The Musicmen Cometh!
This is the marriage of two musical minds, Josh Bain and Nolan Ross. Friends since high school, they've seen the seven wonders of the world, jumped from helicopters, hang-glided, climbed Mt. Everest, and even offered jokes over dinner with Bono, Springsteen, Clapton, and others.
Okay, none of that is true except the friends since high school part. Nonetheless, these guys love music and love talking about it. We hope you enjoy it.
Summer Music
Summer is here folks and you know what that means, right? Yes - the heat. But it also means new music. And tons of mixtapes to be made. I know, what you’re thinking. What music should I put on my mixtape this summer? That’s a great question. The art of the mixtape is a tough enough endeavor as it is (See High Fidelity); the workout mixtape, the lovey-dovey mixtape, the I-hate-you mixtape, and the list goes on. Instead of nailing down one particular theme, I’m going to handpick a few favorites that I, myself, have suggested AND even used for my summer mixtapes made. Enjoy!
Freelance Whales - Starring
Bob Schneider - Honeypot
Bon Iver - Holocene
Foster the People - I Would Do Anything For You
The Sound of Arrows - Nova
Noah & the Whale - Love of An Orchestra (Chew Fu Killer Whale Fix)
Raphael Saaddiq - Good Man
Everybody Else - I Gotta Run
Friendly Fires - Pala
French Films - Convict
Fitz & The Tantrums - Moneygrabber
When Saints Go Machine - Fail Forever
Film Scores
Sometimes I get to discussing music with certain people and it spurs on other discussions and leads to renewed loves for certain songs, artists, etc. Last night was one of those cases. It started out talking with my friend, Wes, about the Non-Pythagorean Music Scale that Robert Schneider of Apples in Stereo “conceived and developed,” according to the Wiki page. Which led us to regal in our music love and discuss other neat/weird stuff that we love. Jeremy Enigk came to mind. It was just a fun discussion.
Somehow or another, we got on the topic of Film Scores. And great songs in film scores. I suggested a few, and he did also. I woke up today thinking about Film Scores. So, I got on my computer, dug up my genre of music with said, Film Scores, and decided to compile of list of favorites. I decided to do this, after I make a playlist that I wanted to hear for the day. Here it is, Part 1:
Jon Brion - Phone Call (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind)
Explosions in the Sky - Your Hand In Mine (Friday Night Lights)
Daniel Licht - Tides (Dexter Season 4)
Thomas Newman - Field Trip (Finding Nemo)
Ryuichi Sakamoto, Jaques Morelenbaum & Yuichiro Gotoh - Bibo no Aozoro (Babel)
Squarepusher - Tommib (Lost In Translation)
Thomas Newman - Road To Perdition (Road To Perdition)
Danny Elfman - Friendship (The Kingdom)
You Asked For It
The requests are coming in strong lately to write some more on this thing. So here goes.
The music biz is changing. It’s always changing. But it’s changing for the better and it’s doing things none of us really expected. The latest example to most would be what transpired on the Grammy’s Sunday night. First, you have Esperanza Spalding beating out Justin Bieber for Best New Artist. No one saw this coming. I thought a huge upset would’ve been Mumford & Sons winning. But Spalding? No way. But I enjoyed it. Then you had the enigmatic Win Butler and friends winning Album of the Year. That’s just nuts (Personally, I still think “Neon Bible” is their best, but 2007 was the year of In Rainbows, Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, Because of the Times, Wincing the Night Away, just to jog your memory). All in all though - a great win for the 7-piece (or is it 8-piece) Montreal band.
Some other things that I’ve noticed a change in is pop music not being that bad anymore. You could say, it sucks less, but that sounds cynical. The arrival of Ke$ha, the dominance of Katy Perry, and the reinvention of Eminem isn’t something I’m repulsed by anymore. Things are changing. Look at Bon Iver. Dude embodies the indie-rock lifestyle with recording a record in a cabin and stomping the competition without a record label. And then you have Kanye getting on board with that and bringing him along to sing on his latest record. Just nuts. But I’m okay with that.
I think it all came full circle when Phoenix came out with Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. The album is timeless, pertinent, and all around brilliant. There aren’t too many perfect records out there (I can think of a few, and Peter Gabriel seems to know the secret to it), but Phoenix made one. And lest we not overlook one of my favorite perfect records ever, Here Be Monsters by Ed Harcourt. But that’s neither here nor there to discuss, really. I’m just happy music’s changing.
Some things I’m spinning lately that I’m happy about -
Drew Holcomb & the Neighbors - Chasing Someday
Adele - 21 (thanks Sean)
Cut Copy - Zonoscope
Matthew Ryan - Dear Lover (Acoustic Version)
The Civil Wars - Barton Hallow
The Boxer Rebellion - The Cold Still
Love Songs
Seems like lately, I’ve been listening closely to love songs. Maybe it’s my surroundings at home, with three of my four roommates getting married this summer. Maybe it’s my semi-hopeless romantic love for happiness in others and happiness in life. Maybe it’s my personal hope in the future for being in love also and the desire for marriage. Either way, I enjoy some love songs, from time to time. Here are some I’ve lately deemed outstanding love songs, that more often than not, I found myself recommending to others.
