Instead of the usual “Three for Thursday” shtick, I’m caving and giving just “Two for Thursday.” Don’t feel you’re getting short-shrifted though! One of these almost made me cry!
Emotion! Beauty! Music! Bybe gives you all the sustenance you need for life. And we’ll make you pancakes the morning after!
Gold Panda – Marriage
I have championed this British glitch breakout on Bybe before and The Guardian recently awarded his debut Lucky Shiner their “2010 First Album Award.” Here we have one of the prettiest tracks off that album, “Marriage.” The track is a lovely bit, softer than many of the tracks on the record, but with lots of that same repetition, interweaving and “skip” that defines the glitch sound. It doesn’t build up so much as simply sway and the sound laps up and gently washes over the listener. I especially love the sample of an airplane swooshing overhead that shows up in a few places; it really typifies the feeling of being swaddled rather than engulfed. With instrumental tracks, I don’t know whether the feeling dictates the track’s name or the name dictates the feeling. It’s too late to distinguish now, but “Marriage” this is.
Marriage from Gold Panda on Vimeo.
The video itself is gorgeous. It is simple, yet powerful because it is so personal. Faces and Chinese paper lanterns in pretty, pretty places. Smiles, laughter, cut-aways… seeing ones breath in the winter air. A single tear began to form in my eye as I watched this, and though it never grew large enough to escape and roll down my cheek, it is still a testament to how utterly beautiful this video is and what an apropos accompaniment to the song it makes.
Phantogram – When I’m Small
Anyone who has spent more than 10 minutes talking music with me has probably enjoyed suffered through a conversation about my bottomless love for Phantogram. “When I’m Small” is a standout off their debut album Eyelid Movies and one of the easier songs to dance to. (I dance to them all, but I’ve noticed at shows that I’m the minority there.) Simple and fun. Though you can’t see it here, I watched the band grow quite a bit over the past year, really coming into their own and even getting Questlove to drum with them on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.
I can’t decide if I love or hate this video. Sarah dances around a lot, but Josh seems to be doing the hipster “I’m crossing my arms and not dancing” bit when he’s not shown with his guitar. And the “people at different depths in the shot not looking at the camera” thing? That strikes me of South Park’s Faith+1. Whatever, though. I love the song and now I have another excuse to talk about Phantogram with you, so there.
bybe 
