Red was right, some things are best left unsaid...

Thanks to my oldest brother, Sigur Ros' music has been filling my ears, head and heart for about ten years now. I'm continually amazed by the Icelandic group's talent and innovation and mesmerized by words that I absolutely do not understand. I've never taken the time to figure out what the lyrics actually translate to because it's exactly like what Red says about the Italian ladies in The Shawshank Redemtion: "I have no idea to this day what those two Italian ladies were singing about. Truth is, I don't want to know. Some things are best left unsaid. I'd like to think they were singing about something so beautiful, it can't be expressed in words, and makes your heart ache because of it. I tell you, those voices soared higher and farther than anybody in a gray place dares to dream. It was like some beautiful bird flapped into our drab little cage and made those walls dissolve away, and for the briefest of moments, every last man in Shawshank felt free."

And you see, with Sigur Ros, there is so much beauty within the music, that deep down I know the content of the lyrics can't consistently match up with the beauty of the sound, so I prefer to just leave it be and pretend they're singing about something so beautiful it can't be expressed in words and makes your heart ache because of it...

Sigur Ros - Saegoplur


Shawshank - Marriage of Figaro: duettina sull'aria'

oh, won't you believe now?

I'd like to thank Austin, Texas for being the home to so many tremendous musical acts (Iron & Wine, Explosions in the Sky, Spoon, The Black Angels, American Analog Set, Ben Kweller, Robert Earl Keen, James McMurtry, Patty Griffin, Ian Moore, Jimmy LaFave, Alejandro Escovedo, Jerry Jeff Walker and more).

One of those artists, Spoon, released its seventh studio album, Transference last week. If you have enjoyed their previous work (especially their last album Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga) then you should own this record. The album changes pace several times during the eleven tracks and all of them have a different feel. There isn't a track on here that jumps out and begs to be played on repeat, but the album as a whole is a great listen and worth picking up. Below are a couple of my favorites...

Before Destruction


Got Nuffin


Written In Reverse


Listen hard, sing loud and enjoy.

BS

Under the Covers: Chapter 9: A heart just can't contain all that empty space...

"Four Winds" by Bright Eyes (off Cassadega) and covered by The Killers (off Spaceman EP).

Bright Eyes


The Killers


Listen hard, sing loud and enjoy.

BS

you feel hopeless and homeless and lost in the haze of the wine...

The Airborne Toxic Event's self-titled album was one of my favorites of 2008, but I was recently reminded of how tremendous this track actually is...such a truthful account performed with such a haunting feel to it. At about the 2:10 mark things start to get intense both musically and lyrically and about ninety seconds later they're really getting after it all....and then it just grabs hold of me and puts me in my seat. I'd be surprised by anyone who said they couldn't relate. Click here to read the lyrics.



Listen hard. Sing loud. Enjoy.

BS

gold teeth and a curse for this town were all in my mouth...

I was in search of a solid cover of The Shins' "New Slang" for Chapter Nine of Under the Covers and I found one...and it's better than anything I could have ever expected. Cass Lowe, a British indie folk artist, with a little help from his friends, does an absolutely astounding version of "New Slang" with a chunk of Coldplay's "Don't Panic" thrown in the middle (so, really, it's a Garden State tribute). Anyway...all this led me to Cass Lowe's website...which led me to youtube...which then led me to posting this. Right about at the 4:50 mark, when Lowe is wailing away and playing the piano...that's my favorite part. Yes. Please. Repeat.

New Slang/Don't Panic



Listen hard. Sing loud. Enjoy.

BS

cause we find ourselves in the same old mess...

It's Friday and as a follow up to Hammen's recent post about The Great CD Audit, this song seems appropriate. For those of you who need no explanation, enjoy the nostalgia. For those who do, just enjoy.



BS

drop the needle, we are playing for an audience of one...

Cold War Kids, among many others (Patty Griffin, Editors, & Spoon) released new music this past Tuesday. I'll be posting on all of them in the near future...but CWK's are up first. They've put out four song EP called Behave Yourself, with a full length release slated to come out later this year (they hit the studio next month). Below is one of the four new tracks, called "Audience." Yes please.




