The Citizen Insane

Best of 2012: Citizen Insane's Top 20 Singles (So Far)

2012-06-05T15:37:00.001-04:00

What would a half-year critical list be without a rundown of one's favourite songs? I initially planned to limit things to singles only, but after so many excellent tracks got left out, I made "premiered in 2012" the qualifier instead. Without a doubt, this list will change more than any other by year's end. Picking my brain for its most addicted-to MP3s was no easy feat, especially when limiting the list to 20, so hopefully this makes up for my utter absence in the entire month of May. Bonus: Things are ordered in reverse for your listening pleasure, a mix clocking in over an hour.

Though liable to change come December, these brief snapshot lists offer a mid-semester evaluation of music so far and are as good an excuse as any to share, debate and listen...

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1. A$AP Rocky - Goldie
2. DIIV - How Long Have You Known
3. Dirty Projectors - Gun Has No Trigger
4. Kanye West - Mercy (feat. Big Sean, Pusha T & 2 Chainz)
5. Willis Earl Beal - Evening's Kiss

6. Mister Lies - Cleam
7. St. Vincent - Krokodil
8. XXXY - I Know This (Can't Be Love)
9. King Tuff - Bad Thing
10. Ryan Power - I Don't Want to Die

11. Matthew Dear - Her Fantasy
12. Cloud Nothings - Stay Useless
13. Baaur - Harlem Shake
14. Hospitality - The Birthday
15. Killer Mike - Big Beast (feat. Bun B, T.I. & Trouble)

16. Alt-J - Breezeblocks
17. Death Grips - I've Seen Footage
18. Heavenly Beat - Messiah
19. Machinedrum - DDD
20. Sun Kil Moon - I Know It's Pathetic but that Was the Greatest Night of My Life

Best of 2012: Citizen Insane's Top 5 EPs (So Far)

2012-06-04T13:28:00.001-04:00

Last Friday, I began revealing my still-developing photograph of the year 2012 in music. While I listed my 15 favourite albums thus far, I feel it's important to highlight the little guys too, so below you'll find the five short-playing records I've consumed ad nausuem over the past six months, plus a highlight track from each release for weary downloaders.

Though liable to change come December, these brief snapshot lists offer a mid-semester evaluation of music so far and are as good an excuse as any to share, debate and listen...

5. Dog Shredder - Brass Tactics EP
4. Kwes - Meantime EP
3. Daniel Rossen - Silent Hour / Golden Mile EP
2. Shlohmo - Vacation EP
1. Burial - Kindred EP

Right-click + Save Link As:

Burial - Kindred
Shlohmo - The Way U Do
Daniel Rossen - Golden Mile
Kwes - Bashful
Dog Shredder - Battle Toads

Like the list? Click on each EP title for its respective download link and get 'em while you can.

Best of 2012: Citizen Insane's Top 15 Albums (So Far)

2012-06-01T16:25:00.002-04:00

Thanks to jobs and life, you might've noticed I haven't been writing as much as I used to. However, that doesn't mean I haven't been overstuffing my hard drive with records, hoarding all number of great albums. Around this time last year, I rattled off my favourite records of the the past six months and I thought, what better way to get this site back on track than to do it all over again? Though liable to change come December, these brief snapshot lists offer a mid-semester evaluation of music so far and are as good an excuse as any to share, debate and listen.

Like 2011, this list is stout and still heavily under development. First off, there's a bevy of albums still on the way that could radically alter my ranks: *ahem* releases from Animal Collective, Grizzly Bear, Crystal Castles, Liars, Hot Chip, Dirty Projectors, Twin Shadow, Yeasayer, Purity Ring, Tame Impala, Flying Lotus, Tamaryn, Flaming Lips, Matthew Dear, Ariel Pink, How to Dress Well and The xx, to name a few. Second, there are a few already-out records I haven't been able to spend a significant amount of time with yet; those have an equal chance to pop up in my end-of-the-year lisztomania.

Regardless of the disclaimer(s) above, here are the 15 LPs I've been spinning nonstop since I first got my ears on them...

