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My trip to Austin for SXSW Music this month was another incredible live music experience. I managed to cram in 43 shows in just 3.5 days, and many of them in small or unusual places. There were so many great moments this year, but some highlights include: Of Monsters and Men and Blitzen Trapper right up front on a small stage; Seeing many brand new bands for the first time including Polica, Pillow Fight, Grimes,and Alabama Shakes; singing along with the crowd at Stubbs for the band FUN.; and M. Ward performing an hour long set in a church!
Needless to say, this particular playlist is heavily influenced by what I saw in SXSW, with 13 of these bands having performed in Austin. As always, I hope you find something in here for you to add to your own music rotation. Enjoy!
, I have links to the iTunes Ping playlist, Rdio, and Spotify playlists if you prefer to listen to them that way.
-Dave
If you want to see this playlist on iTunes, you can do so . While you’re at it, follow me on Ping!
Spotify is the easiest service out there to share and listen to playlists. Feel free to subscribe to me and check out (20 tracks available).
For you rdio subscribers, there are available for you to stream.
The first playlist of the year took me a while to put together, but it was worth it (IMHO). I found some wonderful tracks from a few favorites, but mostly from brand new and up-and-coming groups. I’ve scoured the new releases and music blogs so you don’t have to. I hope you enjoy!
, I have links to the iTunes Ping playlist, Rdio, and Spotify playlists if you prefer to listen to them that way.
-Dave
If you want to see this playlist on iTunes, you can do so . While you’re at it, follow me on Ping!
Spotify is the easiest service out there to share and listen to playlists. Feel free to subscribe to me and check out (22 tracks available).
For you rdio subscribers, there are available for you to stream.
Putting together a list of my favorite tracks for 2011 was a blast. Personally, I managed to see more live music this year than ever before, both in the SF Bay Area and Seattle, and I gorged myself on Indie music at SXSW in Austin this past spring. I pared down hundreds of candidates down to the top 40 songs that I will remember the year by. For me, 2011 was another great music year.
For many of the tracks, you’ll see that I’ve put pointers to other songs from that artist, as my not-so-underhanded way of adding more to this list.
Here we go, .
You can also view a along with iTunes, Amazon, Spotify, and Rdio playlists.
My last playlist of 2011 (except, of course, for my best-of-the-year compilation still to come). While I thought all of the holiday music releases would drown out new tunes, I ended up with over 40 songs, winnowing the list down to a more manageable 22. I included sneak peek tracks from the upcoming 2012 releases for Miike Snow, School of Seven Bells, and others, along with several tracks from new LPs and EPs out in the last couple of months. Enjoy.
, I have links to the iTunes Ping playlist, Amazon, Rdio, and Spotify playlists if you prefer to listen to them that way.
-Dave
| Artist | Song Title | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Devil’s Work | - | |
| What a nice surprise. Miike Snow is finishing up their new album slated for an early 2012 release, but in the meantime, they’ve just released this gem to get us worked up. Consider me excited. You can download the MP3 from . | |||
| 2 | We Are Young | We Are Young – EP | |
| Let’s stay with the synth-pop theme, this time out of Strasbourg, France. Here’s a video of a live performance from this duo. | |||
| 3 | Pieces | King – EP | |
| This L.A. duo is getting some attention because of a track on the new Twilight soundtrack, but here’s a lovely song from their debut EP. This is an abbreviated video clip. | |||
| 4 | Mr Polite | The Jungle Giants | |
| Brand new young group from Brisbane. | |||
| 5 | Half Moon | We Are the Tide | |
| One of my favorite groups out of Portland. Here’s another track from their sophomore album. | |||
| 6 | The Night | Ghostory | |
| I was pretty blown away by the debut S7B album, and I’m excited to hear this sneak peek of their new album due in February. | |||
| 7 | The Shakes | Parallax | |
| Atlas Sound is the solo project for Deerhunter’s Bradford Cox. | |||
| 8 | Happy Virus | Variations | |
| These two from Hamburg, Germany, are siblings. Normally laced with dreamy electronica, check out this video of a live performance with voice and piano. | |||
| 9 | Hands | Hands – Single | |
| Six piece band from Melbourne featuring dual female vocalists. | |||
| 10 | Settle Down | Settle Down – EP | |
| I first heard of Kimbra when she partnered with Gotye for their standout song “Somebody That I Used to Know”, but she deserves her own spotlight. | |||
| 11 | Lonely Boy | El Camino | |
| The Black Keys hit it big with their hit “Tighten Up” on their last album, and their new album is getting a lot of attention. | |||
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]]>We’re fully into Autumn now, so let’s all enjoy the narrow window before new music releases become swamped by special holiday-themed albums. There are some fantastic new releases this month, led by M83′s Hurry Up We’re Dreaming. There are also strong efforts from Loney Dear, Real Estate, and Surfer Blood, among others.
