Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Top 5 Songs of Last 15 Years

I created a short Storify with the top 5 songs of the last 15 years according to NME.com. The actually list the top 150, to celebrate their 15th anniversary. Here's my story:

Friday, October 7, 2011

Kasabian

The album currently on heavy playing here at Vehement Flame is Kasabian's Velociraptor. A group that's been around a long time that I've never heard of before! I listened to some of their earlier work and while their debut album is pretty good, Velociraptor is a rock 'n' roll treasure from first to last. I put together a Storify post on the album and here it is below:



Thursday, September 29, 2011

A Promise of Snow | Animat

Enjoyed this little tune via Groove Salad, by a group called Animat:



A Promise of Snow | Animat

Monday, September 26, 2011

Family Of The Year

I've been hearing Family Of The Year's song 6am on Alexandra's 'ZBC morning show Melody du Jour for a couple weeks and just loving it. Finally I have found a  streaming version of the EP, which comes out tomorrow. Check it out! I guess they are actually a local group, having been formed here in the Boston area, although they are currently playing out of LA.

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

FC Kahuna

Here's some nice electronica by a long missing early member of the DJ musik club. FC Kahuna released a couple of popular CDs and then apparently partied themselves right out of the scene. But Hayling is a great song. And this is pretty solid too:

FC Kahuna - Glitterball

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<a href="http://www.muzu.tv/us/skintrecords/fc-kahuna-hayling-version-2-music-video/48322/">FC Kahuna - Hayling (Version 2)</a> on <a href="http://www.muzu.tv/us/">MUZU.TV</a>

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Jed And Lucia

I heard a Jed And Lucia tune on the Ubiquity Free Sampler and thought it was easily my favorite cut. So naturally I jumped on over to Napster and took a listen to the entire Superhuman Heart album and also loved that. Its synchopated guitars and sweet low key vocals hit a soft spot and I think you'll enjoy it too.

Jed And Lucia - You Were Made of Stone

Grab a listen to more tunes on their web page. In the meantime, here's a video for their tune Apostrophe, which is a more folk/rock kind of song.

Monday, August 29, 2011

Little Dragon

I've posted about Little Dragon before and they now have a new album out called Ritual Union, which I really like. This electro-pop group (from Sweden, it figures!) features some great vocals by Yukimi Nagano and a some nice pop beats. Here's my favorite cut from the album:

Little Dragon - Nightlight

And here's a live studio version of another great song, Little Man:

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Yourstru.ly Presents: Little Dragon "Little Man" from Yours Truly on Vimeo

Thursday, July 21, 2011

EMix! Radio

I'm a big fan of EMix! Radio on Live365.com. They play some solid adult alternative music, much like you listen to here on Vehement Flame. I even paid for premium membership so I could listen on my Android phone and sans commercials. Here's a widget to hear the great stuff they play:

Saturday, July 16, 2011

Wendy James


Wendy James, the front woman for the Transvision Vamps, a popular pop/punk group from the early 90s(!), recently came out with a new album, I Came Here To Blow Minds. And it's a great one! Here is the cut that first came to my attention:

Wendy James - You Tell Me

And here's the title cut from the album:

I Came Here To Blow Minds

Free Friday : Amazon Avalanche

A whole bunch of samplers came available on Amazon MP3. Haven't really had a chance to listen to many of them, but here's of what I found.

PS: Music storage is now completely free on the Amazon Cloud storage. So go for it!



Thursday, July 14, 2011

The Wooden Birds



The Wooden Birds make my kind of music - funky lyrics with some spunky guitar work. You can get a free sampler by spending your email address for three songs, which includes a couple of really great covers and this original tune:

The Wooden Birds - Two Matchsticks

I originally heard them on the 2010 Barsuk sampler. This is a great tune too:

The Wooden Birds - False Alarm




Wednesday, July 13, 2011

The Album Leaf



Someone pointed out this lovely song by The Album Leaf, Thule, saying it sounded like the Childs song I posted earlier. I agree, it is very nice! And, as is often the way, I have a song by them from the 2010 Amazon sampler Digital Bang : The 2010 Sub Pop Sampler (which is unfortunately no longer available).

