Sonication | Fixed/Aperture | Steve Reilly

Summmah.

Mon, 21 Jun 2010 21:01:28 -0400

As the messed up google logo tells me, it's the first day of summer (is it bad that I realize most major holidays from the little drawings added onto big G's homepage). Figured I would quickly list some 2010 songs that are feeling particularly summer-y to me. I have a whole lotta nothing to get to tonight, so lets get started.

Quntissential Summer Fun Song from some fellow Ivory Towerin' kids

Holiday - Vampire Weekend

Badass Drivin' Song

Stylo - Gorillaz (feat Bobby Womak and Mos Def)

Dancin' Song

Dancing on My Own - Robyn

Sippin' on drinks with umbrellas in them song

Mahalo - Ratatat

always, right click, save-as.

Crystal Castles.

Sun, 13 Jun 2010 23:10:46 -0400

Calling it, this album will be in my top 2 for the whole year. Crystal Castles are following up their self titled debut with a self titled sophomore attempt entitled Crystal Castles (II). It is unmistakably the same band of Ethan Kath's unrelenting glitch and drums dance soundtrack to Alice Glass's wildly distorted, emotional meltdown singing.

The album is asphyxiating in its complexity and newness. It is an all out assault on what should be considered music, an attempt to genre bend not before seen, and a foray into some entirely new aural landscapes. This album is screwed-up, overwhelming, and combative, and will make you wonder how screwed-up you must be for liking it (that is unless you hate it). The band has matured beyond purely atari-noise dance rock with emotion. They are really experimenting with composition and infusing mood into beats that could otherwise be the chassis for some abhorrent top 40s pop song.

Vietnam maintains the feel of the bands previous work but sounds as if they got production help from OK Computer era Radiohead and Daft Punk all in one go. Alice's voice oscillates from being modulated to a little boy's to her natural deep alto. Celestica probably gives us the best glimpse of Alice's real voice. This song, which could be the definitive track for the nonexistent genre of 'Twee Shoegaze-Dance House', is chilly and frenetic piece of writing. Year…

Songs for:

Tue, 18 May 2010 13:41:48 -0400

Oh the MetroNorth. My Olivia Judson (the love my life) book is finished and I've learned indonesian spiders make little silk balloons that they inflate and then present to fine lady spiders as little floaty mating distractions But sitting here I've realized how much I love trains. Kind of romantic, kinda timeless (or at least my seat in the 1960's era bar car is), and just plain fantastic. Covering so much ground, seeing so much out the window without really experiencing it. If I ever made a movie it would mostly just be a very well scored litany of furtively longing shots out of the window of a train. Thank god I don't make movies. I'll just make the cross-country score instead.

Song for a midnight train:

Concerning the UFO Sighting Near Highland, IL - Sufjan Stevens

Song for Southern California, awash in highways.

How it Ends - DeVotchKa

Song for crossing the dessert.

In an Aeroplane Over the Sea - Neutral Milk Hotel

Song for climbing the Rockies

Scenic World - Beirut

Song for a long trek across the plains.

The Fairest of the Seasons - Neco

Song for Grand Central, 11:20pm.

Reckoner - Radiohead

As always, right click, save-as.

Uke Love

Tue, 18 May 2010 13:41:48 -0400

While I do love the Ukrainians in my life (see Olgurt and I on the cover of the Harris Grill menu for proof), this post is dedicated to my new favorite instrument, the Ukulele! Mine's now been all over the world, assembled in hawaii, shipped to china for some reason, then to New Haven, through the rainforest of Costa Rica, and who know where next. Here are three great songs, I've been learning that highlight how awesome something so tiny can be.

Up first a classic from the classic troubadour of ukes, accordions, and french horns is Beirut with Postcards from Italy. I like this song because its relatively easy to play but the ukulele is really prominent. By the middle when your attention is lured away by the snare and horn, Zach Condon has written a brilliant bridge and unexpected key change to bring your attention back to the uke. A simple, eastern European inspired song that is the audible embodiment of melancholia.

