Ocean Floor For Everything

“Ocean Floor for Everything” by How to Dress Well // Total Loss (Autumn, 2012)

Tom Krell’s How to Dress Well is one of my favorite things in the world. Hands down. In my opinion, the man has done no wrong so far in his career and now that he’s finally announced his new album (following last year’s excellent Just Once EP), we’ve got a taste of the new material and it’s magnificent. Once again, he slips into lo-fi R&B soundscapes, manipulating his voice to act as an instrument that glides over abstract beats and ambient textures. Of course, I can do no justice with a description, it’s best you just press play and hear one of the best songs to drop this year. Highest recommendation for fans Top Girls,  Active Child, and Balam Acab.

(download) “Ocean Floor for Everything” by How to Dress Well (via HTDW Soundcloud)

Mister Lies - Cleam

“Cleam” by Mister Lies // Hidden Neighbors EP (2012)

Mister Lies is 19 year old, Chicago based producer, Nick Zanca (recently profiled in a Pitchfork “Rising” article). I had stumbled upon his work on Bandcamp a while back, but managed to lose it in the shuffle of constant releases, which makes me feel especially foolish after revisiting it in my “new music” folder after seeing the Pitchfork piece. It’s just been sitting there, without my attention, and that’s an absolute shame because Mister Lies is doing something that I’m always game for, revisiting trip-hop. Sure, it’s not exactly the trip-hop sounds of the late 90’s, but it’s definitely in the same vein as those late night drive records with a sexy (and sometimes melancholic), downtempo beat. “Cleam” is the track that will stand out for fans of Burial and maybe even How to Dress Well, as it’s dark, otherworldly beat is wrapped up in ghostly vocal samples that are both warm and inviting, and chilled to the core. Definitely something you’ll want to be checking out. Highest recommendation for fans of Burial, How to Dress Well, and Massive Attack. 

(stream and buy) “Hidden Neighbors EP” by Mister Lies (via Bandcamp)

Arrange - I Want To Be Alright

“I Want to be All Right” by Arrange // New Memory (Bonus Track) (Out 7.2.12)

New tracks from Malcom Lacey’s Arrange project are always welcomed bits of goodness to my ears, but I was truly not expecting what I heard when I clicked play on “I Want to be All Right”. Lacey’s previous tracks have walked the line of songwriter confessional, ambient pop which often lead to some dark places. Here on “I Want to be All right” it sounds as if the darkness is sliding away and in it’s place is something warmer, more vibrant, and expansive. Sure, there are no vocals this time outside of a warped and looped sample, but the overall effect is something wonderful. It’s a gorgeous, ethereal bit of r&b infused, electronic dream pop. An absolute must hear, for fans of Top Girls, How to Dress Well, and Stumbleine. 

(pre-order) “New Memory” by Arrange (via Bandcamp)

h e r e, i n h e a v e n 4 & 5 (CFCF Remix)

“h e r e, i n h e a v e n 2 (CFCF Remix)” by Elite Gymnastics // Ruin 3 & 4 (2012)

“Here, In Heaven” has been reworked by a few artists to pretty wonderful effect (How to Dress Well springs to mind), but it’s Montreal producer CFCF that does the most remarkable work with it, turning it into a melancholic, strings and piano chopped ballad with all the markings of a sprawling, gorgeous cinematic score. It’s going to be available on the Ruin 4 package with the other remixes, but you can also download it now from the Ruin site. Absolutely highest recommendation. 

(download) h e r e, i n h e a v e n 2 (CFCF Remix) (via Elite Gymnastic’s Ruin site)

How To Dress Well: Clowne Towne

“Clowne Towne” by How to Dress Well // Originally by Xiu Xiu (2012)

One of my favorite artists these days is Tom Krell of How to Dress Well and for the past couple of months he’s been relatively quiet (working on new material), but today I see FACT has posted this special treat in the form of a How to Dress Well cover of Xiu Xiu’s track “Clowne Towne” (a standout from 2004’s Fabulous Muscles). Like some of his best work, the track revolves mostly around Krell’s delicate falsetto and subtle ambient production which transforms Xiu Xiu’s original of lo-fi, fractured beats into a haunting, ghostly ballad. The track comes from a fundraiser comp for Ad Hoc magazine, which is looking for funding and is being handled by former editors of (the very missed) Altered Zones.

