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Monday, December 30, 2013

What Albums Got Me Through 2013

Now that you've been exposed to LYED's Favorite EPs & Songs of 2013, it's time for the  *Albums* portion!!! You're probably sick of lists by now, but I hate to break it to you - everyone makes lists when the year wraps up in music. I'm definitely guilty of that, but here's what I've learned - you can't go wrong with sharing music that you're truly passionate about. Below are the albums that I loved and appreciated in 2013 - they're not particularly ranked, but you'll find my #1 at the bottom. If I had the time, I could definitely extend this list but 15 is good enough, right?
 Thanks again for reading! Hope everyone has a safe & wonderful NYE!
-Emz 











TORRES - S/t

Various Artists (Italians Do It Better) - AFTER DARK 2
 

~~~~~
FAVORITE ALBUM OF 2013? 
 
Shulamith is the second album from the Minneapolis band Poliça (released via Mom + Pop Records back in October.) After blowing my mind with their debut album Give You The Ghost, you could definitely say that Shulamith was one of the most anticipated albums of 2013 in my book. The title comes from Shulamith Firestone, a powerful feminist writer from Canada who also serves as a mentor to Channy Leaneagh of the band since Day 1. The album cover signifies an image that’s as eye opening and powerful as what their music truly means to me. It’s one thing if you’ve listened to Poliça, but when you experience their live performance in the flesh or via YouTube, you will know exactly what I’m talking about. With two drummers, a bass player/backing vocalist, and Leaneagh - the lead vocalist of Poliça, it changes the way that you perceive music. 

I will never forget the first time that I saw Poliça during their headlining tour in Philadelphia at Union Transfer. It wasn’t the first time I witnessed two drummers during a live performance, but there was something about the intimate combination of Channy’s vocals & the unique instrumentation that really had an effect on me. 
The album begins with “Chain My Name,” an upbeat introduction to the darkness that starts to creep in with songs such as "Smug" & "Tiff" (which features Justin Vernon of Bon Iver.) The intensity of the album never deflates and eventually leads to my favorite track “Spilling Lines.” There's more of a groove to this album where Give You The Ghost didn't equate to, and often distracts the mind from Leaneagh's deepest lyrics. This album is a roller coaster nonetheless, but believe me- it's worth every second of the ride.

Grab Shulamith on Itunes here!

Friday, December 27, 2013

Friday Fascination: Scavenger Hunt

Scavenger Hunt is a duo currently situated in Los Angeles consisting of Jill Lamoureux & Dan Mufson. When I stumbled across them a couple weeks ago on the Haim Pandora station - I instantly became a fan of these guys.
"Lost" is electro-pop at its best, with Jill Lamoureux's vocals floating throughout the track perfectly. This is the beginning of something great if you ask me. 
P.S. If you didn't notice - "Lost" is available as a free download! Grab it while you can. 
~~~~~~
The duo covered Kings of Leon's "California Waiting" from their 2003 debut album Youth and Young Manhood. It's always nice to hear a completely different interpretation of a song that already sounds great in its original composition. 
Tonight Scavenger Hunt will debut a new song called "Bones" at the Bootleg Theater with Parade of Lights. I've been to the Bootleg Theater once while I lived in LA, and I definitely recommend catching as many bands as you can at this intimate little venue. Did I mention the show is FREE?
Also, January 20th - catch SH at the Satellite in Silverlake. 
For more information, click here
Check out Scavenger Hunt on Twitter! 

Saturday, December 21, 2013

Friday Fascination: Recap

Back in June I decided to take one day of the week to focus on one particular artist/band that I recently discovered and present it on here. Most of my posts feature at least 2-4 bands, so narrowing it down to just one was something different, and definitely something I should do more of. Below are 14 artists that were featured throughout this year as "Friday Fascinations," and if you haven't caught on already - I'm not one to stick to one specific genre/type of music.  
P.S. If you missed a post or two, make sure to click on the far right tab to see all of them. :)
So, who was your favorite "Friday Fascination" feature? I'd love to know, and here's to becoming fascinated with many more artists in 2014!

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

LYED Favorite Treats of 2013: Songs

It wasn't until recently (aka today) that I found out about Spotify's "Year in Review." I was curious to find out what mine entailed when a good friend told me about hers. If you're an avid Spotify user like yours truly, you can visit spotify.com/2013 and once your logged-in Spotify will generate a "year in review for you." This is after they share multiple facts about their year, which varies on the country you live in. 
I will admit it was no surprise when HAIM appeared as the "Top Artist" on my personal Spotify stream. Despite what everyone says, these girls dominate when it comes to delivering material that's genuine & appealing. "Forever" was originally released last year as apart of HAIM's debut EP, and you can find it also on this year's stellar full-length  Days Are Gone. The Top 10 tracks are definitely apart of a playlist I curated just for my morning commute, it does the trick if you are in need of a musical pick-me-up. You will find a handful of them on my list of Top Songs of 2013 featured below
I definitely scratched my head over this, a lot.¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Even if I made a Top 300 list, I think I would still find myself in a predicament. Anyways, moving on...
"Winter" by Daughter is without a doubt my song of the year, and is a breathtaking introduction to their debut release If You Leave.

