Good tidings! The Noise Pop Podcast got you a gift - a reprieve from the same old holiday music you hear every season. We've assembled our favorite alternative Christmas songs and put them together in a mix that covers the full range of emotions the holidays can bring on. Put this mix on while you're bundled up next to a fire or unwrapping presents. Happy holidays and we'll see you in 2014 

Tracklist

1. "Lumberjack Christmas / No One Can Save You From Christmases Past" -- Sufjan Stevens, Silver & Gold
2. "Christmas in Prison" -- John Prine, A John Prine Christmas
3. "A Change at Christmas (Say It Isn't So)" -- The Flaming Lips, Ego Tripping At The Gates of Hell EP
4. "I Wish It Was Christmas Today" -- Julian Casablancas, Single
5. "Everything Is One Big Christmas Tree" -- The Magnetic Fields, Realism
6. "Christmas Card From A Hooker In Minneapolis" -- Tom Waits, Used Songs
7. "It's Christmas Now" -- The Wearing, Single
8. "Merry Christmas (I Don't Want To Fight Tonight)" -- The Ramones, Brain Drain
9. "Green Grows The Holly" -- Calexico, Holidays Rule
10. "Just Like Christmas" -- Low, Christmas
11. "King Knight" -- Salem, King Night

The episode where we give thanks to the songs that got away. This is a mix dedicated to the best tracks of the year that flew under the radar. Sometimes they were quietly old acts in new clothes, other times they were brand new artists, regardless of the reason these songs are stellar and were sorely underrepresented in the blogosphere and hype machine. This mix also acts as a sort of best track of the year (b-side) mix. So get ready for the season of ‘best of…”

Tracklist:

1. “That Awful Sound” -- Jackson Scott, Melbourne

2. “Get It” -- Run The Jewels, Run The Jewels

3. “Mean Streets” -- Tennis, Small Sound EP

4. “Bathroom Laughter” -- Pissed Jeans, Honeys

5. “Living Lens” -- Mountains, Centralia

6. “On Fraternity” -- Dead Girlfriends, Stop Pretending EP

7. “Ego” -- Mr. Carmack, single

8. “Kerou’s Lament” -- Ellery James Roberts, single

9. “Sin Guia No” -- Juana Molina, Wed 21

10. “Dreamy Summer” - Moonface, Julia With Blue Jeans On

Maybe it's the fact that the holidays are approaching and people start to think about love, but this episode is full of buzzy new songs that seem to be about the varying stages of love or heartbreak. From Sky Ferreira's You're Not the One to an emotional cut from Mutual Benefit's Love's Crushing Diamond, this playlist ushers what can be the most lovely/cruel season of the year.

Track list:

1. "Tropical Oceans" -- DD Dumbo, DD Dumbo 
2. "Feel My Pain" -- Kurt Vile, Wakin on a Pretty Daze: Deluxe Daze (Post Haze) 
3. "Here Comes the Night Time" -- Arcade Fire, Reflektor 
4. "Goodbye Sasha" -- Misun, Single 
5. "Pursuit" -- Gesaffelstein, Single
6. "Realize You " -- Empress Of, Single
7. "Okay" -- Bad Bandit, Conifer  
8. "Don't Tell Me" -- Dale Earndhart Jr. Jr., The Speed of Things 
9. "You're Not the One" -- Sky Ferreira, Night Time, My Time
10. "Golden Wake" -- Mutual Benefit, Love's Crushing Diamond 

The Best Songs in Odd Time II

This week we are revisiting that juicy, albeit nerdy, topic of odd time signatures in popular music. Our first podcast on this topic, back in April, demonstrated that we were only scratching the surface - so we're back now to show off 10 more songs that effectively utilize odd time signatures in rock. Enjoy!

1. "5-4=Unity" - Pavement, Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain (5/4)
2. "15 Step" - Radiohead, In Rainbows (5/4)
3. "Moon" - Bjork, Biophilia (17/8)
4. "Wuthering Heights" - Kate Bush, The Kick Inside (Chorus is 4/4, 2/4,3/4)
5. "Blockhead" - Devo, Duty Now For The Future (11/8)
6. "I Say A Little Prayer" - Aretha Franklin, Aretha Now (10/4 verse, 11/ 4 chorus)
7. "Demons" - The National, Trouble Will Find Me (7/4)
8. "Cygnus, Vismund Cygnus" - The Mars Volta, Frances The Mute (3/4, 4/4, 23/8, 16/8... )
9. "Modern Man" - Arcade Fire, The Suburbs (9/8)
10. "Strange Reuninons" - Yeasayer, Odd Blood (5/4, 6/4, 5/4, 4/4)

