New track from Blood Red Shoes

Here's another track from one of my new favorite dance rock bands, Blood Red Shoes. Not quite as good as their last single, "Light It Up," but just try to resist tapping your toe and I bet you'll fail.

Heartsink [mp3] - ( Amazon / iTunes )

Weekend Whimsy: Thanksgiving Weekend Shopping

Black Friday is over. But that doesn't mean I've stopped the quest for savings. (It should also be noted that I am someone who gets excited for Val-U-Pak mail days.) And I'm here to share the musical pairings I matched with my half-assed shopping excursion.

Because I've recently relocated from Lincoln Park to Wicker Park, I've found myself needing to buy heaps of useless shit that I need to occupy my rooms (now that I have more than one).

I mean, just look at this OCCASIONAL TABLE!

• Product: Norden (Ikea, $199).
• Music: "Table for Glasses" (Jimmy Eat World)

And HOLY SHIT, IS THAT A REASONABLY PRICED DOWN COMFORTER SET?

• Product: Marimekko Madison Persimmon Queen-Sized Ben Linens (Crate&Barrel, $104.90)
• Music: "Eau d'Bedroom Dancing" (Le Tigre)

FUCK YEAH, GINSU KNIVES!

• Product: Ginsu 7112 Chikara 12-Piece Stainless Steel Knife Set w/ Block (Amazon, $89)
• Music: "Refused Are Fucking Dead" (Refused)

That's been my Saturday. And yours?

Q&A of the Week

Hey guys! This week we're starting something new - a Q&A feature. Every friday we'll post a question and various members of the GFP crew will answer them. For now, the questions are predetermined, but if you're wondering anything about us - from how we find the music we share to our favorite ice cream flavor - just ask away! Feel free to leave questions for us in the comments section and we'll do our best to answer them the following week. Hopefully it will give you gentle readers a better sense of who we all are here at GFP. Likewise, we'd like to hear your responses as well! Hearing from our readers gives us a better idea of who we're working for and allows us to better attune ourselves for your needs, so leave your answers in the comments section!

Question:

You've eaten too much turkey and are stuffed to the brim. All you want to do is fall asleep listening to some choice tunes. What do you throw on the ipod?

Em: The Dandy Warhols' chill psychedelic stuff or pretty much anything by Ane Brun or maybe The Antlers.

Lise: Sigur Ros, Olafur Arnalds, Yann Tiersen's "Amelie" stuff and Susanna's "Hangout" and "Home Recording." Susanna's voice is gorge.

Keith: Just like when my mate drops his customary “Top three Christmas films. Go!” question on me every year, there are three albums that popped into my head when Lise sent over this question. Death Cab for Cutie's 'The Photo Album', Fanfarlo's 'Reservoir' and First Aid Kit's 'Drunken Trees'. I think i'm going to stick to my guns on this one, with this being fantasy, and technology giving me the ability to make 'playlists' on my iphone, that is exactly what I would do, all full of turkey, roast potatoes, roast veg and beer, trying desperately to make it seem to my parents that I am less hungover than previous years, and post a Dr Who Christmas Special, I would retire, press shuffle and bask in their warming glow.

I think as a footnote, I'd better drop in my top three Christmas films, just in case you were wondering...

1. Die Hard

2. Muppet Christmas Carol

3. Elf

Matt: Keith has taken the route of most retailers on this one: bringing Christmas into the equation too early rather than focus on the holiday at hand. (It's still November, damnit. Get off my lawn, and such.) Certainly, it's fair to do: retailers are advertising for deals that, unfortunately, take the gloss out of this autumnal gathering by placing our focus solely on Santa, winter wonderlands, and JESUS CHRIST, 1080P 32" LCD TVS ARE NOW UNDER $200? I'M SLITTING THROATS FOR THAT DEAL IN ORDER TO PROPERLY CELEBRATE HIS NAME NEXT MONTH!

