Hello lovely people!

So this song literally seems to be following my everywhere I go at the moment notably due to a certain Christmas advert circulating the television screens of the nation. Former member of The Concretes- Victoria Bergsman or Taken By Trees as she’s also known, is mostly to blame for this. The Swedish songtress’ cover of Guns N’ Roses‘ Sweet Child O’ Mine is her first UK single to be released and it has already hit the UK top 40. Well done her!

Her latest album East of Eden is available to but now unfortunately that song is not included on the track listing, it’s still worth a listen though.

Hearing Taken By Trees‘ version suddenly made me want to share my favourite cover versions, done well.

Scarlett Johansson- Anywhere I Lay My Head (Tom Waits cover)

Scarlett Johansson- Falling Down (Tom Waits cover)

Cat Powers- Yesterday Is Here (Tom Waits cover)

Cat Powers- Stuck Inside Of Mobile (Bob Dylan cover)

Charlotte Gainsbourg- Just Like A Woman (Bob Dylan cover)

Yael Naïm- Toxic (Britney Spears cover)

Friendly Fires- I’m Good I’m Gone (Lykke Li cover)

The Shins- Will Become Silhouettes (The Postal Service cover)

Iron & Wine- Such Great Heights (The Postal Service cover)

Muse- Feeling Good (from several versions most commonly known for Nina Simone’s release)

Jimi Hendrix- All Along The Watchtower (Bob Dylan cover)

Led Zeppelin- You Shook Me (Muddy Waters cover)

The Byrds- Mr Tambourine Man (Bob Dylan cover)

The Byrds- My Back Pages (Bob Dylan cover)

The Byrds/ Nico- I’ll Keep It With Mine (Bob Dylan cover)

The Nitty Gritty Band- Mr. Bojangles (Jerry Jeff Walker cover)

The majority of these songs are Bob Dylan’s but that is probably due to bias. I do think he is the most amazing song writer.I wouldn’t say that these songs are better than the original but they are definitely on a par. What makes a good cover is subjective and differs for everyone. But these are definitely my fave!

Until next time…

50. Super Tarantas- Gogol Bordello
WonderlustKing

49. Return to cookie mountain- TV on the Radio

48. Pixel Revolt- John Vanderslice

TranceManual

47. Beirut – The Flying Club Cup
Nantes

46. Emotionalism- Avett Brothers

45. Sung Tongs- Animal Collective
LeafHouse

44. Vespertine- Bjork

43. Andrew Bird and the mysterious production of eggs- Andrew Bird
TablesAndChairs

42. Quiet is the new loud- Kings of Convenience
IDon’tKnowWhatICanSaveYouFrom

41. Michigan- Sufjan Stevens

40. ( )- Sigur Ros

39. Yellow House- Grizzly Bear
Easier

38. Hazards of love- Decemberists

37.Extraordinary Machine- Fiona Apple

NotAboutLove

36 Broken Social Scene- Broken Social Scene
7/4Shoreline

35. Antics- Interpol
NextExit

34. Eraser- Thom yorke

33. Lifted orthe story is in the soil- Bright eyes
LoverIDon’tHaveToLove

32. Boxer- The National

31. Everything all the time- Band of Horses
TheFuneral

30. Visitor- Dodos
RedAndPurple

29. Illinois- Sufjan Stevens
Chicago

28.Apologies to the queen mary- Wolf Parade
YouAreARunner

27. Plans- Death Cab for Cutie

26. You forgot it in people- Broken Social Scene
AnthemForASeventeenYearOldGirl

25. Neon Bible- Arcade Fire
AntiChristTelevisionBlues

24. Sea Changes- Beck

23. Feels- Animal Collective
PurpleBottle

22. Mignonette- Avett Brothers

21. Is this it?- Strokes
Someday

20. 3 rounds and a sound- Blind Pilot
OneRedThread

19. Hissing fauna, are you the destroyer?- Of Montreal
HeimdalsgateLikeAPrometheanCurse

18. Fold your hands child, you walk like a peasant- Belle and Sebastian
There’sTooMuchLove

17. Alligator – The National
AllTheWine

16. Dear Science- TV on the Radio

15. Armchair Apocryphia- Andrew Bird

14. Chutes too narrow- The Shins
KissingTheLipless

13. Kid A- Radiohead
NationalAnthem

12. Sharpen your teeth- Ugly Casanova
ThingsIDon’tRemember

11. Fleet Foxes- Fleet Foxes
WhiteWinterHymnal

10. Turn on the bright lights- Interpol
NYC

9. Hail to the thief- Radiohead

8. Give up – Postal Service
SuchGreatHeights

7. Takk- Sigur ros
Hoppipolla

6. Yoshimi battles the pink robots- Flaming Lips
FightTest

5. In rainbows- Radiohead
HouseOfCards

4. Moon in Antarctica- Modest mouse
3rdPlanet

3. Funeral- Arcade fire
RebellionLies

2. For emma, forever ago- Bon Iver
ForEmma

1. I’m wide awake, it’s morning- Bright Eyes
FirstDayOfMyLife

The NME got in on the act early. This Sunday the Observer Music Monthly publishes its top 50. So I thought I might as well have a go. I wanted to get mine done first and see how much common ground I’ve got with the OMM seeing as its my favourite music mag. It’s harder than you’d think to select just 50 albums that span 2000-2009. I’ve had to leave out some records I really like. But here we go… Please comment as you feel necessary!

50 – Daft Punk: Discovery.

49 – Bob Dylan: Modern Times.

48 – Camille: Le Fil.

47 – Arctic Monkeys: Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not.

46 – The Blue Nile: High.

45 – New Order: Get Ready.

44 – Mercury Rev: All Is Dream.

43 – R.E.M.: Accelerate.

42 – Fionn Regan: The End Of History.

41 – The Beatles: Love.

40 – The Avalanches: Since I Met You.

39 – Badly Drawn Boy: The Hour Of Bewilderbeast.

38 – Roots Manuva: Awfully Deep.

37 – Bon Iver: For Emma, Forever ago.

36 – Mark B & Blade: The Unknown.

35 – Coldplay: Parachutes.

34 – Malcolm Middleton: Into The Woods.

33 – Seafood: When Do We Start Fighting…

32 – Doves: The Last Broadcast.

31 – Duke Special: Songs From The Deep Forest.

30 – Morrissey: You Are The Quarry.

29 – Guillemots: Through The Windowpane.

28 – Bruce Springsteen: The Rising.

27 – The Gaslight Anthem: The ‘59 Sound.

26 – Billy Bragg & Wilco: Mermaid Avenue Vol. II

25 – Richard Hawley: Coles Corner.

