Big shout out to a friend of my tracking this down and sending it my way, much appreciated.   I myself am a fan of the pop creations from Hall and Oates and I’m looking forward to hearing new interpretations with the “Bird and Bee” sound.   The Bird and The Bee are releasing a new album on March  23rd called, “Interpreting the Masters, Vol. 1: A Tribute to Daryl Hall & John Oates”.

Here’s the description for the album up on Amazon:

“The Bird and The Bee have been known to recreate 80s pop hits into unique and contemporary gems for the new millennium. With Interpreting the Masters Volume I, Greg Kurstin and Inara George go one step further and pay homage to one of the greatest duo’s of that time Darryl Hall and John Oates. Classic material is reinvented through Kurstin’s sleek production and George’s sweet lyrical delivery”

You can preview the album on Amazon.com here

The Bird and The Bee – Private Eyes (Hall and Oates cover)

Yet another compelling track from the forthcoming full length by Crookers.  This time we hear them team up with Yelle.

Crookers – Cooler Couleur (ft. Yelle)

Phantogram – When I’m Small

Phantogram’s music sounds like it’s made by a band from the city. Electronic loops, hip-hop beats, shoegaze, soul, pop – each finds its way into their songs. Unexpectedly, the band doesn’t live and work in a major urban center, but rather calls the town of Saratoga Springs, NY (population 26,186) home. Despite the cultural influence of local Skidmore College (where fellow beat-experimenters Ratatat formed) and a relatively small scene of adventurous musicians and listeners, Saratoga isn’t exactly teeming with fans of J. Dilla, My Bloody Valentine or Serge Gainsbourg.

But Josh Carter and Sarah Barthel, the duo that make up Phantogram and who grew up in the even smaller nearby municipality of Greenwich, have flourished in Saratoga. In fact, the town itself isn’t rural enough for their taste – they drive almost every day another 45 minutes into upstate farmland to a barn they call Harmony Lodge to write and record. Serving as their homemade studio/practice space/think-tank/bat-cave, the barn is equipped with various samplers, tapes, records, synths, drums, and both percussive and stringed instruments. It’s there that Phantogram allows their natural surroundings and metropolitan influences to meld together creating beautiful, beat-driven dreamlike pop songs.

http://www.myspace.com/phantogram

I would love to do a remix of this cover.  This is a cover of an Animal Collective track called, “My Girls”.  Taken by Trees is the moniker used by Victoria Bergsman, whom you might recognize as the voice from Peter Bjorn and John’s, “Young Folks”.  The instrumentation on this track reminds me of Vampire Weekend.

Audio Drums has been selected to be featured on “BlogSpot,” a weekly radio show on WVUM, 90.5 fm, Miami!  Tune into the live stream on Monday, March 16, from 7-9 pm at http://wvum.org/ , to hear a set of choice Audio Drum tracks and learn a bit about the background of my site and favorite artists.

Merry X-mas and here we go…

In at number 10, was a track I think was originally overlooked — but definitely gained alot of traction here at AudioDrums, the Portishead remix of Paul Weller’s, “Wildwoodd”.  This probably has to do with the fact that Portishead finally released their third studio album this year, and the masses went looking for it online, and low and behold, they found Audiodrums.com

10) Paul Weller – Wildwood (Portishead Remix) |  original post here

With the release of his latest LP, Tricky comes in at #9.

9) Tricky – Far Away |  original post here

Also seeing a new release this year, was Sebastien.

Sebastien Tellier – Divine |  original post here

Bitter:Sweet gained some momentum once they saw their music placed on such shows as Grey’s Anatomy and Dirty Laundry.

7) Bitter:Sweet – Trouble |  original post here

Something to keep your eye on in the new year, Norman Cook’s (aka Fat Boy Slim) new outfit: BPA.

6) Brighton Port Authority – Should I Stay or Should I Blow (ft. Ashley Beedle) |  original post here

In at #5, the brilliant remix of Goldfrapp’s, “Happiness”

5) Goldfrapp – Happiness (beyond the wizards sleeve reanimation) |  original post here

Deadmau5 has been on a steady climb since releasing his latest album.

