Carry You Away

Dear Readers: We've Moved!

2019-02-11T10:33:00.000-05:00

A quick announcement that's long overdue: Carry You Away is moving to a new site, to better work with the other writing that I do for my other blog. As I've changed e-mails and accounts, it makes more sense to keep everything in one place, so as of today, CYA will be updated at its new location:

http://carryyouaway.wordpress.com.

If you'd like to continue to follow us, please update your bookmarks and keep an eye out for new materials soon!

Emily Barker and the Red Clay Halo - Despite the Snow

2010-02-11T14:33:00.001-05:00

"There is nowhere that I'd rather be..." So sings Emily Barker on the song Breathe, off of her 2008 album, Despite the Snow. The album has been getting some press because one of the songs, Nostalgia, has been used for the theme to a UK show called Wallander. The song has been giving the band a higher presence after the Royal Television Society with an award for the use of the theme song.

Despite The Snow is a stunning album. It has a very different sound from much of what is heard in the singer/songwriter market, with Barker's haunting voice surrounded by her acoustic guitar, violin and bass for a very minimal, stripped down sound. The result is a very good one, right from the beginning with Nostalgia and All Love Knows through to the end. Overall, there is a real feeling of some American country/folk artists such as Alison Krauss or Nancy Griffith, but with a distinct modern feel to it, especially with the song Disappear.

The album just feels very different to me, from the sound to the tone and pacing. Barker doesn't feel rushed, but takes her time to move forward, deliberately. This really suits the sound and lyrics for the album, there is an emphasis on repetition for some of the lyrics, which helps to reinforce the meaning behind the words. With this, Barker weaves in and out with the words in a manner that I don't hear all that often.

There is a theme that runs through the album that the front sleeve alluded to: the title, Despite the Snow, is a line taken from a poem, a love poem, and that the rest of the album follows suit in that manner. There is much about longing, about love seperated and sought, and this fits well with the overall sound of the album. It is touching and sweet at the same time.

This is a fantastic album, especially if you like the Singer/Songwriter genre. Barker and her band, the Red Clay Halo have a wonderful, minimal sound that doesn't overstay its welcome, but isn't too sparse that I felt like I was missing something. Everything falls between that delicate overlap of the right pacing, feel, vocals and lyrics, making this possibly one of the best albums that I've listened to all year.

Nostalgia - Emily Barker and the Red Clay Halo
Bright Phoebus - Emily Barker and the Red Clay Halo

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Nightbook - Ludovico Einaudi

2010-02-10T14:43:00.001-05:00

A while ago, I picked up Ludovico Einaudi's fantastic album, Divenire, and fell completely in love with his minimalistic classical music in a way that no modern composer has really gotten me before. Einaudi's followup album, Nightbook, was something that I was apprehensive about, simply because I wasn't sure if any of the songs in that album could top the beauty that enthralled me with songs such as Primavera, Andare and Divenire.

In that way, Nightbook was a bit of a surprise for me, as it has a slightly different tone and feel than Divenire, but one that keeps much of what I loved about it. This album is packed with a number of absolutely georgious tracks, from the slow, subdued In Principio to Lady Labyrinth, a flowing piano piece, to the sublime piano solo Indaco. Where Divenire seemed to focus a bit more on strings (at least when I think about the album, that's what I remember) this album seems to be far more intimately focused on the piano. This gives Nightbook a very different tone and feel throughout.

What I really like about this album is that it really helps to reinforce my love of classical music. While I don't listen to it as often, I'm often stocked at the dismissal that the genre often receives from other music listeners, and I've never been able to put my finger on just why that is. As someone who's attended hundreds of classical music concerts in my lifetime, I would say that it's incredibly important, and Einaudi's music certainly feels like a neo-classical work of art, rather than a rock musician who has taken to concert piano for a project. This album feels intimate, real and honest throughout. I honestly get chills while listening to some of the tracks here, such as The Crane Dance, Indaco and The Tower, and already, several of these songs have been played dozens of times on my computer, over and over again, while I close my eyes to relax and listen.

Indaco - Ludovico Einaudi
The Snow Prelude No.15 - Ludovico Einaudi

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Julia Brown - Strange Scars

2010-02-09T14:22:00.001-05:00

While covering another artist last year, I came across another artist who caught my ears, playing a couple shows up in Vermont during the same time: Julia Brown. Hailing from Virginia and now residing in New York City, Brown falls into the singer/song writer catagory. Her 2008 album, Strange Scars, is her second album, and is an intense, emotional acoustic rock album. The press release for the album on her website notes: Your songs are just your life looking back at you, and after listening through this album, I would say that's a fair assessment of her music.

This album feels very much like it is an album that is both revealing and personal to Brown, with songs like Unburden and In Hurt's Arms, coupled by her fantastic voice and background musicians. Yet, the album doesn't sound bitter or resentful, but thoughtful; one that observes the world and life around her. There is a wonderful connect between her sound and her lyrics throughout this album, and I find myself drawn to a number of the songs on it as I listen through the track list.

While listening, I've been thinking about the singer-song writer genre as a whole, and I have to appreciate their music, but also their courage for what they write: often putting to paper their own troubling experiences and reactions, moments that most of us would rather forget than relive night after night on a concert circuit. While many of us take advantage of them for what they do, they have an incredibly difficult job: my hat is off to them.

Brown brings an intensity to this record, one that I really don't hear much from with Singer-Songwriters. Her songs feel real, raw, and interesting, and is the stuff that makes us come back to songs time and time again to find stories and possible solutions to our own lives. Where their songs might be mirrors to their lives, we listen to music because we relate to what they sing about, and certainly, there's something to be gained by listening to this record.

Unburden - Julia Brown

1000 Paper Princes - Julia Brown

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Josh Ritter Announcement: So Runs The World Away

2010-02-08T08:54:00.000-05:00

This morning, the official Josh Ritter website announced the title of his next album, the followup to the Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter: So Runs The World Away. Along with the announcement was a free MP3 download for a track called Change Of Time. The new album is due out on May 4th in the United States, or if you live in Ireland, it will be out just a couple days before, on April 23th.

This is rather exciting news for me, as both The Animal Years and The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter were both two absolute favorites of mine over the past couple of years. The times that I have seen him in concert have likewise blown me away with his energy, songwriting and sound. The last concert that I saw, over at the University of Vermont, Ritter dropped a number of new songs into his set, and in all likelihood, these songs, Orbital and The Curse, will make it onto this record. (Especially The Curse, given the mummy artwork on his webpage).

What has impressed me the most thus far with the new songs that I have heard is the story. WIth his prior albums, Ritter has demonstrated an ability to tell a fantastic couple of stories, whether it's from the American West, life after a nuclear war, or a long distance romance, and the trend doesn't seem to have vanished with this album, which is most exciting. While the songs that I've heard thus far are a bit calmer than his usual fair, I'm really hoping that we'll get some more of his energy as well.

You can listen to the new track here, at Youtube or download the song by going here. To support the album, Ritter is going back out on tour between the US and Ireland:

April 24th - Galway, IRE
The Live Lounge at The Radisson Hotel

April 25th - Limerick, IRE
Dolans Warehouse

April 27th - Dublin, IRE
Grand Canal Theatre

April 29 – Belfast, N. IRE
Festival Marquee at CQAF
[ On-sale Feb 26th ]

April 30th - Kilkenny, IRE
Ormonde Hotel, Kilkenny (8.30pm)
Kilkenny Rythym & Roots festival

May 7th - Philadelphia, PA
Theater of Living Arts

May 8th - Washington, DC
9.30 Club

May 10th - Baltimore, MD
Ram's Head Live

May 11th - Durham, NC
Carolina Theatre

May 13th - Atlanta, GA
Variety Playhouse

May 15th - Chicago, IL
The Vic Theatre

May 19th - New York, NY
Town Hall

May 20th - New York, NY
Town Hall [SOLD OUT]

Lillian, Egypt - Josh Ritter
The Curse - Josh Ritter
Orbital - Josh Ritter

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Lissie - Why You Runnin' - EP

2010-02-03T13:21:00.001-05:00

I recently caught up with the season finale of Joss Whedon's fantastic show Dollhouse last night (read my reactions to the show here) and one of the things that caught my ears was the song used in the last couple minutes of the show, Everywhere I Go, by Lissie.

Hailing from Rock Island, Illinois, Lissie Maurus's debute EP, Why You Runnin', is a quiet, unreserved collection of five songs that just bubble with potential. Numerous critics have already been taking an interest in her music, and for good reason: there's a good sound to this young lady, packed into just a couple of songs. Balancing acoustic rock, folk and bluegrass together, Why You Runnin' is a diverse blend, starting off with the jumping Little Lovin', the echo ladened Hank Williams cover Wedding Bells, delicate Piano ballad Oh Missisippi and my favorite off the album, Everywhere I Go before wrapping up with the soft Here Before. Her voice is strong and sounds very, very good to me, in a smokey, seductive way that just works as she goes up and down the register.

Female singer/songwriters are sometimes hit or miss for me, but Lissie hits a lot of the high points with this EP. The sounds here are very scattered, but for a new artist, that's not necessarily a bad thing: she demonstrates that she can play in a number of different ways and styles, and has a number of options to where she can go next. Hopefully, with the eventual full length release, we will see some more refinement and continuity between styles, but already, she is off to a fairly good start.

Everywhere I Go - Lissie

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Justin Levinson - Predetermined Fate

2010-02-02T16:11:00.000-05:00

There's a bit of a neat 'Six Degrees of Seperation' in the Vermont music scene with Justin Levinson's latest album, Predetermined Fate: Not only is he friends with a couple of my friends in various circles, he's engaged to Vermont Singer-Songwriter Myra Flynn, who blew me away with her fantastic first album, Crooked Measures, last year. As such, I've seen Levinson a couple of times in concert, opening for Myra for her release party, and I think at least one or two other places over the years.

Despite those connections, Levinson's got a whole different ballgame than Flynn with this album, trending far more towards the country-folk and singer-songwriter vibe than indie soul. And I love it. Predetermined Fate is a fantastically fun album to listen to. The entire overal sound and feel of the eleven tracks has a wonderful country-twang of an acoustic guitar, combined with Levinson's inde-rock style vocals. Songs such as Bandaid on a Bulletwound, Losing You To Tennesse, Hoplessness and Soles Of Your Feet have a laidback feel that helps to not only emphasize the music, but also the lyrics that help to drive it.

If I didn't know better, I would have classified this album as country music (which isn't a bad thing by any means) because of some elements of the songs, but there's a certain blend of genres here that makes if far more difficult to seperate out, especially considering the lyrics and album as a whole. What Levinson has put together is a fun, light album that is lyrically and musically interesting and with a good range of sound, going from fun with Bulletwound to the sweet with Myra's Song.

If you're in Vermont or the nearby states, Justin has several shows coming up this month and next:

February 6, 2010 @ 5:00 PM-Spruce Peak, Stowe, VT

February 25, 2010 @ 7:00 PM- University of Vermont, Burlington, VT

March 6, 2010 @ 8:00 PM- Vergennes Opera House, Vergennes, VT

March 27, 2010 @ 5:00 PM-Spruce Peak, Stowe, VT

Bandaid on a Bulletwound - Justin Levinson

Myra's Song - Justin Levinson

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Cary Brothers - New Alum Cover & Date Announced!

