Song of the Day

A little bit of what gets me through the day…

12.19.2007

Today, the polar opposite of Monday’s post, and much more like what you’re likely to hear on my back porch.  I came across Will Johnson as a man apart from his TX band Centro-Matic, and was instantly enthralled.  This, my friends, is my kind of music, what I love to listen to any time of day, see cinematic images of in my head, wish to God I could write and play myself.  Johnson is an expert songwriter with a strangley familiar downer perspective and obvious southern/indie/folk/country overtones.  These songs are ridiculously sad, but, like similarly cloudly-skied Damien Jurado, they somehow leave you feeling uplifted rather than down-trodden.  The chords and arrangements are simple but never simplistic, and though you probably won’t find yourself saying ”How did they play that?” you are very likely to not be able to say anything given the sheer beauty and emotional right hook that is Will Johnson and Centro-Matic.

Take a listen to Centro-Matic’s Fort Recovery (Misra Records, 2006) and Will Johnson’s solo project on Vultures Await (Misra, 2003).  Not only will you not be disappointed, you are very likely to be inspired to wring something out of your own tired soul.

The video below is for “Triggers and Trash Heaps” from the Fort Recovery record, and I’m adding “Atlanta,” from the new album, Operation Motorcide, to the playlist.  Let me know if you love this stuff as much as I do…

12.17.2007

I don’t know too much about Phoenix, but I really love this track.  It has stuck with me since I heard it a few months ago and think it deserves to make the list.  Despite their Frenchness, and the whole lead-singer-who-doesn’t-play thing, these guys have a great sound and the writing is intriguing.  I love the refrain in the chorus: “It’s never been like that,” a line that is greatly enhanced by the repetivitive presentation.  And, this video is pretty cool since it actually shows the band actually playing the song…voila!
 

12.13.2007

That is Imogen Heap, and this one’s for Hope…

Some voice, huh?  It doesn’t surprise me one bit that Hope is attracted to this sound, she tends to discover the deep beauty in what lies just outside the mainstream.  She’s sort of a hippie-girl (Hope that is, I don’t know about Imogen), and seems to know purity when she sees it.  Or hears it.  There is obvious passion in Imogen Heap’s music, lyrically and musically, which translates to powerful, organic-sounding music, even if it is based in electronica.

This one is a unique tune, and since I thought you might want to know exactly what Ms. Heap is saying, you can check the lyrics here.  Click discography and scroll down to the Speak For Yourself album.  Once you learn the lyrics, you can belt it out at home just like Hope!

“Ransom notes keep falling out your mouth…”  Nice…

Also, if you like Imogen, check out Frou Frou, her previous gig.
 

12.11.2007

Allright, Andrew Bird!

Where has this guy been all my life?  (Isn’t it great to discover music that makes you ask such a question?)  Really, this guy doesn’t make songs, he makes soundtracks.  These songs breathe, spark to life, whisper secrets.  Although I’m not sure about Bird’s background (still in the discovery mode), he has obviously picked up some Far East influences with those swelling string arrangements.  And rather than sounding forced and trite, these melodies absolutely blow me away and perfectly compliment the sentiment of the lyrics: “We don’t want to hear the sound of a door…”

Check out this entire album, Armchair Apocrypha.  The writing and arrangements are stellar, and I think there just might be something for everyone here.  Other highlights include “Scythian Empires” and “Yawny at the Apocalypse.”  Give this guy a listen.  You won’t be disappointed.

11.27.2007

OK, so my secret guilty pleasure is emo. Not the goofy, teeny-bopper MTV crap (can anyone say Fall Out Boy?), but really rockin’ old- and new-school punk kids (Motion City Soundtrack, Taking Back Sunday, Dashboard Confessional, Saves the Day, The Starting Line, Brand New, MXPX, etc) who can string a few decent lines together. Now, let’s not kid ourselves, emo/power-pop is not really about lyricism: it’s about rocking the freaking house! And that’s what this song does: it absolutely rocks, and makes me want to grab a Les Paul and scream! And, there is something like good writing here too, or at least writing that touches a nerve, and that is the definition of good writing, isn’t it? So maybe we should give these emo guys a break…maybe they do have something to say.

