9-29-11 - "Great Balls Of Fire" ~ Jerry Lee Lewis

WYEP played this one today while I was driving home.  It's an oldie, but a goodie, as they say.  Just plain fun.  

"Goodness, gracious..."

9-28-11 - "O.C. Supertones" ~ The O.C. Supertones

Some days, no matter how important your project is at work, no matter how "disrespectful" it may be considered to those around you, you just gotta crank some ska.  Today was one of those days.  


Ska's prime was a while ago, to be sure; can't say I listen to the genre frequently these days, but if you're in the right mood it's still great.  And yes, when I said "crank", I meant "go one click higher than normal on the computer volume button", so I wasn't really sticking it to the man.  But man, hearing this album (and especially this song) just made me happy.


Give it a try and just try to stay angry or depressed or whatever unpleasant mood you may be in right now.  And if you're already feeling good, this will only expound upon your good feelings.  I promise.


"O.C. Supertones" ~ The Orange County Supertones (grooveshark link)


"Orange County, huh?"

9-27-11 - "Wildcat" ~ Ratatat

Oh, just a little jam for you tonight.  Instrumental, más o menos.  With synthy, crunchy guitars and the roar of the wildcat, it's just loads of fun hitting your eardrums.  The duo from Brooklyn is fairly new to me, but after refreshing my Garden State soundtrack kick a few days ago, I thought I'd trust a tweet from the film's writer/director/star, Zach Braff, and check these guys out.  They may not ever top my list of favorite artists of all time, but I'll certainly give them some digital spins in the future...

"Rawr!"

9-26-11 - "The Hazards Of Love 1" ~ The Decemberists

The Decemberists seem to enjoy creating albums that beg to be experienced in their entirety.  The Crane Wife is such an album, and The Hazards Of Love is no different.  The opening track of each album (discounting the instrumental prelude on Hazards) draws you in with an impeccably woven allegory, the beginnings of a tapestry you can't wait to fully discover.


The general meaning of this track, the subsequent #2, #3, and #4, and the album as a whole is fairly clear.  We all have witnessed love, and all (well pretty much all) desire it.  Yet love is not easily obtained, and even more arduously kept.  Once discovered, it often is not what it seemed; we have to plunge into the depths of love to discover its truth, and it may not always be entirely pleasant.  Ultimately, however, those who venture forth find love worth pursuing, despite the challenges.

"The prettiest whistles won't wrestle the thistles undone…"

9-25-11 - "The Great Estates" ~ Freelance Whales

This track is a swell album closer.  It brings the themes of "Weathervanes" together, and just has the right feel for it.  My opinion of the debut album by Freelance Whales is that it's pretty neat, and I recommend you check it out; especially if you like this track or "Generator^First Floor" which kicks off the album and which I posted a while back.

"I used to shout to find my way

the water find my distant memory failed..."

9-24-11 - "Such Great Heights" ~ The Postal Service

Stayed home sick from a concert I was really looking forward to attending.  Watched "Garden State" instead, and was reminded of some good tunes from the soundtrack.  The film uses the Iron & Wine cover of this song (which is also awesome); I'm focusing on the original.

The Postal Service is (was?) a side project of Ben Gibbard (of DCFC fame) and Jimmy Tamborello.  The name was derived from the fact that they recorded tracks for songs and mailed them to each other to build the songs.  Kinda cool, eh?

The song is upbeat, electronic, and catchy, with lyrics celebrating finding one's soulmate... a bit cliched, perhaps, but still fun.  

Here's the Iron & Wine cover, too:

"And I have to speculate

That God himself did make us

Into corresponding shapes

Like puzzle pieces from the clay..."

9-23-11 - "Hold On" ~ Angus and Julia Stone

This one has a haunting and ethereal vibe.  Sounds like she loved someone whom she thought loved her in return, only to have her heart broken... yet she still holds on to hope that he'll come through in the end... or something to that effect, anyway.  Give it a listen; I think you may enjoy it.

"Hold on, what do you take me for?"

9-22-11 - "Chase This Light" ~ Jimmy Eat World

I rocked some of my slightly older albums today at work (nice and quiet-like, so as not to disturb the other cube monkeys...)  Jimmy Eat World is always good for a pick-me-up.  This track oozes hope and joy - joy taken in the little things in life, hope that red-letter moments currently experienced with a lover will last forever.


There's more to the song, but I'll let you decipher the nuances for yourself:

"Confetti rainfall in the quiet streets

the beauty is in what you make it

so get up on your feet…"

9-21-11 - "Nightswimming" ~ R.E.M.

