Rameses B: Game of Thrones (Trance-y, just cool sounds)

I don't watch Game of Thrones, nor have I read the books. If that right there is the reason you stop following me, I apologize! I would love to do both, but alas, time marches on, regardless of how much I want it to slow down. Anyway, I think that this is a remix of the main theme song for the show, and it features the voice of one of the (main?) characters, who I recognize from ads as the guy who played Boromir in The Lord of the Rings. SIDENOTE: The Hobbit, now in three parts. Stoke level unbelievable, we're now set until 2014.
Cool song, nothing too crazy.

The Decemberists

I apologize for the extended hiatus. I left last friday for California, and through the whirlwind of weddings, Disneyland, and flights, I didn't have a chance to put anything up. Never fear however! I'm back.
My little brother, my sister, and I all went to Disneyland this weekend, and it was totally magical! So many countless people, all enjoying and reveling in all the many stories and characters there. From rides to fireworks, and from elated smiles to seeing favorite movies come to life, there was an immense sense of the importance--and magical nature--of storytelling.
The Decemberists are savant connoisseurs when it comes to storytelling. Colin Meloy's background in theater, and their shared passion for crafting not merely a song, but an epic tale, makes every one of their creations a journey.
First up, The Mariner's Revenge Song!!!!!! If you don't have every word of this memorized...get on it. So awesome, so scary, so good! This is a live version, I also just ran into a lego version on youtube...
(Note: their songs are EPICS, so they're kind of long, but absolutely worth watching and listening to!)

No Decemberists post would be complete without The Crane Wife Parts I-III. An amazing story, an amazing song (or three) and an amazing band! Another live version, just to show you how great they are live! (Make sure to check out the original versions of both too)

This is Why We Fight was one of the greatest moments of my life live, and the music video is stunning. 

16 Military Wives: An epic Model United Nations extravaganza...just watch it.

And finally, a piece of beauty. A piece of storytelling. A piece of magic. If Disney could make a ride this poignant, this stirring, this wonderful, then I'm sure Walt's dream would be fulfilled. 

Passenger: Cool Guy

Described as a modern troubadour, Passenger (the brainchild of 26-year-old Brighton born singer/songwriter Mike Rosenburg) is simply fantastic. His crooning voice, simple instrumentation, and great lyrics never fail to combine to create moving and gorgeous songs. He has an amazing ability to craft complete stories within each song, ensnaring you with not only melodies, but with his storytelling.

I'll start with one of his songs that captures you from the opening seconds, and delights your ears until the final second. Don't rest on this one...Wicked Man's Rest:

Not one to get bogged down in overly serious songs and themes, Passenger has a lighter side, and sense of humor, reflected in his somewhat creepy (but lite and happy enough to not be creepy) song, Night Vision Binoculars. 

Jump aboard Mike Rosenburg's wonderful creation, and become another passenger along for an unforgettable ride.

Summertime!

So I'm heading to California until Monday, and I don't know if I'll be able to put anything up while I'm gone, so here's a collection of summertime songs (that preferably have the word summer in them).

First up is In the Summertime by The Rural Alberta Advantage. What can I say about this? It's gorgeous. It's soothing. The guys voice is way more engaging than the girls (which I feel is super rare). The music video is awesome! It's simple, but beautiful, just like the song. It gets me feeling nostalgic before they sing one word. Check it!

Next is a Decemberists song, Summersong. While soooo far from one of my favorite Decemberists songs, it has summer in the title, and it's always good to dust off all the songs that you usually skip over and see them in a new light. It's still really fantastic, and coming from the Decemberists, you can do no wrong! Actually after a few more listens, this one is growing on me once more!

Third is Summer Shakedown from Slow Club. Once again, not the song I would usually show off from them, but giving it fresh ears, Slow Club--like The Decemberists--prove that anything they release is fantastic. Check out everything of Slow Club's, they're amazing! Our Most Brilliant Friends is incredible...Here's Summer Shakedown though:

Ok. Just discovered this. Doesn't have 'Summer' in it, but it makes up for that by having Daniel Radcliffe singing along to a Slow Club song!

