Music of the Hemispheres - New York Times

Very interesting article about how our brains process music. Not as scientific as it may seem offhand.

Ah..... Dopamine.

Music of the Hemispheres - New York Times: "Observing 13 subjects who listened to classical music while in an M.R.I. machine, the scientists found a cascade of brain-chemical activity. First the music triggered the forebrain, as it analyzed the structure and meaning of the tune. Then the nucleus accumbus and ventral tegmental area activated to release dopamine, a chemical that triggers the brain’s sense of reward.

The cerebellum, an area normally associated with physical movement, reacted too, responding to what Dr. Levitin suspected was the brain’s predictions of where the song was going to go. As the brain internalizes the tempo, rhythm and emotional peaks of a song, the cerebellum begins reacting every time the song produces tension (that is, subtle deviations from its normal melody or tempo).

“When we saw all this activity going on precisely in sync, in this order, we knew we had the smoking gun,” he said. “We’ve always known that music is good for improving your mood. But this showed precisely how it happens.”"

Thank you

195 Posts and 175 mp3s into our inaugural year, I'd like to thank everyone for reading and listening.

Sharing great music fills me with joy.

Big, big, big shout out to Sean Keener and Boots'n'all for hosting the files.

We're going to try to be a lil more reg'lar in the 2007.

Have a great and safe New Year's Eve.
m

LBF: How Do You Spell Channukkahh

Here's to the Maccabees and their miracle oils!

The Monkees Riu Chiu

HT: Wendy

The Shins - Phantom Limb

I'm a sucker for swords, school plays and Ken Van Damme's Automotive's most famous clients.

New Arcade Fire

DOWNLOAD: Arcade Fire - Intervention

Rolling Stone : The 100 Best Songs of 2006

Rolling Stone : The 100 Best Songs of 2006: "1 'Crazy' [Listen]
Gnarls Barkley
In a perfect world, Al Green could still sing collard-green soul gems like this one, but Cee-Lo and Danger Mouse stepped up with an instant classic, winning this year's 'Hey Ya!' award for the song nobody even pretended not to like. Everybody tried to cover it (our personal fave: the Raconteurs') -- but nobody can hit the chorus like Cee-Lo, and nobody ever will.

2 'Steady As She Goes' [Listen]
The Raconteurs
The first single from Brendan Benson and Jack White's garage-glam band was a perfect dirty sundae of fuzz-box stutter, metallic zoom and pop-chorale candy. It is also a good reason to hope the Raconteurs are no one-album project.

3 'Ridin'' [Listen]
Chamillionaire
The song least likely to be played in Drivers' Ed.: Chamillionaire dodges the cops, riding dirty with a car full of thugs who don't care where they're rolling or if they get there in one piece.

4 'What You Know' [Listen]
T.I.
T.I. gets majestic with bass and synth strings booming like your car just flipped the corner. What you know about that? T.I. knows all about that.

5 'Vans' [Listen]
The Pack
Bay Area MCs the Pack broke out with this sleek, bare-bones ode to midpriced sneakers. Words of warning: 'Lace 'em past the fourth hole, you some type of sucker.'


6 'Thunder on the Mountain' [Listen]
Bob Dylan
So that's how you bring sexy back! Dylan slaps on a cowboy hat and greases up his favorite Chuck Berry guitar riff, one step ahead of the apocalypse and one step behind Alicia Keys.

7 'Smile' [Listen]
Lily Allen
This deceptively named ditty was '06's most gloriously bitter breakup song: Part Mike Skinner, part Gwen Stefani, part Blondie, the young Allen defined her very own bratty, musically adventurous style on 'smile,' a reggae-lite platter about the joys of an ex's despair.

8 'Wamp Wamp (What It Do)' [Listen]
Clipse with Slim Thug
Best line: 'So proper/Hammertime gun-cocker.' But the lyrics aren't really the point here -- the cuckoo-for-coconuts Neptunes steel-drum beat is.

9 'Dimension' [Listen]
Wolfmother
Aussie guys dig out their big brothers' worn vinyl copy of Master of Reality and let the brain-bludgeon guitars off the chain.

10 'Ooh La La' [Listen]
Goldfrapp
The kind of groovy dance number Kylie used to write, full of steamy, sweaty vocals and a fierce Sixties vamp."

