I don't have time for a proper blog post, but a while ago these two songs came up back to back on my iTunes. Since then, I've been meaning to post them together, partially because I found it amusing and partially because they are both relatively unknown gems.
"I Don't Care" by Breakfast in Fur is from the New York band's self-titled EP released in 2009. You can download that EP and another EP through the band's Bandcamp page for whatever price you'd like.
"I Don't Mind" by The Decemberists is from the Portland, Oregon band's "5 Songs EP," originally released independently in 2001. It was later re-released, and the whole thing is worth checking out. I also really enjoy the track "Oceanside" off this EP.
Showing posts with label the decemberists. Show all posts
Showing posts with label the decemberists. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Special Super Bowl Edition
I've got to head out to go watch the "Big Game" soon, but I've got a quick Super Bowl blog post ready to go, so without further ado...
In honor of the two teams involved this year, we've got "O New England" by English folk legend Billy Bragg and "We Looked Like Giants" by Death Cab for Cutie.
But this game is about more than just the two teams involved, so we ought to pay some respect to the people involved in the game. Eli Manning is looking to pass his brother Peyton in number of Super Bowls won after today, so to honor him, we've got "Eli, The Barrow Boy" by The Decemberists.
On the other sideline, Bill Belichick looks to win his fourth Super Bowl, which would tie the record for most ever by a head coach. In his honor, we've got "Lonesome Cowboy Bill" by The Velvet Underground.
What did I miss?
In honor of the two teams involved this year, we've got "O New England" by English folk legend Billy Bragg and "We Looked Like Giants" by Death Cab for Cutie.
But this game is about more than just the two teams involved, so we ought to pay some respect to the people involved in the game. Eli Manning is looking to pass his brother Peyton in number of Super Bowls won after today, so to honor him, we've got "Eli, The Barrow Boy" by The Decemberists.
On the other sideline, Bill Belichick looks to win his fourth Super Bowl, which would tie the record for most ever by a head coach. In his honor, we've got "Lonesome Cowboy Bill" by The Velvet Underground.
What did I miss?
Saturday, December 31, 2011
My Top 40 Albums of the Year (1-5)
The long awaited final installment of the countdown is here! For the previous parts go here: 6-10, 11-20, 21-40.
I didn't put too much thought into the groups that these were divided into other than breaking things into manageable parts to write about each day. However, the top five do break away really nicely because I love all 5 of these albums. So with that said, onto the countdown...
5) Mates of State - Mountaintops
For those that don't know, Mates of State are a husband and wife indie pop duo. Both sing while Kori plays keyboards/synthesizer and Jason plays drums. I used to be a pretty big fan back in the day, but I haven't listen to the band too much in the last couple years. Because of that, I didn't really have any sort of expectation when I listened to the album. Thankfully I did actually listen though because I was hooked almost immediately. The first track, "Palomino," is really the band at its best. If this had been the only stand out track, I would have been more than satisfied, but "Sway" and "Mistakes" are two other favorites that along with solid tracks all around them make Mountaintops one of the best albums of 2011. This is the band's 7th full length that I own, and in my opinion it is absolutely their best album to date. Consider me fully back on the Mates of State bandwagon and eagerly awaiting anything they choose to record in the future. I really wanted this Mates of State album to be higher for all of the reasons described above, but the four albums above it are great too, so it ended up at a very respectable number 5.
4) The Decemberists - The King Is Dead
While I hadn't strayed from The Decemberists quite like I had for Mates of State, their last album, an ambitious attempt at an indie rock opera, was my least favorite of their releases to date. However, as I discussed on the blog right after "The King Is Dead" came out, this year's album was a wonderful return to an indie folk style that is much more akin to my liking. I've actually already written posts about "Don't Carry It All," "Calamity Song," and seeing the band in concert in April, so I don't have too much more to add. I loved the album in January when I picked it up, and it has remained one of my favorite albums throughout all of 2011.
Since I've already written about "Don't Carry It All" and "Calamity Song," check out "June Hymn" below.
