Daily Tuneage

In honor of the groundbreaking, world-shaking, me-squealing news...

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 18:13:00 -0800

In honor of the groundbreaking, world-shaking, me-squealing news that Band of Horses are playing at SXSW (at STUBBS, no less!), here’s one of my favorite songs from them: The End’s Not Near.

Now pardon me while I jump up & down with the best news I’ve heard all day (read: week. Read: possibly year.)

Little Lion Man - Mumford & Sons

Wed, 20 Jan 2010 15:14:08 -0800

Not sure how I only recently heard about Mumford & Sons - perhaps I was too busy listening to Phoenix and The National on repeat for the past 4 months? - but once discovered, they’re quickly becoming my first 2010 musical obsession. This song - Little Lion Man - is one of my favorites on their album “Sigh No More”, maybe, quite possibly, very likely because of these lyrics. I love when people take responsibility for their stupidity.

But it was not your fault but mine

And it was your heart on the line

I really fucked it up this time,

Didn’t I, my dear?

Little Lion Man by Mumford And Sons
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07 Little Lion Man.mp3 (9641 KB)

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If You Let Me Be Your Anchor - Dawes

Tue, 12 Jan 2010 15:43:12 -0800

Am late to the game, but am currently obsessed with this entire album (“North Hills” by Dawes.) It’s pretty amazing. Though they’re from California, they ring very North Carolina to me. It’s like the musical equivalent of my past and present coming together.

I want love to stretch its fingers wide

And touch on all our wandering parts.

Come sit by my Californian side
With your Carolina heart.

If You Let Me Be Your Anchor by Dawes
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10 If You Let Me Be Your Anchor.mp3 (7917 KB)

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Heartbeats - The Knife

Tue, 12 Jan 2010 09:48:56 -0800

Heartbeats by The Knife
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01 Heartbeats.mp3 (5915 KB)

In my “Best of 2009” mix, I included Jose Gonzalez’s cover of “Heartbeats” (which is nothing less than stellar) but lately, kind of digging the original by The Knife even more.

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Wow. Had completely forgotten about this song. And don’t...

Mon, 04 Jan 2010 23:02:12 -0800

Wow. Had completely forgotten about this song. And don’t think I ever listened to the words. I always love being reminded that lyrics transcend. Half a world away…yes.

sh:

I had too much to drink / I didn’t think

And I didn’t think of you / I guess that’s all I needed

jakemintz: Andrew Bird - Anonanimal (Live for Pitchfork...

Mon, 04 Jan 2010 22:52:18 -0800

jakemintz:

Andrew Bird - Anonanimal (Live for Pitchfork TV)

Simply. Amazing. This is why Andrew Bird is one of the best live performers I have ever seen. Watch this, even if you have never heard of him. Please.

earsofthebeholder:

Andrew Bird - Anonanimal (Live for Pitchfork TV)

This is one of the best solo performances I’ve seen in a while. Thanks to Pitchfork for making this happen!

Choosing my favorite songs of 2009 was no easy feat. I spent...

Sun, 03 Jan 2010 22:57:43 -0800

Choosing my favorite songs of 2009 was no easy feat. I spent hours going through my iTunes, Last.fm, DailyTuneage, and even Tweets seeing what was resonating with me through the course of the year. In a nutshell: I listened to a LOT of music. A LOT, PEOPLE. So much, in fact, that it didn’t all fit onto one CD. (Note: both this and the other mixes fit on a standard 700 mb CD should you be one of those antiquarians who listens to CDs in their car or whatever.) I took a first stab at this at the end of November, writing down the songs that meant the most to me. Then later put it into an iTunes playlist, listening to it repeatedly, swapping out songs, changing the order, and listening again, so by the time I posted it, I was almost a little sick of my own taste in music. (But just a little.) And as I mentioned in my other post, I didn’t limit myself to songs just released in 2009; instead, chose the tunes that I loved the most during the past year. (Don’t worry, I’ll cover my favorite albums of the year in yet another music-related post.) The songs that made it onto “Outside Under Broken Leaves” tended to be more personal, and as such, a lot of them were on the slower side. Melodious. Ethereal. They just seemed to fit my mood for this year, or at least my mood now as I’m looking back on the last year.

