Jan 31 - the one and only PPL MVR

Ozzie and I had a wonderful day today. He's super chill so he was just hanging out until I woke up, which turned out to be around 8am, I'm an early riser, even on the weekends when I'm out until 2am. It's kind of annoying, but at least it gives me plenty of opportunity for napping, which I did do today. And which I love. We had like 3 walks, we met a pretty girl, we ate grilled cheese sandwiches, we started the final season of Parks & Recreation, and we took a nap. All in all a great day. And up next we're heading to one of my favorite Chinese restaurants for dinner. Well, Ozzie won't be coming to this one, but I'm still excited about it. Even if it's the going away party for one of my favorite people in Shanghai.

I also spent today listening to People Mover by the one and only PPL MVR. I think these guys only have one song. I think they're from LA. I know they dress up like weird monkey sasquatches. I think they hate vowels. I know I like what I think is their one and only song.

Jan 30 - Twin Shadow

I'm in a bit of a bad mood today, for no reason in particular. Just one of those days. But I'm dog sitting for the weekend and my canine friend Ozzie has just arrived, so things should be looking up from here. And I think he and I are going for burgers for dinner, which is my favorite. So many good things coming.

I also had no idea what to share for music today. Luckily I've preempted a few blogs by just creating a draft with an artist and/or song so that on days like today when I can't think of anything I can just look through my drafts and use one of those. So today is Twin Shadow. He also falls into the category of mediocre artists with one song I love, and that song is Run My Heart.

Jan 29 - Yael Naim

It finally happened. I missed a day. But I'm gonna blame China for it. I wanted to post yesterday, but then I got to my hotel, which is mediocre at best, and the internet didn't want to work. Which is actually pretty normal at hotels here. So no post on January 28. Sorry. But at least I posted an extra song back on Jan 10, so I'll still have enough songs for the month. I'm well prepared.

Today we're going with a new song from an old(ish) favorite, Yael Naim. Seems like she's getting ready to release her 3rd album, which I'm very much looking forward to. So far she's put out one single, Dream In My Head. No idea when the album is due out or what it's called or anything, but at least we know it's coming.

Jan 27 - Bjork

One of the worst parts about these business trips is that, unless it's a long trip, I only take my work computer. Which means that when new music is released while I'm away I have to wait to get it. This happened twice last week. First was The Decemberists, who put out their new album What A Terrible World, What A Beautiful World. Luckily their album was also released on Spotify so I could listen to it before downloading my copy.

Then there was Bjork, who also dropped her new album, Vulnicura, 2 months early, but not on Spotify. So I've been waiting like a week and a half to hear it, and finally got to this morning. It's a good album which I expect will grow on me. Very similar in style to Biophilia, which was something of a disappointment to me, but this one seems to have more life. My favorite track is definitely the opening, Stonemilker. And she's also got Antony of Antony and the Johnsons back on one track, which is not as good as The Bold Flame of Desire, but still a great song and I love how they sound together. So now you can enjoy Bjork in all her weird beauty.

Jan 26 - Azekel

Just made it back to Shanghai today, but I'm only here for a day and a half. Anyway it is nice to be home.

Today will be a quick one. Just a great song that I don't know much about. Here's New Romance by Azekel. He's put out an EP in 2013, then this single in 2014, and how he's on my watch list for 2015, so hopefully we get more from him.

Jan 25 - Little Dragon. Again.

I'm sitting at HK Airport waiting for my ferry back to China, and I have an hour to kill. So now is the perfect time for another blog. I just spent the last week leading up to Laneway, and it finally happened yesterday. I actually had a hard time wrapping my head around it until I was there for some reason. It seemed like this distant, upcoming event that all of a sudden was here. Even more so than other big things I've been excited about, like my trip to South America with my sister last year. I think part of it is because in the back of my mind I was sure that it somehow wouldn't work out and I'd miss my flight and I wouldn't go. But it did work out and I did make my flight and I did go. And it was fantastic. The view helps too.

Laneway main stage at Gardens by the Bay

As expected, Little Dragon was my favorite act of the day, which is why I'm sharing another song by them today. They came out right after it got dark, they had some awesome lighting, Yukimi Nagano was in this long sleeved yukata thingy, and they killed it. I managed to get up pretty close, and I was having a party for one, even if nobody else around me was dancing much. I'm definitely that guy at concerts who dances when nobody else is. I don't understand people who just stand there, especially at shows like Little Dragon. Or CHVRCHES, when I saw them in Munich, and nobody seemed to be enjoying themselves. Well, I always enjoy myself at shows.

