Weekend Mix Tapes Edition: Tossin' Off Your Compliments, Wow

Sam Smith has the kind of voice that wraps around you like a blanket, comforting you with its beauty and raw emotion. (Or is that just me?) I first heard this with "Lay Me Down," with his acoustic version that's so impeccable and intense it'll make your heart break. Then there was his acoustic take on Disclosure's "Latch"—which was already great—and holy shit:



This week, he's done it again with "Safe with Me," but this time with some production from Two Inch Punch that takes things to a slightly different place. Get ready to believe in love:



Then there was this terrific, minimalistic video—lights in tree branches, that's it—to match perfectly with Volcano Choir's song, "Byegone" (Volcano Choir = Justin Vernon of Bon Iver with band Collections of Colonies of Bees).

I don't know what I love more: when Vernon starts declaring, "Set sail! Set sail! Set sail!" or at the end when he sings, "Tossin' off your compliments, wow/Sexing all your Parliaments" — what does that even MEAN? Oh, just listen:



Finally, in other music news that left me absolutely delighted this week, AlunaGeorge's debut LP, Body Music, is now available to stream. It's perfection. Standout tracks: ALL OF THEM. But here are a couple of my favorites.





One week till Lollapalooza madness! Happy listening.

Monday Mix Tapes: I Love You, It's Cool

I don't think I've mentioned this yet, but I have some new favorite things (other than being sucked into watching Lost on Netflix, but that's a whhhhhooollle other story).

One of my new favorite things is Bon Iver Erotic Stories. I really don't think I need to describe that further. So I won't.

And when I'm not reading Bon Iver erotica, or watching Lost, or writing Groupons, or doing yoga, or trolling around Tumblr, I'm probably doing my other new favorite thing, which is listening to Bear in Heaven. (And the super neat thing about this favorite thing is, I can—gasp—do it at the same time as many of my other new favorite things!)

Their latest album is called "I Love You, It's Cool"—and you know what, I do. And it is cool.

I think you should listen with me. Here's a video:



Don't tell me anything that happens in Lost. I mean it. Don't blow it. I'm really enjoying wasting the end of my 20s watching this show, a decade late. Also, I should probably mention that 98% of the Tumblr pages I enjoy are posts by 16-year-old girls. But they like all the same stuff I do! Pictures of beaches and flowers and animals and yoga poses and pastries!

Something is wrong. I need help.

But don't worry:

I love you, it's cool.

Monday Mix Tapes: Change the Sheets ('My Love Is a Stockpile of Broken Wills')

It's been a great day, music-wise. All this great music I've been listening to today is probably the only reason my head didn't actually explode when I was reading about all the ridiculous things Rick Santorum has to say about taking control of every uterus in the country.

First up, Ana Tijoux. Oh em gee, you guys. Her album "La Bala" comes out January 31st, but until then you can stream it on NPR. Here's a track from her first album, "1977":



Next up, “A La Modeliste,” a jazz track produced by Mark Ronson for RE:GENERATION featuring Erykah Badu, Trombone Shorty, Mos Def, Zigaboo Modeliste, and members of the Dap Kings. I don't really need to say anything more, do I?



I'm also really excited about Kathleen Edwards' new album, "Voyageur." She co-produced it with boyfriend Justin Vernon, who you may or may not know from a little band called Bon Iver. Here's a track from the album I particularly like:



Now if only I had the first clue what Ana Tijoux was singing/rapping about, I think it would be a successful Monday.

Monday Mix Tapes: Harvest Moon

Really loving this cover of Neil Young's "Harvest Moon" by St. Vincent's Annie Clark and Bon Iver's Justin Vernon from a Brooklyn show to raise money for Haiti earthquake relief. (Via Pitchfork.)



But don't worry, I'm well aware that nothing holds a candle to the real deal.