Carry Away the Summer

Here at Carry You Away, we like mixes. Now that I have a car with a CD player, I really like putting together a collection of songs to fit a particular driving style or mood that I find myself in, and go from there. Recently, I got to thinking about movie soundtracks and how a lot of the hipster, indie films often have this sort of attitude - a mix-tape is generally just as good when it comes to a film.

I guess that works, although I have to say that the only really good film soundtrack collection that I've come across recently seems to have been a model for a lot of the other films - Garden State. For me, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist and Juno (and an upcoming one called Adam) can't hold a candle to this album, which still holds up nicely for me. I'm not entirely sure why the other two have really not held up beyond a single listen for me - I think that the artists are too new, the collection is just too pretentious to really gain any sort of mainstream following that the GS soundtrack has. Garden State was a fun film, and I suspect that there will be those who will label it as a defining film of our generation, along with the sountrack.

With artists like Simon and Garfunkle to the Shins, I think what really made the soundtrack work well is its variety of songs that are on it. There are several genres represented, from indie to acoustic to oldie, with a couple of artists that were just well known enough to a couple that were just obscure enough, but with enough material out there (in most cases) to keep people interested. I'd argue that the movie was a big success for people like The Shins, Cary Brothers, Zero 7, Iron & Wine and helped to get Nick Drake back on the radar. The album doesn't come off as pretentious, but honest, and it worked extremely well with the movie. Not having seen Juno or Infinite Playlist, I'm not sure how well those tracks meshed with the film, but it's not something that I'm losing sleep over.

While thinking about this, I think I found the formula that really made Garden State shine, and to put it to the test, I've put together a summer-ish sort of mix based on the criteria:

European/UK Band, Alt-Rock, Male

Indie Band, fairly obscure, complex lyrics

Electronica, easy listening, female vocals

Indie Band, same as #2

Acoutic Folk, Male, Soft

Alt-Folk/Rock, Male

Alf-Folk/Rock, Male

Acoustic Folk

Indian Electronica, no vocals

Oldie, Folkish, Male, duet

Folk-Cover of Techno/Electronica song, Male

Electronica/Female Vocals, Soft

Female Acoustic, Folk/Rock

Bonus: Alt-Rock (Used for Commercial)

Let's compare this to Garden State's Soundtrack:

Don't Panic - Coldplay

Caring is Creepy - The Shins

In the Waiting Line - Zero 7

New Slang - The Shins

I Just Don't Think I'll Ever Get Over You - Colin Hay

Blue Eyes - Cary Brothers

Fair - Remy Zero

One Of These Things First - Nick Drake

Lebanese Blonde - Thievery Corporation

The Only Living Boy in New York - Simon & Garfunkel

Such Great Heights (The Postal Service) - Iron & Wine

Let Go - Frou Frou

Winding Road - Bonnie Sumerville

Writing to Reach You - Travis (Commercial/Trailer)

And now, applying the same sort of formula , and this is what I've come up with, Carry You Away's Summer mix. How does it line up?

Bad Skin Day - Bell X1

Interior Of A Dutch House - Beirut

Hayling - FC/Kahuna

Postcards From Italy - Beirut

Re: Stacks - Bon Iver

Her Morning Elegance - Oren Lavie

When The Pain Dies Down - Chris Stills

At Your Door - Alexi Murdoch

The Khaleegi Stomp - Transglobal Underground

A Summer Song - Chad & Jeremy

Heartbeats (The Knife) - José González

What's Wrong With Me (Nouvelle Vague Remix) - Skye

Dreaming - Sara Wheeler

5:19 - Matt Wertz

Full

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Merry Christmas from Carry You Away

No matter what you celebrate, Carry You Away would like to wish everyone a safe and enjoyable holiday season! Thanks for a good year, we'll see you in 2009 with our best songs from 2008.

The Christmas Song - Nat King Cole
O Holy Night - Troy Andrews
River - Rosie Thomas
Silent Night - Skye
Let It Snow - A Fine Frenzy
When I Get Home For Christmas - Snow Patrol
2000 Miles - Coldplay
White Christmas - Frank Sinatra
Christmas Time Is Here - Vince Guaraldi Trio
(There's No Place Like) Home For the Holidays - Perry Como
Silver Bells - Kate Smith

Merry Christmas!