NME.COM - Top 50 tracks

Can't remember if I blogged this or not.

I can tell you that Young Folks and Crazy will definitely be on our end-of-year post.

NME.COM - TNME Tracks Of The Year 2006.

DoCopenhagen: Top 50 Music Videos Of 2006

Whatever will I do today at work? Oh yeah. Goof off.

DoCopenhagen: Top 50 Music Videos Of 2006: "Top 50 Music Videos Of 2006
Here we go again... Our top 50 videos of 2005 was a huge success. This year we decided to do things a little bit differently. All the videos are from You Tube and can therefore be watched in the browser. If you want to download the videos to your computer and watch it on your ipod or TV we recommend that you use this download tool from Lifehacker.com

BTW we have also made our own DoCopenhagen Video Podcast that you might want to check out. You can subscribe to it via iTunes by clicking here.

Enjoy
"

Top 30 from Music for Kids who Can't Read So Good

Interesting that so far, 'Crazy' hasn't been denting anyone's top 5. It's easily The Song of 2006, though, right? Right?

My list to come sometime in the next 3 weeks. Currently a little more distracted and busy than usual.

From Taylor over at Music For Kids Who Can’t Read Good � Top 30 Songs of 2006: "This is my first attempt at an end of the year songs list. As a measure I’ve selected songs that I think I’ll still be playing and replaying after the year, but as a rule I didn’t choose more than one song per artist. It’s kindof crazy to try to rank songs at a certain point, but after some toiling I came up with a definitive 30, that I’m happy with. A selection of them are available for download and they are labeled as such. Make sure to click read more… for my top ten. Thanks for visiting!"

NME.COM - Reviews - Oasis: Stop The Clocks

When I was struggling to make it into advertising as a writer, when I was living at home and really missed college, when it seemed like I'd never make it, Oasis was there.

And their raw, full-throated yawp hit me like a ton of bricks. I can remember driving around Orlando, on my way home, and howling along with Liam to Noel's words.

"I think you're the same as me, we see things they'll never see, you and i are going to live forever..."



NME.COM - Reviews - Oasis: Stop The Clocks: "
We'll say it again: you all know what these songs sound like - but stop the clocks, take a look back, rejoice! Celebrate how they made you feel."

Lazy Blogger Friday - Badly Drawn Boy - Silent sigh

This brings me back to Portland 2002. A really good year for music, and a year in which I fell in love with Burning Man and went on a 4 month wonderfully manic kick.

This song was on every 'Thank you for a wonderful 2002' CD that I gave to the crew.

DOWNLOAD: Badly Drawn Boy - Silent Sigh

Index of /

Went and saw Cat Power on Saturday with Christy Van House (my boccé teammate and pal).

At the ornate Orpheum Theater with a full 9 piece backing band, the Memphis Horns, it was an up and down show. She really had trouble with the monitors and her voice levels.

As a result, the songs that she played just by herself, with only piano or guitar stood out the most.

I think my fave was 'Where is my love?'. It really showcases what makes Chan's voice special. Half-lullaby, half-plaintive cry, half-love-soaked-reverie, it's gorgeous.

Excuse the hiss on this live version and soak in some Cat Power.

DOWNLOAD: Cat Power - Where is my love? (live)

swedesplease: Boys Just Wanna Have Fun

Hop over to the always excellent Swedesplease for this Nordtastic cover of 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun'.

swedesplease: Boys Just Wanna Have Fun: "Boys Just Wanna Have Fun


Last week Copy, Right? sent a virtual shout-out to Swedesplease. Now I will return the favor. Copy, Right? is a trendsetting blog that's been around since the beginning of time (2004 or so) that only puts up amazing cover songs. This relates to today's post of the Gothenburg band Dreams End cover of Cyndi Lauper's 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun'.

Boys Just Wanna Have Fun"

Again!Again! Fall Cornucopia Mix

A very random bunch of songs. Most really aren't candidates for the Best of 2006 mix(coming in mid-December, with very special exclusive photography from Amy Whitehouse).

There's a gamut of styles, from the silky Koop to the silly Timberlake cover. 80's style synth-pop (Van She) to actual 80's synth pop (Psychedelic Furs). There's even some unironic Xtina hidden amidst the usual indie wanderings.

