About 15 minutes left on my chicken patties and the Office from last night,  so I’m going to make these a quick 5.  This is a pretty off the wall selection of music but some nice newly discovered music bits this from this week.  Music that’s from all over the map and all sorts of danceable tunes to jump-start your Friday night.   Oh and bear with me as I continue to try to make HM a bit more bloggable so that Mother’s too can use it andddddddd some things that I think you’ll enjoy it as well.

-Hope all my homies in Pennsylvania huck a snowball for me this weekend.

Enjoy.

Hot Chip – Take It in [DL]

The Selfish Replicators – Strands [DL]

Cassette Kids – Lying Around [DL]

Q and Not U – Wonderful People [DL]

Mt Eden Dubstep – Sierra Leone [DL]

Whew, just when I was about to play the shit out of the two-hour The Twelves remix I posted a couple weeks ago, Treasure Fingers comes along and saves the day.  You know you’ve listened to a mega mix far too much when you can anticipate each transition into the next song or sample.  That is what’s so great about these two-hour  DJ sets, the hits keep coming – fast and fierce.  Oh and if you’re on the fence about downloading a two-hour DJ set, (too much bandwidth wahhhhhhhh), if you’re a frequent gym goer these are perfect to just push play to and keep you pumpin’ iron or in a fast sprint for an extended period of time.  Yep, music to help with your fitness.

Treasure Fingers – Live at Muse (District Ignition / Snatch Rewired) in Washington DC

You know the deal.  Right click to DL and then tell all your friends about it.

Stumbled upon this video above here during my daily perusing of the interwebs for new music bits.  As history defines itself, it’s not often that a music video completely astounds me with its eye candy visuals while leaving me bewildered by its underlying message – but this video is an outstanding piece of work.   The cut shots are well thought out, the multiple story lines leave you puzzled, the chick is hot, the song is infectious and at the end it all seems to come together with the message that you’re fucked any way you slice it.

Watch it and let me know what you think.

I pretty much have a love/hate relationship with the shuffle function of my ipod.  At times it spits out way too much electro and not enough Alt Pop/Rock and then sometimes too much Hip-Hop and just not enough of that Boogie Woogie (yep, that’s a real genre on my pod).  But this morning when the massive track Shook by Emancipator came on during my ride into work, it reminded me of college and one of my favorite mash-ups that deserved more airtime for my ears. The song features Mobb Deep’s raw and uncut lyrics from Shook Ones which blend seamlessly over the spruced up backing track Vaka by Sigur Ros. Now, Mash-ups are generally fun, but usually never amazing. However, this chilling track is a prime example of how two songs from opposite ends of the musical spectrum blend into a masterpiece, the Mona Lisa of mash-ups.

Sigur Ros vs. Mobb Deep – Shook Ones (Emancipator Mash Up) <3

Below are a few of my other favorite mash-up gems that aren’t works of art, but fun to listen to nonetheless.

The Hood Internet – Cult Logic Forever (Drake ft. Kanye West and Lil Wayne vs. Miike Snow)

Jay Z vs. The Verve – Bittersweet Dirt Off Your Shoulder

Party and Bullshit in the USA – The Notorious B.I.G vs. Miley Cirus (Hathbanger Mash Up)

The Hood Internet – Two Weeks Of Hip Hop (Dead Prez vs. Grizzly Bear)

Still seeing how this blog pans out, but for now it’s the only means I can think of when sharing a taste of the music I listen and get into.  So for now,  you can guarantee that at least on Friday’s you can find five of my favorite songs that I over played this past week.  Typically you’ll find music here that is good to listen to while getting ready to head out on the town, for your weekend ski trip up north or music just to chill out to in sweats during your lazy Sunday or No Shower Sunday (NSS), as I typically call it.   Listen and maybe these song will become part of your weekend soundtrack.

Miike Snow – Billie Holiday

This song is epic proof that when you leave out a song like this from your debut album,  you know you’ve created something special.  Far and away one of my favorite new artists from last year and this song shows how talented these guys are in making music across all sorts of genres.

RJD2 – Games You Can Win (feat. Kenna)

At first glance, I was more excited to hear what Kenna sounded like than RJD2 after all these years.   Kenna, who immediately captured my attention with the song and video for Hell Bent back in 2001, mainly because the song was so unique and like nothing I’ve ever heard before.  As Kenna joins forces with one of my favorite producers on his fourth solo album, this is just a glimpse into all of the other goodies to discover on this years release, titled  The Colossus.

Method Man, Ghostface Killah & Kaekwon – Our Dreams

Oh my gawd, this is superb and was totally not expecting this upon first glance of the title.  Take a super old MJ sample and combine it with 3 legends in the game.  Having always been a fan of Method Man from back when he used to make the crap sub in my jeep sound somewhat decent, it’s nice to hear he’s still bringing it.