“Give me a reason…to break with tradition…”

Yeah!

11.15.2007

On this day, nine years ago, I received the greatest gift of my life…Hope became my wife.

In the intervening years, to be sure, we have experienced the highs and lows of life. We have scaled heights and plumbed depths. But we have done it all together, and now that we have left the foolishness of youth behind us and embraced the mysterious call of the future, well…life is grand. I feel like a lucky man every time I see her face.

There seems to be a shortage of bright, beautiful love songs these days. We have become a people so full of angst, self-loathing, and doubt, that our art reflects more of the nasty side of life than the sunny side. But every now and then, I hear something that warms my heart in a way that I miss, most of the time without knowing it. And this song, “Reasons To Love You” by mystery-girl Meiko is classic: a sunny little “jeez, I think you’re awesome” song that makes me smile and want to take a beach walk with my sweetie. I mean, it says it all: “I love you, I want you.”

What else is there, really, to say?

11.12.2007

Trust me, I did not mean for this to become Song of the Week. I’ll do better I promise.

Check out The Dudes, a Canadian indie pop/rock group I don’t know much about. But this song, ”Mendoza Line,” found at .75 mile today on the treadmill, and I was really glad… Just sweet, ole straight ahead rock and roll about that girl. Listen to the playlist, let me know what you think about the tunes, and I’ll try to get back on schedule.

11.5.2007

God bless, Capitalism…

Thanks to clever Volkswagen advertising, I met Richard Buckner, and my music life has never been the same. You may remember the ad: a hip, thirty-something couple easing their brand spanking new Touareg through some Pacific Northwest-looking country, and in the background, the ghost of Americana singing mysteries. The voice, I discovered, was Richard Buckner, and the song, “Ariel Ramirez.”

This song is indicative of Buckner’s entire catalog, really. If there is another American male writing such sparse, ghostly songs and relating them in such an inexplicably haunting voice, I do not know him. These days, there is nothing less than a flood of fantastic music to be had, if one is willing to wade through the flotsam promoted so indecently on Top 40 radio and MTV. But avert your eyes for just a moment from the glare off the rump-shakers’ gold teeth, and an entire world of music comes into focus. Richard Buckner is somewhat of a statesman among these underground writers and rockers in that he doesn’t seem to mess around with where his music might take him. He has stories to tell, so he tells them as they undoubtedly sound to him, and the rest be damned. And that, friends and strangers, gives us gems like “Ariel Ramirez,” “Song of 27,” “This Is Where,” and dozens more. For the most part, these songs are stripped bare of all pretense and studio trickery. You get a battered acoustic guitar, some pedal steel or dobro, the voice of a backwoods oracle, and some of the saddest stories you’ll ever hear in modern music.

“Ariel Ramirez” is, in my opinion, the perfect introduction to Buckner. It’s dark, but not hopeless, deep, but not abysmal. Things only darken and deepen from here, but it is a tour of the soul well worth the toll.

P.S. – If anyone can find the VW ad mentioned above, I’ll gladly post it here. I spent more time than I should have looking for it, with no luck.

10.31.2007

 

What now, astronomy?

Today’s track is “Io” from Helen Stellar. This song carries a lot of weight for me right now. Like a precious parcel, its heft and shape reminds me that I’m carrying something important, and that I must, above all, reach my destination with parcel in hand. Great, unknowable mysteries are swirling all around us, things we do not, can not, understand. What we’ve always known is fading, stretching, morphing into something else, requiring us to choose, move, become, evolve. But in the tempest we find angels, not at all like we dreamed them. We receive them, invite them, and realize that they have been there all along, walking the same road, perhaps invisible, now evident, now flesh and blood, full of hope, character, and new life.

