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![[PLAY THE PLAYLIST] Nothin But Fuckin Love Songs Vol. 2](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61cb91c18cbd5c31ee4ab0fd/1671489661258-WV3DFU9OTOUVRQNKFW1Z/nothin-but-fuckin-love-songs-v2.jpg)
[PLAY THE PLAYLIST] Nothin But Fuckin Love Songs Vol. 2
People get so fuckin weird about Valentine’s Day.
It is such a wild thing to observe.
Personally….I love Valentine’s Day. I’ve always liked that there’s a day where we go out of our way to share our love with each other and allegedly it’s not weird to be as extra as you wanna be.
I say allegedly because like… well what the fuck is this Galentines/Palentines day bullshit? Are we serious? You’re really that worried someone is gonna misinterpret your intentions? Or is this a solidarity thing for people who aren’t yet legally bound to someone? What is that?
Either way, you’re fuckin with the vibe when you throw around this unnecessary bullshit. Grow the fuck up. It’s Valentine’s Day and there is more than enough love to go around today, okay?
Also, I’ve been partner-less for most of them, too, so don’t start coming at me with some bullshit like, “Well over here it’s been Single’s Awareness Day basically forever, Kibbe”.
And trust me fam, I get it. It’s so easy to forget that we were taught out of loving each other freely and fearlessly. Remember when your age was still in single digits? That night before your school observed Valentines Day you got that box of corny ass mass produced ✨meaningful messages✨ and you went one by one through all of them assigning little love notes to everyone in class. Friends got the fun ones, crushes got the ones that seemed a bit more direct, and anyone else got whatever was left. Next day in class everyone distributed their Valentines and there would be this fun chatter about the messages or which cartoon franchise you went with for your Valentines. We never thought fuckin twice about giving everyone a Valentine back then. At least that’s how I remember that shit, along with handing out Care Bear ones at some point.
ANYWAY
We know I’m a song hoarder and that I like being able to identify a song for every occasion if possible, especially because a lot of times songs articulate a feeling or thought I’ve been sitting with better than I had been able to land on. With love songs though, it’s so interesting. Like I said, not a ton of relationships over my way, yet when prompted I can always send at least 20 in your direction at all times. I wouldn’t necessarily say love songs feel as carelessly mass produced as my Care Bear Valentines from 1st grade, but there are definitely more love songs than there are people at this point.
Either way I can tell that I’ve grown a lot as person since the last time that I compiled love songs for Valentine’s Day because as I was putting together this round of songs that I thought about how silly it is that I am able do this so easily. I started asking myself questions like: Am I really just cataloging vibes so I can provide more thoughtful recommendations than The Algorithm™ ever could? Am I trying to study love so I ✨do it right✨ if it ever shows up? Even scarier, am I studying these to see if I’ve been doing something wrong? Do I want someone to send these songs to me? Do I think all of these songs encompass just one person?
I think that last question is really fascinating given how weird people are about Valentine’s Day. We often think that one single person is going to arrive in our lives and that will mean that everything is better or easier because we have found someone we enjoy being with so much that we’d draw up some paperwork so we can collectively own assets or make important medical decisions for each other. But in the real world that’s not how it works. Most people don’t get married and evaporate from their former lives, never speaking to their friends or family ever again. If anything the result is two communities, not just two people, become one. And when shit hits the fan, I mean yeah you have someone RIGHT THERE at your side immediately to look out for you, but the way that person shows up for you is the result of the way their community shaped them, for better or for worse (see what I did there?).
To be clear, finding ✨your person✨ is WONDERFUL. I’m not tryna discount that at all. But it’s not some cure all that a lot of people seem to think it is. I don’t think you’re “fixed” or something because you find your person, mostly because I don’t think anyone is “broken” to begin with. If anything this person is just someone you agree to get really fucking vulnerable with, which ideally you’re already practicing varying levels of vulnerability with select members of your community prior to identifying this person. A person who is so special that you throw a very fancy party to celebrate. Even that, weddings would be fuckin trash without your friends and family there, so why do we choose to spend this particular day treating love like it’s something incredibly exclusive? I will spare you a wall of text about the capitalism bit here and just say IT’S SO LAME THAT THIS EXISTS AND I HATE IT VERY MUCH.