Little Dragon

My favorite song of the set is one of my favorites off of last year's Nabuma Rubberband, Killing Me. It has a ridiculous bass line, and it was ridiculously good live. Give it about 10 seconds and you'll see what I mean.




Little Dragon was not the only highlight, of course. The only other act that really stood out to me was St. Vincent, which was to be expected. I saw her last year and she was amazing, and the same applied this time. My only complaint is that it seemed like she did pretty much the same set that I remember from the last show. But it did include some favorites (Cruel, Cheerleader, Give Me Your Loves, Digital Witness, etc).

Banks

Royal Blood was also a standout to me. They were all over everyone's radars last year, and they make some solid rock music, but nothing that really caught me. But to see just the two of them up on stage making good, solid rock was very impressive. Similarly, FKA Twigs really impressed me. I mentioned how I'm not her biggest fan. I enjoy her and find her intriguing, but she doesn't grab me like she does everyone else. And I had seen some live performances on YouTube and was actually somewhat disappointed. It always felt like something was missing in the videos, but nothing was missing last night. She has an incredible voice and amazing control of her voice, too. The third surprisingly good act was Jungle, who also fall into this category of being all over everyone's radars last year, and me enjoying but not loving as much as everyone else. But their set was a party. Good times.

Then we have the category of those who were somewhat disappointing. Sadly Angus & Julia Stone and Banks fall into that category, but not because I didn't enjoy them. Actually, both of them were pretty solid live. The only problem was both of them pretty much just performed their albums and did nothing different or new. I might as well have been listening to their albums. I loved Banks's set because I love her music, and I was dancing and singing along to every word, but it had nothing to do with her being a particularly good performer or putting on a particularly good show. So that was a bit disappointing because she was probably one of the artists I was most looking forward to seeing. But she is super sexy and I do still love her. And so is Julia Stone and I love her even more after watching her play the trumpet on Private Lawns.

Anyway, all in all a great day and hopefully next year I'll make it back again. And hopefully they'll invite Lucius next year, cause I'd like them to come to Asia.

Jan 24 - Little Dragon

Well folks, today is the day. Today is the day I am finally back in a warm climate and I can put on shorts and sandals. And I'm ecstatic about it.

Oh and there's a little music festival I'm super excited about. I've shared a lot of the artists I'm excited about seeing, in increasing levels of excitement, and today you find out who I'm most excited to see. For me, it's an obvious choice - Little Dragon. I've had a sad, sad history of not seeing Little Dragon in concert, which I've already chronicled on this blog (along with ridiculous South African pop). But now I will finally see them, and I can't wait. I just hope that they have time in their short festival set to play some of my older favorites, like Constant Surprises and Twice, both off their first album. I actually listened to all their albums again yesterday during my long commute from Dongguan to Singapore, and realized how well Twice works as an opening track, and would love it if they opened with that. But that's not what you're hearing today, you're hearing Constant Surprises, because it is still my favorite track by them.

Jan 23 - Banks

I just arrived in Singapore. It's pretty wonderful to be writing this without a VPN. Actually, I just realized that apparently I haven't left China for 3 months, which is pretty nuts. I feel like it's been less time because I've been traveling a lot inside China, still. But actually, I stayed in one country for 3 months straight. That's absolutely crazy to me. I don't know the last time that happened. And I'm not sure I want it to happen again if I'm being honest. I think I need to leave the country once a month. And that should work out for me at least for the first half of the year. So far, I've got Singapore in January. February I'll go to Japan for Chinese New Year. March I'm off to South Africa for a wedding, which actually spills over into April, but I should also be in Germany in April for work. May I should be in Korea for a long weekend. And in June or July I'm going home, so I'm pretty much on track for the first 6 months of the year.

But my original point was that I'm in Singapore. And Laneway is tomorrow. And I'm super fucking excited. I'm very excited for this pretty lady, Banks, who is one of the main acts. She was my most anticipated artist last year, and her debut album, Goddess, may not have made it into my top 10, but it did not disappoint at all. There are a lot of amazing songs on there. Only reason it didn't make it into the top 10 is because I don't think it worked as well as a whole album as some other albums did. But I do love it, and her.