But there were more songs…many more songs that played a role in shaping my personal soundtrack of 2009. (No, I didn’t just sit around weeping quietly into my journal, as the other mix may suggest.) I did my share of rocking out, and this mix - which I’m calling “Lost and Found: B-Sides from Aubs’ Best of 2009” - reflects that.

It’s all about the balance. The fast and the slow, the give and the take, the push and the pull. Hopefully this mix serves as a compliment to my Best of 2009, and also to your own musical journeys.

Download “Lost and Found: B-Sides from Aubs’ best of 2009”

1. There Goes The Fear - Doves
2. Saints - Army Navy
3. It’s About Time - Barcelona
4. Heads Will Roll - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
5. Pursuit of Happiness - Kid Cudi (featuring MGMT & Ratatat)
6. All We Want, Baby, Is Everything - Handsome Furs
7. Please Visit Your National Parks - Oxford Collapse
8. See You - Dinosaur Jr.
9. Hi-Fi Goon - Throw Me the Statue
10. Lost & Found - Phoenix
11. Oh My God, Whatever, Etc. - Ryan Adams
12. Anonanimal - Andrew Bird
13. Crystalised - The xx
14. Blindness - Metric
15. Blue Skies - Noah and the Whale
16. Island, IS - Volcano Choir
17. Lose You - Pete Yorn
18. I And Love And You - The Avett Brothers
19. Your Love (live) - Bon Iver

Merry Christmas, everyone.

Every year has its own soundtrack; music and lyrics evoking...

Sun, 03 Jan 2010 22:53:00 -0800

Every year has its own soundtrack; music and lyrics evoking memories from the many moments that made up the past days and weeks and months. And as in years past, I’ve compiled the songs that meant so much to me this year.

2009, for me, was a year in contrasts. So many unbelievable highs shared time with some painful, seemingly unfathomable lows. And this year’s soundtrack reflects that; you’ll hear the songs I put on while dancing around the house excited about the night ahead and the ones that I found myself weeping quietly to while on a plane. But that’s life; the flip sides of the same coin. Sorrow and joy. It’s what makes living exhilarating and real and a constant struggle and a constant delight.

“When you are joyous, look deep into your heart and you shall find that it is only that which has given you sorrow that is giving you joy. When you are sorrowful, look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.” – Khalil Gibran, “The Prophet”

And so this year, I’ve chosen not to just list the songs and provide background on the band, but give you a glimpse into why these songs found a place on this list, a place in my heart, a place in the personal time capsule of my own 2009. Most – but not all – were released this year; I thought it was more important to provide an accurate soundtrack of what I was listening to instead of being constrained by the release date. I wanted to paint an authentic portrait of the last (almost) 365 days so I’ve shared the memories I had associated with each of the songs. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have to put it together.

Download “Outside Under Broken Leaves: Best of 2009”

1. Rome – Phoenix
Mid-September. The Warfield Theatre, San Francisco. Standing next to my favorite person, listening to my favorite band. The stage lights dimmed, and Thomas Mars asks the crowd to clap along, then suddenly, quietly, he sings: “I stand outside under broken leaves.” The crowd joins in. “I know I can’t do without, the future’s drowned away. I never loved you, if I loved you, wouldn’t say that I’m sorry, oh no. I stand outside under broken leaves.”

2. Fables – The Dodos
July. Happy. This song is cheery and poppy and never fails to put a smile on my face. At 2:46, I develop a crush on it; by 3:33, I’m firmly in lust. “Remember when you were my accomplice, now we forget why we started this.”

3. Rich Doors – New Villager
January. Quiet month, so this was a good distraction. Driving to work in the morning, I listen to Sirius XMU; heard about this San Francisco-based band (by way of Brooklyn) and after just one listen, went and downloaded it immediately. I have a good feeling about these guys.

