[playlist] Hump Day Power Play (11-7-2012)

Now That's What I Call 2008!

2008 was a fantastic year in music. So fantastic, in fact, that it inspired me to start blogging about the great acts and albums of that time. After years of anonymous music writing on Wikipedia (fighting with editors on which bands were truly "notable" and Wiki-eligible), I decided to take my own shot at promoting my favorite acts, and thus Three Colours was born. Feeling a hint of nostalgia this week, I put together an HDPP with some of my favorite songs from '08. Hard to believe that was nearly 5 years ago!

Stream the playlist below (or by clicking here).

:: Hump Day Power Play (11-7-2012) ::
01 :: "Gamma Ray" - Beck
02 :: "Mexican Dogs" - Cold War Kids
03 :: "Balloons" - Foals
04 :: "A-Punk" - Vampire Weekend
05 :: "No One Does It Like You" - Department Of Eagles
06 :: "Bang Your Drum" - Wolf Parade
07 :: "Shake Shake Shake" - White Denim
08 :: "Mercy" - Plants and Animals
09 :: "Psychotic Girl" - The Black Keys
10 :: "Kim & Jessie" - M83
11 :: "Can You Tell" - Ra Ra Riot
12 :: "For Emma" - Bon Iver
13 :: "Ragged Wood" - Fleet Foxes
14 :: "Boats" - The Aliens
15 :: "Wedding Bell" - Beach House

:: Get Spotify ::

[playlist] Hump Day Power Play (8-15-2012)

Daniel Rossen Mix

Daniel Rossen has one of the most distinct voices in the indie music community, and he's contributed his equally beautiful songwriting skills to Grizzly Bear, Department of Eagles, and even some solo work. This week's HDPP may lack some of the pizzazz that one usually needs to get through a slow day, but I think the power in these songs should do quite well regardless. Notably, Rossen didn't join Grizzly Bear until Yellow House, so I intentionally left off the band's earlier work. By the way, GB's newest album Shields is set to drop September 18!

Stream the playlist below (or by clicking here).

:: Hump Day Power Play (8-15-2012) ::
01 :: "Yet Again" - Grizzly Bear
02 :: "No One Does It Like You" - Department of Eagles
03 :: "Two Weeks" - Grizzly Bear
04 :: "On A Neck, On A Spit" - Grizzly Bear
05 :: "While We're Young" - Daniel Rossen
06 :: "Romo-Goth" - Arcade Fire
07 :: "Knife" - Grizzly Bear
08 :: "Golden Mile" - Arcade Fire
09 :: "Shift (Alt Version)" - Grizzly Bear
10 :: "Little Brother" - Grizzly Bear
11 :: "While You Wait For The Others" - Grizzly Bear
12 :: "He Hit Me" - Grizzly Bear
13 :: "Ready, Able" - Grizzly Bear
14 :: "In Ear Park" - Department of Eagles
15 :: "Silent Song" - Daniel Rossen

:: Get Spotify ::

[playlist] Hump Day Power Play (5-9-2012)

Spirit Animal Mix

One of my favorite questions to ask random strangers is, "What's your spirit animal, and why?" I'm more interested in the "why", since it's always interesting to see how one personifies their chosen animal. In almost all cases, their animal is somehow wise (e.g., elephant, owl, lion, eagle). If one were to image search "spirit animal" in Google, you'd find awesome pictures like the one above. If one were to ask me, I'd probably tell you the wolf is my spirit animal. Why? Well according to this quiz, it's because I'm loyal, devoted, and passionate... At any rate, it turns out I also happen to like a lot of bands named after animals, so I figured putting my favorite of those bands into this week's Hump Day Power Play was only fitting.

Hear it by simply clicking here. Playlist is below.

