Music Monday 3.26.07

What's the "Hot Snot" on my iPod this week?

Still loving Arcade Fire's Neon Bible.  My youngest, Daniel and Elijah, are continually asking me to play the "My Body is a Cage" song.  Love it. 

I've been playing a lot of Peter Bjorn and John.  Lot's of energy.

Midlake is really good so far, but still pretty new to me.

Vietnam's debut album really has me intrigued.  An "ok" audio quality live cut.  Listen to "Priest Poet..." and then "Mr. Goldfinger" on Vietnam's MySpace.

I'm reading a new blog that has a lot of new music stuff, but I can't remember what it is at the moment.  They pointed me to this live video of Ray LaMontagne and Damien Rice singing "To Love Somebody."  Really nice.

Music Monday 3.19.07

Peter Bjorn and John (or PB&J) are three Swedish guys who are making some of the coolest music around.  Writer's Block is my introduction to their music.  My copy came with a bonus CD, but I'm not sure if they all come that way. 

WB is hip music with lots of opportunity to tap your feet or whistle along.  I'm not a huge fan of the singing style, but the great music kept me engaged.  I've listened to this album a lot this week and I really like it.  It's also very well received.  It's in Under the Radar's top 10 of 2006.  When UtR likes it, it's often something I enjoy too.  Metacritic shows it at an 82 right now, "universal acclaim."

MP3's: "Young Folks," "Amsterdam," "Objects of My Affection"

Pitchfork: "Writer's Block's sonic textures demand attention first: odd synths, overdriven bass, dreamy harmonies, rolling drums, pink streaks of guitar noise, or a foot tapping in soft focus."

Coke Machine Glow: " Despite its more fractured stylistic elements -- shoegaze smashing headlong into folk pop -- Writer’s Block emerges as one of the most complete and satisfying records of this year."

MySpace has a few of their best tracks.  It's not the best quality, but this video of a stripped down version of "Amsterdam" is worth watching.  The album version of "Amsterdam" is so much cooler, though.  Here's the official "Young Folks" video and official "Objects of My Affection" video.  Catchy man, catchy.

Lyrics...

And the question is, was I more alive
then, than I am now?
I happily have to disagree;
I laugh more often now, I cry more often now,
I am more me.
("Objects of My Affection")

And we don't care about the young folks
Talkin' 'bout the young style
And we don't care about the old folks
Talkin' 'bout the old style too
And we don't care about their own faults
Talkin' 'bout our own style
All we care 'bout is talking
Talking only me and you
("Young Folks")

Music Monday 3.12.07

The new Arcade Fire album, Neon Bible, has exceeded my high expectations.  Metracritic has it at an 86, very high marks indeed.  I knew it would be tough to compare with their excellent debut, Funeral.  And it has a significantly different sound, but oh what a sound it is.  Wonderful.  Packed with religious imagery and pipe organs. 

It's probably the front-runner for 2007 album of the year for me, and I've had it for less than a week! 

Pitchfork:

On Neon Bible, the band looks outward instead of inward, their concerns more worldly than familial, and their sound more malevolent than cathartic. Angry, embittered, and paranoid, but often generously empathetic in their points of view, they target the government, the church, the military, the entertainment industry, and even the basest instincts of the common man.

NYT:

"Set my spirit free," Mr. Butler moans....He wonders: How do you fill a spiritual void when you distrust organized religion? How do you escape fearsome times without wallowing in vacant escapism? He doesn’t have any answers and wastes energy on easy targets like MTV. But the shimmering music transforms bleakness into a "vial of hope," and for now that’s enough.

Please take the time to listen to the best track: "My Body is a Cage."  Haunting.  "Windowsill" is available on their MySpace; another great track.  I can't find a good recording of "Intervention" online, but it's a favorite.

Some lyrics...

Working for the church while your life falls apart.
Singing hallelujah with the fear in your heart.
Every spark of friendship and love will die without a home.
Hear the soldier groan, "We'll go at it alone."
Hear the soldier groan, "We'll go at it alone."
(Intervention)

I'm living in an age
that calls darkness light.
Though my language is dead
still the shapes fill my head.

