Alright, this is gonna sound totally lame, but I'm basing this Music Monday entirely off of what Last.fm says was my most played song over the last week. Yah. I've honestly got nothing else for you, as I was working all day (and all weekend, for that matter), and today was a holiday. So content yourself with this.
I've said before that I love Lana Del Rey. I've said before that I love mash-ups. Well, this one here is a mash-up that includes "Born to Die" by Lana. Whoo!
Best of all, the entire album is free to download if you choose. Just head over to the Jane Doze's Soundcloud page.
I've mentioned Lana Del Rey before, and if my current listening trends are any indication she'll be featured in many Music Mondays to come.
Her video for "Blue Jeans" was just released, so it only makes sense to post it here. That said, convenience isn't the only reason I've chosen this song today. "Blue Jeans" was one of my immediate faves from the album. Lana incorporates an odd mix of sounds and styles, and has been described as a "self-styled 'gangsta Nancy Sinatra.'" Seriously. On this track, she employs strong percussion, guitar arpeggios (I think? It's been a while, they sound somewhat arpeggio-y, at least), vocal sampling, and a smooth string section. Oh, and her sultry, silky voice.
I think it's about time you went and watched the video to hear the song for what it is, as there's only so much I can say about it in words. I can't adequately convey her tones, images, or emotions. So take a listen below.
Disclaimer: I'm not actually sure what "trip hop" is, but from what I can tell by looking at the Wikipedia article it falls into that miscellaneous "alternative" music genre. Right.
So, Music Monday! Because I didn't make a post last Monday, I've made this one better. How better? Three times better! That is, three times better than a typical Music Monday post, not three times better than last week's non-existent post. That would still be three times the nothing, eh?
Anywho, there be three songs this week for you to listen to, all of which I've been playing on repeat since discovering them. First on the docket is Kylie Minogue's "Too Far," a blast from the past as the album, Impossible Princess, was released in 1997. Whoa! I may or may not have been 7 or 8 years old at that time. What do I love about the song? The back beat. I absolutely adore the drums in this song, and in all three songs this week for that matter.
Next up is Amon Tobin's "Esther's," from his 2007 album Foley Room. Tobin is a bit of an electronic genius, using sampling from vinyl records and foley recordings to create his songs. No words in this one, but that's what I've been into lately. If you look at my Last.fm stats for the last week, I've somehow racked up 105 plays of his music since discovering his work, oh, Tuesday. Seriously.
Last, but not least, rising starlet Lana Del Rey, with her track "Off to the Races." As with Kylie's song, I love the back beat, I love the vocals, but most of all I love the strings. I've got no clue what it is, but a well done string section just gets me going. So, enough talking, take a listen by clicking the YouTube video below. It's an embedded playlist, so all three songs will play in order if you leave it alone, or you can use the Next button to skip tracks you might not care for.
