In an effort to market my blog, I decided it needed an actual domain name, and with it a more proper title.
After some soul-searching, I came up with Infinite Shuffle, which, in addition to being an awesome name, lends itself to an equally awesome logo.
So, from now on, you can check out my musical musings over at InfiniteShuffle.com.
As I prepared to see The Helio Sequence in concert earlier this week, I made sure to check out the various opening acts to find out what was in store for me and to figure out how early I wanted to arrive.
After listening to all the bands, it quickly became apparent that I needed to get to the venue as soon as the doors opened. Not because the bill was packed full of awesome bands, but because the best act of the night would be the first one to hit the stage.
The five songs on California Wives’ website absolutely blew my socks off. So much so that I immediately headed over to iTunes and downloaded their debut EP, Affair.
California Wives – Blood Red Youth
(Note: For some reason, all of these songs are taking 15-20 seconds before they start to play. So, just be patient.)
This four-piece group from Chicago combines all the best elements of the post-punk, shoegazer and indie-pop genres into one awesome force.
California Wives – Twenty Three
Because of a special promotion at the concert, there were more people than usual in attendance for the opening acts. So, after a somewhat quiet response to start the show, the Wives received a solid ovation following their 30-minute set. They played six songs — four songs from their album and two new ones — all of which were solid.
One of the things I found most interesting seeing them live was how they divvied up the lead vocals. Standing front and center with his keyboard — and occasionally a guitar — was Jayson Kramer. He did most of the talking between songs and, I assumed, was the lead singer.
But with my view from the upper level somewhat obstructed by the band’s family, I didn’t realize initially that a lot of the singing was actually coming from the far right side of the stage, where unassuming bassist Dan Zima was perched.
Any time a band has more than one real vocalist, I consider that a plus in my book.
This band is ready to blow up on the national scene. The group is currently unsigned, but I doubt that’ll be the case for long, especially after the boys strut their stuff at the South By Southwest Festival in March.
To keep tabs on the band, check out its MySpace page.
While scouring the internet and iTunes for reviews of Cotton Jones, I stumbled upon a simple, one-sentence summation that perfectly captured the band’s sound …
Still the man who musically helps you come down from your bad trip.
The man, in this case, would be Michael Nau, the former lead singer and creator of the band Page France, who joined forces with Whitney McGraw in 2005 to comprise The Cotton Jones Basket Ride. Since shortening its name a couple of years ago, the band has put out a pair of solid full-length albums, including 2009’s Paranoid Cocoon and last year’s Tall Hours in the Glowstream.
As you can probably tell from the above quote, the duo’s sound is heavy on the psychedelia, but it also has a strong folk influence.
The debut album opens with Nau channeling his inner Jim Morrison on “Up a Tree (Went This Heart I Have)” and “Gotta Cheer Up”. From there, his and McGraw’s voices grow more soothing as the songs meld together into a never-ending trance.
Another strong track on that disc is “Blood Red Sentimental Blues”
On the more recent album, Nau’s voice dominates as McGraw is resigned to more of a backing role. While that certainly affects the harmony, all is not lost. The group doesn’t stray too far from its earlier sound, except that the songs are slightly reined-in and little poppier. Additionally, several of the songs have a familiar, almost oldies-like vibe to them.
The best track on the album is the one that originally introduced me to the group — “Somehow To Keep It Going” — but there are also several other solid tunes, including “Sail of the Silver Morning”, “More Songs For Margaret” and “Glorylight and Christie”.
Cotton Jones – Somehow To Keep It Going
(Note: For some reason, there is a delay of nearly a minute before this track starts playing. So, you should just open it in a separate tab and continue reading. Trust me, it’s a good song.)
I had never heard of the group until seeing Tall Hours in the Glowstream listed as No. 4 on Urban Outfitters’ Best of 2010 list. The group, which seemingly came out of nowhere as far as I was concerned, has put out several EPs and a few other assorted releases since 2007. The members developed their sound while living in the Appalachian hamlet of Cumberland, Md., but they have supposedly since relocated to Georgia.
To hear several more of their songs, visit their MySpace page. While there, take note of their current tour schedule. They make a quick pass through the Midwest for a few days in early February before heading back this way at the end of the month.