I’ve added these tracks to my latest rotation, and I hope you find something new for your own listening pleasure.
, I have links to the iTunes Ping playlist, Amazon, Rdio, and Spotify playlists if you prefer to listen to them that way. I’ve also added MOG after getting a few requests for that service as well.
-Dave
| Artist | Song Title | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tongue Tied | Never Trust a Happy Song | |
| This Los Angeles-based group broke onto the scene at the very beginning of the year with the self-titled EP (see “colours” on DNAK 45), and they’re back with their debut LP and a cool video. Official video: | |||
| 2 | What Have I Become? | Hall Music | |
| Beautiful indie pop track awash with instrumentation from Swedish artist Emil Svanängen (aka Loney Dear) | |||
| 3 | Honey Bunny | Father, Son, Holy Ghost | |
| Featuring another track off of the critically acclaimed sophomore LP from the San Francisco group Girls. Official video: | |||
| 4 | Lights Out, Words Gone | A Different Kind of Fix | |
| I’m really enjoying this track from Bombay Bicycle Club’s third LP. Check out the cheeky video from this London-based group. | |||
| 5 | Reunion | Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming. | |
| The new double album from France’s M83 is a stunner. Get the whole album. | |||
| 6 | Steve McQueen | Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming. | |
| Couldn’t find a video yet for “Steve McQueen”, so go watch the official video of “Midnight City” (featured on DNAK 50), one of my favorite songs from 2011 so far: | |||
| 7 | Trying to Reach You | Dracula | |
| Distinctive lead vocals stand out on this track from Portland-based indie male trio Nurses | |||
| 8 | Fever Dreams | Dracula | |
| Whoah, cool blue man group-ish video for the standout track. Official video: | |||
| 9 | Hex Girlfriend | Era Extraña | |
| Here’s another fun electonric track off of the sophomore album from Texas’ Neon Indian | |||
| 10 | Knots | Passenger | |
| Joyful song and accompanying video from singer/songwriter Lisa Hannigan. Hannigan, from Ireland, was originally a member of Damien Rice’s band before striking out on her own. Official video: | |||
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]]>September is upon us, and I love how the new album releases reflect the impending transition to Autumn. Several heavily anticipated new albums have just been released, and I encourage you to check them out, particularly from Neon Indian, St. Vincent, Mates of State, and Girls.
As always, I hope you find some new music in this list for you to add to your own listening rotation.
, I have links to the iTunes Ping playlist, Amazon, Rdio, and Spotify playlists if you prefer to listen to them that way.
