2-28-11 - "Twenty-Four" ~ Switchfoot

I could've been cute and used this one on the 24th, or something.   But I'm using it today.  It's a beautiful song, written as a young man reached his 24th birthday, reflecting on all that he'd done right, done wrong, or failed to do in that time, and with a hopeful eye toward the future and a resolve to make the most of it.

"Twenty-four reasons to admit that I'm wrong,
With all my excuses still twenty-four strong..."

2-27-11 - "Superstition" ~ Stevie Wonder

So one time, I got shanghaied into doing karaoke at an office Christmas party.  And this was the song.  And I really didn't know it well at the time... awkward... which I guess is the whole point of karaoke.  Thanks to my good buddy Reed for getting it in my head today, by using the riff as an intro to a worship song at church (how about that?)  It was fairly impressive...


If you can't enjoy a funky little song from the 70s, you'll have to come back tomorrow for something different.  But if you're up for a blast from the past and a little head bobbing, here ya go:

"Thirteen month old baby, broke the lookin glass,
seven years of bad luck, good things in your past..."

2-26-11 - "The Wild Hunt" ~ The Tallest Man On Earth

Thanks to Jake for getting this one stuck in my head this morning, and it's stayed there all day.  The chords and lyrics are beautiful.  I'm not going to elaborate this time; just give it a listen or three, and ponder the meaning...

"It is the hollow month of March now sweeping in..."

2-25-11 - "Lille" ~ Lisa Hannigan

I was very sneaky in dropping you a little bit of Lisa Hannigan a few weeks ago - she sang with Damien Rice on "9 Crimes".  OK, not that sneaky, since I mentioned her in the post title.  But she's quite good as a solo artist, too, so here you go.  Lille is a song that came out of a sadness - the end of a good thing (happened to be her time in Damien's band).  But it springs hopeful at the end...

"and our breathlessness as we run
to the beach endlessly,
as the sun creeps up on the sea..."

2-24-11 - "Song of the Sparrow (I Don't Feel It Anymore)" ~ William Fitzsimmons

William Fitzsimmons has lost his mind.  He moved to Illinois, after being raised in glorious Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  Only a crazy person would do such a thing.


But seriously, it's always nice to see someone from my hometown become successful (although there are numerous definitions for that word).  Fitzsimmons has crafted numerous mellow and heartfelt songs, of which this one is probably my favorite.  It's a hauntingly, disturbingly beautiful tale of a marriage torn asunder by infidelity...

Here's a bonus version of Fitzsimmons doing the song on his couch, without the female vocals:

"We'll fall just like stars being hung by only string,
everything, everything, here is gone;
no map can direct how to ever make it home,
we're alone, we're alone, we're alone..."

2-23-11 - "Keep The Customer Satisfied" ~ Simon & Garfunkel

Trivia for the day, kids: did you know that Paul Simon was married to Princess Leia?  For real, look it up.


Here's an incredibly fun song, complete with a horn section in the chorus, that is actually about some fairly serious stuff.  Some will tell you it's about a drug dealer, some will say it's about the rise and fall of Simon & Garfunkel themselves... I dunno for sure, but clearly Paul has been having a rough go of it lately, and people just haven't been very friendly.

"It's the same old story:
everywhere I go,
I get slandered,
libeled;
I hear words I never heard in the Bible..."

2-22-11 - "Casimir Pulaski Day" ~ Sufjan Stevens

Not going to say much about this one; it's pretty self-explanatory.  Well actually it's pretty deep and moving, if you just sit back and listen to what he's saying... you'll catch the drift, but still have a lot to think about...

"On the floor at the great divide
With my shirt tucked in and my shoes untied
I am crying in the bathroom..."

2-21-11 - "Three Rounds And A Sound" ~ Blind Pilot

So here's something I've learned over the years - certain TV shows have a knack for using awesome songs in their soundtracks.  The WB / CW network figured out a long time ago that by cross-promoting, they could make both the artists and the shows more popular, and have used it to their advantage on numerous shows.  And of course the other networks do it too.


One of the few shows I watch these days is Chuck.  Perfect blend of drama, comedy, nerdiness, and - guess what - a pretty rockin' soundtrack.  If it weren't for Chuck, I might never have heard this song.  But I did hear it, and it's just beautiful.  


It's open to interpretation, but I'm pretty sure it's a mostly positive love song, spanning various points in a relationship, and looking at a lifelong, ever deepening love.


(only live versions on youtube; check grooveshark or go buy it for the studio recording)

"Soil and six feet under
kept just like we were
before you knew you'd know me
and you know me..."

