Young Galaxy: We Have Everything AND Peripheral Visionaries

These songs are allll about the music videos the first time you listen/watch them. I'm going to admit that I heard barely a single note or stray vocal my first time watching through. I had heard Peripheral Visionaries on Spotify, so knew that I really enjoyed Young Galaxy's sound, but the videos are so mesmerizing and interesting that you can't really be bothered to listen to the music too closely the first few times. Believe me though: the music behind these crazy visuals is amazing! Both of the vocalists voices are beyond ethereal, and I don't know what it means, or how to interpret it, but the name Young Galaxy and the song title 'Peripheral Visionaries' are just so fitting and beautifully matched to these enchanting songs. Check them out, and be prepared for some really cool (I think) music videos!
Part one:

Part two:

Macklemore and Ryan Lewis: Thrift Shop (Hip-hop)

I'd like to start by saying that I know I've already done a Macklemore post, and I want to try not to repeat myself on here, but I think that I should make an exception to let people know about new stuff (or newly discovered gems) from previously posted artists. So Macklemore's 'Thrift Shop'! The song is catchy and goofy, the visuals for the video are stellar, and the production by Ryan Lewis is spot on as usual. Macklemore's songs are always either some stuff to really get you thinking and self-reflecting, or something so jammable that you don't have a single thought going through your head but to jump about and have a good time. This certainly is in the latter category, and has a fun, more comical vibe. Also major props to him and Ryan, because they are currently sitting at #4 on the iTunes Hip Hop/Rap charts, and (I'm fairly certain) are the only independent artists in the top 10! He's been stoked the last few days as it's climbed the charts, being blown away back when it broke top 40. So go out and support Thrift Shop on iTunes!
This music video looks UNREAL. Who knew all the fun that could come out of a visit to the thrift shop!

Here's the link for the iTunes download in case you're lazy like me...

http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/thrift-shop-feat.-wanz-single/id556955707

Purity Ring: Obedear (Noah Hyde's Magic Sword Remix)

I'm going to take a wild guess and wager that you've never heard a Magic Sword Remix before. Neither had I, but, you know what they say, once you go Magic Sword...
I had heard the original 'Obedear' about a month back, and had really enjoyed it, but there was something missing, some essential piece that was vacant in the original. Apparently what was missing was Noah Hyde and his Magic Sword! Like a questing knight of Camelot, Hyde valiantly rode in atop his...soundcloud steed and smote the silence armed only with creativity, a computer or two, and of course, the secret to success: a magic sword (I keep coming back to that, I just love it!) From the opening...cool sounds, to the mesmerizing vocals, to all the closing...cool sounds, this song is soothing, chill, magical, whatever you want to call it, just listen!


O, valued blog reader, be a dear (see what I did there?) and join the facebook page for Sumptuous Synthphonys! It's chock full of the exact same stuff as on here, but it's on facebook, and will provide links to send you right back here! How very snazzy eh? Enjoy!
http://www.facebook.com/SumptuousSynthphonys

The Last Shadow Puppets: The Age of the Understatement

Math problem for you: what happens when you add Alex Turner (frontman of the Arctic Monkeys) and Miles Kane (co-frontman and wonderfully named member of the Rascals)? Want to see it as a formula? Alex Turner+Miles Kane=? I'll let you think about it.
If your answer was
a) Amazing music
b) 42 (the meaning of life, the universe and everything)
c) A catfish? or
d) British band bonanza
than you're correct! (or in serious trouble...catfish...really?)

The Last Shadow Puppets are a brilliant change of pace from The Arctic Monkeys and the Rascals, and bring a cinematic, epic quality to my beloved Brit-Indie-Rock-Neo-Punk that is delectable. Their song and music video 'The Age of the Understatement' is EXTREMELY reminiscent of The Beatles, and you can't really beat the videos scale, which is as big as Mother Russia itself, following our intrepid heroes' adventures through Moscow. They ice skate, there's an Orthodox priest, Soviet tanks, and a chorus of Russian Soldiers...what more do you want!?
Enjoy!

