Tag: mp3 Page 56 of 119

Hey, we’ve reached another weekend! Sometimes that feels like the greatest thing ever. I’d tell you all about my big plans, but they’re not really big and nothing is set in stone anyways. Also, nobody really wants to read about what I’m up to unless it’s something exciting like jumping out of a plane or having lunch with David Bowie. Sometimes it’s just nice to sit back, relax, and spend time with friends at a bar or something. But I hope you’ve got lots to do and that you enjoy it. Let’s get right to this Friday edition of Pick Your Poison, shall we? Keep your ears open for tracks from Joywave, K-The-I???, Kinski, Olof Arnalds, Porcupine, Ten Kens and United Ghosts. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream new songs from Eluvium, Fossil Collective and Wax Idols, among others. Have a great weekend!

Big Paraid – Walk in Place

Blank Realm – Go Easy

Fijuka – Running Up That Hill (Kate Bush cover)

Joywave – All I Want

K-The-I??? – Aching for Love Music

Kinski – Last Day on Earth

Lionlimb – Bound Widths

Ólöf Arnalds – Return Again

Porcupine – Witness to a Chase Scene

Skatalites – Desert Ska

Squalloscope – Zephyr

Ten Kens – When a Door Opens

Tumbleweed Wanderers – Worn Down Welcome

United Ghosts – Holes Into the Night

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For the introduction to today’s Pick Your Poison, I want to try something a little different. Instead of writing some expository paragraph about a music news or concert item, I think I’ll pass along a few key pieces of music-related entertainment that you might enjoy. Have a look at these links, and click on something if you think you might enjoy it. I mean, that’s the basic idea behind Pick Your Poison, but none of these things are mp3s. So here we go:

–Did Kohl’s rip off YACHT? You be the judge!

–Hear the new She & Him song “Never Wanted Your Love” via YouTube

–Watch Beach House’s new video for “Wishes,” directed by Tim Heidecker and starring Ray Wise

–Watch the video for Phoenix’s new single “Entertainment”

–Watch a short documentary about the band Iceage, filmed this past January

–Watch Dave Grohl, Josh Homme and Trent Reznor perform the song “Mantra” live in a studio off the Sound City documentary soundtrack

So that covers that. If you like how this little experiment came together, let me know in the comments or via one of the many social media and email outlets on the top right of the page. Now let’s deal with today’s Pick Your Poison. I’ll recommend you download tracks from Big Scary, Dirty Fences, Hey Champ, Meg Mac, They Might Be Giants and Twin Tigers. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, I’ll advocate that you stream 100% of the tracks in there, including ones from Baths, Eleanor Friedberger, Julian Lynch, Smith Westerns, Sonny & The Sunsets and The xx covering Kings of Tomorrow.

Big Scary – Phil Collins

The Cannanes – Crawler

Crywolf & Aylen – Silence Pt. II

Dirty Fences – Heaven Is Tonight

DUST – Your Only Friend (Phuture cover)

Greg Boring – Huh

Hey Champ – Comet (ft. BeuKes)

Hollis Brown – Walk On Water

Meg Mac – Known Better

Papertwin – Diving

Ruby Ridge – No Shade

Stubborn Heart – To Catch A Spark

They Might Be Giants – You’re On Fire

Twin Tigers – Racecar

Weird Mob – Wired in Parallel

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Okay, I haven’t done a preview for a Chicago show in awhile, so let’s bring that back today with 2 different (but equally great) concerts happening in the city on the same day. That day is Monday, March 10th. Sure, you may still be a bit groggy from losing an hour of sleep on Sunday thanks to Daylight Savings Time, but trust me when I say there are some good bands coming through town. First up is Panoramic & True. You can download a new song from them called “Haunted” off their Wonderlust record below as part of today’s Pick Your Poison. They’re a local Chicago band with a lot of catchy orchestral pop songs you just want to fall in love with. Anyways, they’ll be playing a 21+ show at Beat Kitchen on Monday night (8:30 p.m. start time). Also on that bill are Sea Lanes, Rare Animals and America Hearts. Tickets are only $8 and can be purchased in advance here.

