I think I’m getting sick, so I’m going to keep this short. Foxy Shazam quickly climbed my personal list of favorite bands after I saw them play a raucous show at Penn State a few years ago. Not content to rest on their laurels, the band (fronted bymustachedfiend Eric Sean Nally) reinvents their sound with each album. They started off in a hardcore punk vein, morphed towards Queen-like rock, and now incorporate soul and funk grooves.
Their latest release,The Church of Rock and Roll,has a grittier feel than previous efforts. Usually, I take this time to describe how a song is awesome and why you should listen to it, but all you need to know is this: the chorus is “That’s the biggest black ass I’ve ever seen, and I like it! I like it!”You’re welcome.
First Aid Kit’s The Lion’s Roar is the only album that I’ve listened to and put on my favorites of the year list so far. New Year’s Eve is one of my favorites off of that album so I wanted to share it. I’m tired and don’t have a lot more to say but enjoy. The lyrics are below.
Well it’s a new year, with it comes more than new fears.
Met a young man who was in tears, he asked me,
“What induces us to stay here?”
I said, “I don’t know much and I’m not lying,
But I think you just have to keep on trying.”
And I know I am naive, but if anything
That’s what’s going to save me
That’s what’s going to save me
Took a stroll around the neighborhood where the trees are swaying.
People passed in cars with their windows down, with a pop song playing.
A man walked by, walking back and forth the street with a drunken smile to go along.
He stopped to look at me and say, “Child, don’t fear doing things wrong.”
Yet I am still afraid but if anything
That’s what’s going to save me
That’s what’s going to save me
Now I have a lot to learn and I’m starting tonight,
Got to stop looking at things like they’re black and they’re white.
Got to write more songs of a little more, treat my friends better.
Got to stop worrying about everything to the letter.
And sometimes when it’s too hard to get up,
It just might be a little call apart.
But I find it hard to believe, but if anything
That’s what’s going to save me
That’s what’s going to save me
Young Empires – Let You Sleep Tonight
Saharan Gazelle Boy – Amy Needs A Vacation
Dempsey – When We Were Younger
Bombay Bicycle Club – Lights Out, Words Gone
Memory Tapes – Wait in the Dark
The Lost Lovers Brigade – All The Stars
Novaak – Whatevertown The Rapture – Sail Away (Aeroplane Remix)
Last Friday night I went to the Cass McCombs concert in Denver. I got in my little car and I trekked out into the snowstorm, slowly making my way to Hi-Dive after the venue’s website announced the band made it safely into Denver and the show was on.
The snowflakes danced around the street lights, making Denver a real life snowglobe and a winter wonderland. It was equal parts beautiful and dangerous. The roads were snow-packed, the fools in giant SUVs believing their car’s 4×4 deemed them invincible. Yet, all you really noticed were the flakes piling on top of each other, creating the illusion of a never-ending, pillowy ribbon across each block.
They say rain is the tears from heaven. I don’t know what they say snow is but I think there’s a surreal quality about snow that makes me think about dreamscapes. In such a way that it serves a background to some wondrous dreams and thoughts.
The snow would serve as a fitting backdrop for the concert.
A picture from that night that I posted to Twitter
The show started with Frank Fairfield, handpicked by Fleet Foxes to open at one point, and his throwback to music more fitting for the 19th century gilded age rather than this one. His performance focused mainly on fiddlin’ created a rousing response from the gathering audience.
After his footstomp-inducing performance as the first act, the crowd cooled off and the music mellowed out with the headliner, Cass McCombs.
By about the fourth song into the set, Angel Blood, I was lost in my mind. Different thoughts and memories surfaced, different happier times.
I don’t know if I would call myself grumpy but there was definitely an aura of discontent that I put off (not the faux hipster indifference, legitimate angst about the last two weeks). I don’t hide my emotions real well, even to strangers, so people graciously let me brood alone.
And that was a stark juxtaposition; me, standing there with a demeanor that shouted ‘do not approach me or bother me’ listening to some of the most thoughtful lyrics that I’ve heard in awhile.
I didn’t want to brood but I certainly didn’t want to dance or smile. And for this night, Cass McCombs fit my mood. The music was like the snow outside, serving as a gentle pillow for my little sphere of the anxiety to fall down around me. It disrobed bits of my unhappiness, at least for a little while. By the end, Cass McCombs’s music made me ponder a smile, knowing I wasn’t alone, even among strangers.
Then I walked the eight blocks back to my car, which I parked a ways away, the bumper a little out in the street but away from the snow drifts the car wouldn’t be able to get out off without a push from a friendly passerby. And I went home before my thoughts and the innocuous snowflakes of the winter wonderland swallowed me up.
…
I attempted to park my little car in the unplowed snow piled on the side of the street by my house. But I never truly parallel parked it and the bumper stuck out into the road again. Like my thoughts, I left it there, to figure out in the morning.
I want to say so much, but no words are fitting and silence lets my thoughts surface too easily.
I’m sure I’ll use this blog and posts to work through things because right now, I don’t know how to express my thoughts and emotions–it’s tough losing ones you love.
