A morsel from Earle

Hey ladies and gentlemen!
I'm sorry I haven't posted in a while. I've been working on my school play and things got a bit crazy. So much for my New Years' Resolution, right?
I don't have a full-length post for you right now, but I just thought I'd shoot this one out there:

Justin Townes Earle's new album comes out March 27th, but you can listen to his new single "Nothing's Gonna Change the Way You Feel About Me Now." Unsurprisingly, it's a but of a melancholy song, but it's beautiful, and definitely worth a listen. I'm a huge fan of his and can't wait for his new album.

Here is this GOOD SONG:
"Nothing's Gonna Change the Way You Feel About Me Now" by Justin Townes Earle.

Nothing's gonna change and it looks like Justin just don't give a hoot.

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

Best of 2011

Sorry this is a bit late...

Here are my favorite albums of 2011, in no particular order:

Laura by Diego Garcia
GOOD SONG: All Eyes On You

El Camino by the Black Keys (back again from last year!)
GOOD SONG: Gold on the Ceiling

Helplessness Blues by Fleet Foxes
GOOD SONG: The Shrine/An Argument

Stone Rollin' by Raphael Saadiq
GOOD SONG: Heart Attack

Bon Iver by Bon Iver
GOOD SONG: Michicant

The Rip Tide by Beirut
GOOD SONG: Goshen

Ceremonials by Florence & The Machine (back again from last year's list, too!)
GOOD SONG: Spectrum

There were a lot of other good albums from this year, and a lot of bad ones, too (I won't mention those) but I'd say these are the ones that I find myself listening to the most, and are consistently, track-to-track, good.


But what do YOU think??


Over and out,
Anna

A few Christmas songs for you...

I have pretty traditional tastes when it comes to Christmas carols. Here are some of my faves by one of my favorite choirs, The Cambridge Singers:

GOOD (CHRISTMAS) SONG: Rise Up, Shepherd, and Follow
This is a great Christmas song that is also actually a very old spiritual that was sung by slaves. Once I realized that, the song made much more sense and was much more meaningful. The main singer would sing the verses and the other slaves would sing the refrain "Rise up, shepherd, and follow." It was a way for the slaves (who were forbidden to be educated and to learn how to read and write) to transmit the Nativity story. It's interesting, though, because according to the Gospels, it was the Magi who actually followed the star, whereas in the song, it's the shepherds. I think the slaves would have found the lowly shepherds easier to identify with and the words "Rise up" and "follow the star" would have resonated with them greatly (rising up out of the fields, following the North Star to safety, etc.). This song is AWESOME when sung by a men's choir. It is just made for it.

"The Shepherds Led by the Star Arriving in Bethlehem" by Octave Penguilly L'Haridon

GOOD (CHRISTMAS) SONG: Twas in the Moon of Wintertime
This song is also known as "The Huron Carol" and is Canada's oldest Christmas song! It was written by St. Jean de Brebeuf, a Jesuit missionary to the Huron tribe in Canada. He wrote it originally in the native Huron language, and it was then translated into English years later. It still refers to God as "Gitchi Manitou" which means God in Huron. Traditional nativity imagery is replaced by Huron imagery: Jesus being born "within a lodge of broken bark" "wrapped in a ragged robe of rabbit skin"and is adored by visiting chiefs who give him gifts of "fox and beaver pelt." I love that this great saint took the story of Christ's birth and made it accessible to the Native Americans he was working with in both language and imagery and still kept the mystery and sanctity of it clear.

"Rest on the Flight Into Egypt" by Luc Olivier Merson

GOOD (CHRISTMAS) SONG: I Wonder as I Wander
This song has an interesting story: unlike most traditional carols, which come from Germany or England or some other similar Northern European country, this song originates somewhere in Appalachian North Carolina. The composer John Jacob Niles heard a snatch of it being sing by a young girl dressed in rags, got it stuck in his head, and then elaborated upon it. I think it is lovely and haunting in its simplicity.

Hope you all have a very merry Christmas!

