July State of Mind

It's a brand new day, a brand new month // HELLO AUGUST! I thought i'd feature about an hours worth of my favorite tracks from the month of July before I dig into the newer stuff. You're probably thinking, "wait I heard this song back in May or June". That might be the case, but the majority of these tracks were featured on albums that were officially released sometime in July. I know, I know, there I go again with the music nerdism.

P.S. Shout-out to Chad for making it way too easy for me to figure out how to attach playlists from Spotify onto this blog! 

Oh yeah, "LYED" is 5 Likes away from 300 on Facebook!  Click here if you feel like helping a blogger out! 

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freshvibesmonday #12

This post is worth the waiting, trust me. 

& don't be shy - let me know what you think! 

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ENJOY! 

Tame Impala - "APOCALYPSE DREAMS"

After announcing that the next album for Tame Impala will be released sometime in October of this year, TI was nice enough to release a track that will be featured on Lonerism. If you're into psychedelic rock, then this band from Australia is the one for you. They have a light yet eclectic sound, and it won't be long before you find yourself hypnotized by the sound of Kevin Parker's voice. Their 2010 debut album Innerspeaker is definitely worth checking out if you haven't already.  

Young Wonder - "FLESH"

If you haven't already noticed, I can't get enough of this pop/electronic duo from Cork, Ireland. "Flesh" is another track off their recent self-titled EP that's available for a couple bucks on their 

bandcamp account. Young Wonder is definitely worth checking out, otherwise I wouldn't blog about them so much. If you're a fan of Purity Ring or Modeselektor, then you will fall in love with Young Wonder. I recently discovered that they had a station on Pandora, and let's just say I "liked" almost every other song that appeared. 

Twitter Account = https://twitter.com/young__wonder

Dirty Projectors - "DANCE FOR YOU"

This is the second single off Swing Lo Magellan, the sixth studio album from the experimental rock band that will be released in the US tomorrow (Tuesday)! If there's one thing you should know about Dirty Projectors, don't be surprised if you're thrown off in a middle of a song. For example, "Dance For You" is like a cross-country road trip. It literally goes everywhere in terms of the melody, but manages to make it back to square one for the last 40-45 seconds of the track. 

Charli XCX - "GRINS" (Blood Diamonds cover)

Not long ago Charli XCX released a free mixtape Heartbreaks and Earthquakes on her website. All you have to do is submit your e-mail address, and in return the download for the mixtape will be waiting for you in your inbox. The mixtape features a handful of new songs, that are for the most part: covers/remixes (the mixtape starts off with Charli XCX's energetic cover of Blood Orange's "Champagne Coast".)  The track I chose to feature is an original track from Blood Diamonds aka Michael Diamond from Vancouver. It's sassy, and you're going to like it. 

Van She - "JAMAICA"

*Just a heads up that this is my favorite track of this post. "Jamaica" is the 2nd single off Idea of Happiness; the long awaited full-length from the Australian four-piece Van She. They're signed to Modular Recordings, which is the home to several other bands/artists such as Ladyhawke, The Presets, Chromeo, Cut Copy, Tame Impala, and moooore! The best description I could find for Van She was from the Modular website aka Modular People, stating that they "bridge the musical gap between boldly adventurous shoegaze and danceable glint disco".

Tomorrow is a big day for album releases in the US, and lucky enough Idea of Happiness will be one of them! WOOO. 

Passion Pit - "CONSTANT CONVERSATIONS"

No joke, this is the one track that I've heard about the most since talks of Gossamer appeared. The 2nd full length from Passion Pit will be released on July 24th, and "Constant Conversations" is the third track to be released from it. The most recent track to be released before CC is "I'll Be Alright", and it is legitimately a 180 of "Constant Conversations" in terms of how it sounds. This doesn't mean that the tone of the track is any different from the other, Gossamer is an album in which Michael Angelakos vilifies himself. In short, "Constant Conversations" is what I would call a delicate soul caught in a pool of the deadliest vices that are saying "whoa-oh-oooh". 

