top 10 lovely things my ears heard this year

I like Top 10 of [year] lists but after a while they start to all read the same way, don't they? With minute debates over SHOULD [album] BE BETTER RATED THAN [album b], these end of the year things start to bore me. So, here is a list of the best 10 things my ears heard this year (but not necessarily released this year). Apologies if any links are broken.

Here we go, in no particular order:

jj kills
swedes make a killer mixtape featuring the best beats of 2010 (and before) download here. if you haven't listened to it yet you are missing out.

cults cults
i am still kicking myself for missing them in august. refreshing and fun. were they overplayed in the states? this was just a lovely album. download here.

beirut east harlem
the new beirut album was excellent. but i could listen to this song all day (and i did).

hot chip
hot chip is a band that i have had sitting in my itunes for several years and finally i got around to giving them a proper listen. I was blown away. download: one life stand | made in the dark | the warning

frightened rabbit, the midnight organ fight
this is a serious breakup album, but it is like ear-crack. you've been warned. That said, i don't think they're really big in the us - is this a hidden scottish gem? somebody report back. download here, but I'm serious about the ear-crack thing.

lil wayne feat. drake right above it
i think it is no secret that i love obnoxious hip hop (and socially aware hip hop of course) but this is just a fantastic song. drake's new album is good, but I find he's a much better guest than on his own accord.

nicki minaj pink friday (deluxe edition)
i have gushed about nicki minaj here before (& see above comment about obnoxious hip-hop). every time i listen to this album I find more things to love. Download here.

m83 hurry up, we're dreaming
i could probably talk at length why 'midnight city' is a serious contender for song of the year, but there are so many other wonderful moments happening here. i have a secret theory that anthony gonzales is taking the same beats and reversing them and flipping them over & over and it is STILL nice for a full one-and-a-half hours. download it here

wild flag, wild flag
let us not kid ourselves. i like nearly everything related to riot grrl and especially sleater-kinney. 2 members of sleater kinney + 1 member of helium + 1 member of the minders = a band i will probably like no matter what they created. this album rocked just as hard as i hoped it would. download here

chad valley shell suite
i apparently listened to a lot of electronica this year. this is a lovely little tune that i can't stop loving.


HONORABLE MENTIONS:
st vincent cruel / beyonce 4 / cut copy zonoscope / holy ghost! holy ghost! / tune yards whokill* / pj harvey let england shake / the kills blood pressures etc etc.

What were your favorites?
*tuneyards live was easily the best gig i saw this year!

you guys i am working on something for the end of the year - you will see in due time - but i would like to draw everyone's attention to beyonce's amazing song countdown



it is perhaps a little-known fact about me that i take occasional beyonce breaks in my day

i think this is valid use of my time

i don't really care if you think this song is overplayed, because DAMN GIRL.

Feed Your Head

October is one of the best months of the year, in my opinion. Leaves changing, sleeping under a blanket with the windows open, watching creepy movies, preparing for Halloween. There's just this dark mood in the air as we get closer and closer to October 31st. Time for a Halloween playlist on Droolycat!

This playlist is mostly classic rock songs that I love, which are sort of dark. The goal was to create a creepy mood, and I think these songs definitely accomplish that, even though they aren't necessarily Halloween songs. Do you really want me to post The Monster Mash? I didn't think so. Two of the songs I admit, I snagged them from the American Horror Story soundtrack, a song by Mirah and a song by Carina Round. If you watch the show you'll definitely recognize the Mirah track, I think it was in like two episodes. The Carina Round song was in episode two, I believe.

 

Tracks:

1. White Rabbit - Jefferson Airplane

This sets the mood for the rest of the list, a classic dark song with psychological themes
2. I Put A Spell On You - Screamin' Jay Hawkins

Love this song, almost as much as I love the CCR version. This is on many a Halloween playlist, but it is one of my favorites so I can't pass it up
3. Black Magic Woman - Santana

Gotta love the spooky intro to this song, it reminds me of going on a rollercoaster in the dark. Also take a look at the Jefferson Airplane version

4. People Are Strange - The Doors

Lost Boys, anyone? The Doors are a staple for those seeking moody, psychadelic tunes like this for Halloween

 5. Green Grass - Tom Waits

Wonderful atmospheric song

 6. Babe I'm Gonna Leave You - Led Zeppelin

Possibly my favorite Led Zep song, it's hard to make generalizations like that. It just makes me think of someone speeding down a dark highway alone

7. Special Death - Mirah

One of my selections from the American Horror Story soundtrack, love this song

8. Where Is My Mind (Pixies cover) - Maxence Cyrin

This is a nice cover, although the original by the Pixies is obviously awesome and of course I was inspired by the darkness of Fight Club

9. Crazy (Gnarls Barkley cover) - Ray Lamontange

Ok, ok, so Ray sings a lot of wistful non-spooky songs, but his voice is meant for more intense subjects than old girlfriends. He's going crazy!

10. Do You - Carina Round

My other pick from American Horror Story, this was in episode 2, I believe. This song is just beautiful and girly

11. The Killing Moon (Echo & the Bunnymen cover) - Nouvelle Vague

I was thinking of the Killing Moon as it is in Donnie Darko, but then I came across this cover and thought it a better fit for this list

12. All We Ask - Grizzly Bear

 I am so creeped out by this song, it is very possessive. There's sort of a feeling of being trapped in it

13. Helter Skelter - Siouxie and the Banshees

A punky version of the classic. I wanted to use the Beatles version but this cover definitely does them justice

14. Murder Mystery - The Velvet Underground

 One of my favorite songs ever, one of my favorite bands ever. It's hard to process at first but it is truly meditative and creepy

15. Bloom - Radiohead

I just feel like the beginning piano bit of this song belongs in a horror movie. It does sound familiar, maybe it is a rip-off, I don't know

16. Eyesight to the Blind (The Hawker) - The Who (Tommy)

 Tommy, Tommy, Tommy. Yes. If you don't think this is creepy, you should watch the movie

17. God's Away on Business - Tom Waits

Can't have a Halloween playlist without this gem. Watch the Cookie Monster version afterwards, haha.

things heather likes, oct edition

You guys I have finally finished my thesis! I even turned it in A WHOLE DAY before its deadline. It is 159 pages long, and there were lots of things that should have gotten in the way of this happening - including a conference I was presenting at in Norway the week before the deadline and the 30 pages I had to write the week before I left for Norway - I DID IT. I am now starting my PhD this month because I am clearly delusional.