I'm living in an age
whose name I don't know
Though the fear keeps me moving,
still my heard beats so slow.

By body is a cage
that keeps me from dancing with the one I love
but my mind holds the key.
(My Body is a Cage)

Music Monday 3.5.07

A few new CD recommendations for you...

Corinne Bailey Rae: Corinne Bailey Rae

I've heard CBR songs around, but I really didn't listen until I saw her play live at the Grammys.  It was beautiful.  I've jumped on the bandwagon and I'm really enjoying her neo-soul music.  Even when the music is upbeat it's still mellow.  Check out some of her music videos at YouTube: Like a Star, Put Your Records On.

Explosions in the Sky: All of the Sudden I Miss Everyone

This is one of the only times I've ever put a CD release date in my calendar.  Let me say it was a great idea.  This CD is strongest when first drawing us toward silence and then dragging us into the sound, only to do it all over again.  It's restraint, then power, and then restraint again.  Drowned in Sound gets it right: "Most of the songs start with a flutter, work themselves into a resplendent flourish, ease back into a gentle, laying-down-in-a-field-of-warm-poppies trench, then repeat the process."

It's all music folks, no words.  And it's a beautiful soundtrack for any number of things you experience.  If you have gone Explosions yet, you should.  Click on the albums here for a few free downloads.

Jesse Sykes & The Sweet Hereafter: Like, Love, Lust & The Open Halls of the Soul

Sykes seems like an import from a few decades back, and well worth importing.  From the website: "We were trying to capture some pretty ephemeral stuff on this album -- love and fragile human emotion, the 21st century's strange combination of swagger and vulnerability."  Mission accomplished.  This album gets beyond the music and to the heart. 

From Paste Magazine: "The songs are simultaneously catchier and darker than on her earlier records, the incessant repetition on "Air is Thin" and "How Will We Know?" evoking a world of anxiety and compulsion. This album is made for cold, rainy evenings."

The Mountain Goats: Get Lonely

Ugh, this is a great CD.  Like many CD's that I consider favorites, this is a fantastic, mellow-ish acoustic and emotional trip.  Pitchfork: " There's nothing inspirational about Get Lonely, and there's no story-arc or clear villain-- even though every song is about one particular feeling. That feeling is a sort of existential dread, the thing that happens when the most important person in your life walks out. It's a complicated emotion; you can blame yourself or the other person but you still won't come any closer to feeling better. So Darnielle doesn't sing about anger; he sings about loss."

Watch their video on YouTube: Woke Up New. 

New on the radar...

Brett Dennen

Through the Paste Magazine Culture Club podcast I found Brett Dennen.  I thought he was like 14 from his photos, but heard he is through college, so, I'm really not sure how old he is.  But his sound and songwriting are strangely mature.  Just great acoustic, folksy sounds.  Listen to him at MySpace (especially "Ain't No Reason").

Music Monday 2.26.07

I've been listening to a lot of great new music lately.  You can see some of those CD's on my left sidebar and I will probably blog on a few of those soon.  But I thought it might be fun this Music Monday to list a few "guilty pleasures" on my iPod/iTunes. 

This sounded like a cool idea to me since a few of my friends think I like weird indie music.  I figured those who like the weird indie music should be equally offended.  Trust me, this isn't easy for me.  But I hope to set the music-humility bar high. :) 

So, here are a few CD's you may not expect me to own and like.  I'll also add a nice list of singles you may not believe I purposefully downloaded and still like.

CD's...

> Garth Brooks (his first five CD's)

At 18 years old I left home and went to Southern IL University, which I believe was the #4 party school in the nation my freshman year according to Playboy.  At SIU I learned to tolerate and even like things I never thought I could like.  One of those things was country music. 

It really started by foolishly (for many reasons) attending keggers with my golf team teammates and enduring Garth's "I've God Friends in Low Places" over and over and over again.  I still can't hear that song without smelling a mixture of spilled Coors Light (ick) and, well, stuff spilled Coors Light soaks into when not sopped. 

My next real connection to Garth was dancing with Molly to "Shameless" at Fred's Dance Barn (which I just learned is now closed).  Yep, put me with the Queen of Hotness and a sappy country remake and I'm hooked.  I really AM shameless!  Go Garth!