Alright, Those have all been a little slow and wispy, like a summer morning, here's some geared more for the summer nights.
Pretty mellow original song, Summertime Sadness, by Lana Del Rey, everyone's favorite blogosphere starlet, remixed by Reich and Bleich...can you guess where they're from? Nothing crazy, but Lana sounds pretty good when she's not flubbing her Saturday Night Live appearances.




Finally, here's some crazy noises and the word summertime every once in a while! It's actually super catchy, and transitions well from dubstep-y-ness into smooth, cool stuff.


Well I'm off. Hope I'll be back on here soon! For now, I'm Going Back to Cali...

Arctic Monkeys: Mardy Bum

Do no wrong. Listen to this song.

Tommorowland 2012

If you've never heard of tomorrowland...you're living in yesterday land. This crazy festival is fairy themed and held in Belgium. Yah. Epic right? This years' happens to be this weekend, and apparently they're streaming it on youtube! Their little promo seems to be trying to match what goes on in my backyard errry night...

Also, be sure to watch the After Movie from last years. It has everything from giant fairy stages to crazy winged ladies running about. Be sure to watch till the end...the last few minutes are sweet.

Bloc Party: Banquet

Unleash the insanity. The two weeks after I first heard this song I listened to nothing but Bloc Party, and according to my iPod, listened to Banquet 29 times. It must have not counted most of my plays. Listen to this one loud, with lots of bass, while driving. Preferably in Parkers car (or somewhere else with an epic sound system). Eat this one up!

Something A La Mode: G-String (Cool Sounds)

Hmm. I'm realizing how much of my music has weird names...
This is a song that they consistently played at the rock gym, and I eventually had to just go up and ask what it was called because there were so many cool, crazy little parts to it. There are no vocals, and it's more of a trance song, but there is something magical lurking amidst the loco sounds. From 2:05 onward...whoa.

Ellie Goulding: High For This

First things first. She's dating Skrillex? Wait. Seriously? SHE is dating Skrillex? That means that this:

is dating...that -->

Hmm. I don't judge. Either way, she pumps out some pretty sweet songs, and High For This is no exception. Maybe she chose that title when she started dating Skrillex and was like, "The only way this is conceivable is if I'm high for this"...Enjoy!

The New Pornographers: Impossible to choose just one song

In the same vein as the, "Why were you searching for a song called Naked Kids?", you're not going to be able to stop yourself from seeking out more of The New Pornographers. A powerhouse supergroup of A.C. Newman, Neko Case, and others, this Vancouver band is amazing. Neko Case's vocals are out of this world, and they do so many varied styles and sounds.
First up is Challengers, a perfect example of Neko's voice:

Next is Go Places, another beautiful Pornographer gem...that sounds a bit wrong.

I guess I'll stop at three :( This last one, These Are the Fables, is so peaceful and swooning. Neko Case could read baking instructions and I'd be entranced though.

If you like these three, check out more of their stuff, Myriad Harbor, Valkyrie in the Roller Disco, and Testament to Youth In Verse are all awesome ones!

Krewella: Alive (EDM)

Most EDM is done by men. By one man. Adding synths and breaks and craziness and using someone else's vocals. And they produce something that's pretty darn good.
Well Krewella tossed all that silliness out the window and decided to be a group of three, composed of two women and one man, where the vocals are all self made by the female leads. The results are always crazy, super high energy, and just look so fun. I'll let their music video speak for itself...

Silver Medallion: Stay Young (EDM-ish)

Summertime!

Don't really know much about these guys, but I know that I enjoy this song. More on the EDM side of things, it's still something that anyone can listen to because it's not super heavy...more like super happy. The chorus is very catchy, just a fair warning. Enjoy!

Cris Cab: Pumped Up Kicks (Cover)

Feeling very summery lately! We've all heard Foster The People's Pumped Up Kicks way too many times. Anything played THAT many times on the radio will eventually make you sick to your stomach when you hear it's opening seconds. Luckily Cris Cab realized that and decided to rework the massively over-done song into something lite, airy, and summery. You'll find yourself singing along to the same song, but in a whole new way!