Another band with local ties is The Pear Traps, and they’ll be headlining a show at the Empty Bottle on Monday night with two New York bands coming through town on their way to SXSW, Ski Lodge and Conveyor. The Pear Traps make music best describes as jangly garage pop, and they put out an EP late last year that’s pretty great. The Elsewhere EP is available to stream and as a name your own price download at Bandcamp. But the other two bands on the bill are excellent as well. Ski Lodge just released a new single, which you can stream in the Soundcloud section of today’s Pick Your Poison. That’s a lot of fun and it reminds me of The Smiths in a positive way. Perhaps most interesting, to me at least, is Conveyor, a band that combines folk, electronica and a host of other styles and elements to create an experimental pop sound that’s positively addictive. It’s like if Animal Collective, Fleet Foxes and Yeasayer had a musical baby together. I’ve featured the tracks “Mukraker,” “Marie” and “Woolgatherer” on my site before, and I invite you to download them all if you haven’t yet done so. The show is at the Empty Bottle on Monday starting at 7, and tickets are only $3. Yep, you read that right, $3. A buck a band. You can’t do much better than that, and especially with talent like this. Here is the link to buy tickets.

Okay, on to today’s Pick Your Poison, which is a delight. Pay particular attention to tracks from Dandan, Ghostkeeper, James Ferraro, Peals, Shannon & The Clams, Will Courtney and Delorean’s remix of Young Dreams. Oh, and Chris Bear’s remix of Grizzly Bear’s “Plans” is excellent as well. In the Soundcloud section (after the jump), stream tracks from Big Deal, Goldroom, Iggy and the Stooges and Laura Stevenson, among others.

Dandan – Swimmers

Ghostkeeper – Luella

Glass Candy – The Possessed (Extended Runway Edit)

Grizzly Bear – Plans (C Bear Chopped Up Not Slopped Up Remix)

James Ferraro – Blood Flow

Opaque Stutters – Benefit of the Doubt

Panoramic & True – Haunted

Peals – Blue Elvis

Shannon & The Clams – Rip Van Winkle

Streak and the Raven – Speed of Light

Sweatson Klank – Waiting (ft. Vikter Duplaix)

WhoaBear – Long Time

Will Courtney – There’s No Answer

Young Dreams – First Days of Something (Delorean Remix)

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Ah, it’s Tuesday! What’s on the new music calendar for this week? I’m glad you asked, self. This week the following artists are putting out new records, so if you want to buy any of them, this is your reminder: The ACBs, Autechre, Blanche Blanche Blanche, Bloody Amateur, Caitlin Rose, Cave Singers, Chelsea Light Moving, Cloud Cult, Doldrums, Helado Negro, Hey Marseilles, Hollis Brown, How to destroy angels_, Javelin, Judy Kang, Kate Nash, The Kingsbury Manx, Madeline Peyroux, Rhye, Son Volt, Superhuman Happiness, Suuns, The Men, They Might Be Giants, Waxahatchee, Young Dreams and Youth Lagoon. I haven’t heard all those records so I’m not one to judge, but I know there’s at least 3 gems in that stack and I wish you the best of luck in discovering them. Meanwhile, Pick Your Poison goes onwards and upwards, as I’ll give a gold star to tracks from 3421, Big Black Delta, Camera2, Jason Blum, Kait Lawson, Psychic Friend and Whitehorse. In the Soundcloud section, there’s quite a few great things up for streaming, including tracks from Generationals, High Highs, Milk Music and Parquet Courts.

