"And I Want For You To Be A Good Man" "Oh, God. Oh, my nose is itching. Do y'all say when your nose is itching someone's talking about you, or someone's thinking about you. Well I hope so. Ok, now I have to think of one more song. Ok."
Two of my favorite songs of 2k8. Casey adds some melodica to Blue Ridge Mountains, a perfect, almost Parisian, touch to the Appalachain hymn. Once again, go see le Fleet Foxes ASAP.
Bon Iver is a winter act. Justin Vernon's tunes just sound better when the sun sets at 4:30, plain and simple. And while I've had reservations about experiencing For Emma during Summer, this video from his session with Vincent Moon does a lot to quell my apprehensions. Not only is the new arrangement gorgeous but the glockenspiel and looser feel of "Lump Sum" make it perfect for drinking tea in the early morning while the sun is rising over the Manhattan skyline.
Last night I suffered one of the most terrifying nightmares of my life: Daft Punk was playing in my town, but no matter how hard I tried, I could not make it to the venue. To the uninitiated, this might not sound like a big deal. But those who are familiar with the spectacle that is Daft Punk Live can understand the horror of my sleep-induced trauma.
And as sad as I am that I did not get to see Daft Punk 'one more time' (pun intended), I am glad that I will be able to partially relive the concert experience when ALIVE 2007 hits the States in early December. Recorded in front of 18,000 screaming Parisians in July, the live disc features a mash-up of the duo's greatest hits, but inexplicably does not come with a DVD. Instead, we must settle for the official music video for the lead single "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" (above), which was shot in Brooklyn by the fans and is an excellent representation of the live DP experience. As a bonus, check out the beyond-classic video for "Around the World" off of the Homework LP.
"All I Wanted was the Best for Our Lives My Dear" Beirut (aka Zach Condon) is quite the marvel. At 20 he helped resuscitate gypsy music. Now 21, and legally allowed to get hammered and belt Grizzly Bear's "Knife" in the States, he is on the verge of reinventing classical French pop by fusing it with ukulele based indie folk. His new record, The Flying Club Cup (out October 9th on Ba Da Bing!), builds on the grandiose arrangements of last years Gulag Orkestar while trading many (but not all) of his Balkan influences for a bevy of traditional Parisian sounds. In Zach's own words:
I was listening to a lot of Jacques Brel and French chanson music-- pop songs shrouded in big, glorious, over-the-top arrangements and all this drama-- and that was in some sense unfamiliar territory to me. So I started buying new instruments and relying on things I wasn't necessarily comfortable with, like French horns and euphoniums, carrying these big, epic big brass parts that I used to do all on trumpets, and working with accordion and organ instead of all ukulele-- very much throwing myself in the world of classical pop music, I guess you could say.
Like Gulag Orkester, much of the Flying Club Cup's theme and color are derived from an old photo Condon discovered. On Gulag Orkestar it was a photo of two Russian girls on a highway beside a car (see here). This time his inspiration was a "very bizarre 1910 photo...by Leon Gimpel. It's one of the first color photos ever made, at the World's Fair, and it...shows all these ancient hot air balloons about to take off in the middle of Paris."
After a few spins I've really taken to the first two tracks (if you dont count track 00). "Nantes" and "A Sunday Smile" (the first single) are quintessential Beirut, showcasing Condon's soaring voice and uber-romanticism, with lines like "It's been a long time, long time now/Since I've seen you smile" and "All I wanted was the best for our lives my dear/And You know my wishes are sincere." Take a listen below, and be sure to check out Zach's wine-wandering tour of Paris while crooning "Knife."
"Is It Hip-Hop, Is It Electro, Damn Is She Coming from Hell?" Uffie has been bringing her nu-skool spoken word electro rap to the masses since hooking up with Ed Banger maestro Feadz in 2005 ("Pop the Glock"). Recently, she lent her off kilter rhyme-less rapping to the Justice jump-off "Tthhee Ppaarrttyy" (which is how every summer playlist should start).
Known for her rambunctious, often vulgar, lyrics ("If you just called me a cunt in some other word like __, But after this you'll be the one sucking a whole lot of dicks"), Uffie switches lanes on "First Love," a bouncy bubblegum electro-pop-hop anthem. The surprisingly lovey-dovey I-Miss-You but Fuck Off track could really become a staple on teenage mixtapes in the years to come. It's one of the most saccharine soaked songs I've heard this year, and a huge step forward for the potty mouthed US-via-France rap-tress. She's already dropped a bunch of singles and remixes, but we can't wait for her album, due on Ed Banger sometime in 2007. Uffie's got it.
all songs are posted because we love them and think they make the world a better place. they are for sampling purposes only (duh). if you like what you hear, buy the record or see the concert!!! if you own the copyright to anything that appears on this site, contact us.
