Attempts At Hip

iFFY The Bad Man

2011-08-23T21:38:00.002-04:00

So keeping with the 'new-artists-that-I-hope-blow-up' theme of the night, here's a song from a relatively new artist out of Miami named iFFY The Bad Man. I've heard this song a few times on Sirius radio in the past few weeks and absolutely love it. The sound is a bit of a more laid back Bruno Mars but somehow it comes out sounding edgier and more honest, I think. According to iFFY's website the song Do You "evokes the heartbreak of young love gone awry on the summer streets". I'd say that's accurate.

The video for the song apparently just hit the internet today and is beginning to gain views. iFFY doesn't seem to have a ton of music on the net, but I'm telling you, if this guy doesn't blow up soon I'll eat a hat or a shoe. I think there's a couple different versions of this song floating around, the Sirius version sounds a bit different than the video version and the Spotify version is different from both, but there's literally nothing I don't like about this song. Sure, call me a pop-lover, whatever, it's a great end of summer song. Check it out below and follow iFFY on Twitter HERE

The Weeknd - Thursday

2011-08-23T20:39:00.000-04:00

So last post I waxed on a bit about Kanye and Jay Z. I do, legitimately think they deserve what they've gotten, and the titles of kings defending their thrones, but if what I keep hearing and reading it right, there may be a new prince in town; and he's Canadian. Abel Tesfay, better known as The Weeknd has just dropped a new, free, downloadable album entitled Thursday and it certainly sounds like it could give some of the best R&B and hip-hoppers a run for their money in the coming months.

Thursday plays out airy and calm but at the same time quite dark and reminiscent of a circus at times with the different amount of feelings that these songs mix. The album sounds amazing. And the quality is terrific, right up there with the best. The stand out for me really is the single right now titled Birds Part 1, for which I've included the video below. You can download the album, which I recommend doing, HERE and check out the video below to get a taste of the sound. I think you'll like it.

Let's Talk Thrones

2011-08-19T00:58:00.000-04:00

I'll get right to it; It's easy to dislike Watch The Throne, Jay-Z and Kanye West's new collab album. It's actually called Watch The Throne, as in, these two are protecting their 'kingdom', pretentious much? But rightfully so, I think. I'll admit it, I didn't pay attention to the build up of the album. I didn't follow anything, really, that had to do with this album. But when two artists like this make some moves, it helps to eventually pay attention.

But then I started listening. Reading about how these two were fighting over the album, and then how they weren't fighting, and then I heard some of Otis which samples Otis Redding, and then I saw the video, which features the boys tearing apart, rat-rodding, and hooning a 2011 Maybach 62 (which costs oh just $423,500 - $463,000) full of models, and then how the duo opened a store in SoHo wrapped in gold with the Maybach on display to sell the album, and, what made me write this, I read this article on the lengths the artists and production team went to keep this album from leaking to the public - which is pretty much did not.
There's a reason these two are watching the throne, and it's because of all of this. These two know how to be kings. Check out the video for Otis below.

Converse Has Done It Again

2011-08-17T22:52:00.000-04:00

Well Converse's "three artists, one song" deal seems to have made another pretty awesome song. Here Matt and Kim, Soulja Boy, and the unlikely Andrew W.K. come together to create a really neat sounding, almost spooky-but-driving-Matt-And-Kim-influenced song. Give it a listen below, and check out Converse's other mash-up creations.

Matt & Kim, Soulja Boy and Andre W.K., "I'm A Goner" by The FADER

Best Coast - Surprisingly Creative

2011-08-02T17:12:00.000-04:00

I've written on here more than once that I'm a music video guy. I can't stand a video that has no plot, no thought, and no direction. That said, Best Coast just released a video for the song Our Deal and it has all of what I just mentioned. Also, it has an interesting celebrity cast, and was directed by Drew Barrymore, believe it or not. Want to try something neat? Next time you hear a cool song, close your eyes and imagine what you think the video for it would be. Then YouTube the song and see how correct you are. If you're more wrong than right, I'd say it's a good video. Here's the video for Our Deal:

Get More: MTV Supervideo, Music, Best Coast

Real Music

2011-07-28T11:43:00.000-04:00

It's pretty easy nowadays to get caught up in music that's easy to get to, easy to listen to, and doesn't require much thought. I'm all for radio music, don't get me wrong, I definitely can enjoy the four on the floor, over-produced, definitely-going-to-be-a-hit songs, but sometimes they just get...annoying. One can only hear about putting their hands in the air so many times before it just gets a bit stale. So the other day when I listened to a great NPR report titled How Much Does It Cost To Make A Hit Song, it got me thinking. The report talks about the creation of Rihanna's Man Down and tallies up the cost of production to about a quarter of a million dollars for one song that didn't do very well this summer.
Yesterday I sat around for a while looking for some interesting music. And I think I found a song that could break the funk of boring, million dollar flops lately. The song comes from Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds and contains a ton of noise, quirky music, and interesting video, and great lyrics. It's refreshing. The song is called The Death of You and Me and I'd recommend a listen and watch of the video below:

p.s. I know it's been a bit since my last update, but with job hunting, graduation, and moving around a blogger can only do so much! Expect frequent updates soon.

Kanye's Work of Art

2011-06-07T14:14:00.001-04:00

So if you haven't heard, Kanye dropped his new video for Monster (which has been close to finished for six months) with Rick Ross and Nicki Minaj and people are predictably in a tizzy because it shows what seems to be dead women. The video starts off with a disclaimer but, c'mon, it's not very bad. Check out Kanye's latest "epic" below and tell me what you think in the comments. Is this a "bad" video? I don't think so, but some people seem to:

Also, it is very refreshing to hear this song uncensored. Not that I'm for crazy language all over, but I think this song is really hindered by radio censoring. Enjoy!

Karmin Nicki Minaj Superbass Cover

2011-06-07T11:58:00.000-04:00

Karmin, the duo that's responsible for remixing rap songs into interesting ballads, has just been signed to a record deal. To celebrate, they've teamed with the Roots for an annoyingly catchy, very good, cover of Nicki Minaj's Superbass. Check it out:

New Friendly Fires

2011-04-28T19:08:00.001-04:00

Well, look what slipped through the cracks. Friendly Fires has a new song titled Live Those Days Tonight and it's pretty dancy. My housemate just walked in and said it sounded like the Night at the Roxberry in here and, actually, I kind of agree. I'm pretty stoked for a new album from these guys, check it out:

Holy Ghost!

2011-04-28T01:02:00.000-04:00

Yes, I've been away for like two months. Yes there's an explanation. Yes there's a TON of music to update about. Give me until around May 8th and I'll be back and going. For now, check out Holy Ghost's new video for their single Wait and See off their self titled album. Can't get this one out of my head.

Holy Ghost! - Wait & See from DFA Records on Vimeo.

Ke$ha vs Dawsons Creek

2011-03-01T00:04:00.001-05:00

If there's something I actually like about Ke$ha, it's that she seems to have begun realizing that she barely has to be serious and still can make music videos. If anything is more evident of this than her new video for Blow, please, tell me. James Van Der Beek definitely adds to the hilarity of this video. I mean, if you had a gif of you just crying on Dawsons Creek you'd have to take a look at how serious your life was too, right? Anyway, I just saw HipsterRunoff was asking if this video "went too far" and I'd have to say no way. It's just plain, ridiculous fun. Though I would have loved to have been in the pitch meeting for this idea...

K Flay

2011-02-26T11:15:00.000-05:00

Ever heard of K.Flay? Well then check this out. Actually, I'm just going to let her bio speak for her for a second:

You may not expect one of the most compelling new voices in hip hop to wield dual psychology and sociology degrees from Stanford University or find inspiration in the buttoned-up world of indie rock, but for K.Flay, defying expectations is simply part of the game.

So K.Flay had been making some great hip hop and yesterday I ran across her song So Fast, So Maybe and it's just packed with smart lyrics and a great sound. Check it out:

Ellie's Rick Ross Jukebox Hump Day Video Post

2011-02-23T12:30:00.000-05:00

   Hey everyone! So I've had a few videos up on my dashboard here for the past few days but haven't had the time to throw them up yet so here we go. I've got an awesome band I've been working on writing about that I should be able to post later this week, but for now let's roll with these videos.
   First, let's start calm with Ellie Goulding's Lights. You've probably heard this one remixed into something lately, but it's just a great chilled song, and Goulding is pretty fun to watch dancing around. Grab her album Bright Lights for some awesome music.

   Next, ever heard of Jukebox The Ghost? They're great. With driving piano leads, poppy vocals, and super catchy hooks, this band reminds me of Fun (but not so muscial-y) with a Hot Hot Heat influence, and maybe better than both. Maybe. Check out their video for Schizophrenia below.

   Finally, let's cool down with some Rick Ross and his new single Aston Martin Music. I didn't like this song at first for some reason, but with it's slow beat and sharp synths the song has definitely become a listener. I think I wrote a whole paper while listening just to this song over and over yesterday. Very easy listening. I honestly can't figure out what record this song is on, so if you do: buy it.

Bedouin Architecture and Chiddy Bang

2011-02-20T15:33:00.000-05:00

You know, every now and then things fall through the cracks. Hate when it happens, but it does, and hopefully you can just catch up when it does. So here is me catching up. Apparently sometime in January Bedouin Soundclash dropped a new single and video for a song called Elongo. The band has been busy for the past few months starting their own record label named Pirate Blend Records and Elongo is the first from the band in it's new home and new record dropping in September. Check it out:

Next, I have to admit: sometimes I love Train, sometimes I hate them. This new Marry Me song, I definitely don't like very much at all, but if you add Patrick Monahan, the vocals of Train, to Chiddy Bang, you get a pretty cool mix. Chiddy Bang has a new record named The Swelly Life coming out later this year. I haven't really given Chiddy Bang the light they deserve, they're a great duo, so give them a listen.
Chiddy Bang - Baby Roulette by Pretty Much Amazing

Architecture In Helsinki is a band I've always heard about but never really investigated, and I'm kind of kicking myself for that. The Australian band's new album Moment Bends is dropping in May and apparently is a large departure from their normal sound. If their new single Contact High is any indication, I could be pretty excited about this album. I think this song is growing on me massively; it just has a very neat sound. Check it out:
Contact High by Architecture In Helsinki

Kanye's New Video

2011-02-19T21:32:00.000-05:00

Alright, I'm going to give you a suggestion right now: get up from where you are and shut off the lights in the room you're in. I say that because it's dark right now and I think to fully enjoy this video you need to be immersed in it. So Kanye West's new video for All of the Lights dropped the other day and I gotta say: it's something. Now I admit, I love this song - sing it on the reg with my friends whenever we turn lights on. Or do anything really, but take a watch of the video and let me know what you think of it.

