Road to Joy
(compiled August 8, 2011)
You can download all of the songs on the playlist from box.com account if you CLICK HERE:
https://app.box.com/s/r6q845ocgcxx6kjj912yhhmabhy2gxev
(…and you should put it in the order of the actual playlist if you have time…there definitely is an intentional flow to it!)
Spotify playlist (not all tracks show up…see full list below):
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Road to Joy– Bright Eyes
Hawaiian Air– Friendly Fires
Fuel Up– Stornoway
Techno Fan– The Wombats
Fiya– tUnE-yArDs
Georges Street/The Tatar Frigate– Rodrigo y Gabriela
You can come to me– The Helio Sequence
Revival (Sidecar Tommy remix)– Beats Antique
Possibly Maybe– Bjork
Chop and change– The Black Keys
I Suppose I should say ‘thanks’ or some shit– Gold Panda
Night Bus– Lucy Rose
Race out– Battles
Hot Knives– Bright Eyes
As far as I can see– Phantogram
Waste– Foster The People
Creating cyclical headaches– Prefuse 73 (with Four Tet)
Heavy in Your Arms- Florence and the Machine
Shake me down– Cage the Elephant
Wisdom of Antiquity– Break Science
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‘Road to Joy’ (by Bright Eyes) was a very fitting song to start this new playlist off with. It was the perfect WAKE UP call that I needed to get out of my lil’ rut last month. I really dig its recognizable ‘Ode to Joy’ melody and its sarcastic lyrics strung throughout (that seem to be a parody of the “American Dream”):
“The sun came up with no conclusion
Flowers sleeping in their beds
This city’s cemetery’s humming
I’m wide-awake, it’s morning
I have my drugs, I have my woman
They keep away my loneliness
My parents have they have their religion
But sleep in separate houses…. (love this line)
I read the body count out of the paper
And now it’s written all over my face
No one ever plans to sleep out in the gutter
Sometimes that’s just the most comfortable place!…
So I’m drinking, breathing, writing, singing (for the “Pursuit of Happiness”…)
Everyday I’m on the clock
My mind races with all my longings
But cant keep up with what I got….
I hope I don’t sound too ungrateful
What history gave modern man
A telephone to talk to strangers
Machine guns and a camera lens…
So when you’re asked to fight a war that’s over nothing
It’s best to join the side that’s gonna win (Many would agree with that…)
And no one’s sure how all of this got started
But we’re gonna make them goddam certain how its gonna end
Oh ya we will, oh ya we will!
(And now it becomes very obvious that the singer disagrees with the so-called “American Dream” and that he thinks it’s a misleading, superficial version of something much more raw and REAL.)
Well I could have been a famous singer
If I had someone else’s voice
But failure’s always sounded better
Lets F*CK it up boys, MAKE SOME NOISE! (These last two lines always make me wanna throw my hands up in the air and SHOUT REAL LOUD!…not that being loud is hard for ME to do…)
‘Hot Knives’ was the other Bright Eyes song that I was immediately drawn to. My favorite parts of the song are: “When I do wrong, I am with God…she thought!” and “When I feel lost, I am not…at all!” So tricky and coy…LOVE IT! The other part I love (even though kind of crude) is: “Oh, I’ve made love, yeah, I’ve been fucked…so what?!” Two other lines that really stuck out to me were: “I’m a cartoon, you’re a full moon…let’s stay up!” and “She just vanished…into a thick mist of change!” (clever way to describe it)
Bright Eyes is an American indie rock band founded by singer-songwriter and guitarist Conor Oberst. It consists of Oberst, multi-instrumentalist and producer Mike Mogis, trumpet and piano player Nate Walcott, and a rotating lineup of collaborators drawn primarily from Omaha’s indie music scene. They are signed to Saddle Creek Records, a Nebraska-based label founded by Conor and his brother Justin Oberst and distributed by Sony Corporation.
It turns out that Bright Eyes is going to be at the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass music festival in San Francisco (October 1-3) which IS, may I add, FREEEEEEEEE! Two other bands/artists that are going to be there are DeVotchKa, Joe Purdy, and BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE! I CANNOT WAIT.
