Tuesday Tunes--December 8, 2015
Shaun Cordingley
This week, with an eye toward how hectic and crazy this season can get, I've stuck with some mellow, and some uplifting retro-fusion this week in an attempt to keep you from going too crazy. Plus, as a special early present from me to you, I've included a sixth Tuesday Tune, just because I thought you could use it.
And because I love you like that.
The Guys From do not hold the rights to any of these songs, it is more our hope to expose our readers to new and different music, or re-expose them to things they may have forgotten about.
At the top of each section, will be the song name, followed by the artists' name linked to their website, so you can fall down the rabbit hole, finding and supporting what you dig.
Que Sera & B-Boy on Wax ftr. Mattic (Phonovisions Symphonic Versions) - Wax Tailor
I hope against hope that I am not your first introduction to French Trip-Hop/Downtempo Hip Hop Producer and DJ Jean-Christophe Le Saoût (better known as Wax Tailor) and his ridiculously awesome music. I'm going to give you two separate tracks here from his late 2014 album Phonovisions Symphonic Orchestra, which was taken from concerts Wax Tailor did featuring artists and songs from throughput his career (that started in 2004 with Que Sera/Where's My Heart At) and a symphonic orchestra.
Wax Tailor often takes lines and quotes from classic films, newsreels, etc, and blends them into his music, and the added dimension of an orchestra to what he does is downright fantastic. Essentially they best thing to do is just jump in with 'Que Sera' first, to get a sense of what a lot of what Wax Tailor's more downtempo, trip-hop is like, and then follow that up with 'B-Boy on Wax' to get a hip-hop boost. With a great flutist and horn section...
Rest assured, you can never go wrong with Wax Tailor, and if I am introducing you to his work, then I am jealous of all of the great stuff you are about to wander into.
Bonnie And Clyde - WILD
With an eye toward upcoming Holiday travel, I could not think of a better song that 'Bonnie And Clyde' from Los Angeles Indie trio WILD. There is just something about this song that immediately made me think about driving through a snowy landscape (notorious in Los Angeles, I know), heading to visit family and/or relax. There is a warm acoustic, pop-folk feeling as the guitar ripples across a variety of harmonies, and a simple, clap-along rhythm to make for an inviting package of a song.
If you are prepping a song list for your Holidays, especially if you have any traveling to do (the romantic in me wants to say travel by train, but I'll be realistic), I cannot recommend 'Bonnie And Clyde' by WILD enough. Plus, their self-titled debut album released this year, and if you dig this song, you will like the rest of the album, as it is well worth a listen.
Born Again Teen - Lucius
Lucius, an indie pop/rock band hailing from Brooklyn are about to release a new album (Good Grief) in March, 2016, following up their 2013 debut Wildewoman. For those of you unfamiliar with Lucius, the band is an indie-rock group who are fronted by a pair of lead vocalists (Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig), who use their fantastic harmonies to infuse a 1960s aesthetic into an indie dance rock that sounds both new, and comfortably familiar at the same time.
'Born Again Teen' is a great jumping in point for new fans: catchy, danceable, and a great introduction into the vibe of the band. You will be singing along with Wolfe and Laessig by the end of the song (or at least the fourth or so time you have repeated it).
The thing with Lucius is, they are also incredibly diverse in their sound; if you are interested, I also recommend heading back to Wildewoman and getting a real sense of just how different Lucius can be song to song, and how talented they are (particularly the first four tracks on the album give you an impressive range, with the title track being a personal favourite).
Suicide - Midnight To Monaco
Sticking with infusing past genres into new, dance flavoured indie, is Midnight To Monaco's debut single 'Suicide' which was released this summer. Taking hints of 50s du-wop and blending it into an indie dance track, 'Suicide' is another one of those songs that feels familiar, but is really presenting you something new throughout it's vocal loops. Drawing heavily from electronic music, but also du-wop and even a little Beach Boys, Midnight To Monaco is one of those sounds that you could be hearing a lot of in future.
What is interesting is that the duo, made up of Canadian singer Ricki Ducati and multi-platinum songwriter and producer Donnie Sloan (Empire of the Sun, amongst others), released an acapella version on their Facebook page, encouraging artists to produce remixes, to very interesting results.
Long time listeners of our {PODCAST} may remember Bleachers' 'I Wanna Get Better' being my song of the year (and I still stand by that, as it is still one of my most listened to tracks). Well, back at the end of September, Bleachers released Terrible Thrill Vol. 2, as a re-imagining of their 2014 album Strange Desires (my runner up for album of the year), featuring all female guest vocalists on each track.
This means that we essentially get the best cover/remix album possible as proven here with Bleachers + Tinashe (in her second appearance on Tuesday Tunes in less than a month) new version of 'I Wanna Get Better'. This is an excellent version of the song, and the most remarkable part is the dramatic change to the chorus, that really makes it feel like Tinashe's song.
If you are interested, Terrible Thrill Vol. 2 was released free on Google Play (and is also available on say, Apple Music, etc.)--it is an absolute must for Bleachers fans, and just a darn good album for everyone else too.
Once again, here is the November Tuesday Tunes Apple Music Playlist, with all the tunes from the month built together into a set list (as if I was spinning them for you somewhere, just without being able to talk your through hard transitions).
The October Apple Music Playlist is still available of course as well, in case you have not caught that one yet (or just need more theguysfrom.com in your life).
Support what you dig! It's soooo much cheaper than anything else out there. You cannot even buy a candy cane for what one of the songs listed here would cost you....especially with Bleachers' free album.
See you again next Tuesday with 5 more tracks.