Galkin’s Top 115 of 2009, Part 2

January 23, 2010

Here is part 2 of Galkin’s list.  I know it probably seems sooo behind the times to keep talking about 2009 songs, especially while there is so much new music already out this year (Yeasayer, Hot Chip, Ok Go – dare I even say Ke$ha? – to name a few) but Galkin’s list is easily still my favorite playlist on my iPod right now, and it needs to be completed.  Besides, didn’t you need some new stuff to stream at work?  We’ll get to 2010 soon enough, don’t worry…

85. Eminem – “We Made You”
Much anticipated comeback was good, not great. Good to see he still likes to make fun of people though.

84. The National – “So Far Around The Bend”
On the Dark Was The Night compilation – check it out, seriously

83. Manchester Orchestra – “I’ve Got Friends”
Band that you can distinctly hear maturing over their last 3 albums

82. Muse – “Undisclosed Desires”
Need to see these guys in concert. Will be epic.

81. Say Anything – “Hate Everyone”
One of my favorite bands, but didn’t connect with the new album like previous ones

80. Paramore – “Ignorance”
Hayley Williams is adorable. That is all.

79. Anderson – “Trevor On The Dancefloor”
Fun electronic dance-y song you’ve never heard of from a band you don’t know. It’s my list.

78. Yes Giantess – “Can’t Help It”
Michael Jackson-like sounding lead singer makes me miss MJ…the non-crazy, black version

77. Pony Pony Run Run – “Walking On A Line”
Don’t care for the band name, good thing they make catchy music

76. Classified – “Choose Your Own Adventure 3”
White Canadien rapper, eh? I’m as surprised as you are. Also known as the Steve Nash of rap (may or may not have made that last part up)

75. Jay-Z – “Run This Town”
Excellent chorus by Rihanna along with Kanye kept in check made this a winner

74. Peter Bjorn And John – “Nothing To Worry About”
Including singing kids generally makes things better

73. Shakira – “She Wolf (Villians Remix)”
Heavy breathing also makes things better

72. Taking Back Sunday – “Sink Into Me”
A favorite band from high school still has something left in the tank

71. Flight Of The Conchords – “Carol Brown”
“…hoping that you’ll stick around” – would have enjoyed another season of FOTC

70. Harlem Shakes – “Strictly Game”
Good band that unfortunately broke up…luckily it was after I got to see them live

69. Neon Indian – “Deadbeat Summer”
Trippy.

68. The Sounds – “No One Sleeps When I’m Awake (Viking Remix)”
An already good song, but the additions in the remix put it over the top

67. Norah Jones – “Chasing Pirates”
Classiest song of the year

66. Wale – “90210”
Disappointing live, but still one of the top rappers IMO

65. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – “Zero”
Spin’s song of the year – not mine, but still really good

64. Simian Mobile Disco – “Audacity Of Huge (Dada Life Guerilla Remix)”
The ones who usually do the remixing get remixed themselves – what’s good for the goose is good for the gander, right?

63. The Big Pink – “Dominos”
Methodically paced and catchy song about girls falling like dominos

62. Glee Cast – “Don’t Stop Believin’”
Best song by a fake Glee club

61. The Bird And The Bee – “Love Letter To Japan”
I feel like The Bird and the Bee are a hidden gem – have always enjoyed their quirky songs.

60. Jay-Z – “DOA”
Electric guitar and soprano sax make this much more than your regular rap song

59. Owl City – “Cave In”
Called Owl City a year and a half ago…you’re welcome

58. Parachute – “Under Control”
Charlottesville/UVA band that is gaining popularity – this should have been a bigger hit

57. Florence And The Machine – “Dog Days Are Over”
Florence’s haunting yet fierce voice make the first track of the album stand out

56. The Drums – “Let’s Go Surfing”
Old school sounding song of the year…think a modern indie Beach Boys


Random Goodness

August 28, 2009

In the final throes of this Friday-posting-blitzkrieg, I’m just going to share a few songs/links/band updates/etc. that I found recently, but can’t really classify into the typical WJM format.

Finally, here are just a few random songs I found that needed to be shared.