2010-01-26T10:29:00.001-05:00

I'm a big fan of Cary Brothers' music, from his first EP, All The Rage to his first album, Who You Are. On the singer/songwriter market, he's among the best out there, with a fantastic sound and presentation, one that has attracted quite a lot of attention. With his last album released back in early 2007, he's long overdue for a follow-up record, which will be released on April 6th 2010, titled Under Control.

At the risk of getting over excited for an upcoming album, it would be an understatement to say that this is a highly anticipated album here at Carry You Away. Who You Are was a fantastic mix of indie rock and pop music that went between the driving beats of Who You Are and Ride, to the softer, thoughtful songs on The Glass Parade and All The Rage. Even the album cover was an extremely well done touch, in a minimalistic fashion that still ranks high for quality. Brothers has created a good image for himself through all aspects of his music, from the cover to the sounds, and one can hope that this long haitus is a result of creative perfection and hard work.

Thus far, I'm happy with the cover, and hopefully, I'll be just as happy with the music that it contains.

Ride - Cary Brothers

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John Mayer - Battle Studies

2010-01-25T16:39:00.002-05:00

John Mayer is an artist whom I have quite a bit of respect and a bit of disdain for over the past couple of years. With the recently released Battle Studies, I've been listening over and thinking back on some of his older works while listening to review this album. The end conclusion that I've come up with is Battle Studies is an highly mixed album: one with a strong musical component, but one that is at the same time severely lacking when it comes to substance and variety.

My main complaint with the album, as a whole, is that while Mayer has had an impressive talent curve when it comes to instrumentation, this album dwells far too much on just a couple of themes - loneliness, abandonment; far too much on a 'Woe is me' theme that makes me want to throw the something at the guy. While a themed album that deals with these sorts of things is generally a good thing, I found the tone and feel of this album to be far too depressing. It felt self-pitying and at times, a bit pathetic, which might have been part of the point, but those were never traits that I've found admirable.

To be fair, several of Mayer's songs on this album rank amongst some of his best ones: Heartbreak Warfare, Half of My Heart and a cover of Robert Johnson's Crossroads, while there are couple additional mediocre songs, such as Who Says and Assassin. As the title suggests, a number of songs liken the quest for love as something akin to warfare. As someone who's studied the history of war and gone through heartbreak, it's a pretty unbalanced perspective. I can see this comparison sitting well with the twenty-something crowd, bobbing their heads while listening in their apartment, a nicely sanitized anthem for our generation.

But that is part of the problem: Mayer's sound, while greatly improved over the past couple of years, is too soft and easygoing to meet up with anything close to his album title or some of the thematic material therein. Where Mayer is likening heartbreak to Clouds of sulfur in the air/ Bombs are falling everywhere/ It's heartbreak warfare, there's a disconnect between the sound and what he's talking about. Regardless of whether heartbreak is as devestating as warfare (a debatable topic, depending on one's relationship status), a soft mellow song just doesn't connect the lyrics to the emotions in the song. Here, it just feels like a dud. In 'War Of My Life', Mayer doesn't sound like he's fighting for his life or conveying that sort of song; it feels more like he's strumming along like the rest of the twenty-somethings who think that they know the devestation of war by what they see on the television screen. In the end, it just feels like this album is called in, not like an air strike, but by the $10 pledge for any number of causes that pledge to end the violence, where it really doesn't mean that you're helping the issue beyond missing a little extra cash at the end of the month.

Heartbreak Warfare - John Mayer

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July Flame - Laura Veirs

2010-01-22T12:17:00.004-05:00

Late last year, I wrote about the Decemberists and noted that I wasn't terribly impressed with their opening act, Laura Veirs and the Hall of Flames. I'm prepared to eat my words, especially after doing a little more research on the group as I've listened to Vier's latest album: July Flame.

Here I said she sounded like a newer musician, I couldn't have been more wrong - July Flame is her seventh album, with a music career beginning back in 1999, and also has worked closely with the Decemberists, contributing to their fantastic album The Crane Wife, on the track Yankee Bayonett (I Will Be Home Soon). It comes as no surprise then, that Colin Meloy has come out to announce that this is the best album of 2010.

July Flame is an interesting, but solid album all around. It took a couple of listens to get adjusted to Viers, but this album soars with excellent lyrics and some very rich background work by the instruments supporting her. What we get is a whispy, elegant effort from a singer/songwriter. Some songs, such as the opening song I Can See Your Tracks, are essentially just a girl and her guitar, along with some Bon Iveresque background lyrics. The title track, July Flame, brings a deeper sound - rather than the girl and her guitar, it feels like Veirs is surrounded by the bass, drunks and electric guitar here, with her lyrics just punching out through the sound.

The rest of the album shifts between these two mentalities somewhat, giving the album a sound that is not necessarily predictable, but shifting. It's far from boring, and provides for quite a few listens to fully take in all the small facets of her sound. In particular, I I've grown to absolutely love Life Is Good Blues, particularly because the sound is so mixed, from singer/songwriter guitar to some chilling background vocals. There are points, such as in the song Make Something Good, where Viers lets the instruments take over, for a really beautiful piece.

While the album is overall very strong, there's a number of points where I felt that Veirs just needs to be supported by something stronger - her voice is fairly high, elegant, but there are a couple songs, such as When You Give Your Heart, where the addition of bass and background vocals could have been used. For the most part, Veirs is able to avoid any larger trouble by putting these sorts of things in, but in a larger sense, it's hard to think of this album as a solo album, simply because the background work is so essential here. With that in mind, however, July Flame is a superior album - it's well organized, with an incredible sound and feel.

July Flame - Laura Viers
Life Is Good Blues - Laura Viers

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The Lovedrunks: Light Bulbs Explode

2010-01-21T11:50:00.001-05:00

The song Books really caught me with one of its opening lyrics:

so in the cellar down below
you can find me reading books

The song is a lighthearted, innocent sounding song that really grows in intensity over its 4:39 minute run. Being a geek, the title immediately grabbed me, and I really got into the song that deals with a fairly simple topic: escapism. While the rest of the album doesn't necessarily deal with all the same issues, I was brought into the rest of the album by this German group.

The Lovedrunks are a youngish band that really seems to capture some of the spirit of the internet generation, what with songs like 16bit Analog Love and Central Station exuding a sort of youthful optimism throughout most of the songs. It's a welcome reprieve after going through several albums that are much darker, broodier and edgier. While listening, it sounds very much like these guys assembled and had quite a bit of fun doing so.

The band has a good, solid sound to it. They're not perfect, and I think that their lead singer needs to work a bit on the vocals (he sounds quite a lot like Weird Al, weirdly, with a higher, nasal-type of sound), but he is well supported by the piano and guitar throughout most of the songs. This keeps the group from being really good right off the bat, but with the way music comes together, that's hardly out of the ordinary - the difference here is that they are already off to a decent start, with some interesting songs from their first album, and good musical talent behind the scenes. Indeed, vocally, they also hit their high points with Books and Dear Me. What they do is the most important, and that's that they aren't boring - quite the contrary. The album is mixed up enough sound wise that it doesn't become overwhelmingly repetitive, nor do they linger too much on any particular subject to slant the album that way. It's fun, light indie-pop music.

Books - The Love Drunks

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Dragonflies

2010-01-15T13:59:00.002-05:00

Everybody's Talking is a Canadian based group that has recently released their first EP, the independently released Dragonflies. Blending guitar and piano rock, this two man group has an interesting sound that is both catchy and full of movement.

Dragonflies is a 7 song EP that blends not only rock, but a bit of electronica. This speaks a bit to the group, as they are able to navigate several genres and retain their sound. In particular, one of the things that I liked the most was hearing someone behind the piano - it's an underused instrument in this capacity, and I think that the duo is on the right track with getting their sound in check and towards new things in the future.

You can take a look at their album here, and purchase it through their website, utilizing a pay what you want system.

Dragonflies - Everybody's Talking

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Satellite Crush

2010-01-14T10:51:00.001-05:00

Hailing out of L.A., Satellite Crush takes its name from a long distance romance on the part of lead singer Elliot, from part of his own history. The group has recently released their debut E.P., entitled Arrows of Eros, which further ties in to their namesake. (Eros, according to a quick check on Wikipedia, was the god of sexual love and beauty.)

The sound of Satellite Crush is one that is a breezy sort of Indie/Pop, despite the rather downtrodden nature of their lyrics. The EP starts off with a very good sound and feel - the band plays together, with a good amount of skill behind the guitar and vocals. The best track off the album is Paris To London, the second track ouf of the five. Elliot's vocals are the central part of the song, and I'm reminded of other artists, such as Cary Brothers, Chris Stills and Chris Blake for the rang and sheer free flowing feel to the movement here.

But the rest of the songs on the album feel much the same way - the EP invokes imagry of a late night drive with nowhere to go on a summer night. Over all five songs is a good continuity of sound - laidback, driven and pleasant. To some extent, this conflicts with the somewhat brooding nature of the songs, especially with titles such as Lovesick Soul, Strictly Platonic, and Jealousy. Despite that, this release feels honest, heartfelt. While I like the sound and subject matter, I hope that things will look up emotionally for these guys when it comes time to work on a full length album - something that I hope they will be doing. There's an incredible amount of potential based on Arrows of Eros, and I hope to hear more from them soon.

If you're in the LA area in the next month, you can catch the group at the following dates and locations:

1/29 Club Underground @ The Echo
2/8 The Dragonfly

Paris to London - Satellite Crush

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Folsom Prison Blues

2010-01-13T10:21:00.002-05:00

This day in history, Johnny Cash played the first of two concerts at the Folsom State Prison in Folsom California, which would later become the recording At Folsom Prison. Cash would later note that the audience was one of the most enthusiastic that he'd ever had. I've always liked this song, which was first recorded in 1956, and it's one that has the best traits of country music within it: story.

Folsom Prison Blues - Johnny Cash

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White Rabbit

2010-01-12T15:44:00.001-05:00

A lot of people are looking forwards to Tim Burton's upcoming adaptation of Alice In Wonderland. I'm rather indifferent to the film, not being a huge fan of Burton's films, but I did like this little bit of news that came across my desk earlier today: Grace Potter & The Nocturnals will be appearing on the official soundtrack, with a cover of Jefferson Airplane's White Rabbit. Movie soundtracks are usually pretty hit or miss for me, and this one doesn't look like anything special, with the usual mix of popular and hip artists. Still, it'll be fun to hear a studio version of their cover. I

1. "Alice (Underground)" performed by Avril Lavigne

2. "The Poison" performed by The All-American Rejects

3. "The Technicolor Phase" performed by Owl City

4. "Her Name Is Alice" performed by Shinedown

5. "Painting Flowers" performed by All Time Low

6. "Where's My Angel" performed by Metro Station

7. "Strange" performed by Tokio Hotel and Kerli

8. "Follow Me Down" performed by 3OH!3 featuring Neon Hitch

9. "Very Good Advice" performed by Robert Smith

10. "In Transit" performed by Mark Hoppus with Pete Wentz

11. "Welcome to Mystery" performed by Plain White T's

12. "Tea Party" performed by Kerli

13. "The Lobster Quadrille" performed by Franz Ferdinand

14. "Running Out of Time" performed by Motion City Soundtrack

15. "Fell Down a Hole" performed by Wolfmother

16. "White Rabbit" performed by Grace Potter and the Nocturnals

White Rabbit (Jefferson Airplane) - Grace Potter & The Nocturnals

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Moon

2010-01-12T14:08:00.002-05:00

A quick note today about a film that is very near and dear to my heart: Moon. This film opened quietly last year, and it's garnered quite a few good reviews, as well as a number of awards. Currently, there's a bit of a campaign to get Sam Rockwell an Oscar award, despite Sony providing few resources, such as screeners, for that to happen. Still, even if Rockwell doesn't get the award, it's a shining star in the Science Fiction genre, as an original SF film with a low budget and physical sets, with a kickass story that is just plain excellent. The film is out on DVD today, so if you haven't seen it yet, you should really go and pick it up.