4) Deadmau5 – Alone with you (Original Mix) |  original post here

Anticipation surrounding Depeche Mode’s latest full length, helped push this post near the top.  But just  about anything Depeche Mode-wise would probably do that.

3) Mirror – Nostalgia (ft Dave Gahan from Depeche Mode) |  original post here

This track has great production on it, and it doesn’t hurt to have Annie’s sweet vocals there too.

2) Annie – I Know Your Girlfriend Hates Me |  original post here

And the number post for 2008 is…..  [insert drum roll]:

1) Gabriella Cilmi – Sweet About Me |  original post here

Happy x-mas all, and I for one can’t wait to hear the new tunes for  2009!

-David

I absolutely love this song –  This is like an ice cold beer [think Belgium Beer] on a hot day, always fresh and relaxing.

John Tejada – The End Of It All

bio from last.fm

Los Angeles DJ and producer Tejada has been releasing minimal techno since the early ’90s, often finding himself lumped alongside Detroit techno maverick Matthew Dear. These days, expanding on his formidable resume, Tejada creates ethereal electronic jangle and harmonies (think Depeche Mode dream pop and the classic songwriting of Johnny Marr) that complement each other and offer a good reason for living.

California-based John Tejada is easily one of the most productive DJ/producers in modern dance music. While most of his colleagues work on establishing a signature sound within one specific genre, John Tejada works in all genres simultaneously. Whether house, techno, electronica or drum & bass, every scene gets something from this multitalent, and Tejada manages to move within each field as if it were his own. Recently he surprised everyone by revealing yet another facet to his already impressive ability: he released an album on the Berlin label City Centre Offices with Japanese guitarist Takeshi Nishimoto, under the project name “I’m Not a Gun”. The album impressively demonstrated that Tejada can make a place for himself in post-rock circles as well, mixing electronic and acoustic sounds in the Tortoise tradition.

From the recently released, Verve Remixed Christmas, comes a great samba remix of Dinah Washington’s, Silent Night by the Brazilian Girls.  And just like the rest of the Verve Remix series, this album does not let down in quality nor air of “freshness” it bring to the re-envisioned takes on these timeless classics.  The entire album is a must buy.
Dinah Washington – Silent Night (Brazilian Girls Remix)

Write up on Amazon:

The groundbreaking Verve Remixed compilation series has, for several years, established itself as one of the most innovative and successful series in music. Its popularity and acclaim is well-founded: the marriage between the timeless Verve Records catalog and the most talked-about DJs and producers today.

`Tis the season for the latest in the pioneering series: Verve Remixed Christmas. Classic interpretations of holiday songs by legendary artists like Louis Armstrong, Dinah Washington, Nina Simone and Ella Fitzgerald – everlasting standards that have evoked the holiday spirit for decades – are re-imagined by visionary beat-makers, yielding classics for a new era. Conceived and compiled by co-producers Dahlia Ambach-Caplin and Todd Roberts, Verve Remixed Christmas will ensure that you’ll have the coolest holiday season.

“GOOD MORNING BLUES” (The Real Tuesday Weld Clarkenwell Mix) // Count Basie The original song, “Good Morning Blues,” was one of signature tunes for Basie, the inimitable pianist, composer and big-band icon. A love song wrapped in a Christmas wish, the song is remixed here by Stephen Coates and his outfit, The Real Tuesday Weld, who give it a stripped-down, jazzy shimmy, based on Basie’s sing-song piano riff and string flourishes. Capturing the original’s Christmas-time yearning, this new track has an almost sensual, burlesque feel that is evocative of the British band’s other work, on their own and for groups like the B. (Last year, the band were commissioned to create original music for the Rothko exhibit at the Tate Modern museum in London). A balanced mix of old and new, the song is an appropriate kick-off to Verve Remixed Christmas.