Since we have established that I have questionable taste while writing - at one point I actually downloaded a Ke$ha song to listen to while editing - I decided it might be safe to take a quick break before returning to Droolycat. But I'm back, bitches! & with a new set of Things Heather Likes.

1. Marina and the Diamonds - Radioactive (How To Dress Well Rework)
How To Dress Well is a minimalist hip-hop musician (for lack of a better phrase). I know, I know... Basically, he takes familiar aspects of r&b and piles on shit tons of reverb and backchannels to make really ethereal music. But god damn does this man have an ear for pop music. I really like Marina and the Diamonds but her original version of this is just ... boring in comparsion to HTDW's cover. Take a listen and try to get it out of your head.


2. Bibio - K is for Kelson
I don't really know where to begin with Bibio. He does some sort of experimental instrumental-electro-producing thing. If you listened to me ages ago and downloaded Summer Babes (which, PS, you totally should - this was one of my favorite 'albums' all year) you will probably be familiar with Lover's Carvings (make yourself familiar). Like Lover's Carvings this is catchy and summery and fun... even if it is fall.


3. Holy Ghost! vs. Black Van - Holy Mashopolis (I Will Come Back vs. Yearning)
The only thing I know about Holy Ghost! is that I was supposed to see him DJ once, but because I had no idea who he was I didn't go. In hindsight I am disappointed in myself. (Sidenote: I am skipping 2 symposiums, one in Lancaster and one in Belfast this coming weekend to catch a Peaches DJ set with a pretty girl. This is probably the correct prioritization.) His 2011 album Holy Ghost! was pretty great. Here's an earlier track, remixed with something else.


4. Girls - Hunny Bunny
Girls is a band I like but they are nigh impossible to Google, as you might imagine. Here is their attempt at 60s surf rock.


5. The New Feist Album, Metals
It's fall! And there's a new Feist album! This is about love falling apart but I still want to spend all day reading in bed while this plays in quietly in the background.


6. St Vincent, Strange Mercy
Ashley and I saw St Vincent open for Andrew Bird a few years ago. It was - as an understatement - a very strange opening set, especially because we had never heard of St Vincent. There was a tiny woman on stage who was prone to careen between very beautiful, melodic sections and a violent, stompy, discordant noise parade. It was truly an exercise in Pixiesesque loud/soft dynamic, and we didn't like it very much - especially because we were here to hear a violin looping virtuouso! what was happening! Boy, were we ever wrong. Admittedly St Vincent has sort of toned down the extremism here; this album's much more controlled than her other two albums, but Ashley- this one's for you. Give her a second chance (if you haven't already!)

New Stuff From Jess!

So between summer, internships, moving to Salem, getting jobs and switching cars, I lost my passion for finding new music. But now that I've had a few weeks to breathe, I've discovered some great stuff! Hope you enjoy!




This is I Am Oak. My dad actually found this band, cause he is cooler than I am. And by that I mean that he smokes lots of weed and explores Youtube for hours. They have that "indie folk" thing I've been craving lately. They sound a bit like Midlake but better, in my opinion.




My father also discovered Figurines. Based out of Denmark, they started out in the mid-90's and kind of sound like Modest Mouse.




Kishi Bashi is cool. This is the first track off his EP, Room for Dream. He recorded the whole album himself, being a multi-instrumentalist and all. If you watch any live videos, he will probably strike you as an Asian Andrew Bird, sans whistling.




When I saw Iron and Wine, The Low Anthem opened. I am in love with this band. They have this orgasmic mix of beautiful vocal melodies, harmonicas, organs and obscure world instruments. And clarinets!? Oh my god I love this band.




Youth Lagoon is one I just found like, today. It's a guy, he recorded the album in his bedroom. Sounds a lot like Beach House, but more trippy.

A Few New Thangs That I Like

1. Superheavy - "Miracle Worker"

Umm...I love this. Mick Jagger(!), Joss Stone, Damian Marley, A.R. Rahman, and Dave Stewart. SuperHeavy was built by Mick with the intent to merge different 'cultures' of music into one awesome sound. I first heard the song alone without a video, and to be honest, I'm not a big fan of the official music video (it felt a little corny to me). This video however is not official, it's just a compilation of pictures of the band. My favorite part of the song is...Mick. I guess I'm sort of cheating at the "new music" game because none of these artists are new per se, but I really like what is happening here. I'm looking forward to seeing what comes next from these guys. Their first album Superheavy will be released in just a mere 9 days! Exciting.

Sidenote: Lately I've been reading Keith Richards' bestselling autobiography, Life, and it has been awesome, I definitely recommend it. The writing is sharp, creative, endearing, and has made me laugh out loud several times. For all those who make broad, negative accusatory statements about Keith (I'm looking at you, customers at my work who sneer at the cover while I'm reading), I suggest you read his shit first and remember that he is one of the greatest guitarists of all time (tenth greatest, according to Rolling Stone). We also have almost the same birthday, represeennnt.

2. Florence + the Machine - "What The Water Gave Me"

Florence, Florence, Florence. I'm still blasting "Dog Days Are Over" in my car, but alas, it is nearly time for the new album to be released! Apparently the album is still untitled, but it is due out on October 31st. Check out this new track, it's very moody and atmospheric. I'm reminded of Fleetwood Mac quite a bit (I know, here I go bringing the new music into the past again...), but I'm sure that's already been said about the band previously in general. I actually don't mind this music video, Flo, can I borrow that hat?

