Subject: Interesting New Music
Date: Fri Apr 6 08:08:00 2012
User: BuzzClik
Message:I see the Fray's appearance at the NCAA Championship as a nod to the college kids. It was a nice gesture.
Date: Fri Apr 6 09:51:33 2012
User: xeena
Message:The vocalization was very good and in keeping with the Anthem.
Date: Thu Apr 12 21:16:49 2012
User: hotnurse
Message:Being a big American Idol fan I get to listen to lots of music other than the classics and oldies that I grew up with. Last night two of the contestants did a duet of a song by Gotye called Somebody That I Used To Know. Great indie-genre tune and crazy video. I just can't past the guys canines; a bit longer and he could play a great Dracula.
Date: Thu Apr 12 22:10:43 2012
User: hotnurse
Message:I just watched that Glee clip; I saw that same episode this week but didn't realize (I actually forgot) that it was the same song as on AI. I think I liked the Idol version the best.
The video I posted about was from youtube w/Gotye.
Date: Sun Apr 15 00:37:19 2012
User: BuzzClik
Message:Anybody ever hear of The Mountain Goats? Apparently, they have been around for a while, but I just discovered them. I like them very much. I'll do some exploring around and reading and post more soon. Here's the song I heard to whet you appetite (click below).
Link: Mountain Goats: "This Year"
Date: Sun Apr 15 00:56:26 2012
User: BuzzClik
Message:Yikes! Just stumbled over YouTube's live broadcast of Coachella. Awesome! Amazing video and audio quality. Watching Bon Iver doing Holocene, but there are two other channels available. Radio Head comes up next (1 am EDT).
The line up is here: http://www.coachella.com/lineup/grid/alphabetical/all
Link: Coachella Live
Date: Mon May 14 11:47:04 2012
User: BuzzClik
Message:Here's something for those who appreciate young talent that is totally unpolished but brimming with enthusiasm.
Ethan Robbins is a high school kid who has the remarkable ability to write songs in seconds -- quite literally. Being only 17 years old, he had not emerged past the street musician stage when I first saw him playing outside a pizza joint near a college campus. He has a different sort of voice and is accomplished on the guitar. He was wrapping up a noisy little tune when I happened upon him. After the song was done, his attention was taken by a college kid who just pulled into the parking lot and was making his way to a local college-hangout bar. Ethan announced, "This song is for my bro over there and all his frat buddies." He then took off on a composition that was written and performed on the spot. It was funny and catchy, and the even the "bro" seemed to like it.
Anyway, the has been adopted by the local music scene. A couple of older (twentysomething) musicians have taken him under their wing to help promote and record him. In just a couple of months, the kid has cranked out three albums under the moniker, "Ethan Robbins and the Pompadours." Some of it is just okay, but a lot of it is really good.
Their first album is "Carpert Perverts": http://pompadours.bandcamp.com/album/carpet-perverts My favorite track is "F*** You Dad I'm in a Punk Rock Band." The story is he was recording his album when his father called and told him to get home for dinner. Ethan hung up the phone, and told his drummer, "Keep up, I need to leave in 30 seconds." The rest is history ... 23 seconds of history.
Their second album, Grandpa Death Wagon, contains one of my favorites, "Born on the Fourth of July", which is a "tribute"(?) to the Tom Cruise movie. http://pompadours.bandcamp.com/album/grandpa-death-wagon
Their third album just came out: Superdragon. http://pompadours.bandcamp.com/album/superdragon . All the cuts are pretty good. I don't know much about the origins of the songs, but "Lady Upstairs" is a nod to White Stripes; I love the way that Ethan has restricted his drummer to almost nothing on this cut. "Jungle" is a supposed to be a Creedence Clearwater Revival knockoff, and it's not bad for a kid whose father was probably 5 years old when CCR was playing. To me, "Jungle" sounds more like British Invasion circa 1965 more than anything else.
Anyway, this is fun stuff.
Link: Ethan Robbins and the Pompadours
Date: Fri Jun 8 11:12:55 2012
User: BuzzClik
Message:Lana Del Rey has managed to once again wedge her way into the consciousness of indie rock fans. Some really like her music, some find her hideous, but most find her incredibly average and uninteresting. And, like a really bad automobile accident, we feel compelled to slow down and look at the carnage.
Her newest wrinkles involve a commercial for espresso and a miraculously "leaked" folk album of hers under a different name.
The commercial, in which Del Rey's "Blue Jeans" plays in the background, advertises some home brewed espresso of some sort (Nespresso). Becoming commercially successful is considered a sin by many indie snobs, but selling your song for the background of a tv commercial is beyond that. Vampire Weekend fell prey to that when their "Holiday" was used as the track for a Honda commercial.