3) Tom Waits - Bad As Me
Obviously, the blog name alone can assure you that I'm a pretty big Tom Waits fan. When this album was first announced I had a post expressing my excitement. After the album was released, I outlined a post that would have been titled "Tom Waits On Life" or something of that sort and that would have used lyrics from the album to give life lessons, but unfortunately school and life (but mostly school) got in the way. Maybe I can still write it at some point, but for now I can just say that even a 62 year old Tom Waits can still write phenomenal music. Most of the songs are short and characterized by his gravely voice and experimental instrumentation that fans have grown to love over the years. The impetus to do a wisdom of Tom Waits type post was lines like "Everybody knows umbrellas will cost more in the rain" (a good description of supply and demand) and "Heavens to murkatroid, miners to coal. A good woman can make a diamond out of a measly lump of coal." If his voice turns you off, you obviously won't enjoy the album. On the other hand, if you like a unique sound from a legend with witty lyrics this will be an album for you, and it is an excellent addition to the over 20+ albums that Tom Waits has recorded in the past almost 40 years.
The song below, "Bad As Me" is my favorite song off the album. Also check out the song "Satisfied," which features Keith Richards on guitar.
2) Bon Iver - Bon Iver, Bon Iver
It seems like Justin Vernon of Bon Iver has been everywhere since his 2008 album "For Emma, Forever Ago" burst onto the scene. Since then, he formed Volcano Choir with members of Collections of Colonies of Bees (also from Wisconsin) and recorded an album with them. He also recorded a Bon Iver EP, recorded an album with a collection of 20+ musicians called GAYNGS, guested on a couple tracks of Kanye West's 2010 album that saw rave reviews all over, and guested on various other albums and songs. Also during that time, Justin Vernon joined his old high school jazz band for a concert to help raise money for a trip the band was taking to New York for a jazz competition. I actually had the pleasure of attending that concert at Eau Claire Memorial High School, and it might just be the best concert I've ever attended. The uniqueness of having a well-known artist sing his own songs with a jazz arrangement and covering old jazz classics was truly a unique experience that I'm so glad to have experienced. It was really cool seeing an artist that had gained fame so quickly return to his roots and come across as so humble and grateful for everything he had achieved. Thankfully the concert was recorded and released as an album called "A Decade With Duke" that can be purchased from Amazon or various other music vendors.
I imagine there are few things tougher for an artist than following up a well-received debut album. Some artists will try to duplicate what made their first album successful only to fail to catch lightning in a bottle twice. Rather than trying to replicate his previous album, Justin Vernon took some chances, and came up with another brilliant album. The music is beautiful, and it is great hearing a hard working artist evolve and get noticed for it (although The Grammys listing him in the "Best New Artist" category is kind of a joke). Anyhow, the music speaks for itself. The songs are sort of ambient too and this is another great headphones album.
I could have sworn that I had posted the video for "Holocene" previously, but I don't see it, so here it is (again?).
And now...
The dramatic reveal...
of...
the number one album of 2011...
1) Middle Brother - Middle Brother
Middle Brother is an alt country/indie folk collaboration of one member each from the bands Deer Tick, Dawes, and Delta Spirit. "Super groups" can be a risky endeavor and often don't live up to the sum of their parts, but Middle Brother appears to be the exception. (Side note: I really like the Monsters of Folk collaboration too, but probably not as much as I liked M. Ward or Bright Eyes individually). I wasn't too familiar with any of the originating bands when I first heard the album back in March. Usually I will wait until I can find an album on sale to buy it if I'm not already a fan of the artist, but after listening to two tracks from a free stream I stopped and immediately purchased the album because I was already sold. Since then, I've listened to the album at least a couple dozen times, and the luster has hardly worn off at all. Many of the songs are played loose and fast, having the sound of a band already a few drinks in during their set.
It was close for me between Bon Iver and Middle Brother for album of the year, but when it comes down to it, I think I've returned to this Middle Brother album more often. That coupled with the initial thrill when I first discovered them, and the persistent joy the album has brought me throughout the year make Middle Brother's debut album my album of the year for 2011.
Here is the track "Middle Brother" from the album Middle Brother by the band Middle Brother. Got that straight?
I hope everyone enjoyed the countdown! I'll have a post with some other miscellaneous favorites in the next day or two and then it is on to 2012. I'd love to hear from others what albums (or anything else) they enjoyed from 2011 and what they are looking forward to in 2012.