Listen hard. Sing loud. Enjoy.

BS

it's hell to believe there ain't a helluva chance....

Josh Ritter's new album can't come soon enough (sometimes this year). His previous works have all been worthy of high marks, with his bizarre lyrical take shining through each song on each of his four albums. "Thin Blue Flame" was one of my favorite songs of 2006; it's full of imaginative, beautifully woven together lyrics that wrap themselves around you for eight to ten minutes, depending on the version your listening to. The one time I saw Ritter live he didn't play it (to my massive disappointment), but fortunately there are a few quality versions on youtube. This is one of them. The added violin paired with Ritter and his acoustic guitar take the song to a whole new level. Interestingly enough, Glen Hansard spotted Ritter before he'd made a name for himself, and invited him to tour with The Frames in Ireland. This, of course, was the break that opened the doors to the musical world for Ritter. Ritter is reportedly currently working on a novel as well.

To take a closer look at the lyrics of "Thin Blue Flame" click here (do it).


Thin Blue Flame


Listen hard. Sing loud. Enjoy.

BS

what happens when the heart just stops? glen hansard can tell you.

Glen Hansard is a hero. A musical genius. A supreme storyteller. I have not seen him live, but I have an unhealthy obsession with youtube clips of him on his own, with the Swell Season, or with The Frames. I've posted his material a handful of times, and here we go again.

I first heard "What Happens When the Heart Just Stops?" in 2004, and it made it onto the very first Schneweis Holiday album. The version I heard is from The Frames live concert album, Set List, and before the song, Hansard tells a charming story about a neighborhood dog and admits the song is about the dog...it's a funny story, but really it was always hard to imagine why such a heavy song was about such a strange topic (you need to just hear that version to understand, and it's not available on youtube). Well, while playing a show at the fabulous Brown Theatre in Louisville, Kentucky, he told an entirely different story about the content of the song, one that makes much more sense. In his explanation Hansard puts relationships in perspective and sums up how our heads hearts work (or don't work). Six years after I first heard this song, it still contains words with so much meaning, power and relevance, that it never gets old. There are a handful of great versions of this song out there, and even some where he tells the same story. But, this is the best. First, the story, second, the song.





Seriously, listen hard, sing loud and enjoy.

BS

Under the Covers, Chapter 8: Can't wait for tomorrow, i might not live that long...

"Today" by Smashing Pumpkins and covered by Ben Kweller

Smashing Pumpkins


Ben Kweller


Listen hard. Sing loud. Enjoy.

BS

you've got a fast car, i've got a plan to get us out of here...

In finding Tracy Chapman's version of "The Times They Are A-Changin" for the last chapter of Under the Covers, I was reminded of how tremendous her debut, self-titled album is. Though it came out in 1988, I didn't find my ears until the mid-90s, but when it did it completely dominated my life. And going back and listening now, I think I like it even more today. "Behind the Wall" is so full of emotion...so beautiful and sad, so perfect. The girl filming it sings along a couple times, which is super annoying, but please, fight through it, it's worth it.

Talkin Bout a Revolution


Talkin' Bout a Revolution




Listen Hard. Sing Loud (just not when you're filming). Enjoy.

BS

Welcome to my ears, Geographers

Thanks to Scooter for passing this band on...I'm not sure how where he found them, but I'm thankful he did (they only have about 75,000 myspace profile views). They hail from San Francisco and are currently working on their second album, to be titled Animal Shapes. The following songs are off that upcoming album and if you can listen without moving any of your body parts, I'll be surprised.

If you're into Phoenix, MGMT, West Indian Girl (post coming soon), or any of the rock/pop/techno kinds of bands, you'll enjoy Geographers. You can also hear these tracks and more by clicking here.

Kites


Can't You Wait (this music video is awesomely bizarre.


Listen Hard. Sing Loud. Enjoy.

BS

Under the Covers, Chapter 7: Keep your eyes wide the chance won't come again...

A threefold Chapter of Under the Covers: Bob Dylan's timeless hit "The Times Are A-Changin" followed by Eddie Vedder and finally followed by Tracy Chapman.

Bob Dylan


Eddie Vedder




Listen Hard. Sing Loud. Enjoy.

BS

we were afraid we'd never meet again....

Pete Yorn live at PASTE. Yes please.

Last Summer


Lose You


Bizarre Love Triangle


Listen hard. Sing loud. Enjoy.

BS

The moon was in your hair and it all was so unfair...

It will come as a real shocker to see Mick Flannery, yet another solo singer songwriter to be featured on this blog (other recent similar posts include Will Hoge, The Tallest Man On Earth, Iron & Wine, and Ray Lamontagne). Flannery hit the music scene in 2005 but has become increasingly popular more recently. He's got a real honest approach to his music...something about his delivery just comes across uncomplicated and truthful, with a driving passion behind the words he sings. Below are are a few tracks of note....if you enjoy them you should pick up his latest album, White Lies, which was released in 2008. I've enjoyed all of his material I've heard so far, and to the performance below with Lisa Hannigan, I say yes please.

Wish You Well


Christmas Past (with Lisa Hannigan)


Goodbye


Listen hard. Sing loud. Enjoy.

BS

Take these thoughts and if they come back around just burn the whole place down

While sifting through the podcast section of my itunes I found a few World Cafe: Next podcasts from 2007 that I hadn't listened to yet. One of them was Chris and Thomas, a folk-pop duo from Los Angeles via Liverpool, England. They released their first album, Land of Sea, in 2006...and now, nearly four years later, they've found their way to my headphones and I'm thankful for it.



Listen Hard. Sing Loud. Enjoy.

BS

She can't keep no rhythm and I can't count no time...

Since I first heard "Trouble" by Ray Lamontagne on The World Cafe with David Dye in the fall of 2004, I've been hooked. He gets a bad wrap by those who confuse his shyness for arrogance and by some who judge him solely on his more widely popular songs like "Trouble" or "You Are the Best Thing." The musical truth is that this American, backwoods Van Morrison has the ability to make you hurt with the words he sings and melt with the chords behind the words. There's passion oozing out of his songs, and whether they're lyrically simple ("Trouble," for example) or more complicated ("Empty"), they all have meaning worth soaking in. I've been fortunate enough to see him live a few times and though his audience sizes have grown over time, he's doesn't seem to have changed. At a show in Louisville a couple of years ago, an exchange with an audience member proved just how passionate he is about his music. He was touring in support of Till the Sun Turns Black and somewhere in the middle of the show he started to play "Lesson Learned" (the darkest, heaviest song on the album). About forty-five seconds in, when it was time for him to start singing, he stopped playing and whispered an expletive into the mic. The audience was completely silent. He paused for a few seconds and then started playing again and forty-five seconds later, he stopped playing again and quietly swore as he stepped back this time, shaking his head. A audience member yelled out "Learn the words, Ray!" Ray stepped sharply forward, looked in the direction the shout came from and said the following (or, at least something very close to the following): "I know the words, man. I know the fucking words. I know the words too well. But sometimes you're too close to a song; sometimes you write something that is hard to step back from because you're just too close to it, because it still hurts." There was a brief moment of silence, where we all just really didn't know what to do...we'd just witnessed a powerful moment of truth filled with vulnerability. It was then that I knew Ray Lamontagne was the real deal. Soon his explanation was applauded and cheered. When the audience went silent again he played a version of "Lessons Learned" that cannot be rightfully described...the words to do it justice don't exist.

I was talking to my friend Mike today about how much of his lyrical content has a twisted, dark view to it. So, I started searching around and found a handful of songs he played at a show at the St. Lawrence Arts Center in Maine (where he makes his home) in 2003, before Trouble was released. Some of the tunes are off that album, but some didn't make it and I hadn't heard before now. I strongly suggest you listen to them all.













Listen hard. Sing loud. Enjoy.

BS

Waking before you, I've got a fever and a childish wish for snow...

