pay your dues and your debts, pay your respects...

I'll no doubt catch some flack for posting this, but with my itunes on shuffle this song came on today and hit me at the right place and right time. I should also say I'm a strong believer that Dave Matthews with Tim Reynolds is the best Dave Matthews to listen to...

Dave Matthews w/Tim Reynolds - Pay for What You Get


listen hard.
sing loud.
enjoy.

BS

Rockfeedback Session: Mumford & Sons

As discussed with Eric and Jill last night, this band and their debut album have already provided listeners with something special. I'm so excited to see them live in May and for their future work...I just can't get enough of them. In this Rockfeedback Session they play some extraordinary versions of songs off Sigh No More as well as provide a few brief but great interview moments. Yes please. Click here to enjoy.

it saves.

BS

don't cool off, i like your warmth...

Pitchfork's musical standard is far and away Animal Collective. I don't necessarily have an issue with that, but I think it more often than not leads their reviewers to rave about an album or artist (like their Mumford & Sons review) and then give it a 2.1 out of 10, which leaves you wondering what the eff you just read. REGARDLESS, Animal Collective is worthy of their high praise, and as I work this morning with their most recent album, Merriweither Post Pavillion, blasting in my headphones, I realize I haven't ever posted any of their music. For those of you who have previously heard these songs, I suggest you enjoy them again. For those of you who have not, I hope you enjoy them this time, any many more times to come.

Summertime Clothes


My Girls


Daily Routine


listen hard.
sing loud.
enjoy.

BS

it's the night, i can be who you like...

I've been enveloped in all things Frightened Rabbit (again) since their new album, Winter of Mixed Drinks, came out earlier this month. The album as a whole is tremendous, though it falls short of their last effort (which isn't a surprise, because The Midnight Organ Fight is an absolute gem). Here are a few versions of tracks from both of those albums that I've found recently and have not posted previously (because if you visit this blog, you're probably aware of my intense affection for FR).

The Twist (a solid live version until the 3:10 mark when it turns to fantastic. This song is so simple and so awesome)


Backwards Walk


Good Arms vs Bad Arms (quit trying to ruin this, Jon)


Swim Until You Can't See Land


The Wrestle (my favorite track off the new album done acoustically)


The Loneliness and the Scream (second favorite track off new album)


music saves.

BS

the bridge: section one

This is the first of what will hopefully become a weekly post: the bridge. The idea is that a post will feature three songs that are, in this listeners mind, connected in some way (theme, genre, lyrics, musicians, producer, record label, etc). Whether or not you come to the same conclusion or care at all is completely up to you. Odds are that you'll have heard many of these songs before, but perhaps another listen or listening in this sequence will enhance your enjoyment. As always, feel free to submit anything you think is worthy of sharing, but please do so via email at pacingthecagemusic@gmail.com.

Band of Horses - I Go to the Barn Because I Like The


The Format - On Your Porch


William Walter & Tucker Rogers - When I Leave for California


listen hard.
sing loud.
enjoy.

BS

you won't lose the beat if you just keep clapping your hands...

Dave Hall has been after me to post about Fruit Bats for weeks now. For the last eight years Fruit Bats have been a revolving door of musicians, but more recently have refined their lineup and their musical direction. They are supposedly a tremendous live act, and let me say that if David Dye gives his approval (which he does), then they're worth listening to. If you're into The Shins or Dr. Dog, then you'll dig on Fruit Bats. The first two songs are off their latest album, The Ruminant Band, and the last track is off their 2005 release, Spelled In Bones. Dave, I'll meet you at Prasler's...

The Ruminant Band


My Unusual Friend


When U Love Somebody


listen hard.
sing loud.
enjoy.

BS

i'll endure the night for the promise of light...

