Love - Matt & Kim - Daylight

Before you start claiming old news, I'll get it out of the way. Yes, Daylight by Matt and Kim was the song of last year. Nearly a perfect song, it fits so many situations. Parties, riding the bus, going to sleep, waking up, its just a simple song that makes you feel good. Even after the play count on my iTunes currently sits at 30+, I'm still not tired of it. This brings me to my discovery. In my daily Hype Machine lurking, I came across a fantastic remix. Being such a popular song, there is certainly no shortage of Daylight remixes, but this is the first I have come across that really does the original justice. I'm just happy someone's breathed new life into what's already become an old classic. Here's the original, the remix, and another great song off the album Grand that you might recognize from the commercials for NBC's Community.

Matt & Kim - Daylight (Original)

Matt & Kim - Daylight (Troublemaker Remix ft. De La Soul)

Matt & Kim - Good Ol' Fashioned Nightmare

Hate - The Return of London Weather

Rain, Rain, Go Away

Love - Jason Schwartzman


I have been a fan of his for a long time. Star of one of my favourite films of all time (Rushmore) He is set to hit the mainstream starring in the new HBO show Bored to Death. The show is essentially about a writer who breaks up with his girlfriend, and in an effort to restore excitement in his life, posts an ad on Craigslist posing as a private detective. I think its a great concept and definitely recommend checking it out. In related news, I happened upon a band called Coconut Records, which I discovered to be fronted by none other than Jason Scwartzman himself. He is undoubtably a talented actor, but really delivers musically as well. He's released two full albums, along with putting together the score for Bored to Death and the movie Funny People. Here are two of my favourites off the debut album Nighttiming

Coconut Records - Westcoast
Coconut Records - Nighttiming

Hate - The new registration system for Western Clubs Week.
Figure your life out USC

Pitchfork Media is one of the most read and respected sources for info on the independent music scene. Notorious for their ratings of the most recent record releases, many a band has seen their popularity fizzle or skyrocket simply due to how the editors at Pitchfork felt about their sound. I frequent the site to see what they consider to be the best new music, and after a couple years of visiting, I can tell you it has become the epitome of a love/hate relationship. This stems from my experience in the last month. Two different records, both considered to be the "Best New Music", one I loved, and one I wanted to, but couldn't.


Love - The Xx (Self Titled)


Rated 8.7 out of 10 on Pitchfork, The Xx's debut self-titled album is quickly becoming one of the most talked about records this fall. Four 20-year-olds from the south of London have put together an album so polished and confident in their own sound, that it sounds like they've existed for ages. Quick comparisons can be drawn to Radiohead, Interpol, even Explosions in the Sky. Crystalised is the first single off the album and undoubtably one of the best tracks.





Hate - Yacht (See Mystery Lights)


Rated 8.5 on Pitchfork I had high hopes for this album. See Mystery Lights is showered with praise by Pitchfork, much like The Xx. Yacht also features a male female vocal duo and independent sound, but thats about where the comparisons end. The album plays out like a child got a sound of a sound effect board and just started mashing buttons. Where the female vocals of The Xx are haunting and mysterious, Yacht's are grating and unwanted. This song doesn't make any sense to me.

So It Begins..

Well, another year, another blog. After the short experiment that was Book Of Gu, things will be different this time around. First off, there will be new posts every week, seeing as this blog ties into the MIT class I'm taking this semester. I have to post at least 3 times a week in order to meet my quota. (Yes, there is a third year university course crafted around blogging). Also, there wont be as many authors as before, hopefully giving a little more cohesion to the page. Thats not to say there won't be some guest appearances along the way.

This should be interesting.