Gotta admit, I'm not very impressed. And I don't usually not like things, but I'm not very big on this. I feel like with a cast of character such as those featured in that song we could have a pretty awesome music video. Instead, we get a half lyric video half indie dance club color slam. Not that that's a bad thing, it's a pretty neat video, the parts that are video, but editing out the middle of the song robs the song of a lot of it's charm, and using words to substitute content for an artist of Kanye's fame kind of just sucks. Let's leave it at that.

Casual Friday

2011-02-09T21:51:00.003-05:00

Ever heard of Casual Friday? I'm guessing not, though you should have. I recently wrote an article about them and, well, how about you take a look and give them a listen, eh?

When Florida’s weather decides not to coincide with the “Sunshine State” slogan people get pretty depressed. When the state keeps it up for days in a row people begin to get a little bit antsy, and that includes me. Listening to music on rainy days naturally tends to evoke different emotions than it would on a bright sunny day, but the other day I heard a band that cut right through the gloom and depression that days of rain had brought with it. Casual Friday, out of Ada, Ohio is a four piece band that brings true, American rock ‘n roll to the stage with no shame. Casual Friday has just released a new, stripped down acoustic EP titled Rendezvous and it is that which finds me enjoying a rainy day. (Click Read More below the player to continue reading this article!

The introduction we are given to Rendezvous is a slow, airy track titled August Sun that chugs forward into the album with gang harmonies filling the background and a sharp, almost classic Smashing Pumpkin sounding vocalist who sits within the music. The song ends on a very Americana note that sets the stage for a smart album to follow. August Sun flows neatly into Kelli’s Song, a short, acoustic interlude which ends as quickly as it began and meets the next song, A Part of Me. A Part of Me, a lyrically charged song with a strong lead and simple, tinny, yet compelling, rhythm, flaunts the bands talent and sound as the vocalist crafts a story that allows the mind to wander. The song has strong rock ‘n roll roots with an almost classic protest feeling to the melody and, in my opinion, is the strongest song on the album. A Part of Me reminds listeners quickly of that folky John Mayer sound and, while one may get mixed signals with the feeling and message of the song, you may find yourself humming this one.

Dreams, the fifth song on the album, slams home with that Smashing Pumpkin-esque voice again, harmonica, clever lyrics, and a very full acoustic sound that mixes well to make a head-bobber of a song. Tambourine and a catchy chorus only add to the sound here and make this a very quick, memorable song which leads right into the final song. All You Need instantly reminded me of something that I couldn’t put my finger on. After a little searching, the song sounds like an amalgamation of a few songs (see: Fuel, Shimmer) from the late 1990s. This is a good thing, if you loved late ‘90s music, and not so much if you did not. Either way, All You Need is a great way to end the album with and brings the band’s sound to a nice close.

While the acoustic Rendezvous it a departure from Casual Friday’s normal sound it is certainly a step in the correct direction. Any tangible product a band can get out is helpful and I would say this EP has to be chalked up to a victory. And did I mention it’s free? Can you seriously not want to download this? Check out Casual Friday on Facebook or at Casualfriday1.bandcamp.com to hear, and not read, their sound.

NEW STROKES

2011-02-09T16:05:00.002-05:00

Finally! The Strokes new single "Under Cover of Darkness" dropped today and it's only available for stream/download for 48 hours so get your hands on it! It sounds amazing. I'm justgoing to leave it at that say so LISTEN NOW! In case the YouTube goes down, I'll put the SoundCloud that you can actually download the song from below it. The Strokes new Album Angles dropson March 22nd. Get in line now.

The Strokes - Under Cover of Darkness by One Thirty BPM
What do you think of the song? I love it.

Videos of the Day 1/27

2011-01-27T15:33:00.000-05:00

   I like this idea of Videos of the Day, so let's keep it up, shall we? Maybe I won't do this everyday, but as I find videos I think rock I'll post them up a few at a time. Firstly, I have no clue why I didn't post this the other night, but Matt and Kim have a video for Cameras and, well you won't be able to guess what happens without watching...so watch!

    Next, we have Josh Cocktail. I literally know nothing about this guy and just ran into his video for Fire. The internet doesn't seem to know much about him either, but apparently he's from Florida and put himself in an Indie/Hip-hop/Soul category. So there ya go. Anyway, this song has got to be bound for the radio stations. Hear it here first!

   Finally, have you gotten your hand on B.o.B.'s new mixtape No Genre? Did you say no? Go get it! Seriously, what are you waiting for? It's straight fire. 16 tracks and maybe 3 that aren't up there with the rest. Can't ask for much more right? Here's the video for the first single, which I hope pumps you up for Thursday night, Beast Mode

   Also, Lykke Li has a new video out for her single I Follow Rivers which I posted a few days ago, but I felt it would change the feeling of these upbeat songs, so check it out HERE

Videos of the Day

2011-01-26T21:10:00.000-05:00

   Ashton Kutcher and his step-daughter, Scout, made a song and damn. It's catchy. Do they just breed talent? Ridiculous. I bet this becomes a studio produced single.

   Next, remember the guy who dougie'd out in front of an ice-cream truck? This idiot? Well Tosh.0 made him a pretty sweet video for his song I'm Gipper (jipper) last night. Check it out, it's actually not awful...for what it is.

   Finally, keeping the hip-hop going, so I saw a video of some guys dancing in a game of Call of Duty: Black Ops doing this thing called the "cat daddy", little did I know it's a real dance. If you do one thing today/tonight listen to this song and learn the dance. In no way will you regret it.

Matt and Kim

2011-01-25T23:28:00.002-05:00

A while ago I posted the new Matt and Kim single Cameras, well now there's a video for it. Here ya go.

Matt and Kim - New Music - More Music Videos

New Panic

2011-01-25T20:46:00.000-05:00

Well, Panic At The Disco have a new single out titled The Ballad of Mona Lisa. This the first single off of Vices & Virtues, the band's third album, which drops on March 29th. Not bad, but nothing ground-breaking. Nice to see some new music, though

[VIA]

Lykke Li

2011-01-13T18:59:00.000-05:00

Lykke Li has a new single out titled I Follow Rivers and it sounds great. Progressing her infamous Swedish indie sound and that great flowing voice, Rivers is a exactly what you want to hear. Lykke Li's new album Wounded Rhymes drops in March and I'm sure it will be worth picking up.
Lykke Li - I Follow Rivers by dynmk

Noah Looks Up

2011-01-12T22:42:00.000-05:00

Well, leave it to Noah And The Whale to leave you always guessing what their sound will be like next. From the band's awesome, upbeat first full-length album Peaceful, the World Lays me down to the obviously emotionally hurt, and very sad album, First Days of Spring NATW has been able to compellingly play almost any sound and make you really feel it. Well it seems like Charlie Fink, the band's lead man, has finally gotten over the breakup that inspired First Days of Spring. The band just released a new single entitled L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N., and its great. A totally new, catchy, sort of swingy, sound for the band that signals a great new direction for their third album, named Last Night on Earth, which drops in March. And I was just listening to these guys today. I'm excited.

Raphael and the Jukebox

2011-01-12T17:06:00.001-05:00

Well, after what seems like a little break in the past few months, it feels like we have some new, fun, listenable music rising to the surface lately. The first band I want to talk about today is a band with an awesome groove named Jukebox The Ghost. I found out about this band through NPR's free music app for smart phones. It's a great little app to hear some undiscovered bands before they blow up. NPR is pretty strong at finding interesting, smaller, bands and promoting them, so thumbs up, NPR. Anyway, Jukebox is a 3-piece, definitely indie, somewhat poppy, band out of Washington, D.C. The band definitely has a great sound that could only mildly be related to sounds like very old hellogoodbye. Maybe. I'm not a fan of saying a band sounds like someone else when they really have their own noise, but I recommend giving this band a listen. With a bunch of synth, strong drums, and catchy tunes, Jukebox The Ghost's second album Everything Under The Sun is out now and certainly one I'd pick up. Here's their song Schizophrenia.

Next we have someone you may or may not have heard of before. Raphael Saadiq has been a staple in the old school R&B scene for quite some time and his latest single Radio will ensure listeners that old school R&B is long from dead, and that the genre is still a ton of fun. With style, classic sound, and a bunch of pretty girls, Radio continues to bring on a modern take on a classic sounds that the likes of Fitz and the Tantrums are also influencing. You can be sure to hear this song blowing up commercially in the next few months and that's not particularly a bad thing, Saadiq's music has been featured all over. I can just see A&E models dancing around to this classic tune already.

Kanye West

2011-01-07T21:29:00.001-05:00

Have you heard Kanye West's new single All of the Lights? Because you really should. This song blew my mind right when I heard it and it's got a such a star studded...cast? that it should become one of those classic Kanye staples. From Elton John to John Legend to Kid Cudi, Rihanna and more, this song just brings the noise. I cannot, repeat, cannot wait for a video for this song. As long as it's not some weird, twisted fantasy type thing. Or 28 minutes long. Let's keep it short and interesting, Kanye.