3. Ganglians - "Jungle"

Yep, digging these guys. What's with that band name? It's a 'gang' of 'aliens', actually. I always love to see a band with a sense of humor, I wish there were more bands that didn't take themselves too seriously. Based in Sacramento, this track is off their new album Still Living which was released on August 23rd. I haven't heard the whole album, nor have I heard their first one, but so far, so good.

4. Mumford & Sons - "Untitled" aka. "Home"

These guys are great, another band that everybody seems to already know about so I'll spare the redundant details. Anyway, we don't have a release date or a name yet for the new album, but it is supposedly going to be reaching our ears later this year. Their first album, Sigh No More, came out in October 2009, so I'd say it's about time for number two. This song is untitled as well, however fans and critics have been calling it "Home". It was written in tribute to people met by the band on the road, and I feel like you can sense the worldliness of that idea in the sound. Good stuff.

my life, my swag

Hello droolycats! I am in the middle of finishing up my masters dissertation! Lately I have been listening to my thesis anthem, The Bad Girl Workout Plan, while I write. Listen along! The whole thing is excellent, but my favorite part starts at 14:28.
Bad Girl Workout Plan by djlilray

ALSO, I accidentally made a really excellent hipster breakup/rebound mixtape. this is hilarious because i am a) not seeing anyone and b) not going through a break-up, but I am c) a giant hipster. (recently in Urban Outfitters I was mistaken for an employee.) Enjoy.



01. abducted - cults
02. bedroom eyes - dum dum girls
03. romance - wild flag
04. get some - lykke li
05. heavy cross (RAC mix) - the gossip
06. we can't stop [ft ne-yo] - jj
07. try sleeping with a broken heart (alicia keys) - chad valley
08. indestructible - robyn
09. super bass - nicki minaj
10. last friday night (tgif) (viceroy poolside remix) - katy perry

Yes, i can hear you judging me from over there for the last few tracks. Thanks. I bet you'll secretly love them anyway. Download this mix, which i have pretentiously named 'this is not a love song' here.

I will will become this animal / Perfectly adapted to a music hall.

Hello Droolycat! First of all, I have to share this majestic video of Andrew Bird playing in a church. It will blow your mind.

Second, I've been working on this new mix which I think you guys should check out. See, in high school I was an avid progressive rock fan. Popular in the 60's and 70's, this genre abandoned the typical verse-chorus-bridge song structure for something more complex and story-like. Being a band kid, how could I resist a form of rock which was highly influenced by jazz, classical and world music, and favored obscure time signatures? I could not. I have learned since going to college that most people think prog is funny. Well, here's my attempt to argue that it is real and influential music! I tried to choose the most accessible tunes from each of these artists (which was hard since the average prog song is about 15 minutes long). Anyway, give it a try!



Finally! Watch this sweet video of Genesis playing "Firth of Fifth" in Dallas, 1977. I think you'll at least appreciate Phil Collins during his "caveman" stage. This has got to be the peak of his career.

Coverpalooza!

I love this playlist! It is so full of awesomeness. I really took some time in crafting this collection of songs. Despite the fact that there are 30 tracks, which is longer than usual, I was cutthroat. Great bands can cover other great bands, but the results just aren't always special enough to stand alone as a cover song. I think that the best cover songs are made carefully and abstractly; someone else supplied the music and lyrics, so what happens next? It's great for one artist to pay homage to another, and the best way this is done is if the cover song diverges from the original in a new perspective, while still retaining the integrity of the original. It is hard to do, but it is also incredibly fun to do. Fun is another criteria for creating the best cover song, it should always be fun. For my own ukulele covers, I often use Chordie.com to search for chords.

Adele! She does some amazing covers, here is a Buzzfeed article listing some of her others. This song would be on the playlist however Grooveshark did not have the file in their library. Lame!

I was really blown away by the Cee Lo Green cover of Band of Horses' "No One's Gonna Love You", it might be my favorite on the list (aka. I can't stop listening to it). I didn't even realize that it was on his most recent album, The Lady Killer (2010). I was really into Band of Horses during freshman year of college, they're wonderful to listen to during the fall/winter. Second place favorite might be the Benzedrine Monks of Santo Domonica's cover of Queen's "We Will Rock You", just because I love to imagine them standing in a church in their robes, rocking it out.

To come up with some ideas for this playlist, I used this awesome website called The Covers Project. It is a searchable database with comprehensive listings of many, many bands covering others. Obviously though, the place with the most covers, updated constantly from all around the world, is YouTube. There are some fantastic unknown musicians who do fabulous covers that we would never hear, had it not been for YouTube.

EDIT, 09/7/2011

I was going back through older posts of mine, and realized that Grooveshark is not an ideal way to share playlists in the long term. One of my lists from earlier this year went from having about ten songs to...three? While I am not exactly sure where the songs come from on the website, the fact of the matter is, they disappear and it affects my lists, causing me to lose whatever I worked to share with you in the future. So, from now on I am going to make cuts like this with the list of songs, just so they are never lost. I suppose any site besides a direct link to the song may do this as well, YouTube isn't forever either. So, anyway, click the link below for a listing of the tracks.

things heather hates

We spend a lot of time on this here blog talking about music we really love.

What about music we really hate?!

I went through my iTunes the other day, looking for some. And then I remembered I make a concious effort to not curate music I hate on my hard drive. But then I was curious about something I'd really not want to listen to for any extended period of time (ie. more than 30 seconds). I have a bunch of artists I don't really like, per se, but upon revisiting them 2-5 years later, I love them (see exhibit a: Hot Chip. God DAMN was I missing out. I'm just getting into them now- good thing I saved those three albums of theirs!)

