Mp3 round up

Here are some awesome mp3s that have backed up in our inbox a bit and we've been meaning to share:

TAOS [mp3] - Menomena ( Amazon / iTunes)

Let's Get Out of Here [mp3] - Les Savy Fav ( Amazon / iTunes)

Empire [mp3] - Jukebox the Ghost ( Amazon / iTunes)

I Found Space [mp3] - Miracles of Modern Science ( Amazon / iTunes )

Light It Up [mp3] - Blood Red Shoes ( Amazon )

Free Cross-Pollination Mix

Cross-Pollination is offering a free downloadable mix that they've created. Check it out below. I was particularly excited to see Jukebox the Ghost on the list.



To download the whole album, click here.

These United States on East Coast tour with some of our fave bands

These United States are launching on an East coast tour soon, and they're playing with some of GFP's favorite acts such as Jukebox the Ghost, Jenny Owen Youngs and the Pains of Being Pure at Heart. Dates below:

Thu, Apr. 23 - Scranton, PA -the Bog
Fri, Apr. 24 - Poughkeepsie, NY - Vassar College - w/ Horse Feathers, Small Sur + more!
Sat, Apr. 25 - Middletown, CT - Wesleyan Univ. - w/ Horse Feathers, Small Sur + more!
Sun, Apr. 26 - Waterbury, CT - Brooklyn Cafe
Mon, Apr. 27 - Rochester, NY - Bug Jar - w/ the Pains of Being Pure at Heart
Tue, Apr. 28 - Ithaca, NY - The 9's
Wed, Apr. 29 - Albany, NY - Valentine's
Thu, Apr. 30 - Burlington, VT - U. VT - college radio show
Burlington, VT - U. VT - early show
Burlington, VT - Monkey Bars - late - w/ Area C, Cannon Fodder + more
Fri, May 01 - Lewiston, ME - Guthrie's
Sat, May 02 - Providence, RI - Firehouse 13 - w/ the Cobra-Matics, Johnny Carlevale @ the Rolling Pins
Wed, May 06 - Allston, MA - Harper's Ferry - w/ Vetiver, PapercutsThu,
May 07 - Brooklyn, NY - Bell House - w/ Vetiver, Papercuts
Fri, May 08 - Washington, DC - Black Cat - w/ the Spinto Band
Tue, May 26 - Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda's - w/ Jenny Owen Youngs, Jukebox The Ghost
Wed, May 27 - New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom - w/ Jenny Owen Youngs, Jukebox The Ghost
Thu, May 28 - Boston, MA - Café 939: Berklee School of Music - w/ Jenny Owen Youngs, Jukebox The Ghost
Fri, May 29 - Portland, ME - ME Empire Dine & Dance - w/ Jenny Owen Youngs, Jukebox The Ghost
Sat, May 30 - Westport, CT - Toquet Hall - w/ Jenny Owen Youngs, Jukebox The Ghost

Honor Amongst Thieves [mp3] - (iTunes)

Guilt By Association, Vol. 2 Celebration

Hello from sunny Florida! Even though we're experiencing a "cold front" here, it's still in the 60s... Jealous? You know you are... But don't worry, I'm bringing the warm weather back to NY with me on Friday. Anyway, on to the music!

On Saturday night, I had the privilege to see Takka Takka, Jukebox the Ghost and Robbers on High Street play at Williamsburg Music Hall to celebrate the release of Guilt By Association, volume 2, the second installment in a series of albums of pop classics covered by current hot indie bands (remember that great Petra Haden cover of Don't Stop Believin'? That was from the first installment).

Brooklyn band Takka Takka was up second (after Lowry, whom I didn't make it in time to see). They started off strong, with high energy dance pop numbers and did a good job of getting the crowd pumped. Lead singer Gabe Levine is a pretty charismatic front man, but I have to say I wish the rest of the band looked like they were having more fun most of the time. I guess it's that whole hipster disinterested thing that they're going for.

