I woke up the other day singing this Whitney song. No idea where it came from but it stuck with me the whole day. Then found this Evan Dando cover which I knew I’d love.

stop stop stop makin me live like this

this song man… damn.

Because You Can’t You Won’t And You Don’t Stop
MCA Come And Rock The Sure Shot

#restInBeats

I saw some show on Hulu where it showed the making of this song. It was kind of a train wreck watching Pretty Lights work with these old school country guys. They just didn’t get it and wouldn’t change their ways or adapt. Just kinda stuck in their ways. Pulling in LeAnn Rimes to redo the vocals was kinda genius and the song turned out pretty amazing in the end.

This song has been gettin me through lately.

When you reach the bottom line
The only thing to do is climb
Pick yourself up off the floor
Don’t know what you’re waiting for

I love when the right song just happens to come along at just the right time.

just gotta keep focusing on the good side no matter how small it may seem.

I always did hate St. Patrick’s day.

Baby hold onto me. Whatever will be will be. The future is our to see, when you hold on to me.

So baby hold on.

It’s amazing how much more I can get done in a few hours in the middle of the night versus during the day.

Lana has been getting a lot of press lately. Good & bad. People seem to either love or hate her. Or don’t know her at all. I didn’t think I knew any of her songs but apparently I do. Been listening to this cover for a while now and didn’t realize it was her song. So I just listened to her original and well… ya this cover is way better.

Saw Willie Nelson last night and it was a pretty amazing show. The guy loves what he does and everyone loves Willie. He makes some of the sweetest music out there. So mashing him up with other songs is prob gonna piss a lot of people off. But I just love this and had to bring it back into rotation.

This song has always been one of my fav rainy day songs. And since it’s been raining all week and it is Pi day, it’s kinda perfect for today.

I’m not good without my baby either Bruce. 5 more days to go.

I’m tired of waiting.

It’s really kinda awesome that a good friend’s nickname comes from a minor character in an unfamous but awesome 80′s movie. And we still call him Wendell to this day.

Just needed to reup on some friends, family and sunshine.

Let it shine.

Been in a funk lately. Kinda lost and unmotivated. Need something to guide my way.

Ok ya. The Rich Kids are def someone I’m gonna have to get to know.

Drive was a pretty fantastic movie. It’s soundtrack was amazing too. All the synthesizers kinda set the perfect mood for the movie. But no hip hop music in a movie about bank robberies and driving in LA???

The Hood Internet remedy that situation by mashing up Kavinsky with Wale. It wouldn’t really work for the movie, but it sure works for me.

Don’t really know anything about these guys. (I always kinda tried to avoid the rich kids.) But if the rest of their music is as fun/laid back as this, we may have to become friends. I want them at my next party.

This is one of the songs that lead to me diving head first into old school soul/r&b earlier this month. I was randomly reading some mp3 blog about J.Dilla and how he’d hunt for records non stop. I mean *all* the time. He’d look all over for a sound he had in his head or something new. All to find one small 1 or 2 second clip in a record which he’d sample and add beats to. And that would then turn into the foundation of a new hip hop track.

Ya I started reading about all that and was completely enthralled by his process and then started listening to a bunch of his work. (Work that I never truly appreciated before). And then started reading about other producers like Dre, Pete Rock, Prince Paul, RZA. And then just started looking for all the tracks they used too. And ended up finding so much goodness.

I love following a vein a music like this and finding a whole new treasure.

I could be dead wrong, but do yourself a favor and grab Wait What’s awesome mashup album Notorious XX.

Good things come to those who wait.

A fun dancey remix is sure to turn any clown’s frown upside down.

Sounds like rehab was pretty good for this mashup. I was already a big fan of The Elgins’ soulful classic, but mashing it up with Amy Winehouse’s Rebhab gives this ballad some new life.

That feeling of finding a new song that just stops you in your tracks. The voice, music, or lyrics just grab all your attention because it’s so wonderful or just reminds you of something/one.

Or hearing a song you haven’t heard in ages and all the memories come flooding back in.

Or a song about how all that feels. Music is just amazing isn’t it?

I like Drake but I’m not a huge Drake fan. But I do love when he’s remixed with a song I already love. Like this Wait What mashup of a mashup is pretty much amazing.

This is a damn fine New Order cover. The music is spot on with their own feel to it. The singing sounds odd cause it’s not Barney’s voice, but you get used to it quick and actually sounds pretty great.

I didn’t have internet for like 5 days. The first thing I did once I got it back was buy SBTRKT tickets. The album has been my late night sound track for a while, so I’m pretty siked to see the live. Esp since hearing this live track. I thought it would be more djs with singers but sounds like they’re using an actual band. Should be amazing.