But this still doesn't solve my mystery of music I really hate... or does it?

Here are some things that I, Heather, cannot stand to listen to:

1. Rap-Metal.
Why did this have to happen.


2. Modern Pop-Country Music.
I actually really love country music - old stuff (Johnny Cash!) to newer alt-country (Neko Case! Wilco!), bluegrass (Crooked Still!) and even Dolly Parton (yes I said it, you guys can stop taking me seriously now...) But this shit? Terrible.


3. Musicals.*
I really dislike when people leap up out of nowhere and start singing and dancing. Musicals, therefore, I something irrationally hate. Maybe this means I don't like fun, I don't know.

* I make four exceptions to this rule: 1) Mamma Mia, as I sometimes get drunk for the sole purpose of watching the DVD (and the entire thing is people singing - they don't stop singing OR dancing, so it's sort of okay); 2) Rocky Horror Picture Show; 3) Hedwig and the Angry Inch; 4) The Muppets. #2, 3 and 4 are weird enough as it is, so adding more unnecessary weirdness is just entirely campy and over the top and therefore enjoyable!

4. Matchbox 20.
Fuck off, Rob Thomas.

Until very recently, one of the few things I knew about my sometimes-boss Gary was that he really liked Slayer.

So when he recently told me that he was starting a club night, I had my apprehensions. Was he going to try to make a metal club night? What would that even sound like? This night is advertised as "Italo-Synthpop-Funk + Other". The first three sounded great, but what would constitute "other"? Slayer??

Well, It turns out that I was very wrong. Gary has spectacular taste in music, as his promo mix shows:

Osmium Mix July 2011 by I_Fear_Satan on Mixcloud

Tonight's the first one, but a bunch of my friends are back for their graduation this weekend, so I don't think I'm going. But you best believe I am coming to the next one...

what the hell is 'chillwave' ?

I have no idea. I keep hearing (about) it. It sounds like some sort of new hipster thing that we'll look back on and laugh & laugh. Remember emocore or whatever that was? Thursday and Taking Back Sunday and stuff? That was hipster music before there were hipsters, right? (how appropriate.)

BUT WHATEVER TODAY WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT CHILLWAVE. I have three mixes for you, which I did not make but rather gratuitously lifted from Perfect|Midnight|World. I think these generally fall under the category of "chillwave" though.

I'm going to need you to suspend your hipster disbelief for approximately 3 hours, as I think i have accidentally found the perfect trifecta of summertime soundtracks: one for when it is too hot to move, one for late-night rides, and one for quietly putting on while having friends over. I've been writing and listening to them a lot, too. I think these might actually just be perfect anytime playlists, really...

1. Cloudy Busey - Broken By Inertia
2. Warm Speakers - Waves
3. Summer Heart - Simple Minds
4. Teen Daze - Let’s Fall Asleep Together
5. Art Imperial - The Inbetweener
6. Seapony - Dreaming
7. Cheerleader - New Daze
8. Saskatchewan - Dreamboat
9. All Tiny Creatures - Holography
10. Beach Fossils - Plastic Flowers
11. Women - Bullfight
12. Guards - Swimming After Dark
13. Ham1 - Ghost Loop
14. Dirty Gold - California Sunrise
15. Eddie the Wheel - Nearsayerfive
16. Kids on a Crime Spree - Sweet Tooth
17. Real Estate - Younger than Yesterday
18. We Are Trees - Teenage Heartbreak
19. Dale Earnhardt Jr Jr - If It Wasn’t You
20. Still Corners - Endless Summer
21. Banjo or Freakout - Go Ahead

download DREAMING IN SHADE here.

---

1. Soccer Legends - Leeroy
2. Chad Valley - Acker Bilk
3. Active Child - Playing House (Ft. How To Dress Well)
4. Washed Out - Eyes Be Closed
5. Pulsprogramming - Island Answer Anywhere
6. Dead Gaze - Take Me Home or I Die Alone
7. All Tiny Creatures - Breathing Set
8. K.C. Accidental - Ruined in ‘84
9. Teen Daze - Watch Over Me
10. Atlas Sound - Quick Canal
11. John Maus - Hey Moon
12. Porcelain Raft - Come Closer
13. Film School - Sick of the Shame
14. Zaza - Don’t Bleed Me
15. Arrange - Golden Neighborhoods
16. Stumbleine - Wasted Summer
17. Trouble Books & Mark McGuire - Floating Through Summer
18. Asche and Spencer - Under the Stars
19. Neighbors - Bad Timing
20. Zola Jesus - Run Me Out (Acoustic)

download BENEATH SUMMER STARS here.

---

1. Ducktails - Sitting
2. Girls Names - I Could Die
3. Teen Daze - Cliff Jump Love Song
4. Beach Fossils - Face It
5. Flake Music - Deluca
6. Grandaddy - Summer Here Kids
7. Real Estate - Out of Tune
8. Dream Cop - Beach City / Carol I Know
9. Thee Oh Sees - Corrupted Coffin
10. Tyler Jon Tyler - Seperate Issue
11. Dom - I Wonder
12. Atlas Sound - Day Out
13. Pavement - Grounded (Alt. Version)
14. Cloud Nothings - Forget You All the Time
15. Black Tambourine - By Tomorrow
16. Surfer Blood - Catholic Pagans
17. Yuck - Stutter
18. Pinback - Tripoli
19. Youth Lagoon - July
20. Dead Meadow - I’m Gone

download WARM WEATHER GHOSTS here.

You are welcome.

