coachella tu(n)esday by libby hostetler

Hooray, it's that time of year where I grab all the sunscreen I can get a hold of and get ready to wipe dust and sand out of every part of my face.  (Side note, my LA friend told me yesterday that when I visit, she buys 2 extra bottles of sunscreen.  Thanks, German-Irish ancestors!)  So, yes - it's almost Coachella time!  Here's the artists I'm looking forward to seeing/crying over/losing my mind to:





Outkast - So Fresh So Clean

I mean, it's their first appearance in years and this is the first of what feels like 80 festivals they're playing at.  Curious to see if they can stand up to the tremendous hype that's come about from their reunion.





Duke Dumont - I Got U



Oh God, this is probably going to be my first "ugly Oprah cry" moment.  I've been listening to Annie Mac play this song for about 3 months now and I've never gotten sick of it.





Nas - Get Down



I love his anger.  That's all.





Blood Orange - You're Not Good Enough



I had the pleasure of seeing Dev Hynes open up for Sam Smith last week and LOVED him.





Disclosure feat. Sam Smith - Latch



DUH.





Little Dragon - Klapp Klapp



I've always loved them but when this single was released, forget it.  OOF.





The 1975 - Settle Down



Presti will probably argue with me over which song I chose but whatever, we're seeing them again.  :)





John Newman - Love Me Again

Anxious to see Mr. Newman again after he cancelled his US tour.  ($20 to whomever can find out WHY he had to cancel his tour.  I'm still pissed.)


That's all for now!  If you find me even coming close to seeing Martin Garrix, you have permission to shoot me.


-Libby

tu(n)esday! by melissa presti

This week Melissa offers up some grand picks!

Active Child - Silhouette feat. Ellie Goulding

Angel Haze - Battle Cry feat. Sia

The 1975 - Me

Sam Smith - Money on My Mind

Brother & Bones - Long Way to Go

A K U A - Gravity

GEMS - Medusa

Cillie Barnes - Brainwash

Amber Run - Heaven

Francis and the Lights - Like A Dream

Young the Giant - Mind Over Matter

melissa presti's top 10 albums of 2013

I really don’t want this album list to even remotely mirror the industry lists that have all been released by now. When you add oil to water and all the oil rises to the top, that’s basically what those album lists are. The oil is so visible. So annoying. So EXPECTED.

This year I too have loved Eminem, Haim, Lorde, Vampire Weekend, Arctic Monkeys, Kings of Leon, James Blake, and Miley Cyrus, no joke. But for some reason, I haven't consistently played their entire albums on repeat. Therefore, my Top 10 Albums of 2013 are simply the artists who have gotten the most airplay on the old ipod this year. Maybe they don't hold up to the industry standards and rigorous end-of-year selection processes (eenie, meenie, miney, moe?) but these are my faves:

The 1975 – The 1975 


This emotionally dense album picks up where the 80s left off with The 1975's own brand of angsty pop rock. I can't get enough. They aren't a cliched radio-friendly boy band as many would want you to think; I maybe waxed poetic and called it the greatest indie album of 2013 here.

Half Moon Run – Dark Eyes


This debut is subtle, but stunning. Intense feels ahead. I've had the pleasure of hearing this band from the small stage of Mercury Lounge to closing out the CMJ Music Marathon at Bowery Ballroom. This is just the beginning!

Bastille - Bad Blood


I have mixed feelings because I literally waited a year and a half for this album, and then found it to be a bit overproduced, but I still pledge allegiance to the band. Tip: the extended cut features extra tracks in acoustic, piano, and string variations that remind me why I first fell in love with them.

Frank Turner – Tape Deck Heart


Singer-songwriter perfection. Frank is an epic storytelling wordsmith who continues to defy every songwriting rule on his fifth studio album. I love his unapologetic honesty in every single song.

The Civil Wars – The Civil Wars


The second album from the husband-wife duo, it's a beautiful curation of emotional harmonies and deeply connected lyrics. Yeah it's folksy Americana, but it holds up to every other album on my list.

CHVRCHES - The Bones of What You Believe


I worship this album. It's dreamy and dancey and incredibly ambitious, experimenting with and mastering every type of genre fusion. This trio is passionate and empowering synth pop royalty.

To Kill A King - Cannibals With Cutlery


The kings of lyrical ambiguity, this album is altogether amusing and soothing. Their massive choruses with full orchestral backing carries me away to my happy place...this is one debut album that is definitely not on your radar.

MS MR - Secondhand Rapture


I'm captivated by the haunting and husky vocals from Lizzy Plapinger. She was tagged as the next Florence and the Machine, but MS MR brings a completely different atmosphere to their gothic beats.

Ellie Goulding - Halcyon Days


Loved her Halcyon album from 2012, and loved that she had a pretty quick follow-up by adding tracks to extend her sophomore album into a deluxe semi-third album. The album reassures us that she's stronger than the heartbroken girl she left behind on Halcyon.

Mallory Knox - Signals


Who loves some alt punk rock? I do, apparently. Big guitar-driven sound, big vocals, a little aggressive, yet surprisingly sensitive. I'm leading the over 25 crowd into a genre that tends to play towards teenage angst.

