2010 Mid Year Review: Albums You Should Have Bought!

Well, here we are, six months in to 2010.  Musically it has been a pretty solid half a year.  Today I will list a few of the albums that you should have picked up thus far this year.

The albums are listed in no particular order.

2010 Mid-Year Review: Albums You Should Have Bought

Artist	Album
Massive Attack	Heligoland
The Black Keys	Brothers
Gary Allan	Get Off On the Pain
John Butler Trio	April Uprising
Spoon	Transference
She & Him	Volume Two
Vampire Weekend	Contra
Drive-By Truckers	The Big To-Do
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club	Beat the Devil’s Tattoo
The New Pornographers	Together
Jack Johnson	To The Sea
The Gaslight Anthem	American Slang
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers	Mojo
Band of Horses	Infinite Arms
Flobots	Survival Story
The Dead Weather	Sea of Cowards
The National	High Violet
Minus the Bear	Omni

 Great music awaits!

Mixed Tape Monday:Home

Well, dear, sweet, gentle reader, I apologize for my absence the last couple of days.  I was on vacation and did not have much time to write.  Before you go getting all jealous, I was not at some exotic locale sipping fruity beverages with crazy names and umbrellas impeding my drinking ability; nor was I finding myself in some serene, remote, mountainous setting. 

I was, in fact, at home dealing with the issues of owning a home and in my case, a ninety five year old home.  Yes, the home is indeed older than I.  It is also a lovely home that needed a little repair.  I use the term “little” loosely as I had to replace the upstairs AC and the hot water heater.  And, to be fair, I did not have to do it myself but I did have to avail myself to the schedule of the valiant workers who brought tidings of cool air and hot water. 

I’d like to give a gratuitous plug and a big shout out to Aire Serve Heating and Air Conditioning of Fort Worth and Benjamin Franklin Plumbing for their solid work and expertise.

With all of that being said, today’s Mixed Tape Monday theme is Home!

Enjoy and welcome back to the time waste that is my bog!

Song:              Sweet Home Alabama (I’m sure you all saw that one coming)

Artist:             Lynyrd Skynyrd

Album:           Second Helping

Song:              Home

Artist:             Alexi Murdoch

Album:           Time Without Consequence

Song:              On My Way Back Home

Artist:             Band of Horses

Album:           Infinite Arms

Song:              Taking Your Home

Artist:             Don Henley

Album:           Inside Job

Song:              My Father’s House

Artist:             Bruce Springsteen

Album:           Nebraska

Song:              Home

Artist:             Foo Fighters

Album:           Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace

Song:              What Is Home

Artist:             The Black Crowes

Album:           Before the Frost…

Song:              Heading Home

Artist:             Donavon Frankenreiter

Album:           Donavon Frankenreiter

Song:              Long Way Home From Anywhere

Artist:             Bruce Robison

Album:           Long Way Home From Anywhere

Song:              House of Valparaiso

Artist:             Calexico

Album:           Carried To Dust

Song:              Goin Home

Artist:             Dan Auerbach

Album:           Keep It Hid

Song:              Give a Man a Home

Artist:             Ben Harper

Album:           Fight For Your Mind

Song:              Home

Artist:             Eli Young Band

Album:           Jet Black and Jealous

Song:              This House Is a Circus

Artist:             Arctic Monkeys

Album:           Favourite Worst Nightmare

Song:              Quiet Houses

Artist:             Fleet Foxes

Album:           Fleet Foxes

Song:              My Lady’s House

Artist:             Iron & Wine

Album:           Woman King (EP)

Song:              Charlemagne’s Home Town

Artist:             James McMurtry

Album:           Childish Things

Song:              House of Stone

Artist:             Mudcrutch

Album:           Mudcrutch

Song:              Life In a Glass House

Artist:             Radiohead

Album:           Amnesiac

Song:              I’m Coming Home

Artist:             Robert Earl Keen

Album:           Gringo Honeymoon

Great music awaits!

Mixed Tape Monday:Movie Soundtracks

Happy Monday dear, sweet readers, I hope this installment of Mixed Tape Monday finds you doing well or ,at the very least, reasonably well.  I would hate to think that any of you are just completely sucking right now.  I know that in the past I have made reference to music being a soundtrack to my life.  So, I thought today, I would tackle the topic of movie soundtracks in a Mixed Tape Monday kind of way.