Avicci: Superlove (EDM)

Yes it's Avicci. Yes he's super mainstream and popular. And yes, I think there is a valid reason that he is so popular: he makes super catchy songs with happy, uplifting and quirky pings and dings and whistles and toots. He's what the game Candyland would be if it all that sugary goodness was consolidated into sound. Hate him or pretend to hate him and then go sneak to your room and listen to him, he's got some undeniably cool sounds. His music video for 'Superlove' just dropped, and it is a riot! I aspire to one day be the dancer this guy is! The song (and the man's head) literally explode about halfway through, so bear with it!

And speaking of dance moves...apparently this is the next big thing, doing it Gangnam Style (or as I might call it, the 'super snazzy invisible horse dance')...

The guy in the elevator cracks me up.

Sea Wolf: Leaves In the River

Tranquility, forest, streaming light, hipsters frolicking outside, leaves falling, huggge, happy, dusk-after-a-great-day smiles. Those are some of the images that gently drift through my consciousness when listening to Leaves In the River by Sea Wolf. This song is very nice, very, very nice. Enjoy and sound off on what images the song brings up for you in the comments! Or not, cause you know, that could take a second of your time.

Imogen Heap: Half Life

In the mood for some ethereal, dreamy, and terrific music? Look no further than Imogen Heap, Havering, London resident who masterfully melds her sweeping lyrics with electronica, rock, and everything in between. If you've lived under a rock for your entire life you may have missed her crazy cool and distorted song 'Hide and Seek', which was sadly stolen and used in the chart topping Jason DeRulo song 'Whatcha Say'. One of my personal favorites is the casually careening 'Half Life'. Enjoy!

Cry Wolf: Killin' It (EDM and Slow Nice Stuff!)

Tents are all about imagination.

I'll let that sink in for a second...Whenever you're in a tent, it opens up a whole new world. The internet and video games are replaced by ghost stories and cards, staying up late watching hulu is warped into staying up discussing life, the universe and everything. Within those flimsy zippered walls all sorts of possibilities are unleashed. Every creaking branch and whispering wind is transformed into the most ghoulish and terrifying monstrosity our minds can conjure. Basically, tents are intense (see what I did there?).

That above stroke of brilliance came to me over the last few nights while sleeping in a tent, and ever since I've been trying to think of a way to make a music post about it. All my songs that have the words 'tent', 'imagine' and 'camping' didn't quite fit, so I basically just chose a song that showed some imagination (and sounds like the kind of thing you might listen to while camping).

I've already put Krewella up on the site once, but they are necessary for this one. Their song 'Killin' It' has some cool vocal elements, and as usual looks crazy and fun.

The imagination comes in when Cry Wolf completely transforms this dubsteppy track into a soft, crooning, gorgeous track. He must have brought his piano to the tent...

Belle and Sebastian: I Want The World To Stop

The geniuses behind 'Piazza, New York Catcher', the wonderful song from Juno, do not always have such complex lyrics. Sometimes, they just repeat a few catchy lines over a nice soothing tune and make their listeners want the world to stop as well, so they can sing along (and echo themselves) forever.

The Wombats: Techno Fan

If you don't fall in love with this and listen to it on repeat for the next week at all hours of the day...well don't worry, that won't happen, you'll fall in love with it. Pure. Unfiltered. Awesomeness.

Gorillaz: Empire Ants (ft. Little Dragon)

