sunny day music

Here in Philly we got something like four feet of snow in one week. That was two weeks ago. A lot of that snow is still with us, blocking intersections and taking up parking spaces. Up until the last couple of days, it's been cold and grey. I think we're all ready for spring, myself included. In an effort to warm my insides, I've had a couple of sunny feeling records on repeat. It just so happens that both of them are from Stones Throw Records.



Koushik - Be With

I've been a fan of this album for a long time. Koushik's beat making skills are underrated and under used. He has the pallet of a hip-hopper and the flavor of an electronic composer. Just take one listen to the title track and tell me it doesn't sound like a summer day. You can feel the waves of sunshine in the reversed swirls, hear birds singing in the flute samples and Koushik's vocals sound as if they are under water - a nearby spring perhaps, that gently laps the rocks and sand as you sit in this sunny sonic field. The vocals stay submerged throughout the album, creating a laid back feel even on tracks where the drums are running through the field instead of lounging in it. The album is full of backyard barbecues, water plug fun and playground hi-jinx. "Battle Rhymes for Battle Times" is my favorite. There is something nostalgic about it's synth samples and I love the punch that the drums pack. Perhaps a good soundtrack for a water gun fight?

Be With - Koushik

Sound Directions - The Funky Side of Life

This is a Madlib project, similar to Yesterdays New Quintet. He commissioned a small group of jazz players to record this collection of mostly covers and then gave them his signature spins and accents. It's cruisin' music. You know, top down, two miles an hour so everybody sees you. The drums are the kind DJ Shadow would have killed for back in the mid '90s, when he was making good music. The horns are, in fact, funky. It's just really good jazzy, hip-hop lounge music. Madlib is a genius. A Tribe Called Quest loyalists will recognize "Forty Days".

Fourty Days - Sound Directions

What I find almost as interesting as the music itself is how it manages to make me feel anything. How does this combination of drum, bass, sax and voice conjure up warm settings and memories in my mind? I'm not sure I understand how that all works, whether it's a chemical reaction or if something in the music is actually linked to a past experience that has been locked in my subconscious. I read an article about this in The Economist a while ago. Apparently there are several studies and a lot of money going towards trying to figure out the answer to my question. I think I prefer to keep it a mystery though.

there is no music (in the music business)

I work as a project manager for a larger medium-size custom CD and DVD manufacturer. I have held this position for close to four years and have been with the company for almost five. I could probably count on one hand the number of projects that have come across my desk that excite me. It is unbelievable how many bad musicians are out there and even more unbelievable how serious some from that group take themselves. It's one thing to have a hobby, do something you love and want to share it with others. It's another to treat people like you've already inked a major label deal when the truth is no one is interested in buying your music. I recently came across a client I am proud to have. It happens so rarely, I thought it might be fun to compile a little list of music I have come across at work and enjoyed. Most likely, I never would have heard of these folks if it weren't for my job. I should also point out that I hardly ever take the time to listen to the projects I'm working on so, in a many ways I've just stumbled upon these.




7oi - Don't Push the Rocks in My Face

My contact for this project was a guy from Iceland by the name of Johann Johannsson. I made the mistake of assuming it was the Johann Johannsson and made an ass of myself. Turns out that's a common name over there. It also turns out that this album is quite beautiful in it's own rite. It's ambient and electronic.




Mumford & Sons - Sigh No More

Occasionally, I'll hear one of my client's names after I've finished the project and then realize they are musicians that other people actually listen to. Mumford & Sons is one of those. From what I've read, they're English. They make folk rock. It's decent. You will probably hear more about them in the near future.

Sigh No More - Mumford & Sons

Hoots and Hellmouth - Hoots and Hellmouth

These guys have been doing alright for themselves for a good while now and if you live in Philly, chances are you've heard of them. I recognized their name right away, although I wasn't familiar with their music. It's roots music, kinda. I can't say I love it, but I gotta give some love to a local favorite.

Home In A Boxcar - Hoots & Hel...

Clean Guns - Sometimes There is Trouble

I went to college with one of the MC's in this duo, as well as some of the contributing beat makers. These guys have good taste. They make some of that "real" hip-hop, with wit and a broad vocab. I still have one of their posters up at my desk. People walk by and say things like, "Why is that little girl cleaning a gun?" And I think to myself, isn't it obvious?




Oto - Time Capsule Sunday

This is really nice ambient, electronic music. Very quiet and minimal. It might be my favorite from a client. The packaging was nice too. This image doesn't do it justice. It's clean and simple, just like his music.

Whitewall - Oto

Metavari - Be One of Us and Hear No Noise

I recognized their name from a recent R5 email promoting one of their shows. Turns out these guys make some fairly interesting post-rock music. They incorporate samples of various spoken words, whether from film or public speeches or old radio programs I am not sure. I wonder how it made it past our intellectual property rights department, but perhaps they couldn't pin point the samples either.

The Priest, The Shore And The ...

Liza Kate - Don't Let the Dogs

This one surprised me. Liza is a singer/song writer and a pretty good one, especially as my clients go. Her songs are emotional, but not overwhelming. Including her in this list also makes six albums, which means I would need two hands to count, which means I lied to you in the opening paragraph. Sorry.

O Sally! - Liza Kate

snow survival kit

For those of you who are completely oblivious, the Northeast (and half the country for that matter) has been getting pounded by one blizzard after another in 2010. Here in Philadelphia, where the history that lies on our doorstep is largely ignored by our residents, we are shivering through history with record setting snowfalls. My employer actually shut down today, deciding that the value of human life is actually worth more than a days worth of sales. Some are posing the question, "What global warming?" To that I say, yes, it's completely shocking that it should be cold and snowing in the middle of winter. It must mean global warming does not exist, of course. But I digress...

Friday night I sat down, prepared for another 20+ inches of snow to drop, and had a quite satisfying evening watching the world turn white out my window. How did I do it, you ask? I shall tell you. I did not make a mad dash to the grocery store and stock up on bread, milk or cookies. I did not ready the snow shovel (mostly because I don't own one). No, instead I poured myself a glass of Westmalle Trappist Tripel, lit a cigar and put on some classic jazz records. I went through Dave Brubeck's Time Out. You can't really go wrong with "Take Five". I dabbled a bit in some Sun Ra ("Round Midnight"), some Miles Davis ("So What") and listened to one of my absolute favorites - Getz/Gilberto. The height of my evening came about halfway through both the cigar and the Tripel when I found my way to Charles Mingus' "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat" off of the 1959 album Mingus Ah Um. Despite being known as the "angry man of jazz," Mingus sure could slow down an evening nicely.

The song was Mingus' tribute to jazz saxophonist Lester Young who died in '59. No surprise, the song features the sax and it gently strolls along, perfect for an evening filled with the silence of a city under a blanket of snow. In perhaps an even more fitting way, as Mingus remembers Young in song, I recall past snowfalls. As I'm listening again right now I remember 1996. I was 15 years old. It was my birthday and I was stuck in the house because we were having the worst blizzard I have experienced (up until now that is). I can remember a couple of years later when I went sledding at Summit Lake Camp while the adults worried about whether we'd be able to drive out of the Catoctin Mountains. Then there was that other time at Summit Lake when our retreat ended early due to snow and I ended up riding home in my principal's car. Fun times. There was that one winter when I got snowed in at Matt's house and we got in trouble for throwing snowballs at passing cars. These are good memories.

I tend to do a bit of belly aching when it comes to snow, but I suppose if there is one thing it's good for it's forcing us all to slow down and giving us an opportunity to remember. So for me, essential for surviving the snow are a good beer, a good smoke, good music and a little trip down memory lane. Food is good too, I suppose.

Stay warm!

Goodbye Pork Pie Hat - Charles...

best of the '00s, pt. 10

In response to a Paste magazine article, I've been listing what I feel to be the best 50 albums of the past decade, in
no particular order. At long last, we're finally reached the last 5 albums. We've gotten here by considering artists who have "shaped your decade" with their influence and originality. I've added some of my favorites, just because I can. Here are 5 thru 1. No real surprises. Just classics. They're so familiar I have a little trouble writing about them. But they are familiar to you as well and they're all on Paste's list so, if you need more description look there. If you've been following along, I thank you.



5. TV On The Radio - Return to Cookie Mountain (2006)

The masters of zombie rock turned in this near perfect album in '06. They managed to make their sound more accessible without watering down their identity. I actually had a bit of a hard time digesting their debut Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes, but I took to this follow up quickly. Dark, melodic and haunting this was by far my favorite album of 2006.




4. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion (2009)

If you ask someone like say...Brandcon Cox of Deerhunter, he would tell you that Animal Collective is the most important band of his generation. I think I read that in Spin magazine. At any rate, what Cox was getting at is the unique way in which this band has brought vocals to the forefront of indie music again. Their harmonies are what drive their sound and they reached a peak with last years brilliant Merriweather Post Pavilion. Now, it helps that these guys are from the Baltimore area, as am I, and that they named the album after the outdoor venue in Columbia, MD just minutes away from where I grew up, but even without that personal connection I would be cranking the volume up on "My Girls." It's easily is one of the best songs of the past ten years. You can crown them kings of the indie circuit and you can give them kudos for reaching such heights on this album without the use of one single guitar.




3. Sufjan Stevens - Illinois (2005)

In 2005 Sufjan quickly became a media darling, to say the least. The guy was all over the place. Illinois was a resounding success and Sufjan's wit, honest song writing and quirky sensibility made him everyone's best friend. Illinois was bigger and better than anything the folk musician had turned in previously. The arrangements are broad, the instrumentation is varied and the topics are surprisingly tangible considering this is a concept album about an entire state and it's history. It's hard to continue calling Sufjan a folk musician. He seems something more like a composer at this point, especially after 2009's BQE project.




2. Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2002)

Jeff Tweedy and company stretched the sound of their band so much on this one that they got themselves dropped from Reprise records and had to shop it around until Nonesuch gave them a deal and promptly made Yankee Hotel Foxtrot Wilco's most successful album, both critically and commercially. A story interesting enough to make into a documentary, I Am Trying to Break Your Heart. It's a sonic experiment for a well rounded band.




1. Radiohead - Kid A (2000)

I think the opener, "Everything in it's Right Place" says it all. You want another Ok Computer? Well, too bad. Instead we'll drown out Thom Yorke's voice, abandon our guitars and record another great album using something called an ondes Martenot. Johnny Greenwood's experiments with that instrument led the band to a dark place, a beautifully dark place. Kid A is a headphone masterpiece with layers and layers of potential discovery. "Idioteque" just may be one of my favorite songs of all time, and it sounds nothing like a rock band. The old Radiohead is dead, they have set their instruments on fire on the other side of those mountains and in doing so gave themselves the freedom to do whatever the hell they want. It's brilliant.

discovery

I have had one spectacular week of music discovery. Some days are better than others, but I've really been on a roll and I feel the need to share it with you. Here's how this works for me. I wake up in the morning, I get ready for work, I get in the car and I decide what kind of music I'm in the mood for. I then pull it up on the ipod and start my day. Sometimes that sparks a desire for something new. Every Tuesday I get on-line and check out the new releases. If I remember and have time, I usually take a glance at Pitchfork.com to see what they feel is worthy of a listen. More often than not, we disagree but it's still an adventure. I also like to stop in at R5Productions.com to see who's coming to town. If any of the shows sound interesting I'll go digging for that band's music on-line. There are also times when I just decide that I don't know enough about a particular artist and will make an effort to get to know their work better. So, here is what my exploring has uncovered this week...




Neil Young - Mirror Ball (1995)

Young is one of those that I really don't know much about and have never taken the time to get familiar with. After seeing him on Conan's Tonight Show farewell, I decided it was time to dig into his extensive discography. I regret having waited so long to do so. Last week I thoroughly enjoyed several of his records from the '70s (Neil Young, Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, After The Gold Rush) and '92s Harvest Moon. This week I had Pearl Jam's "Glorified G" stuck in my head, went back to listen to '93s Vs and remembered they had recorded with Young on Mirror Ball. I like. A lot. The sailor sing-a-long on the opener "Song X" is great.

