2012 is coming to a close. It's time to turn inward, reflect and soak in all that has come from the past year. This mix does that, for me. 21 reflections of '12. From chorographing dance performances, to teaching yoga, hiking in the woods of our ever changing landscape, oh yeah, and dancing to the lights and vibrations of Vegas DJ's (don't judge - it was fun!).... movement has been front and center. Florence Welsch said on one her album covers, music is like smell but even more powerful, we may not remember what happened when, but we remember what we were listening to. Yes, Florence, it's true. Hearing a song brings us back to that moment when we fell in love with it, or didn't, but it defined something about that time. Here it is, my definition of 2012. Listen, interpret and enjoy. And thank you. This was fun.
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CAT POWER / MANHATTAN
NYC marks the spot to begin the year. It is THE place to celebrate the new year, reflect upon the year past and give your heart a new rhythm.
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Cat Power is American singer-songwriter, musician, occasional actress, and model Charlyn Marie Marshall (also known as Chan, pronounced "Shawn") (born in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. on 21 January 1972). Cat Power was originally the name of Marshall's first band, but has become her stage name as a solo artist. After dropping out of high school, Marshall started performing under the name Cat Power, while in Atlanta, backed by musicians Glen Thrasher, Mark Moore, and others. Read more on Last.fm more...
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ST. VINCENT / YEAR OF THE TIGER
Her voice... such a seductive tigress.
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A pseudonym of Annie Clark (b. 28 Sept 1982), a USA multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter. She was a member of The Polyphonic Spree and Sufjan Stevens' touring band. Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, she began playing the guitar at the age of 12 and as a teenager worked as the tour manager for her uncle's band Tuck & Patti. She grew up in Dallas and attended Lake Highlands High School, graduating in 2001. Following this, she went on to attend Berklee College of Music, dropping out 3 years later. Read more on Last.fm more...
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GRIMES / GENESIS
The synthesizing - magical.
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The musician Claire Elise Boucher, better known as Grimes, was born on 17 March 1988 in Vancouver, Canada and is based in Los Angeles. Her music is an eclectic mix of styles which she described herself as "ADD music", because it shifts frequently and dramatically. She fuses contemporary instrumentation with classical vocal practices. Boucher was born and raised in Vancouver, British Columbia. In 2006, she moved to Montreal, Canada to attend Montreal's McGill University, studying Russian literature and later, neuroscience. Read more on Last.fm more...
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SANTIGOLD / THIS ISN'T OUR PARADE
Another favorite female vocalist, so rich and powerful. Maybe it really has been the year of the Tiger.
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Santigold (born Santi White on September 25, 1976) is a musician, songwriter and producer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA who formerly went under the stage name Santogold. She is perhaps best known for the song L.E.S. Artistes which became a hit in the UK and on American alternative radio. In February 2009, she officially changed her stage name to Santigold as a result of infomercial jeweller Santo Gold threatening legal action against White and her label Downtown Records. Read more on Last.fm more...
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PRETTY LIGHTS / FINALLY MOVING
Flo Rida, you bitch! He totally ripped his hit from Pretty Lights, who I guess ripped Etta, so it's all cyclical, or cynical.
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Derek Vincent Smith (born November 25, 1981) is an American electronic music artist who performs under the stage name Pretty Lights. He is also the proprietor of an associated music label, Pretty Lights Music. Smith's music relies heavily on digital sampling and crosses many genres, forming a combination of "glitchy hip-hop beats, buzzing synth lines, and vintage funk and soul samples.". Pretty Lights' sound is generated by manipulating samples and organic beats using the Novation X-Station, monome and the Akai MPD32. Read more on Last.fm more...
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YEASAYER / TIGHTROPE
And here to represent the male voice, Chris Keating you thrill me.
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Yeasayer was a band based in Brooklyn, New York. The band was formed in 2006 and consists of three core members, Chris Keating, Ira Wolf Tuton, and Anand Wilder. They first came to attention after appearing at the SXSW festival in early 2007. Their debut album All Hour Cymbals was released in October 2007. Yeasayer described their music as "Middle Eastern-psych-snap-gospel". Live performances often include psychedelic visuals. Yeasayer released their second studio album Read more on Last.fm more...
