You guys. Fun. Is. Spectacular. A combination of, dare I say, fun melodies with upbeat and catchy instrumentation, topped off with (at least on tracks like this) powerful and introspective lyrics. They're exploding across the airwaves, on both the indie and popular stations (and fortunately, "We Are Young" hasn't been mutilated for the Top 40 stations like Gotye's "Somebody That I Used To Know".)
This one (especially the acoustic performance) captures the power of Nate's vocals and the emotion he conveys. The song's message is one of hope and perseverance.
Sick acoustic version recorded for Record Store Day (4/21/2012):
Listened to a few old favorite albums on this weekend's road trip. Here's a head-bobber from a band I listened to quite a bit back in high school, DC Talk. These boys evolved from a rap / hip hop group in the late '80s - early '90s to a more rock / pop sound by the late '90s, but managed to work in a lot of different styles along the way, as evidenced by this track, which contains elements of funk, soul, and pop. My favorite part is probably the funky, crunchy bass line, which anchors the song as the harmonies and freestyle vocal riffs flow.
My first experience with Donora was growing up in the Monongahela Valley ("Mon Valley" or simply "the Valley" for those fortunate souls who live there). It may be that I'm the only one in the world amused by this, but Donora is three miles from everywhere. At least, there were a few green and white highway signs that said so scattered about the Valley. Interesting that all of these signs happened to be erected at points 3 miles from a certain town...
But enough about my strangely-wired brain. Let's talk about the band whose name is derived from this great town. Donora (the band) has overtaken Donora (the blue collar coal town) in fame, at least according to a Google search, and that's saying something, considering such folks as Stan Musial and Ken Griffey (senior AND Junior!) were born there. They're baseball players, in case you didn't know - and pretty good ones, in their respective days.
I'd heard a lot about the band, but hadn't really heard them until their CD release show on Friday. Fellow Pittsburgh rockers New Shouts were part of the celebratory concert, which made me that much more interested to attend and finally see what the hype was about. I was pleasantly surprised by the other opener, Way Yes from Columbus, and New Shouts brought Casey on stage during their set for a fun and catchy rendition of one of the tracks from Donora's new album (but we can't talk about that yet - it's a secret!).
"Photograph" is one of the tracks that jumps out at me from Donora's first album, which I picked up at the show. Their music is primarily lighthearted pop rock with some fun synths and loops, and this track is no different. However, if one wanted to read into the lyrics, one could surmise that there are underlying intonations regarding the fleeting nature of human existence and emotion. Change often comes (for good or bad), and we do well to cherish our experiences in memory, learn from the mistakes and look back on the good times to cheer us up in the bad times...
Not from the show I attended, but here's a live performance from a concert (which, unfortunately, I missed) earlier this summer:
Catchy track. Band name that I don't really get. Recipe for greatness...?
Apparently there's a girl, and the singer is having trouble letting her in, despite his admission that she's the one he's been waiting for. Sounds like some psychological issues there... if she's "the one", dude, just go for it! Empirical evidence shows that the rewards far outweigh the risks...
Live quasi-acoustic (keyboard is wired...):
"...'Cause my heart is my keep and you are threatening me..."
One of my best friends is embarking on a cross-country journey to start a new job in Tacoma, Washington. Jake's last night in Pittsburgh was last night, and after countless "guys nites" and hangouts over the past several years, and having him share a house with me and some other great guys for the last year and a half, it's going to be pretty strange not having him around. We had a big farewell party on Saturday which was well-attended, but perhaps even more special was a more intimate gathering last night, with just a few close friends sharing one last conversation and one last drink.
This song is actually from the point of view of the one leaving friends behind, but it expresses the feelings well. The Celtic tune and lyric date back to the 1700s, and numerous artists in the modern era have sung it. I think I like this version best. The somber tone evokes the sorrow of leaving a loved hometown and cherished friends and family, and the a capella harmonies are exquisite:
Live version:
No matter how sorrowful the parting, however, we can take joy in knowing that our friend is moving to another great place, where he will have a rewarding job and surely make new friends, and that we'll see him again. Also, we now have an excuse to go to the Pacific Northwest, not that an excuse is needed to go to a place that awesome...
"but since it falls unto my lot that I should rise and you should not I'll gently rise and I'll softly call good night and joy be with you all..."
I spent the weekend at my parents' house, with my three brothers all there as well. On my way back into the city tonight, I listened to Thistle and Shamrock, a pretty cool show which "explores evolving music from Celtic roots in Europe and North America." When I got home, I looked up Scruj MacDuhk, one of the bands featured on the show, and couldn't find much in the way of audio from that band, but I poked around and found The Wailin' Jennys, one of whose members was also part of Scruj MacDuhk. I guess you have to be open to and/or in the mood for certain types of music, so hopefully you'll give this one a shot, or come back on another day when you're feeling more Celtic... but come on, any band whose name is a clever pun based on the name of an American musical legend has to be pretty cool, right?
