I was about to add Soko’s I’ll Kill Her and Robyn’s Cry When You Get Older but I opted to cancel them. Just in case you might think I’m not taking heartbreak seriously.

If you’ve got anything to say about this mix, tell me! I’d love to hear from you!

♫ Elephants - Rachel Yamagata

♫ About Today - The National

♫ I Don’t Feel It Anymore (Song of the Sparrow) - William Fitzsimmons

♫ I Will Follow You Into The Dark - Death Cab for Cutie

♫ Idiot Heart - Sunset Rubdown

♫ Postcards from Italy - Florence and the Machine (Beirut cover)

♫ Breathe Me - Sia

♫ Somebody That I Used To Know - Gotye feat. Kimbra

♫ Wicked Game - James Vincent Morrow (Chris Isaak cover)

♫ Beth/Rest - Bon Iver (Solo Piano version from NPR World Cafe)

♫ How Can You Mend A Broken Heart - Al Green ft. Joss Stone

♫ I Am Leaving - Blue Roses

♫ I Heard Love Is Blind - Amy Winehouse

♫ I Thought I Saw Your Face Today - She & Him

♫ Skinny Love - Bon Iver

Happy Valentine’s day everyone!

I guess this post is to commemorate my return to music blogging eh? As promised, this is my V-day Playlist for 2012. It took me the whole day to sort the songs–both old and new. And no, this won’t be all folk or all pop songs. It’s a menagerie of songs with different tunes but all pertaining to one emotion–and that is of being in love.

I’m getting a bit rusty at music curating (or maybe I didn’t really have the talent for it?)  But nonetheless, you’ll find something for yourself in this list. I’m posting 2 more Valentine’s mixes later (if my internet connection improves). I have yet to hook up to a direct download link, so in the meantime, just click the songs on a new tab and download them!

Reactions to this mix? Yay or nay? Tell me what you think about it!

♫ Bloom – The Paper Kites

♫ Something About You Girl – Tahiti 80

♫ Ágætis Byrjun - Sigur Rós

♫ My Favorite Book – Stars

♫ Falling In Love At A Coffee Shop – Landon Pigg

♫ Let’s Get Lost – Beck and Bat for Lashes

♫ Digital Love – Daft Punk

♫ Love 2 Love – Damage

♫ She’s Got You High – Mumm-Ra

♫ Music Sounds Better With You – Stardust (Eat More Cake Remix)

♫ Flightless Bird, American Mouth - Iron and Wine

♫ Figure 8 - Lovers

♫ Make You Feel My Love - Adele

♫ Edge of Desire - John Mayer

♫ I and Love and You - The Avett Brothers

♫ With A Girl Like You - The Troggs

♫ Two Doves – Dirty Projectors

♫ It’s Only Time - The Magnetic Fields

♫ Don’t Break My Heart – Kate Walsh

♫ Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow – Amy Winehouse

♫ One Evening – Feist

♫ You Make My Dreams – Hall & Oats

♫ Let’s Stay Together – Margie Joseph

♫ First Day of My Life – Bright Eyes

♫ Somebody Loved – The Weepies

Image by Mango Red

James Appleton

Dig IN! ^_^

When shoelaces grow like grass

Rhythmic and hypnotic.

Splash by Graham Dunn

Is it too late for me to profess my undying love for these two artists? Of two different musical eras but the lo-fi underground rock of Bill Callahan and Cotton Jones’ folk/indie pop unusually mesh well for me tonight.
If you haven’t given their music a listen, then I NAG you to do so!

♫ Bill Callahan – Baby’s Breath

♫ Cotton Jones – How To Keep It Going

Cults, along with April 16th’s Record Store Day event, will be releasing 1000 limited edition 7” etched vinyl’s of ‘You Know What I Mean’ through all participating independent record stores. This vinyl is odd the highly awaited debut album of the duo (to be released 30th of May) via In The Name Of / Columbia Records. Preview this dreamy track below!

SICK.

Summer may call for something more upbeat – but when I yearn for more ambient minimalism, there’s alway’s Peter Broderick to play for me. His music may not be for everyone but I just want to let you all know that is How They Are is a great album and wonderfully created. If you want to hear his music best, make sure you’re alone.

♫ Peter Broderick – Sideline

♫ Peter Broderick – With A Key

Great music (and your messages) make me want to grab an umbrella and do it Marry Poppins style.

Back in 2008 to 2009 when I have but little experience with blogging, listening to music and the science of uploading music altogether, I started this blog on the Blogger platform (since it was so hot that time). Named it “Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk” at first from a Rufus Wainwright song the to “Cosmic Bean” and then settled with this (cause i like the shortcut TBT*). You think, “Why is this woman talking about the history of the blog, we want music damn it!”. Sorry but I’m running this show so stay or go. Going back to May 2008, the time I started this blog I think of all the nights I stayed up trying to comprehend how to make links, creating banners for the blog and all that incomprehensible stuff you give a website/blog developer.

