6-10-11 - "Cecilia" ~ Simon & Garfunkel

As promised, here's a song with a lot lighter of a mood than yesterday's.  This one's either about a relationship on the rocks or the trials and tribulations of a songwriter... or both, perchance?  St. Cecilia is the patron saint of music in the Catholic faith; Paul Simon supposedly was trying to express the fleeting nature of artistic inspiration.


Either way, it's just a fun song with unusual percussion and cool harmonies:

"Jubilation,
she loves me again,
I fall on the floor and I'm laughing..."

2-21-11 - "Three Rounds And A Sound" ~ Blind Pilot

So here's something I've learned over the years - certain TV shows have a knack for using awesome songs in their soundtracks.  The WB / CW network figured out a long time ago that by cross-promoting, they could make both the artists and the shows more popular, and have used it to their advantage on numerous shows.  And of course the other networks do it too.


One of the few shows I watch these days is Chuck.  Perfect blend of drama, comedy, nerdiness, and - guess what - a pretty rockin' soundtrack.  If it weren't for Chuck, I might never have heard this song.  But I did hear it, and it's just beautiful.  


It's open to interpretation, but I'm pretty sure it's a mostly positive love song, spanning various points in a relationship, and looking at a lifelong, ever deepening love.


(only live versions on youtube; check grooveshark or go buy it for the studio recording)

"Soil and six feet under
kept just like we were
before you knew you'd know me
and you know me..."

2-18-11 - "Reverie" ~ The Cowboy Relics

In honor of the show I attended this evening, here's one from local Pittsburgh band The Cowboy Relics:


"Reverie" ~ The Cowboy Relics


"...and it's got me runnin'..."

2-16-11 - "West Coast" ~ Coconut Records

Another one I heard on the radio on a recent trip.  It's amazing how driving around in an unfamiliar place and listening to unfamiliar songs can be such a moving experience.  Try it sometime.


This one's a bit mellow, a bit depressing, but somehow hopeful as well.

"So pack up the bags to beat back the clock,
do I let her sleep or should i wake her up?
you said we both go together if one falls down (...yeah, right...)
I talk out loud like you're still around..."

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..." 

2-10-11 - "Help!" ~ The Beatles

Some folks would tell you The Beatles were the greatest band ever.  I'm not one of them, but they sure were pretty good.  Here's a fun one that might not be so light and fluffy as it might seem at first, based on the tempo and chord progression... the writer (Lennon) was actually in some pretty dark times, it seems.  But he knew that if he turned to others for support, he could get through it.  Or maybe it's about drugs... you never can tell with The Beatles...

"When I was younger, so much younger than today,
I never needed anybody's help in any way;
but now these days are gone and I'm not so self assured,
now I find I've changed my mind, I've opened up the doors..."

2-8-11 - "I Get Around" ~ The Beach Boys

Some winter days make me feel like posting a nice, mellow wintry song.  But tonight I'm feeling like some surf rock.  So here's a classic:

And the audio isn't as good on this live performance, but it's well worth watching as well:


I Get Around - live performance (sorry, video won't embed)




I love the fact that one of the coolest bands of the 60s was actually really nerdy (look at the head bobbing and clapping, and the matching striped shirts) - my kind of guys.  Not a lot of the Beach Boys' material is very deep, but they were masters of light, fun songs and (up to) five-part harmonies.  Great music for a road trip, a summer's day, a winter's day, or any day that just hasn't been going your way.


"oooo
Wah wa ooo
Wah wa ooo
Wah wa ooo..."

2-7-11 - "Chase The Sun" ~ The O.C. Supertones

Ska is a funny genre.  Some of it is quite good and catchy, and some of it... isn't very good at all.  Can't say I listen to a ton of it lately, but back in high school and college, The Orange County Supertones were one of my favorite bands.  They called it quits several years ago, which was probably for the best, but before that they put out several albums full of horn-infused fun like this one, with a few mellow, introspective ones mixed in for good measure (I'll  feature one or two of those eventually...)


This one's a scorcher, dropping the bass and kick to get it started, and bringing the horns in for the big finish. It brings back lots of memories, from warm up mixes to counseling at a youth camp.  I had a cabin full of 9-year olds yelling the chorus as we traipsed around the camp one summer - loads of fun.  The video is quite amusing as well - don't take it too seriously, the Supertones certainly didn't when they filmed it.  Just a good old-fashioned Western standoff:

"We lived inside the fault lines
beneath the earth's surface,
spendin' all our time
readin' books and writin verses;
the earth started shakin'
from the noise we were makin';
we emerged from the rubble,
OC was taken."

