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Pick Your Poison: Wednesday 1-29-14

Jack Name is an interesting character. If that seems like a fake “name,” you would be correct. John Webster Adams is the man behind the moniker, and he’s been making music for awhile under a bunch of different psudonyms, mostly because he can. Jack Name is the latest of these, and his record Light Show came out a little over a week ago on Ty Segall’s God? Records. It’s fitting that Name is signed to Segall’s label considering that Segall himself has a bunch of different music projects and bands under different monikers too. Name’s new album also sounds a fair bit like Segall’s recent Sleeper album, which traded in his loud fuzz rock ethos for acoustic psychedelia. Of course Light Show is a bit more than that, and has rather large ambitions on the whole – it’s by and large a rock opera. There’s a plotline about a dystopian Los Angeles of the future where everyone is under strict orders to live and behave in a certain way that keeps everybody peaceful and in line. Of course somebody has to come in and disrupt all that. It’s a whole thing that’s best explored when you’ve got some serious time to focus on the record. Beyond the Segall reference I can also hear bits of Deerhunter, Thee Oh Sees, Brian Eno and of Montreal floating around in the ether as well. If that sounds appealing, I encourage you to not only check out the album, but go see Jack Name on tour. My fellow Chicagoans, he’ll be at the Empty Bottle this upcoming Tuesday, February 4th, playing a show with Dent May. Tickets are only $8 in advance and you can buy them here. As winter rages on, trust me when I say that going to see some live music can go a long way towards kicking the snowy weather blues to the curb. Also helping matters is your daily dose of Pick Your Poison. Great tracks today come from Ava Luna (covering Icona Pop’s big hit), Forsthays, Jasmin Kaset, Lucky Once, Okapi Sun, and The Soon-Another. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream songs from Habibi, Jamaican Queens, Thee Silver Mt Zion Memorial Orchestra and Yumi Zouma, among others.

The 1975 – Chocolate (Oli Slack Remix)

Ava Luna – I Love It (Icona Pop cover)

DJ Alchemy – I Am A Real Person

Forsthays – Gravity

Jasmin Kaset – The Salesman

Lucky Once – Photograph (ft. Nicole Bonura)

MartyParty – Anthem of the Masses

My Gold Mask – Battles (Mr. Kitty Remix)

Okapi Sun – Johnny Kiss

Profecy – Find Your Way

The Soon-Another – Empty Space

Twintapes – Fast Forward (Jon Estes Remix)

Unlike Pluto – Snule

Walter Meego – Through a Keyhole (Le Castle Vania Remix Pt. 2)

Class of 2014: 10 Artists to Watch


The “Class of” project originated at the start of 2012, as I spent the week between Christmas and New Year’s attempting to figure out exactly what there was to look forward to in the coming year. Always on the prowl for the next big thing, there was a lot to be excited about. So I decided to choose a manageable 10 artists whose career I would keep close tabs on throughout the next 12 months. When that turned out well, thanks in no small part to now nearly household names such as Frank Ocean and Grimes, the hope was to keep going. 2013 was going to be bigger and better than the previous year, and by all accounts that turned out to be true. Haim, Chvrches and Savages turned out to be the heaviest of the heavy hitters, though in the end nobody really performed poorly. In fact, last year’s class was so successful, I had concerns about 2014. How do you improve on near perfection? The short answer is, you don’t. You close your eyes, keep going, and pray for the best. And truly, I do believe that the Class of 2014 is filled with the best that music has to offer (that I’m aware of). These ten artists are interesting, innovative and actually pretty fun when you get down to it, and I anticipate greater realms of success for each one in the coming year. So join me after the jump, and allow me to introduce you to the Class of 2014!