Song X - Neil Young

Retribution Gospel Choir - 2 (2010)

I love just about everything that Low has done. When I received R5's weekly email this week and saw Low front man Alan Sparhawk's name I got a little excited. I had no that idea Sparhawk has a new band. Actually it's the same band with a new drummer. Low's Steve Garrington is on bass. 2 is much louder and much livelier than anything Low ever did. At times, RGC is straight rocking it. It's interesting to hear Sparhawk's voice in this new environment. It's vaguely familiar and as R5's write up said, it's not too difficult to imagine how Low might have stripped down these songs and made them crawl. This is Low's less repressed younger brother, letting the heat flow. It's wicked good.

Your Bird - Retribution Gospel...

Cat Power - The Greatest (2006)

Ms. Chan Marshall is another artist whom I've always meant to spend more time with. After dabbling a bit this week, I think The Greatest is all I can stomach. Her records sort of feel a bit manic. On one she comes across as cold and shrill, on another she's warm and soft. This album seems to be her warmest and most comforting. It's pretty and calm. Her name and the album art could be deceiving. These are simple and quiet songs. One of my co-workers recommended it and calls it her "going to sleep" album. I don't know that anything particularly special is happening here, but it sure sounds nice.

The Greatest - Cat Power

Charlotte Gainsbourg - IRM (2010)

This one I'll need more time with to adequately describe. I read about it on Pitchfork (I'd strongly recommend reading their review if you have the time). When I saw that Beck wrote and produced it I decided I had to listen. After a couple passes, I'd have to say it's pretty great and probably just what you would expect - Beck's catchy song writing with a female voice to give it some beauty. Their duet on "Heaven Can Wait" is fantastic.

Heaven Can Wait - Charlotte Ga...

Destroyer - Destroyer's Rubies (2006)

Destroyer has a bit of a cult following and I have always felt like I should be a part of it but haven't really given them a fair chance. I kind of like '98s City of Daughters and enjoy portions of '08s Trouble In Dreams but have never really been sold. Facebook reminded me of Dan Bejar and company this week. I went looking for an album I haven't heard in the Destroyer catalog and found Rubies. Bejar's voice wears on me a bit, but this album uses it nicely, laying out just the right landscape for it.

Your Blood - Destroyer

Surfer Blood - Astro Coast (2010)

Another one discovered through Pitchfork, Surfer Blood make simple, '90s era rock music. Pitchfork likens them to Weezer and Built To Spill. What else do you need to know?

Floating Vibes - Surfer Blood

Handsome Furs - Face Control (2009)

I grabbed their debut Plague Park from a friend but never really spent much time with it. While I was checking out Beach House (see below) I decided to see what else was good with Sub Pop and I gave this sophomore effort a listen. I'm not sure what happened to this band, but they sound re-energized. Perhaps building on the success of lead singer Dan Boeckner's other band, Wolf Parade (who made a pretty good album in 2008 - At Mount Zoomer), this album seems more focused. It's broader and well written and well...just not as boring as their first.

All We Want, Baby, Is Everythi...

Beach House - Teen Dream (2010)

I will admit that, being from Baltimore, I am partial to artists from that area. I am puffed up with pride about Animal Collective. I'm starting to feel that way about Beach House. This is a brilliant album and you will see it on the year end best-of lists (including mine). Teen Dream is their Sub Pop debut and it does not disappoint. This is the same Beach House, their sound is still slow and a bit haunting but they are bigger and stronger and that's clear.

Better Times - Beach House

What a week, huh? I'll be digesting all of this for the next month or so, for sure.

best of the '00s, pt. 9

In response to a Paste magazine article, I've been listing what I feel to be the best 50 albums of the past decade, in no particular order. As I admitted last week, however, I have saved some of my personal favorites for the last few entries. Here are 10 through 6. We're so close!!




10. Radiohead - In Rainbows (2007)

Let's forget about the music for a minute. In Rainbows had influence and was original before most people even had a chance to listen to it. How, you ask? Because the band gave it away, for free. They side stepped the evil empire of record labels and distribution companies and offered the music as a "pay what you feel" download on their website. No discs, just downloads. What a brilliant experiment! Of course, they could do it and do it successfully because they are Radiohead and have a massive following, but the move suddenly had folks scratching their heads and debating the future of optical discs. I for one, whose employer just happens to be in the business of manufacturing optical discs, took notice. Here we have a band who seems to challenge the industry with each release and now in addition to influencing the way music is made, they challenge the way it is distributed. Seems pretty significant.