The Album Leaf - Falling From The Sun

Thule

Thursday, July 7, 2011

First Aid Kit



It's been too long since I've posted here - time to get back into the swing of things! Lots of great music. Might as well start back in with Yet Another Swedish Band, this time First Aid Kit. The sisters Johanna and Klara Söderberg put together a very nice folk/pop sound.

Hard Believer

You're Not Coming Home Tonight


Friday, June 10, 2011

Computer Magic

Good to see Computer Magic (aka Danz) getting some publicity finally. She has her first release coming up and here is her first video. Isn't she just the cutest? And please go to her home page and contribute to a new computer too!

The End Of Time
Computer Magic - "The End Of Time" from stereogum on Vimeo.

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Rodrigo y Gabriela soundtrack

One of my all time favorite artists is Rodrigo y Gabriela. They have one of the best backstories and fought hard for their unique artistic vision. And they make great music. They worked on the soundtrack for the latest Pirates Of The Caribbean and it is some great stuff. Pirates and RyG - how can you go wrong?

Buster Voodoo (11:11)

You’re watching The Pirate That Should Not Be Feat. Rodrigo y Gabriela. See the Web's top videos on AOL Video

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Best of 2010

Yeah, I know, it's a little ridiculous, posting my Best of 2010 in mid-May, but hey, it's been a busy time, ya know? And instead of a podcast, I've just created an 8tracks.com mix. My favorite "albums" (isn't that a quaint word these days?) from 2010 were:
* means that I bought it on a honest-to-goodness CD even!


Monday, May 9, 2011

Les Rita Mitsouko

Go ahead, try and keep your feet still for this great song from the French duo, Les Rita Mitsouko:

Friday, April 29, 2011

Le Butcherettes


Le Butcherettes are a heavy rockin' trio from Mexico City, led by the wild'n'crazy Teri Gender Bender (a.k.a. Teresa Suaréz). Man, they do some serious rockin' and here's their upcoming release, Sin Sin Sin:



And here's a cut from the debut album, Kiss & Kill, back when they were a duo:

I'm Queen

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Lykke Li

Another of my Swedish loves is Lykke Li (to go along with Taken By Trees, Robyn, Niki & The Dove, and Anna Ternheim) and she has a brand new CD out called Wounded RhymesFirst, here's an older cut, which I believe you can get free by signing up to her mailing list:

Tonight

The title track single features a great video:

Wounded Rhymes

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Gina Chavez

What a great sound from this Austin based folk-rocker, Gina Chavez. She's working hard at uncovering her Latin roots and here's some great music:




Monday, April 25, 2011

Hawk Moon Records

Back from Disneyworld (oh yeah, it was fun!) and here to offer you a belated Free Friday - Hawk Moon Records sampler, volume II. It has a cut from one of my favorite instrumental artists, Lowercase Noises and should be damned solid. You can grab it via their Bandcamp page (follow the link on the page if their free download limit has been reached) or listen to it here:

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Steve Mason

There's a new single from one of my favorite releases of 2010, Steve Mason's Boys Outside. And it is even one of my favorite songs, from a CD full of great songs. Here's the video for it:

All Come Down

And here' s some cool remixes of All Come Down:

Monday, April 11, 2011

Wire

Wire is a band that sure has been around a while. Their first release (Pink Flag) was way back in 1977, and they have been making music ever since. And music that is right up my ally - sometimes jangly, sometimes smooth, sometimes dark pop songs, usually with clever hooks. Listening to the wonderful compilation The A List, I was amazed at how many of these songs were familiar, like this one:

Ahead

You can grab a bunch of free MP3s from their web site here, including live version of a song from their classic debut:

3 Girl Rumba

Adapt

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Regina

Regina is a Finnish trio who recently had their first US release from Friendly Fire Recordings, called Puutarhatrilogia. You probably won't understand a word of the song but the enchanting voice and pop melodies will have you hooked nonetheless. Check these out:

Tapaa minut aamulla
Sinun tässä salissa

Saanko jäädä yöksi?
Regina - Saanko jäädä yöksi? from friendly fire recordings on Vimeo.