MP3's: "The Dance," "Rodeo," "Victim of the Game," "Unanswered Prayers," "Cold Shoulder,"

> Kelly Clarkson: Breakaway

It's not much of a secret to say I have watched and still watch some American Idol.  My wife and kids love it.  But once someone "wins" it's hard for me to keep liking them.  It's very hard for them to break out of the AI stigma, at least for me.

But Clarkson did with Breakaway.  This album is really well done.  It's my wife's soundtrack while working out, and therefore my soundtrack for watching my wife workout.

MP3's: "Walk Away," "Behind These Hazel Eyes"

> James Blunt: Back to Bedlam

This dude has a weird voice, but fantastic pop melodies.  This is the second most played CD in our house.  I don't know what else to say.  I like it!

MP3's: "So Long Jimmy," "High," "No Bravery"

> Gavin Degraw: Chariot

A certain best friend of mine introduced me to Gavin's music and I thought it was great.  It's the most played CD in my house by a mile.  This upbeat pop-rock album by a young NYC artist is really, really good and hasn't grown old on me after a couple of years.

MP3's: "Follow Through," "Belief," "I Don't Want To Be"

Singles...

"What's Left of Me" by Nick Lachey

Man, I'm sorry.  But it's better to admit my problem than get caught in the act of listening!  On top of that, it's redemptive-ish.

"Pieces of Me" By Ashley Simpson

I dunno, it's just catchy.  Sue me.

"Seasons of Love" from the movie Rent

C'mon, sing along with us!  The movie sucked cheese, but me likey the song.

"Cowboy Take Me Away" by The Dixie Chicks

I wanna touch the earth/I wanna break it in my hands/I wanna grow something wild and unruly/I wanna sleep on the hard ground/in the comfort of your arms/on a pillow of bluebonnets/in a blanket made of stars/oh it sounds good to me

Yeah, it sounds good to me too. *single tear*

"Unwritten" by Natasha Bedingfield

Ugh, I'm cheesy.  Yeah, just another stupid yet catchy song.  I keep listening, though.

Ok, I'm sick of being humble.  Back to real music next week.

Music Monday (on Tuesday)

Sorry or no Music Monday post yesterday.  Here's a peace offering.

My wife and I watched The Last Kiss a few days back, starring Zach Braff.  I thought Garden State was brilliant and he was involved at all levels on that film.  Braff's only role in TLK, as far as I can tell, is his acting role.  He was good, but the story wasn't appealing to me.  Even though, Braff in more serious roles is a million times better than Braff in Scrubs.  That show just isn't funny to me. 

When Braff is in a movie you can usually find good music therein.  Who can argue with the amazing Garden State Soundtrack?  It appears The Last Kiss Soundtrack (Amos Lee, Ray LaMontagne, Athlete, Snow Patrol, etc) is also very good, though the music didn't seem as forward as it was in Garden State.

One song has haunted me.  It's Imogen Heap's "Hide and Seek."  I'm not much of a Heap fan, but this song may convert me.

Here's the video and lyrics (via) of the song.  Enjoy.  (Also see Live at Indie 103.1)

Where are we? What the hell is going on?
The dust has only just begun to form,
Crop circles in the carpet, sinking, feeling.
Spin me round again and rub my eyes.
This can't be happening.
When busy streets a mess with people
would stop to hold their heads heavy.

Hide and seek.
Trains and sewing machines.
All those years they were here first.

Oily marks appear on walls
Where pleasure moments hung before.
The takeover, the sweeping insensitivity of this
still life.

Hide and seek.
Trains and sewing machines. (Oh, you won't catch me around here)
Blood and tears,
They were here first.

Mmm, what you say?
Mm, that you only meant well? Well, of course you did.
Mmm, what you say?
Mm, that it's all for the best? Ah of course it is.
Mmm, what you say?
Mm, that it's just what we need? And you decided this.
Mmm what you say?
What did she say?

Ransom notes keep falling out your mouth.
Mid-sweet talk, newspaper word cut-outs.
Speak no feeling, no I dont believe you.
You don't care a bit. You don't care a bit.

