Looking for the perfect soundtrack to your Dharma party? Need something to spin for your final-season soirée? Now you can have all the songs featured in *Seasons 1-5 of Lost with just one click.
The producers of Lost have some pretty diverse tastes, and the 71 songs included here include cuts by Patsy Cline, Perry Como, Petula Clark, the Pixies, and Puccini, just to name a few.
So check it out. Sample tracks 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, and 42, or download the whole MP3 playlist in one click. (We'll update the playlist with the songs from Season 6 after the finale on May 23.)
It may feel a little early for this sort of thing, but we on the Amazon music team have pooled our collective knowledge and taste to determine the best music of 2009.
We spent 2009 soothed by Neko Case's wail, moved to dance by Yeah Yeah Yeahs' turn towards big beats, intrigued by Somali hip-hop Troubadour K'naan, and ready to hear three key words from neo-twangsters the Avett Brothers.
On the songs side, French popsters Phoenix went nutty for a composer and we went nutty for Phoenix. La Roux made us feel invincible, Jay-Z officially crushed an awful trend, and Passion Pit sent us reeling.
Voting with their wallets, our customers told us they really like U2, as it was both our bestselling CD and MP3 album of 2009. Black Eyed Peas also popped up in plenty of playlists, as they locked down the top two slots on our songs chart.
Every year, great albums slip through the cracks. This year, our
editors wanted to save some from that unfair fate. We shine a spotlight
on excellent underheard CD and MP3 albums across all genres, and we've even made a playlist featuring a single song from each record, so you can sample 'til you find something you like.
Dig into the lists and see which lists line up most closely with your personal tastes:
Head over to our best music of 2009 store to find complete lists, plus the best in everything from Latin music to Gospel to comedy and all points between.
We're aware there's still a decent chunk of the year left. We'll be adding a latecomers and honorable mentions feature over the next few weeks. Hit the comments, let us know what we missed, and perhaps it'll make an appearance.
Mariah Carey is the Rainman of pop music. Focused, blank faced and sometimes capable of genius. Each toothpick lying on the diner floor is a hit song; each cheese puff is a music video featuring a greased-up, jiggling Mariah bearing an expression that translates to either a)Tabula Rasa; or b) “I’ve had too much turkey dinner.” I can’t tell. My Latin ain’t so good. It goes without saying that Mariah Carey is an undisputed talent who has achieved greatness. She has a reported 5-octave voice and has sold something in the neighborhood of, what – like 200 million records? Amazing! I used to get chills listening to she and Whitney Houston dominate radio in the early 90s with pop songs that showcased considerable soul and range. Like major powerhouse vocal business. It just knocked me to hear voices like that. Whitney disappeared from the scene and Mariah stole it, supplementing her vocal range with some kind of fantastical Hip Hop genie oil that, when applied directly to skin, creates MTV and radio perfection. A quick scan through music video history finds Mariah in all manner of locale (a school, a countryside hoedown, in water, in posh cars, on various silk beds, in her knickers, in bikini in front of Vuitton luggage, in mansions, etc.), jiggling awkwardly and touching herself prettily while wearing a bloated, vacant smile that reminds me a bit of Patrick Swayze’s smile in Ghost when his spirit left Oda Mae for the last time. Perhaps the smile is just a way of coping with the interminable breeze that seems to follow the poor woman around onscreen (it’s always windy in her videos, which is perplexing considering many of them take place indoors.). A couple vids from the early years are below, but the new ones, the really gross/awesome ones ("Don't Forget About Us," "We Belong Together," "Say Somethin'," "Touch My Body"), cannot be shown here, sadly. "Embedding disabled by request." (Sigh*).
The lips parted, peekaboo glances and self love that mark her music video performances could be almost lovable if there were something substantial -- like her shining TALENT, for example -- to anchor it. There's not. The last few albums have been produced within an inch of their digital lives, her vocals seemingly quadruple tracked and Pro-Tooled to bits, only to be ultimately sidelined by Hip Hop glitterati guest appearances. I’m all for double-tracking vocals (Dave Gilmour in Dark Side of the Moon, anyone?) and collaborating with your buddies but at some point it becomes a major bummer. The vocal legend’s latest (with its straight-faced title), Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel, provides no reprieve on the bummer front. More breathy vocal business. More songs with barely any sung words. More tiny dresses fit to burst. More indoor breezes. More self-conscious touching of the face and hair. More lazy grins. More killer song titles like “Angels Cry” and “H.A.T.E.U.” (although to be fair, "H.A.T.E.U." is one of the finest songs on the album). A quick aside: while Memoirs… came close to winning the award for Best Accidentally-Comedic Album Title, the trophy still stays safe in the harbors of Mariah’s 2008 release, E=MC2. I know the new album has sold a quarter of a million and that my opinion may elicit derision from some, but folks - please be gentle. I am an imperfect angel; Don’t H.A.T.E.ME. Love me, love me…
There are plenty of live albums issued solely as afterthoughts or
contract fulfillments, but there are plenty that are as transcendent as
the best in-person concert experiences, only with zero lines at the bathroom. For
this particular list we came up with the following criteria:
• Only one album per artist.
