Song of the Day

SOTD - First Aid Kit - “Emmylou” Sweden’s...

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 12:28:42 -0500

SOTD - First Aid Kit - “Emmylou”

Sweden’s newest alt-country stars sing a paean to Harris, Parsons, Carter and Cash.

SOTD - Sleigh Bells - “Comeback Kid” I always...

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 09:25:59 -0500

SOTD - Sleigh Bells - “Comeback Kid”

I always appreciate when different contexts help you really hear a song in the way it was meant to be heard. For whatever reason, this video made this first single off the new album really grab me in a way the audio did not. Pre-ordered.

SOTD - Yale, Massachusetts - “Danger City, Population:...

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 09:59:14 -0500

SOTD - Yale, Massachusetts - “Danger City, Population: ME”

A little thrash to get your morning started.

SOTD - Marvin Gaye - “What’s Going...

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 09:45:43 -0500

SOTD - Marvin Gaye - “What’s Going On”

“You see, war is not the answer / For only love can conquer hate.”

SOTD - EMA - “California” Mesmerizing.

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 10:00:06 -0500

SOTD - EMA - “California”

Mesmerizing.

SOTD - John K. Samson (Weakerthans) - “When I Write My...

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 10:00:06 -0500

SOTD - John K. Samson (Weakerthans) - “When I Write My Master’s Thesis”

First single from the Weakerthans frontman’s certain-to-be-fantastic January solo record.

SOTD - Ke$ha - “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All...

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 10:00:06 -0500

SOTD - Ke$ha - “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right” (Bob Dylan cover)

This song from Ke$ha - yes, that Ke$ha - will be the most astonishing thing you hear all week.

More, although I don’t agree wholly with his take.

SOTD - Slow Club - “Paradise” Infectious...

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 21:38:43 -0500

SOTD - Slow Club - “Paradise”

Infectious iTunes-only bonus track from everyone I know’s favorite new record.

SOTD - Lana Del Rey - “Video...

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 11:57:19 -0400

SOTD - Lana Del Rey - “Video Games”

Coldplay’s drummer’s new favorite song (seriously). Yours too.

SOTD - Feist - “Graveyard” New album sounds totally...

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 11:18:53 -0400

(via )

SOTD - Feist - “Graveyard”

New album sounds totally new, totally familiar.

SOTD - Beat Happening - “Indian Summer” Late...

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 17:11:06 -0400

SOTD - Beat Happening - “Indian Summer”

Late 80’s pop-punk recommended by my new favorite band (The Vaccines).

SOTD - “Go Get ‘Em Tigers” Originally created...

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 12:19:20 -0400

SOTD - “Go Get ‘Em Tigers”

Originally created for the 1968 championship run, a little Jetsons-style magic to get your blood pumping.

SOTD - Gem Club - “Twins” A little atmospheric...

Thu, 29 Sep 2011 09:55:28 -0400

SOTD - Gem Club - “Twins”

A little atmospheric piano ballad to smooth the rough edges this morning.

Note: Video contains significant non-creepy nudity and is likely NSFW.

SOTD - Those Darlins - “Be Your Bro” Cool Best...

Fri, 02 Sep 2011 16:00:05 -0400

SOTD - Those Darlins - “Be Your Bro”

Cool Best Coast vibe.

SOTD - Nicki Minaj - Super Bass This is like the first rap song...

Fri, 02 Sep 2011 11:44:51 -0400

SOTD - Nicki Minaj - Super Bass

This is like the first rap song I’ve enjoyed in ages. But AGAIN it’s 30 seconds of rap followed by a weird “mediocre to decent pop song” interlude.

SOTD - Noah And The Whale - “Tonight’s The Kind Of...

Fri, 19 Aug 2011 18:22:49 -0400

SOTD - Noah And The Whale - “Tonight’s The Kind Of Night”

…Where everything could change.

SOTD - Dom - “Telephone” Found your end-of-summer...

Thu, 18 Aug 2011 14:14:27 -0400

SOTD - Dom - “Telephone”

Found your end-of-summer hook: “I come alive when you pick up the line.”

SOTD - Typhoon – “The Honest Truth” From Letterman last week....