LDR's supersecret "oh my god, is that really her" album leak is Sirens under the name of May Jailer. It's pretty but thoroughly unremarkable. You can find it on YouTube, but it is getting yanked from the internet as fast as they can pull it, so I offer no guarantees that it will still be there when you click the link.
Link: May Jailer, aka Lana Del Rey, "Birds of a Feather"
Date: Mon Jun 11 15:36:18 2012
User: hotnurse
Message:A tad off-topic but fyi: I have been reading this interesting book called "and on piano...Nicky Hopkins". by Julian Dawson who said about him, "the extraordinary life of rock's greatest session man".
I had heard his name before but didn't realize how much he had done during his career.
Date: Sat Sep 1 10:09:23 2012
User: BuzzClik
Message:Lots of new music has been released in the past few months, and I have been negligent.
David Byrne and St. Vincent have collaborated on a new project, "Love This Giant." They will be going on tour (and I have tickets!!!). Here are a couple of links to singles:
http://youtu.be/SsMr_1U_m00
http://youtu.be/urJZfwaRyFg
Lots of other stuff from old favorites -- Les Sins (aka Toro Y Moi) has an electronic dance album with lots of blips and bleeps. Here's a link to "Fetch": http://youtu.be/gWm8O82QEEw
Yeasayer's Longevity is an interesting sound: http://youtu.be/ml9oNH4UjzQ
Major Lazer has put out a great new single featuring Amber (Dirty Projectors). I really like this one -- it's edgy but has a great rhythm, sort of an updated ska sound: http://youtu.be/OI3shBXlqsw
The Russian fempunk group, Pussy Riot, has created problems for themselves with this little ditty, "Putin Lights Up the Fires": http://youtu.be/QDRLkofqAv0. I think these ladies are channeling Ethan Robbins (see Mon May 14 10:47:04 2012 on this thread).
Finally, Ariel Pink is a huge Indie fave, and their new album (Haunted Greffiti) is getting raves from all the right people. Here's "Only in My Dreams": http://youtu.be/Ta46M5rksBk . (An indie vid with a mime? Why not!)
Enjoy!
Date: Sat Oct 6 10:20:16 2012
User: BuzzClik
Message:Hungry for another concert review? Well, this must be the place (hint!)
After months of waiting, the evening finally arrived: David Byrne and St. Vincent in concert in the Bass Music Hall in Austin. This is their "Love This Giant" collaboration tour. It was worth the wait.
This was my first visit to Bass Music Hall, and the facility is gorgeous and enormous. Lighting, acoustics, and access were well designed. They need to figure out parking, however.
The concert was scheduled to start at 8:30, which is precisely when we arrived. We were assuming that things would get started late and there would be a warmup act (seldom worth watching). And, my son wanted to catch up with an old fried who lives near campus. At 8:40, the concert began with Byrne, Annie Clark (St. Vincent), and their traveling brass band dashing on stage. No warmup? Woohoo!
If you have heard any of "Love This Giant", you know that Byrne decided that he simply had never put enough brass in 40 years of albums, and he was gonna make up for it NOW. Two trombones, tenor sax, baritone sax, trumpet, french horn, souzaphone, etc. Annie and David would often play guitar/bass, and there was a drummer and a keyboards guy. Watching them take the stage was really exciting and frightening at the same time.
The concert opened with "Who" from the new album. It was upbeat and wonderfully produced. Although we realized that the brass were not taking a back seat, their rich contributions were equally apparent. For those who might be interested: despite the march of time, Byrne's voice remains his recognizable trademark. From this point in the concert forward, Byrne's Talking Heads artistic stamp was all over this production. Lots of dancing, marching, and general happy-to-be-alive emanating from the stage. Line dances, half-time marching formations, five-step Funk dance routines were woven into the performance of new songs and recognizable classics. Add professional lighting, and it was all smiles from the audience.
The evening was a perfect blend of the new album, Byrne's solo/Talking Heads projects, and St. Vincent. During the solo material, the other headliner might stay up front for harmonizing or providing guitar or simply joining the brass in their stage dynamics. In sharp contrast, however, during Annie's "Cheerleader", she was the only one not lying motionless on the floor; during the refrain, the band would raise their heads just enough to play their horns, and Byrne would nod his head ever so slightly. It was effective and fun. "Marrow" and "Cruel" were powerfully performed taking full advantage of the brass to provide background, harmony, and occasional intentional dissonance to Annie's themes.
Byrne's solos were an eclectic mix of standing up front singing with his New Wave hand dancing with a frenetic alien physical duet with Annie. Taking your eyes off him was never advisable.
The chemistry between Byrne and Annie was not predicted (by me, anyway): the symbiosis/synergy was inspiring. She provided the ingredient missing with the Tom Tom Club's absence, and he provided inspired choreography and production that Annie simply never had in her concerts.