Thanks to anyone who read this blog over the past year, and I hope everyone starts 2012 off with a bang.
I didn't put too much thought into the groups that these were divided into other than breaking things into manageable parts to write about each day. However, the top five do break away really nicely because I love all 5 of these albums. So with that said, onto the countdown...
For those that don't know, Mates of State are a husband and wife indie pop duo. Both sing while Kori plays keyboards/synthesizer and Jason plays drums. I used to be a pretty big fan back in the day, but I haven't listen to the band too much in the last couple years. Because of that, I didn't really have any sort of expectation when I listened to the album. Thankfully I did actually listen though because I was hooked almost immediately. The first track, "Palomino," is really the band at its best. If this had been the only stand out track, I would have been more than satisfied, but "Sway" and "Mistakes" are two other favorites that along with solid tracks all around them make Mountaintops one of the best albums of 2011. This is the band's 7th full length that I own, and in my opinion it is absolutely their best album to date. Consider me fully back on the Mates of State bandwagon and eagerly awaiting anything they choose to record in the future. I really wanted this Mates of State album to be higher for all of the reasons described above, but the four albums above it are great too, so it ended up at a very respectable number 5.
While I hadn't strayed from The Decemberists quite like I had for Mates of State, their last album, an ambitious attempt at an indie rock opera, was my least favorite of their releases to date. However, as I discussed on the blog right after "The King Is Dead" came out, this year's album was a wonderful return to an indie folk style that is much more akin to my liking. I've actually already written posts about "Don't Carry It All," "Calamity Song," and seeing the band in concert in April, so I don't have too much more to add. I loved the album in January when I picked it up, and it has remained one of my favorite albums throughout all of 2011.
Since I've already written about "Don't Carry It All" and "Calamity Song," check out "June Hymn" below.
3) Tom Waits - Bad As Me
Obviously, the blog name alone can assure you that I'm a pretty big Tom Waits fan. When this album was first announced I had a post expressing my excitement. After the album was released, I outlined a post that would have been titled "Tom Waits On Life" or something of that sort and that would have used lyrics from the album to give life lessons, but unfortunately school and life (but mostly school) got in the way. Maybe I can still write it at some point, but for now I can just say that even a 62 year old Tom Waits can still write phenomenal music. Most of the songs are short and characterized by his gravely voice and experimental instrumentation that fans have grown to love over the years. The impetus to do a wisdom of Tom Waits type post was lines like "Everybody knows umbrellas will cost more in the rain" (a good description of supply and demand) and "Heavens to murkatroid, miners to coal. A good woman can make a diamond out of a measly lump of coal." If his voice turns you off, you obviously won't enjoy the album. On the other hand, if you like a unique sound from a legend with witty lyrics this will be an album for you, and it is an excellent addition to the over 20+ albums that Tom Waits has recorded in the past almost 40 years.
The song below, "Bad As Me" is my favorite song off the album. Also check out the song "Satisfied," which features Keith Richards on guitar.
It seems like Justin Vernon of Bon Iver has been everywhere since his 2008 album "For Emma, Forever Ago" burst onto the scene. Since then, he formed Volcano Choir with members of Collections of Colonies of Bees (also from Wisconsin) and recorded an album with them. He also recorded a Bon Iver EP, recorded an album with a collection of 20+ musicians called GAYNGS, guested on a couple tracks of Kanye West's 2010 album that saw rave reviews all over, and guested on various other albums and songs. Also during that time, Justin Vernon joined his old high school jazz band for a concert to help raise money for a trip the band was taking to New York for a jazz competition. I actually had the pleasure of attending that concert at Eau Claire Memorial High School, and it might just be the best concert I've ever attended. The uniqueness of having a well-known artist sing his own songs with a jazz arrangement and covering old jazz classics was truly a unique experience that I'm so glad to have experienced. It was really cool seeing an artist that had gained fame so quickly return to his roots and come across as so humble and grateful for everything he had achieved. Thankfully the concert was recorded and released as an album called "A Decade With Duke" that can be purchased from Amazon or various other music vendors.
