5-2-12 - "The Affair" ~ Be Honest, Ruth Bryan!

I stumbled upon Be Honest, Ruth Bryan! through The Ballard Sessions, which are Seattle's version of Pittsburgh blog Draw Us Lines' Echo Chambers.  The trio of ladies from the Northwest bring some haunting harmonies and exquisite instrumentation, and in a bipartisan spirit, let a couple of dudes play along as well.


Citing influences like Fleet Foxes, Sufjan Stevens, The Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, Death Cab, Hans Zimmer, and Itzhak Perlman lends credence to my notion that this group of musicians is legit.  If you're into those sorts of things, you just might also like this band.


This track is pretty self-explanatory, but I'll give you a few brief thoughts nonetheless.  The point of view makes for quite the intriguing take on the story.  Dads don't like it when married men fool around with their daughters.  Heck, dads don't like it when any men fool around with their daughters.  And arpeggios in minor keys are a double-edged sword, but when done well, they can really hit the spot:


(Ballard Session)

(recording via Bandcamp)

"In the mornings it's quiet,

I guess even the dead need sleep..."

"And we, oh, we are not free

We are the ties we make...

(...we are the ties we break...)"

12-03-11 - "November Blue" ~ The Avett Brothers

So I intended to be all clever and post this song in November, but I plumb forgot.  Lucky for you, it also mentions December, so I can still use it and feel somewhat clever.  But even if it were May, the song is amazing.

It's from the early days of The Avett Brothers, so it's much more raw than the more polished recordings of the "Emotionalism" and "I and Love and You" albums.  The emotions are just as raw and powerful.  The intensity of the feelings expressed will pull you right into the moment.  Pretty much all of us can relate on some level - whether it be a fleeting crush who doesn't reciprocate, or an extended relationship derailed when one lover moves away.

Here's the Crackerfarm backstage recording of Scotty A. singing the tune, from Kent, OH in 2008 (my bro and some good buddies were at the show, but I missed it).  By the way, Crackerfarm has dozens of similar (and similarly awesome) videos of the Bros. Avett singing stripped down versions of their catalogue - check them all out!

And here's an intimate performance from a stage in a high school in Manhattan - being at a show where they bust out a song like this is just a transcendental experience:

"if I had money, would it all look good

and if I had a job now, like a good man should

if I came to you tomorrow, and said let's run away

Would you roll like the wind does, baby would you stay?"

10-2-11 - "Ulysses" ~ Josh Garrels

My cousin posted this on Facebook the other day (yes, Facebook is evil, but we're in too deep at this point... discussion for another day.)  The song is rife with intricately woven metaphors drawn from Homer's "Odyssey" - 'Ulysses' is the Latin version of the Greek name 'Odysseus'.  If you've read the Odyssey, seen a film adaptation, or are otherwise at least familiar with the tale, you'll catch the aspects of the epic tale... storms, shipwrecks, and sirens.


The lyrics about being tied to the mast and pointed home resonate.  If you don't know of the "Siren song", it was an irresistible melody sung by the mythical creatures which lured many sailors and their ships to doom, smashed on the rocks of the Sirens' lair.  Odysseus had his crew plug their ears so as to not be lured by the song and lash him to the mast so he could hear the song but not act on the temptation to seek it out.  Thus, he heard the beauty of the song without succumbing to the trap.


You know by now that I'm a piano guy, and I love the album version which is piano-driven, but I just might love the acoustic guitar version with no other instrumentation even more.  That's the version I heard first, and it lets the emotion in the vocals really shine through... let me know which you prefer.


Album Version:

Live in NYC:

"So tie me to the mast of this old ship and point me home…"

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…"

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..."

8-13-11 - "A Poem On The Underground Wall" ~ Simon & Garfunkel

This is one of my favorite S&G songs.  Then again, there are many... but we're talking about this one.  The guitar, the vocals, the lyrics... it's all just perfect.  Poetic, too, though you'd never guess it by the song title.  I'll let you formulate your own opinion; give it a listen or three and let me know what you think:

"And the train is gone suddenly
On wheels clicking silently
Like a gently tapping litany,
And he holds his crayon rosary
Tighter in his hand..."

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..."

7-6-11 - "Crash Into Me" ~ Dave Matthews Band

I read an intriguing article today.  Kind of talks about hipster trends, and how people shouldn't just like an artist because other people do... and when Dave Matthews speaks up, people need to listen.  Thus, since Dave is no longer into DMB, neither am I.  But I offer you this song in tribute to a band I'm sure you used to love, just as I once did...


This may have been the first DMB song I ever heard.  Just a chill melody about intoxicating love...

"If I've gone overboard, then I'm begging you
to forgive me in my haste..."

7-1-11 - "William Tell Overture" ~ Gioachino Rossini

You've heard this one, or at least parts of it.  Guaranteed.  It's the overture to a classic piece of classical music - the opera Guillaume Tell.  The third movement, "Call to the Cows", is fairly commonly used in various media outlets, so I bet you've heard it - kind of a "waking up on an early spring morning" feel, used in a Disney cartoon, and I'm pretty sure it was also used in a Bugs Bunny cartoon in that type of setting.  The fourth movement is the part you've definitely heard - it was the theme song for The Lone Ranger (Radio and TV programs), and is used in movies, TV, etc. and sampled by musicians for hip-hop tracks and whatnot.


The full 12-minute overture is good, with the slower first and third movements setting the stage for "The Storm" (second movement) and the finale (the Lone Ranger part) and their fast-paced excitement:


Here it is on Grooveshark:  "William Tell Overture"


You should also read up on the Legend of William Tell - he seems like he was a pretty cool dude, standing up against tyrannical rulers and whatnot.  Yea, he's the one who shot an apple off the head of his son with a crossbow, thanks to the tyrannical ruler's being a jerkface.  Pretty rad dude, that William Tell...

