The Playlist #3

It's been a hell of a week for me. Both life and work were pretty busy. Holidays just sets people into a mad rush, I guess, and I'm not excluded. That's why I'm so thankful that I'm off for 5 days (I still have 2 more days left). So it's been a week of uninterrupted gaming, good food, sweet shopping deals and music.

I also ditched imeem -because they don't allow full streaming sometimes- and decided to host my own mp3 files using the money I earn from this blog. So you guys do me a favor and enjoy them.

"Two Weeks" by Grizzly Bear

I probably had Grizzly Bear's latest album, Vecaktimest, for months now. But I haven't listened to it as much as I should. So I didn't realize that the album is that good until last Sunday. The folk-pop songs here are very relaxing and sunny, an excellent album to listen to while resting on a Sunday afternoon. "Two Weeks", which I think is their first single, is a perfect example of how bright this album is.

"Graze" by Animal Collective

Animal Collective became one of my favorite artists this year when they dazzled me with their electro-pop on Meriweather Post Pavilion. So when they released an EP, entitled Fall Be Kind, last Monday, I just have to get it. At first, I was disappointed with it. I didn't had the hook and catch that Meriweather had. But after listening to it a few times, I fell in love with it. The music here is just so full of texture -results of experimentation, I guess. The first song, "Graze", is so floaty and dreamy with swirling synths on the background, then it ends up with a jumpy, joyous tune of a flutist on heroine.

"Ten Speed (of God's Blood & Burial)" by Coheed and Cambria

Not being able to attend Lollapalooza -for finanical reasons- is one of my biggest regrets this year. So I missed seeing my favorite bands, like Tool and Coheed & Cambria, play live. Fortunately, Coheed & Cambria released Neverender, a DVD featuring their four-night concert, and I was able to rent it from Netflix. I have to say that the DVD is quite impressive, and I'm planning to get the boxed set (which also included the live CD). All songs from all their albums are included in here, played live by the band. It's worth 5 hours of kick-assery.

"Shake It Out" by Manchester Orchestra

I thought I'm too old for bands like Manchester Orchestra. But when my clock radio played "Shake It Out" to wake me up at five in the morning, I found myself nodding my head on my pillow. It's an awesome song, with a nice progression to it. I also love the guitar riffs and the vocal style.

"Love Letter to Japan" by The Bird and the Bee

Ray Guns Are Not Just The Future is one of my few favorite pop albums. But I've never heard anybody, even amongst my peers, who like this album. So when I found out that Amazon named it as their #1 pop album for 2009, topping even Kelly Clarkson, I was so ecstatic. I was also relieved to know about it, of course. Because I thought that my taste in music was deteriorating, along with my memory and hair.

"People Got a Lotta Nerve" by Neko Case

I'm not really a big fan of Neko Case. Her music is good but it's not my cup of tea. Although her new album, Middle Cyclone, is Amazon's #1 album of 2009. Honestly, I don't agree. Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix would've a been better choice, in my opinion. But Amazon was kind enough to offer Middle Cyclone for $2 -I guess to give non-believers the chance to listen to it- as part of their Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale. Fan or not, the deal is just too good to pass up. Surprisingly, I'm enjoying some of the songs on the album. But I still couldn't see it as an "album of the year" kind of material.

"Like O, Like H" by Tegan and Sara

I've been listening to Tegan and Sara's Sainthood, all day yesterday, while I was writing a review for it. While it's a good album, it actually made me sick -due to repeated listens- and miss The Con even more. Hence, I listened to The Con all day long to purge the Sainthood's power pop out of my system. "Like O, Like H" is definitely my favorite song from the Quin twins.

Well, that's the playlist for this week. I hope you guys enjoyed it. If you don't see the player, you probably need to install flash plug-in for your browser.

