- three albums that I recommend you buy if you don’t already have them and
- three bloggers I’m tagging so that they’ll blog what three albums
they recommend and the three bloggers they’ll tag and so forth:
It's hard to do this when I already recommend so much in my Music Monday posts. So what I'll do is recommend the top 3 albums I think people who generally only listen to Christian or radio music must buy in order to stretch their understanding and enjoyment of music. I think these will broaden your musical horizons. I also recommend a couple of songs from each album.
Three albums I recommend you buy are... 1. Beirut: Gulag Orkestar(Voice, horns, and transportation to another culture in another time. Brilliant. Songs: "Postcards from Italy," "Brandenburg") 2. Joanna Newsom: Ys (A woodland creature inviting us beyond the thicket and into the magic. Songs: "Monkey and Bear" - but really crucial to hear whole album in order.) 3. Sufjan Stevens: Illinois (Hyper-creative folksy melodic wonders. Songs: "John Wayne Gacy, Jr.," "Decatur")
Tagging... 1. Kevin Cawley (Because he has great musical taste. Expect Pinback.) 2. Joe Thorn (Because he hates these sorts of things and his response or lack of will show whether he truly loves me. Expect Opeth.) 3. Justin Taylor (Because I REALLY want to see what his musical tastes are. Expect...The Gaithers?)
Since "It's a Small World" and a handful of other songs are all I heard for the last week or so, I'll have to do this Music Monday with a distracted ear. Hope it still helps you keep a pulse on some good music out there.
"Rock and roll is dead,” he says, voluble again. “Rock and roll is a
museum piece. It has no viability anymore. There are great rock bands
today—I love the White Stripes, I love the Raconteurs. But it’s a
museum piece. You’re watching the History Channel when you go to these
clubs. They’re just reenacting an old sentiment. They’re channeling the
ghosts of that era—the Who, punk rock, the Sex Pistols, whatever. It’s
been done. The rebellion’s over.
Back in my Beirut concert post I mentioned that Condon pulled out "one really intense French song that was an admitted indulgence for Condon." Here's the original song and singer with English subtitles...
Here's Condon's cover...
In other music news, I did pick up Band of Horses'Cease to Begin and Iron and Wine's The Shepherd's Dog on Tuesday (Best Buy had them for $7.99 each!). I haven't spent much time with The Shepherd's Dog yet but have enjoyed what I've heard. Here's their recent Letterman appearance...
Band of Horses' new one is just wonderful. Pitchfork's favorable review states well what I hear when I listen to Cease to Begin (and their tremendous debut Everything All the Time)...
If Everything All the Time was a Pacific Northwest indie album with
flourishes of country and Southern rock, then Cease to Begin reverses the equation. Putting a different regional
spin on their tender-hearted indie rock, however, doesn't change up the sound too
much-- the guitars still churn and crest majestically, Bridwell's vocals still
echo with grandiose reverb-- but simply creates an atmosphere
evocative of something like autumn in a small town.
A few other things to watch...
Love the opening song off Cassadaga from Bright Eyes: "Clairaudients (Kill or Be Killed)." The album version is better because it starts with a minute and a half of building noise. This is good too. Lyrics are right after, if you want to follow. No arguments for or against the lyrical content please, and you might need to turn it up a bit.
Corporate or Colonial
The Movement (Sickness via video) is unstoppable
Like the body of a centerfold it spreads
To the counter-culture copyright
Get your revolution at a lower price
Or make believe and throw the fight, play dead
It's exploding bags, aerosol cans
Southbound buses, Peter Pan
They left it up to us again
I thought you knew the drill
It's kill or be killed
Future Markets, Holy Wars
Been tried ten thousand times before
If you think that God is keeping score, Hooray!
For the freedom-fighting simulcast (Victory! A defeat! Victory!)
The imminent and the aftermath
Draw another bloody bath to drain
Like the polar icecaps centrifuge (Oh Allah! Oh Jesus please!)
First snowman built at the end of June
He slicks his hair for the interview, his fifteen-minute fame
Would you agree times have changed?
Beirut now has a video (Take Away Shows) for every song on their new album, The Flying Club Cup. You really get a feel for the talent of this band and singer Zach Condon from these live videos, and you can find them all at FlyingClubCup.com. They will also be released on DVD at some point. This is my favorite, though the whole thing is wonderful: "A Sunday Smile."
Did anyone get Radiohead's new one, In Rainbows, as a download? Those who signed up for it (at a "name your own price" price, including "free" if you like) received an email last night with a zip file of In Rainbows. It's good.