As I drove home from a recent night out, I was enjoying a local radio station’s weekly ’80s Weekend playlist. And in the span of a few songs, I heard my two most favorite ’80s songs.
It made me think of a conversation I had with my brother a few days earlier regarding this very matter — what would be on your list of favorite ’80s songs?
So, I decided I should actually compile said list. I figured I would come up with my top 10 tracks of the decade. But I quickly breezed past that and was already into the mid-30s when I decided I should just limit myself to 25. Needless to say, there were some great songs that didn’t make the cut.
While thinking of all the various songs I wanted to include, I couldn’t help but also picture many of the corresponding videos. Back then, songs and videos were so linked, it’s hard to separate them in your mind.
So, in addition to putting together an audio playlist, I thought it would be cool to post a video playlist.
THE LIST
By the way, I included a bonus video at the end of the playlist. The song is technically from the ’60s, but it re-entered the charts a couple of decades later. It just so happens to be my favorite song and movie of all-time.
Just as I did last year, here is an aggregation of as many end-of-the-year lists as I could find from all the sources out there. And, in case you missed it, here is my own Best of 2010 list.
Last year, I waited until mid-January to unleash my end-of-the-year and end-of-the-decade lists. But this year, I figured I’d do it at a more reasonable time — one minute into the new year.
So, without further ado, I give you my favorite music from the past 12 months. Enjoy.
By the way, rather than bogging down this post with a bunch of links and embedded videos, I just created a playlist with as many of the top songs as I could find. If, for some reason, the player doesn’t work on your computer, just open this link in a separate tab/window and listen to the goodness as you read about it.
THE ALBUMS I ENJOYED THE MOST
A FEW OTHER ALBUMS THAT WERE PRETTY GREAT
THE YEAR’S BEST TRACKS (that weren’t on any of the above listed albums)
ALBUMS I MISSED IN 2009
EARLY CANDIDATES FOR THE “ALBUMS I MISSED IN 2010” LIST
Check back tomorrow when I provide a massive compilation of all the end-of-the-year lists I could find.
I’m not sure why it took me so long to discuss Mumford & Sons. I first heard about them in early 2009 via the Outroversion blog. I’d heard a couple of songs and liked them, but, for some reason, I never put forth the effort to listen to their full arsenal until about a year later. And, by that time, I felt like my window for “breaking” them had closed.
But, as it turns out, while they’ve been receiving a lot of critical praise following the United States release of their debut album, Sigh No More, there is still a lot of people who’ve never heard of the London indie-folk quartet.
The album dropped in the United Kingdom in October 2009 and landed in the U.S. in February of this year, so some might deem it out of the running for “album of the year” praise. But you know what? Those people are stupid.
There is nary a bad song on this 12-track disc — all are good, some are really good and a few are great — which is why I would deem it the best album of 2010.
According to Wikipedia, the band formed in late 2007, rising out of London’s folk scene with other artists such as Laura Marling, Johnny Flynn and Noah and the Whale — all solid acts, I might add.
Mumford & Sons, which is led vocally by Marcus Mumford, enlists a slew of folksy instruments, including mandolin, banjo, dobro, string bass and accordion. And the members of the band are very versatile, often switching instruments throughout live shows.
While the band can do the slow, swaying folk thing with the best of them, it’s the spurts of rollicking, rocking fire that make their songs so great. Every song in their repertoire is a sine curve of awesomeness … (that one goes out to all of you math nerds).
In addition to the two gems embedded above, other standout songs include “Awake My Soul”, “Roll Away Your Stone”, “After the Storm” and the title track.
Mumford & Sons make a bevy of literary references in their work. The album title and corresponding song include allusions to Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, and the songs “Timeshel” and “Dust Bowl Dance” draw heavily from the John Steinbeck novels East of Eden and Grapes of Wrath.
After tearing up England in 2009, the band has conquered the world this past year, from topping the charts in Australia to selling out a horde of shows in the United States in the fall.
Earlier this month, the boys picked up a pair of Grammy nominations for Best New Artist (aka The Kiss of Death) and Best Rock Song for “Little Lion Man”.
I unfortunately missed them when they came through Chicago a few months ago, so I’m eagerly awaiting their return.
Join me in keeping tabs on the band via its MySpace page and official website.
