Let the air waves flow...

I'm back from my month-long blog hiatus. I had a serious existential (or rather blogistential) crisis in which I questioned the value of blogging, whether I wanted to continue, and tried to figure out why I haven't been listening to that much music recently (one big problem: I have so much music on my computer that the guy at the Apple store said I just shouldn't have iTunes open if I want my computer to run properly. Sigh.)


Not all my questions have been answered, but I didn't like being gone for so long. So, I'm back for now, with a new GOOD SONG!

And miles to go before I sleep...

GOOD SONG: Midnight Mile by Lee Fields & The Expressions (original by the Rolling Stones)


This song is from the Lee Fields & The Expressions album "Faithful Man" which came out just a few weeks ago. He sings with the in-house band of his label (Brooklyn's Truth & Soul), who also have played with Adele, Aloe Blacc, Jay-Z, etc. So they're pretty damn good. Which is fitting, since Lee Fields is into his fifth decade of recording and deserves some good musicians backing him up. It's kinda crazy, since he's been making great music for ages, and yet he doesn't even have his own wikipedia page! How crazy is that? Someone should get on that....


His original songs on the album are really fantastic (like the song "You're the Kind of Girl") but I totally fell for this song Rolling Stones cover. It's from their album Sticky Fingers, and it really works as a soul song, even with it's strange, poetic verses seemingly about isolation on the road. 
I love the lyrics:


"When the wind blows and the rain feels cold
with a head full of snow
with a head full of snow
In the window there's a face you know
Don't the night pass slow
Don't the night pass slow

The sound of strangers sending nothing to my mind
Just another mad mad day on the road
I am just living to be lying by your side
But I'm just about a moonlight mile on down the road

Made a rag pile of my shiny clothes
Gonna warm my bones,
Gonna warm my bones
I got silence on my radio
Let the air waves flow,
Let the air waves flow
For I'm sleeping under strange strange skies
Just another mad mad day on the road
My dreams are fading down the railway line
I'm just about a moonlight mile down the road

I'm hiding sister and I'm dreaming
I'm riding down your moonlight mile
I'm hiding sister and I'm dreaming
I'm riding down your moonlight mile
There I go now coming home now baby
Yeah, there I go now coming home now baby
Yeah, I'm coming home 'cause

I'm just about a moonlight mile on down the road
On down the road, down the road."


It's an interesting choice for a R&B artist to cover, and he does it amazingly well. He gives it a sort of haunting feel, with a heartbeat rhythm to it. That quavering flute in the background is supernatural. It definitely feels like a song to listen to it in the car in the rain, with the wipers on. 


If you liked this song, you might also check out:
Al Green
Otis Redding
Sharon Jones
James Brown
Eli Paperboy Reed

Over and out,
Anna

Sweet Darlin' Girl (A Good Love Song is Hard To Find, Post #2)

I know I missed Valentine's Day. Oh well. Here is another beautiful, wonderful, true love song.

Such a baby face.

GOOD LOVE SONG: Believer by Ben Kweller

This song has some of the beautiful lyrics out there. Here they are in their entirety:

"When you're hurt you heal others.

When you're in need you give.
Because of you I am living the most that I can live.

Oh, sweet darling girl
I'm so glad you found me.
Oh, sweet darling girl
Your power surrounds me.

Remember me, don't forget me,
I have something true.
My path is dark, my steps uncertain, 

Unless I walk with you.

Oh, sweet darling girl
I'm so glad you found me.
Oh, sweet darling girl
Your power surrounds me.

Your power...surrounds me.

You speak to me without speaking.
You touch so I can feel.
With your strength I am stronger, 

at last I know I'm real.

Oh, sweet darling girl
I'm so glad you found me.
Oh, sweet darling girl
Your power surrounds me.

Your power...Oh...

Whoa... sweet darling girl
I'm so glad you found me.
I'm so glad that you found me, yeah you did
And your power surrounds me."

You get a real sense of this woman's beauty and goodness, without any reference to her physical attraction or sexiness or what have you. Kweller has really penned a tribute, not just a love song. It's amazing. And it gets stuck in your head, too. I think the song must be about his wife, Lizzy, who he married a few years back and has two kids with. 

Ben Kweller got into music ages ago with his band Radish, but then hit it big with his solo album "Sha Sha" that came out in 2002. A few more albums have come out since, and his new one "Changing Horses" is due out soon. His voice sounds pretty young and teenage-y, even though I'm sure he's long past his teenage years now. While I don't usually like that type of voice, for some reason, I still like him. This song, though, is definitely one of his deeper and more mature ones.