The Best New Discoveries of 2007

Now that the new year is upon us, I'm going to spend the week looking back on what I liked from 2007. First up, the best new artists that I came across.

Last year was particularly rich in music for me over the entire year, but even more since I've started this site. I've come across a number of really good artists. Many thanks to everyone who's gone out and shared a little of what they've liked with everyone. I've gone out and purchased more music than I ever have before, through iTunes and hard copy and even vinyl. Here's some of my favorite new discoveries this year:

Adam Ezra Group
These guys I just discovered a couple of weeks ago, and are a smaller indie band out of Connecticut who've just started out and are playing smaller gigs around New England. If you like Dispatch or Blues Traveler, you'll likely like these guys. They've got a ton of songs up for grabs on their website, and they've got a pretty energetic live show.

Small Town City - Adam Ezra Group

The Alternate Routes
The Alternate Routes really released their first CD back in 2005, but they re-released Good and Reckless and True to fairly good radio coverage - You've probably heard Time Is A Runaway on the radio. I got to see them twice this summer, and their first album is a fantastic first effort on their part, there's a bunch of really good sounds. A good one for any Ryan Adams fans out there.

Time Is A Runaway - The Alternate Routes

Blitzen Trapper

These guys were highlighted on NPR, which led me to check them out. They've got a bunch of really good songs and a new album out this year that I really enjoyed, especially Sci-Fi Kid and Wild Mountain Nation.

Sci-Fi Kid - Blitzen Trapper

Ferraby Lionheart

I loved this guy - Ferraby Lionheart's got a wonderful sound along the lines of Rufus Wainwright. He's been busy this year, with his first album, called Catch the Brass Ring and a self-titled EP. Catch the Brass Ring was in my time five albums of the year, and comes highly recommended from me.

Vermont Avenue - Ferraby Lionheart

Glen Hansard and Marketa Irgova
These two guys starred in the movie Once, which I've heard a lot about. Neither are actors, but singers, and covered a Dylan song for the soundtrack I'm Not There, which I also want to see (I think I have to wait until DVD). They also contributed to Once's Sountrack.

You Ain't Goin' Nowhere - Glen Hansard and Marketa Irgova

Gregory Douglass

Douglass was recommended to me earlier this summer. He's another Vermont musician, and has been doing gigs in the area. Hopefully I'll be catching him next February when he comes to the Higher Ground. He's got a really easy sound, somewhere along Rock and Soul. He just released his latest album Up & Away, which is quite good.

Hang Around - Gregory Douglass

Jesca Hoop

I think Jesca Hoop is one of my favorite new artists of the year. A breakout hit from Myspace and KCRW in California, she's really gotten big in the blog world with her really unique sound and songwriting. Kismet is her debut album this year.

Money - Jesca Hoop

Jess Clemons & The Cooperative

Jess Clemons is another musician who I'd gone to high school with (the other being Grace Potter from the Nocturnals). She's about to release a self titled album that sounds really good, and is someone to check out if you like Grace Potter.

Make-Out Song - Jess Clemons & The Coopertive

Kate Nash

Kate Nash, out of England, has her first album, Made of Bricks, coming out soon. She's got a really cool sound. She's got spunk and energy, and her entire first album is a fun one to listen to.

Foundations - Kate Nash

Priscilla Ahn

I saw Ahn open for Cary Brothers earlier this year, and she did fantastically on her own. She's done a bit of work with other artists before, with Cary Brothers and Amos Lee, providing backup vocals, and now She's released her first self-titled EP earlier this year and should have her first album out shortly, which I'm looking forwards to.

Lullaby - Priscilla Ahn

Sara Bareilles

Bareilles became a big internet hit with myspace and iTunes earlier this summer with her song Love Song. She has an incredibly strong voice and is probably one of the best female singers to come out this year. Love Song's getting a lot of radio play, but there are a bunch of good songs on her album.