The Early November - "IN CURRENTS"

AHHHHHH. :) Let's just say I'd be lying if I said I didn't tear up when I found out that The Early November were reuniting after a 4 year break-up. Yes there were other projects to fill the void (I Can Make a Mess Like Nobody's Business, Ace Enders and a Million Different People, and Joe joined Hellogoodbye until this year). I'm sure your reaction could relate to mine if you were raised on Drive-Thru Records (back when Drive-Thru Records had bands such as Senses Fail, Midtown, Homegrown, Something Corporate, etc).  In Currents is the product of the reunion and is also the 3rd full length album from The Early November. TEN is now on Rise Records, AND THE ALBUM COMES OUT TOMORROW! I apologize for getting a little over-the-top but my #1 favorite song to this day is "Baby Blue" by them, and this particular clip from a Drive-Thru Records DVD of the guys goofing around to the song is the icing on the cake. 

Till Next Time...

freshvibesmonday #3

There's several reasons to love today. If you find yourself struggling to agree, here's some tunes to change your mind. :) 
P.S. Had an amazing time at the Washed Out show on Saturday. It was my first time attending a show at the Music Box in Hollywood, and definitely will not be the last. Unfortunately I missed out on Memoryhouse, the openers but Ernest Greene put on one hell of a set with his band (including his wife Blair Sexton, who's on the cover of the Life of Leisure EP). The crowd was great, and Ernest couldn't stop smiling throughout the whole set. It truly makes all of the money spent on the ticket(s), gas, beer(s), etc WORTH IT when you experience an artist giving off such positive energy as he did while performing. Time flew by as they performed tracks from both Life of Leisure (EP) & their first full-length album Within & Without. 

Guess i'll shut up now. ENJOY THE MUSIC! :)

PASSION PIT - TAKE A WALK

The wait is over. On July 24th, Passion Pit will release their second full-length LP Gossamer. In addition to releasing the single, today Michael Angelakos tweeted, 

"Hi. Hope everyone is enjoying the single. FYI it's not political-commentary. It's just a few characters from my family and their gripes. Thx"

"Take a Walk" is an addictive track if you're familiar with previous work from PP (Manners, Chunk of Change). It's a bit of a new sound with the same melancholic vibe that the lyrics produce. Passion Pit will be touring later this year, and luckily they will be playing at this year's Outside Lands Music Festival held at Golden Gate Park!

CHARLI XCX - I'LL NEVER KNOW

Charli XCX is addicting. If this face is new to you, be sure to check out Nuclear Season & Stay Away: two tracks that you'll be obsessing over shortly.

THE MACCABEES - CHILD

Even though this was recorded at the BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge in December of last year, The Maccabees' third studio album Given to the Wild wasn't released in America until recently (April 25th)! Definitely give the album a listen if you have time. Just found out they'll be opening for Florence + the Machine on tour this year (& if you live in the Los Angeles area, they're coming to the Hollywood Bowl on October 7th with an additional opener: The Weeknd). Yeah, i almost fell out of my seat when I read that too.

TWIN SHADOW - FIVE SECONDS

Released last week as a single, expect Twin Shadow will always be a favorite of mine, as I first heard when I started working at Urban Outfitters almost two years ago. His music always gives off an 80's vibe that will keep your foot tapping yet suck you in with the lyrics. It's a little romantic. It's a little dark. It's something to turn on first thing in the morning, trust me. 

THE RAPTURE - ECHOES

I'm finding it hard to shut up about these guys after their amazing performance at Coachella this year. The Rapture literally brought Dance & Rock together perfectly, and unfortunately the crowd in this video isn't as crazy as what I experienced recently. It's funky, yet freakishly awesome how it much it sounds just like it did on their 2003 album also titled Echoes. 9 years later, still knocking shoes off. 

LYKKE LI - COME NEAR
It will surprise you. I had the urge to turn on Fever Ray immediately following the first time I heard this track......and buy face paint. 

FYI:

upcoming & recent album release dates:

Bloom - Beach House - May 15th 

Neck of the Woods - Silversun Pickups - May 8th 

Electra Heart - Marina and the Diamonds - OUT NOW!

Given to the Wild - The Maccabees - OUT NOW!

Body Faucet - Reptar - OUT NOW!

Master of My Make Believe - Santigold - OUT NOW!

Anxiety - Ladyhawke - May 29th

There's No Leaving Now - The Tallest Man on Earth - June 12th

Synthetica - Metric - June 12th

In Our Heads - Hot Chip - June 12th

Gossamer - Passion Pit  - July 24th

Confess - Twin Shadow - July 9/10th

Shrines - Purity Ring - July 24th