Bluegrassy duo from North Carolina. They've released three albums, most recently being 2015's "Such Jubilee." I debated posting songs straight from their LP's, where pedal steel (probably my favorite instrument of all time) is often featured... but their live performance speaks to how talented they really are. Flawless harmonies, heartbreaking lyrics, great musicianship. Both are songs from their 2013 release, "This Side of Jordan."
It's about time I write a post with songs that I know my brother will love. His music tastes occasionally stray just a tad from mine, leaning more toward the punk genre than my joni-mitchell-type-bias, but still, I love the stuff he listens to. He has a great ear for really, really fun music, shares my love for 80's songs... and he can tell what will be an outstanding live show (like that time he brought me to an awesome Reverend Horton Heat concert, a band that'd never usually be at the top of my playlists). So, without further adieu, here's a list of Danny-minded songs that I've been playing WAY too loud in my apartment.
Ratatat - "Abrasive"
This song is anything but it's title. It's got all the workings of a great electronic/dance song. Builds up over time, with the addition of drums, and synthesizers. Fun video too. And it'd be a perfect addition to a Nintendo game soundtrack.
Zammuto - "Need Some Sun"
Fantastic bassline that drives the whole song. We were lucky enough to catch Zammuto at the Great Scott this year and they were awesome live. Lots of energy, and a unique show complete with video screen projection behind them.
Hot Chip - "Need You Now"
I've included their song "Huarache Lights" on a prior post, which is a raucous electronic dance song. "Need You Now" features sizzling percussion thanks to Sarah Jones and samples an 80's song.
Bayonne - "Spectrolite"
Roger Sellers, better known as Bayonne, is a multi-instrumentalist (you'll see that's an appropriate title if you watch some of his live performances on Youtube). His work simultaneously reminds me of Youth Lagoon, Tycho, and Philip Glass, and yet, he still sounds totally unique.
Courtney Barnett - "Aqua Profunda!"
One of the most unique songwriters today. She's clearly been influenced by bands like Nirvana and the Kinks, with most of her songs having that gritty, punk rock vibe (although there are outliers on her recent album, to include 'Depreston' and the epic 'Kim's Caravan'). On her simpler songs, she still keeps things interesting with sharp lyrics. Take, for instance, this short tune which tells the story of Courtney trying to impress a swimmer in the next lane over (extra points for my favorite sport being featured... leave it to an Aussie).
Tame Impala - "Let It Happen"
Tame Impala first grabbed my attention with their album Innerspeaker, which channeled psych rock acts of the sixties and seventies. Now, the lead song on their new release echoes several different genres, all within the span of 8 minutes. It's a bold single fueled by synthesizers, vocoder harmonies, strings, drums.... well, everything, really. It's more a journey than a song. Buckle up.
I've been slacking on the blog posts, so here's a bunch of songs worth a listen (or ten, or more)... to catch us up.
Lord Huron - La Belle Fleur Savage
Off their new release, "Strange Trails." Best listened to outdoors, by the campfire.
Jessica Pratt - Game That I Play
Such a unique voice. She recorded this album in her bedroom, and it shows. Super intimate & personal. She's playing at Great Scott in Allston in a few weeks, and I'll be sure not to miss it.
Mac DeMarco - Let Her Go
His album "Salad Days" is one I haven't been able to stop listening to for months. Clean guitars, and a very relaxed vibe.
The Staves - In The Long Run
Three sisters from England who play folk songs in ridiculously perfect harmony.
Hot Chip - Huarache Lights
Guaranteed to put you in a good mood. Psyched to see them tomorrow night at the House of Blues.
Courtney Barnett - Depreston
One of my favorite songwriters of the past couple years. She can wittily string together seemingly unrelated, mundane aspects of life into fascintating songs that hit on emotional themes too. Not to mention the intoxicating guitar distortion...
Father John Misty - Chateau Lobby #4 (in C for Two Virgins)
He (and his whole new album, "I Love You, Honeybear") really deserve their own post. Great, great stuff. He's the former drummer of Fleet Foxes, and you can hear that influence on this track.
Hurray for the Riff Raff released a really great LP entitled "Small Town Heroes" at the beginning of this year. The album sways between upbeat bluegrass tunes and more downtempo, dark ones. The constant throughout it all, though, is lead singer Alynda Lee Segarra's super smooth vocals. Collectively, it's a really nice work.
Hurray for the Riff Raff
Perhaps the most interesting part of discovering this band was learning about the road (or should I say tracks) that Segarra traveled to found this band & create music. The following is an excerpt from wuis.org about her journey:
"Alynda Lee Segarra - the singer, songwriter and musical force behind the group - first captured national attention in 2012, when her album Look Out Mama earned glowing reviews. Born to a Puerto Rican family in the Bronx, Segarra grew up making weekly trips to New York's Lower East Side for punk matinees. After extensive traveling [including hopping freight trains for years], she found her own musical home in New Orleans."