I mentioned last week that Alaska in Winter opened for Beirut and that I picked up their CD, Dance Party in the Balkans. Been listening to it all week and haven't tired of it at all. Love it. This is something like the concert experience...
Here's a video for "The Homeless and a Hummingbird"....
Yesterday was a good day. I took the train into Chicago yesterday to meet Joe Thorn. We ate some lunch (I had Chinese, he had Japanese) and then walked around for a few hours to take some photos of the city. We saw two of the worlds most huge and incredible eyebrows, two of the worlds smallest dogs, and a disturbing photo of two sumo wrestlers. I can't show you any of those photos. But I can show you a few others at the bottom of the post.
Mid-afternoon we hopped in Joe's van for a short trip up to Irving Park road toward the concert venue for Beirut/Colleen/Alaska in Winter. Soon after parking at Portage Theater we were able to meet Zach Condon, the front man and brain behind Beirut (see their MySpace to hear all new songs from The Flying Club Cup). Joe took the photo of me and Zach, obviously. It was a treat to meet him and talk briefly about the Take Away Shows of Beirut, which you absolutely must check out if you haven't already. Condon looked tired, road worn. I believe they had to cancel some dates last year because of his exhaustion, so I hope he finds the time to get some rest.
Then we walked up Milwaukee Avenue looking for things to photograph. There wasn't much that caught our eye. We ate at Hops and Barley and then made our way back to the theater for the concert.
Alaska in Winter opened, which was a dude alone on stage (Brandon Bethancourt) singing to what I would call mellow Balkan electronica, I guess. We really enjoyed it. I bought the album: "Dance Party in the Balkans." Worth looking into. Just trust me.
Colleen played next, which was a girl alone on stage with a few different instruments playing minimalist folk (no singing). Very much enjoyed Colleen. I think this music is so intense it really demands full focus, so don't expect to find good lyric-less reading music here. Please go to Colleen's MySpace, stop doing whatever else you are doing, and listen to "I'll Read You A Story." It was easily the best song, the most dramatic song, the most gorgeous song, the most haunting song, she played. The rest were good too, but this one was amazing.
After a 4 song set (these were longer songs) from Colleen, Beirut took the stage. The crowd was filtering in over the first hour and a half and opening acts. But as Beirut started you could see the theater was packed. They opened with Nantes, a personal favorite, which you can see videos for here or here. They played at least the first five tracks of The Gulag Orkestar (maybe more), mostly songs from The Flying Club Cup, a couple from the Lon Gisland EP, and one really intense French song that was an admitted indulgence for Condon (and well worth the time). By the way, Joe took this photo (he had permission from the venue).
The music was played with energy and passion by the eight musicians that filled the stage. Three were mostly on strings (upright bass, violin, mandolin/guitar/ukulele), Condon was on the mic and played a horn, two others had horns (one a trumpet and the other swiched between several things including a baritone sax), and one dude was on the drums and another on the accordion. The band members often switched instruments. I think six of them at one time or another played a ukulele or mandolin. Solid musicians.
The crowd, by the way, not only filled the seats (well over 1,000) and the front of the venue, but packed out the front so that people were packing the aisles when the front ran out of space. It's interesting to note that this is European, Balkan style music and it seemed the whole crowd was well under 30 (except for a couple of handsome pastors who are in their mid-30s). Great to see Beirut have this sort of following.
Here are some photos from yesterday, and for Photo Phriday...
No other way to start this post than by mentioning that the new Radiohead CD, which doesn't come out in CD form until next year, but is available for digital download in 9 days at whatever price you choose. True story. It appears they are heading off possible album leaks before the CD release and asking for donations. Pretty cool. You can pre-order the download now and they will email you on the 10th to let you know you can download it.
Colleen is opening for Beirut. I never heard of Colleen until I bought my concert ticket. Very interesting music that I'm sure to pick up on CD sometime soon. Check out Colleen's MySpace where it says that "Colleen is a French musician working within a minimalist and melodic
aesthetic using acoustic instruments and modern technologies." Beautiful and haunting music.
And on the iPod I've been playing a lot of Cassadaga from Bright Eyes lately. "Four Winds"...
If you haven't heard the new hymn, "In Christ Alone," here you go...
The Craw pointed me to the Yoshida Brothers. Wow, cool...
Josh Ritter's new album is really fantastic. Here are a couple of songs from it...
Animal Collective really gets the award for indie weirdies. I don't really like them all that much, but experiencing a song/video should be must for all. It's just...weird...
A fitting ending to my post...have you heard Sufjan Stevens' "National Anthem" yet?...