I don't believe I ever heard a song by R.E.M. that I didn't like.  Full disclosure: I never really got into them beyond their radio hits, but some of those were really good and I don't know why I didn't check them out more.  Maybe now is the time, seeing as they just called it quits today (after 31 years - wow!) I definitely love the band's name; the acronym certainly stands for some pretty sweet things (the Egyptian fish god is legit, but rapid eye movement is still my favorite.)


This is probably not considered to be one of their biggest hits, but I like it alot.  The piano sets the stage for the nostalgic look at carefree, idyllic nights of youth enjoying life.  There are some undertones of darker themes, but primarily it seems to be recalling simpler times.  


Live on Jools Holland:

Album:

R.I.P., R.E.M.


"September's coming soon

I'm pining for the moon

and what if there were two,

side by side in orbit,

around the fairest sun...?"

9-20-11 - "Flags" ~ Brooke Fraser

A beautiful piano tune for you tonight.  Sometimes I get loquacious, so I'll leave you to this one with minimal comments.  Brooke Fraser has some thought-provoking and moving songs, and this one fits the mold.


Live performance:

"Flags" ~ Acoustic Piano recording (from Grooveshark; I like this better than the below version with drums and whatnot)


Recorded version with other instrumentation:

"Reality has left you reeling

all facts and no feeling

no faith and all fear..."

9-19-11 - "Ring Of Fire" ~ Johnny Cash

Two years ago, I was out of town the weekend my brother and friends went to Johnny Cash Day - a celebration of The Man, The Myth, The Music at a local Elks Club on (or around) the anniversary of his passing.  My friends were into Johnny Cash Day before it was cool, and I missed out back in '09.  Last year, I vowed not to let that happen again.  It was a great event, but word had gotten out and it was packed to the point where you couldn't get a chair and it was difficult to even navigate around the room.  But it was well worth it to hear some great covers of Cash's music, and because I won this:

(in '09, our friend Lindsay won a similar print - back to back winners!)

Hatch Show Prints are printed on Broadway in Nashville, and have been since 1879; this is a replica of an original poster, but it's pretty awesome and hangs in my music room by my piano.


This past Saturday was the 2011 JCD, and I missed it due to failure to purchase a ticket before they sold out.  I'm sure it was great like last year, and I'm sure several of the performers covered "Ring Of Fire" like last year.  (my favorite version was by Mark Williams; he did a more unique take on it and shifted some chords to minors for an interesting vibe.)  It's one of Cash's most popular songs, due to the catchy tune and lyrics to which most folks can relate.  Well, sort of - it was written by June Carter about her relationship with Cash whilst both of them were married (or divorcing) other spouses.  Tough situation, that.  So not everyone has ditched one lover for another, but the part about how love is all-consuming rings true for pretty much everyone...


Live performance 1963 (By the way, I love the Mexican horns!) - you can find other live performances online too

Record version:

"The taste of love is sweet

when hearts like ours meet

I fell for you like a child

oh, but the fire ran wild..."

9-18-11 - "Photograph" ~ Donora

My first experience with Donora was growing up in the Monongahela Valley ("Mon Valley" or simply "the Valley" for those fortunate souls who live there).  It may be that I'm the only one in the world amused by this, but Donora is three miles from everywhere.  At least, there were a few green and white highway signs that said so scattered about the Valley.  Interesting that all of these signs happened to be erected at points 3 miles from a certain town...


But enough about my strangely-wired brain.  Let's talk about the band whose name is derived from this great town.  Donora (the band) has overtaken Donora (the blue collar coal town) in fame, at least according to a Google search, and that's saying something, considering such folks as Stan Musial and Ken Griffey (senior AND Junior!) were born there.  They're baseball players, in case you didn't know - and pretty good ones, in their respective days.


I'd heard a lot about the band, but hadn't really heard them until their CD release show on Friday.  Fellow Pittsburgh rockers New Shouts were part of the celebratory concert, which made me that much more interested to attend and finally see what the hype was about.  I was pleasantly surprised by the other opener, Way Yes from Columbus, and New Shouts brought Casey on stage during their set for a fun and catchy rendition of one of the tracks from Donora's new album (but we can't talk about that yet - it's a secret!).



"Photograph" is one of the tracks that jumps out at me from Donora's first album, which I picked up at the show.  Their music is primarily lighthearted pop rock with some fun synths and loops, and this track is no different.  However, if one wanted to read into the lyrics, one could surmise that there are underlying intonations regarding the fleeting nature of human existence and emotion.  Change often comes (for good or bad), and we do well to cherish our experiences in memory, learn from the mistakes and look back on the good times to cheer us up in the bad times...