• Albums were been performed live in front of an audience, but don't necessarily have to be culled from a single performance.
• No EPs or singles—this list is about albums
• We decided to limit this list to music, which means no comedy. We
wanted to save those records for a separate list for laffers.
Of course, we exercise their judgment regarding quality and/or
historical significance. If you disagree with our choices (and there's
a good chance you will), let us know in the comments.
Foo Fighters - "Wheels" Even though their last couple albums have been spotty enough to make me almost lose interest, I've always felt like the Foos had it in them to assemble a pretty stacked greatest hits collection, which they've VERY CONVENIENTLY done just in time for the holidays. Unfortunately for us, the band tacked on two new jams, of which, "Wheels" is one. Listening to the beginning, I felt like the MP3 was mislabled and I accidentally downloaded some Keith Urban. What followed was a generic smear of limp, slick, unfortunate, late-period Tom Petty impersonation. I'm not against the new stuff, but I'm pretty sure I would have been happier if they had clipped this from the tracklist in favor of "I'll Stick Around" or "Walking After You."
Suggested if you like: Tom Petty, an extremely competent cover band performing Tom Petty songs, "mediocre-of" material appearing on a "best-of" Rating: 13/69 Full Moon Fevers
Consequence (feat. Kanye West and John Legend) - "Whatever U Want" Because he has but one flow and a steadfast refusal to vary his rhyme schemes, Consequence is best taken in small doses. For a number of IMMA-LET-YOU-FINISH-related reasons, our old pal Yeezy has, as of late, also been getting his mail forwarded to an address in the best-in-small-doses zip code. As such, you'll be satisfied to know that they're each limited to four bars at a pass in this slinky Gin and Tonic of a tune. With its low-key vibe and 2:37 run time, it feels more like the suggestion of a song than an actual song. Still, I've listened to it five times in short succession, mostly because I'm left wanting more each time. When was the last time you could say that about anything involving any of these parties?
Suggested if you like: "I'm Good" by the Clipse, "Love Hangover" by Kidz in the Hall, surprise awesome Rating: 26/30 prefunk cocktails
Melissa Laveaux - "Crazy in Love" I have no idea who this person is and I'm generally against covers of songs I like (TWO STRIKES, LADY), but this thumpy, acoustic reinvention of the Beyonce ultrajam is-- no exaggeration-- the best new song I've heard in months. Should you decide to scoot over to her MySpace page, you can listen to, along with some of her originals, another unique cover, this time of Elliott Smith's "Needle in the Hay." Her version of "Crazy in Love," however, is so good I don't even miss the Jay-Z verse. A++++ NEW ARTIST. WOULD BUY FROM AGAIN.
Suggested if you like: Lykke Li, Emiliana Torrini, making a great thing even better Rating: 93/100 oh-no-nos
An exclusive video from Monsters of Folk is now available for your viewing pleasure. We're also hosting a Streaming Listening Party of the full album a week before street date release.
In an era chock-full of super groups (see Audioslave, Velvet Revolver, and Chickenfoot just to name a few), now Indie Music fans of the world can rejoice, too!
What's cheaper than travel and almost as good a way to get your cosmopolitan bona fides up to snuff? Try 29 free world music samplers. As part of our World Music Festival, we're offering free music downloads from more than two dozen labels and artists, including a few personal favorites (pictured below, click to download) from Soweto Gospel Choir, JDub (Israel), Tuff Gong (RIYL Bob Marley), Luaka Bop (RIYL David Byrne), ESL (RIYL Thievery Corporation):
Download any or all of the free samplers (totaling hundreds of free song downloads) from here. Bon voyage...
"World music" is an exceptionally wide-ranging term. Does world music
mean music that’s not in English? Does a world music artist have to
create music from his/her own particular country or ethnic background?
