Lappy's Top 25 Most Played

I have two itunes libraries.  The oldest, on the family computer, is really a subset of the newer one on my laptop.  Though some may view it as excessive, I see it as nessecary.  I use both computers when I'm at home, and my ipod is synced to the subset library (as the one on the laptop is pushing 28 GBs).  Anyways, here is a somewhat accurate depiction of what I am listening to the most.  But five guesses which album I bought around the time I got the lappy....

25. This Love, This Hate - Hollywood Undead
24. Sally's Song - Fiona Apple
23. American Pie - Don McLean
22. Roman's Revenge - Nicki Minaj feat. Eminem
21. Safe In The Dark / Skeleton's Lullaby - Ludo
20. Paradise Lost - Hollywood Undead
19. Bottle and a Gun - Hollywood Undead
18. Rolling In The Deep - Adele
17. White Chords (Forest Swords Remix) - These New Puritans
16. Baby It's Cold Outside - Glee Cast
15. Snake Seer - Blood Warrior
14. Coil - Opeth
13. All The Stars In Texas - Ludo
12. Everywhere I Go - Hollywood Undead
11. I Am Dmitri Karamazov And The World Is My Father - Protest The Hero
10. Alejandro - Lady Gaga
9. Lazy Susan - Sweet Thing
8. Ghost - Fefe Dobson
7. No. 5 - Hollywood Undead
6. The Northern - Alexisonfire
5. Homecoming - Kanye West
4. Conquest - Patti Page
3. Shots - LMFAO feat. Lil Jon
2. The New Workout Plan - Kanye West
1. Anything For You - Ludo

Bag Raiders - Shooting Stars

Electronic genius is sometimes sitting in the depths of your music library, festering until the moment that it comes on during shuffle.  This is exactly what has just happened.  I wasn't planning to post until I got home from an outing later today, but as I was finishing up on the family computer, "Shooting Stars" by Bag Raiders came on.  It's an old favourite that I've had for a while, compared to the 270-something songs in my Recently Added playlist.  I've mentioned a few electronic gods before.  Bag Raiders...they are electronic gods.

"Shooting Stars" is, however, electronic for people who dont' like the typical throbbing bass, screaming synths electronic that is nearly impossible to avoid these days.  With music that reminds you of the easy level in a Mario game or a hard level in Spyro, it's airy and brings you up into the sky...coincidentally with the shooting stars.  There are lyrics, but I think that "Shooting Stars" could stand alone as a purely "instrumental" piece.  However, the rising climax (with speed and intensity) ends with beautiful lyrics. 

Give my love to the shooting stars because Bag Raiders have this in...well, the bag.

Lonely Drifter Karen - A Roof Somewhere

Welcome back, world!  After a weekend gone missing, I return with a lovely indie song for you to listen to.  In nearly two and a half minutes, Austrian-Spanish-Italian-and-Belgian band Lonely Drifter Karen grabs your attention with a subdued ditty.  Requesting the title "roof somewhere" with quick piano chords tapping in the background, this proves that there is more to the indie genre than a slew of male-fronted quintets.  Lead chanteuse Tanja Frinta has a voice that I can somewhat compare to a European Sarah McLachlan on a higher register, though really, that means very little.

Lonely Drifter Karen does something unique in "A Roof Somewhere", focusing on neither the vocals or instruments, but weaving both together in some sort of crude symphony.  There are the verses, where Ms. Frinta croons over that lovely piano, but the chorus is percussion and more piano-heavy.

Be careful listening; before you know it, the song will have come to an end.  All I want is for it to be longer, but do not fret! There is plenty Lonely Drifter Karen out there.

to those reading....i know you're out there! stats don't lie!

Being a student, I'm always strapped for cash and my dad has forbidden me from getting a credit card (my name is Laura, and I am a shopaholic).  But you!  Yes, you!  You have a credit card, don't you?  No?  Well, you're most likely American (most of you reading are!) and possess a check book!  Then you can help out, and get some perks in the process!