This all to say…. Happy Valentine’s Day.
Not Single’s Awareness Day. Not Palentine’s Day. Not Galentine’s Day.
Fuckin Valentine’s Day.
I love you. 💖
![[SONG OF THE DAY] Breakbot (feat. Irfane) - "Devotion (Yuksek Remix)"](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61cb91c18cbd5c31ee4ab0fd/1671498358521-JBPEUFXGVOJH4BLA8AJM/image-asset.jpeg)
[SONG OF THE DAY] Breakbot (feat. Irfane) - "Devotion (Yuksek Remix)"
Photo by Marco Dos Santo
IT
IS
FRIDAY
and I need it to be happy hour after this fuckin week.
If you’re like me and you plan to dance your cares away this weekend, might I offer up this slice of pure heaven off of Breakbot’s brand new Another You EP, out today!
Breakbot is always good for sexy dance jams, but then he made the best decision ever and had My Most Favorite Frenchie, Yuksek, step up to remix, “Devotion” and dude fucking #nailedit. On its own, “Devotion” is straightforward electro boogie goodness, but Yuksek opted to transform it into a huge retro-ish disco number that is sure to fill out any dance floor.
If you happen to be in NYC, Breakbot will be doing a DJ set during this year’s Brooklyn Electronic Music Festival on October 4th, along with other dates in the US which you can find more info about over on Facebook.
TGI-motherfuckin-F
[2016 Recap] A Few Of My Favorite Things
bless Topsters for assembling this graphic infinitely easier than prior years
Surpriiiiseee!! I'm going to do my year end wrap up differently than most of the ones I've seen. Mostly because I have so many to share, but mostly because I like to let the music do the talking and help you get better connected to the artists themselves. Instead of recaps of each record, I'm going to point you to my favorite tracks so if any of these are new to your ears you'll have the best starting point I can give you.
Personal Observations for 2016
This was a weird year for me in terms of listening/discovery habits. Instead of fighting against music consumption trends, I decided to play along. I dove head first into my Discover Weekly playlist. I even followed some of my friends' in order to see what I would find and set up an IFTTT recipe to archive everything recommended to me so I could go back and reference it later if I wanted. I barely touched my SKOA inbox, which probably upset a lot of publicists. Anyway, according to Last.FM's data (since Spotify never ended up sending me mine), I listened to 1,919 new artists this year, which is ABSOLUTELY INSANE. But really when you think about how much music Discover Weekly puts in front of you, it's really less than what everyone had the potential to check out (which is 1,560 if you figure we get 30 new tracks a week for a year). I am in the 98th percentile in music listening per Last.FM (meaning I listen to more music than 98% of people who still scrobble to Last.FM) and I found myself panicky and overwhelmed by the sheer volume of music that Spotify thinks I can get through on TOP of the music I already love and want to enjoy, or the random rabbit holes I end up falling into that typically bring me great new baby bands. I guess most people approach Discover Weekly differently than I do, letting artists come and go as they please, but knowing the transformative power that music possesses, I'm always wary of passing on an opportunity to be affected and share those experiences with others.
It's crazy to think that 20% of what stuck with me this year was randomly generated by The Algorithm and not delivered to me by humans. I almost said that the human delivery was through cosmic forces, but really, if music finds its way to your ears/hearts by friend or by Algorithm, both are cosmic in a way, no?
This is my struggle at present. I value the connection that happens when a humans experience music together, whether it be by recommendation or attending shows together. I worry this experience will continue to be diminished the more we silo ourselves into our algorithm-based echo chambers. I really hope I'm just out of touch and someone will point me to where this is the opposite, but I can't ignore how self-serving shows feel now every time I treat myself to a Night Out. This has been on my heart/mind too much lately to ignore it, so expect some changes to how things go down on the site (starting with making more time for this now that my new job isn't crazy busy for awhile).