2-20-11 - "Juggernaut" ~ Five Iron Frenzy

These guys aren't around any more, but they were a lot of fun back when I was in high school and college, and well worth an occasional spin in amongst the newer music I listen to these days.  FIF blended upbeat tunes with humor, and threw in some deep thoughts as well.  This one's about finding a way to overcome the crushing weight of doubt.

"Beneath machinery
specter of treachery,
and I've lost everything;
and I am getting out,
the shadow of my doubt
is suffocating;
my own worst enemy,
this Juggernaut is killing me"

2-19-11 - "Must Have Done Something Right" ~ Relient K

I've been having a pretty awesome weekend so far, so I think a pretty upbeat and ridiculously happy song is in order.  I've gone a month and a half without featuring one of my favorite bands, Relient K, so it's high time we get a dose of their infectious pop-punk pop-culture-laced stylings, chock full of harmonies rivaling the Beach Boys.  I've heard this song described as "inane", and maybe it is, but maybe that doesn't matter when you meet a girl that makes you feel this way (no, that wasn't part of my awesome weekend... so far, anyway!)


Lead singer Matt Thiessen said, "It's not a political commentary or a tear jerking emotion-piece, it's just a feel good, fun song. Written at 3 a.m. with a smirk on my face, the song turned out to be something that you can tap your foot and smile to."  It's just an expression of love and joy, and oh by the way there's some footie action in the video.  woo!


(If you're not familiar with Relient K, they do have some more serious and poignant songs to contrast their fun and silly fare; you should definitely check them out.)

"We should get jerseys,
'Cause we make a good team..."

2-18-11 - "Reverie" ~ The Cowboy Relics

In honor of the show I attended this evening, here's one from local Pittsburgh band The Cowboy Relics:


"Reverie" ~ The Cowboy Relics


"...and it's got me runnin'..."

2-17-11 - "New Low" ~ Middle Class Rut

When the band name is this awesome, you know the song is gonna be good.  Ok, maybe not.  But this one has a catchy, driving beat to it, and I think the message is a good one too.  Anyone who's made it to adulthood, gone to college and gotten a "real job", or maybe gotten a "real job" without going to college, will likely find out that things aren't always roses.  The grind of a 9-to-5 desk job can be quite taxing.  The grind of a job involving manual labor can be grueling.  The "rewards" (making money so you can buy things so you can keep up with the Joneses) aren't necessarily worth putting up with things.  And unless you're really lucky, even if you're doing something in which you're interested, you probably will not want to keep doing it 5 days a week for the rest of your life.  


Yet, once we are in the system, and once we've started living the "American Dream", we find it incredibly hard to break free of it (the "middle class rut").  At some point, we each hit a new low - depression stemming from the mundane aspects of bringing home the bacon, putting up with corporate red tape and the inanity of office chatter, having our  efforts go unappreciated, or whatever else it may be.  When we were kids, we dreamt of being astronauts or athletes or movie stars or princesses.  Then, when we became old enough to realize that these were not realistic for most of us, we moved on to more "normal" aspirations.  And even if we've reached these goals, we may find they are not as fulfilling as we had imagined.


To quote a movie you may have seen, " Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy stuff we don't need. We're the middle children of history, man. No purpose or place. We have no Great War. No Great Depression. Our Great War's a spiritual war... our Great Depression is our lives. We've all been raised on television to believe that one day we'd all be millionaires, and movie gods, and rock stars. But we won't. And we're slowly learning that fact."


Don't let yourself be bogged down in the rut of consumerism, and don't let your life be wasted away working for the man.  If you have a job you can tolerate and it provides for your family and allows you to spend time with people you love doing things you love, great.  But if you're just plugging away to pay for your 789 channels of HD TV and your leased Audi, maybe you should reconsider your priorities, and the true cost of this lifestyle.


One more quote from one of my favorite bands: "Decide what to be, and go be it."


Enough blathering, here's the song:

"After your dreams have all died and morning is in mourning... what are you?"

2-16-11 - "West Coast" ~ Coconut Records

Another one I heard on the radio on a recent trip.  It's amazing how driving around in an unfamiliar place and listening to unfamiliar songs can be such a moving experience.  Try it sometime.


This one's a bit mellow, a bit depressing, but somehow hopeful as well.

"So pack up the bags to beat back the clock,
do I let her sleep or should i wake her up?
you said we both go together if one falls down (...yeah, right...)
I talk out loud like you're still around..."

2-15-11 - "Mountain Man" ~ Crash Kings

Heard this one on XM radio while in Nashville for work a few weeks ago.  One of those songs that hooks you instantly; it's just so darn catchy.  And I've mentioned before that I'm a sucker for a dirty piano riff (wait for it in the chorus).  This is just a trio - keys, bass, and drums.  Yet, they produce a pretty full sound... check the bio on their website for info on just how they pull it off.  

