you better let the mind go

Twin Atlantic – Heart and Soul

If you’ve been wishing that someone would blend the sounds of “Get Free” by The Vines and “Sowing the Seeds of Love” by Tears for Fears, then Twin Atlantic has got you covered. A bulk of the song is powered by a level of testosterone that can only come from a group of young men, but the chorus has that shiny-happy Beatlesesque gloss of the late 80s/early 90s (and the video to match).

please please me oh yeah

Fifty years ago The Beatles released their debut album and the world of rock and roll was forever changed. To mark the occasion, we thought we’d share our favorite songs from the record.

Please Please Me

The harmonies. The edge to John’s “come on”s. The perfect balance of rock and pop.
Check out this live video to see some of the charisma our favorite foursome exuded at the height of their fame.

Love Me Do

A little bit bluesier and subdued with a not-so-subtle nod to the Everly Brothers.

Twist and Shout

Yes, it’s a cover, but goddamn if it’s not one of the best. We all wait for that “woo!” and we’ve all pretended to be Ferris Bueller at some point. The raw quality of John’s vocals abutting the sweetness of Paul and George’s backup efforts is incredible.

Baby It’s You

I almost didn’t include this as it’s another cover, but it’d be a lie to leave it out. There’s something so sad about it that I can’t help but love it. Damn you, Burt Bacharach!

I Saw Her Standing There

What a way to open a record. This is one of my favorites not just on Please Please Me, but of The Beatles’ entire catalog. If you can sit still through this song, I’m concerned that you’re not actually hearing it.

If you’ve got half an hour, go ahead and listen to the whole album:

yo la hannukah mix by yoni wolf of why?

WHY? is a weird, weird band, and that’s why I dig them. I first encountered them when a coworker at the public library I worked at in college gave me Elephant Eyelash and was surprised to find it was nothing like I’d ever heard. M|H has been featuring WHY?’s work over the years and when we saw they were coming to town to play a free show at the Sett in Union South with Astronautalis and Dream Tiger we jumped on the chance to have them make us a mixtape, and WHY? founder Yoni Wolf passed along his Yo La Hannukah mix to us. Be sure to check out WHY?’s website for more tour dates, videos, and Yoni’s blog.

Yo La Hannukah

01| I Shall Be Released by Bob Dylan

02| True Love Will Find You in the End by Daniel Johnston

03| Lady May by Michael Wolf

04| Prince Song by Dump

05| Wonderwall (Oasis Cover) by Cat Power

06| Blimps Go 90 by Guided By Voices

07| Kids Party by Chris Morris

08| Tears of Rage by The Band

09| Hide Your Love Away by The Beatles

10| Among Those Killed in the Dawn Raid Was a Man Aged a Hundred by Dylan Thomas

11| 8 Million Stories by A Tribe Called Quest

12| Money Trees (feat. Jay Rock) by Kendrick Lamar

13| Nice Train by The Donkeys

14| What’s Up Freaks? by Fog

15| Ol’ English by The Game

16| Bad Religion by Frank Ocean

17| Night at the Knight School by Thee More Shallows

18| Figaro (101 Remix) by Madvillain

19| Hit by Guided By Voices

20| I Like Dat by Lil’ Wayne

21| Minha Galera by Manu Chao

22| Nehadar Zéytkéwen by Teweide Redda

23| Deny Deny Deny by Hood

24| Tshitua Fulia Mbuloba by Kasai Allstars

25| Long Ears by Serengeti

26| On a Good Day by Joanna Newsom

27| Song One by cLOgs

28| Elevators by Outkast

29| Dying Crapshooter’s Blues by Blind Willie McTell

30| Mermaids by Liz Hodson

31| Queston by May Swenson

32| I Shall Be Released by The Band

33| Grave Robbers by Mount Eerie, Julie Doiron, Fred Squire