Dice Raw - Bloody Mary

Remember a month or so ago when I featured "Dining Alone" from Dice Raw's The Greatest Rapper Never Vol. 1 mixtape?  Do you also remember when I said that I hard time choosing between a handful of songs?  Well, now it's time for one of those others to shine here.  "Bloody Mary" has actually surpassed "Dining Alone" as my favourite song from the mixtape, and there's nothing wrong with that.  Take one listen, and you'll know why.  Much like the title suggests, Dice follows the seductive temptress that is Bloody Mary and the power she holds over men, even those she's hurt before.  And the chorus?  Oh my god.  I'd be a fool to let you in my arms again.  That's a lyric to sum up the whole song.  Dice keeps it real here too, giving us his brand of melancholy rap that I enjoy hearing so much.  Now, when am I going to get The Greatest Rapper Never Vol. 2?

Charli XCX - Forgiveness

Here's me waving goodbye to the last stressful day of the semester...well, at least that's what I'll be doing at seven o'clock tonight.  Some de-stressing music would be nice, but I'm not sure if that's what you can call today's feature from the UK's Charli XCX.  She performs her own genre known as angel pop which mixes sweet vocals with harsh synth and some bangin' electro beats.  She's the queen of contrast in music right now, that's all I can say.  I got her Super Ultra mixtape a few weeks ago and have been thoroughly enjoying "Forgiveness," since, one of the more toned-down songs of the collection.  Charli croons I can change, I change, I can change, I will try every day, do my best, are you impressed, I am not down with forgiveness.  It's a little sad for what you might expect from angel pop, but these vocals are killer, and since I'm riding an emotional musical kick this week, it fits right in there with the other selections.  I'm down with this.

Mumford & Sons - Broken Crown + Lover Of The Light

Let's flash back to a few years ago.  My sister was raving about a band called Mumford & Sons and told me that I needed to download a few songs.  I thought they were good.  Not great.  Good.  Now let's stay in the present.  A very good friend of mine told me to listen to their new "Broken Crown," insisting it could be associated with Loki and the plot for Thor.  We're fangirls, what can I say?  A few days later I came across "Lover of the Light," from the same new album, Babel, simply because I heard Idris Elba was in the video.  Both songs would blow me out of the water, and still do.

"Broken Crown" is banjo-fueled, somber and has a rising power I like to hear in music.  If you're going to be acoustic, take full advantage of the power that instrument holds.  While the lyrics do remind me of Thor, it's the power the band puts into the last half of the song that makes "Broken Crown" a folk masterpiece.  "Lover of the Light" is a little different, and the music video makes me want to curl into a ball and weep for hours.  It has Mumford & Sons' acoustic power, and is simply a masterpiece, about seeing things you may not be able to see.  Yeah, I know, I'm going deep today, but that's fine.  Literally, "Lover of the Light" is the best music video I've seen this year.  Get on that.  And then listen to "Broken Crown."

Diamond Rings - Put Me On

It's getting around that time of year when I have to stop buying CDs and tell others which ones to buy me for Christmas.  Luckily, I left one off of the list on purpose, mainly because I couldn't wait until December twenty-fifth to get my hands on it.  Free Dimensional is a fantastic effort by Toronto synth monger Diamond Rings; I've even got my roommates hooked on John O'Regan's latest work.  There are no fillers on the album, only masterpieces, and "Put Me On" may be one of the most enjoyable (it was made free on itunes too, after all).

"Put Me On" is subdued synth, which goes right up my alley.  Diamonds Rings, with a voice that low, reminds me of a modern Billy Idol or David Bowie, transporting the listening to a far off land of electric guitar and keyboard chords.  Put me on, put me on, come on will be stuck in your head, I promise you that.  Now I regret saying bad things about "Runaway Love" when I featured the remix several weeks ago.  Diamond Rings is the future of the synth-indie-electronic genres, in a very attractive package.  Bowie would be proud.