The last time I saw him was a few months before the accident.
I went there specifically to talk to him. To confront him.
Still so angry after all these years. So many questions.
I wanted to scream at him. To yell.
But when I saw him, I just couldn’t.

He looked so old. Older than I thought possible.
But his eyes were still cold. Distant.
Further away than ever before.
He was sad. Broken. Alone.

The years weighed in on me then too.
I felt sorry for him. And my anger
It just withered away.
Replaced with remorse, regret, and guilt.
They were always there but now…

But I couldn’t tell him any of that.
And he wouldn’t tell me anything of course.
So we sat there. In silence. Like always.

And now forever.

This was the first song to come on today. Amazing.

stop fucking with my lady. you know who you are.

Just heard this song for the first time while watching the Collector’s Edition of Almost Famous the other night. (The original is one of my favs but the Collector’s version is 10x more amazing) It hasn’t really left my brain since.

Was all over the Caribbean for the last week or so. Lots of amazing people & food. But surprisingly, I didn’t hear a lot of reggae. There was some, but not really as much as I expected.

But I did hear this song not once, but twice in Key West. I love love love Damian Marley’s “Welcome to Jamrock” and was shocked to find out it heavily sampled Ini Kamoze. The rest of his album is pretty great too.

My vacation was pretty damn amazing. And it was very much needed. But near the end, I just couldn’t wait to come home.

Been listening to Amy Winehouse a lot lately. I think I’m gonna have to do an her painting soon.

This song more than any other I think, changed music for me completely. It opened up a whole new branch of music I never knew existed back then. I was completely blown away the first time I heard it. The lyrics were great, catchy and dug into my angsty, sad, teenage heart. And the music was even better. So hearing this early demo version is just like heaven.

The original was already so damn catchy, but this remix tops that. The Dream’s chorus/hook is replaced by Mayer Hawthorne’s version which goes along fantastically with the rest of the remix’s old school soulful style. Not very gangsta but damn I love this.

Childish Gambino seems to be all over the place lately. I’m not a huge fan yet but this mashup with Chiddy Bang’s “Mind Your Manners” instrumental is a pretty great way to get me listening.

Oh man. The new Black Keys is pretty fantastic. This is the first song I listened to off the album and I think it’s my fav. Love the fuzzy guitar all over this album. It’ll keep any lonely boy nice and warm this winter.

Benjamin Francis Leftwich has been killing me his covers.

I kinda had enough of this song and it’s earworm of a whistle. But of course RAC breathes new life into it.

DV sent me this song late last week. I listened to it a lot over the weekend. It’s been stuck in my head ever since. Tues, I see they’re playing at the Independent. Wed, Anita, outta nowhere, says She’s going to this show and that I should go too. Today, tix are purchased.

God, I love when that kinda shit happens. One of my fav things about the bay area. Find out about a band and they’re sure to be playing here soon.

When you got so much to say… It’s called Gratitude!

Hope you have a happy Thanksgiving.

I finally won the war on Halloween candy. But now it’s all gone :(

Winter is coming.

I really dig Inspired Flight’s stream of consciousness kinda song writing. They have a cool chill feel that you just relax and zone out to.

Everybody needs to know this: RAC have the midas touch with remixes. Cause everything they touch, turns to gold.

An Oakland born R&B singer doing a sultry Nancy Sinatra cover over Mobb Deep’s “Shook Ones”???

Bang! Bang! I think you just killed me.

Urban Noize’s mashup/remix album Chicago Brooklyn London is pretty sweet. Been listening to it all week. The whole mixtape is pretty solid but this track and a couple others are just killer.

Sometimes I can’t believe how much I like Bruce now. Not that I didn’t like him before but his music didn’t really ever speak to me when I was younger. So I didn’t really pay it much attention. But now as I’ve gotten older and lived a lil more and experienced some of the things Bruce sings about, well I can’t help but love his music.

Sometimes I really miss Zoo Station.

As much as I love U2, I’m not a huge fan of a lot of their new songs. RAC breathes some greatness into this remix to make it live up to its name.

Poo kept asking me today what I was like before we got together. I don’t think I was all that different. Just a lil dumber and not sure of what I was looking for in life. But I think I got that stuff figured out now, after we met.

I love The National and Oh Land so this cover should be right up my alley. But unfortunately Oh Land’s lovely, angelic voice kinda takes away from the deep sadness that kinda envelopes most National tracks. It’s still a pretty wonderful cover. Just a lil too lovely and not dark enough for me.