The audience was interesting, but it was exactly as I thought it would be at a university campus: college kids, thirty somethings, and the gray haired set. The gray hairs (other than mine) are always missing from the St. Vincent solo affairs. A few of the kids had no idea who Byrne was, and a lot of the geezers were clueless about St. Vincent, but the whole place lit up for Burning Down the House during the first encore. (Only the hipsters seemed to truly appreciate "Naive Melody").
All in all, it was a wonderful evening.
Link: Another perspective and lots of pictures!!!
Date: Sun Dec 16 08:26:26 2012
User: BuzzClik
Message:I've neglected this thread far too long. Lot's of interesting new stuff emerging over the past months.
Chvrches is a Scottish band (my weakness) with an electronic/pop sound. The song below could easily be a Top 40 song from another era with the full vocals, electronic beeps and bloops, and the simple rhythms.
If you go to Gorilla vs Bear (high profile alternative music blogger from Dallas), you can find out more and hear some different stuff from them.
http://www.gorillavsbear.net/tag/chvrches/
Link: Chvrches -- "The Mother We Share"
Date: Sun Dec 16 08:33:40 2012
User: BuzzClik
Message:Twin Shadow put out their sophomore album this year called Confess. It's a bit of a retro tribute to the 80s sound.
The video below is the official release and is more than a bit bizarre. You might consider minimizing it and simply listening.
Here's the live, accoustic version that is wildly popular on Sirius XM's alternative station, XMU. http://youtu.be/-E-1_J-2954
Link: Twin Shadow -- "Five Seconds"
Date: Sun Dec 16 09:12:31 2012
User: BuzzClik
Message:Do you miss the late 60s/early 70s and the psychedelic rock? Tame Impala can be your ticket to a re-trip. Their latest album is called Lonerism and is fantastic. The lead singer has decided to embrace all the "Did you know you sound just like John Lennon?" questions and just go with it. The album is a real easy listen but also challenging. Elephant is particularly popular among the hipsters.
Lonerism is one of the top indie albums of the year, and they are currently touring Australia in sold-out venues.
Check out five of their songs below on their MySpace page:
Link: Tame Impala
Date: Mon Dec 17 13:41:09 2012
User: BuzzClik
Message:I thought I would toss something out that is a pretty big diversion from my standard stuff.
Elizabeth LaPrelle is a singer who has been keeping some of the traditional songs of Appalachia alive in the traditional style. This isn't exactly a Coal Miner's Daughter story. Though she is a native of the area, she is quite well educated (William and Mary) and followed a different path. But, this is really good stuff.
She was recently interviewed on NPR: http://www.npr.org/2012/12/02/166251119/elizabeth-laprelle-carrying-on-the-appalachian-tradition
Link: Elizabeth LaPrelle -- Three Little Babes
Date: Sat Feb 2 10:51:21 2013
User: BuzzClik
Message:January brought some new releases in the indie scene. A group that's been around for awhile is Foxygen, an indie band that enjoys exploring new sounds or incorporating old sounds into their new music. Their new release, "No Destruction," pays homage to Mick Jagger and The Stones, with several of the old songs woven into a very interesting sound. And just when you are fully embracing a 2013 grandchild of "Send Me Dead Flowers," they break into a repackaging of Dylan's "Stuck Inside of Mobile." It's an interesting musical journey.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niXMYI-ORzQ
Apparently, a number of indie bands are playing with the sounds from the late '60s and early '70s (see Tame Impala above). Foxygen goes all in with this approach in their video for "San Franciso." (In the video, note the old-timie two track recorder they are using. My son actually was using a four-track version I bought for him to record his band several years ago. I was tickled to see this.)
http://stereogum.com/1231062/foxygen-san-francisco-video/video/
Click below to go to Foxygen's bandcamp page.
Link: Foxygen
Date: Fri Mar 8 23:19:47 2013
User: BuzzClik
Message:New music and new video!
Beach House has entered the European phase of their "Bloom" tour, but released a brand new video yesterday. This is great stuff for an indie band; a surreal adaptation of Wishes. It's a lovely song and great video. Click below. By the way, Beach House will be in Phoenix on April 9.
Sufjan Stevens also release of couple of track he recorded awhile back. Give a Little Love is a demo of a song he never used. It's on Sound Cloud here: http://sufjan.com/post/44246813497/give-a-little-love-abandoned-song-from-2010 . I like it, but Sufjan is an acquired taste.
Stevens also released a demo of his much revered "Casimir Pulaski Day." Listen if you dare -- it's not a happy song. http://sufjan.com/post/44534848600/today-is-casimir-pulaski-day-heres-an-early
Another group doing some '80s explorations is the Shout Out Louds. I like just about everything these guys do. But "Walking in Your Footsteps" is really nice. http://youtu.be/iH4EYDnoYMM The video is pretty simple and unassuming.