It's actually very difficult for me to choose a song to share. Change may be my favorite. But then I also love Brain. And once the album came out I fell in love with Fuck 'Em Only We Know. But I think my current favorite is Drowning. So that's what you get. But go listen to everything anyway, and don't forget about the Snakehips Remix of Warm Water, because it's also a winner.

Jan 22 - St. Vincent

Today is very busy because I have another event. That means there's no time to write much. So instead you get my next installation in the Laneway blogs, which includes this year's headliner, St. Vincent. And she's St. Vincent, so she doesn't require too much explanation.

She's wonderful, she put out an amazing 4th album last year that if you haven't already heard, shame on you. But also here's the opening track, Rattlesnake. And she's wonderful live. That's all you need to know.

Thanks for letting me ramble.

Jan 21 - Chet Faker

The actual schedule for Laneway was announced yesterday. Surprising that they do it less than a week in advance, but it is still a growing festival and there's not too many acts.

One of the best things about Laneway (in Singapore anyway) is that there are only 3 stages, 2 of which are each half of the same main stage. So basically, you can sit at the main stage all day and see pretty much every act. While one half is being set up for the next act, there is an act performing on the other half. So you also only have to wait like 5 minutes between acts. Fantastic.

This also works out really well when it comes to seeing everyone you want to. Except for this year, when I have to miss Chet Faker, who I rather enjoy. He's up against Banks and Little Dragon, though, so for me the choice is obvious. He put out a fantastic album last year, Built on Glass, which made it into my long list. I guess it's somehow his 2nd album, but the 1st album only had like 7 tracks, so I'm not sure why some people count it. It was like a pseudo-EP thingy. Anyway, you should listen to Cigarettes & Loneliness. My favorite track off of last year's album, one of my favorite songs last year, and luckily it is here for you now.




Another surprising announcement with the lineup is that FKA Twigs is apparently 2nd from last, a coveted position. Surprising when you're up against some heavyweights like Little Dragon and Banks.

Jan 20 - Angus & Julia Stone

I'm up in Beijing because I had an event here today. I love coming up here. Not cause I love Beijing, this place is terrible, but all my closest friends are here and I love to see them. And I know this city. It still feels kind of like home. Maybe more than anywhere else in the world (aside from my actual home, of course).

Anyway, on to the Laneway leadup for the day. Today it's Angus & Julia Stone. Laneway is actually an Australian festival, but it travels around Australia, with stops in Singapore and a couple New Zealand cities as well. So a lot of the artists are Australian, including this wonderful brother & sister duo. I've been loving them for years. It also helps that I love the dual male/female vocalist bands. They did a bunch of stuff a while back, then they fought (as siblings do) and stopped making music (except for some solo stuff, which is also worth checking out, particularly Angus's side project Lady of the Sunshine). Last year they pulled it together and came back with a new, eponymous album that was pretty solid. I'm not sharing anything from that, though, I'm sharing what may be my favorite song by them, Silver Coin, off of their 2007 debut album A Book Like This.

Jan 19 - FKA Twigs

Part two in the Laneway leadup blogs is FKA Twigs. This girl was one of those critical darlings last year that everyone was raving about and fell in love with. I'm not sure I like her as much as everyone else (actually I am sure I don't), but I do enjoy her and find her to be very intriguing. There isn't really anyone like her, which I appreciate.

I was trying to figure out if I should share Two Weeks, maybe her most popular song off of her LP1, or if I should share Papi Pacify, one of my favorites off of her EP2. Then I listened to the album and EP again, and actually I decided that I think Kicks, the last track off of LP1, is my favorite. So that's what you're getting today.

Jan 18 - Future Islands

So I went to the Tycho show last night, and it was better than expected. They did have a few technical difficulties which led to like a 30 minute delay, and I was quite sure the show would actually be cancelled, but then it wasn't. And then it was better than I had hoped for.

On top of that, I went to the grilled cheese shop for lunch, which is one of my favorite places. Then I had a wonderful date, which surprisingly was someone I met on Tinder of all places. And finally I found out where to buy Cards Against Humanity and did. So all in all a good weekend.