Go to: http://www.indiegogo.com/Help-Ian-McGlynn-record-his-new-LP-Now-Were-Golden and help out Ian McGlynn, an artist I've featured here before.  Donate what you'd like (minimum $10) and get a copy of his album at the least!  Though I am deeply saddened that I can't contribute to this, I hope to at least get some others to help.  So do me a favor: go to the website, look through the list of perks (some are pretty nice) and donate what you can.  If you're unable to, at least spread the word.

Stay awesome.

Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues

Firstly, I must apologize for an unannounced absence, but you know how the world is.  Thunderstorms roll in, knocking out your internet providor's services...and you're left to find something else to do on days when I probably could be on my laptop all day.  As well, I apologize in advance for an absence on Saturday and Sunday, though things will get back to normal on Monday.

How will I make it up to you, the world?  Simple.  I am sharing one of my many hidden gems; the diamond of my song collection.  Fleet Foxes' beautiful, stunning, simplistic indie folk song, "Helplessness Blues."  Beginning: I was raised up believing I was somehow unique, like a snowflake distinct among snowflakes, and meek in each way you could see in a nearly a capella fashion, an acoustic guitar is subtly introduced, followed by by slight vocal harmonies.  Simplistic, yes, but freaking-amazing-diddly.

This is how music should be done.  No computer.  Hell, no drums either.  And you keep away that damn electric guitar.  Here is a song that throws away everything that is wrong with music in this day and shows the world what it's missing.  Five minutes of wonder.  And there is no need for multiple listens here; I give you one minute before your ears begin to weep.

Fucked Up - Queen of Hearts

On the Canadian MuchMusic channel, they air "recommended" videos within the normal flow of videos.  Though I've been within cable since I left school for the summer, I was reunited with my love on vacation, where satellite was provided.  The first recommended video I watched was "Queen of Hearts" by Fucked Up, a Canadian hardcore band that I knew a little bit about because of their association with Alexisonfire.  I have one of their songs, "David Comes To Life" that I thought was fairly good, but is nothing compared to this epic (and the music video....get yourself to youtube and watch it NOW).

This is a love story intertwined with an industrial setting.  Specifically speaking, it is between David, a man coming into a factory, and Veronica, one of the people greeting the newcomers.  Who knew that half of a doomed story like this could be beautifully told by screaming, and signing (Veronica's half is sung by a wondrous Madeline Follin).  Fucked Up understands the use of contrast in the hardcore genre, and makes a wonderful use of it.  I've always been partial to songs like this that use a female vocalist.

No wonder "Queen of Hearts" is recommended.  I see myself going out to buy their latest album, coincidentally called "David Comes To Life" as soon as I'm in the city again (as I have little faith in my small-town Wal-Mart, where I had trouble finding Amy Winehouse albums and essentially anything else that's not Top 40 material).  So what are you doing there?  MuchMusic told you, I told you....LISTEN NOW.

Smod - J’ai Pas Peur Du Micro

Translated: I am not afraid of the microphone.

Another selection from itunes Canada's French song of the week, or chanson de la semaine, "J'ai Pas Peur Du Micro" comes in second only to Ingrid St. Pierre's hauntingly beautiful "Mercure Au Chrome Et P'tits Pansements."  Performed by Smod, a trio from Mali, the song is performed entirely in their native language, and the French language has almost never sounded better (see last sentence).  French rapping?  I'm unfortunately brought back to gradeschool, where we were forced to listen to the educational stylings of Etienne.  Smod has restored my faith in this niche genre, and like their francophone comrade Miss St. Pierre, they prove that you need not understand the language to understand the beauty.

Combining hip-hop with African flavor, Smod gives us a new side of a genre that rarely ventures from the same formula.  Though I was not able to find the lyrics for translating, it's not crucial for listening.  What is then?  Movement.  This is the kind of song with beats that lift you from your chair and to a floor of some sort that can be used for dancing.  It's quite possible that "J'ai Pas Peur Du Micro" has turned me off from English rap.  Dear Rap World, try a language other than our expected English.  Thank you.

