Songs to get you through the work day

Sometimes it’s just nice to listen to happy music, y’know?

It’s the end of the sales quarter, so things have been totally crazy at my work. As long as I can pull in two hundred thousand dollars tomorrow (uhhhhh what?) everything’ll be golden! So if anyone has 200K lying around, I’d greatly appreciate it. Thanks!

I’ve been listening to this mini-playlist whenever I feel the 3pm blues kicking in. It’s better than caffeine (and don’t we all drink too much of that stuff anyway?). So put on this music the next time you feel a slump and you’ll be good to go.

TrellicBaxter Dury

Baxter Dury is an English guy (how could he not be, with a name like that) who started making records back in 2002. His latest album Happy Soup (2011) is enjoying a comfortable stay on the UK charts and his music is hopelessly catchy.

    Excuse MeLemâitre

    Dance around until 1:25, when the pure deliciousness sets in. Reminds me of the nineties without leaving the aftertaste of midriff tops and rave pacifiers in my mouth.

    Don’t Stop (TheFatRat Remix)Foster The People

    I like this song so much that I played it on last week’s Indie-licious. And in case you didn’t know, Foster The People are playing in Downsview Park on June 19th. It’s an all-ages show and tickets are $39.50. Prepare to be surrounded by tweens singing along to Pumped Up Kicks without realizing it’s about a school shooter. No big deal!

    Sasha’s Favourite Albums of 2011- ENTIRE LIST

    #1 - Jay Z & Kanye West - Watch the Throne

    I’m sure this one came a shocker (…not).  Even though a bunch of the songs act as advertisements, the quality of this album is hard to match, and it was an easy pick as favourite of the year.  You would have to be living under a rock to not have heard at least one of Watch the Throne’s singles/songs, and you would have to be hit by that rock upside the head to not enjoy it… And on that note I hope everyone has a great New Years Eve, I’d be willing to bet you will be hearing this song at least once (or 3 times like their encores on this tour).  Enjoy!

    Jay-Z & Kanye WestGotta Have it

     - The English Riviera
    #3 - Bon Iver - Bon Iver, Bon Iver 

    #4 - Caveman – CoCo Beware

    #5 - Foster the People – Torches

    #6 - Lykke Li – Wounded Rhymes

    #7 - tUnE-yArDs – WHO KILL


    # 8 (TIE) Drake – Take Care & Childish Gambino – CAMP

    #9 - Florence and the Machine – Ceremonials (Deluxe Edition)

    #10 - Arctic Monkeys – Suck it and See

    Sasha’s Favourite Albums of 2011 Countdown: #5

    #5 - Foster the People – Torches

    This was the ultimate summer album for me, with probably one of the catchiest singles released this year (Pumped up Kicks), and the album doesn’t rest on it’s pop-y singles alone.  Torches is awesome from beginning to end, which makes me excited to see what this band has to release in the future.

    Foster the PeopleMiss You 

    Toronto Concert Update: September, October, November

    I’ve been anticipating a bumper crop of concerts in Toronto this fall, and what a harvest it’s going to be! Tune-yards, Lykke Li, Peter Bjorn and John, Ra Ra Riot… my wallet’s going to be as empty and cold as my ex-boyfriend’s parents. And so, Music Between Friends presents our fall edition of the Toronto Concert Update.

    SEPTEMBER

    Peter Bjorn & John @ Lee’s, 19+
    Fri Sept 2, 2011 and Sat Sept 3, 2011 – $20.00

