Posts Tagged ‘Songza’
New Track: Phosphorescent
I’ve been listening to Songza’s “Coachella” and “Blogged 50″ playlists pretty much non stop all week. Naturally, my iPhone is now chuck-full of new music again. (FUN FACT: The phrase “chuck-full” comes from ”a person or thing stuffed to the point of choking was ‘choke-full.’ In modern speech this expression has become ‘chock-full,’ or in less formal American English, ‘chuck-full.’”)
A couple of songs by Phosphorescent kept coming up on the “Blogged 50″ and I especially enjoyed them and I really liked the album cover. So, I bought the whole album, “Muchacho.”
“Ride On/Right On” has been one of my favorites thus far:
Whilst working away in my Virgin America headphones at work I can thankfully hear no one else in the office. Every time this track comes on I get that much more lost in the music and instantly start tapping my feet along. I love the beat.
I also really like the 60′s-ish, electric guitar in the background. It makes for a totally…groovy…sound. 
This song is one of the coolest and most unique I’ve heard in awhile. It makes me want to walk right out of my office and throw down at the nearest outdoor party.
Maybe tomorrow.
New Music Monday: Beach House
Apparently Beach House is a band that has been on the indie rock scene for a while now. I have been hearing their songs come up on various summertime Songza playlists in my day to day recently and I’m really impressed!
I’m particularly fond of the song “On the Sea” off their most recent album, “Bloom,” and not just because “sea” is in the title, but subconsciously, you bet that plays into it. I’m a saltwater junkie.
Their music really speaks to me in a sense that it’s all above it all and unlike anything I’ve really ever heard before. Their seems to be many different sounds layered over each other to make such a big and complex sound and yet in their pure form are simple and repetitive.
They are so summertime to me, maybe because the first word in their band title is “beach” -duh- or maybe it’s their care free, unique variety of soothing sounds. When listening to Beach House I definitely think summer, warmth and sun whether it be on a tropical island with my headphones in soaking up the too strong UV rays or driving around the town I grew up in taking in each memory as they pass in the oh so American tragedies and beauties, from the busted old cards that dot Old County Road to the big, vibrant green leaves that flourish on the gigantic oak trees that line Limerock Street.
The thing I like most about this band, and their sound, as clearly demonstrated above, is that they invoke creativity and my imagination.
Definitely going to be good, thought-provoking tunes for the drive to San Francisco! Yum.
Happy 4th of July!
Hope everyone is out there celebrating America’s birthday in style while staying cool and safe!
Thought I’d share some of my favorite 4th photos and tunes with ya’ll!!!
These photos are from the Thomaston parade last year and from the fireworks in Boston…
As for tunes…I highly reccommend you check out Songza’s fourth playlists, my favorite beeing “Heartland America.“
New Music Monday: Camera Obscura
Camera Obscura is a band that comes up on indie playlists a lot on Songza. This morning, while listening to the 60′s surf rock playlist this track came up:
Like the band She & Him, Camera Obscura has that 50′s/60′s pop rock feel to them. Apparently, given the Songza playlist, this is a new trending style of music. The melodies are pretty happy and upbeat. The trend in modern indie music that imitates this vintage rock sound, seems to be that the lyrics that go over the music tend to be a little dark creating a beautiful contrast of music and lyrics.
This video and the lyrics seem to further demonstrated that by mocking the 60′s high-school romance.
I love the bands sound and especially lead singer, Tracyanne’s voice.
As much as I love this band and this song, you definitely have to be in the right mood to listen. A sunny afternoon walk or drive seems to be the most appropriate if you ask me!
Favorite Foto Friday
This photo is from last year’s Bonnaroo festival, happening in Manchester, Tennesse this weekend!
This pic always cheers me up. This is me and two of my friends caught at a pirceless moment (as the guys behind us squirted us with water). I love all the expressions on everyone’s faces!
While the Bonnaroo experiene we had wasn’t as amazing as other experiences I’ve known people to have while attending this festival of massive proportions, I sill look back on the seemingly endless drive and the weekend of good music overload with fondess. To sum, it was too clostraphoic and dirty for me.