Next up was one of my favorite bands, Jukebox the Ghost. They put on a fun show and they had a crazy huge fan base in the audience who was singing along to every song (myself included). I was really excited to see so many people show up for them. They're really talented, and I love their playful music (and their playful performance style too). Their song also happens to be my favorite on the GBA2 album - a cover of Ace of Bases' A Beautiful Life. Supposedly they were originally going to do Livin' La Vida Loca by Ricky Martin, but they decided that would be too embarrassing and so they switched to Ace of Base instead.

Lastly was Robbers on High Street, who were poppier than I expected them to be. I have to admit, I wasn't all that familiar with their music except for the rather more rock 'n' roll Japanese Girls, which was playing at every dance party I went to about 2 or 3 years ago. They were still fun though and they had a good energy. And hey, I love poppy music. Unfortunately I couldn't stay for the whole set because I was sick and had to get up early the next morning. But I think I managed to catch most of it.

As always, an excessive amount of pictures can be found here.

And here are a few mp3s from Guilt By Association, Volume 2 (purchasable on iTunes here):

In the Air Tonight [mp3] - Takka Takka

Best Debut Albums of 2008

It's that time of year again - you know, the time of year we all get nostalgic and think how quickly time has passed. The time of year we look back at all the things we've done and, more importantly, all the great music we've heard. All the new artists we've discovered. All the wonderful shows we've attended. So for the next few days, we here at Guilt Free Pleasures (Lise and Em) will be doing our "best of 2008" lists, in no particular order, starting today with debuts...

Best Debut Albums of 2008

The Ting Tings - We Started Nothing
With unforgettably catchy dance hits that have been the staple of every club and party we've been to this year, this album is definitely one of our favorites and it's hard to believe that anyone ever held a dance party before The Ting Tings existed. Great to shout along with and even the worst dancers can throw their bodies around to these rockin' dance beats.
Shut Up and Let Me Go [mp3] - (iTunes)

Ra Ra Riot - The Rhumb Line

While you can tell that Ra Ra Riot has a variety of influences, they also don't sound exactly the same as anything. We haven't heard a single person that we've introduced to Ra Ra Riot say they don't like them because Ra Ra Riot has an expansive talent and diverse repertoire that makes them universally appealing, as well as the distinctiveness and character that makes everyone who listens to them feel like they've stumbled upon something special.

Suspended In Gaffa [mp3] - (iTunes)

Lady GaGa - The Fame

Another great dance album, and does anybody else feel like maybe it's a little nostalgic for the '90s? (one of our favorite musical decades over here at Guilt Free Pleasures by the way). But Beautiful, Dirty, Rich is a good enough track on its own to make this album a "best of 2008" contender, and there were a few other fabulous tracks like the hit Just Dance and the title track, The Fame that pushed it into the winners' circle.

Beautiful, Dirty, Rich [mp3] - (iTunes)

Fredrik - Na Na Ni

Swedish band Fredrik brings us a unique and calming debut album. I'm pretty sure this album may actually lower your blood pressure... They're a little more experimental than most of the stuff on our Best Of lists, but the unconventional beauty of their music is part of what we love about them. Though there is also a simplicity to much of their music. Leave it to the Scandinavians to be innovative and captivating, taking the basics that seem so ordinary and common and experimenting with them until they are shiny, new and pleasing to the ears.

Black Fur [mp3] - (iTunes)

Adele- 19
Already basking in the glow of 4 Grammy nominations this year, 19 was certainly an impressive debut album from the young (she's 20 now) and soulful Adele Adkins. The comparisons ranged from Amy Winehouse to Etta James to "Joss Stone without the cigarettes," and slowly but surely over the year Adele became her own entity and her music has infiltrated the 2008 music scene. With another album planned to record early next year, we'll be seeing much more of this inspiring belting songstress.
Chasing Pavements [mp3] - (iTunes)

Fleet Foxes- Fleet Foxes

This Seattle-based group wowed us all with a stellar performance on their self-titled debut album, and they filled our ears and hearts with harmonious melodies plucked from the psychedelic folk-rock atmosphere. Google "Fleet Foxes review" and we promise you that all you'll find is a gushfest of praise for this album. Fresh and rustic, Fleet Foxes is among plenty of "Best of 2008" lists in the blogosphere, and for good reason. If you haven't picked up this album, we suggest you use one of those giftcards you got for the holidays and get it.

