Year End Mixed Emotions // Full Mix

As promised, the full mix is available below as one long download [click the downwards arrow]/stream. Track list is a couple of posts down. [edit: links from the old post appeared to be breaching DMCA policy or somesuch - the post has been deleted. Surprise tracklisting then..]
Music On The Sea Mixtape 2010 by musiconthesea_chris

Image // Thanks for the upload.

Perfume Genius

Not sure how I missed Perfume Genius. This is well worth a listen.

Perfume Genius : Mr Peterson

201 posts, Hercules and Hudson

First: new jam from Hercules and Love Affair:
Hercules & Love Affair - My House by Freeman PR

Then, based on my love of that Ooops Hudson Mohawke Remix, try this out. A little more funky, a little less sleazy.
Krystal Klear : Tried For Your Love (Hudson Mohawke Remix)

Marina and the Diamonds // Obsessions (another remix)

Obsessions first hit late 2008 (I think..) and there was a slew of remixes - good to see they are still coming. Check out what happens when witch-fi hits it up in the form of the oOoOO remix .

Marina and the Diamonds : Obsessions (oOoOO remix)

And, when Patrick Wolf goes dub:

Patrick Wolf : Time Of My Life (Leo Zero Dub)

via

James Blake // Measurements

More soul than a shoe factory.

James Blake : Measurements

///

Also, download the latest Cadence Weapon mixtape TRON Legacy : The Mixtape here for the Radiohead pay-what-you-want.

Girl Talk // All Day

NEW GIRL TALK! Because we all love hip hop piped across our favourite indie tracks.

Download it completely free here. If the servers are still up.

Girl Talk : Steady Shock
Girl Talk : Oh No

The Boss is Back in Town

The recent release of Bruce Springsteen's Darkness on the Edge of Town remaster, together with deleted sessions and outtakes from the record, makes me wonder if a new Springsteenism is at work in contemporary American music. Listening to Darkness for the first time, I was struck to resemblances to much more modern releases, and three in particular: Japandroids' Post-Nothing, Titus Andronicus' The Airing of Grievances, and the Arcade Fire's The Suburbs. All exhibit what I would like to posit as the defining features of Springsteenism; all well as an ostensible "blue-collar" mentality, focusing on working- and lower middle-class life and the environments surrounding it, the music shares an expansive vision, hinting at something beyond the confines of familiar surroundings. Guitars soar, choruses lift, and there is earnestness, andger, and introspection in the distinctive voices of each vocalist.

Maybe there is an element of cultural cycles here; as I've explored in previous posts, previous aesthetics seem to be picked up at different stages, and re-forged into a more contemporary milieu. Yet the socio-cultural-economic context may also play a part; Springsteen's America is one of rusting industrial plants, unemployment, and limited future prospects for the youth of society, yet suffused with an undercurrent of romantic notions of hope and escape. Perhaps the resurgence of Springsteenism has something to do with parallels in the social fabric; perhaps today's youth need a Born to Run of their own. Part of Springsteen's appeal is the urgency in his voice; the sense that this all means something. Do the student protests of November 10 have a voice in popular culture - and if not, will one arise?

Bruce Springsteen: Darkness on the Edge of Town
Japandroids: Darkness on the Edge of Gastown
Titus Andronicus: A More Perfect Union
The Arcade Fire: Modern Man

And for a super special bonus, here's perhaps the finest piece of Post-Springsteen recorded in the past decade or so:
The Constantines: Young Lions

Mr Little Jeans

By now, single girl pop is as unique as an indie band releasing a bedroom recorded no.1 blog smash hit. Dance remixes of those girls even less so. That doesn't mean, of course, that they aren't fun.

Mr Little Jeans : Rescue Song (Royal Palms Remix)

Crystal Castles // Not In Love (Remix)

This has been kicking around for a minute now but as an ever growing Crystal Castles fan, it seemed amiss not to post it. Oh, and it's good.