The Canadian Treasures Playlist

The idea for this Top 10 (of sorts) came after a visit to my aunt's house a few weekends ago, where I was able to swipe her Shania Twain CD long enough to copy it onto my laptop.  She's one of the few country artists I can respect (other than Carrie Underwood...now that girl has the voice of an angel), and wouldn't our luck have it that she was born forty-five minutes down the highway from my parents' house?  It got me thinking; which artists would I call musical treasures to Canada?  It was tougher than I thought, and involved asking for help from an old friend and consulting Wikipedia.  Part of me is a bit disappointed I didn't recognize a good number of names on their "List of Canadian Musical Artists," but the aid still proved to be helpful when compiling this list.  It was a hard one to put together and narrow down to ten, but I think I do Canada justice.

And don't worry, there's no Dead and Divine this time.  You shouldn't have broken up, boys, or you would have cracked the list.

Silver Snakes - New Light

This is another example of the alternative genre going in the right direction.  It's hit some snags in the past, but part of growing up is realizing what works and what doesn't.  Los Angeles tetrad Silver Snakes knows what works, and dare I say it, they have something along the lines of a lush sound.  They remind me slightly of Envy On The Coast, though sound a touch more punk.  Still good.  "New Light" is a short ditty, clocking in at just over two minutes long, but it packs power in every word and every chord.  These guys need to be out there for everyone to hear; this is also another example of music you're probably missing out on.

You see that writing on the wall, yeah, you got nothing left at all.

Roach Gigz feat. Husalah & Lil B - Stupid

Last time I checked, the bass still go down.

It's Friday.  Last day of the school/workweek, and the evening brings only epic times ahead.  Naturally, I should feature a danceable song that makes you want to move your shoulders and various other parts of your body.  "Stupid" by Roach Gigz and the gang is a track I've been holding onto for a bit, listening to whenever it would come up on the queue, but it was only recently that I listened closely enough to fall in love.  It happens.  As the first few words may denote, the bass goes low and is fuzzy enough for my liking, and the crew raps with killer efficiency.  "Stupid" is a little aggressive, a little dubstep (but it works here), and stellar overall.  This is what needs to be playing at the clubs now.

Weezer - Peace

What recently reminded me of Weezer was a late-night bender that ended at a karaoke bar, with a comrade of mine selecting "Say It Ain't So."  Well...that song doesn't have anything on my ditty of choice ("You Shook Me All Night Long"...which mostly consists of me screaming into the microphone and giving shoutouts to group members), but it take me back to a time long ago.  Make Believe has been in my possession since it came out while I was in elementary school, and I blame that damn catchy "Beverly Hills."  But there's a sleeper hit on that album.

"Peace" isn't dreary-college-rock-typical Weezer.  It's lush.  It's a cacophony of sound.  Hell, I sense some lyrical genius at work too.  And I don't have a purpose, scattered on the surface, I need to find some peace.  It's all brilliant.  This is the Weezer I want to hear more often.  The verses are soft, the choruses rise to some insane extreme that I can't get enough of, and there's a sense that this is what music should be all about.  This has been another lush rock Thursday.  I'm Laura, reminding you to get your hands on the not-that-bad-at-all Make Believe and listen to this track first.

Lillian Axe - Sad Day On Planet Earth

I've pretty much been playing "Sad Day on Planet Earth" by New Orleans rockers Lillian Axe every day for the last month.  My roommates are probably sick and tired of it, but I'm not, and now the NOLA boys get their moment.  Don't worry if you haven't heard of them, because they're on your radar as of now.  They're a rock band that borders on the lines of metal, but isn't quite there yet.  While their stuff is hard, "Sad Day On Planet Earth" is the anomaly.  Acoustic-powered, if you can believe it, and lead Brian Jones has vocals here that can haunt my dreams any day.  "Sad Day..." is meant to be a sad ditty, but where there are emotions this strong in music, there is power.  So go ahead, let Lillian Axe blow you away.

