Summertime blues

Well, I realized that posting a full on post was a little ambitious-I get real tired over the summer so a full post is a little much. So, instead, I'll just post a 5-song playlist weekly.

MY SUMMER SOUNDTRACK Pt. I

"We Don't Speak Americano" by Yolanda Be Cool and DCUP

"Dirt" by Phish

"Right On" by The Roots

"Blood Bank" by Bon Iver

"End Of The Movie" by Cake

-S

Summer...

Hey all, thanks for reading as usual. However, sadly I work in the summer and since it is kind of an all day job I don't have time to post. Don't fret though, my day offs are on Thursdays so I will attempt to post every Wednesday and Thursday night for the remainder of the summer. I will go back to my regular schedule on August 22nd (that being everyday). Anyway, much love-enjoy the summer, seize the day, etc.

-S

Monday Soundtrack

Mixed up the Monday and Sunday Sountracks sorry, see you when September comes...(lame Green Day reference).

"Like A Hitman, Like A Dancer" by A.C. Newman

"Dance Anthem Of The 80's" by Regina Spektor

"And Suddenly" by The School

"On Fire" by Sebadoh

"Lola" by The Raincoats

"Alright" by Supergrass

"Bulletproof" by La Roux

-S

*Editors Note: Have A Great Summer*

Music like the curve of gold

"To Build a Home" by The Cinematic Orchestra is one of my very, very favorite songs. You just have to hear it. It's very simple—piano, voice, some strings—sweet, beautiful, and so very sad.

It's not the typical track for The Cinematic Orchestra; they're actually a new age-y jazz band that plays around with electronics as well as more traditional jazz sounds. Their range and types of songs are extremely varied, but "To Build a Home" is nonetheless an exception to their general rule. It's more balladic than their usual stuff, more acoustic, and just so good.

Moreover, the band collaborated with production group Up the Resolution to create a wonderful video for both "To Build a Home" and another song, "Breathe," from the same album. "Breathe" has a similar melancholy tone (which is probably why it was chosen to be in the video), but in terms of instrumentation and structure is a little more like the typical Cinematic Orchestra sound.

I don't want to ruin anything, but the video is emotive and absolutely beautiful and never fails to make me tear up at least a little.

"To Build a Home"/"Breathe" by The Cinematic Orchestra from Ma Fleur (2007)

-A

P.S.— The post's title comes from a very lovely poem called "Barter," by Sara Teasdale, and I highly recommend looking it up.

I love it all so much I call 'I want you back'

Here's a song from a band that I actually had the opportunity to see none to long ago. For a little while I frequented the concert scene in the town over from mine. During this time I saw that Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros were playing, little did I know also on the bill was a band called Local Natives. They have been mentioned on B'rhythms before but only really in passing. Upon hearing them at the show I wasn't so surprised to see them featured on a couple of late night staples on T.V. and their new album Gorilla Manor getting a decent amount of media attention.

The song that stood out to me was their first single. It starts out with just a simple piano melody layered over the sound of just a bunch of guys yelling. Then it breaks in to this pretty simple drum beat (which grows gradually more complex during a couple of the fills). The song is driven entirely by the power of the combined voices of Taylor Rice, Kelcey Ayer and Ryan Hahn. The three combined create these incredibly complex harmonies that pull the song together in such a way that it amazes me I don't see more of it with other bands.

Not to mention the quality of the lyrics they are actually haunting. "I bet when I leave my body for the sky the wait will be worth it," I just loved that lyrics and pretty much made up my mind that this band would definitely be doing big things. Just on another note-one of the members of the band (I cannot figure out who is who-I believe its Taylor Rice-looks like a clone of Freddy Mercury, just sayin'.)

"Airplanes" by Local Natives (2010)-Single

-S

Old favorites

I got "The Taming of the Hands that Came Back to Life" by Sunset Rubdown on some random playlist I downloaded, and I loved it right away. I remember that I didn't really have time to listen to them all in one sitting, so I previewed the first 15 or so seconds of each track. YES, I realize it's an awful way of judging. But point of story is that from the beginning of the song, I was hooked.

I really love this song. It has so much energy and so many different ways of using sound in combinations that I hadn't heard before. Front man Spencer Krug's voice is so unique—almost yodel-esque, taut, straining, but somehow still joyful and bright. I listened to it over and over, put it on a plethora of playlists on my iPod, downloaded the album it came from, Random Spirit Lover (2007). I found another really great song, "The Mending of the Gown," on it. It has the same infectious glee, sense of determination, and creativity that drew me to "The Taming of the Hands that Came Back to Life."

