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.