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Acrylics

Acrylics are a duo out of Brooklyn NY with that dreamy pop sound that I just cannot resist. Their new album, Lives & Treasures is just chock-a-block with Fleetwood Mac / Kate Bush-ish grooves, with Molly Shea's shimmering vocals a real standout. Check out these sounds:

Nightwatch
Sparrow Song

Molly's Vertigo

Friday, April 8, 2011

Free Friday: The Blue Indian Compilation Vol. 1

This is the first volume of the Blue Indian Compilations (you can see volume 2 here). I have not even had a chance to listen to it yet, but if it is anything like volume 2, there's bound to be a couple of gems. Grab the free download on bandcamp or listen here - up to you:



The Blue Indian Compilation Vol. 1 | The Blue Indian

Free Friday: SPIN's 32 Songs for SXSW

A tad late but still free and massive, SPIN's Austin Power sampler has tons of great sounds, include:

The Kills - Satellite
Fences - Girls With Accents


FREE ALBUM! SPIN's 33 Songs for SXSW | SPIN.com

Free Friday: deep heaven now

One of my favorite local bands, who I have yet to see in concert, is playing at a nearby music festival. Called Deep Heaven Now, this ambient electronic-palooza is something I would dearly love to go see. But, alas, it is the one weekend I will be out of town, so I will miss 28 degrees taurus once again.

But you can grab a collection of songs from the various groups that will be playing over two days in Somerville MA over on bandcamp. Or you can just camp out and listen here:



deep heaven now

Free Friday: Amazon.com MP3 Artists on the Rise

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This month's "Artists On The Rise" free Amazon MP3s  is a typically eclectic, but solid, collection of 6 free MP3s:
  • Generationals "Ten-Twenty-Ten"
  • Kurt Vile "Jesus Fever"
  • Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears "Livin' in the Jungle"
  • Caitlin Rose "Shanghai Cigarettes"
  • Jonny Diaz "Delights In You"
  • Thoa & Mirah "Eleven"
Amazon MP3 free Artists on the Rise

And have you tried out the new Amazon MP3 "Cloud Player"? It's pretty cool. All your purchases (including the free ones!) can be automatically stored on your Amazon Cloud Drive and you can upload your own MP3s as well. They give you 5gb of storage but if you buy an MP3 album, it goes up to 20gb. And MP3s bought on Amazon don't count against the storage limit. The player works well from a browser, and even better from your Android phone. I haven't uploaded anything yet, but I will.

Learn More About Amazon Cloud Drive


Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Taken By Trees

Victoria Bergsman, originally of The Concretes, split off in 2007 to follow her own muse and called it Taken By Trees. Looking to do something completely different, she took off to Pakistan with a sound engineer and, despite some difficulties, came up with a very nice album called East Of Eden, which marries many different sounds. She first came to my attention with her wonderful cover of Guns'n'Roses(!) Sweet Child O' Mine. There are a number of dynamite songs on East Of Eden too. Why, I even saw her in concert (with the incomparable El Perro Del Mar - oh no, another missing Swedish artist!).

Sweet Child O' Mine
Anna

My Boys

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

The Concretes

And once again, my love for Swedish pop rears its ugly head :) This time it is for Swedish pop legends The Concretes, who once featured Victoria Bergsman (of Taken By Trees - what no TbT post yet? Need to rectify that! Edit: Fixed here!). Now the lead singer is drummer Lisa Milberg and yes, it is still a great sound, silky yet poppy. Here's a couple from their latest full length CD, WYWH (no, I don't know what it stands for).

My Ways
Good Evening
Crack in the Paint
The Concretes : 'Crack In The Paint' from Jamie Harley on Vimeo.

Friday, March 25, 2011

Free Friday: The Blue Indian Compilation Vol. 2 | The Blue Indian

The Blue Indian is an indie music site out of Georgia and they've gathered together a bunch of good sounds for ya. This is actually Volume 2 - I'll feature Volume 1 later but you could do it now too. It's a Bandcamp sampler without any of even the "pay what you want" - just give'em your email address and they'll send you a link to download it.

Here's a couple of my favorite cuts:

You Already Know - Ghost / Light
Oh Dear, Oh Deer - The Ethnographers

The Blue Indian Compilation Vol. 2 | The Blue Indian

Free Friday: Yuna Music

Check out Yuna Zarai’s bewitching lo-fi sound. I'm especially enamored with the hauntingly brief Decorate. And then go download the whole kit and kaboodle from Soundcloud.