And I can still hear my old hound dog barkin, chasin down a hoodoo there

What would summer be without some CCR? I know for me it would be a pretty bland and quiet one, and who wants that? I adore Creedence, they are definitely one of my favorite bands of all time. When I was in high school, I went through a vinyl phase after rescuing my mom's old record player from certain doom in a box in the basement. Then my grandparents donated their old records to me, so I was good to go. My number one favorite record out of the whole collection...a slightly ragged but still rockin copy of Cosmo's Factory. I would recommend this album to a new listener, but while you're here you might as well check out this amazing compilation I've made of great CCR jams. I burned this mix to a CD in high school and I've still got it on consistent rotation, most specifically in the car for highway driving. This thing's been road-tested, and the Dude abides, hold on to those CCR tapes.

EDIT 7/7/11: I changed the link above of Cosmo's Factory from the Amazon.com CD purchase page to their downloadable option, which is only $6.99! It's worth it.

2001: A Rock Odyssey

Remember when the 'new' millennium arrived?

Besides a shift in our clocks, there was a garage rock revival that changed the face of alternative music forever. In 2001 I was thirteen years old, and I quickly fell in love with the White Stripes and the Strokes when they arrived on the scene. My affection for the genre only deepened with the arrival of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, the Hives, the Libertines, the Stills, and eventually the Arctic Monkeys and Bloc Party. Yeah, I love my indie pop now, but before that the speakers in my bedroom were flooded with louder, back-to-basics grooves. I still pop in the White Stripes' Elephant and zoom down the street in my car from time to time, yell-singing "I think I smell a rat!". In high school, my first concert was the Strokes in Boston, at age fourteen. I didn't get to see the White Stripes until age eighteen, but it was still worth it then. Currently, the White Stripes are broken up, who knows what happened to the Hives, and the Strokes are making a dismal attempt at becoming a band again. Even I can admit this, and I was obsessed with Julian Casablancas from the first time I heard "Last Nite". Ah, well. I don't know about you, but I'm ready for some talented new groups to arrive, to pick up where these guys left off in the middle of the last decade, keeping the original soul but injecting some new juice. Anybody wanna start a band?

This playlist is full of songs that I loved when I was in high school, that I think represent the mood and time well. I'm no expert on where genres end and begin, but I think this compilation is pretty awesome and worth the time-traveling. 

this is the remix!

You guys, seventeen year old me is really jealous of twenty three year old me. On Wednesday I went to a Belle & Sebastian music video launch, and tomorrow I'm going to a symposium on the Historical Thesaurus of the OED.

But never mind all of that.

because...

guess what time it is?

TIME FOR MORE THINGS HEATHER LIKES AW YEAH

(otherwise known as 'i have been writing and here are some things I have been listening to, perhaps unhealthily, on repeat')

1. Alpine Ski Champion
Alpine Ski Champion is one of the approximately six bands (this is only a slight exaggeration, though by the time you read this it might be accurate) that my friend Suse is in. ASC is her electro project with her bandmate-in-one-of-her-other-bands/friend Frazer Graham. Both Suse and Frazer are DJs as well, and brilliant ones at that, so needless to say the combination of all of that into an electronic project is pretty fucking fantastic. I recently saw Alpine Ski Champion play live, and they were most excellent. (SIDENOTE, electronic music performed live is much more interesting than i expected it to be.) You can check out all of their tracks on Soundcloud, but check out this remix of Gwen Stefani ft. Pharrel Williams' Ice Cream Island--
Ice Cream Island (Gwen Stefani & Pharrell yummy vocal edit) by AlpineSkiChampion
If this doesn't win you over, nothing will!

2. Bon Iver, Self-Titled
Confession time: I barely listened to For Emma, Forever Ago. (I am aware of the massive crime against humanity that this represents.) Something about this album gave me extraordinary bad luck. So when I heard that Bon Iver was coming out with a new album, I was ready to miss it again. And then I heard Calgary and everything - EVERYTHING - changed. Christ on a bicycle, you guys, this stuff is fantastic. Get the whole new album here. You are welcome.

*BONUS: to fit the theme of this post, here is Calgary, Remixed:
Bon Iver - Calgary (Thunderlust Remix) by Thunderlust

3. The Jackson Pit (the jackson 5 vs passion pit)
YOU GUYS THERE ARE NO WORDS FOR HOW PERFECT THIS IS.



4. This remix of Run This Town vs Fireflies.
Remember that time that Owl City was a thing? Also this comes off a mix called "Best of Bootie". Just saying.


5. http://historysaidwhat.tumblr.com/
This isn't music but this is pretty fantastic.

Don't Sit Down Cause I've Moved Your Chair...

New Arctic Monkeys! Try out their new single, "Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair", off of Suck It And See, which was just released on June 7th. I'm getting an Iggy Pop vibe, but maybe that's just the vocals during the chorus. Anyway, it is a lot different than the more popular Arctic Monkeys songs of the past that people recognize, but I'm digging the new direction. The video for this song is great too, all psychadelic and colorful. What does everybody else think?

A new single from Beirut! "East Harlem" is off the upcoming album The Rip Tide, which will be released on August 30th. How long has it been? To be honest, I didn't even realize that he released an EP in 2009, and I haven't heard it yet. I was on the bandwagon with Gulag Orkestar, Lon Gisland EP, Elephant Gun EP, and dabbled in The Flying Club Cup. The song doesn't charge right out of the gate like some of his early work, but rather slides by. I've always been a big fan of his vocals, and here they are subtle yet precise. This new one is very summery, relaxed, and elegant, I definitely recommend it.

Thoughts?

summer time and the living's easy

It is currently "summertime" in Glasgow (this is arguable). As a result, all the stores are having sales on their "winter" clothes. So, I have been spending a lot of time in H&M lately stocking up on sweaters that are on sale. (I should point out that i am still wearing said sweaters indoors. Yes it is June, thanks for asking.)

The other day while I was in there trolling the bargain racks for the third time (and picked up a fantastic woolen thing for £5), I decided to make my best H&M mixtape. Because, you know, whatever. I concede my hipsterdom to the point of admitting that half of these are songs I've actually recently heard at H&M.

