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Thursday, August 22, 2013
The University Daily Kansan
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Thursday, August 22, 2013
The University Daily Kansan
Top 10 play list eases transition from summer
TOM DEHART
tdehart@kansan.com
New semester, new music. This list of contemporary songs should ease the transition from your summer schedule and atmosphere into your school year.
MATADOR RECORDS
"Was All Talk" — Kurt Vile Kurt Vile hasn't been around for as long as some people might think when they first hear his music. The sound that Kurt Vile has reached on his latest record, "Wakin' On A Pretty Daze," has the feel of a laid-back vintage record. With heavy echoes, delays and phaser effects on his guitar riffs and percussion that may or may not be computer generated, the song "Was All Talk" is one that is sure to get you in the mood to do just about anything.
"True Thrush" — Dan Deacon Like Vile's "Was All Talk," Dan Deacon's "True Thrush" off of his album "America," which was released in 2012, is filled with happy electronic notes, cheerful crowd vocals and a catchy rhythm that sets Dan Deacon apart from other musicians. The song could start off any summer evening event and it brings a great energy to a group that is impossible to ignore, no matter what kind of music you enjoy listening to.
Animal Collective is the kind of band that grows on you. If at first you don't like it, try again, and you will find it fairly easy to enjoy. The unfamiliarity of their sound could be both a blessing and a curse—strange time signatures, odd effects, looping sounds and etheral vocals that lend themselves to blend in perfectly with the rest of the sounds in the song.
"Gotham" was released in 2012, prior to the band's 2012 release of the album "Centipede Hz." It's a slower song, filled with melancholic tones, minor chords and a beautifully simple drum beat. Attempt this one on a rainy day, and watch your whole world blend.
"If I Had a Tail"
MATADOR RECORDS
Queens of the Stone Age
Queens of the Stone Age
Queens of the Stone Age made an inventive return this year with the release of its first studio album in six years. Not only does the song "If I Had a Tall" bring forth a seriously creative craft that is so personally Queen of the Stone Age's, but the whole "...Like Clockwork" album delivers an energy that had been missed by many fans over the last few years. Queens of the Stone Age has always been known for their distinct riffs and melodies, and both this song and album were able to deliver on both of those aspects.
XL RECORDINGS
"Stormur"—Sigur Ros
"Stormur" – Sigur Ros
It's always an emotional ride when listening to Sigur Ros. Lead singer Jonsi's voice, and his Icelandic and sometimes gibberish - lyrics speak to listeners in incredible ways. Sigur Ros has mastered its mix of slow, ambient, post-rock sounds from its first albums with its happy, pop-sounding riffs from its latter albums over the years. This mix of sounds has resulted in tracks like the ones that were released this past spring on "Kveikur," the band's seventh studio album. "Stormur" is an uplifting song, one that speaks to a listener the way that Sigur Ros's music is always meant to communicate with its listeners.
"The Three of Us"
PENTIMENTO MUSIC COMPANY
DEAD OCEANS
"The Three of Us" is the first track off Streetlight Manifesto's fifth studio album, "The Hands That Thieve." The horn section in this ska band has not weakened at all. If anything, the horn section has gotten stronger and the lyrics and songwriting have not lost their effect. Tomas Kalnoky's lyrics are still packed with strong morals, virtues and empowering statements that have the ability to bring truth and reality to listeners everywhere.
Streetlight Manifesto
"1904" — The Tallest Man on Earth The tallest Man on Earth, whose real name is Kristian Matsson, is a Swedish folk singer-songwriter who has revamped the power of folk music for a new generation. His vocals and lyrics have a strong resemblance to those of a youthful Bob Dylan, and Matsson has done a wonderful job of bringing that familiar Dylan sound back to a younger generation. His songs consist of only one or two guitar parts - both of which are simplistic yet brilliant - and not much of any other instruments (except the occasional piano and slide guitar). "1904" is a song that possesses a catchy lead riff with a simple chord progression behind it and a powerful voice to tie it all together.
PAPER BAG RECORD:
"Pretty Boy" — Young Galaxy
"Pretty Boy" - Young Galaxy
The first time I heard "Pretty Boy," the DJ on KJHK thought he was pretty clever for playing it on a rainy day. I admit it was a pretty opportune time to play the song, and it was a nice song to listen to on an overcast day, but that's only because it is nearly impossible to decipher whether or not this song is meant to be a happy one or a sad one. Young Galaxy's female vocalist Catherine McCandless has the soft, delicate touch of fellow female Canadian vocalists Amy Millan and Leslie Feist. The song will have you replaying it over and over in your head so much that you might end up knowing it by heart eventually.
HELLCAT RECORDS
"To Have and To Have Not"
— Tim Timebomb
It appears that another member of Rancid has decided to cover Billy Bragg's 1983 protest song "To Have and to Have Not." Tim Armstrong does a version that is slightly more on the skate-punk side of the song—much different than his fellow band mate Lars Fredriksen had done in 2001 with his band Lars Fredrikson & The Bastards. Armstrong's approach to the song is very uniquely done, with lingering influences of all previous projects that he has been a part of in the past, ranging all the way from the Transplants to the earliest Operation Ivy songs.
DAFT LIFE / COLUMBIA RECORDS
"Doin' It Right" — Daft Punk
"Doin' It Right" — Daft Punk
Daft Punk released its latest album on the last day of finals last semester.
The two masked DJs must have known that the release of the album was going to be a good start to the summer. Now that the summer is over doesn't mean that the good times have to stop. "Doin' It Right," the last track off "Random Access Memories" is a perfect tune to head back to school to. It's a song that can be played any time of any day on a leisurely bus ride, car ride, bike ride, or it can be a song to unwind to at the end of the week while you enjoy your chosen vice—or your higher education textbooks.
Edited by Dylan Lysen
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