"I’m sittin' on top of a hillside,
there’s a one way path that’s takin me home...
climbin' up to the peak with a blindfold,
bombin' down at the top of my lungs screamin..."

2-14-11 - "9 Crimes" ~ Damien Rice (with Lisa Hannigan)

Damien Rice is an Irish bloke who is also a pretty talented songwriter.  This one is hauntingly beautiful, a tale of love gone awry.


(I recommend listening without watching the video at first - the video is quite interesting but also somewhat strange and may detract from your first listen.)

"It's a small crime and I got no excuse..." 

2-13-11 - "Head Full Of Doubt/Road Full Of Promise" ~ The Avett Brothers

In light of one of my favorite bands making their Grammy debut tonight, I can't resist posting this song.  When I first heard of The Avett Brothers, in 2008, they were doing 200+ shows a year, in bars and small venues across the country, busting their tails and leaving everything they had on the stage every night.  They'd already been at it since 2000, and were on the cusp of breaking through with their latest album, Emotionalism, which combined their punk/folk madness with just enough pop to draw in a new demographic of listeners.  I saw them at the Three Rivers Arts Festival in Pittsburgh in June of 2008, and fell in love within the first minute of their electrifying performance (which ended nearly two hours later with thunderstorms chasing the crowd away.)  By late 2009, with the release of "I and Love and You", produced by Rick Rubin, TAB was in the process of exploding into the consciousness of legions of new people.  And now, just over a year later, they're sharing a stage with some of the biggest names in the history of music, and some of the biggest stars of today.  It couldn't have happened to a better group of guys.


The song they performed tonight is one of my favorites of all time.  It's very simple, yet very poignant, and if you look up the lyrics on songmeanings.net, you can see in the comments that different people draw different meanings from it.  My take is that the author is struggling with the constraints of society, with years of going along with the crowd, not living according to what he knows to be true.  He's had big dreams, but been scared to take the leap and chase them.  He's decided not to live life as a mindless drone, just going with the flow, doing as he's told... but hey, give it a listen and come to your own conclusions.

"There's a darkness upon you that's flooded in light,
in the fine print they tell you what's wrong and what's right;
and it flies by day and it flies by night,
and I'm frightened by those who don't see it...
...decide what to be and go be it..."

2-12-11 - "Mind's Eye" ~ Josh Ritter

I can't believe I let a month and a half of this blog go by without doing a Josh Ritter song.  Just goes to show how much awesome music is out there.  This one's a fun, somewhat dark (but also somewhat facetious, methinks) song about a long-standing grudge, perhaps in the Old West.  Somebody has a bone to pick with Mr. Ritter, and he knows one day a fight's coming.  So he writes a song with a sick little piano lick and some witty, trash-talking lyrics.  And it's awesome.  Hence its being featured here.

"Oh, I got you in my mind's eye,
my day might be coming, but your's is coming first..."

2-11-11 - "I Will Follow You Into The Dark" ~ Death Cab For Cutie

This one's been in my head all evening.  Just a chill love song.  When you find the right person, you want to stay with them until you both get old, and die, and even after that.

"If heaven and hell decide
That they both are satisfied,
And illuminate the "No's"
On their vacancy signs;
If there's no one beside you
When your soul embarks,
Then I'll follow you into the dark..."

2-10-11 - "Help!" ~ The Beatles

Some folks would tell you The Beatles were the greatest band ever.  I'm not one of them, but they sure were pretty good.  Here's a fun one that might not be so light and fluffy as it might seem at first, based on the tempo and chord progression... the writer (Lennon) was actually in some pretty dark times, it seems.  But he knew that if he turned to others for support, he could get through it.  Or maybe it's about drugs... you never can tell with The Beatles...

"When I was younger, so much younger than today,
I never needed anybody's help in any way;
but now these days are gone and I'm not so self assured,
now I find I've changed my mind, I've opened up the doors..."

2-9-11 - "Don't Fight It" ~ The Panics

Here's one from an Aussie band.  It's been in my head all day.  A simple, keyboard-driven verse/chorus with some horns dropped in for the tail end, it's just a catchy groove.  But there's more to it than that... the singer grapples with apathy, with giving in to the path of least resistance, going with the flow, joining the rat race, being overcome by the brainwashing of society and allowing himself to become just another zombie, going through the motions of life and believing the illusion that happiness is found in being just like everyone else.  He knows he's contributed to the problem, but he struggles to find the willpower to break free.  Yet he hasn't given up hope; the bridge shows he's still searching for answers and escape from the apathy...

"Where has my light gone?
Where has my fight gone?
What keeps us burning
when the fire is long gone?
When I can't relate 
to that voice without a face,
should I be afraid or
is it just a voice I did create?"