Pick Your Poison: Tuesday 1-28-14

We’ve hit another Tuesday, where I’m once again pleased to bring you a quick rundown of artists with brand new music coming out this week. The hope is to either inform you about what’s out there, but also to maybe even remind you if one of your favorite artists is putting out something new and you simply forgot about it. So without further ado, here’s your list for this week: Above and Beyond, Actress, Amy Ray, Drowners, Dum Dum Girls, The Gaslight Anthem, Gem Club, Habibi, Holy Wave, Hospitality, I Break Horses, Laura Cantrell, The Lawrence Arms, Leif Vollebekk, Morgan Delt, The Pack A.D., Pontiak, Quilt, Sleepy Sun, Supreme Cuts, Tara Jane O’Neil and The Autumn Defense. We’re still a bit early in the year and many of the new releases are a bit spotty, but if you’re so inspired please make some purchases via your favorite digital or physical retailer! Now let’s get to today’s Pick Your Poison, where you can discover even more hot new music. Some key tracks you’ll want to give attention to today come from Bright Light Bright Light & Ana Matronic (covering Pet Shop Boys), Copper Lungs, Gavin Turek, Johnny Foreigner, Modern Rivals, Tim Larson, UUL (ft. Elliott Smith) and The Western. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream new songs from Banks, Chvrches (covering Bauhaus), Cloud Nothings, Incan Abraham, Inventions, N.A.S.A. ft Karen O, and Shift K3Y.

Bright Light Bright Light & Ana Matronic – West End Girls (Pet Shop Boys cover)

Charlie Greene – Man on Fire

Copper Lungs – How Long?

Del Venicci – Contagion

Gavin Turek – Remember

J’mapelle Bob Waddle – Claws They Claw

Johnny Foreigner – Le Sigh

Kryder – Tarzan (Original Mix)

Made Violent – Wasted Days

Modern Rivals – The Dead Leaves

Shmu – Royals (Lorde cover)

Tim Larson – Chasing It

UUL – The Record (ft. Elliott Smith)

The Western – Tiny Creatures

Pick Your Poison: Monday 1-27-14

The Grammys happened last night. I don’t know if you watched them, but if you want to share your thoughts on the ceremony feel free to do so in the comments. Personally I saw bits and pieces of it, really more flipping over during commercials for other shows I was watching at the time, hoping to catch at least part of a performance that was worth seeing. Last week I lamented about my general dislike for the Grammys and how they often give out awards to artists based on popularity rather than artistic merit. For that main reason, I tend to not watch every year, though they were making it tough on me this year thanks to some interesting performances and artist collaborations. In terms of this year’s winners, I’ll admit it was pleasing to see Lorde win some awards, though her lack of a nomination for Best New Artist was clearly a mistake. Vampire Weekend walked away with a trophy too for their latest album, and seeing as how it was my favorite of 2013, I couldn’t complain about that. What I absolutely could complain about was the complete snubbing of Kendrick Lamar. His good kid, m.A.A.d. city record was Top 3 for me in 2012, and to see it get completely ignored in favor of Macklemore & Ryan Lewis as well as Daft Punk got me pretty upset. Hell, even Macklemore knows that Kendrick deserved to win Best Hip Hop Album, to the point where he texted Kendrick to tell him so. Speaking of Kendrick Lamar, his performance was one of, if not the best of the entire night, somehow even managing to elevate a shaky band like Imagine Dragons into something moderately impressive. Daft Punk did a nice job with Stevie Wonder, Pharrell and Nile Rodgers as they got everybody dancing to “Get Lucky.” Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr also performed together, but it’s a shame they didn’t play a Beatles song, choosing instead to do something off Paul’s most recent record New. What I was most looking forward to was the closing performance from Nine Inch Nails, Queens of the Stone Age, Lindsey Buckingham and Dave Grohl. Titans of rock and roll, there was no way they couldn’t deliver quality. And they did for the most part, until somebody decided to air the closing credits and a couple of ads while they were right in the middle of their song. They showed all of the full performances except for that last one? Seems pretty unfair, and Trant Reznor rightly took to Twitter afterwards to complain. But I think that sums of the Grammys as a whole – not only this year, but most years. Almost everything that’s great or has artistic merit gets the proverbial shaft in favor of things people want to buy more, be it music or ad time. Okay, I’ve said my piece. Let’s try to not do this again next year, shall we? As far as today’s Pick Your Poison goes, allow me to recommend tracks from Caleb Hawley, Champ, Franklin, Glass Spells, Baths’ remix of Grizzly Bear, Little Earthquake, The Mirror Trap and Party Dolls. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream songs from Actress, ceo, Elephant, The Hold Steady, Liars’ remix of Moby and September Girls.

