5-2-12 - "The Affair" ~ Be Honest, Ruth Bryan!

I stumbled upon Be Honest, Ruth Bryan! through The Ballard Sessions, which are Seattle's version of Pittsburgh blog Draw Us Lines' Echo Chambers.  The trio of ladies from the Northwest bring some haunting harmonies and exquisite instrumentation, and in a bipartisan spirit, let a couple of dudes play along as well.


Citing influences like Fleet Foxes, Sufjan Stevens, The Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, Death Cab, Hans Zimmer, and Itzhak Perlman lends credence to my notion that this group of musicians is legit.  If you're into those sorts of things, you just might also like this band.


This track is pretty self-explanatory, but I'll give you a few brief thoughts nonetheless.  The point of view makes for quite the intriguing take on the story.  Dads don't like it when married men fool around with their daughters.  Heck, dads don't like it when any men fool around with their daughters.  And arpeggios in minor keys are a double-edged sword, but when done well, they can really hit the spot:


(Ballard Session)

(recording via Bandcamp)

"In the mornings it's quiet,

I guess even the dead need sleep..."

"And we, oh, we are not free

We are the ties we make...

(...we are the ties we break...)"

2-5-12 - "Serpents" ~ Sharon Van Etten

This one has caught my ear on 91.3 WYEP a few times lately.  For some reason, it reminds me of Florence + The Machine, but that may just be me.  The song is a driving folk rock tune about snakes, and who doesn't love that?


But seriously, the serpents are a metaphor for the poisonous thoughts left over from a traumatic relationship.  Van Etten's lyrics are a maelstrom of resentment and conciliatory efforts as she tries to come to grips with these emotions.  The harmonies dance a tightrope on the edge of catastrophe, evoking the mental turmoil and dragging the listener along for the ride.

"you hold the mirror well 

to everybody else..."

1-20-12 - "Somebody That I Used To Know" ~ Walk Off The Earth

Normally I try to avoid using covers as posts, but this one is just incredible.  Plus I've had a rough week with work and such and haven't posted, and I'm minutes away from a much-needed crash and burn marathon sleep session, so a quick one with limited need for deep, insightful commentary was needed.


Walk Off The Earth won the internet with this YouTube video two weeks ago; you've probably already seen it, but if not, watch it now before you're the last person on earth not to.  Seriously, it had something like 800,000 videos when I first saw it, and exploded to several million within like a day.  31 million views in 15 days - almost 2M / day.  I believe that's what you kids refer to as "going viral"...


The gimmick is that it features five people playing one guitar, but man do they legitimize it.  The arrangement is stellar, the voices gritty and true, and the dude on the right is so hardcore you won't be able to stand it.  


The band does lots of covers (pretty much all of them are amazing) but also has their own tunes, so check them out further if you like this:

 Here's the original, btw. 

"But you didn't have to cut me off
make out like it never happened and that we were nothing..."

12-30-11 - "Skeletons" ~ Dale Earnhardt Jr Jr

Catchy indie pop tune from Detroit duo with witty name.  Heard this on the radio the other day, and it's pretty swell.  Light and fluffy music and vocals with some hints of darker things creeping around the edges...

And because we can, here's a live acoustic performance:

"Anything you say has already been said a million times..."

12-29-11 - "Answers and Questions" ~ Earlimart

Here's a song from a few years back that I'm pretty sure I discovered just by clicking on some "related videos" on YouTube after watching some other band's song... sometimes you strike out doing that but sometimes you find a good one.  I like this song, so there you go.


Not entirely sure of the precise meaning, but it's got that wistful, melancholy vibe going on.  Kind of seems like a breakup song, only more complicated than that...

"I'm wide awake I'm watching you

all of my lies they tell the truth..."

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..."

12-04-11 - "My December" ~ Linkin Park

We've all gone through that phase where we were into rap metal, but for most of us it was quite a while ago that we got over it.  OK, so I say that tongue-in-cheek, because who ever really gets over it?  But seriously, maybe we haven't all done that, but we all experience changes in our musical tastes as we grow up and find ourselves at different stages in life.


All that to say, I haven't really kept up with Linkin Park, but apparently they have spent the last several years trying some different things stylistically, which I always appreciate in bands (as opposed to those who have one hit and spend decades writing more songs that sound exactly like that one.)  I'm not sure how well LP's first few albums have held up as I progressed out of my teen/college years, but I can still enjoy some of those tracks from time to time.  This particular song always did strike a chord for me, it's much more mellow and less intense musically than most of their stuff, but the simple lyrics pack a punch.  There's another side to the band besides the angsty, angry vibes of "Numb" and the Ecclesiastic nihilism of "In The End".