15. Evian Christ - Kings and Them
14. Hospitality - Hospitality
13. Death Grips - The Money Store
12. Mount Eerie - Clear Moon
11. Tanlines - Mixed Emotions

10. Lotus Plaza - Spooky Action at a Distance
9. Actress - R.I.P.
8. Perfume Genius - Put Your Back N 2 It
7. El-P - Cancer for Cure
6. Grimes - Visions

5. The Walkmen - Heaven
4. Beach House - Bloom
3. The Men - Open Your Heart
2. Chromatics - Kill for Love
1. Japandroids - Celebration Rock

Like the list? Get 'em while you can and click on each album title for its respective download link.

The Monday Mixtape - Hip, Hip It's Almost May

2012-04-30T20:51:00.001-04:00

Some old tunes, some new tunes, all good tunes, most Mondays...

Right-Click + Save Link As:

Purity Ring - Obedear
Dive - How Long Have You Known
Air France - Collapsing at Your Doorstep
Chains of Love - I'd Rather Be Crying
oOoOO - NoWayBack
Death Grips - I've Seen Footage
Dale Earnhardt - We Almost Lost Detroit
Jaill - Waste a Lot of Things
Ty Segall & White Fence - I Am Not a Game
Hot Snakes - Suicide Invoice
Mister Lies - Cleam
Machinedrum - Now U Know tha Deal 4 Real (Chrissy Murderbot Remix)

MP3s: Those Two New Kanye West Tracks

2012-04-10T14:41:00.002-04:00

As even my mother knows, two new Kanye West singles premiered last week: a solo cut and a G.O.O.D. Music track.

Comparing the two, "Mercy" is the clear-cut winner, if only because it's a finished product, untinged by pesky DJ tags. The four-man effort more than survives my tried and true test of "Will I listen to this on repeat on the subway on a Friday night?"--The odds are forever in Ye's favour. Though the posse cut gets bogged down around the 3:14 mark thanks to some out-of-place production meddling, the steel-drum riddims return 55 seconds later and all returns to boss-mode (college DJs edit accordingly).

It's harder to assess "Theraflu" given its inherent lack of polish. Like screening a summer blockbuster before the special effects are finished, I'm unsure how to value the low-fidelity punch of a radio release. Though sounding relatively incomplete, "Theraflu" does find Kanye's doing a pretty good impression of a legitimate rapper, so it earns an A for effort.

You've streamed the songs a bunch already, but here they are for your hard drives and iPhones...

Right-Click + Save Link As:

Kanye West - Mercy (feat. Big Sean, Pusha T & 2 Chainz)
Kanye West - Theraflu

The Monday Mixtape: For Sam & West

2012-04-09T13:42:00.003-04:00

Some old tunes, some new tunes, all good tunes, most Mondays...
While I normally just let the songs do the talking, this mix requires a special shout-out. My longtime friend, Sam, and her newborn son, West, requested a specially-curated Monday Mixtape. It's hard enough to make a playlist for a baby--I'm inclinded to just post this--but to impress an infant and his hip mom? Even more difficult. Hopefully these twelve songs will hit that sweet spot and suffice. You can't go wrong with Danzig, right?

Right-Click + Save Link As:

Paul McCartney - Ram On
Real Estate - Wonder Years
Anathallo - Hanasakajijii (Four: A Great Wind, More Ash)
Fraser & Debolt - The Waltze of the Tennis Players
Desmond Dekker - Shing a Ling
The Tallest Man on Earth - Graceland
The Microphones - The Moon
Caribou - Melody Day
Shlohmo - Seriously
Alessi Brothers - Seabird
Pavement - Spit on a Stranger
Danzig - Mother

The Monday Mixtape: Catching Up With My iTunes History

2012-04-02T14:53:00.000-04:00

Some old tunes, some new tunes, all good tunes, most Mondays...
Right-Click + Save Link As:

White Denim - Don't Look That Way at It
Jai Paul - Jasmine (Demo)
The Trade Winds - New York's a Lonely Town
Dirty Projectors - Gun Has No Trigger
Fort Romeau - Theo
Beach House - Other People
Ride - Cool Your Boots
Danny Brown - Grown Up
Milk Music - Out of My World
Willis Earl Beal - Evening's Kiss

MP3s: Beach Fossils - "Shallow" + "Lessons"

2012-02-28T17:10:00.001-05:00

If you took the lump sum of writing on this site, you'd mainly conclude that I really listen to nothing but James Blake, Grimes and Beach Fossils. This means two things: 1. I need to be writing more and 2. I really like the aforementioned acts.

