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

Love and the Lack Thereof: February Post #2

And now for something completely different (no, not that):

Sorry boys,  she's taken.

So my brother's friend's family runs a jazz music label, called MaxJazz. They have some really great artists on the label, including a gal named Erin Bode (pronounced Bo-dee).  Through the label, my brother (and then me) discovered her music, and I have to admit, I've been pleasantly surprised. As I have mentioned before, I am not normally a huge jazz fan, and I know little about it, but some of her stuff is great. She's released six albums, so if you like her, then you should be happily perusing through her catalog for a while.

I especially love her GOOD (LOVE) SONG Don't Take Your Time.

Her voice is jazzy and light, and even though I am not always a fan of that sort of vocal style, it works fantastically. I like that the lyrics are pretty simple. It's a very common thought amongst those who are in love and wanting to be with their loved one: Don't take your time!
Also, the sax and piano are great. Apparently, she's married to her bassist (aw).

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

Norah Jones (obviously)
Carla Cook
Gretchen Parlato

I wish I could name more but I just don't know this genre very well.

Hope you enjoyed! More GOOD (LOVE) SONGS on the way...

Over and out,
Anna

Dreamy Folk-Pop for Owls...?

There seems to be a profusion of random bands popping up with animal names (Grizzly Bear, Bear in Heaven, Panda Bear, Shearwater [a kind of bird], Wolf Parade, Dr. Dog, and the list goes on...). One noteworthy animal band out there right now, though, is most definitely Breathe Owl Breathe.

Right now they're rockin the #10 spot on eMusic's charts and for good reason. They seem like a great little musical trio, and their music just makes me happy. Also, after listening to their song "Dragon," I can tell they have a great goofy sense of humor.

The band is comprised of Micah Middaugh (on the guitar, banjo, piano, and "musical toys" section of the band), Andrea Moreno-Beals (on vocals and AMAZING cello), and Trevor Hobbes (on drums and all sorts of random instruments of the percussive persuasion). I believe they're all from Michigan, so I guess this post is yet another Midwest shoutout. 

Jump Owl Jump!

Their album "Magic Central" just came out in September, and it's great. Andrea's voice reminds me a lot of Feist's. Which is always a good thing, right?

The first GOOD SONG of theirs that I wanna recommend is their song "House of Gold." The only version I could find of it is a random live version from a show they did in Ohio, but it's definitely still worth a listen/watch. Here you go: House of Gold. I am digging her backup vocals on this one.

The second GOOD SONG of theirs from "Magic Central" is Swimming. It's quite chill, as a lot of their stuff is, but it's a great song. And, as the lyrics say, I definitely wish I was swimming right now (someplace warm, obviously. The 31 degree weather here is a whole lotta no fun). 

If you like these songs, you might also check out:

Feist

Horse Feathers

Iron & Wine

The Cave Singers

Bonnie "Prince" Billy

The Be-Good Tanyas

Pink & Noseworthy

BUY THEIR MUSIC HERE: Breathe Owl Breathe

Over and out,

Anna 

The Open Road

Let's go on a road trip! Let's get outta the city!
Fortunately, I know a really tasty Midwestern band by the name of Jayber Crow.
For those lit freaks out there, the name might sound a bit familiar. Jayber Crow may be a random indie-folk band from Minnesota, but it is also the name of a character from the writings of Wendell Berry.

Not in the band. 

I have yet to read his stuff (kinda like how I also have yet to read Flannery O'Connor... you may be noticing a pattern here), but his poetry, fiction, and non-fiction, focusing largely on life in middle America, have gained him a huge following. That following apparently includes Zach and Pete from the Jayber Crow. Which makes sense, since their music revolves mostly around life in the midwest. And it's fabulous. 

You can tell they're from the Midwest 'cuz they wear plaid...
and they're near plants.

The GOOD SONG for today is "The Farmer and the Nomad" from their short EP entitled "The Farmer and the Nomad" from 2008.
You can listen to it by going to the Jayber Crow website, and listening to it on their music player at the top of their homepage. It's the 3rd song. Here is their site: Jayber Crow


This is a pretty mellow song of theirs, although plenty of their songs are more energetic, guitar-and-banjo-driven songs. They sing of the gradual shifting from nomad to farmer. The farmer's deep roots and ties to the land combined with the nomad's longing to wander. You can definitely see why they might like the writing of Wendall Berry if you listen to their lyrics.


"But until then,
it's just the shifting grass
and the open road."

They released a full-length EP entitled "Two Short Stories" in 2009, which is awesome. On that album, I highly recommend listening to "Devil and the Desert" (about Jesus's 40 days of temptation in the Desert) and "Drinking Song of a Germinating Seed."

Their stuff in general is awesome-- you can find their two CD's ( "The Farmer and the Nomad" and "Two Short Stories") on iTunes. Check 'em out.  I'm a sucker for their harmonica. 

If you like this song by Jayber Crow, you might also check out:

Josh Ritter

Old Canes

Bright Eyes/Conor Oberst

Papercuts

Forest Sun

The Rural Alberta Advantage

Let me know what you think! Comments are good! It's nice to know if people are actually reading. And more importantly, listening. 

Over and out,
Anna