AND it has a bit of a summery feel to it! So there, Glasgow. 55F and rain does not constitute "summer". Just saying.

01 wrong feels right - dum dum girls
02 we're happening - the vaccines
03 still (dr dre) - jj
04 baby says - the kills
05 southside (ft. gwen stefani) - moby
06 night jogger - those darlins
07 wild young hearts - noisettes
08 make time - cults
09 invisible light - scissor sisters
10 after dark - le tigre
11 if you wanna - the vaccines

as per usual, grab it here!

I Will Never Love You More Than...Peanut Butter!

Now that graduation is only a day away, I finally have time to post! This mix starts out upbeat, then gets more mellow by the end, rounding off with a lovely favorite Vashti song of mine. It's funny, this time last year I was blasting "Animal", and here I am again with another Miike Snow song. To be honest, I haven't heard much of their stuff, but they're fun. The Soko song which gives me this post's title is super cute, a great uke jam. I first came across her on YouTube, where she wears a wonderful fur hat in the video for "I Will Never Love You More". Speaking of ukes, I've been toying around with a cover of "Low Man" (Track #6) on my ukulele because it is very easy to play and fun to sing. Can't say I love much else of Alberta Cross' music, but I'm open to suggestions. There are (only!) three Fleet Foxes songs off the new album within this playlist, and I hope that these selections inspire listeners to get the entire album, because it rocks! Or borrow it from me, if you'd like.

Hello droolycats, I am in transit again, which means it is time for another post from me. I have been down south in Canterbury, getting my medievalism on & presenting my research on gendered pronouns in Macbeth through [phrase i am fairly certain I made up]. The conference went well. Look, here's a picture of me looking like an idiot with my totebag & nametag!

but it is that time again-- time for things heather likes!

1. Nicki Minaj.
There are no words. I mean, have we heard her verse on Kanye West's "Monster"? Blows everyone out of the water. Anyway, her superb album Pink Friday just got a deluxe version rerelease, which you should check out. I could probably go on about her forever, but i will restrain myself. Here's one of the new tracks:


2. TuNe-YaRdS
Okay so everyone is talking about TuNe-YaRdS' new album W H O K I L L. The first time I heard it, I hated it! I hated it a lot. And then I revisited the album a few days later and "got it". Amazing stuff, actually. This is very droolycat-friendly music, I think.


3. The Magician
I've been doing some writing this past month, and I like listening to things that I can sort of tune out but keep me going when I write. The Magician is a DJ and his sets are excellent for writing to. He releases a mix tape monthly and does some pretty killer remixes (check out his lykke li remix here). Download his sets for free off of SoundCloud (which has some great stuff on it)

4. Till The World Ends
I love Britney Spears. There, I said it. Whatever, okay? I could listen to this song forever (and I have been). She's kind of the artist of our generation - she's the only pop musician from the early 90s to survive & still top the charts into 2011, so there's that. Whoa oh oh ohhhh...


What have you been listening to lately?

Lykke Li - Sadness is a Blessing (Director Tarik Saleh)

Quantic

 

 (picture I took while in London, 2009)

Whoa! Can it be? Posting again so soon? Yes. It occurred to me during painting class today that I should share my appreciation for Quantic before I would forget and get swept up in the daily madness cycle of end-of-year homework. I listened to this playlist while painting for three hours this morning and I found it (the beats especially) really helpful in keeping me concentrated and busy. This playlist was actually given to me by someone else when I was in high school, but I hadn't checked it out in awhile. Glad I did! I imagine it would also be a good playlist for exercising, it definitely was great for driving on this sunny day. I posted that London picture because Quantic reminds me of being in London, something to do with the energy of the city I guess. Quantic is actually Will Holland, a British guy, so I guess that makes sense. Don't you just want to run down that walkway to the garden beyond, while listening to Quantic? That's what I would do.

Strawberry Jam

 

(This picture is from Wired.com and it made me laugh out loud, so I hope you do too.)

Gah! It's been awhile since I last posted, life has been moving so fast lately. With graduation from college less than a month away, there are lots of changes going on for me right now. It can get overwhelming at times, but above all it's important to remember to breathe between ticking all the boxes and filling out forms. I've actually been sitting on this playlist for a week or two now, just taking my time and adding songs when I thought of it. It's called "Strawberry Jam" because those words are in the lyrics of one of the songs (can you guess which?). It's a good playlist for a backdrop to doing homework or relaxing, enjoy!

Los Gatos Drooly! Yo soy en Madrid por ahora!

In fact, I've been in Spain since Wednesday - Earlier this week I was presenting at a conference in Valencia, and I'm about to head back to Scotland tomorrow morning. I can't take a lot of time off for a vacation; I have to get ready for my next conference in 3 weeks' time...

But! Spain's beautiful; I took a bus from Madrid to Valencia and back again to see some of the countryside, But anyway, the Spanish countryside lots of greens and oranges and little shrubs in lines, some much more advanced than others, with the occasional half-an-ancient buidling and a couple little italian-esque mini towns of stacked houses here and there. Mostly I had to remember that I wasn't actually in Arizona or something, but SPAIN. Espana!

So what do we listen to during our time in sunny Spain, before we go back to rainy Glasgow?


Oh yes.

On my way through the desert I finally got around to listening to the Kills' new album, and I don't think I will ever not associate that experience with this album. Here's what hour 2 of the four hour bus journey feels like:

Sleepy March Mix

 

(pic I took at a diner in Brooklyn)

So, I went to New York City last week and it was gorgeous and 77 degrees. When I went shopping, I bought mostly spring dresses. Then I came home and it was rainy, snowy, and in the 30s. I'm wearing sweatpants and a tshirt. Where are you Spring?

Here is a rainy day mix...I'm starting to realize that all my playlists are weather themed lately. I do have some good ideas for my playlist after this, a specific theme. Most of the time I just listen to what feels good :)

Note: "Young Bride" has been stuck in my head for DAYS.

hello droolycats, it is time to talk about Things That Heather Likes! Otherwise known as "heather's latest musical obsessions, you are welcome."

