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Barenaked Ladies - All in good time

So I've been listening to this album since approximately tuesday morning when it was released. And for me at least, this is a darker album than their previous efforts, and there is something less, I don't know, juvenile than their previous albums. Perhaps it's the subject matter because to my ear, there are more than a couple of tracks that deal with the loss of Steve Page. There are a couple of album standouts to my ear, namely:

• Summertime
• Every Subway Car
• Golden Boy
• All in Good Time

There are other good tracks, "You Run Away" appears to be explicitly about the relationship with Steve. In the end, much like the way I still loved Fleetwood Mac even w/o various members as that band has evolved over the years, I still love BNL, I just think that they're stronger together than they are apart. Good album.

Rating: B

Jonsi - Time to pretend

It was bound to happen; a MGMT cover. Here is Jonsi's version on piano of time to pretend. I'm actually kind of hooked on it. Very very cool. I don't think you can actually find that track on the album below, just on the stream.

http://stereogum.com/309621/jonsi-time-to-pretend-mgmt-cover/mp3s/

Neon Indian - Sleep Paralysist

So while the track I have here is not available on the album proper (search the interwebs and places like elbo.ws to find a copy) the musical style is very interesting. think the next incarnation of the MGMT style. The intro is amazing, and in a way reminds me of the denouement from revenge of the nerds (yes, the first one). Or, hit play below to hear it on youtube.

Weekly Top 20s

Ish - so I've been really bad about consistently posting on my non-photo blogs. My bad. Here's a little taste of what I've been up to though. 

No surprise here, we were getting ready for St. Patty's day so there was much Gaelic Storm to be had including their new track, raised on black and tans. Good stuff, the trend will likely continue through this week :-)

Mike Doughty - looking at the world from the bottom of a well

This is totally stuck in my head right now...for all you soul coughing fans out there!

Oh My God - Ida Maria

This is seriously infectious in a good way. go watch this, now.

Gaelic Storm - Me & The Moon

So who, you may ask, is the band I've seen more times than any other band? Easy I say, it's Gaelic Storm. I have to thank by good friend Mark for introducing me to them in late 2006/early 2007. Since then I believe I've seen the band in the neighborhood of 8 times. They are good in the studio, but it doesn't even compare to their live appearances. This song is one of those highlights that has the entire crowd roused and singing along. Simply stunning. I'm hoping the DVD of their milwaukee show from Irish fest last year will be out soon. I can't wait to check it out!

It's Jamie Cullum day!

Haven't heard much yet, but what I've heard, I've liked.

Sweet Talkin' Woman - ELO

So this will be short and sweet, since I'm having some connectivity issues today. This is probably my favorite ELO track of all time, and I love me some ELO. Seriously groovy, just something about the harmonies, driving drums and orchestral swells that really grabs me, you know? This is a track you just have to check out.

Elvis Costello - Sulphur to Sugarcane

ok, so this song has a touch of country in it, but in a very endearing way. Jules and I first heard this song when we saw Deckland McMannis at Summerfest this year, and the live version of this song was absolutely incredible which made me seek out this version. This one is still great, but doesn't hold a candle to that live version; but of course, great artists can do that, they can suck you in by referencing your town in their songs. So I fell for it. But it really was great. The song itself is perhaps a little long, but it's a lot of fun to sing along to; kind of a tour-du-sin and who knows how much of it is true, eh? Maybe Elvis is a player. "None of them as wild as I discovered in Columbus"

Waitin' on a sunny day - Bruce Springsteen

One of the highlights of the Bruce concert that Julie and I went to this past November was this song off the rising; Bruce actually brought a little kid up out of the audience to sing the refrain, which was pretty cool. This song has a great solid beat (thank you Max W.) and the usual wall of sound associated with Bruce and the E Street Band. All that, and it's just a fun song, it makes you want to sing along. It's kind of a pick me up. So check it out!