Crystal Castles : Not In Love [Feat. Robert Smith]

Patrick Wolf // Time of My Life

Yes Patrick Wolf has a new track out; not fantastically different from previous releases, but if you're a fan (as I have to confess I am) I think you might like it. The track has a slightly darker tone than earlier demos / live performances than I've heard; it seems perhaps less exuberant and more introspective, dare I say even regretful. Also the opening line "from the East to the South" can only be a reference to London; not only did I see that Mr Wolf lives in Waterloo, it's also a long-overdue recognition that East London is overrated. And it's not a cover of the fantastically cheesy 80s song from Dirty Dancing (sorry but I had to say it, just to make sure).

Patrick Wolf: Time of my Life

Sick ol' MOTS

...and we're back!

I remember a few years ago having a chat with a good friend of mine when he bemoaned all the new music coming out in wav(v)es, saying none of it would stand the test of time, that no one would become the next Hendrix, Springsteen or whoever your idol might be.

My best answer at the time? Sufjan Stevens. Only he then proceeded to produce very little for the next six or so years. Ben welcomed the EP, allow me to do the same for the LP.

Sufjan Stevens : I Want To Be Well

Gold Panda

Remember earlier I mentioned that a third London producer was surely about to release something - I forgot it was this dude. I'm not really sure that any of this kind of cut and paste and re-cut style music will stand any test of time, but it's of a moment.

In fact, it sounds a little bit like a pan-pipes reworking that you might hear in a museum shop.

Gold Panda LP, out now, available in shops and that sort of thing.

Gold Panda : Same Dream China

The first problem with Summer Camp is the name. A wealth of associations are brought forth before you've even got to the music; beaches, long summer days, childhood, kitsch, washed-out guitar-based pop; to me the name betokens Best Coast, Beach House, etc.

This isn't too wide of the mark; Summer Camp's music is certainly "washed-out", with faded female vocals, a loose bass, sparse synths. I feel like I've stumbled across this too late; my ears are telling me that it's still summer, but the weather begs to differ.

I've been reading Jameson and Baudrillard for my MA, and it strikes me that bands such as Summer Camp do both reaffirm and challenge what we might think of as "postmodern" culture. Whilst they seem to be exhibiting forms of "pastiche" as Jameson terms it - a recycling of the forms of the past, albeit without the knowingness of satire, a kind of "blank parody" - I don't feel that contemporary music scene has nothing to offer. This is where bands like Summer Camp approach Baudrillard's idea of the simulacra; it's the 60s summer as seen from the 21st century, referencing not the 60s themselves but nostaligic visions of the 60s. We've had a spate of these bands recently, and I feel they're taking a very modern aesthetic whilst ostensibly dressing it in the trappings of 1960s pop.

But that's not to say that it's not enjoyable; every generation needs its own 1960s. I wasn't there - I don't remember it - so this is my version to appropriate and call my own. And, to be fair, they are actually quite good.

Summer Camp: Round the Moon

: Ghost

Warpaint // Undertow

Warpaint : Undertow

Bag Raiders

Don't know too much apart from they are dancey and Australian. And are not Cut Copy.

Bag Raiders : Gone Away
Bag Raiders : Castles In The Air

via

Caribou // Leave House (Remix)

If you like the slow build, check out this remix of Swim's second best track.

Caribou : Leave House (Motor City Drum Ensemble Remix)

via

Fontella Bass // Soul of a Man

Fontella Bass' B-Side to Rescue Me.

Fontella Bass : Soul Of A Man

Deerhunter // Halcyon Digest

Behind the drag curve again on this one - Deerhunter's Halcyon Digest has been considerably blogged about already - but I like to take my time and arrive at a full critical apprehension of a record before I go wasting valuable blog space extolling its virtues. Quality, not quantity, at Music on the Sea.