24 – Fleet Foxes:  Fleet Foxes.

23 – Athlete: Vehicles & Animals.

22 – Spin Doctors: Nice Talking To Me.

21 – Sigur Ros: Takk…

20 – Goldfrapp: Felt Mountain.

19 – Maxïmo Park: A Certain Trigger.

18 – Delirious?: Glo.

17 – The Shins: Wincing The night Away.

16 – Ben Folds: Rockin’ The Suburbs.

15 – Green Day: American Idiot.

14 – Neil Young: Living With War.

13 – Ray Lamontagne: Til The Sun Turns Black.

12 – Death Cab For Cutie: Narrow Stairs.

11 – Idlewild: The Remote Part.

10 – Johnny Cash: American IV: The Man Comes Around

An extraordinary achievement for a man in his final year. Johnny Cash’s last ‘proper’ album has the power to bring me to the edge of tears. I bought it the week he died in 2003 and played it a lot. A mixture of originals and covers, Rick Rubin’s brilliant production means there’s pathos dripping from every track. ‘Hurt’ is one of the songs of the decade which couldn’t even be ruined by that dire Nike advert. When I first heard ‘I Hung My Head’ it stopped me dead in my tracks. Just like most of the rest of this awesome album.

9 - Interpol: Turn On The Bright Lights.

I think there’s a good case to be made for Interpol as the band of the decade. To my shame I’m yet to see them live but their three dark, brooding and melodic albums demand that I get round to it soon. I think their debut is the pick of the bunch. Starting with ‘Untitled’ which takes its cues from the shoegazing bands of the early 90’s, the album goes onto channel the best of My Bloody Valentine, Joy Division and classic Krautrock. I suppose it can be said about all the records in the list but I can’t listen to this album too many times. It sends me to sleep, it wakes me up and generally soundtracks my life.

8 – Vampire Weekend: Vampire Weekend.

The drums alone deserve some kind of award. Chris Tomson is, for my money, the best drummer in a rock band at the moment. But this isn’t Keith Moon fury, or John Bonham theatrics. He sees the drum kit as a melodic and harmonic instrument. The kit is a lead instrument here and when allied to fantastic songwriting, it’s a winning combination. The African influence if overstated (this isn’t even the noughties’ Graceland, let alone Fela Kuti or Ali Farka Touré). However, the hints of afrobeat are enough to make this stand out from the crowd. Walcott is a great track – but there aren’t any duds here.

7 – Grandaddy: The Sophtware Slump.

This outstanding record is often compared favourably with ‘OK Computer’. Well, I’ll put my cards on the table. There’s only one winner; and it isn’t Radiohead. Grandaddy are impossible to categorise, but this record combines the best bits of alt-country, electronica and post-rock. The audacity of a 9 minute opening track has been matched by many bands. The difference is they’ve not made a song as arresting as ‘He’s Simple, He’s Dumb, He’s The Pilot’. ‘The Crystal Lake’ is among the best songs of the decade while ‘Undreneath The Weeping Willow’ showcases a brilliant knack for melancholy. Released at the start of the decade, very few records have got anywhere near matching Grandaddy’s Magnum Opus.

6 – The Hold Steady: Boys And Girls in America.

‘Best bar band in the world blah… blah… blah’ said the music press. Talk about damning with faint praise. The Hold Steady are one of the greatest bands of the 21st Century, full stop. And though their earlier albums are packed with gems, this breakthrough album sees their manifesto fulfilled. How many bands could start a record quoting Jack Kerouac but never fail to be fun? The sound was compared to classic E Street Band and that’s probably as close as you can get to describing this joyous racket. Craig Finn’s lyrics are always interesting and frequently brilliant. So looking at our checklist we’ve got superb music, superb lyrics and some guys that seem delighted just to be playing rock and roll. It’ll do for me.

5 – Elbow: The Seldom Seen Kid.

I suppose too much has already been written about this album. It’d be easy to include ‘Asleep In The Back’ to prove I’ve liked Elbow since I used to play them on student radio in 2000. But that would miss the point: for once, the awards committees, journalists and hype-merchants got it right. This is an amazing album. There’s not an average track in sight in an hour’s running time. Picking highlights almost seems crazy, but ‘Grounds For Divorce’ and ‘On A Day Like This’ have deservedly grabbed the headlines and soundtracked a million daytime DIY programmes. But some of the less well know tracks contain stunning music and lyrics. When Guy Garvey croons ”We kiss like we invented it” on ‘Mirrorball’ it’s enough to melt your heart.  We await their next move with eager anticipation.

4 - Midlake: The Trials of Van Occupanther.

Take a moderately successful Texan indie band and give them a copy of Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Rumours’. Stand well back and light the blue touch-paper. Doesn’t sound promising does it? How wrong could we be??? This was THE album of 2006. Inventive harmonies, layered synths and lyrics pining for the antebellum South came together to produce a stunning record. The guitar solo that comes halfway through ‘Head Home’ is one of my favourite musical moments of the decade, but this album contains several contenders for that title. The real genius of ‘…Van Occupanther’ is its ability to keep you on your toes. Just when you think it may slip into mid 70’s FM rock pastiche, the band pulls out a track like ‘Young Bride’ which forces you to admit this is a record which is far more than the sum of its considerable parts.

3 – Damien Rice: O.

David Gray is a perfectly decent singer songwriter. The same can’t be said for the likes of James Morrison and James Blunt. But how any of them came to be spoken of in the same breath as Damien Rice is beyond me. The irishman deserves to be in far better company (Jeff Buckley for example). This debut album was a slow-burning word-of-mouth behemoth that managed to retain artistic dignity while being offered on 2-for-1 deals in Tesco. Its strengths have been repeated endlessly, but any blogger who can’t find room for Lisa Hannigan’s beautiful vocals, the stunning string arrangements or the strange re-working of Silent Night is a fool. If this album has a flaw, I’m yet to find it. I can’t pick one track as a highlight because the others simply look at me reproachfully and say ‘actually we’re all rather lovely’. And they truly are.

2 – My Morning Jacket: It Still Moves.

This album sounds like the best party you’ve ever been to. If you want to label it I suppose it’s alt-country. But what on earth does that matter when the music is as much fun as this? Don’t get the idea this is some kind of comedy record though. Howling vocals, squealing guitars and pounding drums fuse together to create a brilliant racket. ‘One Big Holiday’ has a guitar hook to die for, but this isn’t an album of simple pleasures. The genius of the songs reveals itself slowly. The first time you hear it, it sounds like these are well crafted and edited jams. But like Led Zep at their peak, the tracks are more cunningly moulded than that. Crazy Horse are another reference point and when talking about a rock and roll band there are fewer bigger compliments than that. It’s a long record (71 minutes) but unusually for an album of that length, it doesn’t outstay its welcome. Superb.