Ransom notes keep falling out your mouth.
Mid-sweet talk, newspaper word cut-outs.
Speak no feeling, no I don't believe you.
You don't care a bit. You don't care a bit.

You don't care a bit.
You don't care a bit.
You don't care a bit.
You don't care a bit.
You don't care a bit.

Music Monday 2.5.07

Hey, hey, it's music Monday.  With the Bears loss I thought it would be fun to mention a few songs that let the depressed wallow in their depression (think Dwight Schrute listening to "Everybody Hurts" when Michael embraces the temp).  Some songs are good for the lyrics, others mainly for the title. 

Oh, and please leave your football comments on my other post.  This post is about music. :)

"What If I Stumble" by dc Talk
"Nothing Else Matters" by Metallica
"Kicking Television" by Wilco
"Sunday" by Sia
"(Nice Dream)" by Radiohead
"Captain of a Shipwreck" by Neil Diamond
"Numb" by Linkin Park
"Trampled Underfoot" by Led Zeppelin
"Hurt" by Johnny Cash
"Flood" by Jars of Clay
"Over and Out" by Foo Fighters

Music Monday 1.29.07

If you didn't see my Saturday post on music stuff, please check it out. 

I thought today I would point to a couple of online concerts that I've enjoyed.  They are all on Fabchannel.com.  Disclaimer: Some racy language on occasion.  Shouldn't have to say that, but I get all types here. :)

Though I don't own one of their albums, I liked the Midlake concert.  I own two albums and really enjoyed the concert of Explosions in the Sky despite less than ideal video/audio quality.  If you haven't heard Explosions before, you need to.  The Damien Rice 2003 concert is loud and a lot of fun.  Cold War Kids put on a great show last November, as did The Frames.  The Frames just entered my radar a few weeks back.  And, oh, I like Spoon. 

Feel free to offer links to online concert video you have enjoyed.

Fix You

Sorry, couldn't wait on Music Monday.  This is one of the most awesome things I've seen done musically.  (HT: Ben)

Joe Thorn found this.  Wow.  Speechless.

Music Monday 1.22.07

One of my favorite ways to find good music is to find the year end recommendations from people, magazines, websites, and so on.  The Metacritic "Best Albums of 2006" not only gives you the Metacritic list, it also lists more than 40 other year end lists.  Fantastic resource.

So now is when I start finding some music from the last year that I missed.  Here are a couple I'm listening to and enjoying.

The Beatles: Love

This is a remix/rework of classic Beatles songs for the Cirque du Soleil show in Vegas.  I've never thought of myself as a Beatles fan, but this album is amazing. 

Jeremy Enigk: World Waits

Thanks to those of you who recommended this album to me.  It's a good atmospheric rock album.  Enigk's voice is not the best I've heard, but it's appealing for its realness.  I'm really enjoying this CD.

Bonus...

Sparklehorse: Dreamt for Light Years in the Belly of a Mountain

I found this by accident in a Borders bookstore.  I liked the cover, and I remember reading a review or two but couldn't remember what they said.  So I listened to a few songs and loved it, bought it, and it's been in regular rotation since.  The musical structures and sounds are wonderfully constructed, though it may take time to appreciate.

Music Monday 1.8.07

I think every one of these is via Kevin Cawley.  The first is Beck on SNL with "Clap Hands."  The second is Andy Mckee with some sick guitar playing.  The third is Danielson in all of his wacky weirdness.  Enjoy.

Music Monday 1.1.07

Time for my top CD's of 2006.  I was going to do the top 10, but I'm taking it up a notch.  Too many good ones to limit it to 10. 

Disclaimer: My funds are limited and I can't buy or listen to every CD worth listening to.  These are my top CD's of 2006.  There are probably some that would make my list or at least put up a fight: Grizzly Bear, Asobi Seksu, Midlake, Jeremy Enigk, The Mountain goats, and more.  But I can't live on what I don't know, so on with the list...

21. Wolfmother: Wolfmother

Break out the air guitar and nail down a few power chords.  Wolfmother is the real deal.  It hints at old Ozzy, but without Satan.  I noticed that "Woman" is stadium music in the new Madden 07 for PS2.  My kids have also noticed it on commercials.  It's powerful, blood-pumping stuff.