After three years, one third of the Noise Pop Team, Jaime Nabrynski, is leaving San Francisco and heading to New York to make all her big city dreams come true. She will join us from time to time from the east coast, but for now we're sending her off the best way we know how... with a mix of the best songs buzzing around Internet.There are some amazing new tracks from Blood Orange, Bill Calahan, Parquet Courts, Clams Casino and many more

Tracklist:

1. “Best Friends” -- Holychild, single

2. “Chamaky” -- Blood Orange, Cupid Deluxe

3. “Tourniquet” -- Jeremy Messersmith, Heart Murmurs

4. “You’ve Got Me Wonderin’ Now” -- Parquet Courts, Tally Up All The Things That You Broke

5. “Edge” -- Haim, Days are Gone (UK Deluxe version)

6. “Small Plane” -- Bill Callahan, Dream River

7. “Still Not Falling” -- Shy Girls, Timeshare

8. “Truly Freaking Out” -- Tim Kasher, Adult Film

9.  “Super Kiwi” -- Yo La Tengo, Fade

10. “Crystals” -- Clams Casino, Grand Theft Auto V soundtrack

This episode, we are celebrating one of San Francisco's biggest events - Hardly Strictly Bluegrass. We're playing the festival's legendary acts as well as some artists you may not know so well, but definitely should not miss.

Track list:

1. "Nick of Time" -- Bonnie Raitt, Nick of Time
2. "1952 Vincent Black Lightning" -- Richard Thompson, Rumor and Sigh
3. "The Plank" -- Devil Makes Three, Devil Makes Three
4. "Victory" -- Trampled By Turtles, Palomino
5. "Into the Wild" -- LP, Into the Wild
6. "Wolf " -- First Aid Kit, The Lion's Roar
7. "Let it go" -- Tumbleweed Wanderers, Worn Down Welcome
8. "Beach House" -- Cave Singers, Welcome Joy
9. "Tell Me (What's On Your Mind)" -- Allah-Las, Allah-Las
10. "Cold Beverages" -- G. Love & Special Sauce, G. Love & Special Sauce

Last episode, we played songs catchy and infectious enough to earn a spot on our Indie Song of Summer playlist. This week though, we're playing songs with structures and sounds a little too unique for summer pop, but just challenging enough to enjoy, from the appealing dissonance of Suuns to the curious and intense noises of Oneohtrix Point Never. 

Track list: 

1. "Byegone" -- Volcano Choir, Repave
2. "Birds" -- Death Grips, single
3. "Empty City" -- Dan Casey, Empty City  
4. "A Lizard State" -- King Krule, 6 Feet Beneath The Moon
5.  "Golden Arrow" -- Darkside, Psychic
6.  "2020" -- Suuns, Images Du Futur 
7. "Wayward Son" -- Zachary Cale, Blue Rider 
8. "Problem Areas" -- Oneohtrix Point Never, R Plus Seven
9. "What Death Leaves Behind" -- Los Campesinos, No Blues
10."Anytime Soon" -- Andy Stott, Adult Swim Singles Program 

Song of the summer starts like summer itself, hopeful, exciting, and you can't wait for it to begin. Once it's here you dive in, listening to it obsessively and it gradually becomes your temporary anthem. Undoubtedly Blurred Lines was the pop song of the summer, but we're going to explore the songs that kept the indie blogosphere buzzing from June-August instead. This episode documents what the indie songs of the summer were for 2013. Each of these tracks have been blasting from parks and backyard barbecues all summer long, soundtracking the season. Enjoy!

Tracklist:

1. "Doin' It Right" -- Daft Punk, Random Access Memories
2. "Royals" -- Lorde, The Love Club
3."Shout It Out" -- MIkal Cronin, MCII
4. "Step" -- Vampire Weekend, Modern Vampires of The City
5. "Collard Greens" -- ScHoolboy Q, Oxymoron
6. "The Mother We Share" -- Chvrches, Single
7 "When a Fire Starts to Burn" -- Disclosure, Settle
8 "She Will" -- Savages, Silence Yourself
9. "High School Lover" -- Cayucas, Bigfoot
10. "Bad For My Body" -- Deap Vally, Sitrionix

Outside Lands is over, marking the beginning of the end for summer festival season, and the end of the summer. But don't despair, there is plenty of new music to keep your spirits high. New tracks from Teen Daze, London Grammar, Fuzz and others. Plus, there's always Treasure Island to look forward to. 