-Dave
| Artist | Song Title | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Somebody That I Used to Know | Making Mirrors | |
| Let’s start off dnak 51 with a single that has torn up Australian music charts. It’s off of the third studio album from Gotye (aka Wally De Backer) and features Kimbra (female vocals). | |||
| 2 | Palomino | Mountaintops | |
| Long-time married indie-pop couple Mates of State just released their 6th studio album. | |||
| 3 | Polish Girl | Era Extraña | |
| Electronic/chillwave group Neon Indian just released their sophomore album to follow up their hugely successful debut. | |||
| 4 | Hanging On | You Are All I See | |
| This track from musician/singer Pat Gross (aka Active Child) is one of my favorites on this month’s list. It is just beautiful. | |||
| 5 | Cruel | Strange Mercy | |
| Annie Clark (aka St. Vincent) continues to impress with her third solo album (after her previous stints in the Polyphonic Spree and Sufjan Steven’s band). | |||
| 6 | Shuffle | A Different Kind of Fix | |
| Here’s a catchy track from London indie rock group Bombay Bicycle Club’s third studio album. | |||
| 7 | Sutphin Boulevard | Coastal Grooves | |
| Texas-born Dev Hynes (aka Lightspeed Champion, also aka Blood Orange), now based in the UK, may be more known for his compositions for Florence and the Machine and Chemical Brothers (amongst others). Here’s a standout track from his new side project Blood Orange. | |||
| 8 | Fall Creek Boys Choir | Fall Creek Boys Choir – Single | |
| Wow. So this is what you get when you cross British post-dubstep phenomenon James Blake with Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon. | |||
| 9 | Concrete Wall | Ghostbird | |
| Boom-sha-clack-clack. Malaysian-born Zee Avi is another example of how the Internet has changed the music industry. She posted some of her performances on Youtube (while living in Cambodia) and ended up attracting attention from The Raconteurs (amongst others). Now, 4 years later, she has a 2nd studio album with a growing group of devoted fans. | |||
| 10 | Destroyer | Phantoms | |
| Lauren Larson-fronted Austin indie rock group has a growing following due to their frenetic performances, but they manage to channel that energy into a nuanced debut LP. | |||
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]]>Putting together a playlist at the height of summer can be tough with fewer releases, but there is a plethora of new beachy, blissed out tracks perfect for the season. I’ve included quite a few new artists never featured on any of my playlists, with a sprinkling of familiar folks out with new and upcoming releases. I’m particularly looking forward to the new M83 album.
So put in your earphones, head out into the sunshine and take a listen….
, I have links to the iTunes Ping playlist, Amazon, Rdio, and now Spotify playlists if you prefer to listen to them that way.
I’ve embedded videos where I could find them. Enjoy!
-Dave
| Artist | Song Title | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amor Fati | Within and Without | |
| Ernest Green (from Georgia) goes by the appropriate name of Washed Out, and you may have heard him all over indie radio right now. Amor Fati (and the rest of the debut album) is blissed out chillwave, and feels right for the height of summer. | |||
| 2 | Hold On (feat. Sampha) | SBTRKT | |
| R&B meets dubstep in this fantastic track from London-based producer SBTRKT (pronounced “subtract”). | |||
| 3 | Fast Challenges | Equatorial Ultravox | |
| Here’s another track filled with summer haze from Jonquil’s frontman Hugo Manuel. | |||
| 4 | Lighthouse | NewVillager | |
| This Brooklyn group’s members are as much artists as musicians, and you can clearly see that in this experimental performance. | |||
| 5 | Cadenza | Cadenza | |
| I like how the shifting meter signatures in this track keeps you a little off kilter. This is from the Manchester (UK) indie band’s debut studio album. | |||
| 6 | Spacetime | Gardens & Villa | |
| This Santa Barbara group has a sort of 60′s retro meets 80′s electro in this darkly bouncing number. | |||
| 7 | Destructive Paths to Live Happily | Covered in Dust | |
| Keeping up the haze w/ this New Orleans trio, giving us Brittany Terry’s beautiful vocals over a moody synth backdrop. | |||
| 8 | Shine On, You Crazy White Cap | Four More Years | |
| Summery chillwave is coming to us from coast to coast, and this from Vancouver’s Teen Daze. Just close your eyes and drown in the shimmering beats. | |||
| 9 | Ritual Union | Ritual Union | |
| I love Yukimi Nagano’s vocals, highlighted in the title track from this Swedish electronic group’s 3rd studio album. | |||
| 10 | Repatriated | Sound Kapital | |
| This is the second track I’ve featured from the duo of Dan Boeckner (formely of Wolf Parade) and his wife. They recorded this album while touring & performing through Myamar. | |||
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]]>To accompany the late arrival of summer weather (it certainly took long enough here on the west coast), we have a slew of new releases. Not only do we have some long-awaited releases from Bon Iver and Junior Boys, we have a number of debut albums from brand new groups on the list this month. I hope you find some new songs to add to your own music rotations!