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis: Same Love

So I'm just going to be honest. I have yet to listen all the way through this song without tearing up a bit. He's just so right on and honest, it's great. It's so sick that Macklemore had the courage to release a song like this. What's ridiculous is that in this day and age, there is still any debate whatsoever over this issue. I hope more and more artists come out in support of marriage equality, or at least realize that some of the words and messages they express in their music are medieval and hateful. Anyways, amazing song, amazing message.


Also, check out what Macklemore himself has to say about the issue:

Avalanche City: Love Love Love

Alright, enough of that depressing Jeremy Messersmith stuff, lets go out in the woods and skip about singing now, screw sitting still. Avalanche City is stunning. Hailing from New Zealand, and rivaling even the magnificence of Flight of the Conchords (which really is saying something) these guys are amazing! So happy, so uplifting, so awesome! If you go in depth on one band I've put up so far, this is them. Do it. Now. Why are you still here?

Jeremy Messersmith: A Boy, A Girl, A Graveyard

If the music video doesn't say and express everything I could possibly try to say in words...you should probably watch it again. Jeremy Messersmith turns every song he touches into something that I just want to go sit in a field and think about for a while as I watch the clouds pass overhead and the trees sway. And yes, I do actually go do that when the right songs come on. So go buy his stuff (I think actually a lot of it is free on his website!) and get outside and watch dem clouds!

LIGHTS: Toes (Jakob Liedholm Remix) (EDM)

There's no way I'm going to be able to constrain myself to only two or three songs a day, there's just too much that I want to share! I really love the vocals on this song, and the artist, LIGHTS, is probably the most attractive person I've ever seen. Her voice, combined with all the snazzy distortions and craziness that Jakob Liedholm throws in makes for a big favorite. Hope this song captures your attention!

Adventure Club: Do I See Color (EDM)

Do I see myself listening to dubstep? Hell ya, at least anything from Adventure Club! These Canadians splice vocals up like crazy and make you do the craziest dance moves of your life. Nearly every Adventure Club song has stunning female vocals (or what's left of them), ridiculous sounds, and a perfect blend of madness and melody.

  

Satellite Stories: Kids Aren't Safe In the Metro

Well shucks, I can't wait an entire day to put anything else up here...Satellite Stories are a rocking quintet of Fins (is that what you call people from Finland?) that sound a lot like Two Door Cinema Club! On their website, they describe themselves as follows:
"Satellite Stories are four daring satellite heroes from the planet of summery breeze. Their mission is to bring you nostalgia from events that you never really experienced."

Sounds good to me! They only have a few songs out at the moment, but are going to release their debut in September. If this is what the planet of summery breeze sounds like, I need to renew my passport...

Some rules for da fools!

I hope that you are able to find songs you like, maybe not every day, but every once in a while, a diamond emerges from the rough, and your ears are made happy.
I would ask that if you do enjoy a song enough to get it, that you support the artists that made it! If the song is really good enough for you to need, then you can spare iTunes's $.99. If that's not your thing, there are cheaper songs on Amazon, MOG, you can subscribe to Spotify...the options are unlimited. Please, please, don't pirate these songs! If you really don't want to support the people who put all their hard work into creating the songs, then the song probably isn't actually at a high enough caliber for your exacting tastes! And if worst comes to worst...don't use a youtube converter...the quality is no bueno. Cheers!

Ko Ko: Float (Sound Remedy Remix) (EDM)

This is actually a song that I place within my 'good music' playlists. It is absolutely beautiful all the way through, and is even able to maintain that beauty through its few dubstep-like sections. There are sections of Float, such as the last minute, that I wish would go on forever...I could just float along with this playing indefinitely. Enjoy!

Local Natives: Sun Hands!

I can't think of a better first post...This song brings you to so many different places, from crooning, wonderful vocals, to a pounding and throbbing cacophony. In short, it's brilliant! 

The Vision

So this is all super rough right now, and just kind of an idea...My vision is to put up one 'good' song, and one 'EDM' song each day. I don't mean to say that Electric Dance Music (EDM) is bad, I just think it's different and something that I shouldn't clump with my other music. I'm excited to embark on this little adventure, and I'm sure I'll be learning just as much about my musical tastes as you! So bear with me and I hope that you find some music you enjoy!