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

DAY 2: Heads up first timers - It's a completely different ball game than Day 1. You might be feeling a little shaky & confused, but you should probably grab a water & some ibuprofen before you think about diving back into the shenanigans. This is where the art of rallying comes in handy. Most festival attendees tend to overdo it on the first day, and find themselves in struggle mode on Day 2, but NOT YOU! (You know better than that because you're reading this beforehand.)

Don't forget to charge your phone as well as the backup battery (and the backup backup battery because you'll need every single percent when you get lost on your way back to camp.) If you have an iPhone, I highly suggest in eventually buying a Mophie battery case. It's handy, and totally worth the $$. Otherwise you can snag a 2600 mAh Power Bank for a really low price on Amazon (they're a total lifesaver.)
 This is definitely the day with the most acts I'd want to see. Catch me running from stage to stage if it gets down to that. I've done it before & i'll do it again.

My Picks:
Drowners
Syd Arthur
The Magician
Blood Orange
The Internet
Galantis
Netsky
Holy Ghost!
Bombay Bicycle Club
Tiga
BANKS
Darkside
Future Islands
Temples
Dillon Francis
CHVRCHES
The Head and The Heart
Fatboy Slim
Sleigh Bells
Lorde
Skrillex

Who I refuse to miss: Future Islands, Temples, Dillon Francis, and Bombay Bicycle Club. I've waited years to see Future Islands, and had finally planned on doing so when they played at the Center of the Arts Eagle Rock back in February - but when it falls on a best friends' birthday I had to sell my ticket to one lucky stranger via StubHub (you're welcome.)
I'll be making my way bright & early to catch Psychedelic UK outfit Syd Arthur.  Dillon Francis is one of two artists this year that's on back-to-back lineups (can you guess the other one?) His set last year on the updated Sahara Stage was one of my favorite sets from last year, and I'll definitely be making my way for round 2. (Listen to his set from this year's ULTRA Music Festival here.)

Predictions: Dev Hynes (aka Blood Orange) & Solange will not perform "Losing You" together. Either Muse or QOTSA will close out the main stage while Pharrell Williams will bring onstage at least a handful of artists (Snoop is that you?) Also, Sleigh Bells will blow out several eardrums from the next tent over, so if you plan on catching the Brooklyn duo - invest in some earplugs unless you don't care to hear anything for the rest of your life. P.S. I'll totally be there.

Conflicts:  Every act on the 4th row are on my must see list for the most part, even Solange who made a bright cameo during The XX's set last year. Two I would pick from the line? Future Islands & Bombay Bicycle Club. I'm so excited that this is the 1st year BBC made it on the lineup, and they never fail to amaze me with their talent. You won't lose with either of the two, I guarantee it. 
Once the daily schedule is released, I'm sure I'll find a few more conflicts -_-

3 acts I'm looking forward to seeing for the 1st time: The Internet, Future Islands, and Temples

Who I'm Skipping On: MGMT, Empire of the Sun, and Nas. I'm completely burnt out on all 3 of them, and my first experience with both MGMT & EOTS were rather.... well, boring. I'd love to see DARKSIDE which is the co-ed love child of Nicolas Jaar & Dave Harrington, and as much as I really appreciate Psychic as a body of art, I'd rather pay the $$ to see them not in a festival setting. Who knows, maybe they'll be graced with a night slot?



 My favorite Day 2 acts from the past:
Paul Van Dyk (2011)
Steve Angello (2011)
Fedde Le Grand (2011)
Martin Solveig (2012)
Feist (2012)
Miike Snow (2012)
Kaskade (2012)
Radiohead (2012)
Ben Howard (2013)
Foals (2013)
The Postal Service (2013)
Hot Chip (2013)

Albums I'm Excited About: Bombay Bicycle Club & Phantogram

A new year means new albums to get excited about & there are several that I'm really looking forward to owning (on vinyl of course.) The first two up on my list are Phantogram's long-awaited sophomore album Voices & Bombay Bicycle Club's So Long, See You Tomorrow. 

Phantogram- "Nothing But Trouble"

After seeing Phantogram twice in the span of two months back in 2011 - I had no idea it would take almost 2 years until I would see them perform live again. After releasing their self-titled EP back in September, they've been able to slowly but surely drop songs from their unreleased album titled Voices due out February 18th via Republic Records. Everything they've released so far has been nothing short of amazing, and this album is going to be pure gold if the rest follow in this path.