:: Hump Day Power Play (5-9-2012) ::
01 :: "Sea Ghost" - The Unicorns
02 :: "Modern World" - Wolf Parade
03 :: "What The Stars Have Eaten" - Deadboy & The Elephantmen
04 :: "No One Does It Like You" - Department of Eagles
05 :: "Revival" - Deerhunter
06 :: "Melody Day" - Caribou
07 :: "Sing It Softly in a Sigh" - Halcyonaire
08 :: "Little Brother" - Grizzly Bear
09 :: "Mykonos" - Fleet Foxes
10 :: "All Fires" - Swan Lake
11 :: "You're a Wolf" - Sea Wolf
12 :: "Revolving Doors" - Gorillaz
13 :: "Qui Dorm, Només Somia" - Deerhoof
14 :: "505" - Arctic Monkeys

Get Spotify (if you don't already have it).

[playlist] Hump Day Power Play (4-18-2012)

 Afternoon Dream Edition

I can't get enough of Kishi Bashi's newest LP 151a, and since you can't access that album on Spotify currently, I've put together a playlist that pulls from the same sounds of airy/folksy dream pop. As the weather warms and the days grow longer, this week's Hump Day Power Play is perfect for lounging next to the open breezy window. So go ahead and grab your favorite book, hit play on this HDPP, and as always, enjoy.

Hear it by simply clicking here. Playlist is below.

:: Hump Day Power Play (4-18-2012) ::
01 :: "Bright Whites" - Kishi Bashi
02 :: "Get Alive" - Au
03 :: "While We're Young" - Department of Eagles
04 :: "Tracy's Water" - Patrick Watson
05 :: "The Transfiguration" - Sufjan Stevens
06 :: "Immanent Domain" - Miracle Fortress
07 :: "Crystalfilm" - Little Dragon
08 :: "Fisherman's Son" - Port O'Brien
09 :: "Daydream" - Beach Fossils
10 :: "Landline" - Oberhofer
11 :: "Minnesota, WI" - Bon Iver
12 :: "Hollywood Forever Cemetery Songs" - Father John Misty

Get Spotify (if you don't already have it).

[playlist] Hump Day Power Play (3-14-2012)

Spring Forward Mix

Having trouble with springing forward? Hopefully the warm weather and longer nights were worth the hour price tag. There's nothing fancy about this week's Hump Day Power Play. It's simply a solid playlist. Hopefully you agree!

Hear it by simply clicking here. Playlist is below.

:: Hump Day Power Play (3-14-2012) ::
01 :: "Away Frm U" - Oberhofer
02 :: "Book of Revelation" - The Drums
03 :: "Les Os" - The Unicorns
04 :: "Romo-Goth" - Department of Eagles
05 :: "Fancy Claps" - Wolf Parade
06 :: "Summertime Clothes" - Animal Collective
07 :: "Ambling Alp" - Yeasayer
08 :: "Jellybones" - The Unicorns
09 :: "No One Does It Like You" - Department of Eagles
10 :: "New Lord" - Elf Power
11 :: "Abominable Snow" - Islands
12 :: "Idiot Heart" - Sunset Rubdown
13 :: "The Lady Vanishes" - White Rabbits

Get Spotify (if you don't already have it).

Dept. Of Eagles / Cave Singers: Tonight!

Dept. Of Eagles and The Cave Singers (1-28-09)

Just a friendly reminder to any Seattleite looking for a kick-ass show tonight: head over to Neumos, seriously. Department of Eagles and The Cave Singers are arguably two of the best bands making music today, and to see them all under the same roof on the same night is quite a rare occasion. DOE never tours, so this could be a one-time deal. Don't miss out on it and regret it for the rest of your life. Sadly, Peter Broderick is also playing Nectar tonight, but luckily he'll be back in a few months.

Doors open at 8:00pm
Tickets are a mere $13
21+
To Buy Tickets, Click Here

Deptartment of Eagles w/ Cave Singers (1-28-09)

January 28 - DOE and Cave Singers!!!

Just announced minutes ago, The Cave Singers will be opening for Department of Eagles on January 28, 2009. DOE will also be supported with the remaining members of Grizzly Bear. This is bound to be an awesome show, and Neumos is a great venue to host both acts. For anyone who missed The Cave Singers last month, here's your chance to make it up. Lots of new material was played, including "Television Towns" (the song was also posted on their MySpace page for a couple days if you were fortunate enough to hear it).