4. Bad Romance – Lady Gaga
December. Ok, I admit it. This is the one I dance around my room to. A LOT. I wasn’t originally a fan – I mean, the video alone is weird, and I have to (embarrassingly) admit that I first heard it in its entirety on Gossip Girl (SHUT UP, I KNOW) and her weird, sinister-sounding jibberish of “Ra Ra, aah aah aah, Ro ma, Ro ma ma, Ga Ga, Ooh la la” is plain just odd. But the chorus…damn that chorus. It’s grammatically incorrect – “You and me can write a bad romance “ – and certainly not mind-blowingly deep prose, but it’s catchy as all hell. This is an empowering, roll down the windows, crank up the stereo sort of song.

5. Airplanes – Local Natives
July. I initially fell in love with this song after hearing the percussion and the use of the violin over the guitars. Listened to it incessantly that month, then it kind of fell off of my radar, until last week I was driving in a car just a few blocks, sitting at a stop light, and listened to the lyrics again. “I love it all, so much I call, I want you back, back, back. You back.” Yep, I love it all.

6. Sweet Disposition – The Temper Trap
October. It’s only fitting that this song is also on the “500 Days of Summer” soundtrack since it was the movie that affected me most this year. “A moment, a love. A dream, aloud. A kiss. A cry. Our rights. Our wrongs. “

7. About Today (Live) – The National
October. November. December. On a plane, yet again. Going somewhere. Back east? Heading home to San Francisco? I listened to this song so often this latter half of the year that the memories are muddled. Of any song on the list, this one gets under my skin, makes my soul ache, in its simple words. “You just walked away. And I just watched you. What could I say? How close am I to losing you?”

8. Fog – Mason Proper
March. Another song that I listened to earlier in the year but rediscovered recently. Somehow music just comes into your life when you need it most, when it fits best. “I tried to warn you, but you were out of your head, I tried to hold you back. I’ll meet you in the fog, again. And between you and I, we can, make some sense of this.” Reminds me that the story isn’t over yet.

9. Blood – The Middle East
November. Reminiscent of Midlake a bit, the lyrics sound like they should be from an Antlers song, but these Australians have created something that rings like a lullaby to me.

10. Shelter – The xx
October. Unexpected night, unexpected events. This song playing in the wee hours of the morning, in a huge four-poster bed at a Victorian mansion bed & breakfast we had recently discovered. This album is the soundtrack of seduction. “I find shelter, in this way. Undercover, hideaway.”

11. Kettering – The Antlers
October. Was a hot month in San Francisco, but I never felt warm. And this song fit. This Brooklyn-based band’s morose album silently wove my way into my heart. The lyrics are morbid, but the song itself gets under your skin.

12. Slow Life – Grizzly Bear
October. If I didn’t love Alexandra Patsavas – the music supervisor who worked on this album – I’d be reticent to admit that this comes from the Twilight: New Moon soundtrack. But that woman has phenomenal taste in music, and Victoria Legrand’s ethereal voice is haunting on this track. It’s like a breath of fresh air from the chaos that is life. “Even though you’re the only one I see, if you ask I’ll cut you free.”

13. Fun Stuff – Frightened Rabbit
October. This is about learning to be alone. Moving on. Letting go while feeling a sense of loss. “The Fun Stuff is much less fun without you.”

14. A Brief History of Love – The Big Pink
September. I love when songs are appropriately named, and this one is no exception. Love is fleeting. But worth it. “Let’s get lost and feel warm tonight, hit by another and the feeling is right. It’s all over tonight. As you leave me. It’s up to you to lend me your heart but you won’t let it go. And as you leave me, you’re in my heart I feel true love, and it won’t let go. It’s up to you mend my heart, please don’t let go.”

15. Left and Leaving – The Weakerthans
December. I almost called this mix “Left and Leaving”, because sometimes it’s hard to tell who’s left and who’s leaving. This year I experienced a lot of both. Putting faith in coming back home. “I wait in 4/4 time, count yellow highway lines, that you’re relying on to lead you home.”