While in search of any and all decent covers of Paul Simon songs, I came across Local Natives and their cover of "Cecilia." I was so impressed by their energy and love for percussion (I mean, one of them is playing drums on a tree), that I went digging for more. Turns out they were an unsung hero of the SXSW Festival that just finished in Austin (I have to go next year), in that they weren't receiving a ton of hype before the festival, but everyone came out buzzing about their shows when it was over. They could easily be mistaken for Fleet Foxes, but the chief difference, to this listener, appears to be the depth of and dedication to percussion. I've been listening to their debut album, Gorilla Manor, for most of the day and here are a few of the tracks that stuck out to me. They aren't bringing a totally new sound to the musical world, but their definitely bringing good music.

Airplane


Sun Hands


Airplanes


listen hard.
sing loud.
enjoy.

BS

a tribute to the Vitamin String Quartet.

The Vitamin String Quartet has performed songs from a wide range of artists and with every string version of a song they create, they bring a new element of enjoyment. For the last seven years or so, they have brought me loads of musical happiness, and now, it's time to pay tribute. Here are some of my favorites...

Radiohead - Reckoner


Elliott Smith - Somebody That I Used To Know


AC/DC - Thunderstruck


Pearl Jam - Release (my all-time PJ favorite)


R.E.M - Nightswimming


Explosions In the Sky - Your Hand In Mine


Red Hot Chili Peppers - Snow (Hey Oh)


TOOL - Schism


listen hard + enjoy.

BS

it's the right night for the wrong company...

This is dedicated to Adam Compton and his love for Dr. Dog (though I do love them too). Their new album, Shame, Shame is due out April 6 and this is the single, titled "Shadow People." All you GF area folks can show your support for Adam and the rest of Mogeley Oak tomorrow night at Crosstown Lounge at 10 PM.



listenhard/singloud/enjoy

BS

under the covers, chapter twenty: i fall on the floor and i'm laughing...

Chapter Twenty features Simon & Garfunkel's "Cecilia" and covered by Local Natives (more from them in the near future). Please, pay attention to the different and tremendous forms of percussion. I'd also like to commend Local Natives for how much fun they seem to be having while they play. It makes me happy. Finally, Paul Simon rules.

Simon & Garfunkel


Local Natives


listen hard.
sing loud.
enjoy.

BS

for all your lies you're still very lovable...

Thanks to Aaron for inspiring the search that led to me finding this. And with more than 600,000 views, I feel like maybe I'm behind the times...but I just had to share it anyway. So cool. So awesome. Can't wait for more from Bon Iver.

(3.25.10 @ 1:06 AM: a couple hours after I posted this I came back and listened to it again and again, and now it won't let go of me. at this very moment I don't have the words to describe it...it has simply knocked the figurative wind out of me)

For Emma (A Capella)


music saves.

BS

it's been a long time coming, but now the snow is gone...

I've been wanting to post this song for awhile now...it's nowhere near new, but in anticipation of Josh Ritter's upcoming album (So the World Runs Away, May 4) and the beginning of spring, I've been itching to play this when it's actually applicable in real life. And for those of us in Northeastern North Dakota, it's almost true now...so this is "Snow Is Gone" off his 2003 album Hello Starling. Here's to turning up the volume and driving with your windows down and moderate heat on, all under a blue sky.

Snow Is Gone


listen hard.
sing loud.
enjoy.

BS

if it were up to me, I'd leave it up to you...

I'm listening to Elvis Perkins In Dearland this morning and loving every bit of it. Here's to hoping you do too. Also, I love the drummer, especially in "Doomsday." The last song posted is for Dave Hall.

Doomsday (with Bon Iver)


Hey


Shampoo


I Heard Your Voice In Dresden


Chains, Chains, Chains


listen hard.
sing loud.
enjoy.

BS

our fears are only what we tell them to be...

I've taken a direct turn away from the electronica-based music that's dominated me the last couple of days and am immersed in the latest Norah Jones album, The Fall, that came out late last year. It's been on a list of albums I've been planning to get to, and finally today, while procrastinating, I've gotten to it. I'm digging on the whole disc right now, but this track stuck out at first listen. Yes please.

Young Blood


listen hard.
sing loud.
enjoy.

BS

Holy Fuck, Latin America

Just came across this band this morning...yes, their name is Holy Fuck. The song is "Latin America" and it fits right in with what I've been listening to the last few days. Their debut album, Latin, is out May 11.



just listen.