Appletop – Madonna in Love

Caleb Hawley – Would You Even Try?

Champ – Burnt Alive

Clinical Trials – Devils (Demo)

Franklin – Fears

Glass Spells – I Feel It

Gracy Hopkins – Nevermind

Grizzly Bear – Will Calls (Baths Remix)

Little Earthquake – Planets

Magic Touch – You (ft. Octo Octa & Newbody)

The Mirror Trap – Future Lionheart

Party Dolls – Indigo

Tove Lo – Out of Mind (WEKEED & Creange Remix)

The Valery Trails – Starsong

Pick Your Poison: Thursday 1-23-14

It’s Thursday, which means it’s time for another weekly dip into the pool of music news, interviews and videos that I like to call This Week In Music! Yes, in addition to the normal Pick Your Poison mp3s and Soundcloud streams, I like to toss out links to a bunch of other music-related content that I’ve found interesting or worthwhile over the course of the week. I encourage you to check some, if not all of these things out, particularly if you’re looking to waste some time. There’s plenty to see, read and hear:

Mogwai are getting their own whisky

Watch Arcade Fire cover INXS’ “Devil Inside” live in Australia

Music Video: Disclosure – F For You (ft. Mary J. Blige)

Vivian Girls have announced they’re breaking up

Chvrches’ Lauren Mayberry has written a review of Warpaint’s self-titled album

Beats Music, a new music streaming service from Dr. Dre and Trent Reznor (among others) has officially launched

Music Video: EMA – Satellites

Watch Vampire Weekend perform “Hannah Hunt” on Jimmy Kimmel Live

Music Video: Damon Albarn – Everyday Robots

YouTube Audio Stream: Beck – Blue Moon

Once you’re done with that set of distractions, let me offer up another set via some song downloads and streams. Don’t miss tracks from Aashton, BLSHS, Hona Costello, Red Sleeping Beauty, Scott H. Biram and Strange Names. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream cuts from Axxa/Abraxas, BLUFFING, Metronomy, OFF!, Pile, Pyramid and White Sea.

Aashton – Craig

Barcelone – Game Over

BLSHS – Blushes

Cillie Barnes – Veranda (RAC Remix)

Daft Punk – Lose Yourself to Dance (DeltaFoxx Remix)

The Fire and I – Double Kamikaze

Hona Costello – Sunrise

Moullinex – To Be Clear (Kraak & Smaak Instrumental Remix)

Nick D’ and the Believers – Find a Little Love

Red Sleeping Beauty – Just for Fun

RMLDL – Bilingual

Scott H. Biram – Slow & Easy

Strange Names – Ricochet

Pick Your Poison: Wednesday 1-22-14

Frankie Rose has built up a nice little career for herself, first playing a variety of instruments with a variety of different bands (including Crystal Stilts, Dum Dum Girls and the now-defunct Vivian Girls), and then starting her own band which went from Frankie Rose and the Outs down to simply Frankie Rose thanks to some lineup shifts. She’s released three albums over the last five years, with 2012’s Interstellar marking a shift in sonic direction from a lo-fi garage rock sound to synth pop. That was clearly a wise decision, as the response to it was overwhelmingly positive. Last year’s Herein Wild continued that trend, and though it wasn’t as well received, there’s still plenty to love about it. The real tragedy is how underappreciated she has been and continues to be. Every band she’s been in has improved due to her presence, and her solo records keep falling into the category of “overlooked” for whatever reason. How are people missing out, and why isn’t she more popular? Her live show certainly isn’t an issue either, as I’ve seen her perform three times and thoroughly enjoyed each one. At this point maybe it’s best to think of Rose and her music like we’re in on some sort of secret that only a small group of us truly understand. At the same time, perhaps it’s best that we not keep this secret to ourselves. Introduce her to your friends and family first, maybe using her cover of the Damned’s “Street of Dreams” as a good entry point. Of course, “Sorrow” is also a good option. Then maybe take a step backwards and download a super catchy single like “Know Me” to really get hooked. If you, dear reader, aren’t familiar with Miss Rose’s body of work, this is a good starter guide for you as well. Once you get the catalog down, go see her perform. This upcoming Monday she’ll be rolling through Chicago for a show at Schubas. Tickets are a meager $10, and can be purchased here. Show up and support her so she’ll keep making great music for years to come! I can only hope that some of the bands featured in today’s Pick Your Poison wind up with careers as excellent as Frankie Rose’s. Don’t miss tracks in this set from Aziza and the Cure, Canon Logic, Drake, Kyle Bent, My Gold Mask, The Rebel Set, Tree and The Wet Secrets. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream songs from Bad Suns, Beat Culture, Diane Coffee (covering Washed Out), Kimono Kult and White Hinterland.