3421 – Sparks

Big Black Delta – Side of the Road

Blondfire – Walking With Giants (Shreddie Mercury Remix)

Camera2 – Just About Made It

The Disraeli Gears – Back of My Eyes (Live)

Kash – Play the Fool

Doe Paoro – Hallelujah (Leonard Cohen cover)

Jason Blum – Josephine

Kait Lawson – Memphis

Mudhoney – I Like It Small

Odonis Odonis – Better

Psychic Friend – We Do Not Belong

Solomon – Vanilla

Sondra Sun-Odeon – Hair

Whitehorse – Devil’s Got A Gun

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If you’re like me, you can’t wait for warmer weather to arrive. Spring and summer seem just around the corner, even if Chicago is supposed to be getting 9 inches of snow in the next couple days. For me, the highlight of every summer is music festival season. I’m a music festival obsessive, and have been for almost a decade now. Of course that doesn’t mean I go to a ton of music fests, more that I pick and choose carefully which ones I want to focus on. The hope is to get the most and best music for your hard-earned money. It makes a festival like Lollapalooza an easy choice for me every year, as they cram 140 bands into 3 days, and I’ve almost never found a time slot each year where I didn’t want to see a single act. The other music festival I genuinely love, and arguably more than any other in Chicago or elsewhere, is the Pitchfork Music Festival. It’s a boutique festival, meaning it’s small (only 3 stages), and doesn’t necessarily have big and popular names outside of the headliners. But its overall size and scope are perfect for what it specializes in, which is introducing the world to the next great band, and celebrating the ones that are already there. You’ll hear the band that’s just starting out but has been building significant buzz, and you’ll hear from the well-established band that broke up several years ago but has now returned to try and reclaim their former glory. The stories are endless, and the quality is exceptionally high. The lineup every year provides music lovers with perfect opportunities to celebrate and discover some great music. Anyways, I don’t mean to prime the pump too much on the Pitchfork Music Festival, but I do want to make sure you’re aware of what acts have been announced for the 2013 edition so far. This year, it seems Pitchfork have outdone themselves, booking headliners Bjork, Belle & Sebastian and R. Kelly. I’m not going to get into the WTF-ness of R. Kelly right now, and plenty of others have already done that for me. Suffice it to say, I think he was on his way out, having passed his R&B prime a few years ago, when someone tossed the idea of Trapped in the Closet at him. He’s been more of an overblown comedian than a legitimate music star ever since then, in my opinion. Still, I’m interested to hear what he’ll do for his headlining set this summer, and whether or not I’ll be able to appreciate it ironically. But a bunch more acts were just announced for this year’s lineup, so let me run those down for you quickly: Joanna Newsom, Trash Talk, Angel Olsen, The Breeders (playing Last Splash), Rustie, Swans, …And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead, Mac DeMarco, Chairlift, TNGHT, Sky Ferreira, Killer Mike, El-P, Foxygen and Tree. All that, and it’s not even half of the total lineup. I’m already thrilled and excited to go this summer based on those artists alone. You can get your ticket by going here. It’s $50 for a one-day pass and $120 for a 3-day pass, which is cheap when you look at fests like Coachella and Bonnarroo (and Lollapalooza too, I guess). Once more artists on the lineup are announced, I’ll make sure to update you on that as well. In the meantime, let’s make the most out of today’s Pick Your Poison. I’ll recommend tracks from Babe the Blue Ox, Chalk and Numbers, Decades, Ian Place, Picture Day and Qurious. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream new songs from Small Black, Shout Out Out Out Out, Vondelpark, Yellowbirds and Azealia Banks (covering The Strokes).

Autumn Owls – Semaphores (Acoustic)

Babe the Blue Ox – Dragging the Joneses

Candace Bellamy – Put Down the Foot

Chalk and Numbers – Pretty Colors

China Rats – Nip It in the Bud

Decades – Tonight Again

Home By Hovercraft – Lie in Your Bed

Ian Place – On the Other Hand

Jahan Lennon – Can’t Ruin My Fun

laymedown – X

Picture Day – Madoline

Qurious – Wunderkammer

Strongheart – Empty Hands

Trixie Whitley – Need Your Love (Schwarzwald Remix)

