Blackened Hearts

Welcome back to blog that brings you the playlists to live your life by! This week we have gone for more of a moody, arty, chill'esqe vibe. We can't always have playlists overflowing with joy, sometimes we just need to sit and chill and look at our beautiful world, these 5 songs are the perfect companions for moments such as these.

1. Wild Nothing - Paradise

First up we have 'Wild Paradise', an indie-rock/Dream-pop band from Virginia in the USA. They formed in 2009 and have released 2 albums to critical acclaim. Their music is heavily snyth driven and brings a mood of 'who cares' along with it that just calms you down and puts you into the mood to chillout for hours on end. 'Paradise' takes you on a journey as only amazing tracks can. Synth and base combine to soothe you as the vocalist sings you into a daze.

2. Blaenavon - Into The Night

Next up we have one of my favourite songs of the moment, it's only a matter of time before these guys take off...their music is seriously spectacular. It has been put together with such precision and care that you can't help but admire their skill! This 3-piece have been together since October 2011 and I'm honestly astounded that their Facebook page only has 1900 likes so far. That just isn't right because the music these boys make is incredible. Just go listen and punt them and one day you can claim to have known about these guys before they became famous!

3. Cider Sky - We Are In Love

The next track is one of those youtube sleepers that are amazing and somehow make their way into the youtube sidebar for a ton of other videos. When I first clicked on this one I felt like I had struck gold, unlike many people I enjoy it when a guy and girl sing together in a band (eg 'Stars' and 'The xx'). I love the harmonies it creates and it is something different. This track is really special, soothing (This week's theme) and beautiful in equal measures. It has beautiful synth, artfully done drums and harmonies that will make many a girl shed a tear! Enjoy!

4. Angus Stone - Broken Brights

Many of you will be familiar with Angus Stone. The 27 year old Sydney native has been around for a few years and has another project with his sister called 'Angus & Julia Stone'. I am actually more of a fan of his solo stuff than the music he makes with his sister. 'Broken Brights' is the title track off his second solo album and, in my opinion, is a masterpiece of emotion and skill. It even has a slight Bob Dylan influence to to that just adds to it's coolness factor. Warning, this song will make you feel melancholic but go listen anyway!

5. Aztec Sapphire - Conflicted

At number 5 we have the gloriously sophisticated kids from 'The Aztec Sapphire'. You might remember them being featured on this blog a few months ago when their debut single was released. Since then they have gone onto bigger and better things with both the gigs they play and the music they make. 'Conflicted' is slightly more reasonable 5 and a half minutes long but yet again I never want the song to end. I cannot believe that they are South African, due to the fact that their music is so finely crafted that it makes many international mega-bands pale in comparison. 'Conflicted' is a drum driven song with mesmerizing synth and guitars added in to draw you in until the lead singer completes the package with his heartfelt lines. I was lucky enough to meet the band last week so I eagerly await to see where they go from here!

Bonus!!

6. Polica - Tiff (Featuring Justin Vernon)

Just to make sure that you don't leave here all depressed I thought that I would add in a little bonus track for you all. This song is dark, like super dark, but at the same time it's addictive (Did I just describe most drugs?!). I just can't get it off my mind. For those of you who don't know, 'Polica' is an synthpop band from Minneapolis in USA, they often collaborate with Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) and make some hauntingly good music. The actual music video for the song is disturbing, like real torture scene disturbing, so I have used another video for this track!

That's it from me for this week. I promise that next week will be a happier affair so come back and join us next week!

Post-Exam Beat

Whatsup everybody!!

Yes yes I know that you have missed us just as much as we have missed you all, exams are over and the holidays have begun, as such the playlists will start flowing once more! This break in posting has lead to a huge backlog of amazing music for me to write about, that will please your ears and bring forth emotions that you scarcely knew you had.

It's almost festival season in South Africa, yes we do have such a thing, soon bands such as Alt-J, The Hives and Deftones will be gracing our shores. This makes me one happy man. Music is on the rise in our lovely country so lets embrace the fever!

Enough waffling from me for one week. Lets get the playlist going.

1. Lorde - Royals

This week's playlist starts off with my current guilty pleasure, I just cannot stop listening to this song even though I know it might kill my street cred (OK I may not have any cred to start off with). 'Lorde' is a 16 year old singer from New Zealand. 16 year olds are supposed to be lazy, like me, but she seems to have bucked the trend. She is the new Kimbra (Huge crush there) and as such she is destined to go far. 'Royals' is as smooth as it is catchy, a subdued beat with crisp yet seductive vocals draws you in as you find yourself singing along to 'We don't care, we're driving Cadillacs in our dreams'. I love it. Just go and listen now!

2. Vance Joy - Riptide

Second this week we have 'Vance Joy', a folk-pop (Another one) sensation from Melbourne, which is co-incidentally my favourite city in the world. 'Riptide' is a song that just rolls on into your heart, a catchy beat and stunning vocals makes this track a dainty desert that is sure to delight your ears. Any man who can sing about 'Michelle Pfeiffer' and still sound this good has to be talented! It has a pretty rad music video which completes the package!

3. A Silent Film - Cuckoo Song

Next up we turn to the band that could be mistaken for 'The Killers' or 'Coldplay' on any random day. 'A Silent Film' are an alternative 4-piece from Oxford in the UK. 'Cuckoo Song' is a piano and synth driven ballad with slight rock overtones. I hope that made sense to somebody! This song just feels pure. Simple as that. It has no bells and whistles but manages to be powerful all the same. As the song reaches a crescendo it brings joy with it in no small measure!

4. Al Bairre - We Move On

It almost feels as if an edition of The Weekly Stew is not complete without a track from the outrageously good looking kids from Al Bairre. 'We Move On' is one of my favourites from these Cape Town city slickers. They have managed to create a sound that is both fun (Hells yeah) and meaningful, by this I mean that the song actually sticks with you after you listen to it, unlike a Nickelback song that just makes you want to get your ears removed. The only question now is why they haven't visited Durban yet...Here's looking at you Nic! The music video for this masterpiece even makes throwing food look like a great idea, so check it out right now!

Blogger is making me very angry because it won't let me put up the new music video for this song. So just follow this link to get it... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUo9q0be2Ko

5. Cayucas - Cayucos

This week's playlist is ended off with a special little feel good track from Santa Monica's own favourite sons 'Cayucas'. This is an indie-pop track that just exudes unbridled joy with every dreamy line and harmony. This track could almost be defined as being surf-pop because it just makes me think of a lazy summer's day chilling out on the beach. If you need a pick-me-up then this track is definitely the one for you!

That's it for this week's playlist! Thanks for stopping by! See you again next week, I promise that it will actually be next week this time, for another epic playlist!