March Forth +1

Busy with work, so no huge descriptions this 6 pack.

DOWNLOAD: March the Fives six pack.zip

Mstrkrft - "Heartbreaker (Cynical remix)"
Caribou - "Odessa" (HT: Lindsay emoto)
Goldfrapp - "Rocket (GRUM remix)"
Bon Iver - "Re: Stacks (Tomas Barfod remix)"
Dawn Landes - "Young Girl"
Vampire Weekend - "Giving Up the Gun"

Shout out to Ozer for the wine at Casa del Mar last night.

DJ Magellan Prepares to Set Sail 6 pack

So, thanks in large parts to Señors Lush Bunny & El Niño, I've gone and bought some dj software and a console. It's delightfully fun to fuck around with and I can't wait to get good enough to put together a mix for y'all.

In the meantime, I've been digging around the dance music blogs and sites, especially beatport, in preparation for the provisions I'll need for my mixing adventures. I expect that much like my namesake, my musical choices will be all over the map as we circumnavigate the globe.

So, here's some ass-shakin' music that you may or may not be hearing at a house party near you in the near future.

I'm totally geeked. :)

ps ever notice that illustrations of Magellan don't show his lower half? I think he was a no pants fan himself.

DOWNLOAD: Magellan prepares to set sail.zip

Diplo&Afrojack - "How I Like It (Pon de Floor Remix)"
Sharam ft. KiD CuDi - "She Came Along (Reup Club)"
Fool's Gold - "Nadine (Ruckus Roboticus Remix)"
Prince - "Kiss (Spectors French Kiss Mix)"
Band of Horses - "The Funeral (Buckmaster Remix)"
Above & Beyond Pres. Oceanlab - "On a Good Day (16 Bit Lolitas Downbeat Remix)"
Fort Knox Five - "Why Did You Do It (Stretch Edit)"

February Powerhouse 6-pack

Today's 6-pack theme is "powerhouse collaborations". For example, take the spotted hyena, (Crocuta crocuta) and Sami the soldier (somalius mercenaerius). Each brings something equally powerful and fierce to the table, but instead of seeing who wins in hand-to-paw combat, they decided to join forces and go the tag team route. Who the fuck would step into a steel cage with these two? Nobody, that's who.

Perhaps that explains some of the amazing collaborations in this week's 6 pack. Kick it off with Gorillaz' new one featuring Bobby Womack & Mos Def. A welcome return from Sunday's Coachella headliners. David Byrne & Fatboy Slim aren't content to spend their time with each other, but have to collaborate with some of the best & brightest female singers on their new cd. Here, they trot out Santigold to amazin' effect. Danger Mouse & James Mercer from the Shins form Broken Bells like Voltron. And in honor of our friend Dr. Peter Bloomfield who's in Haiti helping out, we round out with the classic "Fu-gee-La" by Pras, Lauryn Hill & Wyclef's old group The Fugees.

DOWNLOAD: February Powerhouse 6-pack.zip

Tracklisting
Gorillaz f. Bobby Womack & Mos Def. - "Stylo"
David Byrne & Fatboy Slim f. Santigold - "Please Don't"
Toro y Moi - "Human Nature (Michael Jackson cover)"
Broken Bells - "The High Road"
The Airborne Toxic Event - "Sometime Around Midnight"
Fugees - "Fu-gee-la"

First 6 pack 2010

This week's 6 pack comes *strong* to start the new year. Happy house from The Tough Alliance, Jay-Z doin' what Jay-Z does best, Noah & the Whale sounding like early New Order, The Bixby Knolls do a Clash-along, and BlakRoc hits the rock+rap to the opposite of Limp Bizkit.

Top 25 of 2009 to come by the end of the weekend.

Show alert: Yeasayer at the Natural History Museum's first Friday in February. Hit me up if you'd like to go. Tickets are $10.

