With so many wonderful tunes to pick from, across genres and moods, my Best Of choices seem to shift from day to day. But in the end I've opted for a couple of songs which give me a great rush every time I hear them, despite hundreds of plays.
First up, Sonny and the Sunsets. I always love the quirky, romantic sound of Sonny Smith and particularly the call and response approach of some of his tunes like 'Lovin on an Older Gal' (2009) and this selection from Antenna to the Afterworld (2013), the sweetly sad 'Green Blood'.
My second selection is from the wonderful Australian band The Drones. Clever lyrics, spat out over amazing gee-tar fuzz....this song epitomises everything I love about this band. From their wonderful 2013 album I See Seaweed, I offer 'A Moat You Can Stand In'.
Saturday, 7 December 2013
Friday, 6 December 2013
Iain Lordhunter
Arcade Fire - Reflektor
Arcade Fire and LCD Soundsystem are both strong contenders for my favourite band of the last decade, so when I heard James Murphy was producing the new Arcade Fire album I was very excited. I was also very nervous that it wouldn't work, as I found the UNKLE collaborations often sounded like 2 separate very good things shoved unsuccessfully together. But as soon as I heard this, I loved it. It's got driving indie rock bits! It's got plinky dancey bits! it's got bits sung in French! And then, if that wasn't enough, ...David Bowie turns up! Nearly 8 minutes in length but never outstaying its welcome, it even features an Anton Corbijn-directed video full of intrigue, glitter balls and papier mache heads. Song of the year.
The Uncluded - Delicate Cycle
My second choice is another coming together of 2 great artist(e)s: the rapper Aesop Rock and singer-songwriter Kimya Dawson of The Moldy Peaches. Aesop delivers, over an acoustic guitar backing, a potentially psychopathic rap about sending people body parts in the mail, while Kimya sings a touching tale about growing up in a laundromat. Perhaps these are even two halves of the same story, who knows. Then the two come together on the chorus and it manages to sound both sweet and sinister at the same time. It possibly shouldn't work at all, but it really, really does.
Iain Lordhunter
DJ @ AAi, and pub landlord at The Bannister & Shamrock.
Arcade Fire and LCD Soundsystem are both strong contenders for my favourite band of the last decade, so when I heard James Murphy was producing the new Arcade Fire album I was very excited. I was also very nervous that it wouldn't work, as I found the UNKLE collaborations often sounded like 2 separate very good things shoved unsuccessfully together. But as soon as I heard this, I loved it. It's got driving indie rock bits! It's got plinky dancey bits! it's got bits sung in French! And then, if that wasn't enough, ...David Bowie turns up! Nearly 8 minutes in length but never outstaying its welcome, it even features an Anton Corbijn-directed video full of intrigue, glitter balls and papier mache heads. Song of the year.
The Uncluded - Delicate Cycle
My second choice is another coming together of 2 great artist(e)s: the rapper Aesop Rock and singer-songwriter Kimya Dawson of The Moldy Peaches. Aesop delivers, over an acoustic guitar backing, a potentially psychopathic rap about sending people body parts in the mail, while Kimya sings a touching tale about growing up in a laundromat. Perhaps these are even two halves of the same story, who knows. Then the two come together on the chorus and it manages to sound both sweet and sinister at the same time. It possibly shouldn't work at all, but it really, really does.
Iain Lordhunter
DJ @ AAi, and pub landlord at The Bannister & Shamrock.
Thursday, 5 December 2013
Moby Tenenbaum's Two Top Picks
I guess the most important criterion for picking my two tops songs would be the frequency with which I've played them at my gigs. There are a number of tunes that I've repeated a lot, but I'm going to with two that are quite similar in emotional tone: "Thames Soup," by The Phoenix Foundation, and "Starlings Over Brighton Pier," by Bell X1. To me, they're both achingly beautiful, contemplative tunes and I'm sure I'll be playing them a lot for years to come. I DJ every Sunday from 2 to 4 SL time at the venerable old alt7.
Uglyana Jones
2013 was a year of great transition for me. I took a big risk and stepped out of a situation where I had been dependent upon others to care for me directly into a situation where someone was dependent upon me for care. It was terrifying and difficult in ways I didn't expect. But taking on this challenge has allowed me to finally begin to discover parts of myself I had lost or forgotten and build myself into someone I can almost recognize.
The two songs I've chosen for 2013 both reflect this journey, the almost euphoric relief of waking from a nightmare while the affect slowly dissolves.
1. Wild Creatures from Neko Case's 2013 album 'The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You'
Neko Case - Wild Creatures
2. Girl Called Alex from Kurt Vile's 2013 album 'Walkin on a Pretty Daze'
Kurt Vile - Girl Called Alex
I DJ at the Velvet Tuesdays 3 pm to 5 pm SLT and specialize in conceptual sets.
The two songs I've chosen for 2013 both reflect this journey, the almost euphoric relief of waking from a nightmare while the affect slowly dissolves.
1. Wild Creatures from Neko Case's 2013 album 'The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You'
Neko Case - Wild Creatures
2. Girl Called Alex from Kurt Vile's 2013 album 'Walkin on a Pretty Daze'
Kurt Vile - Girl Called Alex
I DJ at the Velvet Tuesdays 3 pm to 5 pm SLT and specialize in conceptual sets.