Halcyon Digest is an excellent record - I've loved Deerhunter ever since Cryptograms, and revisiting Microcastle this week has reminded me of just how good they are. They have a real signature sound - you know it's a Deerhunter track you're listening to, from the distinctive progressions and melodies, let alone Bradford Cox's voice (or Lockett Pundt's, for that matter). The songs are self-contained and yet, like the cover of Cryptograms, draw you inside and have a meandering, wandering quality that manages to avoid becoming vapid. The dichotomy between their more ambient and their more poppy / rocky tracks is much less pronounced that in the very overt split of the first record. For those of you, like me, whose favourite track on Microcastle was the haunted doo-wop of Twilight at Carbon Lake, there are a few tracks here with the spirit of the 50s, which I've particularly enjoyed.

Deerhunter: Desire Lines

Pariah // Prism

So no sooner had R&S released James Blake's recent outing (see below), they also pop up with other dubstep up-and-coming London producer, Pariah's Safehouses. Apparently good things come in threes, so I imagine Burial will release something tomorrow and then I'll never post about dubstep again.

Pariah : Prism

In case you missed it:
The xx : Basic Space (Pariah remix)

Twin Sister // Meet the Frownies

Probably good music to jacuzzi to.

Twin Sister : Meet The Frownies

James Blake // I only know (what I know now)

Read an article in The Independent the other day about Gold Panda being the potential new best thing whilst simultaneously bemoaning the rapidity with which music comes and goes, is hyped and dies. There are countless examples, a lot of which are currently dealing in a downbeat dub step that seems ubiquitous these days. James Blake, surely, is something else. I mean, his records are actually good. He is the best thing since Burial on the dubstep scene and probably the best thing in London at the moment.

Hang on, he hasn't even released an LP yet. Goddamn. Retract!

EP Klavierwerke out today.
I Only Know What I Know Now- James Blake by Anorak London

from way back:
James Blake : Bills Bills Bills (Remix)

Blackbird Blackbird // Frankie Rose

Two new bands I've been listening to recently - Blackbird Blackbird seem to be a band from San Francisco whose sound has been described as, variously, "hazy", "neon-fused", "crunk", "dream-like", etc. You get the picture. They're actually quite good. So have a listen to the tracks below:

Blackbird Blackbird: Pure

: So Sorry Girl

Band number two is Frankie Rose and the Outs, whose s/t record was released this week (on Slumberland!). RIYL: Best Coast, Vivian Girls, etc. RIYH: U2, Coldplay, etc etc. She's a Brooklyn bartender whose sound is easily categorised as "fuzz pop" but again is worth a listen.

Frankie Rose and the Outs: Little Brown Haired Girls

: Candy

It's been a long time

Posting will resume normal service shortly. In the meantime:

No Joy : Heedless

Hang With Me // Robyn

Robyn's "Hang With Me" is the best piece of synth disco pop since It's Blitz! And similarly I find myself listening to this song repeatedly, no doubt driving my cohabitants to distraction. I'm a sucker for a dismantling - see also Cut Copy's "These Hands", after the chorus - and in an ideal world all tracks would involve the beat dropping out and then fading back in under the synth.

Body Talk Pt 2 is out now on Island.

Robyn: Hang With Me

Jimmy Williams // All of my lovin'

Big days demand big music.

Jimmy Williams : All Of My Lovin

Thanks

Marmalakes // VITTORIA

More vinyl to come soon. In the meantime, something to sing along to.

WU LYF // Games

The best kind of anguish to associate with is one which you can't limit to words but you suspect might be saying 'I want to feel at home'. Well, everyone since the Beach Boys has wanted that.

WU LYF : Heavy Pop

It seems too easy to churn this kind of thing out at the moment. Probably don't have to be that talented. Could probably do it myself. Probably won't. Kinda like listening though.

Games : Everything is Working

via Stereogum's 40 best new lists

Black Mountain

There are three things you should know about Black Mountain:

1. Social work is their day job - in a centre for recovering drug addicts

2. Lead singer Stephen McBean has an awesome beard

3. They rock...

Their new album Wilderness Heart is due for release on September 13th and will be well worth a listen. For those of you who like your riffs heavy, your imagery occult, and your organ present on most if not every track, I suggest you give this record some heavy rotation.

