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.

M.I.A. @ Terminal 5 in NY, September 27th 2010

My heart pounded and stomach dropped at the sight of her, onstage in a "Fuck Google, Ask Me" shirt, dark sunglasses, and fabulously nonchalant way of carrying herself. This being my, what, fourth time seeing M.I.A. in concert, I fully expected a good show... let me just tell you, blog readers: THIS WAS THE BEST SHOW I HAVE BEEN TO IN A LONG TIME. And that's saying a lot. My god was she amazing... I admittedly had my doubts, as I have heard rumours that she has taken her live shows in a "preachier" direction, whatever that means (RE: stfu new album haters). Either everyone who has been saying negative things is trying to stir up controversy or she has taken a hint, but I swear to god I have never seen her so engaged with the crowd before, nor have I ever seen a more pleased and energetic group of fellow onlookers since, well, since I saw her at Coachella in 2009. I might be a bit biased, seeing as I held her hand when she crowd-surfed, drank out of her bottle of Patron, and sang in her microphone with her.... but I digress. Wow. I fully expected her to sing songs mostly off of Maya, but to my great surprise she did an astonishingly large amount of her old stuff.... I was utterly elated to watch her play favorite after favorite, songs like "World Town", "Galang", "XR2", "Boyz", and "Bird Flu". Despite what some have been saying, I am also a really big fan of the new album, and quite enjoyed dancing (well, more like being pushed in a crowd of overly sweaty, extremely energetic superfans) to "Story to be Told", "Lovealot", and my personal favorite, "Teqkilla"... hence the bottle of Patron. In my opinion she should have played "XXXO" to please her fans, as well as tracks like "Tell Me Why" and "Believer" which have proven to be some of the stronger new songs, but whatever. She killed it, she is a legend, and I consider myself honored to have stood so close and interacted with a woman I think will remain an icon of our generation. Let's just hope she doesn't give me another heart attack and threaten to quit music for the purpose of expanding her family...sidenote: having Ickett did ANYTHING to her body, it's completely inhuman and unfair, as made evident in the following photos:

Oh yeah, Rye Rye kicked ass too. Obviously not as much as M.I.A. (sorry girl), but she is an incredible dancer and I have new found respect for her. I really enjoyed listening to her perform "Bang" (which, if you haven't heard, features M.I.A. in the chorus), and songs I had never heard before like "Wassup Wassup" and "Shake it to the Ground". If you are new to Rye Rye and like the sort of music played at this show, definitely check out her Myspace. I am hesitant to say she had a better outfit than M.I.A., but she looked damn good with her extremely white hair and neon 2- piece sweatsuit:

All in all, it was a mind-blowingly memorable show; one I will most certainly never forget. They're still on tour, so if you happen to be near any of the places listed on the tour dates (check them out at miauk.com) definitely get tickets. And for the love of god, if you have not listened to M.I.A.'s new album, please check it out (and keep an open mind!).

Of Montreal and Janelle Monae @ Terminal 5 in NY, September 18th 2010

To say that I have been to my fair share of fabulously bizarre shows is quite an understatement... Fever Ray, N.A.S.A., and obviously Lady Gaga are a few that come to mind. But I think Of Montreal and Janelle Monae have successfully topped them all on the weirdness scale, and I mean that in the best of ways. The combination of these two acts at first came to me as a bit of a surprise; I couldn't really picture them directly appealing to the same demographic. I was completely proven wrong, however, as I have come to learn that both Janelle and Kevin Barnes & co. employ similar performance techniques that I found to be equally entertaining and attention-grabbing.

Janelle's set, which included incredible songs such as "Wondaland", "Tightrope", and "Cold War", was extraordinarily fun to watch, as everyone on stage was in various costumes of all black and white, contrasting beautifully to the vast array of colors projected onto the stage.... very aesthetically pleasing. What I appreciated most about her show, though, was her tangible energy and absolutely jaw-dropping vocals; I have a whole new appreciation for this girl. Her songs are brilliantly arranged and so great to dance to, the kind of music that could put anyone in a good mood no matter the time or circumstance. She's so god damn fierce I can't get over it... her sophomore album, The ArchAndroid, is definitely going on my list of top albums for the year.

