Mmmhmm! We’ve got four new tracks for you to download today that I think you’re going to love – I know I’m feeling them. Let me know which one is your favorite in the comments section.

J. Mars – Black Diamond Shamballas
J. Mars was a happy inbox discovery. This track is the first single released from the Delaware rappers new mixtape, The Reservation, which will be available February 4th.  Smooth beats and a nice flow – what more could you want? If the rest of it is half as good as this then it is worth your time.

Download: J. Mars – Black Diamond Shamballas

Emily Wells – Passenger
Emily Wells is another awesome new discovery.  The Indianapolis-based songwriter, performer and producers blends “classical instrumentation, folk rawness and hip-hop production” with honeyed vocals and stirring, pensive violin. Her latest album, which will be released on Partisan Records, is titled Mama and is set for a April 10th release.

Emily Wells – Passenger

Lower Dens – Brains
Jana Hunter fans will be delighted to hear the latest single from Lower Dens. The track, “Brains,” features a driving, locomotive rhythm and some woozy synths. It’s from her upcoming full-length Nootropics and is also available on a limited-edition 10″ vinyl which you can order from Ribbon.

Lower Dens – Brains

Dave & Marissa – Hit Like Waves
This one arrived courtesy of our friends at Tympanogram who pointed us in the direction of the latest four track EP by Rochester’s Dave & Marissa. Titled …Move On.  The first single is “Hit Like Waves” a sweet, clackety, acoustic rocker.  Hear more by Dave & Marissa on their Bandcamp page.

Dave & Marissa – Hit Like Waves

I’ll probably be experimenting with the formatting of the Single Servings posts for the next few weeks to find something I like. However, instead of featuring one new track per post, I’m planning on featuring a collection of new singles in each Single Serving post. I really really feel compelled to try to keep tings neat and orderly, so I may try to lump all the Soundcloud-hosted tracks into one Single Serving post, all of the Bandcamp tracks into the following Single Serving post, and then the free downloadable tracks into another. Anyways, if you have any feedback I encourage you to share.

This week we have four new tracks to share including a really sunny remix of Notorious B.I.G. by Viceroy and new singles by Andrew Bird, The Shins and Sleigh Bells.  Enjoy!

Notorious B.I.G. – Going Back To Cali (Viceroy “Jet Life” Remix)
I’ve come to accept that I’m not really a fan of remixes. That’s not to say I don’t like any remixes (there are plenty that I do like), but I’m very picky. This remix by “Summertime, All The Time” producer Viceroy hit that happy spot for me where a remix offers something new and upbeat without crossing the line from fun to cheesy.

Andrew Bird – Eyeoneye
Andrew Bird fans will be excited to hear that the man’s latest album, Break It Yourself, is scheduled for a March 6th release.  If you’re a huge Andrew Bird fan you’ll probably want to pick up one of the linen-wrapped limited edition box sets of the album before they are gone.  Limited to 1000 copies that include the record on vinyl and CD, a DVD of some early live performances of Break It Yourself material, a poster, a photo, and a stationary set.

The Shins – Simple Song
In case you missed it when it was released a few weeks ago, The Shins have released the first single off of their upcoming album. It’s titled “Simple Song” and it’s a welcome reminder of why we love The Shins so damn much.

Sleigh Bells – Comeback Kid
It’s been a hot minute since we heard from Sleigh Bells, but they are back with the single “Comeback Kid.” As you’d expect from Sleigh Bells, the track is bombastic, loud and strangely melodic.

I had recently fallen into a rabbit hole called Alt Summit (if you’ve been following me on Twitter, you may have noticed that I was tweeting up a storm about everything I was learning). I’ve crawled out from under white dresses, sparkles, stationary and balloons to tell you a story about embracing who you are. Not who you project out there, but who you really are, and might sometimes be embarrassed to admit to yourself. This blog post was supposed to a recap of what I’ve learned. And while I’m sure I’ll share bits and pieces here and there, this has turned into something else. A lengthier something else (plus a recipe for weeknight Spaghetti with Lemony Anchovy Sauce, so at least there’s something tasty for you to look forward to once you get to the end).