Weekly Top 20s

 So, it's been a while kids since we did a Weekly Top 20s, I'm falling behind! As you could probably figure out, the track I reviewed yesterday (I think, I love) is my most listened to track. Go figure.

I think, I love - Jamie Cullum - The Pursuit

As a big Jamie Cullum fan I'm pretty disappointed that this CD has been available in the UK and other places since November, and we can't get it here until March. I realize that's not all that far off, but it's been a while since I've heard any new material from him. To their credit iTunes does have about 5 of the tracks available spread across a couple of albums, so I was able to pick them up. I think, I love is one of those new tracks and I for one am a big fan. It's a soft, piano song that to my ear is reminiscent of many jazz standards, but it's really funny in that English humor sort of way, which is probably one of those things that I love about Jamie's style. Suffice to say, you know what I'll be doing on March 2nd, but in the meantime, you should check out this track.

Mr. Bitterness - Soul Coughing

This may in fact be my favorite Soul Coughing track (thank you Sarah); the drum work, and standard stream of consciousness lyrics appeal to me, what can I say? It's a great track, and if you haven't heard it, you're missing out. Soul Coughing, especially on their first album had a knack for injecting samples that really grabbed me. In another track they built a song around a famous looney tunes diddy. Overall it's a great album, but for me Mr. Bitterness has long been the standout track.

The Who - The Seeker

I love this track, and it's certainly not new, but I thought in honor of the Who's appearance at the Super Bowl I would pick a track that I believe should have made the lineup for that night. For me, this song is all about Townshend's guitar, it's so powerful throughout the song. That double rake he does across the guitar strings is like a riff in and of itself. Then the solo! I don't know what peddle he kicks on, but the almost country flair of the guitar was spot on for this track. I have a version by Rush, I don't think it even compares. Don't get me wrong, technically it's fine and I know people who would argue the technical superiority of Neil Peart over Keith Moon any day, but I think the Daltrey vocals are superior to Geddy Lee's in this case, and also don't really dig the way Lifeson handled the solo. Doesn't really flow like Townshend's.

Vampire Weekend - Ruby Soho

So this one isn't exactly fair in that you can't actually go purchase this track or anything. I found a version of Vampire Weekend covering Rancid's Ruby Soho. It's done in that VW style, but it's a great song; in my estimation the definition of a minimalist cover, soft vocals, dominate, driving drumming and sort of spacey ambient guitar. Look around for this track, you may be able to locate it. (it could be here) but that's not my link, so I make no guarantees.

Tell me Why - Neil Young

I've come to love this song; I was first introduced to it when I obtained the "After the Goldrush" album by Neil from Julie's Dad, and honestly, there isn't a bad track on the whole album for me. Most times I don't single out one track, I just listen to the album straight through, it is that good. There is something that stands out about Tell Me Why though and I don't know that I can explain what it is apart from to say that while I find something rather cryptic about the lyrics, I somehow still identify with the song itself. I recommend taking a listen for yourself to see what I mean.

The Weekly Top 20s

So I realized last night that I forgot to do my Top 20 charts this week; so for you viewing pleasure....

 You can see that this week was really dominated by Clapton, I guess I was just in that kinda mood this week, you know? Nothing else that appears on that list should be any surprise to anyone who knows me; lots of classic rock, with a splash of my "workin music" thrown in for good measure. Check out some of the individual tracks after the jump.

Fiona Apple & Nickel Creek - Tonight You Belong to Me

So today's post isn't so much a track that you can download; see I discovered a method of grabbing audio from video files that have no downloadable track associated with them off of say itunes or amazon (and that's the only way I use it!). Armed with this method I happened upon an old track that had special meaning (for me at least) because my mom and her siblings would sing this every time they got together. (you can view the original track here).

What I love about this version is that it feels vintage, and yet completely improvised (I know it's probably anything but). So take a moment and listen to this old tune; I''m a big fan of the way the guitar really just sits and plucks out a beat in the background, but the violin and piano are the real stars. As I quickly realized, in subsequent versions (of what I can only imagine is a tour) they added another female harmony, which for me detracts from this version of the song (though I am a fan of harmony in general in this song). So take 3:32 out of your day and check out this old gem.

