Happy New Year Mashup: Lady Gaga vs Journey

I'm a sucker for good mashups, and really what mash would make a better addition to your New Years Get Psyched Mix than Journey and Lady Gaga. Because won't you always remember 2009 in disco sticks and New Directions?  

Just Stop Believin'

Right click to download

Rubik

These guys are Finnish. That's all I can think of to say at the moment.  Just listen to the song.

No Escape - Rubik

Say Hi

They used to be called Say Hi To Your Mom.  Ha.

This tune was featured in Gossip Girl.  It is excellent.

Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh

The Subjects

These guys have kind of a cool story. Two teachers formed the band with two students, and they actually made it work. Can't really imagine playing SXSW with my high school teacher, but whatever works I suppose.

Winter Vacation - The Subjects

Rodrigo y Gabriela

If you've never seen these two play, watch this video.  They are unreal. And their new album is finally out. 

Hanuman - Rodrigo y Gabriela

Yeah Yeah Yeahs

After seeing Where the Wild Things Are, I'm now in love with Karen O, not that I didn't think the Yeah Yeah Yeahs were fabulous before that.  I've been slowly collecting tunes off of their latest album, It's Blitz, and this one has been constantly in my head for the past 3 weeks. 

Heads Will Roll - Yeah Yeah Ye...

Thanks to Wikipedia, I just learned that it was featured in ads for the Hills and the City, which my lack of television made me completely unaware of. So perhaps it will be familiar to a few readers out there. :) 

YACHT

YACHT is actually just a dude who used to be a member of The Blow, whose free iTunes single, True Affection, has a frighteningly high play count in my iTunes. While this song is definitely odd, it's just odd enough to work.

Psychic City (Voodoo City) - Y...

KiD CuDi

I have no idea how hard it is to rap because, surprise surprise, I am not a rapper. I would gather that it is fairly difficult to find an indie pop song and rap over it and make it sound like you wrote the song to go with your rap. That is exactly what Cudder has managed to do in this abruptly-ending rap over Vampire Weekend's Ottoman. Thanks to the nice "goodbye" at the end, long before the background song is supposed to end, you'll want to listen over and over.

Cudderisback

(Not sure where he went, since his debut album just came out in September...)

Caravan Palace

I downloaded this song by mistake, and it's totally different than what I normally listen to, but it's great. Who can resist a little French electro-swing?

The White Buffalo

He's not new by any means, nor is this song, but if you don't live in California you've probably never heard of the White Buffalo. If you have the opportunity to see him live, take it. I've seen him twice and he puts on an amazing show. And contrary to what you might think from this song, the shows are not super mellow affairs.

Speech Debelle

This is another British chick who prefers to go by a name other than her given one. Her sound is totally unique though, and before I saw her picture I had no idea whether I was listening to a pre-pubescent boy, a 12 year old girl, or a woman. Turns out she's 26.

Spinnin' - Speech Debelle

Sea Wolf

Since I already wrote about the dog of the sea, why not the wolf of the sea. Sea Wolf is actually a band, but the only pictures that seem to exist are of the lead singer, Alex Brown Church. They play great mellow tunes, and this bonus track off of their latest album is no exception. Follow the link and you can listen to it or download it.

Stanislaus

stellastarr*

These guys already got one shout-out on my blog thanks to their extraneous punctuation, but I've been digging this tune off their latest album.

Freak Out - Stellastarr*

Weezer

They do have the number one rock album right now and thus don't really need blog time, but Weezer's new album is just too good not to write about. If you haven't listened to it, do so immediately. I'm not sure what my favorite tune is yet, but this one is at the top. And make sure to watch their snuggie infomercial. It looks like Rivers is putting his quirkiness to good use. Love it.

The Girl Got Hot - Weezer

El Perro del Mar

I will never understand why Sarah Assbring - a petite blond who definitely does not inspire images of seals or gruffy sailors - wanted to be known professionally as the dog of the sea, but whatever her motivations, her music is excellent. Mellow, pretty, and fairly unique.

Change Of Heart - El Perro Del...

The Blakes

This song reminds me of another band or song, but I cannot for the life of me figure out what it is. Everything I've read compares them to the Who and Kinks with a little Killers and Strokes thrown in for relevance, but I keep thinking of John Hughes movies when I listen to this tune. If you can figure out what it reminds me of, I'll give you a present.

So Easy

Bell X1

I'm abandoning my weekly theme, because I think Bell X1 is just a stupid band name, albeit a unique one. (Although I did learn that they were once called Juniper and included Damien Rice before he went solo, and they then named themselves after the first plane to break the sound barrier, about which I'm just not sure what to think.)

But, I've been on a huge Talking Heads kick lately, and this tune is so Talking Head-esq that I had to share. Thanks again to MLS for her suggestion.

Yeasayer

These guys describe their music as "Middle Eastern-psych-snap-gospel." Whatever you want to call it, this song is awesome and their name is perhaps even awesomer.