I've been into Beach Fossils' Sperry brand of nouvelle vague guitar pop since listening to their What a Pleasure EP over a dozen times in one day. Catchy, flighty, breezy, easy--these guys are like boat rock for the Brooklyn-set and I mean that in an entirely positive way.

The band released a slack new 7" two weeks ago and are allegedly at work on their second LP, which I bet will give Real Estate's Days a run for it's money.

Right-Click + Save Link As:

Beach Fossils - Lessons
Beach Fossils - Shallow

The Monday Mixtape - Ten Songs on Recent Repeat

2012-02-27T14:45:00.000-05:00

Some old tunes, some new tunes, all good tunes, most Mondays...
Right-Click + Save Link As:

M.I.A. - Bad Girls
Sleigh Bells - Leader of the Pack
Werewolf Police - Vixens Phantasy
Shlohmo - The Way U Do
Frankie Rose - Know Me
Bowerbirds - In the Yard
Stay+ - Stay Positive
Perfume Genius - Dark Parts
Shearwater - Seventy-Four, Seventy-Five
Diplo - Express Yourself (Radio Edit)

Haiku Review - Visions by Grimes

2012-02-21T15:53:00.000-05:00

Haiku Review of Grimes' Visions:

Synthesizers burp
Bubble and loop, hook your ears
Homemade, angelic
Notes: I profiled Grimes briefly at the tail-end of last year, applauding the catchiness and caprice of her latest output, which at the time was limited to her Darkbloom EP and "Oblivion." Well, Grimes (real name, Claire Boucher) released her third full-length today and as predicted, the record is gorgeous synth-pop; consider this a victory lap.

It's easy to get a sense of Boucher's sound from the opening of "Genesis" or the first arpeggio of "Oblivion"--craftily repetitive synth lines swirling together with gentle falsettos and coy lyricisms, genre-hopping maintained throughout. To pseudo-recycle my previous commentary, she's equal parts Madonna, John Carpenter and New Order, blending pre-pubescent proclivities with art-school psychedelics and GarageBand.

While I'd like to assume other listeners find her equally captivating, it really depends on their predisposition to music filled with so much sugar. I own Like a Virgin and Madonna on vinyl; clearly, this isn't an issue for me. In Pitchfork's ho-hum review, Lindsay Zoladz aptly argues that Visions "is an unabashed embrace of its source material, whether it's K-pop, new age, or bubblegum." That's certainly true, with a wide range of rather quirky, retro or "guilty-pleasure" influences coloring the album, un-ironically.

Of course, this is a relatively low hurdle to clear. Grimes' peculiar brand of pop-bliss is cherubic, her voice unique and if you can't enjoy the gloss, you're probably not the type of person who dances alone in their apartment.

Right-Click + Save Link As:

Grimes - Oblivion
Grimes - Genesis
Grimes - Infinite ♡ Without Fulfillment (intro)
Grimes - Eight

The Monday Mixtape - Ten Songs on Heavy Rotation

2012-01-30T13:06:00.002-05:00

Some old tunes, some new tunes, all good tunes, most Mondays...
Right-Click + Save Link As:

Cloud Nothings - Stay Useless
Hospitality - Liberal Arts
Jacques Greene - Motivation
Grimes - Genesis
Dive - Human
Drake - Marvin's Room (Shlohmo Remix)
A Place to Bury Strangers - So Far Away
Tanlines - Brothers
The Walkmen - Everyone Who Pretended to Like Me Is Gone
The Music Tapes - The Television Tells Us

