noise like falling off porches

Some of you know how I have been dreaming of creating a music blog, well folks, my dream has finally come true! My dear friend Connor has joined in on this collaboration and it's great. It's nothing special, we both just post (hopefully lesser known) music that we both like. We both share similar music tastes, but also have different ears so there's a wide spectrum of what to expect.

PLEASE check it out... maybe you'll see something you haven't heard before. Maybe you'll like it, maybe you won't. Regardless, check it out.

http://noiselikefallingoffporches.tumblr.com/

If you missed that link it's RIGHT HERE too. Sorry if it's taboo to be posting a tumblr link on blogspot. Whoops.

Also, Music Mondays will no longer be happening, since it's music EVERY DAY at http://noiselikefallingoffporches.tumblr.com/.

Enough shameless self promotion. I'm out.

Thursday Schmursday

This is actually an unofficial Music Monday post that isn't on Monday. I really want to share this video with the world. It is amazing. Great song too.

One word: SWAG.
Two more: Thom Yorke.

Music Monday

Welcome to Part 2 of my Music Monday from the US of A! This segment will be featuring Icona Pop!

Icona Pop is a electro-dance-pop DJ duo from Sweden. Of course they would be from Sweden, I feel like most of my favorite electronic DJs come from Sweden. Perhaps this is a sign I just need to move to Europe. Anyways, I actually first heard Icona Pop from an episode of HBO's show, Girls. This song was playing when Hannah and Elijah are high on cocaine and enjoying themselves at what looks like the most fun dance party ever. You can watch all the glorious hair flipping, sweat dripping, cocaine snorting, and Hannah's see through mesh shirt HERE. The song is called I Love It which I truly do love. It has become my theme song for getting ready, going out, and life in general. I've listened to a couple of their other tracks from their self titled debut album, and I guess you could say, I love it. Pun intended.

I'm actually surprised I haven't heard of them until now, and an episode of Girls led me to them. It's no secret that I love any band/act with a girl. Blame the Spice Girls for teaching me all about "Girl Power!" But seriously, I think more females need to be in the EDM scene, or just more girl Djs in general. Here's the official video for I Love It.

Let the dance party ensue.

Music Monday

Today is a special day. This is my first Music Monday from the US of A, so you have all been blessed with TWO POSTS on this joyous day.

I have many current music obsessions, but my top one at this very moment? Wild Belle. Boom. Google it, YouTube it, or just read this post. They are amazing. Wild Belle is made up of a brother sister duo (I have a sweet spot for sibling musicians) from Chicago (Midwest represent!). Their music is a spiral of indie rock, reggae, pop, and a kick of jazz, and I think the girl has an amazing and unique voice. Their debut album will be released March 12th (mark your calendars!) and I can't wait. They've released three songs from the album, It's Too Late, Keep You, and Backslider. I've listened to all three on repeat and they make me sweat in anticipation to hear more.

I'll leave you with videos of two of their songs. The first is them performing It's Too Late on Conan and the song will make you want to skank, so turn up the volume, make some room, and kick the kids out. 

This next one is the official video for Keep You, and it's the first Wild Belle I ever heard, and it was love at first listen.

Enjoy the beautiful sounds! Also, I lied. I just found this video and I just had to include it. The brother sings too! I'm assuming this will be included in their upcoming album.

I would also like to note that little Miss Natalie doesn't seem too enthused or passionate when singing, versus her brother who gave his performance a sprinkle of spice. But it wouldn't hurt if they could turn it up a notch. Just my opinion.

Music Monday

This band probably has one of the coolest names of any artist/band I have reviewed in the history of my Music Monday. KAKKMADDAFAKKA. Say that ten times fast.

Kakkmaddafakka is a seven piece indie rock band hailing from Bergen, Norway. Their music is a beautiful blend of indie-rock-pop and even a touch of reggae. I have been unsuccessful in my attempt to illegally download a free copy of their most recent album Hest, so this is based of a couple of songs that I sampled. I mean, what?! I would never try to illegally download music...