 What better way to introduce my top songs by featuring it at number 1, so If you haven't already - grab a pair of headphones and let the music take over for the next two solid hours. Feel free to let me know what you thought about the list by leaving a comment below - it's always nice to hear from you guys. :)

So, was Hummingbird actually my top album of 2013 as Spotify mentioned? 
Stay tuned for the *Albums Edition* of Sweet Treats of 2013. You might be surprised with what's in store. 
If these 30 songs didn't do the trick, have no fear! You can check out a compilation I made starting from January 1st by clicking here!

Monday, December 9, 2013

A Night With MS MR

On Friday night I was fortunate enough to attend the 2nd installment of the FORD Artist Connect Series, presented by Pitchfork. The historic Mack Sennett Studios in Silverlake was transformed into what felt like a stylish bar setting for the night while members of Superhumanoids supplied the tunes until MS MR took the stage. Lead vocalist Lizzy Plapinger's colorful hairdo paired perfectly with the neon stage, and they made it through a few technical difficulties just in time to perfectly execute their cover of Arctic Monkey's "Do I Wanna Know?" I've been waiting to see these guys ever since I first stumbled across their debut EP Candy Bar Creep Show last fall, and I couldn't be more pleased with the outcome.     
It was a great performance all around with plenty of energy coming from the band while those in the crowd either swayed to the beat, or stood in awe of Plapinger's powerful stance while belting out every note to the fullest. The "MR" of MS MR aka Max Hershenow eventually brushed off the technical difficulties with displaying some fancy footwork throughout the end of the set. I'm crossing my fingers that the New York duo will be on this year's Coachella lineup among.  
SET LIST:
BONES
NO TRACE 
SALTY SWEET
THINK OF YOU
DO I WANNA KNOW? (Arctic Monkeys cover)
FANTASY
DARK DOO WOP
ASH TREE LANE
DANCE YRSELF CLEAN (LCD Soundsystem cover)
HURRICANE
_________
Grab their debut album Secondhand Rapture on iTunes here
Thanks again to FORD, Pitchfork & IAMSOUND Records for a great night! 

Friday, December 6, 2013

Friday Fascination: Skin Town

I know I say this a lot about new finds, but I couldn't be more fascinated obsessed with these two from Los Angeles. Since moving to LA in September, I stumbled across this awesome interview by FactMag with Grace Hall & Nick Turco of Skin Town. Yes, this is the style of music for the after hours crowd, but any fan of 90's R&B music will appreciate Skin Town. There's a good chance you'll file these guys next to The Weeknd & BANKS.  

They'll be at Pehrspace tonight & at the Bronson Bar on the 12th. In January you can catch them at The Satellite in Silverlake, a venue I've been meaning to check out since moving here. 

Which was your favorite from the album? Rain is definitely one of my top picks, and could only imagine how powerful it sounds live. 
Grab The Room on iTunes here
Oh yeah, their SoundCloud page is like a playground for the evening scene.   

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

LYED Favorite Treats of 2013: The EPs

Welp, it's that time of the year again when music writers & bloggers from all over post their "end of the year" lists. Last year I was a little late to the party, so this year I'm doing things a little different. Below are 16 EP's (also known as Extended Play) from this year that we really had a thing for. Most of these EP's were the first proper release from the artist, or were a form of a follow-up to the last studio release. They're in no specific order, although I will say one thing - Phantogram's self-titled release & Young Wonder's sophomore EP didn't make it far from leaving the repeat button. 
I'm well aware that I'm might be leaving out a few from the list, but hey I'm not trying to post a novel here. Feel free to leave your thoughts/comments/concerns below &
stay tuned for more treats of 2013!   
Dan Croll - From Nowhere


Phantogram - Phantogram
Panama - Always


Iggy Azalea - Change Your Life
Young Wonder - Show Your Teeth


Flume & Chet Faker - Lockjaw


Fmlybnd - Gold

Jessie Ware - If You're Never Gonna Move 

FKA twigs - EP2
Jaymes Young - Dark Star 

Bear's Den - Agape
Sir Sly - Gold


Tennis - Small Sound


- Bikini Daze EP
Cold War Kids - Tuxedos
Kitten - Like A Stranger