April 29 - Feist / Sylvan Esso / Overcoats

This has been a totally crazy week. But now it's over and I've left China and I'm sitting at the lounge in Istanbul on the way to Munich, where I'll spend a day before going to Croatia for a few days vacation, then back to Germany for work. I don't have much time to talk about how crazy this last week was because I have to board soon, but the one item that does bear mention is that my friend Jasmine came to visit, which was wonderful. I'll talk more about that and other things next time though. I'll be on my own in Croatia, so I think I'll have plenty of time to write, maybe even each day.

But I have to write about music today, because it was an exciting day. First, the new Feist album came out. It's called Pleasure, and I've written about it before, but now that it's actually here, I'm very excited. I'm pretty sure this one is going to end up in my top 10 (along with Future Islands and Dirty Projectors, in case you were wondering. But we've still got 8 months to go.). There are some fantastic songs on the album, but I think my favorite is Century, which was the 2nd single and features Jarvis Cocker.





It's actually a tough choice, because Any Party is also amazing. It's the first point in the album that really got me going. So whatever, I'll give you both.




But that's not all, Sylvan Esso's new album also came out today! This one is What Now, and I've also written about it before, and am also very excited it's finally here. But I'm not sure it'll be in my top 10 yet. Not as obviously so as the others I mentioned. I've actually shared a couple songs from the album, the two lead singles, and it turns out those are my favorite songs on the album. So since I shared the first single last year, that means I can share it again this year. So I'll play you Radio again.





And then we have a new band, Overcoats. I also wrote about them last year, and their song Smaller Than My Mother. Now they've released their debut album, Young. Last year, I said they reminded me of First Aid Kit. Which is still true, based on the overall album sound. But then they completely changed the sound of Smaller Than My Mother. It's like a remixed version or something, and it's still really good. I was really surprised when I heard it, but then oddly the rest of the album did not follow this sound. Also, the original version of this song seems to have disappeared from the internet. So I'm sharing it again in it's new form, which is really great.

Apr 21 - Land of Talk

My friend Jasmine just came to visit. We've known each other since working together at Cheesecake Factory back in college, and she's been saying she's going to come and visit for years. And now she's a flight attendant, so she finally did! She just got in, so pretty much all we've done is have xiaolongbao (which she loved and went back to get again for breakfast. As she should) and get drinks with friends. But there's big plans this weekend, starting with grilled cheese and KTV. It's gonna be a fun night.

But before that fun night, here's a fun new song. It's Loving, the newest single from Land of Talk. This woman hasn't done anything since 2010, but she's changing that with a new album, Life After Youth, next month. And while I know I've heard one of her albums sometime long ago, nothing sticks. But this song is lovely, and features Sharon Van Etten on backing vocals.

I feel like I should post another song, but I can't think of anything for now. Maybe tomorrow.

UPDATE: I also really like this other new song by Land of Talk, This Time. Ok, now I feel better.

Apr 19 - Louis the Child

I'm in Tianjin and I'm tired and kind of cranky, and I have to wake up super early for an 8am flight. So I don't want to write much. But I want to share two songs, both from Louis the Child. Louis the Child is a production duo, and they have a couple of EPs out. Apparently they've been around for a few years and got some hype off their first EP, but I just heard about them this week. The first song I heard is Love Is Alive, the closing track from the Love Is Alive EP, featuring Elohim. And I really like it. It makes me happy.




Even the video kind of makes me happy, and I'm not into dance at all. But I kind of like this one for some reason. I can actually enjoy watching it. Anyway, the other song is Go, the opener on the EP. It's also very good. Everything in between is meh. These are the only two songs you need to listen to. But you really do need to listen to them.

Apr 15 - Alex Napping / Day Wave

OK, now I can write the blog I wanted to write this week. Basically, the week was really long and tiring and I was sick and not sleeping well so I just had no energy to write anything. Until yesterday I finally started feeling a bit better.

After coming back from Singapore & Malaysia last weekend, for some reason I just wasn't sleeping well. I don't know why. But all weekend I wasn't sleeping enough, and I had a cold, so going into the week was already a bit rough. And then Passover started. Passover is always a tough week, because I'm so limited on what I can and can't eat, and we all know how much I love cooking, so that doesn't help. But it is the one time of year that I do cook, because otherwise I can't eat. And I do love to eat. So I started the cooking on Monday, which I spent at home instead of at the office because I was hosting a Seder. I hosted a Seder last year, and I wanted to do it again this year, because I do actually really like Passover, despite the difficulties. I think it's like the closest thing Jews have to Thanksgiving, where you have a huge family meal together and eat a ton and (hopefully) enjoy times with your family Which I do. But they are not here. So I hosted dinner for like 15 people, and my friend Julia and I spent all Monday cooking. It was really great, but I was already sick and tired going into it, so spending the entire day cooking and then staying up until like 1am to clean and stuff before going to work at 6:30 on Tuesday to welcome a new employee did not help. And then it didn't slow down from there, because on Tuesday I had another Seder. The 2nd one I did at Chabad, one of the synagogues here in town, so I didn't have to prep all day or anything, but it was also long and drawn out and I was still unable to get good sleep. Then Wednesday was a team dinner to welcome this new employee, and finally on Thursday I got some time to myself. So I just stayed home and watched a movie and actually slept well for the first time in a week. Which was amazing. I potentially undid all that last night when I stayed out until 4am, but then I didn't wake up until like 11, so maybe I'm still good. I feel pretty good today.