Akouo – Last Time

Aylu – 1996

Aziza and the Cure – Walked Away

Canon Logic – IBOK

Drake – Trophies

Hayley Reardon – Numb and Blue

Kyle Bent – Main Goal

My Gold Mask – Battles

Rafi eL – Dolor

The Rebel Set – Drop Out

Sun Glitters – Melted Into Vi (ft. Diverting Duo)

Tree – Uh Million (ft. Taylor Outlaw)

The Wet Secrets – Nightlife

Young Girls – Vigilante

Pick Your Poison: Tuesday 1-21-14

We’ve hit another Tuesday, where I’m once again pleased to bring you a quick rundown of artists with brand new music coming out this week. The hope is to either inform you about what’s out there, but also to maybe even remind you if one of your favorite artists is putting out something new and you simply forgot about it. So without further ado, here’s your list for this week: Against Me!, Alcest, Bad Suns, Bill callahan, The Black and White Years, Damien Jurado, Girl Trouble, Graham Colton, Holly Herndon, Iced Earth, Jack Name, Jeremy Jay, Los Lonely Boys, Miwi La Lupa, Mogwai, Pangaea, Reverend Horton Heat, Sweet Soubrette (featured below!), Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra, Ty Dolla $ign, Warpaint, Wild Cub and Young the Giant. We’re still a bit early in the year and many of the new releases are a bit spotty, but if you’re so inspired please make some purchases via your favorite digital or physical retailer! Now let’s get to today’s Pick Your Poison, where you can discover even more hot new music. Some key tracks you’ll want to give attention to today come from Arc Rev One, The Dead Heads, John the Conqueror, Long Distance Runners, Mainland, Preston Lovinggood, Sweet Soubrette and Teengirl Fantasy. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream new songs from Bishop Nehru, The Coathangers, Eagulls, The Notwist, Mac DeMarco and Tycho.

Arc Rev One – PSM5000

Belladonna – If I Was God

The Dead Heads – Believer

Gabriel Conti – A Dance With the Stars

John the Conqueror – Waking Up to You

Long Distance Runners – Can’t Breathe

Mainland – Savant

Marina & the Diamonds – Primadonna (Mist Glider Remix)

Preston Lovinggood – Natural

Satchmode – Collide

Sweet Soubrette – Burning City

Teengirl Fantasy – TonBase

Yuri’s Accident – Lights (On Her Eyes)

Yuzima – Black Graffiti

Pick Your Poison: Monday 1-20-14

So the Grammys are this Sunday, and before the ceremony I wanted to take a minute to talk a little bit about it. Basically, I’ve mentioned my disdain for the Grammys before. They get things right about 10% of the time, with the other 90% devoted to a popularity contest rather than any sort of artistic merit. I mean, just look at the Album of the Year category, which features Sara Bareilles, Daft Punk, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Taylor Swift and Kendrick Lamar. Only Kendrick’s album seems worthy of that nomination, and I have little to no expectations that it will win. Of course 2011 was a landmark year, seeing as how voters actually got it right by handing the Album of the Year award to Arcade Fire (and prompting millions to ask, “Who is Arcade Fire?”). So largely for reasons of personal indifference and disdain for most of the night’s winners, I don’t watch the Grammys. This year though, they’re trying their hardest to tempt me into tuning in. Again, most of the nominees and winners don’t concern me, but they’re advertising performances from people like Daft Punk with Stevie Wonder, Kendrick Lamar with Imagine Dragons and Paul McCartney with Ringo Starr. If someone wants to watch the ceremony for me and then edit it down to just the performances and awards that I really want to see (probably 20-ish minutes total), that would probably be most satisfying. Otherwise I’m stuck watching 3+ hours of sheer nonsense hoping that something I really want to see will happen next. So what I want to say, in a nutshell, is damn you Grammys for putting together enough of a decent lineup to make me want to watch. You’re evil geniuses. Where the real and potentially future Grammy winners can be found are in the Pick Your Poison posts. Let’s get this week started right with tracks today from Andrew Foster, Anna Rose (covering The Stooges), Engloria, Keep Shelly in Athens, Passenger Peru, Rainbow Jackson and Warm Soda. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream songs from Bibio, Charli XCX, Elephant, Sam Smith, Volcanoes and Youth Lagoon.

