1. “Simple Song” by The Shins
2. “Little Talks (Live)” by Of Monsters and Men
3. “Sweet Sour” by Band of Skulls
4. “Ta Douleur” by Camille
5. “Ffunny Ffrends” by Unknown Mortal Orchestra
6. “Do the Rump” by The Black Keys
7. “Seekir” by Zola Jesus
8. “1957” by Milo Greene [via]
9. “Wicked Games” covered by Cœur de pirate [original]
10. “Eyeoneye” by Andrew Bird
How is January almost over?
[source]
If you like: Nick Drake, Bon Iver, Ray Lamontagne, Brett Dennen
Then let me introduce: Alexi Murdoch
The forerunner of my weekend morning playlists, Alexi Murdoch may just have the most powerfully soothing voice around. London-born and Scottish and Greek bred, the singer/songwriter has been featured in The OC and Garden State and more recently on the folksy soundtrack of Away We Go. Yet despite his perfect English-accented voice and amazing songwriting, he manages to fly under the radar. Maybe popular culture already has enough adorable singer/songwriters? [John Mayer and company] Or maybe the beauty of his music is that it is best appreciated alone and un-fussed? Either way, this Brit will hopefully have a permanent place on many-a-mix of yours.
Starter Kit:
“Orange Sky”
“All My Days”
“Breathe”
If you like: Ben Folds, The Shins, Spoon, The New Pornographers
Then let me introduce: A.C. Newman
On releasing a solo album, Carl Newman, lead singer of the New Pornographers, explains, “People will say ‘Man, this sounds like the New Pornographers. And then I think if Jeff Tweedy put out a solo record, would people go ‘This is bull****. It sounds like Wilco.’ Well, duh, of course.” Just as I would never want a Toby Leaman solo project to not sound like Dr. Dog or a Zach Schwartz album to be completely un-Rogue Wave, A.C. Newman parallels the sound of The New Pornographers perfectly. Smart lyrics and the perfect musical hook continues to be his formula to success and the indie pop I love to love.
Starter Kit:
“Miracle Drug”
“Prophets”
“Take On Me” (a-ha cover)
“On The Table”
Check out the rest of The Future-Favorite-Band Series:
|| Intro || A || B || C|| D ||
Peace,
1. “Those To Come” by The Shins
2. “Rain City” by Turin Brakes
3. “The Build-Up” by Kings of Convenience
4. “Flume” by Bon Iver
5. “Oceanside” by The Decemberists
6. “The General Specific” covered by Julia Nunes (Band of Horses original)
7. “Riders On The Storm” by The Doors
8. “Postcards From Far Away” by Coldplay
9. “Caught By The River” by Doves
10. “Rainy Days” by Guster
A good rain playlist can make a gloomy day like today just a little brighter.
Peace,
The O.C. made music its own character. Rooney, Modest Mouse, Death Cab For Cutie, and more made appearances in different episodes. Other bands premiered their singles on the music-intensive show such as Coldplay, Imogen Heap, and The Shins. More than any other show of the time, indie music was in the foreground.
For all of this emphasis on strategic soundtracking, I have the show to thank for my own passion for music. Around peak O.C. popularity time, I bought the Music From The O.C.: Mix 1 CD admittedly for the pictures, especially since I didn’t know a single one of the bands on the album. After obviously plastering the album artwork all over my room, I realized I actually liked what I heard. After getting familiar with the tracks themselves, I explored other songs by these indie artists. After dabbling in all of the discographies of featured bands like Joseph Arthur, Spoon, Jem, and The Dandy Warhols, I became obsessed with the “Just For You” iTunes application (the predecessor to Genius). Soon enough, my mom would have to force me to come out of my room after spending hours upon hours downloading and sampling and perusing music. It started to and still does give me a thrill to know a band first and to spread its awesomeness to others. I’m active believer that my obsession with music has helped me make friends I may have never bonded as much with. It has given me exhilarating concert experiences…from sneaking under the fence of an outdoor sold-out festival to being pulled onstage with my best friend during the last song of a Rogue Wave show. Tangent aside, that first O.C. mixed tape had me hooked and I haven’t looked back since.
Peace,
When you’re looking for new music, sometimes you only have to look as far as changing the artist of the song.
Click to download the song to your iTunes library.
1. Rogue Wave covering “Everyday” (Buddy Holly)
2. Coldplay covering “Songbird” (Oasis)
3. Vampire Weekend covering “Everywhere” (Fleetwood Mac)
4. Florence + the Machine covering “Postcards from Italy” (Beirut)
5. Dr. Dog covering “Heart It Races” (Architecture in Helsinki)
6. Michael Stipe and Chris Martin covering “In The Sun” (Joseph Arthur)
7. First Aid Kit covering “Tiger Mountain Peasant Song” (Fleet Foxes)
8. The Shins covering “We Will Become Silhouettes” (The Postal Service)
9. Lissy Trullie covering “Ready for the Floor” (Hot Chip)
10. Slightly Stoopid covering “Sun Is Shining” (Bob Marley)
What are some amazing cover songs you love?
Peace,
1. “Diplomat’s Son” by Vampire Weekend
2. “Airplanes” by Local Natives
3. “Tightrope” by Yeasayer
4. “July Flame” by Laura Veirs
5. “Little Bird Courage” by Old Canes
6. “My Body’s A Zombie For You” by Dead Man’s Bones >> thanks roomie.
7. “16th & Valencia Roxy Music” by Devendra Banhart
8. “Taxi Cab” by Vampire Weekend
9. “Our Life Is Not A Movie Or Maybe” by Okkervil River
10. “Mine’s Not A High Horse” by The Shins
If you couldn’t tell, I am very pleased with Vampire Weekend’s sophomore effort!
What’s on everyone’s playlists these days?
Peace,