I had the pleasure of listening to a keynote speech by Gretchen Rubin, whose book, The Happiness Project, was inspired by her personal search for leading a happier life. I have not read the book, but her speech stayed with me. Part of it addressed a crucial need for accepting yourself. According to Gretchen, we all have an idea of who we want to be. Maybe you want to be an entertainer, or a Jill-of-All-Trades. Maybe you want to be an amazing cook or musician. Maybe you want to love high heels. Or you want to enjoy traveling. You might have spent a lot of time in your life trying to do these things. And maybe at some point, some of them made you happy.

But maybe you actually hate playing music or can’t stand the stress of traveling. It might be hard to admit, even to yourself, that this is the case. It’s painful, maybe even embarrassing. But being happy starts with being yourself 100%.

I’ve been thinking about this. What are the things I’ve been telling myself I am that I am not? And has this self deception actually had a negative effect on my happiness?

Are there things about yourself that you refuse to admit…even to yourself? Do you wish you could just come out and say them? Own them, even if they might not be cool, socially acceptable or morally bruising?

Since we’re being honest here, I’m going to tell you two things I recently admitted to myself that I’ve finally started to more openly share with people. I hate baseball (and American football, for that matter). And I don’t really like movies much (I’m really, really picky when it comes to spending 2 + hours sitting and watching something). I know that well rounded people should cheer on their home team and want to go see the Muppet Movie over Christmas. But you know what? I don’t! And I’m totally cool with it. I’d rather go for a long walk in the park, or take on a complicated cooking project. Or write. I think that, for a long time, I kind of didn’t want to admit this. Not even to myself.

But once I started talking about it, it felt like this huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders! I told Matt never to invite me to a baseball game. And now I’m pretty straightforward about it with all of our friends. It feels pretty great. I don’t have to feel guilty about it and I don’t have to make up excuses for myself or for other people.

Being honest with other people starts with being honest with yourself and whether or not it means you might be happier, I think it’s a better way to live. It was refreshing to listen to Gretchen’s talk. Even though there were points she made that I didn’t agree with, I’m glad I walked away from the conference with something really poignant. Being yourself doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to be better; it’s about accepting the things that make you unique and flying that flag proud.

I’ve noticed that I’ve been increasingly sharing more personal stuff with our readers. Whether it’s talking about family, my friends, hard transitions, awesome accomplishments, or scary new endevours, I’m glad that here, I’ve been totally myself. But sometimes I hold stuff back. Sometimes I’m a little scared to put something out there. But here’s another thing I learned at the conference that I’m going to keep telling myself over and over: you guys are here for a reason. And you want us to do well! You want my recipes to turn out well in your kitchen, and you want to play Matt’s mixtapes at your next party. The best days are still ahead, you guys.

Did you attend Alt? Did you follow the chatter on Twitter? Or have you just been thinking about this subject yourself? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments. xo

Spaghetti with Lemony Anchovy Sauce
adapted from Falling Cloudberries
*serves 2 as a main course, 3-4 as a first course

I know I haven’t talked much about this recipe, but truly, it’s a working woman/man kind of meal. It consists of a few simple ingredients, so be sure to make them good. Make your own pasta, or seek out the homemade stuff from your favorite grocer. Get the good anchovies. Use freshly ground black pepper. And don’t skimp on the butter. Don’t go crazy on the salt, as anchovies tend to be pretty salty already, but add some if you think the dish needs it.

fresh homemade pasta (preferably, spaghetti or capellini)
5 tablespoons of butter
8 anchovy fillets in oil
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
grated Parmesan cheese (for serving)
grated lemon zest from 1/2 of a lemon
juice from 1/2 lemon

finely chopped fresh basil, for sprinkling (optional)

1. Add 3 1/2 tablespoons of butter and the drained anchovies to a small saucepan over low heat. Stir the anchovies into the butter until they break apart.
2. Stir in the lemon zest and juice, then remove from the heat.
3. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the fresh pasta and cook until just cooked through (this should only take a few minutes if you are using fresh pasta). Drain the pasta in a colander, reserving some of the cooking water.
4. Put the spaghetti in a large bowl. Add the anchovy sauce and the remaining butter, along with just a tablespoon or so of cooking water. Toss the pasta until the sauce coats it. Serve the pasta with a sprinkling of freshly ground pepper, basil (if using) and plenty of grated Parmesan cheese.