Enjoy

DOWNLOAD:
James Mercer - "One Too Many Fights" - acoustic track from The Shins singer.
They Must Be Russians - "Don't Try To Cure Yourself" - Punk advice and education on STDs.
The Walkmen - "Many Rivers to Cross" - Faithful cover of the Harry Nilsson track
Pink Nasty f. Will Oldham - "Don't Ever Change" - previosly posted. relationship ennui.
Badly Drawn Boy - "Born in the U.K." - Was there a memo about claiming The Boss as the hippest newest influence?
the Changes - "Sexy Back" - Justin Timberlake indie cover.
Simian Mobile Disco - "Tits & Acid" - Kanyé protested their MTV Europe Best Music Video award.
The Rapture - "Get Myself Into It (Sebastien Remix)" - Dancepunk goodness.
Van She - "Kelly" - Synthpop 80s goodness. Recorded in 2006.
Beck - "Celphone's Dead" - My favorite track off the new one. Sounds vaguely Dust Brothers produced.
Christina Aguilera - "Candyman" - 30s style sample. You may hate it. I like it.
Gwen Stefani - "Wind it up" - Yodeling sampled from the Sound of Music.
Koop - "Come to me" - silky jazz smoothness. No jeans allowed at this club. Dress code strictly enforced.
Hot Chip - "Sexual Healing" - Marvin Gaye cover.
The Psychedelic Furs - "The Ghost in You"
Lavendar Diamond - "You Broke My Heart"
Husky Rescue - "Diamonds in the Sky"
Gary Jules - "Mad World" - from the Gears of War commercial
St. Vincent - "These Days" - a Jackson Browne cover
Snoop Dogg - "Think About It" - Snoop with ridiculous flow. Favorite off his new disc.
Civilian - "Just Be True for Once" - these guys came into DDB and played an acoustic set that just killed. wish we had the DAT out for these guys, because they're going to be huge in a KROQ kind of way. love the counter harmonies. don't love this recorded version.

Music For Kids Who Can’t Read Good � The Thanksgiving Day Eve Mix (Gobble, Gobble)

The fine folk over at Music For Kids Who Can't Read Good have posted a Turkey Day mix that's pretty nice. Head over there and download yourself some tunes.

New Fall Cornucopia mix to be posted sometime this weekend, in between football and having to work.

I'm thankful to all 12 of you for reading.

Music For Kids Who Can’t Read Good � The Thanksgiving Day Eve Mix (Gobble, Gobble): "The Thanksgiving Day Eve Mix (Gobble, Gobble)
Music, Mix, Megapost — taylor @ 3:53 pm

Since tomorrow I’ll be dedicating most of my time to eating as much food as I can, I’m making a mix today that is so good it could last you even longer than all that leftover turkey and be just as satisfying. There’s a caption that explains what each song has to do with Thanksgiving, if you’re the curious type. Side note: my family decided that we’re all going to see Stranger Than Fiction tomorrow. Any good?"

Lazy Blogger Wednesday - THE BLOW - 'parentheses'

Didn't realize these kids were from Portland, OR.

New therapist = more feelings and emotions welling up at weird times.

Like in the deli section of the grocery store.

DOWNLOAD - The blow - "Parentheses"

New Young Pony Club

Guys, don't use this for your commercials. It's being overloaded in the new Intel spots that don't seem to make much sense unless the brief was "Look like an iTunes ad".

I recommend the Van She mix. Downloads available after the link.

kissatlanta.com: "My Love Is Like A Pony...

01167 20 71 1167901702 LMore now than ever, we gravitate around the single. I won't even throw in the tag 'indie' because at this point it doesn't even really matter. For a while now, everyone has been dancing and singing along to the track 'Ice Cream' by Australia's New Young Pony Club. 'Ice Cream' is quite impossible to avoid, whether it's one of a number of remixes being beaten to death by DJ's or the new Intel ads that appear to be the creation of Mitsubishi's hijacked ad firm. In the end, the single's staying power and popularity ride more on the remixes than the original. In fact, after listening to five different remixes of the track, I can't even go back and listen to the original."

Oasis - "Acquiesce"

Oasis - Acquiesce (2006 Promo Video)

I love this song. I've loved Oasis at times. But i'm so glad that I was 5 years too old to really model my coolness on Liam Gallagher. (instead it was the entirety of the Stone Roses.)