All the songs make me feel happy on the inside, and I usually start a one woman dance party while listening to them without even noticing. Their songs are catchy and melodic, and the lyrics are simple and comical (and in English!) The lead singer, Alex Bindenes, sings a lot about young girls, touching girls, other guys' girls, sandwiching on the dance floor with girls, and being an "original G". Kakkmaddafakka obviously has no intention of being taken seriously, which I think makes them awesome. I think they're great and I think they definitely have the potential to be bigger and better. I couldn't pick a favorite song, but I will leave you with their "Gangsta" music video, which made me literally LOL.

I lied. I can't pick just one. Here's "Your Girl", the very first song I heard by Kakkmaddafakka that really caught my ears. (This is basically a video of the band members making out with girls, so this might be NSFW.)

If you ever have the opportunity to see them live, do it. I haven't yet, but I heard they have backup singers (who are men) and who sometimes dress in matching costumes.

Music Monday

This is a very special Music Monday  (so special that it's not even Monday in Korea anymore) dedicated to Mr. Beaver who has left us in the Land of the Morning Calm to seek out new adventures in the Land of the Rising Sun.

Connor introduced to me the wonderful band, The Vaccines, and we had the opportunity to see them live in Seoul at the Super!Sonic music festival AND we got to meet them. It was amazing.

Best buddies.

The Vaccines are a indie rock group from London, who remind me of The Strokes and a bit of The Walkmen. Their debut album "What Did You Expect From The Vaccines?" was released in late 2010 with positive reviews. One of my favorites is Wetsuit, a nostalgic song about being young and carefree. The lyrics in the song, for example "We all got old at breakneck speed, slow it down, go easy on me" remind me of Fun's We Are Young in the sense that it's a feel good song about youth.

I can't pick one favorite song from album, because they are all great. The Vaccines' lyrics are quite relatable, the songs are danceable with quick guitar pop and accelerated drums. I will leave you with Norgaard, a slightly creepy, upbeat, energetic 100 second song that will leave you grooving in your seat.

Music Monday

I'm an sure you have all heard about Gangnam Style so this song needs no introduction. Enjoy the video, the catchiness of the tune, and some horse dancing.

Here is a must read a friend posted about the song, discussing the meaning behind it, why it's hilarious, and that it is actually quite witty. Read it RIGHT HERE! (Includes a horse dancing GIF for you viewing pleasure.)

Now for the best parody of the song: Hongdae Style!!!! I've only been out in Gangnam three or four times, however I go to Hongdae almost every weekend. I love Hongdae. It's special, magical, magnetic, amazing. Watch the parody below and see one of my favorite places in Korea.

It's a lazy Monday morning, after an exhausting weekend, so I apologize for this non-descriptive, half-ass post.

Music Monday

Mmmm The xx. Sexy and whispery and minimal (in a good way). 

The xx is releasing a new album "Coexist" on September 11, their first since their self-titled debut album in 2009. Their first album was amazing. Delicious. Decadent. Lovely. The combination of the voices of Oliver Sim and Romy Madley Croft, (I had to wiki their names, don't judge me), is hauntingly beautiful. It sends goosebumps up and down my spine. Seeing them live would be a dream come true.

Here's the studio version of Angels (just released last week! I recommend watching in full screen, HD):

Their first single from their upcoming album, Angels is available for purchase now. I think that The xx will keep with their sexy sound which is so uniquely theirs. And from listening to bootleg concert videos, I have a sense their new album will be just as sultry as the first. Mmmmmmmm, yes.

I'm not sure what this song is called, but YouTube comments suggest Leave:

Music Monday

This past weekend I attended the last show in Korea by a beloved band, Wagwak. They are an amazing two person band, consisting of Daehyun Kim and Sangyoung Cho, who I personally think helped change the Indie music scene in Seoul. Despite only being a duo, the two play a variety of instruments: guitar, drums, bass, ukulele, melodica, and xylophone. I've only been able to see them live three times before they start their adventure across the pond, but each show has been amazing and these two are full of energy.

Taken with Instagram

Wagwak stands for "we are not gay, we are Korean", which refers to their stylish fashion sense. Another notable thing about Wagwak is they sing in English. Their sound remains Korean indie but you can also sense their inspiration from popular indie folk bands like Mumford and Sons and Noah and the Whale. Korea's indie scene has some big shoes to fill when Wagwak gives it a go in London. In an interview, Daehyun said that he'll finally cut off his 2009 Glastonbury wristband when they perform there, and I'm really hoping I'll get to be there for that performance. Best of luck, Wagwak, I'll miss you in Korea!

