Damn, Lykke Li.

Someone has become quite sassy since she released her debut album, Youth Novels, in 2008. I wouldn't say that Swedish native Lykke Li is a stranger to sex or is shy about what she reveals to her audience, but you can't really dance around the rather in-your-face nature of her new song "Get Some" with lyrics like "like the shotgun needs an outcome, I'm your prostitute, you gon get some". Well alright. Anyone who knows me knows I have an affinity for artists who don't mind expressing themselves in a matter-of-fact, somewhat confrontational way (ehem Lily Allen), so needless to say I am a fan of this track. I think the instrumentation and drum beat of this song are also very representative of Lykke Li's incredible energy and stage presence; I can totally see her performing this and I hope that the rest of her new stuff will have a similar vibe. This song is definitely not for everyone, to say the least.... I haven't heard lyrics like this since Lily Allen's "Not Fair". But if you're like me and love people who push the envelope, listen to "Get Some" here:

My Holloween Costume

Such an inspiration.

New (but actually really old) Ida Maria

For those of you who know who Ida Maria is, you know she is known for being quite a force of nature and slightly bat shit insane, in the best possible way. However, regardless of her often unmatchable energy level she also has quite the way with words, something that is made extremely apparent in her new song "Leave Me," a song she posted yesterday on her Myspace. She posted on her twitter yesterday that this song is actually a rather old song of hers that she has rediscovered and posted for her fans, but I for one love it and think it is really eloquently written. She also posted a hilarious video for a 1:30 long song called "Whatever", featuring a toddler parading around in a blonde wig and rolling around on an exercise ball. Hopefully this means she is working on some new material and will release a follow-up album to Fortress 'Round My Heart in the near future, but for not check out her new stuff:

Ida Maria's Myspace

New Matt & Kim!

I would like to give credit to my main confidant Eliza Fisher for turning me on to Matt & Kim's latest, "Cameras", which was released a little over a month ago and I am sadly just encountering. Although I am a huge Matt & Kim fan and think they are so much fun, I can't say that I think all of their stuff is equally noteworthy.... "Cameras", however, is a stand-out for me; it is so catchy and really feel-good (then again, what would you expect from them?), I love the utilization of the horn in the production of the song, and the lyrics and melody are quite well-written. As holds true with a lot of the groups I have discussed who have released second or third albums, I think this track shows that they are becoming much more musically sophisticated and creative with the overall sound of their work. Not to say that it wasn't great before, but this is even better and I hope that holds true for the rest of their forthcoming album, Sidewalks, set to be released in early November. For now, though, soak up the greatness of "Cameras" if you have not yet had the chance:

The Master Strikes Again

Those of you who have read this blog before know how much I have been anticipating the release of Mark Ronson & The Business Intl.'s album, Record Collection, for quite a while. Well, the time has come and it is almost impossible to describe to you how happy I am with Mark's work on this record. It is an absolutely brilliant combination of Hip-Hop, R&B, New Wave, Electronic, Indie Rock, and Pop, something only he himself could accomplish. It literally blows my mind that he so aptly caters to the most prominent trends in the music world when he releases his records (or do the music trends cater to HIM? hmm...), as seen with the more funk/ 60's based/ hip-hop/ rap album Here Comes the Fuzz in 2003 and the more brass-heavy, ska-meets-modern rock/pop vibe of 2007's Version. We all know that a sophisticated grasp on production and creating danceable beats are what's setting apart successful musicians from the rest of the lot, especially this year... it goes without saying that Mark Ronson has got the talent to not only transform himself and experiment with genres as he pleases, but he can take a wildly ecclectic mix of sounds, guest performers, and musical concepts and bring them together to form one impressively cohesive work of art. This, in my opinion, is what places him on a whole different level, both as musician and producer. I am still absolutely in love with "Bang Bang Bang", but after listening to them album in its entirety I think that songs like "Lose It (In The End)" featuring Ghostface Killah and "Record Collection" featuring Simon Le Bon of Duran Duran are great examples of how undeniably amazing he is across various genres. My hat goes off to you Mark, you are without a doubt one of the great musical geniuses of our generation.