Lykki Li – Little Bit (Gigamesh Remix)

Lykki Li’s vocals just melt all over this spruced up disco beat that Gigamesh created.  Props to Lykki Li though, the original song is great but better when it transforms into something danceable, which isn’t necessarily true most of the time.

Hot Chip – Alley Cats

Hot Chip is responsible for creating some of my favorite electronic songs in the past.  A band that has relied heavily on creating electronic music and one of the fore fathers responsible for the type of music I listen to today.  With this said, this non-electro down-tempo tune is surprisingly one of my favorite songs from their new album titled One Life Stand.

The. Greatest. Hip. Hop. Song. Ever. Period.

Nas – The World Is Yours

Major flashback back to middle school days with my memorex etched Pharcyde.

The Pharcyde – Runnin (1995)

An engaging love story that helped The Roots break through the radio barrier as a major hip hop band. Sure the Grammy helped too.

The Roots – You Got Me feat. Erykah Badu (1999)

A truly timeless song from back when hip hop used to be fun.  “Feel the good vibrations”

Souls Of Mischief – 93 ’til Infinity (1993)

It seems that with everything song The Twelves remix touch, it turns to gold.   The popularity of this Brazilian duo  skyrocketed with their remix of MIA’s hit Boyz and have since grabbed the attention of dance music aficionados across the map.

They’ve been praised as Rio de Janerio’s answer to the Daft Punk on many occasions,  but really you can’t compare one to the other.  Daft Punk starts their recipe from almost scratch, adding samples, some vocals and then the break danceable beats.  The formula for The Twelves however, is quite simple.  Take an already really really good song, add a catchy drum and bass loop, place it in the synthesizer 0ven and the result is pure gold (Jerry), GOLD!  Just some damn good dance music, nothing more nothing less and fun as hell.

The essential mix below was recorded live and it’s 2 hours long!  A great mp3 to push play to while you’re at the gym, a long car ride or just a slow day at work.  Or it’s perfect if you’re like me and have a daunting 2 hour commute each day.  blah.

The Twelves – Essential Mix

Radiohead – Reckoner (The Twelves Remix)

MIA – Boyz (The Twelves Remix)

It’s only the middle of January and the release of new albums from indie electronic artists never seem to skip a beat.  With so many electronic artists trying to break into the scene with their new enticing synthesized hooks and melodies, it’s difficult for this sort of music to have that lasting staying power.   However, I think it’s safe to say that when I repeatedly play a song (Delphic -Doubt) a billion times in one day, I’m hooked and it’s certainly worth sharing.

Delphic hails from the UK and this indie electronic trio got its start in 2007 by creating dance music and combing it with an euphoric twist of pulsating beats and light speed effects.  In 2008, the band signed to Polydor, a major UK label that repeatedly churns out chart topping hits in Europe.  Since then they’ve released their debut album on January 11th, titled Acolite. From what I’ve heard thus far, Delphic should have no problem living up to the hype brought about by BBC, as a band that should see much success in 2010.

This time next year it will be interesting to see whether Delphic will be in the “what happened to them” pile? or the “well done BBC for predicting success” pile?  I hope it’s the latter since these are the sort of musical acts that could gain a ton of success with each album, think; Cut Copy, LCD Soundsystem and The Killers.

Delphic – Doubt <3

Delphic – This Momentary

Delphic – Counterpoint

Yukimi Hagano’s beautiful voice had successfully consumed me this past weekend with the song Never Never . So much so, that it has forced me to pass the gem along.  The captivating jazz fused electronic music Yukimi and the band Little Dragon are about to take over the world with. Yukimi’s voice is reminiscent to that of Erykah Badu and a band that can be compared to that of a more off-beat Imogen Heap, but whether you agree with the comparisons or not, Little Dragon deserves a spot in your music collection.

The band mates have been friends since High School and formed when they decided to release their best work recorded in their Sweden apartment, which is now used solely as a rehearsal studio and no longer a place to spend their nights.   Little Dragon is Yukimi’s latest project but she’s a veteran in the game,  once contributing to the progressive band named Koop (as I never made the connection until now).

Little Dragon released Machine Dreams last August and while it took some time to discover, I’m glad I finally did.

Little Dragon – Never Never <3

Little Dragon – Blinking Pigs

Little Dragon – Fortune

2009 was a year that seemed like everyone and their computer became a DJ and when an artist put out something new, it only took a matter of days sometimes hours before someone chopped it up and put their own spin on it.   The only rule I made for this list is that it had to be completely organic, the music the artist intended for you to hear.  You won’t find any remixes in the top 50 but they certainly accounted for a large portion of what I pushed play to this year.

It’s embarrassing how much I love some of this music and my goal of this list is so that you, my friends, can discover something new to love.  I’m excited to hear any feedback you may have.