Andrew Foster – Personal Legend

Anna Rose – Gimme Danger (The Stooges cover)

Celine Neon – Cycle

Engloria – White Noise

Great Hare – Rock n Roll Dreams

How to Dress Well – Teenage Spaceship (Lil Star Dweller Remix)

Keep Shelly in Athens – Old Time Glory

Mary Ryan – Find You

Moons – Bloody Mouth (Kauf Remix)

Oiseaux-Tempête – La Traversée

Passenger Peru – Dirt Nap

Rainbow Jackson – Nightcrawler

Warm Soda – Young Reckless Hearts

xSDTRK – Chaos

Pick Your Poison: Thursday 1-16-14

It’s Thursday, which means it’s time for another weekly dip into the pool of music news, interviews and videos that I like to call This Week In Music! Yes, in addition to the normal Pick Your Poison mp3s and Soundcloud streams, I like to toss out links to a bunch of other music-related content that I’ve found interesting or worthwhile over the course of the week. I encourage you to check some, if not all of these things out, particularly if you’re looking to waste some time. There’s plenty to see, read and hear:

Music Video: Disclosure – Grab Her

Arcade Fire, Karen O, Pharrell and Owen Pallett all received Oscar nominations for their music

Godspeed You! Black Emperor’s Efrim Menuck talks about the band’s Polaris Prize win on the “Kreative Kontrol” podcast

Watch Four Tet’s Kieran Hebden create a beat in 10 minutes using Michael Jackson’s Thriller

Watch Bruce Springsteen and Jimmy Fallon sing a “Born to Run” parody song about Chris Christie

Music Video: YACHT – Plastic Soul

Watch ex-Sonic Youth member Kim Gordon in an episode of HBO’s Girls

Music Video: Real Estate – Talking Backwards

Read Beyonce’s essay on gender equality

YouTube Audio Stream: Lily Allen – Air Balloon

Once you’re done with that set of distractions, let me offer up another set via some song downloads and streams. Don’t miss tracks from Gambles, HeadShy, Milagres, Ponyhof, Qiet, and Shy Boys. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream cuts from Childbirth, Eternal Death, Jenny Lewis, Mas Ysa, School Language, Teen Daze and Twintapes.

The Boxing Plot – Geist

Gambles – Winter

HeadShy – The Light That Guides the Blind

Kosha Dillz – Wavy

Love at First Sound – Nothing’s Changed

Milagres – Jeweled Cave

Moduloktopus – Motherlove

PANES – Choice Errors (Lee Gamble Remix)

Ponyhof – Tiger (ft. Will Butler)

Qiet – Little Window

secLuse – Lawless

Shy Boys – Bully Fight

Tosca – Looking (Unreleased Tour Version)

Wet – No Lie (Noah Breakfast Remix ft. Spank Rock)

