If you like the Gorillaz or The Neptunes, Mark Ronson & the Business Intl.’s upcoming release Record Collection is perfect for you, pumpkin!

After snagging wicked collaborations with artists like Q-Tip, MNDR, Ghostface Killah, and Boy George, the project’s mastermind Mark Ronson has crafted a no holds barred pop attack on us listeners, complete with frenzied drum machines and synthesizers to beat the band.

The videos for Record Collection’s singles certainly match the sound. Featuring 80’s special effects, a washed out, vintage color scheme and the most rockin’ romper this side of 1985, “Bang Bang Bang” is totally worth a peep:

Mark Ronson & The Business INTL “Bang Bang Bang” from Warren Fu on Vimeo.

Will you be snagging the latest from Mark Ronson and the Business Intl when it drops September 28?

Playlister: 

XOXO

Carmen B.

Playlister:

Now that school’s started, I keep finding myself making homework playlists on my iTunes instead of actually writing essays. Oops! Here’re the songs I’ve got on repeat this week:

Of Montreal – “Hydra Fancies”

This song is filled with synthesized goodness that sprinkles out Kevin Barnes’ weirdly satisfying melodies with an upbeat, trippy gusto. Pumping this on my morning walk to school never ceases to amaze. 

Brandon Flowers – “Swallow It”

I’m obsessed! BFlo’s sweet, intelligent “Swallow It” features a steady build that makes me want to dance with my eyes closed and my hair in my face, fearlessly. Either that or sing really loudly by myself in the car on the freeway. The usual. 

Bow Wow Wow – “Fools Rush In”

This cover of the classic song has a killer new wave twist. Not only is it a great karaoke song, but you’ll feel all bubbly and colorful while you listen to this excellent version. It’s like being at a luau in the middle of an African safari. Who could resist?

 What’s on your playlist for the week?

Rock and Roll 101:

There’ll always be those “Big Bands” out there—the ones everyone seems to think define a genre (for better or for worse).

Consider R&R101 your weekly cheat sheet to genre defining music.

Radiohead

British rock band that dominates stereos of fans age 12-100. Features brilliant sound (think: heavy pop rock guitar melodies with an electronic twist; robots) and even better lyrics (think: angst/alienation/awesome). Thom Yorke – singer. Incredible. Antisocial. Weird eye. Frequently depressed.

Start with 1997’s Ok Computer to “get it”.  The thing is so full of LAYERS and BEAUTY and THOUGHT. This album had some phenomenal reviews and gained great critical acclaim throughout the music world, giving Radiohead street cred among its peers and making it a favorite of CD players everywhere. Changes in sound followed in subsequent albums Kid A and Amnesiac, but so did a loyal fan base who were hardly disappointed by the band’s evolution toward 2003’s searing Hail to the Thief. Radiohead’s latest album, In Rainbows, was released online in 2007.

Above the “Pyramid Song” is from Amnesiac. 

Starving students rejoiced—payment amounts were optional. Hooray! New tracks from the band are imminent, as they’ve been recording a new project since 2008. Hooray pt. 2! 

CB BONUS:

For an A La Mode Road Trip: Play The Bends from start to finish.

Thank me later. 

SWAK

Carmen B.

On a recent search for new music for my work playlist one band has captured my undivided attention. The band, or better said duo that has finally refreshed my daily playlists is the wonderfully young and totally adorable First Aid Kit. 

My first encounter with the band was their cover of the Fleet Foxes song ‘Tiger Mountain Peasant Song’. As soon as I saw the sweet big eyes staring through thick fringed bangs and heard the soulfully haunting voices of these sisters I couldn’t get enough. They reminded me, nostalgically of when I’d listen to Joanna Newsom on repeat all day long. Much like Newsom, their elfish voices resonate deep within you while they are singing.

First Aid Kit is made up of Swedish sisters Klara (17 years old) and Johanna Söderberg (19 years old) who first became known for their covers of songs such as the Fleet Foxes one. However, they have become just as well known for their own poetic and darkly romantic songs. Hard Believer is one of my favorite songs that they have written. While being creative and quirky in its approach to visualizing their music, the Hard Believer video stays true to the song and the performers.