This one's been floating around the blogs for a bit now and who am I not to keep it going. I absolutely love this song. While the original is incredibly catchy in its own right, this remix manages to breath fresh life into a youthful favorite. And the beat makes me think of "Closer" by NIN, that's always a good thing! Please to enjoy.
Valentine's day is here again. Meh. It's not my favorite holiday, even when I am part of a pair. But I guess I can stay topical. I've got a few dance diddies to get your heart racing if nothing else tonight will.
Stacy Q. Two of Hearts. I don't know anything else she ever put out. I don't really care. I've loved that song ever since I was a gay youth. Recently it's been covered a couple times recently and I love those just as much.** Enjoy.
The 1st is by Norwegian ElectroPop-Tart Annie. It's got a serious freestyle sound behind the wheel while the vocals remain pretty true to the original. It was originally released as the first single in October from her as yet unreleased album Don't Stop. But the last time I checked up on the album, I didn't see the song on the track list. Hmmm... I've included the single version as well as my favorite remix (Duh!).
Annie - Two of Hearts (Skatebaards High Energy In The Night Remix) (MediaFire)
The second cover comes from the wonderful Buffetlibre Rewind. If you don't know what that is go do some digging. It's well worth your time! The song is the work of Electric Valentine and Ultraviolet Sound and while I don't know anything about the two groups who've come together to produce this most perfect pop track, I do know that it has been at the very top of my playlist since I downloaded it! The kid in me loves that it doesn't stray too far from the original version, but the grown up in me loves the retrofitted electro sound. Yeah, I just referenced a frosted miniwheats commercial, Jealous?!
Electric Valentine + Ultraviolet Sound - Two of Hearts (MediaFire)
And just in case you don't already have it (For Shame!) the original.
If Prince's "When Doves Cry" and Depeche Mode's "Enjoy the Silence" had a beautiful, if not coke induced one night stand the result would surely be the 1st single from British newcomer La Roux.
(Tilda Swinton Sings?)
Effortlessly produced and effervescent, "Quicksand" is a brilliant bit of pop perfection from fire haired siren Elly Jackson and producer Ben Langmaid that retains all of the intensity from its parents without all of the weight.
She is currently touring with Lily Allen and has a full length album due out this spring. Until then, load this onto your iPod and push the repeat button.
While all of my free time has been completely reserved for reading the Twilight series (no this isn't another post about that) I have very nearly ignored all other forms of entertainment. I was so engrossed that I almost missed the return of pop princess turned hot crazy mess turned comeback kid, Britney Spears. Her new single, "Womanizer," took a couple of listens before I was relishing the mindlessness of it. Sure enough before long I couldn't keep my head from bouncing about my shoulder like a cheap bobble-head toy. Because the song is everywhere I'm gonna post a couple of my favorite remixes. The first is by those filthy mouthed french boys, The Teenagers, giving the song a decidedly more "indie rock" feel. Next we have a gritty electro romp courtesy of Brad Walsh. It's quite good. My favorite of the handful I have actually. Good to know he won't need a leg up from his boyfriend, Project Runway season 4 winner Christian Soriano. Although, I'm sure that doesn't hurt matters. Enjoy.
Well not really, but I am kinda pissed. On August 30th I did a post for my end of summer mix and now it's gone. No draft, not even an echo of the post remains. Grrr Arrg. I am going to re-post the link for the mix, but I've decided not to replicate the whole post. I have a whole bunch of new music that I'm really excited to share with everyone and another summer-ish mix that goes in a completely different direction that the last so stay tuned for that. In the mean time, here's the link to the zipped file of Digital Current. Enjoy.
Also, I can't stop listening to this and thought it needed to be shared. It's a stripped down, folky cover of one of my favorite U2 tracks. Oh and because my usual file storage server is acting up, it's being hosted on Youssendit.
I've nearly finished my (end of) Summer mix, but it's not quite ready for post yet, so I've got some other goodies to tide you over. Remixes are tricky business. The best (in my opinion) have to resemble the original enough that it's recognizable without being just the vocal track with a casio keyboard beat laid in the background and at the same time contribute a perspective that is wholly fresh and unique. In this instance, a kick-ass electronic perspective. Not something easily done with the likes of Michael Jackson and Nirvana. Now while purists might cry sacrilege at the thought of defiling such iconic music I urge you to give it an honest listen before you have me burned at the stake.
First off we have Streetlife DJs remix of the gloved one's "Wanna Be Startin' Something." This is quite the departure from the original and I'll admit it took me a few listens before they had me. But now it plays on a loop in my head. And why the hell not?? It strips away all the fluff and puts my 3 favorite parts on the front lines. Number 1, the "Yeah, yeah." Number 2, MJ's signature "Ooooh." and number 3 " Mama Se, Mama Sa, Mama Coo Sa" chanted again and again all over distorted synth, atari bleeps and a drum pulse you could set your watch by. It's my 80's retro dream. Well, that and a live action Rainbow Brite Movie. Enjoy.