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JAMIE XX / FAR NEARER
The XX of the XY
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Jamie Smith (born 28 October 1988), better known by his stage name Jamie xx, is an English music producer, remix artist and DJ who is known both as a solo act and as a member of the London-based band The xx. He has been recognised with a 2016 Grammy Award nomination in the Best Dance/Electronic Album category for his album In Colour. In 2007, Smith joined The xx accompanying old school friends Romy Madley Croft, Oliver Sim, Baria Qureshi from the Elliott School, notable for alumni including Hot Chip, Burial and Four Tet. Read more on Last.fm more...
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MR. LITTLE JEANS / THE SUBURBS
This Arcade Fire cover is what kids are talking about when they call something "sick" - cuz it is.
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Mr. Little Jeans (born Monica Birkenes) is a Norwegian born singer-songwriter based in London, England. Birkenes grew up in rural Grimstad, daughter of a ship-builder and secretary who discouraged television, so she performed in the town’s family-oriented plays and musical events. At 18, she moved to London and eventually signed to Neon Gold. In 2010, Birkenes released the Rescue Song and Angel EP. Her album debut, Pocketknife, was released by Harvest in 2014 to favorable reviews. Read more on Last.fm more...
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ALEX CLARE / HUMMING BIRD
If any of ya'll don't know Alex Clare, seriously check him out. He's extraordinary.
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Alexander George "Alex" Clare (born 14 September 1985) is a British singer and songwriter from south-west London now living in north-west London, UK. The Too Close Songfacts says that he took up the trumpet and drums as a youngster, but as he grew older he graduated to guitar-based songwriting, playing open-mike nights with original material. Clare dated Amy Winehouse for a year during these early days, after meeting her during a performance at The Hawley Arms in Camden, North London. Read more on Last.fm more...
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EDWARD SHARPE & THE MAGNETIC ZEROS / MAN ON FIRE
A fabulous song that gets my two dancin feet steppin it up.
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Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros is an American indie-folk ensemble band led by Alex Ebert, vocalist of the power-pop group Ima Robot. The band's first full-length recording, Up from Below, was released July 7, 2009 digitally and July 14, 2009 physically on Vagrant Records. Its first show as a full band was played July 18, 2007 at the Troubadour in West Hollywood, California. After breaking up with his girlfriend, moving out of his house, and joining a 12-step program for addiction Read more on Last.fm more...
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JUN MIYAKE / THE HERE AND AFTER
Discovered this erie tune in PINA, a documentary about modern dance master, Pina Bausch. Visually stunning incorporation of architecture, nature, music and dance. One of those bizarre glances into an artist's mind. Highly stimulating if you like that kinda thing... which I clearly do.
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"Like reading Thomas Pynchon with your ears… Beside this, John Cage's emancipation of noise sounds like a polite little art-school exercise in smugness." -- Slakk Magazine Jun Miyake (Japanese: 三宅純) is an influential musician / trumpeter in and around Tokyo music scene. He released thirteen albums, appeared as a guest soloist and served as a producer for numerous artists, collaborated with contemporary dances and theater pieces with Pina Bausch, Robert Wilson, Philippe Decoufle and others. Read more on Last.fm more...
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PHANTOGRAM / WHEN I'M SMALL
You probably know this one - just a good one.
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Phantogram is a trip-hop/psych-pop duo which formed in 2007 in Saratoga Springs, New York, USA. The band consists of Sarah Barthel (vocals, keyboards) and Joshua Carter (guitar, vocals). Their music can be described as a culmination of unique street beat rhythms, psychedelic melodies and organic textures. The band practices and writes music in an out-of-town farm called Harmony Lodge. The group name was inspired by the optical illusion called phantogram. Read more on Last.fm more...
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THE DRUMS / DAYS
I do like peppy music too... sometimes.
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There is more than one group named The Drums: 1) an American indie pop band from Brooklyn, NY 2) an American experimental band from San Francisco 1) The Drums are an American indie pop band from Brooklyn, NY. Jonny Pierce and Jacob Graham met at summer camp when they were children and have been best friends ever since. Soon after their initial meeting, they formed Goat Explosion and toured extensively in North America during their teenage years. Read more on Last.fm more...
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ALEXANDER / TRUTH
The truth is, Edward Sharpe is really Alexander.
