Daft Punk – Doin’ It Right ft. Panda Bear
The Daft Punk album leaked the other day, and as Arjun said, the camp “opted to begin relief efforts with a full album stream on iTunes a few days before the album’s release.” Good move on their part, I’d say. Anyway, I’ve been listening to the album and was a bit taken aback by what I heard versus what I expected, but there were several songs that blew me away. One of those songs was “Doin’ It Right,” featuring Panda Bear. The #SunsetFam has more to say about this in an upcoming post, but I’m rejoicing over hearing some electronic music that I actually feel like I can fall in love with. It’s been so long since I’ve been able to say that, and it feels incredibly refreshing. Beyond that, the theme of dancing without the mandatory scraping and scratching that we tend to hear today is what really got me going about this album. I’m a fan. Sure, there are some shortcomings in the album altogether, but I couldn’t find any in this song with Panda Bear. Absolute gem.
Everybody will be dancing and be feeling it right
Everybody will be dancing and be doing it right
Everybody will be dancing and be feeling it right
Everybody will be dancing tonight..
Janine and the Mixtape – Hold Me
It has almost been a year since we last heard from Janine Foster. The New Zealand-born songstress has been hard at work since her last single “Bullets” and is now set to release her Dark Mind EP. “Hold Me” is a somber song with gritty percussion and smooth vocals. It is amazing that the artist who initially blew us away with her powerful vocals has now done the same with a more subdued musical approach. Expect only gems on her EP due out later this summer.
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Mikky Ekko – Disappear (Demo)
Mikky Ekko can talk about love. I don’t know why or how, but that is his gift. He can candidly discuss the most complex human condition in simple, relatable musical terms. “Disappear,” a demo from his debut album, is no different. When he croons, “I hope you want to disappear, too,” it feels as if the words melt the world and mold it into something completely new. Yeah, that’s love.
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Premiere: City Rain – The Optimist
City Rain is comprised of Ben Runyan and Scott Cumpstone, and the concept of their newest song, which we are ecstatic to be premiering, is one for the ages. “The Optimist” tells the classic tale of personal tragedy leading to spiritual triumph. After losing the love of his life, losing two of his close friends, and struggling with unemployment in an unforgiving recession, Runyan met Cumpstone, a fellow Temple University graduate and working musician. The two formed City Rain and came up with this idea. In the band’s own words, “While every man has the capability to create his or her own personal hell, there is inversely their capability to manifest redemption. ‘The Optimist’ is the story of the way back.” As this song begins, it immediately thrusts you into a realm of ferocious positivity and daring realism behind synths that build stadiums and tear them down in a single powerful wave. It is music that makes you feel things and see paint splashing against a blank canvas. This is why I do what I do.
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Coy Man Boy – My Brothers [Free MP3]
There are three things you need to know about Coy Man Boy: They’re from Lake Orion, the artwork for their debut “My Brothers” is an incredible picture of an awkwardly dressed man’s midsection, and you can download their only song for free.
Actually, that isn’t a list of things you need to know about Coy Man Boy. That’s literally all there is to know about them. Maybe they aren’t even a “they”, now that I think about it. Maybe it’s just one guy. Er – one “man boy” … I guess? Anyway, Coy Man Boy has avoided all forms of social media and information sharing in favor of a Soundcloud page that includes a weird quote that says “Joshua Coy Jouppi thinks far too highly of himself”. The song itself is a breezy ukelele-based piece of indie folk that’ll likely end up in all my dorky “Summer Jamz” playlists this year. Listen to a stream below and snag a free download while it’s still available.
[Shouts to HillyDilly for the find!]
Lorde – Royals [Music Video]
Since the release of her debut EP The Love Club last December, seventeen year-old New Zealand singer/songwriter Lorde has taken all the right steps toward what at this point seems to be inevitable future superstardom. Over the last few months she finally let us see what her face looks like, has attracted the attention of countless bloggers (and cool people like Grimes too), landed on Spotify’s “Top 10 Most Viral Tracks” list, and watched as The Love Club topped New Zealand’s iTunes charts.
Then today, she revealed her very first music video for The Love Club standout “Royals”. In line with Lorde’s mysterious aesthetic, the video focuses on an unknown actor instead of the singer herself — but she makes the most of her brief appearances. Like her music, the whole thing has a minimalist style and an unsettling/gritty tone that seems to be the key to her early success. Watch the video below and catch a stream of her EP as well if you haven’t had the chance to dive into that yet.
Also, on an adorable (but borderline creepy) note: Now that she’s turned 17, Arjun finally feels comfortable enough to let me publicly announce his crush on her. (I hope that didn’t have too much of a middle-schooler-telling-a-cute-girl-at-recess-that-his-friend-has-a-crush-on-her vibe). Oh well. Anything for Arjun.
And we’ll never be royals,
it don’t run in our blood
That kind of lux just ain’t for us
We crave a different kind of buzz
Let me be your ruler, you can call me queen B
And baby I’ll rule I’ll rule I’ll rule I’ll rule,
Let me live that fantasy.