The second track may be a bit harder to swallow for some. If you like Nirvana, and you like a good electro song, then this might be you're new favorite song. If you really only like Nirvana, you very well might want me dead. That's a risk I'm willing to take. So was Patrick Alavi. He's the genius that managed to cross Kurt Cobain and Tron and have it come out sounding like the lawnmower man covered in grime and grunge. It's a beautiful sight sound. He takes the trashing drums and slicing guitar riffs of the original and throws it in a blender with his laptop to create something resonant and incredibly unique. It's fast and it's hard and it keeps me running when I would otherwise give in to the burning in my legs. Enjoy.
While I'm certainly not thinking of turning this blog into a political soapbox, something caught my eye the other day and I'd like to share it with you. Heinz recently released and quickly pulled a commercial from the airwaves in Britain because it was considered offensive by some. The reason? A kiss between two men. Are you serious with this shit!?! It's 2008. I don't know what irritates me more, the fact that some people can't think of anything more important than two men kissing, or that Heinz would buckle so quickly to a mere 200 people who have no sense of humor. Hell the kiss wasn't even remotely sexual. See for yourself.
Apparently I'm not the only one who thought to call "Bullshit" as Brighton tabloid newspaper One80news posed the question "Is This Really Offensive, Kids?" on its front page accompanied by this photo:
Awesome.
Torsten Højer of One80news went on to say “We were disgusted at Heinz for pulling their ‘gay kiss’ ad and for apologizing so readily for their own ‘offensive’ imagery. We just couldn’t believe that in 2008, the sight of two men affectionately kissing really offends that many people - so we thought we’d put an image of a gay kiss out there."
They even provided their readers with Heinz's customer care telephone # and urged people to call and complain about the removal of the ad, stating, "if it isn't Heinz, it isn't homophobic."
There's even a news story about British law makers criticizing Heinz for pulling the ad. You can check that out here if you wish.
On that note, I give a bit of gender bending. Enjoy.
Katy Perry's "I Kissed a Girl" generally makes me angry. There's this sense of undeserved accomplishment that eminates from the whole thing. Like some stupid sorority girl who's bragging to her sisters about how crazy she got at last nights kegger. And let's face it, the best thing Katy has going for her is that she looks like a poor man's Zooey Deschanel.
But Goddamn if that hook doesn't get stuck in my head! Therefor I'm gonna offer up a sick remix I've been using to get my fix.
Also a less grating and much cheekier version by Max Vernon that he posted on his Myspace. Less Homo-centric ( is that even a word?) one would think because of the change in point of view, until you realize he hasn't changed the gender and exclaims "Hope my boyfriend don't mind it." Nice. Ok maybe there's more to this song than I'm giving it credit for, as it is clearly works in so many ways. The opening piano line sounds like the music that's played in cartoons where the moustached man would tie the damsel in distress to the train tracks. And the track closes out with doo wop and hand snaps. It's brilliant. As is the silent film style video he's released to accompany it. Check them both out below.
I discovered this next artist while searching good ol' Youtube for Robyn goodies. She's a fellow Swede but has a significantly different sound than Miss Konichiwa. Lykke Li's debut album, Youth Novels, is rich and moody and yet retains a sense of fun, never getting too serious before reminding you it's OK to dance. The sound pours over your ears like deep amber molasses. LL's sticky sweet vocals get caught in your head while the beats pull and bounce around like an insect caught in the flow. It's gonna take more than shampoo to get this outta your head. Enjoy.
The video that first brought her to my attention, featuring Robyn,Adam & Bebban (Shout Out Louds), Daniel (The Concretes), Lars (Laakso) and Mikael (Hjalmar). Directed by Ted Malmros and Christian Haag.
The video for the 1st single Little Bit Little Bit
Youth Novels is not available in the US yet (due in march) but if you're like me and simply cannot wait you can order it online and have the import shipped to your door HERE.
It is currently hot as balls outside! I can't stand the heat. It makes me feel useless, unless I force my body to move. Which is why I really like to run in the heat. I figure if it's hot, I might as well have a reason to sweat. Well here are a couple more reasons. M.I.A. has finished up work on her next full length album titled KALA and this $#!+ is hot !!! When I first heard Bird Flu (oh no, it's not a typo, it's really called that!) it took me a minute to get into it. But then the remixes came out and I loved them instantly (Duh!) . As was the case with the latest track released, Boyz, instant gratification. It's a banger!!! These songs are gonna keep me dancing like a heathen straight through the summer until KALA drops in August.
Kelly Clarkson has released the 1st single from her 3rd album My December! Against her label's wishes, Kelly is said to have written a good portion of the record herself describing the songs as "intimate, raw, and rock." If the first single is any indicator, her label has nothing to worry about. Here is Never Again and the remix which was curiously leaked before the single itself. Enjoy.