Neumos
8PM Doors
$13 ADV ($19 after the bullshit charges)
21+
To Buy Tickets Click Here

MP3: Dept. of Eagles - "Nobody Does It Like You"
(buy In Ear Park)

Three Colours' Top 13 Albums of 2008

After getting a big "fuck you" from Blogger according to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, I've had to re-write my top 13 albums of 2008. Rather than give the full rationale for each of my picks, I've now just submitted my list without explanation. I also did not post a sample song along with a link to purchase each album (which apparently got me in trouble to begin with). What angers me most is that the deleted post was nothing but praise for these albums, as well free exposure. I wasn't giving away entire albums, and the songs I posted were singles you'd hear on the radio. Lame...

So without further ado, I present Three Colours' Top 13 Albums of 2008 (once again), along with the most disappointing releases of the year.

13. Beck - Modern Guilt
12. Ra Ra Riot - The Rhumb Line
11. Department of Eagles - In Ear Park
10. Foals - Antidotes
09. The Black Keys - Attack & Release
08. Born Ruffians - Red, Yellow & Blue
07. Wolf Parade - At Mount Zoomer
06. Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago

05. The Aliens - Luna
04. Beach House - Devotion

03. Plants and Animals - Parc Avenue

I tend to hate jam bands, so to pigeon-hole Plants and Animals as one would be a broad generalization and a huge disservice to the band. While Parc Avenue is at times "jam bandish", it also flirts with psychedelia, folk, and nearly any other sub-genre of classical rock. Yet another Montreal band that I've fallen in love with, this is a must-have album of 2008.

02. White Denim - Exposion

Definitely the most rocking album of 2008, White Denim's debut US LP showcases the range of styles these three dudes can cover. Exposion delivers eleven power-packed garage jams that span the entire rock & roll spectrum. Based on their versatility and range of sound, I'm expecting BIG things out of this Austin trio. Witnessing their live act this summer, the band broke out some new tunes that will make yet another solid release.

01. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes

This timeless classic follows up their 2008 Sun Giant EP using the same working formula: simple three- and four-part block harmony, songs about friends and family, history, nature, and the things around the Pacific Northwest, unconventional song structures - sometimes putting two songs together as one, etc... Fleet Foxes, the band's self-titled debut album, is a wonderful collection of beautifully arranged folksy melodies. Lead singer Robin Pecknold's majestic cries, coupled with a lush composition of guitars, banjo, mandolin, and vocal harmonies equate to the number one album of 2008.

Honorable Mentions:
Ratatat - LP3
Black Mountain - In the Future
Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend

Cold War Kids - Loyalty to Loyalty
The Raggedy Anns - The Prospector Joe EP

Most Disappointing of 2008:

While these albums are not necessarily bad (well, the TnT album blows hard), I just had very high expections and was not happy with the initial reactions upon listening to these highly anticipated releases. After giving these albums ample listens, I still feel that they did not deliver the satisfaction I had predicted. Who knows, maybe one day my mood will change and these will end up in the "Most Underappreciated Albums of 2008"??? Not likely, but you never know.

Tapes 'n Tapes - Walk It Off
My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges
Matt Costa - Unfamiliar Faces

Department of Eagles - In Ear Park

Another Solid Release from Daniel Rossen and Fred Nicolaus

With a slight departure from Department of Eagles' first full length, The Whitey on the Moon UK (aka The Cold Nose), the boys released their second album last Tuesday on 4AD. The result, In Ear Park, is a beautifully textured landscape of sounds reminiscent of Yellow House. It's not hard to believe that DOE could somehow be influenced and/or sound a little like Grizzly Bear - in fact, the remaining three members of Grizzly Bear actually served as backup instrumentation during the recording of In Ear Park. Nevertheless, the folksy experimental space pop is quite an enjoyable listen. I especially love the LP's second track, "No One Does It Like You".

Take a listen for yourself:

MP3: Department of Eagles - "No One Does It Like You"

If you like what you hear, go buy a copy of In Ear Park at InSound, here.