The Prairies

I have been missing in action for a bit now. The reason for my blog absence is due to a road trip I recently took with my friends to the flat lands of Canada, aka Saskatchewan. There, we enjoyed hearty meals, music, tubing, animal friends, and each other.

The prairies were actually really nice and fun. Throughout the entire trip, we had music accompanying us (it is a long drive from Vancouver to Calgary, and Calgary to Torquay). Here's a small list of songs that stood out to me. Surprisingly, none of them are remixes.

Arcade Fire - No Cars Go
Grizzly Bear - Two Weeks
T.I., Lil' Wayne, M.I.A., Kanye West, Jay-Z - Swagger Like Us (YouTube link)
The Boy Least Likely To - Be Gentle With Me
Coconut Records - West Coast

Feist - I Feel It All


I promise no more blog absences.

I'm Not Your Toy

I had briefly heard of Data a couple of months ago but I apparently didn't pay enough attention to him as I should've. Either his status has grown since I last heard of him or I've been super oblivious, but either way, this remix is really good and I wish I could've predicted this earlier.

To be honest, I'm not a huge fan of the original song, "I'm Not Your Toy." It sounds too much like video game music from a mediocre 90s game. Now, this Data remix is where it's at. The song is sped up and melodic synth is added. Yummy.

La Roux - I'm Not Your Toy (Data Remix)

Squeaky delicious combo

This is a delicious combination of 8-bit, electro, computer squeaks and keyboard noises. There's so much going on in this song, it's hard to keep track of all the sounds being used. Even though it's a complex electro song, it's still excellently produced and put together by the one and only, Boys Noize. That being said, it's worth your ears' time of day.

Boys Noize - Jeffer

Until we bleed (the sadder version)

Kleerup feat. Lykke Li - Until We Bleed (Mikael's Cello Version)

Wheelz of Steel vs. Wildcat

We can all admit that mash-ups are a form of remix culture that is a hard one to tackle. When I come across a good mash-up, I'm always extra happy because honestly, it barely happens. Dave Wrangler has mashed Outkast's "Wheelz of Steel" with Ratatat's "Wildcat" and it's pretty good. This mash-up between these two artists should've happened long ago.

Dave Wrangler is coming out with a new remix album, which will feature this track. It will also feature remixed tracks of Kid Cudi, Animal Collective and Notorious B.I.G..

Outkast vs. Ratatat - Wheelz of Steel (Dave Wrangler Remix)

Muse - Uprising

New album artwork and another song to listen to. You can buy it from iTunes/Muse's website.

I definitely like "Uprising" more than "The United States of Eurasia." "Uprising" sounds more like Muse while "USE" sounds too much like Queen for my liking. There's nothing wrong with Queen; I'm just not really keen on the idea of Muse sounding like them. Though, I do like the piano in "USE"; especially the end/"Collateral Damage" part.

But "Uprising" makes me a little more excited for the new album, The Resistance (to be released: September 15).

Muse - The United States of Eurasia

Tigerlily

"I know you better than this.I could be here when you call.I'll make you top of the list.And in the crush of the dark.I'll be your light in the mist.I can see you burning with desire for a kiss"

La Roux - Tigerlily

The lyrics, the distant knocking, the organ, the creepy guy near the end, the passionate vocals. Everything about this song is so good right now. And I have yet to find a decent remix of it.

Moving Lights

I was extremely impressed with the July 29th fireworks (UK fireworks for the HSBC Celebration of Light). Even though I saw no other fireworks to compare them to, these ones were remarkably put together with dramatic, excellent music.

Slight change of subject: Kris Menace has done a Bag Raiders remix of their song, "Shooting Stars", which is a great song on its own. As you may know though, Kris Menace is known for his elating, euphoric remixes; therefore this remix is pretty mood-lifting. And considering this song is called "Shooting Stars" and really reminds me of shooting stars, fireworks and everything bright and alluring, I thought it would make sense to coincide it with a post regarding fireworks.

Bag Raiders - Shooting Stars (Kris Menace Remix)