The thing is, I've never been a lyrics person. I almost never hear lyrics the first time I hear a song, I have to listen at least three or four times again to really pick out words. But the lyrics in these songs are so out there and creative that you really need to keep a focused ear on 'em—or look them up online when it gets too slurry (which is what I did).

"She said, 'My sails are flapping in the wind.'

I said, 'Can I use that in a song?'

She said, 'I mean, the end begins.'

I said, 'I know. Can I use that, too?'"

=from "The Taming of the Hands that Came Back to Life"

"It was the tender mending of this slender gown

That brought me bending to the ground.

But this ship was built to go down—

See the paddle go up and the paddle go down."

-from "The Mending of the Gown"

"The Taming of the Hands that Came Back to Life" by Sunset Rubdown from Random Spirit Lover (2007)

"The Mending of the Gown" by Sunset Rubdown from Random Spirit Lover (2007)

-A

Now you wonder how it all could have worked out

This song is a little hard to classify. It has the swing and punchiness of ska, but the vocals tell an entirely different story-more along the lines of down-south country. Which is why I was especially surprised to see the band was from Boston, go figure. The song is "Please Forgive Me" by Westbound Train.

The song starts out with this punching guitar and minimalist percussion that gives it this light and airy feel, however, the vocals courtesy of Obi "Day 19" Fernandez, just kill it with his bluesy voice and totally encompassing vocals. Another great addition to the track is the background horns that carry the tune so well (I'm a sucker for horns). I can't say the songwriting is excellent but this song just draws you in. Probably the most interesting thing I found on the band was the fact that famed Specials guitarist Lynval Golding is a fan of Westbound Train. That is saying a lot when one such an incredibly and acclaimed ska band is a fan. Enjoy the track.

"Please Forgive Me" by Westbound Train from Transitions (2006)

-S

Jingle, jingle

I'll preface this by admitting that I have absolutely no idea whether this is authentic or not, but I read about the School of Seven Bells in a Sidney Sheldon novel a while ago. Apparently, it's a secret, elite academy in South America for thieves, so named because the final proof of merit is to pickpocket a dummy with tiny bells attached to each pocket without making a sound.

True or not, that's really, really cool (or at least I think so). So when I ran across a band called School of Seven Bells, I didn't even listen to them without first giving them props for having the dope name. Furthermore, the band consists of a guy and two identical twin sisters. Put that in your pipe and smoke it.

Turns out, they live up to their apparent dopeness. They're very shoegaze. I love that word, born from descriptions of those dreamy, introspective musicians who would stare at their feet as they performed. Anyway, that's the word that comes to mind when I listen to my favorite of their songs, "iamunernodisguise." It's ethereal and exotic and sometimes even a little eerie—just like the mythical pickpockets' academy.

School of Seven Bells's next album, Disconnect from Desire, is slated for release on July 13. [SO SOON!] Be sure to give 'er a listen.

"iamundernodisguise" by School of Seven Bells from Alpinisms (2008)

-A

I can't let you go

I have to say, for a 19-year-old Sean Kingston sure does have a lot of hits. And I often hate to say it but I really enjoy his music. I mean how can I not get pumped up listening to "Beautiful Girl," hate to say it but the song is pretty flawless-and for his age, Kingston has a TON of hits. However his music isn't totally original (and that was actually to my modest surprise). As I drove through the streets of my fair suburb of Boston, the DJ announced he would be playing a small block of Led Zeppelin at the request of one of the listeners. Music ensued, it was a song I had never heard before, starting with a short DUB beat.

"Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh you don't have to go..." belted out Zep lead singer Robert Plant. I knew this from somewhere...oh yeah, "Me Love" by Sean Kingston. And I'll be honest I was a little surprised-I could see M.I.A. stealing a classic rock lick (see my earlier post about The Clash's "Straight To Hell") but Kingston? My favorite budding artist-blasphemy! To be honest once again I prefer the song sampled to the song that used it. "D'yer Mak'er" was released in 1973 on the album House Of The Holy.

What I love about the song is that it is such a major departure from the rest of their music. Yes, it does have those rockin' guitar licks and it does have the Zep sound, but it also has this Jamaican Dub flavor that you don't often hear on these rock tracks. It seems like a prelude to bands like The Police, The Clash, and even newer bands like No Doubt. Just another example of the music of yesteryear paving the way for the future. And on that note, enjoy the tracks.

"D'yer Mak'er" by Led Zeppelin from House Of The Holy (1973)

"Me Love" by Sean Kingston from Sean Kingston (2007)

-S

Reverberation

The first time I heard "Step Aside" by Efterklang was as a soundtrack for a really great student film by a friend. It was shot on Super-8 film—the format that's really flickering and old-fashioned and grainy—and was basically a montage of hundreds of very short clips; little snatches of people's faces in various reactions. "Step Aside" really seems like the perfect song for that kind of thing—it's very flickering and elusive, with a touch of wistfulness and a certain element of wonder.

I liked the song so much that I looked it, and the band, up. Efterklang is a Danish group, and the name is based, fittingly, on the Danish word for "remembrance" or "reverberation," which I thought was the perfect summation of "Step Aside."

I downloaded all three of their albums: Tripper (2004), Parade (2007), and the more recent Magic Chairs (2010), and they were all solid listens. I can't say that anything jumped out at me the same way that "Step Aside" did, but I really love their sound. It's elusive, serious but not self-serious, every so slightly hushed, nostalgic but still a little wide-eyed. I also like how their songs are structured; not with the usual verse-chorus-verse-chorus with a bridge or two, but with careful build-ups and counterpoints and denouements. Plus, their live performances look DOPE.

"Step Aside" by Efterklang from Tripper (2004)-Live

"Step Aside" by Efterklang from Tripper (2004)-Studio

"Mirador" by Efterklang from Parades (2007)

"Mirror Mirror" by Efterklang from Magic Chairs (2010)

-A

I would probably do away with these anomalies

So I don't often wait with anticipation for albums (usually because I don't know they are coming out). In this case though I'm aware of the release of The Root's new album How I Got Over (which is set to hit shelves/car stereo's on the 22nd). I'm usually not this excited, but, after hearing the first release from the album-a reworked version of a song I already love-I sit with bated breath.

The song is a re-worked version of Monsters Of Folk's "Dear God." The song starts-and ends-with the familiar chorus from the song. But in this case The Roots give it an even more somber tone that just seems very sad but gives the song an excellent hook. Hopefully there will be some jams on the album as well but I'd be fine too if the songs were a little more mellowed out than they usually are. Enjoy the single, hopefully I'll put up my thoughts on the album soonish.

"Dear God 2.0" by The Roots from How I Got Over (2010)

"Dear God" by Monsters Of Folk from Monsters Of Folk (2009)

-S

Sunny days, sweepin' the clouds away

A genre that I recently started getting more interested is "twee." It started when I ran across the word somewhere on teh interwebz and remarked to myself what a cute word it is. And it's just that—really cute. It's music that falls under that enormous umbrella of "indie"—and who actually knows what that means, really—but has its own qualifier of being unbelievably cute.

The "gimmick" of twee is that it's indie pop, but sweet to the point of saccharine. It's almost too childishly simple and innocent. Lots of pretty melodies played by polite-looking boys in collared shirts and doe-eyed girls who dress like librarians.

And yet, there's something really appealing about it to me. It strikes me as a sort of reaction against the hyperinflated and ever-inflating world of general "indie music;" as new sub-genres pop up willy nilly and you start getting all kinds of new labels to describe them, as indie starts getting more professional, as the media seizes on rising bands and pushes them to become more and more glamorous… you have twee. You have something sweet, earnest, unadorned, bordering on lackadaisical.

Think of it this way—they're the kids who are so not worried about uncoolness that they're cool.

"Hearts and Crosses" by Heavenly from Atta Girl (5-track Maxi-single) (1993)

"I'm Lost Without You Here" by Rocketship from A Certain Smile, A Certain Sadness (1996)

"Emma's House" by The Field Mice, first released as a single in 1988, re-released on 2005 re-issue of Snowball

-A

I am confident in your eyes

This album came out a little while ago, and I loved it. I just recently gave it a re-listen and found a new gem on the album. The band is Tegan and Sara and their album Sainthood. Besides the music though this track just has "it" and I'm not sure what "it" is.

I think what I like most about the track is the lyrics. It's just kind of one of those inspiring songs kind of getting me pumped up to start my life at college next year. I've always liked their lyrics but this song seems incredibly hopeful and happy. The chorus runs "Might paint something I might want to hang here someday, might write something I want to say to you someday, might do something I'd be proud of someday, mark my words, I might be something someday" I just think that is a great lyric. Enjoy the song, it might be something to someone else someday.

"Someday" by Tegan and Sara from Sainthood (2009)

-S

Flickering fire like saltwater in my eyes

I'm totally infatuated with acoustic covers of songs, I just think its is so interesting to see how songs are re-interpretted into a smoother sound. I was reminded of a particular cover the other night while driving with a few friends. It was a cover of the newly minted indie-classic "Sleepyhead" by Passion Pit. The song is covered by a band called Run Toto Run (not to be confused with the 80's rock band, Toto famous for the song "Africa").

The song makes prominent use of what sounds like a glockenspiel and fiddles (which sound amazing under these circumstances). I can't really pass too much judgement on a cover live this (it is pretty hard to live up to Passion Pit in terms of this song). However, as far as covers go this one sounds incredibly good.

"Sleepyhead" covered by Run Toto Run (2009)-Single

-S

Dum bah did du dum

One of the best gifts I ever received was for my 18th birthday. It was 3 cases from my older brother. Each one contain a significant portion of his CD collection. I tirelessly worked at listening to all or some of each album. I found a ton of a great music is in there, on such a CD was from a band called Soul Coughing, which I had never heard of, it was one measly CD, a live album recorded at the 9:30 Club in D.C.

I'm not sure why I liked the album so much. But upon further reflection I think it was because of the tip of the tongue vocals (most of lead singers Mike Doughty's lyrics are on the spot slam poetry style) they also have this heavy upright bass sound with a intimate feel. The band is even less polished than some of the music I've been listening to, which is saying a lot. If there was ever a band that totally embodied rawness, this band might take that prize. They just sound so fresh that you'd think each track was totally free form and written just for that specific moment.

They have been described by critics as "slacker jazz" which I wouldn't have though of to describe a band on my own, but when you listen to a couple of their tracks it becomes incredibly obvious that it is very descriptive. They just have this feeling of we-don't-care-so-listen-if-you-want-to music. I won't post about each track because they are incredibly unique, so just listen and you'll see what I mean.

"Circles" by Soul Coughing from Lust In Phaze (2002)

"Janine" by Soul Coughing from Live At The 9:30 (1998)

"Maybe I'll Come Down" by Soul Coughing from El Oso (1998) *this ones my favorite*

-S

Sunday Soundtrack

This may or may not be my last Sunday Soundtrack before late August…

“Caring Is Creepy” by The Shins

“Zoloft” by Ween

“In The Kitchen” by Umphrey’s McGee

“I’m Looking Through You” covered by The Wallflowers

“Defeat” by Afu-Ra

“Orange Sky” by Alexi Murdoch

“Zebra” by John Butler Trio

-S

Standing on an island

Just remembered this song. Found it on RCRD LBL’s blog, its kind of a surf rock sound that you’re more used to hearing in the mid-60’s. However there is definitely a strong indie-rock twang on the whole track. Song is “Smells Dead” by the Jacuzzi Boys.

I’m not sure what drew me to this song. It’s a little repetitive and the vocals aren’t anything to write home about. But the song just meshes together so well it is pretty hard not to enjoy it. It captures you in the way that a song like “Let’s Go Surfing” by the Drums, the music isn’t excellent but is definitely worth a listen, and you aren’t entirely sure why. At the same time as this track was released RCRD LBL also released a track by this band called “Dock” which portrays an entirely different feel. Although once again, the track is nothing to write home about but it is just kind of captivating. Anyway, enjoy the tracks.

“Smells Dead” by The Jacuzzi Boys

“Dock” by The Jacuzzi Boys

-S

The beats, yeah, they were coming out the speakers

I guess I'm a little behind the times-as I had never heard of this pretty great band until recently. I heard about Los Campesinos! at the radio station, and I wasn't too sure about them, that's not to say I didn't like them, I just ignored them and didn't give them a listen. I wasn't really sure what I was expecting out of them, I certainly wasn't expecting this 8-piece indie group from Wales, England.

