Broadcast 2000

I love when my "Take on Me" google alert lead me to strange and wonderful things. First, it was the Muse mash-ups (and my subsequent love of "Starlight") and now this.

Should I explain? Apparently these dudes (well, this one dude, Joe Steer, and his live band) have been known to play "Take on Me" during their live show. According to the review that my google alert alerted me to, Joe handles the challenging vocals of ToM with ease. I wish I could find it, but there appears to be no recording.

But that's ok! That same review also said that they sound nothing like their name, Broadcast 2000, might make you think (which to me could either be some sort of electronic collective or a pop-punk band on Drive-Thru Records (no offense Evan!)). I looked into it, and I really dig what I hear.

They play dreamy, contemplative folk-pop. with a glockenspeil. Like Beirut meets Noah and the Whale. They hail from the UK and have only one release to date, 2008's Building Block (either a long EP, or a mini-album, whichever way you want to look at it). BUT you know their music without realizing it. Their song "Run" is featured in the macbook-is-the-greenest commercial.

Anyway, having heard most of their tunes, I can definitely say that "Get Up and Go" is the stand-out track. Check it ouuuuuut:

I can't even describe this song. It has an ethereal quality. It's another one of those lying-under-the-stars songs, but it's not as pure an simple all that either. It's gorgeous, light, and twinkling but with a lingering darkness. I can't explain what it is about it that I love so much, and it's driving me a little bit crazy. I mean, it's haunting.

So, this is definitely a band I'm going to be keeping tabs on. I don't expect "Get Up and Go" to be leaving my head anytime soon, anyway. Plus Joe Steer is HOT. Check him out:








He has so many feelings. oh baby.

Synthtastic!

Thank God for the synthesizer, am i right?

Here are some tunes I'm pretty into right now. Get ready to dance!

1. Spaceman - The Killers
Of course I'm gonna start things off with the best song ever written bout alien abduction. duh.

2. Spiralling (Radio Edit) - Keane
Great tune. And I'm so glad to hear them explore other sounds, because it's easy to just try and replicate your own success and write the same song over and over (*cough* Coldplay). The spoken-ish bridge is weird though. And the "radio edit" is better, trust me.

3. I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance With You - Black Kids
LOVE the bassline in this song. so hot.

4. Say Goodbye - Samuel
Catchy song. When I saw him perform, people were outside later singing and humming this song. i even caught myself doing it! and i swear i'm not biased just because i know him and the song's producer. Hahah, though the "You're making it hard for me" line makes me think of the 90's hit "Too Close," which then makes me laugh. (circa 1:10. also, WHAT IS THAT VIDEO?!? i'm not even gonna start)

5. Sleeping In - The Postal Service
Cause every playlist needs its slow jam.

6. Again & Again - Keane
Sorry to break the mix tape rules, but what can i say? Perfect Symmetry is a pretty synthtastic album.

7. Take on Me - RAC feat Karl Kling
It'll never get old. The granddaddy of synth tunes. obvs!

8. Time to Pretend - MGMT
Now THAT'S a synth riff.

9. Take a Bow - Muse
Cause every playlist needs its post-apocalyptic jam.


imeem GO!

Muse Mash-ups

I feel like i need to explain where this post is coming from (because I know how random it seems).

It starts with a google alert which promised a "Take on Me"/"Wonderwall" mash-up. I was like, "Holy shit! this sounds awesome! two of the best songs ever!" However, when I went to track it down, i found it had been part of a radio stream that was no longer working. Boo. (don't worry, i have since found it, and it is REALLY FREAKIN' GOOD!)

Anyway, that led me on a youtube search, where i again, didn't find what i was looking for. But it was then that I saw an A-Ha/Muse mash-up. Now I only really know one song by each of these bands ("Take on Me" obvs, and "Time is Running Out") but I thought I'd watch "The Sun Always Shines on TV"/"Starlight." Funnily, it didn't have a cute mash-up name like most two-song mash-ups do, so i will name it. "A-Ha vs Muse" video, you are now officially...

The Starlight Always Shines on TV


How fucking good is that? I'm pretty unashamed to love both these bands. But then again, I have a thing for the patently epic and ridiculous. Which explains a lot of things, actually. Also, I like how they edited together the videos too. nice touch. (side note: I can't believe how literal Muse was, filming their video on a ship? really? but then again, it is pretty epic...)


but my journey continues.

I decided I really like this "Starlight" song, and really want to hear the un-mashed version. But on the way, I found an AMAZING Killers/Muse mash-up. Because separately, they are pretty fantastically epic bands, but together??? well, the results blew my mind.

When You Were Starlight



I already loved "When You Were Young" and was quickly falling for "Starlight." But this works SO WELL. I do wish there was a little more Brendan Flowers. But I can't complain. That Killers riff sounds so natural with the Muse melody. God. I love it.


I also found a Streets/Muse mash-up. Not good. Well, the mash-up is fine, but I can't stand the Streets.


and now, I've downloaded Black Holes and Revelations (which includes "Take A Bow," the song in the Watchmen trailer... that i thought was Radiohead... silly me) and am taking a listen to the real version of the song. Not really the order I should have gone in, but whatever. Not gonna lie, I kind of like the mash-ups better. Not to say I don't like the song, it's pretty wonderful. but still, the mash-ups are more fun.