Entertainment - Tuesday, November 3, 2009 10:35 - 3 Comments
Tuesday Track: “Ambling Alp” by Yeasayer
I’d been hearing so many good things about Yeasayer this week , and when I finally listened to the track everyone’s been talking about, “Ambling Alp”, their first single of sophomore album Odd Blood, I realized what everyone was flipping out over it. Yeasayer was one of those bands I heard when I first came to NYU. Everyone thought they were the second coming of the Christ. So, while I thought they were a little vague and sloppy for my tastes, I dutifully downloaded “2080″ and “Sunrise” and pretended to like them until I really did like them. But listening to this new single, I can see that Yeasayer have grown into something far more pleasing and mature. This single still has their signature psychadelic-electro backing mixed with tribal beats, but instead of the vocals taking a backseat like they did previously, they are at the forefront. Chris Keating’s folksy lyrics shine beautifully and add a richness and depth to their sound that I felt was lacking in previous efforts. You can download the track here.
Photo from Flickr user If979883 under the Creative Commons License
Entertainment - Tuesday, October 20, 2009 12:25 - 0 Comments
Tuesday Track: “Mighty Proud” by Chief
I’ve been excited about the band Chief for a couple of years now. Full disclosure before I go on though: I worked for them at one point, but my love remains objective. (I promise.) They’ve since relocated to their Southern California homeland to record their debut album, but all four band mates went to NYU back in the day. (But unlike most NYU bands, they don’t suck.) They have the epic-ness of a band like The Verve with a dirty south guitar jangle and ridiculously beautiful harmonies, almost sounding like a harder rocking version of Fleet Foxes. In other words, they might be more than just “The Next Big Thing.” The track available for you today, “Mighty Proud,” is their single format this summer off Chess Club Records in the UK. Also included, a video of their song “Nice People,” which, besides being hilarious, is an amazing song. Chief are playing twice at CMJ, both shows are on Friday: one at 6:00 at Santos Party House and the other at 7:45 at Highline Ballroom.
Download the track here.
Entertainment - Tuesday, October 13, 2009 2:36 - 4 Comments
Tuesday Track: “Crystalised” by The xx
South London based band The xx have been controversial since the debut of their album in August. Quite a few of my Twitter friends are really into music and at least once a day someone sings praises about The xx virtually. Within the next hour, however, that person will get an @reply from another friend telling them they are out of their minds for thinking that The xx have a shred of musical talent. I haven’t made up my mind yet as to which side I’m on–probably somewhere in the middle. Despite the polarizing responses the band produces, I find this song completely enjoyable. Cooly delivered vocals, lo-fi guitars, and a galloping drum pad beat will make your usual 9:30 AM walk to Silver a stealth mission instead of the normal dreary trek. Continue…
Entertainment, Featured - Tuesday, October 6, 2009 9:41 - 2 Comments
Tuesday Track: “Dominos” by The Big Pink
The Big Pink have been kind of a big deal in the inner indie circles for a while now, but I just became obsessed with them this week. They are an electro-rock duo from London and they’ve been putting out awesome Stone Roses meets Jesus and Mary Chain electronic infused tracks since this time last year. “Velvet,” their first single from their debut album A Brief History of Love, was included in Pitchfork’s 500 best Songs of the Decade (apparently they can see into the future until the end of the decade because…you know…they’re Pitchfork). However, their third single “Dominos” is the one that is going to be their big break crossover track. This goes beyond catchy. It will literally be stuck in your head all day. You have been warned. Look out for hipster DJ’s (including me) to be playing this track on the dancefloor well into the new year. You can catch The Big Pink December 3rd at Bowery Ballroom and December 4th at Music Hall of Williamsburg.
Download it here.
Entertainment - Tuesday, September 29, 2009 14:49 - 1 Comment
Tuesday Track of the Week: Miike Snow
This Swedish pop trio has been getting mentions all over the place, from The Misshapes Leigh Lezark to being played on the season premiere of Gossip Girl . Beyond that, two of the members have produced records for both Britney Spears and Madonna, they had two wildly successful shows at Mercury Lounge a couple of weeks ago, and their name has been popping up just about everywhere on the blogosphere. Despite all this hype, they actually live up to expectations, especially with their latest single “Black and Blue” which mixes New Wave backing tracks with Animal Collective weirdness, with just a dash of disco thrown in for good measure. And for those of you who like things cut up, mashed up, and with extra beats, check out awesome Canadian DJ Tiga’s remix of the song.
Entertainment - Tuesday, September 22, 2009 7:30 - 9 Comments
Tuesday Track of the Week: Franz Ferdinand Covers Britney Spears’ “Womanizer”
I’ve had this Tuesday Track installment on repeat all week. It’s a cover and typically, I hate covers. At best, they usually sound exactly like the original version, except shitty. At worst, they have dead musicians rolling around in their grave (Hello, Fall Out Boy butchering “Love Will Tear Us Apart.” Shame on you.) However, Franz Ferdinand’s take on Britney Spears’ “Womanizer” is all kinds of fantastic. They put a bouncy rockabilly spin on it, and even squeeze in a few lines form their old classic “Shopping For Blood.” Basically it combines my obsession with Alex Kapranos’ sexy vocals and my secret guilty pleasures of the Brit Brit variety. It was recorded for the BBC Live Lounge, so it’s a bit unpolished, but wonderfully so. Below you will find both the video recorded at BBC, and here’s the download link. Listen and enjoy! Continue…
Entertainment - Tuesday, September 15, 2009 12:00 - 2 Comments
Tuesday Track of the Week: “Let’s Go Surfing” by The Drums
In light of the treacherously awful weather we had to endure over the weekend, this week’s track was made to make students want to slam shut the books we so studiously just opened and head down to the beach. Not like we have easy access to a beach here at NYU, but it’s the sentiment that counts. NYC four-piece The Drums bring us a not so surprisingly surfy and vaguely lo-fi tune perfect for those walks to class where you either want to embrace the lovely weather or forget about the rain that is blowing sideways under your umbrella. As a bonus, the band filches the kid’s hand game rhyme “down down baby/down by the roller coaster” to spectacular effect. If you like what you hear you are in luck. They are playing Mercury Lounge on September 22nd for those of you 21 and up. Listen here.
Entertainment - Tuesday, September 8, 2009 11:00 - 0 Comments
Tuesday Track of the Week
Internet-addicted and hopelessly saddled with ADD-like attention spans, most people have little time to read album reviews these days. Personally, I tend to lose steam halfway through the obscure and often pretentious references, thinking that I probably could have listened to and formed my own opinion about a good chunk of the record by the time I’m finished reading the overblown analysis. It’s pop music, not rocket science (I’m looking at you, Pitchfork). So, to remedy that, here at NYULocal you will be spared from bloated criticism in favor of a streamlined and bite-sized Tuesday Track of the Week. Every week you can hear a concise summary of our featured track, but most importantly, a link will be provided for your instant listening pleasure. Continue…