This song is about reflection, regret, and reconciliation.  The singer has made some major mistakes, which tore apart relationships.  He's realizing what he threw away and trying to make amends.  Hopefully most of you haven't had things fall apart quite that badly, but we've all said or done things which hurt family, friends, or lovers... 


Here's an acoustic / piano only version they've been doing in concert in recent years:

And here's the original version:

And while we're at it, Josh Groban (possibly the best male vocalist alive) covered the song, so you know it's legit:

(And yes, I posted this song in part to be cute and "oh snap it's a song about the current month!", like last night.  Also in part because my friend Josh tweeted some lyrics the other day.)


"This is my December

these are my snow covered dreams

this is me pretending

this is all I need..."

11-24-11 - "Wagon Wheel" ~ Old Crow Medicine Show

Holiday Quickie.  Here's a track that was cobbled together from the strains of a chorus composed by Bob Dylan.  Nostalgic and regretful, but with a hopeful attitude toward the future, the protagonist seeks redemption and rebirth as his journey to his hometown acts as a metaphor for his turning from evil, self-sabotaging ways and returning to his roots...

"North country winters keep a'gettin me

lost my money playin' poker so I had to up and leave

but I ain't goin' back to livin' that old life no more..."

"...and if I die in Raleigh, at least I will die free..."

9-23-11 - "Hold On" ~ Angus and Julia Stone

This one has a haunting and ethereal vibe.  Sounds like she loved someone whom she thought loved her in return, only to have her heart broken... yet she still holds on to hope that he'll come through in the end... or something to that effect, anyway.  Give it a listen; I think you may enjoy it.

"Hold on, what do you take me for?"

9-5-11 - "Mykonos" ~ Fleet Foxes

I have not posted a Fleet Foxes song since April, and they're pretty great, so here's another.  It might be my favorite track of theirs.  From the opening strains of melancholy guitar, I'm hooked every time.  The harmonic wordless vocals set an eerie tone, and from Robin Pecknold's first lyrics, the foreboding hangs thick in the air.


Rumor has it the song is about a brother who has lost his way; Mykonos seems to represent either a safe haven - redemption from "the mess (he) made" - or perhaps a false salvation.  The "vision of a gentle coast" and "sun to maybe dissipate" lines evoke the haven, but something about the other lyrics hints that Mykonos may not be the paradise the subject seeks, after all...


(the paper art music video was made by Sean Pecknold; who, if my limited internet research is accurate, is the "brother" to whom the song refers...)

"Brother you don't need to turn me away

I was waiting down at the ancient gate..."

8-30-11 - "Just A Friend" ~ Biz Markie

Got home from work and my housemate was spinning this track.  If you don't know it, you should, because it's a cautionary tale every man should heed (and of course, women can apply the same principle...)


These tragic lyrics of heartbreak come from deep within a wounded soul; it is clear that Biz Markie is trying to heal these wounds by warning others of the trap that befell him to spare them the same fate.


The straightforward rhythm and piano, part of which was updated from Freddie Scott's 1968 tune "You Got What I Need", lay the foundation for the song.  Markie's wig and breeches in the chorus show that his sense of style was not damaged due to the event:

Some of my posts are somewhat tongue-in-cheek, but this is most definitely not one of those times.  You'll know them when you see them.


"I started throwin' bass
She started throwin' back mid-range
But when I sprung the question
She acted kind of strange..."

8-12-11 - "C'mon, C'mon" ~ The Von Bondies

This is one of those songs that caught my ear with the first measures, and never let go.  It's insanely catchy, with a vicious guitar lick and a beat that is perfect for a drive or an athletic warm up mix tape.  The lyrics are actually quite depressing, about a breakup from an abusive relationship, but on the surface it's a real toe-tapper.  Kind of like "Pumped Up Kicks" in that regard...

For those so inclined, the actual music video is here (I still haven't figured out why Blogger sometimes won't embed certain youtube videos...)

Live on Letterman:

 

"And on this day these deepened wounds
don't heal so fast, can't hear me croon
of a million lies that speak no truth
of a time gone by that now is through..."

7-27-11 - "The Freshmen" ~ The Verve Pipe

I heard this one on the radio on my commute home today; it's from the high school years but I think I listened to it a lot more during college...


It's a beautiful song, especially the way the emotions drip from the vocals.  It's not entirely clear exactly what happened, but it's pretty clear that someone died - either suicide or abortion, or perhaps both.  Tragedy often leads to powerful expression in art; we all have experienced some form of tragedy in life, and it's easy to relate when hearing someone lay their heart and soul bare like this.

"We've tried to wash our hands of all this
we never talk of our lacking relationships
and how we're guilt stricken sobbing with our heads on the floor 
we fell through the ice when we tried not to slip..."