Not from the show I attended, but here's a live performance from a concert (which, unfortunately, I missed) earlier this summer:

"It was supposed to last forever

Every feeling we ever had

We said we'd remind each other

When we'd forgotten the lives

The lives we had..."

9-17-11 - "Poke" ~ Frightened Rabbit

Here's an exquisite take on a relationship which is self-destructing.  Taken from "The Midnight Organ Fight", this track is one part of the tale of fierce love gone awry, falling shortly after "Keep Yourself Warm" on the album's tracklist.  Songs like this caused Frightened Rabbit to wind their way into my heart - the emotional wounds cut to the bone, and their freshness is evident in Scott Hutchison's voice on every song, but particularly this one... it's just the voice and subdued strumming on his guitar.

Live performance:

"Why won't our love keel over as it chokes on a bone?

We can mourn its passing and then bury it in snow..."

9-16-11 - "Tommib" ~ Squarepusher

I heard this song in the soundtrack for the movie "Lost In Translation."  It's used in a scene (see below) where a character is staring out her hotel room window over Tokyo, feeling alone in a big city, while her husband is off working.  I had a similar culture-shock experience in Japan a few years back - well, without the husband part, and I'm not as good looking as Scarlett Johansson.  But feeling isolated despite being surrounded by people - with that I can empathize.  As an American, the difference between visiting Europe and visiting Asia is drastic.  In Europe, I had at least a rudimentary grasp of German, Spanish, and Italian and used my recollections of high school Latin classes to decipher a decent portion of signs and whatnot in Italy.  But in Japan, ninety percent of what is written is in some combination of kanji, hirigana, and katakana.  Not as easy to get by over there.  Being the only light-haired person in a sea of black-haired folks is pretty surreal, too...

Anyway, the song captures the mood quite well, and is a very simple synthesized instrumental melody.  Check out both the scene and the original tune.

Tommib (audio):

Lost In Translation Scene (once again, YouTube and Blogger have bested my embedding skills!)

9-15-11 - "Truth" ~ Alexander

Last time I posted a song by Alexander, I almost picked this one, but changed my mind and did "Let's Win."  Now I know why, and it's because now I can include the live performance of "Truth" from Conan the other night (see below).  This one's not as upbeat or joyful, but the shambling flow will drag you right in.  

The lyrics are weighty, dealing with the singer's struggle to break free from following the mindless crowds as an unseen force would have him do ("wanna pull me back behind the fence with the cattle").  He has been there, following the hollow "truth" put forth to lure him in, but now he is beginning to see through it.  He is discovering the true truth, and is willing to stand and fight for it, no matter the cost.  It seems the conclusion he comes to is that love is truth...

(live on Conan - a little slower than the album version, but I love that it accentuates the choral harmonies!)

(music video - it's a little creepy and weird, and adds a layer to the song)

"I've seen a million numbered doors on the horizon

Now which is the future you choosen before you gone dying
I'll tell you about a secret I've been undermining
Every little lie in this world comes from dividing..."

"I swear to God I'm only trying to be loving..."

9-14-11 - "Polish Girl" ~ Neon Indian

This one is delightfully trippy, and the video matches that vibe.  I'm not quite sure what's going on in the song or the video, but this is one case where I'm fine with just enjoying the beat for now, and I'm sure everything will become clear next time I drop acid... wait I've never done that and don't intend to start.  And despite the fact that Neon Indian has a song titled "Should Have Taken Acid With You", I'm sure he hasn't either.  Drugs are bad, boys and girls.


Anyway, apparently there's this girl, see, and she hails from the land of halushki and pierogies n'at, which is fine by me.  Many Pittsburghers enjoy these fine Polish cuisines, and as a resident of neighborhood of Polish Hill(ish), I count myself as one of them.  So the girl cooked some Polish sausage and pierogies for Neon Indian, who in turn wrote this song to commemorate a lovely evening... yeah, that's a solid interpretation of the song.  I'm gonna roll with it.  Enjoy:

9-13-11 - "Four To The Floor" ~ These Animals

Well it took me a month to get around to posting these guys after seeing them in August, but they're swell and rumor has it they're coming back to Pittsburgh in October to help celebrate Big Hurry's new EP release!  That show promises to be pretty OK, so mark 10/21 on your calendars. 