Mon, 08 Aug 2011 12:49:22 -0400

SOTD - Typhoon – “The Honest Truth”

From Letterman last week. They sounded just fantastic. The mix was even better than the album, and that never happens with TV performances.

SOTD - The Dodos - “Going Under” I like this album,...

Thu, 04 Aug 2011 17:44:20 -0400

SOTD - The Dodos - “Going Under”

I like this album, but haven’t bought it. Just keep listening on Spotify / Rdio. Future?

SOTD's Best of 2011 So Far

Mon, 25 Jul 2011 00:29:00 -0400

A friend asked for some albums to download and I thought I’d share. It’s been a really fantastic year in music so far. Here are my picks:

Buy a motorcycle - don’t run - to iTunes to download “What Did You Except From…” by The Vaccines. Easily the best thing of the year so far.
The new PJ Harvey album “Let England Shake” is also a masterpiece. It’s a little less immediately likable and deals with some heavy stuff. It is NOT the same old “Polly Jean plays her guitar” crunchy stuff (which I loved) but it’s kind of amazing to hear her virtuosity take hold.
The new REM album is a lot of fun. Not mind-blowing amazing, but a great treat if you’re a fan.
There’s an album called “Diamond Mine” by a Scot called King Creosote and a Brit named Jon Hopkins. It’s this amalgam of like strummy guitars, glitchy tunes, and soaring vocals. Similar in vibe to the old Bon Iver album, although not wildly similar in sound. More similar in sound to like a slowed down version of Frightened Rabbit (who, if you don’t know, put out the terrific “Winter of Mixed Drinks” last year). I’ve taken to saying recently that “Glasgow is the new Cardiff” because about 10 years ago it seemed like all the new bands I liked were Welsh and now they’re all Scottish.
The new Bon Iver album is good, but not great. Again, if you’re a fan, by all means…
Mogwai writes a lot of 7 minute instrumental songs that sound like the end of the world and I love it. If that sounds up your alley, “Hardcore will Never Die, But You Will” is a great addition.
The new Noah and the Whale album, “Last Night on Earth” totally works for me. It’s something of a not-quite-Dave-Matthews brand of frat rock meets Mumford and Sons, but like I said, it totally works. They’ve got a modern rock radio hit with “L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N.” which is much better than it has any right to be with that title.
My favorite new British pop rock band no one else has heard of is The Wombats. “Anti-D” is the best song.
Also, Radiohead put out an album of basically acid jazz. It’s not “great” in any sense of the word, but it’s damn worth listening to.
Finally, Iron and Wine and Death Cab for Cutie both put out great new Iron and Wine and Death Cab for Cutie albums. Like, that’s not so bad, ya know? David Bazan did the same thing - writing more songs about God without making “Christian rock” - but he’s a lot less well known. 2009’s “Curse Your Branches” is better but this year’s “Strange Negotiations” is great too.

Two last categories of recommendations

It’s a 2010 album, but the Allo Darlin’ debut is fan-freaking-tastic. Better than the Vaccines, if a bit twee. In the same sphere, but more singer-songwriter-y, Emmy the Great put out a terrific album in 2009 called “First Love.” She’s got a new album dropping in the USA next month and it’s quite good, but not AS good.
Get yourself an invite to Spotify. Free (with ads) streaming of basically “everything.” There are other similar services - the Skype guys made one called Rdio that I like - but Spotify is the new hot thing and will probably be the biggest since it has a significant free component. If you like exploring new music, the monthly subscription is worth it - $5 for unlimited, ad-free streaming on your desktop, another $5 to sync to the mobile app.

And finally, finally, the “TL;DR” version

“What Did You Expect From…” by The Vaccines
“Let England Shake” by PJ Harvey
“Diamond Mine” by King Creosote and Jon Hopkins
“Last Night on Earth” by Noah and the Whale
“The Wombats Proudly Present: This Modern Glitch” by The Wombats

Skewed this list a little towards immediate “likability.”

OH! I have a veritable Steve Jobsian “one more thing!” You can get months worth of “Songs of the Day” right from this very website.

AND most of these tracks have been migrated to a BTP SOTD Spotify playlist as well.