The best-most-annoying-song you'll hear this summer

yes that's actually them. yes I thought they were black too

They're Das Racist, and they're supposed to make pretty wack music, on purpose though. This song can easily get on your nerves, but rest assured that they know it sounds stupid...as opposed to, oh, I don't know - fucking Soulja Boy, who actually thinks he's good.

Keep that sense of irony in mind when listening to this one. That's probably the only thing that'll keep you sane through two friends arguing about meeting up at the exact same "combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell" in New York for almost 4 minutes. Well, that fact, plus the awesome guitar riffs, synths, horns and everything else accompanying this catchy remix by Wallpaper.

If this isn't stuck in your head after the first listen, whether for good or bad, then you might be brain-dead. Or racist. But I think they meant for you to be the second one. Anyways:

Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell (Wallpaper Remix) - Das Racist

I actually thought they were dead...no lie

...but they're not. They're just two Scottish brothers trying to make awesome music. I should really stop posting when I'm so tired, cause I can't think as clearly or write as much, but it's the kind of night for this song. Actually, any time is the kind of time for this song.

It's just kinda beatifully distorted, in the vein of a lot of music I like. Plus I can't really say anything about "Just Like Honey" that hasn't been said already...it's kinda been 20+ years.

The particular song aside, I do have to say though, I've always hated most music from the 80's, just because of the local pop music station here that would have an 80's morning every Sunday. I'm not sure what was more aggravating every start of the week: my mom trying to hurry us to make it on time for church (never worked), or the God-awful, straining, hair-clenchingly-annoying pop and "rock" music from that whole era (probably that). I'd say there's maybe 10% of music I actually like from that timeframe.

There's a rider to all this of course: I didn't know The Jesus & Mary Chain, Dinosaur, Jr. and an assortment of good new wave and alt. rock groups were even around making music at the time. It's surely raised the quality of that era for me, one discovery at a time.

Just Like Honey - The Jesus & Mary Chain

Quick Hit: The Pack A.D.

yeah we're pretty fucking awesome

Don't be fooled by the seemingly benign start to this song. The Pack A.D. come at this song from a bluesy/Jack White place in the musical spectrum, and the distorted guitar has to be the most pleasing thing I've heard in...well, a few weeks, but still. The White Stripes parallels are hard to ignore here, save for it seems the drummer in this band actual possesses musical talent.

Making Gestures - The Pack A.D.

Everyone else is doing it

Pitchfork just reviewed the evidently brilliant Bitte Orca from Dirty Projectors (9.2? it's better than Veckatimest?). I've had a couple singles kicking around for about two months, but all I hear are good things, so I'll definitely have to get the full album and judge for myself. Frankly, I'm real tired right now, but I promised my friend I'd share some Dirty Projectors stuff, and I wasn't able to post anything yesterday, so this'll have to do for now.

I'll just let you guys know that this song has a knack for getting stuck in my head at the strangest times...I'm constantly humming and singing along to it when I'm choking back water during my last few surf sessions. It's an acquired taste for sure, but it struck me as brilliant the first time I heard it, and that's a rare occurence for me. Unique is one word for it; I think it's that noise at the start and end that really gets me and pulls me into the song for a good five minutes, it's quirky things like that that I really dig in music right now.

Stillness Is The Move - Dirty Projectors

This one really highlights the vocals of the female members of the group (depicted here so quaintly/effectively on Bitte Orca's oft-posted album cover). "No Intention" is another one to check out, showing off the David Byrne-ness (yes, DP and DB collabed for the Dark Was The Night compilation) of the group's lead male singer. Same fragile feel to the song, but a different perspective.

Wow this is kinda amazing

...and maybe a tad depressing? Quick, awesome and powerful video either way.

Last Day Dream

(pic and video both found on the equally great yayeverday.com)

Listening to teeth to learn how to quit

You may forgive the immeasurable lateness of this. You Forgot It In People from the epic, double-digit-membered Canadian collective Broken Social Scene was a critically lauded (how many albums score above a 9 on Pitchfork?) success over 7 years ago when it was released. Unfortunately, I was just entering my teens and enamoured by everything the radio, MuchMusic and hip-hop had to offer, so it went wholly unnoticed by myself and most of my friends at the time.

Now that I have a much better understanding of the current indie music world, I've been trying to catch up on some "foundation" level music if you will. I'd always heard about Broken Social Scene, and have vague memories of their mention during Canada's Grammy's, the Juno Awards. My younger sister even remembers them performing, "drunk" and badly as she recalled earlier today. I'm sure it never happened, but I guess either way it didn't leave enough of an impression with her or I.

What first peaked my interest in BSS however was a quote from Kele, lead singer of Bloc Party. He said the group doesn't do covers, but if they did, it would be "Lover's Spit" by BSS. I thought that "hey, if it's good enough for Kele to consider covering, I should at least check it out." This was back in October of 2008 after I went to Bloc Party's intimate concert here in town, and I've always loved listening to that song since then.

It's muted, but the atmosphere is expansive, and the multi-instrumentation really adds to the richness of the song as a whole, as do all of Broken Social Scene's efforts. The lyrics obviously hint at sexual relations (what with "swallow words while giving head") but have an air of forlorness to them, like there's something wrong with what's going on, no matter how passionate it might be; if it's passionate at all for that matter. Loveless love is one way to put the feeling this song conveys.