BS

angel echoes.

I love this song. Thanks, brother.

Four Tet is the musical vehicle owned and operated by Kieran Hebden. If you dig this track, check out more from Four Tet here and here.

Watching Hebden in action has brought more appreciation for the song, but I also recommend turning up the volume and turning down the lights for full enjoyment. Especially with the album version (second video).

Angel Echoes (live)


Angel Echoes (album)


listen hard.
sing loud (when applicable).
enjoy.

BS

stole the soul from the friend that we knew...

Spring break put the blog out of commission for about a week, and for that (to those who were eagerly awaiting updates), I apologize (though I don't regret it). I'm way behind in terms of new music and hope to catch up later on in the week when things settle down. Thanks to Katy for throwing this next artist in my direction...

Jarrod Gorbel is one fourth of the band The Honorary Title, but apparently is venturing out on his own with a cross country tour in support of his solo EP that was released in January. From what I've heard of him so far, his lyrics are solid and his voice is booming. Below are a couple of his tracks...

10 Years Older


Optimism


listen hard.
sing loud.
enjoys.

if you're friends with Jesus, please ask him to help us...

The Drive-By Truckers have a new album out called The Big To-Do (released yesterday). And while I think they were at their best when Jason Isbell was still a member of the band, they still have plenty to offer. Patterson Hood's lyrics seem to be improving with every album, and the release of this album has been met with comparisons to Bruce Springsteen's The River (not too sure about that). Their clanging guitars remind me of My Morning Jacket but Hood's country twang take things in a different direction, and at the end of the album, it's a direction I'm happy with. The track below is one that stuck out to me in my first listen. If you dig it, check out the whole album. For the first leg of their tour they are playing with Langhorne Slim, so I suggest if they come near you that you make an appearance. They'll eventually open for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, playing pretty much all massive venues (later this summer).

Drag the Lake Charlie



listen hard.
sing loud.
enjoy.

BS

Under the Covers, Chapter Nineteen: I am finally seeing why I was the one worth leaving.

This chapter features "The District Sleeps Alone Tonight" by The Postal Service and covered by Frank Turner, where, after about the two minute mark, he absolutely sings with all his energy (and it's awesome). Go on and enjoy. Also, I love Sub Pop Records.

The Postal Service


Frank Turner


listen hard.
sing loud.
enjoy.

BS

that feeling you get when the wind is blowing like your whole life is starting over...

Thanks to Laura for provoking me to get at the new Rocky Votolato album, True Devotion, released last month. I have what has been called by many to be his best album, Makers, but haven't paid much attention to him lately. Clearly, that was a mistake. The videos below are apparently from a house show he did last August. Sure would have liked to be there....top tracks off the new album are Red River, Sparklers, and Sun Devil.

Red River


Sparklers


listen hard.
sing loud.
enjoy.

BS

and don't tell me that there ain't no end, cause there damn well is and it waits in the wings...

Mason Jennings will be at The Venue in Fargo (for all you local folks) on March 19 in support of his newest album, Blood of Man. I'll admit that I haven't heard it in its entirety yet, but I've heard a couple tracks, and to be honest, his new, more electric approach hasn't been immediately attractive to my ears. I'll get to the album soon enough, but am posting my favorite Jennings track until I make the time to listen to it. I absolutely love the lyrics to this song.

Jackson Square


listen hard.
sing loud.
enjoy.

BS

in the daytime we're dead, but at night we live.

Thanks to Brandon for bringing this to my world, I'm now better for it.

I hadn't heard of the band Far before, and this is the only song I've heard, but after I finish this post, I'm off to explore. Jack Kerouac sent me towards night time fandom when I was fifteen, and a few years later Dave Eggers and his A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius sealed the deal with these words: "I like the dark part of the night, after midnight and before four-thirty, when it's hollow, when ceilings are harder and farther away. Then I can breathe, and can think while others are sleeping, in a way can stop time, can have it so – this has always been my dream – so that while everyone else is frozen, I can work busily about them, doing whatever it is that needs to be done, like the elves who make the shoes while children sleep." Enough said. Enjoy.