1 – Stephen Fretwell: Magpie.

I’m annoyed I couldn’t find a decent picture of this album without the parental advisory sticker on it. Ok, maybe it doesn’t make an ideal present for a toddler, but any parent who’s doing their job properly should be investing in this if their child shows any kind of serious interest in music. It’s as close to a perfect record as its possible to get. At the start of the decade, Scunthorpe’s Stephen Fretwell found himself in Manchester as a promising singer-songwriter. A little while later, he was in a recording studio creating some of the most beautiful music that great city has ever produced. By 2004 it was ready for release. In reality, the Manchester thing is a bit of a red herring. Fretwell owes little to the genius of the Smiths and Joy Division or the more prosaic talents of Oasis. He’s just a good old-fashioned acoustic troubadour. So who are the key influences here? I’d guess Neil Young, Bob Dylan et al. But that doesn’t tell you much about this record’s greatest strength. Fretwell’s gift for melody is astounding. Songs like ‘Emily’, ‘New York’ and ‘Rose’ are beautifully crafted and sung. But there isn’t a track here which leaves you cold. You may know ’Run’ as the Theme of ‘Gavin and Stacey’ but don’t stop there. Investigate it immediately. Buy it and love it. There’s only one album of the decade after all; whatever the Observer says!

We at treeswingers think it’s important to be thankful for what we have.  And what we have is great music, so I’ve put together a quick Thanksgiving Mix.  Thanks for reading!

For Thanksgiving, parents get time off work, students get time off school and pretty much everyone returns home for a while.

Radical Face – Welcome Home

Here’s a reminder about who started it all–some dudes with buckles on their hats.

The Shins – Young Pilgrims

Many people have family to be thankful for (also notice the significance of the artist – think sauce).

The Cranberries – Ode to my Family

This one is a stretch, but family gatherings can totally be thought of as conspiracies.  It’s also just a good song.

School of Seven Bells – My Cabal

I never knew if this song was thanking someone sarcastically, but let’s pretend it’s genuine for today.

Third Eye Blind – Thanks a Lot

Time for the toasts…

Sugarcult – Champagne

…even if some of us don’t have the proper glasses to be thankful for.

Death Cab for Cutie – Champagne from a Paper Cup

Here comes the turkey, cooked to golden-brown perfection.

The Stranglers – Golden Brown

This one is more about the artist, since you can’t make pie without smashing pumpkins. (I picked this song because I think way more people should know how good it is)

The Smashing Pumpkins – We Only Come Out at Night

Yaaaawwwn.  Tryptophan…

Passion Pit – Sleepyhead

Hope you enjoyed it.  Here is the whole thing for download.

-charlie

I was thinking about the unavoidable year-end-lists today (I’ll give you the reason for that further down below), and I remembered that I wanted to check out what two of my former best-album-winners are up to right now. Well, whilst Youth Group have announced that they will take a year off in 2010 and return in 2011, The Shins have no real news whatsoever on a new album. Sad news from both parties, I think… at least, the Shout Out Louds and Get Well Soon, two other favourites from the past years, will come up soon with new stuff. So it looks like I’m stuck with Youth Group’s The Night Is Ours and The Shins‘ Wincing The Night Away for another while, but that really isn’t such a bad thing as I still enjoy both albums!

Youth Group – Sorry (MP3)

The Shins – Phantom Limb (MP3)

Morten briefly mentioned Matinée Recordings in his post today, and while I’m also looking forward to some of those releases (especially Northern Portrait), I also found these two beauties on the label’s homepage. Perfectly innocent autumn-pop for this gray day!

Math And Physics Club – Darling Please Come Home (MP3)

The Windmills – Drug Autumn (MP3)

Oh yes, the reason for me thinking about year-end-lists: as you might or might not know, I’m an occasional DJ at virtual radio station Radio Schweden. The station is a community project of people from Sweden, Germany and little Switzerland. And on the following weekends, we will have a special show called – you guessed it – the Best Of 2009. Each of us was appointed two hours to fill with the songs we liked best this year, and we will broadcast these series in two parts. So this coming Friday, November 27th, at 8pm CET, one of my German friends will start with the first hour, and from 9pm, it will be my turn. Look for the MiniMix: Best Of 2009 Vol. 1! On Saturday, November 28th at the same time, my two other co-DJ’s will present their hits. In a weeks time, we will scramble these series (so I’ll probably be on with the same show on Saturday), and the week after that, we will present Volumes 2. You don’t have to keep all these dates in mind (just the first ones this weekend! ), as I’m going to announce the schedule again here in due time. So, mark your calenders and tune in to Radio Schweden!!! (Of course, the playlist will be published here as well… somewhen in December).

there is no better remedy for waking with an emotional hang over than

music

music

music

Here’s a (comical?) commercial I made for my Field Production and Editing class. It’s a play on the abundance of Purell Dispensers on the Bryant University Campus. Enjoy.

Purell Commercial from Dan Callahan on Vimeo.

This is a commercial I directed and edited for my Field Production and Editing class. It’s a play on the fact that there are Purell dispensers everywhere on the Bryant University campus. The idea (in case you couldn’t tell) is that every time Taylor coughs, there is a Purell dispenser/bottle right there. It had to be exactly 30 seconds so there are parts that I wish were a little different but I am pleased with how it came out.

The song is Plenty is Never Enough by The Shins. No copyright infringement intended.

Soundtracks, we all have our favorites and some of us refuse to acknowledge their existence all together. I, on the other hand, have a good relationship with soundtracks, depending on the movie/television show/web series it comes from. These are pretty good choices that I just happen to own, interested? Read on.

#A – Girl Interrupted.My first glimpse into WILCO, a lovely little band that may see a bit on the pretentious side but really have some amazing songs. One of those bands that make you love every song, sound, word, vibe. They start off this semi-depressing group of misfit songs that work well with the movie of the same description. Title works fantastic with the motif of this album, “How to Fight Loneliness”, this first glimpse was not the end of my relationship with Wilco, they are still alive in my soul to this day. This album also has one of the greatest bands and one of my favorite songs from them, Jefferson Airplane with “Comin’ Back to Me”, such a beautiful song, really beautiful is the one perfect word to explain this song, and most of their music as a whole. Other artists include, Aretha Franklin, The Band, The Mamas & The Papas. Take a listen why don’t you?

#B – The Craft.