Cusses - Worst Enemy

I think I'll always be an avid indie fan.  It's like hepatitis.  Once it gets in your blood, you've got it for life.  Savannah's trio known as Cusses knows the name of the game, and I've been holding onto their "Worst Enemy" for a while now, and like almost every song in my library, its day has come.  "Worst Enemy" is indie with a heavy dose of rock, somewhat reminiscent of Die Mannequin.  Think of Cusses as their American counterpart.  It rocks, it swings a little...it's good stuff.  I suppose I can't really say much more about fuzzy guitars and post-rock tendencies, but I blame being burned out by school.  My worst enemy.

Nightwish's Top 10

This is a list long overdue, if you ask me.  I've been obsessed with Nightwish for a good year and a half now, and my only regret is not getting into them sooner.  But now where are they headed?  Tarja is long-gone, and now Annette is off on her own.  Floor Jansen has yet to be named the permanent replacement from what I can tell, until no one's updated the Wikipedia page in a while.  Whatever the future holds for the band, we can't deny what they've done for the symphonic metal genre.  Ten songs were hard to narrow down, but I think I did an okay job of it.  Enjoy!

Joshua James - Queen Of The City

It's time for another musical day of the week, this one being sweet indie Sunday.  Or folk.  Whichever you decide Joshua James is, it doesn't matter.  I went in reverse in finding out about him; first getting today's feature "Queen of the City" from a then-stellar-rcrdlbl and his 2009 release Build Me This in its entirety from Noisetrade.  But now that I have two time periods to compare, I have to say that I like the growth evident in Joshua James.  Very much so.

"Queen of the City" is an acoustic-driven ditty, one you'd hear on TV an immediately have to find and download.  If I can compare it to a cross of anything, it would probably be Jason Mraz and my recent-British-obsession Jake Bugg.  Remember "Seen It All?"  Yeah, it's along the same lines of "Queen of the City."  So if you liked that, you'll loved Joshua James.  You're in capable hands.

Arctic Monkeys - I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor

Ah, 2006.  Not my best year, I admit, but I've had worse.  I can't say a lot of bands I listened to back then are still prominent, one of said bands being Arctic Monkeys.  Apparently they're still releasing albums left and right, but I haven't heard much about them since their debut during my last year of elementary school.  Even so, I still find that I can enjoy their older work.  If you listened to music in 2006 and never heard "I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor," then you're missing out.

Stop making the eyes at me, I'll stop making the eyes at you.

"I Bet You..." is kind of like Oasis and Franz Ferdinand jamming together somewhere in London.  It's fast, it's furious, and it's a strange version of indie rock that lets you dace to it without worry.  Well, it might be a little fast, but I'm sure that you'll manage.  It's rock club music, the song that real music appreciators would prefer to hear on Friday night versus any Top 40 garbage.  I bet you'll like it (if you by some chance haven't heard of it).

Angel Haze - Gossip Folks

Once upon in Detroit, there was a little bitch born with a sweet voice, all she ever wanted was to sing a song and have a crowd full of people to sing along.

It's time again to look at another female rapper better than the women out there trying to pass off as contributing to the genre (cough, cough...Beez In The Trap...).  Michigan's Angel Haze released her Classick mixtape at the end of October, and I've had the tracks of repeat since.  "Doo Wop (That Thing)" is nostalgic, "Bitch Bad" is tough, and today's "Gossip Folks" still rises above them.  It's a little industrial, and a little throwback, but it's Miss Haze's rhymes that set her apart from the counterparts out there.  Throwback, because it samples Missy Elliot's own track of the same name.  But to take the background beats from one song and being able to make it your own is a gift.  FKi has it, and so does Angel Haze.

Oh, and I want to see her go toe-to-toe with Azealia Banks.  You know you want it too.

Arcade Fire - Rococo

I know we all enjoyed the Ke$ha post yesterday, but unfortunately we have to get back to real music today.    Does it get more real than one of Canada's musical treasures, also known as Arcade Fire?  Not really.  I hate to say it, but if you have a reason not to like anything they've made, then something is wrong with you.  So naturally, you have to like my favourite song from their already classic The Suburbs.

"Rococo."