“‘ZAT YOU, SANTA CLAUSE?” (The Heavy Remix) // Louis Armstrong The inimitable Louis Armstrong’s catalog can be considered an American treasure. But there was always something about his holiday tunes – on his own, or with singer Ella Fitzgerald – that seemed to play perfectly with Armstrong’s charismatic personality, animated singing style and grand musical chops. That’s the case with this version of “‘Zat You,” an original composition and covered by everyone from Brian Setzer to Garth Brooks, and remixed here by UK soul-rock band, The Heavy. The group are old-school soul revue revivalists, and on this tune, they elevate Armstrong’s playfulness and subtly beef up the tune’s original big-band swagger.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING NEW YEAR’S EVE?” (Mangini vs. Pallin Mix) // Ella Fitzgerald This gem of a track is originally a glorious nugget from Ella Fitzgerald’s 1960 album, Ella Wishes You A Swingin Christmas, and this remix captures the inherent sound of Ella’s swing, with a cleaner, crisper, more modern feel. it comes courtesy of Mike Mangini and Adam Pallin. Mangini is a music veteran whose ability to constantly explore new terrain keeps his sound fresh. He certainly understands new interpretations of jazz – he engineered the first Digable Planets album and has worked with Joss Stone, Run DMC and David Byrne. Pallin’s dynamic sound as a member of the Brooklyn-based soul outfit Little Jackie (with Imani Copolla), lends a touch of old-school suaveness to this collaboration.

“I’VE GOT MY LOVE TO KEEP ME WARM” (Yesking Remix) // Billie Holiday Billie Holiday’s signature version of this Irving Berlin classic has always encapsulated that feeling of cozying up to a warm fire with a loved one during the snowy days of Christmas. In this re-interpretation, that idyllic scene is transplanted to the Caribbean islands, with a lovely, dub-reggae re-interpretation by UK DJ and production duo, Yesking (Mark Rae, Rhys Adams). Rae has been a fixture on the English dance scene for more than a decade, while Adams grew into one of the instrumental beat-makers for the label Wall of Sound, and their crafty remix of Holiday’s tune draws on their unique sound-stylings.

“WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD” (The Orb Remix) // Louis Armstrong It seems only appropriate for this collection that perhaps the most famous American standard ever sung is given the most imaginative remix by one of electronic music’s most enduring acts. “What A Wonderful World” isn’t explicitly a Christmas song, but the optimism and rosy worldview sung by Armstrong is a cheery representation of the holiday season. Here, The Orb craft a remix based on myriad musical styles, an electronic mash-up of heavy dub rhythms, intricate electronic layering and lush ambient grooves, wrapped around the scratch-and-pop of Armstrong’s original. The Orb are one of the seminal electronic music acts of the last two decades, and their pairing with the iconic Armstrong is fitting.

“WINTER WONDERLAND” (Christian Prommer Remix) // Shirley Horn The challenge of remixing “Winter Wonderland” is its ubiquity as a holiday classic. Indeed, it’s been covered by hundreds of artists from Frank Sinatra to the Cocteau Twins, in a number of different ways. Who better to live up to the challenge than Christian Prommer, the German drummer and producer responsible for his innovative work in ushering in the Euro jazz-beat movement of the late 1990s (Truby Trio, Fauna Flash), and most recently, spearhead of Drumlesson (live-band reinterpretations of dance-floor classics). Shirley Horn’s austere version of “Winter Wonderland” is elegant, and a staple of traditional Verve Christmas compilations. Prommer builds around it with a subtle, rhythmic, minimal techno beat, and the result is both original and mesmerizing. A new standard.

“GOD REST YE MERRY GENTLEMAN” (Oh No Remix) // Jimmy Smith Jimmy Smith’s version of this old-school Christmas carol (the actual `carol’ of Charles’ Dickens’ A Christmas Carol), turned a fudgy 15th Century church song into an organ-grinding soul-jazz triumph, with the panache that only Smith’s funky self could. In this re-working, the essence of Smith’s chitlin-circuit rendition is flipped into a brash, drum-heavy Blaxploitation-like instrumental anthem by Stones Throw producer and rapper Oh No. It’s the kind of “new classic” that one could envision future generations of hip-hop producers sampling. It figures Oh No would have the chops to pull it off. He is the nephew of renowned trumpeter Jon Faddis, the son of `70s soul singer Otis Jackson and the brother of premiere hip-hop eccentric, Madlib.

