November is almost over and I've barely been able to post any blog entries. I know, it's shameful.
To compensate for the lack of music on my blog, here is a live cover of "Will you still love me tomorrow" by my favourite, (yes, you guessed it) Lykke Li. It's a sadder, completely piano-based version of the Shirelles'.
This song by Lykke Li is from the New Moon soundtrack. When I listen to this song, I feel like I'm on a farm on a cold night that's being supervised by a harvest moon. It's not really like her usual stuff but of course, Lykke Li's voice still sweetly coerces me into liking the song.
I'm going to admit I haven't read or seen anything to do with Twilight but this soundtrack is really good. The album contains many respectable artists like: Muse, Sea Wolf, Bon Iver & St. Vincent, Grizzly Bear, Editors, and more. With those names, you can't go wrong.
I know I write about Lykke Li way too much but I think her live stuff is really something to talk/blog about and I haven't really blogged about it yet so here I go.
If you ever have a chance to see her live, do it! As for now, here are some live tracks. "Little Bit" was remixed by Death to the Throne (which I've already blogged about). Here is the link to the remix.
Death to the Throne has done another Lykke Li remix (he may be as obsessed as I am...this is his third Lykke Li remix).
I downloaded this as a "Re-remix" but technically (in my opinion), it is not. It's another remix by Death to the Throne of Lykke Li's song "Little Bit" but it's a live version of the song remixed; not the original. Therefore not a re-remix of the same remix he did before...if that makes any sense. And frankly, this remix is one of the better remixes I've heard Death to the Throne do. He added way more than just a heavy beat; there's some crazy 8-bit keyboard noises thrown in there. Lykke Li - Little Bit Live (Death to the Throne Remix)
It's been waaaaay too long since my last blog post. I don't know why but the new music I've listened to these days hasn't inspired any blogging on my part, unfortunately. Instead, I've been listening to this remix of Lykke Li's "Little Bit" a fair amount (yes, this is another Lykke Li remix post). In my opinion, Aether's remix of "Little Bit" is the best remix of this song out there so far. I discovered it a long time ago but I was more into the dance remixes around that time. This song is more "sway your head" over "move your body" danceable. It's definitely nice to chill out to while moving through transit.
As for Aether, I couldn't get much info on this artist. It seems to be a solo artist from San Antonio, Texas. You can hear one of his original songs here and the Lykke Li remix below.
Finally, a "Gifted" remix! N.A.S.A. came out with the Spirit of Apollo a couple of months ago and I've been patiently waiting for some "Gifted" remixes. Now, I'm satisfied. There's another remix out there by Aston Shuffle, which is also really good but I can't find a link to an mp3. If you want to hear it, it's posted on their myspace page.
In the Aoki remix, Kanye West dominates the majority of the song. Around 3 minutes of the song, Aoki brings in Lykke Li and Santogold, which I think is the best part. Overall, it's gonna be a great remix for the dance floor. The song was already good for the dance floor but now no one can deny playing it for the dance fiends. N.A.S.A. feat. Kanye West, Lykke Li and Santogold - Gifted (Steve Aoki remix)
N.A.S.A. feat. Kanye West, Lykke Li and Santogold - Gifted
Well, I haven't blogged about Lykke Li in a while so I think it is time. First off, her live cover of Rick Ross' "Hustlin'" has been in my head all day, which has led me to the original. It seems I enjoy the original when visuals can't be present but when I'm near a computer, I enjoy watching the Lykke Li live video of this cover. I think she might be my current hero. Apparently, she's in the midst of writing new material but it's going to take some time until the public can hear it. I think all the collaborations she did last year are going to influence her new stuff and make it even more awesome than it probably already is.
Secondly, this post needs to revolve a bit around Death to the Throne and their ability to produce some hcore dance beats. They remixed Lykke Li's "Little Bit" and I think it's the best dance remix of this song. Villains also did a pretty good dance remix but it's almost the same as the Death to the Throne one; just a little tamer. In my opinion, the Death to the Throne remix rocks it more than the Villains one. DttT came before and deserve more recognition.