Happy listening and I hope you find something new on here to fall in love with.

-Brian

[Click on file name to play and right-click to download]

25.) The Gossip – Heavy Cross

Not a huge fan of most of everything else I’ve heard from Beth Ditto but this track is a standout.  Her vocals are incredibly fierce and piercing all the way through and with the amount of air time I gave this song I figured it to be well deserving of a top 25 spot.

24.) Andrew Bird – Anonanimal

As always with Andrew Bird’s work, it convinces me to listen closely to the complex folk masterpieces he’s able to create.  It doesn’t hurt that he’s a classically trained violinist who seems to create these incredible layers of music by whistling, his organic sounding voice and his immense musical talent.  This song I think is some of his best work and I think you’ll agree.   His live shows ought to be quite pleasing to the ears if  this live performance is any indication.

23.) La Roux – In For The Kill

La Roux made a huge splash in 2009 and became one of the most remixed artists out there and it’s not because her original ideas aren’t worth listening to.   Her music with just careful tweaks and more of an up-tempo beat have created some of the best dance floor bangers I heard all year.

22.) White Rabbits – Percussion Gun

From the opening drum sequence this song takes off into a frenzy of indie rock percussion which makes me want to rush out and buy a drum set, then I’m reminded of  how awful I am at catching the beat.  The White Rabbits sound may be familiar if you enjoy the band Spoon, which is no surprise since the album was produced by Spoon front man Britt Daniel.    Once this song takes off and running, it’s sure to emit a blanket of energy straight through your ears and down to your feet.

21.) Just Jack – Embers

This song Embers is one that gets its charge in the beginning from the orchestra stringed infusion, the song mellows out and then without notice, erupts in to a huge explosion of layered vocals with drum and bass melodies.  Just Jack is an English musician and his third studio album titled All Night Cinema is certainly worth the purchase.

20.) The Vanish – Heartbeat

Dance-rock or pop-disco, whatever you want to call it, this is the type of music that has just dominated my iTunes this year.   This sort of synthesized pop music that in past has only come from an Australian pedigree.  The Vanish was formed when the duo left their New York City desk jobs in 2008 and it came as no surprise when I found out later that they spent both of their childhoods in Australia.  I don’t mean to sound cliché, but could they be the next thing to bring this type of music to the States?

19.)Bombay Bicycle Club – Always Like This

A group that has put college on hold this year to create an album called I had the blues but shook them loose, really shook up the interwebs this year with fun and danceable indie music.  This album is really good straightforward indie rock, without all the smoke and mirrors and in my opinion the song Always Like This is some of their best work.

18.) Deadmau5 & Kaskade – I Remember

Canadian producer Deadmau5 had formed quite the impressive following this year as he rose to the top of DJ stardom.  I admit, I’ve followed him ever since I laid eyes on that mouse head but have since come to recognize how impressive his work is rather than just his mouse persona.  This guy is on the forefront of house music production and has created some very recognizable tunes this year.  If you ever have the opportunity to see this guy live, do it.

17.) Ellie Goulding – Starry Eyed

I’ve been a wee bit obsessed with Ellie Goulding ever since I heard the song Starry Eyed.  This girl seems to have it all, but is it enough to become the next pop goddess? Ellie has been named by many as the next big thing to look for in 2010 and the pop perfection of the track and video for Starry Eyed has certainly helped.  If you’re a girl, there’s no denying that you are going to dig her music.

16.)Yeasayer – Ambling Alp

This experimental band from Brooklyn crafted an extremely catchy tune that incorporates all that is an experimental indie rock band.  This single is from their upcoming album Odd Blood that is due out in February and it’s guaranteed to keep you rocking in a good mood.  If you are a fan of MGMT and Passion Pit, you’ll be excited about what this band has to offer.

15.) Midnight Juggernauts – This New Technology

The Midnight Juggernauts hail from Australia and they’re certainly worth checking out and keeping an eye on in 2010.  The song This New Technology combines the bands pulsating bass, layered guitars and futuristic sounds to create a sound that is extremely pleasing to your ears.

14.) Two Door Cinema Club – Something Good Can Work

Two Door Cinema Club are from Northern Ireland and have managed to create some of the most infectious party pop music of 2009.    I stumbled upon this group after listening to a Kitsune Maison compilation CD and it instantly became a top play for me this summer.  All theses kids now is a commercial spot featuring their music or cross the Atlantic and start touring in the States.  A band that has huge potential to blow up in 2010.

13.)Minus The Bear – Into the Mirror

I’ve grown to love MTB over the years and their album Menos el Oso is one of my favorite albums of all time, so of course I was excited when I began to hear snippets of their new songs earlier this year.  Their new album is tentatively set for release as early as February, but who knows.  This song title leaves me questioning what happened to the nutty and wacky song titles like Absinthe Party at the Fly Honey Warehouse from previous albums.

