Raging Contagion
Music so good it will make you sick!
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The N.A.H.P.I. – Do They Know It’s Halloween
October 31, 2012
Sounds similar to: All the bands listed below
This song, made in 2005, is a direct parody of the unforgettable Band-Aid song “Do They Know It’s Christmas Time At All?” The actual name of the collective is The North American Hallowe’en Prevention Initiative (yes, that apostrophe is intentional). Wikipedia says that “According to the official press release, the song ‘stems from a frustration with other benefit songs’ misguided, somewhat patronizing attitude, and Western-centric worldview.” Yowza, yet kinda funny. They did donate all the proceeds to charity, so even though it’s a tongue-in-cheek venture, it does have great intentions.
On to the best part. Going through the list of the bands and artists involved in this is like reading straight from a stage set at Coachella (from 2005): Arcade Fire, Beck, Buck 65, David Cross, Dessert, Devendra Banhart, Dntl, Elvira, Feist, Gino Washington, Les Savy Fav, Islands, Malcolm McLaren, Nardwuar the Human Serviette, Peaches, Postal Service, R.E.M., Rilo Kiley, Greg Kursten, Roky Erickson, Sloan, Smoosh, Sonic Youth, Sparks, Subtitle, Sum 41, Tagaq, That Dog, We Are Molecules, Wolf Parade, and The Yeah Yeah Yeahs. There’s no way I can add more hype to this post after that list, it still boggles my mind with the sheer enormity of awesomeness.
Without further ado, Happy Halloween!!!
Hot Chip – I Feel Better
October 29, 2012
Sounds similar to: Twin Shadow, LCD Soundsystem, Yeasayer
Happy almost-Halloween!
I’ve scoured music videos for this week and found several great creepy, odd, freaky, and down-right disturbing videos which will help to get your Halloween festivities off to a great start. Our JJAMZ offering was a mere appetizer to what we have in store for you!
Hot Chip is a huge name in the electropop indie circuit. I cannot begin to count the number of their epic remixes of other songs alone. In addition to their Dj-ventures though, they also offer songs where they have both a high and low-pitched male vocal duo. That combination alone sets them apart and gives both a warm and ethereal feel to the songs. Add that to the “blip-blop” electronics and you’ve got yourself some epic dance tunes.
Now we’ve all been in love with at least one boy band in our lives. So what do you think would happen if you blended a boy band, a dance-off, alien invasion and good ol’ British humor together? You’d get this video! It seems to be a generic boy band music video filled with male-peacocks and dancing, but that’s where you’re wrong. A special guest arrives and shows those boy banders up. Now, when the chorus does come around, if you’re anything like me, a look of revulsion will slowly shape your face into a big “WHAT THE H???”, trust in me though, it gets better ;-)
I hope you get your dance on with this. What are you dressing up as for Halloween?
Boy & Bear – Mexican Mavis (Snapdragons Remix) (free download)
October 25, 2012
Sounds similar to: Powderfinger, Ewert & The Two Dragons, Little Birdy
Hi there, Dr. Whuzzerface here.
Remixes, those wonderful, and sometimes fatally awful, re-imaginings of another song. This particular re-creation takes a song that is acoustically soft, slow, gentle, picks it up out of it’s Mumford-ish doldrums, folds it in on itself, and chucks it into the stylings of yesteryear. This is dubbed by Snapdragons as a Retro Remix but also it begins to sound akin to a few La Roux keyboard riffs and bass lines.
You’ll have a real TREAT from this TRICK of remixing! The treat being that if you follow the player above, you can download this for FREE!!!
For a song so fun, it’s hard to believe there are only 36 “Likes” on their Facebook page, but I suppose they’re just starting out. Makes me excited to see what more they have in store!
Snapdragons – Facebook Official Page
St. Lucia – All Eyes On You
October 23, 2012
— 2 Comments
Sounds similar to: Foxes, Strange Talk, Ben Browning, Empire of The Sun
Hi there, Dr. Whuzzerface reporting in,
Much like the paradise it borrowed it’s name from, St. Lucia is relaxing and comes at you in warm, gentle, lapping waves of musical goodness. St. Lucia himself is a world traveler. He started out in South Africa and wound up in Brooklyn via London. This vagabond-ish past could be a good explanation for his honed sound that resonates like a modern take of all the best elements of 80’s music, complete with a saxophone solo in the bridge (remember what i’ve said in posts past? Saxophone is making a comeback, trust me!)
