Monthly Mix: July 2017

Arcade Fire want Everything Now

     The summer is in full swing and the sunshine keeps pouring in. Along with all the sun rays, July brought a heavy assortment of fresh tunes.
     Canadian indie-rockers Arcade Fire are back atop the charts with their latest album Everything Now.  The thirteen tracks are vibrant and really come to life in a nice pair of headphones. On the uptempo track "Signs Of Life," frontman Win Butler reminds us that love is hard and sex is easy. Check them out on tour as they swing through the U.S. and Canada with a big slot at Lollapalooza.
     As the summer rolls on, it's good to know the iPods are restocked up with new beats. The July Playlist is a good soundtrack to keep the pool parties going all night long. 

July 2017 Playlist

1.  The Aces  -  "Stuck"

2.  Welshly Arms  -  "Legendary"

3.  Arcade Fire  -  "Signs Of Life"

4.  Toro Y Moi  -  "Girl Like You"  

5.  Fall Out Boy  -  "Champion"

6.  Nine Inch Nails  -  "Less Than"

7.  Wolf Alice  -  "Don't Delete The Kisses"

8.  J. Roddy Walston & The Business  -  "The Wanting"

9.  Cut Copy  -  "Airborne"

10.  Vance Joy  -  "Lay It On Me"

11.  Pale Waves  -  "There's A Honey"

12.  Calvin Harris  -  "Slide" ft. Frank Ocean and Migos

Check in every month for fresh new music!

For more, follow Steve Ferris on Twitter: @SteveFerris7

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Best Albums Of 2015

Modest Mouse were no Strangers in 2015

    
      As the year comes to an end, it's always refreshing to look back at all the great albums that found their way into our headphones, iPods, and car stereos.


Best Albums Of 2015

25. Blur  -  The Magic Whip

24.  Kurt Vile  -  b'lieve i'm goin down 

23.  Courtney Barnett  -  Sometimes I Sit and Think and Sometimes I Just Sit

22.  Sufjan Stevens  -  Carrie & Lowell

21.  The Wombats  -  Glitterbug

20.  Muse  -  Drones

19.  Bjork  -  Vulnicura

18.  Jamie xx  -  In Colour

17.  Coheed and Cambria  -  The Color Before The Sun

16.  Grimes  -  Art Angels

15.  Wilco  -  Star Wars

14.  Bully  -  Feels Like

13.  Deerhunter  -  Fading Frontier

12.  Sleater-Kinney  -  No Cities To Love

11.  Alabama Shakes  -  Sound & Color

10.  Death Cab For Cutie  -  Kintsugi

9.  Wolf Alice  -  My Love Is Cool

8.  Toro Y Moi  -  What For?

7.  Kendrick Lamar  -  To Pimp A Butterfly

6.  Foals  -  What Went Down

5.  My Morning Jacket  -  The Waterfall

4.  The Dead Weather  -  Dodge and Burn

3.  Tame Impala  -  Currents

2.  Panda Bear  -  Panda Bear Meets The Grim Reaper

1.  Modest Mouse  -  Strangers To Ourselves

  

Check in every month for the latest in alternative music.

For more, follow Steve Ferris on Twitter: @SteveFerris7

Monthly Mix: July 2015

Tame Impala sends out Currents

      The summer started off relatively hot and the good times keep on rolling. The beaches and lakes have been in picturesque form, and an added bonus has been the healthy doses of fresh tunes.
     Australian psych-rockers Tame Impala are generating some buzz with their latest effort Currents [July 17, via Interscope]. Band leader Kevin Parker has elements of his signature hazy 80's dance music throughout the thirteen tracks. For the lengthy tripped-out "Let It Happen", the group goes on an adventure down a path of fuzzy synths and acid rock. The rest of the record rides along a similar path and creates for a smooth listen. Check these guys out as their tour spins through the U.S. and Europe with big gigs at Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits.
     It's great to be able to fire up the grill every night and knock a couple cold drinks down. As the summer continues to roll on, it's good to have gas in the lawn mower, beer in the fridge, and some fresh beats in the headphones.


