BRAIN FOREST

It seems redundant to say “This year was a fantastic year in music.”  I feel strongly that if you are trying to enjoy yourself, you will find that you enjoy things.  Thats a silly way of saying, “Of course.”  Every year was a great year in music as long as new music was being created, performed, … Continue reading →

This summer has really taken off as far as great releases, many of which have been artists new to me.  I have been so inundated with new tracks that I haven’t stopped to share many of them.  Now that I have a moment, I will bestow upon you this wonderful compilation of earworms.     … Continue reading →

As we’ve reached the midway point of the year, we’ve already seen some fantastic releases.  The War On Drugs, Ages and Ages, Beck, and St. Vincent all killed early 2014 with some amazing albums.  It’s already been such an incredible year for music, that its hard to believe that its only half way through.   … Continue reading →

Lately I’ve been in contemplation of the intent of the songwriter.  As I absorb the songs, I often wonder what the message attempting to be conveyed is.  Sometimes song are intentionally ambiguous about their theme.  This leaves much of the message open to the interpretation of the listener.  This can be a gift, because one … Continue reading →

“I’ve been gone for a minute but I’m back at the Jump-off.”     If my life were a music video it would probably be dimly lit and boring, but with a bunch of cameos.  Who doesn’t like a good cameo?  One time my brother and I were at a crowded bar and we thought … Continue reading →

Music sounds better in the summer.  Or maybe I feel better in the summer.  Regardless, there’s something that get’s me smiling like a nutcase when I hear a bright and shimmering song while its this hot out.  It’s just the satisfying sound of cool. Dent May‘s album Do Things is out now on Animal Collective’s … Continue reading →

Music For Penguins is a mix that I made quite a while ago, and then lost track of for some insignificant reason or another.  However, because of a recent increase in productivity and free-time, I’m going to upload it.  The songs are not all current, but they are all songs, I assure you of this. … Continue reading →

Brain Salad – April 2012 “If I were more nocturnal, I would surely miss seeing my shadow.  This peculiar dark spot that diligently follows my earthly shell, reminds me of the momentary changes I can make to this physical world.  Similarly, it is a constant reminder of the great ball of fire that we rely … Continue reading →

Brain Salad – March 2012 Despite being relatively absent from the blogosphere for the past few months, I have been listening to a fair bit of music.  So here I am picking it back up with a brand new Brain Salad release.  March’s mix continues the trend of eclectic compilations with everything from Shigeto’s exciting glitchy … Continue reading →

Delicate Steve just might be an enigma wrapped in a mystery enshrouded within the cloaks of secrecy that protect the deepest meanings of existence.  Similarly, Delicate Steve is a instrumental rock group that’s been exploring the origins of music by way of NYC, creating waves of sensation in the ears of many and confusion in … Continue reading →

**Music 4 Bears** Lately I’ve been tryin to catch up with some of the mixes that I promised people I would personally craft for them.  And instead of making mixes and only letting a sole person enjoy their loveliness, I decided to share them with the world.  So here is the Music 4 Bears Mix. … Continue reading →

Brain Salad – November **Click to Download** “Whenever the first leaves would fall, back when I was a child, I would began to count down the moments until there were enough to gather.  The amount wasn’t anything specific, more like an estimation of how big the pile would have to be to break my fall. … Continue reading →

Sometimes music comes along that just has too much flavor for me to share it with anyone right away.  I get nervous that I’m enjoying these sounds just because of how unique it is, instead of it simply just being good music.  Its almost that I feel like I might be getting tricked by a … Continue reading →

Brain Salad – October **CLICK BELOW TO DOWNLOAD** http://www.mediafire.com/?3b4aewrqgowyjx8 Last night I had a dream that my friends and I were being pulled around a lake (in which one end was a shallow indoor pool) by a rope that had some sort of strange throttle mechanism on it.  Hanging on to this rope, my friends … Continue reading →

James Blake has been blowing me away since I first heard “Wilhelm Scream” early last year.  Since then he’s been amazing me with his amalgamation of minimalist, post-dubstep, and r&b stylings.  His sorrowful falsetto is the perfect counterpart to his distinct glitchy reverbed percussion that he uses on the majority of his tracks.  He is … Continue reading →

Yellow Ostrich came to my attention while scouring the interwebz for material for the Brain Salad compilations.  I first came across “WHALE” which is a track that starts simply with just some looped vocals and percussion.  Lead singer and project mastermind Alex Schaff chimes in with his juvenile and playful voice that he decorates really … Continue reading →

Brain Salad – September **Free Download** It’s been said that salad is the only thing that beavers are afraid of.  While that is undoubtedly fact, this salad is nothing to be afraid of unless you’re a beaver that also hates nice sounding things.  In that case, I’m amazed at your ability to use the internet … Continue reading →

Shabazz Palaces is a hip-hop group on Sub Pop Records (swag) and one of the most on point artists out there right now.  Their lyricists articulate delivery and hard-hitting instrumentals have had me vibin’ hard since I first gave him a listen.  His song’s typically deal with subject matter far removed from that of most … Continue reading →

Thao and Mirah first came to my attention through the multiple live video sessions I had seen them in.  Mainly, their videos on Yours Truly, had caught my attention.  They are both intriguing characters and I enjoyed watched them harmonize on their creative indie-folk-pop orchestrations.  However, when they enlisted Merril Garbus, the mastermind behind the … Continue reading →