What music moved you this year? Did you like some of these records but different tracks? I'd honestly love to know so please drop me a comment. Also if you want more than favorite tracks out of me for these records, feel free to bug me on Twitter I am happy to share!
My Favorite Things Of 2016
#skoaradio 10/31/2015 liner notes
When a new song comes out of nowhere and suddenly becomes your favorite.
Happy Halloween broadband buds!
Gotta say, the jams in this week's #skoaradio are so good it's SCARY! hahahaha oh boy am I bad at #relevantcontent sometimes but WE'RE HERE TO TALK MUSIC ANYWAYS SO WHATEVER. I dug up some spooktacular new tunes this week from Sinden, The 1975, Jamie Woon, MALAA, and more so it's a pretty damn good mixtape if I do say so myself. Lots of new music out this week so I hope you weren't planning on buying your family any expensive Christmas gifts because you're about to exceed your budget on music for the zillionth time.
Don't forget you can grab the Spotify playlist at the bottom of this post so you can treasure the order I painstakingly put these songs in. Or you can hit shuffle. Whatever.
Until next week!
<3
- Skaters - "Mental Case"
- Going mental for this new track tbh. Dudes are working on a new album rn, so keep your ears/eyes open for updates.
- Pompeya - "Does"
- Pick up their full length Real. It's....real good.
- Of Montreal - "She's A Projector"
- The Neighbourhood - "Sweater Weather"
- Their new album, Wiped Out! dropped this week! Go grab it!
- Nine Black Alps - "Unsatisfied"
- The Living End - "Pictures In The Mirror"
- M.I.A. - "Fire Fire"
- Peaches (feat. Kim Gordon) - "Close Up"
- Go grab Rub if you haven't yet
- MALAA - "H+M"
- I don't know much, but I DO know MALAA's Soundcloud is full of treats (NO TRICKS).
- Sinden & Herve - "Hit & Run"
- Brand new EP dropped this week! GO PICK UP THICK AS THIEVES PT. 2 ASAP.
- Breakbot - "Back For More"
- NEW. ALBUM. COMING. 2016. HURRRRYYY.
- Neon Indian - "Annie"
- Vega Intl Night School is out now, so get on that mkay?
- Mellowdrone - "Oh My"
- Jonathan still needs your money for album #2 for Big Black Delta, so go pledge your undying love (and dollars) towards that please.
- Here are our 2 interviews with BBD (one from Adrian, one from me)
- Phases - "I'm In Love With My Life"
- For Life out now!
- The 1975 - "Love Me"
- The video for this is hilar so go watch it.
- New album, I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it coming...soon? No date yet. We'll let you know when that happens.
- Oh yeah read the interview Shey did with Matt before they blew up.
- VOWWS - "Councilor"
- I MISSED THE ANNOUNCEMENT THAT THIS WAS COMING OUT THIS WEEK. GO BUY THE GREAT SUN IF IT'S THE ONLY ALBUM YOU BUY THIS YEAR.
- Man Without Country - "Catfish"
- Maximum Entropy is a solid and must-have record, so.
- Ryan has a project called Secular Ghost and it's good! He upped some new songs this week so check those out on Soundcloud.
- Matt Lange - "Inside My Head"
- My interview with him WILL be up on the site this week or you can punch me in the face.
- In the meantime, go grab his album Ephemera
- Jamie Woon - "Skin"
- Um, the press release I got sent was wrong, MAKING TIME IS OUT NOW GUYS OMGGGG.
- The Knife - "Heartbeats"
- RIP The Knife, may your music live on forever <3.
- Wilco - "Kamera"
- The name of their last album is a thing that my roommate is happy to rant to me about.
- Lily Allen - "Never Gonna Happen"
- #Sheezus seems to be straight chillin, but you can still go pick up her latest album.
- SIVIK - "High"
- Grab Spring EP even though it's almost winter. It will keep you warm from all the dancing.