Witches who just so happen to be a bunch of bitches, makes for a great soundtrack, well its more of a sentimental one for me with a couple good songs that make me reminiscent of the first viewing of the movie. Great pop song with Letters to Cleo’s “Dangerous Type” and some heavy grungy hate music with Sponge’s “All This and Nothing” and a surprisingly good song by Our Lady Peace with “Tomorrow Never Knows”, (you can tell I’m obviously not their #1 fan). A not so good cover of a Harry Nilsson song, Tripping Daisy’s “Jump into the Fire”, I’d rather” they have put the original but they never asked my opinion on the subject. Some other good jams, like Spacehog’s ”Horror” & Love Spit Love’s “How Soon Is Now”, but the gem is Matthew Sweet’s “Dark Secrets” which made me want to own it to begin with, it pleases the ear gods for sure.

#C – Jawbreaker

Yes, pranks that turn deadly mixed with pretty girls who look nothing like the regular high school student, proves great for a rockin’ soundtrack. (Plus, Julie Benz, a young vampire on BTVS, classic). Songs to get you pumped and sent back into the 90’s like a whirlwind. I’ll start of with the favorites, The Friggs ”Bad Word for a Good Thing”, those Frigg girls can belt and rock, plus rock while never becoming famous, some hardcore girl power going on with that song. The icing on the cake? Imperial Teen’s “Yoo Hoo”, again the reason I even wanted the album in the first place, an amazing jam with the most intoxicating sound, voice is prime on this one. Ending it out with one of the most depressing songs I’ve ever heard in my life, The Transisters “Flow”, its beautiful and sad and painful, if I ever needed to be heartbroken with a theme song, this is it. Having a bad breakup? Lost a person close to you? Listen UP.

#D – The Wedding Singer

Get ready for some 80’s! This soundtrack has the “good shit” from the 1980’s, and its a double disc-er! Unfortunately I only have one half the album but that’s alright by me.  The half I have has bands like, Billy Idol, David Bowie, New Order, Musical Youth, Elvis Costello, The Thompson Twins, The Police, Culture Club, The Psychedelic Furs, and so on. If your in an 80’s mood, then stick the sucker in and enjoy your weird flashback that ensues.

yeah, tricked you. I know its not a song, but Buscemi rocks.

#E – Garden State.

We’ve got some good ones on here folks. Of course their is the “what lead me to own it” song, which we’ll begin with. Frou Frou’s ”Let Go”, a very graceful sound and is a basic recap of the movie itself. Jump in, what are you waiting for? Date Natalie Portman, Zach Braff, just DO IT! But any who, next up is another great jam, that I didn’t come in contact until long after I had the Cd, but when a friend of mine did it in a talent show, another song full of beauty, Bonnie Somerville’s “Winding Road”, pretty voice meets pretty sound, good good. The entire beginning of this Cd gets me in a crazy odd mood, I used to listen to it on my Ipod walking through the halls of high school, very surreal. First, Cold Play’s “Don’t Panic”, and No, I am not a cold play fan or freak, its the only song I dig, so get over it. Following it, is The Shins with “Caring is Creepy”, great sound, goes right through to the bone. And after that? Zero 7’s “In the Waiting Line”, one of the other songs I am in love with on this soundtrack, a main reason you might as well just go out and get it right now.

#F – Once More With Feeling – BTVS

A musical episode of Buffy The Vampire Slayer belongs on this list, if not dominating it. Joss Whedon, the entity himself, wrote the songs, music, all of it. Which would be good reason for me to love it so, and I do. Its addictive to the highest extent. These actors, just people, who yes, famous, but normal; not singers, (well not all of them, James Marsters, Amber Benson, & Tony Head), just people, made beautiful music together. I probably listen to it at lease a couple times a week. I don’t think I would have the power to actually say out loud, or type, my favorite song from this album. I’ll just go through most of them for you to decide.

So, we start with Buffy complaining shes lost her mojo for her job, we can all sing a long as the demons agree with her and she diss’s the gentleman in distress.

Then you’ve got a group jam with the gang, which turns ugly with Anya, the demon, yelling about bunnies, and ending with a who-even-gives-a-crap attitude brought along by sad-sap Buffy.

A song about Mustard being removed from clothing.

A lesbian love song between the 2 most believable, non-skanked-out-for-the-sake-of-MALES-everywhere lesbians on television ever, and probably will always be. You just gotta love Willow & Tara, for ever, and ever, and so on.

Then we have the couple, demon and construction worker, Anya & Xander, talking about the things they can’t stand about each other that they could never say out loud, without song of course, which leads towards the end with Anya “dancing crazy!”. You have to love a song  that has a line about penis diseases, classy.

One of great writers of the show finds herself singing about a ticket she’s getting for parking in front of a hydrant, which has become one of my favorites to sing in the car.

Then the addictive song of Spike, the whiny love ridden fool song, he even admits he’d be Buffy’s slave, talk about being whipped. Just let him rest in peace, Buffy. Just let him be buried and go get Angel to sooth the pain. Sorry…

Next, a snippet of dawn’s voice before she gets kidnapped, pretty voice while its lasts.

Pretty Ballet instrumental leads to the dancing demon, Sweet, singing out with his great deep man singing voice trying to hit on 15 year old Dawn, Hawt.

A big hit in my car sing-a-long, the Giles song, sad but upbeat and lovely, he doesn’t want to leave Buffy, but needs to, sweet slow-mo scene with some kick-ass dodging of sharp things while pulling off some gymnastic moves, go SMG.

Here we have 2 songs emerge which is a high on the list for me, putting together the two amazing voices of Tony Head and Amber Benson, wonderful actors and brilliant singers. Such a beautiful addition to the already amazing track listing.

Up next, everyone joins in while wanting to walk through the fire, another great song, with some awesome lines, “things are turning out so dark”, “No, I’ll save her then I’ll kill her!” &  “I think this line mostly filer”. The best part is when the scooby gang chimes in and does their little part, is the slayer too far gone to care?

Then us listeners get something to sing about, a glittering world, and a dancing almost-to-her-death Buffy ending with dropping the heaven bombshell.

And to help finish it off, sweet rubs it in all our faces that things didn’t quite go our way with the whole dancing thing, that lead to the death thing, and the “aw we all have so many secrets!” thing.

Ending with the cast leaving confused, not knowing where to go from there. And a big sloppy wet one from Buffy & Spike, which I wish i could scrub from my brain.

If you’ve never see the episode, watch it. If you’ve never heard the soundtrack, listen to it. You’ll have to track it down like I did, since the boyfriend and I bought the only 2 copies in our area. Plus, if your REALLY lucky, like me, you’ll get to take a trip to Indianapolis and watch actors act out the episode, sing the songs, and dance the dances, an amazing experience, especially on the night before Halloween.

