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Neil Finn / Chameleon Days
Andy: Finn is best-known for his work in Crowded House. He's one of those master songwriters whose work is deceptively simple. This one sounds quietly lush, but with a dark edge.
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Neil Finn is a singer and songwriter and one of Te Awamutu, New Zealand's foremost musicians. Along with his brother Tim Finn, he was the co-frontman for Split Enz and is now the frontman for Crowded House. He has also recorded several successful solo albums, recorded two albums with his brother as the Finn Brothers, and assembled diverse musicians for the 7 Worlds Collide projects. Finn is said to have decided to become a musician at the age of 12 and throughout his school years performed in hospitals and prisons Read more on Last.fm more...
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Banks & Steelz / Who Needs the World
Lindsay: Listened to this on repeat while flying home from my high school reunion this summer. Seemed to echo something relevant from my adolescent mindset back when I biked everywhere could, declared myself vegan for life and was determined to develop research in biodegradable plastics. I lost my passion to save the world somewhere along the journey from ages 17-37 and this song found a way to bring me back. Also it’s just rich and layered with intensity which I love.
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A rap supergroup formed of RZA from the Wutang Clan and Paul Banks of Interpol, Banks & RZA are expected to release their debut project Anything But Words on August 26th 2016, under Warner Bros Records. The album has been in development since 2013, but the first single Love and War (feat Ghostface Killah) was released on May 19th, with Giant following. Read more on Last.fm more...
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Leif Vollebekk / Elegy
Noah: I'm a sucker for rhyming Bandana with Atlanta. Love the simple awesome drumbeat that carries this through. I came across a video of this guy a couple years back as my first intro. When performing he appears to have these intense uncontrollable seizures, just a crazy stinkface. At first it put me off, but he seems just totally taken over by the music. The lyrics aren't totally clear, but I just love them. Kind of heartbreaking, kind of uplifting, just enough unknown, great rhyme couplets, etc.
More Info from Last.FM
Leif Vollebekk is a Canadian singer-songwriter, based in Montreal. Since the beginning of his career, Leif has performed at the Newport Folk Festival and shared stages with Daniel Lanois, Beth Orton, Sinéad O’Connor, Patrick Watson, Coeur de Pirate, William Fitzsimmons and Sam Amidon. He released his break-through sophomore album ‘North Americana’ in 2013, while his 2010 debut ‘Inland’ was described as “beautiful, memorable and moving” by NPR and “timeless and monumental” by the Independent UK. Read more on Last.fm more...
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Indila / Derniere Danse
Kristin: This probably wouldn't make it onto a regular mix of mine, but I am drawn to it. I went to my daughter's first "dance recital", which consisted of about 15 minutes of slightly feral chaos with a plie thrown in there at random. Something about little girls with their innocence and their hair in their faces/mouths, crawling/dancing around first like hungry pigs and then angry lions, all set to this song, made me tear up a bit. I do think it's a beautiful song on its own, but that was a good visual for it.
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Indila, real name Adila Sedraia, is a French singer. She has collaborated with French rappers such as OGB, Rohff, Soprano, TLF, Nessbeal, The Algérino, DJ Abdel or Youssoupha. Singer Indila returned to the world of showbiz through featuring with many known artists. She released her first solo single, "Dernière Danse", November 13, 2013, taken from her first album: Mini World released February 24, 2014. The single has reached the second position in France downloads. Read more on Last.fm more...
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Hundred Waters / Wave to Anchor
Joe: This was playing at the alien dance party I went to with Blink 182. Everything is better in outer space! Make sure the stereo makes it to LOUD by the first glisso at 1 min, then LOUDEST by glisso #2 (2:30). Prepare for lift off at 3:30. [glisso = glissando]
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Hundred Waters is the Los Angeles and Gainesville, United States quartet of Nicole Miglis, Trayer Tryon, Paul Giese and Zach Tetreault. They played together in various formations as far back as middle school, but it took until adulthood and 2012 to become Hundred Waters. Living under one roof meant the band had a communal mentality, yet each maintained their own distinct projects, borrowing here and there from each other. It was in interpreting a friend (Levek)'s music together that they discovered the power of their combination Read more on Last.fm more...
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Shakey Graves / If Not for You
Andrew: I first saw Shakey Graves at the Newport Folk Festival and started to really enjoy his music. Shakey Graves has the grit that the folk revival movement was missing at the time. Hes an incredibly talented singer and guitar player. If you ever get a chance to see him live do so. SG released a large album of early recordings and b-sides this year - worth a listen. Stay tuned, I'm also hoping for a great 2018 album!
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Shakey Graves, aka Alejandro Rose-Garcia from Austin, Texas, plays a gnarly composite of blues and folk as a one-man-band of epic sonic proportions. The sound emitted from his hollow body guitar, mildly distorted amp and suitcase drum belie the young singer’s lean frame. He fingerpicks while keeping time with a double-pedal kick drum, hitting a snare fitted into his suitcase drum and a tambourine fashioned to its side. And when he sings, Rose-Garcia unleashes an unearthly howl. Read more on Last.fm more...