To these angels, silently walking, my eternal thanks. “This time around” something great will happen…

10.27.2007

What can I say, it’s an Elliott Smith kind of day…

“Needle in the Hay” formed my introduction to Elliott Smith, and it’s been a rocky road ever since. Some days, you can’t stand the heat and its best to just stay out of the kitchen. But when you’ve got a hankerin’ for some of the most striking looks at loneliness, addiction, and overall misery, you’ll do no better than Smith. His hard living caught up with him too soon, and as legends are all too prone to do, he left us high and dry with an incredible catalog of music and an unquenchable thirst for more.

Maybe you’ve heard Elliott Smith’s music already. Maybe not. Just be prepared for some soul-piercing. These are not party songs. But the poetry is remarkable, the musicianship stellar, and the commitment to the music…well, it seems to be all Smith ever really had.

10.26.2007 – Friday Flashback (Courtesy of Mr. Colin Brown)

Thank God for an excuse to play “Rain King!” Or, for that matter, any of the excellent songs on Counting Crows’ break out album August and Everything After. This album is what made 90’s alternative, now a disgustingly commercialized sub-genre along with Classic Rock and Teen Pop, so fantastic. At the time of its release, this album felt so fresh, so new, so entirely original that I and my friends didn’t really know what to call it. Is that rock? Pop? Folk? Does it matter? And what’s with Adam Duritz’s voice? Who sings like that? Nobody at the time, and that warbling, fragile voice wielding such powerful lyrics over really intelligent, well-played rock and roll was a revelation. Remember the video for “Mr. Jones?” Adam stole the show and transcended the swell of modern rock around him. For that moment, he was a star…

I’m sorry, but that still rocks, more than a decade later, and makes me want to buy a gray guitar and play!

Now, a word about my collaborator, Colin Brown. If you’ve been wondering with Jack Johnson “where’d all the good people go?” wonder no more, you’ve found one. Colin defies classification, and I think that’s the way he likes it. He is extremely intelligent but not snooty, a believer but by no means religious, loyal but open…should I go on?

I first met Colin in the overcrowded hallway of a strangely circular Tallahassee apartment. He was deftly maneuvering through the throng with a red SOLO cup in one hand (you know what was in it) and his guitar in the other. The guitar made me whip around and follow, equipped with only half of his aforementioned gear, to see where the music would happen. I listened to a couple of tunes, chatted, for the first time, with a religion major who did not seem to have serious social problems, and disappeared into the seething crowd.

Nine years later, thanks to MySpace (again!), Colin and I have picked up where we left off: sitting on the beach, playing songs, talking books and the mysteries of God. I can not really explain how thankful I am for this new/old friendship. This guy is as good as gold, totally bull-free, and worth getting to know. Too bad guys like this are so few…

Thanks for the excellent pick, Colin, and the recent good times. Here’s to many, many more…

 Peace, ya’ll.

10.25.2007

Well, kids, thanks to my recently renewed acquaintance with Bryan McGee, this blog has now been propelled into the wild, wonderful 21st century. Beware! Now, every day when you come by to check the song of the day (I know you guys are checking everyday!), first thing you need to do is click the button at the top that says LAUNCH STANDALONE PLAYER. Then, voila, as the French say, your fresh track starts playing automatically and you can read my ramblings in indie rock bliss. Cool, huh? Maybe Bryan will even teach me to Twitter!

While we’re handing out props to the McGees, let me just say here that it has been a great pleasure of Hope’s and mine to recently rekindle an old friendship with Abbye Printy, formerly known as Abbye McGee, Bryan’s little sister. Thanks MySpace! These guys are both extremely talented in their own ways, and doing especially good jobs as parents, pastors and friends. It’s great to be back in touch with good folks and remark how the confluence of their streams with ours starts to change the flow…

So, today’s band is on the recommendation of Abbye, who is taking in the Mute Math show tonight in South Carolina. Now, to be fair, I wasn’t too high on Mute Math to begin with. I’m not crazy about their single “Typical,” and I thought their sound was a little tired. Then I saw this: go ahead, I’ll wait.