Lisztomania: Hip-Hop Songs Heard Ad Nauseam in Florida

2012-01-12T17:34:00.001-05:00

Because everyone loves lists...
This past holiday season, I headed off to sunny Key West, Florida with a group of friends to ring in the new year as ridiculously as possible. For anyone who hasn't been, the unsuspecting, small island is like a micro-Bourbon Street, with less public nudity and beignets, more stone crabs and Czech strippers. The open container laws are about even. Such is life on Duval Street. While I was adequately prepared for any and all daytime/evening antics, the bars' DJs did little to vary their nightly setlists. After five days, I'd heard "The Motto" over 50 times. I'll say this, all the ad nauseam song repetition only helped to blur those nights together.

Here are nine tracks that were heard in trashy clubs or hungover headphones too much. They should help Ken Burns soundtrack any potential documentaries of our trip...

Right-Click + Save Link As:

SBTRKT - Wildfire (Drake Remix)
Drake - The Motto (feat. Lil Wayne)
Big Sean - Dance (A$$) [Remix] (feat. Nicki Minaj)
J. Cole - Work Out
Mickey Avalon - What Do You Say? (feat. Dirt Nasty)
Ace Hood - Hustle Hard Remix (feat. Rick Ross & Lil Wayne)
Ludacris - Shake and Fries (feat. Gucci Mane)
Earl Sweatshirt - Drop
DJ Khlad - I'm on One (feat. Drake, Rick Ross & Lil Wayne)

Citizen Insane's Best of 2011 - Top 25 Albums

2012-01-01T16:06:00.000-05:00

As with every oncoming new year, we take the end of December to reflect on the people we should've kissed, the phone calls we shouldn't have made, the opportunities we squandered, the surprises we relished and, most importantly, our favourite music of the months past.

I wish there was more science to lists like these. Nowhere have I been taught a calculated method, nowhere have I read a compelling essay--end-of-the-year lists are confounding, subjective and bullshit, yet important. Whether internalized or not, anyone compiling their 'best ofs' considers themselves tastemakers and one can't shift the pop-culture discourse around them unless they have a stone tablet to hold up to their peers and anyone who'll read/listen. It's not that I loathe making them or cringe at reading others'; I'm fascinated at how so many dissimilar people can reach so many similar conclusions and vice versa. My approach is two-pronged: I go with my gut while considering the cultural landscape. I recognize that loving one thing doesn't make it the best, nor does society's applause. I'm a shape-shifting romanic, contrarian and pragmatist.

I've been making these lists since 2007. While the full lists have always been a conjunction of appreciation, criticism and fondness, the peaks more or less come down to what I've listened to the most that year--trusting my tastes--with posterity acting as tie-breaker. My Best of 2011 list isn't any different...

- Top 25 Albums of 2011 -
25. Radiohead - The King of Limbs
24. M83 - Hurry Up, We're Dreaming
23. Sleep ∞ Over - Forever
22. Iceage - New Brigade
21. Thundercat - The Golden Age of the Apocalypse

20. Oneohtrix Point Never - Replica
19. ASAP Rocky - LiveLoveASAP
18. Tycho - Dive
17. Ducktails - Arcade Dynamics
16. SBTRKT - SBTRKT

15. Jürgen Müller - Science of the Sea
14. Ty Segall - Goodbye Bread
13. Nicolas Jaar - Space Is Only Noise
12. Panda Bear - Tomboy
11. Julianna Barwick - The Magic Place

10. Tim Hecker - Ravedeath, 1972
09. Youth Lagoon - The Year of Hibernation
08. Pure X - Pleasure
08. Bon Iver - Bon Iver, Bon Iver
06. WU LYF - Go Tell Fire to the Mountain

05. The Weeknd - House of Balloons
04. Washed Out - Within and Without
03. Real Estate - Days
02. Drake - Take Care
01. James Blake - James Blake

Like the list? Download each album by clicking on its respective title.

