FRESHVIBESMONDAY #25

Ello Monday! I've got tunes on tunes on tunes to get this week rolling with. Also, today was a good day thanks to First Aid Kit announcing their 3rd album Stay Gold will be out June 10th, eek! Their first single "My Silver Lining" is featured in the playlist below, so get a move on & start listening! I've got some Coachella sleuthing to do ;)

A few days ago I started my Coachella countdown on Instagram with various vinyl records (from my own collection) of artists that will be performing. 

Feel free to follow & check them all out at @_emiLYED

My Picks, Conflicts, and Predicts of Coachella: Day One

This year marks my 4th Coachella in a row, and it's hard to predict how this one will roll out because every year has been completely different from the one before. Yes, I'm camping & if you think I'm crazy for doing so - you should probably never make it out to Bonnaroo. Once you camp at a festival such as Bonnaroo, everywhere else is a piece of cake (for the most part.)

Day 1 definitely surprised me with its bottom row roster. 

Take my advice and get there as early as you can - last year it took us almost an hour to get in from the campgrounds and I ended up missing a handful of acts I was looking forward to the most. :(

MY PICKS:
The Preatures
Wye Oak
Austra
Waxahatchee
MS MR
Jagwar Ma
Flume
Bastille
Bonobo
HAIM
Chromeo
Ellie Goulding
Broken Bells
Outkast

Who I refuse to miss: Wye Oak, Flume, Chromeo

Predictions: Since Isabella from The Preatures is the vocalist for one of Flume's most recent hits, it would make my day if they joined forces during Flume's set. Zedd will most likely bring out Foxes for "Clarity" & Outkast will blow everyone's mind with the hits.

Conflicts: There's a good chance that the Preatures, Austra, and Wye Oak all playing at the same time. (Please don't do this to me lineup gods.) If it happened, who would I see? TOUGH DECISION BUT, Wye Oak. I would rather save up and see Austra on a proper tour where they play somewhere dark and indoors (that's just me though.)

3 acts I'm looking forward to seeing for the 1st time: 
The Preatures, Waxahatchee, and Broken Bells

Who I'm Skipping On: The Knife was one of the main reasons I attended Primavera Sound in Barcelona last year & it makes me sad to say that I was quite disappointed with their set. I'm not saying that you should skip out on their set, but that I am more interested in catching other acts instead of The Knife.

I will without a doubt be ending my night with Outkast and Broken Bells (which I'm hoping will both be on the Main stage.) 

My favorite Day 1 acts from the past:
The Chemical Brothers (2011)
Marina and the Diamonds (2011)
Skrillex (2011, he was the 3rd person to play on the Sahara stage, now look where he's at.)
Excision (2011)
Cut Copy (2011)
Madeon (2012)
The Rapture (2012)
Dillon Francis (2013)
Stars (2013)
Metric (2013)
Passion Pit (2013)
Modest Mouse (2013)
Yeah Yeah Yeahs (2013)
Jurassic 5 (2013)
Bassnectar (2013)

FRESHVIBESMONDAY #24

Thanks everyone for showing LYED love over the weekend, I'm excited for what's to come and you should be too! Enjoy today's playlist - definitely some gems that surprised me out of nowhere.

Which one was your favorite? 

Happy 2nd Birthday LYED!

Happy March 21st, (which many of you already know is the 3 anniversary of The Weeknd's first mixtape House of Balloons) but it's also the day of birth for both Rosie O'Donnell & Let Your Ears Decide! LYED is now two years old, and it's honestly a bit crazy to think it's been that long since I decided to create this! Thanks for sticking around as this blog has had several relocations over the past 2 years (from Santa Barbara to Philadelphia to Fort Worth & now back in Santa Barbara!) This has been the perfect platform to not only share what I've been discovering as an avid music listener, but to also connect & interact with so many amazing individuals that I don't think I'd ever have the chance to meet without it! I randomly thought of "Let Your Ears Decide" as a name for a radio show prior to graduating, and it kind of stuck with me.  
I'm quite proud of this little child of mine, and I'd be lying if I said it didn't make my day when y'all message/e-mail/tell me that you found something you liked on here. 
There's nothing quite like that first initial feeling when you fall in love with a song/sound at first listen, and to sum it up - that's what I'm truly aiming to create for you with every post. 
So it would only make sense to build a playlist of songs with a "two, twice, and 2" theme... I know, I know, but just go with it. 
Enjoy & thank you so much for reading/listening! 

