At Road 2 Nowhere one of my many aims is to share awesome remixes with anyone who will listen, it’s a series I call Mix-tastic! On with the mixes!

Animal (The Crookers remix) – Miike Snow

There is little to know out there in the intertubes on this Miike Snow entity. The Miike Snow myspace page is incredibly minimalistic, featuring only a large bunny with antlers silhouette and the myspace the music player, with several fun offerings, including this track, and the original.

The Crookers, on the other hand, are quickly becoming a household name, well at least within certain demographics. They still cannot seem to secure a page on Wikipedia though. This remix is a little different from The Crookers, as it lacks that super thick base we’re accustomed to hearing from the Italian pair, but that doesn’t mean it lacks funky rhthyms! The track has a subdued base line and dancable percusions that perfectly acompany Miik Smow’s vocals. A track well worth the download!

Infinity 2008 – Guru Josh Project

The Guru Josh Project website describes its members as “three people who have a love for electronic music and old school 90 rave music…” who want to “…bring back the magic of the 90’s dance scene with a fresh and up to date new sound”. From listening to Infinity 2008 I believe that they are in fact bringing back the magic. Once this track finds it’s way onto your mp3 player there is so going back. The addictive tune finds it way to the front of the playlist to make you dance, late 90s style.

The remake of Guru Josh’s 1989 single,Infinity, has a fresh feel while maintaining just enough nostalgia for those of us who remember 1989. There’s no word on any future projects by these 3, though they each have independent efforts in the works.

I just got home, and the house is empty… I though Perfect would be here, but he’s not. It’s feeling a little lonely in our tiny apartment, and I’m not sure what to do with myself. I guess I’ll find some music for feeling lonely to, and share it with you!

Four Ton Mantis – Amon Tobin

The image of the great Mantis weighing four tons created by Amon Tobin’s instrumental piece, Four Ton Mantis, is that of powerful, strong and scary creature, but at his core, he is lonely,Very lonely. The Mantis had no one to travel the Earth with, no one to share his experiences with, no one to tell his stories to. He is searching for something, anything to fill the void in his soul, as the screams of terror follow in his wake.  At least that’s my interpretation of the song.

From Amon Tobin’s turn of the century album, Supermodified, the track showcases Tobin’s originality. The track paints a full picture of a gigantic insect terrorizing the city streets with his sampling and mixing. It has been nearly two years since Tobin’s last release, but watch for new stuff from the Brazillian electronic musician early 2009, as he’s been working with Doubleclick, together as Two Fingers.

Another Lonely Day – Ben Harper

This track has been breaking my heart for over 12 years now. From Ben Harper’s 1995 debut album, Fight for Your Mind, the song strays from the politically driven album to tell the sad story of a breakup, and the heartbreak that goes with it. The song is simple, with just Harper’s vocals and acoustic guitar, but it is powerful, ripe with emotion to keep you company at times like these.

Ben Harper hasn’t released anything official since 2007 either, but you can find him playing with Tom Freund on Last Call with Carson Daly from earlier this week, and watch for him on the festival circuit next spring, he already has a few dates listed on his myspace page.

I hope Perfect comes home soon!

I Got You Dancing – Lady Sovereign

After a month away from home, I’m back in step with my usual routines, which includes be-bopping at my desk to Annie Mac’s Mashup via the listen again feature. This week she expressed her surprise at how decent Lady Sovereign’s new track is… I’ll admit, it’s a good one, and I’m surprised too! Lady Sovereign is offering this track as a free bonus to fans as we wait for her to put the finishing touches on the new album,  Jigsaw, which is due out in April.

I’ve noticed an interesting phenomenon here in Peru: Latin America has a certain selection of North American entertainment that didn’t make it to the masses back home (or at least, I’ve never heard of them). For example, I watched the film The House of the Spirits last night, it’s a star studded (Jeremy Irons, Meryl Streep, Glenn Close, Winona Ryder, and Antonio Banderas), fairly decent drama from 1993. The Bille August film follows the lives of a Chilean family, ending during the 1973 military coup d’état. I enjoyed the movie because of the incredible cast, the beautiful filmography, and the unexpected history lesson.

No Hay Egual – Nelly Furtado

Nelly Furtado, a talented musician from one of my favourite Canadian cites, Victoria, also snuck one by my with her 2006 Spanish release of the single No Hay Igual. Timberland produced this very dancable, fresh track with a latin flare (beyond the Spanish lyrics), as he did the full album Loose, which this track was released on. My exposure to this track was from MTV Latin America. The video was filmed in Puerto Rico with Reggaeton artist René Pérez (from Calle 13). Enjoy:

Note: I wrote this post, and the next one in Peru this past month, but was unable to post them at the time. I’m now back safe and sound in North America. Needless to say, the New Years show mentioned below has come and gone.

I have been in Lima, Peru for the past 2 weeks. I’ve been having an amazing time! The people are amazing, and I have seen so many brilliant things. I’m sadened to admit that my trip here is already half over. But there is one thing about Peru that is driving me banana sandwich… the coffee! As a complete Pacific Northwest coffee addict, I am finding it difficult to adjust to the coffee culture, or the lack thereof, here in Peru.

Lima dosen’t quite have as many Starbucks’ as Vancouver does, but it doesn’t take very long to find one, but they do not provide the same coffee experience as at home. The fresh brew is weak, and there is no cream, just milk or evaporated milk. On occasion if you ask for an americano con leche, you get a lovely, strong caffinated delight, but at other times the use evaporated milk instead of hot water… in the same cafe! What the ef is that about?

This morning I ordered an americano con leche at a new cafe and the added two spoonfuls of sugar without asking me. I was annoyed and thought the act was terribly presumptuous. Perfect says I should respect the culture. Either way, the lack of a proper coffee by my humble standards, is starting to make me mean.