July 2015 Playlist

1.  Cold War Kids  -  "First"

2.  Astronauts, etc.  -  "Eye To Eye"

3.  Tame Impala  -  "Let It Happen"

4.  Atlas Genius  -  "Molecules"

5.  Day Wave  -  "Drag"

6.  Wilco  -  "Random Name Generator"

7.  Awolnation  -  "I Am"

8.  JR JR  -  "Gone"

9.  Foals  -  "Mountain At My Gates"

10.  Civil Twilight  -  "Holy Dove"

11.  Toro Y Moi  -  "Pitch Black"  ft. Rome Fortune

12.  The Weeknd  -  "Can't Feel My Face"

Check in every month for the latest in alternative music.

Visit iTunes if interested in purchasing any songs featured in Orbit Sound!

For more, follow Steve Ferris on Twitter: @SteveFerris7


   

Monthly Mix: April 2015

Blur cracks The Magic Whip

     Spring is in full swing and the birds can be heard singing in the trees. Not only were the birds singing, lots of music lovers were as well as an influx of new tunes came pouring in.
     English alt-rockers Blur are creating some hype with their latest album The Magic Whip [April 27, via Parlophone]. Featuring twelve tracks, their newest effort touches on rock, pop, and psychedelia. The cut "Lonesome Street" is a delightful romp that contains post-punk guitars and a bouncy beat. The rest of the album plays out in similar fashion without a dull moment. Check them out as their tour swings through Europe, Australia, and Mexico.
     As the weather continues to get more enjoyable and the golf courses open up, it's a good feeling to know the mp3 players are stocked up again and are ready to go as we try for that hole in one.


April 2015 Playlist

1.  Tame Impala  -  "Cause I'm A Man"

2.  Wolf Alice  -  "Moaning Lisa Smile"

3.  Blur  -  "Lonesome Street"

4.  Twenty One Pilots  -  "Fairly Local"

5.  Built To Spill  -  "Never Be The Same"

6.  Zac Brown Band  -  "Heavy Is The Head" ft. Chris Cornell

7.  Umphrey's McGee  -  "Bad Friday"

8.  Toro Y Moi  -  "Buffalo"

9.  Meg Myers  -  "Sorry"

10.  Turbo Fruits  -  "Don't Let Me Break Your Heart Again"

11.  James Bay  -  "Let It Go"

12.  Tove Lo  -  "Talking Body"

Check in every month for the hottest music from around the globe.

Visit iTunes if interested in purchasing any songs featured in Orbit Sound!

For more, follow Steve Ferris on Twitter: @SteveFerris7

Monthly Mix: January 2015

Panda Bear Meets The Grim Reaper

     Although the sun hasn't seen much action lately, the year is off to a hot start thanks to a healthy portion of fresh tunes.
     Baltimore's Noah Lennox, better known as Panda Bear is back making experimental electronic music, and his latest record Panda Bear Meets The Grim Reaper is his most complete effort to date. Lennox states he's "psyched to be an old guy", and it shows throughout the album. He also shows off a more youthful vibe as can be heard on the track "Boys Latin."  A large tour will support the album with stops in Europe and coming back home with a big slot at Coachella.
     The January playlist is a good way to stay warm while shoveling the snow, skiing down a black diamond, or drinking an Irish coffee in the lodge.


January 2015 Playlist

1.  Torche  -  "Minions"

2.  Broken Social Scene  -  "Golden Facelift"

3.  Fall Out Boy  -  "Irresistible"

4.  St. Vincent  -  "Bad Believer"

5.  Toro Y Moi  -  "Empty Nesters"

6.  Panda Bear  -  "Boys Latin"

7.  Catfish and the Bottlemen  -  "Kathleen"

8.  Death Cab For Cutie  -  "Black Sun"

9.  Sleater-Kinney  -  "A New Wave"

10.  The Decemberists  -  "A Beginning Song"

11.  Clones of Clones  -  "I Don't Need Your Love"

12.  Matt and Kim  -  "Get It"

Check in every month for the latest in alternative music.

