Saturday, January 10, 2009

"Daylight"- Matt & Kim



I just saw the music video for one of my current favorite songs, Matt & Kim's "Daylight," and it fits the song perfectly. From what I've heard and this video, Matt & Kim are one of my must-see-live groups. Along with Arcade Fire, Mates of State, and the Submarines, they are one of my favorite married indie-rock couples.

They're supposed to be tons of fun, and get everybody dancing. I really regret not getting tickets to see them with Dan Deacon. That would have been a crazy show.

Friday, January 09, 2009

"Sleepyhead"- Passion Pit



When my friend told me that she had heard the best song ever, I obviously had doubts. She and I declare something the "best song ever" every few weeks. When she played the song, Passion Pit's "Sleepyhead," for me, I was very turned off. On first listen, it sounded like a MGMT knock-off. Synth-pop with shreaked vocals and droning noise. But then as I listened to it more, I realized that it is, in fact, a brilliant song.

Similar to MGMT, Passion Pit produces trippy freak-pop, but PP puts much more emphasis on the "pop" while MGMT sticks to the "freak." On "Sleepyhead," the point-of-awesome builds slowly. A thumping beat, hand claps, twisted vocals, spoken word, and a curtain of glittery synth layer perfectly and climax in the best purely-intrumental "chorus" I've ever heard. The synth gets thicker and goes absolutely nuts, and rather than retreating into slower verse, frontman Michael Angelakos prolongs the hype with shrieked lines that segue right into another synth meltdown.

Passion Pit's Chunk of Change EP is out now, and yes, the other songs are also great.

Tuesday, January 06, 2009

N.A.S.A.- Money

David Byrne, singer of one of my favorite bands, Talking Heads, somehow linked with N.A.S.A. (production duo Squeak E. Clean & DJ Zegon) to create this insane single. It's one of my current favorite songs. The jam features the most ridiculous line-up of guest stars for one song I think I've ever seen: Chuck D, Seu Jorge, Ras Congo, and Z-Trip.