Welcome to Lunar Industries - Clint Mansell

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Winter Sounds

2010-01-11T11:18:00.002-05:00

Winter is upon us, and so far, it's been an interesting one here in Vermont. No snow, then lots of snow, then freezing temperatures. I'm thrilled that we have the white stuff here, and the fall to spring period of the year is easily trumps summer for me.

Winter Birds - Ray LaMontagne

Winter - Joshua Radin

Faded from the Winter - Iron & Wine

Men of Snow - Ingrid Michaelson

Snowfall Music - Carbon Leaf

Hazy Shade of Winter - Simon & Garfunkle

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Grace Potter & The Nocturnals + Alberta Cross, Higher Ground, December 27th

2010-01-05T12:18:00.004-05:00

Where the rest of the world has New York City's epic ball drop in Times Square, Vermont has Grace Potter to ring in the new year. It's rapidly becoming an annual event, with several lead-up concerts at the Higher Ground to meet demand, and the overall event has become a highly anticipated run of concerts.

I wasn't able to attend the New Year's Eve show, but I was able to attend the second concert on the 27th, with Alberta Cross opening up for the Nocturnals. All in all, I came away from the show pretty disappointed. The Nocturnals sounded great, played a number of newer songs, several covers and re-arranged songs and a bunch of old classics.

The group has been a popular one here on Carry You Away, and I've followed their rather extraordinary rise from small, local group to major-record-label one, and it's been a fun ride to watch. Their last album, This Is Somewhere, was absolutely fantastic, blending modern and classic rock, fantastic songwriting and with an incredible energy throughout their album and their live shows.

This show wasn't bad, it just wasn't what I expected, and it wasn't as good as other shows that I've seen from them. Part of this, I think, is because it was the lead-up to the really good show: New Year's Eve. With additional concerts added on, I have to imagine that the show was a bit toned down (even then, the energy was high), and that some of the really good material was saved for later.

The show that I saw, while good, was scattered. With a new album coming out later this year (from what I know, it's called Medicine), and with a new lineup, changes are to be expected, and some of the results were here - the band is certainly straying into more directions musically, which is very good, but with this concert, the group felt all over the map, from Classic Rock to Jam Band Raegge to Soul and regular rock. I'm interested to hear where they go, but the overall concert felt incoherent, poorly planned out and overall, that affected the entire evening for me. Music such as this is far more than just the musicians - it's their presentation, the quality of their music, how they play it, and how well thought out each concert is.

This leads me to two of Grace's opening acts, Alberta Cross and Josh Ritter, whom I've seen both open for the Nocturnals, and a good example of presentation. Alberta Cross, opening for Grace became a band that I'd rather not see again. I have their latest album, The Thief and the Heartbreaker, and I've liked a couple of the songs, but live, in person, the band seemed lax, sloppy at points and just not all that exciting to watch. On the other hand, when I was Josh Ritter in 2007, and recently again in 2009, they presented a far different appearance - they coordinated dress (and actually didn't go for the grungy rock star look), played a great set of music and clearly looked like they enjoyed themselves and put a bit of thought into what they were doing. This wasn't something that I got a good sense of with Alberta Cross, I'm sorry to say.

Similarly, I have to wonder if this was sort of the same deal with the Nocturnals, coupled with their rapid rise to local and national fame, and leaves me a bit worried for the future of the group. In 2009, the band's bassist Bryan Dondero left the group over creativity issues, leading the band to add on a new bass player Catherine Popper, as well as rhythm guitarist Benny Yurco- with new directions in mind. This sparked some worries that the group is going to be departing far more from what they've done before as they've become a major label band. Fortunately, the concert on the 27th, despite some of the issues that I had with it, seem to show that the group is still churning out good music, abit with a much larger variety of sound.

To be very fair, after listening to the NYE show, there were some improvements over the Saturday show - they were still a bit scattered, but sounded better, with much more energy and with a lot of good material to play. Here's to hoping that they will continue that trend in 2010.

Listen to the concerts here: 12/26, 12/27, 12/28, 12/31.

Some Kind of Ride - Grace Potter & The Nocturnals

Oasis - Grace Potter & The Nocturnals

One More Goodbye Kiss - Grace Potter & The Nocturnals

Medicine - Grace Potter & The Nocturnals

You've Lost That Loving Feeling - Grace Potter & The Nocturnals

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U-N-Me - The Watson Twins

2010-01-04T10:27:00.003-05:00

As much as I really hate abbreviations for words, U for You, for example, but The Watson Twin's latest offering from their upcoming second album, Talking to You, Talking to Me, to be released February 9th, is pretty good. The twins, Leigh and Chandra Watson have never popped up on my radar beyond one of their tracks on the True Blood Soundtrack, and I have to consider my interest piqued for their upcoming album, to be released on the fantastic Vanguard records. (I'm not saying that to suck up to them - they just have an incredible number of really good artists there.)

Listening through what's to come with this album, I'm impressed with the easygoing country-folk-rock sound that they have, but more so with the twins' voices. It's not often that you see a double act such as this, and it works especially well with these two ladies. This album is certainly one of the first ones to look out for in 2010.

U-N-Me - The Watson Twins

Hype - Buy - Look - Follow

2009-12-22T15:17:00.000-05:00

As the decade has begun to close with the end of the year, there have been a number of 'Best of the Decade' lists in the music blog world, and a number of them have gotten me thinking about music over the past ten years. Since the start of the decade, I would consider these past years as some of the most formative in my own tastes in music, especially during my years in college. During that time, the entire music industry has been changed, for better or for worse, and with these changes has come new opportunities, sounds and experiences for musicians and fans alike.

My own taste in music has varied over the past ten years, from radio top 40 hits to Indie-Rap and I'm very eager to see what comes next. Looking back, I found that it would be almost impossible to put together any sort of comprehensive list for the last ten years, simply because there is too much music, it is too varied, and there is far, far too much that I haven't listened to. While computers have become paramount in the way that music is transmitted, shared and listened to, I can't help but wonder if it's harmful to the overall music scene.

Looking back over music of the 1960s and 1970s, the music is easily recognizable, memorable and classic. Looking back over the decade, I'm not sure that I can find a comparable number of bands that match not only the quality of the hits of prior years, but ones that have the same presence. With other years populated by bands such as the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Elvis, Eric Clapton and more, revolutionaries all in their own way, the past couple of decades have much bigger shoes to fill.

The formative years of Rock and Roll have been filled with epic tales of musicians gone crazy: smashing up hotel rooms and instruments on stage, getting arrested on stage, all the while pushing the limits of free speech and taboo topics to entertain the masses, who ate it up with relish. And, the music was good too - music labels, I think , didn't quite know how to deal with all of the new sounds and styles that were coming out from aspiring musicians: all they could do was control the direction, like pointing a fire hose, hoping that the water inside was just right.

Since that time, music has become more refined. We've settled down, figured out what works and what sounds just right. Advances in technology, from the introduction of computers and editing programs allow musicians to put together a fantastic sounding album, cheaper, quicker and to an incredibly wide audience than ever before. Young people, ever the bright start of the music industry, have been freed, recording demos with cheap recording equipment and access to MySpace, and have the chance of finding an audience amongst the numerous people out seeking for new sounds, and even more obscure bands and singer/songwriters.

My music interests have ebbed and waned over the past ten years, starting with listening to 107.1, WORK FM (Now FrankFM, a Classic Rock Station) a Top 40 station, which effectively brought my music tastes to '90s alternative/grunge. I didn't get that much into listening to anything outside of that before a couple years into college. A friend of mine at the time, later girlfriend, now ex, introduced me to indie-rock, styles along what was heard in Garden State, which further influenced what I listened to. Artists such as Alexi Murdoch, The Decemberists, Spoon, Nick Drake and others entered my playlists. From that point, I began to listen to more - not only to new artists that were coming out, but also to bands that I'd grown up listening to: the Beatles, Gordon Lightfoot, Fleetwood Mac.

In listening to the old and new, there's an incredible amount of influence that is held by artists from long ago, especially by newer artists. Folk-rock has undergone a huge resurgence among the hip, from artists such as Alexi Murdoch, Iron & Wine and Bon Iver growing in popularity over the past couple of years - in no small part, no doubt, to commercial placement of their songs in television shows and commercials.

While the music is fantastic - I count all of the above to be some of the best artists of the decade, but at the same time, I've become very weary and wary of the independent market for music, because of the sheer drive to feed the hipster masses by going completely out on a limb and doing something patently outrageous, but in a calm, civil sort of way. In a way, the kids who go out and record come up with some interesting stuff, but they don't toe the line like musicians of old. The music that we have today, independent and commercial (although that distinction is flat out ridiculous in and of itself - all music is commercial) is sanitized, watered down and just too appropriate. Maybe I'm just listening to the wrong types of music, but a lot of bands just don't have that raw energy and bite that the '70s brought us.

We don't have our Hendrix, our Lennon or our Jagger - instead, a lot of our front men are put together by their publicists, who put them up on a pedestal for their outbursts, poor judgment or incredibly noble deeds (I'm looking at you, Amy Winehouse, Britteny Spears and Bono). But in a way, they become products in and of themselves, sold to the public through the spin on their actions, rather than the popular judgment of their actions unguided by the invisible hand of a major marketing company. In a world where news is paramount, and any news is good news, it seems that the rash actions of the people we admire are more constructed, rather than heat of the moment rashness. I have a feeling that those individuals, who've built up their personas in the time before facebook and MySpace, will be longer lasting. Even the persona of avoiding a personality, or just trying to be different by wearing mismatched clothing, acting the awkward soul in a way to appeal to more fans who make it out to see them.

Don't get me wrong, there's a huge difference between the personality of a band and the music that they play, but over time, how much of a band's persona becomes intermixed with their music as a whole? In an age where the choices of music and bands is akin to water from a fire hose, the strive to be completely unique by adopting a certain persona for a band just seems shallow, fake. There are very few bands out there right now that I would label as being truly unique, focused on their music and presenting a fairly honest image all at the same time. At the end of the day, while there is plenty of selection - good selection - I can't help but wonder if these musicians will really stand the test of time, or if they will just be lost in the multitude of other hipster artists who get their brief break of fame before realizing that they have to continue the act. At the same time, I wonder how many bands that have been sold to us will last in the long run.

Looking back over the music that I've accumulated over the past couple of years - and I've accumulated a lot - there are certainly bands that I go back to time and time again, while there are even more that I've listened to, and really enjoyed, but who soon become unmemorable. It'll be fun to go back and seek them out in another ten years to see if anybody knows their name and see if their record deal through the strength of their MySpace page and website is really enduring. In some cases? I would bet so. In far more instances, I would bet that a lot of these bands will fail the test of time, only to be resurrected by lone fans with overburdened hard drives. In the meantime, I’ll take that old time rock and roll.

