Rolling in the Deep :: Adele

I love this song. I cannot adequately express how much I love Adele's music in general. I was hooked on her first album, 19, when it came out a few years back and I am just as impressed by her most recent album, 21.

Adele's voice is just incredible. I know some people have compared her to Amy Winehouse and found her lacking, but I don't think this is the case at all.

I should get back to work so I'll keep this brief. Check it out, Rolling in the Deep.

Red Cave :: Yeasayer

So apparently there's this band Yeasayer and I thought I wasn't super into their music so I didn't really pay much attention to their stuff.

Then I go to an LVC event and one of the houses sings an acapella version of Red Cave and I am hooked. The song is in my head for days, and I can't figure out where the song came from. Is it an old folk tune? Is it from some communist song book? Then I finally hit on the right combination of search words and find out that it's by Yeasayer off their old album "All Hour Cymbals," how embarrassing for me!

Regardless, it's an excellent song. The song is structured in a round, and there's something almost primal about It reminds me of singing with your head thrown back at the top of your lungs under a starry night sky on a crisp fall night around a fire with your nearest and dearest. For you listening pleasure I've included links to both a live version of the song and the actual recording. I was tempted to provide you with multiple versions of the song live, but then I remembered that I am not the only one who can use youtube, and you might not be as hooked on the song as I am.





Lyrics

I went out past the willow and the well
caught my breath upon the hill
at the edge of the domain

and I went down
and further down
and when I got up,
I'm at the red cave

and with that sound
as if I had been put under a spell
she led me to her whirlpool
warm despite a winter's day

Mary's house in the hollow of the
white hazel rapid whirlpool
and the church of the red cave

I'm so blessed to
have spent that time
with my family and the friends
I love with my short life i have met
so many people I deeply care for

I'm so blessed to
have spent that time
with my family and the friends
I love with my short life I have met
so many people I deeply care for

Shape Up :: Total Babe

Shape Up by Total Babe

Well hey there world. We've all been sadly remiss in our blogging. I figure life happens, people get busy, blogging drops by the wayside. However, the time is ripe for our grand return to the blogosphere. Who knows, maybe we'll even venture out into the twitterverse.

Today I bring you the tune "Shape Up" by local Minneapolis band Total Babe. These folks played at the Twin Cities Avengers Glamboree fundraiser back in the early spring and totally stole the show. Since then, they've been busy getting rave reviews in all sorts of places, from the City Pages to Bust magazine. If you happen to be in the Twin Cities, they'll be playing at First Ave with Jeremy Messersmith and Chastity Brown coming up on September 18th at 6pm.

"Shape Up" has an amazingly catchy hook, but as a deficient whistler I'm impressed by anyone that can whistle a tune. Listen for the perfectly complimentary violin arrangement, a common thread through all of Total Babe's music. For more metaphorically minded musical descriptions, scroll on down through the Total Babe myspace page and read all those rave reviews.

Don't Know Why (You Stay) :: Essex Green

Essex Green is an indie-pop band based in Vermont. This song, "Don't Know Why (You Stay)" played on Pandora and caught my ear.

It's got catchy lyrics, some rhythmic syncopation, and I love the subtle harmony on the chorus. Happy Wednesday!

The Major Lift :: Years

"The Major Lift" is purely instrumental track that just reeks of optimism. This song had me from the first brass fanfare. I'm a french horn player on a year long sabbatical, so I'm a complete sucker for a great brass line.

"Years" is a project by Ohad Benchetrit of Broken Social Scene and Do Make Say Think. I'm not sure the best way to describe the music. Words like orchestral-avant-indie-rock come to mind.

Here's "The Major Lift," the next embedded player down has all the tracks of the self-titled album "Years" in it.

Enjoy!!

The Major Lift - Years

Years

For the Taste :: Black Blondie

Black Blondie is a local Minneapolis band that plays alternative/experimental/R&B music (that's a self-description off of myspace, folks).

Highlights:
Lead singer Samahra's amazing vocals, snarly lyrics and riot grrl attitude.
Drummer Kahlil Brewington's extremely effortless sounding rhythms that subtly push the songs forward, completely setting the tone of the songs blending perfectly with bassist Liz Draper and Tasha Baron's sexy keyboard/organ/synth parts she creates without using samples.
The songs meander through genres, sometimes reminiscent of 60s motown, then shifting into 80s synth pop, sliding into eerie gritty ambient R&B.

Okay. I'm done exploring pitchfork-y descriptions of music.