Saskatchewan - The Morning (The Weeknd Cover)

“The Morning” by Saskatchewan // Originally by The Weeknd

Hearing Saskatchewan’s spin on The Weeknd’s “The Morning” is an interesting ride. It’s got a dark, jazzy, 80’s vibe that creates sort of a hypnotic, late night chillout. Here’s what they had to say about the creation:

ssktchwn:

A little more than a week ago a friend of mine suggested that we do a cover of The Weeknd. The idea was definitely a stretch for me but I figured it would be an interesting challenge. The end result of our version of The Weeknd’s “The Morning” is like a forensics TV show soundtrack mets sleezy lounge jazz mets saskatchewan. I hope you enjoy.

Pretty damn accurate. I’m into it. I’m loving the bedroom pop/ r&b / dream pop crossover sounds. Definitely worth hearing for fans of How to Dress Well, Active Child, and Top Girls.

High For This (Weeknd cover)

“High for This” by Top Girls // Originally by The Weeknd

With a few small releases, Top Girls have proven themselves one of my most eagerly watched new acts. Combining the lo-fi r&b soundscapes that you might hear on a How to Dress Well record, with the more overt beats and atmospheres that you might find on a Burial or James Blake record, they create something really special and exciting. Here with a cover of The Weeknd’s “High For This”, they bring that sound alive in dark, haunting, and sexy glory. Highly recommended. 

Radio Slow Riot - Faves of 2011 pt2

P|M|W’s FAVORITE SONGS OF 2011 /// PT. 2 (#20-1)

Finally, the collection is complete. After a run in with a dying voicebox and multiple microphone issues, here are the final 20 songs in my favorite songs of 2011 collection (previous tracks 40-21 HERE). Once again, i’d like to reiterate that this is simply my favorite songs. I’m not putting my foot down and declaring them “the best”. I’m open to others choices, these are just the songs that grabbed me and held on the hardest. 

I’m leaving the explanations for why, I chose what,  inside the podcast. I won’t bother wasting your time by putting it here as well, so if something strikes you as particularly strange, feel free to listen. I might explain myself. As usual, you can stream or download the podcast. Please feel free to reblog and share if you like what you here or shoot me a message if you have concerns that i’ve lost my mind. Now, without further ado, here are my top 20 favorite songs of 2011. 

THE LIST /// FAVORITE SONGS OF THE YEAR #20 - 1 (the top twenty)

• 20. “Moon Killer” by Small Black
• 19. “Pulse” by I Break Horses
• 18. “Island Answer Anywhere” by Pulseprogramming
• 17. “Give Us the Wind” by Future Islands
• 16. “Green Aisles” by Real Estate
• 15. “Into the Wilderness” by Burning Hearts
• 14. “Stutter” by Yuck
• 13. “Give Up the Ghost” by Radiohead
• 12. “Wicked Games” by The Weeknd
• 11. “The Last Line” by Tammar
• 10. “Mermaid” by Okkervil River
• 9. “Escape” by Richard Buckner
• 8. “Suicide Dream 3 (Orchestral Version)” by How to Dress Well
• 7. “Civilian” by Wye Oak
• 6. “Sara” by Chad Vangaalen
• 5. “Holocen” by Bon Iver
• 4. “Pure Affection (Beach Fossils Remix)” by Eternal Summers
• 3. “Never Mine” by Big Troubles
• 2. “Midnight City” by M83
• 1. “Black Trees” by Hooray For Earth

(download) P|M|W’s Favorite Songs of 2011 Part 2 (#20-1) Podcast

(stream) P|M|W’s Favorite Songs Part 2 (#20-1) (via Soundcloud)

That is that. The last of my favorite jams of 2011. I hope you enjoyed them even a fraction as much as I have this year. Hopefully, you discovered something that’s new and interesting, or hopefully you just enjoyed the countdown. Thanks for listening. I hope to keep things up for another year. If so, I hope you stick around as well. Take care and happy listening. 

Radio Slow Riot Faves of 2011 pt1

P|M|W’s FAVORITE SONGS OF 2011 /// PT. 1 (#40-21)

Well, it was certainly something of a chore to work this list down to a realistic and approachable number. What started as a list of over a hundred, was worked down to fifty, and then I chose to podcast the top forty. This is the backend of that list. Numbers 40 - 21 are presented here with limited interruptions. 