Best Songs of 2009

2009-12-18T16:15:00.004-05:00

While there have been a number of albums that have been absolutely incredible, music is remembered by the songs that top everything else that you go back to time and time again. This year has been no exception.

Runner Up, 11 - Empire State Of Mind (Part II) Broken Down - Alicia Keys
This was a song that I hadn't heard up until a couple days ago. Keys is not an artist who usually pops up on my radar, but I suspect that I'll start paying more attention to her as I drift somewhat more into the Soul/R&B scene. What caught my ears with this track is Keys incredible vocals, which just flow over the song as it builds with energy. I know that had I heard this earlier, it would have been on my Best, New playlist for a while.

10 - Taller Children - Elizabeth & The Catapult
Taller Children was my first introduction to Elizabeth & The Catapult, off of their first album by the same name. What caught me at first was its quirky beat and fun lyrics, and it kept me listening through the entire album. Easily the best song off the album, it's still refreshing, even after all of these listens. In particular, I love the groove and energy that is spread out through the entire album.

9 - Quiet Highway Road - The Alternate Routes
Quiet Highway Road is just as it sounds. While I've extolled the virtues of The Alternate Routes numerous times for their energy at their live shows and with several songs off of this album, this song stuck with me every time that I listened through the album. Stuck at the end of A Sucker's Dream, it's the perfect epilogue for a fantastic album. Coupled with the amount of driving that I do, the song has become somewhat of an anthem for me while speeding along the back highways of Vermont. Listening over the album, I get such a fantastic feeling of freedom and liberation that I get from getting on the road, and I'm reminded that once the days get a bit longer, I'll take a couple of weekends and get back on them, with this song blaring on the radio.

8 - Travelling Woman - Bat for Lashes
I'm not overly aware of Bat for Lashes, but this song caught me while listening to Joss Whedon's TV show Dollhouse. This song was perfectly placed at the end of one of the best episodes (Belonging), in a sort of montage scene. The scene struck me as being particularly important and part of that was the song. Natasha Khan's voice is haunting over the lyrics, and end result is a beautiful, resounding song that remains with me.

7 - The Hazards of Love 1 (The Prettiest Whistles Won't Wrestle the Thistles Undone) - The Decemberists
While there's a prologue to the album, this album kicks off the album in grand style. The first of four 'Hazards of Love' songs, this one introduces the main, epic story, setting events into motion that carries over. While the album as a whole really can't be picked apart and listened to in its component parts (apart from The Rake's Song), this song does a decent job of it, and in a way, can be listened to as its own story. The best thing about this song is that unlike the rest in the album, it won't leave you hanging for more when it's finished, if that's all that you really want to listen to. Furthermore, Colin Meloy is at his best sound for this entire album, and the song as a whole is a strong one, bringing out the album's unique theme right off the bat in grand style.

6 - Getaway Girl - Sarah Siskind
Sarah Siskind was an artist that I came across last year, but it was 2009 when she introduced her new album, Say It Louder. Getaway Girl was one of the songs that stuck out for me as the best song of the album. It feels strong, resilient, and Siskind's fantastic voice hovers along with the guitar work here in a really good way. The song just feels right through and through, and as with others on this list; it's been a song that I've gone back to numerous times without tiring of it. Getaway Girl just flows in a very chilled, laidback fashion that seems perfect for winter here in Vermont.

5 - Nothing But A Miracle - Diane Birch
Nothing But A Miracle is my favorite track off of Diane Birch's fantastic album Bible Belt, one that features a wonderful R&B/Soul feel throughout. The album is an examination of the 5 stages of grief, and the song is a fantastic look at a breakup and the recovery afterwards. This, to me, is something that anybody can really relate to. Birch sounds absolutely incredible in this song, and the rest of the album really has to struggle to keep up with the vocals and emotion wrapped up in this song.

4 - So It Goes - Myra Flynn
Yesterday, Myra Flynn got my pick for the best album of the year, and it was an incredible struggle to pick just one of her songs for this list. I ended up with So It Goes, although there are a couple of other songs off of the album that would have fit this nicely. The tipping point was recalling this song at her release show in Burlington over the summer. Like Ordinary Man, this song is an incredible effort when it comes to songwriting, merging mixed songs, fantastic lyrics and musical skill to present an incredible sound. I think this song is at the crux of the album, and one that certainly holds quite a bit of meaning to me.

3 - Ordinary Man - Gregory Douglass & Grace Potter
I got an early copy of Gregory Douglass's fantastic album Battler last year, and thought it was fantastic, but when I listened to it, I was floored by Ordinary Man, a duet between Douglass and Grace Potter, of the Nocturnals. For me, the song is very relatable, and it's one that I've attached quite a bit of sentimental value to right off the bat. Looking back over last year's Best Albums of 2008, I see that this should have been on there, or at least, it should have made it onto this year's - it certainly falls on that list. This song is romantic, emotional, and smooth and features an utterly perfect balance between Gregory and Grace's lyrics.

2 - Born Again - Cory Chisel & the Wandering Sons
Born Again was the first song off of Death Won't Send A Letter, and is a rich blend of Baptist gospel and folk/country rock with a rich sound and wonderful lyrics. The song feels powerful, with a heavy beat coupled with guitar and bass work that just drives the song along. Chisel's voice provides the next component to the song, and the overall tone and feel is one of inspiration, happiness, and it has such a feel that the title doesn't feel ironic or out of place. I dare you to listen to the lyrics and find yourself not moving to the beat, clapping your hands together.

1 - Lake of Silver Bells - Carbon Leaf
The best song of the year is Carbon Leaf's Lake of Silver Bells. I really dug Nothing Rhymes With Woman, but Silver Bells just stood far apart from the rest of the album, and I think it's one of the best songs that Carbon Leaf has ever made. The opening couple of bars lull you into this easy, laidback state of mind, but around a minute into the song, it builds and just bursts into a soft energy that grows over the rest of the song. Lead singer Barry Privet's lyrics absolutely shine here, and harkens back to their absolute best songwriting efforts with their album Echo Echo. I listened to this album over and over, and this song never got old. It's warm, invigorating and spring-like. Above all, the song feels like it really represents my mood for the past couple of months, enthusiastic, dreamlike and hopeful. This song will easily remain one of my favorite songs of all time.

Best Albums of 2009

2009-12-17T15:23:00.003-05:00

11 - Yeah Ghost, Zero 7

Zero 7 is back with their fourth album, Yeah Ghost. While I still think that their best album is their first, Simple Things, Yeah Ghost feels different from the start and continues throughout. For this album, they've worked with a largely new group of people - larger stars such as Sia and Jose Gonzalez aren't present here, but the new vocal talent, especially Eska Mtungwazi, who sings on Mr. McGee and Medicine Man. Furthermore, there's a real split in the sound of this album, ranging from fast to slow, which really makes the ever track interesting to listen to, and it adds a fantastic set of music to their already great lineup of songs.

10 - Magnolia, The Wooden Birds

The Wooden Birds were one of the best artists of 2009, so it stands to reason that Magnolia, their first, is one of the better albums of the year. In this instance, their first album has a great sound right off the bat with False Alarm and going through the next forty minutes. The album is wonderfully consistent, with a constant, driving beat running through the length of the entire record; the album feels very structured, even and laidback throughout, and while it's repetitive, it's not boring. Combining influences from country, folk and rock, this indie record has an interesting sound that's worth repeating several times.

9 - A Sucker's Dream, The Alternate Routes

I really dug the Alternate Route's first album, Good and Reckless and True, but A Sucker's Dream jumps out of the gate with On and On We Whisper, bringing back the same energy and passion that I've seen live at their concerts. This is repeated throughout the album, such as with Toe The Line and The Future Is Nothing New. After seeing these guys several times live, it's outstanding to see some of their live tracks become studio ones, and to watch the band improve quite a bit since their first album. A Sucker's Dream is refined, energetic and above all, fun. In the months that I've been listening to this work, I haven't gotten tired of it. I still get a huge burst of energy and a grin when I hear the opening track, and generally, when I'm driving, it means a burst of speed as well.

8 - Bring Back Love, Glide & Swerve

Glide & Swerve was listed as one of my best new artists of this year, and their album is likewise amongst my favorites for the year. Bring Back Love is much like what Simple Things was for Zero 7 - low-key, unassuming, interesting and laid back, with a fantastic overall tone and feel. Electronic down-tempo is a genre that is growing on me, and I really like the easy going, ambient nature that this album has. Each track is a joy to listen to, and as I listen to a lot of these albums when driving, it's the perfect soundtrack for driving home in the evening. Plus, while it's not connected to the music, they've got a fantastic cover for this album.

7 - Tarpits And Canyonlands, Bombadil

Bombadil is back with their quirky indie rock with Tarpits and Canyonlands. Like their first album, A Buzz, A Buzz, this is a refinement, but at the same time, they retained everything that made their first album so much fun to listen to - weird arrangements, sounds and bursts of energy that just add to the quirk factor. Every song is a pleasant surprise, almost like being thrust into a fantasy carnival. Seeing them in person this year was a treat as well - their stage performances have been great, not only to listen to, but to watch as well.

6 - The Hazards of Love, The Decemberists

The Decemberists have always been a weird band to listen to, and a difficult one at best, but The Hazards Of Love is by far their most ambitious and interesting album to listen to. Looking back to progressive and conceptual albums for some sort of inspiration, as well as the desire to do a stage musical, the Decemberists have put together an album that tells a story, making this album a rich, three course meal to be enjoyed. The downside is that the album can't really be listened to piecemeal - it's pretty much all or nothing, but with the right effort, this album's worth it.

5 - Middle Cyclone, Neko Case

Neko Case is an artist that has slowly crept onto my musical radar over the past couple of years, and Middle Cyclone is the best that I've heard from her thus far. The album is a rich, vibrant effort, one that just begs for one more listen. There's a lot going on with each song, from the lyrics to the sound, coupled with Case's absolutely fantastic voice that just moves from song to song. By a far margin, this is her best album, and one that will remain on my favorites list for a long time.

4 - Nothing Rhymes with Woman, Carbon Leaf

Carbon Leaf returned this year with their latest studio album, Nothing Rhymes With Woman to mixed expectations. By far and wide, they're one of my absolute favorite bands, but comparatively, their last album hasn't held up to its earlier predecessors, Indian Summer and Echo Echo. Nothing Rhymes With Woman, however, harkens back to their independent days, but with the sound that they've been polishing over the past couple of years. This album reminded me why I loved their music so much - the band tells stories, and there's an incredible effort here, with some of their best songs, from the opening track, Indecision, Lake of Silver Bells, Mexico and Pink. Carbon Leaf's always been good with evocative music before - I dare you to listen to Pink and not be moved, or to Lake of Silver Bells and not feel good.

3 - Bible Belt, Diane Birch

Diane Birch burst onto the music scene in grand fashion this year with her first album Bible Belt. I caught her this year in Burlington for a free show, picked up her album and simply could not stop listening to it. Her indie soul sound is both nostalgic and refreshing at the same time, with an incredible voice that sweeps across the album, full of energy and zest. Very song on this album just nails the quality level here, sounding perfect almost across the board. Furthermore, Birch is able to navigate the delicate maze of lyrics, telling stories of love and loss, of childhood fun, all without labeling the album as any particular sound or theme. Rather, she puts together an album that sounds, feels and says all the right things.

