89. MORE MITTEN

i can't begin to explain how good brooklyn duo mitten is. they're still working on their debut ep, and it looks like their working realll hard. if you liked their other two tracks, "cavalcade" and "green" you will FOR SURE like "similar sense." it proves their versatility even more: it's up-tempo, the vocals are playful and gently bounce us around, the lyrics are meaningful for anyone who lives in this city, the melodic build takes you for a positive ride to the chorus and the percussion is interesting and innovative using more indie approaches with electronic influences that might make you think of aphex twin. i could keep going on and on! some other good news is that mitten is working on their live show - i can't wait for this - it's going to be glorious. the bad news is that this will probably be their last free track before they release their ep.

Mitten - Similar Sense (Download)

check out some more of their music on another youcantstopah post AND don't forget to become a fan on facebook. mitten is maia and joanna. they like things like kittens, whiskey, bicycles and oregon. they are love at first listen.

89. MORE MITTEN

88. REAL GENIUS

if you haven't seen real genius before, you're really missing out. i saw it for the first time in the late 90s, rediscovered it when i was in high school, and have been listening to these tracks over and over again since. real genius is kind of like if tron and revenge of the nerds had a child, where val kilmer and jeff bridges are most closely related and the story's backdrop is that of a college where nerds are "less than." if that isn't enough, there are lasers and the fashion sense is ray bans and irony. it's basically hipster porn.

these two jams are from the real genius soundtrack, some of the best representation of music from an 80s comedy cliché (but, yes, it's truly amazing). i love these songs. we go way back.

Chas Jankel - Number One (Download)

Cosmat Angels - I'm Falling (Download)

88. REAL GENIUS

87. WALTER MEEGO

i saw walter meego open up for the presets two summers ago in brooklyn and i really liked their music style, combining some more traditional (rock) guitar sounds with happy-pop-electro. their stage presence was good too: you know that stupid shit noise musicians do when they're pretending to be hendrix? it was the opposite of that. it was on the money.

it's great when you REALLY like the opener when you go to a bigger electro show. sometimes you find something new that you could be really into. i grabbed a bunch of their tracks, and golf carted around all summer in a narnia type landscape with walter meego as my perfect soundtrack. it was magical.

i'm sure most of you have "forever" (which is an awesome track) but "got me going" is something special. when i saw them live and wrote the words down on a receipt so i'd remember to find it. that makes it a big deal. sure, it's the live version, but that's really the only version i've found around. it's a little dark (in a good way) compared to some of their other stuff and it has a tight guitar solo that's some where in between my sharona and cliffs of dover.

walter meego's debut album "voyager" is real good. grab it on itunes. their blog says that their next album is mixed and recorded, but needs to be mastered. if it's as quality as voyager it's going to be a big release. also if you head over to their blog, there are a bunch of demo tracks to check out.

Walter Meego - Forever (Download)

Walter Meego - Got Me Going (Live) (Download)

87. WALTER MEEGO

86. THE KNOCKS

the knocks are a new york city duo that specialize in bringing elements of hip-hop, electro and soul together. they've done a whole bunch of tight remixes for bands like passion pit, ellie goulding, and peter bjorn + john. in other words, they are crossing genre with their remix material and attracting the right attention all over the place: they even co-wrote and co-produced samuel's debut album. these guys are all over the place, and it's a good thing - they prove to be extremely versatile and enjoyable no matter the style of music they're working within. yeah, yeah!

after kicking ass with remixes and producing, they are finally dropping the single "blackout" and sharing it for free. good call, guys. i would call the track soul-electro-pop. it's the right stuff.

The Knocks - Blackout (Download)

oh yeah AND they're having a release party this thursday @ baddies for the "blackout" single. NO cover. GREAT music. click the image for more information or rsvp to the email address baddiesrsvp(at)gbh(dot)tv if you want to attend. for sure hit that up!

86. THE KNOCKS

85. AUTOKRATZ

autokratz just put up their entire new "kick ep" for free on their website. these guys are nice guys.

their track "it's on" is what introduced me to them - i think it was in some bangin' moulinex (or maybe it was alex metric?) mix a few years ago. since then, they've really developed and now their mostly remix / electronica sound has grown into original songs that have an almost up-tempo new order + the presets feel.

head over to autokratz.com to grab the two track ep + three remixes.

85. AUTOKRATZ

84. TIGA

Tiga - Far From Home (Youtube)

tiga's far from home is one of my favorite music videos. the whole thing is really theatrical, very musical-comedy in its choreography and directing. god damn, he even does some jazz steps (or box steps? i can't remember that shit's called).

the video was directed by nagi noda, who also directed for scissor sisters and cut copy. she created some unique music videos, but unfortunately, she passed away in 2008.

the set is super simple, but the embellishment and set dressings provide for a clean and almost magical aesthetic. it reminds me of sets from 60s movies like peter pan (live action). the dopest part of the video for me is the birds on the electric wires serving as musical notes.

tiga recently came out with a new album, ciao! preview it on itunes. far from home is off of his first album sexor - one of the besties.

84. TIGA

83. SUNGLASSES

SUNGLASSES.

i really love this track and have been meaning to post it for a while. ever since forthebeat used it in their printemps mix, i've been rocking out to it - especially after i saw sunglasses live at forthebeat's spring party @ home sweet home at the beginning of april. it was real obvious that these guys know how to have a good time (shaking the stage type of guys) and they really engaged the crowd.

the two dudes behind sunglasses, 8000 bam bam and baby seal, worked on dialogue and original music for a thesis film together in college and found that they collaborated so well that they had to do it again. they made the right choice, thank goodness.

their ep will be out on june 15th on waaga records / lefse records. keep your eyes open.

Sunglasses - Whiplash (Download)

and check out the video for the track - it's got a strange connect to eastbound and down, the effects are interesting, and it represents the aesthetic of the band real well. if you know what i'm talking about, you'll know what i'm talking about. what's up, what's up:

"WHIPLASH" by Sunglasses (Vimeo)

83. SUNGLASSES