Rather than press skip on our proverbial cornucopia - and so that I may get my Yippee Ki-Hi -Ho, Everyone on with Keith next month while I'm not busy standing on the soapbox - I'm keeping the playlist firmly planted in the idea that my clothing is starting to feel constrictive from overeating, and alcoholic overindulgence has made the post-meal board game play more intense than it should be. As such, my tunes would match the spirit of the entire arc of the Thanksgiving weekend.

To represent the Wednesday night before turkey carving with family, my playlist would begin with Tears for Fears, or a similar 80s sound approximating the nostalgic feel of seeing high school acquaintances that seem fixed on staying firmly planted in an era and bar that no longer exists to you. Eventually, it would transition into Wolf Parade and American Football, as, well, those are proxies for the primary events that dictate pop-culture entertainment on the Thursday holiday. (This is, of course, excluding my preference for watching the Aqua Teen Hunger Force episode involving Turkeytron.)

Finally, to embrace the Friday that is to come, devoid of family and filled with consumerism for the month ahead of us, I'd end the playlist with some tunes by The Decemberists. (I say this, and yet, holy shit do I love clipping Black Friday coupons.) Maybe somewhere in between of all this I'd layer in "Gobbledigook" by Sigur Ros. Because it sounds like "gobble gobble."

It's Thanksgiving, you see.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I'll Be Missing You (Don't Raise Your Glass) [mp3] - This excellent mashup comes from the genius over at Mashup Germany. If you're not familiar, you should be.

Baby Drugs - Tristen [mp3] - In the spirit of Thanksgiving, pop-folk songstress Tristen is offering up her Eager For Your Love 7" for free download over at her site tristen.com.

Stand In the Water - Wildfire [mp3] - This excellent alternative rock band from Toronto just released their debut full-length album Strike Hard, Young Diamond on November 16th and I can't get enough of them. Dare I say they sound like the long-lost brothers of Modest Mouse who've spent their lives growing up in a town with slightly more rock.

Rescue Song (RAC remix) - Mr. Little Jeans [mp3] - Mr. Little Jeans is actually a Ms. but awesomely took her pseudonym from a character in the movie Rushmore. Her track "Faking Gold" was a hit earlier this year, so I hope you'll enjoy this remix by the Remix Artist Collective (RAC) of the original which will be officially dropped November 29th for all to enjoy.

Gay Pirates - Cosmo Jarvis [mp3] (linked removed per request - listen to it here!)- I've posted my love for Cosmo Jarvis before, so I am happy to share with you all the brand new single off the upcoming new album Is The World Strange or Am I Strange? set for release in late March 2011. "Gay Pirates" tells the story of two male lovers facing extreme discrimination in the inhospitable and far from accepting social climate of the pirate heyday.

Kopecky Family Band

One mistake I made during CMJ was missing the Kopecky Family Band, which I managed to do twice in spite of a friend's strong recommendation. The Nashville ensemble plays big, catchy, orchestrally tinged indie rock, and they're starting to get some attention.

They were featured as an upcoming artist on NPR's "World Cafe" this week, in a segment that included the two best tracks ("Birds" and "God & Me") from their August release, The Disaster. Both showcase the band's ability to reach high while remaining grounded and eschewing overwrought pretension.

I highly recommend giving that broadcast an immediate listen, after which you can taste this light, festive treat they've dropped in your cornucopia:

Thankful? Why Yes! [mp3]

There's also a brief companion video at YouTube. The Disaster (and its new companion EP) is available at Bandcamp.

Theme Tuesday - Gold

Ok, so normally it's Theme Thursday, but Thursday is not only Thanksgiving - it is also my Golden birthday! (for those of you who don't know what that means, it means I turn 25 on the 25th.) And since I will be busy opening presents and stuffing my face, I am doing Theme Tuesday, with the the theme being Gold in celebration of my upcoming golden birthday.



