Self Professed Nerd

I have my tv, movie, and music reviews all on the same site now. If you are interested here it is: http://selfprofessednerd.wordpress.com/

Its Beginning to Sound a Lot Like Christmas: Xmas miX

Stores have had Christmas decorations out and radio stations have been playing Christmas music since before Halloween. I follow a strict after Thanksgiving rule because I find myself a little tired of listening to the same songs for a whole month. This year I decided I would find some songs about Christmas and winter that I had not heard before and I thought I would share some with y'all.

Animal Collective- Winter Wonder Land
Arcade Fire- Jingle Bell Rock
Bob Dylan-Must Be Santa
Low-Just Like Christmas
Oh No Ono-Icicles
Queen-Thank God It's Christmas
Radiohead-Winter Wonderland
Shonen Knife- Space Christmas
Sufjan Stevens-Hey Guys! It's Christmastime!
The Flaming Lips-Christmas at the Zoo
The Knife-Christmas Reindeer
The White Stripes- Candy Cane Children
Yeah Yeah Yeahs-All I Want For Christmas

Animal Collective: Fall Be Kind

I am a big Animal Collective fan. Every one of their songs are so different from one another and from anything I have ever heard. For the past nine years they have come out with a new album almost every year and they have all been pretty much amazing. Their new EP, released today is no exception. The songs on this EP seem to have a bit of a darker feel and the vocals seem to be more clear as well.
The first song is called "Graze". It begins as what sounds to be a slow, psychedelic chant and slowly morphs into a jumpy pan-flute jam. Line that got stuck in my head: "Why do you have to go, why do you have to go?"
The second song is "What Would I Want? Sky" Which is the first song to have a licenced Grateful Dead sample which runs through out the whole song. Line that got stuck in my head: "What would I want? Sky"
If I had to pick my least favorite song on this EP it would be really hard, but I think I would say it was "Bleeding". The first couple seconds begin with a deep mechanical sounding voice and then the rest of the song is like a slow-placed poem reading. That makes it sound lame, but its not. Lines that got stuck in my head: "I've feel, shameful, that I must bleed"
"Bleeding" is followed by "On a Highway" The way the lyrics of this song are constructed makes me think of when I had to write Haiku's in middle school. Line that got stuck in my head: "I can't wait to find home"
The final song may be my favorite of the EP. Its called "I Think I Can". It begins with a dark and extra-terrestrial feel. It sounds like some kind of spaceship is taking off. Then a bounce beat that sounds like someone beating plastic tubing comes in and changes the mood up. I just love all of the different rhythmic patterns of the vocals in this song. Line that got stuck in my head: "I think I can, I think I can, I think I-"
I know I will be listening over and over for at least the next week. I hope that Animal Collective keeps churning out awesome new songs. Hopefully they will have a new album early next year.