Trip: The trip to Milwaukee from Woodstock was pretty quick, maybe a little over an hour. No traffic problems. Ate some Fazoli's on the way, which we used to eat a lot when first married. We didn't have time for a sit down meal. The route was awful both ways, in that there was a lot of construction. Both directions I got us lost because a part of the route was blocked. Ugh.
Venue: The Pabst Theater is a great place. It's both a theater (gorgeous) and a bar (Pabst, duh). They let you bring drinks into the theater. Made for a lot of people drinking a lot of bad beer during the concert. And of course the cheapest drink was Pabst Blue Ribbon. The cruelty! The sound quality in Pabst was great and you never felt too far from the stage. We didn't have to worry about that in the seventh row. All tickets were general seating so we got to choose where to sit. A half hour early was enough to get a seat almost anywhere.
The asked for no photography or video, so I obliged. Wish I could have provided something for you, but
Damien Jurado: The band included Damien (who has a large, block shaped melon) along with Eric Fisher and Jenna Conrad. They all swapped some of their instruments during the concert. At some point they all played the drums. Really enjoyed most of the music, especially the harmony with Jenna. Beautiful stuff. At one point they played 5-6 fantastic songs in a row. I checked out Jurado's stuff months ago but don't remember any of it. I'll be sure to check out more of their stuff now that I've been properly introduced. Check out Damien Jurado's MySpace.
Here's a video for "Lion Tamer"...
Okkervil River: They opened with 5 songs that just flat-out rocked. Tons of energy. Will Sheff (singer) was like a wet noodle moving around the stage. Jurado's music is more subdued, and so went the crowd. Nothing wrong with that, and actually that's my favorite kind of music. But Okkervil set the place on fire with their opening songs. Loved it. Then they finally stopped to breathe and say something to the crowd, very briefly, only to move on to one of my favorite (more subdued) songs from their new album (The Stage Names) "A Girl in Port." They played most of the songs from The Stage Names and a small handful from other albums.
Though there wasn't a song I didn't enjoy, my favorite of the night was "For Real" from Black Sheep Boy. Here's their official video and a live version that shows you what they are like in concert...
One of the things I was looking forward to at the concert was seeing Jonathan Meiburg, who played keyboard and some guitar. Meiburg's band Shearwater (where Sheff is also involved) was on my radar before Okkervil. Meiburg gave a great stage performance that didn't overshadow Sheff but showed his crucial place in the band. I would not hesitate to see Okkervil again. It was a great night with a hot woman and a couple of hot bands. Hard to beat that.
The good folks over at the much-hated Pitchfork continue to woo me through their love for Okkervil River. (And I hope my love for Okkervil River is rubbing off to you all.) Pitchfork introduced me about this great performance on Conan...
...and the official Okkervil video for "Our Life is Not a Movie or Maybe"...
...and this live video of "Unless It's Kicks"...
Here's the stuff I listen to when reading or doing something that takes considerable concentration, meaning, this stuff is mostly instrumental. I often turn to Explosions in the Sky (MySpace) as brilliant, thematic, engaging stuff. Eluvium has been a recent favorite on the more passive and ambient side (MySpace). Pelican, an instru-metal band from Chicago (MySpace) has been rocking my face off. The Field is a new edition to my collection, but already a very welcome one. Even when I'm perfectly still The Field has me dancing (MySpace). I've recently mentioned E.S.T., modern jazz (MySpace). Very good for the study.
One last thing. Cloud Cult's new one is really great: The Meaning of 8. This is one of those quirky bands that finds a way to make every song awesome in a way it's hard to fully describe. Here's an MTV interview.
Nina Nastasia: Heard her on some podcast, I think. Lovely acoustic music. Nina Nastasia MySpace.
Sketches for Albinos: Found this stuff a long time ago and forgot about it. Found a Sketches for Albinos MySpace link somewhere and listened again. Really interesting and worth checking out. Iceland represents.
I really enjoyed Said at Southern's two-part podcast interview with Derek Webb (one, two) and encourage you to give it a listen.
One thing I love about Webb is his musical and creative progress, as well as his theological progress over the years from the gospel to the implications of the gospel. His Caedmon's and early solo writing is more gospel and his current stuff is more implications. This is how we all should progress, right? Some think that an album like Mockingbird shows gospel changes in Webb, but I think that's a steaming pile. His second interview shows that his thinking on the gospel hasn't changed except that he has actually tried to work out the implications of the gospel.
I also love the discussion on labels (they ask him several very good questions) and how hard Webb tries to avoid them and why. Even as the first half of this interview drew fire from the more reformed crowd, Webb proves himself more humble and more thoughtful and more generous than that crowd in the second interview (which was obviously recorded at the same time as the first and before he knew the response).
