► It’s always nice to have an excuse to post some sweet songs. Thankfully I’ve come across some sugary and thoughtful tracks in recent weeks so now it’s time to share. Up first is “At Last” by The Dø. Founded in Paris in 2005, the band lists themselves as a French and Finnish indie pop outfit. The music is touching and a wonderful soundtrack to a life in transition.

Artist: The Dø Song: At Last

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► Our second track comes from an apparently infamous L.A. album by The Shivers titled Sunset Psalms. The band had some legal issues with their album More which was recorded last Spring but won’t be released until March so they’ve dropped this album in the meantime. It has an incredibly produced version of “Shallow Water” among some other gems, including this sweet serenade titled “Love #2.”

Artist: The Shivers Song: Love #2

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► Max Jury is a songwriting major at Berklee College of Music in Boston. I received an email which included her single “Rhythm Of The Rain” and was delighted by what I heard. A good reminder for me to actually go through random press email now and then.

Artist: Max Jury Song: Rhythm Of The Rain

I moved blindly from Miami to Portland about 11 days ago. I started law school 10 days ago. I’ve barely had time to breathe, let alone truly explore this city and it’s diverse set of characters that I’ve heard so much about (zoo bombers?).  Fortunately for me, and the greater Pacific North West, Portland’s 10th annual Musicfest NW is less than a week away.

Artist: Surfer Blood Song: Twin Peaks (Allen Bickle Remix)

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MFNW is Portland’s answer to Austin’s SXSW; it’s become the third largest indoor music festival in the United States. This year’s line-up includes more than 170 bands; noteworthy acts include Panda Bear, Akron/Family, The National, Surfer Blood, Phantogram, and Menomena among many others. Artists will be showcased across 20+ venues throughout Portland between September 8-12.  This smorgasbord of local and national talent couldn’t have come at more opportune time, figuring as it will provide for a pretty fair representation of the city’s music scene.  Leaving all apprehensions (& civil procedure casebooks) behind, I’m looking forward to being fully engulfed by the city, the music and the experience that is MFNW. Check out the full lineup here.

Last week Bella Union released a preview of ‘White Moon’ – one of six new recordings from Beach House courtesy of an iTunes session which will debut on Monday, September 13th. It’s a sweet surprise for those who yearn for more after overplaying Teen Dream for the past nine months. In truth, five of the iTunes tracks are actually re-workings of songs off the January release but will surely offer a change of pace from the original recordings. Alex Scally of Beach House notes: “We recorded these six songs after touring for 12 straight weeks. Whenever we are asked to record stripped-down versions of our songs, we cringe, because for us this means that all of the subtlety and attention to detail will be lost, and a rich song will be turned into a bland, generic song. So, when iTunes offered to have us record a stripped-down live session, we were very hesitant. We found out that we could record with our friend Chris Coady, and we agreed, believing we might be able to make it meaningful. During the week or two of sound-checks leading up to the recording, we worked through the songs and attempted to rewrite them with fewer and different tones. Listeners can judge whether or not we were able to make these ‘stripped-down’ versions mean something.”

Beach House – White Moon (i-Tunes Sessions) by Bella Union

Watch the full concert at baeblemusic.com

Outside Lands 2010.  Golden Gate Park is the home to the festival since the beginning (‘08). The park is located on the outskirts of the Richmond district, on the west side of San Francisco.  Check out the full festival photo gallery after the jump…

Artist: Al Green Song: Simply Beautiful (George Lenton Remix)

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Golden Gate Park

The park itself is gigantic. Having these shuttles provided by Toyota was an amazing start to the weekend. And it was free!

The line to get in on Saturday morning.

No special treatment at Outside Lands. Even Chewy had to wait in line and be frisked.

My partner in crime for the weekend.

Several really cool statues were located in the middle of the Polo fields seperating the two main stages. Still have yet to find out who the artist is.

Statue #2, the upsidedown leaf.

Electric Six, the very first band to play of the weekend. People were pumped.

Cool tigers

Jump

Al Green on the big stage. Only 38 years after Lets Stay Together dropped.

Slighty Stoopid hits the stage. Solid crowd formed early for this show.

Slighty Stoopid sounds similar to Sublime, which makes sense considering 2 of the guys are childhood friends with Brad Nowell.

Lost.

My view of Phoenix, my favorite show of the weekend, by far. Crowd was gigantic.

Had to sit for a minute when the sun finally broke through the fog.

Epic 'stache

Not sure what this dude is drinking but I wanted one. And check out the creepy laugh on the right.

There is no city like SF when the sun comes out.

Nas and Damian Marley on the Twin Peaks stage.

Sunday crowd seemed significantly larger than Saturday. Good view from the top of the hill.

Social Distortion on the Sutro stage Sunday late afternoon.

Not a bad place for a concert.

Funny shirt. And not just because I celebrate the festival of lights.

Sneaky hitchhikers.

Sunset as we made our way back from Nas and Damian Marley.

Great end to a great weekend.

Hi QC visitors, hope your minds are relatively chill. I feel this Summer has brought on some serious phases of transition in all aspects, from love and friendships to career choices. The same goes for QC, as we are but a few weeks away from launching a new and improved Quiet Color. As you may have noticed, we’ve slowed down our daily blog postings in anticipation of our new format: A bi-monthly web-release of original video content, editorials, and fresh music for your transitioned mind. We’ve got a brand new site design on the horizon that’s sure to delight, so stay patient and keep checking back to QC for the new digs. We’re especially excited for an exclusive D.I.Y. video podcast series we’ve produced featuring inspirational performances by Javelin, These Are Powers, Wildbirds and Peacedrums, and many others. We are hopeful you’ll like what we’ve been brewing. Stay tuned!

Artist: Major Lazer & La Roux Song: Bulletproof (Nacey Remix)

Artist: Yellow Fever Song: Bermuda Triangle

“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter don’t mind.”

— Dr. Seuss

and…

And…

AND…..

Here’s an interesting video by director Roy Raz. This isn’t an official music video and the song used is “In This Shirt” by The Irrespressibles. The concept and production are intriguing. The title of this piece is PAG – THE LADY IS DEAD.

This audio/visual mash-up is almost three years old, but I think it makes for some entertaining Wednesday stimulus. While I usually carry strong disdain for Radiohead mash-ups, Overdub successfully collides Thom Yorke with Dave Brubeck via the tracks “15 Step” and “Take Five.” – Enjoy.