Pick Your Poison: Wednesday 1-15-14

Just typing their name is probably enough to get this site flagged for inappropriate or NSFW content, but I don’t particularly care. It’s obvious they don’t either, otherwise they wouldn’t have chosen something such a blatant and un-Googleable name as Perfect Pussy. They’re a punk band out of Syracuse, and they really started to make serious waves in 2013 thanks to a cassette-only EP I have lost all desire for feeling and live shows best described as “endlessly captivating.” Earlier today, Perfect Pussy announced that they will be releasing their debut album Say Yes to Love via Captured Tracks on March 18th. In other words, it promises to be a great post-St. Patrick’s Day hangover soundtrack (or the exact opposite). Along with the album announcement, the band also released the song “Driver,” which kicks off the record. It’s the sort of scorched earth type of track that makes your hair stand on end and drives mosh pits into a frenzy. I’m looking forward to seeing that and a whole bunch of other songs performed live next week when Perfect Pussy rolls through Chicago for an all ages show at Schubas. They’ve actually just kicked off a short tour for this month before they go for an extended jaunt in March with SXSW sandwiched in the middle. Check out their Tumblr or Bandcamp to hear some music and see all of their upcoming dates. If you want to join me at the Schubas show in Chicago on Jan 22nd though, and you absolutely should, tickets are an affordable $8 in advance. It promises to be quite the experience. If insanely lo-fi punk rock isn’t your thing, maybe Pick Your Poison can help you find something more attuned to your tastes. Don’t miss tracks today from Angela Perley and the Howlin’ Moons, Ava Luna, Ayer, The Backyward Committee, Eternal Lips (ft. Sharon Van Etten), The Noise FM and This Silent Forest. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream songs from Kevin Drew (of Broken Social Scene), Liars, Marissa Nadler, Neneh Cherry, St. Vincent, Weeknight and We Were Promised Jetpacks. Wow, that’s a good collection of songs today!

Angela Perley and the Howlin’ Moons – Athens

Ava Luna – Daydream

Ayer – Young

The Backyard Committee – We Had Our Fun

Chronic City – Ocean of Luxury (ft. Sleep Sleep)

Eternal Lips – Dream Hesitate (ft. Sharon Van Etten)

Gramatik – Get A Grip (ft. Gibbz)

Jargon Party – Lucy Melanie

John Gorka – Holed Up Mason City

Kotorino – What Is This Thing

The Noise FM – Every Other Word

Rebecca Rego & The Trainmen – We Jump in the River

Scott Gagner – Take It Easy on Yourself

This Silent Forest – We Are We Were

Pick Your Poison: Tuesday 1-14-14

We’ve hit another Tuesday, where I’m once again pleased to bring you a quick rundown of artists with brand new music coming out this week. The hope is to either inform you about what’s out there, but also to maybe even remind you if one of your favorite artists is putting out something new and you simply forgot about it. So without further ado, here’s your list for this week: Backtrack, Blank Realm, Bruce Springsteen, Cherry Glazerr, The Crystal Method, James Vincent McMorrow, Lanterns on the Lake, Lee Bannon, Mark Lanegan, Painted Palms, Railroad Earth, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, Supersuckers, White Fang, You Blew It! and Young and Sick. We’re still a bit early in the year and many of the new releases are a bit spotty, but if you’re so inspired please make some purchases via your favorite digital or physical retailer! Now let’s get to today’s Pick Your Poison, where you can discover even more hot new music. Some key tracks you’ll want to give attention to today come from Adrian Krygowski, The Caribbean, Freeze-Tag, JJXO, Making Marks, New Electric Ride, Ryan Webster and Stampede Road. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream new songs from Dum Dum Girls, Marram (ft. Jarvis Cocker and Margaret Bennett), Yumi Zouma, Shocking Pinks and Tokyo Police Club, among others.

Adrian Krygowski – Shot in the Dark

The Caribbean – Jobsworth

Freeze-Tag – You Do

Gloom – Dream Scheme (ft. Bijou)

Iron Hand – Injected Fear

JJXO – Hold Me Back

Junior Prom – Sheila Put the Knife Down (K.Flay Remix)

Kaylee Johnston – Say Something (A Great Big World cover)