I've been downloading their music like crazy the last couple days. I won't drive you all nuts with posting all of the songs I've found that I really enjoy (as I am still finding more) but bear with me for a minute or too while I post two of their songs. The first is called "My Year In Lists"and is kind of a short little novelty song that is about two lovers apart, and their correspondence through letters (at least that's what I've gathered after listening to it a few times). The lyrics are incredibly well written and the music is arranged in such as way that you are ever-aware of both parties presence. The indie-rock sound is almost undeniable (and as some have said a little bit tongue-in cheek in Los Campesinos! songs-in the sense that they have realized the stereotype and are playing it up).

The second track is "You! Me! Dancing!" which is kind of a mind bender. It begins with a heavy duty build up crescendo (like the ending to the Beatles classic "A Day In The Life"). And then breaks down with the drum fill moving in to a really great sound for the rest of the song. However with a 6-minute mammoth, it goes through phases (in the same kind of way thatModest Mouse's "Spitting Venom" flows). Again with the lyrics as well, it is a little hard to keep track of based on the pace of the song but they are great. My all-time favorite part of the song comes with the musical interlude at around 4-minutes, with a heavy percussion part and screaming guitar. It finally peters out with a rough guitar fade which really ties it up nicely. Sorry to write such a long winded post but this is definitely a band that needs recognition if they aren't already getting it. Enjoy the songs!

"My Year In Lists" by Los Campesinos! from My Year In Lists (2008)

"You! Me! Dancing!" by Los Campesinos! from Hold On Now, Youngster...(2007)

-S

Lo-fi before it was cool

Another nice find from my slew of recent downloads: Elliott Smith.

*Note: This blog has posted about Elliot Smith before but "A" has not posted about him*

Elliott Smith started releasing albums in the early '90s up through the early 2000s (until his unfortunately early death in 2003 when he was 34-an apparent suicide), but he started composing and writing music when he was just a teenager. In true indie style, he started playing around with four-track recording, played in a couple bands, and first started releasing albums on an independent label until getting signed in '97.

Smith said one of his biggest influences was Bob Dylan, which you can definitely hear in the bluesy guitar and harmonica, but if you ask me, his music is also really reminiscent of Simon and Garfunkel, especially in the vocal style. It has just the right amount of hushed crooning and gentle harmony, although it's a little darker in terms of lyrics, which deal with a lot of Smith's personal issues, including his alcoholism, depression, and drug addiction.

It's definitely worth your time to listen through snippets from each of his albums and hear the way his music evolved, incorporating more and newer textures of sound and gaining even more melancholy complexity as the years went by. For now, here's "Condor Ave.," which he purportedly wrote when he was only 17 and then recorded for his first album, Roman Candle, released 1994.

"Condor Ave." by Elliott Smith from Roman Candle (1994)

"El Condor Pasa" by Simon and Garfunkel from Bridge Over Troubled Water (1970)

(I just couldn't pass up the parallelism.)

-A

A leetle something sweet for the summer

First off, a big ole thank you to "S" for letting me in on B'Rhythms.

I don't remember how I ran across Shugo Tokumaru, but he's one of those artists whose genre listings were enough introduction for me before I went ahead and got his most recent album, Port Entropy (2010). (I have a really bad habit of downloading entire albums from bands I've never heard of before without having heard any of their music; I just trust the reviews or blurbs or, in this case, genre listings. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn't.) Myspace Music page classifies Tokumaru as "Alternative/Pop/Experimental," while Wikipedia lumps him into "Indie folk, Indie pop," and the less-expected "Psych pop" (?).

After listening through Port Entropy, I realized that Shugo Tokumaru's music doesn't really fall into any one category. Definitely poppy, indie, folk in a more Eastern sense—but there's something more to it, with its happy-go-lucky feel, sweet and slightly washed-out vocals, and extensive range of instrumentation (don't quote me, but I swear I heard a theremin in there somewhere). I want to call it glo-fi—it has that same laid-back, slightly nostalgic, almost imperceptibly melancholy feel—but Shugo Tokumaru's on a label and I'm pretty sure he records in a studio, so he's not really lo-fi.

Give 'em a listen—really great for those lazy summer mornings.

"Parachute" by Shugo Tokumaru from EXIT (2007)

"Rum Hee" by Shugo Tokumaru from Port Entropy (2010)

-A

Some brains just work that way that's what chemicals can do

A band that I haven't really figured out whether or not I like them is Idaho based band, Built To Spill. I really liked them on tracks like "Liar," but they miss for me on a fair amount of their songs. Tending towards sounding a little played out and formulaic in their style. However I think the dissonance I had about them was solved yesterday as I trekked in to Boston on the Mass Pike and happened upon a radio station a friend has showed me, Emerson's 88.9 FM WERS. A song came on that I instantly just went nuts for.