-Emz

15 Remixes Your Ears Need to Hear

Happy Tuesday y'all (which is known to be the proper release day for music in the good ol U S of A.) Just in case you feel like taking the new Tycho or The War on Drugs album off repeat (which might be a problem) here's 73 minutes of remixed gems! Some new, some old, and if you didn't know already - this old thing turns 2 years old on Friday! 

So, which remix was your favorite?

ICYMI: Yesterday's FVB#23 was filled to the brim with some of the best music that's been released in the past couple of weeks. 

FRESHVIBESMONDAY #23

HAPPY ST. PATRICKS DAY / MONDAY AFTER SXSW! Whether you're in recovery mode or rallying like the champ that you are - here are 11 relatively new(ish) tunes to accompany the day. I'll save my SXSW recap post for sometime this week (once I feel better than how Lady Gaga looks in the image above.) I learned quite a bit from spending 48 hours in ATX that I'll gladly share with y'all, but until then - I'll just be weeping over the fact that Snakadaktal broke up. RIP Australian bb's who's debut album Sleep In The Water was one of the dreamiest releases, ever.

B-Sides: The Better Side? P3

(Image retrieved from vse.svetloe)

Here's another dose of B-sides from some of my favorite artists, (15 to be exact.) These tracks stretch over the past couple of years from when they were first released, yet still make the world turn by how good they are.
Hopefully you'll catch the cover that I've included in the mix that was once used as a B-side. It's a popular track from awhile back that's been covered multiple times, but there's just something about the way this one sounds.

So, which B-side was your favorite? 

ICYMI: Yesterday's post covered 12 acts I'd definitely make an effort to see if I was at South By Southwest (SXSW) for the entire week. (Read it here!)

LYED SXSW 2014 Wish List

South By Southwest (SXSW) is one of the best places to discover new & rising talent - or see Lady Gaga perform at the Doritos stage? Either way, if you make your way to Austin, Texas this year - you're bound to witness events that are equal parts weird & amazing. Last year was a great experience for me personally, and definitely opened up my eyes to more than what I had imagined SXSW to be. All I have to say is: be prepared to run around (aka wear comfortable shoes) & always have a few extra backup plans because as the week goes on - the crowd multiplies and you might not get to see who you originally wanted to. If that has to happen - look at the bright side, take a chance and go see someone relatively *new* or venture to one of the smaller venues for a showcase, because you'll never know if you'll see those artists in such a small setting ever again. 
This year I'll only be there from 03/14-03/16 (Friday-Sunday) but if I was going to be there for the entire Music portion of the fest, here's who I'd definitely make plans to see! (Cross your fingers I'll get to see the ones who are still playing shows while I'm there.) 

My SXSW Wish List
(in no particular order)

1. Torres
Learn more about this talented singer-songwriter from when I first fell in love with her back in September.

2. Future Islands

3. Tomas Barfod 

03/15 HYPE HOTEL - ISO50 + No Fear of Pop (1pm)

 After reading that Nina Kinert will also be at SXSW this year, I hope the two of them perform a bit together since Nina supplies most of the vocals on Barfod's well-known tracks. 

4. Chela

5. Scavenger Hunt
(SH was one of my favorite finds from 2013, and you can check out their Friday Fascination feature here!)