Today’s blog is not about the quality, or lack thereof, of the movie but about the songs on the soundtrack.   Many a bad movie has had an awesome soundtrack or at least a great song or cover on the soundtrack.

Movie Soundtracks:

Song:              No Shelter

Artist:              Rage Against the Machine

Soundtrack:     Godzilla (See right from the get go, I give you a really bad movie)

Song:              Dead Souls

Artist:              Nine Inch Nails

Soundtrack:     The Crow

Song:              A Girl Like You

Artist:              Edwyn Collins

Soundtrack:     Empire Records

Song:              Sweet Child O’ Mine

Artist:              Sheryl Crow

Soundtrack:     Big Daddy

Song:              Such Great Heights

Artist:              Iron & Wine

Soundtrack:     Garden State

Song:              Walking After You

Artist:              Foo Fighters

Soundtrack:     X Files

Song:              Cry, Little Sister (Them From The Lost Boys)

Artist:              Gerard McMann

Soundtrack:     The Lost Boys

Song:              All I Want Is You

Artist:              U2

Soundtrack:     Reality Bites

Song:              Elis Unit One

Artist:              Steve Earle

Soundtrack:     Dead Man Walking

Song:              Paperweight

Artist:              Joshua Radin & Schuyler Fisk

Soundtrack:     The Last Kiss

Song:              Sweet Suzanne

Artist:              Buzzin’ Cousins

(John Mellencamp, Dwight Yoakam, James McMurtry, Joe Ely, & John Prine)

Soundtrack:     Falling From Grace

Song:              Between the Bars

Artist:              Elliott Smith

Soundtrack:     Good Will Hunting

Song:              Siren

Artist:              Tori Amos

Soundtrack:     Great Expectations

Song:              Wither I’m a Flower

Artist:              Whiskeytown

Soundtrack:     Hope Floats

Song:              You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away

Artist:              Eddie Vedder

Soundtrack:     I Am Sam

Song:              Hush

Artist:              Kula Shaker

Soundtrack:     I Know What You Did Last Summer

Song:              Turn To Stone

Artist:              Joe Walsh

Soundtrack:     Lords of Dogtown

Song:              I Disappear

Artist:              Metallica

Soundtrack:     Mission Impossible 2

Song:              Tha Crossroads

Artist:              Bones Thugs-N-Harmony

Soundtrack:     Pineapple Express

Song:              Help Myself

Artist:              Dave Matthews Band

Soundtrack:     Scream 2

 Great music awaits!

Tune In Tuesday: 6/15/10

Welcome to another addition of Tune in Tuesday! 

Omni

Minus The Bear

Minus the Bear is a Seattle, Washington indie band that has been around since the early 00’s.  Omni is their fourth and most recent release.  The album was produced by Grammy Award winner Joe Chiccarelli (The White Stripes, My Morning Jacket).  The album is easy to listen to and does not require a lot of thought as it has a certain background noise pop sensibility to it.  Each song was recorded in its entirety as opposed to piecing together recorded bits, which provides more of a live feel to the recording.

The name “Minus the Bear” comes from an inside joke among the band members, referring to the 70’s show B.J. and the Bear. “A friend of the band had gone on a date,” explains singer-guitarist Jake Snider, “and one of us asked him afterwards how the date went. Our friend said, ‘You know that TV show from the ’70s B.J. and The Bear? It was like that minus the bear.’ That’s the straight truth.”

Key Tracks:

Excuses, My Time By, Into the Mirror,

 Get Off On the Pain

Gary Allan

This is Allan’s eighth studio album and had two singles, Today, and the title track Get Off On the Pain, to land on the Billboard charts.  He is a solid singer and decent writer who co-wrote five of the ten tracks on the album.   With his voice and steadfast determination to keep a traditional country sound, Alan has managed to avoid the cookie cutter mold of a litany of current singers that plague the radio.