Link: Beach House "Wishes"
Date: Sat Mar 23 09:47:42 2013
User: BuzzClik
Message:Youth Lagoon is actually just one person (Trevor Powers). He is a relative newcomer who broke in during the dream pop phase of indie music.
He has a new album released earlier this month. Pitchfork gives it an 8.7, a very solid rating. The song, Dropla, still dabbles in the dream pop/psych-pop sound, but it's quite a pleasant listen. You can hear the song at the following link; copy-and-paste the link and scroll down a bit. http://prettymuchamazing.com/news/new-youth-lagoon-dropla
Another group with a new release I like is Icona Pop. It's a bit of a departure for me because I usually despise the Euro-styled synthpop rave-fueling dance pop. However, the song "I Love It" (released in November) is a bit edgy and raw. We have a couple of Swedish women who clearly have a pop sound, but it is angry synth pop. Unlike some pop song with an nasty undertone, the message here can't be missed.
Link: I Love It
Date: Mon Mar 25 15:55:00 2013
User: Belle
Message:Interesting old music. A girl drops a coin in a hat.
Link: An die Freude
Date: Mon Mar 25 16:03:16 2013
User: BuzzClik
Message:Slow motion flash mob. I love it.
Date: Mon Mar 25 16:50:21 2013
User: mrbuck
Message:That was the most awesome thing ever.
mrbuck
Date: Mon Mar 25 17:12:12 2013
User: Belle
Message:Thanks for the feedback; good to know my favorite composer is liked over here!
Ha, when I was in PA State, weekends were party time, but not for me.
I was so happy to be away from Philly, & listen to my sole record collection on an RCA player: mono, of course; all of Beethoven's symphonies conducted by Arturo Toscanini. As with time, I now lead toward listening to Karajan's conducting.
Karajan, the definitive performance for Mozart's Requiem.
Date: Tue Mar 26 22:55:39 2013
User: BuzzClik
Message:Vampire Weekend! New music!
I loves me some Vampire Weekend. My favorite indie band. Period. So I'm in heaven. Vampire Weekend in putting out a album on May 5, but they have sent us a couple of teasers. But first, let's focus on one of the boys.
Rostam Batmanglij is one of the key players in Vampire Weekend. He plays multiple instruments, writes lyrics, and produces. Side projects include as Ra Ra Riot and a few songs on his own. One such composition, "Wood", is one I really like. It sounds like a song Vampire Weekend would put together after a summer spent in Ravi Shankar's band camp. Check it out here: http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=f1vl224MyMY
Now, on to the exciting stuff. Yesterday, Vampire Weekend release two new songs. The first is "Diane Young." It has strong Rock-a-billy influence but still has the great VW stylings. Edgy and odd, but I like it. I really am knocked out by their second song: Step. The slower pace is nice, it's more melodic, and it incorporates a few harmonies just for fun. The lyrics are classic VW stuff with many layers and nice production. Altogether, it is a great listen. In short, I love it. We've been waiting a long time for this, and here it is.
Undoubtedly, VW is planning a concert tour. I stumbled over the announcement for a gig at the Cosmopolitan in Vegas on April 12. Anybody wanna go?
Link: http://www.vampireweekend.com/
Date: Thu Mar 28 10:54:44 2013
User: BuzzClik
Message:If you liked '70/80s vintage punk, you'll love this. It's about overreacting to an earthquake. But it turns out happy - we all get to enjoy Arizona Bay.
Link: Art Brut -- "Earthquake"
Date: Sat Mar 30 09:52:30 2013
User: BuzzClik
Message:It's been pointed out to me that I completely missed the meteoric rise of Denver's own Lumineers. Here's their viral video, "Hey, Ho"
http://youtu.be/zvCBSSwgtg4
I'm taking the Gumpian approach to this group: that's all I have to say about that.
But, Jimmy Fallon had a little somethin' somethin' he wanted to add:
http://youtu.be/PPftVQwyPs0
Jimmy forgot the hat and suspenders.
Date: Mon Apr 1 09:35:29 2013
User: BuzzClik
Message:Here's another pretty accessible song. It's called "Stood Me Up" by DWNTWN with accompanying video. I have not watched the entire video.
They describe themselves as "dreamy synth pop", which seems true enough. They have announced their tour dates for April, and, if you like them and live in Santa Monica, you can catch them at one of their 5 dates at The Central.
Here's their website: http://www.dwntwnmusic.com/
Video and song at link below.
Link: "Stood Me Up" -- DWNTWN
Date: Thu Apr 4 09:51:02 2013
User: BuzzClik
Message:Chvrches has released a new EP, and a couple of the songs are out there. "Recover" is much like "The Mother We Share" with the Lauren Mayberry beautiful vocals riding out front. It's very nice.