Musical Pairings: Twilight Singers – She Loves You + Spaghetti with Lemony Anchovy Sauce

There’s more on the Turntable.

She Loves You opens with Dulli’s take on the Hope Sandoval & The Warm Inventions track “Feeling of Gaze.” The original is gentle, calming and ethereal with Sandoval’s vocals floating lightly atop a bed of orchestral strings. Dulli’s version pulls the track down to earth, stripping it down to an acoustic guitar melody and simple vocals. This version, which is also unsurprisingly more masculine, sounds at times loving, and at other times almost taunting. It’s followed by the Twilight Singers take on the Martina Topley-Bird (Tricky’s main collaborator on Maxinquaye) track “Too Tough To Die.” As you might guess from the title, the original was anything but gentle, but where the original was sparse, rubbery and menacing, Twilight Singers fill the empty spaces with snarling electric guitar turning it into a smoking rocker.

Another notable track is their recording of “Hyperballad” which probably shouldn’t work since Bjork is a difficult musician to emulate, and yet they pull it off with little effort. Dulli makes up for Bjork’s distinct vocals with his own purposeful drawl. By shifting the emphasis of specific lyrics, Dulli twists the narrative perspective of the song creating an almost unsettlingly sensual vibe when he murmurs “I imagine what my body would sound like slamming against those rocks.”

Although it is an altogether strong collection, one person favorite is Dulli & Company’s take on the traditional Appalachian folk song (at one point made famous by Nina Simone) “Black Is The Color of My True Love’s Hair.” It opens with a clockwork like rhythm and Dulli’s smooth croon, with the melody gradually unfolding, gradually building, so that when he sings “one day we’ll be as one” it sounds both passionate and obsessive.

Perhaps my least favorite cut on the album is their take on “Strange Fruit.” While Billie Holiday’s version of the song was melancholy and plaintive, the Twilight Singers’ version is almost uncomfortably sinister.

The album makes a great pairing for Kasey’s Spaghetti with Lemony Anchovy Sauce. Anchovies have long been considered aphrodisiacs, a fact whch balances beautifully off of the sexy groove of the album. The pasta also features strong flavors and makes a bold impression – something the Twilight Singers can undoubtedly relate to.

Twilight Singers – Black Is The Color Of My True Love’s Hair

Head back to the Kitchen to read Kasey’s recipe for Spaghetti with Lemony Anchovy Sauce. Then head to Insound where you can buy the album in formats other than vinyl (which is long sold out and very hard to find).

Arcade Fire – The Guns of Brixton (The Clash Cover)
Calexico – The Guns of Brixton (The Clash Cover)
Nouvelle Vague – The Guns of Brixton (The Clash Cover)

You know the drill, let me know which of these covers is your favorite in the comments section.

Fluffy, tender biscuits have been eluding me for years. You see, I’d find recipe after recipe, tweak here and there, in the hopes that I could recreate those towering, cracked rounds that I’d see in magazines and cookbooks. But they would never come out the way they looked in those images. Frustrated, I had given up on biscuits. Stupid things.

