Danger Mouse has inevitably been a part of what seems like every other musical project over the past few years. Recently (but not too recent, this project was five years in the making) he paired up with Italian composer Daniele Luppi to create Rome. Needless to say I love it. One of my favorite tracks is Black which features Norah Jones showing off the darker side of her vocal abilities.
Swedish indie singer Lykke Li (one more reason for us to wish that we were Swedish, the list grows) released her first album in 2008 titled Youth Novels. You may recognize her song “Little Bit” which was sampled and remixed a ton over the last year or so. Her sophomore album, Wounded Rhymes, was released a few months ago and it’s a great step for her as an artist. On Youth Novels Lykke Li’s vocals are fragile, even innocent, but with Wounded Rhymes she really shows what she can do as a vocalist. Track two, “I Follow Rivers”, has more depth and substance than a lot of her other work and while listening it gives you chills. There are a few tracks we don’t care for on the album that just can’t stand up next to the fan favorites like “Get Some” and “I Know Places” but it’s the favorites that make the album worth the time. To us, Wounded Rhymes seems like it’s an intermediate step between Youth Novels and whatever album is to come which is pretty exciting.
Check out “Little Bit” and “I Follow Rivers” here:
NPR has offered the public a first listen to YACHT’s new album Shangri-La that’s due out later this month. If you’ve listened to YACHT before you’re probably more familiar with tracks like Psychic City or The Afterlifebut their new album offers a good handful of songs that are filled with lyrics that leave you thinking in metaphysical terms. The album as a whole is less trance inducing and is filled with upbeat hooks that are irresistible to move along to. That, paired with more delicate vocals, makes the listening experience a little more whimsical, much like the nature of the album which revolves around utopia and dystopia.
You can listen to the title track here:
OR, if you’re feeling musically brave, you can dive in and listen to the whole album here:
