Here is this week's mixtape. Cool cool cool, ok ok ok ok.
I suppose you could call this a music blog, sure.
Friday, April 25, 2014
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
Whatever Wednesday
I heard yesterday that one of my favorite bands of my adolescence, The Sundays have been thinking about a come back and coming up with some new music after a 17 year hiatus. This is amazing news!
I first heard of The Sundays from my brother Matt, who also writes on this blog. He was dating his wife at that time and she owned their second album, "Blind" and I decided to "borrow it". This happened quite often with my brother's or sister's CD's. I'd borrow them and end up keeping them for a long time. It wasn't that I'd listen to it a little bit and let it sit there. I'd listen to them everyday all of the time. Remember, computers didn't readily have music at your finger tips, if I didn't have the CD, I couldn't listen to it. Desperate times calls for desperate measures, so I'd borrow them until I could scrounge up enough money to go buy it a store.
Anyway, got a little sidetracked. I listened to their second album after I got the CD from my brother who was borrowing it from my soon to be sister-in-law. I snagged it after hearing it during a trip to Yellowstone back in 1994 and they immediately became my favorite band at the time. I soon discovered The Sunday's first album "Reading Writing and Arithmetic" and listened to it heavily during the summer of 1996. I played it on repeat when I worked as a courier taking medical records from clinic to clinic. It also was the main theme during a church youth group getaway. I listened to the song "Skin and Bones" over and over during that week.....while my friend Ryan played the Mission Impossible Soundtrack over and over, ha! The album "Blind" doesn't have as many specific memories, but is equally as good as the first. The combination of Harriet Wheeler's lovely vocals and David Gavurin's crisp dream poppy guitar riffs are incredible. Their last album was made five years after their second album and wasn't quite as good, but still had some great standouts.
They had initially called it quits due to Harriet and David (who are married) raising their two kids. One is out of high school now and the other one is just starting high school, so it makes sense that they would start to collaborate again.
If this reunion actually happens, I will fly to wherever they are closest to see them. They were definitely one of my favorite bands for many years.
Here is the article about their possible reform:
Stereogum: The Sundays
Here is the song "Hideous Towns" from their first album that I love:
I first heard of The Sundays from my brother Matt, who also writes on this blog. He was dating his wife at that time and she owned their second album, "Blind" and I decided to "borrow it". This happened quite often with my brother's or sister's CD's. I'd borrow them and end up keeping them for a long time. It wasn't that I'd listen to it a little bit and let it sit there. I'd listen to them everyday all of the time. Remember, computers didn't readily have music at your finger tips, if I didn't have the CD, I couldn't listen to it. Desperate times calls for desperate measures, so I'd borrow them until I could scrounge up enough money to go buy it a store.
Anyway, got a little sidetracked. I listened to their second album after I got the CD from my brother who was borrowing it from my soon to be sister-in-law. I snagged it after hearing it during a trip to Yellowstone back in 1994 and they immediately became my favorite band at the time. I soon discovered The Sunday's first album "Reading Writing and Arithmetic" and listened to it heavily during the summer of 1996. I played it on repeat when I worked as a courier taking medical records from clinic to clinic. It also was the main theme during a church youth group getaway. I listened to the song "Skin and Bones" over and over during that week.....while my friend Ryan played the Mission Impossible Soundtrack over and over, ha! The album "Blind" doesn't have as many specific memories, but is equally as good as the first. The combination of Harriet Wheeler's lovely vocals and David Gavurin's crisp dream poppy guitar riffs are incredible. Their last album was made five years after their second album and wasn't quite as good, but still had some great standouts.
They had initially called it quits due to Harriet and David (who are married) raising their two kids. One is out of high school now and the other one is just starting high school, so it makes sense that they would start to collaborate again.
If this reunion actually happens, I will fly to wherever they are closest to see them. They were definitely one of my favorite bands for many years.
Here is the article about their possible reform:
Stereogum: The Sundays
Here is the song "Hideous Towns" from their first album that I love:
Friday, April 11, 2014
Mixtape Friday
Another Friday is here. Let us sit together in the grass and enjoy a good mix. Its in the high 60's here, I can't complain about that.....but the train passing by with its horn blaring is loud....I can complain about that.
Friday, April 4, 2014
Mixtape Friday
A great collection of tunes from the 90's that are somewhat obscure from bands that are well known.
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
New Music Tuesday: Gardens & Villa
I first heard about this band from the recommendation of my brother Spencer a few years ago. But I'd kind of lost track of them since they hadn't put out a new album in such a long time.
I went to SXSW this year and saw their name at some bigger shows and decided to check them out. They were one of the highlights from the festival and definitely stuck out from the 30 something shows that I was able to see during that week. This is a shot I was able to grab during a show of theirs.
The albums best song "Domino" starts out with driving synth chords and flute that gives a happy tone to the song. I wouldn't have thought a flute would be so effective in a song, but they use it wisely and don't go crazy with it. To see the flute live is awesome. Their next best song, "Bullet Train" also features the flute but is carried by Chris Lynch's falsetto vocals and a steady diet of crisp drum play and bouncy bass lines.
I hope to see them the next time they come through Salt Lake.
Their new album "Dunes" came out a couple months ago. Check it out.
I went to SXSW this year and saw their name at some bigger shows and decided to check them out. They were one of the highlights from the festival and definitely stuck out from the 30 something shows that I was able to see during that week. This is a shot I was able to grab during a show of theirs.
The albums best song "Domino" starts out with driving synth chords and flute that gives a happy tone to the song. I wouldn't have thought a flute would be so effective in a song, but they use it wisely and don't go crazy with it. To see the flute live is awesome. Their next best song, "Bullet Train" also features the flute but is carried by Chris Lynch's falsetto vocals and a steady diet of crisp drum play and bouncy bass lines.
I hope to see them the next time they come through Salt Lake.
Their new album "Dunes" came out a couple months ago. Check it out.
Friday, March 28, 2014
Mixtape Friday
Here are some rowdy tracks for your weekend. Let me know what you think of them. I saw some of these bands at SXSW this year and was definitely not disappointed.
Thursday, March 27, 2014
NEW ALBUM REVIEW
PHANTOGRAM - VOICES
All you night owls out there: are you looking for the ideal album to provide the soundtrack for your hip late-night soirees, your explorations of urban landscapes, or even you solitary ruminations about life and romance? If so, then Voices has a collection of tunes ideally suited to your needs. Phantogram takes the nocturnal stylings and trip-hoppy goodness of the band's 2009 release Eyelid Movies (and subsequent EPs), tightens the songwriting focus, and adds a sheen of cinematic style to deliver a stunning set of remarkably catchy songs.
The album starts out strong with "Nothing But Trouble," which establishes the band's M.O.: propulsive, hypnotic beats; densely layered synths; Sarah Barthel's captivating vocals; undeniably bold hooks. The opening track's slightly foreboding tone is matched by the excellent follow-up, "Black Out Days," whose soaring vocal hooks knock the ball out of the park. The mood then lightens on the album's third track, "Fall in Love," which incorporates elements of 70's soul pop to delightful effect.
After such a strong start, one could be excused for wondering if the band has the legs to maintain such a staggering pace until the finish line. I'm happy to report that the remaining tracks largely match, and in many cases exceed, the standard set by the opening trio, whether it's the guitar-driven "The Day You Died," the rhythmically entrancing and seductively enticing "Bad Dreams," the rapturous keyboard hooks of "Celebrating Nothing," or the languid beauty of "Bill Murray" (which is an ideal candidate for a future Melancholy Monday post).
It's still early in the year; so it's premature to declare that Phantogram's latest will end up as one of three or four best albums of the 2014. But certainly it will be a contender, and there's no question that Voices will remain a fixture in my late-night rotation for many moons to come.
"Bill Murray"
All you night owls out there: are you looking for the ideal album to provide the soundtrack for your hip late-night soirees, your explorations of urban landscapes, or even you solitary ruminations about life and romance? If so, then Voices has a collection of tunes ideally suited to your needs. Phantogram takes the nocturnal stylings and trip-hoppy goodness of the band's 2009 release Eyelid Movies (and subsequent EPs), tightens the songwriting focus, and adds a sheen of cinematic style to deliver a stunning set of remarkably catchy songs.
The album starts out strong with "Nothing But Trouble," which establishes the band's M.O.: propulsive, hypnotic beats; densely layered synths; Sarah Barthel's captivating vocals; undeniably bold hooks. The opening track's slightly foreboding tone is matched by the excellent follow-up, "Black Out Days," whose soaring vocal hooks knock the ball out of the park. The mood then lightens on the album's third track, "Fall in Love," which incorporates elements of 70's soul pop to delightful effect.
After such a strong start, one could be excused for wondering if the band has the legs to maintain such a staggering pace until the finish line. I'm happy to report that the remaining tracks largely match, and in many cases exceed, the standard set by the opening trio, whether it's the guitar-driven "The Day You Died," the rhythmically entrancing and seductively enticing "Bad Dreams," the rapturous keyboard hooks of "Celebrating Nothing," or the languid beauty of "Bill Murray" (which is an ideal candidate for a future Melancholy Monday post).
It's still early in the year; so it's premature to declare that Phantogram's latest will end up as one of three or four best albums of the 2014. But certainly it will be a contender, and there's no question that Voices will remain a fixture in my late-night rotation for many moons to come.
"Fall in Love"
"Bill Murray"
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