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.