Way back in middle school when songs like Stacy's Mom and bands like Green Day were my daily playlist (it was a dark time, don't judge, you were all right there with me jamming out to Cascada), another one of the big songs was Feel Good Inc. by the Gorillaz. I checked them out and bought the physical CD--remember when that's what you did? Haha, oh the good old days...--of Demon Days and fell in love. They were rap before I knew what rap was, electronic before I found EDM, and cool indie alternative experimental stuff before that was cool. I totally bought that these four cartoon characters made the music, and was utterly enraptured by the wikipedia coined 'extensive fictional universe' that Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett created. I bought all of their other stuff and went on with my happy-go-lucky middle school livelihood, escaping cootie-infested girls and wandering the halls aimlessly on my 'way to find a book in the library'.
Jump ahead to 2010, where my 'oh-so-snobby, high-and-mighty, indie-is-the-only-thing-I-can-be-troubled-to-listen-to' high school self had long ago moved on from all of my mainstream middle school shenanigans. What should resurface from the past? The Gorillaz with a new album! Back were the characters, the epic story lines and animated movies all lurking behind the music, and lo and behold! I still loved the music AND it was just far enough up a side-tributary of hipness that I could be seen listening to it! Plastic Beach (the album) rekindled all that old nostalgia and was damn good as well, seeing the Gorillaz collaborate with different artists on nearly every song. They had also put a lot into the world around the album again, creating games, interactive songs, and numerous videos with the same old cast of band members. Did I mention that it had a climate change theme?
Anyways, long story short, the Gorillaz are pretty sweet (sometimes hit and miss, but their good stuff is really good) and since they came on many times during my two day drive to California and ultimately on to college, it was nice to have some reminders of the old carefree middle school days.

Here's Empire Ants, which features Little Dragon, who absolutely MAKES the album, being featured on another of my favorite songs as well, To Binge. Cool vibe for the first few minutes, and then the song just breaks wide open and takes a turn towards the incredible at around 2:15, where it builds into Little Dragons part. Echo-y, slightly disco-y, and all great-y, the rest of the song is a ride! Enjoy!

Arcade Fire: Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)

The extent of my solo driving experience before today was a quick pop over the pass. Oh how times change. After a nine hour day of driving towards my new home in California, the Arcade Fire's lyrics, "Dead shopping malls rise like mountains beyond mountains, and there's no end in sight" hold a new meaning. Well...same meaning, just better understood. After going through 144 songs on my Slow Bliss playlist today, I was wanting to write about each new song that came on, but there's something about Regine Chassagne's vocals and the terrific vibe of the entire Suburbs album, that made Sprawl II stand out. Hope you enjoy! 

Flight of the Conchords: Farewell to Jackson

As I sit writing in the morning of my last full day before embarking to college, I have a decision to make...Post some heart-wrenchingly beautiful song about moving on and embracing what's ahead (of which I have many) or to put up some classic comic brilliance in the shape of New Zealand's self proclaimed 2nd best comedy band, Flight of the Conchords...I think we all know that the choice was clear.
If you've never seen the HBO show Flight of the Conchords, then I feel infinite sorrow for the woefully unfulfilled existence you've been living, or, alternatively, I envy you in the regard that your heart was not torn asunder when they were cancelled after their second season. Either way, whether you're a longtime fan of dry, New Zealand comedy, or a newcomer to the scene, it's impossible to deny that FOTC are some great blokes with some hilarious songs.
As we have so many times before, on one of our last nights together, some friends and I sang many rousing FOTC songs, and we ended with some surprisingly relevant and (deep?) songs.
First up, perfect for goodbyes, I'm Not Crying:

Then to reminisce on all the good times and ensure future ones, just some friends singing Friends:

Here's to past adventures and future endeavors, and maybe, just maybe, a renewed season of Flight of the Conchords. Hey, I can dream!

Random unverified fact of the day: 27 million years ago penguins were five feet tall.

Coldplay: Fix You (Jakob Liedholm's Ibiza Mix) (EDM)

It's been awhile since I've put up any craziness, but I feel like most EDM isn't really high caliber enough to share on a blog alongside the likes of The Decemberists and Ra Ra Riot...There's tons of great stuff, don't get me wrong, but I guess I only really want to share the stuff that really stands out from the typical thumping bass. Generally that means indie remixes or stuff that is so crazy and different and cool that I have to share it. Well this particular remix happens to retain all that nice Coldplay...nostalgia? Saccharine quality? Whatever it contains, I like it! Enjoy!

Princess Chelsea: Cigarette Duet

Princess Chelsea are a hipster looking duet from New Zealand. So pretty much the best kind of couple ever! Their song The Cigarette Duet chronicles a couples trials and travails over the issue of their smoking habits, and was made to raise awareness about how many divorces occur in New Zealand as a result of smoking problems. Some nice la, la, la's at the end, and a nice song overall.
Pretty different music video, these two sitting poker faced in a hot tub...What are you going do with those New Zealanders?!

