Leisure Time

Meeting & greeting & being nice

I somehow feel very enthusiastic about it.

I usually tend to keep to myself, you see

Impressed

I’m back from the Amazon Region.

It was a trip to a different universe, where rivers matter more than roads, hats are more important than shoes and air conditioning is a question of human dignity.

I won’t get into the uniqueness of the experience, for it is Friday.

Instead, here’s the new very funky video by Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs:

The Amazon Forest isn’t as colorful as this, I can assure you.

Bored

Too bored for words.

New week with Yuksek

So a new (and busy) week begins.

And to accompany it, great music:

Amidst the tornado of cheap pop, Yuksek is a breeze of fresh beats.

Two songs, two moods

Producer Aaron Jerome is the brain and hands behind SBTRKT and this lovely song featuring long time favorite Little Dragon (who are releasing a record in July).

It might stimulate ideas of your own.

Ok, if you need the visuals, here’s a short film/video with music by Little Dragon directed by Johannes Nyholm:

Pick your mood and enjoy it.

Metro Monday

I’m so in love with Metronomy‘s new album The English Riviera it’s almost overwhelming.

An immediate favorite:

I’m also in love with the lyrics; very long had been the time sung words spoke my language so well.

Listen and love.

Short of boys , full of fun

Today my eyes go eastwards to Australia (remember I write from Brazil) to find yet another delightful electronic music act: Strange Talk

Doesn’t this video make you want to fall in love, travel to the coast and have an enormous amount of fun with your gorgeous friends who are also in love?

Great tune, lovely lyrics.

Mind shifts

Shifting mind shapes shouldn’t be as strenuous as it is.

But then it wouldn’t be as interesting and challenging as it is.

And I just love this Miike Snow song because it reminds me of all that.

Warming up

One of my favorite bands in the whole Solar System is back after a long interval: the geniuses of Architecture in Helsinki:

The perfect prelude for the weekend.

 

PS: And a happy birthday to my dear friend Luan!

Relevance

Dreams and Belief have gone

Time, Life itself goes on.

I had forgotten how much I love this song and how much it means to me.

Portishead was one of my favorite bands in the late 90’s and early 2000’s.

Organize

I know the weekend is over, but at times one still needs upbeat music to get the week started.

An all-time favorite will do the trick:

Hercules and Love Affair will help me put my house in order.

Their new record Blue Songs is out. Get it.

Contrary

Revert the lyrics and my feelings and hopes will become transparent:

Dan Black is a British act so fun it’s hard to resist.

Revigorate

First Monday after Christmas: a time for taking things easy.

But not so easy as to put one’s mind to sleep; stimulation is always the best remedy for a hangover on a thirsty brain.

My choice for the day are the remarkable The Dø:

I’ve had my eyes and ears on this great Finnish/French duo ever since they first appeared in Paris when I was living there. And they still manage to get my attention.

Enticing music, provoking visuals. Just what I need.

Back to dance

I’m back from my well-deserved yet short vacations. I had a lovely time in Southern Brazil then headed for unbelievably hot Rio de Janeiro for some beach/culture time.

But then this is Christmas week and with it comes that holiday feeling, which means less working and even more unwinding.

What shall we do? Enjoy it with some music:

The Suzan is a Japanese all-girl electronica pop group with a twist of CSS I’m delighted to listen to.

Japan has in the past produced quite a few good pop acts, such as the unforgettable Pizzicato Five. Who remembers this song?

To start the week on a happy note.

Perspective

Isn’t it great when one of your favorite bands produces offspring in one way or another?

A member of the übercool act The xx, the humbly self-entitled Jamie XX has been getting a lot of my attention. A taste:

The project apart from his mother band called We’re New Here is to be released in Feb 2011.

Can’t wait.