Key Tracks:

No Regrets, When You Give Yourself Away, Today, She Gets Me

To The Sea

Jack Johnson

To The Sea is the fifth studio album from the environmentally friendly musician and sold 243,000 copies in its first week, debuting at number one.  While Johnson does not navigate uncharted water, the album is solid with well crafted songs.  His voice has a bit more urgency as he sings and does not shy away from the electric guitar.  The vibe is still relatively mellow and the messages tend to be a bit more reflective but still positive.

Key Tracks:

You and Your Heart, No Good With Faces, Red Wine, Mistakes, Mythology

Together

The New Pornographers

Together is the fifth release from this Canadian indie group.  The album is heavy on the guest list with the likes of Will Sheff (Okkervil River), Zach Condon (Beruit), and the horn section from Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings.

The album has a powerful pop energy that is balanced by the varied vocal stylings of the group.  Lead vocals are shared between Neko Case, Carl Newman, Dan Bejar, and Kathryn Calder.  It is a fun album and might take a few spins if this is your first venture into the band.  Much like Canadian beer, you don’t realize how good it is until you try it.

Key Tracks:

Your hands (Together), My Shepherd, Valkyrie In the Roller Disco,

Great music awaits

Mixed Tape Monday: Sounds of Summer

Welcome to another installment of Mixed Tape Monday.  School is out, pools and water parks are full, and my grass is dying.  It can only mean one thing, SUMMER is here. 

I believe that we all have some form of Pavlovian response to songs and that they are etched in our brain based on times and circumstance.  The following songs are one’s that take me back to the halcyon days of my youth and summers spent with varied and sundry people and places.

 Today’s topic is Songs That Remind Me of Summer. 

Song:              Boys of Summer

Artist:              Don Henley

Album:            Building the Perfect Beast

Song:              Chattahoochee

Artist:              Alan Jackson

Album:            A Lot About Livin’ (and a Little About Love)

Song:              Wasting Time

Artist:              Animal Liberation Orchestra 

Album:            Fly Between Falls

Song:              Margaritaville

Artist:              Jimmy Buffet

Album:            Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude

Song:              Cannonball

Artist:              The Breeders

Album:            Last Splash

Song:              Wicked Game

Artist:              Chris Isaak

Album:            Heart Shaped World

Song:              Under The Milky Way

Artist:              The Church

Album:            Starfish

Song:              Mr. Jones

Artist:              Counting Crows

Album:            August and Everything After

Song:              Linger

Artist:              The Cranberries

Album:            Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can’t We

Song:              Breaking the Girl

Artist:              Red Hot Chili Peppers

Album:            Blood, Sugar, Sex, Magic

Song:              Ants Marching

Artist:              The Dave Matthews Band

Album:            Under the Table and Dreaming

Song:              Hey Jealousy

Artist:              Gin Blossoms

Album:            New Miserable Experience

Song:              Epic

Artist:              Faith No More

Album:            The Real Thing

Song:              Listen Like Thieves

Artist:              INXS

Album:            Listen Like Thieves

Song:              The Pretender

Artist:              Jackson Browne

Album:            The Pretender

Song:              Been Caught Stealing

Artist:              Jane’s Addiction

Album:            Ritual De Lo Habitual

Song:              In Your Eyes

Artist:              Peter Gabriel

Album:            So

Song:              River of Deceit

Artist:              Mad Season

Album:            Above

Song:              Smells Like Teen Spirit

Artist:              Nirvana

Album:            Nevermind

Song:              So Fresh So CLean

Artist:              Outkast

Album:            Stankonia

 Great music awaits!

You should be listening to the Randy Rogers Band!

The Randy Rogers Band is a country band that hales from the great state of Texas.  Yes, I realize that this Texas kick I’m on is stretching in to its second week and, well, I don’t care. Their debut album was a live album recorded at a bar in San Marcos, Texas in 2000.  By 2002 they had signed with an independent label and released their first studio album Like It Used To Be. 

Rand Rogers Band Discography:

• Live at the Cheatum Street Warehouse (2000)
• Like It Used To Be (2002)
• Rollercoaster (2004)
• Live at Billy Bob’s Texas (2005)
• Just a Matter of Time (2006)
• The Randy Rogers Band (2008)
• Burning the Day (Set to release Aug. 2010)

They have come a long way since the bar scene of San Marcos.  They have opened for artists such as the Eagles, Willie Nelson, Gary Allan, and Dierks Bentley.  Their music fits the college scene with its good time party vibe but also digs a little deeper with each new release.  It is an interesting fusion of country and a rugged swagger that comes across as the musical love child of Waylon Jennings and Steve Earle.

