Art is the music we make from the bewildered cry of being alive. ~Maria Popova
24 May 2013 Leave a comment
in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: dispatch, never or now
Dispatch: “Never or Now” (2012)
On the roots rock trio’s first album in 12 years, Dispatch trade their previous bouncy groove/jam band ethic for a more mature sound on Circles Around the Sun. And for the first time, there’s no mistaking them for the Spin Doctors.
22 May 2013 2 Comments
in General Posts, On a Lighter Note Tags: david brent, ricky gervais, the office
Ricky Gervais has a very Spinal Tap-esque way with a song. It’s just good enough to pass for hilariously bad–or is it vice versa?
Anyway, we’ll be following his series of guitar instruction videos where we expect to learn zilch about actually playing the guitar and a lot about David Brent and a life on the road selling toilet brushes.
Here’s a little flashback to a scene from The Office (the classic English original, of course) when Brent commanders a training session and turns it into a talent show for one.
19 May 2013 1 Comment
in General Posts Tags: the wreck of the edmund fitzgerald
17 May 2013 Leave a comment
in General Posts Tags: adam ockelford, derek paravicini
Born prematurely at just 25 weeks, Derek Paravicini has suffered from blindess, learning impairment and severe autism for his entire life. Despite his impairment, Derek has the unique gift of perfect pitch, and is able to play any piece of music after hearing it only once. In 2010, Derek was featured on Stan Lee’s “Superhumans”, whereupon tests verified his musical ability and confirmed his savantism. He began playing the piano at two, and subsequently attended the Linden Lodge School for the Blind in London. He met a piano instructor, Adam Ockelford, on his first visit to the school; recognising his genius, Adam began to teach him. Derek gave his first concert in South London aged seven. Adam is a Professor of Music at the University of Roehampton, the Chair of Soundabout, a charity supporting music provision for young people and founder of the AMBER Trust, supporting visually impaired children in their pursuit of music.
17 May 2013 Leave a comment
in Recommended Albums Tags: a.c. newman, shut down the streets
A.C. Newman: Shut Down the Streets (2012)
Vancouver’s A.C. Newman, front man and main writer of New Pornographers, deserves mention, along with James Mercer and Colin Meloy, as among the most gifted melodists of the contemporary indie rock scene. His always-interesting arrangements juxtapose ear-catching flourishes of all things angular, reedy and jangly with a firm rock backbone, placing it into the same baroque pop territory inhabited by Mercer’s Shins and Meloy’s Decemberists.
The lyrics are quirkily confounding at times, but set into wonderfully unforgettable melodies as they are here it somehow all feels right. “I’m Not Talking” in particular is a thing of beauty, the kind of song that renders music evangelist-types unable to sit still until they’ve shared it with as many people as will listen. With an intro that deliberates for just the right duration, making you wonder what the song is going to be, the payoff is that much bigger at the 30-second mark as the full band comes in on a reverb-sweetened riff. Newman knows the art the curtain-opening track.
Neko Case joins in on backing vocals, adding an always-welcome depth to the songs. She’s especially prominent in “Encyclopedia of Classic Takedowns”, which demonstrates right from its introductory hook Newman’s penchant for doubling instruments to create new textures–a hallmark of his work with the band as well.
Although 2004’s Slow Wonder is perhaps the most critically acclaimed of his three solo albums, to my ear this is his most mature and best work.
Don’t miss: “I’m Not Talking”
Listen to: “Encyclopedia of Classic Takedowns”
Listen to: “There’s Money in New Wave”
17 May 2013 Leave a comment
in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: inspiration information, sharon jones & the dap kings
Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings: “Inspiration Information” (2009)
Sharon Jones’ excellent take on the Shuggie Otis title track from his legendary 1974 album, which also contained his original version of “Strawberry Letter 23”, taken to #5 by the Brothers Johnson three years later.
Every Moment Has A Song 