I was kind of surprised to not see Phantogram on the Coachella lineup, but have no fear -they're playing a handful of shows in California next month!  

2/20 - Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater - Oakland 

2/21 - Sacramento, CA @ Ace Of Spades

2/22 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Hollywood Palladium

2/23 - Ventura, CA @ The Majestic Ventura Theater

"Fall In Love" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W97JLBc7C8k

P.S if you pre-order Voices on iTunes now, you'll receive an instant download of "Fall In Love" click here to do so! 

Bombay Bicycle Club - Luna

Here's the 3rd release from So Long, See You Tomorrow due out February 4th. In case you were wondering, the female vocalist in this song is Rae Morris, who supported BBC on a previous tour. Get to know her music via SoundCloud, I recommend it. I don't think anyone understands how excited I am to finally see BBC on the Coachella bill. In addition to Coachella they will be touring the US starting in Sacramento on April 11th! 

"Carry Me" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZCfqhRgJ0Q

"It's Alright Now" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7ZSI4-MHWg
Pre-order So Long, See You Tomorrow by clicking here! 

WATCH LISTEN TELL | Half Moon Run

(Picture retrieved from WLT's Facebook Page)

I have to admit that I am a huge fan of the Watch Listen Tell series. In the past they've featured some of my favorite artists such as Bombay Bicycle Club, Lucy Rose, Daughter, and Jessie Ware in various locations throughout the world. The latest edition of WLT features a talented Montreal band by the name of Half Moon Run (who are currently on tour with Mumford & Sons!) I love this acoustic version of "Unofferable" as it is beautifully paired with the setting that is Alexandra Palace.  

Half Moon Run - "Unofferable" 

By taking talented musicians out of the studio and into a new environment to perform original material is something that WLT executes quite perfectly. WLT has been a nonprofit music channel on YouTube since 2008, and if you care to check out previous 

performances - click here! What plays a huge role in how Watch Listen Tell works is the factor of telling or sharing with someone about these sessions, it's the least that we could do & these  

P.S. For those of you who follow Watch Listen Tell on Twitter, you'll be one of the first to know about upcoming performances and when they'll be uploaded onto the site (so do yourselves a favor & follow them.) 

Check out this clip of Florence Welch of Florence + the Machine from 4 years ago performing my favorite track "My Boy Builds Coffins." Do you think the video would have been the same if she performed it last week?  

XX

Let Your Ears Decide on Facebook

'Tis the season for LYED FREEBIES!

What's better than free music that's worth a damn? While everyone is knee-deep in finishing their lists and lists of lists....I decided to do something a bit different (for LYED). This is the first of (hopefully) several posts that focus on music that's made available as a free download by the artists themselves. The gift of giving can be quite amazing if it's real. 
ANYWAYS... If you thought this post was a good idea, feel free to spread the word or head over to Let Your Ears Decide via FACEBOOK or TWITTER. 

YES, LYED finally has a twitter account that's made specifically for sharing all things music related for those who prefer the "twittersphere" rather than Facebook. So c'mon guys, let LYED know what you thought...these ears know how to listen. *insert winking emoji slash cheesy smile* 

To sum up this amazing "Life In Color" mix by a duo called Adventure Club that I've been praising since LYED first started back in March- there's a little bit of Ellie Goulding, a little bit of Disclosure, some TNGHT and a couple of your favorite AC remixes (to say the least). This mix is a little over 27 minutes, but it's definitely worth investing in for a little energetic pre-game ritual or whatever you feel like pairing it with. 

So.. what are you waiting for? Get it while it's in front of you!

Mornin' was one of the first Star Slinger tracks that I fell in love with, and to hear this newly edited version is quite a delight. Feel free to listen to this "2k12 edit", and if you're curious to hear the original - here it is! Definitely check out Star Slinger's SoundCloud for more gems! You won't regret it. 

Let me be the millionth person to say this... Jack Steadman is a genius. He's 1/4 of the UK indie rock band Bombay Bicycle Club, and one hell of a talented individual to say the least. If you haven't stumbled across Steadman's solo materials,this is your time to catch up on the magic he's been making from the past couple of years. It was a bit difficult when choosing which song to feature on here... so spend some time on his SoundCloud where you'll find several free downloads as well as some unique twists to tracks you might be familiar with (cough cough for those who are BBC & Lucy Rose fans). 