On top of all that, In Rainbows is a brilliant return to the guitar based Radiohead we all knew and loved in 1995. Their sound is more mature, of course, and instead of trying to find something new here they seem content with who they are, confident and comfortable with the sound they've crafted after so many years. In Rainbows is your favorite t-shirt, the one that's worn in, soft and safe. It's your big, comfy chair, the one that holds you just right. What I love about this band, however, is that even in their more reaching moments, when they are trying to test the limits of their sound, they do so with such ease. In that regard, even the new things end up fitting just right and feel just as comfortable as the old.




9. The Shins - Chutes Too Narrow (2003)

I was the first person I knew listening to The Shins, way before Zack Braff and Garden State. So, there! I happen to think they make first rate pop music. As in, their music is the definition of pop music. That's probably an overstatement though. Their lyrics are too cryptic. At any rate, Chutes Too Narrow is a pop gem, but don't let the label "pop" trap you. This is not simple music, by any means. While not completely different from their debut, Oh, Inverted World, it's more consistent. It's deeper, more sophisticated. It's the peak of their sound. It drew comparisons to The Beach Boys. It's kind of impossible not to like. The opening track, "Kissing the Lipless" is louder and more emotional than anything done previously. James Mercer's voice is distinct, recognizable and his ability to shape catchy melodies is remarkable. I'm not sure how you don't like this band or this album.




8. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes (2008)

I could say the same for Fleet Foxes - I'm not sure how you don't like this music. This album plays as if it's the bands fifth, not their first. Their sound is well developed and their vocals dipped in gold. They carry a sense of broad music history and a feeling of well traveled experience. They employed the same producer as The Shins, Phil Ek, and just like Chutes Too Narrow the Foxes sound big, bright and full of life.

I think the unique success of this album lies in the vocals. Much like Animal Collective, it seems uncommon to find a band that thrives on the strength of their vocals, more so than their instrumentation. That's not to say either band sacrifices the sound of their instruments. Fleet Foxes have found the perfect backdrop for their vocal harmonies and the whole package feels like a campfire sing-a-long or a mountain high. It just makes you want to wear plaid and move into a log cabin in the middle of nowhere.




7. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend (2008)

For some reason this feels like one I'll have to defend strongly. Instead, I'm going to do the opposite. Yes, they sound a bit too much like Paul Simon. No, I don't think that's a weakness. They are an indie band that uses violins and cellos and a harpsichord. Pitchfork compares it to African pop. Given the sound of their fellow New York peers, I find this album to be completely original and fairly courageous. One thing is for sure, you either love it or you hate it. Maybe it's too simple for you. Maybe you don't like Paul Simon. Maybe you're just not impressed. That's okay. For me, it's infectious and incredibly easy to listen to from front to back. Now that they have a number one album with their second effort, Contra, it's likely we'll be hearing a whole lot more from them.




6. Ghostface Killah - Fishscale (2006)

How do I justify this...? I'm having a hard time with it, I'll tell you that much. Here's all I've really got: This was the first time since Ghost's own 2000 release Supreme Clientele that anyone from Wu-Tang did anything remotely interesting. Actually, that's not true. I take that back. Masta Killa's No Said Date in '04 was superb, but no one knew about it. So now I'm telling you, if you're a Wu fan, go get a copy right now.

Okay, so...why did I include Fishscale in this list? It's probably my most personal choice. It wasn't influential or original, although I would argue that few have Ghost's gift for gab and his mainstream status did provide some exposure for underground beat makers MF Doom and J Dilla. In fact, the production is quite impressive. In addition to Doom and Dilla, big name hit makers like Just Blaze and Pete Rock contribute. One of my favorite things about Ghost is his habit of rhyming right over a sample, over the original vocals and everything (see "Big Girl"). It's hard to even call it a sample, he's just rhyming over the original song as is. At any rate, that still doesn't really explain why I included this album here.

If I consider rap albums that shaped my decade, this is one that stands out for me. I have a soft spot for Wu-Tang and up until Fishscale I had started to believe the members of the Clan were washed up. This one proved that Ghostface still has it and his inclusion of fellow Wu alumni ("9 Milli Bros" and "Dogs of War") gave me a little hope that the Clan might pull it together again, which they did the very next year on 8 Diagrams.