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Happy Friday! Happy First of March! Happy One Month Until April Fools Day Day! There are plenty of things to celebrate as we head into the weekend. Personally, I think that the start of March is the start of the end of winter. By the time this month is through, the snow will be off the ground and temperatures should reach a relatively mild 50-something degrees. At least that’s how it normally goes in Chicago. Spring is almost in the air, and I for one can’t wait. Of course this winter hasn’t been bad by any means, and the snow hasn’t exactly been piled high, but I miss spending time outside, flowers and grass, grilling and the summer music festival season. Speaking of which, if you’re a fan of or regular attendee at Lollapalooza every year, I’d like to point out that starting today and going through the end of the month I’ll be giving out lineup hints and rumors and “confirmations” (nothing’s officially confirmed until the fest says so) each weekday on Twitter. If you want some insight into who will be playing in Grant Park this year, you might want to check that out. Maybe one of the bands below will be there this year. Today’s Pick Your Poison highlights come from Adventure Galley, Belle Mare, Big K.R.I.T., Bloody Amateur, Midnight Spin, Monocle and Takka Takka. In the Soundcloud section (after the jump), stream tracks from The Black Angels, Lightouts, Patrick Stickles (of Titus Andronicus) covering Free Energy, and Blood Diamonds remixing Hundred Waters. Have a great weekend!

Adventure Galley – Semantics

The Antiques – Video Code

Belle Mare – The Boat of the Fragile Mind

Big K.R.I.T. – Shine On (ft. Bun B)

Bloody Amateur – The Light

Four Visions – About Us

Jerusalem in My Heart – Koll Lil-Mali7ati Fi Al-Khimar Al-Aswadi

Kazyak – Pieces of My Map

Little Daylight – Overdose (Ghost Loft Remix)

Midnight Spin – Conchis Bliss

Monocle – Chances Glide

Mortar & Pestle – U.V.

Takka Takka – We Are Pilgrims No More (The End of Our Traveling Days)

Tartufi – Underwater

Tjutjuna – Mousetrap

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At the start of this year, I expressed intense excitement over the revelation that David Bowie would be releasing a new album in 2013. It’s been 10 years since his last album of original material, and at that time I wasn’t really a fan of anything but his classic singles. I’ve grown into Bowie and all his quirks and evolutions over time, and now feel as if I can fully embrace what he’s had to offer the world. That’s why I’m so happy to hear he’s still interested in making music. It remains my firm desire to see him perform live, however almost all reports suggest he has no plans to tour for the foreseeable future. A couple years ago I was curious as to what Bowie was up to, and found a couple articles saying that he had retired and was enjoying family life in New York. I also heard rumors he had some serious health problems related to the energy and intensity that it takes to put on a great live show, which is why he had resigned to never tour again. How true any of that material was is open for debate, but that he’s at least putting out a new album should serve as at least a small sign he’s not totally retired. Anyways, while I’m not holding my breath on any live shows, I’m still very interested to hear what 2013 Bowie sounds like. There’s been a couple preview videos, including the latest “The Stars (Are Out Tonight),” but March 12th is the official release date for The Next Day album. Well, surprise surprise, it was just revealed that iTunes is letting you stream the whole record right now should you so desire. Go here if you’d like to experience the new Bowie record in full. I’ve yet to give it a listen, but when I have the chance I’ll be sure to write up a review for everyone. Hooray! If Bowie doesn’t interest you though, perhaps some fresh and interesting new bands in Pick Your Poison will. Don’t miss tracks today from Beams, Hanna Turi, Harness Flux, Judson Claiborne, Moon King and Quixotism. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream new songs from Fyfe, Sally Shapiro, Saturday Looks Good to Me and Tricky.

Beams – Be My Brother

Bombay Show Pig – Timewaster

Crash & The Coots – Bottle Rhythm

Day Joy – Melting (Dromes Remix)

Hanna Turi – You Collect

Harness Flux – Paper Route

Hollagramz – Sex Potion

Judson Claiborne – Neo Pagan Lovesong

mdnt – Dreamcatcher (ft. Jez Dior)

Moon King – Appel

Quixotism – Piqued/Acceptance

Stevie – If I Were A Boy (Beyonce cover)

Swedish House Mafia – Don’t Worry Child (The Golden Pony Remix)

Unlike Pluto – Ye Scallywag

Vato Gonzalez – What?!