Enjoy!

If you liked this song, you might also check out:

Ben Folds (they've recorded together)

Guster

Ben Lee (they also have recorded together)

Rhett Miller/ Old 97's

Dr. Dog

Over and out,

Anna

Animal Lover

OK! Really trying to post more, like I said. 
Here goes:


GOOD SONG: Animal Life by Shearwater, from their upcoming album "Animal Joy" (due out next month).
A little bit about Shearwater first. The band's frontman, Jonathan Meiburg,  is obsessed with birds (like my dad!) so they named the band after the bird. A lot of their music has really interesting natural themes, especially bird themes. They focus a lot on the natural world, but not in an annoying, hyper-obsessed enviro-freak kind of way. I respect them for their fascinating and gorgeous and very well-crafted album covers, inserts, and other stuffs that go along with that. There is real craft going on here, folks, on many levels. Meiburg and bandmate Will Sheff were both members of the band Okkervil River, which is also based out of Austin, TX. Their sound is quite different, though, which you might not automatically have expected. Their fourth, fifth, and sixth albums (which were awesome) entitled "Palo Santo," " Rook," and "The Golden Archipelago" respectively, were a sort of trilogy. This new album is a departure from those. 


As for the song: I love Meiburg's voice. And the music builds and swells. I think it would be a good song to run to, if I ever did any running. 

I know. I don't get the tuxedo either. I like the bird, though.

If you liked this song, you might also check out:
The National
Wye Oak (Wye Oak opened for Shearwater)
Midlake
Coldplay (and Shearwater opened for Coldplay)


Over and out,
Anna


P.S. I love this little story about Meiburg coming to D.C.'s Smithsonian Museum:

"I had an amazing experience in D.C.," Meiburg says. "I went into the Natural History Museum and called up a scientist who works there who a paper of his I'd read 15 years ago about specimens of a giant, flightless, extinct bird of prey that he had discovered, basically. And sure enough, he was there, and he came down, and I talked to him about it for about 45 minutes. It was fantastic."

And that was an amazing experience?

"Oh, it was magical," Meiburg says. "I got to see the bones." (from npr.com)

Speak From Your Heart!

Hey there folks! Welcome to 2012. I hope you're prepared to listen to some good music while you wait for the end of the world to roll around.

I promise I will try to be better about posting more good music more regularly this year.

Speaking of good music, Porcelain Raft is releasing a new album "Strange Weekend" on January 24th. Here is a single off the upcoming album that I thought was a great tune. I love the refrain,
"And I don't wanna listen/
Unless you speak from your heart."

GOOD SONG: Unless You Speak From Your Heart by Porcelain Raft

Who is Porcelain Raft, you might well ask. Well, it's one dude whose name is Mauro Remiddi. He was born in Rome (one of my top five places in the world). And that's about all I know about him, folks. Sorry.

Apparently he looks like this.

If you liked this song, you might also check out:

Washed Out

Toro Y Moi

The XX

Panda Bear

Beach House

Over and out,

Anna

Thank you for holding

Thank you for holding on...
Sorry I've been a bit MIA recently. I'm back in action, though! More good music coming your way, just in time for Christmas!

Channeling the spirit of every awesome female singer ever is a hard job,
but somebody's gotta do it.

GOOD SONG: "Hold On" by the Alabama Shakes

This band is so good that they just made up this song, right on the spot, in a live performance, when one of the band members'  guitar string broke (hence the title "Hold On"). Say wha??

They're from Athens, Alabama, and so far have only put out a short four-song EP, but the full-length album is coming soon.  The lead singer and frontwoman Brittany Howard has the most amazing voice--  retro and kinda punky at the same time. So much soul! YES! But they can do much, much more than just soul/RnB. They can definitely also play some serious, unpretentious rock n' roll. I'm psyched for their album. Their song made it onto a Zales jewelry commercial, so I'm sure they will be hitting it big-time soon. Although maybe getting your song onto a holiday commercial before you've even released a full album counts as already hitting it big-time...

If you liked this song, you might also like:
Otis Redding
Sharon Jones
Raphael Saadiq
Rolling Stones
Kings of Leon
Janis Joplin

Over and out,
Anna

Run for Cover(s)!

H'okay, so I am declaring this November to be GOOD (COVER) SONG Month! Hip hip hooray! Huzzah! And there was much rejoicing. This month's posts will be dedicated to artists who have done great covers of songs by other artists. There are many. It will be a difficult task to narrow it down to just a few, but I will proceed, undaunted in my quest.
Here goes nothin':

You can tell he's a metalhead because he has long hair parted in the middle.
And because she looks pissed. 

