Lifeline (Mixtape)

Some recent time spent with my previous mixtapes stirred the urge to create another one. I don't write my own music, but I get immense pleasure from exploring and absorbing the ideas contained in the efforts of others. All art is open-ended, though, because I can take those works and sequence them together to tell new stories.

The core songs of this collection came to me as temperatures dipped and feel good summer jams weren't really the vibe anymore. Much like my last compilation, Lifeline traces a 'there and back again' journey. Great pains were taken not to force the subject, so, while brief, this tape is the result of several months of passively gathering tracks which aligned with certain themes and sounds.

I hope you enjoy it.

DL. (Alt. Link)

ELEO (Mixtape)

For this tape I was toying with the idea of a 'narrative playlist' or one that depicts a story arc. Playlist building for me has become an exercise in gathering songs that evoke a certain feeling or seem to fit a particular situation. I took cues from the placement of movements in sonatas and paid careful attention to sequencing in order to construct a multi-part narrative. The sonic and lyric themes collected here paint the picture of a traveler's trip away from home and back again.

Influencing your perceptions with my own meanings might dilute the experience so I won't divulge all the details. It's meant to describe a journey, though, so give it a spin and see where it takes you.

Download. (Alt. Link)

August/September Soundcloud Playlists & The Future Of PUYL

A two month backlog of blog fodder finds me at a critical crossroads: I'm doing my part of listening to great music all the time, but I'm failing at passing along my wealth of sonic spoils, so some changes will be made.

From the start, this blog was supposed to be two things: 1) a creative outlet for myself and 2) a place to discover and download cool music that doesn't necessarily get much shine elsewhere. Unfortunately, I've identified a couple pitfalls that have and will prevent PUYL from being all I envision for it. First off, I cornered myself into only posting full write ups which quickly led to no write ups as I wasn't comfortable simply pasting a link without extended insight. But there is a middle ground. Short posts are better than no posts and sometimes concise, impulsive thoughts about how a song makes me feel are more profound than drawn out analysis.

My other concern is a general trend among music blogs to try to cover it all: every release, every album review, every bit of music news. Some of the blogs that made me want to write and that I pseudo-emulated have become insufferable because they feel overly cluttered with all that they throw at you. People use blogs as a means to sift through the immense amount of music out there, but if the blogs aren't filtering the good from the mediocre from the bad (yet popular), what's the point? So here's the new philosophy for PUYL: If I truly like a song and can't stop playing it, you'll hear about it. I'm seeking to reconcile my original two goals with one another in order to facilitate a more seamless experience between myself as a music fan and curator and anyone who shares my tastes.

During the coming weeks, I'll be rolling out new PUYL strategies to offer free music, streaming music, videos, pictures, and music related content in such a way that's more organic for me to share and more consumable for you, the readers.

Join me:
Blog
Twitter
Tumblr
Facebook
Instagram
Soundcloud

August:

https://soundcloud.com/pushupyalighter/sets/puyl-august-2014


September:

https://soundcloud.com/pushupyalighter/sets/puyl-september-2014

July Finds: PUYL July 2014

I realize that August is almost over, but I never shared my July Soundcloud playlist and there was too much goodness going on to skip over it entirely.

It's both fascinating and alarming how quickly music gets imprinted in a certain timeframe. Looking back at these songs as I write this post, I can't help but reminisce on the times I was listening to them, but that was only a couple weeks ago. I've already compartmentalized this set into a bygone time. It's simply a function of the way music is shared these days; for every good song I find, ten more are in in production and being released. There is precious sweet time to savor tunes when they drop, but then it's on to the next one. Hopefully these collections serve as a snapshot that can be revisited and remembered fondly.

Highlights:

• Rubblebucket takes us on a rousing "Carousel Ride"
• Song of the Summer candidate and Degrassi nod, "Fiona Coyne" is poured on us by Saint Pepsi
• MisterWives gets remixed with fantastic results
• New Lil Silva
• New BANKS
• New Lil Silva featuring BANKS (they're touring together)
• Song of the Year candidate "Lemonade" slides into our ears from the boundary pushing SOPHIE
• A collab and a remix involving Danny Brown prove why he's one of the most versatile rappers in the game right now. His raps cannot be contained in just one genre.

https://soundcloud.com/pushupyalighter/sets/puyl-july-2014

Meet Me At The Fountain (Lollamix)

In a few weeks, the grounds of Chicago's Grant Park will be flooded with the hundreds of thousands of attendees of Lollapalooza. Nestled in between the waters of Lake Michigan and the Windy City streets, Lolla provides a unique chance to experience a major music festival within the confines of a major metro. Unlike fests such as Coachella or Bonnaroo, the music can't go all night and people don't camp nearby for the duration of the weekend. When each night ends, friends often rendezvous near Buckingham Fountain at the heart of the park before streaming back into the sleeping city.

