Frank Wu
Listen: Bon Iver’s Solo Piano Version of “Beth/Rest”
“Beth/Rest” may just be this year’s most polarizing song. The closer to Bon Iver‘s sophomore album, the 80’s style soft-rock lullaby both stunned and wowed listeners. In his review, our own Darcy Morgan loved the unorthodox style and commented on how only Justin Vernon could pull off such a risky song. Vernon himself has repeatedly defended the “cheesiness” of the song in interviews.
Now, a few months after the song’s initial release, Vernon has given us even more to talk about. In his session for NPR World Cafe, the singer-songwriter performed a highly stripped-down version of the song on a piano bench. That’s right — no saxophones, no solos, no cheesiness. Just a performance of “Beth/Rest” in its most basic form, including some deep, nearly spoken vocals in the intro.
You can listen to the song here, as well as performances of “Holocene” and 2009’s “Blood Baby”. You can also stream/download the MP3 below.
MP3: Bon Iver – “Beth/Rest (Solo Piano Version)”
James Blake Announces ‘Enough Thunder’
Since unleashing his epic collaboration with Bon Iver‘s Justin Vernon on the world,James Blake has stirred quite a bit of discussion about something new called Enough Thunder, which was included in the Youtube description for “Fall Creek Boys Choir”. Now we know that it is the name of Blake’s forthcoming EP, which will be released on October 10 via Atlas Records, the same independent label that released his critically-acclaimed self-titled debut this past February.
The six-track EP will include “Fall Creek Boys Choir”, a cover of Joni Mitchell’s “A Case of You”, and four new songs.
If you haven’t heard it already, you can listen to “Fall Creek Boys Choir” after the break. You can also grab it on iTunes here.
Check Out: The Feeling of Love – “No Fun (The Stooges)”
French no-wavists The Feeling of Love serve up this clattering, droning cover of an old Stooges favorite. Depending on the ear of the beholder, it’s either a brilliant re-imagining of the Stooges ugly as sin proto-punk or a smart-arsed piss take. It’s a bit of a sonic wreck, despite the use of supposedly “flawless” electronics, but I’m sure Iggy wouldn’t have it any other way. Perfect mood music for those “tail end of summer “days when all you want to do is cover yourself in peanut butter, roll around lazily on some broken glass and then, I don’t know, age somewhat gracefully into a pint-sized rock icon with the physique of Mr. Universe runner-up and the face of a 75-year-old Russian peasant woman.
MP3: The Feeling of Love – “No Fun (The Stooges Cover)”
Find this and much more (for free!) on Beko Box 2 over at Beko DSL.
Download The-Dream’s ‘1977’ (New Album)
The-Dream‘s new album,The Love, IV (Diary of a Mad Man), has been delayed, but that didn’t stop the R&B singer from releasing a new album today. 1977, which was first announced at the beginning of this month, has been posted for free download on The-Dream’s website and is credited under his birth name Terius Nash. The lyrics for each song have also been posted.
Says Nash via Twitter: “chances “DefJam” puts a Cease and Desist on 1977 unfortunately Very High. but i think yall will have it before lawyers make me take it down.” But for the time being, you can download the entire thing for free direct here. The full tracklisting is available after the break.
Listen: The Dean’s List – “Kryptonite Sanity Room (K.S.R.)”
The Dean’s List have released a brand new song entitled “Kruptonite Sanity Room (K.S.R.)”. Emcee Sonny Shotz begins the song with a pained commentary on his life, talking about his need for a Kryptonite Sanity Room: something “that can kill you, but keep you sane at the same time…when you start having doubts.” Fantastic production from DJ Mendoza and Mik Beats, combined with some of Sonny’s best lines yet make this song a must listen. Running six minutes and twenty-five seconds, the track is a showcase of the group’s talent, ending with Sonny saying, “I’m just talking to the people, this isn’t even a song really.” Download or stream the MP3 below.
Listen: Drake feat. Justin Bieber – “Trust Issues (Remix)”
Two of Canada’s finest (or at least most popular) team up on this new remix of Drake‘s “Trust Issues”. Justin Bieberhops on the mic to record his take of Drake’s song. Bieber’s voice seems to be taking a hit as he matures and it looks like he more than just trust issues to deal with, hitting relatively lower registers on this song compared to that of his previous work. Check it out for yourself below.
Jamie xx’s BBC Essential Mix
There’s no denying that The xx‘s Jamie xx is an extremely talented solo producer. After producing The xx’s self-titled debut, the Mercury Prize Winner went on to remix the late Gil-Scott Heron on We’re New Here and then released a new single entitled “Far Nearer”. A few days ago, Jamie took over the DJ booth and spun a two-hour mix for the BBC Essential Mix series. You can listen to entire mix in full below, courtesy of Young Turks. There are some great songs included from such artists as Orbital, Wiley, James Blake, and ends with Jamie’s own mix of Radiohead‘s “Bloom”.
Full tracklisting for Jamie’s mix is available after the break.
A Year Later… Our First Birthday Playlist
It’s hard to imagine that exactly one year ago, the very first post on this site was released to the world. In the past year, we’ve certainly come a long way, growing rapidly in terms of both listeners and contributors. With our posts over the past 365 days, we hope that we’ve exposed some good music to you, sharing our personal favorites either in the form of an MP3 or simply through our writing. It’s a great feeling to know that somewhere out there, people are reading what we have to say and appreciating music that they otherwise would not have found.
So in celebration of our first birthday, it only made sense to thank you, the reader. Thank you for checking out what we have to say and allowing us to share the music we love. Over the next year, we’ll be looking to grow even more and work with even more great artists. Big things are on the horizon, so please share us with your friends and keep visiting and commenting.
Frank Wu
A Year Later…
OCD: Moosh & Twist – “Beautiful Day”
Neako – “Hello”
Y Luv – “All Night”
Cults – “Go Outside”
Foster The People – “Helena Beat”
Theophilus London – “Last Name London”
Los Campesinos! – “You! Me! Dancing!”
The Dean’s List – “Dear Professor”
Eddy B & Tim Gunter – “Graduation (feat. That Kid C-G)”
Hoodie Allen – “The Chase Is On”
Xaphoon Jones – “The Jackson Pit”
Matt & Kim – “AM/FM Sound”
Listen: M83 – “Midnight City” Remixes
If you’ve heard M83‘s new single “Midnight City”, there’s a good chance you’ve fallen in love with the song’s catchy synth production and mind-blowing sax solo. Even so, you may be in need of some new M83 to jam to, especially since the brand new double album, Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming, isn’t due for release until October 18.
To make the long wait a tiny bit easier for you, I’ve compiled a list of four “Midnight City” remixes, all different in style and vibe. Check them out below.
Midnight City by M83
Tokyo Police Club Cover Jimmy Eat World
Tokyo Police Club finished the second of ten 10-hour long studio sessions yesterday, recording a electric-infused cover of Jimmy Eat World‘s pop-punk hit “Sweetness”. Joined by Michael Angelakos of Passion Pit, the Ontario indie rock outfit don’t really make too many changes to the song aside from a brief electro interlude near the end. You can check out “Sweetness” below.
For the next part of the ten-song series, the band will be recording a cover of “Under Control” by The Strokes.
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