“I AM BLESSED” (Wax Tailor Remix) // Nina Simone Nina Simone’s raspy, arching voice had always been an inspiration to longtime French DJ and producer Wax Tailor, so much that many of his early productions contain snippets and mosaics of Simone vocals (along with movie dialogues, news programs, and anything else that influenced him). He’s a natural fit for this remix, turning Simone’s holiday gospel tune (a personal favorite of hers) into a funky, soul-strutting holiday jam. Simone’s vocals are left unfettered, and instead, Tailor propels the song with playful, hip-hop rhythms, bongo beat breakdowns and heavy bop drums.

“SILENT NIGHT” (Brazilian Girls Remix) // Dinah Washington Of all the Christmas carols in existence, “Silent Night” could be the most dignified and, well, sobering. Making it fit with this compilation first begins with selecting Dinah Washington’s version of the standard (her glorious, heavenly voice always had the gravitas to live up to any occasion), and then giving it to one of the more lively, dance-friendly bands around, the Brazilian Girls. Their inventive, electronic mash-up mentality flips this somber holiday staple into a slow, sexy Samba that could have you shimmying around the Christmas tree. The quirky keyboard riffs at song’s end are a reminder that even the most serious holiday tunes can still be fun.

“THE CHRISTMAS SONG” (So <<BIO Verve Remixed Christmas.doc>> nny J Remix) // Mel Torme Though this Christmas chestnut was made most famous when sung by Nat King Cole, it was Mel Torme who wrote and composed the original (allegedly written in the summertime in an effort to “keep cold by thinking cold”). Torme’s golden voice is recontextualized by up-and-coming English producer and songwriter, Sonny J, (who was discovered via YouTube). He turns Torme’s version into a breezy, dream-like journey into the holiday night, a la Zero 7 or Thievery Corporation. Sonny J alternately strips down the melodies to let Torme’s voice take the lead, and then gently builds up the crescendos with layers of soft electronics and catchy, glitchy manipulations that will nip at your nose.

“CHILLY WINDS” (Fink Remix) // Nina Simone Nina Simone’s second tune on this compilation isn’t a traditional holiday song, but its refrain – Simone singing in her unique rasp, “chilly winds don’t blow” – lends an air of holiday optimism to the entire affair. Brighton, UK’s Fink remakes this tune, sampling Simone’s vocals and submerging it in delicate, soulful piano stabs, smoky bass-lines and a mellow, dancefloor groove. The downtempo number is representative of a lot of Fink’s work, a buoyant mix of live instrumentation and electronic beats, and their work here not only re-imagines this Simone tune, but the holiday spirit as well.

Album Link:
Verve Remixed Christmas

Related Posts:

Brazilian Girls – St. Petersburg

Nina Simone – Take Care of Business (pilooski edit)

Got tipped off on this track by Dan (thx Dan!).  Here we have Calvin Harris taking more of an 80′s esque spin on The Hours track with full delight.

The Hours – Can You See the Light (Calvin Harris Remix)

Hours Bio from last.fm

There are many places this biography of The Hours could begin. It could begin in Sheffield, England at the tail end of punk, where a ten-year old Antony Genn is standing at the stage door of The Top Rank waiting for The Clash to turn up so he can grab Joe Strummer’s autograph. Then again, it could begin over a decade later as the same Antony Genn settles into a swivel chair and clocks in for his first day producing Joe Strummer’s solo album.

It could start across the Pennines, in the early ’80s, where another Northern English lad, Martin Slattery, is carving a reputation as a prodigious teenage jazz pianist and saxophone player while he performs in Manchester working men’s clubs alongside his dad, an organist. Or it could kick off in the back of a tour bus in 1995, somewhere on Planet Earth, where Slattery is earning a living as the (still prodigiously) talented keyboardist in Shaun Ryder’s Black Grape, living life to its very fullest in any number of places.

