#21 - Neon Indian - Sleep Paralysist

This song is bad ass. Not ass-bad. It is the opposite of ass-bad. It is about going to sleep, I think. At least he [neon indian] says "go to sleep" a lot. It is a little dificile to make out all the words, but then again, 'in the morning this will all seem fake, so go to sleep.'

Very synthetic. Very awesome. Very recommended.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2JZse1zjFY

It's crazy but...

The entire time since this Christmas when I was gifted the first self-titled Crystal Castles CD, I have done nothing except appreciate Crystal Castles more and more and more. I now have both albums (both are self-titled) and both kick ass. Then there are the remixes. Most are easy enough to download, and or youtube. This band is seriously incredible. Why are you not listening to them right now?? (Kudos if you are)

Here you go:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EX6aTOE32DM

#20 - Crystal Castles - Untrust Us

The cocaine is not good for you

However Crystal Castles (CC), and the first song on the Crystal Castles CD, Untrust Us, are good for you. I recommend the self-titled CC debut to anyone who likes intense rock and/or hardcore dance and/or lightweight techno. While the drums-and-synth are both skillful and at times minimalistic, the singing of female vocalist Alice Glass can be either pleasing or shrieking, and the song lyrics are at times long and short, the CD earns 5 of 5 stars for a fluid, dynamic, and extremely addictive performance.

Ethan Kath (supposedly the last name is fake, and designed to bring catheters to mind) is the man behind the dj stand, making all the beats. This duo is stellar.

some friendly info: 8 gr8 bands

Since I'm so lax at providing any info here, I'll quickly jot some awesome artists' names, and where you can find them.  These bands are new, young, and to my knowledge, not mainstream yet.  But they are all very good.

4TRAKZ has a myspace and is a DJ.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGEqDps1gCc

CHRIS KRAWALL has a myspace and is a DJ.  http://soundcloud.com/chriskrawall/curry-und-krawall-live-and

THEATRE OF DISCO has a myspace and is a DJ.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsqgUYjAkgU

TREE WAVE has a myspace and is a BIT band.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byKx8bZ5eq8

KAVINSKY has a myspace and is a DJ.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3uszxvNTHk

LOUIS LA ROCHE has a myspace and is a DJ.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdHDU6Olmh0

CRYSTAL CASTLES has a myspace and is a DJ/VOCAL duo.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaRfBNrkIyA

GLASS CANDY has a myspace and is a DJ/VOCAL duo.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDNSLAvD-qI

19 - Royksopp

I have a fetish for Nordic Electronica, it seems. Royksopp, The Knife, Bjork, etc, are foreign enough and clean enough that their musical value is much higher in my mind than much of the recycled American pop. Not that Scandinavians are my only fetish. I'm realizing that I also love some Australian music (Theatre of Disco, MGMT), in addition to the obbbbbvious French music scene (Justice, Daft Punk, 4Trakz, etc).

It would really be impossible to choose my favorite Royksopp song, because on Melody AM, The Understanding, and Junior, I have not come across a single track that I dislike. These guys (Royksopp is the duo of Torbjørn Brundtland and Svein Berge, according to Wikipedia) are straight up living legends.

For this time, consider my Royksopp pick to be the band and all its albums, because it would feel wrong to choose one song without carefully considering the wonderful rest of them.

The following songs on JUNIOR are particularly awesome: Happy Up Here, The Girl and the Robot, Vision One, This Must Be It, Royksopp Forever, Miss It So Much, Tricky Tricky, You Don't Have a Clue, Silver Cruiser, True To Life, It's What I Want.

For the unfamiliar, a quick note: that list is every song on the album. It is very close to perfection. You need to look Royksopp up. Now!

Also worth mentioning: the 4th Royksopp album, Senior, should hit stores in 2010, so start saving those pennies up in a jar!


Here's a song to get you started:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51Bpx63wkbA

18 - Bittersweet Symphony

This is one of those classic songs...

By The Verve

Basically this song is awesome, and everybody likes it. For reals, it's always ok to play it and if someone gets upset by it it's probably because they're too angry of a person...

Legend has it that the band who made this song never saw a dime from it because they didn't seek permission to use the violin loop.

Regardless, it is freaking awesome.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lyu1KKwC74