Top 5 Rand Rogers Band Songs:

• Tommy Jackson (Like It Used To Be)
• Love Must Follow You Around (Rollercoaster)
• This Is Goodbye (Randy Rogers Band)
• Wicked Ways (Randy Rogers Band)
• Somebody Take Me Home (Rollercoaster)

Rogers is the main songwriter in the band Kenny Chesney covered “Somebody Take Me Home” on his album The Road and the Radio.  Through constant touring and a record release schedule of about every two years, the band has built a solid fan base and Rolling Stone magazine listed them as a Top 10 Must See Artist in the summer of 2007.

Check out the Randy Rogers Band at www.randyrogersband.com

 Great music awaits!

You should be listening to The National

The National is the indie band of brothers (seriously, it is two sets of brothers and a lead singer) strengthened by the unique baritone of lead singer Matt Berninger.  Formed in Ohio in 1999 and currently based in Brooklyn, The National released their self titled debut in 2001. 

Their sophomore release, Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers, was well received and paired them with producer Peter Katis who would remain at the helm for their next two critically acclaimed albums Alligator and Boxer.

The National Discography:

• The National (2001)
• Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers (2003)
• The Cherry Tree EP (2004)
• Alligator (2005)
• Boxer (2007)
• The Virginia EP (2008)
• High Violet (2010

Upon forming, most members kept their days jobs and performed locally on the weekends.  As their fan base grew, they began to tour regularly and eventually hit the U.S. festival circuit with sets at Coachella, Lollapalooza, Sasquatch, and All Points West.  They were also able to add a little European flavor to their festival resume with sets at Glastonbury, Haldern, and Lowlands.

Top 5 The National Songs:

1. Fake Empire (Boxer)
2. Anyone’s Ghost (High Violet)
3. All the Wine (Alligator)
4. Mistaken for Strangers (Boxer)
5. Bloodbuzz Ohio (High Violet)

For those of you who take occasion to watch some television, you might have caught The National on The Late Show with David Letterman, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, or perhaps The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson.  If you are more of a series kind of TV watcher, you might have heard the band on shows such as:

• Chuck
• Gossip Girls
• One Tree Hill
• Southland
• Defying Gravity

Their sound is dark and a bit despondent due in large part to the brooding vocal inflections of Berninger.  While dark, their music is also reassuringly real.  Their lyrics deal with banality of daily living.  They are writing and singing about the things we are living. 

Check out The National at www.americanmary.com

www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBujZr20O6M

www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_5FJe6lJI8&feature=related

Great music awaits!

You should be listening to Broken Bells!

Broken Bells is the self titled debut album of the mash up of in demand producer Brian Burton (Gorillaz, The Black Keys, Beck) who is also known as Danger Mouse (Gnarls Barkley) and James Mercer (The Shins).  In 2004 the two met and decided to work together and four years later they actually got together and began recording.  You can’t rush greatness folks!  The album was released in March 2010.  The music has an experimental edge as well as a  melodic, trippy kind of vibe.

With spacey beats and rubbery tempo, Burton pairs the, at times edgy, falsetto of Mercer to carefully crafted songs.  Melodies and an abundant amount of hooks are effortlessly infused with the trippy style that has repeatedly set Burton apart.  The album is truly a collaboration that utilizes the strength of both involved.  Vibrant beats and promising lyrics morph into a sonic landscape that draws you in. 

Key Tracks:

The Ghost Inside, The High Road, The Mall and Misery, and Trap Doors

Check out Broken Bells at www.brokenbells.com

www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGqKFxMqI_E

Great music awaits!

You should be listening to Jay Farrar!

Jay Farrar is the incredibly gifted singer/songwriter/musician who has been part of the creative process for two influential bands (Uncle Tupelo, Son Volt).  He has also had a nice solo career and most recently ventured out with Ben Gibbard (Death Cab for Cutie) on the soundtrack for “One Fast Move or I’m Gone”. 

Musically he is just as adept in the sparse folksy acoustic of Americana music or the powerful roar of rock and roll.  In addition to the guitar, Farrar also knows his way around the harmonica. 

