dailybeatz

top february tracks

chris — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:18:10 +0000

hey y’all, first off let me thank our friend The Music Ninja for his help in cleaning up and organizing and coolifying our sidebar. My mind is much more at ease now that the chaos has subsided. Now, I thought it would be fun each month to just recap the top posts from the previous month. A “best of” of sorts, in case you haven’t been following along, so you can see what everyone else enjoyed so much the month before. I was able to determine this using a series of top-secret complicated algorithms that you probably wouldn’t …read more and hear the song…

secret cities – pink graffiti pt. 1

chris — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 13:45:28 +0000

Despite the sometimes annoying nature of promo emails, I guess the positive is that when I listen to these tunes I have no expectations. So when I hit play on something that gets my attention, it really gets my attention. And such is the case with this tune from Secret Cities, from the movie-famous city of Fargo, North Dakota.

The trio has a really unique sound that I can’t quite put my finger on but I know that I like it. “Pink Graffiti Pt. 1″ is a pretty nice experimental number that’s not overly experimental, but …read more and hear the song…

neon indian – sleep paralysist

chris — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:57:20 +0000

So a brand new song by Neon Indian just broke on the twittersphere, and I must say, I am rather enjoying it. The tune was released as a free single from Green Label Sound which is the Mountain Dew backed record label that has put out some pretty cool stuff from some pretty cool artists. This tune was supposedly co-produced by Chris Taylor of Grizzly Bear. Have you heard of them? Well, he is the one that sort of looks a little bit like the oldest son from the hit TV shot “Home Improvement” starring fellow Michigan …read more and hear the song…

volta cab – clarissa

chris — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 13:45:05 +0000

I love chilled electro, and I love songs that sound like they are from outer space. So imagine my enjoyment when I find a song that’s a great combination of both. This time, it’s a product of Volta Cab, who is Konstantyn Isaew hailing from Ulyanovsk, Russia. Could it be that we’ve had yet another first here, with our first ever Russian act? Make no mistake about it, though. Despite my chilled out description, it doesn’t mean that “Clarissa” isn’t sure to fill the dance floor. I’ve definitely been moving away from the dirty electro that I …read more and hear the song…

the bird and the bee – private eyes

chris — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 18:41:54 +0000

You know how there are some songs that you and your friends always play, but you aren’t really sure how they got to be that way? Well, for my group of friends and I, one of those songs just so happens to be the Hall and Oates classic “Private Eyes”. I think it’s because we enjoy the clapping, but I’m not sure. So imagine my excitement when I found out that another group that I love, The Bird and The Bee, was going to be releasing an entire album of Hall and Oates covers! The title is …read more and hear the song…

delphic – doubt (build remix)

chris — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 13:45:11 +0000

Let’s talk music, as I’ve been known to do on this web address. We already know that I’m a big fan of Delphic and that they are one of my most anticipated live acts at this years Coachella festivus for the rest of us, and that I’m pretty sure Pitchfork was smoking something funny when reviewing their album. But let’s talk about something else now, namely how “Doubt” isn’t my favorite track on the album. Don’t get me wrong, I definitely like it, but it’s just not a favorite. But then I heard this remix thanks to …read more and hear the song…

foals – spanish sahara

chris — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 20:45:52 +0000

Despite hearing some songs by UK band Foals here and there, I never really paid much attention to them. But then I happened to catch them at Lollapalooza 2008 during one of those “I’m not really a fan of any of these bands, so I’ll just pick one” time slots in the early afternoon all by my lonesome. And it was only then that I realized that I enjoyed their unique sound, as they’re one of those groups where you pretty much can always pick out a Foals song when you hear one. That is, of course, until …read more and hear the song…

the incredible moses leroy – 1983

chris — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 13:45:41 +0000

I typically know within the first 15 seconds of a song whether or not I can roll with it. And a few days ago when we were hanging at my friend Jason’s place prior to the Hamtramck Blowout, I heard this one while he was playing some 45s that he had packed away and recently found, and I liked it pretty much right off the bat. It turned out to be by The Incredible Moses Leroy, who is actually Californian Ron Fountenberry. The track “1983″, coincidentally the year I was born, is catchy as heck. And it …read more and hear the song…

jenny lewis with the watson twins – rise up with fists!!

chris — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 14:30:14 +0000

As Saturday’s have become throwback Saturdays (which may or may not be changing), Sundays have become “Songs from the 2000s that you may have forgotten about, or rather songs that I forgot about” (which may or may not be changing). And here’s another fantastic one that I just remembered a few days ago from the lovely Jenny Lewis and The Watson Twins who teamed up for the classic 2006 album “Rabbit Fur Coat”. But of all the great tracks on this album, “Rise Up with Fists!!” is my favorite. And here’s why.