#G – Dr. Horrible’s Sing-a-Long Blog

How shocking, right? Another Joss choice, you get my love yet? Do you? Do You? Well you’ll figure it out eventually. Now, this sound track is Uh-Maze-Ing, seriously. NPH (For the less hip folks, Neil Patrick Harris) really shows us the talent that Doogie never really did, he sings, and he sings well. Fantastically well to be exact. He’s a villain looking for his big villainy break, to belong to the big-bad’s club, that’s of course ran by a horse, derr. Then we have the love interest, with a killer voice, no other than the beautiful Felicia Day, (who if you don’t watch the guild, START, I’ll explain more later), the helpless-helping-homeless-home-giving goddess that the villain is head-over-heels in love with. But in walks the bad guy, wait no, the GOOD guy. He just happens to be a prick, with a picture of a hammer on his chest. But he is played by no other than the mystical, magical, stud-man-guy Nathan Fillion. The guy crushes of the world surround this guy, which makes it easy for your Felicia, “Penny”, to fall for instead. (sad). So with this comes amazingly catchy songs that, yet AGAIN, Whedon is responsible for, also making it a family affair adding brothers and a sister-in-law. This is another Cd that is found being played in my car multiple times within a week. You’ve GOT to get this soundtrack, like now, LEAVE, GO!

#H – Pick of Destiny

Okay, Tenacious D is the best band EVER. Maybe this statement is not something you would agree with, and if it isn’t, stop lying. Seriously you know the truth, they probably ARE the greatest band EVER, why you ask? Because they have it ALL. What other band can use curse words like poetry, I mean really, “Mother Fucker” never sounded so good. If you haven’t had the chance to gander at the power that is the D, its time my friends. My passion for the D is forever deep, I was hooked the first time I heard them, saw them, and inevitably fell for them. “The Pick Of Destiny” is a movie and an album, and both are glorious. Watching Jack Black and Kyle Gas for 93 minutes straight has to be an experience, and sir, it was. But, the soundtrack that came along? GODLIKE, truly amazing music, which is not surprising from this duo. Another album i could not possibly begin the misery of deciding the best song on it, so you will have to venture out on your own and taste the taste that is TENACIOUS D.

be blown away by Rage Cage & Jables, KG & JB.

#I – Nashville

Great movie, wonderful soundtrack. Robert Altman is an amazing director and he did an amazing job on all the movies I’ve seen of his. They always have crazy relationships, and madness masked in innocence and he didn’t shy away from that with this one. Country singers, singing and crawling in drama filled situations; if you get a chance make sure to check this one out, i have a feeling you’ll be pleased if your in anyway cool, or hip, or happenin’ in the way I am. So rent it, steal it, borrow it, either way watch it, and make sure you listen to the songs you hear, it won’t be hard. I’ve leave you with a video of my favorite song from the movie that happens to be a great part of the film. Watch and aw.

So that’s it for now, I might come back and surprise you with more amazing songs that go with amazing movies/tv shows/web series, or I wont, don’t hold your breath. I leave you with a thought… Come back and see me, I mean read me, sometime.

sas

bon iver – creature fear

the shins – a comet appears

frightened rabbit – keep yourself warm

the new pornographers – challengers

I love TV series soundtracks.

Even though we’ve never seen Yo Gabba Gabba on TV, my son and I were introduced to the characters on the Nick Jr. website where there are games, videos and music available.

I received an email from the PR company that’s promoting the new Music Is Awesome CD featuring hit songs from the TV show, wanting to know if I would be interested in reviewing the CD. Since and were listed on the list of artists who are included, I figured this would be music that both my son and I could enjoy.

Music is Awesome

When the CD arrived, my son asked me to put it in right away so on the way to school one morning, we listened to the first 16 songs (it’s a 15 mile drive). My son loved it and couldn’t wait to listen to it again when we got home from school yesterday, which meant that I had to go out to the car to get it so we could play it in the house, download it onto our computer and put it onto his iPod for his listening pleasure.

Be prepared for your kids to want to get up and dance once they hear the music! Be equally prepared to start singing, “Party In My Tummy,” as you prepare dinner.

You can check out the songs on Amazon and download individual songs or the entire CD.

Happy Healthy Hip Parenting
Peace Begins in the Home

Hallo. Well then, that was a good few days, filled with great music and great people. I’ve had a rather busy few days and yet managed to do very little work indeed. Not good. Anyway. Thursday. Twas a busy day, but very good. Went to an extra lecture (how cool am I?) It was on underwater archaeology and the site of Pavlopetri off the coast of Laconia, Greece. A bronze age town that was discovered in 1968 and is currently being excavated by a team from Nottingham university partnered with some Greeks. The lecture was interesting, telling us what new discoveries have been found over last summer, how they found more of the site and can date occupation from the late Neolithic to the Hellenistic, although the latter pot sherds could have just fallen from a boat onto the site. It was most probably submerged in before Roman occupation, but I don’t actually know. Anyway here is a link to an article from the bbc telling more about the site.

Frightened Rabbit

So then I was a bit more scholarly and went to the library, but this really was only to kill time between the lecture and gig I was going to at the O2 Academy. The gig then, that was rather good, better in fact than I was expecting. I got there fairly early and was on my own so I sat around for about half an hour before the support came on. This came in the form of Galchen, a Glasgow electronica/indie/rock instrumental band, that seems to have drawn influence from bands like mogwai. The overall sound is rather epic, the guitar riffs moving smoothly into one another, going from one sprawling mass to another. They had the power to make you stand still and watch in awe. A good band then! Onto the main show, Frightened Rabbit, I may have talked about them before, but I don’t think so. Anyway, they are another Scottish band, from Glasgow again, who play sort of folky indie stuff and sound vaguely reminiscent to mumford and sons, but only in the vocal harmonies. They played a strong set with old and new songs, unfortunately I can’t remember any of the names of the new stuff but due to the useful myspace I have found out, Swim Until You Can’t See Land, is their new single, out 16th November. Of the old, I think my favourite performance was of Poke, a delicate acoustic number with just guitar and synths, it has a floaty feel which when played at the gig made everyone look and listen intently, at least thats what I felt. Then the final song played was my favourite of theirs, Keep Yourself Warm, with the lyric ‘It takes more than fucking someone to keep yourself warm’ it seems to be a song about and maybe against sleeping with strangers, or people you barely know. For me that song was a perfect end to a great gig.