2 - Death Won't Send A Letter, Cory Chisel and the Wandering Sons

Cory Chisel and the Wandering Sons have put together an absolute masterpiece of an album, one that I cannot stop listening to. Death Won't Send A Letter is a dark, emotional and absolutely fantastic record - it is both rich and textured throughout. Chisel brings out influences from country/folk rock and Baptist music, woven together to bring out a unique sound. The album ebbs and flows between tracks - starting off with the mind-blowing Born Again and cooling down on the aptly named second track Calm Down. This is an artist to watch in the singer/songwriter market, because I don't think that we've heard the last from these guys. I certainly don't want to.

1- Crooked Measures, Myra Flynn

Vermont singer/songwriter Myra Flynn takes my top spot for the album of the year with her first album, Crooked Measures. Of the numerous new artists and albums that I've been able to listen to over 2009, Flynn has put together a highly emotional, driven and exceptional album that demonstrates her skill as a singer/songwriter. I hate to keep repeating it, but each song is richly conceived and executed, making a wonderful and memorable album to listen to. Crooked Measures is by far and wide the best album that I've listened to all year, and I hope that we will hear more from her in the very, very near future.

Medicine Man - Zero 7
Hometown Fantasy - The Wooden Birds
On and On We Whisper - The Alternate Routes
Healing Overture - Glide & Swerve
Sad Birthday - Bombadil
The Rake's Song - The Decemberists
Magpie To The Morning - Neko Case
Indecision - Carbon Leaf
Don't Wait Up - Diane Birch
My Heart Would Be There - Cory Chisel and the Wandering Sons
Sunshine - Myra Flynn

Hype - Buy - Donate

Shoot to Thrill

2009-12-17T09:29:00.001-05:00

Last night, the trailer for Iron Man 2 came online - Stark's back, baby! And he's back in what looks to be much the same style as the first outing, the fantastic Iron Man 1.

There was a considerable bit of worry that this film would go the typical sequel route - and certainly, it still might - but this trailer reminded me that the first Iron Man, while one of the better superhero movies, knew it was such, and as a result, it had a bit of humor to go along with it - this looks to be much of the same.

Shoot To Thrill - AC/DC

Hype - Watch - Look

Best New Artists of 2009

2009-12-16T10:49:00.003-05:00

This was a year of mixed priorities for me, and less of a focus on music than in prior years. Life gets in the way of such things, and as a result, this is a bit of a smaller list than I've presented in other years. That being said, the sound is no less potent, interesting and fun to listen to. Here's who I thought were some of the best new artists of 2009:

Allie Moss - Passerby

Allie Moss was an artist that I came across in October in a large pile of music. In these instances, I tend to throw a bunch of new artists together into a single playlist and listen to them all by album and then shuffling the songs together, and inevitably, Moss was one of the artists that I kept going back to. Her debut EP Passerby was a treat to listen to, with a quiet, unreserved sound that blends a kindly voice with an easygoing guitar that is reminiscent of Ingrid Michaelson. Her song Corner, in particular, is one of my favorites.

Andrew Belle - All Those Pretty Lights

Andrew Bell is another artist who released a debut EP, All Those Pretty Lights, that I first heard this year, and will be releasing his first studio album in February of 2010, entitled The Ladder. He also released a live album, with a diverse range of covers, from Coldplay to the Decemberists, to Death Cab For Cutie, entitled Sundays at Rockit. Belle's sound is fun and laid back, and a good model for indie-pop music.

Cory Chisel and the Wandering Sons - Death Won't Send A Letter

Cory Chisel and the Wandering Sons burst to my attention earlier this fall with their first album, Death Won't Send A Letter, a followup to their Cabin Ghosts EP released last year. This album absolutely blew me away with it's Baptist, folk-rock and country influences, and starts of with their great song Born Again right off the bat. They balance infectous energy and fantastic lyrics to become a group that is well worth watching out for.

Elizabeth & The Catapult - Taller Children

Elizabeth & The Catapult is a fun outfit out of Brooklyn, who released their first album this year, entitled Taller Children. The album as a whole is breezy and free, reminiscent of Sarah Bareilles, but without a lot of the commercialish-pop vibe that artists like that have. They have a unique sound and tone, one that varies a bit throughout the album. This is a pure summer album, one that recalls sunny, lazy, summer days. That's a good feeling to instill.

Glide & Swerve - Bring Back Love

Shifting from indie-pop and folk, another band that really caught my ears this year was Glide & Swerve, an electronica duo put together their first album, Bring Back Love, that is warm, soothing and interesting throughout. One of the major pitfalls that I've heard with electronica is a tendency to become overly repetative, but Glide & Swerve manages to largely avoid that between songs. The end result is a solid album with a good beat, feel and vibe.

Myra Flynn - Crooked Measures

Indie-Soul/R&B/Folk singer Myra Flynn is someone who's been around for a little while, playing music in the Vermont area. Last year, she was laid off from her job, and decided to go to music full time. The end result was Crooked Measures, one of the best, richest and most dynamic first albums that I've heard in a while. Crooked Measures is an emotional album, raw, refined and absolutely fantastic.

The Wooden Birds - Magnolia

The Wooden Birds is the product of Andrew Kenny, which put out its first album out this year, Magnolia. This album is low, smokey and rhythmic, with a very cool indie-folk sound that is very catchy. The album as a whole feels stripped down, minimalistic and full of a driving beat. Magnolia is an interesting album that kept me coming back for more.

Corner - Allie Moss
All Those Pretty Lights - Andrew Belle
My Heart Would Be There - Cory Chisel & The Wandering Sons
Race You - Elizabeth & The Catapult
And I Smile - Glide & Swerve
So It Goes - Myra Flynn
False Alarm - Wooden Birds

Buy - Donate

Josh Ritter & The Low Anthem

2009-12-08T10:22:00.002-05:00

Over the weekend, I caught an ad in the local paper, Seven Days, and found one of the more fantastic deals for a concert that I've seen in a while: Josh Ritter and the Low Anthem at the University of Vermont: $10. And, it was the next night. Purchasing a ticket was an absolute no-brainer, and on Friday night, I went up to Burlington to see Ritter for a second time.

The last show that I had seen from Josh Ritter and his band was in 2007, where he played with Vermont group Grace Potter and the Nocturnals on the Waterfront Park. It was a fantastic show, and Ritter was introduced in grand style. The Low Anthem was a band that I had yet to see, but one that I was familiar with - looking back over the archives here, I'm surprised that I haven't written about them yet.

Low Anthem opened for the show, and over the course of the show, I have to wonder if it's a brilliant concoction of a bipolar producer. The group opened quietly for a couple of songs, including a great rendition of Charlie Darwin, a high, ethereal, sounding song, before launching into several other numbers that where loud and fast - Home I'll Never Be, in particular, is one song that stood out from this style.

Low Anthem was good, but unpolished. Coming off of their first album, Oh My God, Charlie Darwin, released earlier this year, this isn't necessarily something that was unexpected, but their sound was almost too raw, too varied, and had a very limited stage presence. I'm not sure that I saw them open their eyes on stage (that might have been the lighting though), but they seemed shy, hesitant until they began to play. While this obviously doesn't impact the sound, I've always felt that concert performances are more than just the music - it's about the entire experience and performance of the evening, music plus the band on stage. Fortunately, in this instance, Low Anthem's music, energy and drive really made their act shine over their appearance.

Ritter, on the other hand, made the evening. From the start, Ritter practically jumped on stage, with a huge, boyish grin plastered on his face that didn't leave the entire time that he was on stage. This was one concert where I didn't take down a set list - I stood an enjoyed the show. The group played a wide range of songs, from some earlier albums, although mostly from The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter and The Animal Years, as well as a number of new songs from next year's upcoming album. Throughout the set were a number of my personal favorites: Snow Is Gone, Wolves, Girl In The War, Good Man, Kathleen, Lillian Egypt, Rumors, Mind's Eye and a number of others.

Ritter is one of the few artists that I absolutely love in person far more than I like studio recordings. When introducing his music to a friend recently, I told him to imagine the music about 10 % faster, and 90% louder, and you'll come up with an approximation to the intensity and mood of the evening. Ritter's group, all decked out in vests and ties, presented a polished, energetic and excited performance that will likely rank up on some of my favorite concert experiences.

For me, Josh Ritter's performance epitomizes what rock music should be: It's fun, loud and full of wild energy by a group that seems genuinely excited and thrilled to be doing what they're doing. It's an added bonus that the group is brimming with talent - song-writing, musical expertise and sound is unmatched. If the band is coming near you anytime in the next couple of years, do yourself a favor and check them out.

Brian Stowell has a fantastic set of photographs from the current, ongoing tour - I highly recommend checking them out!

Wolves - Josh Ritter

Lillian, Egypt - Josh Ritter

The Curse - Josh Ritter

Orbital - Josh Ritter

Right Moves - Josh Ritter

Snow Is Gone - Josh Ritter

Hype - Buy - Donate - Look

Free Music for the Holidays!

2009-12-03T14:10:00.001-05:00

Things have been busy, and this blog has been neglected, sadly, but this was something that caught my eye: Vanguard Music has put together a Holiday sampler that features a number of really good musicicans: Stephen Kellogg & the Sixers, Brandi Carlile, Joshua Radin, Josh Ritter, Needtobreathe, Greg Laswell, Meiko, Brett Dennen, Noise Addict, Dar Williams, Dawn Landes, Erin McKeown, Joe Purdy, Katie Herzig, Serena Ryder and The Watson Twins are all included.

Download the entire mix here: http://vanguardrecords.com/downloads/Holiday

Matter flows from place to place...

2009-11-23T13:55:00.003-05:00

The Symphony of Science people have released their third song, this time 'starring' Carl Sagan, Robert Jastrow, Richard Dawkins and Michio Kaku, entitled Our Place in the Cosmos.

I'm really digging these songs that this guy is coming up with - running old science programs through an autotuner to produce an interesting and thoughtful piece. The website states: The Symphony of Science is a musical project by John Boswell designed to deliver scientific knowledge and philosophy in musical form. It's an interesting project, one that to me, makes much sense - there is as much poetry and beauty in the natural world that music set around these sorts of concepts seems logical. Who would have thought that the voices of the great minds themselves would sound so good?

What's more, in this instance, in a culture that is so permiated with a notion that science and learning is uncool, these songs come as a welcome change. While they're not likely to convert the masses over to reading A Brief History of Time, their very presence is proof-positive that there are others that feel the same way - much as Bill Nye notes in the project's second song, there's a lot of emptiness there, but that seems to make those encounters with other similar, like-minded people all the better.

This third song is good, but still not as good as that first single, A Glorious Dawn. There's just too many people - hopefully we'll get some dedicated Bill Nye ones and some of these other notable minds. But, that's a small quibble here - the songs are wholly geeky, intelligent and wonderful.