#SKOARADIO 07/18/2015
me going through all the new music this week
Oof. Really stoked for this show and because I submitted it late it was a little borked airing. You didn't even get to hear the last two segments. :( All good though! There's always next week (not to mention the podcast that will be attached to this show shortly). But yeah, trying to get back to digging out those little diamonds in the rough that I enjoy supporting. Plus HELLO NEW KENNA!! *praise hands emoji* A lot to be excited about. Expect more posts in between this show and the next with more info on the bands we're featuring.
As always feel free to let me know what you thought of this week's show either by dropping a comment here or hitting me up on Twitter.
Until next week!
<3
- Breakbot (feat. Ruckazoid) - "Fantasy"
- DID YOU SEE GUYS!? We're getting SO CLOSE to a new Breakbot record! We've hit the mastering stage of the process per his post on Instagram. Eeeeee!
- Miami Horror - "Love Like Mine"
- North American tour now. August = Australia dates.
- Big Black Delta - "It's Ok"
- Pledge your life and hard earned money away. If you need convincing that BBD is worth the money always and forever we have not one but two interviews with him.
- Rainer - "Marry"
- Grab dat album doe.
- Gothic Tropic - "Puppet Master"
- Playing a couple of dates with Surfer Blood. Debut album Fast or Feast slated for early 2016 release.
- Madeon - "Pay No Mind"
- Heading out on tour with Zedd and Dillon Francis. Snapchat won't know what hit it tbh.
- Tame Impala - "'Cause I'm A Man"
- Go buy Currents! It's so good! Hopefully you made it out to one of their listening parties like I did!
- Tour is in full swing and dates are selling out fast so GRAB THEM WHILE YOU CAN.
- Death In The Afternoon - "'82"
- Available to purchase everywhere August 28. Until then, obsessively listen over on Soundcloud.
- Phases - "I'm In Love With My Life"
- Can't believe I have to miss them on Tuesday (7/21) At The Studio at Webster Hall.
- On tour now if that wasn't obvious from the above.
- Someone we love at SKOA did a fun remix of this song. Any guesses? It was our broadband buddy Big Data!
- ARRWS (feat. FEM FEL) - "The Dark"
- From his upcoming EP Motionless For Hours.
- VOWWS - "The Great Sun"
- Debut full length The Great Sun expected to drop this fall!! ON TOUR NOW!
- Boots - "I Run Roulette"
- Playing the Lollapalooza after show with some other dates. Supporting Run The Jewels this fall. More over on his site.
- On An On - "It's Not Over"
- And The Wave Has Two Sides out on July 24th! Check out the cool game on their website that they used to unlock their next single, "You Can't Escape It".
- Example - "Whisky Story"
- HE DID THE WHOLE BLOODY MUSIC VIDEO IN ONE TAKE ON THE LONDON UNDERGROUND! WHAT!!!?!??!
- Oh yeah I interviewed him back in 2012 at his first show in NYC. Is he ever going to break in the US? I sure hope so.
- HEALTH - "STONEFIST"
- DEATH MAGIC is out on August 7th and it is AMAZING (trust me) so pre-order it.
- Like every smart band they're hitting the road to support their new album. Dates over on Facebook.
- PS you can get STONEFIST for free over on their website.
- Ratatat - "Cream on Chrome"
- Magnifique is out now, too! GO GET IT!
- "Guess who's on tour?" "I guess Ratatat!" "YOU GUESSED RIGHT!"
- Sivik - "U Got"
- There are some fun remixes of this song on Soundcloud.
- SEØUEL - "Subtle"
- Reykavik EP drops on July 24th. I'm into it.
- Galantis - "Call If You Need Me"
- Kid Cudi (feat. MGMT & Ratatat) - "Pursuit of Happiness"
- Playing a couple of festivals this summer.
- Man on the Moon III expected to drop sometime this year. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
- Monarchy - "Black Widow"
- ReVision out now.
- Earlier this week they released a video for their Blur cover of "Girls And Boys" featuring Dita Von Teese that's a bit trippy.
- Kenna - "Sleep When We Die"
- Something must be coming because Kenna has been posting a lot of videos on Facebook lately. (Spoilers: something is, but I can't say because I've been sworn to secrecy).
