Monday, July 31, 2006

Some Fun Stuff...



I know it's just a webrip, but I've been playing the hell out of this song for the last week - they're called Under The Influence of Giants. Their sound is very Killers-meets-ultrapop, which is a very good thing. I've heard a few tracks (like their first single, "Mama's Room", which you can hear on their myspace page) which I don't love, but songs like this one, "In The Clouds", are just fantastic. It's fantastically produced with near-flawless musical execution, and it's hooky as shit. It's a lot of fun, and I'm predicting these guys will be pretty big in the near future.

Audio: In The Clouds [Ninjas LOVE this song!] [webrip]
Video: In The Clouds [iPod compatible, yo!]
Myspace | Official Site

posted by b, 7/31/2006 04:12:00 PM | link | |

Saturday, July 29, 2006

tonight's set list!

I played tonight. Here's the list. Thoughts? And yes, I know I have to tape one of these sometime. And, I know I love k-os and Lily Allen. It's apparent. Move past that.

1. Weezer - No One Else (3:04)
2. Cobra Starship - Snakes On A Plane (Bring It) (3:15)
3. The Futureheads - Let's Dance (3:24)
4. Halogen - In The Summer (2:42)
5. Pilate - Into Your Hideout (3:56)
6. Lily Allen - Oh My God (Kaiser Chiefs Cover) (3:03)
7. The Pipettes - Pull Shapes (2:56)
8. k-os - The Love Song (4:18)
9. Ratatat - Wildcat (4:17)
10. Folk Implosion - Natural One (3:03)
11. Lupe Fiasco - The Instrumental (feat. Jonah Matranga) (3:30)
12. Beck - Where It's At (5:30)
13. Fun Lovin' Criminals - Scooby Snacks (3:04)
14. Sound Advice - Smiley Faces Hypnotize (2:53)
15. The Automatic - Raoul (3:26)
16. Bloc Party - Banquet (Phones Disco Edit) (5:26)
17. Supersystem - White Light, White Light (2:34)
18. Under The Influence Of Giants - In The Clouds (3:41)
19. Radio 4 - Dance to the Underground (4:03)
20. The Clash - Train In Vain (3:09)
21. k-os - Crabbuckit (3:48)
22. Lily Allen - Smile (3:15)
23. M.I.A. - Galang '05 (3:55)
24. 4-Mos Def & Talib Kweli Redefinition (3:04)
25. Nas - Virgo (Feat. Ludacris And Doug E. Fresh) (3:27)
26. Roots - Seed 2.0, The (featuring Cody Chestnutt) (4:28)
27. Apathy - It Takes A Seven Nation Army To Hold Us Back (feat. Emilio Lopez) (3:04)
28. Cansei De Ser Sexy - Let's Make Love and Listen Death from Above (3:31)
29. Hot Chip - Over and Over (3:53)
30. The Rapture - Get Myself Into It (4:42)
31. Young Love - Discotech (3:53)
32. Tom Vek - I Ain't Saying My Goodbyes (Phones 12" Version) (5:34)
33. CSS - Meeting Paris Hilton (3:11)
34. Voicst - Whatever You Want From Life (2:50)
35. Dunproofin' - Casbah Wonder (2:45)
36. Justice vs Simian - We Are Your Friends (Original) (4:18)
37. The Legion Of Doom - Crazy As She Goes (3:18)
38. Franz Ferdinand - Take Me Out (Album Version) (3:59)
39. Dizzee Rascal - Fix Up, Look Sharp (3:44)
40. Modest Mouse - Float On (3:28)
41. Lily Allen - LDN (3:10)
42. k-os - B-Boy Stance (4:00)
43. Loo And Placido - Black Beatles (3:02)
44. DJ Format - 3 Feet Deep (4:15)
45. Robbie Williams - Rock DJ (4:18)
46. Stevie Wonder - Superstition (4:28)
47. Talib Kweli - Just To Get By (3:49)
48. Mark Ronson - Ooh Wee Ft. Ghostface Killah, (3:29)
49. Jackson 5 - I Want You Back (Z-Trip Remix) (4:35)
50. k-os - Man I Used To Be (5:04)
51. Lily Allen - Nan You're A Window Shopper (2:43)
52. Weezer - El Scorcho (4:05)

posted by b, 7/29/2006 02:32:00 AM | link | |

Wednesday, July 26, 2006

the rapture!



So thanks to the kind people at Wiredset, I've got my hands on a far better-quality copy of the new Rapture single, "Get Myself Into It" than what was all over the web a few weeks ago. Personally, I love the song. It's funky, simple, and has some kickass horns - no cowbell this time, but that's okay. It's still a very fun song - and very... new-wavey, which is never a bad thing.

