1-9-12 - "Ridin' Coach" ~ 1,2,3

So I fail at battery charging pre-show and thus I fail at getting sweet concert video of 1,2,3 like I got for Meeting Of Important People from Saturday's sold out Brillobox show.  BUT, I did scour YouTube and found a couple wicked live performances of "Work" which you can check on my post from last summer.  And I found someone else's concert video of tonight's song too.


This one is a really chill tune, perfect for a leisurely cruise with the top down, or a relaxing summer evening - wait I mean winter evening.  It's just got that groove.  Can't explain; you'll have to hear it for yourself.  The song is a reminder that we can't expect success to be dropped in our laps; we have to work for it.  Don't expect the world to hand you things - get out there and make your dreams happen!


Live at Stickyz (whatever that is):

Album Version:

"Ooh, kid...

no golden yacht will sail you from the shore, kid.

(It doesn't happen like that...)"

1-4-12 - "Into The Sun" ~ The Parlor Mob

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…"

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!

11-22-11 - "Paradise" ~ Coldplay

It's unlikely that tonight's post will be groundbreaking to you; most people have at least heard of Coldplay by now.  But their latest radio hit caught my ear today, so there you go.  I still feel like Parachutes and A Rush Of Blood To The Head are my fave albums by these guys, but they're consistently solid.


This track deals with the loss of youthful innocence and idealism; the realization as we move into our adult years that we're not all going to be pro athletes, astronauts, princesses, models, rock stars, the president, or whatever else we dreamed of in our youth.  Most of us end up shifting our paradigm and creating new dreams for which to strive.  Most of us endure hard times, but often we emerge stronger and discover a life that is better than the one we'd been imagining.  The truth is, life is what you make of it, and paradise is enjoying your life for what it is, not some far-off mystical perfection.


Live at Austin City Limits:

And here's an... interesting... music video.  I think you'll be able to see the correlation between the protagonist's plight and journey and the song's meaning.  Also, elephants on unicycles are arguably as awesome as hiphopopotamuses and rhymenoceroses.  Although I could do without the holding up of cardboard signs with song lyrics - that part is like some bad truck commercial.

PS - I love the dissonant chords at the end...

"So lying underneath those stormy skies

She'd say, 'oh…

I know the sun must set to rise'..."

10-20-11 - "Morning Song" ~ We Are The City

So you've already read about the band whose show I attended on Monday night.  An unexpected benefit of being there was discovering these guys along the way.  Hailing from British Columbia just like tourmates Said The Whale, We Are The City brought an engaging brand of progressive indie rock with keyboard (which of course gets them a +1 in my book).  The downside was that I really only caught their last song, due to a prior commitment.  But that was enough for me to check them out further.


Morning Song is the back half of a just-dropped EP, and happens to be the song I caught at the show.  (The front half is called Mourning song, and leads into this one quite well - check it out too!)


The piano style reminds me a bit of Keane, but the guitar and vocals differentiate them from the brit piano-pop group.  Evocative lyrics will draw you in, with imagery of the ocean and the frailty of human life.  Asymmetrical phrasing generates an unsettled mood, making the resolution all the more powerful.  The song's subject matter is the suffering in the world, and the hope that burns within us despite the pain.  


Sweet video of the band performing the song out in nature in - you guessed it - the morning:

Perhaps the best part?  You can download the track FREE on Bandcamp!  (but if you like it, I highly recommend going back and buying the $2, 2-song EP to support the further endeavours* of this talented young group...)


* - see what I did there?  I spelled it like a Canadian would, eh?


Morning Song ~ We Are The City (bandcamp)


"Do you feel fine? 

Please pull me like the moon pulls the tide 

And if I'm set to walk on land then my sandy bones will turn to glass and I'll wait for them to crack..."

1-3-11 - "You're Too Cool" ~ The Zolas

Here's my other newest favorite band from 2010: The Zolas.  Vancouver-based piano pop/rock genius.  First heard this one on 100.5 "The Peak" on my way into B.C. for the first time, and it's so insanely catchy I couldn't wait to check out the rest of their stuff.  My favorite of about two dozen great new songs and artists I found in just a few short days listening to that station.  These guys are definitely indie and not well-known, but I aim to change that.  The entire album is just plain fun, with a few poignant moments thrown in for your soul's sake.  


This song serves as a reminder that there's more to life than The Next Big Thing that the fashion/entertainment/whatever industries are pushing.  "Cool" is great, but our true passions should lie deeper than the superficiality of the scene.  Don't be taken in.

UPDATE (10-26-11) Just stumbled across a sick stripped down version of the song:

"On the road I dream of home and when at home I dream of action,
our apartments are all haunted by the ghost of satisfaction;
'cause we all want something that's bigger than fashion,
so spill out your heart brother, show me your passion.."