These stories would tell a tale of two talented musicians, setting upon separate creative paths (that would cross one day), gathering experience and perhaps getting kicked around in the process… and these stories are indeed a crucial part of the biography of The Hours. However, we’re not starting there. We’re starting where IT started: where Antony Genn and Martin Slattery, already so accomplished in their own right as producers and professional musicians, decided that they wanted to communicate their own beautiful, straight-talking, soaring music with as many people as possible.

It was at a Radiohead gig in London in 2004. Genn and Slattery were blown away by the power of the performance. Martin turned to Ant and admitted, “If I have one regret, it’s that I never played in my own band and we never got to that level.” Ant’s reply sealed the deal, “Well let’s do it then. Let’s start a band.”

The boys went into the studio without a note of music written, with Slattery thinking they’d be doing experimental stuff and messing around on the fringes just for fun. Instead, they started to write huge anthems, with Slattery playing any instrument he could lay his hands on and Genn joining him on guitar while sending out his bold, occasionally dark, usually illuminating words about life, death, love and all points in between. The result left them both gobsmacked. They realized that they’d pulled off the hardest trick of all: they had written and recorded a collection of glittering pop songs that had something fundamental and important to say.

“It was really important that we communicated something with these songs,” says Genn. “I wanted to communicate to people about reinvention, resurrection, loss, growing-up…late: The human condition. Me and him have been in groups with three of the greatest British poets and front-men of all time: Shaun Ryder, Jarvis Cocker and Joe Strummer. So, I always told myself, unless you’ve got something to say, mate, don’t even step towards that mic.”

The Hours released their stunning debut, Narcissus Road, in the UK on A&M Records in February of 2007. The album was described by the London Sunday Times Culture as “A deep, dark, disturbing beauty of a debut album, stalked by Scott Walker, Radiohead, The Blue Nile and Gang of Four” and Q Magazine touted the band as “One of the year’s most tipped bands, with the tunes to back it up”. The album artwork was created by long time friend and champion, Damien Hirst: a painting of a skull, with clocks for the eyes and one of Hirst’s spin paintings in the background.

Fast forward to 2008 – The Hours are now a seven-piece band with Genn and Slattery at the helm. They are locked away in the studio, recording their second album to be released in early 2009 with Flood, the uber-talented producer of some of the best post punk/alternative rock records this side of the 20th century (U2, Nine Inch Nails, Depeche Mode and most recently Sigur Ros and Goldfrapp).

Luomo – Love You All (ft. Sascha Ring from Apparat)

The following was taken from here:

LUOMO – CONVIVIAL (HUUME 16)

Sasu Ripatti is the producer and head writer behind the project Luomo, his musical outfit that has redrawn the very boundaries of what “house music” can achieve. “Convivial”; is Ripatti’s fourth, album as Luomo. For his relief though, this time he doesn’t have to arrive alone. In addition to a long-time collaborator Johanna Iivanainen (From Helsinki, Finland), this time he lands with a semiunderground star cast; Cassy (Panorama Bar), Sascha Ring (Apparat), Jake Shears (Scissor Sisters), Robert Owens, Sue-C and one anonymous singer who hides behind a name Chubbs.

The network of artists and singers he worked with for the album bring about strong song characteristics and wide range of electronic music to experience. Cassy is participating on a dancefloor-friendly song “Have You Ever”, while Sascha Ring makes a touching appearance singing a semi-ballad “Love You All”. Jake Shears does add a piece of glamour in “If I Can’t” while a long-time friend from California, Sue-C does great lead vocals in “Nothing Goes Away”, a song probably everyone can relate to. Classic house vocalist Robert Owens gets treated and processed in soulful “Robert’s Reason”, while Johanna Iivanainen both brings back and takes further than before what vocals can do in experimental pop music. As always in his productions the vocals rarely speak out on narrow or specific issues, preferring sweeping hyperbolic statements all about seasonless emotions and about transition and exchange, because that is what people have in their lives, and it is his wish to reflect on that in his music.

“Convivial” is out on Huume Recordings October 24th.