Golden Birthday [mp3] - Anni Rossi ( Amazon / iTunes )

Golden Years [mp3] - David Bowie ( Amazon / iTunes )

Realms of Gold [mp3] - Hopewell ( Amazon / iTunes )

Black Gold Blues [mp3] - Laura Veirs ( Amazon / iTunes )

Gold Guns Girls [mp3] - Metric ( Amazon / iTunes )

New Twin Sister music video

I've seen this thing all over the damn place, but haven't had time to actually watch it until now. From my friends of a friend, Twin Sister, comes this hipster-tastic music video that reminds of the first time I saw them perform at Monkey Town in Williamsburg with video projected on all the walls. Maybe that's where they got the idea. Either way, it's a kaleidoscope of colors and stars and hearts and pretty much all the patterns I love so dearly, so sit back and enjoy.

Newest Zealand

Lukasz from iSound over in Poland emailed us a few weeks back with what is apparently an album from the 'dream team of the Polish indie scene'. Not knowing much about that scene, I thought it would be worth a little investigation, and stuck Newest Zealand's album on repeat over a long drive through miserable weather across northern england. It was a good choice of album to listen to during such a boring dark, some may say 'grim' drive.

I sent an email back to Lukasz saying, "Just my cuppa tea, jangly guitars, upbeat, reminiscent of early Cardigans, that kinda light wonderful indie. Tremendous!". After sending I felt a pang of guilt and worry, how would he take my 'early Cardigans' reference, would he be someone who thought that they began their career with the overplayed and sicky 'Lovefool' or would he be someone who owned 'Life' and 'Emmerdale'? Thankfully it seems he had heard their first two albums, with Borys from the band saying he was "really happy with the 'early Cardigans' comparison - thats the kind of stylish elegant pop music we all love".

So, i breathed a deep sigh of relief and stuck on 'Nuke Nuke', one of the stand out tracks from Newest Zealands album, thats who I'm really talking about here, not making a post defending early Cardigans. Right click / save target as / copy to a media player / turn up the volume and enjoy

Nuke Nuke [mp3]

Saint Sea Hat

Just a few months ago, Saint Sea Hat was little more than a nebulous concept in the mind of frontman Matthew Salas.

His main stint as guitarist for LA indie rockers The Rhone Occupation winding down, Salas decided it'd be pretty effin' awesome to get a motley crew of musicians/friends/artists/creatives together, write some songs, tour up and down the West Coast over the summer, and conveniently touch back down in Silverlake for a welcome-home show just in time for his 31st birthday. Easy peasy.

Think M. Ward meets Death Cab with a veritable punch, and you've got Saint Sea Hat. Half a year after Salas hatched his plan, the band is a full-fledged, 7-member outfit with a set of demos, a recently released digital single and no signs of stopping anytime soon.

Check out "City Mouths" and "Less Is More" below, and listen to the "All The Time/I'd Be Lying" digital single here.

"City Mouths" [mp3]
"Less Is More" [mp3]

Keith Canisius

Keith Canisius is a pop/shoegaze artist hailing from Denmark whose track "The Beach House" incorporates layered hazed melodic canons alongside a thumpy newfangled beat for a full textural sound. The song comes from his album This Time It's Our High, available on iTunes.

The Beach House [mp3]

GFP Autumn Songs 2010

Autumn is here. Fall has fallen. And depending on where you live, the leaves are changing color and it's starting to getting colder. Or it's snowy and freezing already.

As you may well know, music fans love making mixes. In honor of the new season, we've put our heads together and whipped up a mix of our favorite autumnal tunes. A great autumn song is quiet and subtle without the dark moodiness of its winter brethren. A great autumn song seamlessly transitions away from those hot summer anthems, like putting on a sweater after three months of skin.

You won't find any Christmas music here (that's coming next), but as Lise so graciously puts it -- here at GFP, when it comes to fall, we're all about picked acoustic instruments, honeyed vocals, and toe-tapping beats with a gentle homespun glow.