This song is actually very sweet and heartfelt. “I will never take back, The words that I said then, I always knew I’d come back to you….Even in the meantime, I will always stand by, A mirror on the shelf” ending with “I will always have all eyes on you.” What girl does NOT want their man-loves eyes locked on them all the time!! Now, these may be empty words and promises really, but I find this song has captivated my heart and you can bet that I had it (like many other music gems) on repeat for a solid week.
I hope you enjoy this brief phonic getaway!
Yeasayer – O.N.E.
October 19, 2012
— 2 Comments
Sounds similar to: Miike Snow, Passion Pit, Santigold
Hi there, Dr. Whuzzerface here.
This music video is captivating, visually and sonically. It’s almost as if there’s a huge backstory to this that we’ll never fully understand but the story they put in front of you depicts a futuristic entertainment-filled warehouse club venue. The main character, who’s exact species is unknown to me, enters the establishment and enters into an enthralling board game with another opponent. I’d love to learn out to play the game, I’m sure it was made up just for the video. Other things I love about this video: the colors, the clothing and dance moves of the trio of dancers (and the fact that the first time you see them, they’re hooded and look like the gay cousins of the Nazgûl, a.k.a. ring wraiths from LOTR), the glowing jewel synthesizer that the band plays, I love the funky fish tank glitter swimming person-thing and most especially, I LOVE THIS SONG!
The lyrics of this song portray someone who’s been fooled/played by the same person for too long, and now they have no pull on the heartstrings of their victim. I applaud people like this! The bridge of the song even eludes to the process of realization from feeling sedated or tranquilized to finally waking up with the recognition of the persons true toxic character. Additionally, it’s a fuuuuun song to dance to so I hope you enjoy it on this gorgeous Friday. Yeasayer came out with a new album in August that is quite clever, make sure to check out “Fragrant World”. Cheers!
Noisia – Alpha Centauri (Excision & Datsik Remix)
October 16, 2012
Sounds similar to: Rusko, Bassnectar, Diplo
When someone tells you something like “Oh dubstep? Yeah, I looooove dubstep. That Skrillex is awesome.” Ask them these two things “Oh yeah, I thought ‘Slats, slats, slats’ was better than ‘Scary Monsters’. What’d you think?” and then follow up with “So what other dubstep artists do you like?” Chances are, they don’t know anything about dubstep, really, and if they cannot think of anyone besides Skrillex that does dubstep, they’re just another of many bandwagoners who truly have no concept of the movement. However, we can forgive their ignorance and show them how truly EPIC good dub is. Case in point:
Datsik. Considered to be one of the original DJ’s to get down and dubby, Datsik’s compilations and mixes always seem to make my head ‘esplode with his Picasso-ish reworks of songs. Excision is also coming along nicely these days, he’s been lucky lately to keep teaming up with the right mix of artists to create unique songs that show great potential. A tidbit about the original artist here: the name NOISIA comes from a VHS tape that was turned upside down that read “VISION” (do you see it? NOISIA:VISION). Without further ado, I turn you over to the dubstep fiends, who will help you lose your mind in the electronic dub-wonderland!
Noisia – Alpha Centauri Remix – Amazon.comMP3’s
JJAMZ – Heartbeat
October 11, 2012
— 1 Comment
Sounds similar to: The Strokes, Phantom Planet, Rilo Kiley
Hi there, Dr. Whuzzerface here,
It’s homecoming season all across the states. And what goes great with High School dances? Bad thriller movies! This song you’re about to hear is made possible in part by the breaking up of several bands, allowing the real creative geniuses of those groups to come together to form a music mastermind collective. JJAMZ (the first letter of ever members name, unimaginative but it actually works out alright) is an amalgamation of members from The Like, Phantom Planet, Maroon 5, and Rilo Kiley/Bright Eyes (same guy, two bands). Seriously, just rereading that list for the 4th time, I’m so stoked for you to hear all of the best of the best from those group make sounds that are better than what they’ve done before.