Citizen Insane's Best of 2011 - Top Tracks: Part II

2011-12-28T11:11:00.000-05:00

Citizen Insane's Best of 2011 - Top Tracks: Part I

2011-12-27T18:31:00.001-05:00

MP3s: Start Listening to Grimes

2011-12-15T13:04:00.000-05:00

When you grow up in the midwest, you almost exclusively experience music in cars. Especially in a state like Michigan, nearly half of your waking hours are dedicated to driving to school, driving to athletic practice, driving to dinner or the grocery store and driving to your girlfriend's house. It was in my dad's truck I first heard Seger's "Old Time Rock & Roll," Zeppelin's "Black Dog," the Stones' "19th Nervous Breakdown" and The Beatles' "Helter Skelter." All foundational music experiences, cars gave me blisters on my ears.

Moving to New York meant losing my car, which also meant no more shouted sing-a-longs to Minor Threat or Killing Joke, no more putting Girl Talk or Lil Wayne on blast and no more first listens to bands I'd come to love. Rain, snow, or shine, I had a gluttony of CD cases ready to soundtrack wherever I was going, whoever I was with. What I never accounted for in the big city was its subway.

Sure, commutes to and from work are overly-congested, hardly a place to experience something like For Emma, Forever Ago, but there are few things better than the isolation offered by 1 a.m. rides with a belly full of scotch. The way underground lights flicker and sway before giving way to the stars over the Manhattan bridge, the Hudson's reflection and Lady Liberty's spotlights--It's the closest I've come to matching my old Accord's stereo system.

For the past few months, I've seen the name Grimes pop up everywhere. Friends on Twitter gave shout-outs, MP3s cropped up on Tumblr and music bloggers were abuzz, but for whatever reason, her music flopped onto the "I'll get to it later" stack on my harddrive. It wasn't until a recent night-owl trip on the Q train that "Oblivion" came on in my earbuds; the perfect backdrop for what I was hearing.

Equally parts pop-diva, John Carpenter, New Order and GarageBand, the Canadian-born singer has this weird, etherial quality about her, something that's hard to put a finger on, but so rewarding when it flows over you.

She's all but rejected her earlier material in recent interviews. "They were just practice," Grimes explained. "I don't hate them, but instead of actually making what I wanted to make, I was making what I was able to make." It's easy to hear, comparing the newer "Oblivion" and "Vanessa" to older efforts like "Feyd Rautha Dark Heart" and "Devon." With the former, it's an artist finally finding her confidence, creative yolks solidified.

While those earlier tracks have their merits, it's for the better. With "Oblivion" and (presumably) her upcoming Visions LP, she's managed to strike the perfect genre blending balance of pop, goth, dubstep, new wave and, of course, grime.

Right-Click + Save Link As:

Grimes - Oblivion
Grimes - Vanessa
Grimes - Feyd Rautha Dark Heart
Grimes - Devon

MP3s: Three Stand-out Tracks from Galapagos

2011-12-09T14:04:00.001-05:00

It's surprising how struck I can be by music over-wrought with familiarity. On the surface, 18-year-old Galapagos isn't doing anything wholly new. Alvin-esque pitch-shifting? Heard it. R&B sampling? Been there. Chopped vocals and beats? Oh, please. Still, there's something I find infectious about his songs and structures, particularly "Feel Things Inside."

Surely, its wrong to think of ProTools or Logic as anything other than stringed instruments. If songwriters can produce a dearth of material using the same guitar chords, why can't laptop auteurs do the same with software tricks? Maybe that's just my cognitive dissonance coming out, but one's ability to make an IDM-pop song out of a Jennifer Hudson track should always earn mention.

While the young Phoenician is for now treading in the wake of acts like Gold Panda, there's some solid kernels of promise in his output so far.

Right-Click + Save Link As:

Galapagos - Feel Things Inside
Galapagos - You Gave 2 Me
Galapagos - Fast

MP3s: Minks' Araby / Little Fawn 7"

2011-12-09T13:46:00.001-05:00

Since it's December, music bloggers are culling through their iTunes catalogues, double checking albums for any amount of worth, revisiting records from months past. While Minks' By the Hedge won't land on any writer's Top 25 of 2011 list, their Cure, Smiths and early-My Bloody Valentine inspired goth pop deserves a little recognition. Clocking in at just over 30 minutes, the tight record is packed with New Wave allusions and sing-along harmonies; no small feet for a bunch of Boston teens.