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Because it’s Wednesday and I’m looking for something to talk about, let me quickly dip my toe into the waters that are the controversy that’s been sparked up between Morrissey and Jimmy Kimmel Live. In case you’re not familiar, here’s a brief summary of where things stand right now. Moz was booked as the musical guest on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” for Tuesday night, however a couple days beforehand he dropped out of the appearance, citing that the A&E reality show “Duck Dynasty” would be on that same night. As Morrissey is an animal rights activist and noted vegetarian, the guys from “Duck Dynasty” do regularly kill and eat ducks, among other animals, and he didn’t want to appear to be endorsing that sort of behavior or lifestyle. “I can’t take the risk of being on a show alongside people who, in effect, amount to animal serial killers,” he said. That’s a fine and understandable choice in my opinion, though if I were Jimmy Kimmel I would have bumped the “Duck Dynasty” guys in favor of Moz. Last night on his show however, Kimmel made a couple of Morrissey jokes in his monologue and during his “Duck Dynasty” interview, and also showed a parody video that poked fun at vegetarianism. Well, if you think Morrissey is the kind of guy to take a good-natured ribbing with class, you clearly don’t know him. He issued a statement this afternoon condemning “Jimmy Kimmel Live” and “Duck Dynasty” once again for their blatant and in his view patently unfunny jokes and sketches about vegetarianism, the killing of animals and the music he makes. Anyways, it’s become a whole thing, and I can completely understand where both sides are coming from in this case. I don’t like or support “Duck Dynasty” because I don’t like or support any reality television, however I do support both Jimmy Kimmel’s right to make jokes and Morrissey’s attitudes towards animals. Whether or not they patch things up in the coming weeks and months remains to be seen, but I plan to keep watching Kimmel when I can and will be seeing Morrissey when he hopefully performs in Chicago (after cancelling twice) this March. Good times. Also good is today’s Pick Your Poison. Let me toss a few names at you, for artists to focus on in this set: Automatic Children, Dandan, Erin McKeown, The Features, Hibou, Magic Man and Rare Monk. In the Soundcloud section, don’t miss streaming a new AlunaGeorge single (part of my Class of 2013), a b-side from Dirty Projectors, an unreleased Frank Ocean track off the Channel Orange sessions, and another new one from the great synth pop group Psychic Twin.

Automatic Children – Johnny

Black Lizard – Love Is A Lie

Crywolf & Ianborg – Oceans

Dandan – Men of Drugs and Oscar Wilde

Erin McKeown – Baghdad to the Bayou

The Features – This Disorder

Ghostpoet – MSI MUSMID

Hibou – Glow

Kloë Julynn – Boo Hoo

Lewis Watson – Hold On (SBTRKT cover)

Magic Man – Paris

Rare Monk – Sleep/Attack

Wooden Indian Burial Ground – White Bats

Yacht Rock Revue – Good Thing

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So we’ve reached another Tuesday. What’s good, everybody? Specifically, what’s good with the new album releases this week? Well, let me run that list down for you, so you don’t miss something potentially great out there. There are new full lengths out today from the following artists: Atoms for Peace, Doldrums, Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors, Girls Names, Gold Fields, Golden Grrrls, Grave Babies, Ivan and Alyosha, John Zorn, Johnny Marr, The Lovely Bad Things (mp3 featured below), Mister Lies, Mount Moriah, Permanent Makeup, Popstrangers, Sally Shapiro, The Sharp Things, Shout Out Louds, Wake Owl and Yacht Rock Revue. If none of those artists strike your fancy, perhaps you can discover something great in today’s Pick Your Poison. Don’t miss tracks from Brave Baby, Computer Magic, Dana Falconberry, Fourth of July, Low, Orphans and Pony Time. In the Soundcloud section located after the jump, stream new tracks from Dutch Uncles, The Mary Onettes, Okkervil River and Tera Melos. There’s also a classic King Tuff song in there for your enjoyment as well.

Brave Baby – Lakeside Trust

Computer Magic – Another Science

Dana Falconberry – Please Sparrow

Fourth Of July – Drinking Binge

Knocking Ghost – Independent_Girl

Lapland – Where Did It Go?

