5-31-11 - "Cry, Cry, Cry" ~ Johnny Cash

Sometimes the little things amuse me, such as posting songs with the same title on back to back days.  I wouldn't do it if they weren't both awesome, though.  So, here's the "old classic" to which I referred last night... sounds like ol' Johnny was having trouble with a lover who strayed...

"When your fickle love gets old no one will care for you
And you'll come back to me for a little love thats true
I'll tell you no and then you'll ask me why why why
When I remind you of all of this you'll cry cry cry..."


PS - Wikipedia says Cash was descended from Scottish royalty... neat, huh?

5-30-11 - "Cry, Cry, Cry" ~ Nicole Atkins

It shares a name with an old classic, but this song is pretty new and fresh.  Nicole Atkins opened for The Avett Brothers at the show I attended in Pittsburgh on Friday, and she was pretty good.  This one was lots of fun, although I couldn't find a decent video of the live performance from Pittsburgh, so I just found a solo acoustic version as the bonus video - highlights a pretty sweet voice.  Sounds like she walked in on a lover as he was cheating... yeesh.


Album:

Acoustic Solo:

"Every one stumbles in spite of themselves 
but you're holding the cards and not sharing the wealth..."

5-29-11 - "Dare You To Move" ~ Switchfoot

So you've probably heard this one, and yes, it got overplayed on the radio and overused in movies and TV shows.  But it's been a while since I listened to it, so I'm ok going back to it now.  It's definitely a good song, and the message is solid - don't just coast through life, take full advantage of it.

"Welcome to the fallout
Welcome to resistance
The tension is here...
Between who you are and who you could be
Between how it is and how it should be..."

5-28-11 - "Hallelujah" ~ Paramore

No, it's not a cover of that one song that everybody and their mother has covered.  This band brings an edgy pop/punk/rock blend with the pipes of Hayley Williams leading the way.  This song is just oozing with hope, and if you check out the acoustic version in particular, the vocals soar over the three-guitar rhythms...

Acoustic:

"holding onto patience, wearing thin
I can't force these eyes to see the end
if only time flew like a dove
we could watch it fly and just keep looking on..."

5-27-11 - "Never Been Alive" ~ The Avett Brothers

How can I choose just one?  Just saw The Avett Brothers perform live for the tenth time, and just like the previous nine times, they brought it from start to finish, and did not disappoint.  Well, to be honest, they did disappoint, but only in that they didn't play their entire catalogue... to be fair, they have to be in Columbus for another show Saturday night so we'll have to forgive them that one.


If you haven't guessed, TAB are pretty much my favorite band.  I'm trying to show restraint and not overhype them on the blog (I went all of April and most of May without using them) but after a show like tonight, I can't help it.


I'm going with a song that hasn't made an album yet, but surely will be on their next release... the first time I heard it was last year's Pittsburgh show, and it blew me away.  I'm glad to have heard it once more this year; Seth is my favorite (by a nose), and this one's lyrics are just swell.  Can't wait for the album version, but the live vid should give you a feel for the energy the boys bring every time they take the stage:

"Money won't do the trick,
but it will help
to open the doors we need it to
to help someone else..."

5-26-11 - "The General" ~ Dispatch

You learn something new every day, or so they say.  Today I learned that Dispatch was formed at Middlebury College.  I learned this because I looked them up (yea, never had gotten around to listening to them previously) after I heard one of their songs on my cousin's iPod shuffle whilst driving home to PA from... Middlebury College.  Small world, eh?  My cousin just graduated from Midd, and I was up there for the ceremonies (and to extract her from her dorm room - no small task!)  Anyway, the song is really chill and really sweet, and has a good message...


Not that I'm anti-war, but the concept that often times the wars which are fought in this world are "not worth fighting" certainly has some truth to it.  The world's a messed up place, and most of the battles fought are over land, power, racial hatred, religious hatred, etc... all kinds of things that we wouldn't need to fight over if people weren't so self-centered and had love for their fellow man.  Regardless of how you feel on the subject, the groove of the song is well worth a listen... and you know a song's legit when it has its own Wikipedia entry...