Some don't like Webb for his thoughts on politics, or friendship with Don Miller or Jim Wallis, but these interviews show that Webb is one of the most thoughtful, helpful, dynamic, engaging and self-aware artists out there. He personifies what it means to be able to hold tight to truth and theology while still listening to other voices.
Congrats to Tony and the Said at Southern folk. It was not only a good interview, but it challenged me to think about the gospel, faithfulness, music, and more. And I love the fact that this interview is done by a website that includes the name of Southern Seminary even as the interview brought fire on Webb from SBTS alumni. Funny...and sad.
Oh the joy of music! I've been bathing myself in some spectacular music lately. It's my pleasure to share this stuff with you.
Okkervil River (MySpace) might be the world's greatest band (I worded that carefully so as not to overstate my position).
After ignoring the buzz I finally decided to find them. I couldn't find their stuff in any stores. Then they suddenly appeared in my hand, at the checkout, in my car, on my computer and then in my iPod. I listened. I haven't stopped listening. This is brilliant stuff.
Something odd and wonderful happened on my first run through Black Sheep Boy (MetaCritic). I actually found myself skipping to the next song NOT because I didn't like what I was listening to, but because it was so compelling I had to find out where/if they ran out of amazing tracks. I have little doubt this album will be something that endures. It reminds me of some Wilco and Radiohead experimentation, in a reserved way.
Writing in first-person, Sheff traffics not in plots, but in
predicaments full of concrete details and clever wordplay. On "Black",
a man despairs to counsel and comfort his lover, who was abducted and
possibly abused as a child. "April 12th, with nobody else around; you
were outside the house...when he put you in the car," Sheff sings,
capturing the character's boiling frustration and romantic abandon.
Meanwhile, the band churns a bouncy pop energy, driven by Jonathan
Meiburg's keyboards and Zachary Thomas's rubber-ball bass, which pushes
and prods him along, intensifying the emotions even as it seems at
tonal odds with the dark material. But, as the music makes clear,
"Black" is a love song, a statement of determined devotion. (Pitchfork)
A Gothic thread runs through much of Black Sheep Boy, a lyrical
fascination with blood and blades and the blackest of emotions. Anger
and pain have rarely been so eloquently depicted. The appropriately
named song Black has to be one of the catchiest songs ever written
about abuse and revenge; Sheff yells: "And I tell you like before, that
you should wreck his life the way that he wrecked yours." It's complex
track, moving and powerful on a number of levels, full of impotent rage
and a rare emotional intelligence. Like so much on this album it
rewards repeated listens. (musicOMH)
With Black Sheep Boy, Okkervil River have made the kind of minor classic that will inspire obsessive-compulsive love affairs with the lucky people who stumble upon it. There’s not a single terrible track, and the presence of a poignant, unifying storyline takes it more than just a step beyond the band’s peers: Black Sheep Boy dances circles around them. Dynamite, indeed. (Coke Machine Glow)
Please don't miss the Black Sheep Boy Appendix (EP) which is just as striking as a follow-up to BSB.
Their newest, The Stage Names (MetaCritic), doesn't hold the same feel as BSB, but it holds it's own. These songs at first glance sound more upbeat and hopeful than BSB, but their lyrics tell other stories, sometimes painful stories. It's has beauty in the contrast.
Ultimately, The Stage
Names shows how a vastly talented
"mid-level band" (Sheff's words) sees itself, but there's no bitterness
here, just overwhelming self-doubt and
perseverance. Despite its density (they fit worlds into just nine
songs), the
album remains exciting and accessible, albeit highly sobering. It's
about the
folly of popular music and its attendant lifestyles, but these songs
are so
good and so moving that they only give us stupid, stubborn hope. (Pitchfork)
And that, maybe, is the secret to why The Stage Names is so
good. It's a layered piece of work, its joy on the surface, its bitter,
complicated wit buried beneath. No effort is required to enjoy the
album. You almost can't help but be swept away by its sheer exuberant
force. Yet effort, if you wish to expend it, will pay off, as every
listen reveals a new striking line, a skillfully placed flourish. (Dusted)
Wildly alive, majestic and by turns brooding and raucous—often within the same song—The Stage Names burns with all the loneliness and adventure of a never-ending road
trip. It makes sense—Okkervil has been touring the country relentlessly
for years, and in these nine compact songs, the journey’s raw, frayed
edges come to the surface. Will Sheff’s voice keens with emotion and
his utter lack of irony is refreshing—it’s nice to hear someone who’s
not afraid to fully express how sad the world can be. (Filter)
I pointed to this great video for "For Real" (from Black Sheep Boy in last week's post...