The Lovely Bad Things – Hear or Anywhere

Low – So Blue

Misun – Darkroom

Orphans – Blood of the Father

Pony Time – Geordie

Swamp Dogg – Creeping Away

Tzvika Force – Accident

The West – Wild Hearts

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So the big music news today was the announcement that Nine Inch Nails will be returning to live performances this summer. As a lifelong NIN fan, I am of course exceptionally pleased at this news. Yet I also can’t help but think about four years ago when Trent Reznor first put the brakes on the band. He said in interviews that while he planned to continue releasing recordings under the NIN name, he was getting too old and tired to tour anymore. At the time he was also getting married and spoke of starting a new chapter of his life and forming a new band with his wife. Those things happened and the last couple years we’ve gotten a pair of EPs from the new band How to destroy angels_, with a debut full length due in just a couple weeks. The process has been slower on that front given Reznor’s work with Atticus Ross on a pair of soundtracks for David Fincher films, including The Social Network and The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. In other words, the man has been spreading the wealth of his talents around to a multitude of things recently. I both did and didn’t him to find his way back into performing live. My suspicion was that he’d eventually be forced to do some shows with How to destroy angels_, but considering his wife is the lead singer of that band he’d be happy to take a back seat and let her absorb the spotlight. By sort of hanging out in the back and doing his own thing, he wouldn’t be required to bang his head and throw microphone stands and jump around the stage like a madman. That might be the ideal situation for him at this point, and now that Htda have announced their first live shows, it’ll be interesting to see what sort of role he plays on stage with this band. For all practical purposes though, I assumed NIN was done performing live and that Reznor would stick to his guns on that, only teasing us further with new recorded output. After all, he held one final “Wave Goodbye” tour in 2009 that was supposed to be the last set of NIN shows ever. I attended the final Chicago date, and it was just about everything I could ever hope for in a NIN show. That was even after seeing the technological marvel that was the “Lights in the Sky” tour, perhaps one of the most memorable shows I’ve ever been to because of the incredible innovations happening on stage. So part of me is disappointed that NIN will be playing shows again, because I wanted to feel like I truly saw one of the band’s final sets. Then I remember how much I’ve loved the band and the music and every single time I’ve seen them live and it makes me giddy to think about that happening again. I’m more happy than upset, and there’s even a new live band to help bring something different this time around. The 2013 NIN lineup includes Reznor, Eric Avery of Jane’s Addiction, Adrian Belew of King Crimson, Josh Eustis of Teflon Tel Aviv, plus Alessandro Cortini and Ilan Rubin. Damn that’s a good crew of people. When and where NIN will finally return to performing has yet to be announced, but expect those shows to start in July or early August. I already know when they’ll be back in Chicago, but that’s a discussion for another time. But welcome back, Nine Inch Nails. Now let’s talk about Pick Your Poison for this Monday. I’m happy to recommend tracks from AM & Shawn Lee, Criminal Hygiene, Hotel Mexico, K.Flay, Moxi, Replete and Thalia Zedek Band. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream tracks from Big Black Delta, The Cyclist and The Lonely Wild.

AM & Shawn Lee – Two Times

Criminal Hygiene – Alan, I’m In Love

Crush Distance – The Comfort

Hotel Mexico – A.I In Dreams

John Grant – Black Belt (Dungeonesse Remix)

K.Flay – West Ghost (ft. Allen Stone)

Moxi – Terrible Disguise

Multiplier – Pirate Electro

New Mexico – Alpha Male

Replete – Easy Love

Thalia Zedek Band – Walk Away

Travis Bretzer – Lady Red

Tylan – Already Fine

Zagar – Space Medusa

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Okay, so if you can read the title of this post or the date on the calendar, you know it’s Thursday. I’m out of town on a little non-site-related business, and am unable to write a proper introduction to this post. Sorry I’m unable to write some random introduction to this post like I normally would. Let me just give you the hard stuff – the straight to your veins mp3s. Highlights of today’s Pick Your Poison include tracks from Bill Baird (formerly of Sound Team), Brass Bed, Carroll, The End of America, Pink Holy Days, Saltland and Videotape. In the Soundcloud section (after the jump), stream tracks from Born Ruffians, The Hics, Alexis Taylor’s (of Hot Chip) new side project Fainting By Numbers and Keep Shelly in Athens.