Our Place in the Cosmos - Carl Sagan, Robert Jastrow, Richard Dawkins and Michio Kaku,

We Are All Connected - Carl Sagan, Richard Feynman, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Bill Nye

A Glorious Dawn - Carl Sagan and Stephen Hawking

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Album Review: Bring Back Love

2009-10-20T15:55:00.001-04:00

Glide & Swerve's debut album, Bring Back Love, sounds much like their name. It's sleek, easy listening and feels like it's the perfect thing to zone out to while watching one of those Apple visualizers. The result is a fantastic down-tempo album that is perfect listening for a slow moment. Moreover, the album as a whole sounds 'cool'.

The group has been compared to Zero 7, but I think it sounds far more along the lines of Ivy, with their album In The Clear, which was released back in 2005. Both albums have the same airy feel with a good bass beat. There is a good mix of fast and slow with this album, enough to prevent it from being too redative. Tracks such as Healing Overture, And I Smile, The Last Stand Of Mr Dann, Falling and Pure (Stoneboy), stand out for their variety as much as their ability to fit in well with one another. Starting with Healing Overture and ending with This Is Yours - Finale, there's a gradual build in the tone and feel of each song, and the overall assembly works well together.

I really enjoyed this album - I found it to be a pleasant listen in the evening while puttering around my apartment, winding down for the night.

And I Smile - Glide & Swerve

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Stargate Universe

2009-10-16T21:00:00.002-04:00

On Friday, the SyFy channel unveiled its latest addition from the Stargatefranchise, Stargate: Universe to high ratings, showing that the third series has a good potential at life for the newly relaunched channel. This new version is an enormous leap forward for the series, evolving characters, storylines and the entire universe in which the show is set to bring about what looks to be a very promising addition to both the franchise and the genre.

Stargate: Universe opens quietly, with several location shots of space and the Destiny, the ship on which the show will be taking place, with an eventual cut to the familiar image of an active Stargate. A single soldier flies through the opening (Lt. Matthew Scott), falling and quickly checking his surroundings. What happens next is a mad rush of people and equipment. There is no explanation, no introduction of characters or their situation. It proves to be one of the most compelling moments in the franchise to date, and is so out of character for the Stargate Universe that this could very well be a different show, unrelated to the Stargate franchise, one that utilizes only one of the elements of the original show to any large degree, the titular Stargate.

The rest of the episode is shown through alternating scenes, the frantic scenes onboard the Ancient ship and the moments leading up to their predicament. Notable characters, such as Daniel Jackson, Jack O’Neill andSamantha Carter all make short cameos, which helps transition this universe from the familiar world of SG-1. I was happy to see that the characters got their moments, (they did the same for Atlantis), but I was equally happy that these appearances were just placeholders, showing that the franchise and storylines moved on after SG-1, and that there were other things to explore. The episode storyline is also very different from what longtime viewers of SG-1or Atlantis might expect, both in story and execution. With the unconventional start to the episode, we go back to see Eli Wallace, a typical geek-type, solves a puzzle on an MMORPG and is visited by O’Neill and Dr. Rush, who tell him that the puzzle was to help solve a problem that the SGC was having off world. Eli is brought to a spaceship (where we see Daniel Jackson at his best, explaining things in long form) and brought to Icarus Base, where Rush is working out an equation to uncover the meaning behind the 9th chevron of the Stargate. Because of the planet’s unique properties, this is the ideal place to study, for power reasons. Shortly after the delegation’s arrival, the planet is attacked and the team, with Eli’s help, is able to dial the new address with the 9th Chevron, bringing the storyline to The Destiny, an Ancient ship designed to explore, but that is also falling apart.

Thus, the series begins, not with the very typical elements that defined the earlier shows, but with even more basic ones – air supply (the first three episodes are called Air, Parts 1, 2 and 3, with 3 airing next Friday) food and water, with the very survival of the people, all unprepared for this unexpected journey. This is a huge change from the two prior series – the characters were laid out, the story generally involved a new planet or technology, and everyone was home by supper. This changed over the evolution of the shows, but by and large, this formula didn’t change all that much. This, on the other hand, takes the formula and throws it through the Stargate. While this isn’t BattlestarGate like a lot of people had thought, it’s clear that SyFy has realized that the method of storytelling that Battlestar Galactica utilized would work well for this show, and from all appearances, it’s been utilized very well.

What I liked most of all was that this isn’t a rehash of SG-1 like Stargate Atlantis was. SG-1 was a very fun show, one that really grew with time, but a show that really held to many of the same conventions throughout. Thus, it was consistent, but as viewers tastes in shows matures, the show did not.Atlantis was essentially a rehash of SG-1, just with different characters in a different galaxy, but with many of the same stories and even situations carrying over. This show, on the other hand, seems to seek out a very different path with the overall intent of the storyline, going over some new territory and retreading some very basic older ground.

What the show does to the franchise is that it removes many of the assumptions that the earlier shows held. Travelling to another planet, after a while, became very routine and as such, much of that energy and enthusiasm vanished in the first couple seasons, and were aptly replaced by the major storylines that developed. This is in no way a bad thing, but it was a noticeable thing. With Universe, that sense is back, but with it is much of the danger and feeling of the unknown. Where SG-1 sprinted through stories, Universe is taking the slower and more deliberate route, which should be more realistic, but more interesting to the modern viewer.

Like in SG-1, the core of the story is exploration; really capturing what I believe is the central essence of Science Fiction, exploration. This is demonstrated after the refugees from the base find themselves on the ship, and it is explained that they can fulfill something important while onboard, exploring the universe around them, essentially making the best of what is a really terrible situation. This is where the show delves into new territory, with a race for survival for basics – security and air. This was explored a bit in Atlantis, but not nearly with as much urgency as here. SGC members tread around the ship, almost getting killed when they open the wrong doors, and they race to repair the atmospheric conditions on board by plugging a couple of leaks that they find and fixing the air scrubbers. This is something that never seemed to happen in the original shows, and to some extent, it feels a little more like the original film upon which the shows are based. This is something that will most likely continue with the rest of the series, as the characters begin to inventory what they have – tape, paper, but not much when it comes to necessities. Hugo Award winning author John Scalzi has been brought in as a consultant, and noted that the crew has a finite number of resources, such as bullets and food, and that this figures into the style of the show.

What is also very promising for the rest of the series is the characters. While initially reading over the early plots and character descriptions, I wasn’t very hopeful for how the show looked. Fortunately, SyFy has assembled a very promising cast of characters, each with their own moments in the limelight as the story progressed in the first episode. There is enough background hinted at for each character for a whole multitude of upcoming stories, somewhat along the lines of what was done in LOST, which is good. We have a number of characters that really aren’t the cut and dry, good and bad sort of characters. Rather, we’re treated to numerous shades of gray, and I’m not sure where these characters will end up by the end of Season 1. Of the entire cast, however, Dr. Nicholas Rush, played by Robert Carlyle is the most intriguing, with a hinted tragic past and unclear motivations, and will clearly be a person to watch during future episodes. A number of the other characters are also quite interesting, and I am eager to see what they do with a couple of them.

Universe, when it was first announced, was not a show that I was looking forward to. Early news reports did not look good, and even with the first trailers, I wasn’t won over by the premise. It was not until I began to hear that this show would be different, not only in how it was shot, but how it was structured, that I began to take more of an interest, and watching the results, I was amazed at how the franchise had grown up to what I saw before me. This is a good move for SyFy and the Stargate franchise, because it shows that the story can move onto different story models and styles, rather than essentially rehashing much of the same, as Atlantis did with SG-1. Atlantisfailed after only five seasons, compared to SG-1’s massive run of ten seasons. Indeed, the eventual failure of SG-1 is most likely the same as Atlantis’s - the show simply did not change enough from the original model, even with a fairly new cast and set of storylines that would have carried it into future seasons. Universe seems to be that change that the franchise has so desperately needed, one that retains the familiar aspects of the shows that we know and love, but with newer elements that have been shown to work very well in a number of newer shows.

Air, Parts 1 and 2, are a fantastic start to the new show, and if they are any indication of how this season will fare, it will be very interesting indeed. Already, it is amongst the best two hours in the entire franchise, and I have a feeling that the rest of the show will put Universe as one of the better shows in the franchise, if not the best of the three. I am now eagerly awaiting the rest of the season.

Breathe - Alexi Murdoch

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Sia Covers The Church

2009-10-16T13:04:00.003-04:00

Sia recently recorded a cover of The Church's fantastic song, Under The Milky Way, for a Lincoln car commercial, the same ones who got Cat Power to do her fantastic cover of David Bowie's Space Oddity. This song was up for a free download on their website. It's a pity CP's song wasn't up there as well, but give this version a listen - it's just as good as the original song.

Under the Milky Way (The Church) - Sia

Under the Milky Way - Church

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Pink

2009-10-15T13:35:00.001-04:00

I saw Carbon Leaf earlier this week, with a fun lineup with Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers, along with Dawn Landes. I didn't take down a set list, because I've done that quite a few times already, but there is one part of the concert that I wanted to pass along to the greater internet population.

One of the new songs on their latest album, Nothing Rhymes With Woman, is called Pink. As Barry Privet prepared for the song, he related a story:

Along with some friends we've known who have struggled to overcome breast cancer, 'Pink' was inspired by the story of a fan of ours who developed breast cancer at a particularly young age. We were touched by her strength in documenting her own journey, and the amazing outpouring of support from her family, friends and community.

As a result, this week, the band has joined with The Breast Cancer Site and National Breat Cancer Foundation, and are offering their song, Pink, as a free download. To recieve the song, visit this link.

For each download of the song, Vanguard Records will donate $1 to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. Please download the song. In fact, tell a friend and get them to do the same.

Chasing Pirates

2009-10-14T10:53:00.002-04:00

Chasing Pirates, the latest song from Norah Jones, is a bit of a change from her normal sound, and will be coming with her next album, The Fall. Due out in November, this album is touted as holding a new sound for Jones, who's breakout album, Come Away With Me has really yet to be matched by her followup albums, Feels Like Home and Not Too Late. Both were fine albums, but neither came anywhere close to that first, fantastic disc.

If Chasing Pirates is anything to go by, Jones is toning down the jazz angle that was so heavily featured on her first three albums, going instead with more of a modern rock and roll sound. This first track has a much heavier beat, with no piano. Jones' vocals are angled differently for this song - the sound is not so much silky jazz, but more laid back rock and pop than anything else. While this will undoubtably alienate some of her fans, I'm sold on the change. I've thought that Jones' needed to really change up something after Come Away With Me, and while this isn't the change that I would have pegged her at, the results sound promising.

Chasing Pirates - Norah Jones

Come Away With Me - Norah Jones

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Review: Born Again

2009-10-13T14:13:00.002-04:00

Over the past couple of years, blues/folk/rock has become a bit more popular through the radio and listeners, partially due to an influx of artists such as Amos Lee and Ray LaMontagnge, who have released a number of fantastic albums in the past five years that have blended country-folk with rock and roll. The results are a series of better-than-average rock and roll songs that take the best of both worlds - storytelling with the energy and sound of rock. While this isn't universally true, there is quite a bit to suggest that folk-rock is a bit on the rise, with the aforementioned artists, but also with such acts as Alexi Murdoch and Iron & Wine, covering the loud to the softer sides of this genre.

Cory Chisel and the Wandering Sons are no different on this list. Hailing from Wisconsin, the group, headed by frontman Cory Chisel, has released their first full length album entitled Death Won't Send A Letter, a remarkable album that comes after several smaller EPs (Darken Your Door, Little Bird and Cabin Ghosts).

