Gradozero

osservo, penso, rebbloggo

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tuneage:

Obi Best - “Swedish Boy”

When I first got my hands on this album in October, I thought to myself “I can’t wait to post this on Tuneage!” That may sound like a long time ago, but I wanted to share a song with you a bit closer to the release of her album, Capades, which comes out February 24th.

Before striking out on her own, LA-based Alex Lilly (aka Obi Best) sang back up for The Bird and the Bee. Now she’s opening for the duo at a handful of west coast dates this month. She’ll also be touring the country in anticipation of her album release.

I can confidently say I love Capades from start to finish. Obi Best’s whimsical indie pop is filled with lovely melodies evoking emotion through synthesizers, sound effects, and airy soprano vocals. If you like what you hear, you can also check out another song on my personal blog.

[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]

(Source: tuneage)

[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]

(Source: tuneage)

[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]

tuneage:

Mayer Hawthorne - “The Ills”

The most striking aspect of my “favorite albums of 2009” is, unfortunately, how little of it I posted to Tuneage! Sure, I posted numerous tracks on my personal Tumblr and another music blog I run and I swore I put at least a few tracks from these albums on Tuneage. Nope. I think I was always planning on posting this or that, but always put those posts on the backburner. Shame on me. I’m not one for New Year’s Resolutions, but I will definitely post more tracks that are close to the heart in 2010. Hell, I’m not one for “best of” lists either, but making a list of personal favorites is a much more desirable task.

Greg’s favorites of 2009:

I never would have thought that Mayer Hawthorne’s debut could end up a favorite like it did, but there’s something undeniably catchy and cool about it. The idea was always interesting: a DJ from the Detroit-area (Ann Arbor) writes, plays, and sings album of straight throwback Motown. But the execution was beyond any expectations I had and he deserves any end-of-year accolades that come his way. Chicago’s Hypnotic Brass Ensemble crafted an album totally worth of their name: brass-only and full of hypnotizing grooves. Little Dragon’s sophomore effort was an enticing affair, to nobody’s suprise. London’s Paul White straight up blew my mind with his debut. He’s emerged as one of the best of the A.D. (After Dilla) generation of beatmakers with Donuts-style bursts of samples condensed into sounds brand new. Jay Stay Paid? Almost four years after J Dilla’s passing, we’re still hearing why he’s the G.O.A.T.