I won't lie, Janelle Monae may have been a bit eccentric but her edginess seems almost mundane compared to the SHITSHOW that was Of Montreal. Giant fish in gas masks, girls dressed as pigs simulating things in cages I won't post on this blog, and magical wing-like capes: I honestly don't know where they come up with this shit but someone has a very, VERY active imagination. Needless to say, it was so unbelievable to watch and to dance to; they always put on a great show, and we all loved singing along to old classics like "Gronlandic Edit", "A Sentence of Sorts in Kongsvinger", and "For Our Elegant Caste", as well as new songs off of the recently released False Priest, which came out earlier this month. I can't say personally that False Priest trumps Hissing Fauna in any way, I think the latter is actually much better in its entirety. Regardless, I admire Of Montreal's originality (to say the least), and aspire to be that weird in public one day and get away with it like Kevin does.

Moving in the Right Direction

I hate to admit this, as it makes me rather ashamed of myself, but it has been so long since I have heard anything new from Matt Costa or seen him live that I had almost filed him away in the back of my brain. All I have to say is, I am everso glad he is back in my life. His new record, Mobile Chateau, is both a reminder of why I have always loved his music, as a lot of it sounds similar to his old stuff (in a good way), and a refreshing presentation of his somewhat newly-invented sound. I am impressed with the fact that he's moved beyond being a mere singer-songwriter and now is dipping a toe into several other genres, not that I'm not a fan of the fantastic singer-songwritery sound of old songs like "Yellow Taxi", "Emergency Call" and "Cold December". The delightfully bluesy feel of "The Season" kind of reminds me of a male version of some of Zooey Deschanel's vocals in She & Him music, whereas I get a Beach Boys-meets-The Shins vibe from the song "Witchcraft"... so really, this album is bringing quite the variety to the table. A lot of it is much darker than his older stuff, however I really admire the increased complexity in his guitar playing and think he has grown quite a bit as an artist. Do yo thang, Matt Costa. I will always be a fan. So far I recommend "Can You Tell Me", "Witchcraft", and of course "Mobile Chateau" the most, but a cover-to-cover listen is, in my opinion, a must for this fast-approaching autumn season. Perfect timing.

Mixing Business With Pleasure

My first instinct would definitely not be to make an album with my significant other, but in Jenny Lewis's case it has worked out beautifully. Jenny and her boyfriend Johnathan Rice have come together to create a truly sophisticated and masterful first album under the name Jenny and Johnny, entitled I'm Having Fun Now. Lewis is someone I consider to be a juggernaut for modern-day indie rock/ country/ folk infused music, as Rilo Kiley is one of my favorite groups and her most recent solo album, Acid Tongue, has some incredible tracks on it. However, there's something about the two of them together that really brings out Jenny's true vocal and lyric-writing prowess; the harmonies and compositions of almost every song on this record feel both incredibly organic and meticulously well thought-out. None of this comes as a surprise to me, both of them are incredibly talented; I just would never have expected this to be the direction she would have gone in. Regardless, I have nothing but good things to say about I'm Having Fun Now. It is truly fantastic. My recommendations are "Animal", "Big Wave", and "The Highs and Lows of Being #1". Listen to "Big Wave" here:

Second Single from Mark Ronson & The Business Intl!

Mark Ronson's newest single off the forthcoming album, Record Collection, entitled "Bike Song", is now out and is accompanied by a video that was just released today! If you know anything about Ronson you know he is famous for his collabs... this time he has enlisted Spank Rock (a personal favorite) and Kyle Falconer (lead singer of The View) which I think is such an unexpectedly brilliant combination. The video is a little bit dull but I love the song, so check it out here:

Mark Ronson & The Business Intl: "Bike Song"