In preparation for this event, I'm excited to present Meet Me At The Fountain, a continuous mix of some of the songs that will be blaring by the lake live during that weekend. With dozens of artists scheduled to play multiple stages, tough choices often have to be made and hidden gems can easily get skipped over. Hopefully, this mix will get you excited for the established favorites and pique your interest in some smaller acts.

This project was uncharted waters for PUYL, but constructing it was quite fulfilling. I enlisted the assistance of a producer friend, and with his ideas and skills, we put together a cohesive mix that we're proud to share with you. It was enormously fun to work on. Many thanks again to Jarofmy for the mixing and Drew for help with the artwork.

Enjoy!

Listen/Download:

https://soundcloud.com/pushupyalighter/meet-me-at-the-fountain

Alternate Download

Tracklist after the jump.

June Gems: PUYL June 2014

What June know about these June gems? We reached the halfway point of 2014 on a high note; there were a lot of great tracks this month. Music discovery can come from several different avenues, and no one source is any better than the others, so I like to stay attuned to a variety of outlets in order to always catch the freshest sounds. Here's a quick guide to a few invaluable resources.

Artists
Perhaps the simplest way to find new songs you like, is to follow artists you like. For the second month in a row, we splash into things with a remix from Wave Racer. I found that track because he posted it on his Twitter account. I knew I liked his other songs, so I checked it out and wasn't disappointed. Similarly, Kitty sent out an email containing her version of Chrome Sparks's "Marijuana" in anticipation of an upcoming tour. Phony Ppl, GEMS, and Jessie Ware all debuted new songs this month after some time away from the limelight, so it was good to catch them when they resurfaced. Social media and email are how artists reach their fans directly; it's just up to us to pay attention.

Other Artists
In the same vein, there is discovery value in following artists. Chances are, artists you like are currently listening to someone you might soon like. This month I learned about A.K. Paul (Jai Paul's brother) and Ryn Weaver via hype from other musicians. Cosigns are great, but more often, artists will push their collaborations. The brilliant producers, Dpat & Atu, did a track for a singer named NIRO. He's a virtual unknown, but with an endlessly chill beat and lyrics that would make The Weeknd blush, he's earned a hit. If an artist falls into your taste, they themselves probably have similar taste in music as you.

Remixes
Another way to hear what artists are listening to is through the songs they choose to remix. ZHU remixed LDR (and did it better than anyone else too). RAC premiered his remix of London Grammar. The Jane Doze tackled The Colourist. It's a two way street: fans of both the remixers and the remixees get a chance to discover new talents.

Labels
Labels exist solely to help promote their artists. When S-Type has a new release, it the job of his label, LuckyMe, to make sure that the masses know about it. Just as individual artists will probably be listening to someone else cool, labels try to gather like minded musicians. Explore their roster. LuckyMe also carries Baauer and Tim Vocals, who collaborated on a song this month. Baauer is internationally known for his memetastic hit, but largely takes a backseat to Tim and his vocals. Labels rely on their star power to propel the lesser known artists into the public eye. I encountered a couple of tracks from the label Secretly Canadian who I associate with balearic dream pop duo, JJ. The Woman's Hour remix is hip beyond belief, and Tomas Barford's "Lost" may be the best song I've heard all year.

Of course, you can always just follow your favorite blog and let them do all the legwork for you.

Enjoy!

https://soundcloud.com/pushupyalighter/sets/puyl-june-2014

May Music: PUYL May 2014

We're back again, it's PUYL Soundcloud Finds Part III. Let's see what great tunes popped up during the month of May.

It was interesting to do a rough analysis of the play counts on each song in order to learn something about the reach of certain artists, as well as the type of audience out there in Soundcloud land.

Clearly, Diplo has influence and fans everywhere. His remix of little known Dawn Golden's "All I Want" has clocked in over a million plays already; nearly double that of its closest competitors on this list which includes M.I.A.'s ode to Beyonce and a new track from BANKS. Both these women have excellent label support and their styles are congruent with today's Soundcloud user, but they still fall short of the reach of that pervasive Internet pro, Diplo. In addition, the first new single in eight years from hip-hop legends Jurassic 5 sits with a meager 150,000 plays. Clearly, the reunion of a 20 year old rap group either doesn't resonate with listeners on a social music site, or a 20 year old rap group didn't know how to promote itself on this platform.

