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.