4 THINGS YOUR EARS NEED TO HEAR ASAP.

& what a big surprise, each of the songs featured below are quite different from the next one. This was definitely a coincidence, but then again I've never been one to stick with a single genre when blogging or listening to music. I also posted a couple of videos/tracks that I'm currently digging on my Twitter account 

www.twitter.com/emponce

& also - don't forget to check out www.facebook.com/LetYourEarsDecide!

For all of you Bombay Bicycle Club fans - I recently gave away two free tickets to tonight's sold out show at The Fonda Theatre in Hollywood from the LYED Facebook page! Congratulations to Calia Minasian who won the tickets & is currently enjoying the show :) 

ON AN ON - "GHOSTS"

This was recently brought to my attention from a good friend named Kat, and without hesitation I clicked on it because she is someone who knows what I like (when it comes to music). I immediately fell in love with the track and that led me to find out more about this group called ON AN ON. What attracted me to this track? I'm a sucker for melancholic-sounding tracks. Ironically, this type of song makes me happy inside when listening to it. It definitely triggers a form of nostalgia that is somewhat heavy-hearted, but I appreciate a song's ability to do so. This track is off their forthcoming album titled Give In & it will be released on January 29, 2013! 

GHOST BEACH - "TEAR US APART"

The word "ghost" seems to be the key word in most band names that are currently on the rise (don't forget Holy Ghost!) and this is one of the examples. Ghost Beach = "Tropical Grit Pop" and I definitely cannot argue with that! The more I listen to them, the more I find myself attracted. Very catchy and this a band that I would file next to Reptar (who I've featured on LYED in the past). Feel free to check out CRAZY HEART RECORDS via SoundCloud for more Ghost Beach tracks that are more than worth your ears' time!  

JESSIE WARE - "RUNNING"

So this isn't the first time I've posted about the lovely woman named Jessie Ware from London. This is definitely an artist that's very underrated, and I want to share the talent that this woman has with each and every individual that finds their way onto this website! I've posted a bit about Jessie Ware's hit single "Wildest Moments" in a variety of ways. I first posted the Star Slinger remix of this track back in July, and then a few weeks later I stumbled across an edition of "Watch Listen Tell" that featured Jessie Ware! She has such a soulful voice 

BLACKBIRD BLACKBIRD - "IT'S A WAR"

If you've ever listened to an Indie band on Pandora, there's a huge chance that Blackbird Blackbird has popped up in the randomness of tracks that play. That is actually how I found out about this artist while listening to Discovery's Pandora station about a year ago. This is the opening track on Blackbird Blackbird's recent EP release titled Boracay Planet. I love what this song does to my mind, and I didn't realize how long it was until I actually looked after I listened for the first time. In a previous post I featured "All" by Blackbird Blackbird which was the first single off the EP, and I love how "All" is the 2nd track following the one above. Overall the EP is amazing, and if you have the time - go check it out! Definitely something that is fitting for a night drive or an early morning subway ride to work (take it from me). 

Getting Back Under The Covers: Part II

Welcome to Round 2 of my favorite cover songs! Hope you weren't expecting to see the "Rhiannon" cover recently destroyed by Best Coast. Yes, I did give it a listen and the benefit of the doubt, but it was so painful that I couldn't stick around to hear the end. 

If you would like to see for yourself, click on the links below. 

Best Coast version

Original version by Fleetwood Mac

First Aid Kit - "PLAYING WITH FIRE"

(Rolling Stones Cover)

Bombay Bicycle Club - "WHATCHA SAY" 

(Cover of Jason De Rulo's Cover of Imogen Heap)

A cover of a cover? It's funny in the beginning, but just give it some time and soon enough you'll be hooked on it. 

Ellie Goulding Ft. Tinie Tempah - "HANGING ON"

(Active Child Cover)

Birdy - "1901"

(Phoenix Cover)

Bon Iver - "COMING DOWN"

(Anais Mitchell Cover)

Cat Power - "WONDERWALL"

(Oasis Cover)

The Kills - "DREAMS"

(Fleetwood Mac Cover)

Pitchfork was kind enough to put together a list for "The Worst Covers of 2011", and if you're curious to see which ones made the list 

----> here ya go! 

Breezy Vibes & Such

Hope you guys had an awesome 4th of July (that is if you can remember it). Here are a few breezy vibes that are too good to go unheard. Enjoy! 