Now it's time to sit back (preferably on a front porch rocking chair) and take a listen to the band, live in a KEXP session:
A couple days ago, I took the initially scary but eventually liberating step of restoring (i.e. deleting) my entire IPod. I was sick of the same old stuff on it that's been accumulating over the past 5 years. Now that the clean slate is filled up with new stuff, I've got a whole bunch of random songs to share (in addition to some songs I just haven't been able to get out of my head for a while).
Sylvan Esso - "Uncatena"
Amelia Meath's innocent, folksy vocals laid over infectious beats
Hiss Golden Messenger - "Mahogany Dread"
Classic American roots rock... done right.
Alt-J - "Nara"
Off their newly released EP, "This is All Yours". If you're short on time, just start the video at 2:55. Enough said.
FKA Twigs - "Two Weeks"
Listened to this for the first time while on a plane, looking out the window as we soared back and forth between massive cloud formations. The chorus fit the setting to a tee.
Marissa Nadler - "Drive"
This checks off all of my typical boxes: sad, haunting lyrics, pedal steel, angelic harmonies... super emo.
Was blasting this song in my car while running errands today... Alt-J is a quirky U.K. based band that has gained a bit of a following here in the states as well.
Alt-J
This track is off their 2012 album, An Awesome Wave. The video's nothing to write home about, but the song is.
What a brilliant, brilliant album. The War on Drugs, with lead singer Adam Granduciel, channels all the best parts of 80's rock to create a near-flawless LP that takes the listener on a journey.
The War on Drugs
It's easy to hear the influence of Springsteen, Hornsby, and Dylan in his songs. The songs are abound with hazy guitar riffs, saxophone swells, strong piano chords and raw vocals. It's an infectious rock album which will appeal to generations of music fans (i.e., both us and our Dads). Also helping their cause: they're fantastic live. Watch "Red Eyes" from their live set at KEXP below:
And listen to the 5th track on the album, "Disappearing," below:
Hundred Waters is a folk/electronic group based in Florida. I found them randomly clicking around on Spotify the other day, and have since been loving this track. Band: Hundred Waters Song: Visitor Best Part of the Track: The flute overlay at 2 minutes in.
Credit is due to my boyfriend for introducing me to this band, thus sparking yet another musical obsession of mine. WHY? is absolutely unclassifiable. Sometimes hip-hop, sometimes folk pop... but really the only way to describe them is that they're unlike anyone else. They're just plain weird.
WHY?
The thing that keeps me coming back to WHY? is lead singer Yoni Wolf's lyrics. They're expressive and imaginative... laden with imagery, metaphors, and double entendres.
There's no way I could do this band more justice than simply listing off some of my favorite Yoni-isms. It took me actually reading the written verses to realize just how many themes he has incorporated into their work. Love, history, death, adolescence, sex, violence, drugs, religion... just a small list of Yoni's lyrical musings. Here's a taste (warning, some are NSFW):
i thought i had a pebble in my sock
i pulled it off and shook out a wasp
it stumbled out lost, and without a pause
unstung as i was, still i stomped it
even though i haven't seen you in years,
yours is a funeral i'd fly to from anywhere.
what, does it make me evil? am i a feeble deranged fuck?
cause jesus would and i would not drive the needle exchange truck?
if you grew up with white boys
who only look at black and puerto rican porno
cause they want something that their dad don't got
then you know where you're at
then i wept with my face in your night shirt
trying hard as hell to say 'until death separates us,'
loosening the skin on your breastbone
i painted your nails and you sleep while i write all this down
when i got better from the mumps
yes, my swollen nut and neck shrunk
i sleep on my back cause it's good for the spine and coffin rehearsal
your mom she sits while her hair is in curlers
smokes weed and listens to garrison keillor
that's how i'll live when i quit my rap career
let her laughter pass the rafters and go out into the atmosphere
And here's a few favorite tracks with accompanying lyrics:
Song of the Sad Assassin
Alopecia (2008)
'i'll suck the marrow out and rape your hollow bones, yoni'
Berkeley by Hearseback
Eskimo Snow (2009)
'these tits not filled with milk, these cold bones wrapped in hunger
like a bundle of sticks in a fire so slow it leaves them unburned, black and yearning'
Been listening to St. Vincent for quite some time, but I've never liked her stuff more than I do now. Annie Clark's progression as an artist has been fascinating. She started out wearing butterfly wings and providing gentle background vocals for another one of my favorite musicians, Sufjan Stevens. She broke out as an individual artist with her first studio album in 2007, entitled "Marry Me." In 7 years, she has broken her own mold. Though there was always a hint of edginess in her work, her early LP's brought more melody and timidity to the table than fierceness. That couldn't be more opposite than her newest self-titled album... she has never sounded more confident. The evolution of her cover art says it all:
Innocent Annie Clark (2007)
Fearless Annie Clark (2014)
Her time spent on tour with David Byrne had a profound impact on her recent material. This is most obvious on the track "Digital Witness," which is Annie's commentary on the technology of today, posing the question "If I can't show it, if you can't see me... what's the point of doing anything?" There's no arguing that her new work is both daring and just plain weird at times. She's definitely a polarizing artist... especially when you watch her live. Her concerts not only showcase her musicianship, but also serve as a medium to convey her newfound persona. She's perfected the use of her voice, her body and her facial expressions to transport you to what feels like a different time, and perhaps even a different world. Personally, I find it mesmerizing, and I'll keep watching her. Especially if she keeps ripping guitar solos like the one that starts at 4:06 in the video below:
I think I'm responsible for at least 100 of the hits on this video today. Sharon Van Etten released a way-too-short teaser of her new album, "Are We There," which will be released in May by Jagjaguwar.