And then, one bright Saturday morning, they called out to me again. But this time, I had no expectations. I jumped in without hope, without fear. I chopped a hearty amount of fresh sage. I whisked my flour. I cut in my butter. I stirred in my homemade yogurt. Wearing a thick pair of socks and leisurely drinking coffee as I prepped, still in my pajamas, I worked in my kitchen at ease. Frankly, I didn’t care if my biscuits came out tender or fluffy or rose high. I just wanted a nice, warm, doughy bed for my morning eggs. Something to chew on. I’m like that with bread sometimes. It’s comfort: stale, crusty, crunchy, chewy, nutty, buttery, hearty, holey, flat, and thick. I threw the biscuits in the oven, without holding my breath. And that’s when they came out of the oven; the most beautiful biscuits I had ever created. They rose, they cracked, they stayed tender. They came out of nowhere, seemingly. As did this breakfast biscuit sandwich. My sophisticated version of the Egg McMuffin.

Trying to create perfection is a pretty hard thing. Us writers, photographers, designers, artists, crafters, and musicians know a thing or two about that. Sometimes you just want something that’s good enough for the moment. A brief satisfaction. I’m learning that there’s nothing wrong with that. To all the perfectionists out there: it’s worth noting that good enough can turn into something pretty damn good. So better to try again, than to close the door on past failures.

I just returned from an amazing gathering of creative people at the Alt Summit. The event was educational, exhilarating, thought-provoking, fun and absolutely inspiring. I’m looking forward to sharing my thoughts around it, but I’m still processing. In the meantime, you can check out my friend Tracy’s photo roundup.

Sage Biscuit Egg Sandwich
*makes 4-5 biscuits for 4-5 biscuit sandwiches

Note: I like to add barley flour to my baked goods because I find that it helps make my baked goods softer and more tender, and adds an element of whole grains without being ‘grainy.’ You can certainly replace the barley flour with regular flour (or whole wheat, if you don’t mind a tougher biscuit). Barley flour can be purchased from the bulk bin section at some grocery stores, and Bob’s Red Mill also makes it (you can find it at Whole Foods).

1/2 cup of all-purpose flour
1/2 cup of barley flour (sub all-purpose if you don’t have this kind of flour on hand)
1 tablespoon of finely chopped fresh sage
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of sugar
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1/4 teaspoon of salt
6 tablespoons of cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
6 tablespoons of plain yogurt
1 egg, lightly beaten, for brushing

4-5 poached eggs (Use the technique described here)
8 pieces of crispy bacon
salt and pepper, to taste

1. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, sage, baking powder, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Use a pastry blender to cut in the butter (or use your fingers) until the mixture has the texture of coarse meal.
3. Add the yogurt, and stir until the mixture forms into a dough. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead it gently a few times (don’t overwork the dough — you’ll end up with heavy, dense biscuits).
4. Add more flour to your work surface, if needed, and then flatten the ball of dough until it is about 3/4 – 1 inch thick. Use a biscuit cutter (or the open side of a glass) to cut out the biscuits. Flour the edges of your biscuit cutter so the dough doesn’t stick.
5. Combine the scraps and repeat the process of flattening the dough and cutting out the remaining rounds.
6. Transfer the rounds to a lined baking sheet and brush the tops of the biscuits with the whisked egg. Bake for about 12-15 minutes (until the tops are golden and the biscuits are cooked through).
7. To create the biscuit sandwiches: allow the biscuits to cool slightly. Then, carefully slice them in half. Break a few pieces of bacon (if using) in half and place on the bottom halves of the biscuits. Top each with a poached egg, season with salt and pepper, and cover with the biscuit top. Serve with extra pieces of bacon and fruit.

Musical Pairings: Quilt – Quilt + Sage Biscuit Egg Sandwich

Find the Pairing on the Turntable.

Quilt formed when Shane Butler, Anna Fox Rochinski and Taylor Mcvay met at School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Eventually, Mcvay left the band on amicable terms and was subsequently replaced by new drummer John Andrews. I used quotes earlier when referring to this self-titled release as their “debut” only because you can find some prior releases on the Internet if you try hard enough. Still, having done that research myself, it is hard to argue that this self-titled album is the perfect introduction to the band.