First, perhaps …read more and hear the song…

the smiths – this charming man

chris — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 14:30:16 +0000

Ah, The Smiths. If you’re reading this website, then it’s more than a little likely that you have a soft spot in your heart for the legendary British band led by Morrissey and Johnny Marr. Though the group is no longer together, both of its key members are still making pretty big waves in the music world. Of course, Morrissey is still making new music and touring as a solo act, and Johnny Marr can be found in any one of a few huge bands that he’s a part of these days, the most noteworthy as of …read more and hear the song…

phantogram – as far as i can see

chris — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 13:45:43 +0000

I, like so many others, have been enamored by “Eyelid Moves”, the debut album from Saratoga Springs small(ish) towners Phantogram, officially released last week. Sarah Barthel and Josh Carter have put together an album that’s a mish-mash of styles and genres, but one that sounds completely cohesive. After listening to the album, it makes perfect sense that the duo is now a part of the progressive Ghostly International label (based in my nearby college town of Ann Arbor, MI).

Upon first listen, the song that immediately jumped out to me was “As Far As I Can …read more and hear the song…

rjd2 – the shining path (alan wilkis remix)

chris — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 13:45:36 +0000

Well kids, our friend Alan Wilkis has done it yet again. Some of his remixes that I’ve enjoyed in the past have kept the main rhythm of the song intact, but just added various elements of awesome throughout to create something that usually sounds much more colorful. But that is not the case this time, as he’s taken a track from DJ extraordinaire RJD2 and completely transformed it.

While Alan didn’t want to get too “technical/music-dorky”, I want nothing more. Taking a song from 6/8 to 4/4 is no small task. And the original song, “The …read more and hear the song…

the hood internet – decalogue

chris — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 13:45:17 +0000

We all know that I love a nice mash-up as much as the next person. But it is rare that we hear a “concept mashup”, which is exactly what we’ve got ourselves today thanks to The Hood Internet. That is, each portion of the track is a mashup of two songs from each year of the past decade. Two songs from 2000, 2001, etc. See the full list of tracks by year below. I first heard this track last night thanks to James at Mediated Media and it was pretty much love at first site. I definitely …read more and hear the song…

kid savant – better side of paradise

birdykins — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 13:45:09 +0000

It’s the middle of the week and you shouldn’t be out this late but a friend of a friend kept buying you drinks and the next thing you knew the bar was closing and the lights were going up. There’s something about prowling a city that sleeps. Something perfect and quiet, peaceful, like brown eyes thick with lashes that find yours in the dark.

Like a symphony of synthesis in every steam-filled window. The click of a seatbelt and a hug that turns into lips searching for comfort. The pounding bass of a heart so sick with desire …read more and hear the song…

the magnetic fields – i dont believe you

chris — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 13:45:26 +0000

What better way to start out the week and the month than with a track from The Magnetic Fields? The band, led by Stephin Merritt, recently released “Realism”, the last of their no-synth trilogy. And today, we bring you one of my favorites of their multitude of songs, a track from “i”, released in 2004, the first album in the aforementioned trilogy. And, you guessedit, every song on the album begins with the letter “i”, much like a Jeopardy category with “i” in quotations.

I was a fan of “I Don’t Believe You” even from the opening …read more and hear the song…

the postal service – clark gable

chris — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 14:45:06 +0000

In my continuing Sunday series of fantastic songs that everyone knows but im posting anyway and not talking much about, i bring you this number from The Postal Service. During my infatuation with this album a few years back, this song never really stood out for some reason, but now I’m convinced it’s one of their best. Is it too much for me to say “Give Up” is one of my favorite albums ever? Will the group ever put out a second album? The world may never know. Unless they do release an album, then I guess we …read more and hear the song…

prince – i would die 4 u

chris — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 14:30:00 +0000

I completely forgot about this song until I heard it about a week ago in between sets at a show, and it pretty much got the whole crowd moving. I feel like if I’m ever a famous musician, I will always make sure to play high energy music right before my set. What’s sort of weird is that A)today’s song is over 25 years old, and B)Prince is 51 years old! I mean, I guess you’d have to be if you had a hit song over 25 years ago, but it’s just strange. For some reason I didn’t …read more and hear the song…