16. Heartbeats – Jose Gonzalez
December. This cover of The Knife’s song is a last-minute entry into the mix, but it didn’t feel complete until it was added. It’s ethereal and sweet and sad and honest. “One night to be confused. One night to speed up truth. We had a promise made. Four hands, and then away. Both under influence. We had divine sense to know what to say.”

17. Let Down – Radiohead
June. It has been a year of transit. Comings and goings. Seemed fitting to end this mix, this year, with a song that reflects this. “Transport, motorways and tramlines, starting and then stopping, taking off and landing. The emptiest of feelings.”

I can’t imagine the last twelve months without these songs accompanying me on all of my journeys. May they also go with you on yours.

Happy Holidays, everyone.

*As with last year, the artwork was created by Ryan McManus, whose musical taste also rocks. And as always, please support these and other artists by buying their albums on iTunes, Amazon, or eMusic.

* Best of 2008
* B-Sides: Best of 2008
* Best of 2007

My Favorite Year - Destroyer

Sun, 27 Dec 2009 10:26:47 -0800

My Favorite Year by Destroyer
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18 My Favorite Year.mp3 (9163 KB)

“It was a good year, It was a very good year. And now it’s gone. They say the whole point of everything’s the moving on.”

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Skinny Love - Bon Iver

Sun, 20 Dec 2009 11:05:11 -0800

Skinny Love by Bon Iver
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03 Skinny Love.mp3 (6665 KB)

Sums up what I’m feeling today. Thanks, Justin Vernon, for always having the right words when I need them most.

Come on skinny love just last the year
Pour a little salt we were never here
My, my, my, my, my, my, my, my
Staring at the sink of blood and crushed veneerI tell my love to wreck it all
Cut out all the ropes and let me fall
My, my, my, my, my, my, my, my
Right in the moment this order’s tall

And I told you to be patient
And I told you to be fine
And I told you to be balanced
And I told you to be kind
And in the morning I’ll be with you
But it will be a different kind
And I’ll be holding all the tickets
And you’ll be owning all the finesCome on skinny love, what happened here?
Suckle on the hope in light brassieres
My, my, my, my, my, my, my, my
Sullen load is full, so slow on the split

And I told you to be patient
And I told you to be fine
And I told you to be balanced
And I told you to be kind
And now all your love is wasted
And then who the hell was I?
And I’m breaking at the britches
And at the end of all your linesWho will love you?
Who will fight?
Who will fall far behind?

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This is the latest from Absofacto, the side project of Jon...

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 15:49:00 -0800

This is the latest from Absofacto, the side project of Jon Visger, who is also the lead singer of the fabulously underrated Mason Proper. From the first few chords, it’s very reminiscent of Band of Horses. Who you know I also obsess over.

It’s called ‘No Power’. Enjoy.

Lately - The Helio Sequence

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 14:33:21 -0800

Lately, I don’t think of you at all.

This one would be high on my list of “Best Breakup Songs”, if I ever were to create that list, that is. (Too depressing, who wants to remember THOSE DAYS?) But if one of you more-morose folks out there do, I highly recommend this tongue-in-cheek song by The Helio Sequence.

Lately, I don’t think of you at all
Or wonder what you’re up to, or how you’re getting on
I never think of calling you, or how things could have been
Or wonder where you sleep at night, or whose arms you wake inI’m living alone, living alone
I don’t need you anymore
Living alone, living alone
I don’t need you anymore
Lately
I don’t get lost in daydreams
I never lay awake at night staring in my bed
And I don’t think about your face or anything you’ve said
And I don’t think twice when someone says your name
Or twist my mind in circles wondering which of us to blameI’m living alone, living alone
I don’t need you, anymore
Living alone, living alone
I don’t need you anymore
I never walk alone and think of all the empty words
Or wonder when the day will break, or when the tides will turn
And I don’t break down when someone says your name
Or twist my mind in circles wondering which of us to blameI’m living alone, living alone
I don’t need you anymore
Living alone living alone
I don’t need you anymore
Lately I don’t think of you at all
Lately
Oh, lately

Lately by The Helio Sequence
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13 Lately.mp3 (5977 KB)

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Once is one of those movies - possibly one of only a few movies...