I'm certain that as I'm posting this I'm losing serious music credibility with some, but that's the price you pay for being eclectic. And by "eclectic", I mean a 26 year old gay man who can't help but love a good dance track! So here's what I know about miss Duff. I know that she was once the reigning queen of Disney and she was at one time bitter rivals with one Lindsay Lohan. (P.s. I was totally Team Duff, frankly because she's much cuter than that no talent Lohan.) I also know that, though I absolutely despise that Chad Michael Murray prick, I love the shit out of "A Cinderella Story." (Jenn T, I Blame You!!) But until recently I didn't know much of her music. About a week ago I saw the music video for the first single from her new album, Dignity, and it really wasn't bad. Actually, I was humming it all over the place for the next few days, so I decided to check out the rest of the album. When did Hilary Duff start making really good electro-pop!? Now, hear me out before you de-friend me from myspace! Yes, it's pop music, but it's really well crafted pop music! The music is rich with Electro-synth fuzz like on the aforementioned 1st single, With Love, and beats reminiscent of 80's dance tracks like Debbie Deb's When I Hear Music on the slow and steady Burned. The lyrics may not be profound, but they are certainly more grown up than I've heard of her in the past, and with a voice as sweet as pulled taffy, you'll soon forget you're singing along to themes that we all hoped to be past by 19. Let's face it, we're all still angst ridden teens, we just have jobs now. Find comfort in an artist who understands and can help you forget your problems. Dance it out people!
The first time I heard the single "17 Years" by New York based electronic group, Ratatat, I was in love. It was just what I had been searching for. An electronic sound with a distinctive guitar base. Not the usual "untcha untcha" of boring techno, but a brilliant blend of synth and rock. Then I listened to the rest of their debut self titled album, and was mildy disappointed. All of the songs kind of sounded the same, and none of them had the energy of the first single so I more or less dismissed them as a one hit wonder. *Sigh* Then they released Ratatat Mixtape Vol. 1. A collection of hip-hop and rap artists remixed by the duo. It showed promise and so I remained patient.
Then a couple of months ago, the internet started buzzing with leaked material from their sophmore release Classics. SA-WEE-TAH! This was exactly what I had been waiting for. Classics was officialy released August 22, 2006 and the songs are as varied in texture and pace as they are part of a complete unit. They seem to complete the album story from beginning to end. Fran-Tastic! Seriously, go out and purshace this album!
For those who relish the physical feel - Amazon For those who live in the digital age - Itunes
* for those who have received a mix from me with this song on it, it was an edited version I created because there were parts I didn't care for and I'm crazy like that. This is the orginal, album cut version of the track and will sound different.
While sampling the new Bloc Party album "A Weekend in the City" (02/05/07 scheduled release date) I came across a riff in the song "Hunting for Witches" that caught my attention. This is the 2nd time in recent months I have heard a very distinct similarity to the strings in the Eurythmics' track "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)." The other songs that seems to be using the sample is pop newbie Stefy's "Chelsea."
Now I'm not saying this is a bad thing in either instance, they're both enjoyable songs in their own space, and that strings line is one of my favorites, I just hope Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart are pickin up some sort of royalties.
On any given weekend, my boyfriend, Daniel, can be found DJing in the city. His passion for music rivals my own, and although we have vastly different tastes, we occasionally see eye to eye on a particular artist/song. Shiny Toy Guns "Le Disko" is just such a song. About 5 months ago he made me a mix cd of some of his favorite electronic-esque songs and this track immediately caught my attention. It's got a great beat, a great hook and a very dirty guitar. I love a good dirty guitar! Well technically I love a dirty anything. But I digress. This is actually the 3rd incarnation of "We are Pilots." It was previously released in January 2005 and again in November 2005 on independent labels, making the Oct 2006 Universal Records release unofficially dubbed V3. Now, Daniel is somewhat of a purist. He prefers the gritty sound of the independent version versus the crisper if not slightly over-produced major label release. I however don't care what version is playing, I'll dance to either. I'd wager you will too.
**Little bit of gossip for ya, it was rumored that the vocalist for Shiny Toy Guns, Carah Faye Charnow, is actually the vocalist heard on Paris Hilton's album, Paris.
Hmmm....... You be the judge!!
Paris Hilton (or possibly Carah Faye Charnow) - Stars are Blind
*** If you're interested, and I know you are, Daniel recently posted a mix online for download.
Click the cover art (which he created) to take you to the .zip file.
I've been trying to put another mix together for weeks now and everytime I think I have it... I don't have it. So while I continue to struggle with that endeavor I've decided to post a few of my favorite songs by one of my favorite artsts.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you Miss Imogen Heap.
I had the pleasure of seeing her perform not once, but two times this year, and she's coming back my way this december and I'm certainly going for for a third. If you've never been, seeing Immi live is a really intimate experience. It felt like I was sitting in her living room and she just happened to have three different keyboards and drum machine. The space was warm and inviting, decorated with foliage and christmas lights. It was cozy. The venue was small enough that even though I was in the back of the room it felt like I was involved in a personal conversation with Immi herself. She told us stories about the songs, showed us how she loops her vocals and instuments and played with the voice synthasyzer she uses on "Hide and Seek." She played several songs on a standard piano instead of the keyboard which brought a new delicacy to the music. She even forgot the words mid way through a song and joked about how we'd just have to sit through the whole thing again. I feel confident in saying not a single person minded.
Pictures of the performance in San Francisco 1-26-06
So, until I can get my head together and release another full mix, enjoy a few b-sides, remixes, live tracks and colaborations from one of the most talented musicians of our generation.