I don’t want no sugar in my coffee
Makes me mean, it makes me mean
I don’t want no sugar in my coffee
Makes me mean, makes me mean

Sugar in my Coffee – Big Sugar

From Big Sugar’s 1994 album, Five Hundred Pounds, this track certainly embodies how I feel right now in classic Big Sugar style. This great Canadian band blends Blues and Reggae influences into a rocking, unique sound. I have long loved Big Sugar, and recommend anything that they put out during their decade recording together. If you are going to be in Edmonton this New Year’s Eve, check out Gordie Johnson and Mr. Chill play Big Sugar favourites with The Trews! Click link for more details.

And here is the cream of 2008… in my very humble opinion.

5. Dance, Dance, Dance – Lykke Li

The young and beautiful Lykke Li released her debut album Youth Novels early in 2008, which was met with great fanfare through the blogosphere, which had been primed with the early release of Dance, Dance, Dance. In the song Lykke Li claims that her dancing hips lie and she is actually terribly shy. I love how wonderfully unique, catchy and adorable this tune is.

4. Sleepy Head – Passion Pit

I wrote about this track as one of those fabulous crooked trees, those fabulous tracks that are both strange and wonderful. Passion Pit independently released Sleepy Head early in the year, which resulted in multiple labels vying for the artist to sign with them. In the end, Frenchkiss Records won out, and the album Chunk of Change was released in mid September.

3. Walking on a Dream – Empire of the Sun

The Empire of the Sun are a diversely talented pair from Australia. I posted about their haunting track Country earlier this year, but neglected to tell you about their ridiculously catchy, soon to be pop classic Walking on a Dream (I wouldn’t doubt that you heard about it anyways!). It took a couple of listens for this track to sink into my psyche, but it didn’t take long before I was searching through the tracks on my mp3 player so that I could hear this gem again.

2. Electric Feel – MGMT

The young pair from Brooklyn dropped an amazing album on the scene with help from The Flaming Lips producer, Dave Fridmann. Oracular Spectacular contains several stand out tracks that made MGMT one of the top bands of 2008. While I adore the majority of the album, Electric Feel is the stand out track that I listen to over and over. Sadly, I didn’t get around to posting about MGMT this year, but I’m excited to post about their future offerings.

1. Day ‘N’ Nite (Crookers Remix) – Kid Cudi

This song isn’t even officially out yet, it’s set to hit the shelves January 13th, 2009. But, I have the satisfaction in knowing that I posted about it 8 months ago. This killer track earns my top spot in this year’s best of list with the fresh, thick sound that The Crookers bring to the up and coming rapper Kid Cudi, aka. The Man on the Moon.

8. A-Punk – Vampire Weekend

Vampire Weekend hit the scene hard this year. The blogosphere was all over them early this year, then the rest of the world caught on as their became Rolling Stone’s newest sweethearts. Even I listed their catch tune, Campus, as one of my Top 10 Tracks ever. The blending of Western and African influences gives Vampire Weekend a unique style that is hard to ignore.  Their self-titled debut album has so many great tracks that it’s difficult to choose one as the best.  A-Punk is an upbeat and fun, with lyrics worthy of analysis. Move over Peter Gabriel and Paul Simon, the new breed African fusion has arrived!

7. Dreamer – Jenn Grant

I have given Jenn Grant quite a lot of attention here on the Road 2 Nowhere this year. While I love her entire album Orchestra for the Moon from start to finish, Dreamer remains my favourtie track on the record. Its  stunningly beautiful instrumentations and Jenn’s flawless vocals, singing such scrumptious lyrics as:

On a date by a chocolate lake
Down by the rotary
Past town at the edge
Looking down at butterflies

Makes Dreamer one of my Top 10 Tracks of 2008.

6. Great DJ – The Ting Tings

The Ting Tings got a mention on the Road 2 Nowhere with reference to their catchy pop tune Shut Up and Let Me Go being featured on an iPod commercial. After releasing several singles, the band finally released their first full length album, We Started Nothing, in May 2008. Great DJ holds the spot as my favourtive track on the record. It has everything that a great pop tune should have, while maintaining the requisite level of hipness, making it one of the most catchy and lovable tunes of 2008.

11. I’m Not Going to Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance With You – Black Kids

After the flurry of attention these 5 musicians from Florida received from their appearance at the Athens Popfest in 2007, the Black Kids released their debut album in early April 2008 with the upbeat, fun, and slightly gender bending track I’m Not Going to Teach Him How to Dance with You as the first single. The band is touring through Australia in January and in the UK with the Kaiser Chiefs in February and early March 2009. Let me know about the show if you get the change to go.

10. Shinny Love – Bon Iver

Bon Iver got a mention in my Mustache post earlier this year. The creation of the album, For Emma, Forever Ago, is an example of how much one person can complete on their own, specially today with the wide range of technology the average person has available. Justin Vernon spent 3 months in a remote cabin in northern Wisconsin writing and recording this album. He later self-released the record, which lead to the label Jagjaguwar signing the artist and re-releasing the album in late February 2008. Bon Iver has a new EP, called Blood Bank, set to be released in less that 2 weeks, which is on my “Must Check Out” list for sure!

9. Strawberry Swing – Coldplay

I wrote about Coldplay earlier this year when I finally broke down and bought their new album Vida La Vida.  Strawberry Swing remains my favourite track from the beautiful album. From its oriental sounding beginning to the souring sounds of Coldplay’s brilliant interplay of soft rhythms and guitar to Chris Martin singing “Its such a perfect day” in a way that makes you look around and recognize that in fact today is actually a perfect day.