My buddy Carl Rob sends out a list of the best music of the year each January. Awesome idea. And he has pretty good taste, that Carl. Steve Earle's son made the list for 2010. I'm not a bluesy guy at all. But Harlem River Blues was stuck in my head for a week straight.
I have gone just about a month on this blog without any post about something annoying I have heard that has stuck with me for a while. Such as that Bud Lite Lime commercial where everyone is dancing on the beach in the dark.A bit of research tells me that is Michael Franti song. I don't know Mr. Franti, but based on this one tragically horrible song, I know that I never will.
Miller got me that Local Natives album the other day. We agree that the first half of songs are solid. The second half, however, sounds like The Fray's little brothers formed a group and stole their older siblings' brooding sound. I made the mistake of listening to this song twice this week, and it has infected me like a virus. And yet, here I am, posting about it, which guarantees that I have to hear this track yet again.
keriyo follows Neko Case on twitter. Neko tweeted the other day that she thinks Destroyer's Shooting Rockets is the greatest song ever made. Interesting. Neko is typically pretty zany. Hard to tell if she is being sarcastic, wishing to promote a friend's music, or just has wild opinions about the greatness of things.
Miller's older brother had the greatest CD collection when we were growing up. If I recall correctly, he had perhaps the largest Case Logic binder they made, full of interesting stuff I had never heard. Miller could get his hands on some of that music, and I remember listening to some weird stuff on Millers Onkyo shelf system. D&G Rarities, early early Smashing Pumpkins and Nirvana, and the soundtrack from a movie I don't think I ever even saw, Judgment Night. Apparently, the movie wasn't very spectacular, but the soundtrack was pretty genius. Each song paired a grunge and a rap band. The pairing of rock and rap had been done before (Run and Aerosmith), but not on this scale, and not by such great bands (I don't consider Steven Tyler even remotely good, let alone great).
One of my favorites from that soundtrack. Teenage Fanclub & De La Soul. Fallin'
Been watching a TV series lately on Netflix, Intelligence. It’s basically the Canadian version of the Wire. Pretty good. Being Canadian, it’s a bit less gritty, there are no guns, and everyone turns their sentences into questions by using the word ‘yea.’ (as in, ’I need 500 pounds of your best product, yea?’). Not sure when ‘yea’ replaced ‘eh’ as most stereotypical word in the Canadian lexicon, but I think I may start incorporating it in my daily conversations.
Since I have Canada on the brain, I present songs from my favorite Canadian artists, yea?
keriyo and I are trying to back fill our Bejar collection. Purchased Trouble in Dreams recently. I rather like it. Rather. Played this song about 10 times today at work
Read an interview with Bejar recently where he described seeing Pavement for the first time in Toronto in the nineties. He saw this group of fratty-looking guys walk into the club, which drew his ire, and those same clean cut guys turned out to be this band he adored.
Check out Pavement in 1997 vs. Pavement in 2010.
Stereo-1997. Could these guys care less? Did Malkmus go to Supercuts back then?
As a former choir boy, I find myself drawn to modern rock music that incorporates choirs. I’m not talking about gospel choirs in robes singing and swaying behind Madonna. I’m talking glee club school choirs in matching sweaters.
I also love bands that can actually sing. I respect all types of musicians, and some of the best sound like they swallow gravel before hitting the studio. It may not be cool anymore to sound good. Those artists who are as talented with their voices as they are with their instrumentation and lyrics are a dying breed.
How about a band that can sing backed up by a boy’s choir?
Boogie has a new favorite song, and I have learned to like it after 35 listens in 3 days. Elizabeth Mitchell is actually very talented, and a member of the now disbanded group Ida. I fell in love with my wife with Ida as the soundtrack (she introduced me to them). And now the same band (sorta) is singing to my other girl.
keriyo and I, along with our friend, Redbrown, had a chance to see AA Bondy at Austin City Limits a couple of years ago. Which is weird. Three people from Birmingham only had to travel to Austin to see a performer from Birmingham. Go figure.
keriyo has begun to tire of ole AA. Until a few weeks back, I had pretty much written off his second album, When the Devil's Loose, as a case of the sophomore slumps. Thank goodness for the shuffle setting on the iPod. After a second (actually, more like 15th) listen, I really like a majority of the album.
That's right. Valentimes.
Once upon a time, I had the honor of slow dancing with my Valentine to this song. At a Josh Rouse concert. At Workplay. While everyone seated stared at us.RedBrown was horrified. Me? Luckiest guy in the room.
My friend RedBrown is tying the knot on March 26. The wedding in Dallas, where he and the future Mrs live, promises to give us out of town guests a taste of Texas, complete with line dancing at the reception. Red informed me recently that I would need to learn to two-step by the time of the wedding.
Thank you internets, Michael, and Connie. keriyo and I have some learning to do. And some boots to purchase.
Red and JenBrown, look out....We're gunning for you.
On the way home from dinner last night, keriyo, Boogie and I drove home to Kings of Convenience. As new parents, we are discovering all of the things that help Boogie sleep on a car ride. Curvy roads, her toy bee hung just right from her car seat, and quiet music. King of Convenience = perfect.
Kings and I go way back. I used to frequent a long-gone store in Homewood, called Noise. It was one of two independent music stores in Homewood at the time. Sadly, Homewood is down to zero. Noise was a great place. The owner (I think his name was Greg, so let's go with Greg) had installed an incredible sound system, and even though his shop butted right up to a stuffy furniture store, he played songs full blast all day. Greg was responsible for introducing me to a ton of music I would not have heard otherwise. This was 2001, before I knew how to discover things myself, or take the opinion of Paste, Pitchfork, All Songs Considered or any digital outlet. Nope, back then, it was all word of mouth for me.
One day, Greg plays me a new demo CD he's received. A Norwegian duo. He has already fallen in love with them, and is kind enough to make me listen to the first track, Winning a Battle, Losing the War. The song starts out good; two guys, some harmonizing, nice enough lyrics concerning a girl (a novel topic). Greg is staring me down, analyzing my face while I'm taking the song in, waiting for me to agree with this recommendation (perhaps, waiting for a sale). . Frankly, I wasn't too impressed. And Greg could tell. And he didn't agree. About the two minute mark, I start to lose interest, and Greg says 'wait for it. Just wait for it.' I hadn't noticed the song building and building, but around the 2.45 mark, the acoustic guitars are joined by the rest of the band, and Greg's face lights up. What started as a ho-hum track (to me) turned into an incredible song. You'll just have to hear for yourself.
Now I think that anything Erlend Oye touches is gold. Check out The Whitest Boy Alive. European techno nerd pop. Fantastic.
Tonight we listened to Kings' most current album, Declaration of Dependence. keriyo and I are fond of Renegade. And when I go to bed tonight, I will still be humming this one in my head. Maybe Boogie will too.
PS. I'll try not to talk this much in future posts. I promise
So, at the nudging of my wife, keriyo, I have decided to start infrequently posting a song of the day, if you will. Whatever music is currently drilling a hole in my head. I make no promises that what is shared here will be
the hot new thing
any good whatsoever
songs that I even like (sometimes it's the horrible songs that play on a loop in your brain...for instance, I sang Wanna Talk about Me to keriyo on Thursday, and she is still singing it Saturday)
In honor of the wife, today's song comes from one of our favorite Canadians. This song and the name of this blog share a name...