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

Everyone Loves Bobby D (Covers Month Post #4)

Yes! Making my four-post-a-month quota! Whoo-hoo!

Last post for COVERS MONTH:

GOOD (ORIGINAL) SONG: Lay Lady Lay by Bob Dylan

I am a HUGE Dylan fan (as anyone in their right mind should be, of course). I love this song, even though it doesn't sound like "normal" Dylan. It's from his 1969 album "Nashville Skyline," which shows off Dylan's amazing folk-song writing skills, but with much, much smoother-sounding vocals. Why? He quit smoking! And, boy, can you tell! All the songs on this album are FANTASTIC, I can't lie. This one is great, though. It's obviously slightly sexually charged (lay on his bed, yeah yeah, I get it), but still rather sweet to me. Maybe it's that he's calling her lady. My favorite line?

"Why wait any longer for the one you love

When he's standing in front of you?"

Oh yeah, and you gotta love the cowbell.

He's Norwegian. He's not comfortable singing if it isn't snowing.

GOOD (COVER) SONG: Lay Lady Lay by Magnet w/ Gemma Hayes

This one has a much sexier, fuller, more lustrous sound. Check out those violins! Magnet, a Norwegian singer, has chosen to make it into a duet with Irish singer Gemma Hayes, which totally works. Magnet (a.k.a. Even Johansen) has a smooth voice, too, but in a much different way than Nashville-Skyline-era-Bobby-D. I don't know how I'd describe it. Languid? Sleepy? Soft? And Gemma Hayes's voice has a nice, slightly husky twang to it. It's definitely worth a listen. I wouldn't say I like this song better than the original, but it gives it a run for its money. It's from his album 2003 "On Your Side," which I got when it came out, and have enjoyed since then. I'm a big fan of Norway's music scene. They've been producing a lot of great musicians for a while now. 

BEST MOVIE EVER!

I would be ashamed to make a post of great Dylan cover songs without mentioning the fantastic film "I'm Not There" (2007). I am a HUGE fan. It's great for Dylan fans, or anyone interested in music or film, for that matter. It's especially interesting if you have read Bob Dylan's book Chronicles, Volume One and/or seen the Fellini film "8 1/2." It makes a lot more sense if you have seen them. It's a very odd film.  

There are a TON of great covers of Dylan songs throughout the movie. In fact, the entire soundtrack is awesome Dylan covers by all sorts of musicians. Here is give you one of my favorite original/cover duos:

I beg to differ, Mr. Zimmerman.

GOOD (ORIGINAL) SONG: Moonshiner (live) by Bob Dylan 

From his album "Live at the Gaslight 1962" (recorded at the Gaslight, in Greenwich Village, a few blocks away from my house), this song is an old, old song. It's definitely not a Bob Dylan original. It's probably an American folk song, but some say it's Irish. Personally, given the use of the very American term "moonshine" I would say it's American. Whatever it is, it's melancholy and beautiful. This has his more recognizable voice. It is a heartbreaking song sung from the point of view of a lonely old alcoholic. 

"The whole world's a bottle,

and life's but a dram,

when the bottle get's empty,

it sure ain't worth a damn."

Moral of the story: you are what you drink, folks. 

"We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars."
-Oscar Wilde

GOOD (COVER) SONG: Moonshiner by Bob Forrest

Although it's hard for me to choose, I think this may be my favorite cover on the whole soundtrack. And that's saying a lot! Bob Forrest takes this song and OWNS it. The harmonica! Amazing! The percussion! Awesome! I love how everything kicks into gear after the line "Their breath is as sweet as/ a dew on the vine." I feel he gives the song more feeling than Dylan does, honestly. Given Forrest's long, public struggle with (and final victory over!) addiction, there may actually BE more feeling there. A sad song overall, but Forrest nails it, and makes it moving and new every time I listen to it. 

Go out and buy that soundtrack!!

If you liked these songs, you might also like:

Kings of Convenience

The Tallest Man on Earth

Neil Young

John Prine

Thelonious Monster

Over and out,

Anna