  • The first one is a song I found on some blog somewhere, and I just love it.  I tried some of The Very Best’s other stuff, and couldn’t get into it, but this one featuring Vampire Weekend’s Ezra Koenig is just fantastic:

    The Very Best – Warm Heart of Africa (ft Ezra Koenig) (Approachability: Very High)

  • I found this remix while reading about and listening to Yes GiantessBo Flex is the producer/studio of Passion Pit…or something like that.  I don’t entirely understand the relationship, but Passion Pit, Yes Giantess, and Bo Flex are all very closely tied.  Whatever, the song is awesome:

    US Royalty – Keep it Cool (Bo Flex Remix) (App: High)

  • Another random remix of Passion Pit that I found, and it certainly fits with the other stuff I’ve posted today.  Kind of a clubbed-up version of The Reeling:

    Passion Pit – The Reeling (Shuttles Super Club Mega Mix) (App: Medium/Low)

And that’s all I’ve got from this week – phew!  Hope you enjoyed all the different posts today, and have a great weekend.

-WJ


Yes Giantess

August 24, 2009

yes giantess

Yes Giantess is a new electro-synth-dance-pop band from Boston, MA.  They are following right in the footsteps of bands like Passion Pit, Discovery, Ratatat, etc.  The band members are Jan Rosenfeld (vocals/ synth), Chase Nicholl (synth), Karl Hohn (synth) and Joey Sulkowski (drums).  Kind of funny listing them out like that, since 3/4 of the group plays “synth” haha.  Trust me, if you like Passion Pit (which you probably know by now – I do), you’re going to love Yes Giantess.

As with most of the other bands on this page, Yes Giantess is all over the internet.  If you like what you hear below, you should also check out their spot in NME magazine.  Now, I’m going to pull a blurb from the site where you can buy their new EP, mostly because I think it’s hilarious, but it’s also (obv.) spot on:

Produced by Passion Pit’s own Ayad Al-Adhamy at his Bo Flex Music studio, they’re unleashing some of the biggest pop jams you’ll hear all year. “Tuff ‘n Stuff” is their masterwork, leading you in with a deceptively plaintive intro before dropkicking you in the jaw with a metric ton of Ratatat-sized synths and huge pop choruses. “You Were Young” stuns on the AA-side, all spiraling synths, infectious hooks and a seriously ill bridge that sounds like Daft Punk on a sugar high. Yeah, they’re pretty much the sonic equivalent of flying down the yellow brick road while its raining ecstasy and skittles, and yeah, you’re gonna want to taste this rainbow.

As it says above, “Tuff ‘n Stuff” is their leading single, but I personally prefer “You Were Young.”  I think “Tuff ‘n Stuff” gets really good about 1/2 way through, at the 2-minute mark, but I could listen to “You Were Young” forever.  I think I’ve already listened to it 10 times today haha.  You can make your own judgment:

Yes Giantess – You Were Young (Approachability: Medium/High)


Yes Giantess – Tuff ‘n Stuff (App: Medium)

Unfortunately, they only have a few songs out so far, but you can listen to them all on their MySpace page.  I can’t wait for a full length album!  Interestingly enough, Yes Giantess just played in DC at the Black Cat for their Bliss dance party.  I bet it was awesome.

In the meantime however, there are several of their remixes floating around the internet.  Here is a sampling of some better ones:

Wolf Gang – Pieces Of You (Yes Giantess Remix) (App: Low)


Eric Hassle – Don’t Bring Flowers (Yes Giantess Remix) (App: Low/Medium)


Passion Pit – Sleepyhead (Bo Flex ft. Giantess Remix) (App: Medium)

And as always, for more info check out their MySpace page:
http://www.myspace.com/yesgiantess
And their blog/homepage:
http://yesgiantess.com/

Finally, here’s a bonus unrelated song! I heard this cover of Bob Dylan’s “All Along The Watchtower” over the weekend, and it just blew me away.  I’ve heard many versions of this oft-covered song, but this one definitely ranks up there.  (If you’ve heard this before, just know: I will almost certainly plead the fifth if you ask me where I heard this song hahah) Enjoy:

BT4 – All Along The Watchtower (App: Very High)

-WJ

The band members are Jan Rosenfeld (vocals/ synth), Chase Nicholl (synth), Karl Hohn (synth) and Joey Sulkowski (drums).