Fried Neck bones and Some Home Fries - Carlos Santana (live at the Fillmore 1968)

First off, the link below is for Willie Bobo, not Santana. The version I've been listening to non stop is from Santana (live at the Fillmore 1968). This song however, and whoever plays it, represents more or less the ultimate license to just jam. I think that's what I like about the live version from Santana. It's got a vintage feel, because it is vintage, but more to the point this is a long track, like 10 minutes. Radios won't play that! So it represents another time; it is just an extended jam which you don't get from a lot of artists today.

This song makes me think of old world Cuba, I can't tell you why, it's just a feeling I get. The organ is a constant throughout the song, and the drums have this poly-rhythmic thing going on the entire time. And then of course there's Santana! In my estimation, Santana is to guitar what Wisconsin is to beer, cheese and snow: he's not the only game in town, but one of the best examples you could think of. This track is so good, even if you only listen to it once, it's so worth it. Check it out!

Clapton - I've Got A Rock N Roll Heart

Many of you will recognize this commercial from the Eric Clapton TMobile Fender phone commercial. That's exactly where I heard the song, and the reason I went looking for it, only to discover that it was an old song off of Money and Cigarettes. Turns out thanks to Kev, I had it already. Great song, it's been stuck in my head for a couple days now, and I'm great with that. Check it out!

Crooked Teeth - Death Cab for Cutie

So I'm not a huge Death Cab for Cutie fan, but this track really grabs me. I'll put it as Death Cab for Cutie for people who don't like Death Cab for Cutie. Good beat, good melody, just a song you can nod your head to, and before long you'll find yourself singing along. This ranks as one of my highest played tracks of 2009 if that tells you anything. Check the preview below to create your own opinions, but this song is well worth checking out.

It's time for the Weekly Top 20s!

Looking over this list of tracks, it's no surprise to me considering all the things I've been listening too over the past week; I blame the apple Genius feature on iTunes. Once you find a track you dig, it can just throw together a bunch of similar ones really easily. That's exactly what happened here as you will see after the jump. 

more

Empire of the Sun - Standing on the Shore

I've been a fan of Empire of the Sun for a while, thanks to a track I will cover in another post, but I did want to bring up this little number. "Standing on the shore" is probably the second standout track (IMHO) on the initial album from this up and coming band. Parts of the intro remind me of an old Midnight Oil track, but the song itself has it's own unique qualities and beats making it pretty infectious to your brain.These guys and this track are well worth investigating.














RIYL: Friendly Fire, Phoenix, MGMT, Hot Chip, Cut Copy

Wombats - Let's dance to Joy Division

I'm freakin addicted to this song right now. Great beat, English singer, chock full of head nodding fun. Go ahead, listen, you'll be addicted. I dare you. I have it on repeat. See for yourself here.














RIYL: Earlier Kings of Leon, M83 & MGMT

Iron & Wine - The Trapeze Swinger

I can remember the first time I encountered Iron & Wine, I saw the lead singer on T.V. and that huge beard, I really wasn't sure what to think. Unfortunately I couldn't hear the music because of it being a commercial for something else, however eventually I came across this track (I think I got a copy from a friend, or one of my legal free downloads). Anyhow, upon initial play I was immediately hooked on these guys. Just a very simple, mellow sound, but so good. I went on to discover other songs of theirs like "flightless bird, american mouth" among others. If you like great songwriting, and a mellow, steady beat, these guys could be for you. Definitely check them out.














RIYL: The National, The Decemberists

Sleepyhead - Passion Pit

So, I really thought this track was crazy weird when I first heard it (which I now realize was a palm pixie commercial), but now I kinda dig it. Anyone else out there listening to this track? It's a little crazy and all over the place, but in kind of a good way.