Far - At Night We Live

Far plays a quick song at THIS in between shots from THIS on Vimeo.

listen hard.
sing loud.
enjoy.

BS

I need another double shot of something ninety proof, I got too much to think about...

As a busy week ends and Spring Break begins, the chorus to this Todd Snider song rings through my head. More from Snider very soon, but til then, enjoy...

Statistician's Blues


enjoy.

BS

John Butler and his Trio's Revolution...

The John Butler Trio have a new album coming out, and according to the my personal Dean of Music, David Dye, it's worth getting excited about. The album, April Uprising, is set to be released on April 6. Below is the lead track, "Revolution."



enjoy.

BS

I will settle in Pamplona and I’ll provoke the bulls with words...

The Tallest Man On Earth, though he's not exactly what his name makes him out to be, has quickly become a favorite artist of mine. His 2008 album, Shallow Grave, landed him on the musical map and his upcoming album, Wild Hunt, is set to be released on April 13. He's often been compared to Bob Dylan, and though that's a bit lofty, perhaps if I knew enough about the musical history of Sweden I'd be comfortable in calling him the Swedish Bob Dylan (actually, let's just do it anyway). His lyrics are clever, winding, dreamy and mostly applicable upon dissection. Here's a live performance of the single off the upcoming album called "King of Spain," which is available on itunes now). He'll be playing at The Varsity Theater in Minneapolis on May 24.

King of Spain


listen hard. enjoy.

BS

did you hear me in the loneliness and the scream to bring the blood to the front of my face again?

New Frightened Rabbit out today. I haven't been this excited for an album to be released since the Avett Brothers' I and Love and You came out in September. I bought the album at midnight last night and it's better than I hoped it would be. Here's a track to wet your appetite, but I strongly suggest you go buy the album (Winter of Mixed Drinks).

The Loneliness and the Scream


Listen hard.
BS

I've got three golden bullets and I'm shooting for your soul...

I missed the Citizen Cope show in Minneapolis yesterday but have been listening to his first album today and then not surprisingly, went youtubing after some material. Both David Dye of the World Cafe and Mike Olson of KFJM have played "Bullet and a Target" recently (what a great song that is), which pushed me to have a conversation about CC with a friend last night and then to listening today. Below is an acoustic version of the aforementioned song, as well as an absolutely tremendous performance of "Salvation" followed by "Sideways" and finally a cover of Radiohead's "Karma Police." Unfortunately, I could not find a quality version of "Let the Drummer Kick It," which is a top track off his first album.

Bullet and a Target (acoustic)


Salvation


Karma Police


Listen hard, sing loud and enjoy.

BS

I think we've got a chance to make it right....

I took a trip back to 2005 today, courtesy of Amos Lee and his self-titled debut album. These songs may be nothing new for many of you I'm sure, but still, to me, they're worthy of sharing. A live version of "Keep It Loose, Keep It Tight" recorded at WFPK Studios in Louisville was a 2007 A Very Schneweis Holiday pick, first because it's a good song, but secondly, because the idea behind the song about the struggle to find balance is something I identified with then and is something that resonates with me even more now. Lee gives a brief explanation before he plays it in this video....enjoy.

Keep It Loose, Keep It Tight


In the Arms of a Woman


Colors


listen hard. sing loud. enjoy.

BS

Under the Covers, Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Eighteen features Roger Miller's "Where Have All the Average People Gone" and covered by Scott Avett of The Avett Brothers (they played this song at the show the other night, post about that coming soon). My favorite Miller moments are from Disney's Robin Hood (cartoon) where he played the minstrel.

Roger Miller


Scott Avett


Enjoy.

BS

some say with age that our purpose comes clear, I see the opposite happening here...

Listening to all things Avett Brothers this morning (shocker). Three songs off The Gleam EP. Yes. Please.


Backwards With Time


When I Drink


If It's the Beaches


Music saves.

BS

decide what to be and go be it.

I'm going to be out of posting commission for a few days as I excitedly head off to see The Avett Brothers play at First Ave in Minneapolis. Before I come back to that, there's a lot to be to be excited about right now...

