Oh, just a little ditty from a band about which I recently heard someone say, "They were almost as big as The Beatles back in the '60s..." Apparently, this American trio took the UK by storm, and (if the internet speaks truth) at one time their fan club was bigger than that of the Fab Four. Their counterattack to the British Invasion makes for quite the tale of intrigue... hit up Wikipedia if you're looking for more details. The song has that classic feel, and if you're dealing with a breakup or just wishing you had someone special, this one's definitely for you.
"Loneliness is the cloak you wear a deep shade of blue is always there the sun ain't gonna shine any more..."
I'd talk about how it's been so long and I plan to post more frequently, but nobody wants to read that. Here's a pretty chill song I'd heard before; caught it on World Cafe tonight driving home from work and it just hit me tonight. Live-ish video:
Oh, by the way, BAM. Free download, courtesy of Diffuser.fm. If nothing else, I Google things for you! "Stood upon the rooftop on a night so clear that the lights from the city just disappeared..."
Tonight's special: a flash mob on a train. Copenhagen Philharmonic playing Grieg's "Morning Mood" from "Peer Gynt" (you'll recognize the tune from countless movies / cartoons / commercials). Flash mobs are so 2011, in a way. But still, this is a pretty good concept - bringing classical music to commuters to brighten up their morning. Interesting note: in the original play "Peer Gynt", the scene for which this was written has something to do with fending off a swarm of apes...
Like 1,2,3, these guys have a nigh un-googleable name: fun. But man, they play some catchy tunes. This one's been around for a bit, but I have not posted it yet, and it turns out the video is a free download on iTunes right now, so I was reminded of the awesomeness of the tune.
Regular:
Acoustic (this. is. legit.):
And, for anyone who's an intermediate pianist, here's a 2-minute tutorial from the band's keyboard dude, Andrew Dost:
I'm going to admit that I found out about this band/song from a commercial. But in my defense, it's a Pittsburgh Penguins commercial, and they're pretty awesome, so I feel like whatever hipster cred I may have had remains intact. They're not an obscure indie band, anyway... they're a quickly-becoming-less-obscure rock band.
The Parlor Mob is named after a New York City gang which was one of many famous gangs in the late 19th and early 20th centuries - I give them points for a sweet historical nod there. The song itself is blistering rock and speaks of clawing and fighting to make one's way in a challenging world.
"Out of the darkness
and into the light of love
though for now it seems this struggle has only begun
I'm still believing
our day is gonna come
when we step out of the shadows and into the sun…"
If you've been paying attention, you'll know that I love juxtaposition. First, the word itself is something special. Second, the contrast between joyful music and depressing / somber / provocative lyrics or imagery, or maybe satirical commentary on modern civilization, or just plain self-destructive tendencies. This song is just that - if you listen to the tune without paying attention to the lyrics, it is inconceivable that you won't be dancing, or at least tapping your toes; but if you pay close attention, the song is about the never ending consumerism, drudgery, and mediocrity that is suburbia... not quite as cheerful as the sonic array would lead you to believe. I choose to view the music as giving a hopeful edge to the lyrical bleakness, and lines like "dead shopping malls rise like mountains beyond mountains" do indicate the expanse of the blight, but "mountains beyond mountains" also rings of hope. The phrase is partially a tribute to a book by the same name, by a doctor who has spent significant time in Haiti working with disaster relief efforts. To quote the description: "At the heart of this book is the example of a life based on hope and on an understanding of the truth of the Haitian proverb 'Beyond mountains there are mountains' – as you solve one problem, another problem presents itself, and so you go on and try to solve that one too." I have yet to read it, but it's high on my list for the new year.
If you want to dig deeper into the lyrics and their meaning, this one's a good one to pull up on songmeanings.net - complete with a plethora of comments discussing things.
Now for some fun. Arcade Fire recently released an intense and awesome and epic (further superlatives escape me) website / interactive music video. If you have a webcam, I highly recommend using it - and if you don't have a webcam, you can still experience (some of) the fun by clicking around during the song:
(If you are lacking confidence in your dance skills and need inspiration, watch this and this first. And if you're totally lame, you can watch the "traditional" version of the music video on the site instead of the interactive version...)
And just for you audiophiles or lovers of Arcade Fire, here are some live performances to further sate your appetite:
(live studio acoustic session)
(New Orleans Jazz Festival 2011, with special guest Cyndi Lauper - yes, that Cyndi Lauper)
(different song, but had to include - the prelude to the above, in which Arcade Fire's encore began with a cover of Lauper's "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun"... featuring the original artist herself. If you're clever, you'll watch this one *before* the above...)