I’ve been wanting to write a post about Stornoway for several months, but it’s taken me awhile to find a free (read: illegal) download of their debut release, Beachcomber’s Windowsill.
I first heard about the band roughly a year ago from a few references on the Outroversion blog, but I hadn’t actually heard anything by the group until this past summer when the single, “Zorbing”, was included on KEXP’s Song of the Day podcast.
After hearing it that first time, I repeated it once or twice and was immediately hooked.
While that song seems to combine about three different genres into one track, the rest of album sticks to the group’s signature sound — something like alternative indie music mixed with traditional Irish-tinged ditties.
Stornoway isn’t actually from Ireland. The group hails from the Cowley area of Oxford, England, and is named after the Hebridean town on the Isle of Lewis, which is the northeast tip of the United Kingdom — practically the opposite end of the UK from Oxford.
The band consists of four members, but, as you can tell from the video, it often enlists the services of a trumpeter. There’s also a violinist that joins the ruckus.
The gents have been together since at least 2006 and first started to make some noise in England in 2009 when they released their first few singles. The debut album dropped on May 24 of this year, and, while none of the other songs live up to the awesomeness of “Zorbing”, it’s still a quality disc.
Other solid tracks include “I Saw You Blink” and “Boats and Trains”.
The group finally made its way to the United States in the fall, including a stop in Chicago last month. So, it’ll probably be awhile before it returns.
For more on the group, check out its MySpace page and official website.
I first heard about Earwig in mid-August when someone from the band commented on my review of fellow Columbus, Ohio, act House of Heroes.
They provided a link to the their website, so I checked it out. The group didn’t seem like anything too special, so I never gave it a second thought.
That is, until I saw that Simon over at Outroversion had put up a post about the band. After reading his synopsis, I figured I’d give them another chance — and, again, I wasn’t too impressed.
But just before writing this post, I thought I should listen to their stuff on MySpace one more time so it was fresh in my mind. And, as it turns out, my first impression — and second one, for that matter — of Earwig was way off.
Originally, I deemed them a decent band, but nothing special. After another listen, I realized there really was more going on there than first assumed.
None of the songs really repeat — it’s as if each track was influenced by something totally different.
“Star Crossd” sounds kinda twee, maybe a little like fellow Ohioans Guided By Voices. “Rumplestiltskin” is heavier in sound and tone. “Trees” is just pure indie-pop. “Lovesong Cockroach” has a grunge feel to it. “Glorious and Gloom” is a little more emo-pop.
“Shiny Morning” opens with an auto-tune thing that is very reminiscent of Imogen Heap/Frou Frou before heading toward a more indie-pop/rock track. “Drag” reminds me of something Jimmy Eat World might’ve put out in their heyday. “Used Kids” sounds like something I would’ve heard on the radio during high school in the late ’90s — I just hope the band’s not as religious as it sounds in the chorus of this song.
There’s also an interesting back story regarding the band’s latest release, Gibson Under Mountain. Apparently, the album title came to lead singer Lizard McGee in a dream, and shortly thereafter he was “dream-writing” all the songs.
For more on the band, visit the official website.
I tend to shy away from country music, almost as a rule. It’s not that I hate it — I just generally loathe the kind of people who love it and the way they rally behind it.
Because of this philosophy, I’m sure I’ve missed out on several solid bands that I would’ve liked. And The Band Perry would have fallen into that pile were it not for my good friend, MK.
She sent me an e-mail a few days ago and told me to give their song, “If I Die Young”, a listen. She said she really liked the singer’s voice.
After listening to it a handful of times, I would concur.
According to the band’s official website, the song just hit No. 1 on the country charts. Who knew?
The group from Mobile, Ala., is made up of the three Perry siblings — lead singer Kimberly and little brothers Reid and Neil. In their rather lengthy bio, they say that they were raised on both classic rock and country.
That upbringing shows in their music. They churn out plenty of country ditties with a rock sensibility as well as some sweet, twangy ballads.
While the big single is clearly a gem, it turns out the band’s entire self-titled debut album is pretty solid.
Other strong tracks include “Hip to My Heart”, “Postcard From Paris”, “Independence”, “Double Heart” and “All Your Life”.
I doubt this discovery will shift my interest in country music much, if at all. But it does go to show that expanding your horizons is never a bad thing.
My Tunes 