BrightestYoungThings – DC – IT’S FRIDAY, WHAT TUNES ARE YOU BUMPIN’?

Ross

Grizzly Bear – “Yet Again”
OK, I’ll start off my choices with two of the most obvious/most likely to be chosen by someone else tracks. I wasn’t really feeling Grizzly Bear’s first track “Sleeping Ute” off their upcoming album Shields, but “Yet Again” gets to the elements of Grizzly Bear that I loved in Veckamist, while getting louder like I always wanted them to.
Animal Collective – “Today’s Supernatural”
“Today’s Supernatural” is a song I’m still trying to wrap my head around (like most Animal Collective songs) since it was released earlier this week. I’ve never warmed up to pre-Merriweather Post Pavilion Animal Collective, but this new track feels like a combination of their 2000 works. It’s more startling, loud and unpolished than anything on MPP, yet still feels as precise and calculated as anything from that album.
My Morning Jacket – “Outta My System”
On Tuesday, MMJ will release a bunch of remixes for my favorite song from their newest albumCircuital. “Outta My System” is the most radio-friendly song from the band, and in an era where M83 can be found on the radio, goddamnit I wanna hear MMJ with a hit single. It’s MMJ at their catchiest, and I’m interested to hear what Dave Sitek will do with the track, if it’s close to as good as Washed Out’s remix is. Before the remix EP hits, give the original a few more spins.

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Bradley

Kastle – “Technique”
HOLY FUCKING SHIT what is this song? Is that a sample of Kelis’s “Milkshake” …? To a near-dubstep breakbeat? But sorta housey too? I am in love.
Youngtee – “Rehab”
And as long as we’re on the subject of mid-00s reworks, here’s a beautiful techhouse slowjam of Rihanna’s “Rehab” by British mystery Youngtee.

(you can catch some more of Bradley’s picks right over here)

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Cale

I’ve just finished reading Ian MacDonald’s excellent Revolution in the Head: The Beatles’ Records and the Sixties which chronicles the Beatles catalog (and historical impact) song by song in the order they were recorded. Kindles, smart phones, and iPods mean it’s quite convenient to listen to each track as you’re reading the entry, thus experiencing the evolution of the Beatles in a slightly new way. Some highlights from the process…

“Long, Long, Long”
I always assumed the strange ending to this (underrated) Harrison penned track (recorded in 1968 for the white album) was a bit of LSD-inspired experimentation, when actually it was a happy accident. When McCartney hit the final low note on the Hammond organ, it audibly vibrated a nearby wine bottle – Ringo and Harrison went with it, creating the eerie effect.
“Paperback Writer”
I’ve been listening to McCartney’s 1966 single for as long as I can remember, in fact, Past Masters was the first compact disc to ever be played in our household growing up (on the new-fangled 5-disc CD changer in the living room). Yet I never noticed the cheeky Lennon and Harrison singing Frere Jacques in the background about half way through.
“Hey Bulldog”
I’ve never paid much attention to this song, mostly because I’ve never paid much attention to the Yellow Submarine soundtrack, but it’s actually a bit of a hidden gem and an interesting turning point for the group. Recorded in 1968, it marks the first time Yoko Ono was present in the recording studio (breaking the no girlfriends/wives rule) and Lennon snapping out of his introverted acid phase with this biting and lively number.