GOOD (COVER) SONG #1: Orion by Rodrigo Y Gabriela (the original is by Metallica).

I have never been the biggest Metallica fan, so maybe this good cover song post is a bit unfair, since I'm bound to think that many covers of this song will be better than the original. But whatever. The cover is legitimately really amazing. And am I surprised? No. Rodrigo Y Gabriela are insanely good musicians.

Originally from Mexico, they began their music careers playing in a metal band. Hence their awesome musical chops. Much as I dislike a lot of metal, technically, metal musicians are often the best of the best (as my former metalhead brother likes to remind me). They grew frustrated with the scene, moved to Europe, started busking in Ireland, and the rest is history. Their most recent album, 11:11, dropped in fall of 2009. Their surprisingly cool blend of flamenco guitar with metal riffs is quite unique and a lot of fun to listen to. I guess it makes sense- both the metal world and the flamenco guitar world revolve around guitar and percussion, and give rise to a lot of virtuosos. Listen to that percussion-- all done on the guitar itself! So cool. They way they use their hands reminds me a lot of these guys.
If you have to get up at 3:30 am and give a loved one a ride to the airport in the dark, and you're still tired, they're a good band to listen to. Trust me on that one.

If you liked this song, you might also like:

Metallica (obviously)
Slayer
Led Zeppelin
Gypsy Kings
Paco de Lucia

Over and out,
Anna

Some cutesy fun

Still need a bit more help getting up in the morning?
Here's another remedy for ya:
GOOD SONG: Light Bulb (ANR Remix) by Rachel Goodrich

So THIS is the famed founder of Shake-a-billy.
Interesting.

Such a fun song! I recommend it as a purely fun, danceable ditty to brighten your day a bit. Don't think too much about the words. The remix is better than the original, which is too cutesy for my taste. However, the original song has a HILARIOUS video:
Check it out here: Lightbulb video
Rachel Goodrich is a Miami-based musician, who claims to be a "shake-a-billy" artist. Yeah, OK, whatever the heck that means. I hate all these new micro-genres that people make up. Anyway, though, her music is definitely fun and quirky (although I fear she might be a perfect living example of Problem #4 here) . She can play the guitar, ukulele, banjo, kazoo, autoharp, piano, and others (question: who *can't* play the kazoo?). Her first album, entitled "Tinker Toys" came out in 2008, and her new self-titled album came out this year.  If you like twee-pop, or retro-sounding/vaudevillian stuff, you will enjoy her un-remixed music.

If you liked this song/the original song, you might also like:
The Boy Least Likely To
Lykke Li
Jens Lekman
April Smith & the Great Picture Show

Over and out,
Anna

Better than an alarm clock!

Need a little help getting up in the morning?

I know I do. What with this incredibly gloomy MONTH of bad weather, it hasn't been too easy to get my butt out of bed and out the door every day.
I recommend a healthy helping of some GOOD SONGS to assist you in your quest.

Their music is so energizing, it almost makes me want
to go biking. Almost.

GOOD SONG #1:Pumped Up Kicks by Foster the People

GOOD SONG #2: Call It What You Want by Foster the People.

Foster the people was originally called Foster & the People, but because people kept messing it up, the new version stuck. Mark Foster, Mark Pontius, and Cubbie Fink (yeah, amazing name, I know) are the three main members, with some other dudes (Sean Cimino and Isom Innis) coming out to play at their live performances. They formed in California and DANG, do they make some find indie-pop. Really, if this stuff doesn't get you out of bed with your head bopping, I don't know what will. They released an EP in January, and their full album, entitled "Torches," dropped in May of this year. There are already various remixes of this stuff (check out The Hype Machine), which doesn't surprise me at all. It's just begging for it.

FYI, they will be playing on SNL on October 8th (this coming Saturday).

If you liked these songs, you might also check out:
Passion Pit
Local Natives
The Go! Team
Campire Weekend
and lots of other indie-pop groups which are popping up (ha! pun!) all over the place

Over and out,
Anna

Dream Teams for the Athletically Challenged

The other night some friends and I were talking about sports. Or, rather, they were talking about sports and I was listening. I was never really into sports (I like this one, though). However, the idea of the "dream team" fascinates me. Especially musically. 

Here is the first of two musical dream teams that I think deserve some love on the AGSIHTF.

Hey! That's not Reggae Pie! That's Chinese take-out!

GOOD SONG: Reggae Pie by Mister Heavenly

Joe Plummer- Modest Mouse drummer? Check. 

Ryan Kattner- Man Man singer? Check.

