunshine Factory - My Sugar Cane [shoegaze]

Heard this song a while back and finally got around to listening to the rest of the album. The Sunshine Factory are a group from Alabama that have thus far released two albums that have received critical acclaim.  This is "My Sugar Cane" from their 2011 album Sugar.

Fleeting Joys - The Breakup [shoegaze]

Speaking of the cyclical nature of my listening, it seems like my preferences are arriving back around to the shoegaze genre. It has probably been a few months since I've really listened to anything in this genre. Coincidentally, I'm also finding it less enjoyable than it was a few weeks ago to sing as a form of catharsis. Maybe it's more than mere coincidence.

Anyway, here's one fresh from /r/shoegaze (from where 90% of the shoegaze entries come): "The Breakup" by Fleeting Joys, a duo from Sacramento consisting of John and Rorika Loring. This is from their debut 2006 album Despondent Transponder.

Sambassadeur - I Can Try [indie pop]

I really like Swedish music I come across. Really, there's just something very nostalgic and comforting, in the stuff I come across anyway. Even their bio descriptions tend to present various landmarks in a warm cohesive manner.

Sambassadeur's members first came together while they were students studying at Göteborg (Gothenburg). Since then, in 2003, they've released a number of EPs and LPs. This is "I Can Try" from their 2010 album European.

Black Light Burns - The Colour Escapes [industrial rock]

As I was browsing Billy Talent videos on Youtube, I came across their 2009 set for the Rock AM Ring concert in Germany. Another artist that came up in the related videos section was Limp Bizkit, whom had also did a set at the Rock AM Ring in 2009. Last I had paid attention to that band was when they were announcing that Wes Borland was leaving the group so it was surprising to see him doing his thing on stage characteristically decked out in body paint and accessories (the original line-up had reunited in 2009).

Outside of Limp Bizkit, Borland has been involved in a number of projects, most notably being industrial rock group Black Light Burns. Their latest album was released in 2012 titled The Moment You Realize You're Going to Fall and they have another one slated to come out sometime this year. This is "The Colour Escapes".

Billy Talent - Stand Up And Run [rock]

For the past while I had mostly been revisiting the bands of my mid-youth, namely Our Lady Peace, Matthew Good, and Billy Talent. Listening to these albums around a decade after their release, I wonder what kind of an impact that these albums would have had on my life had I actually bought albums back in the day. Would I been more inspired in the realm of music? Would they have pushed me to invest at least some of that abundance of free time of yesteryear into musical endeavours (instead of Starcraft and Guild Wars)?

Well, anyway, I guess it's about time that I revisit this nice little corner.

This song is "Stand Up And Run" by Billy Talent from their 2012 album Dead Silence" (for whatever reason, they decided against titling it "Billy Talent IV"). Although Billy Talent released their first album in 2003, they had been together prior to that under the name of Pezz beginning in 1993. They eventually changed their name after receiving legal complaints from some American group (now defunct), which had apparently coined the name first. So, I guess this makes it their 20th year together.

Stumbleine - Fade Into You (featuring Steffaloo) [chillwave]

Can't find much info on this UK artist, Stumbleine. His music falls under the categories of ambient, chillwave, and downtempo. This is a musically simple song executed to great effect: "Fade Into You", featuring Steffaloo (lo-fi, folk artist from LA). The song can be found Stumbleine's latest LP Spiderwebbed (2012).

Well, turns out this is a cover of a Mazzy Star song from 1993. Funny thing about Mazzy Star and its lead singer Hope Sandoval, I tend to really like covers and remixes of songs she's done but not the originals (i.e. "Suzanne" by Asobi Seksu and the Gui Boratto remix of "Paradise Circus", which she did with Massive Attack). Oh well, great song, original also.

Roald Velden - For You [progressive house]

Roald Velden is the project of Roald Boesveld, electronica artist from the Netherlands. I first heard of his stuff from some progressive mix a while back. I'd say his music generally gives a washy, summery, carefree vibe. Well, at the very least, that would describe the song below as well as its music video.

When I watch videos like these, I often wonder if maybe through those endless nights in the library and endless summers in those summer jobs, that I somehow missed (in the progressive tense of the verb too) something crucial. I'm not getting any younger and I can't say that I have too many memories where I'm really "letting loose" and "enjoying the moment". Makes me wonder if I've gone ahead and pissed away something important.

Russian Circles - Melee [post-metal, post-rock]

Russian Circles are a post-metal/post-rock band from Chicago. Since their inception in 2004, they have released a total of four albums and a handful of EPs. The band has been been notable in their ability to replicate their album sound in their live shows, particular with their first two albums. However, the band has stated they've moved away from that to have a greater focus on creating "compelling albums" starting with their 2009 album Geneva.

Although they've released an album since (Empros, 2011), this post is about song from Geneva: "Melee", marked by heaviness but careful never to drown out the melodies and harmonies.

Tame Impala - Why Won't They Talk To Me? [psychedelic, dream pop]

Lonerism is the second LP released by Australian psychedelic group Tame Impala. The tracks vary across the rock and pop spectrum but all carry a definite psychedelic vibe. I've yet to delve much into the roots of this genre from the 60s/70s but I'd hazard a guess to say that they are faithful, though there's a definite modern feel to it also.

Well, that's enough yammering, it's not like I'm some reviewer for Pitchfork. What do I really know about music beyond the thoughts and feelings they evoke within that aggregated mess of thoughts that is my consciousness?

The album itself is chock full of great songs and I don't want to post Youtube links to 10 different songs so I'll just pick one in a not-so-random manner. This is "Why Won't They Talk To Me?" (I've recently started using an online dating site and so this song seems particularly relevant to the current me). But, on top of this, I'll just also quickly link to "Endors Toi" and "Feels Like We Only Go Backwards" (the latter of which actually has an accompanying music video).

Massive Attack - Paradise Circus (featuring Hope Sandoval; Gui Boratto Remix) [progressive house, trip hop?]

I actually really like progressive house, though I never post that stuff here. What it does for me lies in its simplicity and slight repetitiveness. I find progressive house really gives me time to appreciate its various layers as well as to have my own thoughts float around while the song does its own thing in the background.

Well, something like that. It's never been particularly easy for me to translate those thoughts I have into words.

Anyway, here's a remix of a Massive Attack song that I heard off of a set the other day: "Paradise Circus". The singer for this song is Hope Sandoval of Mazzy Star, a dream pop band that achieved some fame in the 90s. The song is remixed by Brazilian electronic music producer Gui Boratto. The original song can be found on the Heligoland album from 2010 and the remix on the Heligoland Remix EP also released in 2010.