Although what I'm really looking forward to is next weekend, when I go to Singapore for Laneway Festival. I went last year and it was great, and this year's lineup is pretty fantastic as well. It's also quite fortuitous that I have to be down in Dongguan for an event on Thursday, which involves flying in and out of Shenzhen, which happens to be very close to Hong Kong, where I happen to be able to get a super cheap flight to Singapore from. So everything just kind of worked out to make sure I could go to this festival.

So this week I'll probably be posting songs from acts I'm excited for, the first of which will be Future Islands. I've been listening to these guys for probably 2-3 years, and I think I'm finally starting to like them. Maybe. I'm still not sure. The turning point was when I saw a live performance they did on some TV show, and it was so intriguing and surprisingly great. The singer somehow manages to be so dynamic. So I'm definitely looking forward to seeing them next weekend in Singapore. And I actually do love a few songs by them anyway, like Seasons (Waiting On You), off of last year's Singles. Actually, it made it onto my best songs of the year playlist. It just sticks in my head somehow. Anyway, it's pretty typical of Future Islands, so if you don't like this, you probably won't like them.

Jan 17 - Tycho

We finally have another musical act that I want to see coming to Shanghai. Tycho will be playing tonight, which I'm looking forward to. I almost got to see them when I was in Germany, but it didn't happen. But my friend Beth saw them and said they were actually just ok. So I'm not really sure what to expect of the show.

They put out their 2nd (maybe 3rd, not sure if the first one counts as an album or EP), Awake, last year, and I really liked it. It came out early in the year and I was really into it at first, but later in the year I actually came to like it less and less. Still a solid album, though, with a few solid songs, like Montana.

So we'll see how tonight goes, but suffice it to say that I'm happy there is good music being performed live in Shanghai and I hope I get more. Although what I'm really excited about is Laneway next weekend in Singapore. That will be some good music. But until then, Tycho will do very well. Especially because I'll probably drink a fair amount, something I don't normally do at concerts, but I think this one will not be very visually stimulating so it could help.

Jan 16 - Tom Misch

Today was a day. I mean that not in a good way. Just busy and stressful. But now I'm home and I'm going to Shabbos dinner at my friend Candice's and her mother has just arrived from South Africa and is going to make us an amazing Shabbos meal and I'm taking 2 bottles of wine and everything will be better. But for now, I'm still working and watching Ellen. And listening to Tom Misch, whose only song I know is On My Mind, but so far so good.

Jan 15 - Fleet Foxes

I went out to Nanjing to look at hotels today. It's for a conference we're going to be holding there in March. Lately that's a big part of my job - looking at hotels and planning conferences. Actually I kind of hate it, but luckily it's not the only thing I do. And it gets me out of the office, which I like.

The problem today was that when I got back, I got in a cab from the train station to come home, and as I got out my iPod fell out of my pocket. This is my 3 month old iPod classic, which has now been discontinued. So I was not very pleased about it not coming with me. Luckily I got a receipt for the cab, which means I had all the necessary info and was able to get my iPod back pretty quickly and easily, with a minimal tip paid to the driver for bringing it, something I was happy to pay.

If I'm being honest, this is not the first time I've lost something in a cab. Generally I'm pretty good at life and do not lose things, but I drunkenly lost a phone in North Carolina once. That was fun. This was about a year and a half ago when I went to Asheville, North Carolina for a wedding, then spent a few days in Charlotte with friends. After a night out celebrating one friend's birthday (which included the weirdest and best show at a possible gay bar ever, involving blow up mushrooms and snake puppets and I think songs about touching bums) we got in a cab back to our hotel, and when I got out of the cab my phone did not. This led to about 2 hours of me trying to get the hotel to help me look for security footage of us getting out of the cab to try and find a license plate number or even a company logo on the car, then calling all the cab companies in Charlotte which had red cars. I also spent the next morning talking to random cab drivers on the street just in case they were the guy who had my phone. We also called the phone with no luck.

In the end, my amazing friends managed to track down our Somali cab driver and get my phone back, give him a reward which he didn't even want, and ship the phone back to my parents in California so I could pick it up before leaving to go back to Singapore (confession: it just took me a few tries to remember where I was living when this happened. I think I need to stop moving so much...). I have some good friends.