Track Listing:

1. Have You Ever (w/ Cassy)

2. Love You All (w/ Sascha Ring aka Apparat)

3. If I Can’t (w/ Jake Shears)

4. Nothing Goes Away (w/ Sue Cie & Johanna Iivanainen)

5. Robert’s Reason (w/ Robert Owens)

6. Slow Dying Places (w/ Johanna Iivanainen)

7. Sleep Tonight (w/ Johanna Iivanainen)

8. Gets Along Fine (w/ Chubbs)

9. Lonely Music Co. (w/ Johanna Iivanainen)

www.luomomusic.org

For all you that love good synthpop, I’ve got two great remixes of Neighbors by The Long Division.

The first remix is done by Tom Morris, more of an upbeat take with great energy.

The Long Division – Neighbors (Tom Morris Mix)

The second remix is done by Mark Nicholas of Cosmicity & Dirty Electronics. This remix is quite dreamy and lush.

The Long Division – Neighbors (Cosmicity Remix)

Enjoy!

If you were to mix M83 with Mum, I imagine the sound would be very similar to The Deer Tracks. Beautiful toytronica meets shoegaze sound of a netherworld.

last.fm bio:

The Deer Tracks is David Lehnberg & Elin Lindfors, both children of Gävle, Sweden. Despite their earlier success with respective projects (Leiah, Ariel Kill Him & Twiggy Frostbite), all roads led them into this electromagnetic mist of melodies. And so, around the shift of 06/07, they met to shape electro landscapes just as sparkling as the rime that sheeted the long and hard winter nights. Now streaming from this coalition is the tender sadness of the north, coated in its northern lights. Electrifying vibrations meets a gentle forest, where tracks of magic leaves shaped patterns. The castaway’s last hope, a message in a bottle drifting against the stream.

The Deer Tracks – Yes This is My Broken Shield

Great track from the latest release from Depth Affect , kinda in the vein of Crystal Castles, the chip tune /

emotronic genre, and some M83 mixed in for good measure.

Last.fm bio

Depth Affect’s long-lived eclecticism makes their production one of the strangest at the moment, putting together Prefuse 73’s breakbeats, ISAN’s electronic lullabies and Fennesz’ sound treatments. Depth Affect is creating a relevant, intelligent and dancing (in a wobbly way) work of art.

Depth Affect – Junior International

Depth Affect Scopitone Live

Here’s is some deliciously sweet indie pop from NY artist Bayard Russell — think John Mayer meets The Postal Service.

This particular track has some very honest lyrics that make you take light of a situation that would otherwise cause you to shudder in pain: “Living at my Moms Again”.

Bayard Russell is a singer-songwriter performing in the NYC area. He has recently released his debut solo album “Selftitled,” which is available on CD Baby and iTunes, and performs at New York venues such as The Fort at Sidewalk Cafe and Trash Bar, and in events like The Interdependence Project Festival and the annual IMC Festival. In addition to his solo work he is the lead vocalist, bassist, and songwriter for garage rock trio Negative Ken, which performs at New York venues including Arlene’s Grocery, Don Hills, Snitch, Suite 16, The Orange Bear, and Pussycat Lounge.

Russell grew up in the suburbs of Indiana, influenced equally by The Beatles and Ice Cube. Classically trained in piano from age four, he discovered the guitar in high school and his passion for pop music blossomed. He moved to NYC after graduating from Dartmouth with a major in philosophy and a minor in music. He has written for and performed with the bands Karess, Clean Slate, Funkelstiltskin, The Very Nerve, and Matt Jones Band. He currently writes and records out of his home studio in Queens.

Bayard Russell – Livinig At My Moms Again

From the wiki:

In 1985, the trio joined up with Marc Almond to record a version of the Donna Summer classic “I Feel Love”. The full version was actually a medley, also incorporating snippets of Summer’s “Love to Love You Baby” and John Leyton’s “Johnny Remember Me”. It was a huge success, reaching #3 in the UK, equalling the chart achievement of “Smalltown Boy”. Although the original had been one of Marc Almond’s all-time favourite songs, he had never read the lyrics and thus incorrectly sang “What’ll it be, what’ll it be, you and me” instead of “Falling free, falling free, falling free”.