Myself Broke Into Pieces (Naht Cover) - Office of Future Plans

This track comes out of the heart-aching Japan earthquake this year, in a selection where North American artists covered songs originally performed by Japanese artists.  Office of Future plans takes Naht's version, a late-90's alternative piece that eerily predicts the North American alternative future, and gives it an unique spin.  Over ten years after the song's first release, it is now something new.  OOFP gives it a lush, orchestral sound while still being alternative.  Blame the string selection.

The verses are slowed down, displaying a strange phenomenon; slow tempo can be just as powerful as anything faster.  "Myself Broke Into Pieces" is a song that may not catch your attention upon one listen, but like many others I've featured here, it plants seeds in your medulla omblongata like a horsefly has wormed its way in through your ear.  Long after it came to me, I still come back to the song on a regular basis, just to remind myself that greatness in music isn't too far away.  "Myself Broke Into Pieces" proves that we, in the entire world, are here to support one another.  Through donations?  Yes.  But through music? No contest.

Claire Maguire - The Last Dance (Chase & Status Remix)

Move over, all other remixes of pop songs ever made.  You are boring, and you will never be as good as the Chase & Status remix of that always lovely Claire Maguire's "The Last Dance."  I've heard a few versions of this tune, and have settled on this rendition as my favourite.  Beginning with the quick pluck of some strings, strings of vocals chopped up and thrown around, we are given a new side of pop.  There is no need to follow the norm.  In this case, creating something new from something already amazing and wondrous proves the apple, or the remix, does not fall far from the tree, or the original.

This version of "The Last Dance" is simply put, a beautiful song.  I credit the strings, but Miss Maguire's voice is something otherworldly and stunning.  This is what people should sing like these days.  You notice the gradual rise present, that comes to a chorus of a climax that is enhanced by the use of an outside party.  My favourite part?  Perhaps the same chopped up vocals from the beginning of the song that seem to appear throughout.  Take a cue from this Britney, Kesha, and the like.  Do what Claire Maguire is doing, remixed or not, and you will regain my respect (except for you Kesha, a wonderful songstress when only paired with a machine).  Is this the last dance?  I want another!

Kanye West feat. Pusha T, Cyhi The Prynce, Big Sean & J. Cole - Looking For Trouble

Fuck a hotel, we rent houses.

G.O.O.D Friday to you all!  For those familiar with the greatest rapper of all time, I'm referencing Kanye's project in which he released a single on Fridays for quite a while.  I now bring you another of my favourites from this slew of songs: "Looking For Trouble" an epic collaboration that has all of the elements needed for a wondrous rap song (in my opinion).  Interesting background tunes and lyrics worth listening to.  Sounds like Mr. West and the team did it again.

Didn't play the cards I was dealt, made the dealer reshuffle.  Royal flush, so kiss my royal nuts.

You might wonder, is there anything wrong with "Looking For Trouble?"  Kanye needs more time to spit rhymes and show off his skills, but this song is more of a collaboration than a featuring single.  By giving all of the players the same amount of game time, no one is competing for the MVP prize.  There is no weakling here.  Though Mr. West does stand out with the seemingly short amount of time he is given, the others are nonetheless brilliant.  And when it's over....you're left to wonder what just happened.  Why is it over?  Press rewind and listen again.

Ninjasonik feat. The Partysquad - Moshpit

Is that another combination of genres that I hear?  Though not as in-your-face as other songs, "Moshpit", a danceable, insanely catchy tune by Ninjasonik, has three different types of music behind this title.  There's electronic pulsing through the chorus, a robotic repetition of jump jump, don't break your neck....jump in the moshpit, break your neck.  You hear a tiny hint of alternative in the verses (yes, those are guitars) along with rapped lyrics.

Though it may sound complicated, it comes across as something wondrous and definitely not as complex as the process of combining 3 genres may be.  Who knew that such a combination would give you something to dance to both in the club, and definitely in a moshpit?  This both restores my faith in the world of rap and makes me want to get out of my chair and do some kind of insane dance move.  I wanna dive off the stage.  I wanna listen to this again.

I See Stars - Wonderland

Sometimes you just need to find some music from a relatively unknown Michigan band, turn up the volume, and listen closely.  During a long drive home at 10:30 p.m Sunday night, "Wonderland" came on the radio.  It's caught somewhere between alternative and post-hardcore with bias towards alternative.  The Warren, Michigan outfit I See Stars even includes some electronic-y bits that remind me of the Attack Attack! songs I love.  And is that some screamo in the bridge?  I am in heaven, or rather, wonderland.