Download: "White Unicorn," "Woman"

20. Alan Jackson: Like Red On a Rose

The best popular level country album I've heard in a long time.  And it encourages slowing down, making out, and all that good stuff. 

Download: "The Fireflys Song," "Nobody Said It Would Be Easy"

19. Decemberists: The Crane Wife

The last Decemberists CD was pretty good, not great.  This is a great CD with a few unexpected sounds and melodies.  Really enjoyable.

Download: "The Island," "Sons & Daughters"

18. Neko Case: Fox Confessor Brings the Flood

This one was slow to grow on me, but it's become a regular listen now.  Neko can sing, and this alt/country is worth every penny.

Download: "Maybe Sparrow," "Star Witness"

17. The Avett Brothers: Four Theives Gone

After hearing a cut from this CD on NPR I spent a few days searching for this CD.  After picking it up I had to get their other stuff.  This is alt/bluegrass/emo/screamo/country at its best.  And yes, I know that's a strange thing to say.

Download: "Left on Laura, Left on Lisa," "Famous Flower of Manhattan"

16. Josh Ritter: The Animal Years

I really debated putting this higher on my list.  Stephen King puts it first.  It's great acoustic, Dylanesque stuff.  Ritter is a master songwriter.  His earlier stuff is good too. 

Download: "Thin-Blue Flame," "Girl in the War"

15. Mat Kearney: Nothing Left to Lose

In 2004 Kearney released Bullet, which was a small release and just fantastic.  This CD is the big release of some of Bullet and some new stuff on a new label.  It blows Bullet away.

Download: "Crashing Down," "Where Do We Go From Here"

14. M. Ward: Post-War

This is the first M. Ward CD that doesn't encourage me to skip over a song or two as I listen.  His style is a bit strange; it took me some time to enjoy it.  But the genius of the music pushed me onward, and I'm thankful.

Download: "Poison Cup," "Post-War"

13. Beirut: Gulag Orkestar

Wow, this CD is something.  It's so different for me, and so enjoyable.  I remember listening to it on a road trip with Joe Thorn to the Southern Baptist Convention in North Carolina.  We both just loved it.  I think you would too.

Download: "Brandenburg," "Postcards From Italy"

12. Jenny Lewis and The Watson Twins: Rabbit Fur Coat

I didn't think I'd like this CD.  I wasn't impressed with the reviews so I just forgot about it.  Something recently led me to buy it, and I'm glad I did.  You know, there are some songs in the world that pop into your head at unexpected times and annoy you.  Most of the 80's comes into mind.  Then there are songs and melodies that haunt you.  For some reason Lewis' voice is always around.

Download: "Rise Up With Fists!!!," "The Changing Sky"

11. Espers: II

I read a few obscure reviews before this CD came out and figured it would be good to try.  This album still blows me away.  It's stunning.  It leaves you dazed and dazzled at the music and the harmonies.  It's a melancholy 70's folk masterpiece.

Download: "Cruel Storm," "Dead Queen"

10. Joanna Newsome: Ys

Running through a forest of fairy tales and melodies plucked on a harp.  Beautiful, wistful, powerful.  Newsome's syrupy voice fits the genre, and her poetry is even better. 

Download: "Emily," "Cosmia"

9. The Black Angels: Passover

I heard the dude at KEXP say that this is his album of the year.  That was enough for me to give it a try.  The Black Angels are a bit of a rock flashback, conjuring up 70's war-related stuff.  But it's every bit today as well.  When I need to crank it up a bit, I go here.

Download: "The First Vietnamese War," "The Prodigal Sun"

8. Regina Spektor: Begin To Hope

This is a recent purchase, but it has been the CD of choice for our family ever since.  This is Fiona Apple without the deep voice.  Spektor's voice is a jewel, and she uses it brilliantly.  She is strong, but playful.  And when she's playful, she is at her best.

Download: "Fidelity," "Samson"

7. Cat Power: The Greatest

Chan Marshall's CD has been in my blood for months.  This was an early front-runner for #1.  This music is full and meaty because of great songwriting. 