When Lykke Li first came to Vancouver, she played the Red Room. After that, her fan base grew quickly and a couple of months later, she played Richard's. Now, another couple of months later, her fan base has grown even more to sell-out the Commodore.
The opening band, Wildbirds & Peacedrums, was just a vocalist and a percussionist. The vocalist's voice was very nice to listen to. Cool idea, but I found their songs would build up with no peak therefore; not very satisfying.
As for Lykke, I enjoyed her show at Richard's more than the one at the Commodore; that could be because the Commodore isn't as intimate as Richard's. But I also felt like her performance was stronger at Richard's. Don't get me wrong though, the concert last night was great and a lot of fun but the one at Richard's seemed to be of better quality.
Though, the lighting at the Commodore was much better (obviously). When she started, it was like an alien spaceship was landing; smoke was everywhere and the lights were bright and in our eyes. Then, Lykke Li suddenly appeared out of the smoke and her band members followed her after she went from "Melodies & Desires" to "Dance Dance Dance" (which is very similar to the beginning of the show at Richard's). The crowd wasn't as into dancing as they should've been and she noticed that as well. But once she performed "Let it Fall" and stopped the song, requesting that she needed dancers behind her, many girls flocked to the stage to dance behind Lykke. That, right there, was very cool. And when I saw the amount of girls flocking to the stage, I thought the back-up dancer idea would become a disaster quickly but it didn't. It was very smooth and civil.
One song that really got me excited that I really didn't think she would play was "Knocked Up." Not many other people seemed to be that excited for this song though. She did a short cover of Lil' Wayne's "A Milli" which was just funny (and fun) more than anything. I also love her live version of "Window Blues"; it's very intense. And this time, she got most of the audience to sing along to the chorus ("un, deux, trois...quatre, cinq, six") which worked fairly well.
Her encore consisted of "Time Flies" transcending into "Tonight" which was done very well ("Tonight" has been stuck in my head ever since and I like it). And she ended the concert asking if we were satisfied and performed A Tribe Called Quest's "Can I kick it?" (the same way she ended her show at Richard's).
This concert just proved to me once more how great of an artist Lykke Li is. I love the spontaneity and uniqueness (I was really surprised when she got a bunch of girls from the audience up on the stage to dance with her). I like how her live songs are different from her recorded songs. I really think she needs to release a live album, ASAP!
I've decided to write one category which focuses on the five best albums (in my opinion) released in 2008. I have justified my list to myself by listening to all these albums once more and appreciating them again like I did previously in the year.
So here they are...
Best Five Albums of 2008: Lykke Li - Youth Novels Released: June 2008
Lykke Li was no doubt my favourite artist of the year. Her album, Youth Novels, was introduced to me by two of my favourite Swedes. Since then, I've posted six blog posts revolving around her. This album, along with her performance and style, is innovative and irresistible. Even though she had a hard time starting out at first, I believe her motivation and passion have paid off and I think will continue to do so.
Lykke Li - Breaking it Up
Metronomy - Nights Out Released: September 2008
This album was unexpectedly well-done. Via Hype Machine, I mainly focused on Metronomy's remixes when I first started listening to them (which are usually always good). Then, I got a hold of "Heartbreaker" and became obsessed. I just recently listened to all of this album and I was very impressed. It takes its listener through scenes of medieval electronica to modern love-dance melodies. This album doesn't appear to be on anyone else's "end of the year" pieces but I think it definitely deserves a spot in my top 5 best albums of 2008.
Metronomy - A Thing for Me
Cut Copy - In Ghost Colours Released: May 2008
One of my close friends introduced me to Cut Copy's second album, In Ghost Colours. This band has been frequently played at the clubs I attend which has made me enjoy their music even more because it's ideal for dance parties of any type. This album will forever remind me of Vancouver now. Even though they hail from Australia, the Vancouver "scene" has submitted this album deep into its roots.