2-6-11 - "In The Sun" ~ Joseph Arthur

This one's one of those depressing, yet hopeful songs.  It's a song of loss, maybe loss of a loved one or lover, or perhaps the lost innocence of youth, or lost faith... or possibly all of the above.  But there is still life to be lived, and something worth searching for.  

"I picture you fast asleep,
a nightmare comes,
you can't keep awake..."

2-4-11 - "The High Road" ~ Broken Bells

A collaborative album can sometimes be pretty cool.  Case in point:

"The dawn to end all nights, 
That's all we hoped it was. "

2-2-11 - "Found Out" ~ Big Hurry

Here's another up-and-coming local artist from the Pittsburgh area.  As with New Shouts, my good buddy Jake introduced me to them by inviting me to a show they played recently... and as with New Shouts, I was unable to attend that night but checked them out online and liked what I heard.


This particular track is full of delightful, trippy syncopation.  You can check out more of their stuff on Bandcamp; a couple freebies too!


"Found Out" ~ Big Hurry


"Wrapped a cord around my neck 
to measure all that I had mentioned;
wish that I had wrote it down
or wrapped it up and buried it..."

1-29-11 - "Until We Burn" ~ Bedouin Soundclash

This one may be a little tricky to comprehend lyrically, but the music is just plain catchy.  They're probably talking about global warming ("polar bears on American bandstand") or something... or maybe it's about the apathy evident in so many of us these days...

"City punkrocker rocking like he doesn't try,
with a roots reggae rocker like lucy in the sky;
we all fall down when the water runs dry,
we all say hello when we all meant goodbye..."

1-28-11 - "Wake Up" ~ Arcade Fire

Arcade Fire is a band I knew about for a while, but only got into last year.  They definitely have some quality stuff, so it was my loss to not hear it sooner.  This song is not only catchy, but also a reflection on the way our lives tend to fall short of our goals, and yet we can find redemption.  Watch for the two-step breakdown.

"If the children don't grow up,
our bodies get bigger but our hearts get torn up;
we're just a million little gods causing rainstorms,
turning every good thing to rust..."


(PS - if you're into John Legend and/or The Roots, take a gander and see if you can't find a pretty interesting cover out there...)

1-27-11 "Come To Me" ~ The Elms

The Elms are one of my favorite bands of all time, and you've probably never heard of them.  They never quite made the big time, but it wasn't for lack of talent.  Americana rock'n'roll at its finest, these boys from Indiana caught my ear back in 2001 with "Goodnight, Rosa" and I was hooked.  The band played twice at my college (the second time for free!) and rocked the house both times.  I caught them about a year ago at the Hard Rock Cafe in Pittsburgh, and had a chance to talk to the guys after the show; they were down to earth and quite willing to chat.


Unfortunately, they decided to call it quits and pursue other endeavors, and played their last show in July 2010. But all four of their albums (plus the EP) are solid, and well worth a listen, and will remain near to my heart for years to come.


Here's one about the joys of reuniting with your lover:


"Come To Me" ~ The Elms


"Don't I sit up at night, just waitin' on a song to sing?
And when you finally call me, I wanna give you all of my everything.
It's a beautiful thing when you speak to me.
A beautiful thing when you speak to me.
It's the thrill of your sound, it puts me on the ground.
Well, I'm gone. But I'll be home soon.
It's a beautiful thing when you come to me.

Don't I think about you daytime, when the stars are gone?
I think about you evenings, when I'm singin' my songs.
It's a beautiful thing when you come to me..."

1-25-11 - "Medicine" ~ Grace Potter & The Nocturnals

You're getting a live video tonight.  Grace Potter & The Nocturnals hail from Vermont, which is a pretty awesome place.  And their music is just plain fun and crazy, which is always a plus.  And Grace's voice is dynamite.  And the drummer's 'stache and expressions are sweet.  What's not to like?

"I stole her bag of rattling bones,
her fast-luck oil and her magic stones;
I swept up her magnetic sand,
I took her love potion and her mojo hand..."

1-24-11 - "New Slang" ~ The Shins

Mellow and brooding.  Just feels like the right song for tonight.

"God speed all the bakers at dawn may they all cut their thumbs, 
And bleed into their buns 'till they melt away. 

I'm looking in on the good life i might be doomed never to find. 
Without a trust or flaming fields am i too dumb to refine?"

1-23-11 - "Letters From The Sky" ~ Civil Twilight

Haunting and powerful testament to eternal love.  

"One of these days the mountains are gonna fall into the sea
and they'll know
that you and i were made for this..."