In finding the video of Iron & Wine's cover of The Flaming Lips' "Waiting For A Superman" I came upon several videos from the same show at the Masonic Lounge in LA. As stated many times before, I'm of the opinion that Sam Beam is the best songwriter of our generation. Though the range of his voice is limited, his musical and lyrical talents know no bounds. Whenever I hear "Trapeze Swinger" I am forced to stop whatever it is I'm doing and just listen. It holds such a lovely power over me. The below version of "Flightless Bird, American Mouth" is stunning, beautiful, sad, powerful and everything in between. I really, really enjoyed all of these and I hope you do too. The silent audience makes it all the better, as the one time I saw Beam & Co. in concert there was far too much talking going on. Keep on, Sam, you make my life better.













Listen hard. Sing loud. Enjoy.

BS

Under the Covers, Chapter Six (Well I thought it was already as heavy as could be)

The Flaming Lips "Waiting for a Superman" off their album, The Soft Bulletin (their best, in my opinion), and covered by Iron & Wine (off his/their newest album, Around the Well.

The dark recording of Sam Beam's version gives the song a substantially heavier feel to it, which seems entirely appropriate. It's a dreary song to begin with, but The Lips have an uncanny ability to turn dark subject matter into happy sounding music (the music itself in this song just doesn't seem sad enough to fit with the words), whereas Beam's subject matter typically runs parallel to the musical content. Plus, with all the distractions that come with listening to and especially seeing The Flaming Lips perform, lyrical content can be easily overlooked.

This post was for you, Mike.






Listen hard. Sing loud. Enjoy.

BS

Let’s call me a baptist, call this the drowning of the past...

Frightened Rabbit's next album will be released in the US on March 9 and for me that day can't come soon enough. Their previous album, The Midnight Organ Fight, has proven to be one of the best in my personal collection as well as one that has served as a personal reference guide in recent months. From what I've read about the new album, Winter of Mixed Drinks, it's a follow up both literally and figuratively. Their previous album revolved entirely around the bitter end of a long-term relationship and the new album is supposedly centered around the process of moving forward from said relationship. I've been fortunate to have heard a few tracks off it (you can buy the single on itunes) and it's clear that excitement about it is warranted. There aren't a ton of quality youtube videos of the new material but what you'll see below is worth listening to/watching.

Swim Until You Can't See Land


Nothing Like You


Swim Until You Can't See Land (Acoustic)


Listen hard. Sing Loud. Enjoy.

BS

The walls the walls are coming down, the here and now is coming round

Fuel Friends brought this band to my attention late in 2009 and for some unknown reason I didn't give them a listen until the last few days. Heather Browne was right on to include their album, Resevoir, in her top ten of the last year. Powerful, yet simple melodies with occasional (and welcomed) orchestra accompaniments, all backed by plain but relatable lyrics. It all comes together to provide a tremendous listening experience.

The Walls Are Coming Down


I'm a Pilot


Fire Escape


Listen hard. Sing loud. Enjoy.

BS

What's done in the dark will be brought to the light.

I hadn't heard this song before tonight. I'm disappointed in that. It grabbed hold of me, sat me down, and after listening to it several times over, I still can't quite wrap my head around it all. The percussion, the eerily quiet guitar, the lyrics, all of it can be summed up by a four letter expletive.


Listen hard.



BS

Under the Covers, Chapter Five

Radiohead's "Fake Plastic Trees" and covered by Jeff Tweedy of Wilco.


Radiohead




Jeff Tweedy



Listen hard. Sing loud. Enjoy.

BS

Under the Covers, Chapter Four

The Boss is featured again but this time The Avett Brothers cover his hit song "Glory Days."

Bruce Springsteen - Glory Days (the video quality is terrible but the audio is faaaaantastic)




The Avett Brothers - Glory Days



Listen hard, sing loud and enjoy.

BS

your heart was dying fast and you didn't know what to do...