White Winter Hymnal [mp3] - (iTunes)

Priscilla Ahn - A Good Day
After producing a promising self-entitled demo in 2007, this velvety-smooth singer finally released her official debut album in 2008 and was met with much rejoicing from female singer-songwriter fans all over the world. Her singing is sweetly soft and crystal clear, and her songs are wonderous pop-folk reflections that ease the soul. A short stint on the infamous Hotel Cafe Tour and being featured on major network shows like Grey's Anatomy, we consider A Good Day to be one of those best still relatively-unknown concrete works that are slowly trickling down into mainstream simply because the talent is there and the quality is high.
Dream [mp3] - (iTunes)

Kaiser Cartel -March Fourth

Possibly Lise's most obsessed-about album of the entire year, KaiserCartel brought the world a gorgeous debut album of acoustic guitar-and-drum numbers to lift the musical spirit. Delicately intricate and perfectly genuine, this humble album compliments and completes any music collection. The pairing of Courtney Kaiser and Benjamin Cartel talent's brings forth a musical genre we'd like to call "simply magical." The album has a life of its own, breeding good feelings and chill toe-tapping melodies, especially in songs like Season Song, Okay, Oh No and Dog Stars.

Okay [mp3] - (iTunes)

Lykke Li- Youth Novels
Straight from Sweden, this sweet songbird gave us *the* electronica-synth-pop album of the year with her debut Youth Novels. It's almost as if a robot and an already fantastic album had a baby, the songs are so electro-fied. Strong and ready to take on the world, Lykke Li pumps out the 80's-inspired beats that make you wanna groove while containing a billion catchy hooks to get stuck in your head. The buzz for this one is well deserved and the album brilliant enough to make our list this year.
I'm Good, I'm Gone [mp3] - (iTunes)

She & Him - Volume One

You're guaranteed the audiences that intrigue will bring when a celebrity turns to music and puts out their first album. After hearing Zooey Deschanel's crooning voice on Elf, M. Ward contacted her and found that she had already created a couple demos. He listened, fell in love with what he heard, and She & Him was born. Consisting of joyful pseudo-pop songs with a vintage flair, this album is perfect for those summer drives about the coast with the windows down and hair flyin the in wind. The album is a bit of a grab-bag, with each song reminiscent of a slightly different era and genre, but with a overall cohesive purpose, the album succeeds.

Why Do You Let Me Stay Here? [mp3] - (iTunes)

Jukebox The Ghost - Let Live and Let Ghosts

This zany piano-powered rock is somewhere between Queen and Ben Folds. A very theatrical, playful, fun album overall, piano-based music also earns albums a lot of bonus points from us here at GFP and classically trained pianist Ben Thornewill has the kind of skills that make us swoon.

Hold It In [mp3] - (iTunes)

Frances - All The While

Hailing from Em's hometown of Brooklyn, Frances is one of her favorite new discoveries this year. The unique 6-piece band is actually rather difficult to describe... They're a little playful, a little melancholy, a little catchy, etc. They have a lovely, full sound and a knack for interesting rhythms. And while our feelings about them are a little too guttural to really describe, we can definitely say that their music is both beautiful and unique. Some of it is downright spell-binding.

Locket [mp3] - (iTunes)

Best Solo Debut of 2008

Ben Sollee - Learning How To Bend
Formally part of the Abigail Washburn and the Sparrow Quartet, Ben Sollee finally decided to take his beautiful cello and homespun voice and make an album of his own. In 2007 he was named one of NPR's "Top Ten Unknown Artist of the Year." In this remarkable debut, the man beatboxes his cello, performs a beautiful musical dance betwixt jazz and folk-pop, and brings forth one of the most played songs since Obama was elected (i.e. A Change Is Gonna Come). Soulful and honest, this albums hits an absolute perfectly-pitched note.
A Change Is Gonna Come [mp3] - (iTunes)

Amanda Palmer - Who Killed Amanda Palmer?

One half of The Dresden Dolls, Amanda Palmer came out with her first solo album this year. Produced by Ben Folds and with awesome guest spots by him and St. Vincent, among others, this album is a strong solo debut, though I will admit not that much of a departure from The Dresden Dolls. A little bit darker perhaps, and at times so dark and raw with emotion that it's hard to listen to without getting a little emotional yourself.