Chvrches also have a live version of "The Mother We Share" on YouTube. http://youtu.be/K_1tzzEQ3DM It was my first look at Lauren. Oh, my.
Oh, and The Strokes have a new album. If you like The Strokes, you'll like it. You can preview the songs here:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/comedown-machine/id601140186?ign-mpt=uo%3D4
Finally, a group that's been around awhile is Phorphorescent from Athens, GA. I really like their new tune from the Muchacho album called "Song for Zula" http://youtu.be/FcdOLKx2XG8 Kind of a haunting thing.
Link: "Recover" by Chvrches
Date: Tue Apr 16 23:36:28 2013
User: Belle
Message:Back to the 1800's.
Beethoven composed only 1 violin concerto (3 movements); a masterpiece that has stood the test of time.
Link: Violin Concerto Op. 61 in D Major
Date: Wed Apr 17 00:14:57 2013
User: BuzzClik
Message:I did not have the time to adequately discuss my last entry. Let me correct that.
Macklemore was unknown to me until his novelty song, "Thrift Shop," became popular. He seemed to have some level of talent, but his rap style is not in my preference range, so I had been unaware of him. And then I stumbled upon "Same Love."
The video is long, but the link below will take you directly to the beginning of this powerful song. It was written by Ben Haggerty, aka Macklemore, and displays a level of sensitivity not often seen in rap music. Vocal assistance is by Mary Lambert, a Seattle native as is Macklemore.
The song by itself is stirring; the video takes it to another level.
Link: Macklemore and Ryan Lewis "Same Love"
Date: Tue Apr 23 23:24:17 2013
User: BuzzClik
Message:A couple of indie faves have new releases.
Kurt Vile has a new album called "Walkin on a Pretty Daze." It follows his typical laid back style but gets away from the semi-country, bluesy approach of "Smoke Ring for My Halo" and hits more of the indie/rock traditions with the standard Vile stylings. It's a nice CD and deserves a full listen. A live version (very similar to his studio version) of Wakin' on a Pretty Day is available on YouTube at the link below.
The National put out a tease for their upcoming album, Trouble Will Find Me, due May 20. "Don't Swallow the Cap" is a lyrically accessible and is a catchy tune. The National has been around a while, and their releases always cause quite the buzz among the bloggers. This one does not disappoint: http://youtu.be/bFnA-8H-5lo
Link: Kurt Vile, "Wakin on a Pretty Day"
Date: Mon Apr 29 22:10:54 2013
User: BuzzClik
Message:Dodge of "My Old Kentucky Blog" opened his Sirius XMU program this week with a surprising sound. It was an odd revival of soul/R&B that stirs you to the marrow. The song was "Broken Bones and Pocket Change" from St. Paul and the Broken Bones. Organ, horns, heavy bass. As I listened to this song, the volume on my car stereo crept louder and louder. Such a rich, powerful sound. It seemed to be answering the question, "What would it be like if The Blues Brothers reunited, but they were bona fide soul brothers?" No one was asking the question, and it ends up that St. Paul and the Broken Bones is not the answer: they are white. That mistake of mine merely cements the curiosity of these guys. (I had a similar "er, what?" moment when I saw the video Amy Whinehouse fronting for the Dap Kings in "Tears Dry on Their Own": http://youtu.be/KVmBzHKJ7uM)
Anyway, back to the music: these guys are great. Check out their EP at their bandcamp site: http://stpaulandthebrokenbones.bandcamp.com/
And their video of another great song is below
Link: "Second Church of the Cosmic Limb"
Date: Mon May 6 11:34:54 2013
User: Belle
Message:Old music, again, but a beautiful song.
A clip from "The Ballad of Cable Hogue"
Disclaimer: recommended for adult eyes only
Richard Gillis (1 week ago): "it is not available on CD. I wrote the song and Jerry Goldsmith did the music. Sorry. I will have it on my next CD but not for awhile".
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYaItNsVlz0
Date: Thu Jun 6 00:13:32 2013
User: BuzzClik
Message:This was concert weekend for me and one of mine. Once again it was quid pro quo -- I got to see Ra Ra Riot, and my kid got to see The Postal Service. The Postal Service is a long-time indie icon group with, remarkably enough, one and only one album released. Their tour is all about the re-release of the album "Give Up" with a few new tracks and a couple of remixes.
The venue was a small concert arena with a capacity of about 3,000. Ra Ra Riot led off with about an hour of very nice tunes. My favorite of theirs is "Too Dramatic", but I liked most of what they performed. The group has been around for awhile, beginning in 2006. The lead singer is Wes Miles, who has a great voice and captivating style. The group also features Rebecca Zeller on violin and a female viola player. It's a great upbeat sound, and they did a great job of firing up the crowd ... well, some of the crowd. More about that later. The physical appearance of the group is hipster/geek, although the women chose to go little black dress; a bit of contrast to say the least. Nevertheless, it was a great experience. My progeny was less than thrilled, but that because the anticipation for Postal Service was pretty thick.