I feel really good about all of this.

-Melissa Presti

when a fire starts to burn: libby hostetler's top albums of 2013

Out of the gate with our year-end best of lists, here are Libby's favorite records of the year!

Let's cut to the chase here - I think we all know my #1 album - DUH, DISCLOSURE'S SETTLE!  I haven't stopped listening to this since I heard White Noise in late January.  And then I went through the back catalogue and found the EP and Sam Smith's vocals on "Latch" and saw they remade Jessie Ware's "Running" and had the most sexual song I've ever heard ("What's In Your Head") and OMG I CAN'T STOP WITH THEM!  Yeah, this year was all about Disclosure for me.  Who knew I missed 90's house beats so much?  Listen to my going-to-work-song-and-going-to-stomp-all-over-everyone tune: "When a Fire Starts to Burn."



So for the rest of my favorite albums in no particular order (BUT DISCLOSURE IS ALWAYS #1)...here we go!

Vampire Weekend - Modern Vampires of the City

Every single song is wonderful.  A mature sound for them and it fits in nicely for a third album from a group I've always loved.

HAIM - Days are Gone

Finally - a girl group that kicks ass.  Este's bass face is a thing of wonder.

Jagwar Ma - Howlin

Like I missed 90s house beats, who knew I missed the bouncy rave feel these Aussies give off?  Guess I miss the Happy Mondays as well.

Suede - Bloodsports

WOW.  Color me surprised when the early Britpop band came out with a random album this year and yet it sounds like they never left the early 90s.  Perfect.

Phoenix - Bankrupt!

I was a little concerned when I heard the single "Entertainment."  Then I heard the rest of the album and breathed a sigh of relief and then REALLY got into it.

Jake Bugg - Jake Bugg

Okay, this kid is a bit of a dick.  Let's all get that off our chests.  But he's 19.  And singing songs like "Someplace."  Just unreal.

James Blake - Overgrown

Swooooooooon.  A more cohesive second album for this surprise Mercury Prize winner.  Unbelievable.

Hot Natured - Different Sides of the Sun

Jamie Jones' group really got things moving with this album.  I'm thinking "smooth beats" is the best way to describe this album.

Arctic Monkeys - AM

Honestly, I haven't cared too much about these Sheffield boys since their first album.  So I gave this album a go and found myself listening in shock at how polished it all was.

Kings of Leon - Mechanical Bull

I know, I know, I know - you're all sick of me and my inexplicable love for these guys.  That being said, it's so refreshing to hear the Followills return to their early roots with this album.

Half Moon Run - Dark Eyes

Goodness, these Canadians have amazing harmonies.  Beautiful album.

Rudimental - Home

Okay, I didn't see this one coming.  A lot of dubstep-type beats but with super talented singers and a random trumpet - it sounds all very odd but it works so well.

AlunaGeorge - Body Music

I thought this strange duo was only good for working on Disclosure's "White Noise" and I was very wrong. An amazing pop album.

The 1975 - The 1975

Siiiiiiggghhh.  The throwback 80s sound on this entire album is awesome and still manages to make them sound completely relevant in this year of music.  And my crush on singer/guitarist Matty is awful and needs to stop.  (It won't.  Melissa is plotting my death upon reading those words.)

Eminem - The Marshall Mathers LP2

Em comes to terms with his estranged relationship with his mom on "Headlights" and then goes back to being nasty with Kendrick Lamar on "Love Game."  Awesome.



-Libby Hostetler

tu(n)esday! by libby hostetler

Well, summer humidity has hit us like a ton of bricks.  I'm miserable, you're miserable, and we're all planning journeys away from this den of sin we like to call the Big Apple.  I recently escaped to the Bruce Peninsula of Canada and decided I better download a ton of new music for my 11 hour drive.  (Ok, that was a little dramatic for purposes of this article - I broke up the drive by stopping at Syracuse and Mississauga.)  These are my latest musical obssessions born from that trip - hope you enjoy!!!



The 1975.  Good God, these are my new loves.  Saw them a couple weeks ago in Brooklyn and lost my mind.





Junip.  Beautiful, gorgeous, pretty....I could go on and on.  Perfect for driving around Canada.





MS MR.  I know there are a lot of comparisons to Florence but I really feel they have their own sound.





Charli XCX.  This Brit was 19 when her album was released.  19!!!!  Unreal.





Hot Natured.  Welsh DJ Jamie Jones has put together a great band here.  Proving they're not a one-time fluke with Reverse Skydiving, they go and release this gem.





Half Moon Run.  C'mon, I needed a Canadian band for this trip!





HAIM.  I love these chicks.  A true rock group composed of "3 sisters and a mister."





Empire of the Sun.  These wacky Australians kinda fascinate me and kinda scare me with their wild productions.  Truth.





AlunaGeorge.  You probably know them as the voice behind Disclosure's White Noise but here they are on their own.




Ok, go enjoy some ice cold AC somewhere!!


-Libby