Bill Baird – Spring Break of the Soul

Brass Bed – I’ll Be There With Bells On

Brittsommar – Tell Me

Carroll – Billionaire

Dragonette – Run Run Run (Sunshine Jones Remix)

The End of America – Grew Up Here

Kosha Dillz – Hangin Out

Manicorn – An Idea

Marko Casso – Rio Bravo

Nathan Thomas – Can’t Hide the Sun

Pink Holy Days – Bass

Rococode – Empire

Saltland – ICA

Videotape – Monsters

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Okay, so I’m not going on vacation. The site will hopefully continue to operate without a hitch, but if you do notice something amiss please bear with me for the next couple days. I’m headed out of town, specifically to Utah. I’ve never been there before, and it’s just a quick 48 hour excursion to meet with some people. Unfortunately that means I won’t be able to write as much as I normally would introducing the daily editions of Pick Your Poison. Honestly though, you’re probably only here for the mp3s anyways, so let’s get right to that, and I’ll be back to writing my random topical thoughts on things like normal next week. Today, you might want to keep your ears open for tracks from Electric Bird Noise, Lions in the Street, Louder Than Bombs, Permanent Makeup, Shotgun Jimmie and Slam Dunk. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, you can stream a beautiful new track from Eluvium, as well as cuts from Shlhomo (feat. How to Dress Well) and Young Galaxy.

Blackjob – MMD (Monolithium Remix)

Electric Bird Noise – Dune Buggy

El Perro Del Mar – Hold Off the Dawn (Gidge Remix)

Gobby – Krylon Surf Magix

Inspired & the Sleep – Sink

Lions in the Street – So Far Away

Louder Than Bombs – No News Is Good News

May McDonough & Company – Hell Is For Lovers

Miss Shevaughn & Yuma Wray – Baby Blue (Live)

Permanent Makeup – Not A Riot

Secchin – Night Lights (ft. Maria Luiza Jobim)

Shotgun Jimmie – Standing in a Line

Slam Dunk – Horse Bumper

VYIE – Johnny

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After a brief break for President’s Day on Monday, here comes a fresh edition of Pick Your Poison to satisfy your new music itch. Speaking of new music, it’s Tuesday, so let’s talk about what bands have new albums out this week. Look for releases from Atlas Genius, Beach Fossils, Beat Radio (who are featured in an mp3 below), Bobby Long, Campfires, Darwin Deez, Dawn McCarthy & Bonnie Prince Billy, Eat Skull, Flume, Gray Young, Iceage, Inc., Jamie Lidell, Kurt von Stetten, Lady Lamb the Beekeeper, The Lone Bellow, Lusine, Mark Kozelek, Matmos, Miracles of Modern Science, Mitzi, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Parenthetical Girls, Paul Weller, Psychic Ills, Puscifer, Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside, Samantha Crain, Sin Fang, STRFKR, Useless Eaters and VYIE. If anything strikes your fancy, maybe investigate a little further and throw a few bucks down on a worthy album. If not, well, maybe you’ll discover something new courtesy of the mp3s below. Don’t miss tracks from Death Rattle, Elim Bolt, Katie Noonan, Mars, Theophilus London and Touch Tone. In the Soundcloud section located after the jump, stream new songs from Jamie Cullum, Lord Huron, New Gods and Phoenix, among others.