Love Song - Sara Bareilles

Skye

Skye came to my attention with a fantastic cover of Gorillaz's song Feel Good Inc. She was a singer with another band, but is now solo, having released her first album Mind How You Go recently. She's got a soft, easy sound that's good for chilling out.

What's Wrong With Me? - Skye

The Softlightes

I found these guys with their video for their first single, Heart Made of Sound, which is probably one of my favorite songs of the year, and probably one of the best videos that I've seen. Very creative. These guys have a wonderful sound with their first album, which came out earlier this spring, Say No To Being Cool, Yes to Being Happy. If you like Death Cab for Cutie, these guys sound similar, and very upbeat.

Heart Made of Sound - The Softlightes

Vampire Weekend

I suspect that these guys will make their big splash next year when their first album is released. They've already been huge this year on the internet, and it's easy to see why - these guys are fun and interesting and really out there. They've got a weird afro-indie sound that's pretty cool. I suspect that they'll be one of the bigger indie bands to come out this/next year.

Oxford Comma - Vampire Weekend

Some other groups that've been around for a long time that I just came across:

Josh Ritter
Corb Lund and the Hurtin' Albanians
Brandi Carlile
British Sea Power
Cary Brothers
Arcade Fire

Coming Up, the best Albums and Songs of the year.

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Christmas Time is Here

So, I'm going to jump on the Christmas-mix bandwagon, because this is probably going to be my last post for about a week. (I still don't have the internet at my place, and I get a week off from work, where I can get away from everything and read.) So, here are some of my favorite Christmas songs, new and old. The best of the list is the one at the bottom, which was part of the now canceled show Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.

Santa Claus is Coming To Town - Frank Sinatra
Silent Night - Skye
The Christmas Song - Nat King Cole
2000 Miles (The Pretenders) - Coldplay
When I Get Home For Christmas - Snow Patrol
(There's No Place Like Home) For Christmas - Perry Como
Jingle Bells - Diana Krall
Here Comes Santa Claus - Elvis Presley
Toy Soldiers - Carbon Leaf
Silver Bells - Kate Smith
Have Yourself a Merry Christmas - Coldplay
Holly Jolly Christmas - The Format
Christmas Time Is Here - Vince Guaraldi Trio
Watermark - Enya
O' Holy Night - Troy Andrews

After my break, we'll be back with the best song and album of the year, as well as my picks for the best new artists and some thoughts on what we'll be seeing next year. And, I've got an announcement for a huge, major feature that'll take up most of the year that I'm quite excited about. Stay tuned.

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New Artist - Skye Edwards

This is an artist that I've come across fairly recently, although her debut album was released last year, called Mind How You Go. Skye (which is the first letters of her name - Shirley Klarisse Yonavive Edwards), is out of England and used to be the lead singer of a band called Morcheeba - it seems that she left due to problems with other members of the band.

Her first album, Mind How You Go, was released in 2006 do limited success, and the first single was used in Grey's Anatomy, which is sure to help her popularity. She's got an upcoming album coming in 2008, and is rumored to have a version of her fantastic Gorillaz cover Feel Good Inc. on it.

I like this artist - Skye has a wonderful, strong voice. Her songs range with a nice blend of hip-hop, lounge and easy listening. Anyone who's a fan of Zero 7 would probably really like her work. (Come to think of it, that would be an absolutely fantastic lineup, for the group to add her to the list.) Here's a couple of her songs that I paticularly like:

Stop Complaining - Skye
Love Show - Skye
What's Wrong With Me - Sky

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C&O - Feel Good

Here's an example of several very good, but very different covers, this week of Feel Good Inc. , originally by Gorillaz. Covering their fantastic song is The Editors and Skye.

Where the original is a fantastic blend of electronic pop and alternative rock. It has an absolutly fantastic beat to it and the video's awesome as well. The Editors take a slightly different route with the song, going with the acoutic guitar with their version, while Skye goes more the pop route with it, which actually sounds really good.

Feels Good Inc. (Gorrilaz) - The Editors

Feels Good Inc. (Gorrilaz) - Skye

Feels Good Inc. - Gorillaz

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