Five Essential Dance Songs

"Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger"- Daft Punk

"Real Love"- Delorean

"Little Secrets" - Passion Pit

"Brother Sport"- Animal Collective

"Kids" - MGMT

Rogue Wave/Peter Wolf Crier

Apologies for the lack of posts the past week. Like I said in my last post, I am SWAMPED with stuff to do for next week. I promise the postings will pick up real soon.

My girlfriend and I got to see an amazing show last night at the Bijou Theatre (my favorite Knoxville venue) headlined by Rouge Wave with Peter Wolf Crier in support (Midlake played as well, but neither of us liked them very much so I'm going to leave them out). Both bands had fantastic energy, especially considering there was maybe 100 people in attendance.

I'll admit, I really didn't want to get there early enough to see Peter Wolf Crier. My theory has always been that for every good opening band there are three terrible ones, but Joy (my girlfriend) insisted that we see them. And like most of the time, she was right. Consisting of just two members, their vocals sound much like Manchester Orchestra's Andy Hull mixed with an M. Ward/Wilco/Bob Dylan-like instrumentation.

Rogue Wave is severely underrated. They are one of those bands that you could see being really popular, but something just doesn't click on the rise up. You might of heard them on The O.C., or on a couple of Zune commercials, and with songs like "Lake Michigan" and "Publish My Love", it's not hard to see why they are a music coordinator's dream. If haven't heard much from Rogue Wave, I would start with their 2007's Descended Like Vultures and go from there.

Check out songs from both bands in the playlist!

Matt & Kim

With midterms quickly approaching, I've have been up to my ears in stress. I guess one huge English project, a French presentation, Calculus test/Webassign, and an Econ midterm (which is half of my grade in that class) will do that to you.

I always have my iPod readily available around midterm and final week. Usually I listen to the most cheerful, escapist music possible to help me get through it. At the moment, that's Matt & Kim.

This is my second straight post with a boy/girl duo, but Matt & Kim are completely different sound than my previous post Sleigh Bells. Their 'do-it-yourself' attitude towards recording mixed with a knack for creating some of the catchiest pop hooks around makes them perfect for mid-term week.

Check out "Daylight" and "Good Ol' Fashioned Nightmare" above in the playlist. If either one of these songs sounds familiar, you might have heard them in earlier episodes of NBC's comedy series Community (which might be my favorite show on television right now).

Sleigh Bells

When hip-hop superstar M.I.A. makes an appearance on stage with your band, you know you're going places... and fast. Such is the case for the Brooklyn noise-pop duo Sleigh Bells who released their debut Treats earlier this year.

I don't really know how to describe their music. It's certainly anthemic ("Crown On The Ground" especially), weird, and maybe the most refreshing sound to come out of 2010. M.I.A. liked them so much that she made sure they signed with her label N.E.E.T.

They even made it into a Honda commercial (shown below). Also, my personal favorites from the album are up on the playlist above.

Surfer Blood

Growing up around the people in Knoxville has taught me two things about the weather; it's either too hot or too cold.

Sweeping generalizations aside, I do believe we all are guilty of not being content with the weather. As for me, I love that it is mid September and I still can break a sweat getting into my car. Knoxville is close to breaking a record for the most days above 90 degrees and everyone seems to be begging for autumn, but not me. Honestly, my dream is to live somewhere completely sleeve-free.

It's summer year-round for the boys of Surfer Blood, especially when you grow up in West Palm Beach, California. Yes, the economy there is in shambles, but you'd never know that listening to this band. Their debut album Astro Coast, is nothing but carefree California livin'.

Astro Coast sounds like a mixture of Weezer's Blue Album and The Shins Oh, Inverted World, maybe even a hint of Vampire Weekend thrown in (listen to "Take It Easy" on the playlist above). It's a record full of huge guitar hooks, echoed vocals, and aquatic synths. Astro Coast reminds me of driving around on summer nights with the windows down; days when I took myself a whole lot less seriously.

Below is the video for "Swim", which more than likely will be on my top songs of 2010 list.

Fleet Foxes

I am not outdoorsy. If you know me very well, then you know this fact. It's not that I don't like the outdoors, I do, I'm just not that "let's strap on our backpacks and explore a forest" type of guy. Listening to Fleet Foxes, however, makes me want to grow a beard, sell all of my possessions, and get lost in the wilderness.


Based out of Seattle, Fleet Foxes are an indie-folk/baroque-pop quartet. They released their self-titled debut in 2008 which gained immense notoriety and favorable reviews (Pitchfork.com named it 2008's "Album of the Year"). They have just recently finished recording the follow-up due out early in 2011.

What I love most about Fleet Foxes is that while, for the most part, they are a traditional folk band, their music never lacks production value. They use a ton of reverb in the vocals, which makes every song sound like its being played in an abandoned church. This element fits the music incredibly well and lead singer Robin Pecknold puts the listener in such a deep trance. 


Below is a breathtaking live performance of "Sun King"/"Blue Ridge Mountain"