12.) Basement Jaxx – Raindrops

No longer the jump around and mash your feet kind of songs that you would expect from Basement Jaxx.  But in 2009, this group has re-invented themselves into sounds from another planet and away from the old massive house beats of past and into a poppy psychedelic tune that is sure to keep you groovin’.

11.) Here We Go Magic – Tunnelvision

There’s just something wistful and memorizing about this song that makes the mysterious lyrics and simple melodies easy to listen to.  Is it a song or just one big verse that seems to carry you off far away into space.  HWGM is far from your ordinary folk band and has received its well deserved praises all year surrounding their debut self titled  album.

10.)We Were Promised Jetpacks – Quiet Little Voices

This Scottish four piece has put together some of the best pop-punk music of the year and their album These Four Walls are on many best album lists of 2009.  If you’re not familiar with them and you love to play drums on your steering wheel, Quite Little Voices and It’s Thunder and it’s Lighting are perfect.  It’s frantic and repetitious from the start but it’s when it erupts half way through that you hope nobody catches you at a red light.  It’s sort of embarrassing.

9.) Magistrates – Heartbreak

This funky 80′s style song went relatively undiscovered by many this year, but dig a little deeper and you never know what kind of gems you will find.   This song and their other instant hit with me Make This Work have gone through countless plays this year and proof is in my iTunes.   It’s insanely poppy and a song that’s easy to enjoy the shit out of.   It was a real letdown to read last month that they have since called it a day and the members have left to pursue other musical projects but this song is well deserving of a top 10 spot.

8.) The Whitest Boy Alive – Burning

The Whitest Boy Alive and the voice of Erlend Øye have managed to strike yet another chord with me.  A song that has so much style and created with so few instruments and post-production that I wish it just went on forever, it’s that sublime.

7.) Hey Champ – Cold Dust Girl

A trio from Chicago that has proved it can create an indie-pop hits to light up any nearby dance floor.  A band where you don’t even have to cross the Atlantic to get all the synthesized melodies this song has.   Here’s to hoping that this song and their others songs manage to create enough stir and acclaim to get picked up by a label in 2010.

6.) Friendly Fires – Kiss Of Life

One of my favorite albums of the year, Friendly Fires hails from England and their re-released album in 2009, showed no signs of stopping when it came to producing great dance inspired music.  Kiss of Life is a laced with catchy samba drums and Ed Macfarlane puts on his ridiculously good demonstration of dance moves in the video.  One of the best live performances I’ve ever seen and seeing Ed do his jig on stage was pure entertainment.

5.) Grizzly Bear – Two Weeks

Grizzly Bear’s album Veckatimest was one of the most talked about albums on hypem.com this year and continues to receive praise as the album has crafted such a copious amount of cheerful and sweeping  indie melodies.   The song “Two Weeks” is a testament of the bands work ethic in producing some of the best indie rock we’ve heard in a long time.

4.) Miike Snow – Silvia

Once producers for the huge Grammy Awarded Britney Spears hit Toxic and  others by Kylie Minogue and Madona, this band had dedicated 2009 to produce music under the name of Miike Snow (named after a Japanese film director).   You can expect a high level of production from the album which isn’t all surprising considering where they got their start.   The twisted vocals and electronic blips and bleeps of this song make for a song and album that I suspect I’ll come back and listen to years down the road.  Here’s a live in-studio video of Sylvia with even more synthesized keyboard magic and the break down at the end around the 5:15 min mark is just pure bliss.

3.) The XX – Crystalised

A band full of 20 something’s from London have combined their musical talents and created some of the best down-tempo cult like music I have heard to date.   The rumbling drums and chilly synths give Crystalised and the entire album a late-night vibe to it, perfect for a midnight drive or stroll.    These kids are bound to blow up and I’m not sure if the mainstream is quite ready for it.  But having the opportunity to see them live last month has given me an entirely new respect for the simplicity and undeniable groove of The XX.

2.) Phoenix – 1901

In 2009, Phoenix was the band that bridged the gap between mainstream and indie rock music this year.  And the song 1901 was the soundtrack of multiple media productions this year as it came as no surprise that the catchiness of these Frenchmen was an instant hit with the masses.  An album and song that needs no introduction, listen for yourself.

1.) Passion Pit – Moth’s Wings

This is the song that got me hooked on Passion Pit this year and I’ve never looked back.   Sure I was familiar with them last year from their early release Sleepy HeadsManners. The album is packed with songs where people can just sing-a-long and/or dance-a-long and just find complete enjoyment from this music.  Who doesn’t want that?  My favorite song this year Moth’s Wings deserves to be played loudly, over and over again. but a year later and much has changed.  What was once just a cutesy song for a girlfriend as a Valentine gift has turned in becoming a full blown band with a major label deal and their first full length album titled