The Beauty of Music

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So recently, I found out about a band that I didn’t know of. And this led me to be reminded why music is so important. I overheard a new co-worker discussing Grizzly Bear with another co-worker. I interjected, as I had seen them live once. Five minutes of music discussion later, I got a nice compliment – “Man, you really know your shit.” Thing is, I don’t. Or at least I don’t think so. He brought up the group I am sharing today, and I hadn’t heard of them. Well, after a good night out with a few co-workers, we all eventually took a listen to these guys. Which I think we all do from time to time. We get excited about the music we like and want to share it with the world. I mean, isn’t that the whole point of this blog?

Anyhow, the group he wanted to share was Caravan Palace. Now, they’re a French band. Imagine if swing and electronica had a baby. There are some that try to say that Daft Punk is one of those influences on them, but i don’t hear it in the music they play. I’d say more with the idea that electronica can be incorporated into almost anything. This sound has been done before, though. As George could tell you, for example, I played a ton of swing-house in the years I DJed. I genuinely liked a lot of it. I even featured one of the Greens Keepers tracks on this blog a couple of years ago.

Well, these guys are less about sampling, and more about creating their own swing sound mixed with drum kicks and electronic goodness. The self-titled debut album of these guys produced the track I’m posting today. “Jolie Coquine” is definitely reminiscent of the Squirrel Nut Zippers female vocals – which is where James Curd sampled from – and is very frenetic and catchy. The video for this track is even quite creative. So enjoy! And remember that music is a very open showcase. You’re welcome to dislike music, but keeping an open mind about what is out there is very rewarding!

Click to Play Caravan Palace – Jolie Coquine

Smoke ’em if you got ’em…

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To cease smoking is the easiest thing I ever did.  I ought to know because I’ve done it a thousand times.  ~Mark Twain

I’ve been smoking since I was 16. I’ve been a pack-a-day smoker. I’ve been a smoker who never actually bought cigarettes. (The Moocher!) I’ve quit many times before. One of the times lasted a good year.  There were times when I rationed cigarettes, only having one or two a day. Cigarettes have been a part of my life for a long time.

Click to play Oasis – Cigarettes & Alcohol

My first cigarette was outside a pool hall. That head change was so fantastic…I was a fan ever since. That first cigarette was a Marlboro Red. I smoked those for some time, until I mooched a Camel Light from a buddy and really liked the taste of those better.

Click to play Less Than Jake – One Last Cigarette

I enjoy the timeout a smoke gives me at work. I enjoy the act of smoking…the inhaling and exhaling. Smoking would get me through the tough times. A cigarette would help me when I was…bored/stressed/tired/hungry. Nothing accompanies an alcoholic beverage better than a cigarette. Nothing accompanies coffee better than a cigarette. A smoke is great after sex and after a meal.

Click to play David Bazan – Cold Beer and Cigarettes

The thing is about quitting smoking is that you have to really want to quit. You have to hate it. I love smoking…but I think you figured that out from the love story above. I was planning on quitting on January 1, 2011. Less a resolution and more an easy quit date to remember. Didn’t happen because I had to go to California for a funeral…and I didn’t want to add to the stress of that trip by craving the whole time. On the 23rd of January I caught a horrible cold…might have even been the Flu. I had a fever and cough. Seemed like a good time to quit, since I could barely breathe anyways. I’m ready. I can do this. This is my final goodbye. It wasn’t you cigarettes…it was me.

CLick to play Band Of Horses – Cigarettes, Wedding Bands

   

is it truly hip to be square?

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You like Huey Lewis and The News?

Their early work was a little too new wave for my tastes, but when Sports came out in ’83, I think they really came into their own, commercially and artistically. The whole album has a clear, crisp sound, and a new sheen of consummate professionalism that really gives the songs a big boost. He’s been compared to Elvis Costello, but I think Huey has a far more bitter, cynical sense of humour.

The Definitive Collection

A few weekends ago I had an evening in with friends. We ate, drank, played table games, and eventually broke out the record player. Before I go any further I should explain that my vinyl collection is a strange mix, mostly gathered from thrift stores and working at a library when they were phasing out their media. As much as I enjoy LPs I wouldn’t be called a collector by any stretch. Just wanted to get that out of the way so you’ll (maybe) be less likely to judge me.

The group rifled through my records, everyone putting together their own little playlist. When we started the music I noticed a shocking trend: the albums everyone agreed on most as “top plays” were far from what I would have expected. We had Air Supply, Huey Lewis, Men At Work, and Bonnie Tyler. Stevie Wonder’s Innervisions made the cut but Willie Nelson did not. We had Wham on reserve while Cat Stevens sat lonely in the discard pile. Maybe this isn’t that strange objectively, but this group is primarily plugged into indie rock and a step away from the mainstream, with the exception of the one hardcore rap fan. Huey Lewis wouldn’t even seem a viable option until we all realized at once that we did indeed need a new drug.

I suppose there’s no real point to this post, other than the impact of nostalgia and finding a common bond in music that may not otherwise make your playlist. It makes for strange bedfellows. Or maybe having a more finite, random playlist brings people to an unexpected common ground. Or maybe I just wanted an excuse to post some pop music from days of yore.