I think Black Blondie are awesome, and you should check out their new CD "Do You Remember Who You Want to Be?" OR if you are free and able to get over to the Electric Fetus, they are playing live at the Electric Fetus tonight, May 14th at 6:30pm. You can also catch them next weekend at the Memory Lanes Block Party, right by Pi (rest in peace).

Black Blondie

Alarm :: Mucca Pazza

Possibly the coolest marching band ever. Hat tip to my friend Z for sharing them with me.

Mucca Pazza is a self-described circus-punk marching band from Chicago. They have electric guitars, violins, mandolins and accordions in addition to the typical marching band fare of trumpets, saxophones, tubas, trombones, and drum line. They also have cheerleaders?

While the videos are awesome and definitely show the hijinks and shenanigans that Mucca Pazza gets up to, I recommend checking out their website for some high quality audio delight. You can also check out their myspace page if that suits your internet surfing style better. I highly recommend them for listening at work, on the bus, while cooking and while blogging at work when you're supposed to be doing other things. Their repertoire ranges from Balkan-brass to covers of 60s television show themes as well as themes from Shostakovich and Bartok.

For those of you who are fans of the TV show Weeds, Mucca Pazza's song "Borino Oro" was featured in an episode in season 4.

Fan made music video for the song "Alarm"


Performing at Lollapalooza


At Rothbury.


Here's their NY tour video.

Pulling on a Line - Great Lake Swimmers

This song makes me wish I could play the banjo. The video also makes me wish that when I ran around in the woods, there were lamps with funky lampshades on them.

This is the song "Pulling on a Line" by Great Lake Swimmers. They're folksy-indie rock Canadians. I can't find the lyrics already posted online, but the lyrics aren't hard to pick out.

Right as Rain :: Adele

Brief post today. Adele is a very very talented 20 year old musician from England who's been on the rise. Her first album, 19, is a wonderful collection of indie soul music. Most of the songs are about heartbreak; even so they aren't terribly depressing musically. "Right as Rain" for example, makes me want to dance around the kitchen when it plays even though the lyrics are fairly sad. In addition to "Right as Rain" I've included a bonus video of the song "Melt My Heart to Stone."



Who wants to be right as rain
It's better
When something is wrong
You get excitement in your bones
And everything you do's a game
When night comes
And you're all on your own
You can say I chose to be alone
Who wants to be right as rain
It's harder when you're on top.

Cause when hard work
Don't pay off
And I'm tired there aint no room in my bed
As far as I'm concerned so
Wipe that dirty smile off we
Won't be making up I've cried my heart out
And now
I've had enough of love

Who wants to be riding high
When you'll just crumble
Back on down
You give up everything you are
And even then you don't get far
They make believe that everything
Is exactly what it seems
But at least
When you're at your worst
You know how to feel things.

See when hard work don't pay off
And I'm tired there ain't no room in my bed
As far as I'm concerned so
Wipe that dirty smile off we
Won't be making up
I've cried my heart out
And now
I've had enough of love

Go ahead and still my heart
To make me cry again
Cause it will never hurt
As much as it did then when
We were both right
And no one had blame
But now I give up
On this endless game.

Cause who wants to be right as rain
It's better
When something is wrong
I get excitement
In my bones
Even though
Everything's a strain
When night comes
And I'm on my own
You should know I
Chose to be alone
So who wants to be
Right as rain
It's harder
When you're on top

Cause when hard work
Don't pay off
And I'm tired there ain't no room in my bed
As far as I'm concerned so
Wipe that dirty smile off we
Won`t be making up
I`ve cried my heart out
And now
I've had enough of

No room in my bed
As far as I'm concerned so
Wipe that dirty smile off we
Won`t be making up
I`ve cried my heart out
And now
I've had enough of love




Right under my feet there's air made of bricks
Pulls me down turns me weak for you
I find myself repeating like a broken tune
And I'm forever excusing your intentions
And I give in to my pretendings
Which forgive you each time
Without me knowing
They melt my heart to stone

And I hear your words that I made up
You say my name like there could be an us
I best tidy up my head I'm the only one in love
I'm the only one in love

Each and every time I turn around to leave
I feel my heart begin to burst and bleed
So desperately I try to link it with my head
But instead I fall back to my knees
As you tear your way right through me
I forgive you once again
Without me knowing
You've burnt my heart to stone

And I hear your words that I made up
You say my name like there could be an us
I best tidy up my head I'm the only one in love
I'm the only one in love

Why do you steal my hand
Whenever I'm standing my own ground
You build me up, then leave me dead

Well I hear your words you made up
So I say your name like there could be an us
I best tidy up my head I'm the only one in love
I'm the only one in love.

white as diamonds : alela diane

I am getting so ready and excited for spring. I'm done with winter, apparently winter isn't done with me though.
I was recently at the LVC mid-year retreat, and started thinking of songs that remind me of spring. This is one of my recent musical acquisitions, Alela Diane of Nevada City, CA. This song is off her new CD "To Be Still" which was released this February.
She reminds me a little of Joanna Newsom. Her voice doesn't really doesn't like Joanna Newsom's, but her music does.
This particular song reminds me of watching snow melt and fall off pine trees like rain while geese fly by overhead.