What about "big name" world artists (like Enya, Celtic Woman, Bob
Marley) who have had mainstream Top 40 hits? In the end, we came up
with the following criteria:
• Broadly speaking, world music is not traditionally Western. We’ve
chosen albums featuring music from a particular region, culture, or
heritage.
• Albums can include lyrics in English and/or Top 40 hits, as long as
the music itself draws from non-western rhythms, instruments, or
melodies.
• One album per artist
• No EPs or singles—this list is about albums
• No greatest hits collections or compilations except in cases where no
actual album was available, or where the collection acts as a proper
album. Bob Marley’s Legend, being a greatest hits compilation album, did not make our list, but Catch a Fire did.
Of course, our editors exercise their judgment regarding quality and/or
historical significance. If you disagree with our choices (and there's
a good chance you will), let us know in the comments below, or on the customer discussion on our list landing page.
This list is MP3s, but if you prefer CDs, you can find the list here.
*A word of explanation about this list: while the majority of my picks can be called world music, a couple of them (Emmy the Great, Little Boots) are imports which don't necessarily fall into the world music category. I'm including them here because: 1) they've been released in another country, and 2) I couldn't resist sharing them (seriously, they're that good). But keep in mind that you probably won't find either of these artists categorized under world music in our music or MP3 stores.
I practically swooned the first time I heard this tiny, tattooed French-Canadian chanteuse. With a voice like honey, Coeur de Pirate ("Heart of a Pirate"), otherwise known as 19-year-old Béatrice Martin of Quebec, has crafted a rich, whimsical, and utterly stirring debut album imbued with a vein of nostalgia and maturity that far belies her years. While songs on the album are driven primarily by Martin’s magical piano playing, Martin weaves in string arrangements, horn interludes, and accordion accompaniment with a thoughtful, nuanced touch. Each melody is as finely crafted as spun silk.
The album sounds like it could have been made in 1920's France or used in the soundtrack to the film Amélie.The buoyant “Ensemble” (“Together”) makes me feel like dancing down the street, while the pensive “C’était Salement Romantique” (“It Was Terribly Romantic”) fills me with longing for something that I can't quite define. Listen and imagine yourself wandering the winding, cobbled streets of some old European city. You don’t have to understand French to love this album.
If you can't see the embedded video player above, clickhere to watch a YouTube video of Coeur de Pirate performing "C'etait Salement Romantique."
I was blown away when I first heard Issa Bagayogo’s Issa Remixed. Rarely have I heard West African music infused with house-style dance rhythms so successfully—and so infectiously. Originally from Mali, Issa grew up playing the ngoni (a three-stringed lute popular in West Africa), but rather than sticking to traditional music, he’s infused his albums with elements of jazz, dub, and funk. Hybrid albums like this can often go wrong, but Issa’s compositions are masterfully done, and Issa Remixed is no exception. Who knew that West African chord structures could mesh so well with electronica and sound so natural?
I never would have expected the artist behind one of my favorite folk albums to be from London--a city that I tend to associate more with sassy britpop (think Lily Allen, Kate Nash) or alternative rock (think Coldplay). But with a soaring, lyrical voice that hearkens back to the ‘60s, Emmy the Great (Emma-Lee Moss) is the real deal—with a twist. Yes, her music is folk, but she's anything but traditional. Witty and sarcastic, she probes into heavy subjects (death, pregnancy) and offers up world-weary and frequently biting social commentary couched in that smooth, magnetic voice of hers. This is folk music with a thoroughly modern edge--or, perhaps, folk music for the 21st century.
Reigning fado queen Mariza doesn’t disappoint with her fourth studio album. No fado album is complete without heavy doses of Portuguese guitar—and this album has it in spades—but Mariza also experiments with other musical styles without straying too far from her musical roots. She sets her marvelously flexible vocals to blues and jazzy piano, succeeding at the difficult task of offering up a thoroughly refreshing take on this most traditional and stylized of musical genres.
If you’re into dance music, you’ve probably already heard of Little Boots,
a.k.a. 25-year-old Victoria Hesketh of England. A multitalented
musical dynamo, Little Boots made a name for herself by posting YouTube
videos in which she performed her own original compositions and covered
other popular songs. Not only does she sing, she also plays the
keyboard, the piano, the stylophone, and the very cool electronic Tenori-on—sometimes
all at the same time. With an astute ear and a flair for making multilayered
rhythms irresistibly catchy, Little Boots merits the buzz that she’s
generated. She’s a serious musician taking electro-pop seriously,
and the result is a dance enthusiast's delight, especially welcome in a genre that is sometimes considered too commercial to be "real."