I guess what I’m really saying is this: Never underestimate the power of Air Supply.

This video is louder than the rest. Watch the volume and protect your ears.

I actually kinda hate putting that song in with the others because I think it’s really, really good. I’m just running with the theme here. Go buy some Men At Work albums if you don’t know them well: their music still stands up today.

         

Let’s Do It Again

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Heard it from a friend who, heard it from a friend who, heard it on NPR. Got the album, listened to it 100 times, love it, realized it’s from 2007. Nina Diaz has the most amazing voice. Her sister Phanie hits the skins, and their longtime friend Jenn Alva plays bass. Joan Jett discovered them and signed them to her label. Morrissey took them on tour. Robert Rodriguez directed one of their recent videos. They’re Girl in a Coma. Here. Have a peek.

Wait – to say the video is directed by Robert Rodriguez sounds like the whole thing was planned.  He is a fan of theirs, went to see them at SXSW, pieced together shots from their performance, and gave them this video as a gift!  Yes, that Robert Rodriguez.  As in, Sin City.  In return, they contributed the song “Yo Oigo” to his film Machete.
The song in the video, “As The World Falls Down”, is from the band’s 2010 covers album.  This one is of David Bowie’s Labyrinth tune.  They also covered one of my favorite songs of all time, Ritchie Valens’ “Come On Let’s Go.”
Because they come from San Antonio and are from Latin descent, they’re being put in the Latino, in the Tejano, in the Alt Latino categories. This sound is Female Punk Rockabilly. I am pretty sure I just made that up. Google that shit. I love it. I want to dye my hair, paint on the eyeliner, and join the band. Or just prance in the background.

The girls are happy with Blackheart Records: It’s a “very low-key, relaxed label, which is perfect for us,” they say.  And you know, I should backtrack a bit.  Joan Jett got to them after they’d been touring a few years – even after Morrissey pulled them out of their little touring van and onto a plane to London.  After they released Both Before I’m Gone on Blackheart, they opened for Cyndi Lauper and Social Distortion.

I love that they have their own sound but do an amazing job of paying tribute to those who influenced their sound. Their second album, Trio BC, is named after the girls’ Grandfather’s band from the 50’s. Then on Adventures in Coverland, there is pretty much a cover from every band or artist that influenced them, including Selena.

It’s hard to pick a favorite from album #1, but I’m going to share “Mr Chivalry” from Both Before I’m Gone and “Come On Let’s Go” from Adventures in Coverland.

Click to Play Girl in a Coma – Mr. Chivalry

Here comes not the sun….but more snow

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Okay. I get it. More snow. Seriously. If you’re reading this and anywhere in the northeastern part of the United States, you will understand why I’m pissed off. All over facebook, I have friends that have these stupid status messages saying something to the effect of, “I get it, it’s going to snow. Welcome to New England.” No, assholes, this bullshit isn’t natural. I want some fucking sunshine. And this is where my music addition for the day comes in. To all you people saying, “Suck it up, it’s New England”? I want to slam your genitalia into a car door. If you’re just as pissed as I am? Enjoy this music. It makes me look forward to this god-forsaken winter ending.

Click to Play The Beatles – Here Comes The Sun

Click to Play Belle and Sebastian – Here Comes The Sun (Live)

Click to Play Nina Simone – Here Comes The Sun (Francois K Remix)

rainbows in gutters (and whiskers on kittens)

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Talib Kweli

Talib Kweli has been knocking our socks off for years. Whether in his collaborations with artists like Mos Def, Kanye West, and ?uestlove or on his own solo work, he always shines. He’s established himself as a rapper’s MC and a hip-hop fan’s source of consistently brilliant rhymes. And now he’s getting serious.

Gutter Rainbows will be available (digitally only) this Tuesday, January 25th. It’s Kweli’s first self-released album and he’s been touting it for a while as the type of album he’s always wanted to make. You can actually hear it through the tracks: there’s a dedication and enthusiasm that’s contagious. The music and beats are solid, if not amazing at times. There are plenty of great guests on the album but Kweli shines brightest. He’s perfectly in his element, and it’s a sweet ride to take with him.

The first single, “Cold Rain,” has been circulating since late last year. In case you haven’t caught it yet, take a listen here first:

Click to play Talib Kweli – Cold Rain

“Tater Tot” tells a story of a solider just back from war who falls into some pretty interesting situations:

Click to play Talib Kweli – Tater Tot

And the title track looks back to a childhood in the Brooklkyn ghetto, while hinting at how beauty can arise from squalor:

Click to play Talib Kweli – Gutter Rainbows

This is the first great hip-hop album of 2011. Grab your copy Tuesday and let Talib Kweli know he’s still on track, maybe more so than ever.

I’ve Got A Black Belt in Doubt

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Ahhh! The Cold War Kids have a new album coming out Tuesday! That’s the best headline I can give you!