‘Hawaiian Air’ is a song that was recommended to me by my friend, Nicole DeJesus. When I first listened to it, I kinda found the intro “bopping” sound to be somewhat annoying. BUT, as I listened on, I started to enjoy its light and carefree vibe, and realized that its effervescent beat matched perfectly with the jittery butterflies that someone flying to Hawaii WOULD have. It then made me think of Andy Bluhm and Jason White, two of my buddies that were traveling to Hawaii this month. I haven’t yet been to Hawaii, but I’ve hear it’s AMAZING, especially Kauai. One day…
My favorite parts of this song are at ~1:40 min in:
“Touchin’ down
Hit the ground
I’m breathing new air
Can I take this all in?
Can I take this all in? (LOVE IT!)
(and)…
Up in the sky Honolulu bound
Steel guitar and the melee sound
Did I give it all?
I guess I gave it all
Feeling the shapes keeps me reticent
Stuck in my seat from the turbulence
And if I fall
Then I fall (Such a good line- totally exudes that carefree attitude of vacation)
Friendly Fires are an English band from St Albans, Hertfordshire, England. They are currently signed to XL Recordings. Their self-titled debut album was released on 1 September 2008 and was announced as one of the shortlisted twelve for the 2009 Mercury Prize on 21 July 2009. They have toured extensively, with past performances taking place throughout the UK, Europe, Japan, USA, Canada, Mexico, South America and Australia.
‘Techno Fan’ is a song by a band (The Wombats) that was recommended to me by my German friend, Lisa Pfisterer, who saw them at the 2011 LoveBox music festival in Vicotria Park, London. After listening to a few of their songs, I soon became addicted to ‘Techno Fan.’ Aside from having a fun and contagious beat, its lyrics are amusing and tell a story that we can all relate to. I’m sure you’ve all had a friend and/or acquaintance that made you feel like you were pulling teeth when you were trying to get them to have a good time. This song describes a person like that very well, and I love its rebellious attitude in trying to deal with them:
“Shut up and move with me, move with me or, or get out of my face
I didn’t queue for an hour to leave straight away
Shut up and stay with me, stay with me or, or let go of my hand
The lasers fill our minds with empty plans”
The Wombats are an indie rock band formed in Liverpool, England. The band comprises native Liverpudlians Matthew Murphy (lead vocals, guitar, nose harp, keyboard) and Dan Haggis (drums, percussion, keyboard and backing vocals), alongside Norwegian-born Tord Øverland-Knudsen (bass guitar, guitar, keyboard and backing vocals). The band is signed to 14th Floor Records and Bright Antenna in the United States.
In April 2008, the band put out their first U.S. release on Bright Antenna, That summer, the band performed live at a number of major festivals, including Glastonbury Festival in June and T in the Park in July, and Reading and Leeds. In September 2010, the band announced they were near to completing their second studio album in the MRG Recording Studio in Los Angeles, California. The Wombats also played at the 2011 Southside and Hurricane music festivals in Germany, the latter of which Lisa Pfisterer also went to!
In describing their next album, Tord says, “You take the electro and you take the grunge and you put it together with what we used to do on the first album…then that’s what the album’s going to be.” I’m looking forward to it!
‘Fiya’ initially drew me in because of the soothing ukulele entrance, but then the beautiful lyrics to follow caught my attention even more:
“When a girl feels so alone
what a tease to throw a bone
should’ve just stayed at home
when a girl feels so alone.”
I love these next lyrics, and I think it’s so cool how the picking of the ukulele gains intensity after the last line (in sync with her “breathing out fire” state of mind, I guess):
Why’d you think i’d put out your fire?
why’d you think i’d put out your fire?
don’t you know i breathe in fire?
breathe out fire?
I also really like the line: “What happened between us makes sense if i’m nothing, you’re all nothing…f i’m nothing at all.”
BUT, my absolute FAVORITE part of the song kicks in at ~2:34 in, when she gracefully sings: “You are always on my mind” 4 times and then follows up these graceful vocals and graceful ukulele melody with an more aggressive and intense “We’re going outside…?????” at ~3:10 in. The ukulele and percussion picks up with intensity EVEN MORE (~4 min in) as she bolts out her next line, which I don’t think anyone can make out the words to. But that’s the cool part- You don’t even need to know the words she’s shouting to understand the passion and frustration behind her voice. UNREAL. The last verse that follows this mysterious lil’ shouting sesh is EVEN MORE mysterious in its words:
“I am not beautiful
i am not beautiful
i am unknown as the world goes underground (?)
and i am not beautiful
and i am not magic yet (?)
but i am in love at the end of the world (?)…” (who knows?!!)
I thought that maybe I would have heard ‘Fiya’ live when I saw tUnE-yArDs just recently at the Outside Lands music festival in San Francisco, but no; INSTEAD, I was ENTRALLED by the KICKASS SONGS on her NEWEST ALBUM, WhoKill. tUnE-yArDs was hands down the HIGHLIGHT of the weekend for me. One of the le siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiickest live performances I’ve ever seen. SURREAL on so many levels. She kicked off her set with “DO YOU WANNA LIVE?!!”, a song that is not on any of her albums but is CRUCIAL in getting people to STOP IN THEIR TRACKS and turn and DROP THEIR JAWS, wondering what the heck that MUSICAL MAGIC is on stage and who the heck is behind is. Yeah, she’s called tUnE-yArDs, and she’ll be TUNING YOUR EMOTIONS for the rest of your life. I’d since been telling people to pardon my uncontrollable urge to shout out “DO YOU WANNA LIVE?!!…YEAH!” for the next few weeks, cause I will. It was THAT GOOD.
Standing only 4 ft from the stage (front and center) and I got some greats photos and videos (see my ‘Siiiiiick snapshots’ and ‘Live footage’ page). I particularly like this photo below, because it pretty much sums up the ridiculously LARGE & GOOFY SMILE that I had on my face during the entire set. And I was STILL SMILING hours later…
I just love her unique style and her incredibly raw talent in creating all sorts of crazy sounds from everyday items (glass bottle, microphone stand, etc.). It was absolutely UNREAL to see her create that magic from only a few feet away! Her looping of ukulele with vocals and percussion is like nothing I’ve ever heard before. She IS her OWN GENRE. Also, she clearly LOVE WHAT SHE DOES and it definitely comes through in her music. It’s one thing to see someone rocking out…but to see someone rocking out WEARING A SMILE?…now that’s just CONTAGIOUS!
I WILL be seeing her AGAIN at the Regency Ballroom in San Francisco on November 23. The absolute BEST GIFT I could treat myself to on my birthday month. Next time, I’m coming with WARPAINT ON MY FACE!! (just like she had at Outside Lands…) 😉
tUnE-yArDs is the lo-fi experimental folk project of Merrill Garbus, also of the noisy, indie pop band Sister Suvi. A truly solo project, Garbus began writing and performing under the tUnE-yArDs moniker in 2006. She assembled songs with a digital voice recorder and shareware mixing software, making a homespun patchwork of found sounds, field recordings, ukulele, unusual percussion, and her surprisingly soulful vocals. It took Garbus two years to piece her debut album Bird-Brains together, for which she offered as a pay-what-you-want download on the tUnE-yArDs website.(so badass) This album was reissued and distributed by 4AD in the Fall, right around the time she began opening on tour for the Dirty Projectors (another favorite!)
‘Georges Street/The Tatar Frigate’ is yet another song by the magical guitar duo (Gabriela y Rodrigo) that has me bopping my head uncontrollably to its melodies. I love how in the beginning of the song, the introductory guitar part is mimicked by a violin. This is the first time I’ve heard a violin component laced within their songs, and I really DIG IT- it really is such a neat compliment their already amazing guitar sound. Although the ENTIRE song keeps me on my toes with its interesting layers of string melodies, it’s the EXPLOSIVE FUSION of guitar and “spastic” violin at ~2:40 that literally has me jumping out of my seat, ready to bust out into a jig. WOW. (Excuse me while I catch my breath…)
‘You can come to me’ is song from a band that was recommended to me by Nicole DeJesus (yet again). After listening to a few songs from their album, I was immediately drawn to ‘You can come to me’ because of the cool beats in beginning…they just made me happy. They lyrics aren’t the best, but I do like the line: “You can run, run, run…But you can’t escape.” Simple, but it gets the point across. It also kind of hits home, since I very much try and run away (fugitive-style) when I find myself in a rut (simply cause I hate to bring others down). Funny, but true.
The Helio Sequence is a duo of sonic landscapers signed to label Sub Pop. Their music environments are optimistic and uplifting with a dash of psychedelic. The band was formed in 1999 in Beaverton, Oregon, a suburb of Portland, Oregon, and consists of Brandon Summers on Vocals/ Guitars and Benjamin Weikel on Drums/ Keyboards (who has also played for Modest Mouse on Drums). The band produces an eccentric brand of indie rock mixed with electronic elements. To date, they have released two albums on Sub Pop, two on the Portland-based label Cavity Search and a self-released EP. Their fourth album, entitled Keep Your Eyes Ahead, was released on January 29, 2008, by Sub Pop. The Helio Sequence toured with the British band Keane (who I also really like) through the U.S.A. and in June, 2010 they were Keane’s support act in several gigs through Great Britain during the British band’s Night Train Tour.
‘Revival (Sidecar Tommy remix)’ is a recent remix of a Beats Antique song that has been on their Blind Threshold album since 2010. Although the original ‘Revival’ song is good, I actually prefer this Sidecar Tommy remix because of its aggressive wobble base components (~0:45) and the volatile fusion of sounds at ~1:21 and ~2:15 into the song. Definitely a great song for Zoe Jakes to belly dance to…and man, does she DO IT WELL. It was SO SIIIIIICK to see this incredible experimental world fusion and electronic music trio make their magic at Bonnaroo music festival this year. Jensyn Hyman and I definitely were LOST IN A TRANCE for a solid hour (and man, were my legs and hips sore thereafter…)
‘Possibly Maybe’ is a song that I know very well because it used to be on the warm-up mix for a Modern Dance class that I took for “shits and giggles” my senior year at Bucknell University. My friend Tammy Ioanilli and I used to bite our lips and hold back laughter EVERY CLASS because this song (inappropriately sexual in itself) used to come on when we just HAPPENED to be in the most sexually suggestive yoga pose for warmup. The timing was always incredibly impeccable- EVERY TIME. What made the situation even MORE hilarious is that NO ONE else seemed to realize how sexual the lyrics of this song were but US! Um, HELLLLLLLO. Haha. We actually used to get a kick out of watching the uncomfortable mannerisms of the 4 boys in the class (including the one who we nicknamed “Jessica”), who HAD TO have felt awkward in a class full of 25 girls. SO MANY LAUGHS…EVERY CLASS.
Having listened to this song again, out of context of the class, I’ve actually come to appreciate how beautiful it is, even with its sexual lyrics:
“Your flirt finds me out
teases the crack in me
smittens me with hope
possibly maybe probably love
as much as i definitely enjoy solitude (My fav lines of the song….SO GOOD)
i wouldn’t mind perhaps
spending little time with you
sometimes
sometimes
possibly maybe probably love
uncertainty excites me
baby
who knows what’s going to happen?
lottery or car crash
or you’ll join a cult
possibly maybe probably love
mon petit vulcan
you’re eruptions and disasters
i keep calm
admiring your lava (Oh boy…)
i keep calm
possibly maybe probably love
since we broke up
i’m using lipstick again
i’ll suck my tongue (haha…awesome)
as a remembrance of you.”
The “possibly maybe, probably love” is such cool little line that definitely sends a message of hopefulness, but yet “tease.” Lovely lil’ balance.
Björk Guðmundsdóttir is an Icelandic singer-songwriter, occasional actress, music composer and music producer, whose influential solo work includes eight solo albums and two original film soundtracks. Her eclectic musical style has achieved popular acknowledgement and popularity within many musical genres, such as rock, jazz, electronic dance music, classical and folk. Her voice has been acclaimed for its distinctive qualities, such as being ranked #8 on MTV’s “22 Greatest Voices in Music”.
Also, in 2010, she received the Polar Music Prize from the Royal Swedish Academy of Music, in recognition for her “deeply personal music and lyrics, her precise arrangements and her unique voice”. (which is definitely apparent in her ‘Possibly Maybe’ song…)
‘Chop and Change’ is a song by The Black Keys that was featured on the soundtrack of The Twilight Saga: Eclipse movie. I don’t watch those movies at all (and don’t really watch tv for that matter), but I came across this song on YouTube when I was looking up some other artists (Bon Iver and St. Vincent) that also ended up being on this album. These Twilight movie soundtracks have a surprising number of stellar artists on them: Bon Iver, St. Vincent, Muse, The Black Keys, Florence & the Machine, The Strokes, Death Cab for Cutie, The Killers, Metric, Sia, Thom York, The Bravery, Civil Twilight, Grizzly Bear, and Vampire Weekend. Not too shabby for some Vampire movie!
I love the fusion of sexy guitar melodies and piano strung throughout this song, and when I listen to the lyrics, I imagine some hot chick that is able to hitchhike her way through the south nothing but her looks and her charm. It’s interesting how the lyrics for this song, and most other Black Keys songs for that matter, paint a picture of some strong, badass female (and it always makes me smile):
“An innocent child in New Orleans
a simple girl from simple means
walked the rails
rode her thumb
she hitched a ride with the every one
The regular, she’d rearrange
the girl knew how to chop and change
chop and change
chop and change
chop and change
chop and change
Took a job workin late
jackin cars from out of state
she found no love in this town
so she’d never mess around
had no luck, but aint it strange
the girl knew how to chop and change
chop and change.”
I was SUPER STOKED when The Black Keys played this song at Outside Lands this year. I knew ALL OF THE LYRICS and was belting them out like a ROCKSTAR. 😉
‘I Suppose I should say ‘thanks’ or some shit’ is one of my favorite Gold Panda songs. DO ME A FAVOR and PLEASE LISTEN to the ENTIRE SONG. I feel like you are cheating yourself I you only listen for a few seconds in and press next, because this song takes a while to build up intensity. At ~1:27 you’ll certainly get hooked, and then as you listen on further, the choppiness of the beat at ~2:03 and ~2:15 will make your EYES WIDEN. The indecisive keyboard “dance” at ~2:57 will have you bopping your head like a madman, and at ~3:24 you’ll pretty much be HAVING A SEIZURE. Yeah, it’s THAT GOOD. I’ll be seeing you at The Independent in San Francisco on October 23, Mr. Gold Panda. Can’t wait. 🙂
‘Night Bus’ is an absolutely GORGEOUS acoustic track that I stumbled upon when listening to some Bombay Bicycle Club songs on YouTube. It turns out that Lucy Rose, the beautifully unique female voice behind this track, is also the female singer for Bombay Bicycle Club (one of my new favorite bands). Although Lucy only started gaining notoriety as the featured artist on the title track of their 2010 album, Flaws, she has actually been playing open mics in London since she was 18 yrs old. According to an interview with Lucy Rose performed by CLASHMUSIC.com, she has hopes of making an album “one day,” following up her debut single, ‘Middle Of The Bed’ (release Aug 8, 2011).
The first time I heard ‘Night Bus,’ I literally listened to it 10 times in a row before I felt like I could move onto another song. It was just the perfect for a stressful day of lab analysis. Although I love the soothing entrance of the guitar, it’s the gentle, sweet voice that follows which really strikes a chord with me. The “I’m not alone…She said, ‘I’m not alone” verse just send chills down my spine every time. The one line that really stick out to me is: “She’s not phased by the darkness in her soul…And you barely catch a glimpse of her…cause she’s wrapped tightly, hiding in her clothes.” SOOOO GOOD. I also really like the verse:
“And they’re strangers, and they’re walking my way
and I’m talking to myself
Strangers, and they’re walking my way
and I’m talking to myself (her voice sound so pretty here)
And they’re strangers, and they’re walking my way
and I’m talking to myself
Strangers, and they’re walking my way
and I’m talking to myself.”
The textured, warm and overwhelmingly beautiful fusion of acoustic guitar and vocals in this song will forever make it my GO TO track for one of those rough days when I’m either stressed or upset and don’t’ want to feel “alone.” Thank you, Lucy Rose. 🙂
‘Race out’ is another song that you need to give a chance and listen all the way through because it’s the EXPLOSION OF SOUNDS at ~1:48 that makes your heart feel like it’s going to RACE OUT of your chest! Wow, Battles, way to do it again. You guys are SIIIIIIIICK.
‘As Far as I Can See’ is a song by Phantogram (name inspired by the optical illusion called phantogram), an American electronic rock duo from Saratoga Springs, New York, formed in 2007 and consisting of Josh Carter (vocals, guitars) and Sarah Barthel (vocals, keyboards). They write and record in a remote barn in upstate New York called Harmony Lodge, nearby Skidmore College (where fellow beat-experimenters Ratatat formed!). However, you would not expect this from their “street beat, psych pop” style music that has “lots of rhythms, swirling guitars, spacey keyboards, echoes, airy vocals.” In 2009, they signed with Barsuk Records (Death Cab for Cutie, Ra Ra Riot, etc.) Phantogram has played and toured with The Antlers, Beach House, Metric, Minus The Bear, Caribou, Zero 7, The xx, Ra Ra Riot, School of Seven Bells, Yeasayer, Brazilian Girls, and The Glitch Mob. They have also played several major North American festivals including Coachella, Sasquatch, Treasure Island, Lollapalooza, and Outside Lands (WHERE I RECENTLY SAW THEM!) Unfortunately, I only got there in enough time to see them perform their last song, but I got tickets to see them in Sacramento on November 1, so I’M HAPPY! My buddy Ken Diener got a really amazing live video (see my ‘Live Footage’ page) of them performing MY FAVORITE of their songs, ‘Mouthful of Diamonds.’ (on my “You Yes You” playlist on my ‘Musical Treasure‘ page)
Although I LOVE LOVE LOVE ‘Mouthful of Diamonds,’ I also really like ‘As Far as I can See’ and ‘When I’m Small’ (soon to be on my September playlist). I really dig the beginning of “As Far As I can See,” with the aggressive choppiness of it sampler sounds and hip-hop beats that seem to meld perfectly with Sarah’s beautiful vocals. There are so many different layers of sounds (samplers, tapes, records, synths, drums, and both percussive and stringed instruments) that meld together to create beautiful, beat-driven dreamlike pop songs like this one. It also helps that aside from having a sexy voice, Sarah is also INCREDILBY HOT. (see photos below)
‘Waste’ is a one of my favorite songs by Foster The People, and I feel so lucky to have seen it performed UP CLOSE and PERSONAL at Outside Lands musical festival this year in San Francisco.
My favorite line in this song is: “You know it’s funny how freedom can make us feel contained”– I feel like there is a lot of truth to this statement. In fact, I’ve noticed that I sometimes feel more overwhelmed when I have more “freedom” to pursue more of my options, and this overwhelming feeling that tends to make me feel even more constrained and “bounded” than if I had ACTUAL boundaries limiting my options. To some, this might not make sense at all, but to me it’s perfectly clear. Strange, I know…
The other part of the song that I really like is when he sings:
“And every day that you want to waste, that you want to waste, you can
And every day that you want to wake up, that you want to wake, you can
And every day that you want to change, that you want to change, yeah
I’ll help you see it through because I just really want to be with you.” (cute)
I also really dig the abrupt ending to this song…Pretty cool.
‘Creating cyclical headaches’ is a really cool song by one of my favorite electronic artists, Prefuse 73. I really dig the cyclical xylophone sound that acts as the continuous background melody. I also think the name of the song is really clever, even though it didn’t give me a headache…
‘Heavy in Your Arms’ is a song that I came across after seeing it amongst the list of stellar artists on the Twilight movie soundtrack. I absolutely LOVE Florence & the Machine and was super stoked to see that she had an extra song for this movie that was not available on her Lungs album.
The intensity of Florence’s voice at ~2:12 into the song is just SIIIIIIIIIICK and my favorite part is:
“And is it worth the wait
All this killing time?
Are you strong enough to stand
Protecting both your heart and mine?
Who is the betrayer?
Who’s the killer in the crowd?
The one who creeps in corridors
And doesn’t make a sound
My love has concrete feet
My love’s an iron ball
Wrapped around your ankles
Over the waterfall.”
‘Shake Me Down’ is one of my favorite songs by Cage the Elephant, who I saw live at 2010 Austin City Limits music festival. I love the unexpected drum entrance at ~0:27, and the associated lyrics:
“Shake me down,
Not a lot of people left around,
Who knows now,
Softly laying on the ground, ooooh
Not a lot people left around, ooooh. Ooooh.”
My favorite part of the song is at ~1:14 in with the accelerated drum and the badass lyrics that in the end leave you with a hopeful message:
“In my past, bittersweet,
There’s no love between the sheets,
Taste the blood, broken dreams,
Lonely times indeed,
With eyes cast down,
Fixed upon the ground,
Eyes cast down….
I’ll keep my eyes fixed on THE SUN.”
‘Wisdom of Antiquity’ is song that I came across when listening to a Pretty Lights remix. In fact, Break Science is another group that has just been added to the Pretty Lights label (along with some other great artists like Michael Menert and Paper Diamond). Raised in the cultural hotbed of New York City, Break Science (Deitch and Lee) fuse the city’s rich musical legacy- jazz, funk, soul, with a deep-rooted connection to its hip-hop heritage to create their own take on modern electronic music. “Armed with Deitch’s thunderous breakbeat style on the drums and Lee’s seasoned trip-hop/dub aesthetic on keyboards and laptop, their instrumental styles are perfectly interwoven within their beautiful, banging and extremely danceable tracks.”
I thought ‘Wisdom of Antiquity’ was just a pretty chill song that had some interesting layers of sounds and also a pretty intriguing opening line: “Whenever a civilization looks soon to be a lost civilization, then that civilization IS OURS.” Pretty cool.