Disclosure x Zedd - "You've Got To Let Go If You Want To Be Free"

Groovy house track collaboration between Disclosure and Zedd. 

2015 Albums of the Year (Numbers 50-41)

It was a much better year for singles this year for me than albums. With that said, the albums that I liked this year, I really liked a lot. Here are my Top 50 albums for 2015:

50. The Chemical Brothers - Born in the Echoes

The Chemical Brothers have hit their new renaissance phase. Continuing where Further left off, Born in the Echoes is the sound of the Chems bursting forward with more fresh, new ideas.

49. Lower Dens - Escape From Evil

This is the album where Lower Dens make the decision to embrace melody and more pop-oriented elements. Their lyrics are still dark and foreboding, but there is less of wall going up, at least sonically speaking.

48. Ciara - Jackie

While she will never be as huge as Beyonce or Rihanna, Ciara puts out as good if not better music, in my opinion. Jackie is a welcome return for her, full of catchy jams and elegant ballads.

47. Viet Cong - Viet Cong

The band formerly known as Viet Cong (external pressures caused them to change their name, which at the moment they have not made) put out the most viscerally intense record this year. Regardless of what they change their name to, it will be exciting to see what they come up with next.

46. Metric - Pagans in Vegas

For me, Emily Haines and Co. have always been more of a singles band than an album band. Pagans in Vegas is their first release that actually sounds like a fully cohesive record. The singles and the deep album cuts are all on the same footing.

45. Kate Boy - One

More brilliant Swedish synthpop. There must be something in the water over there.

44. Neon Indian - VEGA INTL. Night School

Ridiculously clever, everything-but-the-kitchen-sink record from Neon Indian that astonishes with its creative breadth.

43. Twin Shadow - Eclipse

Eclipse is Twin Shadow's attempt at a big "POP RECORD!!!!" from an 80s mold. What could have come across as stunted or as pastiche, Twin Shadow wears his heart on his sleeve throughout and, even better, throws down some killer melodies to boot.

42. Zedd - True Colors

Pretty much the perfect marriage of pop and EDM.

41. Hot Chip - Why Make Sense?

I have never "gotten" Hot Chip. Their records always feeling very flat to me. Live they are brilliant, but they have never put together a cohesive album that made me really take notice. Why Make Sense? finally changes that.

Top 50 Songs of 2015 (Numbers 20-11)

And so on it goes:

20. Years & Years - "Desire"



This song never fails to get my booty shaking.

19. Purity Ring - "Flood on the Floor"



Slamming track from Purity Ring that shows a more muscular side to their sound that suits them well.

18. Zedd ft. Troye Sivan - "Papercut"



EDM meets pure pop in a sparkling collaboration.

17. Darkstar - "Pin Secure"



I hate to say that Darkstar's album was very disappointing to me, considering that the singles released were all phenomenal. The conceit behind the album and remaining tracks were in pale comparison. With that said, this was my favorite track It is the perfect mix of the experimental and pop.

16. Deerhunter - "Breaker"



Fuck. That chorus.

15. Justin Bieber - "I'll Show You"



I don't care. His album is a really solid pop record, and this song is stellar.

14. Tame Impala - "New Person, Same Old Mistakes"



Trippy perfection.

13. Jamie xx ft. Romy Madley Croft - "Loud Places"



Gorgeous.

12. ON AN ON - "Drifting"



ON AN ON knows how to create emotional songs that pack a wallop. "Drifting" is no exception, creating an atmospheric look at fear and loss.

11. The Chemical Brothers ft. Beck - "Wide Open"



Perfect collaboration. Each lets the other do their thing and it is a thing of beauty.

Non-Sequiturs

Super beefy.

Grrrr.

Hottie in the woods.

Yum.

Love the fur.

He needs a cuddle.

Damn.

Gorgeous.

Handsome.

Grrrrroink.

Slab of beef.

Beautiful back.

Woof Daddy.

Lovely.

Ginger hottie.

Slurp.

Hey cowboy.

Amazing fur.

Haaaay.

SBJ.

UNF.

Sexy profile.

The Mad Men finale was very satisfying to me, especially the ending for Peggy. It's just very sad that the show is over.

I don't care how dapper you look in your suit and tie, if your shoes are scuffed to hell, it negates all of it.

While I appreciate that Aphex Twin has dumped a lot of his unreleased music onto SoundCloud, it is a helluva lot of material to get through.

I love waking up to find our internet is out on a day I want to work from home and that it is going to be out for the entire weekend.

I actually still have some physical photographs.

I usually get the egg white turkey bacon sandwich at Caribou coffee because it is really tasty, however, today I decided to try the chicken apple sausage sandwich. Mistake.

The most eye opening thing about meeting with several different financial advisers is getting their individual impressions of our finances and realizing that we are not in such a bad place, and seeing a light at the end of the tunnel for all our major concerns.

Funny how some people are only nice to you when they want something from you, but then stop all communication once you either give them what they need to tell them you can't help them.