I do enjoy my lush rock, and while Arcade Fire leans a bit more to the indie side of the spectrum, they still have that nice borderline orchestral sound that makes my walks to school a touch more epic.  "Rococo" is what the protagonist of your life story runs in slow motion to at the climax.  That acoustic guitar...it makes me wish that I hadn't given up on the instrument seven years ago, and makes me want to pick it up again.  "Rococo" is a modern symphony, condensed to four minutes.  Yes, people of the internet, this is as real as it gets.

The Ke$ha Konundrum

Let's get a little more in-depth today, shall we?  My history with the artist known as Ke$ha is minimal, as I like to put it.  I'll fully admit to paying money for her debut album, Animal, and somehow enjoyed it in the throes of being a teenager.  Have I lost you yet?  No?  Good. 

My one issue with Ke$ha is that she's a manufactured pop star, someone that seems to have been pulled off of the streets and handed a sheet of music that's already been prepared for her and told to sing.  Hell, they gave her the image of the sleazy, glitter-clogged gutter angel that she's seemed to have embraced.  I also can't condone her heavy use of autotune when it should only be reserved for use on one album (808s & Heartbreak, sorry).  Does she have real talent?  It's possible. 

So why are we here?  I downloaded her new "Die Young" a few days ago, just to see how she was doing musically.  Unfortunately, I seemed to enjoy the single.  I really enjoyed it.  Earbuds in, my facial expression can only be described by one emoticon. D:

I can set her autotune aside, and I can ignore the lyrics about getting smashed if it means looking at "Die Young" a little closer.  Despite it being November, the song pulses with the beats of summer.  It's where girls get the titles of their albums on Facebook.  Like we're gonna die young... <3  This was their goal after the song was released at the end of September.  Get them while it's starting to get cold.  But "Die Young" got me.  It could have been the catchy beat, a string of lyrics I've enjoyed (I can hear your heart beat to the beat of the drum, oh what a shame, you came here with someone), or the fact that I enjoy music I can dance to while doing chores around the apartment.  Does this make me one of those girls that freaks out when a Top 40 hit comes on the radio, screaming this is my song?

No.  It just makes me someone that finds enjoyment in music, no matter the artist or genre.  This is the point of my post today.  There is no one artist, or one genre for that matter, that rises over the others.  You can't simply enjoy one side of the dodecagon.  That'd be like only reading the first chapter of a book.  Maybe it took Ke$ha, that sloppy gutter angel, to prove that there are no confines to enjoying music.  Perhaps the new proverb should be, don't judge a song by its artist.  Who knows, maybe one day Ke$ha will drop the autotune, brush her hair, and give me a reason to by a future album.

Oh, and here's "Die Young."

French Montana & Coke Boys - 100

Generally, there is a rule.  If you can sample Adele and pull it off, then you're going to go far.  It's as simple as that.  In saying that, let's look back at the Coke Boys 3 mixtape that I had been obsessing over earlier this year.  That's right; there are no fillers here.  French Montana works with his fellow Coke Boys, Cheeze and Chinx Drugz, and a sample of Adele's "Set Fire To The Rain" to give us the four-minute "100."

In "100," Adele is sped up and raised a few registers to sound a bit like one of those fluffy cartoon rabbits that sing a ringtone you can text to get.  Now, there's nothing wrong with that.  On loop during the masterful raps, it grows on you, and gives a good contrast to the aggressive sounds of French Montana and the boys.  Think of their "100" as the rap-fueled counterpart to "Set Fire To The Rain."  So get listening.

Autopilot Is For Lovers - Pine Box Town

I know, I know...you were expecting a Top 10 list today.  Thing is, when I have forty videos embedded onto one page of my blog, it slows it down quite a bit.  So until my ABCs of Music is off the first page, we'll be going back to some oldies but goodies.  At the same time, today's feature is one I've been sitting on for a while, and if any song gets to shine today, it's this one.