Beirut - Postcards from Italy

Next up is a fantastic rendition by someone who has about as much experience as me. In an incredibly unexpected recording I stumbled upon, we have the Dresden Doll's Amanda Palmer, playing Radiohead's Creep, on... a... ukulele. Aside from the initial genre whiplash, this thing really works. It makes me want to be under palms in 1996 on some mildly run down english dreary beach. It sounds strange, it is strange, but strange is…

Premature Evaluation - MGMT

Thu, 08 Apr 2010 20:46:31 -0400

I'm not really sure why or how MGMT's record label let them make their newest album. However, I'm incredibly pleased someone lost some paperwork in some office in Manhattan and this album got made. I'm not going to lie. I was unimpressed, rather dissapointed, and sleepy after the first few listens. Now I'm in love. Before you download you have to promise to give it at least three tries; a few rinses to get the old MGMT out of your brain.

Oracular Spectacular was admittedly somewhat of an LSD addled joke that went to far. MGMT had made it as a kind of last-off from their senior year at Wesleyan. Half a project to push the bounds of how poppy they could make music without hating themselves and half a desire to soundtrack their hallucinations, Oracular Spectacular surprisingly produced hit after hit with the likes of 'Kids' and 'Time to Pretend'. The band has even discussed how most of the lyrics are nonsensical. In retrospect, the now three year old album, really just had a lot of soul and no brain. If perhaps slightly erring in the other direction , MGMT sought to fix that on Congratulations.

With Congratulations MGMT has really completed a complete album, something I'm beginning to miss more and more in the iTunes download the three best singles era. Every song is un-skippable, you want to start at the beginning and play through in order each time. I've racked upwards of…

Re: Mixed Drinks

Sun, 28 Feb 2010 13:48:57 -0500

Three quick remixes this week while I decide which of the many new albums I got in february to talk about next.

You gotta love interesting mash-ups or mixes that completely transform a song. In no particular order:

The new album from Goldfrapp is due to land next month entitled 'Head First'. After a folky seductive start with Felt Mountain, a glam synth explosion in Black cherry, the dancy disco of Supernature, and a circus acoustic Seventh Tree, its always exciting to see how the duo will reinvent a genre and their image. If Rocket is anything of a predictor, its seems like Pointer Sisters era late 70's soft focus pop is about to be redone. I'm quite happy with the original but this remix by Penguin just ups the energy a bit.

Goldfrapp -Rocket (Penguin Remix) .mp3

Mash-ups can go downhill so easily. Even Girl Talk can get annoying on his albums by spending too little time on a song and it just sounds like flipping through the radio. His live shows make up for it though. Often imitated, people like the Super Mash Bros try but never really succeed at making something new rather than just confusing the originals. Thats why this Knights remix is so incredibly impressive. The 8 minute long epic remix of Coldplay's Life in Technicolor, MGMT's Kids, and Daft Punk's Digital Love is just superb. The first half is impressive for how well the two songs are weaved together but…

Hot Hot Hot Chip

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 15:40:59 -0500

Well after my 2009 review revealed itself (even to me) to be one giant Hot Chip congratulation in disguise, I figured why not keep the ball rolling. The band has a fantastic new album out. It really hits on all cylinders. Give it a few listens, at first I was rather agnostic to it, the number of 5 star rating I've given to songs in the album is just ever increasing since there. 'Hand Me Down Your Love' is a great, stompy starter track. It rbings the earnest electro that we've come to expect and adds just the right amount of funkism. A new, extended, version of 'One Life Stand' graces this album. Compared to the one leaked last year we get some harder beats and kettle drums but the same vulnerable plea to be someones one life stand. 'We Have Love' seems at first to be the evil reincarnate of Eiffel 65, but undfolds to be a floor ready shaker that you know will never end up there with such vulnerable lyrics. I think that's where the true appeal of Hot Chip is. The opener 'Thieves in the Night' has such geeky techno and trembly voice-cracking teenish boy vocals you almost get embarresed for the singer. The lyrics and vocals are relentlessly un-macho; authentically open, almost off-puttingly sincere.

