"Elias" ~ Dispatch

Given my recent track record, and in the interest of more music and less of my ramblings, I'm going to try and post at least every other day, even if it means limited to no commentary.  As such, here's a track off of Dispatch's first release, "Silent Steeples".  The song has powerful roots, which you can learn about in the video below; if it interests you, you can also check out the band's charity, The Elias Fund, which was started to help a man in Zimbabwe provide education for his sons.

"Distance is short when your hand carries what your eye found..."

05-01-12 - "Creep" ~ Carrie Manolakos (cover of Radiohead)

Tonight is one of those rare nights when I post a cover.  Generally, while I do believe some covers are worthwhile, I try to go with the original version (or at least post both).  But in this case, odds are you're familiar with the original, and the cover just has that ethereal quality which merits attention.


Interesting to note that this song may have the most comments of any song I've ever viewed on songmeanings.net.  Also that the band had to fight pretty hard to get past this one track from their first album, and Thom Yorke apparently pretty much hates the song now.  


Carrie Manolakos cut her teeth on Broadway, and now she has released an album of original tunes.  If this performance is any indication, she's got the pipes to make for some quality songs.

Here's an excerpt from an article that has been making the rounds on the social media sites:

"This Cover of Radiohead's "Creep" Will Make Your Ears Orgasm. If you're in a hurry, skip to 2:25 for the crescendo, but you should really listen to the whole thing. It's upsettingly good."

~ Neetzan Zimmerman, Gawker

Seriously, listen to the whole thing; the emotion conveyed in the quieter parts of the song is just as good as the payoff.  The high note, the harmony, the control through it all... just wow.  And the instruments are spot on, as well.

And here's the original, just so the Radiohead fans don't lambaste me:

"She's running out again..."

2-21-12 - "Millenium" ~ Robbie Williams

So this one is somewhat tongue-in-cheek (I mean, late '90s pop, amirite?)  But despite the cheesiness of the song, it still has one of my favorite lyrics of all time, and on Fat Tuesday, I thought it was appropriate.

Ponder, if you would, the depth of this statement in light of today's first world societies and the shallowness of the religious "sacrifices" made during the upcoming season:

"Overdose at Christmas, give it up for Lent..."

12-14-11 - "Cathedrals" ~ Jump, Little Children

Here's a beautiful track from a group who are no longer together.  The subdued string section is woven together with the guitar for a tapestry to backdrop the powerful lyrics. The intensity of the longing to find meaning in life, and find "home", is staggering.  Probably you've had times when you felt that way; I know I have.  There's a lot about the world that is depressing, and even the masterpieces (man-made, like cathedrals, or natural) are prone to decay into entropy.  Yet, the beauty of these things gives us hope, and a desire to preserve the existing wonders of the world, and perhaps to create some new ones.


There are probably ties to human relationships here as well - home doesn't have to be a a physical location; sometimes it's finding the right group of people who make you feel comfortable and loved.


This unofficial fan-made video has some starkly contrasting visuals:

"In the shadows of tall buildings

Of open arches endlessly kneeling

Sonic landscapes echoing vistas

Someone is listening from a safe distance..."

12-08-11 - "Heavy" ~ Collective Soul

When I decided to post a Collective Soul song tonight, I could have gotten cute again and picked "December"... but I didn't.  This song is pretty heavy (sorry, had to be done), dealing with an overbearing relationship.  Pretty straightforward lyrically; you won't get much exposition from me tonight.


The song is a great example of late '90s / early '00s rock, and sounds excellent through a good set of speakers where the stereo effects can fully hit you.  Also, here's a kinda cool acoustic version performed in the desert in Morocco:

(look for other tracks performed similarly in Morocco... good stuff!)

And here's the studio recording:

"Hold me up to those whom you've deceived

promises you break you still believe…"

11-9-11 - "Old Friend" ~ The O.C. Supertones

I find tonight's track to be incredibly evocative.  Every time I hear the opening chords, I'm instantly transported to a beach in SoCal.  Wait, I've never been to California, but I can still imagine what it would be like!  The music just has that vibe of sitting around a bonfire on the beach, in the late (late) Indian summer, after one last perfect day riding the waves, enjoying the company of close friends and playing some surfy, relaxing tunes to wind things down...