It's commendable then that the band has another solid release in their latest 7": Araby. The title track fits the 80s-referencing template the band's laid out for themselves, while "Little Fawn" shows they've been listening to Pet Sounds in the recording studio. Though they wear their vinyl collection on their sleeves, the band produces consistently good tunes. What more could ears want?

Right-Click + Save Link As:

Minks - Araby
Minks - Little Fawn
Minks - Funeral Song

Catching Up With James Blake, His EPs and His Singles...

2011-12-07T15:09:00.001-05:00

In 2011, James Blake put out one album, two EPs and three singles. That's 29 tracks or nearly three times his 2010 production. I've argued here at length why Blake is an electronic savant, a dubstep wunderkind, but at some point, tripling your artistic output (all while touring, which Blake has in '11) is going to have diminished returns, right?

The last time I discussed Blake in this space was back in June, on the cusp of his "Linesfarne" single release. Since then, he dropped the Order / Pan 12", the Enough Thunder EP and his latest, the Love What Happened Here EP. Each effort continues Blake's mercurial trend of shifting sounds and ideologies, but he's finally reached a point where some material returns to the well.

Note: this isn't a slight against his songwriting. If anything, some fans would prefer Blake to stay in the same mold for more than three songs or even return the R&B sampling of the CMYK EP.

Starting with the most recent product, Love What Happened Here finds Blake drawing on the avant-garde electronic stuttering of his earliest releases, reminiscing the Air & Lack Thereof 12" and Bells Sketch EP, minus the dubstep decibles.

Order / Pan is an oddity in Blake's discography. Released after his eponymous LP, it's a two-track single that finds James tempering any and all pop leaning, toying with space and silence, and exploring his most experimental affections.

Enough Thunder is an interesting combination of Blake's piano balladry and the abstract sampling of his Klavierwerke EP. Rounding out the EP's four original compositions are a beautiful Joni Mitchell cover as well as a Bon Iver collaboration that sounds like you'd expect.

In all, they're three very different experiences which mostly answer my leading question. Despite the dearth of new material, Blake manages to sample the right chords and deliver songs that hold up the weight of his discography thus far. Though some sigh that he's mostly abandoned his early, dubstep leanings, Blake remains an electronic composer conjunctively using his voice and laptop in ways we hadn't heard yet. It's a shame his debut album isn't making a bigger dent on the "Best Albums of 2011" lists we see cropping up on the web...

Right-Click + Save Link As:

James Blake - We Might Feel Unsound
James Blake - At Birth
James Blake - Fall Creek Boys Choir (feat. Bon Iver)
James Blake - A Case of You (Joni Mitchell Cover)
James Blake - Pan

MediaFire Link: Download a complete ZIP of all three new releases discussed above.

MP3: Azealia Banks - "212"

2011-12-07T14:17:00.001-05:00

When I first saw Azealia Banks, I'd written her off as a copy of a copy, Dominique Young Unique by way of Amanda Blank and Kid Sister. Like Unique, Banks is under 21 and armed with a hyper-kinetic, sexualized flow, but the similarities end there and I've been eating crow for not taking notice sooner.

Having attended New York's lauded LaGuardia High School (notable alums: Nicki Minaj, Kelis and Paul Stanley), Banks is more than a rapper--add "slash singer, slash actress" to her résumé--proudly displaying talent and range on "212." Accents, singing and smut come together in three and a half minutes of basement pop. Most importantly, it straight slays. Sure, the track is a few months old, but it's still a pitch-perfect coming out party. Weaving all of Banks' artistic proclivities results in a spastic anthem that would make Diplo proud.