2-8-11 - "I Get Around" ~ The Beach Boys

Some winter days make me feel like posting a nice, mellow wintry song.  But tonight I'm feeling like some surf rock.  So here's a classic:

And the audio isn't as good on this live performance, but it's well worth watching as well:


I Get Around - live performance (sorry, video won't embed)




I love the fact that one of the coolest bands of the 60s was actually really nerdy (look at the head bobbing and clapping, and the matching striped shirts) - my kind of guys.  Not a lot of the Beach Boys' material is very deep, but they were masters of light, fun songs and (up to) five-part harmonies.  Great music for a road trip, a summer's day, a winter's day, or any day that just hasn't been going your way.


"oooo
Wah wa ooo
Wah wa ooo
Wah wa ooo..."

2-7-11 - "Chase The Sun" ~ The O.C. Supertones

Ska is a funny genre.  Some of it is quite good and catchy, and some of it... isn't very good at all.  Can't say I listen to a ton of it lately, but back in high school and college, The Orange County Supertones were one of my favorite bands.  They called it quits several years ago, which was probably for the best, but before that they put out several albums full of horn-infused fun like this one, with a few mellow, introspective ones mixed in for good measure (I'll  feature one or two of those eventually...)


This one's a scorcher, dropping the bass and kick to get it started, and bringing the horns in for the big finish. It brings back lots of memories, from warm up mixes to counseling at a youth camp.  I had a cabin full of 9-year olds yelling the chorus as we traipsed around the camp one summer - loads of fun.  The video is quite amusing as well - don't take it too seriously, the Supertones certainly didn't when they filmed it.  Just a good old-fashioned Western standoff:

"We lived inside the fault lines
beneath the earth's surface,
spendin' all our time
readin' books and writin verses;
the earth started shakin'
from the noise we were makin';
we emerged from the rubble,
OC was taken."

2-6-11 - "In The Sun" ~ Joseph Arthur

This one's one of those depressing, yet hopeful songs.  It's a song of loss, maybe loss of a loved one or lover, or perhaps the lost innocence of youth, or lost faith... or possibly all of the above.  But there is still life to be lived, and something worth searching for.  

"I picture you fast asleep,
a nightmare comes,
you can't keep awake..."

2-5-11 - "Folsom Prison Blues" ~ Johnny Cash

An iconic song by an American icon.  I wasn't around back when he played this version at Folsom Prison itself.  But it's pretty incredible stuff... you can feel the passion and emotion from Cash as well as the crowd, who of course were all "stuck in Folsom Prison" and could thus relate.  Cash's life was a tale of trials and triumphs, of downfall and redemption, and that's the kind of story that lives on.  We've all had our tough times - maybe not the deaths of loved ones, divorce, and drugs that beleaguered Cash, but struggles of our own; and that's why songs like this strike a chord within us.

"But I shot a man in Reno,
just to watch him die..."

2-4-11 - "The High Road" ~ Broken Bells

A collaborative album can sometimes be pretty cool.  Case in point:

"The dawn to end all nights, 
That's all we hoped it was. "

2-3-11 - "Konstantine" ~ Something Corporate

Thanks to mi hermano for reminding me of this song and this band today.  Guess I haven't listened to SoCo in a while, but they're emblematic of my high school and college years, and (as mentioned in previous posts) I'm a sucker for piano-driven pop/rock/whatever.  This one's just a smooth, sweet ballad about a girl and the boy who loves her, and the beautiful disaster of their relationship.

"This is because I can spell confusion with a 'k'
and I can like it
it's to dying in another's arms and why I had to try it
it's to Jimmy Eat World and those nights in my car
when the first star you see may not be a star
I'm not your star..."

2-2-11 - "Found Out" ~ Big Hurry

Here's another up-and-coming local artist from the Pittsburgh area.  As with New Shouts, my good buddy Jake introduced me to them by inviting me to a show they played recently... and as with New Shouts, I was unable to attend that night but checked them out online and liked what I heard.


This particular track is full of delightful, trippy syncopation.  You can check out more of their stuff on Bandcamp; a couple freebies too!


"Found Out" ~ Big Hurry


"Wrapped a cord around my neck 
to measure all that I had mentioned;
wish that I had wrote it down
or wrapped it up and buried it..."

2-1-11 - "Lucky Denver Mint" ~ Jimmy Eat World

Jimmy Eat World is one of the great band names of our time.  Their music is kinda cool, too.  Here's a good one from one of their earlier releases.

"A dollar under water keeps on dreaming for me..."

1-31-11 - "Colors" ~ April Smith And The Great Picture Show

Fun and catchy love song.  

Enjoy.