"Tonight" ~Lykke Li

A wise man once said "Elegance is simplicity".  Or maybe it was a woman, and maybe it was "Simplicity is elegance".  Or I could be making this up.  At any rate, this song by Lykke Li is beautiful, and the simplicity of it only serves to enhance and emphasize the beauty.  Especially in this one-take acoustic video:

Here's the album version, if you like:

"Watch my back so I'll make sure

You're right behind me as before

Yesterday the night before tomorrow..."

1-10-13 - "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Any More" ~ The Walker Brothers

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..."

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..."

4-30-12 - "Tongue Tied" ~ Grouplove

Well, to get the ball rolling, I'm going to take a page from my buddy Jordan, who posted this track earlier today.  I've caught Grouplove on WYEP before, and they definitely put out some fun tunes with interesting lyrics and videos that have perhaps a darker edge than the music itself might imply.

This one seems pretty lighthearted, in the vein of enjoying an all night party with a cute  girl (or, guy, if that's more your style).  But then you have these menacing luchadores in suits... well, I don't really know what that's about, but art is in the eye of the beholder, so you tell me:

Update 1-9-13 Howsabout a live version, courtesy of the Hay Bale Sessions:

(Also check out the Hay Bale Sessions performance of "Colours"!)

"marmalade, we're making out..."

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…"

2-3-12 - "Sequel" ~ TeamMate

Here's a sweet new track from a sweet new band.  A band comprised of Scott Simons, an expatriate of West Virginia who's been living in LA, and Dani Buncher, a Pittsburgher who you might know from my ramblings about Big Hurry and Big Snow Big Thaw (the other two bands for which she is the drummer)  I'm not gonna lie, I'm a bit disappointed this band isn't called "Big TeamMate" or something to that effect...


Oh yeah, and the duo used to date for, like, ten years, so that adds an interesting dynamic.  This is their debut single, just dropped last night.  It deals with their breakup and some of their story, some pretty rough relationship stuff set to infectious upbeat pop sounds.  If this is any indication, they'll be quite a fun show at Brillobox next weekend...

Oh by the way, free download of this track on their facebook page.  Bangarang.


"Sometimes all you've got is too much
sometimes nothing's ever enough..."

1-29-12 - "Love You Now" ~ Madi Diaz

A lot of times, I go with the upbeat, catchy single when first posting an artist on this site.  I was tempted to do the same with Madi Diaz, but I'm going a different direction (I can always post more of her stuff later.)  My buddy and I basically just discovered Diaz by checking the Club Cafe concert calendar and reading a writeup in the Pittsburgh City Paper, and dropped by her show last Wednesday.  It was a near miss, as we both had had a lot going on and were not really in the mood to go out to a midweek show, but we sucked it up and ended up having a great time.


Diaz has a voice that grips you, and her partnership with guitarist/songwriting collaborator Kyle Ryan manages to fill the stage and the room like an aurora fills the sky.  Diaz uses a synthesizer to flesh out the sound while playing acoustic guitar, creating a rich background for the vocals.


This song relays the emotions of a somewhat one-sided relationship; Diaz wants more but her counterpart displays inconsistent maturity and fails to put forth the effort to develop a deeper connection.  The gentle indie-pop chording sets the foundation for the crescendo of emotion as Diaz wrestles with the delicate situation and exhorts her lover to go all in.


Live at Club Cafe:

Solo performance live in studio:

Album version (you can find the whole album on madidiaz's youtube channel - well worth a listen!):

"So am I fighting a boy, or am I fighting a man

which side will I see when you show up again

the man don’t wanna tell me but at least he’ll try

'cause the boy ain’t hanging 'round tonight..."




EDIT 2-1-12 - get Madi's new album, Plastic Moon, on Amazon for $5 throughout the month of February.  It's legit.

1-27-12 - "January Wedding" ~ The Avett Brothers

With a few performances on TV lately and word that their new album is fast approaching, I've been getting excited about The Avett Brothers again lately.  I've waxed eloquent on several previous occasions about the boys, and even posted a song with a month in the title before.  So I'll spare you the rehash of all that, and present you with this sweet, simple love song:


(live)

(album)

"And I was sick with heartache

And she was sick like Audrey Hepburn when I met her...

