before you knew him as edward sharpe

...the rest of the world knew him as Alex Ebert from the amazing band IMA robot. This is how he rocked out. 

my summer jam

This past summer I was in Europe and Turkey visiting the family and while I was over there, there was one song that I heard in just about every country I visited. I'm not sure if it was overplayed in the states or if it even made it over here but I don't care. This song is my jam.

the hundred in the hands

I've been doing a lot of cleaning recently to prepare for a new arrival and, of course, lots of cleaning requires lots of good cleaning music. I heard The Hundred in the Hands the other day on KEXP and immediately took to them. They remind me a bit of Pretty Girls Make Graves with a little more of an electric sound. The similarities between both female vocals probably has a lot to do with it also. Either way, I'm pretty stoked about this find. Their first single off the album is Dressed in Dresden and was actually the first track they ever put down as a band. The album as a whole is pretty solid... I have a feeling this one is going to be on repeat for a while.

a thousand apologies

It's been a while since we've talked. Awkward. Sorry for the hiatus. I hope to win back your love with this fun ditty from Beat Connection. They're playing tonight at the High Dive in Fremont (doors@eight, $6, 21+). Maybe I'll see you there and we can forget this horrible time without each other.

90s indie is my kryptonite

The AMAZING 90s indie rock band Superchunk is back with a new album (!!!!!!!!!!!!!). Yes, I know I have a strong bias towards indie bands, especially those from the 90s but cmon. It's Superchunk. They're one of the few bands from that time that weren't influenced by expectations from large labels and the mainstream. They kept creating a great sound that truly was representative of their style.

I completely flipped out when I heard this song on kexp. I have yet to listen to the whole album, mainly because this song is currently on repeat but I'll let you know once I do.

Superchunk will be playing an all ages show at the Showbox at the Market on October 14th with Teenage Fanclub and Telekinesis. So excited I might just do a Rachel Zoe impression, but then I think I'd have to throw up on my laptop. And I like my laptop too much. Instead, just imagine me making awkward excited noises with a couple of fist pumps thrown in for good measure.

just a little mississippi disco

 

Just a little diddy from seasick steve... you're probably going to want to scroll down and pause the uva video because its a rebel and never wants to listen.

fuuuuego

taste the rainbow

Kids of 88 - Downtown (Official Video) from Dryden Street on Vimeo.

live from the basement

Great live studio performances From the Basement. Check out their website for infinitely better video quality.

Zee Avi - Monte

 

Jamie Lidell - The City

Free Blood - Quick and Painful

2am, summer night

I've had a secret crush on kid cudi for a while now.. Throwing ratatat and MGMT into the mix didn't hurt either...

Kid Cudi feat. MGMT & Ratatat - "Pursuit of Happiness".

Here's the original video for all the OGs

Pursuit of Happiness - Kid Cudi Feat. MGMT & Ratatat [HD].

hostile colors

 I've always loved this song by Florence and the Machine but finally got a chance to watch the video... the low-budget commitment to color is fantastic in its details.

to unlimited devotion

See that girl, barefootin along,

Whistlin' and singin, she's a carryin' on.

There's laughing in her eyes, dancing in her feet,

She's a neon-light diamond and she can live on the street.

.

Well everybody's dancin' in a ring around the sun

Nobody's finished, we ain't even begun.

So take off your shoes, child, and take off your hat,

Try on your wings and find out where it's at.

.

Take a vacation, fall out for a while,

Summer's comin' in, and it's goin' outa style

'Cause your mother's down in Memphis, won't be back 'till the fall.

.

Hey hey, hey, come right away

Come and join the party every day.

for anne and erin

For the past seven months, I have been interning for Free People down in Philly. Today was the last day of my internship and I really didn't think I'd be as sad as I was leaving work for the last time. While I was training the summer intern the past few days, it finally set in that I wouldn't be working for this great company anymore. All I could keep thinking was that I really didn't want to leave... So it was with a heavy heart that I said goodbye to the Navy Yard and to those I worked with but especially Anne and Erin. I wanted to give them a special something l as a thank you for everything but since I am a poor college student, the best I can do is a gift for free-ninety-nine: music.

For Anne: Karate by Kennedy for dancing, speedy, manual-only driving and general badassness.

For Erin: First Aid Kit's cover of Tiger Mountain Peasant Song by Fleet Foxes for flannel, trees and beautiful melodies.

just a body in your bed

As promised (finally!), here's my favorite track by Thao With the Get Down Stay Downs off of Know Better Learn Faster. Thanks to Sean for converting the file for me!

like a lick of ice cream...

I've been listening to Thao with The Get Down Stay Downs pretty much exclusively for the past week and I can't get enough.  For a while I thought she sounded like a more upbeat Andrew Bird with less whistling and more clapping but I think I have to rethink that... Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find a good m4a to mp3 converter so I only have videos of songs I could find online which doesn't include my favorite, "Body"...

This first video is for "When We Swam" which has been stuck in my head for so many days its been getting ridiculous... especially when I start singing the hook outloud.

 

ted leo + the pharmacists

I love this new ted leo single, "The Mighty Sparrow," off their latest album The Brutalist Bricks. If you don't know Ted Leo, you should because there's no way you can be in a bad mood after listening to any of his songs. For the longest time my favorite from him was "Me and Mia" but I think we might have a contender on our hands...

that festival craving...

      

The weather recently has left me craving for a music festival so bad! I keep thinking about Sasquatch last year and all of the great performances we saw out there. There were so many its hard to remember them all but gosh the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, M83 and Nine Inch Nails were oh so good :)  Sasquatch is easily one of the best weekends of the year... ohhh I just can't wait for this year

Source.

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freelance whales

I first heard Freelance Whales on XPN out of Philly a few months back and since then I couldn't stop listening to them! They're a great poppy/electric/experimental band that's fun to bob along to when driving on  sunny day. Their debut album, Weathervanes is set to release next Tuesday, April 13th on Frenchkiss/Mom& Pop Records. The album as a whole is a great listen, very smooth but it felt a little short. 

I'm not the only one to realize the greatness of Freelance Whales, though, because there's already hype building around the band. With increasing airtime and just coming off a great performance at SXSW, I sure hope they get noticed in time to be squeezed somewhere in the Sasquatch lineup!

Here are my two favorite tracks off the album, Hannah and Starring:

Music Playlist at MixPod.com