2-24-12 - "Song For You" ~ Jenny & Tyler

Here's one my little brother got me hooked on.  This duo met in college, started playing music together, fell in love, got married, and are living the dream of every hopeless romantic hipster musician.


The song starts out minimally, but builds and builds into a beautifully orchestrated arrangement with rich harmonies and deeply sincere lyrics.  There's not a lot of digging to be done to interpret this track, so just bask in the glow of the love expressed and the joy of the tune, and the sweet music video filmed in Seattle + Silverdale, WA:

Some good live performance videos out there, too.  Here are two good ones:

Also, they have a ton of freebies on their website, for the price of an e-mail address.  Ten songs (okay, two are duplicated, so eight songs) just like that; two more if you go to briterevolution (just now found this site; seems cool) and sign up.  Download and give it a listen, but if you like it, be sure to go back and support the artist financially (always the best policy for facilitating that good music continues to be made!)


(Aside: can I just say that I very much appreciate artists who post lyrics on their own sites?  songmeanings.net is great, but people mishear things a lot even on a site like that.  I just like to know that what I'm hearing is what they're saying, ya know?)


EDIT 2-26-12: oh look, MORE free tunes!  This time on noisetrade.com.

"Hear my song for you

I will not hold my tongue…"

11-20-11 - "Hiphopopotamus vs. Rhymenoceros" ~ Flight of the Conchords

Sometimes art imitates life.  Sometimes life is funny.  Sometimes music is art.  Ergo, sometimes music is funny.  Craig Ferguson and I present you with the inventors of hip-hop, "Formerly New Zealand's fourth most popular guitar-based digi-bongo acapella-rap-funk-comedy folk duo", Flight of the Conchords:

And here's the "music video" from their HBO TV series:

"They call me the Hiphopopotamus

my lyrics are bottomless...

...

...

...

...they call me the Hiphopopotamus

flows that glow like phosphorous

poppin’ off the top of this esophagus

rockin’ this metropolis

no, I’m not a large water-dwelling mammal

where did you get that preposterous hypothesis?

did Steve tell you that, perchance?

Steve...."

11-17-11 - "Barton Hollow" ~ The Civil Wars

A while back, I blogged about a track by The Civil Wars which featured reticent instrumentation and somber, emotive vocals.  This track showcases their more rambunctious side, evoking the spirit of Cash with a tale of a man running from his past.


Like their slower songs, this tune features intricate harmonies.  It also makes use of dramatic dynamic shifts to great effect.  Check out the music video and a live performance (one of many you can enjoy via the internet - also look for the live SXSW, Jools Holland, and Leno versions):

"Miles and miles in my bare feet
still can't lay me down to sleep
if I die before I wake
I know the Lord my soul won't take..."

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...."

8-27-11 - "Poison and Wine" ~ The Civil Wars

Not going to say much about this, other than it's incredibly beautiful in every aspect.  The voices intertwine through the heart-wrenching lyrics and exquisitely dance through intricate harmonic progressions... simply remarkable control and talent here.

"You only know what I want you to..."
"I know everything you don't want me to..."

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..."

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..."

2-14-11 - "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..." 

1-6-11 - "Winter Song" ~ Ingrid Michaelson and Sara Bareilles

Simple, somber, and elegant duet.  Not a lot to say about it; just a good one for a mellow evening with a fresh snowfall.

"My love a beacon in the night

my words will be your light

to carry you to me..."