Listen at least to the Noel-sung chorus "We need each other...
We believe in one another".
Stirs the heart and does what most great British bands do: believe that you and your mates could conquer the world together.

DOWNLOAD: Oasis - "Acquiesce"

DOWNLOAD The Shins: “Phantom Limb”

Girl group drums, a few late ooh-ah-ooooh-wah-ooohs.

I don't think it'll change your life, unless Natalie Portman plays it for you, then sleeps with you and gets you off (of all your medications).

Update: Did anyone else notice the irony of a song by a band named after a part of a lower extremity writing about a phantom limb?

Update2: Two clips from Garden State.

1 obvious, but slightly funny:
Garden State Tip

1 horrifying en Español:
Les Shins

DOWNLOAD: The Shins - "Phantom Limb"

And read Pitchfork's review: Pitchfork: Stream: The Shins: “Phantom Limb”: "Stream: The Shins: “Phantom Limb”
Count your arms and legs (especially the bones toward the front of your calves), and slip on those big ol' Natalie Portman headphones, because the Shins have sent some ghost appendage love by way of the Internet.

Fans can now stream new track 'Phantom Limb' from the Portlanders' official website and MySpace page. The number isn't as light (read: catchy) as some of the band's better tunes, but it surely suffices as, at the very least, background music. If you can make it roughly two minutes and twenty-five seconds in, there are some halfway decent 'ooh ee ooh ee ooh's, but even those lose their charm a few runs through. Of course, "

If I only had a brain 900 foot jesus

I'm sure this is how my partner feels every so often when I get a new song in my head.

(NOTE: work partner).

Ben Folds - Learn To Live With What You Are (music video)

Cheesy video. Therapist and I to discuss.

LBF: Gears of War Commercial

Lots of props to whoever chose this music. The juxtaposition is fantastic.

LBF: Johnny Cash Tribute

Clip from God's Going to Cut You Down.

Lazy Blogger Friday THE HORRORS - SHEENA IS A PARASITE

I don't want to be anywhere near director Chris Cunningham's dreams. Egads.

protection

An adjunct to the Santa Ana mix on Monday.

The instinct to fight and protect those you love. We've got a certain friend who always seems to fall for girls who need saving.

Not suprisinly, some of them end up being total psychos.

DOWNLOAD: Massive Attack 'Protection'

Concert à emporter 2.1 - Jens Lekman - Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday to Heidi: There's too many candles in your cake, but don't you worry...

Crazy at Berkley Place

To quote Jack in As Good As It Gets, "Go sell crazy somwhere else, lady. We're all stocked up here."

Berkely Place has all the remixes, mash-ups, covers and live versions of The Song of the Year you could imagine.

Includes the Prince/Gnarls mash-up, the Ray LaMontagne acoustic version, Nelly Furtado, etc. etc. etc.

Berkeley Place-A lil' bit of BK from VA: "MY BLOG’S GONE CRAAAAAAAAA-ZAY! (part two)
More versions and remixes of the best song of the year.
"

Santa Ana winds mix

Was all set to load up the Again!Again! Fall Cornucopia mix, until the Santa Ana winds blew down from the East.

Instead, here's songs that replicate the high dust chapparal and the unseasonably warm temps here in Southern California.

Starts a little warm and glam and then gets dusty, righteous and angry (Topical for the election tomorrow, too) then settles into a full moon night on the beach.

Hole - Malibu
(written by Kurt Cobain)

Neko Case - Deep Red Bells

Jenny Lewis & The Watson Twins - Rise Up With Fists

Ian Brown - So Many Soldiers

Johnny Cash - God's Gonna Cut You Down

Calexico - El Picador

The Coral - Don't Think You're the First

Echo & the Bunnymen - The Killing Moon

Santa Ana wind - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: "Santa Ana winds may get their name from the Santa Ana Mountains that lie in Orange County or the Santa Ana Canyon through which the winds are noted for their high speed. Many Southern Californians believe that the traditional name is Santanas, meaning devil winds in an undetermined language. The similar word 'Satan�s' is Spanish for 'Satan.' Santanas was occasionally used in early reports,"

music is art

What a great fucking blog. Um, music, and, uh, art. Like, together.