The lyrics?  They aren't the overly-depressing norm that's easy to find with this genre.  You ask me why I'm so blue, I'm holding my breath for you.  "Wonderland" is a fun change from the music I'm listening to as of late, perhaps a reminder of the days where I'd prowl around the internet sampling alternative bands based on how awesome I thought their name was (that ended up being a bit of a hit or miss).  I See Stars does alternative right while still giving their fans the screamo they crave.  I'm excited to hear more from this band, and will be listening to the radio at night more often.

Wombats - Techno Fan (Diplo Remix)

Wombats: an indie band.  Diplo: an electronic god.  What do you get when you put the two together? Brilliance, and nothing else.  I've listened to the original "Techno Fan", and while it was still a good track, it was missing something.  A certain techno element that the song needed in order to have some more relation to the title.  Diplo took it from amazing indie to an amazing blend of two genres (something you have to say I'm partial to, what can I say?).

What is in this amazing blend of indie and techno, perhaps?  Something danceable and catchy.  The majority of the lyrics have been cut, but the best escaped the cutting room floor.  Shut and move with me, move with me, or get out of my face.  Shut up and stay with me, stay with me, or let go of my hand.  the lasers fill our minds with empty plans, I never knew I was a techno fan.  Admittedly, that string of lyrics has been stuck in my head for 2 weeks now.  The remix came into my possession sometime in June (I think), and slipped through the cracks as more songs came in.  Once the familiar beat showed up during a shuffling of the songs, I fell in love again.

I never knew I could be this much of a fan.

Hollywood Undead - Levitate

*Sigh* back after a nice week of vacation, though I have to admit that I might not find the time tomorrow to be consistent again.  Oh well, I try.  I'm a busy beaver for the next week...

Anyways, after a long absence, I bring you another gem from Hollywood Undead's latest album, American Tragedy.  Admittedly, "Levitate" was the first song from the recording that stuck out to me.  Once again, the band flawlessly blends rap with alternative, in some kind of fantastical way that not many other acts can do.  "Levitate" is a rather explicit song if you read between the lines, but it wouldn't have the same effect if it was squeaky-clean.  I can make your body levitate if you let me.

This is what those guys do best.  Without leaning too far into either genre that they draw from, the result is unique.  Amazing.  They take turns spitting rhymes, blowing the listener's mind...can you say genius?  It's no "Bullet", but it's nonetheless stellar.

The Front Bottoms - Maps

There is a map in my room, on the wall of my room, and I've got big big plans.  But I can see them slipping through, almost feel them slipping through the palms of my sweaty hands.

Who knew that a few good lines could draw you in to an amazing song?  The most recent, most-played song I've come across is "Maps" by 2-piece indie-alternative outfit The Front Bottoms.  Hailing form New Jersey, they blend the expected with the unexpected.  Are those strings I hear yawning in the background?  And the quick change in pitch on the word through?  Genius.  You don't often come across something with a wondrous instrumental side as well as brilliant lyrics.  The Front Bottoms do this, and do it well.

I used to love the taste, I would do anything for it, now I'd do anything to get the taste out of my mouth.

The vocals?  Alternative-ish.  The music?  Indie.  The result?  Beautiful.  The Front Bottoms don't conform to a genre that either results in being called a sell-out or just another brick in the wall (which coincidentally plays on the radio as I write this).  This is a two-piece band that lets you know they're here, and this is how they're going to do things.  Beautifully.  But sometimes my rambling can't do a song justice, which is why I let the lyrics speak for themselves.

She sees these visions, she feels emotion.  She says that I cannot go, she sees my plane in the ocean.  And what about your friends, don't you love them enough to stay?  And I say, if I don't leave now then I will never get away.

See you in a week!

Rockwell Knuckles - Silly Human

Today I bring you a second song from the great Rockwell Knuckles, off of one of the best albums I've heard in 2011, You're Fucking Out I'm Fucking In.  It is a plethora of wondrous, catchy rap songs; I've already featured my favourite song from the album, "Play Catch."  You may ask yourself, what could be better than this?  "Silly Human."