, I have links to the iTunes Ping playlist, Amazon, Rdio, and other playlists if you prefer to listen to them that way.
I’ve embedded videos where I could find them. Enjoy!
-Dave
| Artist | Song Title | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Now That I’m Real (How Does It Feel?) | Equatorial Ultravox | |
| Jonquil frontman Hugo Manuel (from Oxford, UK) is out with a solo project, and this track from his debut EP bring steel drums on a chillwave track w/ a killer electronic hook. | |||
| 2 | Helena Beat | Torches | |
| As expected, this LA group is killing it, w/ “Pumped Up Kicks” currently on the top of the indie pop charts. If you get a chance to see them live on a small stage, definitely go for it. | |||
| 3 | Chapel Song | Rise Ye Sunken Ships | |
| From the ashes of Pela and personal tragedy comes a wonderful new NYC band and a powerful debut record. You can almost hear the pain in Bill McCarthy’s voice throughout the track. | |||
| 4 | Whirring | The Big Roar | |
| This London group’s concept behind their music was to express their own transition from the Welsh countryside to the brash urban experience of the city, and this almost perfectly describes this track. | |||
| 5 | Serve the People | Sound Kapital | |
| With the indefinite hiatus of Montreal indie rock group Wolf Parade, it’s time to embrace the band members’ side projects. Dan Boeckner traveled with his wife Alexei to Asia, performing and recording many of their tracks in Myanmar, hardly an indie pop mecca. But the end result of that trip was this standout track, a tribute to a Burmese band they performed with during their travels. | |||
| 6 | Nothing’s Ever Easy | Great Civilizations | |
| Smashing Pumpkins drummer Jimmy Chamberlin has a brand new band, along with Mike Reina (vocals/keys/guitar) and Anthony Pirog (guitar). Checkout this standout track from their debut album. | |||
| Until I can find a streaming video for this track, you can . | |||
| 7 | Expanding Anyway | Expanding Anyway | |
| The way I’d describe this Portland band is Wolf Parade meets Polyphonic Spree. It’s joyous chaos, and the video is a trip! | |||
| 8 | Every Night My Teeth Are Falling Out | Burst Apart | |
| Here’s yet another strong track from the Brooklyn Indie trio, complete with a brand new video released a few days ago | |||
| 9 | Holocene | Bon Iver | |
| The new album from Wisconsin folk group Bon Iver is getting both critical acclaim and commercial success. You can’t help but pay attention to Justin Vernon’s vocals and lyrics in this incredibly beautiful track. Can’t find an online recording, but there’s a live Jimmy Fallon performance below. | |||
| 10 | It’s Beyond Me | The Errant Charm | |
| San Franscisco’s Vetiver has a new album of lovely alt-country/indie folk, including this pleasant opening track. | |||
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]]>Just because the tech giants are battling it out over who will win in the cloud music space doesn’t mean the artists are waiting on the sidelines. The releases have come fast and furious this month, with notable records from Wild Beasts, The Antlers, Fleet Foxes, and Okkervil River, among others, along with sneak peaks for new LPs due later this summer. I’m loving this list, and I hope you find something new for your own music rotation.
, I have links to the iTunes Ping playlist, Amazon, Rdio, and other playlists if you prefer to listen to them that way.
Clicking on a song name should bring you to YouTube or other page where you can listen to the song online for free, or just check out the embedded videos. Enjoy!
