The party song you’ve been waiting for!

ITS FINALLY HERE! The crew at 2AM Club has finallynybf released their first single of their much anticipated new album. Tell me you can’t imagine this being the song of the summer this year? It will definitely be the song you hear on the radio and in the clubs in the coming months. Check it out here first and spread the word!

Also, add it to your Spotify playlist or pick it up on iTunes!

If David Guetta scored Last of the Mohicans it would sound like this.

If David Guetta made the soundtrack for Last of the Mohicans, I think it would sound like this.  Now there are probably few people out there that know both David Guetta and that soundtrack so this metaphor probably makes no sense, but either way this track by AWOLNATION is a good one.  To me this is good around the house/relaxing music, but it may be a little too rough for some tastes. Check out “Sail” and let me know what you think!

What is “atmospheric English indie pop” music? This is.

That’s the term some use to describe the hypnotic beats of English band The xx. It’s hard to argue, although I think I would probably replace “pop” with “rock”, but either way its great music, a great band and their 2012 album Coexist was one of the best of the year.  Check them performing “Angels” live st Seattle’s KEXP radio station. They sound just as good live as on the album. Let me know what you think!

Watch the best live concert video ever made!

I’m not sure how their u2label hasn’t found this on YouTube and taken it down yet (and maybe after my posting it they will), but here is one of the best live concert films ever made. It’s from U2′s 2001 Elevation Tour, live from Boston.

To me, this was U2 in its prime. They were at the peak of their career and influence, they had just put out their album All That You Can’t Leave Behind which was chock full of classics from beginning to end, they had a creative new stage layout and HD and multi-camera recording technique in place. Socially, Bono was in the midst of his big ONE Campaign against poverty and his global influence was booming. Historically, it was a significant moment as well because the albums popularity and the Elevation Tour took place around the tragedy of 9/11 and for many living in NYC at the time, myself included, the album became a soundtrack to the healing process.

This video was certainly an all time favorite of mine and I urge you to watch it in its entirety, especially when he sings “With or Without You” and ruins the night for whatever guy came with the girl he brings up on stage! hahaha

A song for all the lonely hearts out there

You ever discover, or rediscover, Nada-Surf-nada-surf-874762_1000_667an older song and then become obsessed with how good it was/is?  That is me right now with this 10 year old Nada Surf song “Inside of Love”.

It’s an absolute beautiful track chronicling the yearning to be the person in the good relationship when you seem to always be standing on the outside of that.  I bet we’ve all felt like that at some point right?

I think the most pointed lyrics in the song come when lead singer Matthew Caws sings “I know the last page so well, I can’t read the first, so I just don’t start.”  What a great metaphor for that feeling you get when you just don’t want to even deal with starting a new relationship after having gotten out of one or more that didn’t work.

Anyway, lie down or lean back, close your eyes, and enjoy this great song!

If you loved R&B in the 90′s, click here for a trip down memory lane!

112bandI surprisingly heard this song on the radio today and it took me on a massive trip down memory lane. For those that remember, the mid/late 90′s was a magical moment for R&B music. The early 90′s saw the development of rap, the mid 90′s saw the growth of R&B, and the combination of the two led to what we now know as hip hop.

In the mid 90′s, today’s YMCMB (Young Money Cash Money Billionaires (Drake, Lil Wayne, Nikki Minaj, etc)) equivalent was Bad Boy Records. With artists like Biggie, Mase, Puffy, Faith Evans, Craig Mack and 112 they were the top of the food chain for a moment in time. Their featured R&B group was 112, who was undoubtedly featured on any high school or college student’s mix tape (yes, tape) for when you were getting in the mood for the evening or looking to tell that special someone that you really like them :)

I remember one cold winter night in college we were stuck on Bucknell’s campus during winter break for basketball and a bunch of us drove to Penn State to see 112 perform with DJ Kool (Let Me Clear My Throat!). I had future Olympic star JR Holden riding shotgun in my car that had no heat on a 10 degree night for an hour just to see them perform. ‘ just what you did back in the day!

I think this song is beautiful and timeless…what do you think?

A mellow song to love for a mellow weekend

Well at this point we have all settled in to the New Year. Our New Year resolutions are going strong, or in many cases already getting tedious or fading away. With most of the country set for cold or rainy weather this weekend, I thought I’d share a track that is perfect for vegging out at home.

Their entire first album is great so check it out, but here is one of my favorites from Denver folk-rock band The Lumineers entitled “Stubborn Love”. Watch the video too. Its wonderfully edited footage from their recent tours and gives you a great sense of the band to compliment the music.

Malaysia: The new epicenter for chill music? I think so…

So over the summer I posted the song “Lullabies” by Malaysian artist Yuna and everybody loved the track. So tranquil, chill and beautiful. Check it out here if you need a refresher.

Well now I’ve got another Malaysian singer you should check out named Zee Avi. She was signed to Brushfire Records (Jack Johnson) so you know she’s gotta have a chill, beachy sound.

Check out my favorite tracks of hers, “First of the Gang” and “Honey Bee” and tell me you don’t want to play this as your relaxing at home or by the beach reading a book :)