The song is called "Big Dipper." The song starts out with this kind of Ben Folds-y vocals in their styling (not sure why it was Folds who I thought of first when I heard it). But the lyrics are more along the lines of other early 90's indie-rock bands like Pavement and Modest Mouse. I think that is the part that I like the most about the songs is the lyrics. The chorus is just so great, when Doug Martsch (really unique voice if you haven't heard it) croons "Bottoms up and this time, won't you let me be? Bottled up but this time, won't you rescue me?" I'm not sure why but that lyrics just sounds so great on the track and is kind of fun to dissect as a song.

Anyway, enjoy the song, and the band, they are now on my good side.

"Big Dipper" by Built To Spill from There's Nothing Wrong With Love (1994)

-S

It seemed we'd seen each other in a dream

Away tonight at another senior year shindig (spelling?). Regardless I won't leave you totally without. So here is one of my all-time favorites for a song that just feels cool to listen to. It also takes the cake as my all time favorite guitar-solo (I know this will be contested, but it is the personal favorite). The song is "Magic Man" by Heart. I will post some newer music soon but I've been feeling a little nostalgic lately.

Enjoy!

"Magic Man" by Heart from Dreamboat Annie (1976)

-S

I like the way that you walk

For tonight I have a pretty old song. I just heard that it was used in Apocalypse Now which my brother just watched for his film class. The song is by Creedence Clearwater Revival, and the song is "Susie Q." I'm think I'm starting to head back to the roots of my musical taste. My dad started me off right I think on classic rock and great rock and roll guitar solos, with bands like The Beatles, Hendrix, and Led Zeppelin.

The song is totally amazing. It starts out with this little drum intro and one of the sexiest guitar hooks I have ever heard (that is the only way to describe it). I wouldn't say that the lyrics are amazing, but they get really catching-a great driving song if I have ever heard one. I have listened to a decent amount of CCR but I think this sounds more like a Doors song of the late 60's but they really make it theirs. What I didn't know about this song though is that it was originally done by Dale Hawkins in '57. It seems like a lot of the classic rock songs that I'm listening to these days aren't done by who I thought they were (see also: "Hound Dog" originally done by Big Mama Thorton). I can't say I like the original as much, but the cover version done by CCR is amazing. Enjoy!

"Susie Q" covered by Credence Clearwater Revival from Creedence Clearwater Revival (1968)

"Susie Q" by Dale Hawkins (1957)

-S

There'll be love love love wherever you go

This is one of my all time favorite songs. I heard about this band (Noah And The Whale) around the same time as I heard about the Irish band The Guggenheim Grotto. At the time I was in to these little kind of cute-sy indie bands. They both kind of fill the area of indie-folk (a genre occupied by some of my favorite bands).

Anyways, the song is called "Five Years Time" and its just one of those little duets with the whistling hook, not unlike "Home." The vocals really hit hard on this track and the ukulele is more or less the key to how well this track meshes. The lyrics are especially brilliant but it isn't really about that on this song, its more just kind of the experience and the feel of the track as a whole. It is more of an feeling than the though. I can't really articulate why I'm just so in love with this song but it's really beautiful (and I know I say that a lot but I feel it applies nicely here). By the way, on their wiki page, it describes them as not unlike Belle & Sebastian as well as Neutral Milk Hotel, truer words have never been spoken.

"Five Years Time" by Noah And The Whale (2007)-Single

-S

Sunday Sountrack

Enjoy the Sunday Soundtrack-which is also incidentally my 100th post, a mini-milestone.

"Crown On The Ground" by Sleigh Bells

"Dear God" by Monsters Of Folk

"Nothing Lasts Forever" by Brett Dennen

"Lola" by The Kinks

"Trans-Continental Hustle" by Gogol Bordello

"Take It Or Leave It" by The Strokes

"Missing Pieces" by Voxtrot

Bonus for the 100th Post:

"Wait Until Tomorrow" by Jimi Hendrix

-S

I don’t think you’re ever a hundred percent in the room

Hard choice for what to post for today. I just have been downloading music like crazy lately (probably thanks to my new and improved internet connection). I think I'll post about the artist I know nothing about (yay surprises!). I heard this song while flipping through channels last night, it played on the outro for some show I'd never heard of, but I was pretty enchanted right away.