Hope ya’ll are staying cool, hydrated and tuned in down there!
I am most certainly digging Songza’s “Bonnaroo 2012″ playlist, lots of good music. Speaking of Songza, in other news, Songza made moves to the number one spot on the “Top Free iPad Apps” in the music app category. WELL DESERVED!
Move over Pandora & Spotify…
Pandora revolutionized listening to music. It was definitly the first big app, well website even before that, that created custom radio stations that you wanted to hear. Genius. I will always hold a special spot in my music-loving heart for Pandora. But now it doesn’t always work, it’s jammed with advertisements, and, to be honest, some of the stations are pretty repetative. Why is Tom Petty and that Hawaiian dude’s “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” jam on EVERY station? You could seriously be listening to Whiz Khalifa radio and you’ll hear that dude’s voice….well, not really, but still some of the music slections are a little whack. Further you have to already have a song, genre or artisit in mind to create a station.
And then there’s Spotify. Everyone seemed to be all about Spotify for a minute there, until it displayed every single song you listend to on Facebook. Sorry but the day my friend was listenting to Fiona Apple and Matchbox 20 cover to cover I was concerened that she was either a. wearing a belly shirt, watching Clueless and channeling the 90′s…HARD or b. was have a weird emo day. Which is fine….but not all over facebook! YIKES!
This really cool guy I know recentlly introduced me to Songza. A music app that has already created playlists for you. You can select trending and the most popular playlists that Songza listeners frequently use. You can select by genre as well.
I generate all my playlists by visiting the “concierge.” In the concierge there’s an option to choose your playlists by picking the time of day and the activity you are doing. It’s great because you don’t start off with an artist or song like in Pandora. The playlist matches the mood or activity, not another song or artist. And the music is right on par!
My personal favorites are, “Up Beat Indie,” “Mad Men Unbuttoned” and “Poolside Chic.” The provide all kinds of new songs that I’ve never heard before from newer tracks and older forgotten about classics. A whole lot of New Music Monday’s are going to be many thanks to Songza. For music lovers like myself, Songza is like an ice blue ocean on a hot day. It’s that refreshing. Ahh.
Get out there, plug in to one of the “driving a cool car” playlists and enjoy this glorious summer weather we’re having today!
New Music Monday: old Deer Tick
I discovered Deer Tick last summer at Bonnaroo. I remember lying on a tapestry in the middle of the day, hot and dry with sand blowing all around us. I closed my eyes blocked out the unpleasant dryness in my throat that the bottle of hot water was doing nothing for and somehow fell in love. I rocked the Black Dirt Sessions all summer, and given the much more pleasant listening conditions, I fell even more in love, especially with the track Twenty Miles
Somehow I never went looking for more of their older music. Probably the notes which I first heard and fell in love with at the music festival in Tennessee.
However, recently when listening to Songza, my new iPhone app obssession (more on this sweet music playlist generator coming soon) “Baltimore Blues No. 1″ came up on my “working with lryics indie” playlist.
I had no idea what I was going to blog about for new music today, but when this old track came up while I was answering my emails I instantly took pause and started writing this blog post. For some reason the song really spoke to me this morning. Maybe it’s the grey weather or the decision to get back a little bit of myself that I’ve recently lost upon arising out of a much needed 10 hour coma.
The song just seems to say the road is hard and long and sad sometimes, but so it goes. Life goes on. I can just picture a lone man on a long desert road on a dark day rocking a black leather jacket, guitar case slung over his shoulder walking down the road without another soul in site. Just walking to keep going.
I’m a sucker for a raspy voice and John McCauley nails it. I love the bluesy, country guitar that repeats the same solid chords that speak solemenly even over McCauley’s lyrics at times. They kind of remind me of The Strokes.
After hearing this song I bought all their other albums. A little obsessive/impulsive some may say, however given how much play time the Black Dirt Sessions have gotten in my Passat stereo, I’d say they are on the fast track to becoming one of my new all time favorites. Don’t be surprised if you see another Deer Tick track on an upcoming Monday.