Then Friday came bumbling along, well then, I have got a cold now, which sprung upon me on Friday so that was a bit of a lazy day. In the evening however I did go to a house party, and had a good time, and even though I didn’t mean to drink much, I ended up going to Asda and buying a cheap bottle of Merlot and proceeded in drinking half of it, more than enough to get me on my way, especially in my drugged up (cold medicine!) state. This was a strange party at which I had a lot of fun, procured the nickname ‘Wineboy’, no prizes for why! I stayed up into the early hours chatting about random stuff that I cannot remember what it was, and then walked home at after two cups of tea, unsure as to where they came from, and got home at about quater past 5, then because of the caffein I stayed up for at least another hour. Well this was fun but I was worn out on Saturday. I didn’t get up until about half one and then it turned out that when I went out to go to watch football, I know, it doesn’t sound like me does it! but at least it got me out of the house, I was the first person to leave the house all day (the door was still locked), and this was about quarter to five. So Saturday didn’t really kick off till about 5 and then I went to another gig in the evening. This was not till about 9 so that gave lots of time to wake up properly. This gig was my friend Callum and his band. I got to the gig and caught the end of the last support before him, The Genuine Articles, quite good indie rock stuff. I have seen Callum play before and he seems to just get better with every performance, this time it seemed that not only was there good indie pop guitar stuff going on the keyboard was really good too, complementing each other really well. Callum doesn’t half put in a lot of energy to his gigs and rather funnily he seems really scouse on stage! This shouldn’t really be surprising, seeing as he is from here. So there we have it another good gig.

Now I find myself somewhat tired and very coldy but still going on. Anyway, so what I was saying the last blog, all that about being shy and stuff. I’ve re-thought it a bit. I am shy but only when I’m on my own, or with a friend who’s with their friends and I don’t know them. Oh I don’t really know what I’m talking about. I suppose that I am just trying to justify something in my head but I don’t know what.

The final of the three gigs over the last five days took place today and boy was it a good one. I went to see Charlotte Hatherley at the Masque. She just knows she’s is cool and can get away with it, she stands on stage with a guitar and just looks cool, and is like yeah I can play guitar oh yeah. So the first band on was Ragz a band originally from Norway but now based in Liverpool. There were so few people at the gig it was slightly unbelievable, it was so intimate. Ragz were amazing, the singer Ragz Nordset has such a powerful voice, and when she sang her final song, a chilling Nordic hymn, it sort of made the hair stick up on the back of neck. She has a Joni Mitchell sort of voice, with bits of Feist and Bat For Lashes in there. Really really good stuff. Then came the second support, The Northwestern a fairly normal indie rock band. A bit like everything else really. They didn’t make much of an impression on me, although the singer did seem to be in good spirits with good banter to 20 people in the crowd. Then after some technical deficulties, on came Charlotte Hatherley, which was quite exciting to say the least. We were on the barrier at the front so it all seemed a tad crazy. She played a really good set including White, Behave and my favourite song Kim Wilde. The latter being quite surprising as it is a rather old song. Anyway it was amazing even if the vocals could have been louder and she had to cut her set short. Still it was another great gig and probably my favourite of the three.

So there you have it. Three gig reviews, all good some better than others, but thats the gamble with support bands. Anyway, I shall leave you with another video, a fantastic cover version of New Slang by The Shins. Cheerio xx

Today isn’t a day for new music per se … honestly, these are songs that I just felt like listening to … that’s all. Enjoy …!

Ryan Adams – “Come Pick Me Up”

Fleetwood Mac – “Rhiannon”

M. Ward –  ”Chinese Translation”

Iron & Wine – “Naked As We Came”

My Morning Jacket – “Where to Begin”

Band of Horses  – “The Great Salt lake”

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers – “It’ll All Work Out”

Ben Folds Five feat. Regina Spektor – “You Don’t Know Me” (not folky but whatever)

Fleet Foxes  – “Ragged Wood”

Patty Griffin – “Long Ride Home”

Ryan Adams – “Wonderwall” (cover)

The Shins  – “Young Pilgrims”

Ben Folds Five – “Such Great Heights”

Damien Rice – “Delicate”

Meiko – “Hawaii”

Blur – “Tender”

Admittedly this post is a tad early, but I’m ready to get these holidays started! I’m actually not traveling this Thanksgiving, but I figured you might be traveling … even if it’s just be from Big D to Funkytown. (That’s Dallas to Ft. Worth for you non-DFWers.)

And what does a good road trip or plane ride need besides great company? Good tunes, man. So in honor of the turkey that sacrificed himself (or tofu for all you weirdos), here’s some tryptophanic tunes. Bon Appetit!

1. Half Way Home • TV on the Radio
2. Two Weeks • Grizzly Bear
3. Shiny • The Decemberists
4. Hideaway • Karen O and the Kids
5. Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want • She & Him
7. Turn a Square • The Shins
8. Albatross, Albatross, Albatross • Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band
9. Lisztomania • Phoenix
10. Dashboard • Modest Mouse
11. Shampoo Suicide • Broken Social Scene

………………………………………………………………………………………

Want more mixed well? Check the archives here.

One of my favorite things to do in the 21st century is burn CDs for people. Partly, it is the narcissistic belief that I listen to cooler music than anyone else on earth (Not true! My friends constantly surprise and delight me with new and wonderful music I have never heard before.)

Anywhatthehellhappenedtonapster, I made a CD for a friend and I’ve pretty much been listening to it on repeat for a week or so. (Eventually, I will give her the CD – just.not.yet.)

So I wanted to share it with yalls tonight because obviously, in my infinite wisdom narcissism, I have chosen songs that are ideal for a nice, leisurely jog in the park. Some of them are new, and some are pretty old, but all of them are awesome.

My morning jacket – one big holiday (live)
elbow – the bones of you
matisyahu – one day
Del tha funkee homosapien feat. dinosaur jr. – missing link
Toots & the Maytals – Take me home, country road
Devotchka – queen of the surface streets
Wilco – Jesus, Etc.
Jimmy eat world – bleed american
Raconteurs – steady as she goes
Them crooked vultures – mind eraser, no chaser
The Shins – Phantom Limb
Deadboy & the Elephantmen – Stop, I’m already dead
dangermouse & jemini – ghetto pop life
Dropkick Murphys – Shipping up to Boston
Them crooked vultures – new fang
social d – dear lover
XTC – Dear God
de la soul, teenage fanclub – Fallin’

I go through phases – sometimes I’ll go for weeks on end listening to nothing but death metal, then I’ll listen to ambient/electronic. Then bluegrass. This week, I appear to be on an alt rock kick.

Pay special attention to Them Crooked Vultures – Keith Buckley of Every Time I Die says this band just might save rock n roll…

I think he’s right.