It's a very good song, and you should most definetly check it out.

Audio: Get Myself Into It
Myspace

posted by b, 7/26/2006 03:27:00 PM | link | |

Tuesday, July 25, 2006

Embarassing Musical Facts About Me

Here are a list of "facts" about me. None of these are lies.

1. I thought that "Just Like Heaven" was a Goldfinger song, because I had never heard the original.
2. Ditto for Blink-182's "Dancing With Myself". Sigh.
3. I have gone into record stores, even at 24, and bought albums based solely around the album art, often ones that are of the "pop punk emo" genre, which resulted in me buying the musical abortion that is "Cute Is What We Aim For".
4. For about two months, all I listened to was a tape of Bush's "Sixteen Stone", to the point where the tape broke when I was on vacation in England. I promptly made a point to get to a record store and get another copy of it, so I could listen to it every chance I could.
5. I've owned two Papa Roach CDs. Consider that.
6. If I had the choice between listening to Antony & The Johnsons (my feelings on them are pretty well documented on this site) or Panic! At The Disco, I would listen to Panic! At The Disco.
7. I am consistantly upset by the musical choices that baseball players use to enter games. Only two players (Mike Lowell's "London Calling" and Lenny DiNardo's "Where Is My Mind!") have actually made me sit up. But Jason Varitek has used "Superman" by 3 Doors Down for literally six years, and this makes me upset.
8. The first CD I owned was the 2 Legit 2 Quit single. What was the B-side, you ask? Why, none other than the Addams Family Groove.
9. When I DJed at Clark Hall Pub, I quite literally had to be told to stop playing pop punk by one manager. (Note: understand that this was very much a rock and roll and live music bar, not a night club).
10. My favorite boyband song of all time is from the MTV-created boyband spoof 2gether, with their song "The Hardest Part About Breaking Up (Is Getting Back Your Stuff)".

There you have it. Judge away, but maybe you should comment with your own? Hmmmm?

posted by b, 7/25/2006 02:13:00 AM | link | |

Sunday, July 23, 2006

Ben Loves Podcasts!

So, I finally did it. I put together a podcast. You can commence mocking my voice, but whatever. The point is this - I used my crappy microphone in my webcam to put together a 20-minute podcast. For the inaugural podcast, I've included tracks from Rainer Maria, The Heart Attack, Making It Right, and a few others. It's got a few fun tracks, and you can subscribe to my site (as you already could) by subscribing to my site in iTunes by going to "Advanced --> Subscribe to Podcast" and entering "http://feeds.feedburner.com/benlovespodcasts". Enjoy!

BenLovesMusic.com - Podcast #1

posted by b, 7/23/2006 11:40:00 PM | link | |

Saturday, July 22, 2006

Exclusive: Aberdeen City's "God Is Going To Get Sick Of Me" Music Video



After learning of the video for the unbelievable Aberdeen City breakthrough single "God Is Going To Get Sick Of Me" through the nice people at Cornerstone Promotion (and Sonya Shaw), I made a point to email Ryan from Aberdeen City... and it went from there.

As a result... here you are. An exclusive, iPod compatible version music video of one of the best songs of the year off one of the best releases in 2005. You have to understand - this is the most exciting new music to come out of Boston in a very long time, and despite having an excellent thriving local music scene, Aberdeen City has the chance to be an absolutely huge band making absolutely fantastic music.

This gorgeous video was directed by Adam Neustadter at Worms Eye Films (who were also the geniuses behind Morningwood's "Nth Degree" and the amazing "Since U Been Gone" clip for Kidz Bop).

Video: God Is Going To Get Sick Of Me [iPod Compatible, yo!]
Audio: God Is Going To Get Sick Of Me [NINJAS LOVE THIS SONG!] [mp3, from the The Freezing Atlantic LP]
Audio: Sixty Lives [mp3, from the The Freezing Atlantic LP]
Audio: This Is Our Problem Tonight [mp3, from the God Is Going To Get Sick Of Me EP]
Audio: Incredible Story [mp3, from the Sixty Lives EP]
Myspace
Official Site

(Also, not for nothing, but I think it's time I use proper punctuation. I can do it, for years I was just lazy, but now - why not. Let's move on up. Literally.)

posted by b, 7/22/2006 02:46:00 PM | link | |

Friday, July 21, 2006

more the mercs....

today, we've got four more mercury prize nominees, all four with really radically different sounds.

