Certified Jams

November Mix Track list: (00:00) Tomas Barford – November Skies...

Thu, 06 Dec 2012 23:23:17 -0500

November Mix

Track list:

(00:00) Tomas Barford – November Skies (Jerome LOL Remix)

(06:03) CHVRCHES – The Mother We Shar (Miaoux Miaoux Remix)

(10:23) S O H N – The Wheel

(14:05) Toro y Moi – So Many Details

(18:39) Kendrick Lamar – Money Trees (Feat. Jay Rock)

(24:25) Flying Lotus – All In

(27:13) Dapni – Yes, I Know

(31:38) Mikky Ekko – Pull Me Down (Ryan Hemsworth Remix)

(34:57) Tame Impala – Mind Mischief

(39:25) Jessica Pratt – Bushel Hyde

Cop this album: "Centipede Hz" by Animal Collective

Sun, 26 Aug 2012 21:55:37 -0400

Every time I hear Panda Bear sing I think: this is what I should be listening to.

Standout track:

Animal Collective: “New Town Burnout”

Cop this album: "Tracer" by Teengirl Fantasy

Sun, 26 Aug 2012 11:50:44 -0400

Teengirl Fantasy burst onto the music scene back in 2010 with the dreamy track “Cheaters,” one of the best songs of that year.

Fast forward a couple years and we have their new album Tracer, one which further establishes the uniqueness of their own particular brand of dance music.

This album has a few very interesting guest appearances on vocals, from Panda Bear to Laurel Halo to even Romanthony, the guy who sung the vocals for Daft Punk’s “One More Time.” The guest spots are all good in their own way, but this album really shines when TGF’s beats are front and center and free from any vocal overlays.

Tracer is a focused, coherent trip through a hazy dance world; one that only this band seems to know the location of.

Standout Tracks:

Certified Jams July 2012 Mix

Sun, 05 Aug 2012 19:05:00 -0400

Better late than never.

Here’s your July 2012, with a chill summer vibe. Had to put in one of my favorite smooth summer jams, “Be Thankful” by the immortal William DeVaughn. Major upload problems, so this time the file is in mediafire. Enjoy outside.

http://www.mediafire.com/?y08n2nwhb4g92rt

(00:00) Dirty Projectors – “Unto Ceaser”

(3:30) Frank Ocean – “Super Rich Kids”

(8:27) Blood Diamonds – “Ritual”

(13:33) Flying Lotus – “Between Friends” (Excerpt)

(14:19) The Antlers – “Drift Drive”

(19:00) Holy Other – “Held”

(25:00) Frank Ocean – “Thinkin Bout You”

(28:19) William DeVaughn – “Be Thankful For What You Got”

(35:24) Dirty Projectors – “Swing Lo Magellan”

Cop this album: "Swing Lo Magellan" by Dirty Projectors

Sun, 08 Jul 2012 21:27:57 -0400

The first time I heard Dirty Projectors was one of the most vivid first-listen experiences I’ve ever had. In the summer of 2009, my friend put on the song “Stillness is the Move” off their album Bitte Orca, and my ears practically had a siezure it sounded so good.

I couldn’t believe how completely original their sound was, and how complex their compositional elements were. The collision of intricate harmonies, glitchy guitar riffs, and funky basslines was unlike anything I’d ever heard before. Dirty Projectors instantaneously became one of my favorite bands.

Fast forward a few years and we finally have their next record in Swing Lo Magellan. I kept my anticipation in check due to the natural tendency for hyped albums to let down, but as soon as I heard the dirty bassline kick in in the opening track “Offspring Are Blank,” I couldn’t help but laugh at how incredibly good at music this band is.

Swing Lo Magellan is definitely distinct from Bitte Orca: the songs lean into a more folksy realm, the harmonies are de-emphasized, and frontman David Longsreth’s voice is more front and center.

But the thing that stands out the most to me in this record is the playful confidence these songs exude. They know the base formula of what makes them successful, so at times they toy with the listener as they experiment with all the ways they can pull off a great song. At one point they even poke fun at themselves, as one of the girls can be heard in the background asking, “when should we bust into harmony?”

Like Bitte Orca, Swing Lo Magellan sounds genius the moment you put it on. One of the hardest things for artists to do is to continually sound original and innovative, but the ease at which Dirty Projectors pull that off is what makes them one of the best bands in the world today.