Click here to download the GFP 2010 Autumn Mix from contributors Emma, Diana, and Lise:

Hannah Georgas - "All I Need"
Junip - "Rope & Summit"
Lucius - "Shenandoah"
The Verve - "Bittersweet Symphony"
Fireflies - "Birds (Neil Young cover)"
The Wallflowers - "Birdcage"
Midwest Dilemma - "The Great Depression"
Monsters of Folk - "Temazcal"
Oasis - "Champagne Supernova"
Andrew Belle - "Reach"
Savoir Adore - "The Garden"
The City & Horses - "I Love the Girls"
The Velvet Underground - "Sunday Morning"
The Dandy Warhols - "I Am Sound"
Ane Brun - "Changing of the Seasons"
Magnet - "Where Happiness Lives"

And before you go, here are a few of Keith's bonus picks that'll go great with that apple cider and Gryffindor scarf:





On Your Own (Radio Edit) by James Yuill

Dreaming of Another World - Mystery Jets by Olliewilliams

Mini Mansions

This LA-based psych-rock trio has toured with the likes of Warpaint, Grizzly Bear, Minus the Bear and Them Crooked Vultures. Mini Mansions recently released their self-titled debut via Rekords Rekords and will start off a national tour at the Tin Can Alehouse in Sand Diego. They're offering a free MP3 download of "The Room Outside" from the debut album on their Facebook and MySpace pages.

Two Door Cinema Club

In the last year I have seen Two Door Cinema Club grow from being a 'hype' band playing in small venues to a band who're adding on gigs due to sold out shows. Their songs have featured in TV shows and movies, and now I hear their debut album is being re-released. All of these things point to one thing. Two Door Cinema Club are going to be HUGE.

They deserve it too, their first EP 'Four Words to Stand On' was tremendous, and 'Tourist History', the album which followed very shortly after is a fantastic little album.
It's not like they shy away from hard work either, they seem to be constantly touring, and in the next 5 months will take in The US, Australia, Japan, Ireland, Mainland Europe, and they've added a few shows in London at the end just for good measure. If this wasn't enough, BabySweetSessions have made a short film about them, which you can view here, and the band themselves have been busy producing remixes for the likes of Passion Pit and Phoenix to name but a few. So here we have it, a video for their (re released) single 'I can talk' and a remix from the awesome Crystal Fighters.

I Can Talk (Crystal Fighters Remix) [mp3] (iTunes)

You can find full tour listings over on their official website, I'd urge you to go check them out live now, before they start filling stadiums.

30 Rock Soundtrack

This is literally one of the best things I've ever been given from a publicist. My reaction after listening to "Lemon's Theme?"


The 30 Rock Soundtrack drops November 16th and it takes you through all four seasons episodes. There will also be a special collector's edition of the soundtrack featuring 2 discs of original music bundled with a custom book of exclusive photos, cast commentary, scripts and more.

Below, check out Christopher Cross's new song featuring Tina Fey.

Lemon's Theme [mp3]
Pre-order on iTunes and Amazon

Junip Comes To Minneapolis

Hey MN-readers!

Jose Gonzalez, the man behind the song featured in this famous sony commercial, has joined up with Tobias Winterkorn and childhood friend Elias Araya to form the band Junip. They'll be playing this Sunday, 11/7, at the Cedar Cultural Center alongside Brooklyn's Sharon Van Etten. If you're not doing anything this weekend, check them out!

One Day - Sharon Van Etten [mp3] (iTunes)
Rope & Summit - Junip [mp3] (iTunes)

The Knocks

The Knocks will be releasing their third single "Dancing With The DJ" with the excellent b-side "Thinking About You." However, you can get both of their songs right now in exchange for a click on the like button on their facebook page. Next week the Knocks travel to Europe for a tour alongside Sleigh Bells and one show with the Scissor Sisters. Tour dates can be found here.

Dancing With The DJ [mp3]