Astronaut: A Short History Of Nearly Nothing [mp3] - (iTunes)

Music Videos to Celebrate

This has been a crazy week (in a good way! OBAMA! WOO!) so I'm going to post some music videos today. First up is Jukebox the Ghost with their new video for Victoria. It premieres on MTV2's Subterranean at 1am tonight.

Jukebox the Ghost - New Music - More Music Videos

Next is a pretty cool video (in my opinion) by Passion Pit for their song Sleepyhead.


Here is an older video from The XYZ Affair - All My Friends (for those of you Nickelodeon fans of my generation - see a few people you recognize?)


And lastly an artsy video from Ane Brun for her beautiful song, The Puzzle.

Sounds of Summer

Lise already posted her top 5 summer songs, but I have been reluctant to admit that summer is over. I'm still not ready for it to end, but I think I can safely list the songs that topped my summer playlist (though picking 5 is too hard, but I've managed to narrow it down to 10). The songs tend to come from all different genres all over the place and were played on repeat for different reasons, which I think is indicative of the type of summer I've had. Well, and my eclectic music taste, in general. In no particular order:

Waltzing with Lady Dawn [mp3] - Matt Jones - "The Black Path" (iTunes unavailable)
That's Not My Name [mp3] - The Ting Tings - "We Started Nothing" (iTunes)
Polite Dance Song [mp3] - The Bird & The Bee - "Please Clap Your Hands EP" (iTunes)
Be Mine Everyone [mp3] - Sam Champion - "Heavenly Bender" (iTunes)
The Blood [mp3] - Frontier Ruckus - "I am the Water You Are Pumping" (iTunes unavailable)
Talk Radio [mp3] - The Dandy Warhols - "Earth To The Dandy Warhols" (iTunes)
Lonesome Organist Rapes Page Turner [mp3] - The Dresden Dolls - "No, Virginia" (iTunes)
This is Where We Are [mp3] - Ravens & Chimes - "Reichenbach Falls" (iTunes)
A Song for Ellie Greenwich [mp3] - Parenthetical Girls - "Entanglements" (iTunes)
Hold It In [mp3] - Jukebox The Ghost - "Let Live and Let Ghosts" (iTunes)

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Tour Announcement - Jukebox the Ghost

Yikes I am so far behind after my "vacation"! So today, I'm going to do something quick and easy - post a tour schedule for a band that I absolutely adore - Jukebox the Ghost. Sadly, it looks as if they are skipping over the Minneapolis area though.

Jukebox The Ghost is touring with Say Hi
9/17 -- Boise, ID - - Neurolux*
9/18 -- Torrey, UT - - The Patio Live*
9/19 -- Salt Lake City, UT - - Kilby Court
9/20 -- Denver, CO - - Hi Dive
9/21 -- Omaha, NE - - The Slowdown**
9/22 -- Dekalb, IL - - The House Café**
9/23 -- Chicago, IL - - The Beat Kitchen
9/24 -- Lansing, MI - - Mac's Bar **
9/25 -- Cleveland, OH - - Beachland Tavern **
9/26 -- Cincinnati, OH - - Midpoint Music Festival (Aronoff Center For The Arts)**
9/27 -- Buffalo, NY - - Big Orbit's Soundlab
9/28 -- Waltham, MA - - Brandeis University (Usen Castle)
9/30 -- Cambridge, MA - - Middle East Upstairs
10/01 -- Danbury, CT - - Heirloom Arts Theatre
10/02 -- Brooklyn, NY - - Music Hall Of Williamsburg
10/03 -- Philadeplphia, PA- - Johnny Brenda's
10/04 -- Washington, DC - - Black Cat
10/06 -- Chapel Hill, NC - - Local 506
10/07 -- Charlotte, NC - - Milestone
10/08 -- Atlanta, GA - - The Drunken Unicorn
10/9 -- Birmingham, AL - - Bottle Tree Cafe
10/10 -- Baton Rouge, LA - - Spanish Moon
10/11 -- Austin, TX - - The Mohawk
10/12 -- Denton, TX - - Hailey's
10/13 -- Norman, OK - - The Opolis
10/14 -- Santa Fe, NM - - College Of Santa Fe
10/15 -- Phoenix, AZ - - The Rhythm Room
10/16 -- San Diego, CA - - UC San Diego (The Loft)
10/17 -- Los Angeles, CA - - The Echo
10/18 -- San Francisco, CA - - Bottom Of The Hill
All dates w/ Say HI except where noted.
*headline dates
**w/ Pepi Ginsberg, Say Hi