Stream the album over at NYTimes (standout tracks: “Offspring Are Blank,” “Swing Lo Magellan,” and “Unto Ceasar” among others)

Certified Jams June Mix

Sun, 01 Jul 2012 17:34:17 -0400

June 2012 was truly an amazing month for music. Enjoy this tribute to it:

(00:00) Hot Chip – “Motion Sickness”

(05:12) Purity Ring – “Fineshrine”

(08:40) Poolside – “Slow Down”

(13:20) Friendzone – “I Have Nothing”

(17:25) Frank Ocean – “Pyramids”

(27:09) Holy Other – “Love Some1”

(31:33) Grizzly Bear – “Sleeping Ute”

(36:05) Hot Chip – “Let Me Be Him”

(43:38) Clams Casino – “Human”

(46:57) Yeasayer – “Henrietta”

(51:30) Friendzone – “STRESSES”

Certified Jam: "Henrietta" by Yeasayer

Thu, 28 Jun 2012 22:01:15 -0400

Here’s a great new cut from Yeasayer. They have a new album due out in August, hopefully the rest of its songs are on the same plane as this one. Love the second half.

studyharddrugsschool: The best act I saw at Governors Ball on...

Mon, 25 Jun 2012 20:11:22 -0400

studyharddrugsschool:

The best act I saw at Governors Ball on Saturday, hands down, was James Murphy and Pat Mahoney’s ‘Special Disco Version.’ At one point, they took Poolside’s cover of ‘Harvest Moon’ and spread about six more layers of bass on it—that I was hearing a warped cover of one of my favorite songs didn’t even register with me until it was half over. The mix sounded nothing like the original ‘Harvest Moon.’ What a set. Keeping my eyes peeled for the tracklist.

Poolside - Harvest Moon

BG

Cop this album: "In Our Heads" by Hot Chip

Mon, 11 Jun 2012 09:59:27 -0400

Hot Chip in my mind is one of the more standout indie bands of the last decade. They’ve made some incredible tracks (“And I Was a Boy From School,” “Ready for the Floor,” “The Warning,” and a great deal more), but their last album One Life Stand was definitely a let down from their previous works.

With their new album In Our Heads, the band has come back in a big way. Hot Chip has always excelled at both up-tempo dance jams and their slower stuff, but this time around their music holds a little something extra in terms of musical and lyrical complexity.

Moreover, Hot Chip in the past has released albums with two or three superlative cuts on it, but I’ve always viewed the surrounding tracks at not too much more than your typical “filler” material. With In Our Heads, Hot Chip makes us forget about this notion entirely as the album significantly raises the bar in terms of top-to-bottom quality.

As they demonstrate with songs like “Flutes,” there are few things in the music world better than a top notch Hot Chip single. But when the rest of the songs on the release are nearly on that level, then you’ve got an album not many others will surpass this year.

Standout Tracks:

Hot Chip - “Flutes”

Hot Chip - “Motion Sickness”

Hot Chip - “Let Me Be Him”

Certified Jam: "Pyramids" by Frank Ocean

Sun, 10 Jun 2012 18:35:12 -0400

I’m a sucker for R&B, but you gotta love this new track from Frank Ocean. Love that he’s exploring new territory with this 10-minute track, which is much longer than anything from his relatively straightforward debut LP Nostalgia/Ultra. Stream or download the track for free below:

Pyramids by Frank Ocean

Certified Jam: "Sleeping Ute" by Grizzly Bear

Sun, 10 Jun 2012 18:23:29 -0400

There probably won’t be a more anticipated album in the indie world this year than Grizzly Bear’s as-of-yet untitled coming release. It’s due out at the end of the summer, but this new track “Sleeping Ute” gives us a glimpse of what’s to come, and it’s enough to drive excitement even further:

Certified Jam: "Love Some1" by Holy Other

Sun, 10 Jun 2012 17:41:48 -0400

This past week was absolutely absurd in terms of good music being released. I’m gonna try to catch up on it the best I can, starting with this grinding cut from Holy Other’s forthcoming LP Held, due out August 28th. My excitement-meter is already on 10 for that one.

Certified Jams May Mix

Sun, 03 Jun 2012 17:56:19 -0400

Electro-leaning mix for May 2012. Play it loud.