Anyway, today it was much easier. In part because I got the receipt. otherwise who knows what would have happened. But within an hour I had my iPod back. And what was I listening to when I lost it? That would be Helplessness Blues, off of the album Helplessness Blues, by Fleet Foxes. Fantastic song which would have been missed. Now it won't be.

Jan 14 - Jose Gonzalez

I started getting a cold the other day, and now it's getting worse and worse. So I left work early and now here I am at home sitting on my couch, in my tiger onesie, taking medicine and drinking Lemsip, and watching American Idol. Not a bad way to spend the afternoon, and hopefully it makes me get better before the big weekend ahead.

Another good way to spend the afternoon is with Jose Gonzalez. He hasn't done any solo stuff for a while now, since he's been focused on putting out albums with his band Junip. I do enjoy Junip as well, but I much prefer his solo stuff. And now he's got a new album coming out this year, Vestiges & Claws, which I'm very excited about. He put out the first single, Every Age, late last year. And before that, he put out another track, This Is How We Walk On The Moon, which was part of the Red Hot + Arthur Russel, a compilation which also included a new track from Sufjan Stevens who also has a new album coming out later this year. Sadly, This Is How We Walk On The Moon won't be on his new album, but it's a great song, it made it into my playlist for best tracks of 2014, so enjoy.

Jan 13 - James Bay

Since I'm only doing a song a day, it gives me the opportunity to share the single good song by an artist that I'm otherwise unimpressed with. One artist on this list is James Bay. I heard Let It Go somewhere, on some blog or playlist or something, and I loved it. I was immediately so impressed with this song. It's beautiful, and his voice is great. This song is killer. Having heard something this good, I was of course very, very excited to hear the rest of his music, and it's super disappointing. He kind of reminds me of Ed Sheeran in that sense. When Ed Sheeran's first album came out, there were a couple of fantastic songs, songs which I still love (A Team and Give Me Love, if you're curious), but the rest was just extremely mediocre. And then he put out a second album which is just not good. But at least there's those two gems.

If you are so inclined, you're more than welcome to go and listen to the rest of James Bay's music (of which there's not too much, so you might as well I guess), but you've been forewarned. Don't expect it to be as good as this.

Jan 12 - Flyte

So this feels like it's pretty much straight out of the 80s. When the song first started, I was not at all convinced. But then it got to the chorus and I was. And then I listened to it like 5 times in a row and only stopped because I had to go to dinner. And then I came back from dinner and listened some more. And I know we're not even 2 weeks into 2015, but I'm gonna go out on a limb and say this will be one of my favorite songs of the year (even though technically it came out last year).

What song is this, you ask? Light Me Up, by Flyte. Again, Flyte is a band I know nothing about, although I think they're English. And they only have a handful of songs, it seems, by far the best of which is Light Me Up. It is also not on Spotify yet. At least, it doesn't seem to be on my Spotify, although their Facebook says they are, but it could just be some licensing thing. Point being, I can't wait for it to be available to me on Spotify.




Also, they somehow oddly remind me of Local Natives, even though I realize they are nothing like Local Natives.

Jan 11 - Leon Bridges

I went to a wedding dress market today. I have a friend getting married soon, so she was thinking about getting a dress custom made in China before moving away. Being the wonderful, amazing human being that I am, and having wonderful, amazing skills at Chinese, I agreed to go and act as a translator. I also thought it would be a weird, bizarre and interesting experience, because where else in the world would you have an entire mall that pretty much sells nothing but wedding dresses?

Lizzy and I entertaining ourselves while dresses are tried on

Lizzy and I entertaining ourselves more
with funny, matching jackets

 Well, it turns out I was right about what a wonderful, amazing human being I am. I was not quite as right about how interesting it would be. In fact it was pretty boring. And I hope I never have to do it again. But in my friend's defense, she was very good about getting in and out quickly. We only spent 2 hours in the mall, and I did get to pick a hideous wedding dress for her to try on and keep me entertained. And we had another friend with us, Lizzy, so I wasn't sitting alone looking at wedding dresses the entire time. It's also pretty amazing how cheap you can get some of these dresses for. As in, it could be cheaper to fly to China, have a vacation while you wait for your dress to be custom made, then take it home, and it might still be cheaper than just buying a dress in America.

