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This weeks spotlight is Speck of Gold by artist Afterlife.

Track: Smooch

+ Buy Here

Check out other Music Spotlights in the archives.

This weeks spotlight is In the Future by Canadian Indie Rock band Black Mountain. According to one reviewer:

For their second album, 2008’s In the Future, Vancouver, BC’s Black Mountain continue exploring the variants of 1960’s and modern psychedelia that made their 2005 self-titled debut such a head turner.

Track “Angels”:

+ Buy Here (also available on iTunes and E-music)
+ Black Mountain official website (free, legal downloads here)

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The world - or at least the US - was largely introduced to Israeli singer/songwriter Yael Naim through one of Apple’s ad spots for the new Mac Book Air, which features the song New Soul.

But we’ve been fans for a while and in anticipation of her self-titled CD being released in the US on March 18 (it was released in France on Oct. 22, 2007), we thought it was a good time for a spotlight. Please note that although her CD is just now being released, it has been available to download on iTunes.

The sophomore album features songs in French, Hebrew, and English, and while New Soul has become a worldwide sensation, it’s not a fair representation of the rest of the album. So, give it a try, you won’t be disappointed.

Track: Yashanti

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Coverculture is a site dedicated not to reviewing music but focuses on the album covers. They only review a select few a month, I wonder how they choose which one with all the options out there. I like the idea because I have more than once bought a cd just for the cover. This is one of the recent reviews that caught my eye:

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Lighten up your day with the relaxing sounds of Zeep. The fine folks at Aurgasm, who introduced me to the artists, describe the group this way:

“Mesmerizing the listeners with her vocal qualities and unique style of singing, Nina Miranda has collaborated with a variety of artists and was previously mentioned on Aurgasm for her project Shrift. Being partners in life, as well as music, inspired by the folksy, sexy and funky attitude of the 70’s, Nina and Chris Franck of Smoke City form Zeep. Borrowing some of the breezy Brazilian rhythms, mixing samba percussions and romantic bossa vibes with the gentle folk melodies, the couple records a genuinely diverse and fresh album”

Zeep - Nina Miranda and Chris Franck Present Zeep - Sem Parar

+ Download this song for free over at Aurgasm
+ Buy CD Here. (if you like what you hear, support the artist and buy the CD.)
+ Monday Music Spotlight Archives

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This weeks spotlight is Adani & Wolf’s self titled CD.

Sample Track, “Sensing Somekind of Presence”:

Buy here.
Don’t forget to check out our other music spotlights.

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This week’s music spotlight is Nova Scotia born turned California native, Steve Poltz. Steve recently released his 6th studio album, Traveling. The songs carry his typical folk tune and showcase his great songwriting abilities. In large part, they seem to act as an autobiography to his life.

You may be mistaken if you think you’ve never heard Steve Poltz’s work. After-all, he co-wrote the longest charting song in Billboard history, “You Were Meant For Me”, performed by Jewel. You may also recognize his work from this Jeep commercial.

Learn more about the songwriter here.

Sample Audio: Stay Away A Little Closer

Don’t forget to check out the spotlight archive.

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There are two reasons the artist spotlight this week is Schiller: 1) This is in anticipation of a new album coming out this February and 2) There is a track off his CD “Life” that is perfect for the ensuing Valentine’s Day this week. You can hear the track here.

I’ve been a fan of Schiller for a few years now. I’m kinda picky when it comes to electronic music, because it seems to be hit or miss with me and I can’t stand it when it’s too “clubby”. One reason I like his work is that while he is the master-mind behind the writing and mixing, he always includes excellent guest vocal performers that always elevate the songs.

Quick Bio:

Schiller is actually Christopher von Deylen, born in 1970 in Bremen, Germany. He acquired the taste for music at the age of 7 after he received a piano from his Grandfather. Coincidentally, he was exposed to electronic music through his piano teacher. He pursued music throughout school and into college before founding Schiller in 1998. The release of “Sensucht”(translated to Longing) this fall will mark Schiller’s 5th major album, not including various remix and live albums. He has also released a DVD.

Be on the lookout for a spotlight on his new CD once I get my hands on it.

Check out a Valentines Day special audio sample from his CD “Leben (Life)”, Delicately Yours feat. Kim Sanders:

P.S. Interested in buying Schiller? Great! Just remember to buy the English version…that is unless you prefer German.

(see other Monday Music Spotlights here)

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This just might be the best thing you watch today.

For those who love the song as much as me….

Song “Put you in you place” by artist The Sunshine Underground

Sigur Ros‘ recently released CD, Hvarf/Heim, and companion DVD, Heim, are the bands latest work of artistic brilliance. But while the CD is great in it’s own right, I mostly reserve that compliment for the DVD - a documentary of a series of free concerts around their homeland of Iceland. And the cinematography is the best I’ve seen for a music DVD.

Now, I understand that the music of Sigur Ros may not be for everyone but you don’t have to enjoy the music to appreciate the wonderfulness of this video. Many music DVD’s that I’ve seen have been purely about the artist and the music. And while that’s ok, I like this movie precisely because it’s not; it’s much more about the beautiful country and its people. But the music doesn’t really take a back-seat; what you come to understand is that the music, the country, and the people create this sort of explosive synergy and you realize who Sigur Ros really writes their music for. Here’s a preview:

and a sample track, hljomalind:

Free, legal, downloads from the band here.

{sigur ros}

{buy here: cd, dvd}

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