Incidentally on the subject of Black Mountain, there used to be a fantastic literary journal called the Black Mountain Review, which I believe was affiliated to Black Mountain College in North Carolina. The journal was the mouthpiece for many pioneering writers of the time - including Charles Olson and Robert Creely. Perhaps more innovative than their musical namesakes, but at least our BM score points in that they are still a functional group.

Black Mountain: The Hair Song

Old Fangs

NB: Bonus marks if you get the pictorial pun.

Netsky

Caught the latter end of his set at Pukkelpop a while back, finally got around to listening to him some more. Highly recommended, especially if you like Hospital's brand of funky drum 'n bass.

Netsky : I Refuse (Shock One Remix)

Esben and the Witch // Marching Song

Order Esben and the Witch's excellent Marching Song on vinyl pre-order here and check out the suitably spooky and face destroying video.

Esben and the Witch : Marching Song

Been away... Pukkelpop // Still Corners // Star Slinger

First up, apologies about lack of posts recently - I have been away at Belgian festival Pukkelpop. Secondly, RIP to the singer from Ou Est Le Swimming Pool? who committed suicide at the festival.

Music wise:

Most fun -
Major Lazer : Jump Up (Supahype Sticky K Remix)

Bounce!

Least Fun - The XX

****

New Still Corners...

Still Corners : Don't Fall In Love

****

And more London-based mix 'n match-ery.

Star Slinger : Mornin'

Sufjan Stevens

Sufjan Stevens. The name rings a bell. (Literally in some songs). The once-most-prolific-man-in-pitchfork has since ceded the accolade to Spencer Krug, and, having only released The BQE since Illinois in 2005 (The Avalanche doesn't count), his well-earned break caused a slow and gradual slip from our radars.

Well - the unexpected annoucement of All Delighted People took everyone by surprise - keeping a 60-minute, 8-song EP under wraps is no mean feat - and a pleasant one it is at that. Sufjan is in keeping with previous alternate "versions" (albeit misleadingly or inappropriately named ones at that), with two iterations of the title song here. It's familiar Sufjan territory but does sound like a progression from 2005; also in the stripping down on his songs, with horns and brass less prominent here.

You can stream and download ($5 - about £3.60) the EP at Sufjan's Bandcamp Page.

Something for the weekend

Something to keep you quiet over the weekend:

Hard Mix : Memories
Still Corners : Endless Summer
Living Rooms : Cave In

Kentish Fire

Apparently Kentish Fire means either 'rapturous applause' or 'vehement and prolonged derisive cheering', which seem like mutually exclusive goals and possibly the cause of my own confusion around the band. Like a new Hot Hot Heat, complete with afro'd front man, these guys are fun. But probably just for a short time - there is nothing here you haven't heard before. In fact, there are some things I have definitely heard before, not least 'Don't Bore Us (Get To The Chorus)'. Roxette, they are not. Sorry guys.

No songs unfortunately, but you can listen to some stuff here or do some mixtape-y things here.

Roxette : The Look


pic

Of Montreal - Brush Brush Brush

Who knew that brushing your teeth could be so much fun? Unfortunately I'm not sure if Of Montreal wrote this themselves, but I wish they had. If only it were three minutes long instead of one and a half.

Of Montreal - Brush Brush Brush (Youtube)

Jens Lekman

Jens Lekman must really miss the days of vinyl. The crackling string-laden intro to his new single, "The End of the World is Bigger than Love", has become a signature; either that or dude's running some seriously lo-fi sampling equipment.

So this is the Jens we know and love - including his flattened croon, which ought not to work on paper but is charming on record. The song lacks some of the inventiveness of those from his last record, but is enough to tide me over until a new release.

A few years ago I saw a video of "The Opposite of Halleliujah" with Jens just on guitar, voice and whistling. It gave the song a much more forlorn and haunting quality, and really highlighted the centrality of his voice to his records, despite the familiar production.