Now, I listen to a lot of music.  I know catchy when I hear it.  Catchy burrows into your mind and repeats in your dreams, leaving you to wake up, grab your phone, and text that weird and wonderful mess to the first person you can think of.  Catchy is the chorus of "Silly Human."  I remember the first time I listened to the song (maybe a month or so ago), and even though I only caught bits and pieces, I immediately wanted to know every word Mr. Knuckles was spitting out.  It took two more listens before I was rapping along and scaring my brother and sister at the same time (Laura, you only got this song like...an hour ago!).  Now, you may argue that some songs can't be catchy and fresh forever.  I'd have to disagree with you, because I'm still listening to "Silly Human" regularly.

I can't say anything bad about the verses either.  Though they leave you waiting for that amazing chorus, the combination of quick and smart lyrics with the always good touch of interesting background beats keeps you alert, and entertained. 

If you want music to live forever, Rockwell Knuckles can show you.

OperaBabes - Lakme

Just to be clear, "Lakme" should have an accent on the letter E, but even though I've been using computers for my entire life, I have yet to learn the keyboard shortcuts to create letters with accents and umlauts and whatnot.  My grade school French teacher was right about me...

Anyways, one genre I've failed to showcase thus far is opera.  Sure, it may me synonymous with your grandmother, but the OperaBabes are a little more modern than anything she's listening to in her sitting room right now during a card game with "the girls."  The result of two English sopranos coming together to make the music that they loved; I first heard about them back in the early-to-mid 2000's when opera had a slight surge in popularity.  I didn't get to sample their album until about two months ago, and looking for one track to grab my interest, I found "Lakme", a short version of "The Flower Duet", the complete selection also appearing on the album, but not like this.

It begins like a normal opera song.  Violins....then it gets interesting.  The strings are complimented by fuzzy beats in the background and what sounds like the occasional scratch of a record.  Sure, they're singing like traditional opera singers the whole time, but that background music keeps things both interesting and modern.  The original "Lakme" is what you'd listen to in some kind of wondrous bathing room; this version is what you'd listen to during a wondrous party in the grand room down the hall.

So why don't you give opera a chance this one time?  Recently, I've been seeing another slight surge in the genre's popularity, and here's hoping the OperaBabes finally give us a third album.

Ian McGlynn - Small Town, Big Hearts

The piano is a delicate instrument.  Sure, you can pound away at it and create beautiful things, but tapping only a few keys with a light touch can have the same effect.  Ian McGlynn uses this to give beauty to the ordinary.  His song "Small Town, Big Hearts" is a slow, sad ditty about pitfalls in a small town, where he seems to be the one with the biggest heart of all. 

I'll give you the last verse, just to lure you in:
The sun is reaching through the blinds,
it tricks me out of sleep
I roll over to kiss her cheek,
the pillow waits for me
I rub my eyes, she does her hair,
our lives begin again

Maybe I can't say too much about "Small Town, Big Hearts."  It's nearly a loss of words; an unexplainable idea I have in my head.  This song is just too good for too many words.

Sleeping Bag - Slime

You know that kind of indie that sounds like no one is trying too hard, and the band still achieves greatness? (Well, not in record sales or chart-topping singles, but just well-done music).  Sleeping Bag, the Indiana indie outfit (how well did that work out?) proves that you don't need to be shouting every word at the highest level of your vocal register to make good music.  A simple guitar hook and a croon unlike any croon you've heard before is the formula to success here.

"Slime" is their anthem, or more like an anthem that doesn't want to be an anthem.  Upon first listen, I can admit that I was wondering if this was actually the right song for me.  I kept listening to find a catchy chorus and ending up having that hook stuck in my head for a very long time.  The part that wormed its way into my brain and burrowed in quite deep was the part of the chorus where the title is repeated: every piece of you is slime, slime, slime but you're fine, fine, fine.

Case in point?  This is fine, fine, fine and then some.  And it isn't typical indie either.  Come on, would I ever bring you something typical?