Photograpy and mp3s. Gorgeous, both.

music is art

"words, music and art complete one another. the mission of musicisart is to show how passion creates feeling and to share on the meaning. old and new intelligent selections always inspire and will forever include uncensored thoughts, music expressions, intense details to demonstrate sincere and grateful appreciation. simply, thankyou for reading."

I'm From Barcelona - Treehouse

Confetti happiness.

Halloween weekend

Too much love. You guys make me proud to wear the gold lamé.

More stories and pictures to come.

Hip Hop Thursday - Outkast 'Slump'

Anyone for Southern Rock Sundays? No? Good. To Southernfried hip-hop then.


DOWNLOAD: Outkast - 'Slump'

Not the stand-out track from '98's Aquemini CD. That'd be a tie between Rosa Parks and the insanity that was 'Bombs Over Baghdad' (prescient by 5 years or late by 7? you decide).

Back to 'Slump' (must be said while slumpin'). Manages to be angry, happy and descriptive all in one. Somehow the line about 'buyin' all the weed and all the chickin' has stuck in my head for a while.

Think this was back when Big Boi and Dre 3k were still hangin' on the same stoop in the Dirty-dirty ATL. Big dreams in their heads, but they still hadn't moved out of the hood.

Also funny for the revelation that Andre used to work at Steak'n'Ale.

Pink Nasty - "Don't ever change [ft. Bonnie Prince Billy]"

In which you can hear the ennui and fedupness of a relationship in indie rock limbo. (Please baby, won't you shut the fuck up).

DOWNLOAD "Pink Nasty
“Don't Ever Change [ft. Bonnie Prince Billy]”

Bonus track: My favorite Bonnie Prince Billy track, "A Minor Place". Spare piano, hushed voice and I've no idea what it means but I love it. You should, too.

DOWNLOAD: Bonnie Prince Billy "A Minor Place"

LBF: Jens Lekman Live at the 2006 Pitchfork Music Festival

Guess he opened the show with this one.

LBF: Travis - Sing

Met a girl last night who's the doppleganger of my ex, Rory. Hair, body language, attitude, everything.

This song reminds me of the summer after I left my start-up and was just chilling out in Seattle at Rory's place, playing Diablo with MTV2 running non-stop on the TV.

(that was in the era that MTV2 actually played videos.)

LBF:Hotel Yorba

I said 39 times I love you to the beauty I had found.

Lazy blogger Friday: Sonnet - The Verve

My friend and me
Looking through her red box of memories
Faded I'm sure
But love seems to stick in her veins you know


Yes, there's love if you want it
Don't sound like no sonnet, my lord

Positive K - I Got A Man

Rockin' like 1992!

new herman dune songs on their my space

On one of their blog posts they've got a *great* analogy about their new album, invoking the death star station toy.

www.myspace.com/therealhermandune:

"Neman And I Just Finished Mixing The New Herman Dune Album, Giant
In Paris, France, With Julien Delfaud
We Kept 16 of The 22 Tracks We Recorded, And Julien Is Going To Master It With The Guy Who Mastered Electric Warrior On Wednesday...
I Never Thought My Songs, Or Andre's Songs Could Ever Sound That Good
It's So Weird
It's So Much Better Than What I Dreamed This New Album Would Ever Sound Like
I Mean
I've Always Dreamed To Have Horns And Brass On my Songs, And The Jon Natchez Bourbon Horns Were Right On/ Right On
I Don't Know...
It's Like When You Dream Of The Starwars Death Star When You Are A Kid, And Instead Of The Ugly Toy You Thought You'd Get, You Get An Actual Mini Death Star, Like The Holographic One They Watch In Jedi, With Like An Antigravity Device Or Something
I Mean, Horns, Brass, Flute, It Is Really, A Dream Come True For Me
Then
As I Started To Do On Novascotia, And As We Did On Not On Top, There's A Lot Of Girl Singing
But Frankly
My Sister Lisa Combined With The Baby Skins
It's Far Better Than Any Female group I've Ever Heard, Except Maybe The Dixie Cups
They Are So Good
It's So Fulfilling To Hear Them Sing our Songs
Of Course Neman And Doctor Schonberg Were Crazy On Percussions
Then The Sound Is Soooo Vintage, From The Recordingg On, And Julien Mixed It Total Stereo, Rubber Soul Style, It's Cool..."