Best of 2011 : Colton's Choices

Here are the LOOSE L!P's writers' favorite tracks and tidbits of 2011.
No explanation necessary; just trust us.

Next up we have Colton's (of Crème de la CREM fame) list. He's worried its a little mainstream, what he doesn't know is that he and I share a considerable number of picks….so what does that say about me?
- - -

*All links route to YouTube/Soundcloud unless specified as [mp3].
Feel free to download those bad boys.

TOP 11 SONGS
- Sleepless ft. Antony for Cleopatera - Flume
- Polish Girl - Neon Indian [mp3]

- I Know the Truth - Pretty Lights
- On'n'On - Justice
- Tetra - SebastiAn
- It's Real - Real Estate
- Wildfire - SBTRKT [mp3]

- Steve McQueen - M83
- Beards Again - MSTRKRFT
- Phat Head - Skream
- The Night Out - Martin Solveig

TOP 11 REMIXES
- Mother Protect (Goldroom Remix) - Niki & The Dove
- I Follow Rivers (The Magician Remix) - Lykke Li
- Swimmhaus Johannesburg (Star Slinger Remix) - Fixers [mp3]

- Notorious Thugs (Big Gigantic Remix) - Big Gigantic
- Raise Your Weapon (Madeon Remix) - Deadmau5
- Pretty Lights vs. Summertime - Pretty Lights
- Houdini (RAC Remix) - Foster The People
- I Won't Let Go (Bag Raiders Remix) - Monarchy
- Melancholy Hill (Feed me Remix) - Gorillaz
- Miami (Pharo Black Magic Remix) - Walter Sobcek [mp3]

- Sun (Pyramid Remix) - Caribou

FAVORITE ALBUM
M83 - Hurry Up, We're Dreaming
A true masterpiece

BEST 2011 COMEBACK
The St. Louis Cardinals winning the World Series.  Came down to the last pitch twice...

BEST 2011 BREAKOUT
Madeon.
This kid is about to explode.  Becoming pretty well known this year, 2012 will put him over the edge.  His festival circuit is soon to begin and there's so much in store for the French prodigy. 

BEST 2011 CONCERT
Pretty Lights Lollapalooza Aftershow. Benny the Bull made an appearance, made my summer

2011's BEST KEPT SECRET
The true implications of the NDAA, allowing the US government to detain "terrorist suspects" for indefinite amounts of time for national security. It ignores our Constitutional Rights spelled out in the Bill of Rights, allowing indefinite detention without trial.  The US is becoming a police state.  Why Obama signed the Act and why the public hasn't spoken out against it is beyond me.

If SOPA passes later this year, music blogs such as this will probably struggle to exist, as the Federal Government will have the power to shut down websites viewed as a source of pirated material.  WTF America?

Eyes On You

Janelle Dry

Hello everyone and welcome to this month's edition of
"Don't Judge a Band By Its Name."

When I first heard mention of the transatlantic duo Pandr Eyez my immediate reaction was, "not another damn panda band."
It's not that I dislike pandas. As a matter of fact I find them quite adorable. (And please, no one throw out the 'they're actually ferocious" argument because two summers ago I lived in China, and they have reserves whereabouts you can actually pay money to just sit there and HUG a panda. Like, cradle it in your arms and cuddle until you all but die from cuteness. Seriously.) But think about it, how many current acts have 'panda' in their name? A quick search on Hypem reveals: Too fucking many.

But as it turns out, Pandr Eyez are not just another damn panda band. The name is in fact a play on Pander (I think), which is ok in my book. And even if it wasn't, their music is so good that all trespasses made on the account of hackneyed names would have to be forgiven. Read: Pandr Eyez are damn good. In a smooth, R&B meets dubstep meets fuzz meets itty bitty glimmers of pop kind of fashion. But really I should have expected nothing less, this is a Cascine release after all.

Pandr Eyez' debut EP, Eyes On You will be released October 25th (next week!). Keep things groovy until then with this free download of the title track.

Eyes On You - Pandr Eyez [MP3]

Guilt

Photo by Olivier Valsecchi

I don’t normally post dubstep on here, as I feel most of the time it’s a little too ‘niche.’ I try to feature mainly what I call ‘middle-ground-music’ on the blog: music that everyone from my best friend to my dad might get something out of. And let’s be honest, for all of his coolness, my dad just isn’t going to get dubstep quite like I might. But every once in a while, an exception to this guideline needs to be made. Case in point: Nero’s newest single, Guilt (featuring Alana on vocals). It comes out officially on April 24th (preorder the EP HERE), as a precursor to their debut album, to be released August 1st. Nero have been my favorite dubstep/drum n’ bass producers for years, and this latest release launches them into the—forgive my use of the word—epic category. For those of you that don’t like dubstep, forgive me on this one; I just had to indulge. For those of you that do, prepare to meet the song of 2011. It is hugeeee.