I imagine there are few things tougher for an artist than following up a well-received debut album. Some artists will try to duplicate what made their first album successful only to fail to catch lightning in a bottle twice. Rather than trying to replicate his previous album, Justin Vernon took some chances, and came up with another brilliant album. The music is beautiful, and it is great hearing a hard working artist evolve and get noticed for it (although The Grammys listing him in the "Best New Artist" category is kind of a joke). Anyhow, the music speaks for itself. The songs are sort of ambient too and this is another great headphones album.
I could have sworn that I had posted the video for "Holocene" previously, but I don't see it, so here it is (again?).
And now...
The dramatic reveal...
of...
the number one album of 2011...
1) Middle Brother - Middle Brother
Middle Brother is an alt country/indie folk collaboration of one member each from the bands Deer Tick, Dawes, and Delta Spirit. "Super groups" can be a risky endeavor and often don't live up to the sum of their parts, but Middle Brother appears to be the exception. (Side note: I really like the Monsters of Folk collaboration too, but probably not as much as I liked M. Ward or Bright Eyes individually). I wasn't too familiar with any of the originating bands when I first heard the album back in March. Usually I will wait until I can find an album on sale to buy it if I'm not already a fan of the artist, but after listening to two tracks from a free stream I stopped and immediately purchased the album because I was already sold. Since then, I've listened to the album at least a couple dozen times, and the luster has hardly worn off at all. Many of the songs are played loose and fast, having the sound of a band already a few drinks in during their set.
It was close for me between Bon Iver and Middle Brother for album of the year, but when it comes down to it, I think I've returned to this Middle Brother album more often. That coupled with the initial thrill when I first discovered them, and the persistent joy the album has brought me throughout the year make Middle Brother's debut album my album of the year for 2011.
Here is the track "Middle Brother" from the album Middle Brother by the band Middle Brother. Got that straight?
I hope everyone enjoyed the countdown! I'll have a post with some other miscellaneous favorites in the next day or two and then it is on to 2012. I'd love to hear from others what albums (or anything else) they enjoyed from 2011 and what they are looking forward to in 2012.
Thanks to anyone who read this blog over the past year, and I hope everyone starts 2012 off with a bang.
Monday, August 22, 2011
I've got more music videos than MTV
Another day, another music video to post. Today's is a brand new video of "Calamity Song" by The Decemberists and directed by Parks and Recreation co-creator, defender of rational thinking in sports writing for FireJoeMorgan.com, Mose Schrute actor, and all around awesome individual Michael Schur.
The video is based on a fictional game in the book "Infinite Jest" by David Foster Wallace in which children heave tennis balls acting as nuclear warheads at other countries while a boy at a computer calculates the damage. According to a New York Times article, Michael Schur cites "Infinite Jest" as his favorite book and The Decemberists as his favorite band, so the combination is a match made in heaven. Anyhow, here's the video for your viewing pleasure (although given the subject matter, maybe pleasure is the wrong word even if it is a pretty cool video):
The King Is Dead is still one of my favorite albums of 2011, so I highly recommend picking it up. Also, since I'm all about pointing people to free music on this blog, you can get the song "16 Military Wives" from The Decemberists' 2005 album Picaresque along with 19 songs by other bands on the Kill Rock Stars label via Amazon by going here.