Brain Salad – August   **Free Download** This month’s Brain Salad is full of wonderfully fun songs that have guided me through the summer days with relative ease.  Lookin forward to getting back to the brick streets of the university and enjoy the company of my friends.  There was a large quantity of good music … Continue reading →

Recently the video for Gotye’s new single of his upcoming album was leaked. This was the Belgium-born Australian’s first leak so far, and I think he handled it great. Wally released the video on vimeo right away and the single is available to purchase through iTunes (Australia) as well as directly from his site gotye.com. … Continue reading →

Head and the Heart came to my attention after I bought a ticket for Iron & Wine on their summer tour as soon as they came on sale.  I usually like to at least be familiar with the openers I see when I go to a show.  I was glad to find that they were … Continue reading →

Hey Ya’ll, nothing warms me up more than new material from one of my favorite bands.  We’ve recently been graced with new content from Mumford (Sister and “Home”).  Well, here’s a new track from our dearly beloved Seth and Scott (and Joe and Bob), titled “The Once and Future Carpenter” premiered on CMT’s Unplugged. Read … Continue reading →

As disappointed as I am that I am missing/missed the Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. concert in Cincinnati, I can’t complain about camping with the fam and relaxin’ after a taxin’ finals week.  Also, it doesn’t kill my excitement about the new album.  I gave them a chance after hearing their cover of a Beach boys … Continue reading →

July’s Salad of the brain variety is actually June’s.  To explain, my inner genius has noticed that people don’t want to listen to last months music, so I have cleverly skipped ahead and named this salad July, for the simple reason of attractiveness to Brain Salad virgins.  So yeah, theres that. Now, this salad has … Continue reading →

The tune-yards are a musical anomaly masterminded by one woman who is titled, Merrill Garbus.  The music she makes is one that creates its own space in the world, and reinvents itself with every new note.  There are certain bands that come along and make their own sound, completely unlike anything else (see Dirty Projectors), … Continue reading →

Tom Morgan and James Thomas are two young cats from Wales who have been producing some amazing music as of late. They started making music together when they were 17 and now at age 20 they are making some of the best and most original sounding french house tunes. They have supported the likes of … Continue reading →

In the words of Mark Wahlberg, “Brain Salad is my favorite meat.”  I couldn’t have said it better myself Marky.  This Brain Salad created itself in the midst of what was a very strange month, and I think it reflects that.  The mix of greens and veggies and dressing and crunchy squares of bread in … Continue reading →

The new Bon Iver self-titled album has leaked.  I’m currently listening to it.  It is wonderfully rich.  I can’t get enough his damn falsetto, and neither can the rest of the good-music-loving world because his debut album was easily one of the most impressive debut’s in recent memory.  So far (I’m on track 3 at … Continue reading →

I’m not sure I remember the first time I heard Fleet Foxes. I think I’d rather have it that way. I’m sure the look on my face was a unique form of wondrous curiosity. However, I do remember my after thoughts. I recall thinking about their perfect use of reverb and the sad cavernous feelings … Continue reading →

I have found that I have room in my Brain for new music and genres that I’m almost completely unaware of until something comes along and fills it up.  This was the case for Florence + the Machine.  She kinda just swooped in on me after I heard a nasty Yeasayer (love them) remix of … Continue reading →

If you’ve ever given me any inclination that you at least partially enjoy indie rock, I probs have told/raved to you about Young the Giant. This Newport Beach, California based band came to my attention this past summer when a blog I check posted “My Body” and “I Got”. Immediately I was obsessed with the … Continue reading →

Chiddy Bang is a hip-hop duo comprised of “Chiddy” the rapper and Xaphoon Jones the producer.  They first came to my attention because of a freestyle that Chiddy did over the UK rapper Tinie Tempah’s song “Pass Out” instrumental.  Immediately I loved his flow and lyricism for creativity and its sheer originality.  Also it helped … Continue reading →

**UPDATE** First Aid Kit has finished recording their latest album, The Lion’s Roar, and it was just released in the States.  Three of the tracks can be listened to below, and they have already released two videos for songs on the album.  Enjoy. First Aid Kit is an indie folk duo from Stockholm, Sweden.  Also,  they … Continue reading →

Whenever I talk to anyone about Avett Brothers, its usually I a “ZOMGGGZZZ I LOVE THEM!!!!” or a “meh I think I like them but I don’t know where to start…”  I was previously the latter.  Now I am the former.  With the help of an Avett loving friend, I was introduced to three albums, … Continue reading →

Most of my summers throughout out my life have had “songs of the summer” that I easily associate with them, and for that I am thankful, because tied to those songs are sooo many memories that I hold very close to my heart and Brain. Well for the summer of 2009, there was an entire … Continue reading →

Brain Salad – April April’s Brain Salad has a great deal of mixed greens, that starts with folk and ends with filth (Filth Collins that is). The first song Daydreaming by Middle Brother was stuck in my head worse than the first time I heard Blue (Da Ba Dee), which is purty dayum bad, its … Continue reading →

Brain Salad – March This Brain Salad is what has been ringin in my head all througout March.  Obviously the new Fleet Foxes and Iron and Wine were excellent.  Really diggin the Tune-yards crazy Lo-fi/electronic/folk/R&B experiment they’ve (she) released.  Hoodie Allen and Chiddy Bang have been on heavy rotation, expecially that NY is Killing Me … Continue reading →

Brain Salad – February This was the first monthly Brain Salad Release (ask me why there’s no January).  I wasn’t really sure what I was doing when I started.  It began as a simple playlist in my iTunes of songs that I couldn’t stop listening to, and then I decided I must share this gloriousness … Continue reading →