1. "rolling in the deep" by adele
there is not much to say about this song other than "holy fucking shit". i don't know who has pissed her off so much but i would like to have her always be this upset if it will mean more albums like 21. Also, this video, omg etc.


2. jj's album "kills"
okay, so this is a swedish group that takes hot beats from pop music and adds sometimes tweaked, beautiful, ethereal vocals to the mix. think a very restrained girl talk + beach house. I am loving their mixtape kills (download for free).

they have a couple other albums that are less mixtape/sampley but still amazing (jj nº 2 and nº 3)

3. cut copy, "need you now"
there is some sort of neo-disco revival situation happening right now, which simultaneously makes me sort of upset (because, you guys, remember how embarrassing disco was?) and very, very happy. I imagine this is sort of fueled by the success of those 2 MGMT songs. I don't know if this is just a european/uk thing or if it's made it over to the states already, but get your ears excited!


4. the gaslight anthem
I don't know where i've been, but these guys are awesome. American Slang was the first album of theirs I heard, and it's very good, but The '59 Sound is awesome- sort of bruce springsteeny punk. they are also from new jersey. something must be in new jersey's water, or it has something to do with the perpetual smog cloud that lives there.


5. "get some" by lykke li
lykke li's new album is okay - not as good as youth novels, but this track is excellent. i have tickets to see her in april, but it turns out i'll be in spain at a conference. whoops. who wants to come to glasgow and see lykke li for me?


6. summer babes // a mix by sebastian barr
Sebastian is a Stranger From The Internet whose blog I follow; he posted this mix a couple of weeks ago and it's amazing. (it is through his blog that I found out about jj in the first place.) Now that it's warming up and we're all dreaming of summer and/or warmer climes, go download part 1 & part 2

You won't be disappointed. Get your beach hipster on!

Eismelt

Things are melting!

One of our running jokes is that we could probably start a (very strange) band out of the English studies department - we have a lot of people who are/have been in bands! For instance, I just found out that my two supervisors were in a punk band together for a while. To be honest, it's not hard to know people in bands here - almost everyone's in one (or two or three!)

Anyway, whenever someone in the department has a gig, we all usually try to go. Tonight my friend Alan had a gig. We love Alan, he wears Christmas sweaters year-round and spends lots of time staring blankly at the wall looking thoughtful instead of working. Here is his band; he's the singer & guitarist in the video. He sounds nothing like this in real life.


Basically, I had no idea who would follow Alan's melodic indie-folk-in-Christmas-sweaters music, but when Standard Hipsters practically clipped from an American Apparel ad started setting up I had moderately low expectations. They turned out to be this amazing postrock band. I should point out that Mogwai is from Glasgow, so we've got a bit of a postrock tradition here.

I really like postrock but it's difficult to pull it off correctly without being too heavy-handed or contrived. I don't really know how to describe Last Lungs, but you can stream their whole album here.

FLEET FOXES ARE BACK!!

I am beyond stoked.
Helplessness Blues will be released on May 3rd.
Yet another reason to look forward to Springtime. :)

Tour: Tuesday, May 17th they come to Boston! It's at the Orpheum. Tickets for that show just went on sale today at 10am, and are going fast. I just bought two tickets! See you there!

Edit: 2.18.2011
I just wanted to also post the lyrics to this song, because I thought they were pretty good.

another office playlist

Hi.

This is what I've been up to lately:


Oh, and listening to a lot of music - that's right everyone, it's time for another music from the office playlist! I've started writing my thesis, so here's some music I've been listening to while I write.

01 american slang - the gaslight anthem
02 come back home - two door cinema club
03 i am not a robot (clock opera remix) - marina & the diamonds
04 mine is yours (passion pit remix) - cold war kids
05 everywhere - vampire weekend
06 fireworks - whitest boy alive
07 total life forever - foals
08 i'm good, i'm gone - lykke li
09 islands - the xx
10 rome - phoenix
11 royksopp forever - royksopp
12 indestructible - robyn
13 feel it in my bones - tiesto ft. tegan & sara
14 stereo love - edward maya ft. vika jigulin
15 shook (mobb deep and sigur ros remix) - emancipator

CONFESSION TIME: I really, really like to write to pop music and remixes, mostly because it means i can kind of just tune out everything else and just focus on the beats to keep me going. i realize this isn't for everyone, but i think "pop music" can encompass a lot of things without being terrible, so at least give this one a try before you say "heather, what the hell are you doing?"

(i promise to return with something profoundly douchey and pretentious next time.)

So every once in a while the UK music press likes to masturbate all over one or two artists, claiming that they are the best thing to happen since sliced bread. Sometimes this makes them lose credibilty, and sometimes they are absolutely right.

Droolycats, meet Anna Calvi, the current Rising Star of the UK:


This album's not out in the US yet (to the best of my knowledge!) but you can grab it here.

If you liked this, also check out Florence + the Machine's 2009 album Lungs and Lisa Hannigan's (of Damien Rice fame) 2008 album Sea Sew, which was equally gorgeous.

Covers.

Here's my playlist of sweet covers. I found it really hard to narrow down the options for Richie Havens- everything he does is magical. Also, for this live version of "North Country Girl," Pete Townshend stays true to the melody and acoustic guitar part from Dylan's "Girl From the North Country." However, I recommend checking out his recording on the "All The Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes" album (1982). It's funnier, and much more 80's.

The tracklist (in no particular order) and Youtube playlist can be found below. Enjoy!