E-dubble’s newest mixtape is pretty great. Lots of great, introspective and political lyrics over some great samples.

I’m kinda obsessed with this song lately. Was never a huge fan of this era of Bruce, but this Darkness on the Edge of Town album has been really hitting home lately. Esp this song.

This song came on yesterday at the most perfect time. I was in a pissy mood and lost in my own thoughts. So I didn’t even notice the song cause it starts out so chill. By the time it kicked in and got goin, I was already worked up and well I just cranked it. And just kinda laughed to myself for the rest of the song.

You can only fight the good fight so long.

I woke up singing this song this morning. hehehe

I’m really digging almost all the Noah & the Whale I hear. And I esp love some of the good remixes out there too. So fun and usually some good/uplifting lyrics too.

Apparat’s new album The Devil’s Walk quite a bit of play on my stereo lately. It’s pretty chill and makes for some nice background music for late night coding sessions or an dark & stormy evenings.

I’ve been listening to this Nina Simone song a lot lately. Even more so after seeing it used in the new GGL/Seth Rogan movie 50/50. Which was a very well made film about family, friends and surviving cancer. You should def go check it out with someone you love.

The friggin chorus of this song has been stuck in my head since I first heard it out at a club last week. And it kinda cracks me up cause the high pitched melody is soo not “gangsta.” But adding Biggie into the mix toughens it up a bit.

I’m still really diggin Frank Ocean’s indietronic r&b style. But I gotta ask my peeps if I’m in love with it though.

Vampire Weekend is one of those bands where when you listen to them, you just kinda get into their groove and you can’t help but feel good. I swear, it always just makes you feel better. It could be one of their super upbeat fun songs or even a chill, kinda sad cover like this one. It’ll still be pretty fun to listen to.

You kinda can’t get away from this song lately. It gets played all the time and there are a bunch of different remixes out there too. I’m gonna get sick of it really soon but for now I’m still kinda enjoying this acoustic version.

I only had the Kid Cuddi mashup version of this song before. Which I kinda love but I’m pretty siked to have the original Vampire Weekend version now too.

I think John Frusciante is one of fav guitarists. He always does some really interesting & unexpected things.

Speaking of bands covering great songs/bands of the alternative 80s… I am really digging this Depeche Mode cover by Bat for Lashes. But then I’ve liked almost every one of the covers she’s done. Esp from this era.

Twin Shadow seems to be getting a lot of press/talk lately. I dig most of what I’ve heard but I just feel like I’m back in middle school listening to a Cure/Sisters of Mercy/Echo & Bunnymen cover band. And I mean that in the best way possible.

Don’t think I’ve ever heard the original version of this track. But if it doesn’t have that killer beat and bass line, then I don’t really need to.

I’ve said it before and I’ll keep saying it over and over, N.E.R.D.’s debut album In Search Of… was stellar. Just an amazing group of songs with killer beats. And they weren’t just party/dance songs, they were pretty personal. And that always gets me. I wish they woulda stayed together and created more jams.

One of the best love songs ever.

I really dig a lot of the covers Ryan Adams does. He usually changes things up so much that they sometimes sound like a completely different song. This cover of Oasis’s “Wonderwall” is pretty straight forward though. BUT Inspired Flight totally twist it up by mashing it up with Radiohead, Postal Service, Morcheeba and even Bob Marley. It’s pretty wonderful.

The new M83 is pretty good but so not what I expected from the band I randomly saw put on a fun, crazy, dancey show at Coachella a few yrs ago. Not that the album isn’t good. It’s just not that exciting. Pretty good just not what I was expecting.

Take this song for instance. It’s fun and quirky kinda like Orb’s “Little Fluffy Clouds” with the girls just talking along to the music. But this song is about licking funky frogs. Which I’m sure will make you stare at and enjoy those little fluffy clouds.

I’ve really been diggin Frank Ocean’s cameos on Watch The Throne and OFWGKTA tracks and his mixtape/album Nostalgia, Ultra is pretty great too. He’s got a smooth laid back r&b style. Kinda like Maxwell but not as smooth or the Weeknd but no falsettos.

I really like this track cause it use’s MGMT’s ‘Electric Feel’ as the main melody but Frank’s version is a bit dirtier.

Yeeaaauhh! Half day today for the long weekend. That’s just fine fine fine.

Oh man. I totally just remembered I had a dream with this song in it. I don’t remember much but someone was def singing the lyrics. And it was creepy No actual spiders though.