“Off with their heads” has over 27 million entries when you Google it. It may sound familiar because of its use in our conversational language, as a way of humorously reproaching someone, but both Carroll’s the Queen of Hearts and Shakespeare’s Queen Margaret shriek it once or twice during their stories. And although the speck that began this investigative avalanche came into sight while listening “Sleeping Lessons” from The Shins’ third album Wincing The Night Away, what follows is full of twists and turns. (Please feel free to listen to the song as you read this).

“And if the old guards still offend / They got nothing left on which you depend / So enlist every ounce / Of your bright blood / And off with the heads,” are some of the cryptic lyrics that accompany the band’s concoction of sixties music values and cutting-edge alternative rock. Formed in 1997 in New Mexico, The Shins have released four albums, and their Dylan-like enigmatic lyrics have taken them to new heights. The Shins got their big break when Natalie Portman’s character in Garden State stated: “The Shins will change your life.” And they did.  It is their language, apart from their exploration of new genres, that makes me want to peal off layers, looking for that “something” that tingles deep inside. Where have I heard that before?

It is because of The Shins that my brother repeats “Off with their heads” in any conversation he sees fit, and it is because of them that there’s a new link in my head tying Shakespeare with Lewis Carroll. Where have I heard it before? There’s Part III of Shakespeare’s Henry VI, when a vicious Queen Margaret exclaims, after York has been captured during battle: “Off with his head, and set it on York gates; So York may overlook the town of York.” But I decide to move to a less serious subject and arrive in Wonderland. There’s Carroll’s Queen of Hearts, who besides playing croquet, decrees death sentences at the slightest offense. Opposed to Queen Margaret, few people are actually beheaded though; the kind King of Hearts quietly sets them free when the Queen is not looking.

Attempting to discover its origin, I end up investigating the literal meaning of the phrase; I go to the history of the guillotine and hop back on the somber train. As you’ve seen in movies, executions in France were made public and anybody could watch (So much for entertainment). During the 18^th century, Doctor Joseph Ignace Guillotin, contrary to what you think, wanted to banish the death penalty completely. Then why is this method of absolute silence called guillotine? Because during that time other methods of execution, like quartering or hanging, were more painful or lasted longer for the criminal to die (Actual beheading takes 2/100 of a second), and Guillotin built the first prototype of a guillotine as a step towards banning the death penalty completely. Legend has it that a poet who wanted to rhyme his name added the “e” at the end. It’s almost 2010 and the death penalty is still alive. However, the last guillotine execution took place in Marseilles, France in 1977. I imagine the crowd screaming “Off with his head! Off with her head!” Much alike what the Queen of Hearts repeatedly sentences. But I can’t confirm it. The origin of the phrase is lost in history. J.M. Coetzee explained it very well in Diary of a Bad Year: “How far back can we trace? In African thought, the consensus is that after the seventh generation we can no longer distinguish between history and myth.” When in history did this myth appear? I don’t know.

What I do know is that “Off with their heads” is part of those phrases that form our collective consciousness, those shared beliefs and attitudes that unite us as a society, constantly evolving, constantly modifying itself into an up-to-the-minute language. No more I will be able to indulge in Henry VI without having The Shins’ jangling sounds in my head. That’s the beauty of it. We are all part of it, as a community, as aficionados of our pop and not so pop culture. We are creating a new language by tying together old and new forms; and by doing this we are re-inventing our culture and collective consciousness; “Off with their heads,” after The Shins, has a new meaning. I believe it more and more; in our contemporary culture, there would be no Shakespeare without The Shins.

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Wincing the Night Away

The Shins

2007

Sub Pop

So, The Shins… an indie band lead by frontman James Mercer.  The Shins started out in life as Flake Music, then took their new name from one of their songs.  After their first two albums, Oh, Inverted World! and Chutes Too Narrow, The Shins came out with Wincing the Night Away in 2007.  Most people have probably heard at least one track on the album, as it got about as much popularity as “New Slang”.

The album begins with “Sleeping Lessons”.  We’re treated to what sounds like a dream sequence tune, with Mercer’s distorted vocals shortly thereafter.  I sort of think this may be a turn-off for those getting their first taste of The Shins.  But Mercer pulls it off flawlessly, and the rest of the band comes in, and we hear the James Mercer we’re so used to hearing.  Also following general Shins trends, the wordplay Mercer uses is very reminiscent of the two previous albums, and continues through the whole of Wincing.

“Australia” is the next track and starts off with someone with a German accent yelling across the room ‘It’s time to put ze earphones on you!‘ Well, that’s what it sounds like to me… The transition from “Sleeping Lessons” into “Australia” is so seamless, that I even forget which song is on sometimes.  But about the song itself, it’s signature Shins sounds, except that James Mercer swears! *Gasp* For some reason this song always puts me in a good mood.  Maybe that it’s a rather upbeat tempo, maybe it’s that the lyrics seem to reflect growing up, both physically and emotionally, like so many Shins songs from previous offerings.

“Pam Berry” has always seemed somewhat awkward to me.  I’m not sure if it was meant to be a stand-alone song, or just a slightly more elaborate intro to “Phantom Limb”.  Either way, something about this song always put me off a little bit, even though it, too, is very reminiscent of previous Shins songs.  It’s kind of the low point before the big hit which follows…

“Phantom Limb”.  This would be the song which got about as big as “New Slang”.  The vocals here sounds as much like the other two albums as any song on the album, and Mercer is really at his high point here.  He shows his range, and brilliant lyrical writings at once.  The lyric which is my favorite here is ‘the milk from the window lights, family portrait circa ‘95′.  For some reason it just seems to evoke something from what I know to be classic Shins.  I have only one negative thing to say about this song, and it is this:  it goes on too long.  The bridge repeating at the end incessantly has me skipping to the next track preemptively sometimes, and it’s a shame.  All in all, though, this really is one of the best tracks on the album, and that’s saying something, considering the next few are heavy contenders as well.

As “Phantom Limb” fades out, we’re then treated to the entrance of “Sea Legs”.  This is a very different sound for The Shins, and even avid listeners of Inverted and Chutes might not recognize it… but then James Mercer’s vocals remind us that this truly is The Shins that we’ve come to know and love.  While this is a variation from their normal sound, I think they manage to pull it off very well.  Could this hint at a different direction of sound for their next album?  It’s possible, and I can say I wouldn’t be disappointed if it were the case.

So then comes “Red Rabbits”, and we first hear what sounds like a childish tune, and then James Mercer does something different.  He sings in a lower tune than we’re accustomed to.  Of course, there are some parts where he strays back to his usual sound, namely during the chorus.  I feel this is another high point of the album, albeit, again, a slightly different sound than we’re used to.  It’s a very relaxing song, and Mercer proves his ability to do whatever he wants, and succeed.