This album is a joy to listen to - The Wandering Sons have a diverse range of sound, starting the album off with a bang with Born Again, before settling down, ironically, Calm Down. This range is a healthy one for the entire album, because they seem so effortlessly to move from song to son. The faster songs on the album are well paced, rythmic and above all, interesting. But beyond just the range of speed at which the band can play, they shift around the sounds quite a bit - Death Won't Send a Letter, has a dynamic and rich sound, one that far surpasses most albums that I've heard yet this year. Where a number of bands have adapted a sound to suit a change, The Wandering Sons are the real deal, and if you aren't tapping your foot or getting into the sound, you're doing something wrong.

Born Again - Cory Chisel and the Wandering Sons

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Concert Review: Jonathan Coulton

2009-10-07T15:12:00.002-04:00

A couple weeks ago, I got to see a favorite singer of mine, Jonathan Coulton. Coulton is one of the leading singers in the small geek-folk/rock field. Like nerdcore music, this isn't any different than the overall genre, but he sings with a number of themes that fall within geek/nerd fandom. His concert, opened by Paul and Storm (who were in and of themselves quite funny), was a fun and highly entertaining evening. I can't say that he's the best stage presence that I've seen - a bit more preperation would have been nice, but his songs superseed that by quite a bit. If you get a chance to check him out, I recommend it.

Here's the set list:

Betty and Me

Skullcusher mountain

Code Monkey

Shop Vac

Curl

Big Bad World One

Space Doggity

Little Birdhouse In Your Soul (They Might Be Giants)

Creepy Doll

Drinking With You

Mr. Fancy Pants

I Crush Everything

The Future Soon

Still Alive

Re: Brains

Encore

I Feel Fantastic

Skullcrusher Mountain - Jonathan Coulton

Curl - Jonathan Coulton

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Horchata - New Song by Vampire Weekend

2009-10-05T15:28:00.002-04:00

Vampire Weekend, the indie-darlings of 2008, have announced their upcoming album in recent weeks, entitled Contra, which will be avaliable January 11th in the UK and the 12th in the US. I'm moderately interested to see if these guys can follow up with the same success with their first album. While they have a fairly unique sound, I've always been moderately turned off by the amount of critical praise heaped upon them, as well as the widespread adoption of the hipster-demographic. At the end, it never really matters what others think of anything, and they have sounded pretty good. This new track, Horchata (which, according to wikipedia, is: the name for several kinds of traditional beverages, made of ground almonds, sesame seeds, rice, barley or tigernuts) sounds quite good. They have retained much of the light, fun sound that was prevalent throughout their first album, and that is an indication of how the album will sound, they should be pretty well off next year.

Here's the track listing:

01 Horchata
02 White Sky
03 Holiday
04 California English
05 Taxi Cab
06 Run
07 Cousins
08 Giving Up the Gun
09 Diplomat's Son
10 I Think Ur a Contra

Horchata - Vampire Weekend

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Duet: Carl Sagan and Stephen Hawking.

2009-10-02T13:35:00.002-04:00

When I first started this blog, I never thought that I'd these two up for a song. Today's duet is about the universe, a very fun remix with Carl Sagan and Stephen Hawking.

Glorious Dawn (Cosmos Remix) - Carl Sagan and Stephen Hawking

Hype - Buy

I <3 M

2009-09-22T11:00:00.004-04:00

It's been a good couple months.

Love You More - Alexi Murdoch

I'm In Love With A Girl - Big Star

Re: Stacks - Bon Iver

Comfort - Carbon Leaf

Dream Girl - Dave Matthew's Band

Ordinary Man - Gregory Douglass & Grace Potter

Heartbeats (The Knife) - José González

A Good Day (Morning Song) - Priscilla Ahn

You Are The Best Thing - Ray LaMontagne

Everybody Knows - Ryan Adams

Dreaming - Sara Wheeler

Love Will Come Through - Travis

Destiny - Zero 7

Hype - Buy

The Decemberists and the Hazards of Love (9-20, Burlington, VT)

2009-09-21T09:39:00.003-04:00

I never got around to formally reviewing The Decemberist's latest album, The Hazards of Love, when it was released this past spring, but when I saw that they were coming up Vermont, I elected to hold off until I'd watched them in person and kill two birds with one stone.

The Decemberists is a group that I admittedly have a hard time with. They were largely introduced to me through a now-ex girlfriend, bringing back some memories that I've not thought about in a long time. Initially, I really disliked these guys to begin with. I hadn't gotten to the point where I would sit down and process songs - I just didn't like the sound. That changed when I listened their first major record, The Crane Wife, which I really enjoyed. Listening to them a bit more, I really got into their lyrics and began to enjoy some of their earlier songs as well, although I still think that the Crane Wife is one of their best albums to date.

The Hazards of Love, then, was an interesting experience. Initially, I wasn't as fond of it. It was a little too out there, I remember thinking, after my first listen through it. A friend of mine told me that he liked it more, because of the prog-rock roots and connected nature of the entire album. This prompted me to go back and listen to it a couple more times with this in mind, plus a little research through the internet to some of the themes and references throughout, and I enjoyed it a lot more.

The Hazards of Love was initially conceived as a rock-musical, of sorts. Several additional singers (Becky Stark of Lavender Diamond, Shara Worden of My Brightest Diamond and Jim James of My Morning Jacket) were brought in to sing the various 'parts' that make their appearances throughout the story. The first song really sets the story in motion, when Margaret, voiced by Stark, comes across a shape-shifting fawn, and they fall in love. She then becomes pregnant and goes off to find William (the fawn). We later learn that his mother, the Forest Queen had cast a spell upon him (this is influenced by a number of mythologies - she had saved his life in a river when he was a baby) and he can only remain human during the night. The Queen caught William, and he bargains her for a single night of freedom to be with Margaret. The Queen agrees, at a cost - one night, and after that, his freedom is hers.
We're then introduced to the character of the Rake, who's killed his children and when he comes across Margaret, he kidnaps her and takes her to the Annan Waters (the same river where William was rescued). The Queen comes across the Rake, and knowing that Margaret is the only thing that can take William from her, she offers to take Margaret and the Rake across to cause everyone some misery. The Rake continues to escape, but is haunted by the ghosts of his children, and in the struggle, William catches up, and kills the Rake. However, to cross the river the first time, William offered up his body to the waters once again, and when they attempt to cross, and together, they drown in the river.

Like the rest of the Decemberists songs, this is a very complicated album. The themes alone are characteristic of the group, as are their lyrics, and after working out just what this album is about, I absolutely love it. When I finally realized the good parts of the Decemberists, their lyrics, complicated stories and sound, I really got into it, and this is much the same case here. The Hazards of Love is a stunning, complicated and beautiful album. I highly recommend giving it a good solid listen - be warned, this is the sort of album that requires you to really pay attention to the lyrics.

Last night, The Decemberists appeared at the Flynn Theater in Burlington, Vermont, opened by Laura Veirs and the Hall of Flames. The Flames were decent, but a newer band that really sounded like they were learning their sound. At times, they sounded fairly good - when all were singing together. Veirs on her own felt very unsupported, and out of place. Hopefully we'll hear a bit more from them, improved, in the future.

The Decemberists as a group are a fantastic live act, and the Flynn was a fantastic place to see them live. Unfortunately, my phone died, and I was unable to take down the set list. According to Colin Meloy, they intended to play The Hazards of Love in its entirety, but because Becky Stark's flight was cancelled, they improvised, playing a mixed set of old and new songs. There were a number of notable songs that they played, from 16 Military Wives, Apology Song, The Crane Wife 3, as well as a couple of older, more obscure ones that I didn't know the names off the top of my head.

One of the things that really impressed me was at how much of the show was a group act, not Colin Meloy supported by the remaining band members. Throughout the show, given the nature of the album and their songs, it seemed like the sound was put together by everyone, each with an integral part that made the result what it was. While Meloy was certainly one of the more visible parts of the group, it's a group effort, through and through.

I was also impressed with the sheer energy and drama that they brought forth from the stage. The group was already fairly theatrical, from what I'd heard, but once again, given the nature of Hazards, there was certainly a bit of acting between some of the singers during those songs. Shara Worden provided a stunning stage presence with her other-worldly like appearance of the Forest Queen, as well as her cover of Crazy On Me, originally by Heart. I really wish that I had been able to see the full performance of Hazards, because I suspect that would really be something to see. Hopefully the group will feel the need to make it up to Burlington, and return again in the near future.

The Hazards of Love 1 (The Prettiest Whistles Won't Wrestle the Thistles Undone) - The Decemberists

The Abduction of Margaret - The Decemberists

Sixteen Military Wives - The Decemberists

The Crane Wife 3 - The Decemberists

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Review: The Bear, Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers

2009-09-15T10:24:00.002-04:00

Last week saw the release of Stephen Kellogg and the Sixer's latest release, The Bear. It's been a couple of years since their last album, The Glassjaw Boxer, a fun listen, but with this release, there are some good indications of growth for the group. The Bear is easily their best album to date.

The Bear was produced by Tom Schick, who has previously worked with acts such as Norah Jones, Ryan Adams and Rufus Wainwright, as well as Sam Kassirer, who's worked with Josh Ritter, and it shows. There is a toned down country feel to a number of the songs, leading me to be reminded of Josh Ritter's last album, The Historical Consquests of Josh Ritter - fans of Ritter would do good to aquaint themselves with the Sixers.

The album opens with the title track, The Bear and flows nicely into A (With Love) before kicking into higher gear with my favorite track of the album, Shady Esperanto and The Young Hearts, an energetic and telling song about growing old and the wonders of youth. Followup tracks such as See Yourself, Oh Adeline, Dying Wish of a Teenager, All Part of the Show, Do and Mabeline alternatively carry the energy and softer elements through the course of the album. There is energy and focus throughout the album, which adds to the entire listening experience immensely.

What really stands out for The Bear, however, is not just the sound, but the stories. In the finest of country-rock tradition, each song really tells a story: A (With Love) looks to a young, single mother from a tired past, Shady Esperanto and The Young Hearts runs all over the idea of aging, Dying Wish of a Teenager deals with someone moving on, Mabeline talks about a man caught up with a woman and their crime spree, and so on. This gives the album a really fun edge, and gives it something far more than most pop albums out there: weight and thought after listening.

It's an album that sounds good, with fantastic lyrics, style and energy. I've found it to be the perfect one to drive along country roads with, singing along.

The Bear is now avaliable everywhere, while the Sixers are currently on tour with Carbon Leaf.

Oh Adeline - Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers

Mabeline - Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers

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Today, we watched the Sky Fall

2009-09-11T10:31:00.003-04:00

There is something that’s been bothering me on this day, and it’s something that I’ve noticed happening for a couple years now:

“Remember 9-11!”

This year, I’ve been seeing more and more of this, people pouring out a simple one or two sentences, sometimes all in caps, reminding me that I need to remember the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and the thwarted attack on United 93. As if I could forget. The events of September 11 will likely remain with me for the rest of my life – I can remember that day as clearly as I remember last week, and in the ensuing eight years, it has changed our world far more than any event that I can remember.

This is why it bothers me today.