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There are several artists named "Alexander": In addition it could be a damaged title listing error for The Alexander. 1. Alexander is the first name of Alexander Ebert, lead singer of Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros and Ima Robot. He uses the name for his solo work and recently released his self-titled debut on March 1st, 2011 in North America. The first single from the album was "Truth". 2. Alexander is the winner of the first season of "Deutschland sucht den Superstar", the German version of "Pop Idol". Read more on Last.fm more...
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KITO & REIJA LEE / SWEET TALK
For you sub lovers.
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Kito provides the bass heavy pop-infused production skills, blending perfectly with Reija Lee's lively crisp vocals. Dubstep has been in search of that perfect pop cross-over and Kito & Reija Lee do it with class and flair while holding true to the genre's roots. Read more on Last.fm more...
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FLORENCE + THE MACHINE / LEAVE MY BODY
What would my year have been with out you Florence?
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Florence + the Machine is a London, UK, art pop band led by singer-songwriter Florence Welch and formed in 2007. The band consists of: Florence Welch (vocals), Robert Ackroyd (guitar), Isabella Summers (aka Isa Machine - keyboards), Tom Monger (harp), Mark Saunders (bass, percussion), Christopher Lloyd Hayden (drums, backing vocals), Rusty Bradshaw (keyboard, backing vocals) and Sam White (backing vocals). Lead singer, Florence Welch, was an art-college drop-out Read more on Last.fm more...
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DAN THE AUTOMATOR / MADNESS
Can this artist get a new name please?
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Dan "the Automator" Nakamura is a hip-hop producer most known for his work in the mid to late 1990s and early 2000s. Nakamura's most well-known production work includes The NBA 2K7 video game soundtrack, the commercially successful Dr. Octagon project with Kool Keith, and the widely successful anime influenced trip-hop project Gorillaz. He is also renowned in underground circles for spearheading the critically acclaimed underground projects Handsome Read more on Last.fm more...
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WILLY MOON / RAILROAD TRACK
Down and dirty, gritty good.
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With only 21 years, Willy Moon already rolled halfway around the world and was finding its musical references on these trips. Born in Wellington, New Zealand, Moon went to Europe with 18 years and ran there until finally finding home in London. Like the artist, his music travels a lot. With free-spirited and spontaneous, he defines it as "A sort of Bo Diddley remixed by Swizz Beatz." In fact, the sound of this man can be considered retro, but without resorting to any move to some kind of redemption. Read more on Last.fm more...
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ASAF AVIDAN & THE MOJOS / RECKONING SONG
Haunting... the music reflects the lyrics so well.
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Asaf Avidan & the Mojos was an Israeli band formed in 2006. After disbanding in 2011, a 2012 remix of the band's single "Reckoning Song" (2008) by German disc jockey Wankelmut attained widespread commercial success throughout Europe. Asaf Avidan has subsequently embarked on a solo career. The group's original name was Asaf Avidan & the Mojo Jive Cats, but it was soon after shortened to Asaf Avidan & the Mojos. Throughout 2006 and 2008, the band rose to major fame in Israel, receiving recording proposals from multiple local labels. Read more on Last.fm more...
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DUM DUM GIRLS / LORD KNOWS
Love these girls.
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Dum Dum Girls were a garage pop band which formed in 2008 in Los Angeles, California, United States. The band last consisted of Dee-Dee (vocals, guitar), Jules (guitar, vocals), Malia (bass, vocals) and Sandy (drums, vocals). Dee Dee formed Dum Dum Girls as a solo project—the name a nod to both The Vaselines’ album, Dum-Dum, and the Iggy Pop song Dum Dum Boys — and released a home-recorded CDR on her label Zoo Music followed by a 7" on HoZac and a 12" EP on Captured Tracks. Read more on Last.fm more...
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THE BLIND BOYS OF ALABAMA / AMAZING GRACE
... it is almost Christmas after all. Thought you Kuhners would appreciate this artist.
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The Blind Boys of Alabama are a gospel music group from Alabama that first formed at the Talledega School for the Deaf and Blind in 1939. Although the Blind Boys of Alabama have been singing gospel music for more than five decades, it's only recently that the group has had the benefit of a major record company behind them. The founding members were Clarence Fountain, Johnny Fields, George Scott, Ollice Thomas, and Vel Trayler. The current group consists of Eric McKinney, Billy Bowers, Jimmy Carter, Joey Williams, and Donald Dillion. Read more on Last.fm more...