-Dave
| Artist | Song Title | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Idle Labor | ||
| Let’s open this list up with Stockton, CA-based Craft Spells. Lead singer Justin Vallesteros gives us hazy 80′s inspired synth pop that manages to surf the boundary between melancholy and sunny. |
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| 2. | Passive Me Aggressive You | ||
| This New Zealand quintet brings obvious comparisons to Passion Pit and perhaps MGMT. Sunny electro pop! |
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| 3. | Robot Learn Love | ||
| Here’s the first single from Kyle Andrews’ new LP due later this summer. The Nashville artist is building his album around the concept of modern life and relationships through the lens of technology. You can download the track directly from or . |
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| 4. | End Blood – Single | ||
| Yeasayer released a record featuring two songs that didn’t fit on Odd Blood (one of my favorites albums of 2010)…. so this is kind of an echo or closing of a chapter as the band prepares for new ideas going forward. |
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| 5. | Smother | ||
| UK’s Wild Beasts’ third album doesn’t disappoint, featuring Hayden Thorpe’s unmistakeable stylized falsetto that I loved so much from their fantastic 2009 album Two Dancers. |
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| 6. | Smother | ||
| This track feature’s Thorpe’s still-dramatic lower register over a metronomic piano track. by |
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| 7. | Helplessness Blues | ||
| The full album is out now, and it’s fantastic. |
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| 8. | Burst Apart | ||
| Brooklyn dream folk group The Antlers is back, this time with more electronic influences backing Pete Silberman’s haunting and atmospheric vocals. |
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| 9. | Future Self | ||
| I saw this Seattle/Spokane group playing at SXSW in March with their own brand of accessible indie prog rock. |
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| 10. | I Am Very Far | ||
| Austin-based Okkervil River just released its sixth studio LP (all on Jagjaguwar) |
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]]>A ton of new releases (both LPs and EPS) are out as well as a number of early singles for releases coming in May. In particular, I’m excited for the new Fleet foxes record and some of Danger Mouse’s new collaborations. This list is one of my more eclectic collections featuring indie pop, alt folk, indie rock, electronic, and even R&B-influenced artists. I hope you find something new to add to your own listening rotation.
, I have links to the iTunes Ping playlist, Amazon, Rdio, and other playlists if you prefer to listen to them that way.
Clicking on a song name should bring you to YouTube or other page where you can listen to the song online for free, or just check out the embedded videos. Enjoy!
-Dave
| Artist | Song Title | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Forever Today | ||
| I fell in love with this band with their last album “Who Killed Harry Houdini”, and I’m excited to see that this Swedish mega group (they have over 25 members!) put out some new tunes. Check out the new upbeat album’s leadoff track. |
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| 2. | Nine Types of Light | ||
| It’s only appropriate that this is the second song on this playlist, and it’s also the second song that I’ve featured from this Brooklyn group’s latest LP. Tragically, TVotR is currently in mourning, having lost their bassist Gerard Smith just two weeks ago after a long battle with lung cancer. R.I.P. |
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| 3. | House of Balloons | ||
| OK, The Weeknd went from a sort of underground murmur to a full blown phenomenon. This Toronto group gives us visceral lyrics over a mix of R&B and lush beats. Do yourself a favor and download their digital EP available for free at |
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| 4. | Figurines | ||
| Danish indie rock group brings their distinctive harmonies and skewed melodies with a touch of french pop on their fourth LP. |
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| 5. | Heaven Is Attached By a Slender Thread | ||
| After a 4 year hiatus, this aptly named Los Angeles-based trio is back with their fourth LP |
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| 6. | The Sound of Everything | ||
| Thousands is an acoustic duo from Seattle. Here’s a video of a private live performance of a beautiful alt folk track off of their latest album. |
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| 7. | Rome | ||
| Super collaborator Danger Mouse has a new project called “Rome” due out in May, this time with an Italian composer. Check out this sneak peak track featuring Jack White. |
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| 8. | Tomboy | ||
| Animal Collective’s Noah Lennox (AKA Panda Bear) is back with another solo effort following his very successful album Person Pitch in 2007. Here’s a fan-made video for this standout track. |
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| 9. | Noir | ||
| BSBD is a San Francisco and Seattle-based duo that are known for mixing instrumentation and sample with hip hop and electronic influences. Mellow and moody. |
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| 10. | Holy Ghost! | ||
| I just saw these guys live as the opening act for Cut Copy during their Seattle tour stop. The NY-based electronic band (now up to six members) even had Nancy Whang (from LCD Soundsystem) on as special guest. |
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