bear in heaven – casual goodbye

chris — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 13:45:08 +0000

Though Brooklyn’s Bear in Heaven has been around since 2003, it was just last year that they made their biggest splash with their album “Beast Rest Forth Mouth”. Since I’m usually way behind the game, I just finally picked up this album a few weeks back and have given it a few listens and am really liking what I’m hearing. I’ve been struggling with how to describe the sound of the album, but I think I’m comfortable in saying that it reminds me a little bit of the subtle electronic future and/or outer space, but not in an …read more and hear the song…

tune-yards – sunlight

chris — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 13:45:33 +0000

Tune-yards (which I guess is technically written as tUnE-yArDs) is the solo project of New England’s Merrill Garbus. She recorded the whole album with a voice recorder and mixed it using some sort of downloadable shareware. Oh yeah, and she played every instrument on the album. The recording process definitely gives her tunes a raw sound, sometimes a little too raw, but it still works for me.

This song imparticular is considered to be the album standout and I think it’s because it highlights the versatility and power of Garbus’ voice. In the beginning, she starts out timid …read more and hear the song…

joanna newsom – good intentions paving company

chris — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 13:45:55 +0000

California native Joanna Newsom may quite possibly be the most polarizing musician in the world of indie rock. People either want to bear her children or they think she’s the worst thing since non-sliced bread. I have to admit that I have typically fallen into the latter of those two groups. I hadn’t really heard a ton of her stuff, but I just couldn’t get into the couple of songs I heard from her Ys album a few years ago. Her new TRIPLE(!!) LP (yes, triple!) “Have One on Me” was released to the masses yesterday, and if …read more and hear the song…

coeur de pirate – comme des enfants (le matos andy carmichael remix)

chris — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 13:45:37 +0000

There are a few notable things about this Friday tune, which I unabashedly stole from our good friend The Music Ninja. The first is that it’s probably the longest song title ever to be featured on the site. Second, and more importantly, as far as my memory serves me, this may be the first foreign language song we’ve ever featured, unless there’s something I’m forgetting. Which attests to how much I like it’s sound since I really have no idea what it’s about, despite many years of French in school.

Coeur de Pirate is the stage …read more and hear the song…

broken social scene – world sick

chris — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 13:45:44 +0000

I’d heard that Broken Social Scene was coming out with a new album this year, but I was surprised when I saw last Friday that they had already released the first single to the masses. I first saw them live back in the fall of either 2007 or 2008, I can’t remember. But what I do remember was a pretty epic performance, clocking in at about 3 hours, and which included 10+ members on stage at any given moment. They even invited the whole audience on stage at one point to dance and sing along, despite the reluctance …read more and hear the song…

st. vincent @ the crofoot 2.19.10

chris — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 14:30:57 +0000

After many weeks of waiting, this past Friday night, I finally got to catch St. Vincent, the stage name of the lovely Annie Clark, live at The Crofoot in Pontiac (which seems to be the venue of every show I go to these days). There was a little stress in my decision because Kings of Convenience were also supposed to play the same night at the Crofoot, but due to some illness they postponed most of their tour, so the positive is that now I get to see them both. St. Vincent was originally scheduled to play the …read more and hear the song…

peter schilling – major tom

chris — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 14:30:25 +0000

Ever have one of those songs that you’ve always liked but never knew who it was by or what it was called? That’s the story behind this week’s Saturday throwback, “Major Tom” by Peter Schilling. I was able to finally discover the origins of this song after a cover version by Shiny Toy Guns was used so well in a Lincoln MKZ commercial over the past few years. While that version is great, I’m still a little partial to the original. When I found out the name of the song was “Major Tom”, I of course …read more and hear the song…

beach house – zebra (ring trick remix)

chris — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 13:45:15 +0000

I make no secret of the fact that I typically write up these posts a few days in advance. Because, let’s be honest, I’m kind of lazy, so its tough to keep up with something on a daily basis. But I just heard this one late at night and decided to write it up on the fly. My first thought when I saw a Beach House remix was, “Oh no they di’in”, because I expected it to be terrible. Actually, I think I just had no idea at all what to expect from a remix of a song from …read more and hear the song…