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Music Review: Sainthood

Sainthood by Tegan and Sara
8.8 of 10
Buy album from Amazon
Download album from Amazon

Tegan and Sara's spot on the soundtrack of that famous medical drama series earned them a bit of mainstream exposure. This, of course, is how I discovered them. It's hard not to take notice when they've invaded the iPhones of young doctors and nurses (fans of the TV show) at my workplace. At first, I didn't like the act. It was too cutesy for me. But when the twins released their 5th album, The Con, back in 2007, I was hooked. The album's catchy lyrics, folky/poppy tunes and -the best of all- folk guitar riffs being assaulted by electronic synths was an aural treat.

Now the Quin twins are back with their sixth LP, Sainthood, a follow-up to The Con and one of my most anticipated albums this year. Their latest album is, more or less, still the same as their previous. The cutesy and poppy vocals are still present, as well as the catchy lyrics that will entice you to sing-a-long with the twins. Gone, however, are the folk elements from The Con. Instead, it's replaced with 80's power pop and new wave. The track "The Cure", its music and title, is evidently inspired by The Cure (band). Then "Alligator" will simply remind you of earlier Madonna songs.

All in all, in my opinion, The Con is still the better album. It was more complex and had more atmosphere. But Sainthood didn't disappoint me. While the album is much more straight-forward, it is bursting with energy. All the songs in here also have the same infectious hook like with Tegan and Sara's previous works. It may not have many bells and whistles like The Con, But it is still a very enjoyable album. I highly recommend Sainthood.

"Alligator" by Tegan and Sara


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The Playlist #2

It's week two of my "The Playlist" series. I was actually planning to skip this post today since I thought I have nothing to write about. It was quiet week for me, oddly enough. Work was slow, never spent a dime (not even for gas), and never really listened to music that much. The only thing I did was play Dragon Age: Origins. I'm almost done with the game and I'm already itching to play it again from the start.

Nonetheless, last week brought enough music for me to write another playlist.

"Far Behind" by Candlebox

I woke up to this song last Sunday. This was a pretty popular song back in high school and I love it. Especially the song's guitar intro. I don't know anything about the band though, or heard any of their songs beside this one. I wonder if they're still around today.

"Hate Worldwide" by Slayer

I knew there was a Slayer album that just got out. I didn't mind it, however, because I'm not that much into Slayer, and their recent albums weren't that good anyways. But when I heard this song while driving home from work, I was smitten. It's old school and a lot of people (including old fans) are even comparing the new album to Reign of Blood and South of Heaven (two of my favorite Slayer albums). So know I'm thinking of getting the album.

"Lovesick Teenagers" by Bear In Heaven

This is one of my music purchases from weeks ago. I've never heard of the band before but I'm really loving them now. I especially love this song. It's just so dreamy and swirly. Listening to it will leave you lost and lazy.

"Worm Mountain" by The Flaming Lips (featuring MGMT)

I fell in love with The Flaming Lips after I heard At War with the Mystics, back in 2006. Now the band is back again with a new album, Embryonic, and it's crazy awesome. I don't know if they have an official single but "Worm Mountain" is my favorite song from their album. The buzzy bass of this song is just awesome. It's very psychedelic, very stoner metal.

"Wretched World" by Converge

I don't listen to metal or hardcore as much as before, I admit. But if Converge releases any kind of new material, I'm there to buy it. Ever since Jane Doe, this band have been breaking skulls. Their new album, Axe to Fall is no exception. Although this song is kind of slow, very un-Converge. I still like it, however.

"Hell" by Tegan and Sara

I've been a fan of Tegan and Sara since The Con. I'm currently enjoying their latest album, Sainthood, and it's definitely one of my favorite albums this year. Anyways, this song is the first single from their new album. While it's not my favorite track (there are far more better songs in the album) it's still a fun, fast paced song. There's clearly a lot of 80's influence in it.

"This is War" by 30 Seconds to Mars

Actor Jared Leto can sing, I like his voice, I'll give him that. Unfortunately, I don't like his band, 30 Seconds to Mars. They're not my cup of tea. But I stumbled a trailer for Dragon Age: Origins in YouTube (which can be found here) that features the single from their new album. I don't like the song though. The Dragon Age trailer, however, rocks. The Grey Warden and Sten looks pretty kick-ass in the video.

That's it for this week. I hope you guys will enjoy this my playlist as much as I did.

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