So, what are you listening to?

One of those things I feel like I get asked a lot: "so, what are toy listening to?". This made me think that I should institute a weekly review of my most covered tracks, but my most covered artists as well. All I can say is that I have recently taken to making dynamic playlists of entire artist catalogs and letting it play in the background most of the day. You can clearly see from both charts that this is the case with both Bruce Springsteen and The Killers. The only name on there which maybe isn't familiar to most of you would likely be Madeleine Peyroux. She has a distinctly French sound (to my ears anyway) and I've been enjoying her a bit.

Brett Dennen - Make You Crazy

I've been a really big fan of Brett Dennen since I got "Ain't no reason" off of iTunes discovery downloads some four years ago. I've continued to follow the guy and even went so far as to make Julie come to his show with me last year when he came through Milwaukee. I feel that this particular track represents probably his most radio friendly, effort, reflecting the collaboration with Femi Kuti and a significant impact of production in this instance. If you're looking for a way to get into this guy, or are interested in exploring a sort of California Rock ala upbeat Amos Lee & Jack Johnson with a bit more in regards to political minded geo-awareness, this would be the track for you. Think of it as a gateway song. I promise it's the kind of thing that will get stuck in your head and you'll find yourself singing before long.

RIYL: Upbeat Amos Lee, Upbeat Jack Johnson, California Rock

Did You Miss Me - Gift of Screws - Lindsey Buckingham

So this track is off of Lindsey's most recent effort, that is to say "Gift of Screws", which is apparently from a poem he really digs. This song represents (as I understand it) a collaboration between Lindsey and his wife, and I think possibly even one of his kids. The song itself was good enough to be a single which did get some radio airplay, which, if you know Lindsey and his work is a real change of pace. It has a really nice beat and melody, it's very easy to listen to, but really fits into that "adult contemporary" genre. Oddly enough, on one of my trips recently, I heard this song on the radio in a Chili's. Never thought I would see the day.

Incidentally, this song is IMHO vastly superior in Concert, so if you have the opportunity, do check him out. He's very impressive solo.

Human - The Killers

So the big controversy that I heard around this song anyhow was "denser vs. dancer". Meaning during the chorus is he singing "are we human, or are we denser?" vs. "are we human, or are we dancer?" mumbling vocals and that controversy aside, this song rocks in my estimation. Great beat, interesting build/arc throughout the song and just an interesting overall sound. Now the video was a littly funky, Brandon Flowers (lead vocals, head Mormon in the group) was wearing this crazy jacket with stuff coming off, going in all directions. Weird.

By far not the best song on the album, Human was the only single to my knowledge off of Day and Age and represents the bands third effort (unless you count sawdust), which I don't so much consider another album as a CD of all the leftover crap from their first two albums (One standout however was the track there with Lou Reed). If you happen to be living in the stone age, or just woke up from a Rip VanWinkle or something to that effect and haven't actually heard this song, go check it out. The whole album is well worth it in my humble opinion.

Dewey Music

So yesterday, this project was posted on BoingBoing and I clicked through to check out the link;

Holy Crap!

What an awesome site! I could spend hours in there just poking around and checking out all the free, public domain music. Seriously, go search for some stuff and you might just find some shows you want to hear. Not only can you listen to them right from the website, but you can also download them in a variety of formats, like it and share it (provided you're ok with signing in with facebook. Rock on Dewey People.

Zulu Spear - Back to the Bay

I know a lot of you are going to be like: WTF? Zulu Spear? Who the hell is that??!?!?!

Well, I can't vouch for the longevity of this band, but in the early 90's my brother came home with this CD which he had purchased in downtown Columbus, and I was floored. Granted, there are only about 2 listenable songs on the whole album; correction, there is only this track. Only back to the bay. The rest is shite.