Good Day [mp3] - iTunes

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Jukebox The Ghost @ Union Square

Yesterday after work, I wandered over to Union Square to see Jukebox the Ghost play a free show in the hot hot sun (at least it wasn't raining I guess). It was a relatively small set up and for some reason people kept their distance from the stage until half way through the set when Jukebox the Ghost asked people to come closer.

I was very excited to finally get to see them play. I've been meaning to for a while but kept missing them. I enjoyed myself immensely. They were everything I hoped they would be - fun and silly and very talented. Pianist and singer Ben Thornewill in particular is very dramatic in his performance and he makes some pretty amazing faces (see left). Plus he was wearing really cool socks. They had a good energy and they made fantastic, mildly awkward conversation in between songs. It made me want to be best friends with them. They played a nice long set, just over an hour. They played all my favorites (Good Day, Hold It In, Lighting Myself On Fire, Victoria, Under My Skin) and a new song or two, plus a Beatles medley as their finale. All in all, a highly enjoyable after-work experience.

More photos HERE.

Under My Skin [mp3]
Lighting Myself on Fire [mp3]

Purchase their album, "Let Live and Let Ghosts" on iTunes

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Let Live and Let Ghosts

Saturday night I was supposed to go see Jukebox The Ghost at Mercury Lounge, but was unable to do so, so instead I will write about their debut album, "Let Live and Let Ghosts," which was released April 22nd. I first heard of the Washington DC-based trio when they played at After the Jump last summer. I caught the end of their set, though I couldn't really see anything because they were playing in a small, crowded (and hot) room. But what I heard intrigued me enough to make me investigate them further.

They met in college at George Washington University and were originally called The Sunday Mail. That name didn't serve them very well and I have to say Jukebox the Ghost is a big improvement. I've heard them compared most commonly to Queen and Ben Folds, and I have to say both comparisons are right on. They have that epic-storytelling rock quality of Queen with a hint of Ben Folds' quirky playfulness.

"Let Live and Let Ghosts" is a very solid album and I must say it's probably the best album I've heard this year. The songs - both lyrically and musically - are fun, catchy, and well-written. Everything works together to create a very cohesive album. Picking a favorite track is hard. The song I've known and loved the longest is the opening track, Good Day. But that's followed by the catchy, funny and relatable Hold It In, (which has my favorite lyric on the album: "life is oh my god if I tell him he'll tell her and then she will know I like her"). Other favorites include Under My Skin, Victoria, and Lighting Myself On Fire. Honestly, though, there's not a track on the album that I dislike.

Hold It In [mp3]
Victoria [mp3]

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After the Jump

Yesterday was the After the Jump music festival at Studio B. I hit up some of the free day shows, of which the only band I knew before hand was Ra Ra Riot. But like a good little blogger I did some research to figure out which bands I wanted to see. Here is how my day went:

It was super super hot outside, so the walk to Studio B from the G train (that's right, the G train) seemed a million miles long, but when we got inside the relatively spacious club it was fairly empty and air-conditioned, so it was heavenly (as opposed to hot and crowded like the last time I was at Studio B for the CSS concert). When I arrived around 3:15pm - I've already seen the Teenage Prayers so I took my time getting up to Greenpoint even though the festival started at 2pm - I could only find one of the two stages -the main stage, which was currently empty - until I asked someone where the second stage was. Turns out everyone who was there was watching Jukebox the Ghost in a small, slightly hidden, hot room (so much for that empty air-conditioned feeling). I couldn't see them because I'm short, the room was pretty full, and the stage wasn't very elevated but I enjoyed the last few songs that we happened to come in for.

