The Avett Brothers - Murder in the City

It is always nice to support local talent so I thought I would give The Avett Brothers some air time. Hailing from Concord, NC these brothers made numerous appearances in G'boro as they were getting started. Belinda can tell you of several instances where their live performances at the Green Bean disrupted her studying. Who knew? The Avett Brothers seem to defy categorization, which on the one hand is pretty cool, but on the other hand, it is kind of frustrating. It is hard to get into a band that is always redefining itself or adding new dimensions. That is not saying I want a band to stagnate, but I don't want them schizophrenic either. This tune, "Murder in the City" is a far cry from the "thrashgrass" which helped them break into a national act. One can only wonder if the city with which they refer is Charlotte? One can only hope.

PS - pretty awesome beards

The Decemberists - The Rake's Song

Will and I were talking about these guys on the drive home from the hockey game last night. I've never been much of a fan of the Decemberists, but I've been pretty addicted to this song over the past week or so (released as a single). I'm a sucker for good drum production and I think they really nailed it here...

Michael Franti - I Know I'm Not Alone

Let's get a little political. Franti has always done a good job of speaking his mind. He makes not illusions about his beliefs. However, in a documentary (for which this is the title track), I Know I'm Not Alone, Franti traveled to Iraq to get a better perspective on the war. He wanted to see the real effects on Iraqi citizens and US soldiers. These are often the stories we don't hear or don't want to hear. The reality that we are not alone should resonate with us all. What responsibilities do we have to others?

R.A. Rahman - Jai Ho

I figured since this won the Academy Award this week for its use in Slumdog Millionaire, we might as well feature it on song for today. Not sure how I feel about it yet. I have enjoyed some music from Bollywood movies, but this one has a little more electronic backing than I like. It is worth a listen though

Flight of the Conchords - Hiphopopotamus vs. Rhymenoceros

Rae and I sit on our couch and spit out our drinks with laughter on a weekly basis while watching The Flight of the Conchords. I'm sure most of you know the concept by now, but the Conchords are made up of Bret and Jamaine, two native New Zealanders who are trying to make it as musicians in NYC. Murray, New Zealand's Cultural Attache by day and their band manager by night, books their shows in ridiculously sad places like airport bars and even elevators. They played a benefit for epileptic dogs this past week. Things really got interesting when the strobe lights came on... This live performance isn't from the HBO show, but they did work this song into one of the episodes.

Peter Bjorn & John - Nothing To Worry About

I guess this is what you get when you mix Swedish indie-pop with the Japanese rockabilly dance craze...

Frank Blank - The Water

Black has consistently put out quality albums. "The Water" comes off the double album Christmass released in 2006. But, I am not here to plug Black, I am actually going to plug the streaming audio for 89.3 the Current out of Minneapolis. It is a public radio station and it plays what I want to hear. You can check it out at http://minnesota.publicradio.org/radio/services/the_current/ They have guests in all the time and this song was a live performance by Black. It is great to listen to if you work from home or if you are studying. Check it out.

Superchunk - Driveway to Driveway

It sure would be nice to be attending a "weekend-long party at a sprawling southern estate." Instead, I think I'll get my Saturday kicked off at Harris Teeter...

Iron and Wine - Naked as We Come (Live)

This is a little further back in the Iron and Wine catalogue, but it is what I think of when I think of Iron and Wine. I am not sure I like the newer release with more musical accompaniment. Beam's voice should take center stage and I think it gets lost in the more recent recordings. Good February song.

Elvis Costello - Radio, Radio

Great live performance. I still can't really tell if Costello had it in his mind the entire time that this was the song he was going to play on the show. A quick check of Wikipedia tells me that it was not a battle with SNL but with the record label about which song would be the most beneficial. Regardless, Costello received a 12 year ban from SNL.


via videosift.com

The Felice Brothers - Frankie's Gun

I saw these guys by chance a couple of years ago and made sure to get their CD at the merch table on the way out. They grew up in the Catskills and later spent time as NYC street performers before getting signed. Judging by song titles like Oxycontin and Whiskey in my Whiskey, these guys haven't necessarily been walking the straight and narrow. This song has great runs of words in each of its verses, like "You got me off a bender after long-legged Brenda died."

Israel "Iz" Kaʻanoʻi Kamakawiwoʻole - Somewhere Over the Rainbow

This song is beautiful and we all need a little beauty in our lives.

Tim O'Reagan - Bottomless Cup

Marty mentioned to me that he was going to see Mark Olson and Gary Louris. Both were founding members of the now in pertpetuum hiatus band The Jayhawks. I was looking around for some Jayhawks clips, but could not find the one I wanted. So, I finally found it in a solo performance by Tim O'Reagan. In some ways, it is fitting that I should post a solo clip because it is representative of their current state. Anyway, I really enjoy this song, especially the line "Nothing like the sound of your voice in the evening calling my name." The sound quality is not the greatest, but it beats the other clip of the song which was taped in Spain and has a running Spanish conversation in the background.

The Walkmen (songs of the year)

Like Sandy, I'll have to revert to an earlier post for my 2008 song of the year (In The New Year). I listened to their latest album, You and Me, more than any other last year. I enjoyed earlier Walkmen albums to a certain extent, but this one blew me away. They also put on the best live show that I saw in 2008. I posted a live version of this song last November, so instead I'll give you the video here.


They also just put out a video for Four Provinces. This song makes me think more about dark bars than Nepal, but who doesn't like watching little kids dance around?

Fleet Foxes - "White Winter Hymnal"

This is my pick for song of the year. Marty posted this song back in November and I have been listening to it and other Fleet Floxes songs and have to say that it really stands out from much of what was released this year. While it harkens back to earlier pop arrangements from the 60s, it still comes off as fesh and new. Also in selecting song of the year I think one has to be mindful of the popularity factor and this clearly matches that bill. So there you go, that is my selection. Marty are you up next?