- Tropics - "Hunger"
- Big Data (feat. Bear Hands) - "Sick For Me"
- On tour basically forever. Dates with RAC coming soon so that's cool!
- Too Many Ts (feat. Great Scott) - "Same Thing"
- You know you can get their latest EP with this song on it for free, right?
- Fair amount of shows this summer. None near me for Too Many Hugs tho. :/
IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN THE MUSIC BIZ STUFF I TALKED ABOUT:
What Really Happened With Taylor Swift and Apple Music
Soundscan's 2015 Half-Year Report
Concerts and Festivals Create Passion Fans (Who Spend) Says Study
NOW ONTO THE MUSIC!
[SKOA Presents] Some Kind of Mixtape: September 2012
<3
kibbe, rocko, shey & adrian
<3
kibbe, rocko, shey & adrian
Tame Impala - "Elephant"
When they released their debut in 2010 I was kind of indifferent towards them. Not because I didn't like what I heard but I don't think I let myself listen to Tame Impala all that much around my normal listening patterns. With album two this will not be happening. Lead single from Lonerism is a psych-rock chug of a track called "Elephant" and yeah, it's been floating around the net since back in July but it's a bloody great track that just gets better and better with each listen. The album is just as good and set for release next week on October 9th so why not pick it up. - Shey
P.O.S. - "Fuck Your Stuff"
For the 2nd month in a row, Doomtree rhyme spitter P.O.S. makes it on our SKoA mixtape with his 2nd single "Fuck Your Stuff" from the upcoming album We Don't Even Live Here dropping later this month. The Lazerbeak production on the track has a nice mainstream rap feeling but P.O.S. keeps the track true to his roots with his anti-material rhymes and punk demeanor making this one to bump loudly in your whip while flying your rebellion flag high. - Rocko
Lucius - "Turn It Around"
I simply cannot stop championing NYC band Lucius. I am so proud of how far they come, especially with tracks like "Turn It Around" off their most recent self-titled EP. The song stomps through your ear drums as singers Holly Laessig and Jess Wolfe boldy belt and blend their beautiful vocals and walk you through the trails of a girl who is unable to let go of a failed relationship. The sheer power in this song as well as the rest of the EP is why I can't stop coming back to it. - Kibbe
Ricky Eat Acid - "(stay)"
Sam Ray's ambient soundscapes are always a pleasure to indulge in, and "(stay)" is in no way different. Using a somewhat out-of-left-field Ashanti sample, the producer builds around it with a pounding haziness and echoing synthesizers. It's easy to get lost in the dreamy sounds that Ricky Eat Acid offers here. Who knew Ashanti was still a viable presence in music? - Adrian
Deftones - "Leathers"
We've been waiting for Deftones new album for what seems like forever. I'm exaggerating of course but their last studio release was Diamond Eyes and with that they raised the already high bar they'd set themselves. That album was devine to listen to from front to back and their new tease of LP number seven, Koi No Yokan, seems to have picked up just where that one left off. Titled "Leathers" it's a rather chilled out introduction before your head is knocked off your shoulders with Chino's screech of a vocal. It's the kind of track your parents might tell you to turn down if you're living at home with it on yet all you want to do is turn it up louder. The new album is set for release on November 12th via Reprise and we are oh so excited. - Shey
Breakbot - "Break of Dawn"
It's hard for me to talk about Breakbot without comparing his music to my favorite Daft Punk album, Discovery. With the release of his debut LP, By Your Side, Breakbot brings back the funk with his signature electronic disco style which will keep you grooving all night long and again reminds me of all my favorite parts of Daft Punk's sophomore album. Don't believe me? Take a listen for yourself with the opening track "Break of Dawn". By Your Side is out in Europe and we hope to see a stateside release very soon. - Rocko
Blackbird Blackbird - "All"
My addiction to Blackbird Blackbird has everything to do with how effortless every lushly layered track that they release seems to be. "All" is no exception to this. Since we first met the electronic outfit it's quite apparent that they have most certainly continued to step up their game. This time around they pair dark hazy vocals with bright chiming synths and gentle murmurring guitars. Definitely worth grabbing for yourself. - Kibbe
