Tag Archives: Song of the Day

Song of the Day: Four Tet – Live in Tokyo

I don’t typically delve into EDM in my “Song of the Day” posts. It’s not that I don’t dig electronic music, it’s more that I just don’t know EDM as intimately as other genres (and it’s so vast these days). But, man, Four Tet just nails a sound I really love.

Check out this full live set from Tokyo:

Technically this post should be called “Set of the Day” since this is more than a song, but at least it’s all one track.

And just for kicks, here’s a little bonus round I recently came across where Four Tet takes only samples from Michael Jackson’s Thriller and creates a new tune in a matter of 10 minutes:

Not the best tune, but man, talk about editing mastery.

Song of the Day: “Cadillac Desert” by William Tyler

Absolutely loving this new record by William Tyler, Impossible Truth, and this is one of my favorite tunes:

I really dig the overall vibe he’s going for with this song…kind of a dreamy, desert soundscape (and a feeling that I’ve occasionally tried to capture with my own amateur sounds).

I highly recommend picking up a copy.

Song of the Day: “Come and Save Me” by Jagwar Ma

I’m really digging this new album Howlin’ by Jagwar Ma, and this one is a standout track:

On the album, they’ve mixed together elements of traditional rock, EDM, and thrown in some killer vocal hooks that tie their sound back to the more traditional American songbook (and yes, I know they’re from Australia). In those hooks, I hear elements of classic 60s & 70s soul, occasional Beach Boys-esque harmonizing, along with more 80s and 90s-era rock references (like Jane’s Addiction, Stone Roses).

But those hooks are all mixed, morphed and updated with a more millennial framework of danceable beats and blips. It all makes for a compelling sound that could crossover really nicely to the live stage, especially if they can let the EDM and groove-heavy songs stretch out a bit. I can really see some of these outro sections easily break out into full dance frenzy once they get the crowd moving.

Thanks to Wes at Live Music Blog for putting these guys on my radar.

Song of the Day: “À tout à l’heure” by Bibio

Justin posted this to LMB a week or two back, so I’m playing a little catch-up game here, but I’m really diggin’ the vibe on this track. It’s kind of made for a nice, sunny spring day. Check it out:

There are some similarities to Tycho‘s mellow, feel-good electro, but with the added element of the vocals hitting on a catchy melody. I also really like the guitar track as the main thematic hook, and it’s all held together nicely with that thick bass guitar laying down the foundation. Good stuff.

As always, I suggest going direct to the source on this one.

Song of the Day: “Confidence” by the Dodos

I was psyched to see that the Dodos have some new tunes coming out. This is a bit of a slow creeper, but it really picks up towards the end.

For a band that used to mainly be an acoustic guitar and drums duo, this gets pretty damn riff-tastic. Kind of bummed we gotta wait until August for the full record to come out, but I’ll definitely be grabbin’ a copy and you should too.

Song of the Day: “Wakin’ on a Pretty Day” by Kurt Vile

Really been digging this new Kurt Vile record….

As far as overall sound and vibe, I still think my original tweet was pretty accurate:

 

(go here for a bit more info on that Sus2 chord I mentioned)

Of course, like any solid album, this one takes a few listens to really grow on ya. I highly recommend picking up a copy.

Song of the Day: The Barr Brothers – “Even The Darkness Has Arms”

Ok, so I’ve written these guys up before, but this song is new to me and just so f-ing good…

That opening dual guitar part is utter perfection. It’d be great with just one guitar, but I love how the second guitar follows along with the melody.

I have no idea if the Barr Brothers are working on a new album, but I just hope they keep releasing new tunes like this. Keep ’em coming guys!

Song of the Day: El Ten Eleven – “Thanks Bill”

I’ve been listening to a lot of instrumental tunes lately (as I find it helps my productivity and concentration while working), and I recently came back across some tracks by El Ten Eleven. I’ve been digging their loop-based instrumentals for at least a year or so, but it was good to get a little reminder that they existed.

So, um, get your work groove on…

And here’s a little bonus track, just because…

Song of the Day: “All Four” by Greensky Bluegrass

I was digging this one a bunch last night, and since then, I’ve listened to again probably about four or five more times.

The verse-chorus song portion is solid, but it’s really the improv section that gets me.

Around the six-minute mark, they end the core song structure and head into the more improvisational part of the tune. It just ebbs and flows perfectly from there on out. The mandolin leads us off, then that flows into the six-string acoustic guitar, followed by the dobro, and all capped off by one of the more beautiful, note-perfect banjo solos I’ve ever heard. Although it’s definitely a bluegrass tune, it almost works more like a jazz song with the band hitting on key themes, trading licks, crossing over on specific solo passages, and each band member trading and taking turns with beauty and precision.

Good stuff.