Lykke Li - Little Bit

And for you I keep my legs apart
And forget about my tainted heart

If you know me or have been following my blog, or more specifically, my Twitter, then you know that I have grown quite fond of Swedish indie pop star, Lykke Li. I have now made it my mission in life to take her hand in marriage. So I thought I'd use today's blog post to share another song off her debut album, Youth Novels, and also to share some of the reasons why she has quickly become one of my favorite "new" artists.

Firstly, today's eargasm: "Little Bit." At first I simply loved the music and feel to the song but as I listened to it more and more I realized how much I absolutely love the lyrics. As the album title suggests, the songs are about youth and this song, specifically, sums young (& naive) love perfectly with lyrics like "I would do it/Push a button/Pull a trigger/Climb a mountain/Jump off a cliff/Cause you know baby/I love you love you/A little bit." Remember in high school when you first fell in love, or thought you did (or maybe you are right now!), and felt like you would do any sort of foolish thing for the person, but at the same time didn't know jack about love other than if the person loved you then you loved them too? Yeah, neither do I. But I'm sure many out there are/were like that. But I digress ... just listen:

Here are a few other reasons why she's awesome:

1. She was a dancer & gets her groove on on stage. She's an all out amazing performer and puts a lot of effort into getting the crowd involved and dancing as well.

2. She does amazing covers. I was fortunate enough to see her perform a cover to one of my favorite Kings of Leon songs--"Knocked Up." Check it:



3. She loves hip hop and shows it:



I could probably go on but I don't want to sound obsessive (in case I already haven't). Please feel free to share any of your favorite Lykke Li songs/moments in the comments!

Macklemore - Inhale Deep

If I'm not making music

Why the fuck am I existing?

When I first found out in January of 2007 that there was a hip hop scene in Seattle, I was shocked. I'd been listening to hip hop all my life from the east to the west to the dirthy south, but never had I heard of any Seattle-based or "Pacific Northwest" rappers. I was skeptical. I gave some a listen and found that they're just as good as rappers from the rest of the country.

One of the first, and possibly my favourite, that I've heard thus far is Macklemore. Despite being a white boy, he sure can rock the mic. His lyrics are meaningful and he flows well, which is a must if you're rapping, and the beats are solid. "Inhale Deep" from The Language of My World is a good example along with many more from this album. You know by listening to him that he's doing it for the love.

DJ Shadow - Mutual Slump

Do you feel like Darth Vader?

DJ Shadow is a hip-hop DJ/producer. His debut album, Endtroducing... contains obvious influences of hip-hop, while transcending any clear genre-related boundaries. In "layman's terms," it's a mix of everything. He clearly has an amazing ability in "diggin' through the crates" to find the most obscure samples possible. In fact, the entire album is made from sampling other works. Although I selected "Mutual Slump," I cannot emphasize how much I recommend listening to Endtroducing... in its entirety. This is definitely one of those albums all music fans should hear, and love, during their lifetime. The sad part is, he hasn't released an album anywhere near as good since then. I suppose it is the nature of DJs to spend more time making live appearances and producing for other artists than releasing their own material. But it sure as Hell is frustrating to fans of this album.

He has, however, done some great production work for such artists as UNKLE. "Rabbit in Your Headlights" is a good one and features Thom Yorke on vocals. He also has some sweet music videos for "Organ Donor" off Endtroducing... and "Six Days" off The Private Press.

Atmosphere - Me

You dont need to know what's wrong with me

Unless you think you're going to come home with me

Atmosphere is a hip hop group comprised of Slug (MC) and Ant (producer). Atmosphere is also the first, at the time, underground rapper I got into. By the time senior year of high school hit (that would be 2003 for me), he was beginning to gain more fame--particularly in the non-hip hop crowd. Atmosphere was dubbed "emo rap," probably due to the fact that a lot of his songs were centered around his parents divorce and a girl named "Lucy." In other words, he wasn't rappin about bitches & hoes, cars and weed.

Since 2005, Atmosphere has been releasing several EPs online including their "party mix," Strictly Leakage. This year, they released their 5th full-length album--When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold. The album includes back-up vocals by Tom Waits and Tunde Adebimpe of TV on the Radio. The song I chose, titled "Me," is a reflective song about the insecurities Slug has developed after an early divorce followed by "one co-dependent from the next."

2Pac - Brenda's Got a Baby

I hear Brenda's got a baby

But Brenda's barely got a brain

There are several reasons why I chose this as my first song. Firstly, to pay homage to 2Pac, one of the greatest and one of my favorite rappers of all time. Secondly, to hope to convince anyone who doesn't like rap or 2Pac that it still deserves some respect and is more than the crap you hear on the radio. Lastly, I grew up listening to hip hop and like to think of it as my first love. Although my musical taste has expanded way beyond hip hop by now, it still holds a special place in my heart.

"Brenda's Got a Baby" is 2Pac's first ever hit off his first full length album--2Pacalypse Now. The song, according to the music video is based on a true story about a girl named Brenda. But 2Pac uses her personal story to illustrate the larger struggles those living in urban black communities face. This is by no means the first time a rapper has attempted to provide social or political commentary through a song. What stands out about this song in particular (vs. for example, "Fight the Power" by Public Enemy), other than the fact that it's a better song overall, is that it was a song that anyone could understand regardless of race or social status.

Sometimes I wish 2Pac was still alive (that's right, 2Pac is dead), but then I look at what's become of mainstream hip hop and am kind of glad that he died when he did. He's left behind a memorable legacy and will always continue to live in spirit and in my speakers.

THUG LIFE!