Making Marks – Bruises

New Electric Ride – Lovers

Paul Creane & the Changing Band – Richard Farnsworth

Quiet Marauder – I Want a Moustache, Dammit

Ryan Webster – Baby Come Back

Stampede Road – Old Town

Pick Your Poison: Monday 1-13-14

Happy Monday! If you’re an avid follower of my Twitter feed, or just read everything this site has to offer, you might know that in addition to my crippling obsession over music, I have a similar addiction to movies. A few days ago I sat down and did a count, and realized that in the past year I saw over 150 films that were released in 2013. In other words, that’s not even counting movies I watched that came out in any previous years meaning my quarterly viewings of The Big Lebowski don’t count as part of that list. So yes, I think I saw more movies last year than any other in my life so far. There was a lot of crap, and some really incredible, life-changing films that made the previous crap worthwhile. In my own way, I loved every second spent in the dark of a movie theater, shut off from the rest of the world. The reason why I bring this up is because the Golden Globes happened over the weekend, and outside of live tweeting the whole thing with snarky commentary, I want to briefly offer up some thoughts about the ceremony as a whole outside of the 140 character restriction. It’s fascinating to me that while the Golden Globes are intended to be a looser and more fun movie awards show than the Oscars, this year they really tried to up the ante and push for more sincerity and prestige. The main evidence of this comes in the Best Picture – Comedy or Musical category, which featured such luminaries as American Hustle and Her, both of which might easily be considered more drama with a couple of laughs thrown in for good measure. These are not the sorts of films that would have wound up in this category at the Globes previously, but they bent the rules just a bit for the sake of snatching some Oscar-like prestige. Not that the awards ceremony itself was anything less than the goofy and charming “let’s watch celebrities get drunk and ramble on stage” fest that it has been in the past. Then again, very few people (less than normal) appeared inebriated this year, though kudos to Emma Thompson for actually bringing a drink with her on stage. That, plus many of the people and films that took home Globes might soon find themselves left out in the cold when Oscar comes calling. Do you really think that Amy Adams, Leonardo DiCaprio and Matthew McConaughey really stand that much of a chance against performances from Cate Blanchett, Chiwetel Ejiofor and veteran Bruce Dern? The Hollywood Foreign Press, which only has around 100 members, is a bit more flighty in who they give awards to compared to the gigantic voting body for the Academy Awards. But then again, I suppose those differences are what makes both shows worth watching. I’ve got a whole lot more to say on this topic as well as the year in film that was 2013, but I’ll spare you from it so I can get today’s Pick Your Poison out of the way. Enjoy tracks today from The Co, Daniel Rossen (of Grizzly Bear), Jack Name, Jettison Tape, Passenger Peru (covering Roxy Music) and Chicago MC Tree. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream tracks from Angel Olsen, Owls, Saint Pepsi, Snowbird, Tomas Barfod and Woods, among others.

The Co – Frequency

CRNKN – Heart

Daniel Rossen – Return to Form

Feverkin – Tea Leaf Tales (ft. Sir Bishop)

Honeybird and the Birdies – Perejil

Jack Name – Born to Lose

Jadeite – Electricity

Jettison Tape – Ghostboxes

Lorde – Team (Mickey Valen Remix)

Multiplier – Fucked By Fruit

NØMADS – In The Mend

Passenger Peru – More Than This (Roxy Music cover)

Tomer Baruch – Binary River

Tree – Probably Nu It

Pick Your Poison: Thursday 1-9-14

Since we’re still in a bit of a lull to start off the year, let me take a very quick moment to tell you a little about what to expect from Faronheit in 2014. Once we really get going, I’m genuinely hoping this is going to be the best year ever for the site. Here’s why. In terms of content, you’ll still be getting the same Pick Your Poison posts four (sometimes five) days a week. Additionally, the plan is to return to multiple album reviews each week. They won’t be the same long form thinkpieces like I have done in the past (and which have started to take me weeks to write), but instead more compacted single paragraph reviews like my writeups for the Top 50 Albums of 2013 posts. It may not get as in depth as I’d like, but it will present more content that will be easy and quick to read. As another means of content, starting in February I’ll be highlighting a single song on the site as my “Song of the Week.” You’ll learn more about that and see what I mean when it starts up next month. Lastly, there will be a Class of 2014. Much like my Class of 2013 and Class of 2012, I will be selecting 10 artists to watch closely over the course of this year, and see how they blossom. Past alumni include Grimes, Frank Ocean, Lana Del Rey, Haim, Chvrches, Savages and many more. I’ve got the Class of 2014 artists already picked out, so expect a post introducing them to you within the next week or so. This is gonna be fun! Speaking of fun, here’s today’s Pick Your Poison, which has some great tracks from Acid Fast, Bass Science, Gem Club, Mykki Blanco, Protomartyr and Treasure Fingers & The Knocks. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream songs from Bleeding Rainbow, Bombay Bicycle Club, Kyla La Grange, A Sunny Day in Glasgow and Vanaprasta, among others.