LOOSE UNION Presents: WAGWAK from aweh.tv on Vimeo.

If you're interested in hearing what they have to offer, you can check out their soundcloud page here.

Daehyun looks sleepy, but man! Connor and I were stoked.

Music Monday

I cannot get enough of this song, and this band. Shout-out to Caitlin P. for this song, and one of the greatest radio stations on the earth, 89.3 The Current for this performance.

The Lumineers are a folk/rock band (more folky than rocky) from Denver. I cannot get enough of this song in particular. The lyrics are a little cheesy compared to my usual taste, but their voices, the melody, the fact that there's  mandolin in this song is perfection.

Their debut album came out in early April and is lovely. Their songs have a folky, old, timeless sound. I recommend checking out more of there music. "Stubborn Love" is another one I like, with romantic lyrics, but still a beautiful song.

Music Monday

I don't know what's come over me, but I've been going through a serious K-pop phase. I can't get enough. This first song is a song I heard on the noraebang bus on Teacher's Day. It's incredibly catchy, makes me want to dance, and there is hip thrusting, so much hip thrusting. I've had this song on repeat for the past two weeks. There's another version of the video, a "dance version" with even more hip thrusting.

This next video is from the Wonder Girls. I can't say I love this song or this group, but I felt they are worth sharing. The Wonder Girls are Korea's first real K-pop group, or at least the first has ever made it internationally. They toured with the Jonas Brothers a couple years ago (Woo!) and they were the first South Korean group that made it on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Music Monday

Hello world. So it's not Monday in Korea anymore, but it is in America, so this post is still legit. Booya.

A friend from South Africa (shout out to Chris-Fick) sent me this song and I have no idea what it is about, or what they are saying but I love it, and I've totally had at least half a dozen one woman dance parties to this song. 

After extensive Google research I still know nothing about who sings this song. I do know that Jax Panik, an electro-pop group from South Africa provided the background track, but I am still mystified by the mystery that is "Who is Will Mono?" His Facebook page provides squat, I still don't understand Twitter or Afrikaans so his tweets are useless, and his website and Wikipedia page are non-existent. What I do know is that I am infatuated with this "Will Mono."

Why do I love him? Let me count the ways...

• He has an Afro
• He dances for old people
• He has one man dance parties (Combine his one man dance party with my one woman dance party and what do you get? A dance party.)
• He makes mixes on cassettes
• He wears sequins (!!!!!!!!!!!!!) Swoon.
• He owns a denim vest
• He has Batman briefs

I hope you all enjoy this song as much as I do. As James Brown would say "get up offa that thing and dance til you feel better!" Or just get up offa your booty, put on your batman briefs, or your sequined jumpsuit, and have your own dance party.

Music Monday

I'm obsessed with this song and band. San Cisco is an indie-rock-pop band hailing from Australia. It's no secret that I have a special place in my heart for bands with girls, I think it's my internal feminist. This band has a girl vocalist AND she's the drummer?? Double whammy. As for the rest of the band, the lead singer is as cute as the girl and his lips are chapped which is cool, the guitarist is wearing a denim jacket, and the bassist has really cool hair. Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. Quadruple whammy for the band.

The song is called "Awkward." It's super catchy, super cute, and has really happy sounding guitar riffs. This song is anything but awkward.

Now let's talk about why I love the music video. Old school Nokie phones. Done and done.

I hope you all enjoy this song, and this band, because they're great.


***** UPDATE (JULY 11, 2012)
As I'm currently listening to the 89.3 The Current live stream, this song is playing. Woo!

Music Monday

K-Pop time. A Music Monday dedicated to K-pop has been unavoidable. You can run, but you cannot hide from K-pop.

This is BIGBANG. A boy band that belongs to the YG Entertainment label, one of the biggest K-pop labels in Korea. YG Entertainment is known for being liberal with their artists; the artists write most of their own music and their wardrobe and hair and appearance are decided by the artists. The other big labels are known for training their K-pop stars at a ripe age of around 12, and they are trained and controlled by what the label wants. At least this is what I've heard. Anyways, Big Bang is one of the two K-pop groups and I like, and they're pretty popular in Korea. I think I should note that Big Bang beat Britney Spears at the 2011 MTV Europe Music Awards in the "Best Worldwide Act" category. So yup, they're kind of a big deal.