"I have seen the others
and I have discovered
that this fight is not worth fighting, no...
and I see their mothers
and I will no other
to follow me where I'm going..."

5-25-11 - "When You Were Young" ~ The Killers

The Killers may not be everyone's cup of tea, and to be honest I don't love every song of theirs.  But I do like most of their stuff, and I love this one.  The hook is catchy, the lyrics are intriguing, and, well... it's just a fun song.


There are probably some life lessons to be gleaned here.  A relationship isn't salvation. "Pole, pole." (Slowly, slowly in Swahili - what the porters will tell you as you attempt to summit Mt. Kilimanjaro).  The Devil's Water isn't just a river in England (but it is a river in England...); it'll mess you up if you drink too much... but lyrical interpretation is in the ear of the listener - what does the song say to you?


Theatrical music video (some really cool location shots here):

Just the track:  "When You Were Young" (grooveshark)


Bonus acoustic version at Abbey Road:

(lead singer Brandon Flowers clearly values the piano and the emotion more than, say, hitting notes that make sense in this version... but it's still cool)


"Can we climb this mountain? I don't know
Higher now than ever before
I know we can make it if we take it slow
Let's take it easy
Easy now, watch it go

We're burning down the highway skyline
On the back of a hurricane that started turning
When you were young..."

5-24-11 - "Ocean Avenue" ~ Yellowcard

Going back to the college years here.  Super fun song, perfect for a road trip.  Probably not a lot of hidden meaning, he's just remembering teenage summers and young love... good for him.  Video is pretty interesting (it has nuns!)

"We're looking up at the same night sky,
keep pretending the sun will not rise..."

5-23-11 - "King Of Spain" ~ The Tallest Man On Earth

He may be exaggerating in his stage name, but Kristian Matsson can sure play a guitar:

"And all the senoritas sighing,
Will be the fountain of my lies..."

5-22-11 - "I'm Asking Her To Stay" ~ Sherwood

Sherwood is lots of fun.  Here's one about how too much California is never a good thing.  OK, that's not really what it's about... it's about a girl.

"And I've been spending too much time in California
Where your feelings change but seasons never do
And in my dream last night I felt a storm was coming
But awoke to sunny skies of baby blue..."

5-21-11 - "Love The Way You Lie" ~ Skylar Grey

If you've had any connection with pop culture within the past year or so, you've probably heard some version of this song.  But it probably wasn't this version.  Love or hate Eminem, he does have a knack for turning sections of songs like this into the hook for his raps... but this version, the original, is sans Slim (and Rihanna), just heart-wrenching vocals over a piano.  Grey's songwriting talent is evident, if a bit raw (I'm not entirely in love with the bridge), and the lyrics take you right into the dysfunction of the relationship.

"On the first page of our story
the future seemed so bright
then the saint turned out so evil
I don't know why I'm still surprised..."

5-20-11 - "Hometown Glory" ~ Adele

What a voice on this girl.  By now, you've probably heard of her, or at least heard a few of her songs somewhere even if you didn't know who it was.  But my brother, awesome music finder that he is, somehow knew about her several years ago - before most people (well, in America at least) had a clue.


Adele's style is broad - this one's a soulful homage to her home town and the reasons she loves it, but some of her other songs are much more upbeat.  We'll probably cover one of them someday.


She's also one of a growing pool of people who are famous and younger than me... guess I better get crackin'.

"Oh the people I've met
are the wonders of my world..."

5-19-11 - "Another New World" ~ Josh Ritter

I'm hitting the road, first good long trip in a while.  Pittsburgh to Vermont, solo, just me and the yellow lines and some great music (like the fresh albums I scored yesterday).  I'm quite ready for some time for introspection and reflection, so the drive time will be perfect.  Planned stops include Lake Placid - site of the Miracle On Ice, Magic Hat Brewery in Burlington, and probably Ben & Jerry's too.  


