5-21-12 - "All The Rowboats" ~ Regina Spektor

Regina Spektor probably doesn't need the hype from my little blog, and I've already discussed a few of her tracks.  But this one, from her new album that drops next week, is just spectacular and I felt like telling you why I feel that way, so here goes.


The first several times I listened were at work with the volume low, unfortunately not the best way to fully appreciate music.  However, even in that setting, the musicianship and composition struck me.  When I got around to giving the song its proper due and absorbing the lyrics, it only deepened my enjoyment.  On the surface, the song is a lament for masterworks of various art forms as they are neglected by today's reality TV society.  If you like, you can likely find several layers of deeper meaning as well.


The most poignant metaphor, for me, is the violin.  A Stradivarius is in itself a masterpiece, but it only becomes a true wonder when in the hands of a brilliant musician.  If it's sitting in a display case, the beauty of its sound is lost... "They've forgotten, forgotten how to sing..."


Here's the track on Soundcloud:





A Letterman performance from last week, complete with a Steinway & Sons grand piano and Regina's trademarked oddball vocalizations - this time in the form of laser sound effects:

And the music video:

"First there's lights out, then there's lock up

Masterpieces serving maximum sentences

It's their own fault for being timeless

There's a price to pay, and a consequence..."

5-10-12 - "Morning Mood (Peer Gynt)" ~ Edvard Grieg

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...


Anyway, the flash mob video:

And a piano version of the music:

2-10-12 - "Needing/Getting" ~ OK Go

Yet another ridiculously fun music video from OK Go.  This one takes a different approach on the Rube Goldberg theme of the This Too Shall Pass video - now it's an electric car and some pretty good timing on a piano-laced desert stunt track:

Oh yeah, and here's the album version, where the visuals aren't nearly as impressive but the audio is a little clearer... well actually it's pretty distorted guitar, but.... yeah.

"So I been sitting around, wasting my time

wondering what you been doing

aw, and it ain't real forgiving, it ain't real forgiving

sitting here picturing someone else living..."

PS - you can download the "video version" (car version) of the song on the band's facebook page.

1-31-12 - "Wait So Long" ~ Trampled By Turtles

Quickie post tonight; here's one I am digging lately thanks to my buddy Adam, who apparently discovered these guys on a recent road trip to Minnesota.  The band name is sweet, as is their musical talent.  I think the tempo of this song can only be described as "blistering"...

"And your heart rolls on, like a frozen freight train

you know that I'll  help you if I can

but I'm just a raindrop in a river

just a little itty bitty grain of sand..."

1-13-12 - "Mesa, Arizona" ~ Jeffrey Foucault

(juuuuust under the wire on Pacific Standard Time, thanks to midnight (EST) hockey and uber slow YouTube uploading before I had to leave...)


It's a rare and beautiful thing when you go to a show to see one artist, and another artist on the bill blows you away.  Not to take anything away from local bluegrass-core outfit Big Snow Big Thaw, because they were the reason I was there and their set was great, but Jeffrey Foucault just floored us.  (Well, except for a few folks loudly talking in the back of Club Cafe... jags.)  Just a man, a sweet guitar, and a ridiculous beard (oh, and a legit hat), but what a show he put on tonight.


Something about Arizona makes for good songwriting... here's a taste of what went down:

And here's a "live in studio" performance (with slightly better audio than my video above):

"And the sun gone down
In the pale thin pink
There's no one to talk to
All I can think
Is your eyes are full of train smoke
And your mouth tastes like rain
And I know when I know nothing
I will always know your name..."

12-20-11 - "Crash Years" ~ The New Pornographers

It's been precisely 11 months since I last posted a New Pornographers song.  Not sure how that happened, but here's a fun one for you.  Maybe not their most original, stretch-your-limits track, but quite entertaining and catchy, with a visually enjoyable video.


Beyond the hook, there is some fodder for introspection here, which might explain why I like the song so much.  Accompanying the catchy tune are some fairly deep and somewhat obscure lyrics.  I'm sure there are a plethora of valid interpretations, so I'll leave you to consider the following and draw your own conclusions:

"The skirts go up before the war

among the madding crowds

they're ruined like the rest of us ruined..."

10-12-11 - "I Should Be Born" ~ Jets Overhead

Another from the radio whilst on my travels.  Jets Overhead hail from Victoria, BC, and this track is just groovy.

"Don't lose sight of the eyes that you're given
no conflicts, conditions can take your sight away..."

8-25-11 - "Work" ~ 1,2,3

Despite the un-googleable name, 1,2,3 are a pretty cool band.  They hail from Pittsburgh, though you'd never guess it from the glamour shots of the city in this video.  The opening shots of the bridges and PNC Park look like models - almost a Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood feel.  Then the guitars kick in, and you're hooked.  The video is a cross-section of the personalities of the various blue-collar neighborhoods of the city and the residents therein.


I haven't actually heard these guys live yet, but it's definitely on the agenda.  If this track is any indication, seeing them play in person would be tons of fun.  Oh yea, and you can totally see this building from my bedroom window AND at 2:43 of the music video:

You can even download a few tracks for just the price of an e-mail, if you're so inclined:

"God knows how I go and take it so hard..."


EDIT 1-9-12:  Found some sweet performance videos.  Check 'em.

(not sure whether to trust the free download from this Baeble site - some questionable comments below the video. don't blame me if you try it and get spammed.)