It Pays to Have Music Lovers as Friends

Thomas Cornell and I became friends at the beginning of the fall semester in our history class. At some point, I chose to tell him about this blog, and since then he has become one of my most faithful readers. Our conversations about music exist on this blog and in our classroom, and sharing our passion has made our friendship very fulfilling.

Thomas is such a good friend that he decided to make a set of CD's for me of music that he thinks I need to listen to, which is incredibly appropriate considering the theme of my blog. I thought it would be a sin not to blog about some of the artists Thomas blessed me with.

After listening through almost half of the hundreds of songs Thomas gave me, I have created a list of artists, in no particular order, that everyone should check out.

1. Who: Leslie Hunt

Sounds Like: Fiona Apple, Liz Phair

Why Listen: Hunt's powerhouse voice and personal lyrics should not be ignored.

2. Who: The Bird and The Bee

Sounds Like: Cute Daft Punk, Lily Allen

Why Listen: The Bird and The Bee's tracks are full of life and fun. Their techno remixes of Hal and Oates classics are fantastic, and their originals are even better.

3. Who: Elizabeth and the Catapult

Sounds Like: Sara Bareilles, Regina Spektor, Lisa Loeb

Why Listen: Elizabeth has a beautiful tone to her voice that is wonderfully relaxing and the instrumentations in her songs fit her lyrics perfectly.

4. Who: Eisley

Sounds Like: Sara Bareilles, Florence and the Machine

Why Listen: Eisley's tunes are catchy and her voice is irresistibly sweet.

5. Who: Paloma Faith

Sounds Like: Amy Winehouse, Duffy

Why Listen: Faith's tracks span a broad array of styles. Her music is sassy, fun and fresh.

What do you think of these artists? Who do you like and dislike? Let me know by leaving some comments. Let's have a conversation!

A big thanks to Thomas for making this post possible!

Thank you for reading. Shuffle on.

Photo Credit: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150355791135157&set=a.10150355790700157.583505.892080156

Hot Chip Makes Hot Hits

Diversified sound has never been showcased better than in the music of the UK's Hot Chip. Their electronica jams feature differing musical styles yet they are all cohesive. Hot Chip is obviously not afraid to experiment with their sound, and that boldness filters into their phenomenal music.

"Ready For the Floor" is a techno-heavy song with pristine, delicate vocals. It has a very Klaxon/La Roux feel to it and makes for an ideal dance hall hit. Looped vocals give it a hypnotic vibe and the pulsing rhythm makes it easy to groove to. Listen to this song if you feel like dancing.

"Made in the Dark" is a slow, melancholy piano ballad with soft vocals. It almost sounds like a Don Henley tune. I was surprised at how different it was from "Ready For the Floor" because I was expecting another upbeat techno song, but instead I was met with a beautiful, simple ballad. This song is a lullaby.

"Shake a Fist" sounds like a mash-up of old school video game sound effects that evolve into a mysterious, tribal percussive sounds. This song reminds me of a lot of MGMT, which is definitely a good thing. It is very anthem-like and space-y. There is a breakdown halfway through the song that involves some listening instructions from one of the band members and an outbreak of techno chaos that excites the ear. This is my favorite Hot Chip song by far.

I recommend Hot Chip to fans of experimental and techno music. They vary their sound from song to song, but in the end it all turns out to be electronica gold. Here's a video of them performing an addicting groove called "Over and Over." What do you think of them?

Thank you for reading. Shuffle on.

Photo Credit: http://www.purevolume.com/hotchip/photos/2239832