Well, I’d love to say that you should download everything I listened to this past month, but I can’t in good conscious let anyone else buy Love & Fist. It was terrible. If you’re like me and just want the quick and dirty, surefire hits to add into your heavy rotation list, you’ll appreciate my top 5 songs to come out of #monm. Listen and enjoy, I promise zero disappointment.

5. Junip – In Every Direction

I really, really want to hear these guys at a summer music festival. Listen, you will too.

Buy this track: http://cpwr.me/fIELuW 

4. Maximum Balloon – Tiger

If you sing a song with the line, “Let your tiger out” in it, you can guarantee that I’ll put it on a top 5 list. I think that’s a given.

Buy this track: http://cpwr.me/h4Yvl2

3. Gold Panda - You

It reminds me of a toned down Jib Kidder track. I feel like I should be in a car commercial while listening to it.

Buy this track: http://cpwr.me/ezcYE

2. Kanye West ft. Jay-Z, Bon Iver and Nicki Minaj – Monster

This is a serious, serious track. Note: I’ve just seen a picture of Nicki Minaj. That is a serious, serious ass.

Buy this track: http://cpwr.me/ehB3bh

1. Shugo Tokumaru – Green Rain

I’m a sucker for a good accordion. Who isn’t really?

Buy this track: http://cpwr.me/hIPrnd

Bonus track: Daft Punk – The Game has Changed, Tron Soundtrack.

How could I not include this? It’s definitely a soundtrack, but it’s exciting. The count down to Dec 17 is on!

Buy the soundtrack: http://cpwr.me/eZDODt

5. December is not the time to get anything done. 

4. A failure to plan is a plan to fail. Sweet Georgia Brown, I guess those sayings get repeated for a reason. I had sourced the first part of MONM ahead of time, so it was easy to listen to an album when I already had it ready to go. As soon as it was a two part process, I had a total breakdown.

3. I like music that is almost exactly the same as other-music-I-like. This is upsetting to me. I had a vision of me being old and doing one of those old people rants to my children, "Turn that racket off! You know what's good? Here, let me play some Kylie for you." I need to be more open to new. I mean, my musical tastes rock (obviously), but I want to evolve.

2. I am more interested in music my friends have noted as *good* than music music-experts have noted as *good.* While there's usually some overlap, I"m far more likely to check something out based on what the dude that sits on the other side of the office from me (HI COLIN) recommends than any industry insiders tell me to like.

1. The threat of having to be consistent paralyzes me. I probably listen to at least 10 new albums a week - far more than the requisite 1 per day for Month of New Music. ...but as soon as it becomes a rule, I cannot do it. This probably says something about my blatent disregard for authority. Every so often, I experience a wave of sympathy for my parents and a wave of joy that I will never have to be in the army.

On Monday, I listened to Neon Indian - Psychic Chasm for #monm

While looking for their website, I came across this tweet, which pretty much made my life and therefore, I give Neon Indian the ol' two thumbs up.

Have you heard Memory Tapes? I listened to their album yesterday. Apparently, a collaboration between Memory Cassette and Weird Tapes.

I love all of the dance loops, background funk and layered tracks.

Enjoy!

Hey, it's officially #MONM (month of new music) so the least I can do is update my blog...

To kick things off yesterday, I listened to White Demin 

White Denim - "I Start To Run" from Downtown Music on Vimeo.

The band is good fun and I'd listen to it again, but I wouldn't put it on any Top 5 lists. They sound like a lot of other bands out there right now...