6-30-11 - "Mistakes We Knew We Were Making" ~ MAE

Here's one from one of my favorite albums of all time.  I talked about the album and the band in previous posts, so I won't rehash that now.  This song has a great syncopation to its 6/8 timing, kind of makes you imagine a waltz in a movie or something, and closes with an ethereal outro.


The lyrics are pretty heavy; sounds like young lovers took a relationship to the physical consummation and ended up conceiving.  They weren't prepared for a life-changing event of that magnitude, yet they knew beforehand that a baby was a potential consequence of their decision (hence the song title).  They had to grow up fast, but ended up seeing the wondrous side of creating a new life, and that sometimes even our mistakes can work out for good.


Or at least that's how I'm interpreting it... what do you think?

"Riding on the fumes that spark us
while igniting dreams..."

6-8-11 - "Elephant Gun" ~ Beirut

Thanks to the miracle of technology (read: facebook), I just heard this song and this band for the first time, and I can't stop listening.  My friends in Bright Black Bright (more on them another day) posted the song.  It's a beautiful track with a bit of a circus-y feel (and not just because of the Elephants in the title - something about the 3/4 time, the accordion, and the trumpet).  Kinda a wistful, whimsical mood - you're not sure whether to be happy or sad.  The lyrics are a bit of a puzzle, but seem to deal with regretting missed opportunities in life, yearning for adventure (hunting the big game with the proverbial elephant gun), or possibly it's a metaphor for a war (or several wars...)


(Wow, could I get any more parenthetical?)


Let me know what you think:

"it rips through the silence, all that is left is all that I hide..."

6-1-11 - "Hurt" ~ Nine Inch Nails

I'm not a huge NIN fan, in fact I can't say I've ever actively listened to most of their works.  However, this song is pretty powerful and gripping.  Some say it's about Trent Reznor's addiction to drugs, others say it's about suicide, others still have differing opinions... guess it shows that art is in the eye of the beholder.  No matter how it was originally written, we can all relate to the self-destructive tendencies expressed in the song.  We all make choices in life that we regret or that end up ending poorly for us.  We all hurt the people we care about.  Life is all about getting through this and finding a way to carry on.  Reznor does seem to realize that there is more to life than what he's been doing, although the song doesn't delve into finding fulfillment but leaves you with the feeling that he thinks it's too late or that redemption is impossible...


The live music video with Reznor on keys is stunning; I've included the studio recording as well.

Studio: "Hurt"


"and you could have it all
my empire of dirt..."

5-21-11 - "Love The Way You Lie" ~ Skylar Grey

If you've had any connection with pop culture within the past year or so, you've probably heard some version of this song.  But it probably wasn't this version.  Love or hate Eminem, he does have a knack for turning sections of songs like this into the hook for his raps... but this version, the original, is sans Slim (and Rihanna), just heart-wrenching vocals over a piano.  Grey's songwriting talent is evident, if a bit raw (I'm not entirely in love with the bridge), and the lyrics take you right into the dysfunction of the relationship.

"On the first page of our story
the future seemed so bright
then the saint turned out so evil
I don't know why I'm still surprised..."

5-9-11 - "Lord" ~ Langhorne Slim

Sweet guitar playing coupled with soulful lyrics and naked emotion equals a great song.  


"Lord" ~ Langhorne Slim (studio version)


"darling it's a crime you left me so cold..."




BONUS SECTION:

(live version)

(for you Avett fans, a cover by Timothy Seth... complete with forgetting the lyrics.  good fun.)

5-3-11 - "Chicago" ~ Sufjan Stevens

I'm nothing if not predictable.  Well, hopefully I'm not too predictable with the ASOD choices... but yeah, I'm in Chicago for a work conference, thus you're getting a song about Chicago.  It's a great song, about a rockin' road trip that turns into a journey of self-reflection and discovery... or something like that.

"I made a lot of mistakes
in my mind, in my mind..."

5-1-11 - "Relator" ~ Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson

Last night we had Peter, Bjorn, and John, so it's only fitting that tonight we have Pete Yorn, eh?  This fun track was the leadoff for his 2009 collaboration with Scarlett Johansson (yea, the actress...)  She's got a half decent voice, and it's en vogue for crossover stars, what with Gwyneth Paltrow, Mandy Moore, Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon, and numerous others trying their hands at both acting and singing.  Not all of them are as good at one as they are at the other, but hey, sometimes you don't have to be Aretha Franklin to sell records.  Oh, and did you know that Johansson was in Home Alone 3 AND The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie?  Thank you, Wikipedia...


Anyway, catchy song about a relationship on the ropes:

"I don't beg, I don't borrow, I steal..."