EAR CANDY | [MP3] “Show Me The Meaning Of Being Lonely” (Ryan Hemsworth Remix)
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[MP3]: “Show Me The Meaning Of Being Lonely” (Ryan Hemsworth Remix)
Backstreet Boys > N*Sync
FACT.
I don’t know about you, but I was a BSB girl back in the day (N*Sync who?). Millennium was the first album I ever owned (sorry Britney), and if last.fm scrobbling and the Internet had existed back then, you best believe the Backstreet Boys would be the #1 top scrobbled artist on my charts.
Clearly Ryan Hemsworth knows what’s up. (90s throwbacks, boy bands, remixes, and Amanda “I’m suing everyone” Bynes.) Chopping up BSB’s 1999 hit, “Show Me The Meaning of Being Lonely,” amidst stuttering electronic beats and the ever-classic “Amanda please!”, the Halifax, Nova Scotia native gets the nostalgia levels pumpin’ so well that I’m almost left wanting to hear more of the original chorus. But really, it’s the feel good boy band harmonies and flamenco guitar juxtaposed against blitz claps, warped synths, and quick start-stops that makes for bumpin’-thumpin’-fist-pumpin’ good time.
Hello 1999, how nice of the self-professed Remix Ryan Gosling to usher you into the sample-heavy, nostalgia-infused 21st century. #Backstreetsbackalright!
You can download the track here by tweeting (just close the pop-up window and download away if you don’t have twitter) or by clicking the link above!
I used to have a serious aversion to remixes (“ORIGINAL 4EVER”), but I’ve now chalked that up to being young and very very confused. (Never) quit playing (remix) games with my heart, Hemsworth.
EAR CANDY | [MP3] Oberhofer – “HEART”
The recent couple years have seen an uprising of lo-fi bedroom musicians (see: Youth Lagoon, Coma Cinema) and when Brad Oberhofer appeared on the scene in 2010 unsigned and with a free EP for download, he was no different.
“Heart,” the first single from Oberhofer’s debut LP Time Capsules II (out March 27), is a departure from the reverb-laden fuzz-filled soundscape that we’ve come to identify with him. From the crisp and clear opening notes of a solitude piano to the addition of orchestral strings towards the end, it’s immediately clear that Oberhofer (now signed to Glassnote) is heading in a new, bigger direction. I’ll admit that I was a bit skeptical at first upon hearing that he was going polish up his sound for his full-length, because I worried that it might lose the youthful fervor and frenetic energy of the o0Oo0Oo EP that really caught my attention.
Everything’s a little more pristine and little more calculated and thought out, but the youthful energy (albeit a little more mature) is still there bubbling under the surface, so I think I’m coming around to it. After all, we all have to grow up some time, right? Besides, that signature throaty Oberhofer yelp embedded in mix at the 30-second mark of “Heart” gave me my sigh of relief and kind of sort of won me over.
[MP3]: Oberhofer – “HEART”
EAR CANDY | Russian Red – “Love Me Tender”
And we’ve got a live one for ya!
A lot of my readers seem to love Russian Red (aka Lourdes Hernandez), so here’s a treat! The Madrid-based songbird has just released a cover/collaboration of Elvis Presley’s “Love Me Tender” via her Facebook for Sony’s commemorative 75th anniversary album for the King of Rock, Viva Elvis.
While performing with holograms of deceased music legends borders on distasteful (seriously, who does that?!), is recording a track with the deceased any more tasteful? Is it sacrilege? Regardless, this delicate re-imagining of the classic Elvis track honors and pays tribute to the original while incorporating a tinge of singer-songwriter feeling with a plucked acoustic guitar.
Call it a remix or whatever you’d like, but it’s a truly beautiful rendition of an already tender lovin’ song. Enjoy!
[MP3]: Russian Red – “Love Me Tender” (w/ Elvis Presley) [right-click, save as]
EDIT: I recently had the chance to talk to Lourdes about this “duet” in a short Q&A session.
EYE CANDY: Fiona Apple *Interview*
The Queen is back!
Here’s a little clip of Fiona going on about the importance of music and writing in her childhood and how playing live is an almost euphoric experience. Just ’cause, you know, everyone can always use a little bit of Fiona Apple in their lives. She’s all over the place, but I could listen to this woman talk for days, with her engaging rambling and all (even the leopard print gloves); her excitement and intensity is incredibly endearing. She’s still got a little crazy in her, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
“[Playing live] is somewhere in-between conversation and sex. There’s some kind of knowing of each other, some intimacy, some involvement, some braiding together of people. [...] There’s some kind of interlocking with people that just doesn’t seem to happen any other way quite as grandly and totally.”
After Apple fell off the radar following her return to music with 2005′s Extraordinary Machine (has it really been so long?), so it’s nice to see she’s still alive and kickin’. She probably just came out of writing hibernation, because she’s releasing her long overdue 4th studio album come Spring 2011. About time, considering there’s a 5-year-deep Fiona Apple-shaped hole in my music collection.
Plus, I sort miss the angst-ridden, angry girl + piano combo.
You know what they say: “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” And I definitely love me some Fiona Apple.
EAR CANDY: M.I.A. x Diplo – “4thepeopleontheboat” (Demo)
Trriiiiiippy!
