LYED - Putting A Plug On 2012

Over the past couple of weeks I've made several attempts at creating posts that feature my favorite songs/albums of 2012, but to be honest - 2012 was an AMAZING year for music. There were too many to individually list on a blog post (could you imagine how long the post would be?) From my involvement with this lovely music blog, I was able to find/discover amazing artists such as: ON AN ON, Kill Paris, The Neighbourhood, Jessie Ware, Alt-J, Breton, Star Slinger, CHVRCHES, and more! More specifically, creating posts like "Getting Under The Covers" and "YouTube Narnia" helped expand my appreciation of music by miles. Can't forget how many concerts/festivals I attended in the various cities & states, and that my friends is what made this year AMAZING. If you ever get the chance to see a band live, DON'T PUT IT PAST YOU! Mark my words. New or old, popular or underground.... live music is something I deeply treasure & hope you do too!
I was recently asked to guest blog about my Top 10 albums on The Source Weekly, and in addition you can check out what I had to say about my #1 album of 2012 - Halcyon by Ellie Goulding! Special thanks to Ethan Maffey for giving LYED this amazing opportunity! You can check out everything Ethan has posted in terms of  "Best Of ____ (aka everything music related)" by clicking HERE! It's a pretty amazing compilation of lists to say the least. 

P.S. By clicking on TSW link above, you can see which tracks I picked from my Top 10 favorite albums - definitely worth checking out! 

So instead of multiple posts, I decided to sum everything up (that could be accounted for on Spotify) on a Playlist instead! This is a compiled list of songs that were either featured here on LYED or on the FB page for LYED. There's a handful of gems that are on this playlist that might have slipped past LYED posts, my apologies! Although this list is pretty lengthy, it definitely could have been longer because several songs I had blogged about in the past weren't available on Spotify *insert sad emoji face*. If there is a track/artist that I forgot to add on the playlist (which wouldn't surprise me) LET LYED KNOW by posting on LYED'S FB Page, which is less than 40 likes away from 400. I would be more than happy to add your suggestions! :)

PLEASE SPREAD THE LYED LOVE!

So, here is the amazing playlist that best defines LYED (from a Spotify point of view). I hope this playlist brings back old & amazing memories from the past year or attracts you to an artist that you've never heard before! Thanks everyone! XX 

-Emz

'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). 

LATELY.

I'm back from Outside Lands, and it's definitely a bittersweet feeling. You cannot beat good times with great people & live music. Highlights of the weekend were indeed Tame Impala, Tennis, Portugal. The Man, MSTRKRFT, Passion Pit, and Bloc Party. I must admit it was nice to sleep in my own bed though. Unfortunately, it's crunch time with 3 weeks left in my last quarter of undergraduate studies EVER! Below are a handful of fresh tunes that I just couldn't pass up, hope you like! :)

www.facebook.com/LetYourEarsDecide

Daughter - "SMOTHER"

You can always count on this trio from North London to deliver a song that's equally beautiful as it is emotionally heart-wrenching. "Smother" will be released as a single on October 7th with "Run" as the B-side, and will be available digitally on September 3rd! This is a brand new track from Daughter, and I was so excited to find Philadelphia on the list of dates for their first North American Headline tour!

For those of you in California:

October 29th -The Independent, San Francisco

October 30th - The Bootleg Theater, Los Angeles

Ellie Goulding - "ANYTHING COULD HAPPEN"

If you know me personally, you can bet your bottom dollar I shrieked the second I read on Ellie Goulding's twitter that the "Instagram Fan Lyric Video" was up for the public eye. Ellie has a new album coming out on October 8th in the UK & 9th for the US titled Halcyon, and this was the first track that I heard about from it! I have nothing negative to say about this track due to how long I've been waiting for something original from Ellie. This album is going to be nothing less of powerful, especially if Xaphoon Jones has anything to do with it. 

Cat Power - "CHEROKEE"

Not going to lie, I was so distracted by how powerful "Ruin" was that I nearly missed this gem. "Cherokee" is another track off Cat Power's forthcoming album Sun that will be released on September 4th on Matador Records. Nicolas Jaar released a beautiful remix of this track last week, and you can check it out here to see what the hype is all about. :) Sun is definitely one of the albums I'm looking most forward to within the next couple of months.

Bondax - "YOU'RE SO (Star Slinger Refix)"

Star Slinger did a great job with this tweaking this track that I had stumbled on a few months ago. There's a lot more going on in this "refix", yet it doesn't stray from Star Slinger's casual style of sound.

Lucy Rose - "BIKES"

Since Lucy Rose's debut album Like I Used To won't be released in the US until next year, I was excited to find out that a proper video for one of the tracks was released yesterday. It will be amazing to hear the entire album as a whole as there is a low supply of studio versions for the songs available. 

Com Truise - "CHEMICAL LEGS"

Here is the latest track to be released from the Adult Swim Singles Program, and as usual I feel like I'm stuck inside an arcade game. Com Truise's style definitely isn't for everyone, but I can appreciate his music from time to time. His most recent album In Decay is definitely worth checking out if you're into low-key electronic music. 

Poolside - "CALIFORNIA SUNSET"

This duo from Los Angeles is currently on tour supporting Twin Shadow, and I am looking forward to hearing them live when they play in Santa Barbara this Saturday at SoHo! Check out their SoundCloud account where you can listen & download most of their music for free! 

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/

Youtube Narnia: It Exists, Believe Me.

I already know what you're thinking, "what the f*ck is she talking about. Youtube Narnia? Has she lost it?" Okay, here's the deal. For someone who mumbles when sober, and speaks in analogies a little more than a 22 year-old should, I've found something that requires your full attention (well, okay 75% of it will do). I discovered this magical wave of sounds randomly one night at home (this is due to the fact that I had to wake up at 5am for work, and my hangovers these days are the equivalent to being in a body cast.) 

It all started when I logged onto Youtube to watch videos of Purity Ring. Actually, it was this exact video^. With over 6 million views, I'm almost positive you've probably heard this track or have seen it pop up on your news feed. After reading nothing but great things from their Pitchfork set at SXSW, you should expect to see/hear more of this "future pop" duo...well, in the future.
So back to my so-called mystical experience. I couldn't help but let my eyes wander to the sidebar where you will find a list of youtube videos that are generally of the same artist, genre, etc. What caught my eye was the fact that the videos happened to be of different artists & groups. Also, each of the visuals for the videos were pretty simple in appearance, but attractively executed so that I would immediately click on them regardless if I was familiar with the song or not..... and this is what I experienced: one click after the other, and the rest is as memorable as the after-party of your senior prom (one hell of a good blur). 

1. Darius - "Maliblue"

2. Star Slinger - "They Like It Rough"

3. Teams vs. Star Slinger - "Say Please"

4. Blood Orange - "Champagne Coast"

5. Caribou - Odessa

6. Tycho - "A Walk"

7. Grimes - Vanessa

8. The XX - "Blood Red Moon"

So what's the significance in why I created this post? Well hopefully by now you've either A.) felt attracted to a song you haven't heard before, B.) recognized a song you already knew & fell in love with it even more, or C.) felt more relaxed then you did before reading this post. This is just a kernel of what I came across, so if you have the time...click on one of these links & let the exploration begin. Finally, don't take the video comments seriously... you don't have to be on drugs to enjoy the music. 

Welp, I hope you enjoyed this brief exploration into "the Narnia of Youtube"... remember, it's more than necessary to let your mind wander for a period of time...or an entire night. Pamper those ears, enjoy xx.