Best Cover EVER...not even joking

I watched Purple Rain today for the first time ever: Whoa.
This song is nothing like Purple Rain, but it is still seriously amazing.

Download Damien Rice When Doves Cry

BAWL

Download Cars and Telephones by Arcade Fire

This is the saddest song. Ever.
While they never made an official release of this very early song, and seeing as it's not very similar to their general sound, I would still love to see this get recognition as some of Arcade Fire's best work just due to the sheer enormity and desperateness of it. Sigh. Oh yeah, and happy holidays y'all!

White caps on the water (Jungle Drum)

Emilíana Torrini Davíðsdóttir of Iceland has this crazy single off of her fifth release Me and Armini (Rough Trade, 2008) called "Jungle Drum." If you dug Tune-Yards (I am too lazy to do the nutso capitalizations) you will dig this too. Happy New Year almost!

Download "Jungle Drum"

P.S. I am on a boat right now writing this and it is so rough I might vom. Just kidding, kind of. 

Big Brotha (People Under The Stairs)

HANG LOOSE (HANG LOOSE) 

I gotta gold plaited pit bull made outta ice yo his bark ain't loud but he sure ain't nice.

Above is an excerpt from that song you always wanted to play real loud driving past another car with ugly sunglasses on lookin so smooth. Hiphopdance at it's finest, this song by People Under the Stairs is sure to be a crowd-pleaser at your next cocktail party. Off of the utterly magical O.S.T. (Om Records, 2002). Other favorites from the album include but are not limited to: "Tales of Kidd Drunkadelic," and "The Joyride." 

Download "The Hang Loose"

The Acorn: Endorsed by PETA

I'm not gonna lie, at first I didn't like this band too much, but I have most definitely warmed up to them quite a bit. Now I'd say I'm pretty much in love and feel oh so terrible I didn't see how wonderful they are sooner. To quell these intense feelings of guilt, I am in the process of writing a heartfelt apology and promise of my future undying love and loyalty. Also, really any one who takes care to "mind the slumber of parakeets" is pretty much great in my book.

Download Crooked Legs and Flood

You will play the tamborine on the subway.

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Dang!

Hello there! I am the aforementioned other poster and I hope to deliver as good or better (probably won't happen) tunes for you the reader as mama diamond, the brain-child and highly competent creator of this here blog. Being short on cash and short on patience for shopping, my friend and I decided to make very original christmas presents for each other instead: mix cds. What makes this cool (read: kind of...read: um, sorta...read: decent) is our agreement to make it animal themed, that is, in either the title of the song or the title of a band, there must be (suprise) the name of an animal. So, here is said compilation of songs. Hope you enjoy!

Download Animal Mix

Blinking Vest and Some Flicks (Thee Oh Sees are swell)

I have seen a lot of movies recently. I saw Milk. Go see it. I saw The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Maybe go see it. I saw Roman Holiday. Boy was that a disappointment.  Alright. So I love, love this band, Thee Oh Sees. They are from San Francisco which is in California which is totally hip and now. They have been compared a lot to the B-52s but ignore that false heresy. Their next advertised show isn't until March 26, 2009...in SF. I have included some songs here that you could also get for free elsewhere but for your convenience I have done this for you. Here they are- I can't even wait. You are gonna love this so much .

Download "Ghost in the Trees"

Download "Graveyard Drug Party"

P.S. Do you like art? How about cartoons? Those are art, right? Thee Oh Sees are featured in SF artist Jay Howell's cartoon The Forest City Rockers. Check out Episode II. (Spoilers: Episode I is funnier.)

And don't worry! Hip-hop posts are coming, and the other poster is going to start posting soon. In fact, just to keep good measure here is the best hiphopdance song ever written, ever.

Download "Gravel Pit"-Wu Tang Clan

From The W (2000) Sony

Wu-Tang is playing in 2 days (the 28th) at Northern Lights in Clifton Park, NY. Wowsas!

Aging Backwards (Tom Waits)

This is a funny song. "Big in Japan" by Tom Waits (off of Mule Variations in 1999 from Anti). If you like bikes and this song, it is featured in this fixed gear trick video. Pretty cool.

Download "Big in Japan"

P.S. Big in Japan is also the name of a 70s punk band from Liverpool and one of the members went on to be in Siouxsie & the Banshees. Impress your friends with that one. 

SANTA! (tUnE-YaRdS is rah-rah-radical)

So this one chick,  Merrill Garbu, bangs on a ukulele, goes by tUnE-YaRdS, adds some boom boom bop and ch-ch-chk noises, has great voice-you will dig it. She sites Woody Guthrie as an influence (noted while stalking her MySpace) and it definitely comes through (I included one of my favorite Woody Guthrie-with Arlo!-songs here for reference and good times). Here are two of my favorite songs from BiRd-BrAiNs. The lesson to be learned: Never underestimate the power of sound effects from pots, pans, and doing weird things with your voice.

Download "JUMPINGJACK"

Download "FIYA"

Download "Car Song"-Woody and Arlo Guthrie

Dope!

Squabbits (A.C. Newman has a new solo LP)

All right! The newest (2009) release from A.C. Newman is a lot of fun. This was of course to be expected from The New Pornographers headman and star-crooner Carl Newman. This is the title track from Get Guilty (Matador Records). Check it. 

Download "The Changeling (Get Guilty)"

I thought you'd never ask (Welcome)

Welcome to the new music blog about new music and old music that is great. There weren't enough blogs about music on the internet so here is one more. But this one is different-sort of. This blog is about hip and now music (what we are calling all indie/pop/alternative/rock/new music), hiphopdance (what we are calling music that is hip-hop and dance-inducing), and the rest is just music that is groovy.