Good Field sounds timeless, as though they could have existed during the wonder years. They’re organic… analog – not perfect instrumentalists like the digital crowd. Listening to their self-titled debut album, you’ll hear the acoustic curlicue whimsy of Grizzly Bear and the foot stomping field funk of The Band. Your ears are sure to reap a good yield.
How to dance to Daft Punk…
Funky tune for fans of LCD Soundsystem…
Now that we’re a third of the way through the decade, I thought it might be a good time to reflect on the recent past and look back at the ten best albums of the ’10s so far.
AM & Shawn Lee, Celestial Electric (2011)
A cornucopia of laid-back, psychedelic-tinged, ’60s and ’70s-inspired hippie funk, soft pop, and electro soul.
Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti, Before Today (2010)
An eclectic lo-fi mix tape, sounds like a cassette that’s been dubbed over a few times and left in a glove box for a couple of years.
Bonobo, Black Sands (2010)
Laid-back London groove maestro Simon Green (alias Bonobo) lays down some masterfully mellow monkey magic.
Fleet Foxes, Helplessness Blues (2011)
A baroque folk-pop sound that hints at a number of influences, but is too unique, too esoteric, too damn weird to warrant any direct links between the Seattle boys and their predecessors.
Foxygen, We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic (2013)
Picking apart the blatant, intentional references to different classic songs that cycle verse-to-verse throughout the album is a fun game for record collector types; no oldies are safe.
Grizzly Bear, Shields (2012)
Powerful drums and acoustic guitars that sound more like they’re being scrubbed than strummed tumble into bubbling synths, which then give way to rhythms that conjure leaves twirling in the breeze.
Other Lives, Tamer Animals (2011)
Like the indie rock equivalent of Sergio Leone’s spaghetti Western films, it mixes dusty, dramatic songwriting with orchestral arrangements.
Real Estate, Days (2011)
Jangly guitars, sighing melodies, and complex harmonies… like going to the beach alone and watching the sad sun glisten on the water.
Washed Out, Within and Without (2011)
This is make out music with a lush, snowy warmth. Sounds great on headphones and even better coming out of speakers in the background of a late-night rendezvous.
Wild Nothing, Nocturne (2012)
’80s new wave pop for the ’10s, its richly textured layers bathe the listener in an autumnal haze.
For fans of synthy soulful dance grooves that sound like they were made in 1970s France, give this new album a listen. Officially drops on May 7.
Stream individual tracks here.
Propulsive folk rhythms underscore breezy harmonies on Fossil Collective’s recently released debut album, Tell Where I Lie. This is music reminiscent of the good earth and crows’ feathers, campfires and wild foxes darting through bramble beneath the moon.
Aging hipster Swanson is inured to his life of privilege in New York, where he will inherit his father’s wealth. Instead of doing anything meaningful with his time, Swanson engages in meaningless games of casual cruelty with his equally numb friends.
Despite the title, this is not really a funny movie. While there are some humorous scenes, the tone is actually pretty melancholy. Deep down, it’s about the inherent emptiness that accompanies a life lived bathed in irony. Most people will probably not enjoy this film, but for those who can relate to its too-cool-for-school ethos, it provides a valuable depiction of what it means not to take the world seriously.
Edit: Just a heads up – the opening scene involves sweaty men with beer guts wrestling in their underwear. It’s pretty disturbing.
12-String Trip Hop