Hi there! Wondering where all the fresh muzak posting is? We have moved to oceansofnoise.com
Thanks for putting up with this ridiculously unpronounceable work in progress blog name, and as an OG reader, if you want a special party favor in the form of a super sweet mix, leave a comment below and then head on over to Oceans of Noise.
Oh the Swedish. My love of all music from the land of Ikea is well documented and my pop sensibilities have been much obsessed with Icona Pop as of late. Their first track 'Manners' has an intensely catchy chorus built for singalongs in the car, but its their second release 'Top Rated' that has gained heavy rotation for me recently. It's very similar to Adele's 'Rolling in the Deep' in theme, and while Icona Pop also seems to be telling a former significant other to go to hell, they are doing it with a much more dancey beat. Part of Neon Gold's Popshop mixtape, I really hope they put out a full length version soon because if there was a contest for who should open for Robyn, Icona Pop would be the front runner.
This song is certifiably badass, and it takes me back to about a year ago, when I up and quit my job - honestly for no real reason other than I was sick of the internal politics. I used to make pretty decent flow until I said, "F*ck the Money."
"Well I'm a quit this crazy scene
Cause being (rich) ain't all what they make it to be
But back then y'all this was my favorite dream
But now, I wouldn't hesitate I would leave"
Now while I don't believe that either of them would, in fact, bail on their fame or fortune, the message is Perfect. Don't hesitate. If it sucks, bail out. Don't rely on what you thought or what they say or what your parents want, but instead, believe in what you know about yourself...
Do you ever hear a new song and discover you are singing along halfway through? I recently did this with 'Wet Hair', a track I loved many years ago that Teen Daze has covered from Japandoids. How they managed to take pop-punk track and turn it into a pretty fantastic chillwavey sounding song proves why they get so much hype in hipster circles. Even if you aren't riding a fixie in your skinny jeans, this song is catchy and should have you dreaming of cruising down Highway One watching the ocean sparkle in the sun.
Ski season this year has been a random but fun time which has let me perfect my Tahoe playlist and strike up some intense conversations with strangers on lifts. One recommendation, from a decidedly dirty snowboarder type was Hey Champ!, a group that I had initially distrusted due to punctuation in its name. (Yet another reason I can't get on board with the band, !!!) This track won me over for its tempo, and the variety of solid remixes you can find out there. Check out the original and a rather lengthy but very solid remix by Gemini below.
The rampant (and much deserved) popularity of Adele has been the highlight of a time that has an increasingly retro feel. Between her catchy threats of being scorned, and Mayer Hawthorne's uptempo commentary about a girl and her easy loving ways, there are some fantastic old-school sounding artists out there who don't need to rely on a raging drug problem to get noticed. (You heard me Amy Winehouse. Mark Ronson and I don't love you anymore.) In that vein, the Knocks covered the Temptations with their signature twist, and turns it into a hand-clapping, foot-stomping version that makes for excellent bus music. (At least, thats what the nice old gentleman on my morning commute told me when he gave a listen to my playlist) Check out the Mayer Hawthorne track below and go here to listen and download the Knocks track.
A go-to favorite song for me is Washed Out's 'New Theory'. A go-to remixer for me is RAC. Put them together and get the awesomeness below that is causing visions of back roads and camping in the spring.
While I haven't gotten anywhere near Dowks pursuit of lucid dreaming, from time to time I have intense dreams that I believe are actual memories. Recently I was convinced that Dowks and I had been backstage at a Radiohead concert listening to Codex, which is impressive since the album only dropped a short while ago. Similarly, I thought I had written about my love of the new Young Galaxy album, but clearly have yet to do so. So while I cannot make the former come true with the push of a button, here is 'We Have Everything', a somewhat uptempo yet dreamy track. Bonus points for a cartoon video that is both goofy and a little sad all at the same time.
