dnak
This past month has been great for live music in the bay area, particularly with many acts swinging through San Francisco on the way to or back from Coachella. In less than a week, I was able to catch The XX, Hot Chip, Passion Pit, Mayer Hawthorne, Silversun Pickups, and Muse. Passion Pit does a great live show, and if you ever get a chance to see The XX up close, definitely do it.
With a string of electronic-tinged releases over the past month, this latest playlist leans a little more heavily electronic than usual, but there are a few surprises in there, too.
This is the last time the playlist will be available on Lala (embedded below), as unfortunately, Apple is shutting down the streaming service on May 31st. Let’s have a moment of silence….
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So hurry and enjoy Lala while you can. I’ve also embedded the iTunes iMix, and I’m hoping that Apple will have a similar service sometime soon.
-Dave
The list is below….
| Artist | Song Title | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Delorean | Stay Close | Subiza |
| A Barcelona-based group formed in the Basque region of Spain, Delorean has its own brand of club/house, with a sound full of hazy synth that is a great way to begin the summer. | |||
| 2. | LCD Soundsystem | Drunk Girls | This Is Happening |
| Shortly after this first single of their new album leaked online, LCD released this must-watch video of utter mayhem. | |||
| 3. | The Apples In Stereo | Dance Floor | Travellers in Space and Time |
| I’m a big fan of this Denver electro-pop group and am looking forward to giving their new album a thorough listen. Here’s one of the standout tracks, complete with an Elijah Wood-starring video. | |||
| 4. | Caribou | Odessa | Swim |
| Dark, precise, and entrancing electronica from this UK-based Canadian singer. | |||
| 5. | Band of Horses | Laredo | Infinite Arms |
| South Carolina-based Band of Horses (originally from Seattle) is about to release its third studio album, and here’s their sneak peek single | |||
| 6. | Avi Buffalo | Truth Sets In | Avi Buffalo |
| A promising new group out of Long Beach, Avi Buffalo just released its debut LP, with this as the lead-off track. Here’s a live performance: | |||
| 7. | Woods | Suffering Season | At Echo Lake |
| A jangly summer tune is the standout track from Woods’ latest release. | |||
| 8. | MGMT | It’s Working | Congratulations |
| Here’s the lead-off track on MGMT’s latest album, and it’s grown on me. | |||
| 9. | Crystal Castles | Celestica | Crystal Castles ( II ) |
| A more mature sound on the Toronto electronic duo’s sophomore LP is evident in this track which features airy female vocals as a counterpoint to the wonderfully pulsating backdrop. | |||
| 10. | Interpol | Lights | - |
| Interpol announced their return with this new single (available as a free download), which is hopefully a sign of an impending new album | |||
| 11. | The Kissaway Trail | SDP | Sleep Mountain |
| A stunning leadoff track from this Danish group’s label debut LP. This may be my favorite track on this playlist. | |||
| 12. | The Burning Hotels | Boy Or A Girl | Novels |
| Indie rock group out of Texas just came out with their sophomore LP. | |||
| 13. | The National | Bloodbuzz Ohio | High Violet |
| I’ve been looking forward to hearing more from this Brooklyn group since their latest album Boxer. Although due later this month, you can listen to the entire album streaming on NPR. | |||
| 14. | The Depreciation Guild | Dream About Me | Spirit Youth |
| Another band out of Brooklyn, but this one will transport you right back to the 80′s! | |||
| 15. | The Radio Dept. | Heaven’s On Fire | Clinging To A Scheme |
| What’s with all of the groups from Scandinavia? This one’s from Sweden, and this is pure indie pop. | |||
| 16. | Vampire Weekend | Giving Up The Gun | Contra |
| The opening instrumental hooked me onto this song, despite the fact that I keep expecting the chorus from Eulogie’s “Bad Connection” to ring in whenever I listen to it. But I had to include this just so I can embed this video. How could I not? | |||
| 17. | Bear Hands | What A Drag | What A Drag – EP |
| A Brooklyn-based band formed at Wesleyan…. The highlight of this track is the unexpected falsetto. | |||
| 18. | Race Horses | Cake | Goodbye Falkenberg |
| A new foursome in Wales gives us their debut album filled with upbeat psych pop. | |||
| 19. | jj | Let Go | jj nº 3 |
| Swedish duo gives us more super chillout new-age indie pop. Beautiful stuff. | |||
| 20. | Horse Feathers | Thistled Spring | Thistled Spring |
| Let’s close out with a gorgeous string & piano-laden track from Portland’s Horse Feathers. | |||