I’ve known mornings
white as diamonds
silent from a night so cold
such a stillness
calm as the owl glides
Our lives are buried in snow

Ouuuuhh whooooa whoooooa (2x)

I was sifting through the piles
in my hand a tangled thread each patient tug upon the snarl
is a glimpse of what has been

Ouuuuhh whooooa whoooooa (2x)

Burdened bands gain strong hands
gaping holes where diamonds should be
must have been morning that stole them
a glint of white in the pocket of winter

Ouuuuhh whooooa whoooooa (2x)

And some hearts are ghosts settling down in dark waters
Just as silt grows heavy and drowns with the stones

Some hearts are ghosts settling down in dark waters
Just as silt grows heavy and drowns with the stones

Ouuuuhh whooooa whoooooa (2x)

I’ve known mornings
white as diamonds
silent from a night so cold
such a stillness
calm as the owl glides
our lives are buried in snow
our lives are buried in snow

camp out :: an horse

I have a new musical love, the band An Horse from Australia. They are both rather attractive people. For those of you in the Twin Cities, March 3rd at the 7th street Entry is where you should be to listen to them in person. Which I would highly recommend, and I really hope I can be there as well. I haven't ever seen them, because they haven't toured in the US yet. But, if you watch them on youtube or look at their myspace, you can see that they often wear flannel shirts, so that's cool and extremely adorable. Did I mention they're from Australia and thus have wonderful Australian accents?

Enough caffeinated silliness. An Horse sounds kinda like Tegan and Sara, and actually have toured with Tegan and Sara. An Horse is the duo Kate Cooper and Damon Fox. Kate rocks out on the guitar and Damon plays the drums. Kate tends to provide lead vocals and Damon backs her up. The video I'm including is an acoustic version of their song Camp Out. It's from their debut album "Rearrange Beds" which comes out on March 17th. If you just can't wait, it's already on iTunes. You should go to their myspace and listen to their other stuff as well. As a bonus video, the bottom most video in this post is an interview of An Horse by Sara Quin.

The Monster Song :: Psapp

Last weekend I was at the MBLGTACC '09 conference in Bloomington Indiana. Aside from the excitement of hawking free temporary tattoos and stickers in the exhibit hall, doing a workshop at 8:30 in the morning for 3 to 5 people and getting to see some very dear friends, I got a new CD! Hurray for me!

During one of the workshop sessions, I ditched out with my friend T and he took me to this excellent record shop he had discovered earlier. It was in an old house that also had a coffee shop in it that made peanut butter cup coffee drinks. Very tasty. If you are ever in Bloomington, IN go check out Soma coffee shop and the record store in the basement.

Anyways. So my acquisition at the record store was Psapp's new album "The Camel's Back." My prior exposure was Krista's blog post last October about them. As was mentioned in the October Psapp post, their song "Cozy in the Rocket" is the Grey's Anatomy theme song. So there's the tie in for TV/Movie month.

This song is called the Monster Song and has a really excellent music video to go along with it. Psapp makes really quirky electronic music, and I really enjoy Galia Durant's voice. So. Enjoy the Monster Song. For an added bonus, check out their myspace page, where you can listen to lovely tracks like a cover of "Everybody Wants to Be a Cat" and how to pronounce "Psapp."

swagger like us :: MIA, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, TI, Kanye West

I didn't watch the Grammy's, and I'm actually a little sad after I found out about this performance, and Radiohead's performance. I guess that's what youtube is for, right? There's really not much to say about the song, other than MIA is a badass. It's a catchy song, I've had it stuck in my head since yesterday.
The song was written by Jay-Z and TI, using a sample of MIA's song "Paper Planes," which I've included below "Swagger Like Us" as a bonus prize.
I've heard rumors MIA is going to retire early. I do hope she takes time to be with her kid and all that, but I also hope she keeps making music. Hopefully the next few years we'll hear more from her.

her morning elegance :: oren lavie

My song of the day comes from a singer songwriter playwright artist Oren Lavie's album "The Opposite Side of the Sea." He sounds similar to Leonard Cohen and Nick Drake without sounding like he's merely copying Cohen or Drake and without sounding like an angsty teen. Oren Lavie was born in Israel. He moved to London, then lived in New York where he wrote many of the songs for "The Opposite Side of the Sea." He then moved to Berlin where he recorded the album. As a side note, I wish I was able to do stuff like that.