Taps - Army Bugler

September 11th Victims Relief Fund

Cover and Original: Make You Feel My Love

2009-08-31T14:54:00.002-04:00

We haven't done one of these in a while.

I just came across Adele recently with some radio airplay of her song, Right as Rain. It's a decent album with a handful of good songs, but there's one that caught my ears as a Bob Dylan cover, Make You Feel My Love. I think that this version is a geninue improvement over the original. Dylan is one of those artists that is hit or miss for me. He's certainly backed by a formittable array of songs and styles, but honestly, some of his stuff just grates.

Adele here takes the song and really turns it into her own. I think her voice just fits the song better than Dylan's nasalish sound. What do you think?

Make You Feel My Love (Bob Dylan) - Adele
Make You Feel My Love - Bob Dylan

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Happy Birthday Mini!

2009-08-26T13:47:00.002-04:00

Today is the 50th Anniversary of the Mini! It's a fantastic little car, one that has been revolutionary in terms of engineering and marketing, with broad popular appeal. As usual with things like this, I've done a writeup here.

I absolutely love my car, as I’ve written about before. The entire experience of driving it differs from anything that I’ve driven before, and I often will break out into a grin when I’m driving along. I love throwing Maxine into corners at speed, accelerating along straits and simply enjoying owning a car. I don’t believe that a car should be boring, or simply just to go from point A to B during commutes. That just seems dull, and that just seems like a waste.

Happy Birthday Mini. Here’s to another 50 years.

Here's a playlist of some good driving songs that I've collected for the occasion. I've always seen the Mini as fast and quirky, and I think that these songs fit the Mini's character quite well.

The Shock of Lightning - Oasis
Mercy - Duffy
She Sells Sanctuary - The Cult
Shuffle Your Feet - Back Rebel Motorcycle Club
Queen Bitch - David Bowie
Young Folks - Peter Bjorn and John
Venus - Shocking Blue
You Get What You Give - New Radicals
This Time Tomorrow - The Kinks
Hazey Jane II - Nick Drake
On Days Like These - Matt Monroe

Hype - Drive

Humans Only!

2009-08-20T13:07:00.002-04:00

This past Friday, a new SciFi movie called District 9 opened to theaters. I have to say, it's one of the better SciFi films that I've seen this summer, right up there with Duncan Jone's Moon.

The plot, for those unaware, is about an MNU employee who is infected with an alien substance and is forced to go on the run. 20 years earlier, an alien ship arrived over South Africa, where a couple million aliens were found, dying and ill. They were then relocated to District 9, where they came under control of Multinational United, a security firm.

In short, the film is modern, interesting and thoughtful. My full review can be found here.

The soundtrack is also quite good, and I'd recommend checking it out.

District 9 - Clinton Shorter

Hype - Buy - Jobs - Watch

History

2009-08-10T21:31:00.003-04:00

This week, I'll be in the town of Gettysburg, working on a program for my college, developing what we call a Staff Ride, a sort of glorified field trip that examines battlefields in great depth. It's a fascinating way to explore history, and if you get the chance, I highly recommend attending one somewhere, should you be presented with the opportunity.

Ashokan Farewell - Jay Unger

Yankee Bayonet - The Decemberists

Hype - Visit - About

Album Review: Battlestar Galactica, Season 3 (Original Television Soundtrack)

2009-08-05T09:43:00.002-04:00

Battlestar Galactica has since come and gone from the airwaves, with the occasional exception of the TV movies that they're planning - the upcoming one is entitled The Plan, due out sometime this year - but the ending season's soundtrack has just been released, ending what is a fine tradition of outstanding scoring for the series.

Battlestar Galactica has always had a soundtrack that's stood out, and each of the five soundtracks released for the Miniseries and resulting four seasons have been outstanding, different and beautiful. Composer Bear McCreary has utilized a number of different instruments and influences, from classical to Indian throughout the series, and this season is no exception, and is possibly the best score of the entire series.

Gatea's song from early on in the season is the opening track, and is a beautiful and haunting song, and helps to set the tone for the rest of the score. The sound for the entire season is one that is largely based off of the previous themes, matured and evolved from their starting points. This doesn't mean that the entire soundtrack is a rehash of what we've already heard. There's a greater urgency with some of these songs as the action in the series ramps up, especially evident with the track The Signal, and Roslin Escapes, while new themes, such as from the excellent Resurrection Hub, which is easily one of the best tracks on the score.

Season 4 was one of the seasons where the show began to end the story, wrapping up storylines and building to the conclusion. As a result, much of these two discs feel far less like a television soundtrack and far more like a movie soundtrack. The themes are greater, more sweeping and make their presence felt, which is highly appropriate for the last moments. Case in point would be Farewell Apollo early on in the list, but this really kicks in for the finale moments of the show.

This starts with Diaspora Oratorio, the track that came over when the fleet came across the First Earth for the mid-season finale, which would have worked easily as an end for the show. By far, this is my absolute favorite track for the entire series. It is epic, beautiful and sweeping, and far out of character for the show, which helps to set it apart. From there, the last eigh tracks cover the final moments of the show, and put together a somber, epic and wonderful sendoff to the show. Earth, Goodbye Sam, Heart of the Sun, Starbuck Disappears, So Much Life, An Easterly View and The Passage of Time all allow for a proper sendoff to all the characters, with hints of some of the original themes throughout, but often with a far more etherial sound to them that transends much of what we've heard before.

This soundtrack stands far apart from most other ones that I've heard. It's beautiful, simply elegant, and a proper sendoff to the series. I'll be very sad that this is the last soundtrack, and undoubtably, it will be known as McCreary's finest works. There was a lot of original, creative energy here over the course of the series, and I have no idea when we'll see something like this again.

Resurrection Hub - Bear McCreary

Diaspora Oratorio - Bear McCreary

Starbuck Disappears - Bear McCreary

So Much Life - Bear McCreary

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New Artist: Wooden Birds

2009-08-04T14:54:00.002-04:00

One of my absolute favorite albums that has come across my desk lately is Magnolia, by The Wooden Birds. This debut disc is an excellent listen, one that blends a rich mix of folk, alternative and Indie music.The Wooden Birds is a side project of Andrew Kenny, also of the American Analog Set. They're not a group that I'm familiar with, but I like the way that they approached this album.

The thing that really stands out, for me, is the heavy emphasis on the rhythm and beat for a majority of the songs. At points, it feels a little repetative, but far too facinating for that. This is a sound that I really haven't heard, especially from the bearded-indie-acoustic folks out there, which makes this record stand out a bit more from the rest of the pack. The songs are very deliberate, well paced and laced with a laidback sound that makes the entire album very accessible.

The strongest songs of the album come at the front, with False Alarm, Sugar, Hailey and Hometown Fantasy, all of which have a similar feel and sound to them, while the second half of the album feels a bit slower, more reflective, and just as interesting. Through and through, the album is a very strong one throughout.

False Alarm - The Wooden Birds
Sugar - The Wooden Birds

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Album Review: Moon (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

2009-07-31T14:15:00.002-04:00

One of my most anticipated films of the year came out in Vermont a couple weeks ago, and I finally was able to catch it in theaters. Moon is an absolutely brilliant film, and my full review for the movie is here, on my regular site.

The score stands apart, however, and Clint Mansell has really done a spectacular job with this score. His other big claims on films was Requium for a Dream and The Fountain. The Fountain soundtrack is a stunning piece of art, there's no way around that. Where that score is far more ambient and airy, Moon has a far different feel to it, with a rhythmic and repedative main theme that aids the feeling of isolation and loneliness for Sam Bell, played by actor Sam Rockwell.

Whereas in most scores, a monotonous and repedative score is a bad thing, this aids the film rather nicely because of its connection to the themes of the movie. Indeed, at points, the score almost overwhelms part of the film, one of the few annoying parts of the film, and it easily stands on its own for music. Welcome to Lunar Industries, the opening track, works beautifully with the opening credits as we're slowly introduced to Sam's life on the station. The first half of the soundtrack has a similar sound and feel, but for the second half, there is far more elegant and different feel to the remaining tracks.

This soundtrack is both beautiful, elegant and well worth purchasing. The film is brilliant, beautiful and well worth seeing.

Welcome to Lunar Industries - Clint Mansell

First Snow - Clint Mansell

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EP Review: Arrica Rose

2009-07-28T14:02:00.000-04:00

Arrica Rose's short EP Pretend I'm Fur is a somewhat uneven affair, but a good listen that is sprinkled through with some stellar tracks. This short, 6 track EP falls well within the singer/songwriter genre, and mixes influences from indie, folk, soul and rock to create a very easygoing listening experience.

Rose currently hails from California, where there seems to be a lot of this sort of music lately, and if you like singers such as A Girl Called Eddy or Priscilla Ahn, she'll be right up your alley.

Pretend I'm Fur carries with it the very typical nature of indie-folk, but it's far more downtrodden than some of the other works out there by similar artists. Each song is pretty depressing, when you get down to it, dealing with various breakups, departures and so on. The saving grace for this album is the high points, namely Tragedy and Be, two songs that really stand out from the rest of the album for their sound, which is both unique and flowing.

This EP will largely appeal to the indie-rock crowd, and not much beyond that, ultimately, which is a shame because there is some good material on here.

Be - Arrica Rose

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New Artist - The Rifles

2009-07-22T14:37:00.002-04:00

Right off the bat, the London based group The Rifles sound quite a lot like The Cold War Kids and the Arctic Monkeys, releasing a digital EP, featuring four sounds from their second album Great Escape, released earlier this year and later in July in North America. The title track makes the cut, but the remainder of the album is all new material that won't be on the album.

The group came about in 2003 when lead vocalist and guitarist Joel Stoker met fellow guitarist Lucus Crowther at a concert and formed The Rifles, releasing their first album two years later, entitled When I'm Alone, gaining some airplay, and a tour. While touring, they began work on their next work in 2007, Great Escape, which was released in January of 2009.

The Great Escape EP is a fun, light affair across the four songs on it. There's a sense of raw and youthful energy throughout, and this works spectacularly well. There's a clean feeling to this album, with precise and to the point guitar licks and lyrics. This is the sort of album that would be very fun to listen to while driving really fast. Like the Arctic Monkeys, it's the energy here that carries the songs, with the same sort of Cold War Kids grunge/pop sound that catches the ear.

The Great Escape - The Rifles

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One Small Step For Man

2009-07-20T16:53:00.004-04:00

40 years ago today, humanity landed on the moon, mankind's greatest achivement to date. What will come next?

MP3 Clip of EVA Activity

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Fly Me To The Moon

2009-07-16T13:54:00.002-04:00

I've talked a bit before about space history, and today is a particularly significant date in the field: 40 years ago today, Apollo 11 lifted off from Cape Canaveral on its mission to land on the moon. Astronauts Buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong and Michael Collins were aboard and would reach the moon four days later for their landing.

I did a brief writeup on the leadup to the moon mission, if anyone's interested: http://jeditrilobite.wordpress.com/2009/07/15/the-road-to-the-moon There'll be more on the 20th and 24th at the same site to cover the actual landing and aftermath.

Fly Me To The Moon - Frank Sinatra

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New Video - Nothing But A Miracle

2009-07-16T13:27:00.003-04:00

I talked about Diane Birch yesterday, and just came across a video for her current single, Nothing But a Miracle. I'll be seeing her tonight in Burlington, and I'm quite excited!