It’s amazing how refreshing a week of Alpine skiing can be, how enlightening it is to take a break from the status quo and just get out there…and do. Having said that, I’m heartily looking forward to the school/university transition that creeps closer with every day, and the liberation that will bring.
Keeping on that theme, here is a delightful single by Man Without Country, the same people who brought out killer 2011 remixes of M83, Active Child & Moby (all found here):
Meg Myers: About to explode (metaphorically.)
Of all of the singles I’ve posted here this year, I think After You has the most potential to break out. And I don’t just mean some kids in your school might like it. I mean, Adele at the Brits 2011/ Videogames pre-LDR backlash big. It’s rare that I am actually able to say that. Also rare: this density of hyperbole in a blog post. The last time it happened was with Somebody That I Used To Know (and there, all I did was predict a trend that had already kickstarted in Gotye’s native Australia.) This feels different. Gotye had released two prior albums and had a catalogue of side-projects. Hence, this post reaches you with mondo excitement. Meg Myers is going to be huge, and one listen to After You and you’ll feel exactly the same way. Apparently spring turns a boy’s heart to fancy, Myers’ voice is an equally apt counterpart. (If I haven’t provided enough incentive to jump the jump, here’s a video of a polar bear hugging a dog.)
Chillwave and a suitably obscure artist name? Why, you may think to yourself, Bal certainly is providing a delicious counterpoint against those mainstream moguls, Henry and Jonah (I have yet to decide whether I am ‘cool’ enough to warrant a self-referential third-person). Meanwhile, you also notice (astute reader as you are), this suitably minimalist image. Two hands? The same person? LAMPSHADE?! Rest assured, I will answer these pressing worries:
You Again: M83 returns to Can You Hear This
We’ve been fairly M83 heavy here recently, for which I make no apologies. Yesterday we took you for a spin to the eery Midnight City and well, things are about to get even eerier. Ranconte-Moi Une Histoire, like most of M83′s work, takes you on a journey from beginning to end. In French. It walks on a thin line between delicate and creepy, and ends up pretty transcendental. It’s beautiful, and a nice way to ease you into Friday. Just one more day, you guys!
More M83 magic after the technological jump:
There’s a new big-hitter on my list, and he goes by the name of Clams Casino. The New Jersey bedroom producer has stormed onto the scene, producing tracks for emerging acts like ASAP Rocky and Lil B. The man has put together an album full of the instrumentals that he has produced, and in a lot of ways I think they’re better than the actual songs. My favourite (and the one that has been plaguing my mind over the last week) is called Realist Alive. Take a listen. No wonder clams are supposed to be aphrodisiacs…
M83: All kinds of awesome.
M83′s HurryUp,We’reDreaming was one of the my favourite albums of the last year and Midnight City was its stand-out track. I’ve been fairly reliably informed that it’s been featured a few times on Made In Chelsea, which, you know, fine. Here’s a neat The White Panda remix with Kanye West. It’s a pretty perfect tune for kicking back after a day of school/work/being awesome:
Official video for Midnight City after the jump (it’s worth it):
In the UK? Heard of LoveFilm.com? Then you will have probably seen one of their latest adverts, featuring this beautifully crafted song that is done justice by McMorrow:
Topping the charts, winning our hearts: Nicki, Adam, Adele and Cee Lo.
Ah, pop music. I hope 2011 was as good for you as it was for me. We’ve had hits from Rihanna (somehow managing to string singles from Loud while releasing new material from Talk That Talk), a few hits from KP and one massive Party Rock Anthem from LMFAO. As per, DJ Earworm has releaseed his end-of-year remix, featuring some of the year’s 25 biggest tracks. It may be a fairly cheap way to garner attention by joyriding on others’ commercial success but it’s a helpful way to view the year that was. We’ve decided to highlight some of our favourites from the remix:
First things first, the remix:
Musical Chairs: This Year's Hottest Pairings
Collabs (abbreviations are the only way that this post is going to be written with a trace of coherency before I collapse into my bed surrounded my holiday prep and Hardy) came into their own this year. We’ve had some inspired pairings and some purely marketed for number 1 status (I’m looking at 2/3 of yours, KP.) Let’s take a gander at some of the best:
The Big Hitters: The Artists we couldn
Jonah McGowan
Michael Crewe
Henry Ellenthorpe
Bal Gill