This Never Happens

2011-01-05T21:02:00.000-05:00

So seeing as I'm all about getting smaller bands out there I'm going to do something that may be looked down upon here on Blogspot. Because my blog here is on Blogspot, and my other blog is on Tumblr, and seeing as they're competitors, I'm going to "reblog" something from that site here. Even though Blogspot hasn't created such a feature yet. But anyway, SoundCloud just reposted this from a blogger named riceytwicey and while I'm still undecided on how I feel about the second and third band (leaning towards like), this first band Morning Parade is brilliant. It's not often that I actually say something aloud because a song is so good, but that happened. So here ya go, from Tumblr:

You may be surprised to learn that there are bands other than those shortlisted for BBC Sound of 2011 who are going to be massive! Some of my favs are below. Let me know who else to check out?
Morning Parade
Morning Parade by morningparade

Brother
Darling Buds of May by BROTHERslough

Alice Gold
Alice Gold - Orbiter (Single) by Pure Groove

Radical Tantrums and Winters

2011-01-05T20:24:00.000-05:00

   The first band here today is an interesting, kind of retro, but nice and in your face band named Fitz and the Tantrums. Fitz Is Michael Fitzpatrick's latest venture with soul singer Noelle Scaggs and blends a sound of late 70s funk/disco with a great churchy noise into a seven piece band. I definitely dig the sound and then guy/girl harmonies. Check out their single MoneyGrabber below.

   Next is a band named Radical Faces that I've only been introduced to in the past few days. The band skillfully combines a ton of different sounds into one song leaving you thinking about many bands to compare them to. Simply put, I'm not sure you can compare this band to many as they've done a pretty decent job of carving their own niche. Here's Radical Faces Welcome Home.

   Finally we have a band I've been meaning to update forever about out of Seattle named The Long Winters. You've probably heard some of their great, poppy, indieish songs in the past, I mean, how else do you stay happy in Seattle? One of the band's most spun songs is Fire Island, AK. and it's just a great, upbeat song with a neat video.

Four On The Floor

2010-12-30T00:58:00.001-05:00

   Believe it or not, I am still alive. Between the end of a semester, recording music with my own band, holidays, and travel I've been slacking heavily on the blogging side. But the other day I got into a conversation about how the good 'ol "four on the floor" beat - you know, that dance beat that every pop song has now - has been around strong for a few years now. And it doesn't seem to be going anywhere. SO I'm here to talk pop, rather hip-hop, for a second. If you think about it, "radio music" has definitely taken a turn for the dance in the "Lady Gaga Era", if you will. It's and easy beat, and it's super popular, but here's two nice examples of people diverging from that beat. Maybe we've found an out.
   The first comes from our beloved T-Pain. His new song, aptly titles Rap Song, throws out this dance beat for some more classic In Love With A Stripper feel. The song actually shows some strong writing too. And a ton of layered vocals. I'm enjoying it currently, but I'm sure this one will blow up soon. It is T-Pain, after all. Here's the video:

   I've always had a thing for Keri Hilson. She's gorgeous and talented and, well, that's all my check boxes. I was a bit skeptical of Pretty Girl Rock when I first heard it, but I'm into it for sure. The song has some lyricism, an interesting beat, and a very well done video. I should mention that with both these songs there are strong videos, which is great. It's awesome to see someone thought outside the box for what was becoming pretty monotonous hip-hop video. Check it out:

As a bonus, here's DJ Earworm's new mashup of the year of 2010 in pop. Not too bad.

Mr. Little Jeans

2010-12-05T11:42:00.000-05:00

So I heard this last night and it made my night. Mr. Little Jeans. There's not much on the interwebs about this girl, but from what I can gather, she's from Fiji and dropped her EP Angel in June. Her tracks seem to just be starting to make the rotations, but the sound is awesome. RAC just remixed one of her songs entitled Rescue Me, and that's how I found out about her, but her original is amazing too. This girl is talented. Here is the original and the RAC remix of Mr. Little Jeans' Rescue Me off of Angel. Check out her MySpace here

Mr Little Jeans - Rescue Song by Pure Groove

Mr. Little Jeans - Rescue Song (RAC Mix) by Remix Artist Collective

Fences and Cliffs Along the Sea And Bo Burnham

2010-12-05T11:32:00.001-05:00

Here's a great song from Fences

Fences - Girls With Accents from Christian Sorensen Hansen on Vimeo.

Here's a pretty sweet slow song from Cliffs Along The Sea with an interesting take for a music video. Super high-budget so I hear. (I'm lying).

Cliffs Along The Sea from Christian Sorensen Hansen on Vimeo.

Here's a hilarious new song from Bo Burnham. Kid's pretty intelligent whether you admit it or not.

The Morning Benders

2010-11-26T11:27:00.000-05:00

Well here's something neat. The Morning Benders have teamed up with the Echo Chamber Orchestra and put out a neat version of their song Excuses from the album Big Echo. Check it out below:

Excuses

the morning benders | Myspace Music Videos

New Acrade Fire Video By Spike Jones

2010-11-21T16:08:00.000-05:00

Check out this exceptional video for The Suburbs by Arcade Fire that was produced by Spike Jones. Pretty wild. What do you think of it?

Mumford and Sons Cover Vampire Weekend

2010-11-10T01:16:00.001-05:00

Check out an, at first, almost eerie cover of Vampire Weekend's Cousins by Mumford and Sons. Pretty great:

Lupe Remixes Modest Mouse

2010-11-03T22:26:00.001-04:00

Yup, you read that correctly, Lupe Fiasco has used Modest Mouse's Float On as the loose basis for his new song The Show Goes On and it's pretty badass. There's a reason that Lupe has made the name for himself that he has. Check this track out:
The Show Goes On by Weeennnzzz

Animal Collective and Thom Yorke

2010-11-02T12:00:00.001-04:00

So to continue my "I'm not a slacker" updating, here are two great songs I've heard in the past few days.

The first is from Animal Collective and the track is My Girls. I'm not usually too into Animal Collective, but this track I really like so check it out.
Animal Collective - My Girls by indiana129

The next song is by Thom Yorke and is titled Hearing Damage. The track is about a year old so I'm totally behind on this, but look at the soundcloud track and look at how much noise there is in this song. Try and listen to everything in the background. That along with the nice drum beat make this song pretty interesting to listen to.
Thom Yorke - Hearing Damage by coryjohnny

Pyro

2010-11-02T10:36:00.000-04:00

Check this out: Just heard a new single from Kings Of Leon's new album. It's called Pyro and I've listened to it like five times in a row. Definitely digging this sound. No good mp3s for it yet, but here's a YouTube video with some ok quality. Check it out, tell me what you think!

Monday Morning

2010-11-01T11:05:00.002-04:00

Hey everyone, I know it's been a bit since I updated - I've been keeping a few other blogs for a class I've been in, and working on a senior presentation for the college major - and sadly my favorite blog (this one) tends to get neglected for a few days. But here are a couple nice Monday morning tracks. Consider this me coming back!
Starfucker - Isabella of Castile
Isabella of Castile by starfucker_usa
Angus and Julia Stone - Paper Aeroplanes
01 Paper Aeroplane by milton.......
Vampire Weekend - Giving Up The Gun
Vampire Weekend - Giving Up The Gun by AlbertPHAM

Finally, here's one of the projects that's been stealing time: http://bearsintrees.tumblr.com. It started as a project for a class, but people have been enjoying it so I've been doing it. And seeing as I care about quality on this blog rather than quantity, I've been slacking. But no more!

New Freelance Whales!

2010-10-19T00:17:00.000-04:00

I'm completely reblogging this from PrettyMuchAmazing. There's new Freelance Whales!!! And it's fantastic. Song's called Enzymes and it's apparently been created for a Mountain Dew thing. Whatever. The band has dropped their folky instrument sound for this new single and though somemay be leery I already love it. Check it out. [pic via PMA]

Freelance Whales - "Enzymes" by Pretty Much Amazing

Lazee

2010-10-16T18:17:00.000-04:00

Aside from a very Eiffel 65 bridge, I'm beyond down with this song right now. Just heard it this morning. Check out the video. Swedish artist Lazee with Mohombi: Do It

Sam Adams, Local Natives, Remixes

2010-10-16T12:59:00.002-04:00

Well I haven't updated for a while, that's for sure. My bad. Keeping a blog that I want to be mildly respectable and not just links while also working through the last year of college can be a hassle. So that's why I'm beginning this update with I Hate College by Sam Adams. I can't stand that "i love college" song, I just don't like the kid's flow or anything about the original. But I can relate with this one.
Sam Adams - I Hate College by thedopestop.com

Next, I've been meaning to update about Local Natives. The band is out of LA and their album, Gorilla Manor came out in February. Definitely been into this band lately.
Wide Eyes by Local Natives

Want to hear a great remix of Flo Rida's Club Can't Handle Me mashed with Kings of Leon's USe Somebody? Yes, you do.
Club Can't Handle Somebody (Kings of Leon vs. Flo Rida) by DJZJ

Finally, if you read this you know I love Vampire Weekend. I saw them on their first tiny tour and it was great. I saw them again the other night, now all grown up, and it was mind blowing. If you have the opportunity you really should go to one of their shows.

The Only Old Song I'll Ever Post

2010-10-04T00:07:00.000-04:00

If you know me at all, I mean at all, you'll know I don't like much old music. "But you have to know where things came from to appreciate where they are now!" you'll cry, but I say nay, readers! I just don't do the old music thing. I like the new. Which is why this blog exists. So now that we have that out of the way, I'm going to post to you one of my favorite old songs that I do know. Seriously - this song has just been stuck in my head and I've always liked it..but honestly, it may be because of Phantom Planet's cover of the song that they made forever ago.

The Octopus Project

2010-09-30T12:24:00.000-04:00

I think Octopuses (Octopi? Octopodes?) are awesome. I mean, they can squeeze through tiny holes, predict World Cup victories, and are brilliant. So when I saw a band named The Octopus Project I had to pay attention. The band is from Austin, Texas and has been creating neat instrumental compositions since 1999. The first song I heard from the band was called Fuguefat and I'll share that one with you because, it's pretty great.
The Octopus Project - Fuguefat by IndieRockReviews

Justin Timberlake and Jimmy Falon

2010-09-30T10:57:00.000-04:00

I tried to post this last night before it aired, but the links were all screwed up from NBC for some reason but Justin Timberlake and Jimmy Falon did the history of hip-hop in three minutes last night and it is badass.