This video makes absolutely no sense to me. I don't know what story they're trying to portray, I can't even detect any political message which is what I originally thought with rioters and the gas masks. Their hairstyles are all extreme and their clothes are ridiculous, and yes coming from America, it was weird to see Asian rappers, but man they own it.

My favorite parts are at 1:10 when T.O.P. starts his sexy rap montage, at 1:25 when Taeyang is looking all peaceful sitting cross-legged, and finally at 1:45 when T.O.P. comes in again with his frosty blue hair and mutters "Wow. Fantastic baby." Swoon. Following that is a nice medley of all band members lip-synching, with their heads cocked, eyeliner-lined eyes, looking all cute, and at this point I can't tell if I'm being sarcastic or completely serious.

Regardless, I have no idea what they're singing about, but this song is catchy, and there is no denying that Taeyang is one big cutie-pie with a hairstyle that looks like a radish, and T.O.P. has the sexiest voice in Korea. Also, this video makes me want to rave while wearing a gas mask.

P.S. I highly recommend watching this video in full screen mode. And probably in HD.

UPDATE (March, 28, 2012)
Here's an article I just found in my inbox! Inside Korea's Pop Factory

Music Monday

The Black Keys newest album, El Camino was one of the many albums on repeat during my trip, and my gawd, it is quite good. I thought their Brothers album was good, and this is good another level. 'Lonely Boy' is one of my favorite songs off the album, and this video is simply fantastic. The man in the video obviously stole all my best dance moves.

I love bands with two people. I am always amazed with the amount of noise and sound that two people can make. I also love Dan Auerbach's voice, sexy and soulful. I've been lucky enough to see the Black Keys twice. However, I thought that they almost lost their appeal in large settings. The first time I saw them was at Bonnaroo Music Festival in 2010. They were at one of the smaller stages, and although the night wasn't very clear at this point, I do remember enjoying myself. I saw them again at Bonnaroo in 2011, this time they were one of the headliners on the main stage and I got bored. Don't get me wrong, the music was great and it was a solid show but I found myself waiting for their show to be over so that next performer could start. I think as performers, the Black Keys are much better in smaller scale shows. My favorite moments of the set were when the cameras zoomed in on Patrick Carney's facial expressions when he was drumming away, man he was really into it, and amazing of course. You could also see the pools of sweat forming on his shirt.

Look at all that sweat! Oh that Tennessee heat.

Anyways, I don't know why this turned into a review of the Black Keys performance. But everyone should watch the above video, shake your bonbon a little, and legally purchase El Camino.

Music Monday

I'm obsessed with this song. I love the song and the video and everything. Shout out to Gina Parks who introduced me to this song.

Does anyone else think that the lead singer looks like Ewan McGregor?

Music Monday

I have returned from the adventurous journey from Thailand to Laos and back to South Korea, and want to commemorate my amazing jaunt in Southeast Asia with a song. In Vang Vieng, Laos I spent a lot of time at a bar called Reggae Bar. I stopped there three of the four nights I was in Vang Vieng and every night they played the Clandestino album by Manu Chao. Amazing artist, and this song bring me back to amazing times. This song is one of my (many) favorites.

I will have many more posts with pictures about my trip, so stay tuned my friends...

Music Monday

I always catch my co-teacher, Fathima, listening to Indian music so I've been itching to listen to some too. Here is one she recommended to me.

I love it. Doesn't it make you wish your life could be an Indian music video for a day? Or even a Bollywood movie for a day? In my dreams. 

Music Monday

I've decided to start a new tradition on my blog. "Music Monday." As my adventure teaching in Korea continues, I am introduced to a lot of different music. New, old, good, bad, Korean, American. Anything that tickles my fancy, and anything I feel like sharing with you.

Here is a song I am currently obsessed with. I have been listening to it since I first arrived and I am in love. I listen to it when I wake up, when I walk to school, and during my routine one woman dance party. Enjoy. Shout out to Connor who introduced me to this song.