Cut Copy - Lights and Music
MGMT - Oracular Spectacular Released: March 2008
Surprisingly, I discovered MGMT on the Canadian music channel, Much Music, when their song "Time to Pretend" was released as their first single in March. I immediately looked them up and discovered the rest of the album which I digged right away. Since the release of this album, MGMT's fanbase has grown extremely.
Plants and Animals - Parc Avenue Released: February 2008
I was introduced to Plants and Animals while listening to CBC Radio 3 (oh so Canadian). This band was short listed for the Polaris Music Prize and I had fate that they would win but unfortunately, they did not (though, Caribou was a fine choice anyway). Parc Avenue has been a critically acclaimed album of this year. The acapalla arrangements, numerous instrumentals and nature-like lyrics supply this album with an original sound.
This is a short post due to my presence in Sweden at the moment. But I feel that acknowledgment of this song is necessary. I've written so many posts about Lykke Li that I will mainly write about Kleerup for this post. Kleerup's real name is Andreas Kleerup and he comes from Sweden. I couldn't find much information about him but here is a link to his blog which is sort of in English and Swedish. This song is full of lot's of cello and Lykke Li's voice which both add to its beauty. Apparently, this song was produced some time ago before Lykke Li took off (in North America, anyway). So I seem to be kind of behind on this one but give me a break, I'm Canadian...eh?
This wonderful remix/cover of "Knocked Up" is from the Kings of Leon's Use Somebody single. Like stated in other blogs, it's hard to determine whether or not this is a cover or a remix. I guess it's a bit of both. But whatever it is, it's excellent. The combination of Lykke Li's voice and Caleb Followill's voice is soothing and perfect. Whoever put this together did a good job putting a Lykke Li twist on it. The original (which was released in 2007) is also excellent; brings back nostalgic memories.
Date: October 28th, 2008 Where: Richard's on Richards Who: Friendly Fires & Lykke Li Why: Because we like good music and good dancing
The opening band for Lykke Li was a band from the UK called Friendly Fires. Their set was full of energy (I think they said something about being on the road for 2 hours so that explains why they went nuts on stage). The singer was literally everywhere; busting moves all over the place. At one point, he got down in the audience and performed down there. Everyone backed away and gave him a nice little circle to perform in. All in all, Friendly Fires was a pleasant surprise. They got the audience pumped up and ready for Lykke Li. Lykke Li's band started off the show with the intro to "Melodies & Desires". Lykke Li built up her entrance by coming out when they were transitioning from "Melodies & Desires" to "Dance, Dance, Dance." "Dance, Dance, Dance" was exciting because they made it really intense live (most of the other songs were intensified as well). Besides some minor sound quality issues, I was very impressed by the overall live performance of the show. Every song they performed from her album, Youth Novels, was performed with more energy and a heavier beat; they all had a different live twist to them. She also added a kazoo to some of her songs (this kazoo was hanging around her neck in the bundle of necklaces she had on; very stylish). She was also all over the stage dancing away, busting many moves. She did a cover of Vampire Weekend - "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" which was interesting. She also covered A Tribe Called Quest - "Can I Kick it?" which seems to be a solid cover she regularly performs now. "Can I Kick it?" was played in her encore and it was a great way to leave the stage. To be honest, her show has been the best show I've seen in a while. I still find it hard to believe that she had a hard time starting off her career at first.
I've been trying to track down a decent remix of Little Bit for a while and I think I may have just found one. It's pretty much an instrumental remix which kind of reminds me of Karaoke but not as corny. Though, I think Klumpfisk (who is also from Sweden) should have kept Lykke Li's lyrics in the remix; they are too good to disregard.
I still don't really know how to pronounce her name.
