LAST POST OF 2009 + A NEW YEARS EVE PLAYLIST

This has been a great year for us @ Together In Digital Dreams. We've heard tons upon tons of amazing [for lack of a better word] music and met lots of beautiful people. If this year in music is any indication for what's ahead, then we're expecting a slew of wonderful releases in 2010. We're also looking forward to expanding the blog a little bit but that's even more news than I want to indulge you with, so keep them pants on; it ain't new years eve yet.

As a going away gift I put together a mini playlist [a "plist", if you will] of new years inspired tunes. These aren't necessarily "fun" "party" songs, rather songs to reflect on.

MP3 :: Man Man - Mysteries Of The Universe Unraveled
MP3 :: Harlem Shakes - Strictly Game
MP3 :: The Walkmen - In The New Year
MP3 :: Death Cab For Cutie - The New Year
MP3 :: Thursday - Jet Black New Year
MP3 :: Sundowner - One Hundred Resolutions
MP3 :: Yeasayer - 2080

In any case, I hope everyone has an amazing, beautiful and unforgettable New Years Eve.

See you in 2010!!

MP3: Chester French - C'Mon [Alan Wilkis Remix]

Check out Alan Wilkis' newest remix of the Cester French song "C'Mon (On My Own)." Wilkis spins this heavy piano-pop song into a new years eve friendly dance-off frenzy using ingredients like fresh violin, tasty synth and electric drums. Wilkis is growing a pretty large following and he deserves every bit of it. Follow him NOW on twitter (@AlanWilkis) and be sure to check his webspace.

MP3 :: Chester French - C'Mon [Alan Wilkis Remix]

WELCOMING A DECADE: A NEW YEARS EVE GUIDE TO PHILADELPHIA

A fresh decade is upon us. Time to hang up those ugly christmas sweaters, take your pants off and party the *expletive* out. Here's a little [not complete] guide to Philly events where you can choose to let loose, make some last minute [laughable] mistakes or just feel great about the past 365 days. Be sure to keep your friends close, be safe and love life.

DEC 31st:
MOS DEF @ The Troc [get tix]
THE 7th Annual R5/MAKING TIME New Years Freak Out @ The Barbary
Algernon Cadwallader @ The Ox [2nd and Turner - near Temple] w/ Snowing, Boyfriends, Boys & Sex, Boy Problems and Hop Along
Brothers Past @ The TLA w/ Orchard Lounge
The Sounds Of Kaleidoscope @ KFN w/ Company Corvette
Lotus + MSTRKRFT @ The Electric Factory
Philadelphia Slick @ The Khyber
Cinematic Titanic @ Keswick Theatre [291 N Keswick Ave Glenside, PA] - a 3-movie NYE marathon with live, on stage commentary/ripping by original cast members of Mystery Science Theatre 3000.

JAN 1st:
THE MUMMERS PARADE

REVIEW: Laura Veirs - July Flame

Laura Veirs: July Flame [Raven Marching Band Records]

I've heard that the winter of 2010 is supposed to be a brutal one and if the famous northeast blizzard of '09 is any indication, then we're all doomed. Luckily, Laura Veirs' 7th studio album July Flame will give the season a warm and cozy soundtrack.

Album opener, "I Can See Your Tracks" starts with a slow burn until it gives way to Veirs' soaring voice as she tells of conflicted love - "oh I can smell the smoke/from your fire, babe/but I'll leave you alone/and sleep in this lonely cave/and pray for a storm to scrub this dirt away". The title [and standout] track, "July Flame" is a catchy and burning ride through a haunting, yet beautiful, forest where the choir chants of "Can I call you my own?" repeat with purpose as they mash perfectly with the accompanying violin. The cello in "Where Are You Driving" breaks the silence of "Sun Is King" as we're taken deeper into Laura's mysterious world of screaming violins and soaring harmonies. "Little Deschutes" gives the warm acoustic a rest as we lend our ears to Veirs' dark piano ballad until the happy-go-lucky, horn enhanced, hand-clapping "Summer Is The Champion" brings us to bloom and gives us hope for a lush spring - "Summer is the champion/Let's get dizzy in the grass!". The 13-song album closes with the calming "Make Something Good" as she promises "it's gonna take a long, long time/but we're gonna make something so fine." - a solid quote to take with us as we head into 2010.

Top Picks:
MP3 :: Laura Veirs - July Flame
MP3 :: Laura Veirs - Where Are You Driving
MP3 :: Laura Veirs - Summer Is The Champion
MP3 :: Laura Veirs - Make Something Good

July Flame will be out Jan 12th on Raven Marching Band Records [US] and Bella Union [UK]. Do your part and pre-order the [signed] LP NOW and save 13% when you purchase it with the t-shirt and songbook!

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM DIGI DREAMS [a playlist]

Hanukkah is over and my gifts have been unwrapped for more than a week. But I'll be honest, I do love me some christmas song covers. Maybe it's the redundant and ear-scratching sound of the retail world we live in that decided it was a good idea to play that chimpmunks song on repeat that lets me enjoy the interpretations and that warm feeling I get when listening to these songs.

MP3 :: The Love Language - White Christmas
MP3 :: Camera Obscura - The Blizzard
MP3 :: Slaraffenland - Little Drummer Boy
MP3 :: AU - I'll Be Home For Christmas
MP3 :: Sufjan Stevens - Joy To The World
MP3 :: Deerhoof - The Little Drummer Boy
MP3 :: Tom Waits - Silent Night
MP3 :: Crocodiles + Dum Dum Girls - Merry Christmas, Baby [Please Don't Die]
MP3 :: The Polyphonic Spree - Happy Christmas [War Is Over]

I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a drunk and happy new year [and another playlist soon to come].

