part deux

let's start with a Rant of Awesomeness, Song Edition:

Bye Bye Bye by Plants and Animals.

I'm not quite sure what makes this song so Awesome, yet if i had to venture a guess, I'd say it's the sort of repetitive, loud, story-telling-lyrics made famous by our friends 'crosst the pond ;).

as one host of The Current once put it, (or, he at least said something along these lines...), "it makes you want to grab a pint and sing along!"

now, I am (along with, I think the majority of the readership of this blog) under the legal age of drinking in the States, so it'd have to be a pint of root beer...or mtn dew... but still, you get the picture. :)

In fact, the above quote was said about another album which, I think, deserves it's own Rant Of Awesomeness, Mumford and Sons' Sigh No More.

Go Forth, and Listen! :D

b

woah. there goes summer...

for those of you in Minnesota, it's nearly State Fair time.

and that signals the end of summer (its a law that school can't start before labor day. Thank you, 4-h!).

but, enough of that,

to music!

The Soundtrack to This Post:

High Violet (album) by The National

The Suburbs (album) by Arcade Fire

Kill the Moonlight (album) by Spoon

Gimme Fiction (album) by Spoon

Brothers (album) by The Black Keys

Bittersweet Symphony (song) by The Verve

Bye Bye Bye (song) by Plants and Animals

Wake Up (song) by Arcade Fire

Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof off the Sucker) by Parliament [ed. note: I am not actually going to refer to this song during the post. it's just too awesome not to include. sorry]

The Post Itself:

wow. it's been a great year in music. for those of you in to classical music, we had Chopin's 200th. for those of you who listen to the Current (which should be all of you, had you done your homework! ;) ), we have MGMT's Congradulations The National's High Violet, Arcade Fire's The Suburbs, Mumford and Sons' Sigh No More, Broken Bells ('nuff said), and hundreds more that escape my mind at this moment yet deserve mention.

for those of you in pop, you have a ripoff of one of the best songs ever, Bittersweet Symphony, in Ridin' Solo by Jason Derulo.

on behalf of the alternative music community, you're welcome.

also, we have a song about someone wanting to be a billionare, "so frickin' bad."

what kind of culture do we live in, that a song about someone wanting to be a billionare actually makes him a living?

anyhow... onwards and upwards:

every once in awhile, you hear an album that you completely and absolutely can't get enough of (e.g. Spoon's Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, Gimme Fiction, or (to an extent) Kill the Moonlight; Mumford and Sons' Sigh No More; Coldplay's X&Y) and that's what, I think, every artist strives for.

Brothers by The Black Keys is one of those albums.

The twosome from Ackron, Ohio (where the Library Clerk Convention is held annually ;) ) remind me a little of England's The Heavy ( listen here: http://bit.ly/c9aPhm), with a few more effects. Good or bad, I'm not sure. Certainly different.

If you've listened to The Current (http://www.thecurrent.org) lately, chances are you have heard "Tighten Up" (probably the most popular song on "Brothers". Listen here: http://bit.ly/a2ohlv ).

my favorites from this album:

-- Everlasting Light

-- Next Girl

-- Tighten Up

-- Sinister Kid

though, really, the whole album is worth at least a quick listen on grooveshark/youtube.

Stay tuned for "there goes summer, pt. deux" feat. more about Spoon, Plants and Animals, etc.

yikes. this has taken forever

sorry about that guys, I'm back now.

nothing like the USA Cup (in blaine. google it) to screw up the best laid plans of...you know the drill.

anyhow, I'm about to go on a 23 hour drive down south.

my playlist to preserve sanity is coming up tomorrow ;)

new music!

just bought "The House That Dirt Built" by the Heavy (theheavy.co.uk). my favorite song by them, as of now, is the one from that car commercial, "How You Like Me Now?"

but, as with most bands, the One with the Most Publicity isn't necessarily Where the Awesome Stops :)

giving the rest a listen right now.

they sound a bit like The Black Keys (whose latest album, "Brothers" came out a few weeks ago), but they're not carbon copies, to be sure.

happy thursday!

b

the playlist

1 - around the bend; the asteroids galaxy tour. it's one of those songs (like "I gotta feeling" by the black eyed peas) that you just need on hand in case of surprise road trips :)
2 - vaporize; broken bells
3 - the ghost inside; broken bells
4 - October; broken bells
5 - the high road; broken bells
6 - show me what I'm looking for; Carolina liar. this song gets stuck in your head. Playlist-worthy!
A quick story: in my local blick (dickblick.com) store, broken bells comes on. Everyone in the store sings along, taps feet. As I bring my stuff to the counter, the cashier is singing along too! This band's music is some powerful stuff.
7 - all of "parachutes," "x&y," "rush of blood," "viva la vida and prospekt's march" by coldplay. I'm a coldplay fan.
8 - all of "the crane wife" by the Decemberists. By far, my favorite album of theirs.
9 - 16 military wives; the decemberists. Definitely worth a listen (is a protest song of sorts).
10 - somewhere only we know; keane. You must listen to this song. Now. Really, it's one of the best songs ever.
11 - snowflake; malachai. This is a creepily catchy song that I found on the current (http://www.thecurrent.org), the best radio station in MN.
12 - extreme ways; moby
13 - porcelain; moby
14 - south side; moby
15 - raining again; moby
Moby is a genius. If you have only heard "extreme ways" on the ending credits of the Jason Bourne Movies, you should really take a look at "south side," "porcelain," and anything on his album "hotel." And my message to Moby: please sing on more of your records. Some people like the female vocals on many of the songs on "wait for me," but after hearing "pale horses," recorded at the current (worth a YouTube search, trust me), you find something is missing from the "mass market" edition. And that is Moby's vocals.
</rant>
16 - crutch and cane; peter wolf crier
17 - hard as nails; peter wolf crier
18 - the remainder of "inter-be", their debut album.
Peter wolf crier is the best new band out of mn. Hands down.(another I discovered on the current).

All good stuff!
Happy summer,

b