Bottomless Pit (The R.A.V.E. rap)

This is a late 90s social commentary piece that bridges the racial divide while depicting the grim reality of the thug life. Little did we know that two students from Chapel Hill could speak truth to power in such a way. Some of you may recognize #27 as a friend of mine. Sadly, he has given up the free wheeling lifestyle, settling instead for family life. Who knows where he could have gone? Hopefully Rich can answer some of the burning questions we all will have. Like, who was the fly girl? and who scouted the location? and did Kriss Kross sue you for copy right infringement?

Animal Collective - My Girls

This is what all of the cool kids are listening to. I've heard it in between bands at the Green Bean, on Sirius-XM's indie rock station, on NPR's All Songs Considered and have read the glowing review on Pitchfork. So is it any good? Electronic music is not something I warm to easily, but the vocals are what make the difference here. Maybe this is what we would've gotten out of Brian Wilson had he done ecstasy instead of acid.

RIP Lux Interior

Like all true Americans, I was saddened to learn that The Cramps' Lux Interior passed away last week. The Cramps made punk culturally aware, blending Memphis rockabilly with Appalachian Old Time and NYC 42nd Street gender-bending. Guitarist/co-founder/wife Poison Ivy is a great musician and an intimidating butch while Lux was a leather banshee femme, howling sex into punk, which had previously been celibate by circumstance (The Ramones were ugly) or politics (Johnny Rotten says, "sex is boring dirty hippie shit").

The Cramps. I miss 'em.

Pitchfork posted a bunch of videos. Here are a few more.

"What's Inside A Girl?" Live:


"Can Your Pussy Do the Dog" Live:

Coldplay - Viva la Vida

Did this really just win song of the year? Surely there were better ones out there. This is just like every other Coldplay song out there. If you don't watch it all the way, through, I don't blame you. In fact, I challenge you to put up the real song of the year.

R.E.M. - South Central Rain

This is archival footage at this point. By the way, when did Letterman stop talking with the musicians on his show? Notice the introverted Stipe in the background. I still think it was a little over dramatized on his part, but I can't chide him too much because at this time (1983), they were doing some unique things. They ended up being the band that launched a 1,000 bands. They gave ever college kid hope.

Wilco - Box Full of Letters

This selection is in response to Marty's comment about the "Drown." I would like to read about the break up, it seems like there were a lot of unresolved issues that surfaced both in Son Volt and in Wilco. You can really see the split happening on Anodyne - there doesn't seem to be that much collaboration going on. To me, "Box Full of Letters" seemed to be Tweedy's response, and I might add, it seems like a more tempered one than Farrar's.

Son Volt - Drown

"Doesn't make a difference now, you're causing it." I can't help but think Tweedy was causing it. I can remember when I first heard this song - Fall of 1995. For whatever reason it really sunk its hooks into me. Up until that point, I was listening to a lot of alternative and indie stuff, but I dropped most of that for alt.country or Americana as it has come to be known. The rest is history. On a side note, not a bad video.

The Hold Steady - Sequestered In Memphis

Sandy's last post got me thinking about those moments when a song hits you at the right time. The example that came to mind is such a beat-you-over-the-head coincidence that I hesitate to mention it. I was driving in a rental car on the Northern State Parkway ('cause the LIE's for suckers) while on a business trip last September. I asked for a car with satellite radio, something I've become dependent on for long road trips. The Hertz in Greensboro had two options that morning that would meet my request: a minivan or a new Mustang. I cringed at both because the minivan was a minivan and the Mustang said M-U-S-T-A-N-G in big letters on both sides AND had one of those over-sized spoilers in the back. I opted for the second option because at least I'd blend in with the scenery while driving through certain parts of Jersey. By the time this song came on, 10 hours into the trip, I was almost too delirious to notice that Craig Finn was singing about riding in a girl's "rented" Mustang that had satellite radio. Coincidences aside, I think this is a great song and a pretty decent performance too.

Modest Mouse - Little Motel

Yeah, so this is a repeat artist, but this song came up on my mp3 player today and it caught me at the right time. I was on a bus headed across Hong Kong, just staring out the window. For some reason the song seemed to match the moment. I alternate between thinking this is hopeful and completely depressing. Usually that is a good sign when there is such an ambiguity to a song. For some reason I could not link to the Modest Mouse video so you get this one which shows footage of the Outer Banks which is strange because that is basically like home to me.

Pavement - Range Life

Pavement is one of those bands that you either loved or hated. Full of indie pretentiousness, but yet they produced some great albums. Slanted and Enchanted and Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain stand out in particular. Their mixed appeal was not just from fans either. Their frequent name checks in songs often alienated their peers, although there were some bands, like REM, that got positive shout outs. I only selected "Range Life" because for some reason I can't access many of their videos from Hong Kong. Perhaps they pissed off the people's republic?

Steelers

I'm not a football fan, but I watched the Super Bowl with some folks from outside Pittsburgh, so I was for the Steelers. I also remember as a kid actually thinking the Super Bowl Shuffle was an awesome song. So, for my childhood worship of the Bears as MCs, and for my friends Matt and Heather from Pittsburgh.....the closest I could find to a Steelers song



and of course this, the ultimate in rural Pennsylvania football culture:

The Bears - Super Bowl Shuffle

Why don't we get this kind of genius anymore? There needs to be some sort of documentary done that investigates everything from the inception of the idea to the lyrics to the making of the video. This was a part of what made the 80s a great era. Over the top, ego-inflated, awesomeness. On a side note, there really should be a law against athletes and actors singing.