Their bio notes that Butler grew up in a “spiritual community with a lot of musical chanting” and Rochinski was “doing classical singing in choirs that had a lot of crazy harmonies.” Those experiences are readily apparent in the group’s music which often features three-part harmonies and virtually always features at least dual layered vocals to quietly intone each lyric. Butler’s background also explains the vague, but readily-apparent, spiritual aesthetic that permeates the length of the album. Balancing this against their wide-open, psychedelic ambiance and the stitched together, reverb-heavy instrumentation, Quilt produce a quasi-mystical psych-folk record flowing with shuffling rhythms and wind-swept soundscapes.

The album opener, “Young Gold,” creeps open with a steady and deliberate sway accompanied by a bright, technicolor glow that calls to mind a vividly colored 70′s film. It’s both cinematic and psychedelic. “Cowboys In The Void” burns with the bright, complexity of competing and layered, mantra-like harmonies and crisp, reverberating guitar riffs that waft smoke-like in the air.  Midway through, the track achieves full bloom with a chugging rhythm and the repetitive chanting of the lyrics “Left standing in the only void we know / No talking in the only void we know.”

In all, there is a certain timelessness to Quilt. It could have been a long lost 70′s underground classic, and yet it also sounds exactly like what you’d expect from a great Mexican Summer release from the year 2011. Still, although timeless, with the gentle, hushed vocals and feather-light melodies, the album strikes me as a good album for starting your day. It’s engaging and never confrontational. In other words, this is a great album to jam during breakfast/brunch. Which is why it is a great musical pairing for Kasey’s Sage Biscuit Egg Sandwich. That sandwich is buttery, fluffy and “OMG” good. Seriously, depending on your relationship with your food, it’s nearly a mystical experience itself.

So drop the needle on Quilt’s debut to get those grooves rolling, and then get your breakfast on. You’ll be glad you did.

Quilt – Cowboys In The Void by Mexican Summer

Head to the Kitchen to read the recipe for Kasey’s Sage Biscuit Egg Sandwich.  Then head to Insound to buy this slab of psychedelic groove on vinyl.

And you’ll hear that kinship to the hard-rocking bands of the 90′s alternative scene almost immediately. Album opener “No Future/No Past” unfurls with a deliberate and menacing coolness. Baldi’s sneering vocals are up front and centered in the mix as he slowly intones the lyrics while the track builds pace. By the end, his voice is scratched and full of discontent as he repeatedly growls: “no future / no past.”  It’s followed by the bombastic, growling “Wasted Days,” a stunning, nearly nine minute long rocker. Instrumentally, the track is grandly ambitious including a grungy bass riff, tight percussion and meandering guitar riffs, but the track finds its true power in Baldi’s vocals and straight-forwards lyrics, especially when he snarls: “I thought / I would / be more / than this.” By the end, Baldi is shredding his vocals in a way they’ll never recover from. It’s more than enough slacker angst to fill your cup until it runneth over. Meanwhile, “Fall In” alternates between a sturdy, almost Green Day-esque power pop chorus before ripping into a dangerously unsteady, punk-inspired verse.

“Stay Useless” is the album’s first single, and also represents the album’s most concise and hook-laden slice of power-pop. It’s simply oozing with rubbery, reverberating guitar riffs and crashing percussion. “Separation” is a explosive, sharply vibrant instrumental featuring angular guitars and shatter-shot percussion. “No Sentiment” bounces across a sludgy, slow bass groove and a razor-sharp guitar freak out.

The bottom line is that the album is just damn good.

MP3: Cloud Nothings – Stay Useless

Wasted Days by Carpark Records

Visit Insound to pre-order this on vinyl and receive an exclusive Cloud Nothings poster with your order.

Twenty-twelve is already off to a strong start in terms of good music. Although there haven’t been a lot of great albums yet (after all we are only a few weeks in), there have been a host of intriguing singles popping up left and right. If these singles are a sign of what’s to come this year, then my prediction is that 2012 is going to be a great year for music. Not everything here was released in 2012 – some of these tracks have been floating around for months even – but now just felt like a good time to get them out there.

