The posting here has been pretty non-existent thanks to first my computer dying for a week and then all aspects of life teaming up to make me extra busy. I'm working on a post recapping the first third of 2013, but in the meantime I thought I'd write something quick.
One of the current things making my life busy is a presentation I'm working on for a class. Reading and processing statistics papers doesn't work too well when listening to music with lyrics, so one of my go to artists in these cases is Explosions in the Sky. I wanted to post the song "Your Hand In Mine," which came on while I was working this afternoon, but apparently I already posted it here. Instead, here's a song called "Postcard From 1952" off of the band's most recent release. The video is a collection of moments and life events that might have been included on a postcard from that year. Like many of the band's songs, it takes a while to build, but the payoff is worth it. I know guitar driven instrumental post-rock isn't for everyone, but I highly recommend spending some time with Explosions in the Sky. The quiet moments before the build up tend to put me in a place of perfect contentment where nothing else seems to matter. I love walking around in cool weather, just zoned out listening to them. When the sound starts to swell, the epic nature of it makes me feel on top of the world and like anything is possible. I made a comment on Twitter the other day that I wanted to nominate Japandroids for "band that most makes you feel like you can do anything." I'd also have to add Explosions in the Sky to that list now. Any other suggestions?
Anyhow, I'm off to continue being busy. Enjoy the video:
Interested in checking out Explosions in the Sky?
Band website
Facebook
Twitter
Or just watch the wonderful Friday Night Lights TV show, which they soundtracked
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Sallie Ford & The Sound Outside
Every once and a while an album comes around that just stops you in your tracks. That was my reaction the first time I heard the new Sallie Ford & The Sound Outside album, "Untamed Beast," a few weeks ago. Lead singer Sallie Ford brings energy and unbridled brashness that isn't seen very often. In the wrong hands, those two things could go off the tracks and lead to a chaotic mess. But Ford knows exactly what she's doing and oh boy does she do it well. The band's website quotes her as saying "It's time for a girl to infiltrate the boys world of rock 'n roll and grab it by the balls. To me rock 'n roll isn't a genre, it's an energy." Whether it's a genre or an energy, it should consider itself infiltrated and consider its bar raised. Everyone else, the standard has been set.
Sallie Ford & The Sound Outside is coming to Iowa City at the beginning of April, and I cannot wait for that show. In the meantime I'll just continue to listen to Untamed Beast over and over and over and over again.
You can stream the entire album here. But if you want a taste first, here's a track from the album:
Interested in checking out Sallie Ford & The Sound Outside?
Artist website
Another thing I failed to mention is that this album has finally convinced me that Partisan Records is a label to be reckoned with. In 2011, Partisan released Middle Brother's debut, which was my favorite album of the year. In 2012 they followed that up by releasing Field Report's debut and Heartless Bastards newest album, which were my third and ninth ranked albums of the year. I expect to see Sallie Ford & The Sound Outside very high on this year's list. Plus, now with this revelation, I've got a lot of Partisan Records' back catalog to comb through for gems I've missed.
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