But slowly, after joining elbo.ws my eyes opened up to the wonderful world of indie music. Before, the only indie artists I knew was Tracy Chapman and Imogen Heap, and they weren’t even under the indie genre then. Then I made friends with fellow bloggers who were kind enough to help me out and learn the ways of the music blogger. THEN after that YOU. It’s amazing how music connects people. From all walks of life. I’m always taken aback when someone tells me they like a certain song I posted that I used to have no other person to share it’s greatness with. Those moments always get me. Yes, all of you people, faceless, mostly nameless people who visit my blog despite the lack of updates. So I hope you hang on. Cause damn it, you know I’ll miss you all if you won’t be around when I’ll REALLY be back.  :)

♫ Slow Hands by Interpol
♫ Infinity Hands by Sleigh Bells
♫ Tiger (feat Aku) by Maximum Balloon
♫ The Skin Of My Yellow Country Teeth by Clap Your Hands and Say Yeah
♫ Ce Jeu by Yelle
♫ Dorothy by SoShy
♫ Come To Me by Koop
♫ Jakey Ryan by Summer Camp
♫ About A Girl (Nirvana cover) by Cibo Matto
♫ Rebel Rebel (feat. Grace Nocturnal) by Tegan and Sara
♫ Concrete Sounds by Pinback
♫ 1995 by The Radio Department

DOWNLOAD ♫

Smell some fresh Sweden meatballs! Swedish songstress, Lykke Li releases her new single Get Some, and the b-side, titled Paris Blue, to promote her upcoming release. Go to her site for your copy of both songs and more album info.

♫ Lykke Li – Get Some
♫ Lykke Li – Paris Blue

Expect the best, plan for the worst, and prepare to be surprised.

♫ The Lucksmiths – A Hiccup In Your Happiness
♫ Final Fantasy – This is the Dream of Win Regine
♫ Explosions In The Sky – Your Hand In Mine (with Strings)
♫ Paolo Nutini – Autumn
♫ Iron and Wine – Fever Dream
♫ Scala & Kolacny Brothers – Creep (Radiohead Cover)
♫ Vienna Teng – Harbor

Appearances include that of Bon Iver’s (around 27 minutes), Nikki Minaj (with her fake accent in the intro) and much more. Black dinner with white food service people. It isn’t subliminally indicated but, the dramatic theatrics is something. Your thoughts?

I love the freshness of the track.  And video befits the easy vibe of the song.

♫ Best Coast – Boyfriend

Extra cheese to the fries:

♫ Best Coast – When I’m With You
♫ Best Coast – This Is Real

Crazy For You is out via Mexican Summer.

This Weeklies features Coleen, 2Am Club, Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, Lil Wayne, Yolanda Be Cool, Casa De Miro, Jay Z, Notorious BIG, and Vitalic. Couldn’t get any more varied than that!

“Passion is passion. It’s the excitement between the tedious spaces, and it doesn’t matter where it’s directed. It can be coins or sports or politics or horses or music or faith … The saddest people I’ve ever met in life are the ones who don’t care deeply about anything at all.”

♫ Coleen – Ritournele
♫ Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross – Pieces Form The Whole
♫ 2AM Club – Worry About You
♫ Casa Del Mirto – Jacket And Shoes
♫ Lil Wayne – Bill Gates
♫ Yolanda Be Cool – Afro Nuts (DCUP remix)
♫ Jay-Z & Notorious B.I.G. – Allure (Ratatat Remix)
♫ Cheap Thrills – Teach Me ow To Dubstep
♫ Vitalic – Chicken Lady

The indie electronica duo The Hundred Islands has released 2 really well conceptualized music videos. I’ve just come across them while checking out Disco Naivete (drop by when you can), and I’m telling you, these two are something to watch out. The vocals of Eleanor Everdell paired with some great instrumental accompaniment (drums, electric guitar, clapping hands) courtesy of the other half Jason Friedman catapulted the group into the inevitable limelight. They have released the album this September 2010 and although it didn’t blow up as all of the other plans as expected, I still think everyone should get a chance to listen to their stuff! It’s really good, I have to tell you. And if you want more, there’s a video for their track ‘Pigeons’ below! Download the tracks below. Go to their site and sign up for their newsletter and get some free mp3s from the album!

DOWNLOAD

♫ The Hundred In The Hands – Pigeons
♫ The Hundred In The Hands – Sleepwalkers
♫ The Hundred In The Hands – Dressed In Dresden
♫ The Hundred In The Hands – Gigantic Tom Tom

You be the judge on this Good Friday from Kanye West. Beatboxing with some hardcore reppin. Your thoughts?

♫ Kanye West – Take One For The Team (feat. Keri Hilson, Pusha T, Cyhi The Prince)

♫ Chief – Night and Day | Chief’s Myspace

I don’t know any smiling face that wasn’t beautiful – Anonymous

♫ Memphis – I’ll Do Anything You Want

I paid attention to The National on the early half of 2007. What a treat was that year, musically speaking. Their album, Boxer, came out that year and introduced me to really good alternative rock. And I didn’t like their music because it was all the rage, but it really was great music. Their sound is unique and feel good. And I believe the universe conspired to get me to have a first listen of the group from the best album they ever had (up until now in my opinion). Boxer really was good, and the song Fake Empire was epic. I won’t post the song cause I think literally any true blue music fan will have come across that song way back. Here’s 3 tracks from them ‘m sure you like, the dreamy Lemonworld from their self titled debut released by Brassland Records in 2001, the romantic Start A War still from Boxer, released last May 2007 and the melancholic So Far Around The Bend from the collaborative effort of artists, the album Dark Was The Night. Oh wait, I also tossed in the collaboration with St. Vincent, Sleep All Summer. Now it’s your time to share – do you have a favorite band/artist that gets BETTER WITH TIME? Leave the names in the comments, I’ll make sure to share them if I too find them aging like wine.

♫The National – Start A War

♫ The National – Lemonworld

♫ The National – So Far Around The Bend

♫ The National feat St. Vincent – Sleep All Summer

Its not new but it certainly evokes a spitting image of a scene from Skins. Yes. Miike Snow at his best.

♫ Miike Snow – Song For No One