Nick Thorburn- Islands/The Unicorns singer? Check.  
(Oh yeah, and Michael Cera was the bass player for a while. Go figure).
That's some serious indie rock cred going on there. You can see the influences of all their individual styles in Mister Heavenly, and it really works. 
I love the song Reggae Pie for its slightly trippy sound- gotta love the sludgy organs in the background. Kattner (aka Honus Honus) has a unique voice with a sort of deep, crazy, ominous edge to it, yet it works really well with Thorburn's totally different, much higher voice. 


I find the lyrics interesting, too:
"It is too late to say that I want you
more than a man should ever admit to?
Is it passé to claim that I need you
more than a man should ever commit to?
And I don't care if I'm out of line.
And I don't care if we're marking time.
And I don't care if you'll never be mine,
Cuz I'm yours."


Is there a limit to how much a man can say he loves someone or wants someone or needs someone before he starts to lose cred with his friends? Or before he starts looking crazy? Or before he starts to feel "uncool?" Probably. Because, let's be honest, for many people these days, looking hip and un-passé is not easily compatible with loving someone and being dependent, in any way, upon another. It's not cool 
to seem as if you aren't totally yourself without anyone's help. 


Alright, no more pontificating on the plight of modern-day love (and the lack there-of). Anyhoo, they have only one album so far, which was just released, entitled "Out of Love." It's a bit goofy-- what do you expect from an album from the "Doom Wop" genre? (Who thinks up these genres, anyway?). It's definitely worth a listen (or more than just one, I'd say), especially with indie all-star musicians like that in their starting line-up. OK that's where my "sporty" vocabulary ends. If I go any further, I might embarrass myself.  

BUY THEIR MUSIC HERE: Mister Heavenly on Sub Pop Records

If you liked this song, you might also check out:
(obviously)
Man Man
Modest Mouse
Islands
The Unicorns
and also...
Dr. Dog
Foster the People
Yellow Ostrich
Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros

Over and out,
Anna

Hold Your Head Up

Summer isn't over, folks! I thought I would post another GOOD (SUMMER) SONG while it was still the season.
I heard this song recently and knew I had to post it. It is a great, fun, super-catchy song that I have been humming since I first heard it a week or two ago. Give it a listen!!

Rockin out. Me likey.

GOOD (SUMMER) SONG: Beacon by Matt Duncan
Listen to those horns! The piano! And is that an accordion in the background? Amazing! I love the R&B vibes combined with the indie-pop sound. The whole EP is worth a listen, really. Matt Duncan, based in Kentucky, released his six-song EP entitled Beacon, winter of 2010. I can't find out too much about him, other than the facts I already mentioned (from Kentucky, male, young, makes music) but his music is happy-making.
I love the lyrics to the song, especially the first verse and chorus (I'm a sucker for songs that mention NY, for obvious reasons). It's funny, though, because I first thought that he was saying "Hold your head up, you're in Beacon"; Beacon is a artsy little town in upstate NY that I had *just* read an article about in the NY Times (read it here). But that's not what he is saying. Fortunately I like the real lyrics better than my imagined ones.

"I got friends in New York City
'Cause everyone I know left town
That's the place your day lit dreams go
Where you can't see the sun go down

Hold your head up, you're a beacon
You pull me northward in my car
You don't have to hit the big time, baby
We know who you are."

BUY HIS MUSIC HERE: Matt Duncan

If you liked this song, you might also check out:

Beirut

Jens Lekman

Elvis Costello

The Magnetic Fields

Over and out,
Anna

Maryland Represent!

So here I am chilling in upstate NY, in the Catskills, a-listenin' to some dang good alt-rock-folk-whatever-genre-you-wanna-call-it. And while I will always be a New Yorker, it's true, I have to give some much-deserved love to the great state of Maryland, since I am a resident of it now.
So, without further ado, here is Wye Oak, straight outta Baltimo'.

Apparently they're not only a good band, but also
a good decorating theme. 

GOOD SONG: Civilian by Wye Oak

I am sure you knew immediately (since you're all really into Maryland state tree history, I know)  the band is named after the famous Wye Oak tree of Maryland, the largest white oak tree in the United States... until it was destroyed in a thunderstorm in 2002. Extremely sad-making. It was 460 years old! DUDE. (In case you were curious, the largest white oak tree in the US now is the Linden Oak, located on the corner of Rockville Pike and Beach Drive in North Bethesda, MD. Nice.)
Anyhoo, they make great music together, these two. Oh yes, and "these two" consists of Andy Stack (known to play drums and keyboard at the same time!!) and Jenn Wasner. They've released three albums so far, with the most recent being Civilian (March of this year).  I love the steady rhythm that gets kicked into high gear half-way through the song. Wasner's voice has real strength to it, as does her guitar work, which goes from a nice country-ish strumming to some serious rock-n-rolling. The lyrics, in my humble opinion, show the struggle that many people do with a need for a real relationship, but having shortcomings get in the way.