6-27-11 - "Samson" ~ Regina Spektor

Here's a pretty awesome song, with beautiful piano and lyrics that are deep and layered.  It's a departure from the other Regina Spektor songs I've posted earlier this year, but it's an example of her range and talent - she can do upbeat poppy songs, and then bring you to tears with a tune like this.

I don't know exactly what this one is about.  According to the internets, it was inspired by a friend who was battling cancer ("not much hair left on his head..."), but it also has some obvious Biblical references and themes of love.  I think it's intentionally weaving all of these concepts together, and leaving some room for interpretation...

"Beneath the stars came falling on our heads
But they're just old light, they're just old light..."

6-20-11 - "Big Jet Plane" ~ Angus & Julia Stone

Are you in the mood for a mellow song about fleeting love?  If not, come back to this one when you are and go listen to something more depressing, or catchy, or just plain silly.

For the record, Angus & Julia are siblings, not lovers... so the song is about some other girl.  There are some husband and wife artists out there, but this is not one of them.  Score another one for wikipedia...

This one's just about wanting to take your lover on a trip to see the world.  Which is something I plan to do at some point in my life.  Because the world is awesome, and must needs be explored!

"She smelled of daisies, smelled of daisies
She drive me crazy, drive me crazy..."

6-18-11 - "Born" ~ Over The Rhine

This is a slow one, with beautiful harmonies and lyrics.  I wonder what they're talking about deep into the night....

"Secret fears, the supernatural
Thank God for this new laughter
Thank God the joke's on me

We've seen the landfill rainbow
We've seen the junkyard of love
Baby it's no place for you and me..."

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.'"

5-13-11 - "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..."

4-18-11 - "Falling Slowly" ~ The Swell Season

I just started listening to The Swell Season thanks to Coachella.  I'd heard of them before, but never gotten around to listening.  It's pretty mellow stuff, but if you're in the right mood it is pretty good.  The collaboration between Czech pianist/vocalist Markéta Irglová and Irish singer/songwriter Glen Hansard is quite a pairing.  The two voices blend together incredibly well, and this song is just... swell.

"Take this sinking boat and point it home,
we've still got time;
raise your hopeful voice, you had a choice,
you've made it now..."

3-14-11 - "About Love" ~ Timothy Seth Avett as "Darling"

Seth Avett is my favorite member of the Avett Brothers.  Well, except for Scott, who's pretty awesome, but no, Seth really is my favorite... barely.  I don't know what it is exactly, but something about his lyrics and his stage presence and even his off-stage presence just clicks with me... probably the vibe of slightly shy, slightly socially awkward... the brothers are great at foot-stomping romps, but both are also skilled at mellow, introspective tunes, and Seth's writing in particular resonates for me.


Darling is a side project of Seth's, where for his first two albums, he basically sat in his kitchen with a 4-track cassette recorder and did everything himself.  This recording method made for a very raw, imperfect sound, but for me that just serves to accentuate the lyrics which delve into the frailty of the human condition.  This particular track, however, is from his third album, which is a lot more polished.


The sharp and cynical lyrics evoke a recent breakup, where the wounds are still open, and the singer is convinced that love is a farce.  Yet, the last verse still rings with a glimmer of hope...


(live performance on youtube:)

(gotta respect a man that can sing and play guitar whilst walking backwards, eh?  additional symbolism...?)


(album version on grooveshark)


"I'm laughing so hard my sides start to split
well I cannot be told and I will not admit
that no one else thinks it's a joke...
well, at least I'm right about love..."

3-13-11 "Moonlight Sonata" ~ Ludwig van Beethoven

I'm giving you something different tonight - a classic piece of classical music.  Even if you're not into classical music, you've probably heard the first movement of Beethoven's "Piano Sonata No. 14 in C# Minor" in a movie or something, as the popular name "Moonlight Sonata" is frequently used as a soundtrack.  Beethoven was one of the most incredible composers mankind has ever known, not only for his actual works, but for how he continued composing after going deaf.  His life story is well worth studying.  


The Moonlight Sonata is just one of many of his works which I love, but it's the one you're getting tonight.  It was dedicated to a young student of his, the Countess Giulietta Guicciardi, with whom Beethoven was said to have been in love.  The first movement is the part you'll likely recognize, the second movement acts as a bridge, and the third movement builds on the theme and just goes nuts.  This makes for good background music whilst reading or blogging or what have you, but it's also fun to actually watch the master pianist (Wilhelm Kempff) at work, as his hands are flying across the keys, and his facial expressions are quite impressive - you can tell his soul resonates with the notes he plays, and he throws in a couple humorous looks as well.


If you don't have the time or patience for 16 minutes of brilliance, I recommend at least catching the first movement (5 1/2 minutes) and hitting the 8:05 mark for a quick taste of the third movement.  


Classical music is not "boring" or "irrelevant" or dated.  Some classical pieces convey more about the human experience than the finest wordsmiths of our time could possibly hope to express.  Give it a listen, you might enjoy it more than you expect.


"Piano Sonata No. 14 in C# Minor" (link to Google Video)

3-6-11 - "City Of New Orleans" ~ The Seldom Scene

Heard this one on the radio tonight, and it's pretty sweet.  I do love a witty band name, and being a railroader of sorts myself, a railroading song can be quite special.  A little bit of lyrical depth too, if you want to listen closely.

"Midnight on the City of New Orleans,
changin' cars in Memphis, Tennessee;
we're halfway home, we'll be there by mornin',
through the Mississippi darkness, rollin' to the sea..."