If you can't see the embedded video player above, clickhere to watch a YouTube video of Little Boots performing "Meddle."
D.Folks' self-released album Jupiter doesn't stay in one place very
long, moving seamlessly between organic, '80s-indebted, uptempo pop and
contemporary loverman R&B in a way that's more refreshing than
schizophrenic. Jupiter is an album that both parents and kids will
enjoy, but would probably never enjoy together as a family. Songs like
"Superficial World" bring to mind not only the golden era of his fellow
Virginians the Neptunes' production career, but also their label signee
Robin Thicke. "Falling In Love Again," on the other hand sounds almost
like a soul song for the Yacht Rock set, which is a surprisingly good
thing. D. Folks' closest contemporary is Van Hunt, who is also
currently working sans-label. Maybe they're onto something.
As they're both from Bergen, Norway and seem to share most of the same influences, it's difficult to imagine Matias Tellez as anything but the sequel to Sondre Lerche. Clouds in particular sounds like an extension of Phantom Punch, only written by a teenager. This is charmingly spastic, raucous rock, a musical expression of what it is to be young. This will likely make you feel joyful or awkward. For me, it's a little of both.
Assembled by a crew of some premier sidemen, this fluid set of thumping
soul is the sort of album that as fun to listen to as
it seems like it was to make. With one eye pointed towards the past and the other one
winking, they show love for not only the funky greats of the past 30
years, but affection for kitsch, too. Vosotros takes their motto,
"music for you-all," seriously. They've made the album available as a free download for a limited time and licensed it under Creative Commons to encourage sharing. Enjoy it, remix it, and tell your friends.
Though she's had a song featured on a couple of TV shows you might recognize, there's a good chance you don't know about the Swedish singer-songwriter Miss Li. "I Heard of a Girl" is somewhere between the Cure and Belle and Sebastian, only sung by a dark, unknowable pixie. Much of the rest drifts towards cabaret or '60s girl group sounds. It's pop with a weird streak, salty and sweet, all delicious.
Shimmering, lo-fi, and glorious, Build a Garden feels like the
early work of Beulah, only more earnest and with boy-girl vocals.
Featuring more low-key revamps of four songs from last year's Build it Up and another four new cuts, my only complaint is that the serving size is too small.
But before you go perusing, browsing, and downloading, make sure you enter the code (JULY4MP3) into your account (that's the part that makes it free). You can find simple instructions on how to do that here. But do it quick--it all goes away, much like the fireworks, BBQ stains, and sleeping in, on July 6th (ok, so maybe the BBQ stains will stick around a bit longer).
It's limited to one per customer, but if you want to share the FREEdom with someone else, send them to Amazon MP3where they can download their own favorite version, as well.
Have a safe and fantastic 4th of July, and happy birthday, America!
Last year, Chicago MC Rhymefest honored one of his favorite artists by enlisting the help of producer Mark Ronson and making the Michael Jackson tribute mixtape Man in the Mirror. Featuring beats cobbled together from familiar MJ tracks and actually entertaining skits wherein 'Fest and Ronson engage in hilariously fake conversations with the King of Pop, this set was solid enough to be one of my most listened-to albums of 2008. Rhymefest's relatable, witty, insightful style paired with a melange of undeniably awesome MJ sounds is a peanut butter/chocolate-level combination for me. Listening to it now serves as a reminder that, even though the world won't be graced with any new music from Michael, his contributions continue to shape the pop landscape and inspire vital work. Since it would be a legal nightmare/financial catastrophe to clear these samples, it was never released through official channels, but you can download the Man in the Mirror Mixtape for free from Rhymefest's site. Please beware, though, the language does get a little salty. Keep the kiddos earmuff'd or just throw on Off the Wall one more time if curse words aren't your thing.
If you, on the other hand, are looking for a way to escape the wall-to-wall Michael Jackson coverage, giving a listen to the new Fleet Foxes song, "Blue Spotted Tail," is a good alternative. It's more of the gentle, nature-fied sound that made the Seattle harmonizers critics' darlings and vaulted them to the top of several year-end best-of lists. To be fair, it's the same sound that made a fair number of folks saw logs, but those of us in the former camp might consider heading over to the Pitchfork news section to download an MP3 of the song ripped from a performance on the BBC.
