WE ARE ART.... VS..... SCIENCE!

While spending a semester in Australia, I was exposed to so many great artists - great artists who, for whatever reason, haven't made it big in America (yet). I'll probably write on each of them, because even now, a year later, I'm still obsessed with many of these bands.

For now, though, I'd like to talk about one of the coolest Aussie bands ever - ART VS. SCIENCE. I was fortunate enough to see them live twice, once at my college's informal (where I got to hang out with them before their show; they were pretty legit) and again at Splendour in the Grass, a huge music festival up in Byron Bay.

These guys are awesome - they're different* than any other band I've ever heard. Their sound is kinda weird** and eclectic (is that a spaceship landing?*** nah, just A v. S); they take electronic to a whole new level. Definitely cool. Not to mention, these guys put on THE BEST show ever. At their shows, the crowd gets SO into the music, even if they don't know the songs being performing! Seriously: one of the most fun shows I've ever been to. Both times I saw them. True story.

* Yes the first time you hear them you'll think "....ummm, what is this?"
** Even the second, third time you listen, you may still be saying, "??????"... normal.
*** Soon you will come to know and love this distinctive sound as an indication that an ART VS SCIENCE song is being played! Which means rage rage rage!
PS Whenever these guys play, they bring their signature inflatable penguins on stage with them and then throw them into the crowd. The penguins then proceed to crowd surf. sa-weeeeeet.
PPS: Hanging out with the band in the bathroom? Score!

"Flippers" - Art Vs. Science
"Parlez Vous Francais" - Art Vs. Science
Live vid of Art Vs Science at Splendour - Boom Shake the Room
*I was up at the front by the stage - sooo awesome
Live vid of Art Vs Science at Splendour - Parlez Vous Francais?
*extra credit to whoever knows what these song's lyrics translate to (so great)

The Magical Mystery Kind!

AH edward sharpe and the magnetic zeros. What a surprising blend of folk, blues, and rock; of whistling and country 'twang voices and slow-beat hand claps. One listen may lead you to believe that the band is the spawn of Bob Dylan and one of his hippie lady friends; at other times, are the trumpets in the background not reminiscent of a certain Johnny Cash song with mariachi band undertones? Perhaps the best word to describe ES&tMZs (is that the proper acronym?) is organic.


With such a wide range of sounds covered, it's a bet that you'll like edward sharpe and the magnetic zeros. maybe not. just give them a listen - my two favorite songs are "Home" and "40 Day Dream" - maybe you'll find that just "one turn and [you'll] learn what it really means to see..."


Don't you just want to pack up and head out on a pilgrimage with Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros upon first listen?

"Home" Official Music Video
40 Day Dream Song

I stumbled across Hungry Kids of Hungary´s single Scattered Diamonds in my iTunes recommendations, and was drawn to it mostly because I liked the bright, cartoony album cover. I listened to the sound clip and thought it was catchy, so I gave the song a try and was happy with it. It´s pretty on track with what I would expect given the whimsical album artwork of Mega Mountain, their second album. The song is quick and upbeat with lyrics that are intriguing, if a little repetitive. There´s something really appealing about their singing too - there´s a funky, laid-back quality to their voices that might stem from their Australian roots, or it may just be that you can hear the good time this group of guys is having performing. In short, this song is fun and really easy to like. It left me interested in finding out more about the band and wanting to hear more of their music.

Looking into the group a little further, I realized that HKH has some other gems, too. I wound up really liking some of their music videos, which aren’t usually my thing. The one for Scattered Diamonds has a cute sock-monkey theme and Let You Down, another great song, is set on an apartment rooftop and features the band of four guys getting carried away by a bunch of brightly-colored balloons, kind of like the Indy music version of that Miss Dior Chérie ad. Or Up. Those songs are my two favorites this far, and I tended to like their more upbeat, lighter stuff more than I did songs like Old Money or Set It Right, but wasn’t really disappointed by anything I listened to. I still have a bunch to explore, and I’m excited to discover a few more I really like, but for now I’m enjoying Scattered Diamonds and Let You Down as two favorites on this month’s playlist. They really are worth a listen, and definitely check out the official video for the latter, it’s certainly unique and playful enough to merit a watch.

Hungry Kids of Hungary - "Let You Down" (.m4a file)

Hungry Kids of Hungary - "Scattered Diamonds" (.m4a file)

Hungry Kids of Hungary - "Let You Down" (YouTube link)

Hungry Kids of Hungary - "Scattered Diamonds" (YouTube link)

am i really all the things that are outside of me?

Animal Collective dominated the "Top of 2009" charts this year. "My Girls" was recognized over and over again as the top song of the past year (and rightfully so - what a beautiful song!), while MPP also received top honors in the Album of the Year categories released by many publications. Out of the many rankings lists published, I have included Pitchfork's Top Songs and Top Albums lists in the post below, only because I'm interested to hear your opinions on these lists, since they were compiled by Pitchfork and all.

Anyways, I was wanting to put out a quick blurb about AC, even before I saw these lists. I have fallen in love with AC, and yet I still haven't heard that much of their music - it excites me to think that they have so much music that I can explore :).

I first heard AC when I listened to My Girls; I quickly became obsessed, listening to the song on repeat! A couple of their other songs have come and gone in my Itunes playlists - Derek, Brother Sport - but the song of theirs that has truly captivated me is Taste. When I told my friend this last week, he was astonished - he thinks Brother Sport is by far their best song from MPP - and maybe it is, who's to judge? I'm just here to say give Taste a listen. MAN it's a great song - the whole thing through and through. I personally prefer the album version, but also check out the link to the live version that I've included - it's a bit more abstract, which kind of makes it a bit more fascinating.

Animal Collective - "My Girls" (.mp3 file)
Animal Collective - "Taste" (.mp3 file)
Animal Collective - "My Girls" music video (YouTube link)
Animal Collective - Live Version of "Taste" (YouTube link)

Set set that crown on the ground!

I guess I'll start this off. I'm choosing this song, "Crown on the Ground," by Sleigh Bells because I think it's a good example of the kind of music I'll be recommending. While most of my music can probably be considered "indie" or "alternative," I don't think that's exclusive with pop. I love pop music - even Top 40 songs. "Crown on the Ground" is loud, fun, NOISY, and has a great beat to it. Yes, I also know it's been hyped by Pitchfork - which I don't think is terrible either (I'll write about Pitchfork later). It's just a terrific song and more people should listen to it.

Download - Crown on the Ground
More Sleigh Bells
And even more on here

A Song Away, a Song Away, Just a Song Away....

So there are probably a million song lyrics that we could've quoted in naming this blog. Instead of embarking on a journey to find the perfect lyrics to create the perfect title (which probably would've been a futile effort... what is perfect anyways?), we chose lyrics from "Song Away" by Hockey. The song is a catchy, up-beat number that is likely to get stuck in your head upon a listen or two. It is not the most profound tune, and won't win a Grammy anytime soon, or be recognized as a "song that will change your life" by Natalie Portman. For some people, it's probably a pretty forgettable song. But oh well - it is what it is. And a title is just a title. And our blog title presents the everlasting promise of tomorrow - which of course, includes the promise of new opportunities for music.

On that note - let this blog commence and bring forth musical delights for all!


Enjoy: Song Away by Hockey