Slow Magic - "ON YR SIDE"

Bombay Bicycle Club - "LIGHT'S OUT WORDS GONE"

Jessie Ware - Wildest Moments (Star Slinger Remix)

Click on the link above to listen to Star Slinger's latest remix of Jessie Ware's hit single "Wildest Moments". Ahhhh Star Slinger can do no wrong in my book.

netsky - "PUPPY"

Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs - "HOUSEHOLD GOODS"

Diana - "BORN AGAIN"

Recently Gorilla Vs. Bear released a June 2012 mix that is available for download on their site. It's a great collection of summer tunes, including Purity Ring, Frank Ocean, Clams  Casino, and more! Click on the link below to check out the track list.

http://www.gorillavsbear.net/2012/06/28/june-2012-mix/

Tours & More.....New Music

What's better than listening to your favorite band in the car or in the shower? SEEING THEM LIVE! This is definitely the case for me, (actually I can think of a select few that didn't impress me live but i'll save that for another post). Recently I've been stumbling across tour announcement after tour announcement, and I just can't keep it to myself what my eyes have seen! & tis the season for new music... as this season seems to continuously keep giving. 

Twin Shadow recently announced a string of tour dates that will take place two weeks after the July 10th release of his sophomore LP album Confess on 4AD. Quite excited when I read that he will be performing at a local venue here in Santa Barbara (SoHo Restaurant & Music Club) on August 18th! For a list of tour dates and more information about Twin Shadow himself, click here!

CocoRosie - We Are On Fire

This is their first track since falling off the face of the media world in 2009. If this is your first time listening to CocoRosie, you're in for one hell of a treat. CocoRosie was first formed in 2003 by sisters Bianca & Sierra Casady. What first comes to mind when I think of CocoRosie is indeed "freak-folk", a term several others have described this duo as. Bianca & Sierra each have their own individual singing style (Bianca's exotic mix of hip-hop/folk vocals while Sierra's hand-crafted sound stems from studying opera and is as dreamy as her kaleidoscope look). If their unique vocal collaboration doesn't grasp your ears, then you should know that this duo uses wind-up children's toys and a variety of gadgets that produce animal noises which definitely increases the freak in their sound. The single is officially out on June 5th with the b-side track "Tearz For Animals" on Touch & Go. They'll be coming to the golden state next month:

June 6 - The Regency Ballroom (San Francisco)

June 7 - Rio Theatre (Santa Cruz)

June 8 - Bellyup Tavern (Solana Beach)

June 9 - Luckman Fine Arts Complex (Los Angeles)

After an amazing first go-around for Bombay Bicycle Club, their upcoming US/Canada tour through the US & Canada has been extended to the west coast ! After catching BBC back in February (San Diego on the 14th & Los Angeles on the 15th), I wasn't sure that I would have the opportunity to catch them in California for awhile. They put on an amazing set both nights, and I highly recommend it if they're coming to your city. Here's Bombay Bicycle Club telling you why you should listen to them & their latest album A Different Kind of Fix in the time-span of 60 seconds. 

Ah, this gets me every time. 

The Weeknd - Get In There

This is an unreleased track by The Weeknd, and was the first track ever recorded (2006/2007). My, has he developed since then. 

& if you haven't heard already, The Weeknd will be joining Florence + the Machine on tour later this year, along with The Maccabees and Blood Orange on select dates. Just the sound of those four names is a match-made in musical heaven for yours truly.

Silversun Pickups - Skin Graph

Today marks the release date of Neck of the Woods, the new full-length album from Silversun Pickups. It's almost uncalled for to hear a Silversun Pickups track that's less than 4 minutes long (an exception would be Broken Bottles, you bet I did my homework). I truly appreciate the longer length tracks, maybe it's because i've developed a high level of patience thanks to working in retail. With Silversun Pickups, it's a different story. Each track is like a spectral amusement ride, and in order to get the full satisfying effect-you need to listen to each track in it's entirety. Brian Aubert's raspy hiding-under-the-bleachers voice will always be one of a kind, and I love the way it brings me back to their last album Swoon with this first track "Skin Graph".  

& with The XX recently announcing their summer tour through Europe which begins next week in London, one can only hope that this is a sign that the new album will be released before we imagined it to be. (I've listened to their first self-titled album so much that I can almost recite it backwards, yet I still get the butterflies when the tracks pop-up on shuffle. 

& maybe a US tour? (fingers crossed). They released a demo titled "Open Eyes" last December, check it out below!

Until next time......