DOWNLOAD: First 6 pack 2010.zip

Tracklisting:

The Tough Alliance - A New Chance (The Juan Maclean remix)
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Maps (Acoustic/Strings version)
Jay-Z f. Alicia Keys - Empire State of Mind
Noah and the Whale - Blue Skies
Miike Snow - Animal
The Bixby Knolls - Bombs on LA
BlakRoc - Ain't Nothing Like You

When Life Gives You Light Bulbs

When life gives you light bulbs, make phosphorescent poo. I think that's what this (awful) 2009 has taught me. Older and wiser in 2010. Just in time for the apocalypse in 2012. (Carrie, I'm looking forward to our Caribbean armada then.)

Indie magic today in the 6 pack. Dreaminess from Memory Cassette & Washed Out, Italo piano house indie from The Tough Alliance, emo indie from Shout Out Louds, slightly discordant new indie from Spoon and melancholy indie from Noah & the Whale.

DOWNLOAD: When Life Gives You Light Bulbs.zip

Noah & the Whale - "Blue Skies"
Memory Cassette - "Asleep at a Party"
Spoon - "Written in Reverse"
Shout Out Louds - "Walls"
The Tough Alliance - "A New Chance"
Washed Out - "Feel It All Around"

Not SantaCon 6 pack

This week's 6 pack's got POW-er. Sade's new one, White Stripes remixed, hot ass shit from Simian Mobile Disco, Devendra Bernhart, jammy newcomers Man/Miracle & a Death Cab cover.

No Christmas music here. Just songs that have nothing to do with tomorrow's SantaCon in LA. We're skipping out on it to do some very neglected Christmas shopping. Have fun Santa Ted, Santa Bunny and all you other fine cacophonous kings and queens.

DOWNL0AD: SantaCon not SantaCon 6 pack.zip

Sade - 'Soldier of Love'
First new Sade in 10+ years. Still sultry, of course. Military drums, if Timba was a drum major instead of a producer. Semi-timeless.

Simian Mobile Disco f. Beth Ditto of The Gossip - 'Cruel Intentions'
SMD takes Beth's usual fierceness and freezes it into sexy iciness in this house track. Check the insane sex power play video, here.

White Stripes - 'Blue Orchid (LehtMoJoe mix)'
Replace Meg White with a drum machine and Jack White's guitar intermittantly with synths? Sounds much better on your stereo than it sounds on blogpaper.

Devendra Bernhart - 'Rats'
He's a freak. And sorta folky. This one comes off all Jim Morrison before grooving out in the funky end.

Man/Miracle - 'Hot sprawl'
Jammifunness. Impossibly beautiful, bedreaded Boulder girls are already circling their arms in the air to this piece of shouty hot sprawling groove.

Amy Milan - 'I Will Follow You Into the Dark (Death Cab cover)'
Slide guitar-based, softly innocent cover. There's a slight catch in Amy's voice that speaks of youthful regrets, whiskey and late nights. As light as the original was devastating.

Be safe, Santa.

Painter of Fire 6 pack

This week's 6 pack comes in like a house afire with a badass Dirty Projectors cover by Beyoncé's younger sibling, our friend Koo tripping and hopping, indie posessive goodness from Fool's Gold and Gaoler's Daughter, before cooling off with a TI cover you've got to hear.

DOWNLOAD: House of Fire 6 pack.zip

Solange - 'Stillness is the Move(Dirty Projectors cover)'
Independent Woman for the indie girl from around the way? There is something slinky and hip-hop underlying the original. Solange takes its instrumentation and replaces it with the sample from Dre's XXplosive. No idea how this came about, but some A&R earned their money this month. Dope.

Fool's Gold - 'Surprise Hotel'
Imagine Vampire Weekend and Rusted Root had a baby. Sorry about that image, but now make their guitarist a little more badass and get started with cascades of arpeggios and you've got the idea.

Javelin - 'TWYCE'
Groove that goes something like squelchbongobongobouncybouncycowbellhandclapcowbell and ecstatically through and through.

The Artist Known as Koo - 'Baby You Got Me'
I don't know much about this artist, but she's got a great set of pipes and I would love to see her sing live someday. ;)

Gaoler's Daughter - 'Nine Pieces of Silk'
Anyone here hear of the Maccabees? Sorta like them. No? How about the Libertines? Ok. Like them, then. My friend Butter will hate it because they sing in a London accent innit? But you'll dig it.