Jay Farrar Discography:

• Sebastopol (2001)
• ThirdShiftGrottoSlack (EP 2002)
• Terroir Blues (2003)
• Live EP (2004)
• Stone, Steel, & Bright Lights (2004)

Upon the demise of Uncle Tupelo, Farrar formed Son Volt and released three albums before going on a six year hiatus.  Upon return in 2005, Farrar was the only original member of Son Volt and the newly designed band released an additional four albums. 

In 2006 Farrar and Anders Parker created Gob Iron and released one album while he was in the process of recording another Son Volt album. 

Farrar’s distinctive vocals are the glue that holds all of his music together.  While he has respectable writing and musical skills, it is his voice that puts the energy and emotion into the songs.   At times, it is low and deeply emotive, conveying the world weary troubadour.  Others times, it is painfully hidden behind the weirdly tuned guitar.

Top Five Jay Farrar Songs:

1. No Rolling Back (Terroir Blues)
2. Damn Shame (Sebastopol)
3. California (Terroir Blues)
4. Feel Free (Sebastopol)
5. Station to Station (ThirdShiftGrottoSlack)

Check out Jay Farrar at www.jayfarrar.net

www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9UNSyisYG8

www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9N4fDkSLUE&feature=related

Great music awaits!

Tune In Tuesday: 5/18/10

Today’s installment of Tune in Tuesday features six random albums. 

Whiskeytown

Pneumonia

Whiskeytown is the springboard band for the genius of Ryan Adams.  A short lived group that only released three, albeit stellar, albums Whiskeytown helped herald the Alt/country scene.

Pneumonia is a phenomenal album that can be listened to from start to finish. 

Key tracks: Jacksonville Skyline, Sit & Listen to the Rain, Don’t Wanna Know Why

Until When We Are All Ghosts

William Fitzsimmons

William Fitzsimmons is the whispering hirsute folk singer that channels demons into lush, ethereal songs about love, loss, life, etc…  His music is mostly guitar and vocals with the occasional piano.  Soft, sparse, and not quite radio friendly) no poppy hooks or bombastic bass beats) his music is well worth checking out.

Key Tracks: Passion Play, Find It In Me, Forsake All Others

The Wind

Warren Zevon

This is the last album by the late, great Warren Zevon and was released two weeks prior to his death.  There is also a great documentary regarding the creation of this album and last days of Warren.  Keep Me in Your Heart is the closing song and it is amazing as is the eerie cover of Dylan’s Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door.  There is a Who’s Who of rock and roll royalty that appear on this album:  Bruce Springsteen, Don Henley, Tom Petty, T-Bone Burnett, Jackson Browne, Dwight Yoakam, Joe Walsh, John Waite, Timothy B Schmidt, and Ry Cooder.

Key Tracks: Keep Me In Your Heart, Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door, Disorder in the House,

Temple of the Dog

Temple of the Dog

This is the early grunge version of a super group and was spawned by the death of Andrew Wood (Mother Love Bone).  Members of Pearl Jam and Soundgarden collaborate in this tribute to friend and fellow musician.  Chris Cornell and Eddie Vedder have never sounded better than on Hunger Strike.  Such a contrast in vocal styles but a rocking duet none the less. 

Key Tracks: Hunger Strike, Wooden Jesus, Four Walled World, say Hello 2 Heaven

Us Against the Crown

State Radio

This is the debut for the Boston based trio that is fronted by former Dispatch member Chad Urmston.  State Radio is steeped in sociopolitical rhetoric and reggae vibrations.  I’m a huge fan of the band and have seen them live several times.  This is my favorite album that they have released. 

Key Tracks: Camilo, Riddle In London Town, People To People, Mr. Larkin, Right Me Up

Roadhouse Sun

Ryan Bingham

This is Bingham’s second album on Lost Highway and has not been hurt by his sudden popularity due to the release of the movie Crazy Heart.  He has a raspy, whiskey soaked voice that seems road weary despite his relative young age.  The fact that he does not follow the current crop of pop country is refreshing. 

Key Tracks: Day Is Done, Country Roads, Wishing Well, Snake Eyes

Read, review, and respond.

Great music awaits!