Diving deep into the material from the previous post has provoked a relentless search for any and all quality youtube videos of Ben Gibbard and Jay Farrar, though this post is completely dedicated to Gibbard/Death Cab/Postal Service. It's been satisfying to say the least...today has indeed been a very good day musically. The local record store, Budget Music, happened to have an advance copy of Vampire Weekend's Contra which has been on a heavy rotation with One Fast Move or I'm Gone (except when searching for the aforementioned videos).

Up first, Ben Gibbard doing an acoustic version of "Cath" off Narrow Stairs.

"Cath, it seems you live in someone else's dream
in a hand-me-down wedding dress
with all the things that could have been repressed
but you said your vows and you closed the door
oh so many men would have loved your more."



This is an absolutely gorgeous live acoustic version of "I Will Follow You Into The Dark"

"No blinding lights or tunnels to gates of white, just our hands clasped so tight." Yes. Please.



Death Cab doing "I Will Possess Your Heart"
"How I wish you could see the potential...
the potential of you and me.
It's like a book elegantly bound
in a language that you can't read yet."



The Crowd noise is a mildly annoying in this version of "Nothing Better" but it's still terrific.

"I feel must interject here you're getting carried away feeling sorry for yourself
With these revisions and gaps in history
So let me help you remember.
I've made charts and graphs that should finally make it clear.
I've prepared a lecture on why i have to leave."



Listen hard. Sing loud. Enjoy.

BS

One Fast Move Or I'm Gone

Jay Farrar of Sonvolt and Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie have come together and the world is a better place for it. They set out to create music to accompany a documentary about literary hero Jack Kerouac, but fortunately for us it turned into something greater. Having only met the night before they were set to be in the studio, they managed to collaborate quickly and efficiently, taking words directly from Kerouac's work, specifically the novel Big Sur. In creating One Fast Move or I'm Gone they have absolutely, unequivocally created one of the most beautiful albums I've ever heard.

While they're only doing a handful of shows (I would pay a hefty price to see one) they have done a good amount of interviews, with the best coming on the World Cafe with David Dye (click here to access it). You can read about a brief story as well as listen to the interview and three different, yet equally amazing songs.

You can also read a terrific article about it that was featured in PASTE Magazine by clicking here. The article starts out with one of my favorite passages from Kerouac's On the Road, which got me excited pretty quickly.

There is also some solid youtube videos of some of the material from the album, but the interview on the World Cafe will provide you with the best versions. If you don't have the patience for that, though I think you won't regret listening to it, you can check out a couple tunes here. "Low Life Kingdom" knocked me on off my figurative feet.

Low Life Kingdom


The Roads Don't Move


Listen hard. Sing loud. Enjoy.

BS

Here Comes Feeling You Thought You'd Forgotten....

Vampire Weekend's second album, Contra, will be released this coming Tuesday (January 12, 2010). I heard a track, "Diplomat's Son," on the World Cafe with David Dye last night, and then discovered that the whole album could be previewed at the band's website (www.vampireweekend.com).

You often hear about the sophomore slump that can plague a band whose first album was a success (their self-titled album received tremendous acclaim). And it will be two weeks shy of two years between their album release dates, which also provides for some immediate skepticism, as it can be difficult to create an album's worth of quality tracks in such a short time. Especially when you consider that many bands are together for years, playing show after show and perfecting their best songs that eventually make up on their first album. With all that said, the album title is a perfect fit because it is exactly contrary to what I just described. From the opening track, "Horchata," to the final one, "I Think UR a Contra," Contra takes you a musical ride of ups and downs full of fantastic percussion and emotion provoking melodies. Without a doubt this will be one of the best albums of 2010.

Visit www.vampireweekend.com to listen to the whole album and then go buy it at your local music store on Tuesday. They'll be playing First Avenue in Minneapolis on March 22 for all you North Dakotans looking to see them live.

Listen hard. Sing loud. Enjoy.

BS

Gotta keep believing if you wanna know for sure.

Will Hoge is an artist I've heard and seen before, one I liked but didn't love. His album that came out last year, The Wreckage, was one I gave a listen to but know now I didn't give the proper attention to. Thanks to Fuel Friends, I've seen Hoge in a different light. This time in an all acoustic session in Baltimore. These two songs have grabbed hold of me and haven't let go. Seriously, listen hard.