…no longer does it matter what circumstances we were born in

She knows which birds are singin' 

And the names of the trees where they're performin' in the mornin'…"

1-22-12 - "Love And Doubt" ~ Slow Runner

Here's a catchy little tune from a band I saw at Brillobox last year, Slow Runner.  Perhaps the lyrical content isn't quite as upbeat as the music, but we've talked before about juxtaposition, and it's great stuff.  


Is it a love song?  I doubt it... (sometimes I crack myself up...)  


Here's a live performance:

And here's a link to the recorded version on Grooveshark.


"I prefer the tension and the slow relief

a little dirt in your teeth..."

1-7-12 - "Live Forever" ~ Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors

Sometimes a song just strikes you as genuine and sincere.  There's nothing particularly amazing about this song musically, but I'm drawn to it nonetheless.  Simple chords, simple lyrics, simple and heartfelt message - it works here.  Not every song has to be groundbreaking.  And you know any artists who have toured with The Avett Brothers have some musical chops, because Seth and Scott have impeccable taste.  Anyway, check it out, I think you'll enjoy:

"Sing me a song, sing me a melody

Sing out loud, you’re a symphony..."

1-3-12 - "Snow" ~ The Zolas

I have several good reasons (at least in my own mind) to post this song tonight:


1)  Today was the first day with a legitimate snowfall in Pittsburgh since last winter.  Just my luck it was the morning I had to go to work... I swear, people in this city forget how to drive in inclement weather every summer.  But I love snow even when it means extra traffic headaches and waking up earlier to shovel.  It's better though when you can go sledding and whatnot, so who wants to quit our jobs and just enjoy the best part of the year, eh?


2)  One year ago today, I posted a song by The Zolas, and I love symmetry.


3)  There's an awesome video of Zach Gray playing the song with a children's choir singing along (the St. James Music Academy in Vancouver):


"Snow" ~ The Zolas featuring the St. James Music Academy Choir (on vimeo.com)


Along with the acoustic+kids video, here's the recorded version:

And a concert video, if that's more your thing:

"and it's hard not to call you
when it starts to cover the road
...'cause we kissed in the snow..."


PS - I found a sweet stripped down version of "Green Light" by Leisure (originally posted 8-26-11).  Check it out!

New Year, New Ideas

Time flies when you're having fun!  I had a blast this past year posting a song every day (ok, fine, I only managed to post 362 songs in 365 days - sue me!)  Many of the posts stemmed from surreal and amazing concert experiences, or time spent with close friends listening to and discussing the latest songs/artists/albums to blow our minds.  It became clear, however, that my writing method could sometimes eat up a lot of time, listening to a track repeatedly while dissecting the lyrics and whatnot.


As part of an effort to dedicate a bit more time to other endeavors this year (like working on some of my own music), I have decided that I'm going to back off a bit here.  I'll still try to post a song every day, or most days anyway; but you may get less exposition and insight.  It may be I post a link or video with little to no comment more frequently, and leave it to you to listen, decide if you like it, and do some research if you do enjoy the artist.


Conversely, I think there's something to be said for quality over quantity as well.  There are tons of great songs and artists out there, and I love discovering as many of them as possible and passing along the good word.  However, sometimes in the past year when I had a busy day, and it's late at night, and I haven't had a particular song catch my ear, I found myself throwing up a song that might not have been quite up to snuff.  Then again, since musical value is in the ear of the beholder (Willow Smith has a lot of fans, I hear), maybe it's not so bad if I post some songs that I personally only kind of like - maybe those songs will turn out to be some of your favorites.  Bottom line, I'm not going to worry about it too much if I miss a day here or there and only post when a song actually inspires me to do so.