Download: "Lived in Bars," "Willie"

6. Tom Waits: Orphans

This is a difficult CD set for me to explain.  It's three CD's: Brawler, Bawlers, and Bastards.  The set is full of rarities and new stuff.  Waits' voice is gravel and acid at times, other times he sounds broken and hurting.  I was really afraid Orphans would lose iPod rotation quickly.  Man was I wrong.

Download (a few selections from each CD): "Low Down," "Rains on Me," "You Can Never Hold Back Spring," "Never Let Go," "Books of Moses," "Two Sisters," "Home I'll Never Be"

5. Sleeping At Last: Keep No Score

When Sigur Ros gets converted and sings in English, they may sound a little like Sleeping At Last.  This is Coldplayish, melody-driven, and fantastic.  This is the one CD I own where the lyrics are more important than the music.

Download: "Careful Hands," "Hold Still"

4. Band of Horses: Everything All the Time

Yeah, this is on most lists.  And it should be.  "The Funeral" will be on most lists of best songs, and it should be.  What a debut CD.  I think "Monsters" is the best song by a mile, and that is saying a lot.  If you don't have this one, get it.

Download: "The Funeral," "Monsters"

3. Page France: Hello, Dear Wind

I so wanted to make this #1.  This album is incredible.  This is what Christ-haunted music is supposed to sound like.  This is what redemptive music sounds like.  The theology is storied and not outlined.  The Cross bleeds through the music.

Download: "Chariot," "Feather"

2. Joseph Arthur: Nuclear Daydream

I think Arthur's stuff is masterful.  It's creative and thoughtful.  Good beats, winsome melodies. 

Download: "Black Lexus," "Don't Tell Your Eyes"

1. Shearwater: Palo Santo

This CD is unbelievable.  I listen to it over and over and it just keeps impressing me.  It's the CD I go to for time in my study and sermon work.  It's haunting, at times so gentle, and at times in your face.  It's amazing. 

Download: "Nobody," "Hail, Mary"

A few honorable mentions: Anathallo, Danielson, Jose Gonzalez, Phoenix, Serena-Maneesh, Silversun Pickups, TV on the Radio.

Music Monday 12.18.06

With winter here I figured I would share 5 of my favorite CD's for sipping hot cocoa in front of a crackling fireplace...

Alan Jackson: Like Red On A Rose -If all country music were more like this, fewer people would be ashamed to say they like it.

Amos Lee: Amos Lee - Silky-smooth, and oh so gentle. 

Dirty Three: Cinder - Instrumental jazz trio, beautiful and simple.

Over the Rhine: Drunkard's Prayer - Thoughtful and emotion grabbing.

Ray LaMontagne: Trouble - Heartfelt and mellow folk/acoustic.

EXTRA! EXTRA!...

Matthew Smith (of Indelible Grace) is streaming his new CD, All I Owe, for free.  Great way to check out Matthew's great worship stuff.  Also keep up with his blog and myspace.

Here's a list of some music blogs (via Kevin Cawley).  Cawley also pointed to NPR's Listener's Pick CD's of the year and KEXP's top 10 or 11 best debut CD's.  I'll probably be giving my best of the year in a couple of weeks.

Music Monday 12.11.06

I've mentioned some of these before, but here are the ways I discover new music.  I'll try to put them in order of importance for me.

1. Metacritic.  This site compiles reviews for movies, DVD's, TV shows, books, and yes, music.  I only use it for music.  Click "Music" at the top, and then on the left sidebar you will notice a few "Best of..." links.  Below that is an "Upcoming and Current Releases" list in alphabetical order.  Click "Sort Them By Score" and see the list in order of best to worst according to combined reviews.

Now you can click artist by artist and see which CD is reviewed and then read blurbs from each reviewer.  A number of the reviews contain a link to the full, external review.

This site isn't perfect.  When reviews don't contain a number score, Metacritic will assign it a number on a 100 point scale so it can be put in the tally.  Some review sites and mags end up giving a slew of 100 ratings, and that just doesn't work.  So you may find inflated scores here and there. 

Another problem is that there are artists and CD's I would love to see reviewed that aren't given any attention.  That can be frustrating.