Imagine yourself in the backwoods of Oregon, or at least the outskirts of Portland.  It's woody, it's folky, and it's a little spooky too.  That's how to describe the sound of Portland's duo of Autopilot Is For Lovers, consisting of vocalist/instrumentalist Adrienne Hatkin and the musically diverse Paul Seely.  Their tune is "Pine Box Town," which sounds like Kimya Dawson's older sister leading a group of children in revolt through the streets.  The tambo shakes, the acoustic guitar strums, and Miss Hatkin's vocals are borderline haunting.  Perfect for a rainy day like today, when we're all in our own little pine box town.

Jake Bugg - Seen It All

I swear to god, I've seen it all, nothing shocks me anymore.

Those who keep tabs on me via Twitter or Deviantart may recognize part of those lyrics from comment tags and biographies.  Well, this is where it comes from.  Itunes gave me Jake Bugg's "Seen It All" a few weeks ago for free (how nice), and it's grown on me in that time frame.  Even more astonishing, Mr. Bugg is only eighteen years old, so you know there's going to be more from him in the future.  The Nottingham teen gives us a blend of folk and indie mixed with the twang of country in "Seen It All," which is heavy on the acoustic guitar and superb indie vocals.  I want to know where this guy has been hiding all this time.  He's got a set of pipes I wouldn't mind installing in my own house.

Asobi Seksu - Perfectly Crystal

Asobi Seksu means playful sex in Japanese, but don't worry, the namesake dream pop duo isn't playing bedroom music.  They blend shoegaze guitars with psychedelic-meets-pop vocals that will really take you into a far away land of playfulness (and if sex is waiting for you there, then so be it).  And they're from Brooklyn?  Even better.

"Perfectly Crystal" pulses with music from dreams.  The guitars yawn, every word glitters, and there is synth.  It's been a while since I've gotten too far into that, but any synth is good synth to me.  Yuki Cikudate kind of reminds me of the girls of The Pipettes, but in this case she's a little more psych.  So here's what I want you do to.  Plug in "Perfectly Crystal," take a walk outside, and see how much brighter the overcast world will become.  You'd be surprised.

Ghostpoet feat. Kano - Cash & Carry Me Home

Why enjoy plain-old-boring rap when you can live a little and listen to some experimental rap?  Don't fret if you're nervous; the subgenre is a bit more approachable than you might think.  Example: Ghostpoet, whose "Cash & Carry Me Home" is different, that's for sure, but nothing to be scared about.  Think of a cross between rapping, speaking and softly singing, and you've got his style down already.  And if you listen to the track, you'll find a very minimal backing beat.  We've also got lyrical genius here I know that I'll survive, well a little bit, I've had a couple drink, well a little bit, I'm begging you, please carry me home.  It's a little sad and tragic, but there's hope in the words of "Cash & Carry Me Home."

The ABCs of Music

Hello there, wondrous people of the internet.  While a 26-song post of epic proportions might seem alarming to some, I welcome it.  Hell, if I can do the musical days of the week, what's stopping me from associating every letter of the alphabet with something in the wonderful world of music?  Challenge accepted...and met.  I publish it now instead of a Monday because I'm too excited to keep it under wraps any longer, and I also will be MIA for at least tomorrow.  Anticipating my absence, here's some good shit.

A is for A Capella



B is for Beachy Tunes



C is for Canadian



D is for Deathcore



E is for Electronic



F is for French
You thought I was going to say folk metal, didn't you?  Didn't you?  There's always room for change in the world of music, and I've had a few French songs I've been listening the shit out of recently.



G is for Gangster Nancy Sinatra
Lana Del Rey, you've done it again.



H is for Hip-Hop



I is for Iron Maiden



J is for Jazz



K is for Kicking It Old School



L is for Latin



M is for Mashup
Another curve ball, right?  I felt simply putting metal was too general, as much as I wanted to do it.  So here's my favourite mashup of the moment, with none other than Nightwish.



N is for "Never Too Old For..."
From the first album I ever bought, all the way back in 2000.



O is for Oldies



P is for Progressive Metal



Q is for Quiet
You know, the toned-down-minimal-subdued ditties I love so much.  Perfect for walking down the street on such an overcast day.



