College ft. Electric Youth

After hearing the uproar form fans and critics about the lack of Oscar nods for the film Drive, I decided to give it a watch. By far one of the best movies of the year (though the majority of films this year have sucked donkey balls). If you haven't already, see it here. One aspect of the film that I really enjoyed was the soundtack. Composed and put together by former Chili Pepper, Cliff Martinez, it compliments the movie spectacularly. The stand out track of the film is A Real Hero by College ft. Electric Youth. A melodic 80's electro jam that is perfect for listening before bed or when you just want to zone out.

Adios- JD

*Download here

KEEPAWAY

Here's an anecdote proving how small the world really is:

During my senior year of college, I fell in love with the cult-folk legends, Green Apple Two Step.  After sharing a few too many bottles of Charles Shaw with those fine ladies one evening (in an attempt to win the heart of the GATS lead guitarist), we proceeded to jam on through the night.  It was the start of something magical.  Flash forward a year later, I returned to the Bay Area for one last show.  Daytime celebrations brought upon a more mellow evening in the Woodside neighborhood.  Stumbling through the crowd of friends and family, I met Keepaway guitarist/vocalist Nick Nauman (brother to GATS violinist/melodic-genius, Clare).  We shared a glass of Four Ball, kept the conversation light, but it was on this night that I saw how far musical ambition can lead someone should he/she promise to have fun with the process through and through.  No body could see how big this band would get (and their following is only growing). 

Other bloggers out there (cough **pitchfork** cough) may criticize musicians for a lack of creativity/sense, but these criticisms do not belong to Keepaway.  It's like the band is in on some inside joke, and though you don't know the joke, you can't help but be brought in to their humor through their charisma and melodies.  Black Flute dropped on January 10th, and I highly recommend you give it a listen. 



**Download here

So long, sweet limes- Scooter

Of Monsters & Men- King & Lionheart

I was stumbling about a month ago and I came across this site that said "Bands to be on the watch for in 2012."  I took a look at what the site had to offer and the first band on the list was Of Monsters & Men and they could not be more right.  I have been infatuated with them ever since.  Their song, "King & Lionheart," is one of my favorites along with "Little Talks" and "Love, Love, Love."  They do an amazing job of harmonizing and this song ends with an amazing climax.  They are from Iceland and have released an EP in the states called "Into The Woods."  I highly recommend downloading this EP from itunes.  They are releasing an album on April 3rd and will be touring in the states starting March 14th until the end of April.

Download it here with others

March 21 - Troubadour - Los Angeles, CA
March 30 - Subterranean - Chicago, IL
April 6 - Bowery Ballroom - New York, NY




Ciao- Chich

SOL

Sol Moravia-Rosenberg, aka SOL, is a well established artist hailing from Seattle, Washington. For all those who follow hip-hop/rap you know that right now the Seattle rap scene is exploding. With Macklemore, Grieves, Budo, and many others all getting nationwide attention (deservedly so) SOL has been overshadowed by these other artists. While Macklemore is considered the King of Seattle now, in my opinion SOL is an all around better artist. His beats, flow, stories, and ability to spit fast rhythmic rhymes, while also nailing laid back verses when necessary. His album Your Truly just dropped about a week ago and lived up to the hype, pick it up on iTunes, but don't forget to cop all his previous material, Dear Friends Vol. l II and III here on his website. Also look up his tour dates on the west coast.
Above is the music video for 2020, his new albums single. It is the best track of 2012 so far.  Enjoy- JD


**Download 2020 here

Hey all, heres one that will surely help to get your friday night going and set the mood right. Many might recognize this banger from the Tomorrowland trailer on youtube. The song was put together by Swedish DJ Pryda, who is currently ranked #46 by DJ Magazines top 100. Its been out there for a while but not really shown the love that it deserves on the blogs. Peace- JD

**Download here

  Pryda vs Empire of the sun - Mirage the people (Seb Sapet bootleg) by Seb Sapet

Terence Ryan | Skeleton EP

This one goes out to all you melolagnia's (music lovers) out there. Alright, so in the past two days or so Terence Ryan has been blowing up all over the interweb/blogosphere with an awesome new EP. He combines mellow beats that draw upon classical orchestra chord progressions from Goldmund on his debut track "Alan's Right" off of his Skeleton EP. After you stream and hit the download link below I would recommend that all you watch the music video for Alan's Right posted above. Pretty amazing camera work and production value for a relatively unknown artist, not the mention the fact that he did all the filming, editing, and beatwork himself. Hope you all enjoy. Peace -JD
Favorite song off the Ep is Skeleton.

  Terence Ryan | Skeleton EP by 3qtr

                                                       

Some shirts you can purchase soon

St. Vincent w/ Andrew Bird
Back in 2008, I became infatuated with Andrew Bird.  After buying every album and following his website religiously, it was time to see a show.  He performed three nights in a row at 4th Presbyterian Church in downtown Chicago, across the street from the John Hancock tower (if you are familiar). The lights were dimmed, and the stained glass windows were illuminated, but the music was beyond lively.  A year later, I purchased tickets to the same show, to attend with Chich.  The morning of the show, I participated in a water aerobics course with some ladies from the community.  One lady in particular spoke about how she had to take off early to prepare for her nephew's concert in the city.  Curiously, I asked where the show was happening, and she replied saying some Church in River North.  No Joke.  I was spent the morning running under water with Andrew Bird's autie.  Chich can verify- the show was divine. Later, I accidentally stumbled upon St. Vincent, the band led by the beautiful and gifted Annie Clark.  She was a headliner at the Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago that year, and her music could be heard from every corner of Union Park that day.  Her band arrived with more energy than any contemporary, save for possibly Major Lazer, but more on that later.  Here is a clip from a living room session (I believe a "Take Away Show" from La Blogotheque) in which these two gifted artists unite for one impeccable performance.  Both St. Vincent and Andrew Bird are touring this summer, and both will be in Chicago mid-May.

With love- Scooter