Richard Hawley - Coles Corner

let me make this clear - richard hawley has a tremendous voice. it reminds me a lot of classic crooner's voices like sinatra or dean martin. he's a great talent, and it's obvious in both his voice and his lyrics. he was in his own band, the longpigs, but quit it after he went through a serious and intense drug addiction and eventually joined jarvis cocker in pulp. that said - his solo work has been adored over in england (nme called his 2003 'lowedges' 'one of the best of 2003', and justafiably so.

download: coles corner
buy: coles corner (via amazon.uk)



Hot Chip - The Warning

one of my favorite releases of 2006 is this album by the ultra-dancepoptronica group 'hot chip', which i absolutely adore. and while i can't find a legal download for this track, i have a music video for you to check out - and if haven't seen it, then holy shit, get ready. it's a incredibly well done video, directed by Nima Nourizadeh, and starring the band as.... a band. you'll see what i mean. but the song itself - holy shit! it's a kylie minogue song dressed up as a rock song, wearing the makeup of something on DFA - you will love it - guaranteed.



download: over and over [ipod compatible, yo!]
buy: hot chip (via amazon.uk)



Muse - Black Holes and Revelations

i hate to say this, but, um, pass. i like the track 'knights of cydonia', but i've never really been able to get into muse's music. that said... good band, well done stuff, and i think they're just a little over the top for me, and i like bloodhound gang. but, nevertheless, here's the 'knights of cydonia' video, thanks to youtube.



buy: black holes and revelations (via amazon)



Zoe Rahman - Melting Pot

a jazz record. i've read that it's the best jazz record of the year, which is great. onward.

buy: melting pot (via amazon)

posted by b, 7/21/2006 05:27:00 PM | link | |

Thursday, July 20, 2006

i still rule the world (from england!)

how i beat an englishman at picking world cup games, i don't know. but here's mike from nothing but green lights (who's one of the only music from the uk-only mp3 bloggers out there) and his postcard, which includes the words (because they're hard to read) "rubbish" in reference to plymouth, "wicked" in reference to teignmouth, "shit" in reference to torquay. although it's not 100% clear, i believe mike is from just west of dawlish.

plus, the back has a cartoon of zidane. which is always entertaining.




posted by b, 7/20/2006 03:20:00 PM | link | |

the mercurys...

the mercury prize nominees were announced recently - the mercury prize being the award given to the artist or band (english or irish artists only) who has released the best album of the last twelve months. this selection, while mostly always deserved, isn't free of controversy - because there's no real criteria and there's a small selection panel to pick the winner, some people feel that it's not exactly fair and that it's not really representative of how the people feel. some feel that the prize has been given to artists before who have basically been chosen to make the mercury prize seem 'cool', while no one had really given a crap about the artist who has won.

so, over the next few days, i'll be reviewing each band/album to give you a heads up on the mercury prize... here's the first batch.

Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not

unless you've been living under a rock, my indie music-lovin' children, you must have heard of these guys. their first single (available for download from insound, but re-appropriated here for your ease and pleasure), 'i bet that you look good on the dancefloor', has become an international success. they've sold out audiences both here and across the pond; they've been on SNL and top of the pops; they're sensations.

download: i bet that you look good on the dancefloor
buy: whatever people i say i am, that's what i'm not (via insound)



Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan - Ballad Of The Broken Seas

isobel and mark put out one of the most engaging, private, and beautiful albums of the year, although their selection is controversial since the album was recorded in LA and lanegan is american. putting the controversy aside, it's a really goregous album, and the featured song, '(do you wanna) come walk with me?' is a simple, acoustic track that sounds album like a lullabye, which says a lot about the quality of recording and the vocal mix. enjoy it.

download: '(do you wanna) come walk with me?' (via sxsw.com)
buy: ballad of broken seas (via insound)



Editors - The Back Room

the debut release by editors, while not a major success on this side of the atlantic, was still recieved well by many, eliciting comparisons to joy division and interpol, two obvious influences. that said, it's not a bad thing - the sound that this four-piece outfit puts out is a veritable wall of sound that overwhelms the senses. the featured track, munich, is a great example of this - it's a frenetic, fast-paced track. i'll say this much - the album is terrific, and i'm very excited to see how this band develops in their next release.

download: munich (via sxsw)
buy: the back room (via insound)



Guillemots - Through the Windowpane

the ethereal sound of this album is mind-blowing. the vocals of fyfe dangerfield are gorgeous - in the featured track here, 'who left the lights on, baby?', you are exposed to the genius of the band - using a typewriter as an instrument, for example (it's just inspired, frankly). the band, generally speaking, uses a myriad of instruments (in this song alone, you've got a saxaphone, guitar, drums, typewriter, keyboard, and probably some sort of tamborine). they've got a really interesting sound, and they do interesting stuff in post-production involving echoes and manipulating their music.

