Weekly Digest

Take a deep breath of the fresh optimistic air, only slightly cool, and teasing of city bike rides and days spent sunning in the park as you scope out this week’s digest, with its completely fresh selection of new artists, plus some impressive and controversial releases from well known faces.  As in, is this Daft Punk/Jay Z song a real thing?  And why isn’t it better?  On the flipside this new track from Mykki Blanco is sick, and youthful ( 😉 ).  However, the star of this playlist is Holiday Sidewinder.  A newcomer with an original moniker, her track is like a poppy shoutout to Metronomy’s past, or an iteration of what shimmers through my brain as I sit on a beach with sunglasses that illicit a vintage filter.

Oh Also, it’s no news that I’m a big fan of Marlene, and this track with Ji Nilsson doesn’t disappoint.  Someone transport me to the nordic countries please, it’s clearly a happening right now.

XOXO

The 25 Best Tracks of 2013

It’s been an amazing year in music, and while so far I snubbed more popularly rotated albums for The 10 Best Underplayed Albums of 2013, here you’ll see an all inclusive list.  From Lady Gaga to Chvrches to James Black and Rhye- consider this a year in review, or maybe just a collection of songs you need to hear if you haven’t.  So based on a combination of personal opinion (like including a track off Ra Ra Riot’s latest album which was severely critiqued), popularity, and merit, here are the 25 best tracks of 2013.  Subscribe to the Spotify Playlist at the bottom of this post!

VMAs Round Up

T swift wins, almost presents an award to Kanye but instead, thankfully, it goes to Bruno Mars. Danity Kane announces they’re reunited. NSYNC performs and justin isn’t a spotlight hog, but it lasts five seconds. Miley Cyrus embarrasses everyone, and Rihanna is not entertained. Macklemore gives lots of gay love and J’hud’s appearance makes my jaw drop.

Weekly Digest

Some random internet finds this week.  Brooklyn locals (including a new single from Friends), Daft Punk remixes (I suppose I’m a little late on Daftside, but this track is the only one that stood out anyway), new Sam Smith and a super catchy song from Party Supplies to blast this weekend while we begin our goodbyes to summer.

XOXO

Definitive

With Random Access Memories, Daft Punk has created polished, sultry, glossy, new age funk/disco all over again.  Isn’t this what the duo reinvented in ’97 and again in ’01?  Well, in 2013 they succeed once more, producing something that stays true to their stylistic choices in many ways while still employing a much more organic approach.  The presence of Funk and Disco is so beautifully interlaced with RAM that it hardly matters that this is a trend we’ve been seeing among artists for the past few years.  After all, Daft Punk has always idolized and utilized the past in innovative and groundbreaking ways- who’s to say they didn’t start those trends in the first place?