Aashton – I Need Someone

Acid Fast – Shred Forever

A$AP Nast – Trillmatic (Blunt Sinatras Reflip)

Bass Science – Stand Ground

Daughter – Youth (Budo Remix)

Eskeerdo ft. Miike Snow – Devil’s Work

Gem Club – Braid

Mykki Blanco – Booty Bamboo

Neon Satori – Bells of Esmeralda

Protomartyr – Scum, Rise

Rigbi – Leaving Home

Sleepers Work – Basement Lights

Treasure Fingers & The Knocks – DYWT

Yasmine Hamdan – Deny

Pick Your Poison: Wednesday 1-8-14

So we’re officially one week into January 2014, and due to unfortunate delays, my Top 50 Albums of 2013 countdown has spilled over into the new year. Honestly I was hoping to have it done a long time ago, but life got in the way. So sorry about that. Anyways, on Monday the final 10 albums were revealed, and that’s something I want to strongly encourage you to check out. I’m really proud of the full list this year, even if the last couple albums on it are pretty predictable. It’s sort of good to know there’s at least a consensus though, right? Or is it one of those situations where you’re so tired of seeing the same things it’d be nice to be surprised for once? I understand both perspectives. Hopefully there are a few wild cards elsewhere in the Top 10 and the Top 50 in general that might inspire you to strap on some headphones and try something new. If that doesn’t work, there’s always Pick Your Poison to introduce you to new music. In today’s set, enjoy cuts from Acid Invaders, Keath Mead, MC Tree, Nina Yasmineh, Party Supplies, Rain Dog and Tim Woulfe. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream new tracks from +/-, The Casket Girls, ceo, The Men and Trust, among others.

Acid Invaders – Connections 49

Adventure Galley – In Your Dreams (Magic Sword & Noah Hyde Remix)

Coldplay – Clocks (Unlike Pluto Remix)

Keath Mead – Grow Up

Kinetics – The Island

MC Tree – Like Whoa

MyBaby – Matoto

Nina Yasmineh – Name

Party Supplies – Security

Rain Dog – Regolith

Sphynx – What Is Love (Haddaway cover)

Stats – 2 Minds (Emperor Yes Remix)

Strehlow – Easy (Original Mix)

Tim Woulfe – Joyce

Pick Your Poison: Tuesday 1-7-14

Welcome to the first official Pick Your Poison entry of 2014! Okay, so a couple days ago I did do a Pick Your Poison post, and it technically was January when I put it up, but to be fair all the songs found within it were leftovers from 2013. I needed to clear out the old to bring in the new, even if that “old” means just a few days. Also, you may notice there was no Monday edition of Pick Your Poison. Sadly, this year is getting off to a slow start and I didn’t have enough music to fill a Pick Your Poison post! So bear with me a little bit as we get rolling into the new year. There’s not a whole lot I want to say as an intro here, so let me just get right into it and recommend tracks from Close, Soft, Common, Confluence, Flagland, Passenger Peru, Sam Page and The Tontons in the set below. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, you can stream songs from Broken Bells, Chromeo (ft. Toro y Moi), Hospitality, Jupe Jupe and You Blew It!, among others.

Champs – Only a Bullet Knows Where to Run

Close, Soft – MyBaby

Common – War

Confluence – Awaiting

Flagland – Comfortable Life

Franchot Tone – Everything’s Fine

Leif Vollebekk – Southern United States

Misun – Nothing Else

Passenger Peru – Heavy Drugs

The Pluto Moons – Do It For Me

Sam Page – Release Me

Slippertails – Walk

The Tontons – Magic Hour

Turchi – Mind’s Eye

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