Anya Marina - 'Whatever You Like (T.I. cover)'
Soft and fragile and lovely and, I think, unironic cover of the TI big hit. Delightful.

Finally, congrats to Jim & Christy on their wedding. We heart you as much as handclaps.

Dock Ellis LSD 6 pack

We were all set to upload a bunch of new tunes for this week's 6 pack of mp3s, but then someone sent us this piece of magnificence. It might be the greatest athletic achievment of all time - pitching a no-hitter while tripping balls on acid.

In honor of the late Dock Ellis, here is this week's LSD themed 6 pack:

DOWNLOAD: Dock Ellis LSD No no.zip


The Beatles - "Yellow Submarine"
George Morel and SPS - "Let's take Drugs (Cedric Gervais remix)" HT: Armando
Glen Phillips - "I want a new drug (Huey Lewis cover)"
Jenny Lewis - "Acid Tongue"
Klaxons - "No Diggity (Blackstreet cover)"
Simian Mobile Disco - "Tits & Acid"
Fatboy Slim - "Going Out of My Head"
Sexy Beast - "No no no no no no no no no no no no no"

Friday the 13th 6 pack

Friday the 13th 6 pack featuring the luck that you make for yourself in life or in love. For example, above we have young Randall and his prom dates. I like to think that Randall here, a dead ringer for Moe from the Simpson's, was born with bad luck in the looks department, but through hard work and a course in The Game, has transformed himself into... a creepy looking guy who the girls can't keep their hands off of.

Get your paws on this week's 6 pack.
DOWNLOAD: Friday the 13th 6 pack.zip

Tracklisting:

Annie - "My love is better"
Breezy and poppy, but Annie's got a nasty edge to her, dissing her rival. The lesson here: Don't fuck with the Swedes.

Sleigh Bells - "Ring Ring" (HT: Maxwell of Little Ears)
This band's going to blow up huh-yuge. Great song. Just a duo, Derek Miller is the beatmaker and provides instrumentals, while Alison Krauss' singing delivery is more rap flow than chanteuse-like. I swear I thought this was a Snoop Dogg cover when I first heard it.

Vampire Weekend - "Everywhere (Fleetwood Mac cover)
On to a couple of Vampire Weekend take the coked out vibe of the original and add in some of their afropop preppiness in its stead.

Alphabeat - "Digital Love (Daft punk cover)"
A stripped down acoustic TigerBeat singalong of an electro stomper? Somehow it realy works.

DuckSauce - "Anyway"
Disco goodness. (Oxymoron? Checking..... Nope.) A new track that comes off as all retro 4/4 funkyness.

The Budos Band - 'King Charles'
Instrumental funk. Sounds like the sample for Mirwais 'Disco Science'. Slinky.

The Drums - "Let's go surfing (The Clean Shaven Grins Out There) Version"
Bonus track. Where the original of this song is like a fey version of the Ramones, this goes all boppy synth stabs and whistling.

Basement Jaxx - My Turn

Sweet video. The song's not quite as Maximalist as the usual jaxx ethos, but continues down a sort of contemplative template.

Still love Basement Jaxx odd animal fetishes.

Movember 6-pack & Roof Goats

It's Movember. Time to get some new mp3s. Half this week is indie-dance goodness. Half is just plain goodness. It's like having goats on your roof.

DOWNLOAD: Movember 6-pack.zip

Tracklisting:

"Think I Need It, Too" - Echo & the Bunnymen
It's the 80s all over again! Lips like suga-suga kisses!

"AnyWay" - Duck Sauce (HT: ?)
You'd swear this was a timeless soul record. You'd be right.

"Havin' My Baby" - Think About Life
We love this song. It jams like "Since I Left You" and a sample Kanye would love.

"Everyone is Guilty" - Akron/Family (HT: Maxwell)
Maximal madness. I want to see these kids live.

"Horchata" - Vampire Weekend
Not quite as amazing as Oxford Comma and Cape Cod Kwaasa Kwaasa, but still proves these youngin's have talent.