Today, we got a listen of a previously unreleased M.I.A. demo, and we owe it all to producer, Diplo (who recently said some not very nice things about the Brit’s latest effort, /\/\ /\ Y /\). He took to his twitter yesterday to post the little surprise:
a lost/new/crazy song i did with @_M_I_A_ -this is only demo… i might leak the real version if u guys want http://4thepeopleontheboat.com/
Maybe this is a peace offering? Who knows. All I know is that I’m liking what I hear.
[MP3]: M.I.A. x Diplo – “4thepeopleontheboat” (demo)
UPDATED (Sept. 29): So I guess it wasn’t a peace offering then. M.I.A took to her twitter today to tell the world that she released the demo, so undue credit shouldn’t be given to “the white dudes”–ahem, Diplo (her words, not mine).
Oh, and she also released: http://yesthelittlepeoplewillneverwinbuttheycanfuckshitup.com/ and http://facebookgooglemyspaceyoutube.com/
Girl be crazy! She’s gonna buy every ridiculously named site until they are no longer.
EAR CANDY: Matt and Kim – “Cameras”
Cheery, too-cute-to-believe duo Matt & Kim burst onto the scene with the catchy and bound-to-make-you-smile, “Daylight,” from 2009′s Grand. It’s hard to believe the constantly smiling married couple hail from Brooklyn, NY. Whenever I think Brooklyn, I think hardcore. Well, this couple is hardcore happy and good for the soul.
Seriously. Kim never stops smiling when she’s drumming, and you can’t help but smile along with her.
They’ve just released their new single “Camera” which you can hear below) and it’s the same old Matt & Kim that we’ve come to know and love.
Follow them on Twitter! @mattandkim (and @mindfulearful while you’re at it!)
NEW MUSIC TUESDAY (August 24)
Every Tuesday I will be featuring an album or two that are being released that very day. These are my “must listen to” recommendations! See my picks this week + FULL ALBUM STREAM after the jump!
EAR CANDY: Beach House – “White Moon”
Baltimore dream-pop duo Beach House (Victoria Legrand + Alex Scally) have just released 5-song iTunes Sessions EP, which includes hits off their third full-length Teen Dream (that’s right–Katy Perry copied them) released early this year and 2008′s Devotion. Re-imagined on the EP are “Walk in the Park,” “Norway,” “Silver Soul,” “Gila” and “Real Love,”as well as one completely new track, called “White Moon.”
In true Beach House fashion, “White Moon” is a laid-back and mellow affair carried by Legrand’s signature smoky vocals. Take a listen below!
Beach House – “White Moon”
EAR CANDY: Björk – “The Comet Song”
Eccentric Icelandic songstress Björk has yet to release a full-length record since 2007′s Volta, and the last time heard from her, she released a collaborative Mount Wittenberg Orca EP with the Dirty Projectors. There has been no word of a new LP in the works, but luckily for us she has just come out with a new song and video “The Comet Song”–a track written for the Finnish children’s movie Moomins and the Comet Chase, which you can check out below.
Björk – “The Comet Song”
WHAT’S HOT: Lo-fi = the New Black
Best Coast (Los Angeles, CA)
http://www.myspace.com/bestycoasty
Bethany Cosentino, multi-instrumentalist Bobb Bruno, and drummer Ali Koehler (formerly of Vivian Girls) make up this aptly-named beach-friendly trio. Having just released their debut record Crazy For You in July, this sun-soaked, summer-drenched, cheery surf-pop record will having you wishing it were summer all year round.
Sleigh Bells (Brooklyn, NY)
http://www.myspace.com/sleighbellsmusic
Signed to M.I.A.’s N.E.E.T record label, this school teacher/former girl-group singer and ex-member of the now defunct post-hardcore band, Poison the Well, show nothing of their former lives. Together, Alexis Krauss and Derek E. Miller make gritty yet beautiful, fuzzed-out blood-pumping music.
Jenny and Johnny (Los Angeles, CA)
http://www.myspace.com/jennyandjohnny
One of the few successful child actresses turned singers, Jenny Lewis made a name for herself as the Indie Queen in beloved Rilo Kiley. Her and longtime collaborator/boyfriend Johnathan Rice, a singer-songwriter himself, have joined forces to present Jenny and Johnny. Their full-length LP, I’m Having Fun Now, isn’t out until August 31, but they’ve offered up 3 new tracks off the album and a free download of “Scissor Runner.”
LISTEN UP! Dala
Dala is Sheila Carabine and Amanda Walther
Pop/Folk/Adult Contemporary
Campus Music
I’m not going to lie. I’m a huge sucker for beautiful harmonies and I have a thing for adult contemporary music – it’s weird. Sometimes it’s nice to listen to music that is simply sugary sweet.
So I give you Dala, who is Sheila Carabine and Amanda Walther. Their moniker comes from the last syllable of their first names. Smart.
With crystal clear voices that melt together to create the most beautiful harmonies, it seems as though the pair were made to sing together; it’s breathtaking, really.
Plus, they were the only Canadian act to play at this year’s legendary Newport Folk Festival which has played host to some of the great folk musicians like Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell.
They met in high school and have been making beautiful music together since 2002. Dala has been around for a while on the Canadian music scene, but I just happened to stumble upon then recently. Enjoy!
For fans of: Chantal Kreviazuk, Indigo Girls
Take a listen!