Before the Internet changed everything there were two distinct and opposing types of popular music, Indie and mainstream. It was the head versus the heart,  the cool kids versus the pop kids and you had to come down on one side or the other. But the lines have been blurring over the past decade and those sides don't mean much any more. We now live in a world where pop music is so strange and creative that it's found acceptance with rock critics and indie snobs. Listen as we explore the genre-transcending melodies of Justin Timberlake, the indie-friendly quirkiness of Solange, (sister of mega pop star Beyonce) and the possibly ironic but ultimate acceptance of Hall and Oates.

Track List:

1. "#Beautiful" - Miguel and Mariah Carey, The Art of Letting Go
2. "Take Back The Night" -- Justin Timberlake, The 20/20 Experience
3. "Hey Love" --  Quadron, Avalanche
4. "Blurred Lines" -- Robin Thicke, Blurred Lines
5. "The Motion" --  Drake & Sampha, Nothing Was The Same
6. "Dance Apocalyptic" -- Janelle Monae, The Electric Lady
7. "Don’t Let Me Down" -- Solange, True
8. "I Love It" -- Icona Pop, Iconic
9. "Adorn" -- Miguel, Kaleidoscope Dream
10. "I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do)" -- Hall & Oates

Maybe it's the record high temperatures or the long weekend, but we're feeling a little distracted. Thoughts of being poolside or at the beach are taking up too much space in our heads for us to get any work done. So we've decided to feed these wandering thoughts with some great additions to your summer playlists. From Washed Out to jj, we're playing some new tracks that are sure to convince you that, "it's really hot out" is a totally legitimate excuse for skipping work.
 
Track list:
1. "It All Feels Right" -- Washed Out, Paracosm
2. "Collard Greens" -- Schoolboy Q featuring Kendrick Lamar, Oxymoron
3. "Can’t Understand" -- Metz, single
4. "Come Save Me" -- Jagwar Ma, Howlin
5. "Royals" -- Lorde, The Love Club  
6. "Unsatisfied" (The Replacement cover) -- Calexico, Maybe on Monday EP
7. "fågelsången" -- jj, V
8. "Bring the Noize" -- MIA, Bring the Noize  
9. "No Below" -- Speedy Ortiz, Major Arcana
10. "Beyond" -- Daftside, Random Access Memories Memories

This spring and summer has been teeming with much anticipated new releases, from Disclosure and Boards of Canada, to The National, just to name a few. We're playing tracks from these new releases, along with some music from up-and-coming artists making some noise of their own around the Internet.

Tracklist

1. "I Saw You from the Lifeboat" -- Liars, single
2. "Is This How You Feel" -- The Preatures, Shaking Hands
3. "Doin' It Right" -- Daft Punk, Random Access Memories
4. "Don’t Lie" -- Vampire Weekend, Modern Vampires of the City
5. "Hell of A Night" -- ScHoolboy Q, Oxymoron 
6. "Reach For The Dead" -- Boards of Canada, Tomorrow's Harvest
7. "When a Fire Starts to Burn" -- Disclosure, Settle
8. "U Da Best" -- WET, U Da Best/Bad Idea single
9. "I Need My Girl" -- National, Trouble Will Find Me
10. "JSMN" -- Bad Boxes, JSMN

We've all thought about this - what to play during that certain time with your loved one (or the one you just met) to set the mood? The right music can really make a good intimate moment better; and a bad music can end that moment altogether. So from the soft and sweet to hardcore, we've put together a list of some indie tracks to start your evening, or afternoon, or first thing in the morning off right; no matter what kind of music you're into.

Tracklist:

Jaime's picks:
1. "Headache" -- METZ, METZ
2. "Plaster Casts of Everything" -- Liars, Liars
3. "Come With Me" -- CEO, White Magic
4. "Innh Dahh" -- Matthew Dear, Black City
Olivia's picks:
5. "Tin Man" -- Future Islands, In Evening Air
6. "15 Step" -- Radiohead, In Rainbows
7. "Zebra" -- Beach House, Teen Dream
8. "BTSTU" -- Jai Paul, single
Dawson's picks:
9. "Sweet Talk" -- Jessie Ware, Devotion
10. "The Morning" -- The Weeknd, Trilogy
11. "Gaudy Side of Town" -- Gayngs, Relayted
12. "Heartbeats" -- The Knife, Deep Cuts