Ambling Alp

Ambling Alp - Yeasayer

Whole Wheat Bread

This tune is not really new, and it's not even that amazing, but I still think Whole Wheat Bread is one of the greatest band names ever.

No Problem - Whole Wheat Bread

Electric Tickle Machine

When looking for new music, I often listen to something just because it has an awesome name (band or song). I've come across some great ones lately, so I think the theme of this week will be crazy names. To start off, here's Electric Tickle Machine.

Part of Me

GaraGara

Matthew Wilder and M.I.A. you say?

Oh yes.

It's Friday, it's 80 degrees outside, and it's the weekend, so here's a little mashup of epic proportions. Enjoy.

(And if you right click you should be able to download it.)

You're Never Gonna Break M.I.A. Stride

Kate Miller-Heidke

KCRW (a radio station in LA) has an excellent podcast with a new tune daily. Some are awesome. Some, not so much. I listened to this one from yesterday twice in a row and want to play it again, which in my book means it is good. And who doesn't love a musician who keeps her hyphenated last name when you know everyone told her to change it so something catchy like Gaga or Basil or Keys.

Recap One

It seems that finding a full time job has taken precedent over listening to new music, so I thought I'd do a little recap for those who like their musical education in one place. Sadly, I don't want RIAA on my ass, so if you want the tunes you'll have to buy them yourself. But, I can say that I think these are all excellent and easily accessible songs, which is the whole point of this blog. There are enough music bloggers out there who post about obscure, difficult-to-listen-to music for people who spend a lot of time listening to and thinking about music. This is for everyone else. Or the three people who actually read this.

Marina & The Diamonds - Seventeen
Delta Spirit - People Turn Around
The Hot Melts - Edith
Miike Snow - Animal
Lightning Dust - I Knew
Mpho - Box N' Locks
Chester French - C'mon (On My Own)
The Pretty Reckless - Blender
The Filthy Youth - Boy Don't Smoke
Leighton Meester - Birthday
Mandy Moore - I Could Break Your Heart Any Day Of The Week
Johnny Flynn - The Box
Little Boots - New In Town
Harlem Shakes - Strictly Game
Girls Aloud - Biology
Girls Aloud - Love Machine
Meese - Next In Line
Anjulie - The Heat
Deer Tick - Ashamed
Deer Tick - Easy
Regina Spektor - Dance Anthem Of The 80's
Wale - Chillin (The Knocks Remix) ft. Lady Gaga
Metric - Gold Guns Girls
Fleet Foxes - Mykonos
Tinted Windows - Kind Of A Girl
Manic Street Preachers - Jackie Collins Existential Question Time
Mika - We Are Golden
Those Dancing Days - Dischoe
The Maccabees - Latchmere
The Lovell Sisters - Time To Grow
fun. - All The Pretty Girls
The Hidden Cameras - In the NA
Air Traffic - Never Even Told Me Her Name
Little Red - Coca Cola
The Very Best - Warm Heart Of Africa (Featuring Ezra Koenig)
The Redwood Plan - Something To Prove
Real Ones - Every Dog Has His Day
Malajube - Montreal -40 C
The Magnetic Fields - Too Drunk To Dream
Au Revoir Simone - Another Likely Story
Julieta Venegas - Limon y Sal
The Avett Brothers - I and Love and You
Gotye - Learnalilgivinanlovin'
Patrick Wolf - Vulture

Patrick Wolf

Vulture - Patrick Wolf

Gotye

This tune is actually a few years old, but Gotye lives in Australia, and like many awesome Australian things, it never seemed to make it off the continent. So here it is, along with its adorable video.

The Avett Brothers

Not only do I love sharing tunes, but I also love having tunes shared with me. This one was recommended to me by MLS, and I promptly started seeing The Avett Brothers all over the place. I predict that they will be huge. Ok, maybe not, but I bet you'll hear them on a show or two this fall.

I And Love And You - The Avett...

Julieta Venegas

It's hard not to love a girl who plays the accordion, and sings in Spanish to boot. Thanks to CS for introducing me to Julieta. She's pretty awesome.

Limón Y Sal - Julieta Venegas

Au Revoir Simone

These ladies kind of remind me of The Like (without guitar), but their music is a little airier and more background music-y. This song was apparently used in the Grey's Anatomy episode when Izzy and Alex got married (gag me), and it would've gone perfectly in Marie Antoinette.

Another Likely Story - Au Revo...

The Magnetic Fields

These guys have been around for years, and this tune off of their latest album is pretty hilarious.

Too Drunk to Dream - The Magne...

Malajube

Somehow I think you're dooming yourself when you name your band something like Malajube. If I knew how to speak French would I have an idea of how to pronounce that, because right now all I can think of is jujubees?