After the market, the deal was that we would go and see stuff in Suzhou, since I'd never been to Suzhou before. So we went and had dumplings and then decided we were really tired and wanted to just go home and so we just went home. Suzhou apparently has some nice gardens that it's famous for, and there's temples and whatnot as well, but in the end I just couldn't be bothered. At least I got dumplings and a story, though.

Then we found dresses made out of balloons

I also fell in love with this song today, Coming Home. The world needs more music like this. Leon Bridges only seems to have two or three songs, but that voice. It reminds me of the first time I heard Kwabs (who now makes a completely different style of music, but also has an incredibly deep, rich voice that's just captivating). I'll definitely be looking for more by this guy, and waiting for it to get onto Spotify. And also by Kwabs, who should finally be releasing his album this year.

Jan 10 - Goat

I feel like it's time for another full post. And now that I'm sober, unlike my last post, I'll actually take some time to write something and put up some pictures. Although I have to say, I am quite eloquent when I'm drunk.

I just got back from my first business trip of the year, which was down to Nanning, the capital of Guangxi province. It was my first time in Nanning, although not my first time in Guangxi, but I wasn't very excited about being there. It's just another big Chinese city, nothing very exciting. I thought I might take some pictures and post them, but there was nothing interesting to take pictures of. Also I spent most of my time in the hotel because I was there for a work event which was being held in the hotel where we were staying. I did, however, manage to take a couple pictures, which I think sum up 3rd tier China quite nicely:













1. Here is a man changing his pants in the middle of the airport, in front of a random white guy whose face is plastered all over medical advertisements in the airport.




















2. Here is a car at the airport this morning, which my plane was supposed to follow (you may have guessed that already from the neon sign that says FOLLOW ME) and which for some reason had a sign in English.

This is my first trip of the year, but this year is already pretty packed with travel. I can pretty much tell you where I'll be every week from now until May, and most of those weeks include something other than Shanghai, if they include Shanghai at all. I thought it would slow down when I moved to China, but I was wrong. Which is why, despite all my negative feelings about it, I've finally started online dating.

I was pretty against it for a long time. I feel like I don't need the internet to meet someone. But, well, I haven't met anyone. And also a good friend of mine met the love of her life on OK Cupid recently, so I figured I might as well try. So I've been on OK Cupid for a while now, and it's not nearly as bad as I expected. I've been out on one date so far, which was not particularly good, but we'll see how it goes from here. I've got a couple more lined up this week, since I'm actually in town this week, one of which I'm actually excited about. That's a weird feeling.

The worst part about OK Cupid here in China (and I guess dating in general here in China) is the utter lack of Jewish women. If I search for Jewish women in Shanghai, 6 show up. Out of these 6, one is my very good friend, and another is a man (I know this not from personal experience, but from anecdotal evidence). So slim pickings. Which is why I also enjoy searching for Jewish women in other random places around the world. And I've come to the realization that I should probably be living in Washington D.C. But that isn't likely to be happening anytime soon.

Another exciting event this week was when I found the band Goat. Goat is a very strange Swedish band that somehow makes world music that seems to originate from everywhere in the world. It's kind of a cross between psych rock, West African music, Eastern European folk, and all other kinds of weird things thrown in for good measure. They also have some weird background story they've made up about having originated in some village in Northern Sweden that was cursed by voodoo magic and they all wear tribal masks when they perform. I'm not really sure what's going on here, but I like it.

Apparently they put out an album in 2012, which I missed. It was called World Music, a name which I guess sums these guys up. My favorite song off the album is Goathead (they have lots of songs with Goat in the name. Again, I'm not really sure what's going on here.).




And then they also put out an album in 2014, called Commune. Now I know I'm only supposed to share one song per post, but when introducing a new band I may share two. Also this gives me a bit of leeway in the future to claim that I shared two songs in a day and can therefore skip a day at some point (likely either due to travel or alcohol or the Chinese government hating free speech) but still feel ok about it because at the end of the year I'll have 365 songs.

I was planning to share Talk to God, the opening track on the album, but when I searched for that I got weird Jesusy stuff and nothing about Goats or Swedes. So instead I'll share the second track on the album, Words, which is also great.




If you don't like it, I totally get it. But I love it and I hope you do too.

