music monday guest post

music monday's biggest fan matt has put together his top 5 songs for the summer plus a bonus track. hope you enjoy these great tunes and our very first guest post!

wonders- the sound of arrows
i was recently turned onto this swedish duo and fell in love with its debut album ‘voyage.’  TSOA maintains a dreamy, trance-like sound for the duration of the lp, which his highlighted by the perfectly poppy ‘wonders.’  seriously, try not to smile at the onset of the song’s soaring bridge (3:10).

ROYGBIV- public service broadcasting
i have never heard anything quite like PSB, and it is certainly my favorite find of the summer thus far.  per the official website, the band takes “samples from old public information films, archive footage and propaganda material” in an effort to “teach the lessons of the past through the music of the future.”  corny? a little. but the execution of its mission statement is profound.  on its own, the slightly-better-than-monotone proclamation “i believe in this world to come.  i think it’s going to be a pretty good world” is nothing more than a simplistic sound byte.  but when combined with infectious instrumentation and the rhetorical “who knows what miracles are yet to come,” PSB gives us something pretty special.  after hearing this track for the first time, i was concerned that the mixing of aged audio clips over instrumentals would be tiresome after a track or two.  but one listen to band’s sole ep ‘the war room’ quashed any doubt.  these guys are good. really good.

emmylou- first aid kit
sweden makes another appearance on this list with first aid kit, a folk dyad composed of sisters klara and johanna.  their vocal talents are undeniable and certainly emphasized with this harmony-driven single.  i have no idea why the band name represents a collection of medical supplies, but i do know that many a nap will be started with a listen of ‘emmylou.’

spectrum- zedd
german electro vet zedd puts it all together in his latest single with a nice vocal assist from matthew koma.  he experiments with pulsating synth interludes and the payoff is huge with each turn of the chorus.  zedd’s composition skills are more evident than ever on this track; however, it remains to be seen whether or not he is paying royalties to nintendo as i couldn’t help but notice stark parallels to wave race 64’s iconic soundtrack.  either way, this one is going to be a playlist staple for months to come.

playing for keeps- elle king
i came across brooklyn-based elle king because of her surprising cover of ‘my neck, my back’ (definitely worth finding on youtube).  i don’t know much about her, but the ep-leading ‘playing for keeps’ is quite a statement.  the wait for her full-length debut has officially begun.

bonus track: pop the glock (mirwais pop remix)- uffie
pure, unabashed fun.

stay fly

xo

matt for top notch