Her music is sometimes folksy and quiet, sometimes rock-n-roll-sy (is that a word?) and bold. Regardless of style, it's always powerful.
Needless to say, I'm obsessed already with her new stuff, even after hearing just 50 seconds of it. Typical strong vocals by Sharon, backed by Heather Woods Broderick's perfect harmonies... laid over oscillating strings. If only I didn't have to wait 3 months to hear the rest of the LP.
By now, everyone's heard of Bon Iver. I credit my friend Ali with introducing me to Justin Vernon's music back right around the time when "For Emma" was released... Her and Justin share the same hometown (Eau Claire, WI), and thus she had somewhat of an "inside scoop" on his early recordings. 5 years later, I'm still a total sucker for my Bon Iver albums... they're ones I keep coming back to, again and again. When I heard the band was going on a (potentially permanent) hiatus at the end of last year, I was pretty bummed. The silver lining to this news, though, is that Justin has consistently (for years now), created great music outside of the confines of Bon Iver. The first side project of Justin's I was aware of was Gayngs, a kind of half indie/half retro soft rock band with seemingly a zillion members in it. Ali and I actually caught their live act at the Paradise in Boston, and had a great evening. Anyways, the point of this post is to share some of Justin Vernon's perhaps lesser-known-yet-still-awesome music contributions over the past few years. #1: Justin provides the background vocals on this track from Lia Ices, a fellow artist on the Jagjaguwar record label. It's a fantastic track that tilts from its initial choir-like, mellow intro to a massive lilting ending full of piano and percussion.
#2: Volcano Choir is a band originally formed by Justin and Collections of Colonies of Bees. They're set to release their 2nd album, entitled "Repave," on September 3rd of this year, off of which this single comes. It's called "Comrade."
In my year and a half now of generally being stuck in front of powerpoint slides studying, ambient electronic music has been one of my best friends. One of the artists I've come to love is a British producer and musician named Jon Hopkins. He started out playing keyboards for Imogen Heap, and since then has collaborated with the likes of Brian Eno and Coldplay.
Jon Hopkins
The way Hopkins creates sound is unique. To me, it feels like sitting in the middle of an igloo where music is piped in, allowed to reverberate against every wall, and hits the listener's ear at the most opportune time. Hopkins' latest album, "Immunity," was just recently released, but a cut off of it, entitled "Open Eye Signal," dropped a few weeks ago. I've been listening to it ever since. The synth ebbs and flows infectiously throughout, and the music just envelopes the listener. His stuff begs to be played on some high-quality headphones, if you have them. Enjoy. Audio: Jon Hopkins – Open Eye Signal
My first post in a long while, since I had a few weeks of craziness! Between vacationing in the Pacific Northwest (which was AWESOME) and getting through a week of wrap-up stuff at school before heading off to clinical rotations (which was decidedly less awesome), things got busy. Anyways, now I'm back to my bloggin' self. I just came across a recently released album entitled "Wheel" by Laura Stevenson on Spotify (via the Pitchfork app). Regardless of Pitchfork's semi-lackluster review, I decided to give it a try (primarily because I loved the album cover art, I admit it). I haven't been disappointed though. Laura's stuff is a mixture of country twang and punk-pop that's worth a listen. I'm going to post two different songs off the album:
The Spotify link I've provided is the first track off the album, entitled "Renee." This cut sounds decidedly folksy thanks to a nice string accompaniment.
The Youtube video is "Runner," which I believe is the first single off of "Wheel." Way more upbeat, way more kinda-like-Tegan-and-Sara-ish.