Nonetheless, this is still my favorite site for discovering which CD's I want to look up on iTunes to see if it might be worth buying.  I also have this site as a favorite on my Treo cell phone so I can use it when at the music store.

2. Peruse good music magazines.  You may want subscribe to a good magazine like Paste (my personal favorite) or Under the Radar.  They will have a number of reviews in each issue.  I can't afford to subscribe to much, so I spend a few minutes shuffling through the pages in the bookstore to see what stands out.  And I'll pick up an issue here or there to read about artists I'm interested in.

A downfall of depending on one magazine is that they might not like something you think it great.  Or maybe it will be the other way around.  I rarely read one review before picking up a CD. 

3. Read music websites. A number of magazines put their reviews online.  Good to check those out.  But there are sites that focus only on the web.  Some of the ones I like are Pitchfork, Dusted, and Coke Machine Glow.

4. Podcasts.  Many of the music magazines and websites have their own podcast highlighting artists and CD's.  I've tried out many and find them all helpful in different ways.  Currently I subscribe to KEXP's Live Performances and NPR's All Songs Considered.

5. Internet radio.  Sites like Pandora (easily my favorite) and Last.fm can be very helpful in finding music that fits in the style range of music you already like.  So you tell them what you like (each site has a unique way of doing this) and they play similar music. 

This doesn't always work like you want it.  Sometimes I think, This isn't anything like the music I enjoy.  But you can skip songs and move along.  I still find these sites worthwhile.

Music Monday 12.4.06

It's time to talk Christmas music.  Granted, I'm not the foremost expert on Christmas music.  Nor do I want to be or ever intend to be.  I'd rather get a CD I can listen to after the holidays are over and all year round.  But there are times to drop a few bucks on Christmas music.

One of those times is when Sufjan Stevens puts out a Christmas album.  I don't own it yet, but I have many of the songs from a free download last year.  They are fantastic, and his boxed set, Songs for Christmas, is surely worth the $20 price tag. Grab it.  Or head to Sufjan's website to stream all the music! (Thanks macht)

If a Sufjan fix won't do it for you, then check out my post from last Christmas detailing the five most played Christmas CD's in my home.  All good stuff.

Music Monday 11.27.06

Another new CD to mention this Music Monday, Joseph Arthur's Nuclear Daydream (myspace). 

Man, I am enjoying this CD thoroughly.  Nuclear Daydream is my introduction to Arthur, and what a great introduction it is.  His sound reminds me a bit of Elliot Smith.  A lot of Mick Jagger.  But if Mick Jagger isn't a sound you are looking for, please just trust me and check it out anyway.  I think you will be very surprised.

KEXP in Seattle has a live concert of Joseph Arthur online (51 minutes), as well as a video interview.  Also, search for the KEXP Live Performances podcast on iTunes to discover great new music.

Reviews

Metacritic puts Nuclear Daydream at an 81, which means "universal acclaim."

Paste: "The multitalented Joseph Arthur...is a metaphysician who fashions his complex interior monologues into deceptively simple pop songs. Nuclear Daydream, his fifth album, is post-apocalyptic religious music, endlessly ponderable and disturbingly beautiful."

New York Magazine: "His latest album, Nuclear Daydream, is his fifth, and it is a tutorial in finely textured songwriting. The tunes are generally slow to mid-tempo, built from simple chord progressions and driven by a powerful, versatile voice that blends bits of Jagger, Dylan, Bowie, and Stipe. Arthur’s lyrics tend to be blunt vignettes about the struggles of love and faith, and they do occasionally veer into solipsistic clichés. But because his delivery is so full bore, you find yourself helplessly singing along even to lyrics that might otherwise make you wince, such as “Woman, you make me feel / Woman, are you for real?” And though the sentiments are often bleak, Arthur takes such cathartic pleasure in expressing them that even the darkest moments contain a glimmer of hopefulness."

Music Monday 11.20.06

I have a few CD's I can't wait to talk about, but I'm going to wait to talk about all of them but one. 

I recently picked up Joanna Newsom's (myspace) new one, Ys.  It is one of the strangest and most wonderful CD's I've heard. 