"To Kingdom Come (Bodega Girls remix)" - Passion Pit
Danceteria.

Not a Halloween 6 pack

The Friday 6-pack this week has nothing to do with the image above(ed: this is clearly a lie). Nope. That's just our Ben Carter as the Greatest American Hero. (ed: closer to the truth. you can do it.) Stop interrupting. This 6 pack's all over the place with songs by Outkast's Big Boi, a Marvin Gaye brass band cover that'll knock your sexy nurse costume off, xx & two songs by SF band Girls. It all kicks off with a lil Carmina Burana intro.

Alright, fuckit. We included the Greatest American Hero theme song for a little Halloween tie-in. (ed: see, was that so bad?)

Now someone give me an Almond Joy.

DOWNLOAD: Not a Halloween 6 pack.zip

"Orff: Carmina Burana - Part 3, Cour D'Amours: Si Puer Cum Puellula" - Eugene Ormandy: Philadelphia Orchestra
The choral route sets the tone for the weekend

"Crystalized" - the xx (HT: Lindsay emoto)
Male/female duet for your indie goth karaoke night. Dark charming and flirtatious.

"Hellhole Ratrace" - Girls
I love this band. Read up on their fucked-up backstory here. There's loss and hurt and pain in singer Christopher Owens voice, but it's overcome by the sense of wonder in his warble and low-fi production. Where say, Morrisey was wallowing at home wishing he were out among the people who are young and alive, Owens sounds like he's wandering the streets of The Mission, getting fucked up and trying to create his own magic. Admirable.

"Greatest American Theme Song (Believe it or not)" - Joey Scarbury
Captures that moment where either a) you're falling in love, b) you're beginning to explore your bisuperheroity, or c) it's the early 80s and you've just done a shit-ton of blow and want to head down to the Marina and hit on divorcees.

"You and I" - Ingrid Michaelson
Sweet and acoustic. Another duet, but one that leans feminine. (ed: It's okay - you can dress up in drag this weekend. We won't judge you for it.)

"Lust for Love" - Girls
Where Hellhole is all widescreen angst and wonder, this is sun dappled by way of Buddy Holly. "I wish I had a ______, but instead i'm crazy and fucked in the head" in Christoper Owens hands sounds like an adventure I want to go on. Girls, you have a standing invite to stay in our RV at Burning Man 2010.

"Shine Blockas" - Big Boi
Outkast returns in this smooth jam. We hardly miss Mr. 3000. Big Boi doesn't get enough credit for his sonic adventures.

"Sexual Healing (Marvin Gaye cover)" - The Hot 8 Brass Band
I can't wait to learn to DJ, just so I can put this in as a break. Badass and wonderful. Stripped of Marvin's angst and need, it's a joy to listen to in brass band magnificence.

Be safe out there this weekend. Don't do anything I would do. (ed: true dat.)

Girls - "lust for life" video VNSFW edition

I highly recommend this song, but also just as strongly recommend *not* watching this at any place of employment. Unless you're in the porn industry. In which case, how are things going? Know of any good Halloween parties?

Girls are highly recommended. Peep Hellhole Ratrace, too.

Friday 6 pack, Galileo is a punk edition

(model: Armando birthday boy and Brent Durrand. Photo: Brittany Oldham)

This Friday's 6 pack goes out to everyone who's getting a little younger at heart every time the sun passes around the Earth. (What? Galileo what? Fuck 'em, we're Copernicusts here.)

DOWNLOAD: Galileo is a punk.zip

TRACKLISTING:

"Green Eyed Love (Classix Remix)" - Mayer Hawthorne (HT: Maxwell)
Classix does these amazing disco-ish, glitter sparkly remixes. HypeM to find more. I was playing this the other night and our assistant editor asked me if it was gay house music time. I consider that a strong endorsement of this song.

"Let Love Rule (Justice Remix)" - Lenny Kravitz
Do all Justice remixes sound alike? Yes. Does that fact make this any less duh-ope? Nope.