1. The Man Who Sold the World - Nirvana
2. North Country Girl - Pete Townshend
3. Rocket Man - Pusifer (Maynard James Keenan & Steven Drozd)
4. Crystalised - Gorillaz
5. Rebellion - Benjamin Francis Leftwich
6. Smooth Criminal - J. Viewz (sassy jazz version)
7. Handle With Care - Jenny Lewis & the Watson Twins
8. Mercy Street - Fever Ray
9. Barbarann - The Who
10. Blackbird - Crosby, Stills & Nash
11. Stand By Me - John Lennon
12. Rocky Raccoon - Richie Havens
13. Won't Get Fooled Again - Richie Havens

Riot Grrrls, Pt. 2

Hey All! I'm sorry that I've neglected Droolycat as of late...I promise to contribute more often! Today, I've decided to respond to Heather's challenge with a Riot Grrrl (or at least, women who rock) playlist of my own! I've included a link to each song on YouTube.

Erase Errata - "Tax Dollar"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0nCCKaf5bU

Melt-Banana - "Shield for Your Eyes, A Beast in the Well on Your Hand"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQ6Sk8Aj-SQ

Lydia Lunch - "Suicide Ocean"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGmqNi8J3mk

Julie Ruin - "Breakout A-Town"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jlr56kDYWvk

X-Ray Spex - "Art-I-Ficial"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abu2otMwDo4

The Pandoras - "It's About Time"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrVsQJgjD98

Cibo Matto - "Birthday Cake"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kI5j22h6OdA

Hanin Elias - "No Games No Fun"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgOP4OPEq88

Suffrajett - "Mr. Man"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXA6MqYWrw0

Lolita Storm - "You Make Me High (When You Go Down Low)"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdZlEZ6K5Pw

Destroy All Monsters - "You're Gonna Die"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmsTcey5e20

Lydia Lunch - "This Side of Nowhere" (Lydia Lunch gets two songs on my playlist because she's that awesome)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5R5bETC_wvA

Marie Moor - "Pretty Day"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=np5nPeW4YbU

Au Pairs - "America"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3k2CIcdYNzA

Sea Goats in Space!

Happy Birthday David Bowie! You are one of my favorite musicians of all time. In honor of Bowie, I have created a Capricorn-filled playlist. I wasn't surprised to find that most Capricorn bands seem to be drawn to psychadelic/space-rock, which actually makes this playlist flow pretty well. Even the Del Shannon number has a Jetsons-type jingle in the middle of it.

"Are You A Hypnotist??" ~ The Flaming Lips (lead singer/songwriter Wayne Coyne, born January 13)
"Lady Stardust" ~ David Bowie (born January 8)
"Runaway" ~ Del Shannon (born December 30)
"Astronomy Domine" ~ Pink Floyd (Syd Barrett, born January 6)
"Fever" ~ Elvis Presley (born January 8)
"House of the Rising Sun (Animals Cover)" ~ Joan Baez (born January 9)
"Dazed and Confused" ~ Led Zeppelin (Jimmy Page, born January 9)
"Stay With You" ~ John Legend (born December 28)
"Dancing Barefoot" ~ Patti Smith (born December 30)
"Life On Mars" ~ David Bowie
"Andy Warhol" ~ David Bowie
"Space Oddity" ~ David Bowie
"Bowie Song" ~ Flight of the Conchords (Jemaine Clement, born January 10)

Note: This playlist will play all tracks in order, once started.

Had to end with a grand-Bowie-finale. That's pretty freaky, Bowie!

Happy New Year!

So I've been planning to compile my favorite cover songs for quite some time, but I became discouraged by a number of disgraceful covers I've heard recently. However, my inspiration has been restored by this. It's a version of Rocket Man by Steven Drozd of the Flaming Lips and Maynard James Keenan of Tool. Definitely worth a listen, and expect a Covers Mix in the near future!

riot grrrls

Hi Droolycats, happy new year! Team Droolycat has big plans coming up for your ears early this year, which you'll be hearing about soon, I'm sure. Anyway, long story short, I got a little bit distracted while working our upcoming surprise.

+++
Besides Belle & Sebastian and being a fucking hipster, there are two other things I really, really love, which sometimes surprises people:

1. 90s riot-grrl punk and everything derivative of it
2. Trashy pop music

(I will save us all from #2 for now.)

I follow a bunch of blogs and a few months ago, one of them featured an all-female mix. While I love this sort of thing, half of it ended up being some quiet acoustic things - which I appreciate, of course, but wanted to see a mix that was purely girls rocking. Since then, I've been thinking about how I would approach this myself, and finally got around to making it just now.

I set myself some rules: there must be at least one woman in the band (ideally two - i made an exception for Beach House), and they had to sing. By the end of it, I kind of succumbed myself - it's harder than you'd expect!


(picture from flickr)
01 heavy cross - the gossip
02 black tongue - yeah yeah yeahs
03 oh! - sleater-kinney
04 eau d'bedroom dancing - le tigre
05 i'm good i'm gone - lykke li
06 combat baby - metric
07 soft shock (acoustic) - yeah yeah yeahs
08 we got the beat - the go-go's
09 dance song '97 - sleater-kinney
10 divine hammer - the breeders
11 he war - cat power
12 undertow - warpaint
13 walk in the park - beach house
14 stratford-on-guy - liz phair
download this mix here

For more ladies rocking out, check out the following:
Bikini Kill I tried so, so hard to get them on there, but it just didn't make sense in the playlist. They practically invented riot grrl. Kathleen Hanna's amazing, and she gets a shout-out via Le Tigre, but you guys, BIKINI KILL.
Julie Ruin Kathleen Hanna's side project between Bikini Kill & Le Tigre
M.E.N. JD Samson is a former member of Le Tigre and this is her new band. They rule.
Bratmobile
PJ Harvey
Patti Smith
Vivian Girls sort of a 2000s-noise-rock response to riot grrl.
The Corin Tucker Band Sleater-Kinney is one of my favorite bands - I was very sad when they broke up after their album The Woods. this is the latest from their (former) lead singer.


What would be on your female-only mix?