Summer’s over. Time to get fat.
- ♦ One of the first times I visited NYC after college I convinced a few friends (re: idiots) to follow me in what has become a long and storied tradition – hyping up an obscure concert and corralling a group, generally based on one Youtube clip e-mail with an impressive light-show. and having the concert fail horrifically. This particular instance was to check out the nu-wave throwback 80s synth-pop of the Valerie Collective (College, Anoraak, Russ Chimes, The Outrunners, et al) at Webster Hall in 2008. The two standout memories of this event were 1) consuming substantial amounts of Wild Turkey Honey Liquuer on the Metro Rail North on the way in and 2) asking one Webster Hall employee when Valerie was going on and being told “1 AM” and then immediately asking another who replied “Around 5 AM”. Never saw them or missed each act while browned out to honey flavored whiskey liqueur. Long story short, fast forward 3 years and Valerie Collective is back on top thanks to the uber-babe Ryan Gosling’s ‘Drive’, one of the best movies of the year with one of the best soundtracks. Two standouts are on this month’s mix with College feat. Electric Youth ‘A Real Hero’ and Kavinsky feat. Lovefoxxx ‘Nightcall’. Both tracks strike a perfect balance between pulsating Nightrider synth instrumentation paired with airtight saccharine vocals gliding over every note. The kind of music that makes you think you’re cooler than you actually are.
- ♦ Lot of familiar names on this month’s mix as September was a busy month at work and my downloading habits were nonexistent. Typhoon continues to perfectly combine chamber pop with folk sensibilities on “Summer House”, a song that references the preceding season but whose tone resonates far more in autumn if you ask me. Youth Lagoon also surfaces again with ’17′, an incredibly slow, muffled ballad that creeps along and manages to pick up at just the right moment with ascending keys, staccato drum sequences, and lush, sharp guitars. Youth Lagoon’s new album “Hibernation” and his live performance = easily two of my favorite experiences of 2011. Also tossed in additional cuts from Tyler Lyle ‘California’ and Papa ‘Ain’t It So’, two upbeat cuts that work in pretty much any crowd or situation.
- ♦ I was late on Lana Del Rey but lord does that floozy have some sultry pipes. ‘Video Games’ lit the blog world on fire but I’d argue ‘Blue Jeans’ is even stronger. Both worthy of any mix.
Per usual enjoy the playlist, send them to your grandparents, subscribe here, and drop by the Bempology Facebook page to see some neat music vids.