R is for Reggae



S is for Soundtrack
This is absolutely my favourite song that has been in a movie ever.  It took the first Sex and the City movie from dismal to thinking I'll keep watching because I'm already here.



T is for Thrash Metal
The one time I won't throw a curve ball.



U is for Underground Rap



V is for Viking Metal



W is for World Music



X is for Xylophone
X is a hard letter when you try to use it for anything.  I had to put my head together with one of my roommates to come up with the obvious xylophone, and that led to some research into what bands use the instrument.  Wanting to avoid another feature of "Somebody That I Used To Know," I found that the approveable Noah & The Whale has used it before, and that works for me.



Y is for Yarilo



Z is for Zombies
Z was a hard one too.  My roommate suggested both zamboni and Zayn (One Direction...), before voicing that I try zombies.  Not bad at all.



Did I really just get through a list of songs without featuring something by Dead and Divine?  I guess there's a first time for everything...

Lana Del Rey's Top 10

It was almost a year ago that "Born To Die" came my way, and since then I've been a diehard supporter of Miss Lana Del Rey.  Why wouldn't you be?  She's got a good set of sultry pipes, understands that music needs soul as much as it needs sound, and there's never a shortage of lost tracks coming my way via Youtube.  To celebrate the upcoming release of her Paradise EP, here are my ten favourite songs that evoke that old-world, gangster Nancy Sinatra quality.  Mondays have never been more cinematic.



The demo of "Lolita," only because the album version from Born To Die sucks donkey balls.

In Mourning - A Vow To Conquer The Ocean

You can't say that death metal is my favourite of the metal subgenres.  In fact, it's far below the always-winning folk, thrash and symphonic routes.  But now and again, with a little bit of hope and faith, a challenger emerges from the snowy depths of Sweden.  Enter In Mourning, a band that can be called progressive in regards to death metal, and that's fine with me.  Perhaps it's just my progressive attitude that leads me in directions such as this.  They sound a little bit like Opeth and Amon Amarth jamming together, as awesome as that sounds.

"A Vow To Conquer The Ocean" comes off of their latest The Weight of Oceans, and at a little more than seven minutes, borders on epic territory.  I'll still allow it.  The guitars are dark and masterful, the growls have some substances to them, and the overall dark atmosphere of "A Vow..." make it a progressive work of art.  And the riffs...oh, the riffs!  The Swedes have done it again; forget about the best music outside of Canada coming from Ireland.

Museum Mouth - Blood Mountain

More alternative for a sunny, yet cold, Saturday afternoon.  You and I can both say what we want about the genre, but with a touch of indie thrown into the mix, this is the kind of music that's made to be enjoyed.  North Carolina three-piece Museum Mouth win the award for best album name with Sexy But Not Happy, and get kudos for pouring brilliance into the three minutes that is "Blood Mountain."  This is a track that had to grow on me to make it here, but oh, how glad I am for that.

"Blood Mountain" begins with beachy guitar chords, but then erupts into a cacophony of fuzzy vocals-meets-beach rock guitar work.  Vocalist Karl Kuehn does double duty as the drummer, and I've found in my experience that drummers who double as lead singers usually do a decent job on both.  So press play on the video below, listen to the slightly-summery "Blood Mountain," and enjoy ever chord you hear.

Kanye West feat. Big Sean and Jay-Z - Clique

What of the dollar you murder for, is that the one fighting for your soul, or your brother's the one that you're running from, but if you got money, fuck it, 'cause I want some.

Kanye may be frolicking with Kim Kardashian somewhere, but that's no reason to judge his music, or stop loving him.  Once you go Kanye, you're a fangirl for life.  "Clique" is a new song from my favourite rapper of the time, with his bread-and-butter collaborators Jay-Z and Big Sean.  If this is a lead-up to a new album, then I'm pretty damn excited about it.  It's a track that comes to be a mix between the sounds of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and Watch The Throne, rife with the aggression I love to hear in his music.  Sean and Jay hold their own too, and when three rappers can rhyme together in perfect harmony, ain't nobody fuckin' with their clique.