Right-Click + Save Link As:

Azealia Banks - 212

MP3s: Heavenly Beat's Balearic Pop Jams

2011-12-07T12:51:00.001-05:00

You may recall me blogging the Beach Fossils side-project, Dive. Despite the midnight tones, the group keeps Beach Fossils' chill vibes alive and the same can be said for Heavenly Beat.

This second side-project is led by Beach Fossils' bassist John Peña, but opts to combine his home-team sounds with Balearic accents, recalling early Kings of Convenience (in a good way). The group's got two singles to their name with a full-length due sometime next year.

Right-Click + Save Link As:

Heavenly Beat - Faithless
Heavenly Beat - Suday

The Monday Mixtape - A Musical Recap of My November

2011-12-05T15:12:00.000-05:00

Some old tunes, some new tunes, all good tunes, most Mondays...
Do to life, work and the holiday, November came and went without a single post. While it's a bummer the site wasn't updated in the interim, I was still listening to all kind of tunes. Even though I didn't write about them, here are ten songs I couldn't get enough of last month...

Right-Click + Save Link As:

Gorillaz - Doncamatic (feat. Daley)
Holiday Shores - Spells
Grimes - Oblivion
Ty Segall - Standing at the Station
ASAP Rocky - Bass
Coasting - Portland
Wale - Slight Work (feat. Big Sean)
Galapagos - Feel Things Inside
Turf War - Bones
Major Lazer - Original Don

Get Spooky, Get Groovy - My Official 2011 Halloween Mix

2011-10-28T17:39:00.000-04:00

Not to pop my own Dracula collar, but I thought last year's Halloween Mixtape was quite solid, from the movies quoted to the sequencing. Not wanting to disappoint my newfound tradition, I felt a little daunted this year...

Thanks to a long night and two full bags of candy, I've put together my finest collection of Hallowe'en anthems yet, primed for later tonight or the weekend, wether you're prepping your gory zombie costume or drinking Four Loko to feel like an actual zombie.

Citizen Insane's Halloween Mix - Vol. II

Tracklist:

1. Zombie Zombie - Driving This Road Until Death Sets You Free
2. The Misfits - Spinal Remains
3. Big Bad Wolf - Duck Sauce
4. Queens of the Stone Age - Burn the Witch
5. Crocodiles - Stoned to Death
6. Talking Heads - Psycho Killer
7. Jay Reatard - Nightmares
8. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Heads Will Roll (A-Trak Remix)
9. Joy Division - The Kill
10. Tyler, The Creator - Yonkers
11. Boy 8-Bit - Black Satanic Mysticism
12. Burnt Ones - Bury Me in Smoke
13. Echo & The Bunnymen - The Killing Moon
14. The Misfits - Ghouls Night Out

Alternate download link: MediaFire

MP3: Balam Acab's "Video Games" Remix

2011-10-20T15:45:00.004-04:00

So, am I now on the bandwagon even if it's via a remix-side car? I haven't been a fan of Lana Del Rey from the beginning--the music and video for "Video Games" were more boredom inspiring than, I don't know, blog worthy--but Balam Acab's recent remix is sincerely great, bringing out the best in Rey's pigtailed crooning. Acab's effort, along with Jamie Woon's treatment, has gotten me as hooked as Chris over at GvsB.

Cover me in backlash honey and feed me to the hipster bears...

Right-Click + Save Link As:

Lana Del Rey - Video Games (Balam Acab Remix)
Lana Del Rey - Video Games (Jamie Woon Remix)
Lana Del Rey - Video Games

Just Pretend I Posted This Quick Mixtape Yesterday...

2011-10-18T14:46:00.000-04:00

Some old tunes, some new tunes, all good tunes, most Mondays...
Right-Click + Save Link As:

Ganglians - Evil Weave
DOOMSTARKS - Victory Laps (Madvillainz Remix)
Weekend - Hazel
Julianna Barwick - Vow (Diplo & Lunice Remix)
Radiohead - Lotus Flower (SBTRKT RMX)
REO Speedwagon - Keep on Loving You
Toro y Moi - Freaking Out
Case Studies - You Folded Up My Blanket Like We Were Already Lovers