    Harlan Pepper @ Rivoli, 19+
    Thurs Sept 8, 2011 – $10.00

    Said The Whale @ Mod Club, All Ages
    Thurs Sept 8, 2011 – $16.00

    Empire of the Sun @ Echo Beach, All Ages
    Tues Sept 13, 2011 – $41.00

    Kid CuDi @ Molson Amphitheatre, All Ages
    Thurs Sept 15, 2011 – $29.50-55.00

    Olivia Tremor Control @ Lee’s, 19+
    Fri Sept 16, 2011 – $18.50

    Vivian Girls @ The Shop, 19+
    Fri Sept 16, 2011 – $15.00

    Mother Mother @ Sound Academy, All Ages
    Sat Sept 17, 2011 – $26.50

    Two Door Cinema Club @ Kool Haus, All Ages
    Sat Sept 17, 2011 – $21.00

    Toro Y Moi @ Opera House, 19+
    Sun Sept 18, 2011 – $20.00

    Starfucker @ Lee’s, 19+
    Tues Sept 20, 2011 – $13.50

    The Shins @ Phoenix, 19+
    Thurs Sept 22, 2011 – $31.00

    Tahiti 80 @ Horseshoe, 19+
    Thurs Sept 22, 2011 – $13.50

    Kid Sister @ Wrongbar, 19+
    Sat Sept 24, 2011 – $15.00

    Tune-Yards @ Lee’s, 19+
    Mon Sept 26, 2011 – $16.50

    Girls @ Mod Club, 19+
    Tues Sept 27, 2011 – $16.50

    Mates of State @ Phoenix, 19+
    Wed Sept 28, 2011 – $16.00

    Ohbijou @ Trinity St. Paul’s, All Ages
    Fri Sept 30, 2011 – $20.00

    OCTOBER

    Foster The People @ Sound Academy, All Ages
    Sat Oct 1, 2011 – SOLD OUT

    Naked and Famous @ Phoenix, 19+
    Thurs Oct 6, 2011 – $21.00

    Ra Ra Riot @ Lee’s, 19+
    Thurs Oct 6, 2011 – $17.50

    Portishead @ Sound Academy, All Ages
    Mon Oct 10, 2011 – $59.50

    Drums @ Mod Club, 19+
    Tues Oct 11, 2011 – $16.00

    Braids @ Horseshoe, 19+
    Fri Oct 14, 2011 – $12.00

    Yukon Blonde @ Lee’s, 19+
    Fri Oct 14, 2011 – $11.50

    Iron & Wine @ Sound Academy, All Ages
    Sat Oct 15, 2011 – $28.50

    Dum Dum Girls w/ Crocodiles and Colleen Green @ Lee’s, 19+
    Sun Oct 16, 2011 – $17.50

    Neon Indian @ Lee’s, 19+
    Tues Oct 18, 2011 – $15.00

    GIVERS w/ Lord Huron @ Wrongbar, 19+
    Wed Oct 26, 2011 – $13.00

    Friendly Fires @ Phoenix, 19+
    Sun Oct 23, 2011 – $21.00

    Metronomy @ Mod Club, 19+
    Wed Oct 26, 2011 – $16.00

    Death From Above 1979 @ Sound Academy, All Ages
    Thurs Oct 27, 2011 and Fri October 28, 2011 – $36.00

    Chad Vangaalen @ Mod Club, 19+
    Fri Oct 28, 2011 – $20.00

    Blitzen Trapper w/ Dawes @ Opera House, 19+
    Thurs Oct 30, 2011 – $18.50

    NOVEMBER

    Holy Ghost @ Hoxton, 19+
    Tues Nov 1, 2011 – $17.00

    Chromeo @ Sound Academy, All Ages
    Wed Nov 2, 2011 – $31.50

    Lykke Li @ Sound Academy, All Ages
    Tues Nov 15, 2011 – $31.50

    Radio Dept @ Mod Club, 19+
    Thurs Nov 17, 2011 – $15.00

    Elliott Brood @ Phoenix, 19+
    Fri Nov 18, 2011 – $20.00

    The Kooks @ Sound Academy, All Ages/19+ Area
    Wed Nov 23, 2011 – $25.00-35.00

    Timber Timbre @ Queen Elizabeth Theatre, All Ages
    Sat Nov 26, 2011 – $27.50

    Jay-Z & Kanye West @ Air Canada Centre, All Ages
    Wed Nov 23, 2011 and Thurs Nov 24, 2011 – $59.50-250.00

    That’s it for now, friends. Enjoy the concerts and make sure to grab a band tee for me.

    Lollapalooza Live Stream on Youtube!

    I passed on my opportunity to go to Lollapalooza, but I am happy that I can still experience the show and pretend I’m in Chicago through the magic of the internet.  It’s like Coachella all over again… Tune in at the Lollapalooza Youtube channel August 5th to the 7th to catch performances by headliners Eminem, Foo Fighters, Coldplay and many of my favourites like Foster the People, Arctic Monkeys, Lykke Li, and Phantogram.

    This is the first time the festival has decided to broadcast live on the internet, and will even show 2 hours of behind-the-scenes coverage. The channel will be up and running August 5th at 1:30 PM Central Time so check it out if you want the Lolla experience minus the cost.

     

     

    Tired of the same old tracks? Listen to Light Asylum, Hooray for Earth, Foster The People, and Little Red.

    Once in a while, I’ll feel like a big dingus for not knowing about a band until after they’ve dropped a few significantly awesome albums. Example: I only started listening to TV On The Radio last year (shame, shame!)

