(pre)Friday Tunes
I don’t know what’s gotten into me this week, but I’ve got some music that has a bit more meaning than usual. Normally I don’t really listen to lyrics, and just find music I like (this often leads to embarrassment, e.g. when I play music for my lady, trying to impress, and she looks at my grin in horror; only then do I realize what the lyrics are, and I turn away in awe of what a monster I am…)
So, I picked some tunes this week that I have actually listened to their content 
We’ve got a remix from BWH favorite Adam Tensta, as well as his compatriot, Eboi. We’ve also got some slower, lo-fi music with the Long Winters and Young Galaxy. (There’s also a few standard electronica tracks, you know, for good measure).
THE LONG WINTERS
OK. So, I heard this song like 4 years ago (on Seattle Public Radio), and haven’t really shared my reaction with a ton of people. Close your eyes and listen…
The Long Winters “The Commander Thinks Aloud”
So, yea. The song is about the astronauts in the space shuttle Columbia disaster. The lyrics are emotionally intense, perhaps especially because the Long Winter’s front man John Roderick’s voice captures the joy of coming home only to be punctuated by not making it. Listen to this song again and feel.
I’m pretty sure I called my mom right after this song to tell her that I loved her; she was summarily weirded out, but I felt I needed to do it. If you feel so moved by this song, act. You never know when things will change unexpectedly.
YOUNG GALAXY
Remember a few months ago, when I posted about Young Galaxy? The band that has a lead singer that sounds like a moodier Sarah Maclaclan? Well, they’re back with a new remix by Adam & The Amethysts. Turn up the volume – specifically the bass – on this track, and sit back, relax, and listen. I’m a big fan of soundscapes, and Adam & The Amethysts crafted something beautiful here, with a slow Sade-esque baseline and gliding synths interspersed with the electronically modified vocals. Oh yea, and listen to the lyrics… they’re really good.
Young Galaxy “We Have Everything (Adam & the Amethysts Remix)”
I’m pretty sure I bought the legit version on iTunes since I wanted the full audio quality… its totes worth it.
THEM JEANS
Now, to change directions …. I have never heard of Them Jeans, and probably never would have, it hadn’t been for the fact that Adam Tensta’s remix was included on a recent mixtape (as featured in a previous BWH post). I emailed Babak Azarmi (Manager of Respect My Hustle, Tensta’s label), to find out when the mixtape will be posted, and he replied that it would be this week…. and I’ve seen NOTHING! So, in the absence of that posting, I’ve sleuthed out the different parts of the mixtape…
This remix of Them Jeans’ Balloons has an awesome rhythm and seems like it could be perfect for a wacky car chase seen (a la Snatch) in some foreign land.
Them Jeans “Balloons (Adam Tensta Remix)”
…Again, I bought this on iTunes since I wasn’t satisfied with the whole youtube.com only interface (and hey, I wanna support the artists to keep up dope collaborations like this!)
And here is another track from the mixtape; Adam Tensta’s “The Monkey” remixed superbly (?) by Owl Vision.
Adam Tensta “The Monkey (Owl Vision)”
EBOI
Here is an unreleased (except on Soundcloud) from Eboi (fellow member of Respect My Hustle, w/ Adam Tensta). His flow is fast, and he almost always tells a story in his songs. This one (not surprisingly based on the title) is about Immigrants in Sweden. As in many places, the dynamics created by non-integrationist policies, have created a generation of dis-enfranchised youth and the issues that come part-and-parcel; gangs, mis-trust between ethnic Swedes and immigrant ethnicities, and immigrant enclaves (ghetto doesn’t really seem appropriate, base on my experiences from living in two minority dominated sections of Stockholm).
Eboi “Immigrants”
Also check out his “Quick Master” of Superman.
Eboi “Superman”
COYOTE KISSES
Enough of this meaningful stuff. My soul is tired now. So, here is a good old-fashioned, well… not really old-fashioned at all…. dance floor banger. Coyote Kisses lays down the grind with this glitchy, dubstep video game soundtrack. Listen to this song while touching the All-Spark and transform yourself into an intergalactic robotic dance machine.
Coyote Kisses “Acid Wølfpack”
BODY GOLD
This is definitely a song I would normally pick; Upbeat vocals, with interesting bongo drums, and airy synths. But then I listened to the lyrics… are BWH songs always like this?! This one is about “coming back down” to a grave (I think). Boy, I’m a weirdo. Anyway, listen to the lyrics, and contemplate their meaning; or don’t listen to the lyrics, and dance around like a clueless monkey* (my choice).
Body Gold “Alabaster Bodyworlds”
* Biking With Headphones is not suggesting that all monkeys are in fact clueless, only the ones that dance to upbeat songs without comprehending the subtle meaning of the lyrics they contain.
NON-FAT URBAN SOUNDTRACK
So, I was fretting the last few days, because I couldn’t find a mixtape to end my post with, and low and behold, it was in front of me the whole time…
Earmilk.com (one of my favorite sites to peruse for BWH) has had a series called the Non-fat Urban Soundtrack, and it does not disappoint. A mixture of electronic, glitch, rap, hip hop and spoken rhymes, this mixtape is what it says: An Urban Soundtrack. Enjoy the weekend!