This 22-year-old lady arises from Stockholm, Sweden and is starting to slowly but surely rock North America. Her first album, Youth Novels, is definitely worth more than one listen. There are songs you can groove to and there are songs you can chill to. Her lyrics are unique and real (this girl knows what's going on). Overall, her music is very acoustic and groovy. It is accompanied by her soft, subtle voice and at some points, her voice kind of gives me the creeps (but the good kind of creeps). CHECK IT OUT
The music posted on this blog is for promotional use only; I post it because I think it deserves to be recognized and appreciated. I also think it will make your life even more amazing if you listen to it. If you enjoy something that is posted on this blog you can purchase it/more from iTunes or Amazon.ca
If you are a musician or a record company and want the songs that I have posted removed, please let me know and I will remove them (remixourlives@live.com).
"remix 1. to mix again. 2. to mix and re-record the elements of (a musical recording) in a different way." - Dictionary.com
Let's not really change the base of who we are but just make ourselves more vibrant, more exuberant, more explicit and above all, let's make ourselves stronger.
I've put a heavy definition on the word remix; let's value and embrace this definition with music.
To a certain extent, our lives revolve around music. And this blog mainly revolves around music that has the potential to enhance our lives.
November is almost over and I've barely been able to post any blog entries. I know, it's shameful.
This song by Lykke Li is from the New Moon soundtrack. When I listen to this song, I feel like I'm on a farm on a cold night that's being supervised by a harvest moon. It's not really like her usual stuff but of course, Lykke Li's voice still sweetly coerces me into liking the song.
I know I write about Lykke Li way too much but I think her live stuff is really something to talk/blog about and I haven't really blogged about it yet so here I go. 
Death to the Throne has done another Lykke Li remix (he may be as obsessed as I am...this is his third Lykke Li remix). 
It's been waaaaay too long since my last blog post. I don't know why but the new music I've listened to these days hasn't inspired any blogging on my part, unfortunately. Instead, I've been listening to this remix of Lykke Li's "Little Bit" a fair amount (yes, this is another Lykke Li remix post). In my opinion, Aether's remix of "Little Bit" is the best remix of this song out there so far. I discovered it a long time ago but I was more into the dance remixes around that time. This song is more "sway your head" over "move your body" danceable. It's definitely nice to chill out to while moving through transit.
Finally, a "Gifted" remix! N.A.S.A. came out with the Spirit of Apollo a couple of months ago and I've been patiently waiting for some "Gifted" remixes. Now, I'm satisfied. There's another remix out there by Aston Shuffle, which is also really good but I can't find a link to an mp3. If you want to hear it, it's posted on their myspace page.
When Lykke Li first came to Vancouver, she played the Red Room. After that, her fan base grew quickly and a couple of months later, she played Richard's. Now, another couple of months later, her fan base has grown even more to sell-out the Commodore. 
The crowd wasn't as into dancing as they should've been and she noticed that as well. But once she performed "Let it Fall" and stopped the song, requesting that she needed dancers behind her, many girls flocked to the stage to dance behind Lykke. That, right there, was very cool. And when I saw the amount of girls flocking to the stage, I thought the back-up dancer idea would become a disaster quickly but it didn't. It was very smooth and civil.
I've decided to write one category which focuses on the five best albums (in my opinion) released in 2008. I have justified my list to myself by listening to all these albums once more and appreciating them again like I did previously in the year. 
This is a short post due to my presence in Sweden at the moment. But I feel that acknowledgment of this song is necessary. I've written so many posts about Lykke Li that I will mainly write about Kleerup for this post.
The opening band for Lykke Li was a band from the UK called Friendly Fires. Their set was full of energy (I think they said something about being on the road for 2 hours so that explains why they went nuts on stage). The singer was literally everywhere; busting moves all over the place. At one point, he got down in the audience and performed down there. Everyone backed away and gave him a nice little circle to perform in.
