Chase the Tear

Portishead - Chase the Tear

Portishead recorded this track for Amnesty International. It may sound repetitive at first, which with the help of the video, I've realized is the sound of moving or driving. It's a simple rhythm that is fun to watch performed in what looks like a moving truck. Buy it here, see it after the jump.

A Prostitute From Marseille

My Night with the Prostitute from Marseille
Not really weekend playlist material, but this is a gem from Beirut's year-old release. It's FREE for download at Amazon. This is the most like Hot Chip that I've ever heard Beirut before. A drawn out vocal hook, rolling on top of a synth loop and a drum groove that appears in the chorus. Sweet.

A Boy From School
If Grizzly Bear covered your favorite Hot Chip song, complete with vocal harmonies and acoustic guitar crescendos it would sound like this. Without the backbeat it's not a dance song anymore; it's now a kind of sad, raw song about lost love.

Charlotte Gainsbourg with Dinosaur Feathers at The Bell House 1/20

Weekend Mix Tape: Digital Love

Welcome to the weekend everyone. Click the bar on the bottom to play this carefully composed tape featuring the best new Hot Chip track from One Life Stand (so far). 

Heaven Can Wait (Nosaj Thing Remix)

Charlotte Gainsbourg - Heaven Can Wait (Nosaj Thing Remix)

Charlotte Gainsbourg - IRM

Finally something to look forward to. "Heaven Can Wait" is the first single from the January 26 release, IRM. The original version was ok for me, but the Nosaj Thing remix made me love it. The lazy vocal sounds great on top of the repetitive electronic riff. She's playing 1/23 at Hiro, not sure what kind of show she does.

UPDATE: After the jump is the accompanying awesome video. I can't decide what my favorite image is yet. Maybe the man running from the spinning axe?

Mr. Grieves

The Pixies - Mr. Grieves - Hey

In this lull of the new year I've been undusting albums that are too good to have become dusty. There may or may not be a post about the songs of the year, but there will be a post about the Pixies. It's not easy to hear Doolittle without thinking about how influential it was twenty years ago. The prominently featured bass guitar and raw guitars made them the band that even Kurt Cobain acknowledged as one of his biggest influences. Kind of embarrassing for my generation to think that our introduction to this band came from the credits of Fight Club.

Happy 2010!

Class Actress - Journal of Ardency

Can't wait for the soon-to-be-released EP from Elizabeth Harper (aka Class Actress) on Grizzly Bear's Terrible Records label. She's also playing February 17 at Brooklyn Bowl.