new friendly fires album released yesterday. not as good as that smashing eponymous album, but still pretty near top of the UK dance game. -d

well, basically every other artist i’ve posted this week has been a repeat. might as well keep it going. this is one of those tracks that got lost when the album first came out. too many other big things going on. don’t actually even remember ever hearing it. thank heaven for superfluous re-releases. -d

i was as impressed as everybody else was with ‘lungs’ when it came out. there’s something appealing and sort of baffling about a debut that’s so resolute, so totally confident. but i hadn’t listened in a while until a few weeks ago, when i finally got my hands on a copy of ‘between two lungs’, the re-release that includes an extra disc of unreleased tracks, remixes and live performances. this is the first track on the bonus disc, and again: the rough, industrial sound that permeates the track from the first whirrs all the way through that jackhammer of a chorus is a perfect example of this paradox a brand new band inexplicably at ease in their own weird, new skin. can’t wait to see what these guys pull out next. -d

still feeling thoughtful today… -d

so far this year, no artist has gotten more hype than james blake. he is on basically every list of 2011 up-and-comers. everybody from kcrw to the bbc seems to be completely enamored of him. so when i went the emusic to check things out, i was expecting something relatively accessible. something unique and cool sounding, but also palatable to a reasonably general audience. what i heard instead was actually unlike anything i’d ever heard before. i still don’t really even know how to describe it. at its most basic it’s probably dubstep, but it’s layered with these quasi melodies and crazy harmonies that sound more like zapped out R&B. it’s awesome but it’s totally avant garde. and to be honest, i can’t believe that so many major media outlets are lining up to love this. i mean, it’s easy for me to love, i don’t have to market this madness. but even if you’re a jaded exec you can’t really deny there’s something pretty brilliant happening here, and all i can say is ups to the big boys for having the grapes to get behind it. -d

a great friend and loyal moosico listener is set to give birth in the next couple of days. today, she found herself in need of some ‘get this baby out of me’ music. and while i’ve never been pregnant, i assume that the way i’m feeling today — sort of a ‘it’s friday and tomorrow i’m going to disneyland and i don’t want to be at work anymore’ kind of feeling — is pretty much the same thing. i think this song works for both of us. come on li’l Gomez! -d

the quality of pop music in the last 15 years has deteriorated to the point that in most musical circles, the phrase now connotes something negative. popular music and good music have somehow become mutually exclusive. so when an artist who makes good music becomes popular — or a popular artist starts making good music — those of us who like good music can sometimes feel stuck, like somehow we need to make excuses or apologize for liking the good music just because it also happens to be popular. adele is one of those artists. she has a tremendous voice and uses it to make music that is both good and popular. and this entire post was written in response to the fact that after finally deciding to post this song (which it’s taken me 2 months to do), my first instinct was to defend my decision. which i won’t do. this is a great song, and i am shamelessly chomping at the bit for the album. end of story. -d

i was listening to the new jamiroquai album today. it’s, um, okay. i really used to love these guys back in the ‘traveling without moving’ days. there was even some good stuff off albums as late as 2005 (as evidenced here). but all the new album really accomplished was to make me nostalgic for the older stuff. probably not what they were going for. oh well. -d

whaddayaknow, an actual indie band. these guys have been literally fighting for their sonic lives for the better part of the last decade. between signing with a soon-to-be-toe-up record label (Poptones) and having to cancel a 2003 career-making tour with the Killers because of a burst appendix, the boys couldn’t get a break. but after this digitally released, completely self-financed album was met w/ all kinds of nice words on its release last year, they started touring again and haven’t looked back since. and all told, it’s a pretty catchy sound. good name, too. -d

there just aren’t enough hip-hop tracks about riding bikes. but leave it up to mark ronson to fill the gap. this is his new project, The Business Intl, and once again he’s found a pretty unique sound. he’s left behind much of the neo-motown groove that made him famous. in its place, a tight, interesting hip-hop album chock full of guests like theophilus london, q-tip and ghostface killah. definitely worth a download. -d

a little get up and go monday morning music from the chemical bros latest. honestly, i can’t believe these guys are still making music. electronic acts tend to come and go so quickly, but these guys were pioneers back in the early 90s, and if the new album is any indication, they may have their best years ahead of them. -d

*apparently 8 short form films were made to accompany each track. i can’t seem to find them so if anybody knows where they are, let me know.

okay, here’s one for you. i’m up in the air on this one. on the one hand, it’s completely shameless. they’ve crammed every pop device you can imagine in there. and that kind of stuff is usually a turn off. and yet, i feel an inexplicable, new radicals-esque affinity for it. i like the guys voice a lot, and i like that the producer lets it blow out the eq when it needs to. and being the guillemots frontman that he is, mr dangerfield automatically starts out with 100 units of righteousness in his favor. but i’m not sure if his voice and my predisposition to like him is enough to salvage a song so unabashed in its popnitude. thoughts? -d

*also congrats to le teej for correctly answering the challenge from yesterday. the answer was ‘just’ by radiohead. (and congrats to le fiij for coming in a close second.)

a well-deserved shout out for a smashing show over the weekend. something about dance music played by a live band kicks so hard. plus lasers. -d

*plus happy early bday, LS!

in gearing up for the show this saturday, i broke out this gem. in all honesty, when it comes to really good bands, i’m usually pretty late to the game. for example, ‘how we operate’ was actually my point of entry for gomez. i heard this track on a live session they did for kcrw, and i ended up at the show at the wiltern later that week, and was blown away. (a spectacular live show. probably the best post-phish act you can find these days.) but yeah, it wasn’t till after this album that i went back and realized these guys had a whole catalogue of great stuff. wasn’t that keen on the latest one, but it wasn’t a dealbreaker. anyway, enjoy. -d

2009 was a crap year for movies. great year for music tho. where in most years you’d be lucky to get one, i can think of any number of ‘09 albums that were brilliant from start to finish — this among them. it’s just one more masterpiece from what’s becoming something of a UK groove renaissance. so unbelievably smooth. and ‘maker’ sets the perfect tone for a night like tonight - that kind of friday that feels like it could end up completely chilled out in my room alone. or, you know, not alone. -d