The video is based on a fictional game in the book "Infinite Jest" by David Foster Wallace in which children heave tennis balls acting as nuclear warheads at other countries while a boy at a computer calculates the damage. According to a New York Times article, Michael Schur cites "Infinite Jest" as his favorite book and The Decemberists as his favorite band, so the combination is a match made in heaven. Anyhow, here's the video for your viewing pleasure (although given the subject matter, maybe pleasure is the wrong word even if it is a pretty cool video):
The King Is Dead is still one of my favorite albums of 2011, so I highly recommend picking it up. Also, since I'm all about pointing people to free music on this blog, you can get the song "16 Military Wives" from The Decemberists' 2005 album Picaresque along with 19 songs by other bands on the Kill Rock Stars label via Amazon by going here.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Pre-Decemberists Colin Meloy
This post falls under the "you learn something new every day" category. A couple of weeks ago I started occasionally using Pandora again, which I hadn't used in a long time. I turned it to an M. Ward station and let it go. A few minutes in, I heard a song sung by someone that sounded an awful lot like Decemberists front-man Colin Meloy. That wouldn't have surprised me that much if a) Colin Meloy didn't have such a distinct sound, and b) I didn't feel pretty familiar with his work, including The Decemberists and his solo stuff. Well when I looked into the band, I learned that he actually recorded music with a group called Tarkio in his home state of Montana before going on to form The Decemberists. The song I heard was called "Keeping Me Awake." It's a bit more alt-country/folkish than The Decemberists stuff, which is right up my alley, so I'm looking forward to digging into their work. Below is the song that came up on Pandora:
You can download one of their songs for free from the Kill Rock Stars label website by right clicking this link and saving the mp3: Tristan and Iseult
I actually had a similar experience with another artist on Pandora that will be a post for another day.
You can download one of their songs for free from the Kill Rock Stars label website by right clicking this link and saving the mp3: Tristan and Iseult
I actually had a similar experience with another artist on Pandora that will be a post for another day.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Decemberists and Justin Townes Earle Concert
Last Monday I saw The Decemberists and Justin Townes Earle at the IMU in Iowa City (the same venue where I saw Wilco last year). I reviewed The Decemberists album a few months ago in my third ever post, but I haven't discussed Justin Townes Earle yet on this blog.
Justin Townes Earle is the son of country rocker Steve Earle and was named after musician Townes Van Zandt, so it's little surprise that he made his way into music. His music is a mix of folk, country, Americana, blues, and whatever else he can fit in there. The crowd didn't seem to be too familiar with his material, and he only played for about 30 minutes, but he got the show off to a good start. Most notably (at least to me thinking back on the concert a week later) were his performances of "One More Night in Brooklyn" off of his 2010 release Harlem River Blues, and a cover of a blues song that I can't remember.
For a good chunk of my time as an undergrad, The Decemberists were one of my favorite bands, but sometime in between their releases of The Crane Wife in 2006 and The Hazards of Love in 2009, I drifted from the band a bit. However, their 2011 album The King Is Dead is one of my favorites of the year, and this concert really reminded me how much I love their older material. The band is far from your average indie folk/indie rock band, with many of their songs telling stories instead of being pseudo-autobiographical songs about failed relationships (as seems to be the norm in lots of other music I listen to). The band also captures my heart by using a wide variety of instruments that you don't find everywhere, and not only that but doing it well. During their set they incorporated violin, accordion, organ, upright bass, harmonica, lap slide guitar, and banjo (and possibly some that I missed?).
Lead singer Colin Meloy also did a wonderful job of captivating an audience with a combination of story telling between songs and crowd participation during songs. At one point, for a reason that wasn't entirely apparent to me, he described in great detail what he imagines to be the genesis of the Phil Collins song "In the Air Tonight" (pardon the pun). He pointed out how happy the band was to play in Iowa City, on the banks of the Iowa River, just down from Iowa street, in the state of Iowa (before saying we GET it. You like Iowa...). Later during a song that involved crowd singing, he attempted to split up the singing by majors (assuming a large portion of the crowd to be students).
The highlight of the show (for me anyway) had to be the band's performance of "The Mariner's Revenge Song". The (short summary of the) song is a story of a boy whose mother was wronged by a gambler, womanizer, etc. The boy vows to find this man and ends up finding him out at sea, when both of them are swallowed by a whale (killing the rest of the crew). The band performs the song as if on a ship out at sea and encourages the audience to scream as loud as they can like someone getting eaten by a whale at the climax of the song. It really is just a wonderful experience. I encourage anyone who gets a chance to check the band out if they tour near you, or to listen to their music if you're unfamiliar with them. The whole set made for one of the better shows that I have been to in some time and rejuvenated my love of The Decemberists.
Below are my favorite songs from both artists. First up is "The Engine Driver" by The Decemberists.
My favorite Justin Townes Earle song is actually a cover of Dolly Parton's "Do I Ever Cross Your Mind?" that he recorded with Dawn Landes. The song was a free internet download (that you can get here) that hasn't been formally released by either artist.