If you think all real music is 3-5 minutes a song and should be radio-ready, this isn't for you.  Please no hate mail if you buy the CD and don't like it.  Ys' five tracks run about 55 minutes or so.  This music is not about belting out pop hits, but about an experience, about poetry and meaning and depth of beauty.  It may not grab you at first listen (though it did me), and many of you will quickly dismiss it after hearing a clip or two.  But I'm telling you, the grandeur of this album is something to behold.

The music seems to put you in a world of knights and horses and castles and kingdoms, and it makes you wonder if there are dragons in the nearby caves.  It's magical if there ever was magical, with Newsom on the harp and her unique voice breathing out drama.  Newsom is a poet, and the CD's booklet is the thickest I've ever seen at just under 30 pages of lyric/poetry.  It's edges are gold like a Bible or a leather-bound edition of Tom Sawyer, fitting for such literary music.

From "Emily"...

Pa pointed out to me, for the hundredth time tonight,
the way the ladle leads to a dirt-red bullet of light.

Squint skyward and listen--
loving him, we move within his borders:
just asterisms in the stars' set order.
 
    We could stand for a century,
staring,
with our heads cocked,
in the broad daylight, at this thing:

    Joy,
landlocked in bodies that don't keep--
dumbstruck with the sweetness of being,
till we don't be.
Told: take this.
Eat this.
 
    Told: the meteorite is the source of the light,
And the meteor's just what we see;
And the meteoroid is a stone that's devoid of the fire that propelled it to thee.
 
    And the meteorite's just what causes the light,
And the meteor's how it's perceived;
And the meteoroid's a bone thrown from the void that lies quiet in offering to thee.

More on Ys: Metacritic, Pitchfork, Dusted, Observer Music Monthly.

Under the Radar: "The full orchestra doesn’t smack of overproduced grandiosity, which is a nice surprise. Less surprising, of course, is the album's incredible lyrical density."

Drowned in Sound:

It’s only very occasionally that I’ve come across an album that sounds so out of step with the times in which it’s created that it sounds startling, even shocking, like a smouldering asteroid that crashes through the ceiling of your house.

Often it’s something so odd, so next level that it seems like it can only have come from the future. But Ys, the second full-length album by prodigious folk musician Joanna Newsom, sounds like it has come from some dimly remembered past. Like old wives’ tales, these autobiographical myths are built from grains of truth and wisdom, a vivid, living, textured account of a memory glimpsed or forgotten, like a dream upon waking or a fable from a faraway place written a long time ago."

Here's a side note that's worthy of an entire post.  Please listen to the Espers' song "Voices."  I have their most recent CD, Espers II, which is tremendous.  "Voices" is from Espers, which is on my "must buy" list.

I Will Wait For You There

This song by Phil Wickham is a personal favorite, and one I turn to often when I'm down and depressed, or oppressed and frustrated.   I gave you the lyrics a couple of weeks ago.  I hope you find it encouraging.

Music Monday

From time to time I want to revisit some music I think is worth re-recommending. 

I have a number of CD's that I like and listen to now and again but aren't a regular part of my music diet.  I have some CD's I liked for a while and they lacked the depth that would make them last.  But there are a select number of CD's in my music rotation that never seem to grow old.  Here are 10 CD's (most are still fairly new) that I appreciate more with each listen, and so they often get played the most.  In alphabetical order (stars by my top three)...

Amos Lee: Amos Lee
The Avett Brothers (I refuse to choose, Thieves, Mignonette, Live Vol 2, all good)
Band of Horses: Everything All the Time
Cat Power: The Greatest
Page France: Hello, Dear Wind *
Shearwater: Palo Santo *
Sia: Color the Small One
Waterdeep: Sink or Swim
Wilco: Kicking Television: Live in Chicago
Winterpills: Winterpills *

Music Monday

I just found this online Andrew Bird concert video.  Fantastic.  If you aren't familiar with Bird, give his music a try.  "Armchair Apocrypha" is awesome, as is "Measuring Cups," "Sovay."  It's all good.  This guy has skills.  His CD, The Mysterious Production of Eggs, is a favorite of mine.