Ellie Goulding: Tesselate (Alt-J Cover) (Chill, Epic, and Gorgeous!)

Sorry for the brief hiatus, I was off waterskiing and wakeboarding in Flaming Gorge! No need to fret though, there were speakers in the boat and plenty of music was had on the four hour drives there and back! 

This IS my third Ellie Goulding post, but don't fear, it's because she kills it as usual and because it's a cover (much like here incredible 'High For This' cover which you can revisit here) of newcomer Alt-J. Produced by Xaphoon Jones, AKA, the producer who can do no wrong, this song bumps! An always powerful voice, fantastic sound selection, and that chill yet bouncing, poignant yet danceable vibe just carries every Goulding effort! Enjoy, and expect some original Alt-J songs on here the second that Miles emerges into the real world and gives our friend Alt a solid listen. I've heard nothing but good things, and if Ellie is into it...we all should be right? Because dating Skrillex illustrated her impeccable taste, right?...1:35...some sexy sax for your monday! 

The Knocks: Modern Hearts ft. St. Lucia (First of Countless Summer Anthems)

Summer vibes people. Summertime is in full swing and good feeling magical tunes to propel that sun to shine brighter, that water to feel cooler, and those smiles to spread wider are abundant! Like Ben "B-Roc" Ruttner's shirt says, "I love life", and it's songs like this that reaffirm that joy in every breath, moment, and experience of summertime. Drive somewhere blasting this and do something epic! And St. Lucia!? They're the coolest. 

Dave Edwards delivers a remix that makes the summertime swirl through your ears even more powerfully, not to miss for sure! 

And be sure to hearken back to the last Knocks song I put up way back in September, it's a keeper! A stunning female vocal cover of 'Midnight City', it's right here.

Disclosure: When A Fire Starts To Burn (EDM With A Great Video)

I could say so much about this song and video, but I think the preacher within will explain everything to you. A repetitive lyric at its core, it's a song that kind of gets in your bones and makes you dance around spontaneously. You'll also learn about spontaneous combustion in this crazy video, full of possessed dancing, snakes, and revelation. Definitely worth a watch, and hey, this could be the answer for you!!!! Enjoy!

Oasis: Wonderwall

I'm still stuck between sadness and stunned incredulity that the last two weeks of fairy-tale like adventures with Meghan Proulx have come to a close. Spanning five states, thousands of miles, thirty-seven meals, and enough stuffed animals to make Darth Vader's heart melt, it's been amazing. I wouldn't trade a second of our time together, and though an entire summer apart will be difficult, we stocked up on so many good times and memories, that we're well stockpiled for the coming months. As a tribute to all the love we shared this trip and all the love we've yet to experience, this post is for Meghan!

Posting your favorite song of all time seems a paltry thank you for being willing to venture to Wyoming with me, but it's the best I can do.  After all, you're my Wonderwall. Beloved blog followers be warned: what follows is very mushy and cheesy. I really don't think anyone feels the way I do about you now Meghan, and I'm so lucky to have met you and gotten to spend so much time with you. I love you! Without further ado, go listen to your song!!!! 75 million youtube viewers agree with you!

I know you hate builds, so here's a remix with little to no stress!

And certainly out of your comfort zone, and nowhere near the original, this crazy mash up has some redeeming moments and is otherworldly in that it's remixed by DJ's From Mars.

Love you my wonderwall! 

The Age Of Rockets: Avada Kedavra

The Age Of Rockets, or as some call them, PH Bro, (no-one calls them that except Meghan, who adorably heard their name wrong) are a fun loving group with some killer songs. A really interesting blend of melancholy tinged with indie pop sounds, The Age Of Rockets impress me with subtle nuances every time they come on. Enjoy! 

'Elephant & Castle' begins in a breathless whirl of chanting that carries on throughout the whole ballad, supporting luminous main lyrics. Also, gorgeous violins abound! As varied a song as the disparate objects in its title! 

I would share a few more key tracks of the album, (highlights include 'What Story Down There Awaits Its End' and 'Avada Kedavra'), but I just learned somewhat to my chagrin that the rocket crew are now giving away their entire album for free. I'm glad I bought it and supported them, but some notice would have been nice! Anyway, there is NO REASON WHATSOEVER you shouldn't hop on over to Bandcamp right here and download the whole 12 song album! Bit of a funny thing, the web address looks like "the ago o' frockets" if you're a poor reader. Yah...just a bit of a funny thing. Anyway, snag this album while it's hot (including an EXTRA Tegan and Sara cover that I didn't even get buying the damn thing) and revel in brilliant free music! 

And since all our lives could use a little more synthpop, I stumbled upon this gem while doing research for tonights post. (yes, I do research for each one. I put a heck of a lot of time into this thing for you people!) With less than 300 plays on their song, Skywriter do an amazing job with 'Avada Kedavra'! Enjoy and snatch this one up for free as well! 

Keane: Sovereign Light Café

Something about these early carefree days of summer is making me hearken back to great bands I used to listen to constantly and to find modern summery remixes of them. Keane is one of these such bands. With a sparkling and equal parts heartbreaking and hopeful original, Keane blows it out of the water with a faster sound then their prior albums. With parkour and beautiful singing wrapped into one, their music video is a must watch! 

And now for the remix portion of todays program: Afrojack knows what the people want...indie songs, dancing tunes, and wild synths. As usual he delivers the goods. Enjoy! 

Earth, Wind & Fire: September (James Egbert Remix) (Groovy EDM)

I know we just got out of school and thoughts of returning should be far far away, but this ode to the month of September is just too fresh not to share! More like the sounds of summer than an ode to the return of class, this funky groove just feels good on the soul! 

James Egbert takes a rarely-touched classic and turns it into something that flits so elegantly from one style to the next. He builds up the excitement with what sounds like a classic build, transitions into funkalicious horns, then explodes into feel-good-bouncy synth work. Just when you're grooving hard to a song you think will be free of lyrics, a full two minutes in Egbert lets loose Earth Wind & Fire's amazing words, and from there on out the song is unstoppable. One of the greatest genre and era benders I've heard in a long time (and it's free!). Welcome summmmmmmmmmertime! 

If you're a traditionalist, are fond of psychedelic kaleidoscopic cameras, and fancy a great song, look no further than Earth, Wind & Fire's original!