    Here are a few tracks from secretly rad bands that haven’t broken out yet. Feel free to show these to your friends so that they’ll think you’re the cool one to go to for new music.

    You’re welcome.

    Light Asylumfrom Brooklyn, NY
    MP3: A Certain PersonLight Asylum


    Hooray For Earthfrom NY, NY
    MP3: No LoveHooray For Earth


    Foster The Peoplefrom LA, California
    MP3: Pumped Up Kicks (Chrome Canyon Remix)Foster The People


    Little Redfrom Melbourne, Australia
    MP3: Get A LifeLittle Red


    Travel Time – The July Playlist

    It isn’t July just yet, but I wanted to get a head start since I will be out of the country come Canada Day (how ironic).  I am going on an exciting adventure to Italy and Greece for the whole month and may not get a chance to post as much.  So, I figured a nostalgic/loosely themed playlist could be a second-rate consolation prize.

    I tried to fit all my recent favourites on this playlist  (Foster the People, Wild Nothing etc.) as well as some consistent favourites.  So on that note, here is my parting gift for the month if I don’t get an opportunity to post what I’m listening to.

     Track Listing
    01 Send Me On My Way - Rusted Roots
     02 Don't Play No Game That I Can't Win - Beastie Boys ft. Santogold
     03 Home - LCD Soundsystems
     04 Call It What You Want - Foster the People
     05 Gamme Ray - Beck
     06 Churches Under The Stairs - BSS presents...Brendan Canning
     07 Summer Holiday - Wild Nothing
     08 Abducted - Cults
     09 Set 'em Free pt.1 - Akron/Family
     10 Speaking In Tongues - Arcade Fire ft. David Byrne
     11 Like I Needed - Rogue Wave
     12 Minnesota, WI - Bon Iver
     13 When I Come Home - The Drums
     14 Wrapped Up In Books - Belle & Sebastian
    
     DOWNLOAD
     
     

    My Summer Anthem: Metronomy’s The Look

    After Sasha announced back in March that Foster The People’s Pumped Up Kicks would be her 2011 summer jam, I decided to find my own personal summer tune to play beach volleyball and eat kilos of ice cream to.

    When I stumbled across The Look by London/Brighton four-piece Metronomy, I knew it was the perfect choice. The simplistic, catchy, and utterly singable lyrics are mondegreen-proof and the awesome synth line makes me want to whip out my keyboard and play along.

    We didn’t read it in a big book
    And now we’re giving you the look, look
    Just remember how we shook, shook
    And all the things we took, took

      It takes some pretty crafty musical hooks to mask lyrics as basic as these.

      Although they’ve been active on the UK electronic scene since 1999, they only recently came to my attention after the release of The English Rivers last month. The Look is the 4th track off the 11-track album on Because Music (the same label that signed Klaxons, Justice, and Charlotte Gainsbourg). It got pretty swell reviews from The Guardian and NME, which always equals great exposure.

      Check out the vid for some creepy, stop-motion seagull action. (And then grab the mp3 below!)

      I wish I was cool as the hipster bassist.

        MP3: The LookMetronomy


        Coachella 2011 Playlist

        The only frustrating thing about the Coachella live webcasts is that you cannot view them in Canada after the original air date. I guess they’ll just have to live on in my memory, just like Rose’s whirlwind romance aboard the Titanic.

        Here’s a playlist I whipped up for the occasion! Think of it as a slice of Coachella-shaped birthday cake. A morsel to tide you over until next year.

        Download here.

        Or grab the individual tracks:

        1. Under Cover of DarknessThe Strokes
        2. Cheap and CheerfulThe Kills
        3. AudienceCold War Kids
        4. Better in Blue The Morning Benders
        5. Jewels and GoldAngus & Julia Stone
        6. L’estat (according to the widow’s maid)Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti
        7. HappyBest Coast
        8. You Know What I meanCults
        9. Lights & MusicCut Copy
        10. Girl U WantFreelance Whales
        11. Ce jeuYelle
        12. FogNosaj Thing
        13. Helena BeatFoster the People

        Pumped Up Kicks

        Pumped Up Kicks -Foster the People


        It’s funny how the sun being out just makes you feel happier.  Here is a tune from L.A. band Foster the People to get you in that happy mood if you aren’t already.  This is a song that will get stuck in your head all day, and you probably won’t mind.
        Note to Cary: To appease you I will try to post more consistently over March since I won’t have a playlist to share.