These Animals hail from Brooklyn and play tunes that will make you want to do that funky hipster thing where you're not quite dancing but can't stay still.  Check this one out; it's got some words of wisdom to go along with the groove:

"she told me before

'love's like the weather

when it rains, it pours

but the sunshine is better'..."
_______________________________________________________


EDIT 10-24-11  


Check out my YouTube video from Friday Night's show at Brillobox in Pittsburgh:

9-12-11 - "Shores" ~ Paul Luc

Thanks to DrawUsLines, I won free tickets to a show last night that I intended to attend anyway.  Everything came up Milhouse yesterday... except that pathetic performance by the Steelers, which we'll not discuss here.  I went to see 1,2,3, a Pittsburgh band whose work I recently discovered, but was pleasantly surprised by the first band as well.  Paul Luc is another local dude who got some other dudes together to be in his eponymous band.  (Yes, I'm pretty proud of myself for dropping "eponymous" on my blog.  Gold star for me!)


It's always tricky to gauge an entire set of music you've never heard before; I liked most of what they did but I couldn't really tell you much about most of the songs after one listen.  Certainly liked it enough to pick up an album and give it some more spins though.  They did play one song that grabbed me instantly, possibly because it was pretty low-key musically which allowed me to grasp the lyrics.  It's a fairly introspective song, seemingly about fighting to survive in a cruel world and the hope of finding redemption and/or love.


Here's a performance they did on local TV station KDKA last New Year's Eve - acoustic and with just Luc on guitar and John Rokosz on keys:

Start at 1:22 if you want to skip the mini-interview and get straight to the song.


Check out the band's website for the studio version and some other tracks.


"I was out in the cold

I was a product you sold

my hair turned white

and the streets turned gold"

9-11-11 - "The Sound Of Silence" ~ Simon & Garfunkel

I debated whether to post any 9/11 related comments on the internets today.  Wasn't going to do it, but then I saw the video of Paul Simon performing this song at the WTC site, and well, I'm a sucker for S&G, even if Garfunkel wasn't there and Simon is not quite what he used to be.  Here's today's performance, along with tons of pretty emphatic comments that range from "Paul Simon is an inspiration to all Americans today" to "the time to be 'silent' is behind me. I want to hear big bombs blowing up our enemies"... apparently the song and/or Paul Simon are quite divisive.

I won't get into the dirty details of whether Simon is a liberal/pacifist/commie lover, and whether such folk are evil, and whether it was a great or terrible choice for the memorial service.  However, I will say that I think this song has a valid and relevant meaning, perhaps not directly related to the events of 9/11 but indirectly.  The song speaks of a world where the populace are complacent and subdued ("people hearing without listening"), willing to be led like sheep wherever the powers that be would have them go.  The "neon light that split the night" conjures the image of cheap entertainment, which draws my mind to the television - the "opiate of the masses", according to the great Bill Watterson.  The singer tries to rally said masses out of their stupor, to no avail.

The events of that Tuesday morning ten years ago were tragic, and they caused most Americans (and many other folks) to get angry, get excited, and get behind putting a stop to the people responsible.  I wonder, though, how long that spike of emotion and drive lasted for most of us.  It's all too easy to fall back into the routine, to let the monotony of daily life and the opiates of entertainment take over.  I won't even get into the loss of liberties that has been a result of the counter-terrorism measures taken by the US government - if you've flown in the past decade you know what I mean.  Suffice to say, whether it be in politics, foreign affairs, or any other aspect of life, don't just sit back and let the currents take you.  Don't blindly follow, don't let your precious time on earth be consumed by meaningless entertainment.  Decide what you believe, what you stand for, what's worth fighting for, and live your life accordingly.

Here's footage from a performance back when S&G were in their prime:

And here's the album version:

"And the people bowed and prayed 

To the neon god they made
And the sign flashed out its warning
In the words that it was forming
And the signs said the words of the prophets
Are written on the subway walls
And tenement halls
And whispered in the sounds of silence...."

9-10-11 - "Winding Road" ~ Ryan McAllister

My friend Jake just moved to the Pacific Northwest.  I found out about Big Hurry thanks to Jake.  Found out about Liisten.com thanks to Big Hurry.  Found out about Ryan McAllister thanks to Liisten.com.  Ryan McAllister is from Vancouver.  Vancouver is a city in the Pacific Northwest.  Six degrees of Kevin Bacon, if you will.