 (photo borrowed from laurenmeg)

This one lacks the trademark horns and blistering ska heat of the bulk of the band's work, but it's one of my favorites from their catalog nonetheless.  As I mentioned, the gentle surf guitar and bass rhythm are just swell, the harmonies sublime, and the guitar solo in the bridge is beautiful in its restraint.

"What do I know? Somebody tell me

I've been running from you for so long…"

(photo borrowed from yan_san)

11-6-11 - "Stranded" ~ Plumb

I listened to some older stuff on my iPod whilst doing some yard work today, and stumbled across this old favorite.  Plumb has spanned several genres over the years, but back in 1999, she was putting out melancholy alt-rock tunes like this one.  The meaning isn't hard to deduce; mourning over a love lost and wondering if it could be regained...

"If it's coming over you

like it's coming over me

I'm crashing like a tidal wave

that drags me out to sea…"

10-30-11 - "Wanna Be Loved" ~ dc Talk

Listened to a few old favorite albums on this weekend's road trip.  Here's a head-bobber from a band I listened to quite a bit back in high school, DC Talk.  These boys evolved from a rap / hip hop group in the late '80s - early '90s to a more rock / pop sound by the late '90s, but managed to work in a lot of different styles along the way, as evidenced by this track, which contains elements of funk, soul, and pop.  My favorite part is probably the funky, crunchy bass line, which anchors the song as the harmonies and freestyle vocal riffs flow.

"Rainy monday afternoon;

there's a funk over the city..."

10-28-11 - "Party, My House, Be There" ~ MxPx

Just a straight up fun punk tune for ya, from probably the best band ever, MxPx...

"Bring along yourself and don't forget that smile
Plan on stayin' a while
'Till summer turns to fall..."

10-10-11 - "Amber" ~ 311

Just a chill little jam in the reggae/surf style of 311. 

"you glide through my head blind to fear..."

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?"

9-21-11 - "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...?"

9-7-11 - "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"

8-24-11 - "Journey To The Island" ~ John Williams

We're going soundtracking tonight, and it's all because The Best Movie Ever was on TV whilst I was eating dinner.  That's right, Jurassic Park.  Okay, maybe not the best movie ever, but pretty great, no?  If you're somewhere around 25-35, you probably were blown away by the animatronics in the film like I was.  Looking back 18 years later, the dinosaurs don't look nearly as awesome as we thought they did back then... must be how people who watched Star Wars as kids feel about the effects when they watch the movies again.


I loved dinosaurs as a kid; still pretty much do.  The movie (and the book upon which it is based) is, at its heart, a cautionary tale about modern progress in science and technology.  It's full of spectacular lines, mostly by Pittsburgh's own Jeff Goldblum as Dr. Ian Malcolm.  

"Now, eventually, ah, you do plan to have... dinosaurs... on your dinosaur tour...right?"

Of course, you have the action/adventure/drama of the dinosaurs escaping and chasing the humans around.  But the real winner is the score composed by John Williams.  The soundtrack complements each scene perfectly.  The triumphant trumpet call as the helicopter approaches the island, the wondrous tone of the strings as the guests behold the brachiosaurus for the first time, the foreboding and unsettling horns as they approach the complex... the symphony enhances the film - precisely the intention.  Bad movie soundtracks can be unoriginal and uninspiring, but good ones can really deepen the experience.

____________________


As a footnote - while Google searching for Jeff Goldblum, I found some tragic news (which apparently escaped my attention for two years, for which I cannot forgive myself...)

8-14-11 - "Runaway Train" ~ Soul Asylum

Here's an early 90s radio staple with which you're likely familiar but just as likely haven't heard in a while.  We saw these guys live outside of Heinz Field in Pittsburgh a couple summers ago.  I forget what event it was, exactly, but it wasn't half bad.  We didn't really know much of their catalogue other than this one, but for a free show where you just chill and chat with friends and half listen, it worked pretty well.


The meaning of the song could be interpreted many ways, but the general concept is that life has begun moving faster than the singer can handle in a direction he's not sure he wants to go.  Working in the railroad industry, I love a good train metaphor, so there you go.

"bought a ticket for a runaway train
like a madman laughing at the rain
little out of touch, little insane
it's just easier than dealing with the pain..."

8-11-11 - "Two Princes" ~ Spin Doctors

Oh, just some good old early 90s rock.  Not a lot to unravel here lyrically; I'm sure you know what it's about.  True love...

"You marry him, your father will condone you
How 'bout that, now;
You marry me, your father will disown you
He'll eat his hat, now..."