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Maren Morris (feat. Vince Gill) / Dear Hate
John: “Dear Hate” is a lovely simple song - and grabbing Vince Gill to add a vocal is never a bad thing. This song is well-written and beautifully performed and produced. Apparently Maren Morris (who co-wrote the song with Tom Douglas and David Hodges) performed in Las Vegas at the Route 91 Harvest Festival in September on the day before the massacre there. While the song was written about the massacre at the Emanuel Church in Charleston in 2015, most of the proceeds from this song go to the victims of the Las Vegas shooting. Money where your mouth is.
More Info from Last.FM
Maren Morris is a singer and songwriter whose music bridges the gap between hard country, classic rock, and hip-hop-influenced pop; she has enjoyed success as both a tunesmith and a performer. Morris was born in Dallas, Texas on April 10, 1990 and grew up with a love of music, saying she was always willing to belt out a tune on the family's karaoke machine by age ten. By the time she was 14, she had learned to play guitar and began playing professionally, self-releasing a debut album, Walk On. Read more on Last.fm more...
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John Moreland / No Glory in Regret
Saunders: I love the melancholy of this song and the rawness of his voice.
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John Moreland (born 22June 1985) is an American singer-songwriter from Tulsa, Oklahoma. Moreland first debuted his name as a part of the Black Gold Band from 2006-2010, with a 2006 full-band demo, 2008's Endless Oklahoma Sky, and 2009's solo demo session falling in that time span before he decided to retire the Black Gold Band name. John continues to write and record music, and in 2010 will release Things I Can't Control under his own name. Black Gold Band guitarist Wayne Wedge has returned to perform secondary guitar duties Read more on Last.fm more...
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Khalid / Location
Bryn: This song charmed me with a sweet sound, catchy hook. I’m still so stuck on old music that choosing new songs is the hardest feat for me but this is one I gravitated to.
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Khalid is American singer/songwriter from El Paso, Texas. He burst onto the music scene with his first single "Location", which received great critical acclaim and praised for his soulful, gentle and mellifluous voice perfectly suitable for a retro soul. Started when he was only 18, fresh from the halls of high school, his music is full of youthful innocence and poetic passion. Khalid released his debut album American Teen on March 3, 2017 via Right Hand Music Group/RCA Records, including previously released singles. Read more on Last.fm more...
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Robyn Hitchcock / Sayonara Judge
Andy: Some songwriters do a damn good job of doing a lot with just a little. Lots of prosody happening here (e.g. the way the song dissolves when he sings "walking on air"). And that bridge - just enough crunch to make the point and then it's gone.
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Robyn Raymond Hitchcock (born 3rd March 1953) is an English singer-songwriter and psych folk guitarist. While primarily a vocalist and guitarist, he also plays harmonica, piano, and bass guitar. Many of Hitchcock's album covers bear his paintings or drawings, and his albums' liner notes sometimes include a printed short story. His live concerts usually include a considerable amount of story-telling, imaginative and surreal ad-libbed monologues in his lyrical style. Read more on Last.fm more...
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Arcade Fire / Everything Now
Lindsay: I don’t have any deep reasoning for choosing this song... but I do find it unique how uptempo the time remains despite its eerily depressing lyrics, a trend that Arcade Fire seem to be masters of. This one consistently gets me dancing by about 1:40. Also dig the Rusted Root’s flute action.
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Arcade Fire is an indie rock band formed in Montreal, Quebec, Canada in 2001. The band consists of Win Butler (vocals, guitar, piano), Régine Chassagne (vocals, accordion, keyboards, hurdy gurdy, drums), Richard Reed Parry (bass, guitar), Will Butler (keyboards, guitar), Tim Kingsbury (bass), and Jeremy Gara (drums). Montreal percussionist Dane Mills performed on the EP and in early live shows. The touring band includes horn players and violinists. Read more on Last.fm more...
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Hamilton Leithauser (feat. Angel Olsen) / Heartstruck (Wild Hunger)
Noah: I love Angel Olsen's turn on this, a blistering cracking performance. I saw the video first, and it's pretty good, especially Olsen's parts.
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Hamilton Leithauser is lead singer and guitarist for the New York indie rock band The Walkmen. Hamilton Leithauser began his solo career when his band, The Walkmen announced they were going on ''extreme hiatus''. Read more on Last.fm more...
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Pink / I Am Here
Kristin: This album might rank in my best of the last month, since that's when I finally came to it. I love Pink when I workout, but this transcends sweat, and has made its way into my car. I love how this starts off with an Edward Sharpe and "Some Nights" (Fun) vibe, then morphs into this really redemptive song.
More Info from Last.FM
There is more than one artist with this name: 1) Pink was a late 1980s new wave band from Japan. Members included Yutaka Fukuoka (vocals/guitar), Hajime Okano (vocals/bass), Atsunobu Yakabe (vocals/drums), Hoppy Kamiyama (vocal/keyboards), Steve Eto (vocals/percussion), and Hidehiro Shibuya (vocals/guitars) Osamu Sakasai (vocals/guitars). 2) Pink was an alias of Manfred Linzner, a computer game music composer/demoscene artist & co-creator of the AHX tracker format. Read more on Last.fm more...
