Stuck In My Skull 457 -- "You Make Me"

Song: "You Make Me" || Artist: Avicii || http://youtu.be/2GADx4Hy-Gg ||

Comments: Good morning and happy Monday, everyone! And it really is a happy Monday. Today's song comes from Stuck In My Skull's own Amanda, who tossed me this song when I couldn't find anything else I wanted to blog about. This track is the latest from that dynamic DJ and producer Avicii, and it is fantastic. The music video to this track was just released today and feels very "Scott Pilgrim vs the World," but let's set that aside and talk about the song. According to the Wikipedia page about the track, the vocals here are provided by Salem Al Fakir, who I'm really enjoying the sound of. This is the second single from Avicii's not-yet-released debut album "True," which I'm now even more pumped about. The song incorporates some classic dance-hall beats and clocks in around 125 BPM, putting it as a solidly danceable track. I absolutely love the vocals even if I have no idea how to describe the effects done to them. Basically, Avicii is showing off -- he's one of the most dynamic producers currently active, and he's letting the world know it. To that, I say, "Well done!"

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AMANDA-- "WAKE ME UP" by AVICII

Hey guys! It's nearly August, which means sadly the summer will be ending soon. But no worries, there is still enough time left to have magical adventures and plenty of great music yet to come. Speaking of music, I am crazy about Avicii's "Wake Me Up," released just over a month ago. I make a point of trying to keep up on the latest trends  and the first time I heard this I didn't care for it at all. Fortunately, I have awesome friends that send me music regularly and I took another listen. It made all the difference. Avicii has been taking some heat for the song, which fuses elements of rhythm and blues, folk, and rock with house and has a country feel to it. Personally, I give him kudos for daring to change things up and standing by his artistic choices. This has to be one of the best, most interesting of his tracks to date, due in no small measure to his collaborators Aloe Blacc and Mike Einziger (from Incubus) , who are responsible for the lyrics and vocals and and guitar work respectively. The official video came out yesterday and honestly I wasn't terribly impressed; it looks like a commercial for designer jeans which could have been the point seeing as how Avicii has a partnership with Ralph Lauren. The lyrical video released previously is beautiful in its simplicity and ultimately makes for a better accompaniment for the song. As a sidenote, it bothers me that Aloe Blacc's name isn't included in the title. He brings so much depth to the song and it feels like a disservice to someone who could use (and surely deserves) the recognition. In conclusion, "Wake Me Up" may not be what people have come to expect from Avicii but there's no denying it's a triumph in its own right. I find it very exciting and commendable to see musicians experimenting with their sound,  promoting collaboration across the different genres, and challenging their audience to think in new and creative ways about what they're listening to. I'm not asking anyone to engage in deep, intellectual thought here but simply to give it a chance, maybe two even. You might just be pleasantly surprised. Enjoy!

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Stuck In My Skull 439 -- "Levels"

Song: "Levels" || Artist: Avicii || http://youtu.be/_ovdm2yX4MA ||

Comments: Good morning everyone! Sorry about the lack of a post yesterday -- I was up at some ridiculously early hour, and any post I wrote would have been incoherent mumbling, and I didn't think to write it the night before. Up today is that instant classic by Avicii -- "Levels." It was insanely popular awhile back, and not long after it got sampled into to the Flo Rida song "Good Feeling." "Levels" is built around an insanely catchy sample from the 1962 Etta James song "Something's Got a Hold On Me," which Avicii uses as a textbook example of how to use samples and sound awesome. This song is one of the most instantly-recognizable sounds in electronic music, and for good reason. Even if you've heard it before, give it a listen! It's sure to start your day on a good note.

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Entry 177-- "Malo"

Song:  "Malo"
Artist:  Avicii

http://youtu.be/GKotiKiaLNY

Comments:  Hey everyone! Miriah here with some Spanish for the week.  Normally, I would provide a country song but I'm also a big fan of languages so once in a while I'll throw in something of the sort.  I heard this song recently for the first time and fell in love with it.  It has a great up beat tempo despite the not so cheerful lyrics.  The title translates to "Bad" and despite my efforts to find the English for our non-Spanish speakers all I could find were the Spanish lyrics.  This is a fantastic song and I hope that you all like it.  Enjoy!

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Entry 175-- "Level(s) 2"

Song: "Level 2" or "Levels 2"
Artist: Avicii

http://youtu.be/fw-Ctm29skQ
Comments: Thanks to Amanda for reminding me that this song exists! There is some confusion on whether this song is called "Level 2" or "Levels 2"-- the video given here seems to think the latter. The song itself has absolutely nothing to do with the original "Levels," at least as far as I can tell. I hear no similarities between the two (beyond the style of Avicii, that is), and it shares none of the same hooks, beats, or melodies. Regardless, the song is excellent. Give it a listen!

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