But you don't care about that, you care about the song.  This one's about a journey, so it's fitting for the day my trip kicks off.  Pretty potent lyrics; I'm quoting the beginning below to not spoil the later parts of the ballad.  It's haunting, both lyrically and musically... probably influenced by Edgar Allan Poe's "Annabel Lee" (apparently the last poem he wrote...)  Here you go, some good ol' Josh Ritter:

"The leading lights of the age all wondered among themselves what I would do next,
After all that I'd found, in my circles around the world, was there anything left?
'Gentlemen,' I said, 'I've studied the maps, and if what I am thinking is right,
There's another new world, at the top of the world, for whoever can break through the ice,'

I looked 'round the room, in that way I once had, and I saw that they wanted belief,
So I said, 'All I've got are my guts and my God,' then I paused, 'and the Annabel Lee.'"

5-18-11 - "You Are A Tourist" ~ Death Cab For Cutie

This one's a little more upbeat than the first Death Cab song I posted.  It's also a pretty cool music video - they did a single-take video and broadcasted it live on the internet... pretty impressive.  Check it out:

"When there's a doubt within your mind
Because you're thinking all the time
Framing rights into wrongs
Move along, move along
When there's a doubt within your mind..."

5-17-11 - "Creature Fear" ~ Bon Iver

I went on a little binge today and bought several of the albums I've been meaning to get.  One of them was "For Emma, Forever Ago" by Bon Iver.  If you haven't heard about this album, here's the skinny: dude spent the better part of three months (Winter months, mind you) holed up in a hunting cabin in Wisconsin, just getting away from the world after a pretty rough year (read more on wikipedia).  This album is the result of that period of solitude and reflection, almost entirely recorded solo.  It's very, very chill (because it was Winter in Wisconsin, get it?) but seriously, it's a great album if you give it a chance.  Obviously if you're in the mood for head-bobbing or air guitar-strumming, it's not the right time for this disc, but if you're in the right frame of mind, it's perfect.

"Teased by your blouse
spit out by your mouth
I was loud by your lowered
seminary sold..."

5-16-11 - "1979" ~ Smashing Pumpkins

This one was on the radio today; brings back memories.  Probably one of the first songs I really liked when I first started listening to the radio back in the day... just a good cruising song, lyrics a bit vague but some meaning to be derived, methinks.

"And we don't know
just where our bones will
rest; to dust,
I guess, forgotten and absorbed 
into the earth below..."

5-15-11 - "Virgin" ~ Manchester Orchestra

I don't usually watch late shows, but I happened to DVR Letterman the other night to watch Jim Parsons (Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory - great show!)  Just so happened that Manchester Orchestra was on, performing this song.  I'd heard of them but never heard them, but this song was pretty cool.  They had the Brooklyn Youth Chorus backing them up, which made for a pretty sweet setup.  The kids' voices just add a haunting layer to the chorus... it almost has a bit of a Nirvana vibe, actually...


The song seems to deal with the fleeting nature of life and the entropic fashion in which the creations of mankind crumble.  Probably allegorical, no?


Album version:

Live on Letterman:

"In time I swore I'd take the straight and narrow path but still won't...


We built this house with our hands, and our time, and our blood
You build this up in one day to fall downward and rust..."

5-14-11 - "Pink Sky" ~ Turning violet Violet

I had the privilege of hearing both the acoustic stylings of TURNING vIOLET VIOLET this afternoon and their full set at brillobox this evening.  My good buddy Jake knows the drummer, Brandon, which led to the opportunity to hear the acoustic stuff as they practiced for an Echo Chamber session (keep your eyes peeled for that on drawuslines in the coming days).

The band is tons of fun, melding the creative talents of musicians with differing backgrounds (from classical to metal) into a synthesis of innovative rhythms, intriguing instruments, and illustrious harmonies.  Maybe I just overdosed on the adjectives, but once I got started on that sentence, I just wanted to see how many fun words I could cram in.  But enough about my loquacious tendencies, this band is one you should check out.  Here's a sweet track they played both acoustic and full-on today:

"my mind is all i have left,

my mind is all i have left,

my mind is all i have left..."

