dnak
Surprise! I’m changing the name of my playlists. I should have realized that KNAK is actually a real radio station (based in Utah), so a new name is in order. I thought of calling it “Nak Nak Naking on Heaven’s Door” for a micro-second, but I’m going to keep it simple for now. I’m open to suggestions.
But let’s get on with it. It’s my first playlist of the year, and there’s some great stuff out there. The playlist is available on Lala below (after the jump) as well as in an iTunes iMix. Oh, and please let me know what you think. I’ll keep making these lists for my own enjoyment, of course, but it’s good to know if it’s worth publishing them online.
-Dave
The list is below….
| Artist | Song Title | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Yes Giantess | The Ruins | The Ruins (single) |
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From the circle of Brooklyn friends where Passion Pit emerged, we have Yes Giantess, and they give us this fantastic synth-pop track that I can’t stop listening to. Still unsigned so the song isn’t available via normal paid channels, but you can download the free MP3 from Neon Gold Records or RCRD LBL. |
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| 2. | Broken Bells | The High Road | Broken Bells |
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Danger Mouse continues his streak of strong collaborations by working with James Mercer of the Shins on a new project called Broken Bells. This is the lead track on the album, slated for release in March. |
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| 3. | Beach House | Zebra | TeenDream |
| Baltimore-based Beach House just released their third full-length album (their first on the Sub-pop label). Here’s the opening track. | |||
| 4. | Beach House | 10 Mile Stereo | Teen Dream |
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More dream pop featuring vocals from French-born Victoria Legrand.
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| 5. | Phantogram | When I’m Small | Eyelid Movies |
| This duo from Saratoga Springs, New York, calls their music “street beat, psych pop”. Here’s a track from their newly-released LP on Barsuk records | |||
| 6. | Yeasayer | Madder Red | Odd Blood |
| Wonderful new album from Brooklyn’s Yeasayer. They gave us a sneak peak w/ their teaser single “Ambling Alp” in December, and the rest of their album looks strong as well. | |||
| 7. | Yeasayer | O.N.E. | Odd Blood |
| Another great track… | |||
| 8. | Midlake | Acts of Man | The Courage of Others |
| I was in love with “Roscoe”, a track from their previous album Trials Of Von Accupanther, so much that I featured it twice in previous lists (regular an acoustic). I was definitely looking forward to their newest album. Pitchfork quickly trashed the release, giving it a 3.6 rating, but in any case, I like their leadoff track. | |||
| 9. | Eels | Nowadays | End Times |
| Mark Oliver Everett gives us more of his melancholy view on life, and this time he’s even more blunt about it, calling this his “divorce album”. But melancholy can be beautiful as evidenced by this track. | |||
| 10. | Surfer Blood | Swim | Astro Coast |
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Strong debut from this young band from West Palm Beach, Florida. Be prepared for a ton of hazy reverb layered on assertive, infectiously catchy guitar riffs. |
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| 11. | Vampire Weekend | White Sky | Contra |
| I can’t help liking these guys…. their sound is distinctive, fresh, and just as inventive as ever on their sophomore album. And they make fun videos: check out their new video for another track “Give Up the Gun” featuring Jake Gllenhaal, Joe Jonas, RZA and Lil Jon. | |||
| 12. | Hot Chip | Take It In | One Life Stand |
| London electro-pop group Hot Chip continues their hot streak. I loved their previous LPs The Warning and Made In The Dark, and was looking forward to their new release. It doesn’t disappoint. Here’s the closing track on their latest LP. | |||
| 13. | Systems Officer | Sand I | Underslept |
| As a Pinback fan, I’m a little embarrassed that I missed this release from a few months back. Systems Officer is the solo project of Pinback’s bassist, and a few seconds of listening make that pretty obvious. | |||
| 14. | Husky Rescue | Sound Of Love | Ship Of Light |
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How can you not like a band named “Husky Rescue”? This Helsinki band gives us affectless but melodic female vocals over a synth pop track.
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| 15. | Analog Rebellion | I Am A Ghost (Artifact) | Ancient Electrons |
| This self-proclaimed Texas lo-fi band sells t-shirts that read “F**K Auto Tune”, which makes me automatically like them. Daniel Hunter’s voice brings immediate comparisons to Ben Gibbard (at least for me, it does), and it’s worth a listen. | |||
| 16. | Seabear | Bright House | We Built A Fire |
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I’m closing out this list with a beautiful ballad by Icelandic group Seabear. Enjoy. Song not yet available on lala, but available on iTunes and listenable on music blogs. |
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