Jens Lekman: "The End of the World is Bigger than Love"

▲POPDRONE // Belong To

▲POPDRONE : Belong To

via

Teengirl Fantasy // Cheaters

New track from old MOTS favourites Teengirl Fantasy.

Teengirl Fantasy : Cheaters

via

Wild Beasts // EP

Download the new Wild Beasts EP for free here until August 9th.

Wild Beasts : Through The Iron Gate
Wild Beasts : We Still Got The Taste Dancin' On Our Tongues

Arcade Fire // The Suburbs

I think Montreal must be home to the best things in life. The album is a true grower, but it has not come off repeat since I started listening.

Arcade Fire : The Suburbs

Bubblegum Ponk

Am I allowed to coin the term "ponk" for "pop-punk"? If so, then I never get tired of ponk - there seems to be something about the treble-heavy guitar-laden sound which is instantly appealing and manages to (without waxing over-lyrical) reach something which far more elaborate or inventive songs cannot.

The Ramones - of course the godfathers of ponk. Posted below is perhaps the apotheosis of the ponk form. "Slug" is the archetype for ponk. Like Plato's ideal form, other bands can only hope to achieve a copy of a copy. I defy you to listen to this and not think of the balmy, love-struck summer evenings of youth.

Ramones - Slug (demo)

Of course the Exploding Hearts - it is now seven years since three of the band were killed in a road accident in July 2003. I know someone who is even more of a smart-ass than myself once commented that death is the best possible career move; the tantalising early promise is solidified into something more concrete and the remaining output just a hint at what might have been (see also - John Keats, Thomas Chatterton, Franz Schubert). The mystique is firmly embedded in the music - but the Hearts are perhaps the band who need it the least. The less said about the one remaining member's post-Hearts activities the better.

The Exploding Hearts - Rumours in Town

- I'm a Pretender

(All via Mediafire - sorry!)

Hudson Mohawke // Ooops

Hudson Mohawke's reworking of Tweet's 'Oops Oh My'. Nice 'n sleazy.

Hudson Mohawke : Ooops

[via]

1234 Festival, Shoreditch

Put down the downloads, rips and leaks, festivals need showmanship. Lo-fi buzz can't hide a lack of spectacle. Monotony will be spotted. So, of all the blog-worthy bands here, many were let down by shit sound (Wavves), some let down by an inability to stop stopping the set to moan about the sound (Veronica Falls) but some managed to put on performances that enlivened even the most disinterested (read: hipster) of spectators. Crowd diving from way up high on a tee-pee pole support? Check. Wrestling with the crowd? Check. Face bloodied through wrestling-move razor blades? See above.

Hardcore 1 - Chillwave 0.

Fucked Up : Son The Father
Rolo Tomassi : Party Wounds

Claire Maguire // Disappointment

A while ago I wrote a post about my disappointment at UK pop. Add another to the list. And, the worst part is, its obviously not even her fault. Way back in January 2009, I first heard Claire Maguire's 'Strangest Thing' and it was this stripped down, emotional track that I had in the same bracket as the early Marina and the Diamonds and Ellie Goulding. They have both gone on to be somewhat average. Then I heard the new, final, polished track. Excitement levels were high. This, however, is overproduced shit. It's probably out on Neon Gold sometime if you really want it.

With some pain, the new one:
Claire Maguire : Strangest Thing (NEW)

And the original:
Claire Maguire : Strangest Thing (Original)

Crushed.

Louis La Roche : Get On Down

Louis La Roche : Get On Down

Not a mixtape

Post mix-tape blog life is tough. All I can think of is what other songs could have gone in the mix. The more I think, the more songs there are. And here are a few of them. Although, as has been noted by many, the main problem this year has been that lack of an absolute barn-storming play-on-loop other-hyphenated-adjective monster hit. But I'm not too worried.