The track is called "Neopolitan Dreams" by Lisa Mitchell. The intro is a little odd with the completely out of place xylophone flourish. The highlight of the track has to be her breathy vocals, which kind of take on a cutesy Elliot Smith-esque vibe. Her website aptly describes her music as Indie-Pop which is probably as accurate a description as I have ever heard. The Australian born singer got a recording deal with Sony's UK branch and just came out with her first album Wonder. I'm not sure if I'll love all her music, but this song is definitely a shiny little track that just sounds so pleasant, up-beat, and damn happy.

"Neopolitan Dreams" by Lisa Mitchell from Wonder (2009)

-S

Forget all your politics for a while

Another great husband+wife duo. Band I haven't heard of until just now but they have been around since 97'. Also probably one of the first bands that I really enjoy from Kansas, go figure (sorry Melissa Etheridge). The duo goes by the name of Mates Of State, and their song "Get Better" has seriously caught my fancy.

It is real heavy on the strings, and not as poppy and hard as I usually like. Come to think of it, it is much more polished than what I have been listening to lately. If I'm going to have to make a comparison it would have to be to the Irish band Guggenheim Grotto, who, if I haven't mentioned them before, are 100% worth a listen. The song really doesn't let up straight from the get go. One of the best parts of the track is the heavy influences on the strings, it really makes the song sound just a bit classier and it makes it slightly more sonically complex in a really great way. Well, enjoy!

"Get Better" by Mates Of State from Re-Arrange Us (2008)

-S

When I see land you will conjure up a storm

The college experience is clearly already paying off. I was sent a song from a fellow class of 2014 member, and lo and behold I was given a song I think I really like (just noticed-it is also on the Blogwave Summer mix from DailyBeatz-it does take on a different feel on the Blogwave Summer mix, more electronic, less indie). It was one of those songs that first listen didn't really do it justice, and the music video doesn't really do the song justice-in fact it kind of hurts the song (if you've seen the video for The Mountain Goats "This Year" its along those lines-although it worked for latter). The track is called "Hustle" by a band called Tunng.

It kind of has an electronic-indie rock feel going which ends up being really appealing. There is also a pretty strong percussion vibe going that drives the melody which relies heavily on the short guitar fills. As for the vocals, Becky Jacobs and Mike Lindsey come out pretty flat, but fitting I guess for the song. Anyway, enjoy the music-this band is kind of catching for me.

"Hustle" by Tunng from ...And Then We Saw Land (2010)

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*Fun Fact: Before Tunng, Mike Lindsey and fellow bandmate Sam Genders wrote soft-core porn scores together...thank you Wikipedia*

Digging through and past the center

I wasn't really sure what to expect from The New Pornographers. I had heard of them before, but didn't know what I thought they were. I was handed their new album Together a few weeks ago. I popped it in and, to my surprise, I really enjoyed it.

It was a little like eating a Triscuit and expecting a Wheat Thin-I was totally caught off guard by this band. They have a pretty unique sound-if I had to put a name on it it would be like a more rock and roll-esque Polyphonic Spree (power-pop as their page suggests). The song I want to share is "Your Hands (Together)," its the title track on their album Together. I wouldn't say the track is representative of the whole album, but it certainly sets the pace. What I really love about this song is the fact that it just never lets up. I've been listening to it on loop (its how I write about the song of the day) and the difference between the end and the beginning isn't discernible. It kind of has a 90's rock feel, which is a little weird, but this band is definitely a new favorite.

Enjoy!

"Your Hands (Together)" by The New Pornographers from Together (2010)

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My vacation to mordor

Sorry everyone, I'm embarking on an epic journey in to watching the entire Lord Of The Rings trilogy. However I also watched The Science of Sleep today. Starring one of my favorite female singers, Charlotte Gainsbourg. I won't be posting about Serge or Charlotte though, but a track from the soundtrack, "Contances" by Dick Annegarn. It is a great little French diddy. I can't listen to it out loud so I can't write much about it (the buddies want to be able to hear about this epic journey to Mordor. However I'll write a little bit about it tomorrow night.

"Contances" by Dick Annegarn from The Science Of Sleep OST

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