In other news, you need more White Stripes. It's all good. Here's "Seven Nation Army" from Elephant and "Icky Thump" from Icky Thump.
Love The Besnard Lakes. So good. Here's "Agent 13" from Are the Dark Horse.
Lastly, let me leave you with a few interjections...
Can't stop listening to Tegan and Sara. It's addictive. I'm stuck.
Derek Webb's new one, The Ringing Bell, is really great. I've loved all his stuff, but this one is by far his best art. I return to it often.
At the request of too many, I started a free trial on emusic. I picked up a live Over the Rhine album, the new Waterdeep album, and a couple of Linford Detweiler albums. All good stuff. The selection at emusic doesn't impress me. Too bad. Nice idea.
Discoveries...
E.S.T. or Esbjorn Svennson Trio. This is great new jazz...
Okkervil River. I've heard of these guys for some time, just never looked into all the buzz. I should've...
I found Ashton Allen when his music was featured on a movie podcast. I dig the sound. Very Winterpills-ish. What? You don't know Winterpills? Sinner.
My kids are digging Weird Al.
This is the green screen, Donny Osmond clip from "White and Nerdy" in full. Pretty funny.
Themeteors in this shower all appear to emanate from the constellation
Perseus. The best times to watch will be late night Aug. 12 through
dawn Aug. 13.
"The August Perseids are among the strongest of the
readily observed annual meteor showers, and at maximum activity
nominally yield 90 or 100 meteors per hour," said Joe Rao, SPACE.com's Skywatching columnist. "However, observers with exceptional skies often record even larger numbers."
<...>
To see
the show, one need only find a comfortable spot with a clear view of
the northeast horizon, away from local lights. A dark rural location is
best. Lie back on a blanket or lounge chair and scan the entire sky. In
the late evening, starting around 9 p.m. local time, sharp-eyed
observers might see "earthgrazing" meteors that skim the northeast
horizon.
"Earthgrazers are long, slow and colorful," Cooke
said. "They are among the most beautiful of meteors." But don't expect
more than a handful in an hour, he said.
Later and during the overnight hours, the shooting stars will be higher in the sky as Perseus rises. Some skywatchers enjoy counting the number of meteors they see per minute, per hour or during a 15-minute interval and comparing notes.
A brief Music Monday (this is a timed post as I'm at Six Flags with my family). Three new albums you should check out.
Tegan and Sara: The Con -- Really digging this one, though it's still pretty new to me. Catchy but thoughtful pop.
Woven Hand: Mosaic -- Striking biblical imagery enveloped in thick, moody music. Ugh, this is awesome.
Jeremy White: Asleep in a Storm -- This is Sovereign Grace music remixed by White. Hear song clips. It's an odd sound for someone who knows SG worship music (their singing with dance remixes), but it's somehow appealing, interesting.
I've been enjoying some Dr. Dog lately. I read a quote from Jeff Tweedy recently where he mentioned Dr. Dog. Then I happened upon Dr. Dog's new album, We All Belong, at a Borders. Decided to take a risk and I dig their Beatlesy vibe. This is a fun introduction...
The new Spoon CD, Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga is fantastic. I dig the live Letterman version of "The Underdog", though you may wonder when Gary Busey started a band...
I'll leave you on a funny note. Flight of the Concords' "Part-Time Model" just kills me. Warning: It's not for kids. But adults with a sense of humor will dig it.
I tried to put this up yesterday, but I've had no shortage of computer issues. A Molly update and links on the way...
Molly Update
She had brain surgery 12 days ago and for the most part is feeling good and getting around fine. The stuff she is dealing with right now are lightheadedness when she stands up, some neck pain, and some numbness on her scalp. Her balance is doing wonderfully. I was very surprised yesterday as she tested what she can and can't do. She is experiencing no numbness in her limbs as she had before. It seems the rest of her symptoms have either gone away or been depleted, but we are still taking our time to determine exactly what will happen with those.
She felt well enough to go out to dinner with me last night to celebrate our 14 year anniversary. Man, I love my wife. This picture was taken yesterday. Want to see what the incision area looks like?
Cheap, Good Music
Personally, I don't download much music. I buy CD's. But the temptation to download has just increased. iTunes now has some great CD's at very low prices, which is a new thing. At the iTunes store click on the "Next Big Thing" box and you will find some great CD's for $6.99 by Peter, Bjorn and John, Brandi Carlile, Hot Chip, and LCD Soundsystem. Really great deals.
Baaahhhh! I've been tagged by Stephen Shields. I need to provide...