"Perfectly able to hold my own hand/
but I still can't kiss my own neck/
I wanted to give you everything/
but I still stand in awe of superficial things/
I wanted to love you like my mother's mother's mothers did/
civilian."

If you liked this song, you might also like:
Deer Tick
The Cave Singers
The Rosebuds
Other Lives
Neko Case
The Rural Alberta Advantage

Over and out,
Anna

Doctor's Orders

Feeling washed out?

Take two of these, take a drive on the highway at night with the windows down, and don't call me in the morning.

Washed Out makes good music for days when
you take pictures like these. 

GOOD SONG #1: Far Away by Washed Out (be aware the album cover is a pretty sexual image)

GOOD SONG #2: Eyes Be Closed by Washed Out (" ") 

So who is Washed Out? It's Ernest Greene, from Georgia. He's a one-man-chillwave-band who just released his first full-length album entitled "Within and Without" from Sub Pop Records. He began just recording his music in his basement in his little hometown of Perry, Georgia, and has risen to (moderate) fame (in the chillwave world, which is pretty limited). People have busted a move trying to classify and describe his sound, with words like "gauzy," "ecstatic," "organic," "lingering," and others. His sound has definitely been inspired by 1980's synth-pop and contemporary hip-hop (listen to those beats!), but also house, and even other genres like folk (maybe). The songs I picked I love because they are fun to drive to at night, when it's warm, with the windows down. They are strangely beautiful and dream-like. 

The whole album is actually fantastic, and I definitely recommend giving it a listen.  

If you liked this, you might also check out:

Panda Bear

Loney, Dear

Animal Collective

Cut Copy

Toro Y Moi

Neon Indian

Over and out,

Anna 

But for the grace of God

OK, another quick post while I am still out of town.

Jenny and two life-size mannequins...um... I mean, the Watson twins.

GOOD SONG: Rise Up With Fists! by Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins

So this song isn't exactly new (it's from her 2006 album "Rabbit Fur Coat"), but I think it is amazing. For some reason, I have it stuck in my head pretty much all the time. No joke. The lyrics are in my head all the time. It's strange. The lyrics are great though-- pointed without being bitter or cruel. And the chorus "There, but for the grace of God, go I" is a great line. I would be as bad as you, if it wasn't for the grace of God. Not my own goodness or abilities or what have you.

Jenny Lewis, in case you didn't know, was the lead singer of the band Rilo Kiley, and is now currently recording songs with Johnathan Rice (Fun Fact #1: I met him years ago in NYC at The Living Room, well before he was famous, thanks to a cool friend. Fun fact #2: for those of you from the DC area, he is also from the DC area- Alexandria, specifically- and went to Gonzaga. Small world.).

If you liked this song, you might also like:

Jenny & Johnny (Jenny Lewis & Johnathan Rice duo)
Rilo Kiley
Neko Case (I LOVE HER)
The Elected
She & Him
Bright Eyes

Over and out,
Anna

A Summer Bouquet

I know it's summer and I should have a lot more free time, being a teacher and all, but it's actually been a bit crazy. I've been outta town for a while, and heck, I'm still outta town. Thus, my posts this month will probably be pretty short. Oh well.

Some summery dudes making some summery music.

Here's a GOOD (SUMMER) SONG for y'all:   Get Up by Jonquil

Jonquil is a group from Oxford, England (one of my favorite places in the world. You walk into that town and feel centuries of knowledge just seeping into your bones. It's pretty cool). A jonquil, by the way, is pretty much just another word for a daffodil. In case you were wondering. Anyway, this song has some great guitar opening it up and then the drums and vocals kick in, and it just gets more fun. I have no idea what the song is about or what the vocals are really, but it's OK. It's still a fun song.

If you liked this song, you might also check out:

Wolf Parade
Yeasayer
Vampire Weekend
Yellow Ostrich
Local Natives

Over and out,
Anna

When the (bon)fire is low...

So, remember that Shakira song "Waka Waka?" The one that they played all the time at the World Cup? Well, she recorded it with a group from South Africa called Freshlyground, and it turns out they are awesome!

