The past few weeks have been filled with all sorts of new music and Spotify, arguably the best music service since Pandora, is to thank for that. More recently I’ve been discovering more chillout/dub/trip-hop type stuff and this is one artist that I instantly loved. The waltzing guitar and winding clarinet make this track calming and easy to listen to without being boring. 

This is a track from a beautiful tribute album to an amazing artist. It’s actually a bit depressing to think that there will be no more music from him. 

Royksopp recently held a contest for fans to make a video for their track “The Alcoholic”. This was one of the finalists and I thought it was an amazing video that framed the song perfectly. Check out the (kind of creepy) winning video here.

Never has the musical composer for a film been so appropriate. Well, excluding John Williams and Star Wars. Or Martin O’Donnell and Halo. But that’s beside the point. Daft Punk has returned to the spotlight after more mainstream success with Kanye West’s remix of Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger. The robotic duo is expected to make appearances in Tron: Legacy, a film which they look right at home. Their normal track suits are upgraded to match the world in which they reside but they remain undoubtedly Daft Punk. 

Most of the soundtrack is your basic movie music, meant to be played in the background while heightening the viewer’s experience but there are a few stand out tracks that I felt could easily find a home on a regular Daft Punk release. This track, End of the Line, is one of them. It’s a pretty mellow track but brings to mind the computer world that Michael Flynn is trapped in. Another, Derezzed, was released as a “single” for the movie with accompanying music video. What’s clear is that these two have put together a fantastic soundtrack to what looks like a fantastic follow up to a cult classic. 

This was too funny to go unnoticed. 

I’ve been waiting for this album since I first heard this Aussie duo over a year ago. After giving it a thorough listening, it’s apparent that these guys have put forth a fantastic initial effort. They’ve stuck mostly with remixes, singles, and DJ sets at clubs until now and this album has been highly anticipated since they announced it earlier this year.

The track So Demanding sounds like it could be a continuation of Chromeo’s Needy Girl but with Bag Raider’s own distinctive sound. Transitioning to Golden Wings immediately brings Royksopp to mind but again has only touches of this influence.

Unfortunately, their current tour schedule doesn’t include any west coast shows but I certainly hope that these guys continue to grow as musicians and keep putting out amazing albums like this one. 

Three tracks in and I’m already hooked. Royksopp’s latest creation, Senior, is definitely the counterpart to their previous album titled Junior. What’s new is a more laid back sound that is at times slightly darker and more brooding but without making listeners want to start cutting. Like the second part of a puzzle, Senior compliments Junior nearly track by track and even shares similarities in the songs as if they were mere continuations after a break. The track “Senior Living” brings to mind a couple tracks from Ratatat’s LP3 with a similar instrumentation and laid back style. The Norwegian duo is certainly growing as a group and making their way up the charts as they become more widely known for their work and they most certainly deserve it. 

Not quite techno and not quite trance but most definitely electronica, Royksopp is making a name for themselves by producing music that’s wonderful to listen to. I hope it’s only a matter of time until we start hearing them through more mainstream mediums in the US. 

Empire of the Sun is a band I was introduced to earlier this summer and they’ve slowly grown on me. Their indie/electronica sound is what drew me in and their dream like tracks are reminiscent of David Bowie. Albeit, a more modern Bowie but just as crazy looking. Check their videos here if you’re looking for some really interesting visuals.

I’ve been lazy the past few days. I need to stop that. 

The Specials are a relatively newly discovered band to me (Thanks Greg!) but I really dig these guys. I’m beginning to collect their discography but the album that this song is on has managed to elude me for the past couple months. Amazon doesn’t have it, local record store doesn’t have it and I can’t find any torrents. The hunt continues. 

This is a cover of Pressure Drop by Toots & The Maytals. Toots is considered one of the founding groups of ska and rightly so - their chill, laid back Jamaican style laid the building bricks for ska music today. The Specials are considered part of the “second wave” or 2 Tone of ska music that originated in England in the late 1970’s-1980’s which brought together 1960’s Jamaican ska and current punk rock style. A main theme of 2 Tone ska was racial unity at a time in the UK when tensions were at their highest. Messages of friendship and unity are found throughout their songs which helped promote a more peaceful society.

These guys are a classic ska band who are recognized as one of the major players in the progression to ska music today. Hope you enjoy it. 

Some work I did earlier today. 

kevinlien:

Chase Studios Shoot 8/20/2010