The Land of Talk and Golden Pandas

2010-09-28T11:59:00.000-04:00

When I was pretty young I thought I loved grunge music. Not the "Nirvana" sound, but more The Exies and they're accompanying bands. I thought I was really cool for wearing plaid and thinking I had teen angst. Well, we've grown up since then, and coming across a grungy band is not even easy nowadays, but this band I'm about to talk about gives me that old grungy feeling without all the shame of liking grunge.

Land of Talk is a three piece self described indie rock band from Montreal. Damn Canadians and their musical talent. One thing I really like about this band is that you could say "indie rock" and actually mean it for once. There's not synth stuck in every open part of the songs, no autotune, or any "indie" benchmarks in these songs - it's pure instrument music and I love it. Here's their song Swift Coin of the album Cloak and Cipher Land Of Talk - 'Swift Coin' by nmemagazine

With the ever emerging and changing sound of 'dubstep', a lot of new music is coming to our ears that people may have marked as "weird" even last year. With that said, it's not often you hear a song with two (2) lyrics and think "man, I could listen to that again"...but that's what I said when I first heard Gold Panda's song You of of the debut LP Lucky Shiner. Check out You below, and from Gold Panda's MySpace There's an entire album stream, which I'll post below
Gold Panda - You by subraw

Friday Fun Tracks

2010-09-24T11:52:00.001-04:00

Alright, it's finally Friday! To celebrate, I've got three badass remixes that you can begin your inevitable night of partying to. Check these out!

   I can't get enough of this song, and this remix is making the addiction far worse
Please Dont Go (8barZ Remix)FINAL by 8Barz
   This is a pretty great Sam Adams remix of Deadmau5's Some Chords. Love Sammy Adams (VIA)
Some Chords by _thedopestop.com_
   Finally, an aweeesoomme remix of Fire in Your New Shoes that I came across last night. Listen and love!
Kaskade feat. Martina Of Dragonette - Fire In Your New Shoes Electric Daisy Remix by Jpkelly

El Guincho

2010-09-23T19:26:00.000-04:00

I don't know anything about this band yet, or this song, or even their album. Sure, I could do some research but this is my Friday and this week definitely needs to be over. I don't ever post NSFW stuff here, but this video is NSFW. It's pretty artsy, and it's interesting to say the least, the song isn't too bad either - check it out: El Guincho - Bombay

Albums I Meant to Cover

2010-09-22T13:43:00.000-04:00

Here are three albums that I suggest you look into that I meant to post about on this site and completely forgot to. Two of them dropped within the last two weeks, one is a bit older.

Firstly is Maroon 5's new album, Hands All Over. I've given the record a few listen throughs and it's pretty good sans a few attempts at sounding very 80s in a couple spots. I'd suggest it.

Maroon 5 - Give a Little More by DJGreenleaf

Next would be Brandon Flowers' debut solo record named Flamingo. I'm having a bit of a hard time getting into the groove of this one, but one sort of has to expect that to be the case with a guy like Flowers' music.

Only The Young - Brandon Flowers by djmajr4

The final album would be Jimmy Eat World's new record entitled Invented. I love these guys and randomly had a few songs stuck in my head today which reminded me of this album. Check it out:

My Best Theory (90) by Interscope Records

Bonus! One of my favorite Jimmy Eat World songs: Here it Goes

Been A While

2010-09-21T10:41:00.003-04:00

Who would have thought that school would actually take up my free time? Blasphemous, I tell you. Anyways, there have been a lot of new songs that I've been wanting to throw up here. The first one is a little baffling...know that guy with the crazy dreads, the ballin-ass grill, and the fashionable orange jumpsuit? Ya know? Lil' Wayne? Yeah, the one who's been in jail since March? HE STILL HAS AN ALBUM COMING OUT! The man has been in prison for over 6 months, and he is releasing a new album next week. That's dedication. Actually, it was originally an EP that he decided to just release as an album. It's called I Am Not A Human Being and it's being released on the 27th. Here's one of the songs that have been floating around on the radio lately.
Right Above It

Remember when you were stompin around in your Air Force One's? Me neither. But Nelly does. And he's back. My guess is that he spent all his money from his original success a few years ago and realized that he still had a lot of talent. I really like this song...the intro reminds me of the song he did with Tim McGraw a few years ago, that surprisingly worked out really well. This is Just A Dream. I hope he's got some more goodness like this coming.
Nelly - Just a Dream

I have NOOOO clue what a "dutty" is, or what "dutty love" means. But Sean Kingston always has songs that make you want to dance a little bit in public places. This is called Letting Go (Dutty Love) with Nikki Minaj (she's featured on another rapper's song? Shocking).
Letting Go (Dutty Love) by Sean Kingston ft. Nicki Minaj

I kinda hate myself for this one. I guess some Jesse McCartney songs are a little bit of a guilty pleasure. I don't know or care what album this is from, but it's a pretty catchy song.
Jesse McCartney - Shake

That's all for now. Keep checking us out for some info on the new Maroon 5 album that just dropped today.

John Lennon

2010-09-19T02:25:00.000-04:00

John Lennon's murderer speaks on why: http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/john_lennons_murderer_reveals_motive_behind_fatal_shooting.html

New music updates to come soon

My Songs of the Day

2010-09-14T13:28:00.000-04:00

Busy day today, but I figured I'd post up three songs from three albums that are getting me by today. I'm in an American music mood:
06 High Pressure Low by user5358639
AM Taxi- Fed Up [www.brotasticmusic.com] by itsthedream7
The Gaslight Anthem - Boxer by user806065

Maps & Atlases

2010-09-13T23:22:00.000-04:00

Probably should have included this in the last post, but check out Maps & Atlases' new video for Solid Ground right below. Click through the video to vimeo and read the director's description of the video - pretty badass.

Maps & Atlases - Solid Ground from FatCat Records on Vimeo.

NEW YMAEWK!

2010-09-13T23:17:00.000-04:00

Go http://www.tcdcmedia.com/post/1116443297 to hear You, Me, And Everyone We Know's new song A Bigger Point of Pride from their upcoming album “Some Things Don’t Wash Out” dropping October 12th. Love this band. So down with the new stuff.

My Jam Right Now

2010-09-13T19:30:00.001-04:00

If you visit The Radio Dept.'s MySpace, you'll find some interesting music. Sadly, you won't find what I think is their best song that's floating around the intertubes. This song has been out for a while, and I've been meaning to blog about it for a few months, but I finally heard it again and remembered, so here you go: The Radio Dept with Heaven's On Fire
The Radio Dept - Heaven's On Fire by ganaz

I Think I Like This

2010-09-12T19:58:00.000-04:00

I was skeptical upon first listen, but I think I really like this song. Check it out: Kaskade ft. Martina of Dragonette - Fire in Your New Shoes

Apparently Definitive

2010-09-10T11:06:00.000-04:00

Gawker has just released this list of what to listen to this fall and, well, if you were interested in listening to the albums of every single song that's on the radio then the list is useful. Now admittedly, I haven't listened to all of these, but I wouldn't clog my hard drive with a lot of the people on the list. We've written about some of them here but, hey, check out the list for yourself and see what you like - luckily they embedded tracks from everyone. The stand out for me? The new Maroon 5 track, which I'll post below
Maroon 5 - Give a Little More by DJGreenleaf

New Kings of Leon! (And it's good)

2010-09-08T20:33:00.001-04:00

Yup, you read that right! There is officially new Kings of Leon off of their upcoming album Come Around Sun. And I like it. Not like I'm the definitive guide to what is good and what isn't, but this song is pretty nice. I used to be a pretty big naysayer about KOL but they're a great band no two ways about it. Kings of Leon are skilled in making entertaining slow ballads as well as upbeat radio tunes - and this new one is the latter - but that's not bad. The song has an almost choral, church hymnish sound at points and strike a great tone. I heard someone today say that this song isn't just an attempt to cash in on the band's popularity while they have it - that the whole album is not that, and I believe it.
This sounds like an honest progression of this band's unique sound and that's great to see. Like most bands that kind of carve their own niche into our music culture, King of Leon stay strong for this new album Come Around Sun. Here's the single AND I ran into a video for it below:
Kings Of Leon - Radioactive by samhdot

(Video taken EW.com)

Oh also, apparently Interpol has a new record. Meh. Google it if you want.

Danceable Music

2010-09-07T23:10:00.001-04:00

Remember when this blog used to post dance music every Thursday night? If you do, pat yourself on the back, you're a long time follower. Anyway, I've been surfing some remixes today and, though it's Tuesday, let's get our dance on, shall we?
Hands (Low Sunday Indie Fix) - The Tings Tings by diegoquintao
Ra Ra Riot - Boy (RAC Mix) by Remix Artist Collective
My Jersey friends tell me this is the new fist pump song - get to it!
Flo-Rida-The-Club-Cant-Handle-me-Electrolightz-Remix-NB-verse by Jpkelly

Hard Review

2010-09-07T17:09:00.000-04:00

AbsolutePunk's Chris Fallon has posted the best review I've read in a while. It's about Runner Runner's new self titled album. I had high hopes for this band, hearing the song a while before it came out it sounded like pop-punk had a new branch to work with - but I've tried to listen to this album a few times, and no, there's no new branch. Check out this review for a hilarious dashing of the album
http://www.absolutepunk.net/showthread.php?t=1896272

Stroll Your Own Memory Lane

2010-09-07T12:15:00.000-04:00

This is insanity. The Arcade Fire have really been on their grind since releasing this new album, and their latest music video venture blows my mind, as well as a ton of other people. I've read some say this will be the "future" of music videos - possibly - but I saw it's a super interesting adventure with this new HTML5 which I don't understand yet. If you know what HTML is, it's the underpinnings of websites. Well, I think HMTL5 allows for interactive, or like slideshow-ish websites. I dunno, I'll investigate. Ask me if you're interested.
Anyway, The Arcade Fire's new video/website mashes up your childhood home and their song We Used to Wait. It's pretty incredible - go here: http://www.thewildernessdowntown.com/ and enter your address (I entered my University). They recommend you use Google Chrome and so do I. I tried it on Firefox and it got pretty heavy, worked great of GC. Check this out - and let me know you're opinion in the comments!!

