Welcome to the end of the year. A time for reflection, for resolutions, for binge drinking, and for me telling you what was good in the TBE hood! Kicking things off are my 15 favorite covers spanning all genres and damn near all instruments. Guys! Girls! Guys singing girls’ songs! Girls singing guys’ songs! It’s mayhem! Strap in, rock on, and Read more
This post makes the 8th featuring Joywave this year which is some sort of record. And fair play to them for earning it with jam after jam and “Golden State” holding as one of the years hands-down best songs. This demo of new groover “Cortez” is no exception with cartwheeling guitars under Dan Armbruster’s great lyrics and on-point vocals. It’s a song about love, insecurity, and the frightening length of the eternity that follows us all. But more importantly its the sound of band emerging as one of 2012’s most exciting.
Artist links: Facebook / Soundcloud / Amazon
♫ Kopps – Machine
I’m betting a good lot of you won’t get the reference in that album art but for you fellow old people don’t fret, Kopps sound nothing like Jonathan Davis and Co although it is pretty damn peachy. Some dramatic synth action mixed with undulating beats and some nice female vocals make “Machine” a great jam for playing on your next hostile takeover of the abandoned docks! Action scene montage! But it’s really no surprise this track is solid as it was produced by Dan Armbruster of TBE faves Joywave. Rochester represent! And Kopps are offering up the song stems so you remixers should grab ’em and do your magic!
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♫ Joywave – Ridge
Coming off one the #4 spot of best songs of the year so far, Joywave have a new track for us. “Ridge” is more electro leaning then the rocking “Golden State” but anyone who knows their stellar 77777 mixtape know that they are equally cpapble of slaying on both sides of that syle divide. I love the earnest energy in these guys’ vocals. It matches so well with their grand arrangements and sound. I love how “Ridge” blends stadium sized hooks with elements of R&B, indie, and electro/dance. And those horns! These guys truly live up to their name.
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The best of the best… so far. My list ordering is always fast and loose so don’t sweat the numbers too much. For more on any of these artists use the tags links at the bottom of the post. Read on and rock out!
25 – ♫ Baby Monster – Mr. Success / These guys snuck in with a jam that just kept getting better with each listen. Oooooh ooooo ooooo!
24 – ♫ The Weeknd – House Of Balloons/Glass Table Girls / Dark, dirty, and not for public consumption. But damn if I can’t get enough.
23 – ♫ Motopony – King of Diamonds / Should be higher up on the list but with another Motopony track below I am basically sneaking this track in. An amazing song.
22 – ♫ Vacationer – Trip / A love song written by Read more
♫ Cosmonaut Grechko – Singin’ (Feat. Joywave) (radio edit)
After a big run in these pages by remixing the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Metric, and Joywave, Russian teenager Cosmonaut Grechko has an EP of his own stuff slated for release. First single “Singin'” features the Americans in Joywave and sounds pretty damn nice. I’m loving the sound of these two forces together again. Grechko kicks the beat out like a featherlight top swirling over a sparkling pool as Joywave bring vocals like crisp watermelon. It’s pretty much the perfect song for a bright sunny day and the world at your fingertips. Cut Copy could take some lessons. The rest of the Alaska 2100 EP contains 2 more originals and a handful of remixes, all sure to keep that shades n’ smile combo working overtime.
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After months of gazing out the window and cursing the wintery grey sky we have finally been blessed with the warmth that thaws the bones in a most electric way. This is a mix for celebrating that moment that you open your front door and are slammed with the blinding sunshine that sparks your insides and makes you want to skip all the way to wherever you are going. I’ve kept in lean and mean at under an hour so add your own tracks as needed. Enjoy with reckless abandon. Read more
♫ Joywave – Traveling At The Speed Of Light
Joywave already dominated my February with their epic track “Golden State” and now they’ve dropped a free mixtape titled 77777 to tie us over until a proper debut. 77777 is a mix of reworked tracks and original material that includes that Robyn cover as well as the original version of that Cosmonaut Grechko remix of “Travelling At The Speed Of Light.” It’s way more slow burn than “Golden State” but still showcases the bands rhythm and emotion.
♫ Joywave – Betelgeuse (Miike Snow & LCD Soundsystem)
With the tracks using material from other bands Joywave have woven different songs together into a sort of “this sounds familiar…” backdrop for their own vocals. Since “Betelgeuse” uses Miike Snow it’s naturally my favorite. Twinkling above the twitchy grooves of “Silvia” are pieces of LCD Soundsystem’s “Someone Great.” Inspired pairings like this are all over 77777 with standout “Winnipeg” sandwiching Foals between two Drake tracks and “Titan” layering Pet Shop Boys, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Nine Inch Nails, and A-Ha. If you thought that was bold, they even cover a Limp Bizkit song with a minimal Joywave vibe. Alright, you get the picture with this mixtape. Get on 77777 now.