Turntable Kitchen :: January 2012 Mix (.zip file)

01. White Rabbits – Heavy Metal
02. La Sera – Please Be My Third Eye
03. The Record Company – Don’t Let Me Get Lonely
04. Mux Mool – Palace Chalise
05. Nicolas Jaar – With Just One Glance
06. Grimes – Genesis
07. Of Montreal – Dour Percentage
08. James Blake – A Case Of You (Joni Mitchell Cover)
09. Machinedrum x Azealia Banks – NEEDSUMLUV (SXLND)
10. Tayyib Ali – Shit I Know (feat. Rockie Fresh)
11. Andrew Collberg – Dirty Wind
12. Night Beats – Puppet on a String
13. Frankie Rose – Know Me
14. Newtimers – January Love
15. Last American Buffalo – Yucca Bacatta
16. Future Twin – Yuka
17. Shigeto – Huron River Drive
18. heRobust – Facebook Lift
19. Halina Larsson – Fires and French Horns

Picture used courtesy of Creative Commons license via Aubry Aragon.

Kari was a short Jewish girl with a laugh you can’t forget. In fact, I’m not particularly good with faces so the second time I met Kari it was her laugh that I recognized. And she laughed a LOT. Kari was a bad-ass, especially when it came to subjects like art and music. She always had some amazing new band she had discovered. And I tend to think that I’m not an easy person to upstage when it comes to new music discoveries, yet she did it all the time. She was simply one of the coolest people I’d ever met. One of my favorite memories from college was sitting on the floor in Kari’s room, just the two of us, over-analyzing the sequencing of a mixtape a friend had made her. We’d chain smoke (a bad habit we both shared at that time), and she’d say things like: “See, I love this Cursive song, but placing it after this Atmosphere track is just wrong.”  Then she’d laugh.  Later, after a better pairing she’d close her eyes and say: “Oh, I like how he did that there.” And then she’d laugh again.

I loved making mixtapes for Kari.  I made one for her every time I’d visit. And she almost always had a new one for me too. They weren’t the types of mixtapes you made for a romantic interest. Our relationship wasn’t like that. Instead they were like conversations packed full of inside references for music geeks. She could be a tough judge, and she’d tell you exactly what she thought about everything from the sequencing to the song selection. But the closest we ever got to a real disagreement was over Broken Social Scene (she thought Your Forgot It In People was boring, and I thought it was awesome). More often, though, we were in pretty near agreement. Not only had we’d both liked Radiohead’s Amnesiac, for example, but had bonded over the fact that we both especially loved “Pulk/Pull Revolving Doors,” which we suspected most people thought of as a throw-away. She’d introduced me to Sage Francis, Bright Eyes, Atmosphere and, later on, The Black Keys.

Her birthday would have been this Friday. Sadly, Kari’s life was cut short in a car accident several years ago. I still think about her pretty often, especially when listening to music. For example, I think Kari would have loved James Blake, The Weeknd, Watch The Throne, and Beirut, and so I think about her when I listen to those bands. She liked her music to bump and to be filled with emotion.

Another band I think she’d have really loved is The National. She had a lot of Cincy-pride, and would have been thrilled to see a band from Cincinnati become so popular in the indie world. I think she’d have especially loved their second album Sad Songs For Dirty Lovers (which was released before her death, but only became popular after). She would have especially liked it because she loved it when singers tore their vocal chords to shreds when emoting a lyric like Matt Berninger does on “Murder Me Rachel” and “Available.” But more importantly, she just liked good music. So, in honor of her birthday, I’m dedicating this pairing to her.

And I think the album is a great pairing for Kasey’s Vegan Chipotle-Chocolate Truffles. The album, like the truffles, can alternate between being vegan and being velvety; between being clean and being spicy and rough. Both have bold, strong flavors, and if nothing else, both pair great with a glass of good red wine.

The National – Lucky You

Head to the Kitchen to read Kasey’s recipe for Vegan Chipotle-Chocolate Truffles.  Then go to Insound to buy Sad Songs For Dirty Lovers on vinyl.