"Island, IS" - Volcano Choir
Justin Bon Iver's side project. A little more syncopated but no less lovely.

"Yalira" - The Very Best
We've been pimping 'The Warm Heart of Africa' to anybody who'll listen. (No, really go listen now.) This is amazing afro-pop goodness. The Very Best is playing at the Echoplex this Saturday night.

"New Moon Rising (YACHT remix)" - Wolfmother
There's a wonderful tension between Wolfmother's inherent FWHAAAAA! and YACHT's poppy disco vibe that is pure cognitive dissonant madness. In the best way possible.

"Down by the Water(The Soundmen Remix)" - The Drums
Opens with a bunch of whales squealing then opens the floodgates to a filthy synth line. Epic and slightly forlorn. I don't know what tv show this soundtracks but I bet it's on Showtime after Californication.

"Ocean Rain (live)" - Echo & the Bunnymen
The Bunnymen bring a full orchestra (Hazelrigg: just strings, really) to the Nokia on Saturday night. This song is beautiful and hushed, amazing in the way that Ian Mac can sing "Screaming from beneath the waves" as the picture of restraint, until two verses and one Will Seargent guitar solo later it's tragic in the most full-throated, widescreen way imaginable. Stunning still after 25 years.

the Return of the Six-pack

(pic by Daniel Jung. model Wiseacre.)

I was going to do a complete write-up along with a story about meeting a Backstreet Boy, but real life got in the way.
I missed you all. Thanks for asking what happened with the 6 packs.

(Btw, Congratulations to Mascha & JD!)

DOWNLOAD: Friday long-time 6 pack.zip

tracklist:

Poker Face (Lady Gaga cover) - The Leftover Cuties
Worried Mind - Megafaun (HT: Guy & Bon Iver)
Know Better Learn Faster - Thao & the Get Down Stay Down
Seven Seas - Echo & the Bunnymen
There's a Party - NASA f. George Clinton&Chali 2na
I Wonder Who We Are - The Clientele
I Want It That Way - Backstreet Boys

Friday, 6-pack Peace Train edition

Now I've been happy lately,
thinking about the good things to come
And I believe it could be,
something good has begun

Oh I've been smiling lately,
dreaming about the world as one
And I believe it could be,
some day it's going to come

Get your bags together,
go bring your good friends too
Cause it's getting nearer,
it soon will be with you

Cause out on the edge of darkness,
there rides a peace train
Oh peace train take this country,
come take me HOME again

DOWNLOAD: Peace Train 6pack.zip

Cat Stevens - Peace Train
(see above) and add in some handclaps.

the rest goes Burning Man dance music:

U.S.E. - It is on!
Daft punk like pop that's completely daft. I didn't paste the lyrics, because they primarily involve 'It', 'is', 'on' and 'party people, c'mon'. Bouncifully fun tho.

The Very Best - Rain Dance (f. MIA)
It's the African polyrhythms bashed up against warm pop that make The Very Best so great. This time they throw in a lil South Asian spice just to see what happens.

The Very Best - The Warm Heart of Africa (Architecture in Helsinki mix)
We posted the AMAZING original of this in the last 6 pack. Go get it. We'll wait for you...... Ok. Welcome back. In this largely instrumental reworking, AiH, take you for more of a house band on a house boat kinda vibe. Breezy.

The Juan Maclean - Happy House
So easy when the bands just name the song after the type of music and feeling the song gives you. This song is Happy, and it's House.

Basement Jaxx - Raindrops (louis laroche remix)
Monseiur El Niño's going to be showing me how to do a little dj mixing this weekend. This might be a part of it.

phoenix - lisztomania *brat pack mashup*

fare thee well, John Hughes.

(Macauley - I know it's been a tough couple of months for you. Text me if you want to talk.)

This Is So Great I Had To Share It With You 6-pack"

Via the ever amazing Sam at Exploding Dog, this illustration is titled "This Is So Great I Had to Share It With You".

These are orange-bursty sunshiney must share tunes for your your August summer days. Apologies to those in the upper coastal regions for their brutal weather lately, but fill up your kids pool and dip your legs in, then turn up the boombox. (They still make those right?)