(00:00) Matthew Dear – “Her Fantasy”

(06:12) Teengirl Fantasy – “Motif”

(12:43) Elite Gymnastics – “Life/Trap”

(18:40) Xylos – “Summerlong”

(22:22) Polica – “Amongster”

(26:20) How to Dress Well – “Ocean Floor for Everything”

(29:25) Laurel Halo – “Light + Space”

(33:50) Gold Panda – “Mountain”

(38:00) John Talabot – “And So Will Be Now… ft. Pional”

Certified Jam: "Mountain" by Gold Panda

Mon, 14 May 2012 21:18:37 -0400

Gold Panda, who I believe is criminally underrated, released this shimmering new track “Mountain” today. Beautiful tonality in this one. Make sure to check out his album Lucky Shiner if you haven’t already.

Cop this Album: "Bloom" by Beach House

Mon, 14 May 2012 21:18:09 -0400

Beach House, in my opinion one of the best bands in the world over the last several years, is nothing if not consistent. While they essentially only do one thing- hazy, atmospheric dream-pop, they do that thing remarkably well and with increasingly excellent results.

“Bloom” is just another step in the same direction Beach House has been walking in all these years, but this time with tighter composition and more refined production. The best part is they’ve delivered this album in time for it to be the soundtrack to your summer, so I expect to hear this on heavy rotation in the coming months.

Standout tracks:

Beach House - “Lazuli”

Lazuli by Beach House on Grooveshark

Beach House - “Other People”

Other People by Beach House on Grooveshark

Certified Jam: "Romantic Streams (CFCF Remix)" by Sleep ∞ Over

Wed, 09 May 2012 18:28:00 -0400

CFCF has been killing it lately. A few weeks ago he released a great chilled-out remix of Elite Gymnastics’ “h e r e , i n h e a v e n”, and today he put out his take of Sleep ∞ Over’s excellent “Romantic Streams.” Take a listen to CFCF below, and also revisit Balam Acab’s version of the same song, which is one of my favorite remixes of all time.

CFCF:

Balam Acab:

NEW ANIMAL COLLECTIVE

Mon, 07 May 2012 13:59:09 -0400

New Animal Collective, y’all.

Certified Jams April Mix

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 10:02:00 -0400

A lot of nice tracks to remember from this month. I’m gonna say Peaking Light’s “LO HI” won the month, although “Lazuli” by Beach House came in a close second.

Download here.

(00:00) Jai Paul – “Jasmine”

(04:08) Outer Limitz – “I Kontact”

(07:35) Peaking Lights – “LO HI”

(14:47) Purity Ring – “Obedear”

(18:12) A$AP Rocky – “Goldie”

(21:22) Chromatics – “There’s a Light Out On the Horizon”

(25:50) Actress – “The Lord’s Graffiti”

(28:50) AlunaGeorge – “You Know You Like It”

(32:14) Usher – “Climax (Prod. by Diplo)

(36:04) Daughn Gibson – “Tiffany Lou”

(40:35) Beach House – “Lazuli”

(45:35) White Poppy – “I Had a Dream”

In a stunning upset, Usher’s “Climax” made this month’s list despite being released in March. That’s because I think it goes really well with AlunaGeorge, and I’ve also never given it any love on this space before.

If you haven’t already, check out the mixes from previous months.

Cop this album: "You Know You Like It" by AlunaGeorge

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 10:46:00 -0400

If it’s highly original, generating a lot of underground buzz, and something you can bob your head to, chances are it’s been signed to Tri-Angle Records. This notion has been proven once again by AlunaGeorge, a new London-based R&B duo.

With their fragmented and futuristic beats, AlunaGeorge sounds like an R&B version of Purity Ring. Their short, 3-song EP is great new addition to the already absurd Tri-Angle lineup.

Standout tracks:

AlunaGeorge - “You Know You Like It”

AlunaGeorge - “Just a Touch”

Certified Jam: "Obedear" by Purity Ring

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 15:46:00 -0400

Here’s a nice new ominous-sounding one from Purity Ring. I had a chance to go to their concert-celebration of their new deal with 4AD and hear a few songs off their forthcoming album Shrines, and let me tell you that album is gonna be a doozy.

Purity Ring - “Odebar” <—-Right click to download