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: