50ft Radio | Volume Two

First off, work has me running a bit behind on site updates but I will get back into the thick of it soon. New wallpapers are lining up in my ‘to post’ folder and the new design is looking good so far, I just need to sort out some of the logistics and make some tough calls to make sure its just right before pushing it out there and I would rather get it right than launch with a rushed design.

That out of the way, the new 50ft Radio mix is here! I have been working away on it for the past month or so and it’s changed shape a couple of times. I set out wanting to make a mix for the summer, for road trips, for hot nights and being played loud and booming. Something full of energy and heat.

This lead to the music selection to be nearly all electronic in nature but I tried to still make it fairly accessible to those not too into the genre. I was looking to make a departure from my usual quiet music mixes and let it hang out a bit and have some fun. With a couple of last minute additions and shuffling this afternoon and some time to listen to it through in its completed form a couple times (a must for any mix I share with anyone) I feel like it’s ready to push on out for everyone to enjoy. The idea is to spread some energy in these hot months through some great music. There are a lot of recent favorites on here and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

The 50ft radio mixes are presented in an advanced AAC format that includes chapters for different songs as well as changing cover art, information and links to the artists page from within the file. I will not be sharing these songs as individual files because I am not here to re-distribute music, I simply want to share some great music with friends and followers of the site to explore and enjoy. If you enjoy it check out the artists sites and show them love!

To listen to the mix simply click here. Track list is included in the zip.

50ft Radio Volume One

Well, the time has come and I finally have a new music post for everyone. I have been juggling a few different ideas for where to take the music side of 50ft and I plan on continuing to post more recent favorite albums as I have for a long time now but I would like to introduce something new into the mix and start releasing mixes for readers to discover some great new music and hear a bit of what I have been listening to lately. I have been making mix tapes for friends as long as I can remember, its something that I love to do and sometimes spend weeks compiling a good mix of songs slowly tweaking the ebb and flow of how they work as a whole and this is no exception. I started out simply wanting to make a spring mix to share but it sort of took a turn somewhere and took a life of its own.

The music I have assembled here ended up with a feeling of, lets say, organic exploration… Music that felt warm to me in some way either lyrically or sonically that conjures up some sense of peacefulness within an adventure. This is music for a day deep in the woods or standing on the edge of a canyon looking out into the empty world below, its music for road trips and the beginning of the warm months of the year with birds and cricket sounds sneaking through behind the melodies or, if you are not out exploring, hopefully it will allow you to close your eyes and imagine being somewhere where the wind blows at your back and the sun or moon lights the way forward. It’s a little sad, a little hopeful, a little meandering, its music for the coming of summer.

So anyway, all rambling in an attempt to describe something impossible to describe aside I hope you guys enjoy it. Its a bit of an experiment really and hopefully my servers wont cry too much under the weight of making a bigger file available for readers but feel free to let me know what you think in the comments if you get a chance to listen to it through.

To listen to the mix click here and enjoy! Track list is included in the zip.

A note on the format: I have made the format of the file an AAC file which has been created as an enhanced file for ipod/touch/phone/tunes (or other supported players). The ‘enhanced’ bit refers to the fact that it is one audio file that contains chapter markers and artwork that changes as you listen through it. I have released it as one single audio file because this music is here to share with readers as friends in the same way I would share a mix tape, I am not here to distribute songs to you and therefore am not going to be making individual songs available to anyone. If you like some of the music on here simply look up the artist or song and spend a dollar to support the music you enjoy

On The Hi-Fi, Best Of ’09

Its that time again, time to let share some music with everyone, I dont do it nearly enough and while I do have a number of new albums I could write about I have decided to do something I have been trying to do for years and write a best of list for the year in music. For me its tricky because I am often finding new music that is older than the current year and so digging through some of my favorites I have to track down release dates to and some of them get a bit tricky because of multiple versions of smaller releases coming out. Some on this list are vinyl records that I bought this year which were re-released, or more officially released versions of self released albums or that kind of thing.. but for me this list contains nothing but albums that were released this year in whichever format that I bought it in so its close enough for me.

Well, enough of all that rambling about it, rather than the top albums of the year I have decided to go with my favorite songs of the year, I thought it may be easier for you guys to check out songs rather than entire albums right? I started with the idea of a top ten but it came down to a top 35, all different artists and it was still a tough decision to make really. I know you have probably seen a number of these lists already but hopefully everyone finds something in here that maybe they have not heard or can enjoy. I will try to write a tiny description with each song if your interested in reading my thoughts on them, otherwise, happy browsing!

Find my top 35 for ‘09 after the read more link below:

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On the Hi-Fi

It has been far too long since I have shared some music around here so why not get started up again. Part of the reason is when I decide to post something music related I have been trying to fill that gap with my You Disappear site but not every album I listen too is slow, sad music. So here is a rundown with a quick description of why I enjoy the album. Ill do my best to keep the amount under control, it has been a while though so I’m just going to pull my most listened to albums synced currently to my iPhone. (in alphabetical order) Links after the description will take you to the artists website or the closest thing to it that I can find.

Bibio – Ambivalence Avenue
I have followed Bibio for quite a while now and have always had sort of a mixed fondness of it. While I love the lo-fi approach to recording his songs I was never really able to connect with it in any way. With this newest release, his first on Warp, He has taken it up a notch or two and added some welcome warmth to his lo-fi aesthetic. This and added in a surprising amount of beat production into his typically acoustic, guitar driven music. It makes for a mixed bag of songs drifting between folk and hip hop. Lovers Cravings is still my favorite track on here but the rest has been slowly growing on me. Artist Site

Body Language – Speaks
While short, this EP has been great. fresh off the small Moodgadget label it brings a mix of danceable electronic with a healthy dose of soulful singing creating a really fascinating mix of influences that I can easily recommend. Artist Site

Cass McCombs – Catacombs
I noticed this pop up in Pitchforks best of whatever list and typically Pitchfork is hit or miss in my mind, always sort of trying to live up to the influential status that it stumbled into over time what with their cocky approach to being the kings of indie music reporting. I wont ramble on about them though, I picked this up on emusic this month on after enjoying the little previews they make available and I am glad I did because its really grown on me with its sort of swinging folk approach. It immediately felt familiar and warm and I keep coming back to it for its gentle sway that conjures up feelings of nicer days. Artist Site

The Cave Singers – Welcome Joy
Another folk album, I loved their first record and this picks up right where it left of with a foot stomping opening track that immediately let me know that I would love the album and I was right, the whole thing is full of their unique approach to folk that I cant get enough of. Artist Site

The Choir Of Young Believers – This Is For The White In Your Eyes
I follow Ghostly International (label) pretty closely because they always seem to release such an interesting, diverse set of music and there are not many another labels with such a cohesive aesthetic while still managing to be so diverse in style. The Choir Of Young Believers, from what I understand, is more the centralized efforts of one person yet the music comes across as a vaguely epic trip through the album. The music itself is hard to peg as far as style, sometimes you will find yourself in a quiet place while other moments you find yourself surrounded by a lush layered orchestration. Its as far as I can go to describe it… Artist Site

Clark – Totems Flare
Clark is an artist I have followed throughout his career and I have really enjoyed the progression of his music as he has experimented with many different approaches but always has managed to keep the grittiness of his sound in tact. Many talk of him as though he peaked with his somewhat more accessible album Body Riddle, which was brilliant sure, but it should not get in the way of appreciated his newer works which are a god bit heavier on the beat side. Warp seems to tout his newest material as dance floor friendly but not in the way you might expect. His rhythms here are always evolving and swinging in different directions from track to track which I really love and the sound design, as always with him, is exceptional. I even enjoy the tracks he added his own vocal too, took me a minute to get used to it but at this point I find I really enjoy it. Artist Site

Kurt Vile – God Is Saying This To You
I wrote about this album over on You Disappear and I had to include it here as well because it really is a recent favorite. The first pressing of these on vinyl sold out before I could grab one but I consider myself lucky when I wandered onto the labels online store at the right moment to pick up one of the 30 reissued copies they were selling straight form the label. Anyway, the music itself is something of a hushed folk blues almost in my mind, meandering through the songs with a seeming nonchalance that I love. Artist Site

Lusine – Two Dots
Lusine is another Ghostly International artist and one of my favorite electronic musicians, he is simply a great producer and this short EP is the first single off of his upcoming album that I am really looking forward to. I am curious what the lyrical content of this song cold possibly stand for (maybe im just dense) but melodically it is fantastic and gets stuck in my head whenever I hear it. Artist Site

MachineDrum – Want to 1 2?
MachineDrum is a producer, electronic musician I have followed for years and years it seems and this is the first album from him in a number of years, one I had been waiting to hear ever since hearing a few early versions of tracks years ago. Its all done and available now and its amazing and well worth the time that was put into its creation. While primarily hip hop in its influence it is ripe for the dance floor and all of the guest vocals are spot on. Not one to pass up. Artist Site

Miachu & The Shapes – Jewellery
I cant remember where I came across Miachu but I am glad that I did. Her music is absolutely strange and wonderful pop music that I cant get enough of. I would say more but really, I should let the music stand for itself so have a listen! Artist Site

Noah & The Whale – The First Day Of Spring
This just might end up being my favorite album of the year. It was created in junction with a movie that they made to accompany the music that I have yet to see. In fact the album is not out yet. It was passed onto me from who knows where and its one of those rare albums that when I put on the first time I had to stop what I was doing and listen all the way through. I’ll just say this album will tug at your heart. Its a story about life, love, and music and its perfect. I cant wait to get my hands on the film when its released stateside in October. Artist Site

On – Your Naked Ghost Comes Back at Night
Close your eyes, play at a low volume and let this fill the cracks of your life with a beautiful ambience thats both organic and haunting in its subtle approach. On is a collaboration between Sylvian Chauveau and Steven Hess. Hopefully enough of a description to let you know what to expect, my favorite recently discovered ambient album. Artist Site

Peter Broderick – 4 Track Songs
I cant get enough of this guys music, after two great piano based instrumental albums, a more acoustic songwriter sort of an album and a cassette tape release full of wonderful Duets varying greatly in their conceptual nature, I jump at the chance to hear more from this talented songwriter and this release is no exception. Trading fancy production for a more basic almost lo-fi style these songs drift all over the place but all hold together with a common feel that is beautiful throughout. Artist Site

School Of Seven Bells – My cabal
Yet another Ghostly release, this time from The School Of Seven Bells, a group I am pretty sure I have mentioned before around here. This is the latest single from their album Alpinisms, its the last song on the album actually and its one of my favorites from it. The other songs on here are what stand out in my mind and make it worth mentioning here. The peaceful feeling of My Camarilla is a fantastic b-side that brings the feeling of peace to mind and the remixes are spot on and fit with their style perfectly and manage to pull of a rarity in remixes and I find myself enjoying the remix versions more than the originals. A perfect compliment to their growing catalogue of eps… Artist Site

On the Hi-Fi

It has been all to long since I have set aside a few minutes to put together a music post and I have wanted to write one for quite a while now. There are one to many great new albums to mention here but I will do my best to pick a nice diverse selection of great new music that I have been listening to lately and hopefully some of you will find something new in the process as well. It is always really hard to decide what to post and because it has been a while since I have done one of these music features I am finding it even harder to choose. I will try and keep my descriptions short this time around to make it easier for you to read through the selections. Without further delay..

Dan Auerbach – Keep It Hid

Dan Auerbach is one half of the blues rock group The Black Keys and he has released his first solo record recently and its really really good. The Black Keys have this sort of gritty grungy vintage approach to the blues and this is along similar lines only much smoother in execution. Every song on here stands on its own which says something for a full length to be full of great songs minus the filler. It ranges from more simple acoustic blues like on the wonderful opening track, Trouble Weighs A Ton, to the more head nodding electric blues The Black Keys are known for. If you like the blues at all I highly recommend this release one of my recent favorites.

iTunes Link • Artist Site

Here We Go Magic – Self Titled

This was a more recent discovery. I don’t know to much about the band other than I really enjoy this album and I think they are quickly picking up momentum in the popularity front. Understandably so. Music like this is surprisingly trendy these days. Its a little hard to pinpoint, a little folk, a little rock, a little ambient, a little electronic.. Kind of a grab bag of Lo-Fi love that will keep you guessing. The first track is what good me hooked and is my favorite on here. Check them out and see what you think, its really good stuff.

iTunes Link • Artist Site

Calmer – Past is Present EP

This is an album I featured on my calm music blog, You Disappear, a while back. Calmer is the musical alias of Colin Palmer, a NYC musician crafting some of the most interesting jazz inspired electronic music that I have ever come across. The fusion of electronic elements and jazz is something really unique and the thick sound he has created with layers and layers of synth, drums, guitars, and other elements is really fascinating to listen to. From what I know he spent a few years working on this music and Anyone into jazz, electronic, or music that pushes boundaries of these genres should certainly check out this great EP.

iTunes Link • Artist Site

Flying Saucer Attack – Distance

I found this album through eMusic this month and have really enjoyed it. It was released back in 1994 and is a collection of singles which was released after the groups first full length album. They are a British group centered around two members who wrote and recorded most of the music. The music itself is a cross between ambient and noise pop not unlike My bloody Valentine and other such artists. The opening track called Oceans is a great ambient piece and the third track, Crystal Shade, is a wonderful noise pop song full of a thick reverb that makes it sort of dream like and is the song that originally got my attention as I was previewing songs from the album. If you are into this sort of music I highly recommend it.

iTunes Link • Labels Site

Mount Eerie – Dawn

This is another album which I featured on You Disappear and I wanted to mention it here as well simply because I love it. I have enjoyed the music of Mount Eerie aka The Microphones for some time now. The music on this album was written a few years ago and has appeared on a lot of various albums of his in different forms but they had never been recorded and collected in the way they were originally written, with a simplified approach of just acoustic guitar and singing. Its the way these songs are best heard and I find the songwriting to be really brilliant and insightful. The album is available digitally, on vinyl and within a cool looking book containing the original sketches while the music was being written. Here you will find calm music and in my opinion, wonderful songwriting.

Artist Page

Selected+Collected – eMusic Compilation

Obviously another eMusic discovery and its actually only available through eMusic. It is a collection of songs from a handful of largely unknown groups many of which have not even had one proper release yet. While the collection visits a lot of various genres it does hole a cohesive feeling to it and most of the music you will find here is the new breed of avant indie rock blending lo-fi recording and a hodgepodge of various influences to create some really wonderful unique music. It has been in heavy rotation since I have downloaded it and suggest you check it out if you are looking for a great, eclectic collection of new, up and coming artists.

Albums page on eMusic

Bon Iver – Blood Bank EP

Many of you may already be familiar with Bon Iver because I have featured him here on the site a couple of times before and because his music seems to have burst into popularity lately but I wanted to include this EP here because it certainly has been among my recent favorites. Its music for lonely moments and is hopeful in a melancholic sort of a way if that makes any sense at all. These four songs are wonderful and makes me really look forward to what he has to offer in his future releases.

iTunes Link • Artist Page

Mike Bones – What I Have Left

I found this one song randomly and it connected with me in some way and would just not let go. Its one of those songs that just feels unflinchingly honest and it shows. It is a simple approach to songwriting in some ways and its lack of any sort of hook or chorus leads you to hear the message and feeling within the song without the need for a catchy hook. Its just a good solid progression and a great song in my opinion and wanted to include it here simply because it is one of the most played songs among my recent discoveries and I wanted to share. You can hear it via the video that was made for it here.

iTunes Link • Artist Page

Beirut – March of the Zapotec & RealPeople: Holland

Beirut is a group that I have listened to for some time now and originally sort of avoided for some reason and I cant really explain why. Needless to say it took some time for it to really click in my mind. The music is full of horns and a light hearted traditional sort of an approach to its songwriting that I really love. The album is split right down the middle as it is actually two EP’s released as one full length album. The first half is all swinging horn melodies and the second half is nearly all danceable electronic with a hint of the horns that combine in a really great way that I really enjoyed hearing. As you can probably tell I really have no idea how to describe the music you will find on this album but I highly recommend you check it out simply because its a wonderful collection of songs.

iTunes Link • Artist Page
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I think I will leave it at that for this post, there were a few more albums on my list which I considered including but I think I have gone on long enough.Hopefully you discovered something new for your ears here and keep an eye out for more music suggestions as I hope to start doing more of them again but well see what happens with time. Thanks for reading and I will see you next time!