Look at all those beautiful people of all shades

Here is a GOOD (SUMMER) SONG of theirs: Fire Is Low by Freshlyground

The members of Freshlyground hail from South Africa, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe, and are assorted ethnicities, and their diverse cultures and backgrounds make for some really cool music. They formed in 2002 in Cape Town. They released their first album, Jika Jika, in 2003, then followed it with another in  2004 and another in 2007. Fire Is Low comes from their most recent album, Radio Africa, from last year (2010). They are Afro-pop with a bit of jazz. Or maybe Indie with a bit of jazzy pop. Or maybe African with an indie-pop twist. However you describe their sound, they are a lot of fun. The lead singer, Solani Mahola, has a really beautiful, jazzy, smooth voice that is extremely smile-inducing. The other band members include Simon Atwell, Peter Cohen, Kyla Rose Smith, Julio "Gugs" Sigauque, Josh Hawks, and Seredeal "Shaggy" Scheepers. All those band mates means lots of instruments: flute, mbira, harmonica, drums, sax, violin, guitar, bass, keyboard, etc., etc. How can you not love it??

This song makes me want to dance around on a summer night when the bonfire gets low. It's impossible not to groove to that beat! Listen! The sax! The clapping!
I hope you enjoy this song, because I sure do.

If you did, indeed, like this song, you might also check out:
Paul Simon
Manu Chao
Arno Carstens
Belleruche
Laura Izibor

Over and out,
Anna

P.S. If you are in DC and free (I'm not. Oh well.) on July 2nd, you should totally go see their show at Black Cat!

Birthday Post: Rolling Stones & Stone Rollin'

So, today is my birthday! Huzzah!

In honor of this festive occasion, I am posting a bunch of GOOD SONGS songs that I just can't get enough of. They are also GOOD SUMMER SONGS!

This is what real rocking out looks like. Look closely.
You may be tested on this later, kids.

The first GOOD SONG is Loving Cup by the Rolling Stones, off their album Exile On Main Street.
If you aren't a fan of the Rolling Stones, then I just don't know what to tell you.  I have to admit, in the Beatles vs. Stones argument, I always go with the Stones.
Exile On Main Street is a CLASSIC album, and is interesting in that when it was first released, it got really bad reviews by many people. But now people have come to appreciate it much more. Fun fact: the U2 album Achtung Baby (my favorite album of theirs, I think) was almost called Cruise Down Main Street, in homage to the Stones.
Loving Cup is a fantastic song for many reasons. That intro piano reminds me a bit of the Charlie Brown theme song. But it goes on and the drums come in and it gets so rockin. This song is a perfect taste of the album as a whole.
The song struck me as funny the first time I heard it, since the refrain is "Gimme a little drink from your loving cup/Just one drink and I'll fall down drunk," since in my family, if you wanted to share a drink with someone, you would ask if the other person wanted to share a loving cup with you. Apparently a loving cup is a ceremonial cup that used to be used at marriages and things like that, where everyone took a sip. I don't think that is what the Rolling Stones are talking about, but then again, maybe I'm wrong.

Also clearly a bad-ass onstage. Take notes.

Speaking of rolling stones, the next GOOD SONG is Go To Hell by Raphael Saadiq, from his new album called Stone Rollin'.
You can definitely hear the Rolling Stones influence in his music, which, although is classified as "neo-soul," has some real rock n' roll flavor to it. I love the song Go To Hell because it rises to a fantastic crescendo with that choir in the background and the cymbals and the string section (kinda like You Can't Always Get What You Want, although less over the top). I love the chorus: Let Love bring us together! Let Love bring us together!
The other truly GOOD SONG off the same album is the title track Stone Rollin' (be aware that the video is pretty sexual). The harmonica in the beginning reminds me of the song Midnight Rambler by the Rolling Stones (most certainly a GOOD SONG). Definitely listen to them both. Hear the influence?
Raphael Saadiq is an interesting cat. He was born Charlie Ray Wiggins in Oakland, CA in 1966, and was part of the R&B group Tony! Toni! Toné!. He has collaborated with TLC, John Legend, Earth Wind & Fire, A Tribe Called Quest, The Roots, Snoop Dogg, Stevie Wonder, and many, many more. Not surprisingly, he performed with Mick Jagger at the Grammy Awards show this year.
Stone Rollin' is his fourth solo album, and was only released May 10th. I think it's worth checking out.

If you liked these songs, you might also like:

Aloe Blacc (see this post)
Eli Paperboy Reed (see this post)
John Legend
Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings (see this post)
D'Angelo
Artists similar to the Rolling Stones? I don't even know where to start. You've probably heard them all. As for current artists who were influenced by them, the list is, again, way too long. Do your own research.