Here is a dirty little secret about what I do at work: I listen to Pandora, scouting songs for 1146 miles. *whew* That felt great to get off my chest. With the advent of digital technology and our ability to pick and choose media, I resort to the lowest common denominator application to help me find new tracks to write about. No need to do the hard work when some company is already doing it for you. (This is obviously not meant to take away from the other wonderful writers. It just means that I am probably the laziest.)
ENOUGH OF MY JIBBER JABBER THOUGH! (And please do not pity the fool.) I have come to bring you all a track that managed to break forth from the background music Pandora plays to massage my ear drums. The Flux Pavilion remix of Cracks by the Freestylers is a prime example of dubstep done right. (Kind of helps that both artists happen to be from England.) This track is one that grabs your attention right away from the strings in the intro that melts into a beautiful melody, played on what I want to say is a glockenspiel (I think based on my knowledge of this). This then leads into one of the dirtiest drops I have heard in a long long time. With the bass drums ramping up in intensity, you can feel the drop coming. The bass drop is what kicked my mind out of the midday work stupor and into outer space.
Enough out of me though. I will now take a backseat and let you listen to this great track.
Despite his passing away last May, Gil Scott-Heron published his memoir The Last Holiday earlier this month. The Last Holiday is a great read if youre interested in Gil Scott-Herons life; its a great way to see the inner workings of his mind and opinions. In the book, he comes off as a completely unpretentious person, so much so that it almost seems like he doesnt necessarily recognize his own import and influence on the younger generation.
If youre not familiar with Gil Scott-Heron, you should be. If you have ever cared about hip-hop, Scott-Heron matters to you. His first album, Small Talk at 125th and Lenox, released in 1970, consists of spoken word poetry against percussion and keyboard grooves, clearly anticipating the development of hip-hop. His second album, Pieces of a Man, features a more diverse sound, involving both the spoken poetry with beats (on tracks like The Revolution Will Not be Televised and Whitey on the Moon) and some more traditionally sung songs (like Pieces of a Man and Home Is Where the Hatred Is). The music on this record is somewhat fuller and more jazz-influenced, which can be attributed to the bass, provided by jazz great Ron Carter (a living legend, perhaps most famous for his work in the second great Miles Davis quintet), and the flute/saxophones of Hubert Laws. [Additionally, with any mention of Ron Carter and hip-hop, I feel obligated to mention that Carter played on the song "Verses from the Abstract" on A Tribe Called Quest's Low End Theory.] The songs and sounds of this record have been sampled by more hip-hop artists than anyone can count. Bob Thieles presence as producer on this album also gives it a certain jazz credibility; Thiele is well known for producing much of Coltranes later work and some of Minguss work, among countless great jazz projects.
Ive chosen to feature both The Revolution Will Not be Televised and Home is Where the Hatred Is to show both sides of Pieces of a Man. Check out the minimalist instrumentation featuring prominent flute and bass, which clearly allude to hip-hop music, on The Revolution Will Not be Televised” and Scott-Herons powerful political poetry. Home is Where the Hatred Is is notable for its strong groove and for showcasing Carters driving bass. And while Gil Scott-Heron wasnt the greatest singer of his time by any means, his lyrics and vocal performance on this song show true emotion and pain.
So, if youre unfamiliar with this forefather of modern hip-hop, check out his music and his recent book.
I keep three ToDo lists. The first two are pretty standard: “Today” and “Weekend” lists. The third isn’t written down, but kept in the back of my mind, containing only long-term items of achieving goals and bettering myself. One item that has been there for QUITE some time is to become more familiar with the Baltimore music scene. I’ll tell you this: it ain’t easy.
First, half the really cool gigs are at underground venues whose locations one can’t just google. Second, unless I’m feeling uncommonly adventurous, I prefer to go to concerts with someone else. Lastly, there are SO. MANY. BANDS. and tons of them really rock. Just to give you a taste, Friends Records is one of my favorite labels around here: you can check out their tasty sampler right heeerrrrrrreeeeee. Anyways, I managed to talk my buds to checking out some local music Saturday night. The winner of potential shows was The Dialogue, and my favorite track I’ve heard thus far is “Amstel Youth”.
The song has everything an indie rock sound should have: jangly guitars, bouncy drums, and super catchy melodies. And do I hear a tamborine in the distance? Nice. Normally I reserve the catchy indie rock stuff for summer, but hey- it was like 68 degrees outside. Close enough.
You havent seen anyone actually write about music since January 24 on the site. I didnt realize this until today so I figured Id help Ian change that. You see, my favorite part about this blog is that there are plenty of writers. So when our fearless leader is going through some shaky times with his beloved family members, the rest of us can keep bringing music to all of you fantastic readers.
So on to that music…
Today marks my first post of 2012, and it only took me 31 days into the year to get here but Im glad I waited.
Marathon Runner is the first single off Yellow Ostrichs yet to be released album entitled Strange Land. The track seems like the perfect amount of new for the New Year. It has everything I love about Yellow Ostrichs prior work, yet adds a more upbeat tempo.
Strange Land will be out on March 6. Also,Yellow Ostrich begins its first headlining tour this March so be sure to check them out in a city near you!