Other notes and highlights:

• "You" by TCTS featuring Sam Sure fell into my ears by a happy happenstance and has become a personal favorite in the same way that Kygo's "Younger" remix did two months ago
• I've noticed that sometimes labels pull the old bait and switch with tracks. In this case, the song "Playground" by Lxury was originally a full length, but the file is now just a snippet. It's a tune worth checking out, though, so here's a Youtube link to it
• The Brits flexed some talent this month with stellar hits by Alice Russell, Jess Glynne, and Bipolar Sunshine all appearing on this list
• Not to be outdone, Chicago artists NJOMZA and Lucki Eck$ returned to form with solid contributions as well
• And finally, it's always good to hear the endless fun of the Jersey Club sound being applied to the sexual stylings of singers like Trey Songz and The Weeknd as brought to us by our animal friends, Trippy Turtle and Booty Beaver

https://soundcloud.com/pushupyalighter/sets/puyl-may-2014

April Cloud Showers: PUYL April 2014

Here is the second installment of my monthly roundup of Soundcloud finds. Again, this is a playlist where I collect all the great new music from the past month that isn't available to download for free. While I certainly can't listen to everything out there, I also can't ignore the multitude of important tracks that pop up every month, free or not.

Whether you stream it at work or while working out, while driving or lounging in bed, there is sure to be something to catch your ear. One reason a lot of these tracks are not free is because they will appear on upcoming full length releases. With the strength of the music coming out these days, I may have to branch into making Spotify playlists as well once the albums drop. Stay tuned...

Highlights include:

• Music from exciting newcomers like Tala, ZHU, and Hermitude
• New music from older artists like How To Dress Well, James Fauntleroy, and The Roots who are prepping for new releases this year
• Interesting collaborative efforts between Glass Animals x Chester Watson, Pretty Lights x Emancipator, and Röyksopp x Robyn
• Remix and production pairings by regional neighbors like Lorde x Flume, MNEK x Joe Goddard, and Taylor Bennett x King Louie (this is Chi RIGHT!?)
• "No Rest For The Wicked" is a pretty tight song from Lykke Li and Klangkarussell and A$AP Rocky only increase the cool factor

Enjoy!

PUYL April 2014:

Almighty (Mixtape)

In this season of tax returns and new taxation, one thing has risen to the forefront of a lot of minds, the almighty dollar. It's a common trope among musicians to include the dollar sign in their stage names in place of an 'S' or wherever they see fit. For some, it's a motivator, a reminder to keep their eyes on the prize and always strive for what they want most. As that sentiment has become more cliche, others will include the symbol ironically or just as an added piece of flair for their public persona. Regardless of how seriously they take themselves, the idea of "money in my name" can end up being a self-fulfilling prophecy if the artist continues to draw enough attention and acclaim.

From newcomers like OG Che$$ to OG superstars like Curren$y, an innumerable amount of music makers have included '$' in their name as a nod to their personal paper chase. I've collected a cache of cash seekers into one playlist for you to enjoy, and it's all for free since this isn't pu$hupyalighter. Each track features a dollar driven singer, rapper, or producer. You'll also see that some of them like to extend the stylization beyond the name and into the song titles as well.

I've gathered almost all of the songs into a Soundcloud playlist for streaming purposes and download links are available below. The complete tracklist appears after the jump. 25 tracks. 28 arti$t$. 

Enjoy!

Download (Alt. 1) (Alt. 2)

Sango x GoldLink - Wassup

In advance of this weekend's D.C. stop of the Broccoli City Festival, performers Sango and GoldLink linked up for a track just to say "Wassup". It's an interesting pairing since each artist seems to be carving a unique lane in the music game, but they cross paths nicely. Sango tends to remix contemporary R&B heaters as well as hits from the early 2000's. This tune samples Timbaland's Indian Flute which works well because the beefed up percussion of the era lays a solid foundation for GoldLink to do his thing on. The young DMV rapper seems to always come out swinging, immediately making his presence known. His recent release, The God Complex, is a showcase of frenetic braggadocio. That swagger serves him well, though, as he spits over this Sango beat.

Listen:

Download