So, Ra Ra Riot concluded a 10 song set, several of which were from their new album, "Beta Love." I have a link to "Too Dramatic" below.
The venue was about 2/3 full after Ra Ra Riot, which was still pretty good. But, during the next 30 minutes as Postal Service set up, the crowd started filling in. And what an interesting mix -- one I anticipated completely.
Postal Service was a side project of Jenny Lewis (Rilo Kelly), Jimmy Tamborello (Dntel), and Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie. "Give Up" was first released in 2003, and was very popular with the indie crowd and crossed over into the popular charts, mostly from Gibbard's very recognizable voice from Death Cab. Death Cab formed in 1997 and went strong until just a few years ago.
So, I had a pretty good idea about the crowd composition: college kids/hipsters showing up for Ra Ra Riot and sticking around for Postal Service; high school girls who have discovered Postal Service and Gibbard's snuggly vocals; and a bunch of 30- and 40-somethings revisiting their youth. Nailed it. What I didn't expect was how many men totally love Postal Service. Who knew?
Anyway, Postal Service was big time professional in their stage presentation. They are good musicians and performers, and they had sizable LED towers providing a high tech revisiting of old timey light shows. It worked. Lots of pulsating colors all worked through computers and amps.
All the adults in the audience and their high school daughters were elated by the show. The songs are catchy, Gibbard has great stage presence, and the musicians really filled the space. My kid loved it. Funny thing about the concert, though, is that whenever Postal Service would play their new tracks (which are being heavily played on indie stations), the crowd quieted due to lack of recognition. It was odd to realize that I was the only one humming along with the tune.
I was curious if they would play some old Death Cab tunes, but they never did. They played the entire "Give Up" album (give or take), and wrapped it up in about 90 minutes. "Nothing Better" was undoubtedly the crowd favorite, with lots of singing along during the duet between Gibbard and Lewis.
If you get a chance to see either group, it's great entertainment.
Link: Ra Ra Riot, "Too Dramatic"
Date: Sun Jun 16 23:07:59 2013
User: BuzzClik
Message:Solid indie music is released every week, and I point out only a fraction of it. For example, Vampire Weekend's "Modern Vampires of the City" was released a few weeks ago and debuted at No. 1 on the album charts, and held that position then second week. Daft Punk released their electronica album and also hit No. 1 their first week. But, I'm not talking about them this time.
Today, I'm drifting to a couple of pop sensations who are probably better known than the groups I generally discuss. First is OneRepublic, whose roots are my very own home town. These guys have been bouncing around the airwaves since 2002. They had a huge hit called "Apologize" from their debut album, "Dreaming Out Loud," in 2007. They followed up with another successful album in 2009 -- "Waking Up." "All the Right Moves" was a popular single, and "Secrets" is a haunting tune with pop overtones. OneRepublic released "Native" in March of this year and are putting together a tour to promote it. "Life in Color" has been receiving commercial play, and other singles are planned. They are an interesting listen with a characteristic sound but diversity as well.
I've included a link to a video for "Secrets".
Next up is a big surprise to me. I do not follow pop artists unless they arrive to me in some other medium. The surprise (for me) is Sara Bareilles. My first exposure to her was two weeks ago. My youngest simply said, "Listen to this," and I melted into a puddle. The song was "Once Upon Another Time"; here's a link to the audio plus other tunes from her website: http://myplay.com/audio_player/sara-bareilles/27880/788631?allowBrowsing=0. I think it's wonderful.
She has had more popular hits, such as "Love Song". One I liked upon my first hearing was "Gravity." (scroll down on the link above). Such a full voice.
The reason for my posting this diversion is that I am going to go see Bareilles at a nice little venue soon; OneRepublic will be there, too. Should be fun.
Link: Secrets
Date: Wed Jun 19 13:52:30 2013
User: BuzzClik
Message:One degree of separation...
Upthread, I had talked about Icona Pop, the ultra-pop Swedish group, and their song, "I Love It." It ends up that this song was written in part by Charli XCX who, upon completion of the song realized it was not her style. She gave the song to Icona Pop who included bits and pieces of Charli XCX's vocals on the song. In the meantime, Charli XCX used part of that song to put together a very popular indie song called, "You (ha ha ha)." In addition, she sampled Gold Panda's "You", and electronic syth bit.
Sometimes it is hard to keep up.
Icona Pop, "I Love It": http://youtu.be/UxxajLWwzqY
Gold Panda, "You": http://youtu.be/Su1wK7iCQfQ
Link: Charli XCS, "You (ha ha ha)"
Date: Thu Dec 19 15:21:25 2013
User: BuzzClik
Message:It's been six months since I updated this thread -- not for a lack of interesting new music!