Z’s voice is lovely and breathy but not unintelligible and overdone. I’ve seen recordings of her singing live and this girl can certainly hold her own. Warning: The creeper/stalker guy in the video is SCARY and can and probably will induce nightmares!! The song however, can and will make you want to listen to it again. It’s the reluctant confession to someone that make her heart beat rapidly, and then asking him to “please don’t stand so close to me”. Maybe he’s no good for her, or vice versa, but that’s kind of a messed up statement to make. Sure does make for a good song though!
Enjoy!! And please remember to stay in well-lit areas, and carry change and your address book in case you need to use a payphone to call a friend. Stay Safe!
Friendly Fires – Skeleton Boy
October 5, 2012
— 1 Comment
Similar to: Passion Pit, Miike Snow, Cut Copy, Strange Talk
Last week, Dr. Cheerlubber presented a lovely song by Strange Talk called “Eskimo Boy”, which is why I thought a good response to that was to bring about the even peppy, catchier, and entrancingly fun “Skeleton Boy” (that and also Halloween is RIGHT around the corner!). Friendly Fires, direct from the UK, love to make danceable songs. In this video, you’ll seem them jam out while their skeletons start to fill in. I think it’s rather a simple and yet creative play on the song title. Favorite part of the video: 1:43, the singer has the most hip dance moves I’ve ever seen on a white guy.
With that, hope this tune gets you moving and beware of dancing skeletons, they’re not always as cute as these blokes. Enjoy!!
Calvin Harris – Certified
September 25, 2012
Similar to: Kaskade, Deadmau5, War
Let me take you back to a time when I actually had a lot of friends and knew of at least 3 things going on every night. During those glorious days of yesteryear, we would regularly take my friends ’66 Roadrunner convertible to Mill Ave. and go cruisin’ blasting whatever song was in the Top 40 because yes, we were just THAT COOL. C’mon, I know you’ve been there too. Some songs are just so ghetto-groove-tastic that head bobbing in the car to the beat is as vital as breathing.
Breathe easily my Ragers, “Certified” by Calvin Harris is certifiably one of those treasured songs. Is it certified because the initial vibes at the beginning keep rotating from left to right until you feel as if you’re enveloped by them? No. Is it due to the fact that at the 1:50 mark, a sick electric-bubble-buzz sound develops that goes straight to your head and takes over your brain? Maybe. Is it the result of a sick bass, which is almost a slap bass acoustic timbre, vibrates through your being until your spine turns into Jell-O? Possibly. For moi, it’s all of these and more reasons as to why I firmly believe that “Certified” MUST become your new beat-bumpin’ tune. Cheerlubber herself attested to me yesterday that she may be developing an unhealthy addiction to it, we’ll see if we can get her some help with that.
With the coming of fall, this song is requisite for any and all road trips, especially with the windows rolled all the way down!! Peace out foo.
Calvin Harris “Certified” – Amazon MP3
Groove Armada – History (Feat. Will Young)
September 21, 2012
Similar to: Daft Punk, Chemical Brothers, Röyksopp
Hi there, Dr. Whuzzerface here,
How do you like the player being right at the top?? Caught you off guard with this one eh? I bet you thought the video was going to be a serious Brit-Punk Dance-off, right? I love that the electronic DJ duo Groove Armada, who has been around since 1997, has enough humor to make this their semi-official music video. It speaks volumes of their character and makes me like their music even more. Doesn’t this make you want to have a street dance battle too!
For their album “Black Light”, Groove Armada supplied their already incredible beats and collaborated with several other artists to create an epic dance collection (my favorite being “Paper Romance” but that will be featured another time). The live drum bits in here and the distorted gritty synth make this song highly addictive even though it’s actually rather simply structured.
Well, I hope you enjoy it and dance to your hearts content!
Groove Armada “Black Light” Album – Amazon MP3
Raging Contagion 