Happy Leap Day to the world. I hope you’re enjoying this arbitrary addition to the calendar. I also hope that you’ll enjoy this collection of songs and gems I’ve found during the past month or so. Some of them percolated down to me through the blogowebs {way cooler sounding than blogosphere - or should we use interblogs?}, some came to me through email, and some I found on albums that have been sitting in my giant pile of discs to listen to {and don’t even get me started on the thirty or so albums sitting as almost forgotten mp3’s - this is hard work}. Anyway, if you missed my post yesterday about Cloud Cult go read it now, their new album will change the way you think about music and what constitutes good music. Cheerio, and on with the show!
All the tracks in one zip file : here {zshare = left click}
mp3 : Benjamin Gibbard - Indian Summer
I honestly don’t know how it took me this long to discover and/or listen to this song. It hails from the soundtrack to the Kurt Cobain movie which Ben Gibbard lent his considerable talent toward creating the orchestration for.
mp3 : The Dodos - Fools
This is the song that got me hooked on what might be my favorite new artist of the year. And by new artist I don’t necessarily mean new to the world, but new to me. I love their music, their simplicity, and the way this dynamic duo creates so much out of so little.
mp3 : John Doe - Golden State
This is the type of song that Bruce Springsteen should be making whole albums out of. It’s a great duet with great lyrics. The melody is slow and moody enough to leave your heart stricken without actually causing you to disintegrate into the pathos of melancholy.
mp3 : Jon Sebastian - I Get Wet (Andrew W.K. Cover)
This is hands down the best cover {other than Wakey!Wakey!} since Ted Leo covered and mashed together Since U Been Gone with Maps. Jon captures all of the intensity of the original while changing it enough to make it something new, something to party with, something to get wet about.
mp3 : Jose Gonzalez - Love Will Tear Us Apart (Joy Division Cover)
I love it when songs are remade with a flair for the brooding emotionally wrought state of life {see Gary Jules classic remake of Mad World as a reference}, and this cover by Jose Gonzalez {with whom I already have a long love affair} is a great example of what a cover song should be. Myspace musicians should take note.
mp3 : Lily Allen - Everybody’s Changing (Keane Cover)
I guess this month was either good for covers or there was something in the loads of snow that dumped on my abode this past few weeks that just put me in the mood. Luckily Lily Allen, although not quite a class act, does indeed make excellent musical choices. And this is one of her better efforts {although I do appreciate in her studio work how much she disses other Brit MC’s}.
mp3 : Plastic Operator - Peppermint
Yes, this is Plastic Operator, aka the Postal Service of France. And by that I mean their tracks, all of them, could easily fit onto the forthcoming album by the dynamic pair of Gibbard and Tamborello. {although I would probably substitute the crystal clear vocals of Ben in that case}. Regardless of vocal preferences Plastic Operator is solid, and shall remain.
mp3 : Talbot Tagora - Connection (Elastica Cover)
I have literally no idea where I found this cover song, but I can tell you why it made the BOTM series. Just listen to it, the entire track, don’t let the initial twenty five seconds fool you. This is not a minimalist Burialesque style of cover song. This is the real deal.
mp3 : The Black Hollies - Paisley Pattern Ground
Everything about this song reminds me of The White Stripes. Or maybe Jack and Meg smashed up with everything I loved about the early work of the Beatles or the Kinks {who are still, easily, one of the most underrated bands of all time}. It’s just a classic sound on this track, one that must be heard.
mp3 : The Hysterics - Untitled
Yet another song that reminds me of the Beatles. I’m sensing a trend this month. There’s a lot of cover songs and a lot of music that in some way reminds me of the great sixties {some would say the greatest decade ever - not me though}. I guess I feel that this track sounds like what the Beatles would’ve been as a pure indie band {or maybe the Monkey’s on a rare day}.
mp3 : Two Hours Traffic - Stuck for the Summer
It’s almost guaranteed that if you can play a decent guitar melody {no matter how repetitive} over a driving drum line with a pleasant voice and decent lyrics you’ve already won my heart. This song reminds me a lot of California style rock ala early Rooney or Phantom Planet. Loved it five years ago and still love it now {especially the ending}.
mp3 : Wakey!Wakey! - Cokehead
It is official, Mike Grubbs can do no wrong. Ever. He’s the OJ of the indie music scene {not to confuse him with some who may or may not have killed someone at some point}. What I mean is that by this point I’m so caught up in the Wakey!Wakey! effect {phenomenon} that I’d be willing to forgive him almost anything {except for stealing someone’s honey like you would a bike}. His vocals are excellent.
mp3 : Wakey!Wakey! - Fallin’ Apart (Live)
I first heard this song about nine months ago on a mixtape and it was essentially got me interested in Wakey!Wakey! Well, it was sent to me yet again and I must say that it still serves to impress upon me the depth and talent that Mike possesses. Here’s to hoping he has a long and successful career because I’d love to hear some more of his particular brand of genius.
If you like the music here, and want to share it, please do not post links to download the files directly. Instead direct your readers, friends, lovers, etc., to this blog post. Thanks. To see all other Best of the Month compilations just click the link below titled twf.
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