At any rate, if you have enjoyed at least a few songs I posted in 2011, you should definitely put my blog in your Google Reader or whatever you use and check it out from time to time, but don't get heartbroken if a day or two goes by without a post.  If I let you down in that regard, check out sites like DrawUsLines (PGH music blog gurus), HughShows (PGH concert photos and more), or Tympanogram (Rochester, NY counterparts of the DUL crew).  All of these sites put more time and effort into providing quality AND quantity content on their sites than I am able to dedicate right now.


Even better, go exploring yourself and turn up some sweet new tunes, then pass them my way and yell at me to blog about them!


May 2012 be full of joy and love and awesome songs for all of us.


~ Matt

12-31-11 - "Snake Hill" ~ Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band

If you thought Conor Oberst was the only lyrical master in this group, prepare to think again.  This track was written and sung by fellow MVB guitarist Taylor Hollingsworth, and it's a doozy.  Feels like a good one to close out the year, too, for some reason.


It's easy to imagine that the song is about self-destructive tendencies in general, but also quite plausible that the "poison" is the passion of love when it goes awry.  I think there's more than that on Hollingsworth's mind here, though.  The lines about being born with the poison in his body sound to me like the realization that all mankind has some evil inside, even the best of us.  No matter how hard we try, we hurt the ones we love and those around us time and again.  The challenge of each of our lives is to minimize the occasions where we harm those we care about, and maximize our efforts to heal the wounds we create.


But hey, it's open to interpretation, as are all songs.  I definitely empathize with the emotions in this one, and that's why I wanted to share the song with you all.  I hope you enjoy it, and have enjoyed experiencing a wide variety of great music over the past year.  See you in 2012!

(shout out to Jake for hooking me up with this album, and for coining the nickname "Snake Hill" for our residence after having numerous close encounters of the slithering kind whilst mowing the lawn last year...)


"And it was only self defense

but I coiled up and I bit

I let my venom run into her veins..."

12-27-11 - "Fixin' To Die" ~ G Love

I've been remiss for the bulk of this year in not posting this song.  I first heard it around this time last year, and was spinning it frequently throughout last winter, but apparently never whilst I was pondering which song to select for the day's blog post.  So here you go.

G Love teamed with The Avett Brothers (acting as producers, among other things) on his latest album, and since TAB are pretty swell in my opinion, odds were good that I'd like the collaborative effort as well.  This track is old-fashioned foot-stompin' bluegrassy rock, crying out to the good Lord as he ponders his final days and the fate of his poor children if'n he passes...

(Scott and Seth appear courtesy of their being awesome...)

"Well, I don't mind dyin',
but I hate to leave my children cryin'.."

_____________________________

PS - poke around on philadelphonic.com for some free stuff, if you so desire...

12-26-11 - "The Way I Will" ~ The Elms

Here's a little ditty by one of my all-time favorite bands, The Elms.  These guys rocked hard for the last decade, and this one was one of my favorites from their 2006 release, The Chess Hotel. It's just a little love song, with the slight twist that it's to a girl who's apparently...eh... otherwise engaged... but I'm sure she'll come around after hearing this:

From the band's final performance in their home state of Indiana:

Album version: The Way I Will (grooveshark)

"No, he won't bring you summer like the way I will
And he won't make you shiver like the way I will
And he won't love your mother like the way I will
And he won't last forever like the way I will..."

12-23-11 - "Here I Dreamt I Was An Architect" ~ The Decemberists

Oh, you know, it's December, so a Decemberists song seems fitting.  As usual, the lyrics are a tapestry, woven into allegories with likely deep and significant meaning... but I'm not going to try to break this one down for you.  Songmeanings.net has some interesting efforts at deconstruction in the comments... check it out, if you're so inclined.

This one is somewhat reflective and somber, recalling love's labours lost, or something like that...

"And I recall in spring

the perfume that the air would bring

to the indolent town..."

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?"

11-14-11 - "Lonely Boy" ~ The Black Keys

Here's a fun new track from the upcoming album by The Black Keys.  As a bonus, the video is simple, lacks pretense, and is quite entertaining.  


Pretty simple premise here; I won't insult you by explaining it...

"Well I'm so above you

and it's plain to see

but I came to love you anyway

so you tore my heart out

and I don't mind bleeding

any old time you keep me waiting…"

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..."