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#12 "Pumped Up Kicks" by Foster the People (acoustic version)
I realize you are dead sick of this song. It was *everywhere* this Summer. However, I ask you to give this acoustic version a listen. It breathes new life into a tune you probably didn't think you could take even one more time. Really.
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Seven-person Brooklyn indie funk band, Ava Luna, takes soul harmonies to the next level. Their music is a bit hard to describe--kind of a mash-up of TV on the Radio and a barber shop quartet. They are awesome live, so check them out if they're coming to a venue near you. This is one of my favorite songs of the year. I just never get tired of listening to it.
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#10 "Season's Trees" by Danger Mouse and Daniele Luppi (featuring Norah Jones)
Uber-record producer, Danger Mouse, and Italian composer Daniele Luppi spent five years on this Morricone-inspired album featuring Norah Jones and Jack White of The White Stripes. Lush '60s-era strings and moodiness certainly evoke an atmospheric filmic quality. Great music for a chilly afternoon.
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#9 "Pinky's Dream" by David Lynch (featuring Karen O.)
Let's face it, David Lynch isn't a great singer, so of all the tracks on his just-released album, Crazy Clown Time, I'm partial to this one featuring Karen O. from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs which has a twisted Western twang and some haunting whoops a la Siouxsie and the Banshees. The first time I heard this song, I was jet-lagged in a dark hotel room in Warsaw, so I was kind of digging it.
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#8 Right Side of My Brain by Veronica Falls
Surf-punk band, Veronica Falls has a bit of a '60s sound (a la Vivian Girls) with lots of reverb and harmonies, combined with Throwing Muses (remember them?). Darker and less hook-filled than The Drums (see yesterday's favorite song), but with a similar vibe, it's not surprising they're touring together.
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The Drums are from Brooklyn. This makes them automatically pretty darned cool (OK, I'm a little biased.) Even better, this is music that just makes you happy. It's a little surf, a little Smiths, a little jump up and dance cause I've got ants in my pants. Sorry, long day at work. Enjoy.
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#6 "Piratess" by Okkervil River
This song (which I have on permanent playlist rotation) is much more experimental and energetic than the folky Okkervil River I've come to know. In fact their entire latest album, I Am Very Far, is a significant departure from prior work with darker lyrics and a much more atmospheric sound. I suspect hardcore fans may not take to the new direction (one critique I read called it "noisy"), but I actually like it a lot, and think this tune is one of the best of the bunch.
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#5 "Settle Down" by Kimbra
Melbourne-based songstress, Kimbra, has put together one of the catchiest dance songs of the year with her funky jazz single "Settle Down" off her debut album Vows. (In the States though, only an four-song EP is currently available.) Her sound is like a more pop-tinged Alice Russell. The other songs on the EP are just OK imo, but this tune's a real winner.
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#4 "Will Do" by TV on the Radio
This love song from art-rock band, TV on the Radio, swaps edgy for heartfelt. In fact, I'd venture to say that's true for most of the cuts on their latest album, Nine Types of Light, and I like their new lack of irony.
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Bad As Me is Tom Waits' 17th studio album, so you'd think he'd just be cranking out crap by this point. Nope. His latest is full of Waits' signature whiskey-soaked, late night croons and thumps. I'm kind of a sucker for sad songs and this spare jazz ballad is my favorite. Listen and weep.
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