De Bon Air: Winter '13

Playlist: Autumn Youth

To be young in New York City during autumn... 

Autumn Youth from thesignetseal on 8tracks Radio.

August Playlist: Boardwalk

Boardwalk 8/12 from thesignetseal on 8tracks Radio.

June Music Recap: Vineyard Sound

Vineyard Sound 6/12 from thesignetseal on 8tracks.

Three Artists One Song

Image via Converse.com

Converse's Three Artists One Song series delivers yet again with the new single "Warrior" featuring Mark Foster + Kimbra + A-Trak. Talk about a killer collab, the newest single to promote a new line of Converse sneaks is the perfect kick-off to summer.  Mark Foster, of Foster the People, delivers with an incredibly catchy chorus that really grooves with A-Trak's collosal beats and Kimbra's vocal talents, showing that she means business.  The quirky lucha libre inspired video, complete with stylized color explosions, is also really cool - get ready to hit repeat. 

And the best part - you can download "Warrior" for FREE right here!


You may recognize Kimbra as the female counterpart in Gotye's "Somebody That I Used to Know" - the Kiwi singer with her newfound US fame just released her debut album "Vows" which is def worth a listen.


Check out some of the past Three Artists One Song singles from also available to download including "All Summer" by Kid Kudi + Vampire Weekend + Best Coast and a personal fave "My Drive Thru" by N.E.R.D. + Santogold + Julian Casablancas.

Surf 'n' Turf Playlist

Surf 'n' Turf 4-5/12 from thesignetseal on 8tracks.

Allah-las

Image via Allah-las.com

My new fav up-and-coming band!  I first came across their retro California sound as their song "Long Journey" was featured in the most recent Rugby Ralph Lauren Spring '12 video.





The first pressing of their debut 45 single "Long Journey" b/w "Catamaran" from Pres Records is already sold out (and yes that's an actual 45 vinyl record, not an MP3).  As far as I'm concerned the Allah-lahs are doing everything right, from their catchy harmonies and lo-fi guitar-driven beats, to their collaboration with 60's R&B aficionado Nick Waterhouse, the songs is so wonderfully nostalgic.  The Pres Records website describes them perfectly, "The group sounds like bungalows in canyons; hidden deco stairsteps peeking from leafy hillsides; kustom kars and dovetails and chicks in OP shorts with long, long hair, like a Dennis Hopper photo come to life."

So until they release an EP on Itunes, dust off that old turntable and order the repress from Innovative Leisure Recordings.  Listen to the sigles at Bandcamp.

Safe and Sound

Every so often I come across a band that I can just tell is going to be big.  Capital Cities is one of them.  I put their first single "Safe and Sound" on my January Playlist and have been listening to it on repeat all month.  Check out the music video for the song, synced with vintage footage of people dancing through the decades and juxtaposed with war footage and explosions.  The music oddly really goes well with the video, and it's pretty cool to watch the progression of dance through the decades.  Check it... 

January Playlist: Log Cabin

Instead of posting my playlists mid-month as I've done in the past, I want to start getting them up towards the beginning of the month, which means you can actually listen to the January playlist...in January!  Also, I've moved all my playlists over to Spotify, including this one, so you can listen to whatever you want, whenever you want.  Download Spotify for free, because it's super cool.  I recommend listening to this playlist during a chilly morning walk or by the fireside somewhere in the Northeastern woods...enjoy!

Listen on Spotify now!

Family of the Year 2012

Image via IndieMusicFilter

Feeling rested and ready to tackle the new year?  Well I certainly am after my brief repose from posting, but I am back and excited to get things moving again.  And what better way to ring in the new year than with a dance party on the beach!  I've been listening to Family of the Year's newest and incredibly catchy single "St. Croix" a lot lately and it has a really cool Beach Boys inspired, retro beach themed video by Oscar nominated director Jessica Sanders. 


You may recognize Family of the Year by their song "Chugjug", which played in an incredibly catchy Advil commercial last year, and is also on my June Playlist.  Consisting of brothers Sebastian and Joseph Keefe, who grew up on Martha's Vineyard, James Buckey from Florida, and Christina Shroeter from Orange County, CA, the band takes advantage of their beachy roots for a nice mix of harmony driven, throwback surf pop.



And you can download St. Croix for FREE courtesy of Spinner.com!

The 12 Days of Christmas December Playlist

From the day after Thanksgiving until now I get tired of hearing the same Christmas songs that repeat on the radio.  So, with Christmas upon us, I put together a few choice holiday tunes that aren't so overplayed that will last you through the New Year.  Grab a mug of cocoa and snuggle up by the fire, there's still time to enjoy the holidays - they don't call it the 12 days of Christmas for nothing.  Happy Holidays to all!

Or listen on Spotify!

November Playlist: Cornucopia

Just in time to kick off Thanksgiving week...

