Blood Red Shoes - “It’s Getting Boring By The Sea” | I 1st came across this song via Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. Last night i heard the song again as it opened the indie french film 17 Girls. The song’s apt title and lyrics summed up the movies theme of a group of girls finding empowerment, due to their boredom in a small coastal town in Brittany, France. Anyways, this is a cool power pop/britpop song, so enjoy it.

M83 - “Mirrors” | This was released last fri. on record day. This is also one of my first music posts where i’m posting a song that actually, i do not like. Dont get me wrong, i luv m83, i even had a great time at their live shows. Twice in the last yr.. Unfortunately their last tour consist of going through Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming, where’ their hit song Midnight City has def. propel them into mainstream EDM territory. This new song, Mirror, is clearly no Moonchild or Kelly. Songs that originally made me fall for M83, their uncanny ability to merge electronics and a sort of Post-Rock. Their old stuff is the type of music u left urself get lost in. Their new stuff, like Mirrors, is the type of music u dance to. Still Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming has a few good gems when M83 slows down like Wait and Echoes of Mine.

I luv seeing a band going into fame, making more $$ and making more music. But its always a shame to see that they have to do so by changing their style, specially the style i luv them for in the first place. I guess i’m hoping that they stay true, keep a few tracks in the old style and get famous w/ saxophone filled, pop EDM song that can be used as Victoria Secret commercial songs on the side. 

STAY TRUE, m83!

Sleeper Agent - “Get Burned (Live from Tennessee State prison” | A indie/alt rock band from Kentucky. I luv their dueling male/female vocals. Its cute, catchy and they like their short pop songs that run around 2-3min.

The album version is much more alt-rocky-y.

Givers - NPR Tiny Desk Concert | Givers visits NPRs All Song Consider’s Tiny Desk concerts. Givers r from NO and has a jazzy worldbeat to their brand of indie pop. 

Chromatics - “Kill For Love” | I first discover them from the Drive soundtrack. Great album if u r into some sort of more atmospheric electronic stuff. A bit lounge-y. Still that College track on the album is amazing. Anyways, this is the title track on Chromatic’s new album of the same name. It has that spacey vocal and disco beat that kind of gives Chromatic their signature disco sound. But only the sort of dance a MPDG can do in a spacey dream sequence.

AWOLNation - “Sail” | This came up on my coachella playlist. Its one of the big songs that got AWOLnation popular. try it out.

Silverbus - “Those Forgotten” | Those of you who actually listen to these audio clips i post should know by now that i’m a sucker for big post-rock epics, that swell into bliss. I’ve posted a track by Silverbus from Taiwan b4, and here’s their 2011 Orange album closer track, “Those Forgotten”. bathe in it. 

And as i keep saying, the underground music renaissance in TW and CN is making me all sort of jealous.

Mika - “Happy Ending” | One of the best albums 2007, Mika tones down his dance/pop tracks for this one, which is pretty much anthem with a chorus. I’ve been listening to NPR’s All Song Considered a lot lately, and they’ve been talking about the secret sauce that each listener likes and looks for in songs. We all have our own individual attributes that we look for that makes a song ‘pop’ for us. And i’ve concluded recently, that i like anthems. 

Onitsuka Chihiro - “Infection” | Somewhere around 2003 i discovered this song. It was pure bliss. Today finding it some 9 yrs later. i still get chills listening to it. She really brings out the emotions when she sing. If you are willing to dig deeper, here’s a live version. If you dont get chills around 4:10 of that live version, u have no soul.

Explosion in the Sky - “The Moon is Down” | Classic EitS. The whole song crests peaks and drops mellow multiple times in its epic totality. U just got go along the ride and stare at something beautiful. Or heck, let it guide u to find the beauty in things.