Anyways, I was introduced to his music through youtube video, for his video "her morning elegance." It's a very well done stop motion video with a really interesting concept. His website is also a lot of fun to look through.



Sun been down for days
A pretty flower in a vase
A slipper by the fireplace
A cello lying in it's case

Soon she's down the stairs
Her morning elegance she wears
The sound of water makes her dream
Awoken by a cloud of steam
She pours a daydream in a cup
A spoon of sugar sweetens up

And She fights for her life
As she puts on her coat
And she fights for her life on the train
She looks at the rain
As it pours
And she fights for her life
As she goes in a store
With a thought she has caught
By a thread
She pays for the bread
And She goes...
Nobody knows

Sun been down for days
A winter melody she plays
The thunder makes her contemplate
She hears a noise behind the gate
Perhaps a letter with a dove
Perhaps a stranger she could love

And She fights for her life
As she puts on her coat
And she fights for her life on the train
She looks at the rain
As it pours
And she fights for her life
As she goes in a store
With a thought she has caught
By a thread
She pays for the bread
And She goes...
Nobody knows

And She fights for her life
As she puts on her coat
And she fights for her life on the train
She looks at the rain
As it pours
And she fights for her life
Where people are pleasantly strange
And counting the change
And She goes...
Nobody knows

Rachel Harrington

Today I'm straying from the theme of local music, and instead sharing some really excellent folk/bluegrass from Oregon. Rachel Harrington is a really excellent singer-songwriter, and I'll let her website bio speak for itself.

"Reared among the Pentecostal pines of Oregon, Rachel Harrington has been doing things in the wrong order for quite some time. She’d had extensive radio play before performing her live show, and she was opening for Grammy winners and nominees before releasing her first record."http://www.rachelharrington.net/home.html

My housemate and I were washing dishes last night and she played some songs off of Rachel Harrington's second cd, "City of Refuge." You can listen to some of those tracks at Rachel's myspace page. I highly recommend listening to the track Karen Kane over on myspace.

Her voice reminds me of a little Lucinda Williams, a little Gillian Welch, and a little Pieta Brown. Videos on youtube mostly feature her and the talented mandolin player Zak Borden who sings with her as well. So here are three enjoyable videos I found on youtube. I also recommend checking out her myspace to hear some of her songs that are a little more fleshed out musically, including some really tasteful use of panning if you're using headphones.

A Night in the Box

Local music. So I reached really deep into my musical library, and I found A Night in the Box. They are a really energetic indie bluegrass/rock/folk group that puts on really great live shows. They're actually playing tonight at the 331 Club New Year's Party. Or you can catch them at the Acadia on January 23rd, The Kitty Kat Club on January 30th, or at the Cedar on February 8th.

If foot stomping, hand clapping, guitar driven, banjo and violen laden music is your thing, A Night in the Box delivers pretty excellent electric bluegrass. Most of the songs are catchy, and make me feel like putting on my best button up plaid shirt and singing along.

I couldn't find much of their stuff, even on imeem, so I recommend checking out their myspace page. In particular, I really recommend listening to "The Hustle" on myspace.

A Night in the Box

Album of the Year :: The Good Life

This week I decided I'd post an extremely well executed concept album, "Album of the Year," by The Good Life. The record chronicles the rise and fall of a relationship, with each track representing a month.

The first title track starts in April and summarizes the entire story of a man and his bartending girlfriend. The next two tracks, "Night and Day" and "Under a Honeymoon" outline the beginning of their relationship. "You're No Fool" is about other people speculating on whether or not the guy is cheating on his girlfriend. "Notes in His Pocket" is about supposed instances of his infidelity. Neither song outright states that he cheated, but hint pretty heavily. The next tracks, "You're Not You " and "October Leaves" are about the dissatisfaction both feel in the relationship. "Lovers Need Lawyers" is the man defending his actions to the woman. "Inmates" is sung mainly from the woman's perspective and chronicles the end of their relationship, ending with the woman dumping the man. The next track, "Needy," is from the perspective of the man, he whines about why the woman left him. "A New Friend" is from the man's perspective about how his ex is seeing someone new. The final track, "Two Years This Month," talks about how the guy hasn't talked to his ex-girlfriend in two years.