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Alex Cameron (feat. Angel Olsen) / Stranger's Kiss
Joe: Lots going for this one. A brooding ballad with a beat, strange but funny storytelling, Boss-like vocals, sprinkle in a little Angel Olsen and you've got a winner. Check out the equally strange video. #eagleshat #singlemothergympants #downsyndromejewrealestatecrew
More Info from Last.FM
Solo project of Alex Cameron, known as a member of Australian electronic group Seekae. Released his debut album 'Jumping The Shark' for free on his website on November 22, 2013. alexcamerononline.net.au Read more on Last.fm more...
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Rubblebucket / Donna
Andrew: I first saw Rubblebucket at the Greenfield River Festival in 2010 and immediately fell in love with the bands high energy and upbeat funky style. The band had its beginnings in the Reggae group John Browns Body. It is certainly is pop but its nutrition comes from an incredibly talented Kalmia Traver and dynamic band. 2017 needed a heavy dose of Rubblebucket but they only teased us with a 4 song EP. I love Donna because it has a great kickoff and builds into a dynamic well-rounded song. I am also a sucker for a horn section which Rubblebucket has in spades. Hope everyone enjoyed it, I chose this song because I hope that this EP leads to something more in 2018.
More Info from Last.FM
Rubblebucket was formed after Kalmia Traver and Alex Toth met while attending The University of Vermont. Following graduation, the two were joined by Adam Dotson (trombone, euphonium, vocals), David Cole (drums) and Ian Hersey (electric guitar) and released their self-titled debut in 2009. The group’s second full-length, Omega La La, was produced and mixed by Eric Broucek (Hercules and Love Affair, Classixx, Holy Ghost) and its single “Came Out of A Lady” was chosen as one of the Top 50 Songs of 2011 by Paste. Read more on Last.fm more...
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Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit / White Man's World
John: "White Man’s World", from the Nashville Sound album, packs a powerful message of privileged existence amongst so much suffering - plus the playing and writing on this tune are stellar. And if there is a better line written or used more effectively this year than - “Maybe it’s the fire in my little girls’ eyes” - I’d like to hear it. Anyone?
More Info from Last.FM
Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit is an American southern rock/ alt-country band based in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, and led by Jason Isbell, a former member of the Drive-By Truckers. The 400 Unit is Derry deBorja (keyboards), Jimbo Hart (bass) and Browan Lollar (guitar). Matt Pence (Centro-matic/South San Gabriel) lends his talents as co-producer, drummer and engineer. The album, which was released in 2009, was co-produced by Isbell and The 400 Unit with Matt Pence. Read more on Last.fm more...
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R.L. Burnside / Someday Baby
Saunders: While this song isn't from 2017, I only discovered it this year. I love the timeless edge of RL Burnside's music. He keeps surprising me even from the grave. It's hard to believe he was in his 80s when he recorded this. May we all be that cool at that age.
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R. L. Burnside (November 23, 1926 – September 1, 2005), born Robert Lee Burnside, was an American blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist who lived much of his life in and around Holly Springs, Mississippi. He played music for much of his life, but did not receive much attention until the early 1990s. In the latter half of the 1990s, Burnside repeatedly recorded with Jon Spencer, garnering crossover appeal and introducing his music to a new fanbase within the underground garage rock scene. Read more on Last.fm more...
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Tyler, The Creator (feat. Rex Orange County & Anna of the North) / Boredom
Bryn: This was my fave poppy hip hop track from latter 2017, just fun and I always fall for a long build up til the base drops. Felt new and different which goes a long way for radio hits.
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Tyler Okonma (born March 6, 1991) is Tyler, The Creator, a Grammy award-winning American rapper, record producer, director, fashion designer, and the head of his own independent record label, Odd Future Records. He is the leader of Los Angeles, California, USA hip-hop collective Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All (OFWGKTA). Since his first recordings debuted on The Odd Future Tape in 2007, he has rapped on, and produced for, nearly every OFWGKTA release. Read more on Last.fm more...
2017 Best of the Rest
92 / January 2018 / BurnMix
- LocationKhalid
- Derniere DanseIndila
- ElegyLeif Vollebekk
- Heartstruck (Wild Hunger)Hamilton Leithauser (feat. Angel Olsen)
- White Man's WorldJason Isbell and the 400 Unit
- Sayonara JudgeRobyn Hitchcock
- BoredomTyler, The Creator (feat. Rex Orange County & Anna of the North)
- Stranger's KissAlex Cameron (feat. Angel Olsen)
- If Not for YouShakey Graves
- Everything NowArcade Fire
- I Am HerePink
- Someday BabyR.L. Burnside
- Dear HateMaren Morris (feat. Vince Gill)
- Who Needs the WorldBanks & Steelz
- Wave to AnchorHundred Waters
- Chameleon DaysNeil Finn
- No Glory in RegretJohn Moreland
- DonnaRubblebucket