Five years ago they released Robbers & Cowards and you might have heard their single “Hair Down” in 2006. Unless you wrote them off for their weird band name. Around that time, Daytrotter’s Sean Moeller said they “write and play songs as if they’re burning from the inside out.” That’s Cold War Kids. Stories begging to be told are easily unfurled on the lips of Nathan Willett, and the necessary sounds that support these tales come through in the form of bass, piano, rhythm, and drums provided by Matt Maust, Jonnie Russell, and Matt Aviero.

2008’s Loyalty to Loyalty was heavily thematic, full of characters with sad and mysterious backgrounds. And although their third album, Mine Is Yours sounds like it is closer to the same vein as the first, the stories are even more powerful. The slow burn starts off with an opening title track, and the souls of these voices penetrate more as each track progresses. Don’t get attached to me, “Royal Blue”‘s narrator warns. But his counterpart, in Track 4, “Finally Begin”, sounds like he figured something out, even if he’s still working on it all.

Click to Play Cold War Kids – Finally Begin

I wish somebody’d push me
That way I’d know who to blame

I think I’m sharing that track not because it’s the strongest on the album, but because it best demonstrates the typical Cold War Kids theme: “I know what to do, but I can’t make the choice and I’m stuck in the middle. So here’s my whole story, with half of it left out.”

This album rocks. I want to share every track with it. Make sure you grab it on Tuesday.

More…..there must be more

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Not sure why, but the title used is from Derrick Carter’s “Where U At?” I guess I could say it works in this sense in that here I’m just sort of showing the extent of influence late hip-hop producer Jay Dee has had. Now, I had done a post based around one of his tracks a few months back, but this post is more to show his reach in music.

Yep. Jay Dee had a hand in that. Crazy, eh? Or how about these two songs?

Yep, more production work by Jay Dee. Having worked with Q-Tip and the Pharcyde is just the beginning, really. You guys should check out the full list of stuff he’s had a hand in. Oh, and the best part is that the video for “Drop” by the Pharcyde was a Spike Jonze product. Did you notice Ad Rock pop in there?

So the last surprise of work by Jay Dee was a Slum Village remix of “Aerodynamic” by Daft Punk. You heard right. As a way for Slum Village to avoid paying for the use of a sample, they were asked to create a remix for Daft Punk’s Daft Club, and the resulting remix is here.

So boys and girls? Now you know. And knowing is half the battle. Yo Joe! Umm…..yeah.

Click to Play Q-Tip – Vivrant Thing
Click to Play The Pharcyde – Drop
Click to Play The Pharcyde – Runnin’
Click to Play Daft Punk – Aerodynamic (Slum Village Remix)

Glory days, well they’ll pass you by

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Now I think I’m going down to the well tonight
and I’m going to drink till I get my fill
And I hope when I get old I don’t sit around thinking about it
but I probably will

-Bruce Springsteen

Kid Rock just turned 40 January 15th.

Kid Rock celebrated the day by having a 3 hour concert in his hometown of Detroit. The venue was the Detroit Lions stadium, Ford Field. During the show, looking over the 60,000 hometown fans, he said “I don’t even know what to say…There is no place on earth I’d rather be right now than here.”

I tired to find time to review the new album, Born Free of Kid Rock back around its release date of November 16, 2010…but time got away from me. Maybe that’s what Kid Rock had in mind for this album. The album is a continued departure from the rap-rock that made Kid famous. It’s an album that harkens back to the late 70’s / early 80’s Americana that Kid Rock loves so much. Perhaps it’s the time that he wishes hadn’t gotten away from him?

Rock churns out Southern Rock, a la Bob Seger or Tom Petty. Born Free is not as good as Seger’s Night Moves or Petty’s Into The Great Wide Open, but it is a great feel-good record that will get you through the cold months and into the summer. Kid Rock even convinces his idol, Bob Seger, to play piano on the song “Care” while he does the best raspy Seger-esque impression he can!

The song I love most is the track Purple Sky. Check it out below, and pick up this album, even if you aren’t a fan of Kid Rock’s seven previous albums… I guarantee you will find something to love here…and dont wait too long, else you’ll be without it come summertime! You will need a soundtrack for those backyard BBQs or beers in the back of the pick-up. You know how fast time flies…

Click to Play Kid Rock – Purple Sky

son(s) shine

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I’ll keep today’s post brief, because I don’t actually have much information to give on The Son(s). News of their new single hit my inbox earlier this week and despite my attempts I can’t find much about the band. What I do know is that they’ve been around for a while. They started with three members but are now down to one. They’re from Scotland, like so many bands I love. And they have a new single coming out on January 17th, which would be this Monday. Word on the street is that it’s the precursor to a full-length slated for somewhere around March. Word from kilter is that, based on this single, it’s going to be good.

The songwriting reminds me in a very positive way of Doves, who I may need to double back and write up one of these days. Fellow Doves fans should know what I mean. The production is raw and immediate, and the vocal harmonies are amazingly layered. I can’t say I was blown away by all of their earlier work but these two new songs have me really anticipating what’s to come.

You can listen to the new single “Radar” and its b-side at their
bandcamp site. Act now and you can also grab a free copy of a 2-song album they released last October.

If you like the new tunes remember to grab them Monday, and keep an eye out in a couple months for more material. I’ll do my best to remind you but I have the attention span of…Hey! Look, a kitty!