Jan 9 - Sylvan Esso

I'm a little bit drunk. I had a work dinner tonight. Being the only white guy, everyone wanted to drink with me. Thank God I got away with only 3 shots of baijiu. For those of you who aren't in the baijiu know, consider yourselves lucky. For those of you who are, consider me lucky. I'm in Nanning, at best a 3rd tier city in a 3rd tier province, where they love nothing more thank drinking a bit (or a ton) of baijiu, and I made it through dinner on only 3 shots.

My 3 shots went like this "you are white and we are so happy to have you here so you must drink with us, and we have a tradition that when you drink one you drink three." That was pretty much it. That's when I realized that a) baijiu isn't so bad in small doses, and b) baijiu is terrible in anything more than very small doses. Emphasis on the very.

So I'm drunk. Ish. Not so drunk I guess. I haven't made too many typos, although the majority of that is due to the fact that I get red lines under words I spell wrong. Also I remembered to write this blog. I have no idea how, and no idea what song to share even though I have to pick a song in literally twenty seconds, but I'm here. That's gotta count for something.

So today's song, because I'm not drunk but too drunk to think about it more, is....

Sylvan Esso - Could I Be. My favorite new band of the year last year. My favorite album of the year last year. Hard to pick a favorite song but maybe one of my favorite songs off of the album (also listen to Hey Mami and Coffee and every other song they ever have and ever will make), but I do know this is a good one.

Jan 8 - Lorde

I'm in Nanning, the capital of Guangxi province. It's down south, near Vietnam. The internet is terrible, so I'll make this short. I'm here for work, but if I see anything nice (unlikely) or funny/interesting (much more likely) I'll post it when I'm back.

For now, I'll just share whatever song came to mind. That song is A World Alone by Lorde. I was thinking about posting this the other day, which is why it came to mind first. I actually don't like Lorde all that much. I want to, I like her as a person, but I think her music is mostly just meh. There are a few good songs though, and I saw her live at a festival last year and was actually quite impressed. But then I went and gave her another try, and still meh. But this song. This song is great.

Jan 7 - Petite Noir

I heard this guy today who's put out 4 songs since 2012, which kind of reminds me of Jai Paul (except with twice the output). Although he sounds nothing like Jai Paul. He sounds more like TV on the Radio, which is also great. And supposedly he's putting out an album this year. And he's from South Africa and I'm in the middle of planning a trip back to South Africa for a friend's wedding in March. So this all just works out great, doesn't it?

So here's Petite Noir, with his 2014 single Chess. I actually prefer his 2013 single, Noirse, but I can't seem to find it on Youtube or Soundcloud. But you can listen on Spotify, along with his other 2 songs and some remixes and whatnot.

Jan 6 - Jaymes Young

To continue yesterday's Sufjan and UFO themed blog post, we have the second song I found last week that samples him. Habits Of My Heart, the opening track on Jaymes Young's second EP, also titled Habits Of My Heart, samples the same song and really confused me when I heard it because it's a pretty obscure sample and finding two songs that both sample it in the same week is rather unexpected.

I know very little about this guy, but he's got 2 EPs under his belt and I'll be keeping an eye on him to see if there isn't an album or other new music in 2015.




And if you are so inclined, you can actually listen to both of his full EPs Soundcloud. Or also on Spotify. Whatever you want. The first one, Dark Star, might actually be better, but both are pretty good, although maybe a bit too poppy overall.

Jan 5 - Made in Heights

Since just before New Year the pollution in Shanghai has been pretty bad. Generally it's ok, especially compared to other cities in China. But every morning when I wake up I gauge the pollution by how clearly I can see the Shanghai Financial Center and Shanghai Tower, or whether I can see them at all. Today was a not at all day. And then I got outside and it smelled funny. If I'm being honest, I was a little concerned that I'm probably breathing in noxious chemicals. Fun.

For those of you who are interested, the towers I mentioned are the two taller ones on the right (the SFC is the one they call the bottle opener. That should help you figure out which is which). Actually, the tallest looking one on the left, the Orient Pearl TV Tower, is much shorter than the other two. Also, Shanghai does have a beautiful skyline. I can't see it all from my apartment, I'm too far for that, but I can see the two tall ones.