Musically, the album falls pretty squarely under the rubric of indie-rock. While the record is really excellent all together, not all of tracks can stand alone. Notable tracks that I listen to outside of the context of the album are the title track, "Under a Honeymoon," "Lovers Need Lawyers," and occasionally "Night and Day" and "Needy."

If you've got some spare time, specifically 53 minutes and 22 seconds consecutively, I highly recommend sitting down and listening through "Album of the Year."If you're one of the people that knows me in real life, I can lend you a copy. Or you can listen online below. Thank goodness for Imeem.

Earthling :: David Bowie

Building on the theme of albums we listened to in high school, my album for the week is David Bowie's Earthling. It came out in 1997, but I was 12 at that time and not cool enough to listen to David Bowie. I was introduced to this CD at a New Year's Eve party junior year, sometime after midnight when the music video for "Little Wonder" came on the TV. It was late, so I was loopy, but even so, this music video completely entranced me. It was directed by Floria Sigismondi, which explains how quirky beautiful it is.

The album's sound is clearly influenced by electronica, and was a favorite of mine for driving to school on cold winter mornings. In a broader sense when I started listening to more David Bowie, I appreciated this particular evolution of his music because I felt it sounds a little more focused than some of his other cds from the same decade. Either way. This music puts me in my happy place where I can just kind of zone out and enjoy the joy of David Bowie.

I've included a few videos from this cd, among them "Little Wonder," "I'm Afraid of Americans" and "Dead Man Walking."

Fireman :: Nicole Reynolds

I haven't blogged in a while. But personally, I think that I can totally make up for it by the fact that I'm sharing the wonderfully talented, incredibly cute Nicole Reynolds with you. The track I'm sharing is called Fireman, and it's sweet and adorable.

There is a sad lack of her music on the internet, but you can check out her myspace and listen to more stuff there. Or just buy her cd(s) and support the economy through independent music purchases. Which clearly is the appropriate choice. Especially since we're entering that time of year where you're supposed to buy everything in sight because nothing says I love you like spending money on someone. Ok, so I might be a little burned out on being back at my parents' house in suburbia. Anyways.

Nicole Reynolds' lyrics are very intelligent, I've been hooked by her subtle humor and imagery. Well, not all the songs are funny, but that's probably good. This particular track isn't as "humorous," but check out "Don't Put a Tax on the Beautiful Girls" which my friend Z has perfectly described as a "lesbian economic recession anthem" and have a chuckle or two.

Nonetheless. Here's "Fireman" performed live at the National Women's Music Festival. Enjoy! (added bonus, see if you can spot Ellis!)

the fireman starts his own fire
for the thrill, for the thrill
i've got an oil spill in my head
and it's spread like a flood

i don't got the answers
i don't got the mind
to stick with one story
follow something blindly
i don't rule things out
i could let you in
my mind's a rollin river
i'll tell you where i've been

sensible madness
terrible sadness
i've felt it all
let it fall, let it fall
i tell you that i love you
do i say it too much
i tell you that i want you
like a chemical rush

mark on my tongue
anchor on my back
i've seen too much
in my mind
it's all stacked up
california burning
louisianna drowning
generation howling

the fireman starts his own fire
for the thrill for the thrill
i've got an oil spill in my head
and it's spread like a flood
like a flood like a flood

Basement Bhangra Anthem :: DJ Rekha

I'm sorry I didn't post anything last week. I was pretty overwhelmed and excited and thrilled about the election results, and nothing I was thinking of posting seemed quite appropriate. Anyways. This week I've got something a little different than I usually post about, from DJ Rekha, who you can see on the right.

This is the title/first track off of DJ Rekha's cd "Basement Bhangra" and it's appropriately called "Basement Bhangra Anthem." DJ Rekha was born in London, lived in New Delhi for three years, then moved to Queens. She pretty much spearheaded the bhangra movement in NYC, blending bhangra, hip-hop and dancehall to create some really addictive dance music. She regularly hosts "Basement Bhangra" parties in NYC, so if you're ever in that part of the world, check those out.

Bhangra is a style of South Asian pop music that originated in India and Pakistan, rooted in Punjabi traditions. An easy way to distinguish bhangra from other types of Indian pop music is that bhangra features insistent rhythms played on the dhol, a two sided drum.