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05-12-12

Friday Favorites 019: Best Coast

This week NPR posted a full stream of Best Coast’s new album, The Only Place, and the timing couldn’t have been more perfect. I’ve been streaming it all week while soaking up the increasingly longer, sunnier days. It’s the perfect music for the weather, and although the album itself isn’t longer than their last, it is most definitely brighter.

With the help of producer extrodinaire, Jon Brion, this album sparkles, where Best Coast’s debut was far from shiny.

Here’s the video for “Boyfriend” from their previous record, which needs no introduction.

Right now, I just can’t stop listening The Only Place. Best Coast is the best music if you want to have the best time.

05-05-12

Friday Favorites 018: M83

According to my last.fm page, I have listened to a total of 1,394 M83 songs since May 19, 2007. This means that in the last five years I have listened to M83 more than any other musician or band. This is really no surprise to me at all. Since I first discovered them in 2005, when M83 released Before the Dawn Heals Us, the trajectory of my love for the band would compare to that of a rocket taking off. 7 years later, this rocket has yet to slow down or change course. In fact, it feels like this mission to outer space has just begun.

My favorite album of 2011 was M83′s Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming by a long shot. Nothing else really came close.

This past week, M83 released a new remix EP of the track Reunion from their most recent album. Check out the stellar mix by Scottish dance producer, Mylo, below:

I have seen M83 once in concert, at the 2009 Pitchfork Festival, and they were incredible, but I feel the appropriate way to see them is at night, in the dark. Tonight is that night. I will be heading to Detroit in about an hour to grab a bite to eat and check them out in all their face-melting glory at the Majestic Theater.

In case my face melts right off of my skull tonight, it was nice knowing you. Rest assured that I died happy.

04-28-12

Friday Favorites 017: Tweetbot

Occasionally, an app is designed that makes something good, great. Flipboard is one example of this, making reading RSS feeds both efficient and beautiful. Another great example of this is Tweetbot, developed by the guys of Tapbots.

I just switched to this app from the official Twitter app about a week ago and I’m already a convert. Tweetbot takes what is great about Twitter and amplifies it within a beautiful environment and gives you more than just an endless feed of posts you can retweet or reply to. With Tweetbot, you can manage into lists, mark links for offline reading, or easily get back to those tweets of you’ve interacted with before. There is no other client out there even close to this in terms of functionality or design.

If you use Twitter on an iPhone, you should get this app. If you use Twitter on an iPhone and an iPad, you need this app. Not only is Tweetbot a beautiful client for both, but using iCloud your last read tweets are saved and synced as well as any lists or other changes you make.

To see what I’m talking about, check out this demo video designed by the creators at Tapbots. The cherry on top with this app is that it is made by two talented guys, not some major corporation or design firm just looking to make a quick buck. These two just know their stuff and it just makes it that more enjoyable to support a job well done.

04-20-12

Friday Favorites 016: Gang Gang Dance

I still remember the very first time I heard Gang Gang Dance. About 3 years ago I was in a vintage clothing shop, just browsing, mostly looking at their vintage ties, and started to pay more attention to the music that was playing the background. Something about the music seemed oddly familiar, but it also seemed totally foreign and unique as it shifted between jam, dance, hip hop, synth rock, and trip hop. I asked the guy behind the counter what the hell it was and he nonchalantly dropped the band’s name and as soon as I got home I started checking them out.

Their 2011 Eye Contact was one of my favorite records from last year, but over the last week it has been all I’ve listened to. I’ve been playing it in the car, at home, and at work during my breaks. They way that Gang Gang Dance have married so many disparate ideas into such a beautiful and cohesive whole is something I find awe inspiring. It’s no surprise to me they have such strong ties to the art community.

Check out the trippy video for “MindKilla” off Eye Contact below, with its layers of synth, wet guitar, and reggaeton drums.

If you’ve got a little more time to kill, check out this 4AD session performance video of them playing in a mirrored room. It gets really real at about the 38 minute mark. Enjoy!

04-14-12

Friday Favorites 015: Chromatics

Imagine you are driving. It’s night. And although this night started just like any other night, somehow, you know this night will never end. You will never see the sun again, as if trapped in a dream. This dream has an overwhelming sense of foreboding and it fills you with the desire to be close to someone, anyone.

You have just placed yourself within the emotional framework of the new Chromatics album Kill for Love. Check out one of the best tracks from the record below, called “Lady”.