Bonobo, also known as Simon Green, is a British producer and DJ you'd expect to see spinning records in the basement of some hip Parisian club. His music is a fusion of hip hop, electronica and jazz. The sounds he creates are interesting to really analyze if you've got a good pair of headphones, but I usually just let my Spotify playlist run through his library while I'm lounging around or studying.
Simon Green, aka "Bonobo"
His latest release, entitled "The North Borders," is unfortunately not available on Spotify just yet... but one track off of it, "Cirrus," is. I've pasted the link below. Additionally, I've embedded a Youtube link to an older song of Bonobo's I've always enjoyed. It's called "We Could Forever," and is off his 2010 release "Black Sands." Listen Here: Bonobo – Cirrus
Youth Lagoon is the stage name for Idahoan Trevor Powers, a slight 24 year old musician who looks like he could still be in high school. His work, however, suggests wisdom way beyond his years.
Trevor Powers
"The Year of Hibernation," his debut album, was released in 2011 and quickly became one of my favorites. It's title couldn't be more applicable... the rough editing and muffled vocals make it clear that this record was one made while Powers was tucked away somewhere far from a polished music studio.
The songs on "The Year of Hibernation" are a unique combination of catchy whistles or electronic melodies, and a very palpable underlying emotional fragility. A perfect example of this is the song "Montana." This piece, like so many of Powers's creations, slowly builds into a crescendo of sound that makes you want to turn your speaker volume way up.
In addition to "Montana" being a great song, Powers managed to make one of the best music videos I've seen in a long, long time for it (see below).
Youth Lagoon's 2nd album, "Wondrous Bughouse," was just recently released via Fat Possum Records. I haven't gotten the chance to check it out fully yet, but something tells me it will deserve a future post.
This girl is the real deal. I got hooked on her 2012 release "Young Man in America" a few months ago and have had it on repeat ever since. At first listen, her voice may sound precocious... but give it time, and you'll soon be in awe of the emotion it conveys.
Anais Mitchell
On "Young Man," Anais Mitchell's songwriting is, quite simply, the best I've heard from an artist in years. She effortlessly weaves together tales of love, betrayal, work, death, and everything in between. Though the album's stories clearly seem to be set in a simpler time somewhere in middle America, any careful listener can relate to Mitchell's poetic narratives. My boyfriend often makes fun of me for being what he likes to call "emo"... because I admittedly have a fondness for songs that break my heart a bit. Well, I can think of no song more "emo" than this... "Shepherd" is the 9th track off "Young Man in America." The story Anais tells in this piece, and the imagery her lyrics transmit (i.e. the shepherd rode the yellow rows/the clouds above and the field below), are astounding. Listen Here: Anais Mitchell – Shepherd
As a music fan, do you get super frustrated trying to find all the upcoming shows in your city? Do you look up particular venues, go to their independent websites, and scroll down their event lists? Are you then forced to compile all of those shows you might want to attend on a massive personalized concert calendar you make for yourself? Aren't you sick of doing all of that? Doesn't it seem like such a time consuming process? If you answered "yes" to at least a few of those questions (like I did), you should think about downloading Timbre to your smartphone. Timbre is the best application I've found that provides a scrollable list of all upcoming concerts in a particular region. You can find shows near your current location, or type in any cities of interest. Click on an artist, and it will pull up the location of the show, the date, and auto-play a song of theirs (a cool feature which you can turn off if you so choose in the settings menu). The app even lets you share your concert find on Facebook or Twitter, or email/text the show directly to someone who might want to join you. There's also a link to SeatGeek, which can help you find tickets. Timbre provides a great user experience. It's easy to utilize, aesthetically pleasing, and groups all shows in a particular region onto one application for you. It also gets bonus points for not forcing me to link to my Facebook account. I really, really hate that. Downsides (at least for me using it on my Android device):
It doesn't allow me to send concerts I find directly to my Google calendar. That's a big bummer.
Also, it doesn't filter any artists/genres out. I'm really not interested in going to see Aaron Carter sing "I Want Candy" in Virginia Beach this April 23rd, but Timbre doesn't care. It won't let me delete him from the list.
Still, though... Timbre is worth checking out if you're a music fan. The app is available for Android and iPhone.
I'm embarrassed to admit it, but I only just recently realized what a random, eclectic project Broken Social Scene is. Formed in Canada in 1999 by Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning, its rotating list of members includes members of other bands like Feist, Stars and Metric.
Broken Social Scene
This song is entitled "All to All" and is the 5th track off their 2010 album, "Forgiveness Rock Record." It's a beautiful, swaying song that's synth-heavy. Lisa Lobsinger provides the airy, feminine vocals. Song: "All to All" Artist: Broken Social Scene Album: Forgiveness Rock Record (2010) Listen here: Broken Social Scene – All to All