Bronski Beat – I Feel Love (ft. Marc Almond)

Flowing Dub feeling on the lastest project from Norman Cook (aka Fat Boy Slim) under the moniker of Brighton Port Authority. Really looking forward to this release from Norman Cook which seems thus to be an upbeat grooving good time.

Brighton Port Authority – Should I Stay or Should I Blow (ft. Ashley Beedle)

Video for “Toe Jam” featuring David Byrne and Dizzee Rascal:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3RCYnG8Pe4

Take a big helping of Koop, with a spice of Waldeck and part Gorillaz (piano part that is) and you’ll get a solid foundation of what you are about to hear from Caro. Caro is Caroline van der Leeuw hailing from the Netherlands.

This is her first single with the help of producer Dirtytrakz.

Caro – Back it Up

Video for Back it Up

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4hUrhmeT30

Life Beyond Mars is the compilation of David Bowie covers commissioned from electronic music producers. This particular cover of “Magic Dance”, which was originally done by Bowie for the movie Labyrinth, includes the spoken-word intro.

Track Listing:

01. Au Revoir Simone “Oh! You Pretty Things”
02. Heartbreak “Loving The Alien”
03. Kelley Polar “Magic Dance”
04. Leo Minor “Ashes To Ashes”
05. Carl Craig Presents Zoos of Berlin “Looking For Water”
06. Drew Brown “Sweet Thing”
07. Matthew Dear “Sound & Vision”
08. Susumu Yokota “Golden Years”
09. The Emperor Machine “Repetition”
10. Joakim & The Disco “A New Career In Town”
11. Richard Walters & Faultline “Be My Wife”
12. The Thing “Life On Mars”

Kelly Polar – Magic Dance

Previous Post:

Kelley Polar – Ashamed of Myself

Kelly Polar – Entropy Reigns (in the Celestial City)

From the latest in the Verve/Remixed series (#4 to be exact), comes Pilooski’s edit of Nina Simone’s “Take Care of Business.   Pilooski has a knack for taking tracks from an artist’s catalog that weren’t necessarily hits and making them into modern day Gems.

Nina Simone – Take Care of Business (pilooski edit)

A song that would work well in a future movie from Wes Anderson, who has directed such wonderful movies as Rushmore, The Royal Tenebaums, & The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou.  It has a charm and warmth to it, with a visceral charm all it’s own.  I enjoyed the Indian clans type of drumming and the vocal humming and cooing through out the track.

bio from last.fm:

Sigur Rós is an Icelandic “slow-motion rock” band (according to the band’s own definition) with post-rock and shoegaze elements. The name is pronounced “see-or rous”. It is derived from the Icelandic name of lead vocalist Jónsi Birgisson’s little sister Sigurrósa, and translated means “victory rose.” Some of the band’s contemporaries include múm and Amiina, both of which hail from the same creative and vibrant Icelandic music scene. The band has just released their first ever foray into filmmaking with their tour documentary, Heima.

History

Jón Þór (Jónsi) Birgisson, Georg Hólm and Ágúst Ævar Gunnarsson formed the group in Reykjavík, Iceland in August 1994. They soon won a record deal with a local record label, Bad Taste. In 1997, they released Von (Hope) and in 1998 a remix collection named Von brigði. The name is Icelandic wordplay: Vonbrigði means “disappointment”, but Von brigði means “hope alteration”. (In English, the album is sometimes known by the alternative name “Recycle Bin”.)

International acclaim came with 1999’s Ágætis Byrjun (“An alright start”) for which the band were joined by Kjartan Sveinsson. The album’s reputation slowly spread by word of mouth over the next two years. Soon many critics worldwide hailed it as one of the best albums of its time and the band was playing with Radiohead and other big names. Drummer Ágúst left the band after the recording of Ágætis Byrjun and was replaced by Orri Páll Dýrason.

