12-11-11 - "Roosevelt Room" ~ Conor Oberst & The Mystic Valley Band

Do you ever get fed up and frustrated with the world?  Happens to me on a fairly regular basis, and it's probably no surprise that it often happens at this time of year.  November means elections, and then Thanksgiving, and then of course comes Christmas (although given that the TV commercials and department stores start on Christmas in October these days, maybe I have the order wrong.)  These annual events bring to a focus the things that make me sick to my stomach - corruption in politics, gluttonous consumerism, and the disparity between the American populace and that of numerous other countries.


This year, Occupy Wall Street has added fuel to that fire.  Do I agree 100% with the OWS movement?  Probably not, although to be honest I haven't read up enough to know all the details.  But do they have a point that the government and big corporations have been pulling a fast one on the "99%"...?  Conversely, if you take the American "99%" and compare their wealth to that of the rest of the world's population... who's the 1% now?  I'm not going into more detail because this blog is ultimately about the music, but these are things that grind my gears, when I let my mind ponder them.


This song is pretty clearly the result of Conor Oberst ruminating on the state of the world today.  Again - I'm not trying to promote any political views, and I probably don't agree with everything Oberst thinks about the government, but clearly there are things broken in the system and if people don't stand for their beliefs, nothing's going to change.


You'll certainly feel the emotion behind the lyrics and the angry guitar riffs in the song, and hopefully it will inspire you to evaluate your life and the world around you, decide what's important, and make sure you're fighting for it.


Live at Battery Park, Manhattan, Independence Day 2009:

Studio Recording:

"You give death as a consolation

you know only hate and rage

you paid a dowry for your child's rights

now she's living like a slave..."

12-07-11 - "Somebody That I Used To Know" ~ Gotye (ft. Kimbra)

Belgian-Australian singer/songwriter Gotye had a bad breakup, and out of his misery came an internationally charting tune.  Collaborator Kimbra (a Kiwi, by the way) was not the subject of the song, but her vocals add depth to it.  The song has a somewhat odd and unsettling feel to it, but I definitely like it.  The minor chord progression and xylophone riff set the stage, and the unique voices and dynamic shifts paint the picture fantastically.


Speaking of painting, the music video features some bodypaint and tasteful nudity (you don't see anything you wouldn't at the public swimming pool).  But if you prefer not to watch that, or even if you do watch that, check out the recent live performance from KCRW's studios in Santa Monica, CA.

"You can get addicted to a certain kind of sadness..."

10-9-11 - "What The Water Gave Me" ~ Florence & The Machine

Continuing the recent trend of quickie posts inspired by having XM radio and/or being within range of some good stations in the Seattle/Vancouver areas, here's another track I heard during my travels this weekend.


Florence scares me a little, and I'm not sure what to make of The Machine, but this song is gripping.  The minor chord progression and lyrics will haunt you, but not in a bad way.

"Lay me down
let the only sound
be the overflow..."