Three websites have issued their lists of the best music videos of 2013, some of which have appeared on this thread. Here are the links:
Rolling Stone: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/pictures/10-best-music-videos-of-2013-20131212/
Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/11/best-music-videos-2013_n_4420579.html
Yahoo Music: http://music.yahoo.com/blogs/music-news/most-awesome-music-videos-2013-213032463.html
Some notable vids that relate to this thread:
-- "Entertainment", Phoenix
-- "Diane Young," Vampire Weekend
-- "Mosquito," "Sacrilege," Yeah Yeah Yeahs
-- "Free Your Mind," Cut Copy
-- "Lilies," Bat for Lashes
-- "Wishes," Beach House
-- "I'll Be Around," Yo La Tengo
-- "The Wire," Haim
-- "Evil Eye," Franz Ferdinand
-- "Hopeless Wanderer," Mumford & Sons
-- "Ingenue," Atoms for Peace
-- "Afterlife," "Reflektor," Arcade Fire
My favorites out of the bunch (and they are all keepers) are "Diane Young" and "Wishes".
Special mention goes to Bob Dylan's "Like a Rollin' Stone" that made all three lists. It's friggin' incredible and linked below:
Link: Bob Dylan, "Like a Rollin' Stone"
Date: Thu Dec 19 15:36:02 2013
User: The_Interpreter
Message:Frankly, there is no really new music and there has not been for a while.
There are new artists, but they are playing the same boring repetition beats and refrains that everybody else is doing. The industry has become too formulaic and not very creative. Twelve-year-old girls seem to be the focus group.
That may be why Dylan made the list. Old, but fresh.
IMHO
Date: Thu Dec 19 20:59:47 2013
User: BuzzClik
Message:We most certainly differ in our opinions on this. Dylan made the list for his video, not the song. Director Vania Heymann put it together, and it is brilliant.
As to your other point:
I guarantee that you are correct that many, many of the new artists are simply reheating the old stuff in a different package. Tame Impala, for instance, did their acid rock/late 70s album with songs that were amazingly like Beatles and other groups of that time stretch. Totally on purpose. Foxygen's "San Francisco" is another example of this. But, I know that you mean that new groups are just making old sounds because that is what sells.
Some of the new artists are unique. The Dirty Projectors are a perfect example. Listen to their catalog and try to decide who they are channeling -- it would make for an interesting discussion.
Other creative masters:
-- King Krule: 19-year-old wunderkind from Australia
-- Ra Ra Riot: The title track from "The Orchard" is simply amazing. Some of the material is ordinary, but it ain't all gonna be earth tilting
-- Cloud Nothings: Their debut album was light indie pop, but their second (Attack on Memory) was mind shattering
-- St. Vincent: Deep, probing lyrics and fantastic accompaniment with her own arrangement. And, oh my god, can she play guitar.
-- Violent Femmes: Ok, they are a 90s groups. But truly amazing stuff. When a bass player can play the opening riff from "Blister in the Sun" and ALWAYS get the audience answer (a syncopated clapping response from the song), that is definitive.
Date: Sun Jan 19 09:58:11 2014
User: BuzzClik
Message:I heard an interview awhile ago, but I didn't take the time to talk about it here until now.
James Blake is a 25-year-old from London. His first full album was released in 2009, and he has been recognized for his talent with various nominations and awards.
An amazing, haunting song he put out this year is called, "Retrograde." It's slow and bluesy with fascinating but simple explorations in the background. The link below is for a version of the song performed live in a radio studio. You can see that he plays with loops in his performance, creating nice effects, though his background musicians found themselves waiting for their cue. Once the vocals take off on the video, I was immediately inspired to start looking for nearby tour dates.
In the interview, Blake doesn't hesitate to tell us who his inspiration has been, particularly for Retrograde. Blake discussed the genius of Sam Cooke and his amazing song, "Trouble Blues." Give it a listen; you may have heard it before. And, thanks to James Blake, Sam Cooke is a gift that keeps on giving.
Sam Cooke, "Trouble Blues" http://youtu.be/x58gDMjDbc8
Link: James Blake live, "Retrograde"
Date: Sun Jan 19 12:36:34 2014
User: TNmountainman
Message:Just now happened to click on the Dylan thing from Dec. 19th. Thanks. That's brilliant.
Since my old computer couldn't handle videos (most of the time), I'm many years behind on "new" music. But that's ok, there's still been plenty of good "old" music in the meantime.
[Although I look very askew at any list that has anything by Arcade Fire in a list of supposedly good music. [Disclaimer to *that* disclaimer: all I know about Arcade Fire is the 2-3 performances they've done on "SNL", which seem to me to be completely forgettable.]]
