Disclaimer: You May Find a Broken Link

So, there USED to be freenapster.com, and it USED to provide access to almost any artist's music. It was pretty awesome, and I linked ~90% of this blog's recommendations to that site. Now, apparently, Free Napster is no more. Booooooo.

It will be a long, on-going task of mine to redirect the links to somewhere you can hear the music, but in the meantime, if you click on a link that brings you to Napster where it asks you to sign in:
1) Be angry at them, for disrupting your chance to enjoy a good song
2) Google the song and still check it out, because it's awesome

If you have another source I should be using, please don't hesitate to send it my way. Email me for that, and any music recommendations, at tracy@groundwm.com. Thanks!
Showing posts with label the blow. Show all posts
Showing posts with label the blow. Show all posts

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Best Album Finds of 2009

I'm not going to do a "Top 10 albums of 2009" list because I listened to a LOT of really good albums throughout the year, but most of them only once or twice due to my crazy don't-have-time-to-listen-to-full-albums-enough-to-fall-in-love-with-them lifestyle. Since many of these albums COULD have made my top 10, and since I didn't even get to listen to all the albums I wanted to, I simply will not rank them. I'd hate to look back later this year, after I fall in love with an album that was made in 2009, and know that I didn't included it in my "Top 10 albums of 2009." So, I officially declare that I will author an annual "Best Album Finds of YEAR" list. Enjoy!

WARNING: Some of my favorite album finds of 2009 weren't made in 2009. I'm ok with that; just happy I finally found them.

Mugison's Mugiboogie is my favorite find of 2009 (even though it was released in 2008). This album is AMAZING. I discovered my love for this album on January 9, 2009, when I featured his song Mugiboogie. It was then that I first declared him a "versatile, boundary-less, unpredictable, master of sound." I encourage you to stop reading this post, click HERE, and listen to this album now (you can also download it for FREE!). This blog post will be here when you're done.


The Blow's Paper Television is chuck full of fun. Another album I highly recommend. I'm pretty late to the Paper Television party, since this album came out in 2006, but again - better late than never. You can listen to it HERE.


Although I discovered Of Montreal's Skeletal Lamping on December 27, 2008, it was still one of my absolute top albums of 2009, so I'm including it. F.A.B.ulous. Also one of my absolute favorite live shows of 2009. Listen to it HERE.


Ok, so I now realize that most of my favorite albums of 2009 were birthed earlier than 2009, so in order to get to some more current albums, I'm going to list a few more personal classics that I found-and-loved last year.


I love Animal Collective's Merriweather Pavilion from beginning to end. This made a lot of folks' top album lists, and for good reason. My goodness, if you haven't heard it yet, click HERE and get started!


Absolutely LOVE Golden Silver's True Romance. Kind of surprised I haven't heard more about them yet, but I'm ok assuming I'm an early adapter. :) Listen to them HERE and see if you agree.


Liam Finn and Eliza Jane's Champagne in Seashells is a love-at-first-listen album. I'm a big fan of Liam Finn's I'll Be Lightning, and this EP just confirmed that I'm a big Liam Finn fan in general. Check it out HERE.


Florence and the Machine's Lungs - Love her voice, her energy, her enthusiasm, and most importantly - her music! I'm a fan :) Listen to the album HERE.


I'd heard for-EVER about the supposed greatness of The Decemberists, and it wasn't until I listened to The Decemberists' Hazards of Love in that I understood why. AMAZING. Definitely a top find of 2009. I suggest you listen all the way through, which you can do HERE.


Other albums that maybe should be on here, but I haven't listened to enough to fully endorse include:

I can imagine your internal dialogue at this point might look something like this:
"Jiminy Cricket Tracy, you're obsessed with music and listen to it constantly,
how can this be it?! wtf"

It saddens me that my stupid life got in the way of actually listening, reviewing and becoming obsessed with a LOT more albums from 2009, but do not fear for 2010. I have aggressive goals to not only stay on top of all the fabulous 2010 releases, but to also catch up on all the great stuff I missed in 2009. Therefore, plan to see more old stuff on the list next year, and hopefully a shit more albums too.


Until then, thanks for reading and please feel encouraged to send me whatever album recommendations you have.

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Random 10 Extras I Love

On this blog I post one song every day by a new artist, never repeating an artist... Sometimes it takes me a while to find an artist I believe is worth posting, and most of the time, once I find that artist, I love more than one of their songs. What to do?!?!