MP3: The Flaming Lips [ft Henry Rollins + Peaches] - Speak To Me/Breathe [Pink Floyd Cover]

Today, The Flaming Lips and Stardeath and White Dwarfs [which features Wayne's cousin - Dennis] have released a track-by-track cover album of the Pink Floyd classic Dark Side Of The Moon. They also kid napped and recorded Henry Rollins and Peaches to contribute to this project. Check out Speak To Me/Breathe which has Rollins ranting about how "mad" he's been "for fucking years."

MP3 :: Flaming Lips and Stardeath & White Dwarfs [ft Henry Rollins and Peaches] - Speak To Me/Breathe

Buy the album here

Live in Philly and wanna hear Rollins talk? Well you can: Thursday Mar 11th - Henry Rollins (Spoken Word) @ Sanctuary of First Unit Church - Buy Tickets NOW

SATURDAY IN VIDS: The Drums // Alicia Keys // Washed Out // Iron Man 2 Trailer

Get a taste of summer from The Drums new video for "I Felt Stupid" as their track and field days take a turn for the worst.

MP3 :: The Drums - I Felt Stupid

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The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Alicia Keys - Empire State of Mind (Part II) Broken Down
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Economy

Alicia Keys performed her new[ish] song Empire State Of Mind Part 2 on The Colbert Report last week. Stephen showed up mid-way through shouting out his "love" for suburbia [if you watch the entire interview, it'll make sense] as well as showing off his sweet dance moves. I personally love the spin-around.

MP3 :: Alicia Keys - Empire State Of Mind [Part II]

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Washed Out - Belong (Music Video) from Blake Salzman on Vimeo.

Washed Out's new video for "Belong" hit the net last week with major buzz. Check out the nostalgia on this one - aerobics, neon, dance moves, spandex, and headbands. What are they gonna do in a post 2009 world?

MP3 :: Washed Out - Belong

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Yep

EFTERKLANG TOUR DATES RELEASED

Last Tuesday, Efterklang released their tour dates for early 2010 consisting of US dates throughout the entire month of March as they support their new album Magic Chairs [Feb 22nd - 4AD]. Balmorhea will be opening for them on all dates listed below.

March
2nd - First Unitarian Church, Philadelphia PA [SEATED SANCTUARY SHOW!]
3rd - Le Poisson Rouge, New York NY
4th - TT The Bears, Boston MA
5th - La Sala Rosa, Montreal PQ Canada
6th - El Mocambo, Toronto ONT Canada
7th - The Pike Room, Detroit MI
8th - Lincoln Hall, Chicago IL
11th - The Triple Door, Seattle WA
12th - Biltmore, Vancouver BC Canada
13th - Doug Fir, Portland OR
15th - Bottom Of The Hill, San Francisco CA
16th - Spaceland, Los Angeles CA

MP3: NEW Mos Def - 24 Hour Karate School

Check out a new Mos Def song produced by Jay-Z beat maker, Ski Beatz

MP3 :: Mos Def - 24 Karate School

[via Kanye's blog]

NEW Vampire Weekend - White Sky

Sometime a while ago, I heard a youtube version of Vampire Weekend's new hook, White Sky. I knew it was promising at least. But now that I hear this well recorded and fresh track, it's like opening a late chanukkah [early xmas] gift.

So far it's looks like Contra might be an album of ups and downs, but most certainly an album to purchase when it drops on Jan 12th.

EDIT: Listen to it on their myspace!

MP3: The Brunettes - The Crime Machine

Flight Of The Conchords may be over, but New Zealand's Brunettes are just getting started, again. John and Heather [brunettes?] will release their new record Paper Dolls on Feb 2nd via Lil Cheif Records.

Take a listen to "The Crime Machine" where Heather admits that she longs to live in the 1920s as the simplistic dream-pop takes her out for a ride.

MP3 :: The Brunettes - The Crime Machine

MP3: HEKS ORKEST - How Will It All Fit

Heks Orkest [witch orchestra] is a reincarnation created from the ashes and limbs of old bands like Engine Down, Denali, Avail, Sparta, etc and it doesn't take too long to see where the influences and creative concepts come from.

How Will It All Fit is a fast paced, guitar ripping slam which clears all the dust off these old schoolers. At the same as picking out who plays what, it's hard to not notice that this project is offering something new for our ears to be filled with.

MP3 :: Heks Orkest - How Will It All Fit

SHOWS in 2010:
Fri. 2/5 Richmond @ Richmond Renaissance - WRIR 5th Anniversary Party
Fri. 3/12 New York, NY @ Cake Shop
Sat. 3/13 Brooklyn, NY @ Bruar Falls
Sat. 4/17 Philly, PA @ Kung Fu Necktie
Sun. 4/18 Washington, DC @ Black Cat Backstage

VIDEO: Xylos @ MTV

Xylos recently performed a new song called "Not Enough" for MTV's "Fresh Buzz" thing.



You can head on over to their myspace page to check out the real-deal version of it before the debut LP comes out early next year.

HAPPY HANUKKAH FROM DIGI DREAMS!

A little something I found searching the interweb. Hope you have a delicious and gift-filled hanukkah. DigiDreams will be back soon in full effect. Just you wait...





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MP3 :: Beastie Boys - Lighten Up

VIDEO: PHOENIX @ La Blogotheque

Nice treat for the end of a very long, exhausting week. Will be back soon on the reg. Miss ya'll

Phoenix - 1901 - A Take Away Show from La Blogotheque on Vimeo.

want more phoenix take away vids?

[video] The Avett Brothers- Slight Figure Of Speech

This is a performance from 11/18, and much to Evan's chagrin, I am going to post what I feel to be a stellar performance from a band who released one of the top 3 albums of the year (on my personal list). Please enjoy, and I highly recommend checking out their latest album "I And Love And You".