Canadian Music

2010-09-06T22:41:00.000-04:00

Canadians are interesting. I imagine they kind of sit above the United States riding their horses drinking maple syrup and looking down upon us while they make awesome music. That may not be true, but the fact that Canadians consistently churn out music that makes me jealous is. Maybe it's the water, or the climate, or the lack thereof for both thing (which is probably true), but today while driving around I checked a couple Canadian radio stations, which generally never update their music, don't display titles, and sometimes just play what is supposed to sound like dance music, but I came upon a band named Boxer the Horse and decided to give their song - Mary Meets the Pilot - a try. I really liked it. The band sounds like they have a sound that they're still growing into, but its a good sound. It's one of those noises that if asked what it sounded like you'd say "well, I think it's indie-ish? it's like, music, ya know?".
Anyway, I'm down with it, and I've been listening to their MySpace for a little bit now so it's a pretty good listen. The MySpace has around 80k visits - so I don't expect you to know these guys yet - (I mean, I almost have that much! Give them some page views ladies and gents!) but I'd expect that given a little more time to refine this sound we'll definitely be hearing about these guys soon.

Boxer the Horse - Mary Meets the Pilot (via HeroHill)

New Matt and Kim

2010-09-04T12:15:00.000-04:00

Big news today everyone! I'm not 100% when this dropped but I caught a listen of the new Matt and Kim yesterday and I'm totally sure I looked like a nutcase with this blaring in my car just sitting in a parking lot. The new song is called Cameras and it's complicated, loud, bassy, and sounds like an awesome growing up of this great band. Check this out - and be prepared to have it stuck in your head.
Matt and Kim - Cameras by TSB

Rick Astley, Anybody?

2010-09-02T19:30:00.000-04:00

Does anyone remember Rick Astley? Maybe, but probably not. The guy hasn't had a single for 17 years, and his main fame as of recent memory comes from the infamous "rick rolling" on the internet with his famous Never Gonna Give You Up. Well now, he's back. And why am I posting about this, you ask? Well, Operation Lights Out is the new movement to get him to #1 on the charts for all he's given us on the internet. I figured why not participate - I've been rick rolled a few times, and hey the song isn't too bad. VERY excited for some dancy remixes of this song - just wait.

We Tried to Fight

2010-09-01T10:40:00.000-04:00

We all tried to fight it, but it was bound to happen. Whether you like it or not, Cee Lo's F**K You has gone viral, and SiriusXMU has picked it up, which means soon enough it'll be on the pop charts. Gawker wrote a pretty funny article about it, and today the official music video broke loose to the interwebs. So, as your intrepid music finder; here ya go:

Quick Video Update

2010-09-01T00:22:00.001-04:00

   First the real news: Friendly Fires released a cover of Holy Ghost's Hold On as well as a mixtape called Bugged Out. I love this band - everything they make is golden. Here's the new cover:

   So if you're on Twitter (If so follow me @JackKellyIsHip and become cooler) You'll know that Kanye West and Justin Beiber began having some kind of romantic relationship the other day and, well, now they have a baby. Beibye teamed up with good ol' RZA and created this beast below. I don't think I like it, but you might.

   Now, unless you live under and internet rock you've heard about Antoine Dodson's sister and her almost raping (which is horrible, and kind of horrible this viral video has eclipsed it, anyway), if you've followed it at all you'll know the charismatic Antoine's interview was remixed by The Gregory Brothers and actually got on Billboard's Hot 100. Well, now Hayley Williams of Paramore Jordan Pundik of New Found Glory Ethan Luck of Relient K have remixed it. Just check it out:

   Do you remember Ida Maria? They had a pretty popular song about enjoying people's presence while naked, and now they have a new video for their song Oh My God. A Canadian friend actually sent this to me, I believe I overlooked it's release, Thanks Alex! Check it:

Dance Party, Pants Party

2010-08-28T16:24:00.003-04:00

Halfway through the weekend. Time for an update (I don't know what being halfway through the weekend has to do with anything...I just write when I get bored or find some new music that I like). We'll start off with a little Bruno Mars; I've already explained that I like his sound and can't wait for his album, Doo-Wops & Hooligans (AWESOME name!) to come out on October 5th. His new single, Just the Way You Are isn't exactly "Dance Party, Pants Party" type music, but to all the guys out there....it'll get you laid. Don't believe me? Try it. Prove me wrong.

On to some more upbeat stuff; unless you actually believe that the world is going to end in 2012. If this includes you, you may be better off skipping this song. Jay Sean ft. Nicki Minaj. I have always been a little iffy on Nicki Minaj's voice, but there's no doubt that her lyrics are some of the best/most original out right now. This should have been the theme song to the movie 2012...although somehow, I don't think it would fit in.

While we're talking about Nicki Minaj, we'll throw in a little more from her. At first, I didn't think I liked this song, but it's definitely grown on me. Bottoms Up by Trey Songz and Nicki Minaj. It's starting to seem like Nicki Minaj just likes to be featured on other peoples songs instead of doing her own stuff (I know, she has some of her own songs out...but they aren't too great).

Unless you went to Warped Tour this year, you probably haven't heard much of the band Hey Monday. The West Palm, Florida based band kinda has a Kelly Clarkson sound...but better. I think I heard I Don't Wanna Dance on the radio recently, so I've decided to pass it on to you. Enjoy.

Finally, since we like to pretend that everyone loves Katy Perry as much as we do, I'm gonna stick another song from her on here. It's actually appropriate for today...Last Friday Night(TGIF). What happened to you last Friday night?

Remember High School?

2010-08-26T11:04:00.000-04:00

So Spinner.com just released a list of the "Top 10 High School Music Videos" ever...
10: Britney Spears - Baby One More Time
9: Diamond Rings (Who is that!?) - Show Me Your Stuff
8: Nada Surf - Popular
7: Pearl Jam - Jeremy
6: She and Him - In the Sun
5: Chiddy Bang - Opposite of Adults
4: Missy Elliot: Gossip Folks
3: Free Energy: Bang Pop
2: Van Halen - Hot for Teacher
1: Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit
Here's the list on their page
[Img via nickydigital.com - from the Bang Pop video]

Really? Well, I don't think I agree with this list very much. Maybe if you're judging purely on high school content in the videos but Nirvana at #1? Listen, just because high school has become an excuse to freak out your parents by dressing in plaid, talking about the 90s, and painting your nails black doesn't mean everyone loves Nirvana. Or does it?

Anyway in FAR more interesting news: Jimmy Eat World's new record drops September 28th and you can head over to Antiquiet.com to hear their new single My Best Theory (Which is great). Hear the song here

La Musica

2010-08-24T15:23:00.005-04:00

Today's special; Teeny Boppers! We'll start off with Selena Gomez. The Disney star made it big with her show The Wizards of Waverly Place, then did some cheesy made-for-tv movies. Well now she decided to try her hand at music...and seems to be doing a pretty good job of it. Round and Round is her latest single out.

NEXT UP! Miranda Cosgrove, another child actress-turned-musician. This one started out on Nickelodeon with a few supporting roles and then her lead role in iCarly....don't ask me how I know this. She decided to try her luck at music, and it seems to be working out pretty well for her as well.

This next one isn't actually a Teeny Bopper. She's actually my future wife. Don't worry, she'll know when the time comes. Taylor Swift is coming out with a new album, scheduled for October 25th, called Speak Now. I don't see how it's physically possible for anyone (other than Kanye) to dislike Taylor. Her new single, Mine came on the radio recently and I immediately LOVED it.

Taylor Swift - Mine

The next two songs don't really fit in the original category, but oh well. Just listen to the music. If you're in college (Freshmen, welcome), and you've attended at least one party recently, you've heard this song. Ke$ha is the trashy, but in a hot way, type of girl that you want to keep around, but not really take home to mommy and daddy. And for that, I love her. I have a feeling that this song is going to lead to a lot of people getting naked.

Finally, this song isn't exactly mainstream. Lead to Gold is a relatively little-known band based out of Gainesville, FL. I heard this song from a friend and immediately loved it; hopefully this will help get their name out there a bit more!

(Look, they have a Myspace.)

Slipping The Cracks

2010-08-23T20:30:00.000-04:00

How did I forget to post this? In keeping with our constant Katy Perry stream, here is her new video for Teenage Dream. I talked with a few people the other day about the video and we were all wondering - why not just put Russell Brand in the video as the guy? Maybe because he's not the gristle looking dude here but hey not my video, right? (PS, this is that dumb MTV embed so just struggle through their commercial).

Katy Perry - New Music - More Music Videos

Is there anything better than Katy Perry and old cars? Geez.

Video

2010-08-23T19:28:00.000-04:00

Remember Of Montreal's new song Coquet Coquette? Well here's the video for it. This shit is weird. This band is weird. I'm sure it's some artsy thing I don't understand:

Conan O'Brien

2010-08-23T19:06:00.000-04:00

Check out a preview of Conan O'Brien's collaboration with Jack White on Pitchfork.com: Go here!

http://pitchfork.com/news/39836-listen-conans-spoken-word-single/

The preview is only up for 24 hours apparently so get in on it. It's him speaking like Dr. Frankenstein; it's interesting.
[Image and article via Pitchfork]

A Couple Videos

2010-08-21T18:58:00.002-04:00

   Alright so here is a good example of me slacking off the past couple weeks. With the last year of school starting and all, I've been a tiny bit busy and sadly the fun of listening to music falls to the wayside far too often! Anyway, I have been getting some songs for you to hear. The first is a crazy Katy Perry and Phil Collins mashup that hit the internet sometime last week. It's pretty well done - check it out:

   The next thing I have for you is this crazy new video from Yeasayer for their song Madder Red. A lot of people are talking about how weird this video is with the Kristen Bell/weirdo monster thing. I think the song is great, if not a little sad, and I heard some REO Speedwagon today and (never thought I'd say this) it reminded me of the song.

   Finally, The Ting Tings have new music. I'm actually pretty excited about that - even as repetitive as they can be, those two rock, in my opinion. So for that, here's Hands, which was one of the top downloaded songs this week, from their upcoming album. Here's an embed from Some Kind of Awesome
The Ting Tings - "Hands" by Some Kind of Awesome
   "Clap your hands if you're working too hard" - this is me clapping my hands.