download: who left the lights on, baby? (via sxsw)
buy: through the windowpane (via amazon.uk)

(come back over the next few days for reviews on the rest)

posted by b, 7/20/2006 12:44:00 PM | link | |

Wednesday, July 19, 2006



although the pitchdorks wrote about girl talk a few days ago in their infinity mixtape feature (which is cool enough - you should check it out, i suppose) and they wrote up about the actual highly controversial album (AND gave it a 8.4, just ahead of their lily allen review of 8.3, which i frankly expected a 1.0 out of, knowing how the pdorks operate.... but onward). the girl talk album is really amazing. i'm going to listen to the track that i'm posting, 'once again', and list off as many samples as i can in just one listening... you ready?

ciara - my goodies
ludacris - pimpin' all over the world
(some guitar/piano sample i know but can't id)
fabolous - breathe
ying yang twins - wait (the whisper song)
the verve - bittersweet symphony
slim thug - i ain't heard of that
n sync - girlfriend (i THINK)
oasis - wonderwall
arrested development - tennessee
nina simone - ooh child

that was just one listen, and what i could pick up. it's like an ubermashup, and you ought to fight a copy of this album before it disappears forever... because i can entirely imagine the labels shutting the distribution of this album down. i will say this - it's what a mashup should be - the album transcends the original songs, and it's art. plain and simple, it's art. enjoy it.

girl talk - once again
girl talk - smash your head (from the p-dorks, god bless 'em - not a direct link)
girl talk - bounce that (from girl talk)
girl talk - hold up (from girl talk)

girl talk official site
girl talk myspace
girl talk label site

posted by b, 7/19/2006 02:23:00 AM | link | |

Monday, July 17, 2006

i rule the world (cup)

you see, a few months ago, a bunch of us music-blogger types on the elbo.ws/vanilla message board decided to have a world cup pool, with the winner getting a postcard from everyone else in the pool. not only did i finish first, but i finished in the 99.5% percentile and 514th worldwide. so i'm a world cup picking genius, and if not for a few dumb choices (like the US beating everyone but the czechs), i might have finished EVEN higher.

so, the first of the postcards found its way to my mailbox, this one coming from alex p. from the wonderful site, great body of water. thanks, alex. i knew i'd get at least one postcard with a sexy lady on it.



posted by b, 7/17/2006 03:11:00 PM | link | |

Sunday, July 16, 2006

another video!

angels & airwaves new video for the track that i posted a while back, 'do it for me now'. enjoyable video, although it's pretty 'speed of sound' by coldplay. but, enjoy.

posted by b, 7/16/2006 05:37:00 PM | link | |

snakes on a plane!

not sure how many of you have seen this yet... the video for "snakes on a plane (bring it)" by cobra starship, the emosupergroup featuring members of midtown, the academy is..., the sounds, and gym class heroes.

enjoy.


posted by b, 7/16/2006 05:34:00 PM | link | |

Saturday, July 15, 2006

watch him as he goes



while paramore is known more for some of their more.... poppypunk endeavors, this cover of the foo fighters "my hero" is really quite terrific - it's an acoustic cover, which really works better than you'd think. and the lead singer, hayley williams, really does have a voice that lends itself to the song nicely - more than anything, though, it shows some depth by the band which is always encouraging.

paramore - my hero (foo fighters cover)
paramore's myspace

posted by b, 7/15/2006 07:31:00 PM | link | |

Thursday, July 13, 2006

sexy voice

wow. i was going through some new music the other day, and i found a group called rubicks, and their single 'midas', which is beautiful poptronica music that echoes pink floyd, annie, and regina spector. they're based out of london and claim influences such as carole king, david bowie, roxy music, and run dmc (among others). it's well worth a listen - it sinks into your ears and the vocals eventually just become another instrument (much like some of the newer radiohead stuff with thom's voice). enjoy it.




rubicks - midas
official site
myspace

posted by b, 7/13/2006 12:47:00 PM | link | |

Tuesday, July 11, 2006

HOLLABACK BOY.

holy fucking shit.

cobra starship - hollaback boy..... wow. i mean. okay, fourth time through, it's probably NOT that funny, but this is FUCKING HILARIOUS. cobra starship is the emo megagroup featuring members of midtown, the academy is..., gym class heroes, and the sounds (who are the band behind the 'snakes on a plane' title song, called 'snakes on a plane (bring it)', which you can get from adamriff.com, and is your new summer anthem) - any wow. this is just funny. it's about time sometime decided to spoof on gwen's song, and this is goddamn funny. maybe not the fourth time, but the first time you hear it, it's pretty much fucking hilarious.

