5-23-12 - "Yes, Maria, Yes" ~ David Wax Museum

You guys.  David Wax Museum are back in Pittsburgh tomorrow night for a show at Club Cafe.  Yes, the Boston-based band with the donkey jawbone will be playing at everyone's favorite PGH venue.  Here's a track which epitomizes their Mexo-Americana stylings with an English-language version of a traditional Mexican folk song:

Be sure to check this track and others in their Daytrotter session.  Be sure to check some other sweet performances which are floating around the interwebs, like this NPR Tiny Desk Concert which opens with this tune:

And most of all, be sure to be at Club Cafe tomorrow night at 8 (7 Central).


"...your careless heart invites me in, just to see me go..."

4-30-12 - "Tongue Tied" ~ Grouplove

Well, to get the ball rolling, I'm going to take a page from my buddy Jordan, who posted this track earlier today.  I've caught Grouplove on WYEP before, and they definitely put out some fun tunes with interesting lyrics and videos that have perhaps a darker edge than the music itself might imply.

This one seems pretty lighthearted, in the vein of enjoying an all night party with a cute  girl (or, guy, if that's more your style).  But then you have these menacing luchadores in suits... well, I don't really know what that's about, but art is in the eye of the beholder, so you tell me:

Update 1-9-13 Howsabout a live version, courtesy of the Hay Bale Sessions:

(Also check out the Hay Bale Sessions performance of "Colours"!)

"marmalade, we're making out..."

2-12-12 - "Settler" ~ Balmorhea

I found this band on thesixtyone the other day (a site worth checking out - fun way to discover new tunes).  They're an instrumental outfit from Texas, named after a small town quite a ways away from the bigger cities.  Their sound, however, is much larger than their namesake.

Balmorhea (pronounced Bal-moor-ay) bring lush orchestration and soaring melodies, reminiscent of carefree summer days.  This track features a backbone of piano with strings along for the ride.  A subtle guitar breakdown  laced with ethereal vocal harmonies gives you a breather before the climax, when the pace picks up and claps join the strings and vocals in a manner reminiscent of The David Wax Museum.  This type of tune could easily be part of a movie soundtrack, but stands alone as well:

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...)"

11-16-11 - "Houdini" ~ Foster The People

So I finally picked up Foster The People's album recently, because who doesn't love an album that's chock full of tunes just waiting for commercials to use them?  I mean, screw Corporate America and The Man, but dang is this album catchy!


After a handful of spins, this track has grabbed me the most.  The hook is off the hoo... wait I mean chain.  And the lyrics are actually fairly deep too.  It delves into the musician's dilemma - opening one's soul up to the masses. It speaks out against conforming and compromising due to fear, fostering the people (a bit of a stretch, I know, but deal with it) and encouraging them to stand strong and put their talents and skills to use.  And sometimes we all wish we could pull off miraculous escapes like Houdini...

And lest you think that they're just hiding behind all the electronic sounds and synths...

And here's a hybrid live performance from SNL which still has some of the synths, but brings more focus on the keys and vox while adding some sick horns... (hey, ah, Foster The People, you got a little, uh, Ben Stiller on your shirt...)

Also featuring Kenny G.  What.

"With the lights turned up, it's hard to hide
sometimes I want to disappear..."


(PS - Mark Foster kinda looks like Zach Braff...)

11-9-11 - "Old Friend" ~ The O.C. Supertones

I find tonight's track to be incredibly evocative.  Every time I hear the opening chords, I'm instantly transported to a beach in SoCal.  Wait, I've never been to California, but I can still imagine what it would be like!  The music just has that vibe of sitting around a bonfire on the beach, in the late (late) Indian summer, after one last perfect day riding the waves, enjoying the company of close friends and playing some surfy, relaxing tunes to wind things down...

 (photo borrowed from laurenmeg)

This one lacks the trademark horns and blistering ska heat of the bulk of the band's work, but it's one of my favorites from their catalog nonetheless.  As I mentioned, the gentle surf guitar and bass rhythm are just swell, the harmonies sublime, and the guitar solo in the bridge is beautiful in its restraint.

"What do I know? Somebody tell me

I've been running from you for so long…"

(photo borrowed from yan_san)

10-26-11 - "Pipeline / Diamond Head" ~ The Ventures

For several reasons, I'm giving you a two-fer tonight (and you can thank my good buddy Ben for that term, although he used it in reference to a piano duet rather than a doubleheader of songs).  First, I couldn't decide which Ventures tune to go with.  Second, I found a sweet live video of two of my top three choices.  Third, the songs are short anyway.  Fourth, it's my party and I'll cry if I want to.


Anyway, the first time I posted a song by this groundbreaking instrumental rock band, I explained just why they are awesome; so I'll just let the music do the talking tonight.  Here are two surf rock classics, performed live back in '64:

(I love the chugging riff in Pipeline, but the best part may be that their demeanor is so laid back while they are playing what was, at the time, some of the most progressive and "hard" music out there.)

9-28-11 - "O.C. Supertones" ~ The O.C. Supertones

Some days, no matter how important your project is at work, no matter how "disrespectful" it may be considered to those around you, you just gotta crank some ska.  Today was one of those days.  