Visit iTunes if interested in purchasing any songs featured in Orbit Sound!

For more, follow Steve Ferris on Twitter @SteveFerris7

Monthly Mix: October 2013

Arcade Fire looks through the Reflektor

     Like usual, October set a colored backdrop of flouresent trees to help ease us into the colder months. While the leaves were busy changing colors and falling from the branches, the phenomenal music cuts also continued to fall down from the skies.
     Hailing from Montreal, Quebec, indie rockers Arcade Fire are creating a major buzz around their latest album Reflektor [October 29, via Merge]. Some of this is because their previous effort won a Grammy, and some of it is because their new one is produced by LCD Soundsystem's James Murphy, who is known for infectious dance grooves. Reflektor has elements of imagination, indie rock, and a few dance numbers of course. For the track "Afterlife," frontman Win Butler admits that the song started out with an old recording of a Haitian percussion loop, went through a few variations, and finally ended up with a chorus being added. The band will go on tour as The Reflektors and has two shows in California before heading across the pond to Europe for a couple shows.
     As the brisk weather continues to near closer, it is always good to have some fresh tunes in the mp3 player ready to keep us warm. The October Playlist conjures up some alternative rock cuts, as well as sprinkling in some indie rock and chillwave offerings. As the leaves crunch under our shoes during these autumn strolls, it is good to know the beats will keep going strong.


October 2013 Playlist

1. The Killers - Shot At The Night

2. Phantogram - Black Out Days

3. Pearl Jam - Let The Records Play

4. AFI - 17 Crimes

5. The Neighbourhood - Afraid

6. Arcade Fire - Afterlife

7. Ducktails - Jazz

8. Hollow & Akimbo - Solar Plexus

9. Balance and Composure - Reflection

10. Ra Ra Riot - I Shut Off

11. Toro Y Moi - Campo

12. Cut Copy - Free Your Mind

Check in every month for the latest in alternative music.

Visit iTunes if interested in purchasing any tunes featured in Orbit Sound.

For more, follow Steve Ferris on Twitter: @SteveFerris7

Monthly Mix: January 2013

Toro Y Moi offers Anything In Return

     
     Welcome back, folks. Hope everyone had an enjoyable new year's eve. As you can see, there are some slight changes around these parts and there will be more to come as some of the kinks get worked out. Orbit Sound is now here. January's installment will not disappoint, as a surprising amount of quality tracks came blustering in along with the arctic winds.
     South Carolina native and chillwave mastermind Chaz Bundick, better known as Toro Y Moi was determined to blend some pop flavor into his latest album Anything In Return. Bundick delivers just what he intended, a synthy, groovy, melodic record complete with even a few radio hooks. On "Say That," he utilizes his light vocals over a bouncy backbone, including his signature synths dancing in and out. A string of dates through Texas is how he will kick off the tour in February, followed by a run up the east coast.
     The January Mix is stacked with a bunch of quality early season cuts, ranging from hip-hop to punk rock. The year is off to a good start so far and there will be plenty more to come down the road.


January 2013 Playlist

1. Yo La Tengo - Ohm

2. Churchill - Change

3. Of Monsters and Men - Mountain Sound

4. Dirty Projectors - About To Die

5. A$AP Rocky - Wild For The Night ft. Skrillex

6. Toro Y Moi - Say That

7. Mitzi - All I Heard

8. Tegan & Sara - Closer

9. Ducktails - Letter Of Intent

10. Albert Ryan - We Meet Again

11. Swim Deep - The Sea

12. Rancid - Fuck You

Check in every month for the latest in alternative/indie music.

For more, follow Steve Ferris on Twitter @SteveFerris7