And now I have the energy to write about the artists that I wanted to. The first is Alex Napping, a Texas band headed by (obvious Jew) Alex Cohen. I don't know where I first heard them, but they showed up on this new release playlist Spotify makes me based on what I've listened to, because they just released their latest single, Fault, off their upcoming debut Mise en Place, which is out next month.





So I heard Fault and really liked it, then went and listened to the other singles they've put out from the upcoming album, and then I went and listened to their last single before this, Trembles, which contains both Trembles I and Trembles II. And that's when I realized that I'd heard Trembles II somewhere, which is why they must have showed up on my release radar, which is great because Trembles II is fantastic, and now I'm super excited for the album (which I immediately pre-ordered after listening to all this). You should already know I love these ladies that rock, and Alex Napping fits perfectly in there with Jay Som and IAN SWEET and Sharon Van Etten and all the other greats.





And the other artist for today is Day Wave, who's been making waves (see what I did there?) since releasing his first single, Wasting Time, last year. Have a listen.





I enjoyed Wasting Time when I first heard it, but didn't think too much of it. But then he's just been putting out one great single after the other. And I love this sound of his/theirs (Day Wave is the brainchild of a he, but has a band also. So not sure how to refer to him/them). I never got into that Metronomy style surfer rock that was really popular a couple years ago. It was always a bit boring for me. But I feel like this has taken that chilled out vibe and elevated it to a new level. And kind of also falls into the whole Jay Som, chilled out, rocky sound. But maybe more like Hazel English and Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever. Which is now getting into male territory instead of just these ladies that rock. But now we're talking about the music, not the ladies. Anyway, I like it. I feel like this might be my sound of 2017. We'll see. But for now, here's one more from Day Wave: Promises. This is the one that really caught my attention. And makes me do my awkward white boy wiggle. So of course, just like Alex Napping, I had to immediately go and pre-order their upcoming debut album.

Apr 14 - Crooked Colours / Goldlink, Jazmine Sullivan & KAYTRANADA

It has been a very long and very tiring week. I've been meaning to write something all week, but I've just been busy at work, busy outside work, and exhausted when I've had free time. So I was thinking I'd write this weekend, as I'm expecting a very relaxed weekend. I already have a couple artists in mind to write about, also. But then I was at the office listening to Hype Machine, and this good song came on. I was thinking I should blog it, and then decided not to cause I was lazy. But then this other good song came on, and both of them are good Friday songs, so I might as well blog.

The first one was Flow, by Crooked Colours. I like it a lot, but then as I was listening I was thinking that it's maybe too similar to other electronicy songs that I like. But then, I still like it. Apparently it's their first single from their forthcoming debut EP. Reminds me a bit of Bob Moses, actually.





So that got me started, but didn't quite spur me into action. But then there was another song that came on, and I figured if I had two good ones, I might as well write about them. So the next one is Meditation, from rapper Goldlink's forthcoming debut album. He was apparently featured on KAYTRANADA's album last year, but then I was focused on KAYTRANADA. And now he has this song of his own, with music by KAYTRANADA and a hook by Jazmine Sullivan, and it's another great one for the weekend.

Apr 5 - Skee-Lo

I started working out recently. I'm now taking gym classes with my friends, who go like every day. They're nuts. I'm starting out with a bit of spinning and some yoga. Which is good, cause I eat a lot. The only reason I bring it up is to tell you about the meal I had after working out last weekend. There's a new restaurant in Shanghai (kind of, it's a new location of an existing restaurant with half a new menu) and they have this Ode to In N Out burger. So obviously I had to go eat it. And it was delicious, even if it wasn't quite an In N Out burger. But the only reason I bring it up is to tell you about the song I heard when I walked into the restaurant, which was I Wish, by Skee-Lo. You know this song. It was the best thing back in 1995. And I don't think I've heard it since then. Until last Sunday, that is. And then somehow I heard it again in a cab in Singapore this week. Not once in 20 years, then all of a sudden twice in a week. And this song is damn good. So it is now today's song. End of story.

Fun fact: Skee-Lo, despite wishing he was a little bit taller, is 5'8". I am, too. That's not all that short. Although I do wish I was 5'10" because I think it's like the perfect concert height.

Apr 3 - Broken Social Scene

I was already so excited this year thanks to Feist and Alt-J and Sylvan Esso and Little Dragon and more, and then Broken Social Scene decided to join the party. Yup, after 7 years, they are back again. In case you are unaware, this is one of my long-time (all-time) favorite bands, and they were extremely influential in developing my own personal taste in music. I think the same is probably true for a lot of people. And they just keep breaking up and doing solo and side projects (many of which are amazing, like Feist and Stars), but nothing is as good as the original. And we have a fantastic new single from the original, called Halfway Home. There's a new album in the works, and if this is any sign, I'm gonna like it.