Patchwork - "Cigarettes"
If there is anything Patchwork absolutely nails with every release, it's mood. The guy knows how to evoke a certain atmosphere and emotion in his songs, such that it translates seamlessly to the listener. "Cigarettes" is the type of song perfectly fitting for those nights where you find yourself in the city late at night, being swept up in all kinds of crazy experiences and meeting new people left and right. It has a certain mystery to it, a sense of ambiguity and curiosity that urges you to continue listening, despite the uncertainty. It is charming yet skeptical, a song that is somehow as addicting as its title implies. - Adrian
Danny! - "Evil"
It's been a long time coming for Danny Swain who has been trying to out his latest record Payback for the last few year. After running the gauntlet and overcoming the label circus, Danny! has found a home with buddy ?uestlove of The Roots and his newly revamped OkayPlayer label. After being signed to the label, Danny dropped the first official single from Payback titled "Evil" featuring Gavin Castleton and Amber Rose Tamblyn which I haven't been able to stop playing since its release and witnessing Danny's domination of Jimmy Fallon performing the track alongside The Legendary Roots Crew. Payback is out now. Go pick it up. - Rocko
Muse - "Panic Station"
Haters gonna hate. I've been an avid Muse fan for quite some time and with each release they get more and more wacky and crazy. Their new album The 2nd Law is no exception and with it being released this week the world over people are struggling to find a set theme for the album. It jumps from genre to genre like a fly on crap but if you throw enough of said crap at a wall it's bound to stick eventually, right? Some indeed does and an early favourite of mine is track three; a funk filled, slap base heavy eccentric piece just showcases how well Muse can be Muse when they want to be. Yeah they're going to be everywhere for the next 12 months or so but so be it, when they can go from playing heavy RATM riffs to something like this and then a dance-filled Dad rock number all in the space of 10 minutes it's going to get weird. - Shey
Y LUV - "Driftin"
Following their EP How Chill Can You Let Go comes a new track, "Driftin" from LA rockers Y LUV. This time around the four-piece show a new depth that they hadn't explored in tracks like, "All Night" as the song slowly gets ahold of your heart strings and refuses to let you go until the very end. It's easily just as beautiful as it is heartbreaking. "Driftin" is off their new EP, It Doesn't Have To Make Sense, which was released yesterday. You can stream it over on Soundcloud.
Teen Daze - "Garden 2" (from his upcoming LP The Inner Mansions)
I've listened to this song over and over since Vancouver producer Teen Daze dropped it two weeks ago, and every single time I come to the same conclusion: the song is absolutely stunning. In a way that quickly recalls the tranquility that Sigur Rós so often exemplifies, "Garden 2" is a beautiful and dazzling arrangement. It is a sensory overload, yes, but one that you want to submerge yourself in and listen again and again. I tweeted this to Teen Daze yesterday, and it sums up this song nicely: ""Garden 2" is an amazingly tranquil song. I just wanna lay in a field and smoke with a pair of headphones on." 'Nuff said. - Adrian
[Watch] Breakbot - "1 Out Of 2" (Official Video)
So much Breakbot goodness for one night! The French producer has let loose the official video for his single "1 Out Of 2", which sees a beautiful female with a chip on her shoulder on a quest for revenge. Apparently Brekabot broke her heart, and now she's dishing out justice. Watch the clip above.
Breakbot's debut LP By Your Side is out on September 17th via Ed Banger.
[Listen] Breakbot feat. Irfane - "Another Dawn"
One of Ed Banger Record's most underrated artists Breakbot (who looks a lot like Jesus) is finally nearing the release of his debut LP By Your Side, and since we've already heard the lead single "1 Out Of 2", why not check out another track before the album drops next week? Once again featuring Irfane, "Another Dawn" is a smooth, sexy track that builds slowly with a piano riff-vocal combination before breaking into full on sexual grooviness. Stream it below.
By Your Side is out on September 17th via Ed Banger Records.