Jars of Clay - Closer
Duncan Sheik - For You
Jon McLaughlin - You Are The One I Love
Stephen Speaks - Out Of My League
Landon Pigg - Falling In Love At A Coffee Shop
Owl City - Vanilla Twilight
Elbow - One Day Like This
The Alternate Routes - All That I See
Empire of the Sun - Without You (New Version)
Dave Barnes - Loving You, Loving Me
Derek Webb - I Wanna Marry You All Over Again
Best of 2010 Records
2010 was a great year for music. I’m not sure if it beats 2009, or I still herald 2003 as the best year in music since I started compiling lists. And I also measure every year to 2003. (2003 brought us Damien Rice’s debut, Nada Surf’s reinvention record, Rufus Wainwright’s “Want One,” and Cat Power’s “You are Free”, to name a few). But alas, here is my list of my favorite records of 2010.
Top 15 Records of 2010
15 | The National - High Violet
I love this band. They seem to get better with each release. Best Track: Anyone’s Ghost
14 | The Antlers - Hospice
Sad sounds of music here. But I love it. Great lyrics, great quiet tempos, good guitar work. A great late discovery of 2010. Best Track: Kettering
13 | The Black Keys - Brothers
This band finally achieved what I believed it was capable of, since I heard their debut record, years ago. Best Track: Tighten Up
12 | The Apples in Stereo - Travelers In Space and Time
If this whole record matched some of the best songs, then it’d probably be higher on the list. I LOVE this record, but in truth, I love this record because there’s so many great handfuls of songs. Best Tracks: Dance Floor, Told You Once, Hey Elevator, Nobody But You
11 | Beach House - Teen Dream
The first time I heard “Zebra”, I instantly fell in love. I hadn’t heard much of their stuff before, but I’m glad I checked out this record. Soothing vocals played over shoegazey tones make this a great fall/winter record to enjoy. Best Track: Norway
10 | Jars of Clay - The Shelter
I love everything these guys put out. This record stands out more than the previous, due to all of the collaborations with some fine musicians. Best Tracks: The Shelter, Run in the Night, Call My Name
09 | Yeasayer - Odd Blood
This was another instant love for me. I heard “O.N.E.” and knew it’d be a sound that I’d connect with. The record holds up, for sure. Great record from a band that had a pretty good debut. Best Track: Ambling Amp
08 | Mumford & Suns - Sigh No More
At first I wrote these guys off as an Avett Brothers knock off. Sure, they may have capitalized on the Brothers’ sound that got them where they are, but Mumford, the more I listen, goes more for the driving four-to-the-floor beat than the quiet, tenderness of the Avett Brothers at times. Best Tracks: Sigh No More, Awake My Soul, The Cave
07 | The Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
I think everyone knew when this came out that it’d be killer. No letdown here. This band just stands atop of their peers by leaps and bounds, in my opinion. Weird/odd frontman or not, these guys rule. Best Tracks: Sprawl II, Empty Room
06 | Brandon Flowers - Flamingo
I was ecstatic that these songs Brandon wrote were recorded. I love the Killers, but this is where the best of the best really is. Brandon being Brandon, is what I call it. We saw glimpses of this with The Killers at times, but this is more mature, with better lyrics and musicianship. Best Tracks: Magdalena, Only the Young, Hard Enough
05 | Fun. - Aim & Ignite
What a fine record this turned out to be! From the moment they released “At Least I’m Not As Sad (As I Used To Be)”, I couldn’t wait for more. I saw these guys live this year and they played every song verbatim in the finest way. Great melodies and well written indie pop. Best Tracks: I wanna be the One, All The Pretty Girls
04 | Tokyo Police Club - Champ
Another outstanding band that I got to see live. Gone are the pulsulating riff-jams that defined them early on (see, “Cut Cut Paste”), but that’s not a band thing. This is a fine record that is good from start to finish. Best Tracks: Favorite Food, Bambi, Wait Up (Boots of Danger)
03 | Hammock - Chasing After Shadows… Living With Ghosts
Not too much to say about this except that everything this band releases seems ethereal and outerwordly. It’s heaven’s soundtrack. I read somewhere from some kid that said, “God is a fan, for sure.” Sounds about right. Best Tracks: The World We Knew As Children, Little Fly/Mouchette, Dust in the Devil’s Snow
02 | Two Door Cinema Club - Tourist History
This was my most recommended to others record of 2010. I told more people about this band than any other. I declared it as 2010’s “Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix”. And rightly so - every freaking song is a winner. Best tracks: I Can Talk, Do You Want It All, Come Back Home
01 | Vampire Weekend - Contra
No words can really describe how much I love this album. I didn’t really like their debut record (I do now, fyi), but once I saw them on SNL this year, I was hooked. Everything about this record is what defines my tastes in music. Great hooks, stellar writing, and innovative melodies. Best Tracks: Giving Up The Gun, Run, Horchata, Giant (Itunes Extra)
Best Tracks of 2010
Athlete – Superhuman Touch
The Bird Day – Space Feeling
Chromeo – Night By Night
Joel Willoughby – Hazelnut Moon
KT Tunstall – Fade Like A Shadow
Kyle Andrews – Sushi
Taylor swift – Sparks Fly
Matt & Kim - Cameras
Donkeyboy - Sometimes
Kanye West - All of the Lights
Favorite Non-2010 Records I listened To
Just Jack - All Night Cinema
Mansions - New Best Friends
Harry Nilsson - Son of Schmilsson
Cut Copy - In Ghost Colours
Ra Ra Riot - The Rhumb Line
Top Albums of 2009!