(plain ol' music video, for you lame folks)
"They heard me singing and they told me to stop
quit these pretentious things and just punch the clock
So I made it 9 months without missing a daily post (although a few came an hour or two past midnight EST.) But due to a combination of travel, a late night at the Penguins-Canucks game in Vancouver, and a crappy computer that wouldn't connect, I didn't get to post yesterday. So here's yesterday's song, retroactively.
Heard it on 100.5 The Peak, Vancouver's awesome radio station, whilst driving up from Seattle. One of a plethora of great songs they played, many of which will likely show up here in the coming days. This trip is in some ways a mirror of the trip which originally inspired me to start this blog, and this station played a role in that.
This track is from a British songstress and is a bit on the dance/techno side, but it's enjoyable and has some interesting lyrics...
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:
Here's an example of the evils of the big corporations being used for good... sort of. I'm not gonna lie, I heard this song on an iPhone commercial a few years back; might never have heard of the band otherwise. Ironically, the song is all about not falling prey to the lifestyle-driven "keep up with the Joneses" mentality that is so prevalent these days. But in conjunction with my "don't judge a band by its genre" policy, I believe there's no wrong way to get your music out there.
As you might guess since it was used in a commercial for a product aimed at the young, hip crowd, the song is super catchy. But along with the hook, there's a healthy dose of food for thought. What is truly important in life? Is it money, cars, climbing the corporate ladder? Or perhaps is there something else to which we should dedicate our pursuits...?
"We're not living the good life unless we're fighting the good fight..."
Just a gorgeous little tune for you tonight. Through eloquent lyrics, the singer elucidates the human condition and the struggles we each face in life. He resolves to persevere through whatever trials life throws at him, and looks to brighter times ahead with hopeful eyes. The melody and instrumentation are simple, which fits the theme. And despite the mellow nature of the song, the boys manage to build the intensity by adding harmonies and through sheer force of will, drawing you in and lifting you up along the way.
Live at Bonnaroo:
" 'Cause death is just so full, and man so small..."
It's a new month, so it seems a good time for a song that speaks of new beginnings. Freelance Whales are more than just an epic band name. They bring slightly unconventional instrumentation to indie pop and slather it in lush harmonies.
The album "Weathervanes" is nonstop fun, start to finish. Oh wait, there's a pretty sad song right in the middle... but other than that, nonstop fun. And this track kicks it off with a bang... wait I mean a banjo:
Part of the reason I picked this song today was so I could also show you this video of the PS22 Chorus collaborating with the Whales:
And just for good measure, an NPR Tiny Desk version which lets you watch them play their instruments (I'm not really sure what that is... a box-cordion? oh wait let me google it ~ a "harmonium". cool.):
"We keep on churning and the lights inside the house turn on And in our native language we are chantin' ancient songs Then when we quiet down, the house chants on without us."
In other news, I'm experimenting with a fun site called thesixtyone.com. It's a little bit of a different take on discovering new music; I recommend checking it out. Here's this track on the site: http://www.thesixtyone.com/s/Vx2GgH2oe9U/
It's late and I'm super tired, so you'll be spared in-depth commentary on this one, although I think the lyrics merit some attention. And hey, I just learned that the lead singer of The Wallflowers, Jakob Dylan, is Bob Dylan's son. How about that.
Have yourself some good old 90s alt-rock:
"I seen the sun comin' up at the funeral at dawn The long broken arm of human law ..."
You know how a lot of times an athlete will have a great rookie season, but struggles the next year? You know how sometimes an artist or band puts all their best material on their debut release, and then their second album is kinda 'meh'? I promise you that Mumford & Sons will not be one of those who have a sophomore slump. They've been playing a few new songs in concert lately, and they're just as powerful as the songs from "Sigh No More". The melodies, harmonies, and instrumentation are a beautiful backdrop for heavy-hitting lyrics.
As I mentioned, I watched M&S and Arcade Fire's Bonnaroo performances last night. I've yet to see either band in person, but I'm looking forward to an opportunity to do so - both bands bring it when they're on stage. This is one of the new ones M&S are playing, and it's just swell:
"I know I tried, I was not stable Flawed by pride, I miss my sanguine eyes So hold my hands up...breathe in, breathe out..."
If you hear the first few measures of this song and your head's not bobbing and your feet aren't tapping and there's not a smile on your face, you're either dead or just lame. It's incredibly catchy, and anyone who says otherwise is selling something. Give it a whirl, and if you don't like it, you'll get your investment back. Oh, and tucked neatly inside the blistering post-pop-punk joy, there's a bit of lyrical depth worth reflecting upon.
"We were born in the desert, we were reared in a cave; we conquered in the sun, but we lived in the shade. Yeah baby we were savage, we existed to kill; our history is damaged, at least it was a thrill!"