(brillo pic)
__________________________


EDIT 7-8-11: the Echo Chamber session is finally posted!  Check out the acoustic version of Pink Sky!

5-13-11 - "Oceano" ~ Josh Groban

Josh Groban has one of the best voices I've ever heard.  This song is probably my favorite of his.  If you don't know Italian, you'll have to appreciate it on the musical level, and/or look up a translation of the lyrics, but it's just a cool sounding song, which uses dynamics incredibly well to convey the emotions of the singer.


Live performance on YouTube (skip the chitchat at the beginning), album recording linked via Grooveshark:


"Oceano"

(rough translation; anyone fluent in Italian can feel free to correct it:)



"For the love that I give you
and the love that you do not know
has shipwrecked me
for the love that I have not
and the love that I would like
and for this pain
and this love that i have for you
truly, that guides me through these storms..."



"E' per l'amore che ti do
E' per l'amore che non sai
Che mi fai naufragare
E' per l'amore che non ho
E' per l'amore che vorrei
E' per questo dolore
E' questo amore che ho per te
Che mi fa superare queste vere tempeste..."

5-12-11 - "St. Augustine" ~ Band Of Horses

Apologies for the delinquency.  Blogger was buggered last night, and wasn't fixed this morning either.  Here's a beautiful song by a great band.

"If I stayed behind
Would you let your hair grow?
I will forget
The favors that you owe
I'm dreaming of car wrecks and thunderstorms so bright
Let's bury ourselves 
And go haunt someone tonight..."

5-11-11 - "When We Were Alive" ~ The Thermals

The Thermals have some really fun songs, but they're also pretty good at coupling the upbeat punkish stylings with pretty profound lyrics, as well as occasional witty wordplay.   The Portland-based band has caught my ear over the last year or so, and I like them a lot.  Already used my favorite track back in January, but here's another good 'un:

"won in a landslide,
ran unopposed..."

5-10-11 "Rivers And Roads" ~ The Head And The Heart

Once again, mi hermano comes through with a sweet, sweet song for me to use here.  This one is just full of beautiful harmonies.  It's about the transience of life and relationships, and dealing with separation from family and close friends.


Video version is probably my favorite, featuring just the voices and a guitar, and shot in a tunnel which makes for some incredible acoustical effects... album version linked below for contrast / for those who want to hear a little more instrumentation and a more polished recording.

"Rivers And Roads" (Album Version)


"nothing is as it has been
and i miss your face like hell
and i guess it's just as well
but i miss your face like hell..."

5-9-11 - "Lord" ~ Langhorne Slim

Sweet guitar playing coupled with soulful lyrics and naked emotion equals a great song.  


"Lord" ~ Langhorne Slim (studio version)


"darling it's a crime you left me so cold..."




BONUS SECTION:

(live version)

(for you Avett fans, a cover by Timothy Seth... complete with forgetting the lyrics.  good fun.)

5-8-11 - "Lost!" ~ Coldplay

This is one of my favorite Coldplay songs.  The lyrics are intriguing and pack a punch, the beat drives the song, and the music just rocks.  There's also an acoustic version floating around out there (second video - somebody made a fan video set to it) that I just discovered and love as well... just the piano and Chris Martin's vocals, which allows the emotion to shine through and provides for a dirty piano interlude.  Which, of course, is one of my favorite things in life.

"You might be a big fish
In a little pond
Doesn't mean you've won
'Cause a long may come
A bigger one..."

5-7-11 - "Hurricane" ~ Something Corporate

For no particular reason, here's a classic turn-of-the-century punkish/emoish piano rock tune.  It's got some witty wordplay, sweet guitars, and a dirrrty piano breakdown in the bridge.  I like it a lot, and that's all I have to say about that.

"with your baby's breath, breathe symphonies; come on, sweet catastrophe..."

