I love the fall. The approaching months of leaves changing colors and cooler weather always prove to be a time for great music, and every year right around late August some of music’s biggest names release new albums. In the coming months many of my personal favorites will be putting out new material, most notably one of my favorite indie bands, Ra Ra Riot.

This six-piece collective represents everything I love about the indie scene: beautifully composed and arranged music, emotional song-writing, and energetic passionate live performances. Front-man Wesley Miles brings a certain calm but electric energy to the stage, and the rest of the band plays off that energy to create a truly exciting live experience. Now, Ra Ra Riot has a new LP due out this year and I for one cannot be more excited. The Orchard, named for the peach farm where they wrote and recorded many of the songs on the album, isn’t out until August 24th, so the band has released an EP promoting the album and its first single, “Boy.” The single doesn’t show Ra Ra straying much from the sound that won them so much acclaim, but does however show signs of growth and maturity in their musical arrangements. Check out the EP’s title song below and be sure to purchase the rest of it here

Ra Ra Riot- Boy

“pass the dutchie pon de left-hand side”

Star Slinger – Dutchie Courage

These days, the world can be quite the crazy place.  Actually that’s understatement; the world is completely fucking insane. What with the oil catastrophe in the Gulf, the ongoing conflict in Afghanistan, Fox News, it can get a bit depressing at times. Good thing Free Energy is here to save the day with warm, sunny pop-rock anthems that can uplift the spirits. Their debut album was released this March and now that summer is in full swing it’s all I can listen to. Their simple straight-forward approach to rock and roll has been compared to the likes of Journey and couple that with fun yet hopeful song-writing, you’ve got yourself a sound that will stay in you brain for days. And if the debut Stuck On Nothing is any indication of things to come, you’ll be seeing a lot more of them in the near future. PLEASE, do yourself a favor and purchase the LP.

Free Energy – Bang Pop

Free Energy – Young Hearts

Today we have a pair of tracks from none other than the southern gentleman himself, Bird Peterson. This guy has really been putting in work over the past few months–doing multiple remixes and other projects (see Drankenstein)–and I’m just loving what he’s all about. Drawing influences from hip-hop, drum & bass, and house to create a sound like nothing in the electro game right now. Not only does he deliver straight bangers, but he’s also representing for my city: Austin, Texas. Peep these tracks, go ham, and get on some Bird Peterson.

Mike and Charlie- I Get Live (Bird Peterson Remix)

DJ Evol- Out of Breathe (Bird Peterson Remix)

Back again for round two–another installment of the Remix Session. Once again I’ll be sharing with you a few remixes that have been in rotation for me.

First off we have a fresh new remix from UK producer Alex Metric. The song ‘Sabotage‘ by Beastie Boys has always been able to make a crowd move–but here it gets an even larger PUNCH. What I love about this remix is how true Alex Metric stays to this already amazing song. He gives it just enough of an electronic touch to send the listener over the edge!

Beastie Boys- Sabotage (Alex Metric Remix)

Great remix here of Crookers‘ ‘We Love Animals’, coming from English electro producer/dj, Tom Staar. Now I know there have been plenty of remixes already for this song but I really think Tom Staar nails it right on the head with this one here. Staar takes the synth laden-tune and strips it down, morphing the vocals and drums, and transforming it into a true dancefloor masher.

Crookers- We Love Animals (Tom Staar Remix)

The next remix comes from Chiko, an artist out of San Fran who’s houe influenced take on ‘O.N.E.’ by Yeasayer has been ringing in my head for weeks now. The intro is intro beauty: echoing vocals going in and out over light but captivating synths. The song takes a rather unexpected turn at the drop with zipping effects and contrasting tropical drums that keep the song grounded and on center. Big up to squeegie for the track.

Yeasayer- O.N.E. (Chiko Remix)

Lately I’ve been listening to a lot more alternative/underground hip-hop to sort of combat the overload of electro-type music we give here at LFTF. Thats not to say I’ve stopped listening to House, Dubstep, etc.–I’ve just been a bit overwhelmed by it, that’s all. Nocando‘s Hurry Up & Wait is the first single of the the LA rapper’s first album Jimmy the Lock. The remix keeps it in the “LA underground family”– featuring Murs, Intution, Dumbfounded, and Open Mike Eagle. Not much changes on the production, the only difference being the addition of the verses–Murs‘ verse standing out in my opinion. Really diggin this sort of “odd-ball” style these LA cats are bringing to the table, check the remix out below:

Nocando- Hurry Up & Wait (Remix feat Murs, Dumbfounded, Intuition, Open Mike Eagle)

Let electronic duo Pallers take you away from the dreadful time we all know as finals week, into warm summer nights and care-free days. Their new single, “The Kiss” is a wistful, relaxing, beauty of a song that is sure to make your troubles and stresses float away.

Pallers- The Kiss

This week, the Song of the Week goes to The xx’s remix of “The Afterlife” by Yacht. It’s no secret that The xx really turned some heads last year with their debut album xx. Their minimal sound gives their music an eerie, not all there feeling–making for some heavily emotional tunes. Flexing their musical prowess on this remix here, The xx stick to their minimalistic guns–with reverb snares, subtle hand-claps, and a screeching, Dubstep-y bassline. Combine all these elements and you’ve got yourself the Song of The Week. Check it out below:

Yacht – The Afterlife (The xx Remix)

To me, what makes a remix good remix is one that has the ability to keep the integrity of the original while emitting a new kind of feeling. Along with the aforementioned qualities, a great remix will feature a distinct sound original to that producer making the remix. This post is dedicated to a few awesome remixes (some old and some new) that have been in rotation for me for awhile now:

First off, we have a new one from producers Midnight Conspiracy, who is quickly becoming a favorite of mine. This time around the trio brings us their take on Crystal Castles‘ “Crimewave”. Midnight Conspiracy adds some fuzzy, echoing synths to give it their signature 80′s feel.

Crystal Castles- Crimewave (Midnight Conspiracy Remix)

“Get ‘Em High” was one of the first songs from Kanye that I really loved and still do. A-Trak gives this classic jam new life by adding some deep synthwork on it. To me the remix combines the old Kanye with the new and I can only hope his new album (said to be released this fall) will have a feel similar to A-Trak’s remix.

Kanye West- Get ‘Em High (A-Trak Remix)

This next one isn’t brand new but is definitely a quality remix. The Kids Are Radioactive do a wonderful job here mashing up Ra Ra Riot‘s Indie-Rock hit ”Can You Tell” with a great up-beat Electro pulse. At first the combination is almost too different to work, but at the first drop everything comes together to create an unexpectedly awesome Electro-banger.

Ra Ra Riot- Can You Tell (The Kids Are Radioactive Remix)

The final cut in this Remix Session comes from none-other than the Cockney Thug himself, Rusko. His latest release features a different but awesome remix of Sub Focus & Coco‘s new single ”Splash”. This remix is very up-beat and House-y–not your everyday Rusko feel. However, he still provides you with enough bass and atmospherics to get your feet moving and your brain rattling.

Sub Focus feat. Coco- Splash (Rusko Remix)