My monthly installment of what I've found on other blogs, the radio and stumble across by other means is back again. I've listened to A LOT of songs this month to make this playlist and I'd love to say that it's because there's been loads of good stuff to listen to but it's not. I've listened to so much rubbish I hope you enjoy what I've managed to find in all that dross. With December just around the corner the end of year, best of, lists are starting to come out and while I will post my contribution at sometime it has meant a lot of good tracks have suddenly been posted. It's the point where I suddenly realise that everyone but me has caught on to a certain band or two.
I will come on to those in a second but first up is a track from 2006 which had escaped my attention. Thanks to That Bastard at work for this one (that's his gamer tag before you think I'm talking about my boss).
Motivational Speaker - Cut Chemist
It's easy to point at similarities to Avalanches and therefore Goyt when an artist samples speech and scratches a record but that's about all I've got to report for this track. It's only short but serves as a great album opener for Cut Chemist's The Audience's Listening album.
MP3:
Motivational Speaker - Cut ChemistInvaders Must Die - The Prodigy
They're back and it's sounding good on my first few listens. This track is free direct from
The Prodigy.com when you sign up to their email newsletter but only for 7 days. I intend to take this download down after that time has passed.
MP3:
Invaders Must Die - The ProdigySleepy Head by Passion Pit
I've had this track since June and I'm sorry I've not posted it before. It's from
Neon Gold Neon Gold and is one of (if not THE) first artists they signed up. I should have never doubted the hype they put around this artist as they've always come up with the goods before whether blogging about their own artists or others they came across (I think it was through them I first heard White Lies). Maybe I should have put this song before The Prodigy as it would have followed on nicely from Cut Chemist.
MP3:
Sleepy Head by Passion PitNo 1 by Raymond Mang / Grove Armada
This is a track that's taken from the Back To Mine series and I've been waiting for a reason to post it, and, well, I haven't found one so I'm just going to chuck it out there. I first heard this on holiday in Finland when my friend Dan put it on just before we hit the slopes that morning. That was it, it was stuck in our heads all day and now reminds me of great times in Lapland. It took me ages to find it, so enjoy.
MP3:
No 1 by Raymond Mang / Grove ArmadaBruises - Chairlift
Look I tried to do handstands for you but I'm rubbish at it and every time I fell on you. So I thought I'd write a song about it. Well that's what Chairlift must have been thinking when they wrote this song that was eventually taken up by iPod to promote their latest nano. Is it just me or do iPod seem to like female voices to promote their products, Feist, Ting Tings, Chairlift...
MP3:
Bruises - ChairliftPerfect Fit - Clues
From a former member of Arcade Fire this song doesn't disappoint. His voice sounds a bit like Radiohead at times and it's got that eerie feeling like Arcade Fire manage to create. Bring on the album in 2009. Thanks to
Pop Tarts Suck Toasted for this tip off.
MP3:
Perfect Fit - CluesBuriedfed - Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson
First of the tracks that I've grabbed from someones end of year lists and it's a slow starter. So if you're like my old house mate and judge a song by the first minute you may want to give it a little bit extra.
MP3:
Buriedfed - Miles Benjamin Anthony RobinsonTitus Andronicus - Titus Andronicus
Another band that's made a few end of year lists (I'd never heard of them before). My good friend Schonberg can be picky at times about his music and as it starts I think "he'll definitely like this" then that start doing "do, do do doos" and I think, maybe not. What do you think Schonberg?
MP3:
Titus Andronicus - Titus AndronicusFor Tomorrow - Emerald Park
I've ummed and arghed and about posting this song, it's a song that starts strongly but i think it loses its way over the course of the track. Yet having said that it's growing on me more and more, I think they sound a bit like Teenage Fan Club.
MP3:
For Tomorrow - Emerald ParkNo Surprise - James Yuill
James Yuill seems to be popping up everywhere at the moment, on Zane Lowe's show, he's remixed Scheme Eugene and now he's the free track on iTunes. Best free track since Gas Light Anthem for me.
MP3:
No Surprise - James YuillFloat On - Ben Lee
This cover of the Modest Mouse classic is taken from the John Tucker Must Die soundtrack. Now it looks a pretty dreadful film but if this came from it then it can't be that bad, can it? Ben Lee is from Australia and that's about all I know about him I'm afraid, well that and that he used to go out with Claire Danes (lucky chap) and is in his thirties (it's a good age to be Ben). Anyway I hope you like this acoustic version as much as I do.
MP3:
Float On - Ben LeeYours - Dan Black
When your first introduction to an artist is through a cover its always interesting to see what their own material is like. Very few artists launch a long and fruitful career on the back of a cover but it is a good way to get attention, perhaps even a gamble some artists have to take. Dan Black brought us the fantastic cover of The Notorious B.I.G.'s Hypnotize or Hypntz as it seems to be called Black. Yours is Dan's first single on iTunes since he went out on his own and it's quite good, a bit different from HYPNTZ but it's growing on me day by day.
MP3:
Yours - Dan BlackBitchstealer - Absentee
I couldn't decide whether to put this on the last What's Wrong With The Mainstream end of month post as I hadn't had enough time to listen to it enough. I really like the singers deep voice and the way he starts by telling "bring her back, bring her back, bring her back, she wasn't yours to take" answers you straight away why the song is called what it is.
MP3:
Bitchstealer - AbsenteeWith Lights Out - Red Light Company
I went to see this band at the start of November (seems ages ago now) and, while I don't think the gig merited a post to review it, I did enjoy it. I think the band are musicians rather than performers but then again that might be because the lead singers head was nearly touching the ceiling so there was no room for jumping around.
MP3:
With Lights Out - Red Light CompanyShe's A Weapon - Twisted Wheel
Perhaps turning everything up a notch is what Red Light Company need to do to get that final break through and Twisted Wheel seem to have their music a notch higher with this track and it certainly works.
MP3:
She's A Weapon - Twisted WheelAnd that, my hard rocking amigos, is it for this month. A bit shorter than normal but I didn't want to post another five average songs just for the sake of it.
