Art is the music we make from the bewildered cry of being alive. ~Maria Popova
26 Jun 2013 Leave a comment
in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: colin macintyre, mull historical society, the lights
Mull Historical Society: “The Lights” (2012)
Scotland’s Colin MacIntyre records by the name of Mull Historical Society, because it pleases him to do so.
His 2012 album City Awakenings is described as a love letter to three cities (Glasgow, London and New York) that have shaped him as an artist.
25 Jun 2013 1 Comment
in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: ben folds, ben folds five, magic
Ben Folds Five: “Magic” (1999)
Another sad, gorgeous, and lushly orchestrated melody from The Unauthorized Biography Of Reinhold Messner, in my opinion the best Ben Folds album by a wide margin. Folds and company take cues from Queen, Billy Joel and perhaps Pet Sounds-era Beach Boys at various points of the record.
See also: https://edcyphers.com/2012/02/27/songs-you-may-have-missed-27/
23 Jun 2013 Leave a comment
in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: barenaked ladies, lovers in a dangerous time
Barenaked Ladies: “Lovers in a Dangerous Time” (1997)
Barenaked Ladies have plenty of their own compositions deserving of recognition here. But their cover of fellow-Canadian Bruce Cockburn’s “Lovers in a Dangerous Time” is one that shouldn’t be missed. In fact, they make this tune their own to such a degree that you could say it defines the band as much as any of their original songs.
Props, of course, go to Cockburn for writing a powerful lyric about love and its accompanying terrors and ecstasies. But it took BNL to put across the full measure of that power.
In 2005 “Lovers…” was named the 11th greatest Canadian song of all time on the CBC Radio One series 50 Tracks: The Canadian Version.
I don’t know if it was written with this in mind, but it seems this would make a fitting anthem for LBGT rights…
This, by the way, is the original 1997 B-side version–superior, in my opinion, to the slightly more polished take which appeared on their 2001 Greatest Hits compilation.
See also: https://edcyphers.com/2012/08/02/songs-you-may-have-missed-158/
See also: https://edcyphers.com/2013/03/27/songs-you-may-have-missed-374/
22 Jun 2013 Leave a comment
in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: baby center stage, iron & wine
Iron & Wine: “Baby Center Stage” (2013)
Iron & Wine is singer-songwriter Sam Beam, who has been compared to Cat Stevens by Rolling Stone, while Pitchfork notes a resemblance to late 60’s and early 70’s era singer-songwriter works like Astral Weeks and Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.
“Baby Center Stage”, the final cut from his latest LP Ghost on Ghost, is like the musical equivalent of a gorgeous summer sunset.
20 Jun 2013 1 Comment
in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: matthew sweet, so far
Matthew Sweet: “So Far” (2000)
The aptly-named Sweet breaks off a thick slab of tuneful power pop. If music were food, this would be dessert.
See also: https://edcyphers.com/2013/10/11/songs-you-may-have-missed-488/
See also: https://edcyphers.com/2025/03/17/songs-you-may-have-missed-768/
20 Jun 2013 Leave a comment
in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: mystery, until the truth comes out
Mystery: “Till the Truth Comes Out” (2010)
Canada’s Mystery craft melodic AOR prog that hearkens back to the sounds of 70’s/80’s radio and bands like Styx and Alan Parsons Project.
Beautiful touches like the flute in the intro and a Gilmouresque bit of guitar soloing combine with an attention to sonic detail that begs headphone listening.
The mystery is why this band isn’t better known.
See also: https://edcyphers.com/2012/08/17/songs-you-may-have-missed-166/
Every Moment Has A Song 