After listening to McAllister's album a few times, this track seems to jump out at me the most.  It speaks of the fleeting nature of life and the situations we each face here on Earth.  Some of us wander, some of us stay more or less in one place; some of us shine brightly, some flicker softly.  Yet all of us are allotted only so many days... we each have a path to travel, and it's a glorious adventure along the way.


WINDING ROAD by rymcallister


Get 2 free tracks and stream Ryan's full album on Liisten.com!


"if the sun should call my name toward some far horizon

then I will follow every flame until the sun burns out..."

9-9-11 - "Good Day" ~ Nappy Roots

Yeah, it's a bit different than my standard genres, but it's a fun song with a good message and a sweet little piano hook that doesn't get old (well, at least not yet...)


The video below (which I don't think is an official music video) has penguins, which is pretty awesome, no?


Mad props for the stupendous use of the phrase "put up your dukes", too.  Well played, Nappy Roots; well played.

"I'm still above ground,
and that's the reason I pray..."

9-8-11 - "Higher Love" ~ James Vincent McMorrow

This one's a cover of an '80s song that you might have heard, in all its synth-pop horn chorus glory.  But you won't hear trumpets in this drastically altered version - McMorrow brings it down real low with simple piano chords and ethereal falsetto vocals.  It allows you to focus on the lyrics and the cry for the titular "higher love" - love that supersedes the many injustices in the world.  "Without it, life is wasted time..."

Original Steve Winwood version:

"I could light the night up with my soul on fire

I could make the sun shine from pure desire..."

9-7-11 - "Fighting For My Love" ~ Nil Lara

Scrubs is probably in my top three TV shows of all time, and I watched it a LOT with my good buddy / housemate Ben while we lived in Ohio after college.  Just saw a rerun tonight which had this song at the end, and it's one of a plethora of sweet tracks featured in the show over the years.


Nil Lara is a Cuban American musician who has lived in New Jersey, Miami, and Venezuela, and studied electrical engineering... dude's had a pretty busy life!  This one's pretty catchy; could be interpreted as egotistical but I don't think that was how it was intended... rather a song about working hard to forge a strong bond of love and maintain it.

I know how it feels I've been burned one time before

I still feel the scars on my lips
When I touch when I love when I kiss"

9-6-11 - "Cannonball" ~ Damien Rice

Damien Rice's music is good for introspection.  The mellow tunes can be simply background for reading or deep thought, but then they can also reel you in with lyrics that make you think.  This one is about a lost romance, but one that molded the lyricist and perhaps prepared him for future events...

"Cannonball" (Album version on Grooveshark)


"so come on, courage, teach me to be shy..."

9-5-11 - "Mykonos" ~ Fleet Foxes

I have not posted a Fleet Foxes song since April, and they're pretty great, so here's another.  It might be my favorite track of theirs.  From the opening strains of melancholy guitar, I'm hooked every time.  The harmonic wordless vocals set an eerie tone, and from Robin Pecknold's first lyrics, the foreboding hangs thick in the air.


Rumor has it the song is about a brother who has lost his way; Mykonos seems to represent either a safe haven - redemption from "the mess (he) made" - or perhaps a false salvation.  The "vision of a gentle coast" and "sun to maybe dissipate" lines evoke the haven, but something about the other lyrics hints that Mykonos may not be the paradise the subject seeks, after all...


(the paper art music video was made by Sean Pecknold; who, if my limited internet research is accurate, is the "brother" to whom the song refers...)

"Brother you don't need to turn me away

I was waiting down at the ancient gate..."

9-4-11 - "Help, I'm Alive" ~ Metric

Actually found this song on a free download mixtape from their label, Mom+Pop Records, and iTunes, which I heard about thanks to labelmates Freelance Whales.  Didn't realize before this, but Mom+Pop actually has a few other swell artists, such as Ingrid Michaelson and Sleigh Bells.


It's a catchy track with vague references to zombies, but probably she's really singing about trying to find her way in a dog-eat-dog world.


Electro-rock original version with somewhat trippy music video:

Chillaxin' acoustic version:

"Come take my pulse, the pace is on a runaway train..."

9-3-11 - "Empire" ~ Jukebox The Ghost

Catchy track.  Band name that I don't really get.  Recipe for greatness...?


Apparently there's a girl, and the singer is having trouble letting her in, despite his admission that she's the one he's been waiting for.  Sounds like some psychological issues there... if she's "the one", dude, just go for it!  Empirical evidence shows that the rewards far outweigh the risks...

Live quasi-acoustic (keyboard is wired...):

"...'Cause my heart is my keep
and you are threatening me..."