Back to the bay is peppy and upbeat with random African poly-rhythmic beats throughout the song, making it kinda fun in a totally cheesy, nostalgic (at least for me) way. Everything else is hard to listen to. It has a kind of African tribesman harmony going on in nowhere near as cohesive a way as say...Graceland, or even the The Visitor [Audio CD] [Import]. But this one track it worth a listen.

Welcome To The USA

Oh Timbaland

So I've really dug the Nina Simone track that this song was based on since I heard it in the Thomas Crown affair, way back in the day, and I wish I could say I was a fan of hers before that, but it's just not the case. While I'm not a huge fan of Timbaland typically, the combination of a song I love (sinnerman) and the beats that he (Timbaland) injects in the remix really work for me. This is a fast paced song, and I will often use it to work out. It's number 45 on my list of 2009's highest played.

Spoon - You Got your cherry bomb

So one of the bands Mr. Millan introduced me to this past year was Spoon; wow, that guy has a great voice, and I think this song is a great showcase for it. Now I don't love every song on this album, but when it's on, it's on and this is a good example of it being on. There is something kind of vintagey about some of the qualities of his voice, but listen for yourself and judge! Great beat, great overall song.

The Republic Tigers - Buildings and Mountains

ok, I honestly cannot get enough of this track. Love it, love it, love it. I mean really, I should be picking up the whole album, but I just haven't done it yet. It has a slower beat than a standard rock song (IMO), and the whole vocal track seems like it's two guys singing in chorus, but for whatever reason, it really works on this. The guitar is there, but I don't feel like it's dominant in the song. GO GET IT! This track is so worth it.

Ting Tings = Eddie Money?

So, seriously, who would make this kind of comparison? Me. And I don't mean the whole song, just like the first 5 seconds of each song sounds eerily similar. I thought that the first time I heard it, and I still think that. But it's like they say, if you're going to rip someone off, rip off the greats, right?

Gran Ronde

Ok, so I do have this whole album, but only because of the first track I heard from the group made me think the whole endeavor might be awesome. I was wrong; I didn't hear anything else on the album that I really liked apart from the track "wisdom". That's just a guitar riff that gets in your head. Seriously, take a listen' it's awesome. That's why it ranks at #4 as my most listened to track of 2009 at 52 times.

On a side note, I was recently in Portland in a Native American hall on a university campus when I noticed the same name "Gran Ronde" on one of the nation flags in the back of the hall. Turns out the band is from the area, and while not named after the nation, they are named after a river in the area of the same name (more here).

Sweet Pea - Amos Lee - Supply and Demand

So this has to be one of my favorite tracks I discovered in 2009; Julie and I were at Amos Lee's concert in Milwaukee and he played this track. It is just phenomenal live, and I've heard it pop up in a commercial here and there since that point. I instantly knew this song would always hold a special sentiment for me and for us. We might even dance to it at our wedding ;-) you never know. It's just a very light and happy track and in my head it's really about what keeps two people together, which is a very happy thought. If you've never tried out Amos, now is the perfect time!

Personal best of 2009

So, I recently made a playlist in my iTunes of my most listened to tracks in 2009. For the next month or so I'm going to comb through them all and talk about what I find so appealing about them. Who knows, maybe you'll dig them too!

~BJG

Chill-Pill Mobile Speakers

Woah; so I admit I've never really looked into finding a set of mobile speakers to try out, since I don't really keep music on my laptop any longer, it just didn't seem necessary, but I received these little babies from my boss for the holidays and wow; I'm impressed; they would be considered ultra portable in my estimation.

About the size of a can of starbucks double shot espresso, these guys boast 6 hours of play time (chargable over USB). While they won't be winning the hearts of audiophiles anywhere, they are pretty loud, and consequently get the job done. Nice work Chill people. Genius design.

Tear Down the Opera House - Scotland Yard Choir

So...can I just say that I'm obsessed with this song? It just happened to come on my ipod the other day when I was shopping with Julie and holy crap. I think I listened to it like 6 times immediately. Just an awesome beat and now I really want to check out the rest of the album. Will post a review if I pick it up!