That, my friends, is how rock and roll should be played. Those guys are intense, and I like intensity. So Mute Math is in, even if the the guy that picked the single should be kicked. The best song on the cd is “Noticed.” Give it a listen and I think you’ll agree.

Tomorrow, Mr. Colin Brown picks the track of the day. Who’s driving this thing anyway?

10.24.2007

Ladies and Gentlemen: the incomparable Mark Kozelek.

Today’s track is “Have You Forgotten” from Kozelek’s band The Red House Painters.

Here’s the thing about Kozelek: he lays it bare. To the bone. If you like a little allegory/metaphor/symbolism in your indie rock, look elsewhere. There is no mystery to Kozelek. His early life was a string of events that cripple most of us, and he paid dearly with extended drug additions, rehab, etc, all before age 21. But whether you believe that pain is a prerequisite to honest creativity (I, personally, see the temptation of making that connection, but I think it’s a big, fat cop-out for folks who want to destroy themselves) or not, this music is deeply personal, to all of us I think, even if you had a tear-jerking, sepia-toned happy childhood. Know what I mean? Poetry is poetry is poetry. Case it in the haunting voice of Kozelek and a down-beat indie oeuvre, and you have some really touching music.

The track I’ve posted on the playlist is not the original. It is something I have just come across recently, and it is a different take on what was originally an acoustic tune. For the original, check out The Red House Painters’ Songs for a Blue Guitar. Both versions are great in really different ways.

Are you guys digging this Song of the Day thing? Let me know. Someone you want to know more about? Drop me a line. I love tracking down these guys that are below the radar…

 Peace, ya’ll…

10.19.2007

Alright, I know it’s Friday Flashback, and we’ll get back to that next week. But first, I have to tell ya’ll about Band of Horses.

These guys are definitely one of those groups that you feel connected to, almost like you share a sense of ownership with the guys that actually make up the band. They’re the kind of band that makes you say: “That’s my band!” I know this sense of connection started for me back in the fall of 2005. Hope and I are long-time fans of indie poet Sam Beam, the genius behind Iron & Wine. In true indie-rock secret decoder ring music discovery fashion, we accidentally got acquainted up close and personal with Band of Horses when they opened for Iron & Wine in 2005. That night was one of those shows that I will never forget, the kind that makes you want to spend way more time discovering great music and seeing it performed live, right in front of your face.

The venue was the Beta Bar in Tallahassee (formerly known as the Cow Haus, where a band I was temporarily drumming for in college actually played in 97/98, after my departure from the group, of course). This place is a small room, kind of a hall, with a small, black stage, a bar on the right, and less than first class sound and lights. Hope was nearing the end of what would be her last stint as an expecting mother, her belly swelling beautifully round and promising, her eyes gleaming. I was wearing my tiger t-shirt, an old favorite, and was about to hear Sam Beam, so I was feeling electric. When we walked in, there was this rock and roll skinny southern boy with stringy brown hair and a UGA trucker hat wailing some really remarkable lyrics and banging on a Les Paul. I was instantly enthralled. The image was perfect. Ben Bridwell (BOH’s songwriter/singer/guitarist) has a familiar white boy sway that kicks in when the song really starts to touch him. He seems transported, and I know that feeling: he hits a certain vocal note, holds it, the reverb slaps him in the face, and he gets chills. It’s how guys who don’t have “pop” voices get to feel like great singers. Their opening act that night was so good, it was hard to concentrate on Beam at times. I could not wait to meet this guy and grab a CD.

After the show, we shook hands with Ben, and he signed a copy of their live EP for us. It was 60 seconds maybe, but he seemed like a truly nice guy, like he understood what a privilege it was for him to be there, even in the Beta Bar in little ole Tallahassee. He loves his music, and when that comes through, it’s always freaking incredible. I wore out that EP, and have loved these guys ever since. Lydia was born fat and healthy, I lost my tiger shirt, and the world discovered Band of Horses. Now these guys are stars, deservedly so, but I miss some of that sense of privilege, like I knew a secret that made life a little less ominous.