6. Painted Palms

7. The Casket Girls

8. Young Summer

(Stumbling upon Young Summer was a real treat, check out her FF feature on the blog here!)
03/12: The Iron Bear - 121 W 8th St, Austin, TX (9pm)


9. Wye Oak

03/12: Hype Machine + Consequence of Sound @ Hype Hotel (4pm)
03/13: KUTX Austin @ Four Seasons Hotel Austin (10am)
03/13: Merge Records Official Showcase @ The Parish(11:45pm)
03/14: KEXP + Merge Records 25th Anniversary @ Mellow Johnny's Bike Shop (12pm)
03/14: The A.V. Club Rainey Day Party @ The Blackheart(4pm)


10.Temples
(This UK psychedelic band won my ears over last summer, and it wasn't long before I had to feature them on the blog.)

03/13: South By San Jose (3pm)
03/14: SPIN Day Party (1:30-2pm)

11. Panama

12. Wolf Alice
03/14 All Things Go + Indie Shuffle Showcase @Maggie Mae's Rooftop (11pm)
http://www.eventbrite.com/e/all-things-go-indie-shuffle-sxsw-2014-showcase-tickets-10820431201

If you're on the hunt for finding more artists, check out this: THE AUSTIN 100: A SXSW 2014 Mix for NPR or Showlist Austin.
Hope everyone has a great time in ATX!  xx -Emz

Friday Fascination: Your Friend

Nothing like falling in love with a song at first listen. Your Friend aka Taryn Miller (from Winfield, Kansas) has been on my mind since I first stumbled across her feature on The Wild Honey Pie, an online music publication that I'm a huge fan of. So why did I wait a couple weeks to post about her? Good question, but since SXSW is next week - I couldn't think of a perfect time to devote a post solely to her incredible talent that will make it's way to Austin! Her debut EP Jekyll/Hyde gives me the chills in the best way, and reminds me of a younger Sharon Van Etten (who's one of my favorite singer-songwriters, ever.) 

SXSW Schedule:

Wednesday March 12th // Austin, TX // Sidebar // Banners Party // 12:15pm

Wednesday March 12th // Austin, TX // Lewis Carnegie // 3:15pm

Thursday March 13th // Austin, TX // Red 7 // Ground Control Touring Showcase // Midnight

Friday March 14th // SOLO SET // Austin, TX // Shangri-La // Midcoast Takeover // 3:30pm

*Sad to say that I won't be at SXSW until Friday & am crossing my fingers I'll make it to Shrangi-La, but if you're in town - don't pass YF up! Plus you can brag it in my face all you want. 

Which song was your favorite? For me personally, "Bangs" blew my mind instantly... and stayed on repeat for quite some time. Her EP won't be released until April 28th, but you can pre-order it on Domino here or on iTunes here for 5 bucks! I can't recommend this enough. 

http://www.yourfriendtaryn.com

Getting Back Under The Covers: Part III

It's been a looooong time since I last devoted a post to some of my favorite covers, so here they are (all 15 of them!) Some new, some old, and some that I'd never imagine to exist until now.

P.S. Less than a week until SXSW takes place in ATX, stay tuned for my list of artists/bands I'd want to see (if I were going to be there all week.)

Which song did you like the most/least?

Watch Future Islands on Letterman + Hear "A Dream of You and Me"

Baltimore's finest Future Islands made their television debut on David Letterman last night in support of their 4th album Singles (which drops on March 25th via 4AD.) In my honest opinion, it was one of the best television debut performances made by a band that I've ever seen. Anyone who has ever caught a Future Islands show will never fail to mention how passionate Samuel Herring is both as a musician and a person. In addition to performing their first single "Seasons" Future Islands released "A Dream of You and Me" bright & early this morning. It's my favorite track off the album that wraps  Singles up perfectly.  

 So yeah, you'd be a fool to pass them up at this year's SXSW & Coachella. 

Pre-order Singles on iTunes now! 

Future Islands Facebook

Future Islands Twitter

FRESHVIBESMONDAY #22

Monday... the one day of the week that feels like the longest day, every single time. End your day on a good one with this week's picks and if you know what's good for you - tune in to the Late Show with David Letterman tonight to catch Future Islands perform a new song from their forthcoming album Singles.