These days, manners have gone completely out the window.

My ad doesn't seem to be working.

You send me a friend request on FB and there are no pictures of you at all. And then you send me a message saying "Add me!" No.

A naked body is beautiful. I have no idea why some people think being naked is disgusting.

I truly don't care what you think about me.

It truly is sickening and horrifying how much this country spends on the military. It is so completely unnecessary.

The new Zedd record is a surprisingly confident EDM-pop hybrid.

I guess this is a problem.

If you are a partner in a law firm, I think you make enough money to get a decent haircut.

I walked into the men's room at my office and a guy was in one of the stalls talking on his phone (loudly) with his doctor, going over very personal medical details. It was horrifying to say the least.

Some people need to figure out how to filter what they say.

It's fun listening to the new summer associates being all chirpy and cheery, before all their hopes and dreams are sucked out of them.

Speaking of, I already miss my quiet days when no one was on my side of the building.

That's one religion I could get behind.

When did poking become a thing again on FB?

And to my European friends, no, no matter how much explaining you do, will we ever understand the whole Eurovision thing. And that's ok.

We got some pork chops from Costco that are about 9 oz or so each and look like something Fred Flintstone would eat.

Americans really don't get the whole work/life balance. A German friend just posted on FB that he has three weeks of vacation in June that he needs to use (in addition to more weeks later in the year). I only get three weeks total for the year. Sigh.

Exactly.

We starting watching the show Grace and Frankie, starring Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin. After 4 episodes in it is starting to grow on me, but too often they go for silly sitcom laughs rather than really exploring what is going on with these couples. I will say each episode gets better. The star of the show is definitely the houses. Total home porn.

I would love to get tattoo sleeves, but the main problems exist: 1) I have no idea what kind I want, 2) I don't have the time to get them done, and 3) I don't have the money.

Why do so many people dwell on what everyone else's relationships are like? Find what works best for you and go forward.

I would probably have more sympathy for your rant if it was not one long run-on sentence, filled with many misspellings.

Koalas are so damn cute.

My favorite boy scout badge,

My job always seems to be two steps forward, one step back. This week is the step back.

I feel like Andrew and I are the only ones in Atlanta not going anywhere for the long weekend.

When did Moscow mules become all the rage?

Mosquitoes don't bother me, ever.

The new Jamie xx album is phenomenal.

Badmouthing Atlanta to me is not exactly the best way to begin a friendship. Yes, Atlanta has her problems, but I have lived here 22 years and love this city deeply.

Your cute for the day.

Lyrics Rattling Around My Brain

"I was staring at the ceiling
You're so pretty when you're mad
All that I can hear is breathing
Aah-aah-aah-aah-aah, aah-aah-aah-aah-aah
And we're stuck inside the silence
In a cold cold war
We're too proud to say we're sorry
Aah-aah-aah-aah-aah, aah-aah-aah-aah-aah

Right now it feels like we're bleeding
So deep that we might not get back up
Our words will tear through the surface
Like a paper, like a papercut
Right now I don't know why I love you
But by the morning when we wake up
I'll reach for you and remember
It was just a paper, just a papercut

I find refuge in a distance
Even when we're breaking down (down, down, down, down)
Can't we pause it just for one kiss
Aah-aah-aah-aah-aah, aah-aah-aah-aah-aah
Cause I never meant to hurt you
And I know you feel the same
Still the only one I run to
Aah-aah-aah-aah-aah, aah-aah-aah-aah-aah

Right now it feels like we're bleeding
So deep that we might not get back up
Our words will tear through the surface
Like a paper, like a papercut
Right now I don't know why I love you
But by the morning when we wake up
I'll reach for you and remember
It was just a paper, just a papercut

Right now it feels like we're bleeding
So deep that we might not get back up
Our words will tear through the surface
Like a paper, like a papercut
Right now I don't know why I love you
But by the morning when we wake up
I'll reach for you and remember
It was just a paper, just a papercut

Just a paper, just a papercut
Just a paper, just a papercut
Just a paper, just a papercut
Just a paper, just a papercut."

Zedd ft. Troye Sivan
"Papercut"

"Yeah natures pretty
But so is this city
So don't dance
Till they do
And if they're calling shots
Well don't drink up
They'll walk
All over you

Cause theres only one thing I've learned
After nursing cold my salt burns
And that one thing
Got lost in the waves

Yeah they all see
Those things on screens
But they don't know
That the ones around trees yeah
They're not free
They just have
No where else to go

Cause theres only one thing
I've learned
After leaving home
With no words
And that one thing
Got lost in the waves

Got lost in the

I'll never go home in the summer
Yeah that is what we used to say
I'll never be cold with a lover
Cause my heart is where I shake

We will try
To lose our sight
Staring at
The sun
But its alright
If we're
Killing time
We're not the only ones

Cause theres only one thing
I've learned
After being blind
To the world
And that one thing
Got lost in the waves

Got lost in the

I'll never go home in the summer
Yeah that is what we used to say
I'll never be cold with a lover
Cause my heart is where I shake

And all we get
Is just our luck
But all we need
Is what you've got
And the sea
And the sun
While we breathe
Oh to be young

I'll never go home in the summer
Yeah that is what we used to say
I'll never be cold with a lover
Cause my heart is where I shake."