The new Band of Horses album is incredible. You will love it. And, the band is streaming the whole CD on their myspace page, so forget my stupid little playlist for today and go to http://www.myspace.com/bandofhorses to check it out. You won’t be disappointed, I promise. For me, the highlight is a pair of songs back to back on the record, “No One’s Gonna Love You” and “Detlef Schrempf.” These songs are indie-rock perfection. They’re why I expect to continue to hear from Ben and his boys years from now. Hope you guys like it.

10.18.2007

Hey kids! Time for your introduction to Broken Social Scene. Check out “7/4 (Shoreline)” from their most recent album, the self-titled Broken Social Scene.

Favorite Line: “If you try to steal the beat, the beat will steal you.”

Comments: Broken Social Scene is a juggernaut. They have single-handedly turned the Canadian indie scene on its head while popularizing the concept of a music ”collective.” Look at the BSS roster, and then track down these folks’ solo projects. Unbelievable! For all you Leslie Feist fans, that’s her singing on this track. BSS members also include Kevin Drew, Andrew Whiteman (Apostle of Hustle), Jason Collett and more really awesome songwriters. These guys are sure to show up on the blog again, both as Broken Social Scene and as individual rockers. Listen to this song to get you started, then explore the Broken Social Scene catalog. Their music is experimental at times, but always interesting. Their instrumental stuff is fantastic, and the song “It’s All Gonna Break” feels like a camp meeting. Check ‘em out!

***Don’t forget to click the project playlist link to listen to the track on you own personal playlist!***

10.17.2007

Good news! I’ve started a new playlist, just for you guys. Now instead of hunting all over myspace and various virtual locales for the songs featured here, you have your very own private song party at projectplaylist.com. Just click the link at the top of this post and have at it. Let me know if you have trouble.

Thanks for reading and listening!

10.15.2007

“Violet Light” from Raised by Swans’ Codes and Secret Longing

I’ve yet to decipher most of the lyrics on this one, but I love the sound of it. There is something tragic and triumphant in this song, and it comes through a little more with each listen.

Go Listen: http://www.myspace.com/22806563

10.11.2007

“Where Cedar Nouns and Adverbs Walk” from The Most Serene Republic’s Underwater Cinematographer

Favorite Line: “I think I know what to do, the rules of it are so damn cruel.”

Comments: TMSR has been called the “little brothers and sisters” of Canada’s Broken Social Scene, and while the comparison makes sense (experimental indie rocksters on BSS’s Arts & Crafts Label), I think this band deserves their own tag. The instrumentation in all of these songs is very daring, lush at times, and ever-shifting. Listen a few times. The songs always seem to get a little better every time I hear them. And they have a real moody feel, great for the upcoming winter days.

Also great on this album: “In Places, Empty Spaces” and “Relative’s Eyes,” three really fantastic songs in a row. You think they planned that?

Go Listen: www.myspace.com/themostserenerepublic (Where else, right?)

10.9.2007 – Since I have neglected my pet project for a couple of days, I’m breaking out the REALLY good stuff. Hope you like.

“Four Winds” from Bright Eyes’ Cassadaga

Favorite Line: All of ‘em. No, this is not a cop-put. Conor Oberst is incredible, one of our most insightful young poets writing today. His perspective is intensely personal, sometimes creepy, and always revealing.

Comments: Do yourself a favor and listen to the CD in its entirety. It is a bit of a concept album, and deals with such heady concepts as birth/death, the Afterlife, religion, etc. But, don’t get turned off if you’re not feeling philosophical because the band absolutely rocks. The tunes are great even if you’re not buying what Oberst is selling.

Go Listen: http://www.myspace.com/brighteyes

Friday Flashback – 10.5.2007

“Wild Horses” from the Rolling Stones’ Sticky Fingers (1970)

Favorite Line: “Faith has been broken, tears must be cried. Let’s do some living after we die.”

Comments: Mick was never better.

Go Listen: Your dad’s record collection.