Ska's prime was a while ago, to be sure; can't say I listen to the genre frequently these days, but if you're in the right mood it's still great.  And yes, when I said "crank", I meant "go one click higher than normal on the computer volume button", so I wasn't really sticking it to the man.  But man, hearing this album (and especially this song) just made me happy.


Give it a try and just try to stay angry or depressed or whatever unpleasant mood you may be in right now.  And if you're already feeling good, this will only expound upon your good feelings.  I promise.


"O.C. Supertones" ~ The Orange County Supertones (grooveshark link)


"Orange County, huh?"

9-21-11 - "Nightswimming" ~ R.E.M.

I don't believe I ever heard a song by R.E.M. that I didn't like.  Full disclosure: I never really got into them beyond their radio hits, but some of those were really good and I don't know why I didn't check them out more.  Maybe now is the time, seeing as they just called it quits today (after 31 years - wow!) I definitely love the band's name; the acronym certainly stands for some pretty sweet things (the Egyptian fish god is legit, but rapid eye movement is still my favorite.)


This is probably not considered to be one of their biggest hits, but I like it alot.  The piano sets the stage for the nostalgic look at carefree, idyllic nights of youth enjoying life.  There are some undertones of darker themes, but primarily it seems to be recalling simpler times.  


Live on Jools Holland:

Album:

R.I.P., R.E.M.


"September's coming soon

I'm pining for the moon

and what if there were two,

side by side in orbit,

around the fairest sun...?"

9-9-11 - "Good Day" ~ Nappy Roots

Yeah, it's a bit different than my standard genres, but it's a fun song with a good message and a sweet little piano hook that doesn't get old (well, at least not yet...)


The video below (which I don't think is an official music video) has penguins, which is pretty awesome, no?


Mad props for the stupendous use of the phrase "put up your dukes", too.  Well played, Nappy Roots; well played.

"I'm still above ground,
and that's the reason I pray..."

9-7-11 - "Fighting For My Love" ~ Nil Lara

Scrubs is probably in my top three TV shows of all time, and I watched it a LOT with my good buddy / housemate Ben while we lived in Ohio after college.  Just saw a rerun tonight which had this song at the end, and it's one of a plethora of sweet tracks featured in the show over the years.


Nil Lara is a Cuban American musician who has lived in New Jersey, Miami, and Venezuela, and studied electrical engineering... dude's had a pretty busy life!  This one's pretty catchy; could be interpreted as egotistical but I don't think that was how it was intended... rather a song about working hard to forge a strong bond of love and maintain it.

I know how it feels I've been burned one time before

I still feel the scars on my lips
When I touch when I love when I kiss"

9-2-11 - "You, Me, And The Bourgeoisie" ~ The Submarines

Here's an example of the evils of the big corporations being used for good... sort of.  I'm not gonna lie, I heard this song on an iPhone commercial a few years back; might never have heard of the band otherwise.  Ironically, the song is all about not falling prey to the lifestyle-driven "keep up with the Joneses" mentality that is so prevalent these days.  But in conjunction with my "don't judge a band by its genre" policy, I believe there's no wrong way to get your music out there.


As you might guess since it was used in a commercial for a product aimed at the young, hip crowd, the song is super catchy.  But along with the hook, there's a healthy dose of food for thought.  What is truly important in life?  Is it money, cars, climbing the corporate ladder?  Or perhaps is there something else to which we should dedicate our pursuits...?

"We're not living the good life
unless we're fighting the good fight..."

7-28-11 - "Bitter Sweet Symphony" ~ The Verve

While we're on the subject of vigor and spirit or enthusiasm in tubes, here's another oneder for you (don't know what a Oneder is?  We'll get to that one of these days...)  The Verve hit it big with this one in 1997, and never really matched that peak again.  But, as a wise man once said, "it's better to go down in a blaze of glory than to rot in a state penitentiary!"


I love the soaring strings in this one, and the way they set the tone of the song - hopeful, despite the sobering aspects of the lyrics.


The song's about, you guessed it, life in general.  Most of us spend most of our lives trying to "make ends meet" and being "slave(s) to money"... not exactly a spectacular fate.  Many people in the world don't even have it that good... and yet, pretty much everyone experiences the sweetness of life along with the bitter...

"Well I've never prayed,
but tonight I'm on my knees..."

7-3-11 - "End Love" ~ OK Go

Here's a fun one, with a synthy, 80s-ish feel.  OK Go are just a fun band, good for when you want to just bob your head and enjoy life and music.  Here's another interesting and innovative music video by the band who built a following in that way, this time featuring stop-motion dance moves, a goose, and some other fun and random stuff.  Watch for the kid at the bottom right around the 3:30 mark...

"Cause no one's gonna save you if you don't swim for the boat, 
No one's gonna save you if you won't take the rope..." 

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..."

1-19-11 - "This Too Shall Pass" ~ OK Go

OK Go are possibly more famous for their music videos than for the songs themselves, but they have some pretty good stuff musically too.  This one's tons of fun.  (oh btw, it just occurred to me tonight that I can slap YouTube videos right into posts, rather than linking.  how about that.  booyah.)

"You can't stop these kids from dancing, and why would you want to,
especially when when you are already getting yours?
'Cause if your mind don't move, and your knees don't bend,
well don't start blaming the kids again..."


BONUS:


Rube Goldberg Music Video:

AND


Band Music Video:

What fun. (these versions have their own audio which is different from the studio cut.  each is spiffy in its own right.)