Blind Pilot

"The cheerful, easygoing music overpowered the crowd, and I was left smiling, singing, and unintentionally dancing."-Hannah Weiner, first time listener to Blind Pilot.

Smiling, singing, and unintentionally dancing have all occurred while listening to Blind Pilot, as have resting, running, and everything in between. They are the perfect soundtrack to any mood, any day, any activity.
First up is one of their most popular tracks, for good reason, Half Moon. Lovely lyrics, and a perfect demonstration of frontman Israel Nebeker's amazing vocals.

Next is my personal favorite of theirs, 3 Rounds and a Sound. Tranquil and filled with luscious harmonies, I put this one on repeat quite often.

Finally, Oviedo, another beautiful song, one of the many Blind Pilot must hears.

If you dig these three, check out their albums, which are both fantastic, and if you just want a few more key tracks, One Red Thread, Paint or Pollen, We Are the Tide, and The Story I Heard.

Ra Ra Riot: Shadowcasting

Ra Ra Riot is such a great name. It flows off the tongue and gets you excited for what you're going to hear from them. Luckily their music lives up to the name. These guys are great! Extremely catchy, superb at transitioning from fast and upbeat to a slow croon, and masterful at crafting infectious hooks, they'll Ra Ra your socks right off. They're good enough to spark debates over whether they or Vampire Weekend are a cooler band...so get on it! Going to warn you, this is one of the weirder music videos I've ever seen.

Also, I'm shocked, but they are giving out Boy (one of their most popular and best tracks) for free on soundcloud.
http://soundcloud.com/rarariot/sets/the-orchard-2010

I'll be gone on the Beartooth Pass bike trip until Sunday, so until then, check out some more Ra Ra, refresh on some Vampire Weekend, and discover some new musical gold!

Black Kids: Look At Me (When I Rock Wichoo)

We've all heard--or should have heard--Black Kid's overwhelmingly catchy song 'I'm Not Going to Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance With You'. Well, this is just as catchy, and has less confusing lyrics than the puzzler, "You are the girl, that I've been dreaming of, ever since I was a little girl"...sung by a man. Enjoy! By the way, this music video is whack!

Phaeleh: Afterglow

So relaxing, calm, and gorgeous. Lay down with this on repeat and just float through the hours.

Discovery

What happens when the keyboardist of Vampire Weekend and the the vocalist of Ra Ra Riot combine? An electronic firework display of sound and a cascade of unprecedented eargasmic proportions, that's what! This stuff is crazy, it's giddy, it's funky, it's a discovery for sure!

First is Osaka Loop Line...I would try to describe it, but I think that one of the commenters on youtube said it best, "I feel like a dolphin during the verse and a smooth fish during the chorus. Whale at the end." Enough said.

 The Olympics are incredible. Stephen Colbert is incredible. Swing Tree is incredible.


Discovery wasn't quite feeling stacked enough, so they brought Ezra Koenig in to provide vocals. Good choice!

Lindsey Stirling: Crystallize (Violin Dubstep!)

'Violin' and 'Dubstep'. Not often heard in the same sentence. Perhaps that should change, because this is stunning. Amazing visuals paired with such a cool blending of musical genres coalesce to form this... experience. Enjoy!

The Lighthouse and the Whaler

There's something about bands with whales in their names and wonderful music...Said The Whale, Freelance Whales, Noah and the Whale, and now a new addition to the list, The Lighthouse and the Whaler. They all manage to be upbeat, catchy, sweet indie bands...coincidence? I think not!
I actually found these guys on one of the EDM sites I follow, because they were so striking and beautiful that even the synth jaded ears of their bloggers were instantly enraptured. Check them out...I mean hey, they have Whale in their name, why not!?
You're sure to fall in love with Venice, a free track and single from their upcoming album.


Under Mountain, Under Ground is under-rated. Give it some love.


And finally, some White Days.

Porter Robinson: Language (EDM)

This music video is truly epic. Just released today, it is gorgeously done and just fun to watch! You should probably watch it in full screen to get the full experience.

Here's the extended version of the song.