They can't even be outdone in emotional tuggings by current hipster band of the moment Grizzly Bear.

Boy From School - Grizzly Bear (.mp3)

I like it, but it comes off seeming…

Top Finds of 2009

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 17:52:24 -0500

These are all a collection of tracks that are new, at least to me, in 2009. Some of them date back to '70s and some are as new as 2008. They've quickly become my staples of the year and really represent the wide variety of music that is still relevant today. Hopefully you'll grab them too and make them part of your collection. In no particular order

Goodbye Horses - Q Lazzarus

This song may or may not have been in my library for years. But it wasn't until a few weeks ago that for some reason I decided to listen to it. I think song is so fantastically sinister while retaining that dayglo 80's sheen. Originally written in '88, I later found out this song was used in the creepiest scene from the Silence of the Lambs. Fun.

5 Years Time - Noah and the Whale

The original song that got me hooked on NatW and led me to the insane night of hanging out with them in NYC. Granted they kinda hate this song now and rarely play it at shows, like Radiohead and Creep, its a nice little ditty with a sweet hook. This song is just exuding springtime. Seriously its like cramming bunnies and daffodils in your ears.

In the City - Chromatics

I've blogged about this song already this year, but its a worthwhile find to include twice. As the temperature drops to hostile levels, this song just go great with my mood. Its luxe yet minimal, enveloping yet icy. I imagine this song perfectly…

Top Remixes

Mon, 18 Jan 2010 19:23:51 -0500

I'm declaring 2009 the year of the remix. In many ways remixes became as important as the original songs this year, sometimes even eclipsing the popularity of the original. Style, beat, genre can all be flipped, adding, or subtracting from the original. Most times remixes end up less than, and much less sucessful than the original. But these few I selected all change that. Oh. And you can probably now dance to all of these songs. Def. Plus.

#10 Anthonio - Annie (Fred Falke Remix)

What remix list would be complete without something Fred Falke has done? Singlehandedly bringing back any warm fuzzy feelings we might be able to muster for disco, Falke's MO might get a little boring from time to time, but when he gets it right its sonic gold. Annie icy Sweedish vocals work well to counter the warm back beats and synthy fuzz added by Falke. Shes consitently been the muse for remixers from crystal castles to girl talk, yet hasnt really broken into the mainstream on her own. Maybe 2010.

#9 Help I'm Alive - Metric (The Twelves Remix)

So you may have noticed that even after all the praise I heaped Metric's videos this year neither a song nor album from these indie rock mainstays made it into my other superlative lists at year end. Overall they were a tad disspointing and made music that wasn't really all that catchy or that had a lot of meat. Thank jesus the Twelves stepped in…

Top 40 Singles of 2009 #10-#1 (the final countdown)

Mon, 21 Dec 2009 10:17:11 -0500

2009 was a great year for new music. Many of the acts on this list debuted this year, or at least saw their first full length album in 2009. Genres accepted by the indie rock mafia continued to expand: discoelectronica, hip-hop inspired autotune, hazy guitars, ambient rock, 80's nostalgia, SanFran Lo-Fi, and new percussion all reigned supreme. Above all else was the rise of the remix. Obscure and popular, if your single wasn't remixed by at least 4 people, it sucked. While most of these remixes were synthy crap, a few were mindblowing and have been complied in my top 2009 remixes list due out a little later. At the end of the list there will be a .zip with all the songs in it.

#10 Two Weeks - Grizzly Bear

This song is pretty much perfect all the way around. It has a dizzying intricacy when dissected but sums to simple beauty when taken as a whole. This track is what so many of the others on their albums strive for, but even if they only achieve a single like this one, they can die happy. Beyond the music lies some expert songsmiths, I put forth 'a routine malaise' as best written/sung phrase of 2009.

#9 Lisztomania - Phoenix

I'm not really sure how a french band could get the 80s American nostalgia feel so well but Phoenix hit a bullseye. The song sounds like the title track off the breakfast club or ferris bueler's day off. Who the hell cares what the song's near…