10.4.2007

“Your English Is Good” from Tokyo Police Club’s Your English Is Good (single)

Favorite Line: “It’s the second time they mapped the constellations, and they sift for you by night…”

Comments: Canadian indie kids rocking out…love it.

Go Listen: http://www.myspace.com/tokyopoliceclub

10.3.2007

“Fidelity” from Regina Spektor’s Begin to Hope

Favorite Line: “I hear in my mind all of these voices, I hear in my mind all of these words, I hear in my mind all of this music, and it breaks my heart, it breaks my heart.”

Comments: Great voice, great song…

Go Listen: http://www.myspace.com/reginaspektor

10.2.2007

“Naive” from The Kooks’ Inside In/Inside Out

Favorite Line: Yeah, not so much. But why does everything sound so cool with a British accent? If I had to pick a line: “Just don’t let me down.” I think we can all share in that sentiment.

Comments: Just groovy. Great gym or first-thing-in-the-morning song.

Go Listen:  http://www.myspace.com/thekooks

10.1.2007

“Falling Slowly” from Glen Hansard’s The Swell Season(with Marketa Irglova)

Favorite Line: “Take this sinking boat and point it home, we’ve still got time.”

Comments: How can something be so sad and so hopeful at the same time? By the way, this is Glen Hansard’s second Song of the Day appearance since I started it (see below). He’s that good. What a writer. What a voice. I think I’m gonna cry now.

Go Listen: http://www.myspace.com/theswellseason

9.28.2007

“Intuition” from Feist’s The Reminder

Favorite Line: “And it came a heat wave, a merciful save, you choose, you chose poetry over prose.”

Comments: Leslie Feist just may have the most haunting, striking voice in music today. Fortunately for her, she also has incredible writing skills, great musicianship and some really talented friends (If you don’t know yet, she is part of the Canadian indie rock collective known as Broken Social Scene who are sure to appear in future Song of the Day posts). This song is incredibly beautiful.

Go Listen: Unfortunately, after all that build-up, I don’t have a link for this song. But, visit the Feist myspace page and listen to the songs posted there. This entire album is excellent. Or, buy the CD.

http://www.myspace.com/feist

Friday Flashback – 9.27.2007 

OK, time to remember all those classics that made modern music what it is today. Fridays, Song of the Day will look back at some really great songs. Sometimes back to high school, sometimes back to Mom and Dad’s high school days. The alliteration just makes it more fun, don’t you think?

“Girl of the North Country” from Bob Dylan’s The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan (1963)

Favorite Line: “I’m a-wonderin’ if she remembers me at all. Many times I’ve often prayed, in the darkness of my night, in the brightness of my day.”

Comments: Whether you appreciate Dylan’s vocal style or not, he is far and away THE most influential singer/songwriter in American rock history. He is a quintessential rootsy poet, and one of my favorites.

Go Listen: Like many of Dylan’s tunes, there are many versions of this song available. My favorite, though, is the original studio version on the album noted above. Listen to it a couple of times. It will move you, I promise.

http://bobdylan.com/moderntimes/songs/girlnorth.html

9.26.2007

“Flightless Bird, American Mouth” from Iron & Wine’s The Shepherd’s Dog

Favorite Line: “Have I found you, flightless bird, brown hair weeping, or lost you?”

Comments: Sam Beam is what poets dream to be in their fitful sleep. And his beard rocks.

Go Listen: Beam is streaming the ENTIRE new album on his myspace page.  This song and “Boy With a Coin” are the highlights. 

http://www.myspace.com/ironandwine  

9.25.2007

“Impossible Germany” from Wilco’s Sky Blue Sky

Favorite Line: Who am I kidding? This one is ALL about that guitar solo.

Comments: Tweedy rocks…

Go Listen: http://www.myspace.com/wilco

9.24.2007

“People Get Ready” from The Frames’ The Cost

Favorite Line: “We have all the time in the world to get it right…”

Comments: Although Glen Hansard is not really known as a hopeful fella, I sort of need all the hope I can get right now, and find myself looking for it in some new, unusual places.

Go Listen: http://www.myspace.com/theframesofficial