Maybe it was the week of freakishly hot (for San Francisco) weather and the start of summer, but this playlist is chock ful of songs intended to help you loosen up or lose your cool. Also our most explitive-laden playlist in a while, this playlist features bangers from Savages and Deafheaven and intense R&B jams from Twigs and Until the Ribbon Breaks

Tracklist:

1. “You and Me” -- Disclosure, Featuring Eliza Doolittle, Settle
2. “Shut Up” -- Savages, Silence Yourself
3. “How’s That” -- Twigs, Twigs EP
4. “Will “The Thrill”” -- Cayucas, Bigfoot
5. “Dream House” -- Deafheaven, Sunbather
6. “Head In The Cloud” -- Cobalt Cranes, Head in the Clouds  
7. “Chain Smoker” -- Chance The Rapper, Acid Rap mixtape
8. “Get Free” -- Major Lazer featuring Amber Coffman from the Dirty Projectors, Free The Universe
9. “She's on Fire” -- King Tuff, Garage Swim
10. “Pressure” -- Until The Ribbon Breaks ft. Mr. MFV eXquire, single

They say music is math, and we couldn't agree more. This episode explores the numbers behind some of the most unique rhythms in pop music. Sometimes we get bored with a typical four-to-the-floor beat, so we discuss and play some of our favorite pop songs of all time that utilize odd time signatures. And, for those of you who have no idea what a time signature is, we do a very quick explanation toward the beginning. Enjoy!

Tracklist:
1. "7/4 (Shoreline)" -- Broken Social Scene, Broken Social Scene (7/4)
2. "Get Lucky" -- Daft Punk, Random Access Memory (4/4)
3."Waltz #2" -- Elliott Smith, XO (3/4)
4. "Come On Feel The Illinoise" -- Sufjan Stevens, Illinois (5/4 then 4/4/)
5. "Money" -- Pink Floyd, Dark Side of The Moon (7/4)
6. "Solsbury Hill" -- Peter Gabriel, Peter Gabriel (7/4)
7. "Walk on Air" -- Minus The Bear, Injustice (5/4)
8. "Ddiamondd" -- Battles, Mirrored (?)
9. "Pyramid Song" -- Radiohead, Amnesiac (?!?!?)
10. "Everything In It's Right Place" -- Radiohead, Kid A (10/4)

We've dug up another batch of the 10 best songs swirling around the Internet this month. This episode is particularly eclectic, ranging from the pristine pop gems of Chvrches to the hypnotic beats of Bonobo, and then paying homage to the lyrical genius (and crudeness) of Danny Brown. Pop in your earbuds and enjoy this month's mix of new music.

Tracklist: 

1.  "Best of Friends" -- Palma Violets, 180

2. "Now Is Not The Time" -- Chvrches, Recover

3. "Someone Else" -- Pure X, Crawling Up The Stairs

4. "Lady You Shot Me" -- Har Mar Superstar, Bye Bye 17

5. "Cirrus" --  Bonobo, the North Borders

6. "Mirror" -- Weekend, Jinx

7. "God Made The World" -- Cold Cave, God Made The World

8. "Express Yourself" -- Danny Brown, single 

9. "With Her Shadow" -- Born Ruffians, TBD

10. "Childhood’s End" -- Majical Cloudz, Impersonator

It's almost the time of year when what seems like every band in the world descends into one spot in California. And no, we're not talking about that festival in the desert, we're talking about Fauxchella. Fauxchella (a Spinning Platters term) is the name given to almost three weeks in April when all of the bands set to play Coachella make their way up to San Francisco. Almost every venue in the city is full of great bands night after night, and it can be pretty overwhelming deciding which bands to see. So, we at the Noise Pop Team have made a list of must-sees to help you make the most of your Fauxchella.