Tamikrest
I love the joy and celebration-of-life-despite-everything in this video :)
Tamikrest have a fresh album out called 'Chatma'.
Tamikrest have a fresh album out called 'Chatma'.
Tamikrest - Aratan N Tinariwen
Wednesday, 4 December 2013
Sam Shecter
Tegan and Sara - Closer
I picked this song because I just love Tegan and Sara. They have been one of my favorite bands for a long time, also because this song talks about how love can be such a unique thing, how it can fill your mind completely, even if you are gay or straight or a pony, It's love and love is for everyone.
Chvrches - Recover
About this song and Band, there reason I selected this song and band is because they were introduced to me by a great friend of mine, so it has a special meaning. Second Reason is Because the lyrics on this song really move me as well.
Hello ^-^
My name is Sam Shecter, I started Djing not very long ago, if I am correct, just in the beginning of this precise year. It has been quite a rush, I've always loved Djing since I was a little kid. I'm almost 2 years and 7 Months old on SL and I love what I do here, I love sharing music on my sets, I think it is amazing how we can connect With music, It's not only me that shares a part of who I am but the persons that listen also teach me a lot of things, and that is what I love about all of it.
I picked this song because I just love Tegan and Sara. They have been one of my favorite bands for a long time, also because this song talks about how love can be such a unique thing, how it can fill your mind completely, even if you are gay or straight or a pony, It's love and love is for everyone.
Chvrches - Recover
About this song and Band, there reason I selected this song and band is because they were introduced to me by a great friend of mine, so it has a special meaning. Second Reason is Because the lyrics on this song really move me as well.
Hello ^-^
My name is Sam Shecter, I started Djing not very long ago, if I am correct, just in the beginning of this precise year. It has been quite a rush, I've always loved Djing since I was a little kid. I'm almost 2 years and 7 Months old on SL and I love what I do here, I love sharing music on my sets, I think it is amazing how we can connect With music, It's not only me that shares a part of who I am but the persons that listen also teach me a lot of things, and that is what I love about all of it.
Tuesday, 3 December 2013
Ferdynand Straaf
It was not easy to find 2 songs. 2013 was not realy a year with highlights. My two favorite singers (Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen) released both a new album "recently" but both were at the end of 2012. So they don't count.
I ran through my collection and found some others, but more then 2. I had to make a decision. I chose for the first, a new Folk-Rock band and a collaboration of 2 musicians who have been making music for a long time.
To start with the new band:
American Aquarium - Burn, Flicker, Die
A perfect song, great beat, a text that tells something, enough variation to prevent you getting bored, a singer with a voice which I as dutch can understand without have to think "what's he singing about". So in short; A perfect song.
My second choice is from the album "Black Pudding"
Mark Lanegan and Duke Garwood - Cold Molly
I became a fan of Lanegan's music when i heard him Sing "In the Pines". I don't know who Duke Garwood is but this was in the description by the YT video:
"For those who are unfamiliar with Garwood, he has been described in the UK press as Lanegan's 'spiritual cousin across the Atlantic waters'".
This is music in the tradition of the great (post) punk singers. Great arrangements, also a perfect song. Everything fits. No highlights just good music. I'm so happy it's still made these days.
Sean Rowe - Acoustic version of Jonathan
Very rich music..sometimes you hear Dylan then Cohen or Sprinsteen, also a understandable voice, and a great guitar player.
Soko - I'll kill her
My latest discovery, a female singer but coming with something so pure and direct, a relief after all the Adele's, Gaga, Lorde's etc. etc. Okay, a last one with a haunting video (warning!):
Soko - We might be dead by Tomorrow
I ran through my collection and found some others, but more then 2. I had to make a decision. I chose for the first, a new Folk-Rock band and a collaboration of 2 musicians who have been making music for a long time.
To start with the new band:
American Aquarium - Burn, Flicker, Die
A perfect song, great beat, a text that tells something, enough variation to prevent you getting bored, a singer with a voice which I as dutch can understand without have to think "what's he singing about". So in short; A perfect song.
My second choice is from the album "Black Pudding"
Mark Lanegan and Duke Garwood - Cold Molly
I became a fan of Lanegan's music when i heard him Sing "In the Pines". I don't know who Duke Garwood is but this was in the description by the YT video:
"For those who are unfamiliar with Garwood, he has been described in the UK press as Lanegan's 'spiritual cousin across the Atlantic waters'".
This is music in the tradition of the great (post) punk singers. Great arrangements, also a perfect song. Everything fits. No highlights just good music. I'm so happy it's still made these days.
Sean Rowe - Acoustic version of Jonathan
Very rich music..sometimes you hear Dylan then Cohen or Sprinsteen, also a understandable voice, and a great guitar player.
Soko - I'll kill her
My latest discovery, a female singer but coming with something so pure and direct, a relief after all the Adele's, Gaga, Lorde's etc. etc. Okay, a last one with a haunting video (warning!):
Soko - We might be dead by Tomorrow
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