Lover's Spit - Broken Social Scene

I've been listening to a lot of Japandroids right now (more on them later this month I guess), but I find myself a tad amazed that I like equally their two-man, drum-and-guitar assault just as much as the myriad of layers, instruments and voices present in BSS's work. It's a real testament to the variety of good music, in all its forms.

If you wanna check out more BSS and buy any of their albums, your local record store should be carrying copies if they know what's good for them and if not, head over here. There's even a book chronicling the history of BSS, set to be released July 1st (Canada Day!). I hear good things. But of course, when it comes to Broken Social Scene, you usually do.

Boom-boom-chhhh, boom-boom-chhhh

How this song is good makes absolutely no sense. It's like some perverted My Bloody Valentine/Jesus & Mary Chain...and I love it. It'd be the perfect song to just sit down and put on repeat and try to dissect what's actually being said over that over-powering distortion.

It's primal in a way; I've honestly never heard any vocals so drowned out by the background that they're almost tertiary in nature. Yes, tertiary. Secondary here is the space between the distortion and the vocals: that's where you have your own space to make your own meaning outta this one. Like the title says, for most people, that meaning is gonna be your own first party, when you got so drunk or high that everything around you was the same pounding haze accompanying this track.

Reminisce.

The First Party - Handglops

Grab The Rifles

The above is posted because lead singer Brandon Cox of Deerhunter is evidently scarily thin. And admit it; you've always wanted to see a psychadelic-themed James Bond intro anyways...with a deer.

In contrast to the vividness of Deerhunter's Cryptograms album cover pictured, their music can be quite muted and repetitive, in the most charming of lo-fi ways. I often have a hard time describing my favorite music, because when I really like something, it hits me instantly; that perfect mix of drums, bass, guitar, synth, whatever. I'll usually know during the first listen if I really love something.

Deerhunter is really an exception to that for me. Their music has grown on me as slow and deliberately as some of their instrumental progressions.

Nothing Ever Happened - Deerhunter

...that song however had quite an instant impact for me. Of Deerhunter's music I've heard, it's their most immediate, "indie-rock" jam, a 5:51 minute distorted-guitar-and-pounding-drumming rocker. The rock-out trip the band takes you on for the final few minutes of this tune make you yearn to be front-row watching these guys performing live.

Focus Group - Deerhunter

When it starts to hit mid-tempo however is seemingly Deerhunter's comfort zone. Think Grizzly Bear in a garage band, and if they weren't so meticulous about their audio production. That thin guitar and steady, beat-pacing drumming of "Nothing Ever Happened" is still there, but the vocals have been toned down and given the choir-chorus treatment that Ed Droste et al. seem to employ so well. I have to admit I'm a big fan of said choruses. It doesn't have to say anything, it just has to feel a certain way, and both groups are very effective getting that feeling across with no words. "Focus Group" is a song I initially had no affinity for, but it slowly grew on me like mentioned, and it's one of those short little gems you wish would go on for another 2 or 3 minutes more, because it wouldn't take anything away from the song itself.

If you like these cuts off the Microcastle/Weird Era Cont. double play, definitely check out Deerhunter's newest, curiously-titled five-song EP, Rainwater Cassette Exchange. Preview and buy it over here.

Nous Sommes De Venice

This song just comes at you and does not stop. It's like a bad dream. An awesome bad dream.

The way it starts up coyly then builds up bit by bit (shorter than many dance songs do) then just explodes make you wanna...um, dance I'd have to say. Unfortunately the only thing this song does is make me lament the shitty quality of club music in my own city; if it's not Top 40 and on the radio, it's not getting played.

The hard slaps, the pulsing machining noises, the string element and the eerie vibe of the song all combine to make a straight-up dance floor banger. The only thing better than this song would be an extended remix of it, just cause you don't want it to end, and there's two or three gaps where it's not "dance your ass off" heat. Check it out.

We Are From Venice (La Serenissima) - The Bloody Beetroots

Wow, who remembers these guys?

You Get What You Give - New Radicals

Can't believe it's been 11 years since this was out. I'm at that age where I'm just starting to become a bit nostalgic about my youth (I'm barely out of it first of all) but this is one of the songs I definitely remember from back in the 90's. Seeing as everyone from that decade seems to be coming back now, I figured unleashing this little tune was the least I could do personally.

So a weirdo and a softy walk into a bar...

Possibly the weirdest song I have, both musically and based on a video my father described as "sick," and most definitely not in a good way. And he's maybe only said that about 3 things in my life...all of which I can't remember right now. The song has a Middle-Eastern feel to it, but starts with what sounds like African tribal chanting; take that as you may.

I watched the video before I heard the song itself, and I'm not one to watch videos much in the first place. Just to let you know however, the video will give you much more to visualize whenever you hear the song by itself afterwards.

And I won't lie: I frankly have no idea what they're saying for most of the song.

Omar K - Rainbow Arabia

MP3 / youtube

Now this one I've had even longer, but I still remember the first night I heard it. Put it on repeat until the late hours of the morning, and it never lost its feel. Beautiful singing by Lykke Li; the way she drags out her word endings is such a hard thing to put into words. 

It's like slowly pulling sand out of an ocean, then letting it flow back through your hands to where it came from. (Writing and re-writing that sentence took me nearly as long as the song itself.) Kleerup provides a pulsating beat to keep the song moving, but the strings add an element of class to the whole thing.

Until We Bleed - Kleerup & Lykke Li