As always, enjoy!
Justin Townes Earle is the son of country rocker Steve Earle and was named after musician Townes Van Zandt, so it's little surprise that he made his way into music. His music is a mix of folk, country, Americana, blues, and whatever else he can fit in there. The crowd didn't seem to be too familiar with his material, and he only played for about 30 minutes, but he got the show off to a good start. Most notably (at least to me thinking back on the concert a week later) were his performances of "One More Night in Brooklyn" off of his 2010 release Harlem River Blues, and a cover of a blues song that I can't remember.
For a good chunk of my time as an undergrad, The Decemberists were one of my favorite bands, but sometime in between their releases of The Crane Wife in 2006 and The Hazards of Love in 2009, I drifted from the band a bit. However, their 2011 album The King Is Dead is one of my favorites of the year, and this concert really reminded me how much I love their older material. The band is far from your average indie folk/indie rock band, with many of their songs telling stories instead of being pseudo-autobiographical songs about failed relationships (as seems to be the norm in lots of other music I listen to). The band also captures my heart by using a wide variety of instruments that you don't find everywhere, and not only that but doing it well. During their set they incorporated violin, accordion, organ, upright bass, harmonica, lap slide guitar, and banjo (and possibly some that I missed?).
Lead singer Colin Meloy also did a wonderful job of captivating an audience with a combination of story telling between songs and crowd participation during songs. At one point, for a reason that wasn't entirely apparent to me, he described in great detail what he imagines to be the genesis of the Phil Collins song "In the Air Tonight" (pardon the pun). He pointed out how happy the band was to play in Iowa City, on the banks of the Iowa River, just down from Iowa street, in the state of Iowa (before saying we GET it. You like Iowa...). Later during a song that involved crowd singing, he attempted to split up the singing by majors (assuming a large portion of the crowd to be students).
The highlight of the show (for me anyway) had to be the band's performance of "The Mariner's Revenge Song". The (short summary of the) song is a story of a boy whose mother was wronged by a gambler, womanizer, etc. The boy vows to find this man and ends up finding him out at sea, when both of them are swallowed by a whale (killing the rest of the crew). The band performs the song as if on a ship out at sea and encourages the audience to scream as loud as they can like someone getting eaten by a whale at the climax of the song. It really is just a wonderful experience. I encourage anyone who gets a chance to check the band out if they tour near you, or to listen to their music if you're unfamiliar with them. The whole set made for one of the better shows that I have been to in some time and rejuvenated my love of The Decemberists.
Below are my favorite songs from both artists. First up is "The Engine Driver" by The Decemberists.
I am a writer, a writer of fictions
I am the heart that you call home
I've written pages upon pages
Trying to rid you from my bones
My favorite Justin Townes Earle song is actually a cover of Dolly Parton's "Do I Ever Cross Your Mind?" that he recorded with Dawn Landes. The song was a free internet download (that you can get here) that hasn't been formally released by either artist.
As always, enjoy!
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
New Decemberists Album
The new Decemberists album, The King Is Dead, came out today. I've been a fan of the Portland, Oregon band for several years now, and their albums have yet to disappoint me. I picked up the album after teaching today, and I've listened to The King Is Dead twice now, and so far I've really enjoyed it. While their last album, The Hazards of Love, was a rock opera with a story throughout, complete with different people voicing different characters, the new album is just a fun, regular album, indie-folk affair, much more to my liking. So far my favorite song is the first track, Don't Carry It All. I'm a sucker for a catchy harmonica in a song, and the accordion is a fun touch. You can hear the song below:
Here you can stream the first single from the album:
If you want to hear more, last I checked, you could still stream the full album here as part of NPR's wonderful First Listen series.
Also, the album is on sale at Best Buy for only $6.99 (where I picked it up), and it is $3.99 for the mp3 download from Amazon through the end of today (so hurry!).
Here you can stream the first single from the album:
If you want to hear more, last I checked, you could still stream the full album here as part of NPR's wonderful First Listen series.
Also, the album is on sale at Best Buy for only $6.99 (where I picked it up), and it is $3.99 for the mp3 download from Amazon through the end of today (so hurry!).
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