Guilt (feat. Alana) - Nero


While we’re on the Nero subject, here’s an oldie from 2009. It’s a remix of DJ Fresh’s Hypercaine, and it is undoubtedly my favorite dubstep/drum n’ bass remix of all time. Feel the reverb.

Hypercaine (Nero Remix) - DJ Fresh

Don't forget to like LOOSE L!PS on Facebook, or follow on the Hype Machine.

Comedown Sunday: The Wilhelm Scream

"I don’t know about my dreaming anymore,
All that I know is I’m falling."

James Blake’s debut LP was released this past week. In the event that you have never heard of James Blake—either because you have been living under a rock, or are one of those who refuses to listen to ‘the next big thing’ type talk—he is from London, and represents the newest breed of singer/songwriter: the producer/songwriter. With the release of his 11-track, self-titled LP, he is rightfully being hailed as…well…the next big thing. Blake makes haunting, warm, and generally downtempo dubstep-R&B hybrid music, which he accentuates with his own handsome, soulful voice. Neither fully dubstep, nor wholly R&B, his music defies genres while managing to sound both fresh yet familiar. It’s gorgeous, too. It might be the deep bass, or perhaps the smooth, almost mournful vocals. Maybe it’s a combination of the two. Whatever the reason, I am hard pressed to make it through an entire James Blake song without getting chills at some point in the duration. The Wilhelm Scream is the second single off his album (the first is also below, I couldn’t resist—Happy Comedown Sunday). Seeped in speculation and second-guessing, the vocal line circles itself as the accompaniment gently hums and throbs under the weight of regret.

The Wilhelm Scream—James Blake


Bonus: Limit to Your Love (Feist Cover)—James Blake


If you’re interested in hearing more songs from the new album, as well as read about all the speculation surrounding Blake and his purportedly famous (or at least well-respected) musician father, head over to Gorilla vs. Bear. Chris loves James Blake. You could also just buy the CD here.

I < 3 U So

Photo Credit Gen Kay

I < 3 U So is the first single off Cassius' new The Rawkers EP, released October 11th on the ever reliable Ed Banger Records. It’s a slow burning piano driven soul tune, modernized by hard stomping kicks and fuzzed out distortion. And when I say modernized, I mean it. Cassius forgo any type of genre snobbery by temporarily eschewing their French Touch roots and exploring one of the most popular new genres, dubstep. No, really. Check it out.

Right Click to Download: I < 3 U So--Cassius


Also take a look at the music video for the song. At first glace it may seem merely a flagrant marketing ploy: the iPhone app featured in the video can be downloaded so the everyman can make their own tribute. But the app is free. And even if it wasn’t, they’re fucking Cassius—they can do whatever they want; flagrant marketing ploys included.

Cassius, I Love you so from WE ARE FROM L.A on Vimeo.

Comedown Sunday: Breathe (MiM0SA Remix)

Comedown Sundays: The Soundtrack to Your Hangover
Photo Credit Melodie McDaniel

It’s that day again. This Sunday’s comedown tune comes from Télépopmusik via the up-and-coming, LA-based dubstep producer MiM0SA. MiM0SA is one of the few notable American dub artists; his West Coast breakbeats have been winning him legions of fans since he sprung on the scene a couple years ago. His new album, Silver Lining, dropped just last week. Pick it up and hop on the MiM0SA bandwagon—in terms of North American dub this guy is at the top of the pack. Here he remixes the gorgeous Télépopmusik classic, Breathe. The original mix of this song is nearly flawless, and I was skeptical that a dub remix could do it justice. MiM0SA’s attempt passed with flying colors. Instead of implementing the currently popular (and highly over-used) dramatic dub formula of build-DROP-womp-womp, he approaches the remix from a trip-hop and break angle. The result is more reminiscent of acts like Burial or Potrishead than the recent crop of dubstep producers concerned only with wobble. He capitalizes on the hopeful, bated-breath mood of the original song with high octave arpeggiation and ever-nostalgic windchime effects. Perfect for a day of reflection. Even if the reflecting is just trying to recall what in god's name you did last night.

**MiM0SA will be playing this Wednesday, October 13th at the fabulous Trees in Deep Ellum. Check out the Facebook Event page HERE, and be sure not to miss it.

Right-Click to Download: Breathe (MiM0SA Remix)—Télépopmusik