   BONUS: Just found this song, which, people are saying, would have been the summer smash hit if it dropped a month ago or so - but it didn't, so this is Cee-Lo Green's F*ck You. It's got a definite summer groove, an odd bridge, but I could definitely see it catching on in a very similar way that "mambo number 5" did. Anyway:

Thursday

2010-08-13T00:23:00.000-04:00

Ok so today was an interesting day. Despite my attempts to make it a happy day, at first, the day began pretty shitty. So, as I was miserably driving around today a couple bands I'd never heard of graced my ears. Good music always turns my days around.

Port O'Brien is a folky indie group out of California that has a really great sound. The band has toured with the likes of Nada Surf, Modest Mouse, and more - which surprises me that they haven't become more known. M. Ward, the Him side of he and Zooey Deschanel's She and Him rated Port O'Brien as his favorite new band in 2008. The band's newest album is called Threadbare. go pick it up! (if you aren't immediately in love, keep listening...I think you will be).
Here's the single that caught me onto the band I Woke Up Today

And here's is the band's video for their newest single My Will is Good:

Next we have a band that actually scares me a little bit.

Ariel Pinks Haunted Graffiti is a freak-folk band from, I think, L.A. and they're quite interesting. I'll admit, usually I'm biased and when I see a long named band I sometimes get leery. Especially when it sounds weird. And APHG is definitely weird...I'm afraid I may dream of carousels tonight, but hey, check this out and give it a chance.
Ariel Pinks Haunted Graffiti - Round and Round

The other two bands I wanted to write about tonight, I've decided not to; so I'll say this: I heard a live performance the other day called "Matt Morris/Mighty Kate". There was no description other than that, they had pretty great vocals, and an intense, great drummer - it got me interested. So I've been researching and they're two separate bands. Both are good, neither are really completely my taste, but it's nothing I'd flick the channel from. So with that said I say go check out Matt Morris:

http://www.myspace.com/mattmorris

and also check out Katy Pffafl, or Mighty Kate:

http://www.myspace.com/mightykatemusic

Mighty Kate's page looks like it could use some traffic, so, uh, get on that, wouldja?

A Quicky

2010-08-12T13:07:00.003-04:00

Not gonna be much writing in this post, just a ton of videos...which is the point of this blog, is it not?

Mike Posner's first big album, 31 Minutes to Takeoff just dropped on the 10th; I've listened to a few songs and really like it so far. If you like his first single, Cooler Than Me, you'll like the rest. Here's his next single, Please Don't Go.

Ke$ha also has a new single out. Here's Take it Off. God I love this girl.

I don't think I should like this song, but it really grew on me. New Boyz ft. Iyaz with Break My Bank.

Finally, Jack and his love for Katy Perry will like this one. This is her new single, Teenage Dream. It's not going to be as huge as California Gurls was and it's a little less upbeat, but you can't really go wrong with Katy Perry.

2010-08-12T01:03:00.002-04:00

Four Years Strong debuted their video for Tonight We Feel Alive (On a Saturday) the other day and here it is:
For a great HD version check our PureVolume:
http://www.purevolume.com/fouryearstrong/videos/133299/Tonight+We+Feel+Alive+On+A+Saturday%29

I just ran into this video by..some daughter of some hedgefund billion/millionaire friend of Bill Clinton's. I don't know anything about it - I don't want to know anything about it, but pretty much I've decided my life has been a lie up until seeing this video. Now everything just feels...better. Music can stop trying now because this girl has won. She's won music. Yup. Someone give this girl a trophy, like one of those "triumphant boy on top on soccer ball" trophies, except it will be her conquering a music note. Geez.

In other news, I'm still acting like I'm incapacitated from losing my wisdom teeth/moving into a new house. Expect real updates sometime within next week.

New Project!

2010-08-09T23:41:00.000-04:00

Ok, Updates soon to come..had some dental work and I've been recovering. In the meantime...check out the new project..it's a work in progress, but it's going to be great! http://twitter.com/HipManFacts

Seriously Not Serious

2010-07-31T22:47:00.000-04:00

Ok So I'm posting this for a multitude of reasons. To preface this, I'm currently in North Carolina driving back to Florida from New Jersey, where I've been for almost two and a half months; with that lead in you'll understand one of the reasons for the following video. The second reason is due to a hilarious experience on the Jersey Shore that I had a couple of weeks ago. If you read my non-musical blog you'll have seen it..if not check it out HERE. Finally, Enrique Iglasias secured his spot in the badass hall of fame, and this blog, by doing THIS. So, it is with those three reasons that I give you the Enrique Iglasias I Like It (Jersey Shore Version). Jersey Shore: America at it's finest.

Boris Yeltsin? Waves? Maps? Big Update!

2010-07-27T22:13:00.003-04:00

So I've been sitting here for the past hour mentally fighting myself about updating but there's just too much to write about so this has to happen. Side note before I begin, whatever movie is on right now, John Cena just jumped from an exploding helicopter into a pool and started kissing some girl. If he wasn't so ridiculous, I'd say that's my life goal. But onto the music! First is a band I've been listening to for a while and, seriously, I think this is one of the most underrated bands. Does the long winded name Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, or SSLYBY for short, ring a bell? No? Well it should from now on. This band has been rocking for just about a decade out of Missouri and man their music is good.
The sound is kind of a calm, upbeat, electric acoustic folky mix with some nice picking action through most of the songs. Their 2008 album Pershing is, in my opinion, on of the best albums around to just hangout and waste some time to. The band had a song on The O.C. before that gem of a serious was canceled (seriously, listen to some of the music in The O.C., Josh Schwartz is a genius), but the band has been mildly silent the past few years. Anyway, SSLYBY has a new album coming out on August 27th and I'm pretty stoked for it. Now, I haven't even attempted to get my hands on an mp3 from this album but if you go to the band's MySpace: http://Myspace.com/boris you can download one of the singles. Do that. Anyway, I'll leave you with one of my favorite songs by the band from the 2008 album.SSLYBY has some hilarious videos on the YouTubes also, if you have a moment.
Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin - Boring Fountain

On a second note, The Narrative, a band this blog loves, dropped their album today. Go pick it up!
http://www.myspace.com/thenarrative

Ok onto the next band. Washed Out is the "lyrical/minimalist" name of Ernest Greene who's been creating chillwave music from Georgia and has been gaining some play and popularity lately. Greene's song tend to make my brain totally zone out - and I love it. Check out You and I below:
Washed Out - You and I

   Next, a band I've been unsure about for a while but more sure than unsure about. Maps & Atlases is a great band that has released a couple EPs, but recently released their first full length album. As I was researching the band to do a write up I came across an amazing review by a blog called The Giant Panther. Head over to their website and read this great write up of the band. In the meantime, check out the song Pigeons from Maps and Atlases's Perch Patchwork below. The Giant Panther - Maps & Atlases - Perch Patchwork
Maps and Atlases - Pigeon

   Finally, if returning readers know anything about me, it's that I'm a massive sucker for pop-punk. Well, a friend suggested that I look into a New Jersey band named Catch Me If You Can. Right now, I guess that's a local band for me, and if you know anything else about me, it's that I'm always for the underdog and the little guy. So, that said, let's get into it. Catch Me If You Can has the good ol' All Time Low-ish vibe and some great melodies that spell big-time for these guys in the future. The band has an EP out entitled If You Can't Stand the Heat... Stay Out of the Kitchen on iTunes and a music video as well. Seeing as the band has only been together for two yearsish, I'd say these boys are doing well for themselves. So, take a look at Catch Me If You Can. Here's their video for Baby, If You Were A Melody:

OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO- "Baby, If You Were A Melody" Catch Me If You Can from Inspire Me Pictures on Vimeo.

   Lastly, I know the mp3s on the site are screwed up in recent posts. I'm working on a fix, so stay tuned.
-Jack

Ra Ra News!

2010-07-25T15:26:00.000-04:00

So as my time here in New Jersey draws to a close I'm finding myself ridiculously busy in the last week. So, this may be my last post for about a week - and it should have come a few days ago. Anyway, if you're friends with me on the Facebooks, you'll know I wasultra excited the other night for something. That something? New Ra Ra Riot. Ra Ra Riot is great and when it leaked out that they had new music coming out, it made my day. So the band has given us a little teaser and released a three song EP named Boy - and I love it. Here's the single, Boy
Ra Ra Riot - Boy

famoussoundingwords (I attempted to reblog this from Pretty Much Awesome)
Ra Ra Riot - “Boy” download

In other news I'm pretty sure there was definitely some new hellogoodbye on Royal Pains last week.

Finally, check out Little Joy. They're a band out of Los Angeles and appropriately were form by Rodrigo Amarante, the singer and guitarist from Los Hermanos and Fabrizio Moretti, the drummer of The Strokes. They have a unique, great sound - check it out:

Finally, this means that all of The Strokes have their own separate projects. New music soon next year, they say, I'm interested to see the result.

In a Dance Party Mood

2010-07-15T21:15:00.010-04:00

So as the title may hint at, I've been in a bit of a dance party mood lately. Some of this I heard on the radio (I'm sure a lot of you have already) and the others I found while I was sitting at home letting my brain rot out from boredom. Well, I've really got nothing else to say...let's get to it.

There's not too much known about this girl. She seems to be getting a lot of attention with her new (and only?) single Better Than Her.

Here's Matisse...

Nexties! Ok, everyone at some point in their life has liked Weezer (unless you're hitting 50+ golden years of age...). Unfortunately, Weezer hasn't put an actual album out in about a year and a half. B.O.B on the other hand seems to have another single out every damn time I turn on the radio. What happens when you mix a hit rapper with the lead singer of Weezer, Rivers Coumo? Magic. Damn I'm corny.

Git Fresh (unfortunately, yes, that's how they spell it...) recently put out a song called She Be Like (Bom Bom Bom). It's catchy as hell, and it's only the SIXTH song to sample Suzanne Vega's Tom's Diner. Which is creepy as hell, if you actually watch the original video. Anyways, here's the song.

Finally, I'm sure most people have already heard this song, so it really needs no introduction. So, I'm going to do it anyways. Taio Cruz, Dynomite.