Well, as hard as it may be, I chose one-and-only-one song to recommend each day, but now my Random 10s allow me to share other songs from these artists that I love. Enjoy! :)


The Blow - Parenthesis
Calvin Harris - Acceptable in the 80s
Grizzly Bear - Alligator (choir version)
Iron & Wine - Innocent Bones
Mugison - Jesus is a Good Name to Moan

Muse - Butterflies and Hurricanes
She & Him - Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?

Verona Red - Hesitations & Cliches

Wolf Parade - Call It a Ritual

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Maps

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

My Current Pandora QuickMix

Here's who's included:

Coltrane Motion
Office
CSS
Kyle Andrews
Stereo MC's
Radiohead
Fujiya & Miyagi
Architecture in Helsinki
Passion Pit
Animal Collective
The Asteroids Galaxy Tour
Of Montreal
Moving Units
The Blow
Calvin Harris
Justice
MGMT
The Faint
Junior Senior


Thursday, January 8, 2009

The Last 25 Albums I listened to








My Album Ratings

When I started this blog in November I made a goal to listen to albums. I think I've been too into my iPod lately and needed to get back to hearing albums and bands the way they are intended to be heard - in a full-length, non-shuffle format. I made up a rating system to keep track of them, with ##### being the best. I've decided to share my list to-date for a few reasons:
  1. Hopefully you'll find good music
  2. Hopefully you'll give me new good music
  3. Hopefully since I'm sharing such intimacies with you, our bond will grow stronger
First sorted by rating, then chronologically because if you're an analytical freak like me you might enjoy seeing my sequence of discovery.

Enjoy!


Tracy
:)



By Rating

#.5
Sigur Rós - Med sud i eyrum vid spilum endalaust

##
Fleet Foxes -
Fleet Foxes
The Hold Steady -
Stay Positive

##.5
Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
Girl Talk -
Feed the Animals
Lucinda Williams -
Little Honey

###.5
She & Him -
Volume One
Vampire Weekend -
Vampire Weekend

####
Dr. Dog -
Fate
I'm From Barcelona - Who Killed Harry Houdini?

####.5
Battles -
Race In
Foals - Antidots
Greg Wood - Vibrating Glass
Of Montreal - The Sunlandic Twins
Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga

Tapes 'N Tapes - Walk it Off

#####
The Blow - Paper Television
Calvin Harris - I Created Disco
Emiliana Torrini - Me and Armini
The Faint -
Fasciinatiion
The Faint -
Wet From Birth
Langhorne Slim - Langhorne Slim
MGMT -
Oracular Spectacular
Moving Units -
Dangerous Dreams
Mugison - Mugiboogie

Of Montreal - Skeletal Lamping


Total List Chronologically
  1. Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago ##.5
  2. Dr. Dog - Fate ####
  3. The Faint - Fasciinatiion #####
  4. The Faint - Wet From Birth #####
  5. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes ##
  6. Girl Talk - Feed the Animals ##.5
  7. Greg Wood - Vibrating Glass ####.5
  8. I'm From Barcelona - Who Killed Harry Houdini? ####
  9. MGMT, Oracular Spectacular #####
  10. Moving Units - Dangerous Dreams #####
  11. Sigur Rós - Med sud i eyrum vid spilum endalaust #.5
  12. She & Him - Volume One ###.5
  13. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend ###.5
  14. Calvin Harris - I Created Disco #####
  15. Of Montreal - The Sunlandic Twins ####.5
  16. The Blow - Paper Television #####
  17. Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga ####.5
  18. Langhorne Slim - Langhorne Slim #####
  19. Battles - Race In ####.5
  20. Emiliana Torrini - Me and Armini #####
  21. Of Montreal - Skeletal Lamping #####
  22. The Hold Steady - Stay Positive ##
  23. Foals - Antidots ####.5
  24. Tapes 'N Tapes - Walk it Off ####.5
  25. Mugison - Mugiboogie ######

Saturday, December 27, 2008

Recommended Song of the Day

12/5/08: Pile of Gold, by The Blow

The Blow is a Pandora find, and again Pandora's spot on! LOVE their whole album, Paper Television.

Check it out. Enjoy. You're welcome.

Tracy :)

Portland, OR

Snapshots - Summer Festivals 2009

PITCHFORK