But enough about pollution. On the bright side, I have a bunch of new music to share, which should keep me busy over the next few days. Today and tomorrow I'll be sharing two songs by two different artists/groups that both sample the same Sufjan Stevens song (that song being Concerning the UFO sighting near Highland, Illinois , the opening track off of the wonderful Illinois album, back when Sufjan was wonderful). Today it's Made in Heights, with the amazingly titled Skylark Interbang?!. Actually this band first caught my attention with their new single, Murakami, due to my love of Haruki Murakami, but you can go find that one for yourself. And while you're at it, also find Viices. One song a day here, sorry guys. You have to do some work, too.

Jan 4 - Junius Meyvant

I guess now that I'm doing a song a day, I can put more stuff by people who only have one song, or only one song I like. I normally like to do 2 when I introduce an artist, but that's not always possible. I also wanted to do something new today, since the last two days were not new artists, so I'm choosing Color Decay, the first song from Icelandic artist Junius Meyvant.

Jan 3 - Daughter

Today I realized that I need a friend who works at the embassy so I can take advantage of their drop shipment privileges. I want a wireless hard drive and they're cheaper in the States, and don't ship to China. It's very annoying. I'm passing through Hong Kong in a few weeks on my way to Singapore, though, so I may check duty free there, or even try to get into the city where electronics are cheap. Or just check an electronics market here, but then there's no guarantee it's real. Anyway, if you know someone who works at the US Consulate in Shanghai, let me know. That'd be great.

And today we get Daughter, another band that I fell in love with and blogged about a while back. But I haven't ever shared my favorite song by them, The Woods, off of their first EP, His Young Heart. It wasn't my favorite at first, but the more I listened the more I fell in love, and now it is my favorite. Even more so than the fan favorite (and also incredible) Youth. This is total speculation at this point, but they did put out their album in 2013, and have recently finished up all kinds of tours, so I'm hopeful they're working on new music and maybe a new album for this year. But no word on that yet. Luckily we have many pretty things from them to tide us over for the time being.

Jan 2 - Hiatus Kaiyote

Day 2 and I haven't forgotten already. That's a good sign. Especially considering that I technically forgot on day 1. But actually if you ask my blog, it seems to think I posted that at like 9am. So don't tell anyone.

If you're reading this, then you've noticed that I didn't share it to facebook as I usually do. I'll probably only do that when I have an actual story or something very exciting to share. But not every day. So check back if you're interested.

Today was pretty uneventful. It's a public holiday in China, so I have to work Sunday to "make up" for it. Pretty dumb, but that's what they do here. Anyway, I finished season 1 of Transparent, which is great. And one of the elevators in my building had a carpet installed while I was out at lunch. Totally random, but then this is China.

Today's song is from Hiatus Kaiyote, who I wrote about here when they put out their first album, Tawk Tomahawk. Their first album which was absolutely amazing and one of my favorite albums of 2012. And they should be releasing a new one this year. So last month they put out an EP, By Fire, which is actually only 3 songs so in my mind it's a single, but then I don't actually know what the difference is. This band's first album blew me away, and sadly the EP isn't as good as the album, but it's still nothing to complain about. They've gotten a bit more funky and a bit less neo-souly, but I love the last track on the EP, Molasses, so that's what you get today.

Jan 1 - Klo

I've decided to try something new this year. I know someone who posted a picture for every day of the year last year, and I like that idea. So then I thought, maybe I'd try to do it with a song for this year. So I'm going to try (and fail, I'm sure. In fact I've technically already failed because it's 12:45 and officially January 2, but it's still January 1 at home so I'll count it).

I gave some thought to whether I should pick a meaningful song for special days such as this. Maybe the first day of the new year should have a song which reflects that. But then I don't care so much. If I have a song that I think is particularly fitting for a day then I'll share it on that day. But if not, then I'll just share whatever I feel like. So today you get whatever I feel like. Nothing meaningful.

This also means I'll probably have a bunch of posts which are just a song and a couple sentences about it. No stories or photos for the most part. If I have something to share I will, but I can't be bothered to write a full post every day.

So my first song for 2015 is a group that I'm hoping to hear more of in 2015, Klo. The Australian duo put out an EP last year, Cusp, which I just bought and enjoy a lot. I listened to it a few times before realizing they remind me of Little Dragon, which is probably part of the reason I like them a lot and am hopeful there will be more music. So here's my favorite song by them, Under Lie.



And with that, hopefully we're on to something new for the year which I won't fail too miserably at.