Fin

Feist Narrative

2010-07-15T15:28:00.012-04:00

So it's another slow music day, but fear not: I've got two things for you.

First we have a band called the The Narrative. Head over to AbsolutePunk to hear an exclusive track entitled Winter's Coming from their upcoming self titled album The Narrative. The song is a great track and reminds me of the old piano driven Something Corporate with some Death Cab-y influence.

Click Here to listen to the song!

Also, for some more music, check out The Narrative's website and MySpace at:
www.thenarrativemusic.com and
http://www.myspace.com/thenarrative
I don't know about you guys, but when the new self-titled album drops on July 27th, I'll be ordering a copy..(I suggest you do the same).

Next is a song from Feist entitled My Moon My Man off of The Reminder. Now, I know this album came out in 2007, but I'd never seen the video before today...and it's brilliant. Notice the first two minutes or so are all one shot. Awesome:

Here's the MP3: Feist - My Moon My Man

Live Desk Job

2010-07-14T19:54:00.000-04:00

Here's an awesome stripped down performance by Phoenix doing some songs off of Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix for NPR's Tiny Desk Concerts. It's really great.

Hump Day Post

2010-07-14T12:04:00.001-04:00

Man, slow work day, slow news day, slow music day! Luckily I've still got a little music to save your day if you're having an equally as slow day as myself. The First thing I have for you is A Silent Film. And no, not an entire film, they're a band; and a pretty good one at that. Check out their single You Will Leave A Mark of of The City That Sleeps below.
A Silent Film - You Will Leave A Mark

Next, I've been debating posting some funky remixes that I've been hearing lately but let's just do it. Everyone has been trying to remix Two Door Cinema Club lately, but Jean Tonique has put out one of the better remixes that I've heard:
Jean Tonique - What You Know (Two Door Cinema Club Remix)

Now, we have a remix of Metric's Help I'm Alive by The Twelves. Personally the original version of this song didn't strike me as good or bad, but this funky remix is great. The Twelves and Aeroplane are two remixers that never disappoint:
The Twelves - Help I'm Alive (Metric Remix)

Finally, Pretty Much Amazing recently posted their favorite albums of 2010 so far..and it's a pretty good
list. Head over there to hear a single from each album and see what you should be listening to if you want people to actually like you. Pretty Much Amazing's best albums of 2010

Check back as the day goes on! More music may just pop up!

Throwback Jam!

2010-07-13T12:39:00.002-04:00

It's throwback jam time! I heard this song earlier today and remembered it's a pretty great. How can you not like whistling and crazy hand drums? I remember hearing this song on the FM talk radio's indie weekend music show when it first came out and remember whistling it for days after. So, here's Peter, Bjorn & John - Young Folk

Through The Cracks

2010-07-12T19:48:00.004-04:00

I have no idea how I let this slip through the cracks. Tokyo Police Club, or a band this blog loves, has a new video for their single Wait Up off of Champ. I love fun videos, and dogs, and Tokyo Police club so this video makes me smile. Check it out!

Also through the cracks: Remember Brandon Flowers solo project we posted about a while ago? Well the video for Crossfire ,the single, is out - and its also awesome. Ninjas and Charlize Theron? I'm pretty sure my dreams just came true watching this video. Also, apparently Brandon Flowers can't fight his way out of a paper bag - but hey, if Theron would save me in that situation, I wouldn't fight either.

Woo Breaking Update! Best Coast, Kid Cudi, and Vampire Weekend have made a song together! It's for Converse's Three Artists One Song campaign. Check it out over at Spin: Spin and download the single from Converse's website: Converse So much good music today!
Three posts in one day! Unheard of!

Is California Gurls Tik Tok ?

2010-07-12T18:51:00.003-04:00

I don't normally post things like this, but it's pretty interesting. I mean, you can't expect dance-y club songs to sound too different. But a dj mixed the songs on top of one another and, well, check out the result!

It's not unthinkable that these songs could have been ripped off each other, but its highly unlikely that either one copied the other for a multitude of reasons but simply time as well. Tik Tok has been plugging the airwaves since August of last year believe it or not - while California Gurls was dropped in early May of this year. California Gurls was written in response to Empire State of Mind which dropped in October last year which, admittedly is 2 months after Ke$ha's song dropped, but I call nay upon this

Scary

2010-07-12T12:13:00.001-04:00

So, as a rule I don't really listen to Of Montreal. Why, you ask? They're just so outgoing and excited about making music. How un-indie. They scare me a bit. My friends that like them, scare me a bit. Their songs tend to scare me a bit. But if you're a frequent reader here you know I don't really not listen to things. It's just not in the genetic make up over here. So, while listening to some music I came across Coquete Coquette by Of Montreal, and I have to say. It sounds different from what I've heard from them. It's got a great bass line and some catchy lyrics. I admit, I really like this song. I'm sure that the band will have some insane video and performance to go along with it, but taking the song at face value - I'm down with it. I'm actually in the midst of maybe getting a new media player for this website so with that said I'm just going to leave a static YouTube video of the song. Even the picture they put up is scary. Fish and guns? That's like surf and war. Check out the song below:

Executive Officers

2010-07-09T13:33:00.001-04:00

Yesterday, as I was mindlessly driving home I heard a song from a band I had never heard of before. Now, I don't know a lot, but I know a lot of bands, so to discover something totally new, that actually sounds pretty good is exciting. It's actually one of the most exciting things I do: because I love finding new music. Doing so just keeps life exciting. Anyway, so the band I heard was CEO which is apparently a new solo project from Eric Berglund of The Tough Alliance. The song I heard was entitled Come With Me. Now, I'll usually write down something I heard and like so that I can look it up, but rarely do I actually remember to look it up, or continue to write it down so I don't forget. But this time I did! And man, I'm pretty happy about it. The song Come With Me has a neat sound, and an interesting sample that I can't figure out if I like or not. Give it a listen and tell me what you think.

CEO's album White Magic is out now.

All Time Gaga

2010-07-07T11:58:00.000-04:00

All Time Low does Alejandro pretty well

Ya Know, Just Some Beats

2010-07-06T20:49:00.004-04:00

Well hello everyone. I hope your 4th of July was great, I definitely got my American Pride on; I can only hope you did as well. So, it has been ages since we here at Attempts At Hip did a review of a band/album so when Benny Loco got in touch with us about his upcoming album Just Some Beats Vol. 1 we jumped.

Benny Loco hails from good ol' Boulder, Colorado. Does that ring a bell? Well, 3OH!3 hail from the same place. So, whether you like 3OH!3 or not, you know people in that town know how to put some beats together. Anyway, let's get to our main character here. Benny Loco has an electronica/hip-hop sound that blends together in a masterfully complicated way. There's no harmonica+iPhone app+bathroom vocals+Garageband anywhere near this one. And I know that's what you thought when you first saw electronica too - so kick that thought out and let's get down to business. Just Some Beats Vol. 1 is a strong 15 track album full of beautifully layered songs that never seem to disinterest the listener. I've been writing on various blogs for about three hours now and every time the album kicks off I'm actually a little frustrated because I can't figure out which song to start with again.

Now, I'm not an enormous eletronica/hip-hop combo fan for the exclusive fact that I'm about as scatterbrained as if a bird were to take 5-Hour Energy, do some illegal substances, and then try to do some math. What I'm say is: I get bored easily with boring music. This is not boring music. And that's a great change. The music honestly reminds me sometimes of Ratatat except more percussion and synth driven whereas with Ratatat you get heavy midi guitars. Which are great, but sometimes boring, honestly. The first song on Just Some Beats is entitled In Demand and really starts the album off strong. Every layer to the song is interesting and gives you that "I'm not 100% committed yet but I can't skip this" feeling. You know the one I'm talking about. A couple other stand out songs on the album are Bike Ride and Meta-Blap both of which demand your attention when they come on.
So that is Benny Loco at a glance. My synopsis: Badass electronica/hip-hop. I'm 99% sure this is going to be my go-to for some good work music and music I don't have to crane my neck to listen to. This is good stuff. Just Some Beats Vol. 1 is out soon so pick it up asap. You can download the album soon from Hairy Sloth Records which I'll link below. I'll leave you with a stream of In Demand and Champions. Check those out as well as Benny Loco's MySpace below:
http://www.myspace.com/bennylocomusic
http://hairyslothrecords.com/
Benny Loco - In Demand
Benny Loco - Champions

Finally, I'm apparently on Twitter now. So if for some reason you cannot get enough of me, or Attempts At Hip, or the myriad other pieces of my web-life. Follow along @JackKellyIsHip (http://twitter.com/JackKellyIsHip)

Maroon's Misery

2010-07-02T11:32:00.001-04:00

Welp, a video just dropped for Maroon 5's Misery. I'm definitely into this song. Check it out:

Maroon 5 - New Music - More Music Videos

Somewhat a typical Maroon 5 video with Adam Levine getting beat up by a gorgeous girl. I guess an upbeat song about being miserable should have a video like this but, A few things to be inferred:
1)This smokin' girl really hates Maroon 5
2)Maroon 5 really hates Chevy Cavaliers
3)Maroon 5 really likes to be hit by cars
Whatever, just nice to have a video.

Gymnastics

2010-07-01T09:33:00.000-04:00

Um. This is a video teaser for someone..for some album..coming out..yesterday, I think? Wait, were there even words in that video?

Geographically Speaking

2010-06-29T22:19:00.001-04:00

Alright, I wasn't going to write about these guys but I'm really digging the sound. When one listens to a song for the first time and is already singing along by the end of it, you know that band is worth a listen.