8-5-11 - "Hook" ~ Blues Traveler

Time for the '90s at... whatever time it is.  The song "Hook" is not catchy at all, I just like the lyrics.  (thanks to Empty Netters for the link.)  But yea, Blues Traveler may not be everyone's cup of tea - my college roommate was not a fan - but then again, there are a few people in the world who don't like the Beatles, U2, or (dare I say it?) Lady Gaga.  So I'll continue to post songs I like, and let you decide whether they're awesome to you, too...

I really do like the lyrics on this one, though.  It's a biting commentary on the shallowness of society and the entertainment industry, and perhaps also on the weak-minded nature of the masses being reeled in again and again by hollow and trite diversions.  Now, don't get me wrong, I'm ok with a song that "says nothing so far" but has a good hook... but seriously, with some of the stuff that's "top 40" these days ("tell me what's next, alien sex?" ...really, Kanye?) I worry about the children.  Bottom line is, Blues Traveler have convictions and they're standing by them.  They want their songs to mean something AND be catchy, and I think they succeeded here.  If you really listen to the lyrics, there are numerous layers of brilliance to be gleaned.

But the video is a little creepy:

"I'll do as I'll decide and let it ride until I've died

And only then shall I abide this tide
Of catchy little tunes
Of hip three minute ditties
I want to bust all your balloons
I want to burn all of your cities
To the ground..."

________________________________

Oh, by the way, if the chord progression sounds familiar, Rob Paravonian will explain why (in hilarious fashion):

(the use of a classical composition with a "hook", and the fact that so many other hit songs ripped Pachelbel's chord progression, just adds to the brilliance of the song, don't you think?)

7-28-11 - "Bitter Sweet Symphony" ~ The Verve

While we're on the subject of vigor and spirit or enthusiasm in tubes, here's another oneder for you (don't know what a Oneder is?  We'll get to that one of these days...)  The Verve hit it big with this one in 1997, and never really matched that peak again.  But, as a wise man once said, "it's better to go down in a blaze of glory than to rot in a state penitentiary!"


I love the soaring strings in this one, and the way they set the tone of the song - hopeful, despite the sobering aspects of the lyrics.


The song's about, you guessed it, life in general.  Most of us spend most of our lives trying to "make ends meet" and being "slave(s) to money"... not exactly a spectacular fate.  Many people in the world don't even have it that good... and yet, pretty much everyone experiences the sweetness of life along with the bitter...

"Well I've never prayed,
but tonight I'm on my knees..."

7-27-11 - "The Freshmen" ~ The Verve Pipe

I heard this one on the radio on my commute home today; it's from the high school years but I think I listened to it a lot more during college...


It's a beautiful song, especially the way the emotions drip from the vocals.  It's not entirely clear exactly what happened, but it's pretty clear that someone died - either suicide or abortion, or perhaps both.  Tragedy often leads to powerful expression in art; we all have experienced some form of tragedy in life, and it's easy to relate when hearing someone lay their heart and soul bare like this.

"We've tried to wash our hands of all this
we never talk of our lacking relationships
and how we're guilt stricken sobbing with our heads on the floor 
we fell through the ice when we tried not to slip..."

7-23-11 - "King of New York" ~ Newsies

We're going with a showtune tonight. Why?  Because the movie was on TV today, it's a fun film and great memory from childhood, and the song is just darn catchy.  If you haven't seen Newsies, I must recommend it - it's a chance to see Christian Bale in action long before Batman Begins, Patrick Bateman, or Pocahontas (yea, he was a voice in a Disney animated film!)  He even sings in the movie.  Of course, it was geared towards a fairly young audience, but it's a good story about poor working boys in 1899 New York who were forced to make a stand when the newspaper moguls raised prices on the "papes" which provided their livelihood.  Full disclosure, the movie didn't get great reviews, but I still like it and (most of) the songs are pretty good.


This song comes right after the newsboy union has taken a stand against the scabs who start selling papers during the strike, found themselves at a disadvantage until the Brooklyn newsies came to their aid, and have made the front page of their ally / reporter friend Denton's paper (an upstart rival to Pulitzer and Hearst's heavyweights New York World and New York Journal):

"I gotta be either dead or dreamin'
'Cause look at that pape with my face beamin'
Tomorrow they may wrap fishes in it
But I was a star for one whole minute!"