BRB

I have to take a hiatus from this blog of mine. Will be back soon and, as always, with new music to share with you!

Amadou & Mariam – “Sabali”

Among the other major perks of working at a radio station, I’m surrounded by new music all the time. Whilst preparing for my show yesterday, I stumbled upon this amazing duo, Amadou & Mariam, who are a blind musical couple from Mali. Their blindness is significant to the formation of the band–they met at Mali’s Institute for the Young Blind and bonded over their shared love of music. The first track off their 2008 album Welcome to Mali is a unique one, but I love it. It’s a very bright, fun mix of vocals and synth that transforms traditional Malian music into the modern age without losing a beat.

To download this song, click on the arrow on the right-hand side of the media player. Please try to support the artists you listen to whenever you can. You can buy Amadou & Mariam’s music at Amazon among other places. Enjoy!

Balkan Beat Box – “Move It”

Balkan Beat Box is a Tel Aviv/Brooklyn-based music group that includes ex-Gogol Bordello members Tamir Muskat and Ori Kaplan. This song is from their newest album Blue Eyed Black Boy.

To download this song, click on the arrow on the right-hand side of the media player. Please try to support the artists you listen to whenever you can. You can buy Balkan Beat Box’s music at Amazon among other places. Enjoy!

Lou Reed – “Mystic Child”

Starting the day with Lou Reed… perfect. From the 2000 album Ecstasy.

To download this song, click on the arrow on the right-hand side of the media player. Please try to support the artists you listen to whenever you can. You can buy Lou Reed’s music at Amazon among other places. Enjoy!

Acid House Kings: Sing Along With Acid House Kings (Album Download)

My blog received over 100 views yesterday, and I have absolutely no idea why, but it’s awesome. I hope you liked the mix, I will definitely do more in the future. Anyway, I’m in a sharing mood, so here is a free album download of Acid House King’s Sing Along With Acid House Kings. This is probably the most adorable band you will ever hear, straight from Sweden with delicious pop songs that will set your heart a flutter! I love to put this album on and dance around my room (not ashamed)! You can download it here.

El Guincho – “Bombay”

“El Guincho is Pablo Díaz-Reixa, a native of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria living in Barcelona, Spain. Also a member of Coconot, Díaz-Reixa rose to prominence with his 2007 album, Alegranza. His musical style relies heavily on the use of sampling and incorporates elements of afrobeat, dub, tropicália and rock.” LastFM This track I’ve uploaded is from El Guincho’s new album Pop Negro.

To download this song, click on the arrow on the right-hand side of the media player. Please try to support the artists you listen to whenever you can. You can buy El Guincho’s music at Amazon among other places. Enjoy!

Celebratory Mix :)

My blog reached 300 views yesterday! To celebrate, here is a little mix I made of 10 songs I’m really digging right now. I apologize if this mix sucks… I haven’t made one in so long, if you can believe that. I used to be a serial mix tape maker back in middle school, though I shudder to think what kind of music I was forcing on my friends at that age. Hopefully this mix is a lot more tasteful.

Download it here!

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros – “Home”

This song never fails to make me smile. From Up From Below (2009).

To download this song, click on the arrow on the right-hand side of the media player. Please try to support the artists you listen to whenever you can. You can buy Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros’ music at Amazon among other places. Enjoy!

Antony & the Johnsons ft. Björk – “Flétta”

I was super excited when Antony & the Johnsons released their newest album Swanlights a couple of weeks ago–but I was even more thrilled when I realized that the album features a duet between lead singer Antony Hegarty and Björk, who is one of my favorite artists of all time. Don’t get stuck on just this song, though; if anything, “Flétta” is a reflection of how utterly beautiful the rest of Swanlights is.

To download this song, click on the arrow on the right-hand side of the media player. Please try to support the artists you listen to whenever you can. You can buy both Antony & the Johnson’s and Björk’s music at Amazon among other places. Enjoy!

Yann Tiersen – “Le Moulin”

The Amelie soundtrack is the perfect music for a rainy day. I know that people often complain that rain keeps them from going outside, but I see no harm in taking a stroll with my iPod in-between downpours. I love the refreshing smell of rain, and there’s an ethereal beauty about dew drops on green tree leaves. Yann Tiersen captures those feelings quite well with his Amelie compositions. Whether you’re the kind to jump in puddles in the streets, or to stay warm in your bed and get lost in your thoughts as the rain hits your windowsill, let this album accompany you with its soothing, whimsical sounds.

To download this song, click on the arrow on the right-hand side of the media player. Please try to support the artists you listen to whenever you can. You can buy Yann Tiersen’s music at Amazon among other places. Enjoy!