I honestly don't have a ton of information on the band Geographer, but they hail from San Fransisco and have a great synthy/real percussion sound. The band released a 7" last year and has followed up this year with Animal Shapes: a six song EP that has an awesome sound. I'm really into it. Lead singer Mike Deni has a fantastic voice and uses it to the peak of ability on this album. I'll be really excited if this band gets big - they definitely deserve it. Check out their MySpace and check out the single Kites below.

http://www.myspace.com/geographermusic

Geographer - Kites

(Image from music.is-amazing.com/mp3 streamed from strangerdance.com)

Not about pickles or babies

2010-06-29T00:28:00.003-04:00

Well hello again. I got some pretty good feedback from my first post last week and it got me really excited to get back on here and throw some more music in your face. Let me start off with a disclaimer to my last post; I put up the video for Travie McCoy's Billionaire and talked about the album a little bit. Well, in the time since then, I've had a chance to listen to the whole thing, with slightly disappointing results. While I'm not saying that it's anything bad, it's just not exactly what I was expecting out of him. There are a few hits on there however that I'm sure you'll hear coming on the radio in the future, and it is definitely still worth a listen.

On to bigger and better things. Flo Rida (God, I love/hate that name...I can't decide) has recently come out with a song that will probably end up being as popular as Applebottom Jeans was a few years ago. Teaming up with David Guetta, the guy who hopped on with Akon to do Sexy Chick, he made this catchy song.

Next, I don't think that One Republic is really anyone's favorite band, but they tend to pop out a hit every now and then that makes people pay attention to them for a while. Off the most recent album, Waking Up, Secrets is the second single that has made it big. It has the typical One Republic feel; slow string instruments in the start, with a really catchy chorus. All-in-all, a pretty good song...although the video makes no sense.

I'm SUPERRRRR excited about this next song. This girl has QUICKLY begun battling Taylor Swift to be my future wife. Essentially the female Adam Young (Owl City), Valerie Poxleitner makes up the electronica band Lights...in fact, she legally changed her name to Lights. I heard the song Savior in the car today and automatically fell in love with her voice. Then I get home and look up the video...AND SHE'S SMOKING HOTTTTTT!!!!!! I'm going to marry this girl.

I'll leave you on that note...I will be looking up more from her in the very near future.

Hyper

2010-06-27T22:08:00.002-04:00

So, admittedly it doesn't take much for me to blog about a song, but it generally has to be something I'm actually into and that I feel like other people should listen to because, ya know, it'll broaden musical horizons or something like that. Anyway, generally when I drive home from work it seems like awfully uninteresting music is on; so I usually relegate myself to the dance music channel hoping for a good remix of a song. Well, it's not often that totally random songs have awesome remixes but lately there's been one circulating that I've been pretty down with. Hyper Crush is a dance-y electro group from Los Angeles who have been working the dance scene since 2006. They Actually opened for Lady Gaga on here European tour. Lately, Hyper Crush has been blowing up on the dance channels due to a remix of their -already pretty good- single Keep Up. the Keep Up (Tony Arxadon Mix) has been circulating all over and I gotta say, I really enjoy it. It's one of those great drive-at-night-with-the-windows-down songs. Plus, I can definitely see a club going crazy for this song. Anyway, I'm going to leave you with the music video for Keep Up, but also with a download link/stream from GetHypedOnThis

Hyper Crush - Keep Up (Tony Arzadon Mix)

Out of the Ordinary

2010-06-25T12:27:00.002-04:00

So, I don't usually update this site about anything but music, but I'm all about helping out when I can; so this morning I received a message from a friend I figured Attempts At Hip should be involved. So, what is it? Well let's find out.

Baby Pickel is an organization devoted to helping single parents. By their figures there are 10,404,000 families lead by a single Mother and 2,501,000 by single Fathers. And that's a ton! Baby Pickel provides affordable clothing for children and their lead product is called the "Pickel Jar" which is a mason jar filled with whatever a new-born, or young, child needs. Now, I'm pretty terrified of babies, but this organization partners with the Alpha Pregnancy Center to provide free pregnancy tests, parenting classes, material aide and more; they truly are a great cause. Anyway, Check them out here at Baby Pickel. Anyway, I'll step off my soapbox here..check out Baby Pickel if you get a chance. New music to come!

The M's

2010-06-24T20:28:00.003-04:00

So I am exhausted, but that just means it's time that I need to update you on the music I've heard lately. I've been traveling the past four days so I've missed some updating time, but I've got a couple great songs from two of my favorite bands tonight.

First is Mute Math. I love this band. Like, I will go far out of my way to hear this band. I heard this song a couple months ago when the band released a live version of it but didn't post it because I wasn't too into it. I'm still not totally sold on it - they have other way better songs in my opinion - but it's different for them and one song they wrote before most of their music that is currently popular, or even recorded. The band just never found a place for this song to fit. So, without further ado, I give you The Fight by Mute Math. (I don't know how long this song will stay online, if it doesn't I'll get it back, don't fret)

Mute Math - The Fight

Next, another one of my favorite bands. While you may judge me for it a little bit (or a lotta bit), I enjoy Maroon 5 a lot. I admit it. I've been pretty excited to hear what they've been up to since I heard new music was coming and finally caught the single today entitled Misery. Because this is hilarious, I'm going to leave you with a fan video of the song which I really hope the band picks up and runs with.

Finally, though this band doesn't have a name starting with "M", I've been meaning to update about this song for a week or two now. The Constellations are a band out of good 'ol Atlanta, Georgia and have a super catchy single out entitled Felicia. The song has some good humored crude lyrics that I love and this one will definitely get stuck in your head. I immediately thought of the classic Mambo #5 after hearing this one! Plus, I'm always down for a video full of pin-up-esque girls. Definitely. Maybe Katy Perry should work with these guys; just a suggestion. I really hope The Constellations are not a "one-hit wonder", because I think they've got some talent. So embedded from Ourstage.com here's their video for Felicia.

Anyway, leave your opinions in the comments! We'd love to hear from you!

Also, let me say I'm very excited to have Corey bringing us the news on Pop and Hip Hop. Also, Our other writers Paul and Tyce should be updating soon. We'll be viable again!

Triple Digits!

2010-06-20T23:07:00.000-04:00

First off, let me start by introducing myself; I will be your new Pop/Hip-hop correspondent. I do a lot of driving and haven't had a chance to hook up my iPod (Blackberry) cord in my car. So I listen to a lot of radio. Believe it or not, you can find some decent music through that outlet...rarely, but it happens.

Second, and more importantly, this is our 100th post! Toss confetti, blow your vuvuzelas and kiss your loved ones. Now, on to the important things.

When Jack let me know that he wanted me to start writing for this, I actually felt incredibly privileged. Even though it's still somewhat of a fledgeling blog, Attempts at Hip has quite the decent following. I hope that you followers will enjoy my segments just as much as Jack and Paul's. I had to think a lot about what I would write about for my inaugural post. Travie McCoy has been on the top of my list of artists since his days running Gym Class Heroes. His first solo album, Lazarus, just came out a few weeks ago, along with the official video for the single Billionaire.

Get used to seeing more of him from me. Bruno Mars has also been added to my list of artists to watch. He's already got an EP out, with a studio album rumored to be released sometime later in the year.

Most of you know that before Lil Wayne got shipped off to jail, he made a pretty awful rock album. For some reason, I was going back and listening to a few songs from it recently and came across one that got my attention. This is Knockout with Nicki Minaj.

Mike Posner is one of these rising stars who looks like he might be off to something pretty big, especially at such a young age; he just graduated from Duke University. Most people have heard his song out now called Cooler than Me...if not, here it is.

His first album called 35 Minutes to Takeoff is scheduled to come out on August 3rd. Hopefully some more good songs will come along with it.

Finally, another young upcomer, The Ready Set; a one-man (kid?) project by 20 year old, Jordan Witzigreuter. I actually heard the song Love Like Woe on the way home from work today, and even in a dreary, Florida-5:00-thunderstorm drive, this kinda pepped me up. Some of his other songs didn't quite do it for me, but it's pretty damn good for the most part.

That's all I'll leave you with for tonight, hopefully you'll enjoy my posts as much as the others.

A Trend

2010-06-18T11:47:00.001-04:00

So Foals new album Total Life Forever is out. I read an article the other day saying that in the past few months a lot of bands have been releasing albums that show how they have "grown up" and among the bands talked about was Foals; and I couldn't agree more. Along with Foals I feel like Cartel's new album could fall into this category and probably Tokyo Police Club as well, though they kept their trademark sound.
Foals has a their second video and single out from Total Life Forever and the track is Miami. I've posted the rather bizarre video below, but then again it is Foals so even though I feel like the video got switched with some Daddy Yankee video, I'm sure it's profound in its own way.

Anyway, when I was in middle school a radio station I used to listen to would do this daily contest where they would link up three songs from random bands, tell you nothing about them and then have you figure out what the connections between the three songs were. Well I won't leave you in the dark about the connection of these three songs that I'm about to post. All of these songs are about Miami; and they're all from very different bands. Apparently there's something special about Miami.

Interesting. Also, GO USA!

Absent Killer?

2010-06-17T10:34:00.001-04:00

So Brandon Flowers, the lead man for The Killers let out his first sing from his solo debut album Flamingo a couple of days ago. The single apparently got leaked to a radio station who played it which made the record company none too happy, so the single has been pulled off most online sites..but it is still up on YouTube for the time being..give it a listen. Really, it just sounds like The Killers..just no Killers are present aside from the murderer himself, Flowers. Word has it that Flamingo will drop in September, but there's no official info on really...anything about that album. Give this a listen...Tell us what you think in the replies!

[Image via PMA]

Wednesday Videos

2010-06-16T13:56:00.000-04:00

Firstly, I've stopped working currently because Neon Trees has a video covering Justin Beiber's Baby and it makes the song sound amazing. Neon Trees has sounded great lately but this song actually shows that they're really talented in my opinion - they actually made this song worthwhile.

Four Years Strong has a new video for It Must Really Suck To Be Four Year Strong Right Now. I can't embed it but check it out here:
http://grafwall.indiestar.tv/2010/06/music-video-four-year-strong-it-must.html

Katy Perry and Snoop Dogg's new video for California Gurls came out today and amid all the hype about how "awesome" the video was supposed to be it ends up being kind of...well I'll let you decide. Let me just reiterate: Katy Perry is gorgeous.

Katy Perry - New Music - More Music Videos

Finally, Passion Pit has released a video for Sleepyhead, I, personally, don't like live compilation videos at all..I know your fans like you and I'm sure you could have had an interesting idea for a video but whatever, at least this one is well done.