Phoenix (Acoustic)

Phoenix released several acoustic tracks from a recent live performance for German magazine Musikexpress. Some pretty interesting sounds are brought to life when these songs are performed unplugged and at first it was a little hard to get used to for the first minute or so, but now I'm liking it. It just shows these four guys are good in any format. There are three songs below and one is a cover (a Bob Dylan Cover in fact) compliments of Pitchfork. I've got to say, its a very good cover....only about half as long as the actual Dylan song, but I think it still keeps the integrity of the song in place. The second song is from their 2009 hit album Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix , which was one of my favorites albums of 2009 and it's also up for a Grammy tonight. The final song is from Phoenix's 2006 album It's Never Been Like that which is also a very, very good record.

Take a listen below and lets hope they take a grammy back home to France. Eh hau hua hua (that's my typed version of a really good French impersonation..) Okay, Au revoir.

Phoenix - Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands (Acoustic & a Dylan Cover)

Phoenix - Armistice (Acoustic)

Phoenix - One Time Too Many (Acoustic)

Local Native- New Video

New Video released today from Local Natives, its the song "Airplanes" which will be on Gorilla Manor which will have its US release in abooooout two weeks.

Peace.

Airplanes

Local Natives | MySpace Music Videos

Beach House

I've been a casual listener of Beach House over the last few years, but never loved them or heavily anticipated an album by this band. My anticipation level has now changed. I liked Norway their single released late '09, but what did it for me was seeing them on Jimmy Fallon last night where they performed "Zebra" and it caused a spark in my anticipation meter I speak of. That is not meant to sound dirty. Anyway, I listened to this track multiple times this morning and now I am heavily anticipating this full length album.

"Teen Dream" will be released this Tuesday, 1/26/10.

Below is another live performance of Zebra and the streaming mp3.
Peace.

Beach House - Zebra

Beach House - Norway

Local Natives

The Local Natives out of Los Angeles are a band I've been listening to a lot lately. They're a five piece band that is extremely vocal heavy, but they're also a very beat heavy band which are things I love oh so much. The Local Natives will be making an even bigger name for themselves in 2010, its a guarantee.

Gorilla Manor (album) has been released in UK but will be available in the US around Feb. 16th. Mark the calendars and hide the air mics / bongos.

Below is one of the songs off that album. Its a Talking Heads cover.

Local Natives - Warning Sign (Talking Heads cover)

Followed by a very cool video of the Local Natives playing a Thank you song to a nice group of people in Vermont. The van was stuck and after a kind family helped the band / van out of the mud they played an amazing impromptu version of "Airplanes"

Jay Reatard- RIP

Everyone who was a fan is well aware, very sad day last week (Jan 13th). I think cause of death is still undetermined, but had heard it was being investigated as a homicide. Either way, its sad. I wanted to post a cover that Jay recorded. It's Beck's Gamma Ray...this is also streaming on Becks's webpage

Jay Reatard-Gamma Ray (Beck Cover)

Here are also some words written from Deerhunter singer Bradford Cox posted a tribute to Reatard on his band’s blog.

“Jay was what few people have the capacity to be,” Cox wrote. “He created an
undeniably classic album that contained so much pain transfered (sic) to tape in
such an explosive way that it made you feel different after hearing it. He was
transgressive and honest. His flaws were something he focused on and overdubbed
and distorted until they made you forget who he really was: a person with
feelings and a good heart. He loved music and worked hard from a young age to
pursue it. He was a self-made and unmade man. I am truly sickened to see him
go.”

Best of 2009

I'm late, but I wanted to go ahead and post favorites albums / songs of 2010.

I think 2009 was a good year for music, but then again, I think there is great music made and released every single year, you just have to be open to it. As far as lists go...they're completely subjective, everyone has favorites and mine is no better (or worse) than anyone else's. So here they are in no particular order, but where I thought they fit best in a mix-a-lot form.

Oh, yes Happy 9 days in for 2010. (No big deal, but that totally rhymed).

Looking forward to an amazing year of life along with beautiful music and all other things inbetween.

Avi Buffalo- What's In It For?
Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros - Home
Grizzly Bear - While We Wait for the Others
We Are Country Mice- There's No Other
Local Natives - World News
Blitzen Trapper - Silver Moon
Deerhunter - Rainwater Casette Exchange
The xx - Islands
Holiday Shores - Phones Don't Feud
Surfer Blood - Swim (to reach the end)
Real Estate - Beach Comber
Girls - Lust for Life
Animal Collective - My Girls
Washed Out - You'll See It
Atlas Sounds - Walkabout (w/ Noah Lennox)
Miike Snow - Animal
Dirty Projectors - Stillness is the Move
Phoenix - Listzomania
Japandroids – Crazy/Forever