Tomorrow, I’ll be posting my 20 favorite songs of the year and I’ll offer a little more insight into my top ten selections in particular (in case you don’t want to listen to me ramble in podcast form). So, without further ado, here goes my back twenty list. Feel free to listen to the songs via the podcast provided above (stream) and below (download). Please bear with my introduction on the podcast, it runs all of three minutes long and might annoy those of you with ears. Please enjoy, and tune in tomorrow for top 20, which is sure to contain some choices that will get me verbally assaulted. Thanks for listening!

THE LIST /// FAVORITE SONGS OF THE YEAR #40 - 21 (back twenty)

• 40. “The Night” by School of Seven Bells
• 39. “Hold Your Hand” by Dum Dum Girls
• 38. “Solid Morning” by Tearjerker
• 37. “Call it Off” by Washed Out
• 36. “Nuclear Seasons” by Charli XCX
• 35. “Shells of Silver” by The Japanese Popstars
• 34. “Black Cloud” by Mozart Parties
• 33. “Alive in Us” by Darkness Falls
• 32. “It’s Alright” by Kurt Vile
• 31. “Summer Moon” by The Raveonettes
• 30. “Playing House” by Active Child & How To Dress Well
• 29. “Sail Away” by The Rapture
• 28. “Silent My Song” by Lykke Li
• 27.  ”The Same Thing” by Cass McCombs
• 26.  ”We Passed the Moon” by A Grave with No Name
• 25. “Companions” by Dodos
• 24. “Thinking About You” by Frank Ocean
• 23. “Goshen” by Beirut
• 22. “Hounds” by The Antlers
• 21. “Nosebleed” by Deerhunter

(download) P|M|W’s Favorite Songs of 2011 (#40-21) Podcast

(stream) P|M|W’s Favorite Songs (#40-21) (via Soundcloud)

There you have the first set of my favorite songs of the year. Tomorrow will be even better as we countdown my absolute favorites. In the meantime, please enjoy these wonderful songs. Let me know what i’m forgetting, or suggest some songs that you think that i might not be aware. 

Suicide Dream 2 (Elite Gymanstics Baptism" by How to Dress Well - 

“Suicide Dream 2 (Elite Gymnastics Baptism)” by How to Dress Well 

How to Dress Well’s recent reworking of Elite Gymnastics’ “Here, In Heaven” was a tremendous bit of music, almost hymnal in it’s beauty. Here, Elite Gymnastics returns the favor by reworking HTDW’s brilliant “Suicide Dream 2” into a more beat heavy, almost jungle sound. It’s a cool sound. Not exactly my preference in the scheme of things (I’m a die-hard fan of the work of How to Dress Well) but Elite Gymnastics does wonders with a beat. 

(download) “Suicide Dream 2 (Elite Gymnastic Baptism)” by How to Dress Well

How To Dress Well - Here, In Heaven (Elite Gymnastics cover)

“Here, In Heaven” by How to Dress Well (Originally by Elite Gymnastics) // Ruin 3 (2011)

If i’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times. Tom Krell’s How To Dress Well is one of the best new artists of the past few years and everything he touches is absolutely gold. Here HTDW contributes a cover of Elite Gymnastics’s “Here, In Heaven” that will be featured on a collection of re-interpretations of EG songs from previous EPs. In the hands of How to Dress Well it becomes a heartbreaking hymn with an abstract r&b lean, and holy hell is it ever a wonder to hear. Grab it for free right now from Pitchfork.

(download) How to Dress Well - Here, In Heaven (Elite Gymnastics cover) (via P4K)

Thee Silver Mt. Zion - God Bless Our Dead Marines (HTDW 'IMPORTANT' EDIT)

“God Bless Our Dead Marines (How to Dress Well “Important” Edit)” by A Silver Mt. Zion

Tom Krell of HTDW was kind enough to offer up this excellent remix/edit of A Silver Mt. Zion’s epic “God Bless Our Dead Marines”. This variation has been stripped bare of it’s post-rock beginnings and what remains is a haunting, sing-along, waltz. Turning it into a sad lament. 

(download) God Bless Our Dead Marines (HTDW “Important” Edit”) (via DiscoNaivete)

How to Dress Well - Suicide Dream 3 (Solar Bears Remix)

“Suicide Dream 3 (Solar Bears Remix)” by How to Dress Well

Had to pop in to post this hypnotic, otherworldly remix of How to Dress Well’s brilliant “Suicide Dream 3”. It’s a radical shift from the heartbreaking original, but a strange and beautiful take all its own. Cheers to Altered Zones for posting this one.

(download) Suicide Dream 3 (Solar Bears Remix) by HTDW