Stonefox
"This City"

Appealing Things

In Colour from Jamie xx
Eves the Behavior
Holly Herndon
Atlas Barber Co.
Milkshakes from CookOut

Annoying Things

No useful moves detected
Freezing in my office during the summer
People endlessly talking about CrossFit

Jam of the Day: Zedd ft. Troye Sivan - "Papercut"

Beautiful track from Zedd's upcoming record True Colors.

New: Lady Gaga - "Aura"

Here is the second peek into Lady Gaga's upcoming ARTPOP record. You might recall it was earlier leaked as "Burqa." Here, it gets the lyric video treatment and acts as a trailer for the movie Machete. The track was produced by EDM darling Zedd.

New: Lady Gaga - "Burqa"

Leaked track from her upcoming record Artpop that is rumored to be titled "Burqa" but is likely titled "Aura." Allegedly, it is produced by Zedd, and has a heavy EDM influence.

Jam of the Day: Zedd - "Slam the Door"

Great electro-house track from Zedd, with a very freaky video.

Coachella 2012 Countdown: 55 Days! Zedd - "Slam the Door"

Seems I will be spending more time this year in the Sahara tent.

Lady Gaga: Born This Way: The Remix - Album Review

Lady Gaga
Born This Way: The Remix
Rating: Meh

Contrary to popular belief, I don't dislike Lady Gaga. She does have some catchy songs, but, for me, she gets lost in all the surface of her image and the subsequent need to always go a little more over the top with each new video or album. And now that the hype and hysteria over the release of Born This Way has died down, she has released a companion remix album with an interesting variety of remixers at the helm. I have to give her credit for not going the usual route of remixes with Tiesto, Kaskade, or Seamus Haji, and instead choosing diverse producers such as Twin Shadow, The Weeknd, Wild Beasts, and Foster the People. With remixes though, I have a love/hate relationship with. I understand the need for remixes sometimes; a slower tempo song that craves a dance floor remix, or a song the needs a new envisioning. But too often, we get the original track laid over a thumping beat, with little to no creativity or interest, or the elements that made the track special in the first place or omitted or overshadowed. With Born This Way: The Remix, we get a rather mixed bag of tracks. Where the album works best is when the producer takes the track and transforms what was mediocre on record and elevates it to something transcendent, but too often we get tracks that are tiredly updated with only a different drum track.

Probably the best remix is from UK art-rockers Wild Beasts, who take the tepid country exercise "You and I," and merely take a handful of verses and loop Gaga's voice into a mantra over ambient washes of synths and pianos. Omitting the other lyrics and vocals and using laser like precision to focus on what speaks to them from the track, makes this simply stunning.



Likewise, Metronomy take the same track and again remove any hint of it being a country song, opting to cloak the song in a haunting, ambient-synth pop sheath, ramping up the pathos with vocal manipulations. For me, the problem with the original track was the country angle to it. You couldn't get past how corny it all was. Ditching the backing music altogether brings out the fact the song is really not that bad.



Title track "Born This Way" is released from its reliance on the melody from Madonna's "Express Yourself" and given an 80s overhaul by Twin Shadow, bringing it closer to Duran Duran and other new-wave acts.



Hurts surprisingly even go against their usual Spandau Ballet-isms and gives a hard electro-industrial edge to one of the albums best original tracks "Judas."



And moody, UK goth rockers The Horrors brandish "Bloody Mary" with a throbbing dub beat, and vaguely middle eastern tweaks.



And alternative R&B collective The Weeknd unsurprisingly turn "Marry The Night" into a Weeknd track, focusing on the sleazier aspects of the original.



Unfortunately, the rest of the cd gets bogged down in a lot of half-hearted efforts; from the dubstep-lite trappings of Zedd's remix of "Born This Way," Goldfrapp's monumentally annoying pitch shifting of Gaga's vocals in their take on "Judas," Sultan & Ned Shepard building their take on "The Edge of Glory" out of every house music cliche imaginable, or taking the already electro-banging "Scheisse" and removing any of the edge it possessed. Likewise, tracks like "Americano," which are brutally bad to listen to in the first place, are given remixes that highlight those misgivings even more. Other tracks merely pale in comparison to the better remixes, and as a result, fade from view; notably Foster The People's remix of "The Edge of Glory," and Two Door Cinema Club's remix of "Electric Chapel."

Aside from a couple of outstanding re-imaginings that transport the source material to a new level, there is really not much to recommend this remix album. It won't make you love Lady Gaga any more or any less. Like most remix albums, it is pretty pointless, and not worth owning as a whole. I would merely recommend listening to the album online then cherry-picking the tracks you liked the best.

Rating Scale:

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and peaks one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.