5-6-11 - "City With No Children" ~ Arcade Fire

Rocked "The Suburbs" on my drive home from the airport tonight.  Epic album.  I think the songs are slightly more powerful as a collective, but most are great when standing alone too.   Spend some time pondering the lyrics on this one, it's incredible stuff, and well worth a few listens with no distractions.  Also a catchy tune, so it works on a lighter level as well...

"You never trust a millionaire
Quoting the sermon on the mount
I used to think I was not like them
But I'm beginning to have my doubts
My doubts about it

When you're hiding underground
The rain can't get you wet
Do you think your righteousness
Can pay the interest on your debt?
I have my doubts about it"

5-5-11 - "Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard" ~ Paul Simon

Surely this song isn't about DRUGS, is it?  I mean, come on, some people think EVERY song is about drugs... they're loony.  This song's just about having a friend of Hispanic descent with whom one enjoys a rousing game of hopscotch.  Or perhaps H-O-R-S-E.  Or perhaps they're enjoying 4/20....


It's just a freakin' catchy song.  Maybe it's about weed (that's what I always assumed), but Simon apparently has stated in numerous interviews that he doesn't know what "the mama saw", and it's just a fluff song.  Also, a lot of people apparently think it's about homosexuality, at least according to Songmeanings.net... at any rate, I love the song, and who cares what it's about?

"well I'm on my way
I don't know where I'm going
I'm on my way I'm taking my time
but I done know where..."

5-4-11 - "Hands Open" ~ Snow Patrol

I'm nothing if not predictable.  Wait, did I use that line to open yesterday's post?  Yes, yes I did.  Sorry.  Funny story though, tonight's song gives a nod to last night's, and I'm still in Chicago, so there you go.  Snow Patrol is pretty great, and this one's a rocker.  It probably has something to do with a relationship that hasn't really started yet, but the singer sure hopes it does...

"Put Sufjan Stevens on
and we'll play your favorite song,
Chicago bursts to life
and your sweet smile remembers you;
My hands open and my eyes open,
I just keep hoping that your heart opens..."

5-3-11 - "Chicago" ~ Sufjan Stevens

I'm nothing if not predictable.  Well, hopefully I'm not too predictable with the ASOD choices... but yeah, I'm in Chicago for a work conference, thus you're getting a song about Chicago.  It's a great song, about a rockin' road trip that turns into a journey of self-reflection and discovery... or something like that.

"I made a lot of mistakes
in my mind, in my mind..."

5-2-11 - "The World I Know" ~ Collective Soul

For some reason, this song seems fitting in light of major world events recently.  This world is a pretty messed up place, and we humans are at the root of most of the problems.  And yet, this world is also a pretty amazing place, and we humans have some pretty great things to enjoy about life.


Collective Soul knocked out a string of hits in the 90s, and one of my favorite purchases from one of those old music clubs was their "7even Year Itch" greatest hits album, released in 2001.  This track dates back to their self-titled 1995 release (what were you doing in 1995?).  It's a little laid back compared to some of their heavier songs, but it's great in its own right, and even has some sweet strings interwoven between the main instruments of the band.

"has our conscience shown?
has the sweet breeze blown?
has all the kindness gone?
hope still lingers on..."

5-1-11 - "Relator" ~ Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson

Last night we had Peter, Bjorn, and John, so it's only fitting that tonight we have Pete Yorn, eh?  This fun track was the leadoff for his 2009 collaboration with Scarlett Johansson (yea, the actress...)  She's got a half decent voice, and it's en vogue for crossover stars, what with Gwyneth Paltrow, Mandy Moore, Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon, and numerous others trying their hands at both acting and singing.  Not all of them are as good at one as they are at the other, but hey, sometimes you don't have to be Aretha Franklin to sell records.  Oh, and did you know that Johansson was in Home Alone 3 AND The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie?  Thank you, Wikipedia...


Anyway, catchy song about a relationship on the ropes:

"I don't beg, I don't borrow, I steal..."