Wow. What a year in music! So many great records, so many great singles, and so much to try and narrow down what is my favorite. But I did my best and here is what I think is the best of 2009.
20 | Roman Candle - Oh Tall Tree In the Ear
19 | Phil Wickham - Heaven and Earth
18 | Future of Forestry - Travel II
17 | U2 - No Line on the Horizon
16 | Knaan - Troubadour
15 | Sherwood - QU
14 | Eye Alaska - Genesis Underground
13 | The Avett Brothers - I and Love and You
12 | Melody Gardot - My One and Only Thrill
11 | Lights - The Listening
10 | Relient K - Forget & Not Slow Down
09 | The Fray - The Fray
08 | fun. - Aim & Ignite
07 | Thad Cockrell - To Be Loved
06 | The Swell Season - Strict Joy
05 | Mindy Smith - Stupid Love
04 | Paper Route - Absence
03 | Passion Pit - Manners
02 | Owl City - Ocean Eyes
01 | Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
Honorable Mentions
Shirock - Everything Burns
Coconut Records - Davy
Needtobreathe - The Outsiders
Regina Spektor - Far
Owen - New Leaves
Office - Mecca
Blake Lewis - Heartbreak on Vinyl
Mark Kozelek - Find Me, Ruben Olivares: Live in Spain
Muse - The Resistance
Miike Snow - Miike Snow
Songs I Might Be Embarrassed By But I’m Not
Here’s the deal. We all come to a point in our lives where music snobbery happens whether we realize it or not. I’ve done this for years, except I’ve known about it. Yet, there comes a time when you think, “Maybe I shouldn’t be so judgmental about this or that band.” And maybe I really don’t care about labels anymore. If I like a Cobra Starship song - sue me. It’s not like I’m a groupie that travels 1,388 miles to see them. Anyways, I’m getting off track. Here are some songs that I’ve discovered lately through friends, tv shows, renegades, out & about, at bars, Itunes genius help, and all that’s in between that I really really like…
Lifehouse - Halfway Gone
Miike Snow - Animal
Cobra Starship - Living In the Sky With Diamonds
Jason Castro - Let’s Just Fall In Love Again
Gym Class Heroes - Cookie Jar
Dashboard Confessional - Blame It On the Changes
Katy Perry - Fingerprints
Lily Allen - 22
MoZella - Let’s Stop Calling It Love
Colbie Caillat - Something Special
Butterfly Boucher - I Found Out
Oh, and keeping with the pop theme, but not the free theme (sorry), this is probably the bubbliest song I’ve heard all year that I absolutely cannot resist. It’s cheesier than nachos, but man, I like it. Tons. Jason Castro, ladies and gentlemen.
December Music
Warning: This post will have little cadence in relativity, but rather, erratic nuggets of music news and such. That’s my schtick though, so get over it.
Christmas music. Who doesn’t love free music? Yeah, thought so. Well, this is the second year that UBC Waco has done a Christmas record for everyone to hear, so I’m thankful for that. I love the Whiskey Priest song and the Loxly song. But they’re all warm and gooey, so get on it. Yeah, and get last year’s too.
Next is The Civil Wars. And keeping with the same vein of free-ness, go to their myspace and you will see on the left, a download link for one of their live shows. Not too shabby, but I highly recommend the Poison & Wine EP. Really good acoustic guitar, wonderful vocals by Joy Williams, who sounds completely different than what I remember of her. Every song is good, so I won’t even tell you what to check out.
Lastly, there’s a record that’s not very winter-y, but I love it anyway. It’s Ben Lee’s 2009 record that may end up on my top 10 of the year list. At least Top 15, I’ll say. It’s called, “The Rebirth Of Venus” and it’s easily the best pop record this year. Pop in the sense that A-ha was pop, not Britney Spears pop. Check out the songs, “What’s So Bad (About Feeling Good)?,” “I love Pop Music,” and “Yoko Ono” for starters. Great record and perhaps his best to date!
