Capital Cities - "Stayin' Alive"

A bright and groove-heavy take on alt-pop, the music of Capital Cities draws its infectious energy from the endless juxtapositions within each song: genre-bending production meets indelible melody, high-concept artistry meets classic pop sensibility, clever lyricism meets raw emotion. The L.A.-based duo first unveiled that aesthetic with their breakout hit “Safe and Sound,” a 2011 release that went multi-platinum around the world and shot to the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. 

Now gearing up for a string of live dates, Capital Cities have recently added a jazz vibraphone player and classical guitarist to the lineup for their notoriously dazzling live show. Whether performing live or crafting new material for their second full-length effort (set for 2017), the duo aims to create an emotionally charged experience that’s transportive for themselves and for the listener. “When you either listen to or perform music, it’s a meditation” says Simonian. “It affects you on so many different levels and allows you to experience all these different emotions. It’s therapeutic.” And when it comes to making music, that process can sometimes take on a transcendent quality that Merchant describes as addictive. “When you’re writing and you have a moment where something magical happens, it’s like a drug,” he says. “You stumble upon something that feels so good and just validates what you’re doing, and it gives everything this bigger sense of purpose. I want to just keep that going and constantly create good music.”

So today, with guts & guile, I choose Capital Cities' "Stayin' Alive" as my, break open the bank, live like you're dying, offer your hand as often as you can, song for a, choose the positive, choose hope, choose to let yourself believe that in the end all things will work out correctly and if things haven't worked out then this isn't the end, Wednesday.