Even If It Breaks Your Heart



The Highway's Home



Now, sing loud and enjoy.

BS

The Rural Alberta Advantage

Thanks to Dan from Jackson Hole for passing this artist on to me, I genuinely appreciate it and am confident anyone who reads/hears this will too.

The Rural Alberta Advantage are, by their own admission, an indie-rock band looking to embrace their rural Canadian roots, singing songs about topics ranging from heartbreak to the state of the local mining business. There's a twinge of Roman Candle and Delta Spirit (at least to me) in their sound but they still manage to stand on their own quite well. The lyrics are rather visual yet uncomplicated, providing listeners with a terrific mental picture of the content.

Portions of the lyrics from "Frank, AB"

And the cold depths of the rocky clutch
Won't take away our love
.... save you from this life

I'll hold ..... I'll hold on to your touch
'til they find the bones of us
.... save you from this life

And under the rubble of the mountain that tumbled
I'll hold you forever
I'll hold you forever

They'll build up another on the bodies of our brothers
I'll love you forever



There's a decent amount of their material on youtube. Their actual website and myspace page are linked in to their name in the title and the first sentence of the second paragraph, respectively.

Listen hard. Sing loud. Enjoy.

BS

Under the Covers, Chapter Three

Neil Young's "Heart of Gold" and then covered by Calexico.

Neil Young




Calexico



Listen hard. Sing loud. Enjoy.

Fuck Buttons. Seriously. Fuck Buttons.

It certainly seems the choice of name for this band was meant to be an attention grabber...or, as the band members describe it, "playful yet abrasive." I believe they succeeded in both....

Two twenty-somethings out of Bristol, England have joined forces and managed to create sounds that I've found have been best described by Time Out magazine: "adrenaline pumping, ear purging slab of towering, pristine noise." And to that I say, yes please.

If you have previously enjoyed Tortoise, Godspeed You Black Emperor!, Mogwai or Explosions in the Sky, then you're in for a pleasurable experience. If you haven't enjoyed those bands but are willing to try, there's potential for you to have an extraordinary musical experience that could be at either end of the the spectrum of enjoyment. If you just plain don't like the aforementioned bands, then you probably won't like what you can listen to at the bottom of this post. Had I heard their album, Tarot Sport, before the year ended it would have certainly been in contention for top ten of 2009...but it certainly wins the award for the group I missed the boat on.

Thanks to my oldest brother for passing this band on to me.

Fuck Buttons - The Lisbon Maru



Listen hard. Sing loud. Enjoy.

BS

Jim James wields a musical sledgehammer

The following videos are from a solo acoustic show Jim James put on at the Rudyard Kipling, a tiny venue in his hometown (and my former city) of Louisville, KY. These songs have only been viewed on youtube a few hundred times...which is astounding considering the content. What a show this must have been....the weight of the music that is coming through these videos is enough to make me stop and consider what it is I've just seen and heard, and to think about seeing it in person is difficult to say the least. I saw MMJ live at the Waterfront in Louisville a couple summers ago and I'm confident I may one day see a better show, but know that I'll never experience music like I did that night. I'm sitting here, more excited than ever to post this, but have no more words to offer. What you're about to listen to is beyond adjectives.

Gideon



The Way That He Sings



Bermuda Highway



It Beats 4 U



Wonderful (The Way I Feel)



There are eleven songs from this show on youtube and I suggest you listen to all of them immediately.

BS

Under the Covers, Chapter Two

This time around it's Bruce Springsteen's "One Step Up" followed by Pearl Jam's rendition, which was actually the first version I'd ever heard. In 1998 I bought a Pearl Jam Bootleg called "Covering Them" from Budget Music in Grand Forks. It was made up entirely of PJ doing covers and even some improv stuff live. I loved the version of "One Step Up" so much that it drove me find the Springsteen original version, which is also awesome. So, here you go...

Bruce Springsteen - One Step Up (live & acoustic)



Pearl Jam - One Step Up



Listen hard, sing loud and enjoy.

BS