let me hear you say this shit is ...

posted by b, 7/11/2006 03:34:00 AM | link | |

Monday, July 10, 2006

blow up hollywood! (or not)



i was a-drivin' home today from the 7-11 and listening to first contact on WFNX (my favorite boston radio station) and this song came on. i didn't have time to wait for the radio station to come back from break, so i called them up and they told me it was blow up hollywood, and the song was called 'wmd'. it's a politically charged song that really spits in the face of the bush administration, and despite the simplistic sound to the song, it's quite biting.

the album itself, 'the diaries of private henry hill' (no relation to the henry hill of 'goodfellas', i suppose), is a concept album about the journals of one private henry hill - and his life and death in the iraq war. it's based on true-life journals and experiences of hill, and, by all accounts, it's a pretty accurate description of war itself and what the people over there are going through. blow up hollywood's steve messina heard about hill's experiences when he met hill's father and the two had a discussion. the interesting thing about the album is that while it's about the war, it's not exactly pro war or anti war for the most part (outside of a few moments, like in WMD) - it's about the soliders and the lives (and deaths) that they've had - stunning in some parts, depressing others, but always interesting. it doesn't hurt that the music itself is fantastic and gorgeous, with string arrangements that an orchestra would be envious of.

blow up hollywood - wmd
blow up hollywood - wmd (music video, quicktime required)
go to the blow up hollywood official site

posted by b, 7/10/2006 01:09:00 PM | link | |

Sunday, July 09, 2006

cee-lo is blowin' up like saigon on entourage!



well, we all know that the remixes have started to pop up of gnarls barkley's mega-summer-hit 'crazy'. well, guess what.... there's a few more. and here's one of them. featuring kardinal offishall, joe budden, and remy martin, it's a bit.... disjointed. don't get me wrong, as i'm a fan of kardinal and joe budden (not so much of remy martin, frankly, and her part is the worst), but the remix seems kind of forced. all that aside, it's worth listening to. it's entertaining enough.

gnarls barkley - crazy (featuring kardinal offishall, joe budden, and remy martin)

but cee-lo doesn't plan on just dominating the world with his partner in crime, danger mouse. in fact, he's already got a new project with jack splash of the "electrotechnofunkrock group" (their words, not mine) called plantlife. their new project is called 'the heart attack', and their first single (courtesy of spinemagazine.com) is 'gangsta boogie', a wild and funky track that makes you nod your head and is easily as good as anything cee-lo's done with gnarls barkley. if anything, it's more lively, which is really exciting. despite his appearance on 'my super sweet sixteen' (rather, his daughter's), he's moved up many notches in my book as a producer and an mc.

the heart attack - gangsta boogie

posted by b, 7/09/2006 10:54:00 PM | link | |

Thursday, July 06, 2006

holy electro fuck!



klaxons newest masterpiece (granted, it came out months ago) is "atlantis to interzone" - it's a rapture's "house of jealous lovers" meets franz ferdinand's "this fire" type of song. it's urgent and absolutely makes you listen to every note of the song until it ends. the wailing sirens, the screaming guitars, the fantastic vocals.... all of it combines to form some voltronesque beast known as klaxons. enjoy it.

posted by b, 7/06/2006 01:20:00 PM | link | |

Monday, July 03, 2006

you're still calling "let go"

real quick before i go to new hampshire for a fun 4th.

great song by a local band in boston called making it right - the song is called 'summer anthem', and that's exactly what it is. it's a summer anthem in every sense. it's a lively, fun, fast rock song that will have you singing the chorus all day. it's a special song, and if there was any justice, you'd be hearing it all summer on every major radio station nationwide.

posted by b, 7/03/2006 06:07:00 PM | link | |

Saturday, July 01, 2006

no music in this post!

well over a year ago, i wrote about how when i was a kid, and my sister and i would find thousands of tiny ants on our front steps and we called them ant partys. we'd tell our mom, and she'd come back 10 minutes later with a pot of boiling water and pour it on them.

well, i became an adult last night - i came home from work and i saw that there was just THOUSANDS of them having a good time outside my house. so, in my alcohol influenced state i decided to follow in my mother's footsteps and boil a pot of water and pour it on them. it was kind of surreal - does this make me a real adult now? not the bills i've paid, the savings account, the college degrees, but rather the fact i've poured boiling water on ants because i didnt want them coming into my house?

posted by b, 7/01/2006 05:23:00 PM | link | |