Over and out,
Anna

Summer Time and the Livin' Is Easy...

WHOOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOO!

I had my last day of school on Friday! Students don't realize how much teachers look forward to the summer. Definitely more than the kids do. For real.
So, in honor of my first week of summer, I thought I'd start posting fun summer songs. How's that?
This first post on Manu Chao may not be big news for those of you who are close to me and have had mixes made by me. I am a bit obsessed with Manu Chao, and I play him all the time. But for those of you who are not well-acquainted with him, or who have forgotten about his awesomeness, read on!

Manu looking appropriately beachy. 

GOOD SONG: La vie á 2 by Manu Chao, from his album Clandestino (1998)
I have heard this entire album by Manu Chao approximately 300 million times. My sister used to play it *all* the time when we shared a room, and I have memories of going to sleep to it and waking up to it later in the night when she had gone to bed, but had forgotten to turn off the lights and the music. Because of this I know ALL the lyrics to his song Bongo Bong, which is one of my favorite songs on earth. Also definitely worth a listen. But yeah, the album isn't exactly recent. But it is a classic in my book. Manu Chao is a freaking genius. He sings in French, English, Spanish, Arabic, Portugese, Italian, Galician, Wolof, and I think more. He is super-popular in Europe, but hasn't made it quite as big here in the States. His popularity is growing, though. His music has about a million different influences in it, so it is hard to describe. It's a hell of a lot of fun, though. Manu Chao & his band Radio Bemba have released three albums to date: Clandestino, Proxima Estación: Esperanza (2001), and his most recent one La Radiolina (2007).

Buy his music here: Manu Chao!

If you like this song, you might also check out:

Mano Negra (an earlier band of his)
Orishas
Gogol Bordello
Beirut
The Skatalites

More fun summer music of all types and tastes coming along soon! Keep your ears open!

Over and out,
Anna

International Month Post #2: West Africa (Cape Verde, Ghana, & Nigeria)

Sorry this post took me so long. Life got busy on me. The school year is almost over!

Anyway, across the Atlantic we go! Off to Africa! Cape Verde, Ghana, and Nigeria specifically.

Although not too far from the influences of Portugal, it seems. I just had to post something by Cesaria Evora. Her music makes me happy. My mom would always play it when she was cooking, especially at big family events like Thanksgiving and Christmas. Cesaria Evora is from Cape Verde, which is a group of islands off the coast of West Africa. It was colonized by the Portugese in the 15th century, and its official language is still Portugese, even though they gained independence a while back. Cesaria Evora is freaking amazing. They call her "the barefoot diva" since she so often performs in bare feet. She started her career in 1988 at the age of 47(!!). She is still alive and touring around, being an awesome old lady, basically. Her music is jazzy and fun and sounds similar to Brazilian music, but with a distinct Cape Verdean twist to it. She is famous for singing "morna" which is the national music of Cape Verde (like the tango for Argentina).

What a freaking amazing lady. Honestly.

Here is a GOOD SONG #1 of hers:  Carnaval De Sao Vicente (Jazzy Carnaval Mix) by Cesaria Evora.
This one is much more upbeat and fun and danceable than her others.

This second one is a more standard one of hers that I love. It's more sultry, let's say. I think it's a "morna." DEFINITELY worth a listen.
GOOD SONG #2:Mar Azul

Next up, Ghana!

He's pointing at YOU.

GOOD SONG #3: Borga by Sarkodie
So I was just searching online for good African hip-hop, and turns out Ghana's pretty big on the map. I don't pretend to know much about this guy, or African rap, but I liked this song. Check it out! Rapping in umm... whatever language it is... sounds really cool! Sorry, I can't tell the difference between the different Ghanaian dialects/languages. The video is surprisingly well done, too. He looks like a baller, I gotta admit.
Definitely worth checking out if you like hip-hop in any way, shape, or form.

I don't mean to toot my own horn, but...

GOOD SONG #4: Sorry Sorry by Femi Kuti
And last but not least, Nigeria!
So Femi Kuti is the son of Fela Kuti, the "legendary"Afrobeat musician from Nigeria. Femi played in his father's band (the Nigeria '70 and then later the Egypt '80) and Afrobeat certainly played a big role in his musical upbringing.  Femi's own son is part of his band, so he's keeping the tradition alive and all in the family, it seems. Which probably isn't too hard, since the family is large.... that's what happens when your father has had 20+ wives! Anyway, this song in particular is funky and cool, with a great beat. I love it when the horns join in. I wanna dance to this song so badly. Whooooooo

If you liked these songs, you might also check out:
Ana Moura
Lura
Seun Kuti
Youssou N'Dour
Samini

Over and out,
Anna

International Month Post #1: Brazil!

