The National - Lemonworld.
“I’m too tired to drive anywhere, anyway right now, do you care if I stay?”
The National has consistently put out one good album after another, and they always find a way to set a mood. Dark moods. Sexy moods. Moods you don’t want your grandmother knowing you have.
This song is best played on cold nights. Especially if you live in the city. Doubly especially if you live in New York City.
Bright Eyes - Bowl of Oranges.
“But everything seemed different, completely new to me: the sky, the trees, houses, buildings — even my own body. And each person I encountered I couldn’t wait to meet.”
The perfect morning song that makes you happy to be alive and out. Of course, with the rest of Lifted, or the Story is in the Soil, you just want to huddle into the fetal position and down multiple glasses of scotch — which, by my standards, is an appropriate coping mechanism.
Bon Iver & St. Vincent - Why (Live, Annie Lennox Cover).
Two of my favorite musicians together, covering one of my favorite Annie Lennox’s singles.
Arcade Fire - We Used To Wait.
“It seems strange how we used to wait for letters to arrive. But what’s stranger still is how something so small can keep you alive.”
As melancholy as the lyrics are, the Arcade Fire sure know how to bring back those feelings of nostalgia. Plus, everything sounds better with an orchestral flourish.
Los Campesinos! - Hello Sadness.
“It’s only hope that springs eternal, and that’s the reason why this dripping from my broken heart is never running dry.”
Wait till the end to find the worst form of torture in all of existence!
Andrew Bird - Eyeoneye.
New Andrew Bird via Pitchfork. Gotta love them violins and whistles.
New Order - Ceremony.
“I’ll break them down, no mercy shown. Heaven knows it’s gotta be this time.”
Morning. The kind of song that makes you want to take on the world and take no prisoners.
Chairlift - I Belong in Your Arms
When I close my eyes when I’m listening to this record, I’m transported back to my dad’s car parked in the driveway, enclosed in my little 8-year-old bubble listening to Top 40 radio, jamming out, pretending to cruise around driving his station wagon to the beach. I’m completely infatuated with it. Their new Something LP is definitely one of my favorite releases this year.
Aside: what’s with delivering the MP3s two weeks before the vinyl? You’d figure they’d do it the other way around…
“I Belong In Your Arms,” the latest single from Brooklyn duo Chairlift, is a bouncy 80’s romp that should set your week off to a great and a very cool start.
It’s the alternative single of the week over at iTunes, so head on over and grab a free(!) download while you still can.