I'm continually astonished to see the big splash Mumford & Sons have made. Although that's good music, I fail to see why they've made it big, and so many others (imo many better) of that genre(?) who've come before them didn't. I think it has something to do with them being from the UK, but I don't understand what.
Date: Sun Jan 19 13:48:02 2014
User: BuzzClik
Message:As a follow-up to Blake/"Retrograde": I found the official video for the song with the studio production of the song. It is a different feel. See the link below.
========
TN -- I pretty much agree with all you said in your post of Jan 19 11:36:34 2014.
If you had the ability to change the channels on the video, you get even a bigger picture of the brilliance of the Dylan piece.
Link: James Blake, "Retrograde" studio production
Date: Sun Jan 19 14:15:08 2014
User: TNmountainman
Message:I *did* have the ability to change channels, but not using my keyboard as the intro to the video directs. I had to use the up and down arrows to the left of the video screen.
And since I posted my earlier comments, I watched several (~5) of the other "RS" top 10 videos. Although there is definitely some creative stuff there, very little of the music associated with the videos was compelling. In fact, none of it. The Robin Thicke one (#1?) I had to go to youtube to see. It had 265 million views. What??!!? It's crap. And I mean crap, musically. Ok, MTV was pretty cool for about what, 2 years? Maybe? I can see some crossover interest in music and video, as they are both legitimate art forms. But it almost seems like now it's the tail wagging the dog.
In one music thread some time ago, Denny postulated (and I'm paraphrasing, of course) that it seems that often one gets "stuck" in whatever musical era one comes of age in. If you grew up when R&R was coming on strong, that's your flavor. My parents never got out of the big band era, for example. While I think Denny's comment is sometimes wrong, it's since come back in my headbone many times, wondering how/why that happens. I think there's some truth there. However, I don't consider myself "stuck", as I go see live music very frequently. But I think it's *truly* the fact that there's very little good, *original* R&R being created today, which is why I find very little of that genre interesting now. I think "youngsters" these days simply missed out on *the* 'great' body of work, and are naturally filling up their lives with what's new to them, the vast majority not knowing any better. Certainly "SNL" now appeals to the generation younger than myself, musically. It's pretty sad that *maybe* 1 out of 10 musical acts on "SNL" is interesting to me, or is even anything I would consider quality music, regardless of the genre. So much of it is more dance, posturing, and choreography than music, which I guess is connected (somehow) to the video aspects as discussed above.
Sorry for the rambling...................it's just too bad that there's very little quality music coming out these days, or shall I say that what quality there is doesn't seem to be commercially successful, for the most part. There's probably at least 20 to 50 times as much music available now as in, let's say, 40 years ago; but the average *quality* of it is (imo demonstrably and incontrovertibly) just sooo poor. I'm thankful I got what I got, when I got it.
As time permits (ha!), I'll try to work my way through this thread, and maybe I'll "change my tune" as I learn more. Maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised....
Date: Sun Jan 19 14:33:40 2014
User: BuzzClik
Message:TN --
I would be thrilled to talk to you about the subject of getting stuck one's own generation of music. I'd rather do it on a new thread (maybe you starting the thread with a cut-and-paste of the post immediately above?).
About the list of videos: Did you happen to watch the Mumford and Sons video? I know you're not a fan, but the video has an interesting twist...which is why I posted it here.
Link: Mumford & Sons - Hopeless Wanderer
Date: Sun Jan 19 19:21:55 2014
User: TNmountainman
Message:I went back and looked at that "RS" list, and there was no Mumford & Sons in the top 10. It's not that I'm not a fan of them (although I guess that's technically true), it's more that I'm ambivalent. It's good that what I would call at least pseudo-roots music is getting some attention, but why now instead of all along? I don't fault the group; more the media, I guess. I did watch the video you linked, and found it ok, but not in any way compelling. They were here last year on that much-ballyhooed, extremely limited tour, but I chose not to go see them.
(Thinking out loud somewhat)...maybe it's that in many cases, video pyrotechnics and shenanigans distract from the music too much. I can listen to an album dozens (or more) times; the movies I want to see more than once are *very* few and far between. I wonder if it's the way the brain works - video entertainment is stored in a different way from audio? (Maybe more on that if I start a new thread.)
It seems to me, and maybe it *is* just me, but I would think if one is going to make a video of a song, said video should be somehow(?) additive to the music, not distract from it. Maybe "multi-media" is not necessarily a good thing?
Date: Sun Jan 19 20:24:35 2014
User: BuzzClik
Message:TN -- did you notice that the performers in the video are not the band members? They are famous, but not because of their roles in Mumford....
Date: Sun Jan 19 20:44:18 2014
User: TNmountainman
Message:Nope; since I'm not very familiar with their music, I'm definitely not familiar with what they look like. Over my head.
Post follow-up