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.
26 Jun 2013 Leave a comment
in On a Lighter Note, Video of the Week Tags: daft punk, get lucky, obama
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 General Posts, On a Lighter Note Tags: david letterman, drums
(Source: CBC Music)
by Dave Shumka
David Letterman is really into drums. There’s a thing he sometimes does after a band plays on his show: he walks up to the drummer, compliments them on their drums and asks if they’re rentals. We noticed it happening often enough that we combed YouTube for a few dozen instances and created this supercut of Letterman talking to drummers. We also threw in the occasional cellist and harmonium player for good measure.
During our research, we learned a few things:
• David Letterman is pretty much the most charming man in the world.
• Lots of drummers rent their drums to appear on The Late Show.
• Singers tend to look uncomfortable when attention is being paid to a drummer.
• Not surprisingly, Letterman himself plays drums.
23 Jun 2013 Leave a comment
in Recommended Albums Tags: great divide, semisonic
Semisonic: Great Divide (1996)
What a joy it is to belatedly discover a really good album that you’d previously missed from a decade gone by.
Another great feeling is that of associating a newfound piece of music with a newfound friend (an “F.N.T.” if you will) who makes their entrance onto the stage of your life on cue just as the metaphorical needle hits the groove. Life is beautiful in that moment…
Recently I experienced the magical confluence of both experiences on one unforgettable day and evening. It was a reminder of just how much both friends and music can enrich our lives. Certainly I feel abundantly blessed on both counts.
So, about this album…
Semisonic are known mostly for their top ten 1998 hit “Closing Time”. And so often when a band’s career climaxes with a single massive hit, the work they did previous to it remains undiscovered by the masses.
I won’t argue for Great Divide to be recognized as some kind of lost masterpiece–just a real enjoyable listen for fans of 90’s rock. Or, as Rolling Stone described it, “a record of simple but sparkling modern pop.”
Hard to imagine this one missed the album charts completely.
See also: https://edcyphers.com/2013/08/09/songs-you-may-have-missed-457/
See also: https://edcyphers.com/2014/11/08/songs-you-may-have-missed-517/
Listen to: “F.N.T.”
Listen to: “If I Run”
Listen to: “Across the Great Divide”
Listen to: “Brand New Baby”
Don’t miss: “Falling”
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/
Every Moment Has A Song 