The Radio Dept. : Never Follow Suit
Emeralds : Double Helix
Gauntlet Hair : I Was Thinking...
Owen Pallett : E Is For Estranged
Twin Sister : All Around And Away We Go
Aloe Blacc : I Need A Dollar
Veronica Falls : Stephen
Harlem : Friendly Ghost
Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti : Round and Round
Robyn : Don't Fucking Tell Me What To Do
The Samps : Peppergood
Eddy Current Suppression Ring : Anxiety
Liars : Scissor

Oh, and new Tennis, via those nice chaps at GvB.

Tennis : Baltimore

Cheers to MES for going on about Emeralds.

Music On The Sea Mixtape #1 (part 2)

So the creative divide begins, I start writing posts called 'Bends Emotion' and the blog falls apart. Or, we all specialise in what we like and Smithsonian economics mean that everyone has a nice time.

Four Tet : Angel Echoes
Beach House : Silver Soul
Tennis : Marathon
The Tallest Man On Earth : King Of Spain
Wavves : Post Acid
Wolf Parade : Pobody's Nerfect
James Blake : CMYK
Caribou : Odessa
Big Boi : Shutterbugg
Crystal Castles : Celestica
Best Coast : When I'm With You[bonus! 2009]

Nb: I just threw the Best Coast one on the end there as it's my favourite Best Coast track but has had no mention here yet. It's from 2009. But late 2009, so close enough.

[Photo]

Three in a row

New jam by The Knocks, out on Neon Gold on 27th July. New jam by Cut Copy out soon [via]. And a spooky rock jam that does something for me; it's already out on Fan Death.

The Knocks : Make It Better
Cut Copy : Where I'm Going
Puerto Rico Flowers : Let's Make Friends

Look out for my "2010 10", which will be up tomorrow.

Music on the Sea Mixtape 1 - 2010 so far...

So Chris and I decided to make a mixtape each - the two sides of Music on the Sea. Creative tension. Juxtaposition.

Sitting down to think through the tracks from 2010 to include, I have to admit I struggled. I had thought it had been a strong year for music so far, but possibly more in terms of whole records than individual tracks. Proof perhaps that the predicted "demise of the album" served as equal parts harbinger and call to arms.

1. Dom - I wonder
2. Best Coast - Boyfriend
3. Titus Andronicus - Richard II
4. Japandroids - Darkness on the Edge of Gastown
5. Wolf Parade - Cloud Shadow on the Mountain
6. Joanna Newsom - Kingfisher
7. ceo - White Magic
8. Boris - Seasons (via Mediafire)
9. Beach Fossils - Sometimes
10. Wild Nothing - Chinatown

Best Coast

Why are Best Coast good? This is a thought that, more or less, has been with me recently. It started with Girls - why are a band so derivative and formulaic so enjoyable to listen to? You've heard their songs a thousand times before.

Perhaps we are moving towards a climate where originality is no longer paramount in music, and simply putting together well-constructed, well-performed songs is now highly prized. After all, Dylan started his career playing traditional folk songs because it simply didn't occur to him to write his own material.

It might also be a re-acceptance of tradition. I can't remember a time when there have been so many bands drawing upon sun-drenched or girl-group 60s pop for their sounds. A socio-economic slant might read the sharp cuts and promises of a bleak future as inspiring a reaching out to sunnier times; the innocent, simple pop melodies of our parents' youth. Indeed we could be reclaiming the prospects that our baby-boomer forebears enjoyed and subsequently consumed; cheap property, secure pensions, job prospects. After all the attention on the '68 movements, where is our generation's '68?

Anyway, Best Coast do not deserve to be submitted to such waffle. Bethany Consantino's voice glides perfectly over the backing harmonies and Fender Jaguar-esque guitar. Simple chord changes, simple lyrics, yet immediately appealing - "there's something about the summer" - this defies explanation but just works. Perhaps that is the secret. Walter Pater wrote that "all art aspires towards the condition of music" - it is inherently abstract. You just listen and enjoy.

Best Coast: "Boyfriend"
: "Summer Mood"
: "I Want To"