- The new Rogue Wave album came out Tuesday. I'll be giving it a full review on my drive.

- The Mumford & Sons album has brought me to a conclusion: it's the best album I've purchased since I and Love and You came out in late September. Get it. Listen to it. Read the lyrics. And all the while, love it. They'll be in Minneapolis in late May, I hope I can make it.

- Winter of Mixed Drinks, the new Frightened Rabbit album comes out on Tuesday. Their last album still has a hold on me and from what I have heard and what others have said, this album is just as good, if not better. Yes. Please. Repeat.

- Dr. Dog's new single, "Shadow People," off the upcoming Shame, Shame, is awesome. David Dye promises the album is a good one, and I want it right now, even though we're still a month away.

- Josh Ritter's single, "Change of Time," off his upcoming release, So the World Runs Away, is still on a daily rotation for me. So, so excited for the album. Ritter is, to me, up there with Sam Beam for top songwriters of our generation.

And now I leave you with a few Avett Brothers Songs I hope to hear Friday night. Listen hard, sing loud and enjoy (I certainly will be). The last song posted is, in my opinion, the best song they've written.

Go to Sleep (you know I'm a sucker for crowd involvement, and also, for you own health, just listen to this, don't watch the video).


Please Pardon Yourself


The Weight of Lies


Salina


Murder in the City


Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise


BS

ob-la-di, ob-la-da

Just in case you'd forgotten how awesome The Beatles are, here's a reminder. On a related note, I miss Life Goes On.



Sing loud (seriously, do it).

BS

consumed by Colin Hay.

I hadn't fully thrown myself into Colin Hay's work until tonight. I've heard plenty of Men at Work material as well as a chunk of his solo work, but never had I bought an entire album, put my headphones in, turned the volume up and set in to find out what Hay had to offer. While I'm so very happy I finally did do that, I certainly wish I'd have done it sooner. I think if you give him a good sporting chance, you'll find there's no need for explanation. Hay's just simply got it figured out.

I could not find a live version of this song, which has become my favorite off of his album Going Somewhere, but below is the album cut.

"Don't Wait Up"


listen hard.

BS

the Guess Who Sucked, the Jets were lousy anyway...

Thanks to Adam Compton for playing this the other day in the Loading Dock at the Union and reminding me of how much I enjoy it, and in general, The Weakerthans. Those of us who live in North Dakota can relate to the story John K. Sampson tells before he plays "One Great City."



Listen hard.

BS

I don't care to be forgiven, I only wanna be forgotten...

Thanks to Adam C. for sharing these with me mp3 style via Daytrotter a couple months ago and to JV for sharing with me last night that they were recently made available on youtube. If you dug on The Format songs that were posted the other day, then you'll enjoy these songs by Nate Ruess' new musical vehicle, fun. Their debut album, Aim and Ignite, was one of the best in 2009. Ruess' lyrics have always been there for me when I needed them most, whether I knew it at the time or not.

Benson Hedges


All the Pretty Girls


The Gambler


Listen hard, sing loud and enjoy.

on a hippie trail, head full of zombie...

Let me start by saying I'm ecstatic about this post.

I was watching episode two from season one of What About Brian tonight and Colin Hay's "Waiting for My Real Life to Begin" was featured in it. I remember the first time I heard that song was while watching Dawson's Creek in high school (not my proudest moment). Anyway, I posted a rather sweet version of that song, complete with some strange interpretive dancing, awhile back on a friend's facebook wall, and tonight went youtubing to find it again. Not surprisingly, in my search for it I found something so, so much better.

Hay played live at PASTE Magazine in early January, and below are the five songs from that mini show, all of which have less than eight hundred views. Included in the set is a killer version of "Land Down Under," though I still say Josh Glauber's cover is better (wish I could prove it...Josh...help?) Anyway, what you're about to hear makes me happy, I hope it does the same for you.

Land Down Under


I Just Don't Think I'll Ever Get Over You


Overkill


Oh, California


Prison Time


Listen hard, sing loud and enjoy.