“Turn on Me” then goes back to the sound that is what we expect from The Shins.  Mercer busts out early, and I personally love the lyrics on this song.  It’s another song that seems to be about someone growing up, learning about interacting with others, and moving on.  There is no doubt for me that this is one of the best songs on the album, possibly even better than “Phantom Limb”

Unfortunately, this kind of sets up the next track for disappointment.  “Black Wave” does all it can to appeal to me, but something about it that I can’t put my finger on throws me off.  It almost seems like they were trying to mix the mellow songs that frequented the ends of their previous albums with their normal sound.  It just ends up coming off as a rather dark song to me, and maybe that’s what kills it for me.  I’m so used to The Shins being an upbeat, happy-go-lucky sound, and this shatters that.  Personally, it’s another low point on the album for me.

“Split Needles” starts off with some twangy guitar and simple repeat drums, and then, as if you expected anything different, Mercer shows why he’s such a great frontman.  He really puts his emotions behind the vocals here, and it shows.  This definitely doesn’t feel like a winding down song on an album from The Shins; it’s more of a middle-of-the-album track that’s made to stand out, rather than get lost in the mix.

So we come to the penultimate song, “Girl Sailor”, and boy does it deliver.  It’s back to the usual upbeat song about growing up that The Shins seem to have made into a trademark.  “Girl Sailor” delivers just as much as “Phantom” or “Turn” in my opinion.  It really is a definitive track of The Shins as a whole.

And we then arrive at the final track, “A Comet Appears”.  Keeping in stride with previous albums, it’s a mellow song, with Mercer displaying his vocal prowess.  But, if you listen closer to the lyrics, it’s amazing how the words and the sound contrast so much.  The song definitely is very good, not quite up to the level of the heavy hitters (if you can call any Shins song ‘heavy’) but it definitely isn’t a letdown of any kind.

So there we have Wincing the Night Away, the latest (albeit two years old) offering from The Shins.  Personally, I think this album is fantastic, but it falls just ever so slightly short of Oh, Inverted World! and Chutes Too Narrow.  Not that that’s a bad thing, as both of those albums are incredible offerings.  If you have any interest in The Shins at all, I highly suggest giving this a few play-throughs.  You won’t be disappointed.

Buy This Album

Official Site

Last.fm Page

Sorry for slamming you with a bunch of unknown artists, but with the last post I realized that I could take the unknown musicians from my iTunes library, and iLike log and write something about them so other people can find good music. =O

Anyway, Zsammy.  Another band I found via iLike.

The song I have of theirs is Your Chest is Not Moving, and I have to tell you, it’s beautiful.  Like, you know how small bands tend to have a sort of undeveloped sound, for lack of better ways to explain it?  It’s just something about them that hits you a little off.

They have none of that.

First things that comes to mind, listening to Zsammy is: The Shins, Interpol, Radiohead, and Now It’s Overhead.  I’m sure that doesn’t help, but they’re still excellent.

Zsammy– iLike

Live, Breath, Love good music. <33

This is a beautifully, sorrowful song that I’ve heard many interesting takes on what it’s about. The underlying theme seems to be regret or sorrow for not fitting in. Something we can all relate to. Perhaps that’s why there are so many different interpretations of the lyrics.

The Shins “Phantom Limb”

Like what you see feel free to email me at tad@creativesquall.com and don’t forget to become a fan on Facebook. Check out the Creative Squall website to see how sketches grow up to be complete ideas.

Megan Jasper, VP of Sub Pop; image courtesy of mtv.com

So, perhaps ya’ll saw Claire O’Neill’s recent post on NPR about the release of Grunge, photographer Michael Lavine’s new book that documents Seattle’s halcyon days as alternative rock’s beacon on an isthmus. Coming out in time for the holiday season, something tells me many folks of my generation are curious to skim the pages and indulge their nostalgic impulses (though some acquaintances may be willing to wait for a book that lovingly recounts Matador in the early to mid-90s instead of Sub Pop at the turn of the 1990s).

While Lavine could be argued as the book’s actual subject, as his work is being catalogued, I’d like to spotlight another key player that O’Neill mentions in her post – Megan Jasper (link readers: apologies to those not charmed by interviewer L. Swain’s purposely crass introduction). She was a low-level employee at Sub Pop when grunge became popular and all the major media outlets were looking for a quote from someone affiliated with the indie label responsible for discovering Nirvana. When asked to relay some scene-specific slang to a New York Times reporter, Jasper made like a riot grrrl and shut the interloping media out. Her tactic was playful — make some shit up, all the better if they totally buy your line and publish it. Hence grunge speak. Use it to avoid personal contact with lamestains who tom-tom club your flippity flop and turn it into a harsh realm.

Jasper has long since moved up the label’s ranks, currently holding down her tenure as the Vice President of an indie mainstay that has since released albums by The Shins, The Postal Service, Wolf Eyes, Iron and Wine, Wolf Parade, Sleater-Kinney, and many others. Pretty awesome, especially considering that the lady who used to work out front answering phones has her own office out of which she can help run the label.

Q-Tip’s sort-of latest efforts in Kamaal The Abstract take you back to the 90’s. As part of the legendary group A Tribe Called Quest, 39-year-old Kamaal Ibn John Fareed, or better known as Q-Tip, continues to impress. Maybe the sounds on this record are highly influenced by the time – the album was initially supposed to be released on October 23, 2001. But, because of big-wig doubts it wouldn’t be received well, and album leaks to the internet, Arista Records decided not to release it. After years of battling for control, Jive Records announced at the beginning of 2009 they would release the album under their reactivated Battery imprint.

Thankfully it finally came out. I’ve listened to this record three times in full, and am still at a loss for words on how to describe it. It sounds like Q-Tip decided to attempt every genre of music out there. Song after song – if Q-Tip’s token and renowned voice wasn’t the glue, one could wonder if they were listening to the same CD. When the disc starts, it sounds like you’re going to hear something like The Shins, but that happens to be only rock chord on the record. You hear jazz, hip-hop, soul, funk, and even a touch of gospel. Q-tip both raps and sings, and shows his musical talent supersedes so many “comparable” artists out there.

According to Wikipedia, in William Jelani Cobb’s book To the Break of Dawn: A Freestyle on the Hip Hop Aesthetic, Cobb compared Kamaal The Abstract, along with The Roots’s Phrenology, Mos Def’s Black on Both Sides, Common’s Electric Circus, and the work of Jill Scott and Erykah Badu, as a “genre-bending” effort at the musical expansion of hip hop.

-Birdie Hamilton, Assistant Editor (Broadcast Journalism)