I used to use this song at the end of mix tapes all the time. It was so short it usually fit perfectly at the end as filler. The “Sssshhhpider” part always did kinda cream me out but def more so right now after that dream.

Ha. I’m wearing a Spider-man shirt today too.

So I’ve been kinda obsessed with this game ‘Tiny Wings’ for my iPhone. Even though you’re a bird flying around from island to island in the game, I can’t help but picture the bird as a skater instead. The bird doesn’t really ‘fly’ as he has tiny wings. Its more like he flies a bit and launches himself off hills like a skater would. And the better you are at hitting the transitions, the better/farther you fly.

It’s all about the transitions.

With a name as great as “The Pains of Being Pure at Heart”, I had to check em out. And this remix is pretty great.

I’ve liked a couple songs by these guys but now I’m kinda in love with them. Lots of good poppy/catchy songs with some endearing lyrics. Really wish I saw them last time they rolled through town. But I’m sure they’ll be back soon. Guess I’ll just have to wait for my chance to come.

Every time this song comes on my wife says “This song sounds like a cheesy 80′s song from some cheesy 80′s movie. Except that it’s not attached to any movie so it’s like we’re in the cheesy 80′s movie and this is the soundtrack.”

Ok ya. I have a weak spot for girl singers. Esp girl singers who can rap and make cool songs with interesting beats. So if you can’t tell, I’m developing a small crush on K.Flay. Her mixtapes have been consistently pretty good and her performance at Outside Lands was fantastic. Oh and it doesn’t hurt that she’s easy on the eyes too.

A collaboration between James Blake & Bon Iver is an indie music fan’s wet dream and it sounds exactly like you’d expect it to. Dreamy auto-tuned vocals layered over a haunting mellow landscape of sound with some piano and of course, some strange blips and bleeps. What’s with the dog barking though?

“Do not dwell on your dreams and forget to live.” – Gandalf

Leave it to Ad-Rock to remix one of the strangest new songs into a dancey and more accessible jam. It’s a fun remix but I think I prefer the original. This remix still has plenty of weirdness but the orignal is just so out there and still kinda jams.

Wasn’t all that into Foster the People the first couple times I heard them, but Ry made me listen to the album. And there are some def fun jams on there. Now I really wish I made it over to their set at Outside Lands. Woulda been nice to waste some time with them.

That K.Flay/Gossip remix got me listening to some more Gossip. They are such a tight and amazing band and I am so surprised they still haven’t blown up yet. And they are even more fun and amazing live. I expected this song to be a lot more raunchy when they performed it live. It wasn’t, but fuck if it still wasn’t anthemic like the rest of their love songs — I mean lost love songs.

Oh man. K.Flay and The Gossip’s “Heavy Cross” is a pretty great combo. I kinda lost it when she did this song at Outside Lands. It’s one of my fav Gossip songs. So having her rap over it totally blew me away. K.Flay keeps surprising and impressing me more and more every time I listen to her.

Feeling unmotivated? Well this RAC remix should get you up and moving. The original was pretty fun and great but this remix has diff and fun groove. Sara Q. (from Teagan & Sara) is still featured prominently alongside Theophilus’s mellow flow.

Just the kick in the ass I needed today.

I’m a huge fan of the movie Moulin Rouge. One of my favorite things about the movie is how they use different song lyrics for the script. It happens all over the place in the movie. Some are really easy to recognize and some you’ll just never get cause you never listen to say… Elton John.

My ears perked up a bit as soon as I heard Ellie singing “I hope you don’t mind/ I put down in words/ How wonderful life is/ Now you’re in the world” on this track. It’s used quite a bit in the movie. I always assumed it was from some song or another but I never bothered to find out.

Blackmill gives the cover a somewhat sinister spin which is kinda odd for how lovey dovey Elton & Ellie’s versions are, but I don’t mind.

I have to agree with almost everything Lupe sings about in this song. Well all except the “No Voting” thing though. I can’t get down with that.

I really only know Ronnie Spector from her duet with Eddie Money on “Take Me Home Tonight” (which I loved!) but I’m really digging her tribute to Amy Winehouse. It’s a lil dancier than the Amy’s smokey soulful original but still pretty amazing.

Hehe, apparently I have like 3 or 4 songs by Grouplove. And I just realized they played at Outside Lands last week. Guess they didn’t make too much of an impression on me. Skizzy & Xaphoon do some great work on this remix though.

I’ve really been diggin K.Flay’s mixtape I Stopped Caring in ’96 and I esp like the softer side like this track.

This song sounds like I’m out on a hot sunny day with my lady and having a damn good time.