After the release of Ágætis Byrjun, the band became perhaps most well known for Birgisson’s signature style of playing guitar with the bow from a cello, accentuated with reverb, creating a sweeping, fluid sound that is unique for an electric guitar.

Released Rimur in early 2001, Sigur Rós set out to record some songs in their newly-completed álafoss swimming pool studio with their friend Steindór Andersen who is a fisherman and chairman of the Icelandic poetry society, called Iðunn. Steindór is a chanter/singer of the traditional Icelandic epic poetry form called Rímur. Only a 1000 copies of the EP were printed and sold in the spring tour of 2001.

In 2002, their highly anticipated follow-up album ( ) was released. Upon release all tracks on the album were untitled, though the band later published song names on their website. Famously all of the lyrics on ( ) are sung in vonlenska (“Hopelandic”), nonsensical vocalisations which resemble the sound of the Icelandic language. It has also been said that the listener is supposed to interpret their own meanings of the lyrics which can then be written in the blank pages in the album booklet.

In October of 2003, Sigur Rós joined Radiohead in composing music for Merce Cunningham’s dance piece Split Sides; Sigur Rós’s three tracks were named Ba Ba Ti Ki Di Do and released in March of 2004. The band’s 1997 debut album Von also finally found a U.S. and U.K. release in October of 2004. Their latest album, Takk… (Thanks…), was released on September 13, 2005, with a legal download of their first single, Glósóli, made available on August 15. For North American fans, Sæglópur was made available for download on August 16. Hoppípolla, the second official single from Takk…, was released on November 28 alongside a new studio remake of Hafsól, a song which was previously released on the band’s 1997 debut, Von.

An extended Sæglópur EP was released on July 10th in most parts of the world and on August 8th in the United States. Its original release date was May 8th, but because of the sudden demand of “Hoppípolla”, especially in the UK due to its inclusion on BBC’s ‘Planet Earth’, it was pushed back from that date. Sigur Rós recorded three new songs for the EP (Refur, Ófriður, and Kafari).

Sigur Rós has sold over 2 million albums worldwide.

As of July 2006, Sigur Rós are at the end of a major world tour with stops in Europe, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong and Japan. They are currently playing a series of free outdoor concerts throughout Iceland, planned for late July through early August. The Icelandic dates are being filmed and recorded for a DVD release in the future.

“13 january: sigur rós have begun recording their new album and expect to finish it later this year. according to georg, it remains to be seen whether the band will be taking a new direction on the album. “we have finished recording a few songs but some more things need to be done. we don’t know exactly where the album is heading yet. we are really just experimenting at this stage. some of the songs we recorded are old songs which we had written a while ago, unreleased material which we never got a chance to finish. we decided it was time they were recorded.” georg believes the album could be released this year but nothing is confirmed at this point.”

The Hvarf/Heim double album was released on November 5th 2007, comprising two separate albums. Hvarf contains reworkings of songs dating back to the bands’ first album, whereas Heim contains live acoustic versions of more well known songs.

Albums

* Von (Hope) (1997)
* Von Brigði (Hope Alteration) (1998)
* Ágætis byrjun (An Alright Start) (1999) UK peak: #52. Voted best Icelandic album of the 20th century[1]
* ( ) (2002) #51 US, two Grammy nominations, one for Best Alternative Music Album, the other for Best Recording Package
* Takk… (Thanks…) (2005) #16 UK (Gold Album), #27 US, #1 Iceland, #5 Portugal (Gold Album) #18 AUS
* Hvarf/Heim (2007) double album

Singles and EPs

* Svefn-g-englar (1999)
* Ný batterí (2000)
* Steindór Andersen / Rímur EP (2001)
* Untitled 1 (a.k.a. Vaka) (2003)
* Ba Ba Ti Ki Di Do (2004)
* Hoppípolla (2005) #24 UK
* Sæglópur (2006)
* Hljómalind (2007)

DVDs/Films

Heima (2007) – Documentary showing footage of the band’s tour of Iceland, including live footage and interviews. The official web site is www.heimafilm.com and the US site is www.hvarf-heim.com

Sigur Ros – Gobbledigook

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