Tracklist:

10. "Digital Lion" -- James Blake, Overgrown

Spring is around the corner, so we've decided to play music to get you excited for the warmer weather, budding trees and longer days. From the warmth of Rhye to the summer festival staple of Thom Yorke with Atoms for Peace, we're playing tracks to welcome in the long-awaited end to winter. Hope to see you at SXSW

Tracklist:

1. “Open” -- Rhye, Open 
2. “The Possessed” -- Glass Candy, Italians Do It Better second After Dark compilation
3. “Hood Party” -- Fat Tony (feat. Kool A.D.), Smart Ass Black Boy
4. “In a Dream” -- High Highs, Open Season 
5. “Stickin’ to the Sheets” -- Hello Ocho, Hello Ocho
6. “It’s Been So Long” -- Cleaners of Venus, Cleaners from Venus box set
7. “Slyd” -- !!!, THR!!!ER
8. “Shout It Out” -- Milkal Cronin, MCII
9. “Demon Dance” -- Surfer Blood, Pythons 
10. “Ingenue” -- Atoms for Peace, Amok

The end of February is a very exciting time for us at the Noise Pop Podcast. For one, it means the Noise Pop Festival and the beginning of the festival season are here. It also means that by now we have a pretty good idea of what new records will be making their way to our playlists throughout the year. This episode we'll be discussing our most anticipated releases of 2013, from Phoenix to Missy Elliot. What are the records your most looking forward to this year? Let us know in the comments below or call us at (585) 4NOISE5/(585) 466-4735 and leave a message.

Tracklist:
1. "Bones" -- MS MR, Second Hand Rapture
2. "All The Time" -- The Strokes, Comedown Machine
3. "In The City" -- Caveman, Caveman
4. "9th Inning" -- Missy Elliot, Block Party
5. "Started From The Bottom" (D33J Remix) -- Drake, Nothing Was The Same
6. "Where Are We Now" -- David Bowie, The Next Day
7. "Your Drums, Your Love" -- AlunaGeorge, Body Music
8. "Mute" -- Youth Lagoon, Wondrous Bughouse
9. "Entertainment" -- Phoenix, Bankrupt
10. "Full of Fire" -- The Knife, Shaking The Habitual

Tracklist:

1. "I'm a Machine" -- Glass Lux, single

2. "Dropla" -- Youth Lagoon, Wondrous Bughouse

3. "Weird Shapes" -- Surfer Blood, Pythons

4. "I"m All Messed Up" -- Tegan and Sara, Heartthrob

5. "Minotaur" -- Thee Oh Sees, Floating Coffins

6. "Illusions" -- Shout Out Louds, Optica

7. "In The City" -- Caveman, Caveman 

8. "The Hearse" -- Wampire, Curiosity

9. "Retrograde" -- James Blake, Overgrown

10. "Only Tomorrow" -- My Bloody Valentine, mbv

It seems like only yesterday we were celebrating Noise Pop's 20th birthday, but somehow another year has flown by and it's time for Noise Pop 2013! To get you excited as we are for this year's incredible line up (Toro Y Moi, YACHT, Amon Tobin to name a few), we're playing tracks from the artists we're most excited to see. This year's festival takes play from February 26-March 3 all around San Francisco. For more info visit http://www.noisepop.com/2013/.

Tracklist

"While I'm Alive" -- Starfucker, Miracle Mile
"Never Listen to Me" -- The Thermals, Personal Life
"Shout it In" -- Dirty Ghosts, Metal Moon.
"Party Kids" -- Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside , Untamed Beast
"Say That" -- Toro y Moi, Anything in Return
"Psychic City" -- Yacht, See Mystery Lights
"Doused" -- DIIV, Oshin
"Lake Michigan" -- Rogue Wave, Asleep at Heaven's Gate
"Museum of Flight" -- Damian Jurado, Maraqopa
"Electric Fever" -- Free Energy, Love Sign
"Hysteria" -- Ceremony, Zoo
"Tied2U" -- XXYYXX, XXYYXX

Well, we're two weeks into the new year, which is pretty much enough time to predict a few things: which resolutions will stick (none), and which ones won't (all), and what the new year may bring for new music. So while we may be slipping into old habits, at least we have some great music to look forward to. Also speaking of looking forward to things, stay tuned for our next episode, where we'll be playing tracks from this year's Noise Pop Festival artists.

Tracklist:

1. “200 Words” – Fol Chen, The False Alarms

2. “Coalition” – IceAge, You’re Nothing

3. “Everything is Embarrassing” – Sky Ferreira, Ghost EP

4. “Anxiety’s Door” – Merchandise, Totale Nite EP

5. “Someday Our Love Will Sell Us Out” – Camper Van Beethoven, La Costa Perdida

6. “Swim and Sleep (Like a Shark)” – Unknown Mortal Orchestra, II

7. “Honey” – Torres, Torres

8. “Kids Get Away” – Jamaican Queens, Wormfood

9. “2099” – Dent May, single

10. “Pink Matter” feat. Andre 300 & Big Boi – Frank Ocean, single