I can't recommend the "Warm Heart of Africa" highly enough.

DOWNLOAD: This Is So Great I Had to Share It With You 6-pack.zip

Tracks

"It's the Sun (slow version)" - The Polyphonic Spree
It's a bootleg, so sorry about the blown out trumpet, but really try not to smile: "hey now, it's the sun, and it makes me smile, ba-da-da-ba-da, ba-da-da-ba-da".

"Warm Heart of Africa" - The Very Best (Esau Mwamwaya&Radioclit) f. Ezra Koenig from Vampire Weekend
The longest artist title in the history of w(h)hc brings you this slice of afro-pop genius. Hints of Wyclef Jean and 80s Caribbean steel drums abound. No matter what the heat, you and your friends and your friends' hyenas will build up a sweat dancing.

"Seasun" - Delorean
It's just past sunrise. You're in your Delorean and driving towards the ocean. You put this on, hit the afterburners and drive so fast that you reverse time and get to the beach 15 minutes before you left, just in time to see the sunrise again.

"Things Will Never Be the Same Again" - jj
Synthy and afro-poppy. Time to get your feet back in the kiddy pool and laugh from heat exhaustion while you refill with PBR, Rainier & Tecate. (The Most Interesting Man in the World is going to wait til things cool down before coming out, thankyouverymuch).

"Swimming Suit" - Vetiver
Musically, it doesn't quite fit in here - it's a folky, banjo-plucked mid-tempo strummer. This one goes out to Sobier & Hart for buying me the green striped Parisian style swim trunks a few summers ago. Still going strong.

"Nice Day for Ducks" - Lemon Jelly
Because it is one.

"I'm Free" - Soup Dragons
It's summer time. You're free, to do what you want, any old time. Love who you want and hold who you want, just share the summer sensation with someone.

SOUR '日々の音色 (Hibi no neiro)'

No 6-pack on this birthday weekend, but in honor of
37, the new age of goodness, this video is pretty damn cool.

Running of the Bulls 6 pack

Here's a squelchy, skittery stoned-out mix for Pamplona's Running of the Bulls. No 'Bulls on Parade' or even anything en Español. But, if you cross the inebriation of the locos encerrados and the angry confusion of the toros losing their cool then the songs in this 6 pack may be exactly right for your Festival of San Fermin.

DOWNLOAD: Festival of San Fermin 6 pack.zip

Late of the Pier - The Bulls Bears Are Coming
Squelchy electro with a daft melody. This is the last thing you remember from the night before the running of the bulls. Dancing with some Basque women, some Deutsch tourists and drinking with a one-legged man named Paco whensuddenlyyou come to your senses. On the street. Excuse me, avenida. WTF? Why are you wearing all white with a red sash? Hey, so are the 500 other inebriated caballeros occupying the same 10 meters of roadway. What, exactly, is causing that rumbling sound that is approaching? AAIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

The Dirty Projectors - Stillness Is a Move
Imagine the discordant synths as the bulls skittering on the pavement as they round the corner. The alt-Beyoncé vocals? No idea what those represent but goodness.

Modest Mouse - Satellite Skin
Isaac Brock is the sex child of a Pamplona'n wearing white & a red sash and a steer. Biologically impossible, but true.

The Notorious B.I.G. - Juicy
"I let my tape rock til my tape pop". Themebuster - no good reason for this song here.

Das Racist & Wallpaper - Combination Pizza Hut & Taco Bell (Wallpaper remix) (Ht: Ben Fong-Torres)
Proof that pure idiocy is just as addictive as any other drug. It's late. You're drunk on sangria and some hash a local smoked with you post-bull run. Now you're trying to find your American buddies, but where?

Feist/Boys Noize - My Moon My Man (Boys Noize remix) HT: Armando & Kiduck
Speaking of idiocy, Electric Daisy Carnival was madness. This was nearly Boys Noize close to their set. Almost an evil electro/techno sub-squelch: "MaMooMaMow. MaMooMaMow." Just exactly like Leslie Feist imagined it.