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 22:00:04 -0800

Once is one of those movies - possibly one of only a few movies that I’ve ever seen - where when it was over, I watched every single outtake and bit of ‘extra material’ that they offered on the DVD. I had heard good things about it, but didn’t really know the plot, buying it on a whim on a rare trip to Best Buy. Definitely one of the best, sweetest, most heartwarming (and heartaching) movies I’ve ever seen. Haven’t watched it in a while, but the past few days, “Falling Slowly” has been in my head. Perhaps it’s the lyrics, maybe it’s the melody. I’m guessing it’s both, as it fits my mood perfectly.

Words fall through me
And always fool me
And I can’t react
And games that never amount
To more than they’re meant
Will play themselves out

…

Falling slowly, eyes that know me
And I can’t go back
Moods that take me and erase me
And I’m painted black
You have suffered enough
And warred with yourself
It’s time that you won

Left and Leaving - The Weakerthans

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 09:22:00 -0800

I find myself waking up in the mornings with a song already playing in my head…this was today’s. Seems fitting as I head out for yet another trip. Sometimes it’s hard to tell who’s left and who’s leaving.

My city’s still breathing (but barely it’s true)
through buildings gone missing like teeth.
The sidewalks are watching me think about you,
sparkled with broken glass.
I’m back with scars to show.
Back with the streets I know.
Will never take me anywhere but here.
The stain in the carpet, this drink in my hand,
the strangers whose faces I know.
We meet here for our dress-rehearsal to say “I wanted it this way”
wait for the year to drown.
Spring forward, fall back down.
I’m trying not to wonder where you are.
All this time lingers, undefined.
Someone choose who’s left and who’s leaving.
Memory will rust and erode into lists of all that you gave me:
a blanket, some matches, this pain in my chest,
the best parts of Lonely, duct-tape and soldered wires,
new words for old desires,
and every birthday card I threw away.
I wait in 4/4 time.
Count yellow highway lines that you’re relying on to lead you home.

Left And Leaving by The Weakerthans
Download now or listen on posterous 07 Left and Leaving.mp3 (8965 KB)

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Breaking News: Peaches was wrong.

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 14:04:25 -0800

Breaking News: Peaches was wrong.

Broadripple is Burning - Margot & The Nuclear So and So's

Sun, 29 Nov 2009 16:41:18 -0800

Broadripple Is Burning by Margot And The Nuclear So & So’s
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03 Broadripple Is Burning.mp3 (7878 KB)

I adore this song.

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Blood - The Middle East

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:52:00 -0800

Blood by The Middle East
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02 Blood.mp3 (9814 KB)

Oh Sirius-XMU, you never let me down.

Neither do you, Australians, neither do you.

The Middle East - the Ozzies in question - just released their latest EP. Five songs, and of them, this one (Blood) is my favorite. Such a great song…reminds me a bit of The Antlers’ new LP, with a little less of the “I’m contemplating slitting my wrists” morbidity. Enjoy. I am.

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Nine Minutes of the best new music you'll hear: The Lisbon Maru by Fuck Buttons

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:31:40 -0800

You know when you hear a song once, and immediately know that it’s going to be on heavy rotation for a while?

This is one of those songs.

The Lisbon Maru by the fabulously named Fuck Buttons. As it has been lately, credit goes to Jay for this awesome find.

The Lisbon Maru by Fuck Buttons
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03 The Lisbon Maru.mp3 (19170 KB)

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The National - About Today (live) from "The Virginia EP"

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 09:17:45 -0800

My favorite version of one of my favorite songs. 8:25 minutes of pure, unadulterated awesomeness. Best part comes in at 5:03. Leaves me breathless every time.

About Today (Live) by The National
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12 About Today (Live).mp3 (9979 KB)

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Kettering - Live Daytrotter session

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:05:36 -0800

Kettering by The Antlers
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03 Kettering.mp3 (4797 KB)

I love Daytrotter. I love The Antlers. Oh, so much love today.
(Full Daytrotter session with a few other songs can be found here.)

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