Montreal -40C - Malajube

Real Ones

The Redwood Plan

This song makes me think of Julia Stiles in 10 Things I Hate About You and her inclination toward angry girl music of the indie-rock persuasion. I mean, it's no Bikini Kills or The Raincoats, but it's not bad.

Something to Prove - The Redwo...

The Very Best

It seems a little ambitious to name your band The Very Best, but I suppose if you're talking about bands that sing in Chichewa (the national language of Malawi -- you learn something new everyday) then perhaps they are the very best.

Their album has quite the collection of tunes, which I guess is what you'd expect when you combine two DJs from England and a guy from Malawi, but I like this tune the best. Mainly because it features the lead singer of Vampire Weekend and pretty much sounds like Vampire Weekend, and since their album doesn't come out until next year, this will have to do for now.

Warm Heart of Africa (featurin...

Little Red

Like the rest of Australia, these guys seem a little behind the rest of the world. Granted Australia only runs a year or two behind and Little Red is a few decades behind, but whose counting. This little diddy is about Coke (Coca Cola that is, or Coca Coaler if you're an Aussie), and as an Atlanta girl I would love it even if it sucked. Gladly though, it does not.

Coca Cola - Little Red

Air Traffic

I have nothing witty, smart-assed (which is actually a real word btdubs), or interesting to say about Air Traffic or this song except that it is really good, and -- big surprise -- Brit pop/rock. But that's not even really interesting, much less witty or smart-assed. Oh well.

Listen: Never Even Told Me Her Name

The Hidden Cameras

I have one other The Hidden Cameras song called Awoo, so my first impression of them was that they are not a band for complex lyrics. But then I found myself wondering what the NA might be -- in the not applicable, or is it not available? in the National Archives? or perhaps in the Narcotics Anonymous? There are so many options. Clearly this song is way more complicated than I thought.

Be forewarned. The real song (i.e., something other than lamaze-esq breathing) in the linked video doesn't start for almost 2 minutes, but the video is hilariously random (if not slightly disturbing) and totally worth watching. Considering the lead singer of The Hidden Cameras once described their style as "gay church folk music," that's not totally surprising.

Listen: In The NA

fun.

I have mixed feelings about bands with punctuation in their name. Is it really necessary to add symbols to come up with a creative name? But, despite my general disdain for unnecessary punctuation (except the Oxford comma), I still saw Panic! At The Disco (who later decided they were too cool for the !) and have several Stellastarr* albums.

fun. is a new band formed by the lead singer of The Format. I suppose this song is pretty fun period. Is if Fun.? I don't know. You tell me. Either way, it's pretty damn catchy period.

Listen: All The Pretty Girls

The Lovell Sisters

I'm going to take a detour today into the bluegrass/country world. These Georgia girls are sisters (go figure) who have been playing together since they were really young. They're still pretty young and apparently really talented.

Listen: Time To Grow

The Maccabees

Here's another British band for ya. This tune is off their first album, not their most recent, and I think it has some of the oddest lyrics I've heard in a long time.

Listen: Latchmere

Those Dancing Days

These Swedish chicks are adorable, and this super-short song is pretty awesome. Their style is part Northern Soul, which apparently "is a music and dance movement that emerged from the British mod scene, initially in northern England in the late 1960s." Think Austin Powers. I will never cease to be amazed by the number of music genres out there...

Listen: Dischoe

Mika

When I first heard Mika's first single--Grace Kelly--I was immediately obsessed and excitedly told my friends about this great new addictive song. It, along with Lollipop, are among the top 15 played tunes in my iTunes, and I've been anxiously awaiting his next album. Clearly I have absolutely no problem with delicious sugary pop. (I even bought Aqua's album in high school and still enjoy running to it every once in a while.)

Mika's album won't be out until the end of September, but the first single leads me to believe that it will be full of more pop gems. I, for one, cannot wait.

Listen: We Are Golden

Manic Street Preachers

Manic Street Preachers have been around since the 80s, but I've never really paid attention to them until recently. They seem to be one of those bands that was big in Britain but never really made it across the ocean, or else I just missed it. This tune is off of their latest album, which apparently features lyrics from their guitarist who "mysteriously disappeared" in the mid 90s. Very mysterious indeed.

Listen: Jackie Collins Existential Question Time

Tinted Windows

Who can resist a super group comprised of musicians from The Smashing Pumpkins, Hanson, Fountains of Wayne, and Cheap Trick. Three old(er) dudes and Taylor Hanson are bound to make something interesting.

Listen: Kind of a Girl

Fleet Foxes

This is the third single off of Fleet Foxes album, and I think it is my favorite of their tunes. It also makes me want to go to Greece.

Listen: Mykonos

Metric

This tune, off of Metric's latest album Fantasies, is one of those that kind of makes you feel like you need to do whatever it is you're doing as fast as possible and develop restless leg syndrome while you're at it. It also makes you want to listen to it over and over.

Listen: Gold Guns Girls