Note: "Already Know That It's Nice" // Dominant Legs; "2 Dimensional" // Sonance Hotel; "Caroline Goodbye" // Colin Blunstone are also included in the Download but are not on Grooveshark.

King Charles

I've you enjoyed the song "Love Lust" from the August Jibing Playlist, then you'll be happy to hear that King Charles has just released two new videos.  Shot in California by master director Autumn de Wilde (Noah & the Whale, Ingrid Michaelson, The Decemberists) "Mississippi Isabel" and "Bam Bam"where made to go together and prove that King Charles is a name to remember.  Take a look...








Described by the London Guardian as a "dandy...part of a tradition of uniquely English, psych-inflected pastoral whimsy," King Charles' music is really catchy and his English gentleman/pirate style is pretty awesome.  In many ways he reminds me of a British Devendra Banhart.


You may also recognize the look of these videos as Ms. de Wilde also directed the Oliver Peoples ad campaign from 2010, "Les Enfants S'ennuient le Dimanche".

First Aid Kit

Photo by Neil Krug via Myspace

I'm a huge fan of this duo from Sweden called First Aid Kit.  The sisters Söderberg, Johanna and Klara, 21 and 18 respectively, have an amazingly mature quality and deepness to their soulful folk harmonies that is beautiful and addicting.  Their cover of Fleet Foxes, "Tiger Mountain Peasant Song" back in 2008 put their name on the radar and would lead to performances with Fleet Foxes, an album, and an international tour of their own.


After working in the studio with producer Mike Mogis, of Bright Eyes, their first single from their second album called "The Lion's Roar" hit Itunes last week, with the album coming out in 2012.  Like some of my other favorite indie folk bands like Fleet Foxes and U.S. Royalty, there is a very organic and woodsy feeling to First Aid Kit's music - perfect for this time of the year methinks.  So enjoy the fall foliage while there's still time before winter comes knocking on our door.




First Aid Kit is also working with Jack White's Nashville based Third Man Records - can't wait to see what's in store for the future.

October Playlist: Orionids

Nine Types of Light

Image via Interscope Records

Just as television provided a platform to view music during the 80s with MTV, today many artists have opted for a more cinematic approach to their music videos complete with famous directors, celebrity cameos, and special effects.  TV On the Radio took that concept a step further and with their most recent album, Nine Types of Light, released a full length "music movie" that corresponds with each track on the album.  The Brooklyn based ensemble has such a wide variety of sounds, it's really hard to pin them down to one particular genre.  No matter what you call it, the movie is a poetic art-piece, which I think is pretty rad.


Each song has a unique music video strung together touching on topics of dreams, love, fame, and the future.  The results are incredible both visually and musically.  Composed of a variety of interview, animation, and live action, it is nearly a full hour of highly cerebral, eerie, experimental artistry (to be watched full screen in 1080p).

Other Lives

Image via Facebook

There is a certain cinematic and emotional aspect that I find especially appealing about this band.  Originally an instrumental group called Kunek, the Oklahoma based group later added lyrics, resulting in a cool Western influenced indie folk sound and renamed themselves Other Lives.  The quintet headed by Jesse Tabish employs a veritable orchestra of instruments that contribute to the atmospheric, moody quality throughout their albums.


Clearly they have put a lot of effort into their music videos, as you can see in the single "For 12" from their most recent album, Tamer Animals.



You can also visit the band's interactive website, tameranimals.com based off of the above video with audio and visual content from the rest of the album.  It's a pretty rad way to interact with the album.

September Playlist: English Ivy

Wolf Gang

Image via Wolf-gang.co.uk

Suego Faults is the title of the most recent album from the 24 year old, one man band Max McElligott, aka Wolf Gang.  Originally hailing from Scotland, he describes his sound as a  "symphonic grandeur...with a gloriousness to the production, and a certain ambition."  Recording many of the songs from his bedroom using his skills on a variety of instruments, including the bagpipes (a talent we both share), combined with a collaboration with noted producer Dave Fridmann, of Flaming Lips and MGMT fame, makes for an incredibly catchy, romantic, psych-pop driven collection of songs.


The album debuted in July in the UK, which you can listen to here, however, the single "Lions in Cages" is available in the US (which I am including on my September playlist).  I think once the album comes to America, he'll definitely be one to watch.


Listen to one of my favs "The King and All Of His Men" from Suego Faults...

The Leisure Society

Paul Heartfield via Myspace

Described by Raggedwords.com as a British take on American folk acts such as Grizzly Bear and Sufjan Stevens, The Leisure Society is a band to keep on the radar, with its fresh, folky sound.  I featured one of their older tunes, "A Short Weekend Begins with Longing" on my July Playlist, but check out this gem called "This Phantom Life" off their newest album Into the Murky Water.  It's a perfect album to relax with on a rainy day.