Next up, in the larger, air-conditioned room was Locksley. Locksley was the only band I went in thinking I was really excited to see (besides Ra Ra Riot) based on the stuff I had listened to on their myspace and whatnot. They seemed the most like my favorite kind of music (poppy rock 'n' roll). And I was right. I think they were my favorite band of the day. I immediately had a good feeling about Locksley before they even started playing because they just looked so good as a band. They all have really great style (in my opinion) and their sense of style is very unified as a group. They seemed like nice guys the way the talked to the audience beforehand and they were all pretty good-looking. As soon as they started playing I liked them even more. They were really good and I really did love their music.

My favorite part of Locksley was probably when, in the interest of "music education" (the charity theme of the festival), they brought the idea of "audience participation" to a new level and literally brought audience members onto stage to play with them for a cover of The White Stripes' Hotel Yorba. That was fun, although they had a lot of trouble getting people on stage. It was a relatively low-key and apparently shy audience. They couldn't get anyone to come up and play harmonica, but they did get a mildly reluctant guitar player (who's girlfriend volunteered him) and a much more exuberant tambourine player.

After Locksley, Bling Kong played in the hot, stuffy room. I also really liked their aesthetic (they had fun costumes). They chose to play their set list based on a "choose your own adventure story" that they told between songs, which I thought was a neat idea, and a great way to force the audience to participate. I didn't actually stay for their whole set because it was just so unbearably hot in that room. But I did like what I stayed for. They were a lot of fun. My only complaint (besides the heat) was the distracting visuals being projected on the wall next to us while they were performing. Their performance was interesting enough, and the flashy (and occasionally pornographic) images were more an annoying distraction than anything else. Stick to performing guys. You don't need porn and seizure-inducing visuals to make you cool.

Back on the main (air-conditioned) stage was Golem. While their Eastern-European/ klezmer-esque music is not normally the type of music I listen to often, I was still a little curious to see them perform. I actually pretty much loved them. They were so much fun, and they were all very talented and such characters. My two wishes: that the violin player would've shown more of his personality and seemed like he was enjoying himself at least a little, and that the upright bass player had more solos. But the lead singer was so entertaining and energetic, and most of them looked like they were really having fun. The bass player was possibly my favorite. He would bounce up and down fervently with the music and his poofy hair would bounce with him. It made me giggle.

Last in my concert day (I didn't stay for the whole festival) was Ra Ra Riot. Like I said, they were the only band I knew before I found out about the festival. I liked them even more than I thought I would actually. They had a really great band chemistry - probably one of the best band chemistries I have ever seen. Not only did it seem like they were all really having fun and really getting into their music, but they all seemed to genuinely like each other. They were joking around and shooting each other smiles all the time. It was almost like we, the audience, weren't there and we were observing the intimacy of a band practice session or something. Plus they get major props for utilizing two of my favorite instruments - violin and cello. And they were really cool-looking electric ones too. Overall, it was a great way to end a day of concerts.

Heiroglyphs [mp3] - The Teenage Prayers - "Everyone Thinks You're The Best" (iTunes unavailable)

Good Day [mp3] - Jukebox The Ghost (iTunes unavailable)
Why Can't I Be You (Why Not Me) [mp3] - Locksley - "Don't Make Me Wait" (iTunes)
Enter Bling Kong [mp3] - Bling Kong - "Do The Awesome" (iTunes)
Warsaw is Khelm [mp3] - Golem - "Fresh off Boat" (iTunes)
Each Year [mp3] - Ra Ra Riot - "Ra Ra Riot - EP" (iTunes)

I'd say it was a very good day - especially considering it was free. Although I did spend $5 on raffle tickets and not win anything... Sadness. But it went to a good cause. I'll finish up with some more pictures (I'm definitely getting a new camera soon because the focus doesn't work half the time - sorry most of these are kind of blurry - and it also wouldn't turn on at one point):

Locksley

I had to get a picture of his awesome white patent leather shoes.

The guitar player going over the guitar part with the random audience member that got pulled on stage.

The lead singer tries to entice someone up to the stage to play harmonica

"Music education"

Bling Kong

Golem

Ra Ra Riot

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