&c. – Slip

30 Miles – The Smiles of Rage & Paranoia

Beat Radio – Dreaming Wide Awake

Death Rattle – The Blows

Elim Bolt – Field

Katie Noonan – Breathe in Now

Kraak & Smaak – The Future is Yours (Ambassadeurs Remix)

Lid Emba – Vow of Owls

Mars – Blue Sky Glory

Mirage in the Water – Central Bazaar

Sivu – Better Man Than He (Thom alt-j Remix)

Theophilus London – Snow Angel (ft. Trouble Andrew)

Touch Tone – Voilà

Tying Tiffany – One Second

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Happy Friday! I’m always happy when we make it to the end of another week. It feels like a huge weight is lifted off my shoulders for at least a couple days. That “weight” I’m describing is not this website by the way, which I still love with all my heart and don’t get to write or do as much with it as I’d like. But anyways, it’s a 3-day weekend for some, what with President’s Day ahead, so that’s an added bonus. I don’t have much else to say except I hope you have lots of fun. Let’s get to today’s Pick Your Poison and start this weekend out right, shall we? I’m happy to recommend tracks from Andrew Leahey & The Homestead, City Calm Down, Diamond Age, LVMRKS and Southern Culture on the Skids. That Usher and Diplo track is pretty decent too. In the Soundcloud section (after the jump), stream songs from Julia Holter, London Grammar, Noun (Screaming Females side project), White Fence and Hudson Mohawke’s remix of Disclosure. Have a great weekend!

All Good Funk Alliance – Go Go Bananas (Arcadion Remix)

Andrew Leahey & The Homestead – Little in Love

Blondfire – Where the Kids Are (Math Bishop Remix)

City Calm Down – Pleasure & Consequence

Diamond Age – The Shoreline

Gramatik – Bluestep

HeartsRevolution – Pop Heart

LVMRKS – Valentine

Night shall eat these girls and boys. – Flowershop

On-The-Go – Deception

Pick A Piper – All Her Colours (ft. John Schmersal)

Southern Culture on the Skids – Zombified

Usher & Diplo – Go Missin’

Warp-x ft. Rusky Rusk – She’s On Fire

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Happy Valentine’s Day! I hope your day is fantastic, and I mean that whether you’re single or in a relationship. All too often I’m reminded that Valentine’s Day is also sometimes called Singles Awareness Day, because those that aren’t with someone sit around all mopey and miserable because of it. As someone that has been single for the majority of his life, I can tell you I’ve had quite a few depressing years as I wallowed away in loneliness wishing I had such a special day (greeting card holiday) to share with someone. But you know what? I’ve decided to stop allowing myself to get down about the lack of romance in my life. I’m an optimist by nature and firmly believe that eventually I will find love with the right person, it just might take some time. So now I’m looking at today as special for the love I experience every day from my friends and family, and the love I believe is still in my future. It makes me feel a whole lot better about life in general, and appreciative too. I hope that if you’re single today that you can try to adopt that same hopeful outlook. Whether you’re in a relationship or not, I did put together a Spotify playlist of some songs that make me feel loved. You can find songs from Blur, Lykke Li, My Morning Jacket, The Smiths, The Velvet Underground, Bob Dylan, Elliott Smith, Bright Eyes, The Magnetic Fields, Fiona Apple and a whole bunch more on there, so check it out if you need some inspiration or a warm sonic hug. If that doesn’t work for you, maybe some of these mostly non-holiday-related songs will bring you fulfillment. There’s wonderful tracks from Black Pus, The Boy Least Likely To, Dead Ghosts, Express and Company, Great Peacock, Rice Cultivation Society and Tempers. In the Soundcloud section after the jump you might enjoy streaming songs from Heavy Glow and The Strokes, or perhaps Lindstrom’s remix of Charli XCX. Fall in love with something today, even if it’s a song!

Black Pus – 1000 Years

The Boy Least Likely To – I Keep Falling in Love With You Again

Dead Ghosts – Roky Said

The Drovers – Fountain of Amrita

Express and Company – Gold in Your Pockets

Great Peacock – Take Me to the Mountain

Johnny Astro – Athena (ft. Rihanna)

Justin Timberlake – Suit & Tie (Julio Bashmore Remix)

Kill FM – We Will Find You

Mary Cassidy & Jon Lawless – Carolina

Rice Cultivation Society – Little Circuses on the Moon

Soul of Gaia – Two Hearts (ft. Adventure Of)

Tempers – Eyes Wide Wider

Toro y Moi – Say That (Shelby Grey Remix)

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