Hello all!
This month I have decided to dedicate to music from the non-English-speaking world. It's fun to get out a bit. And this first post is dedicated to... Brazil! Whoo-hoo!
Brazilian music is super cool. There are tons of influences in most Brazilian music, and much of it is sort of a fusion between different styles, cultures, and sounds. Samba, tropicália, rock, funk, African music, jazz, folk, pop, reggae, and Bossa Nova all play their part. This seems quite appropriate, as Brazil itself is such a mixture of cultures and traditions. 
So, without further ado are three (!) GOOD SONGS for you, straight from Brazil!

GOOD SONG #1:Essa é Pra Tocar no Rádio by Gilberto Gil and Jorge Ben

Alert! Alert! Man in a hat! My favorite!

I first heard really good Brazilian music when I worked at a coffee shop in NYC and my coworker would play the album that this song is from. It is totally different from the music that I was used to hearing, filled with an unstoppable beat, wild and wonderfully weird monkey-like vocal noises, elements of ... of... all sorts of cool/hot Brazilian sounds that were new to my ears. I loved it! This is my favorite song from the album Gil e Jorge, I think. But the whole album is definitely worth listening to, if you like this song. Gilberto Gil and Jorge Ben are icons on the Brazilian music scene, and are good artists to start exploring. 

GOOD SONG #2: Essa é Pá Tocar no Rádio by Slim Rimografia

Slim Rimografia, not related to Slim Shady.

This song is so fun! I think I discovered Slim Rimografia on amiestreet.com (alas, now taken over by amazon, and totally useless), although I'm not positive. However it was I'm glad of it! This is a really great song by a Brazilian hip-hop artist, and it samples none other than my first GOOD SONG! I have no idea why it's called "Essa é Pá Tocar no Rádio," though, instead of "Essa é Pra Tocar no Rádio." Who knows. Anyway, I love his vocal style, and also the style of the girl (?) Coruja who is also featured on the track. I'm surprised by how cool Portugese rap sounds. 

GOOD SONG #3: Já é by Jorge Aragão.

You'd be smiling, too, if you were this dude.

I got further (MUCH further) into Brazilian music after my friend Matt made me a Brazilian music CD, some 40 tracks long, that introduced me to some amazing Brazilian artists that never, ever fail to make me feel happy. This track was on there, and I just had to share it with you all. It's a fantastic live recording of his, and man, it just makes me want to MOVE. 


If you liked these songs, you might also check out:
Caetano Veloso
Elis Regina
Milton Nascimento
Djavan
Sergio Ricardo
Contra Fluxo
Kamau


Over and out,
Anna

King (Joseph) Arthur

Sometime in high school I got a copy of CMJ magazine, which had a CD attached to it and heard the song "Let's Embrace" by Joseph Arthur (which I couldn't find on youTube unfortunately), and fell in love with it's lyrics and poppy beat. Since that day long, long ago, he has released a bunch more albums, of which I have only a few. But the ones I do have are great. And definitely worth spreading the word about.

Channeling the Bob Dylan look, methinks

So Joseph Arthur is originally from Akron, Ohio (like the Black Keys!). He tours a hell of a lot, although I still have yet to see him live. I find a lot of his lyrics interesting, and I like that his songs range from quieter, more melancholy singer-songwriter-y songs, to fun, high-energy poppy numbers like the first one I heard. A lot of people compare him to R.E.M., and in fact they actually covered a song of his. He's released five full LP's so far. He lived in NYC for a while, was there for 9/11, and then to escape NYC he moved down to New Orleans... right before Katrina hit. Man, he doesn't have the best timing for choosing places to live, does he?? His latest album didn't get the best reviews, but I don't give a crap. I like a lot of the songs on it. Like this one:

GOOD SONG: Black Lexus by Joseph Arthur (from his album Nuclear Daydream).
The song sounds like it's about a woman wanting to head out from NYC to LA, to make it big, and yet can't seem to get the momentum. I really like the guitar on this one, and also the lyrics
"You don't know where you're going
Almost anytime
Things lost just lighten up your load."

Buy his music here: Joseph Arthur

If you liked this song, you might also check out:

Fistful of Mercy (another group that he is part of, with Ben Harper & Dhani Harrison)
Pete Yorn
Griffin House
Johnathan Rice
Ray LaMontagne
Langhorne Slim
Liam Finn

Over and out,
Anna