Talkin’ Turkey: A Mixtape
Just in time for everybody to tuck in to the most lazy and food filled day of the year. As always the tracks are all free downloads, but support these wonderful artists if you can.
Man Who Lives Forever (Rollo & Grady Session)- Lord Huron
Lord Huron has been a band that is constantly defying my expectations, they’re due out for a well deserved full length album this coming year and if Man Who Lives Forever is any indication of where their sound is going, look for them to be all over the indie airwaves next year.
Man Who Lives Forever- Lord Huron
Song to Sing When I’m Lonely- John Frusciante
Possibly the greatest talent to emerge from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, John Frusciante has shown that he’s no one trick pony and a masterful songwriter in his own right, Song To Sing When I’m Lonely is one of my favorites, starting with a melody right out of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
Song To Sing When I’m Lonely- John Frusciante
Fletcher- Blitzen Trapper
Blitzen Trapper have the new Americana sound locked down on their most recent full length, American Goldwing. Think of it as Wilco with a little more drawl and optimism. Not many bands these days can write a narrative as compelling as this Portland group.
Coeur D’Alene- The Head and The Heart
Critics of The Head and the Heart stated that their debut album was filled with derivative sounds of Americana, on “Coeur D’Alene” all they can note is a perfectly crafted pop song.
Coeur D’Alene- The Head and The Heart
I Stopped Missing You Today- Stone Darlings
Stone Darling is an all-girl group that single-handedly defies the label.
I Stopped Missing You Today- Stone Darling
More Than Muscle- Luke Temple
Quite possibly my favorite song of 2011 with its off-kilter rhythms and technicolor arrangements, Temple lures you in with the first few notes and by the time his charming lilt comes into the fore there’s no letting go.
Handwriting- White Denim
White Denim is one of those bands that can make prodigious skill seem par for the course for their songwriting, “Handwriting” being an intriguing guitar run through that makes you wonder how they’re playing what they’re playing and can still mold it into a conventional song form. The pedal steel puts a nice touch.
Freeze Out- Snorri Helgason
If not the best thing to come out of Iceland, by far he is the most underrated. Sure his name might never be commonplace in pop music but he is as well deserving as any singer-songwriter out there right now.
The Only Way- Gotye
Gotye shows the creative intensity that we used to expect out of Beck, but this Australian troubadour proves his equal and more through his clever approach at arrangements and his chameleon vocals.
Livin’ In The Jungle- Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears
Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears seem intent on bringing R&B back to what it once was, the hard propulsive blues that brought the Black Keys into prominence with Brothers only with more of a funky kick and a wicked horn section.
Livin’ in the Jungle – Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears
I’ll Walk Away- James Hunter
James Hunter wowed Van Morrison with his debut Believe What I Say even getting the man himself to duet on a couple tracks with him, if Sam Cooke had managed to live to old age this croon might be what we were in for.
Million Dollar Bill- Dawes
When it hits me that she’s gone/ I think i’ll run for president/ Get my face put on the million dollar bill/ So when these rich men that she wants/ Show her ways they can’t take care of her/ I’ll have found a way to be there with her still
Within the opening of “Million Dollar Bill” Taylor Goldsmith managed to portray the sadness, jealousy, and ultimately love that’s still present when your lover has left you. Proof why he’s one of the greatest songwriters of his generation.
I Found You- Alabama Shakes
Otis Redding reincarnated in girl form, no other description should be necessary.
Soulless- Fake Problems
Who said people couldn’t write upbeat rock songs anymore.
Big Man- Boy & Bear
It wouldn’t be the farthest stretch to compare this band with Mumford & Sons, but that would greatly undermine the talent present in this group, the lyrics and vocals alone on this song should guarantee them recognition for album of the year (and yes, the rest of the album is fine too).
Big Man- Boy & Bear
From The Start- Tiger Waves
For the acoustic guitars and the rolling drum fills that propel this song along and the endearing harmonies that go along with it. Who couldn’t like a band called Tiger Waves? And you call yourselves American.
The Understanding- Jones Street Station
No matter how many incarnations there was and will always be of tight harmonies and acoustic fingerpicking, it will always sound good, and Jones Street Station isn’t about to change that. But they certainly liven the arrangement up to great success.
The Understanding- Jones Street Station
Mighty- Lord Huron
The yearning for discovery and the search for happiness and the unknown all bottled up into one song, but it’s more than a song, it’s a whole world.
Who Is Lord Huron and Why Should You Listen To Them?
“Of all the strangers you’re the strangest that I’ve seen.”
Truth be told, I hadn’t heard much of Lord Huron before this year, despite their two EP’s being released the year before; Into the Sun and Mighty respectively. However I had the pleasure of hearing them live at the Middle East in Cambridge and walked away awestruck by the potency of their music and lyrical interplay. Although they opened for Givers, a great band in their own right, anybody who was listening could reckon that Lord Huron stole the show.
Their music is something akin to Manifest Destiny, with vocals suiting the expansive uncharted landscapes and their instrumentation both American and otherworldly. It would be easy to say that Lord Huron evokes bands like Fleet Foxes with their vocal charms and large atmospheres but it would be a disservice to both to bother comparing the two. Rather their music transcends archetypes and melodrama, laudable in its own right for the sheer listenability of their work.
It might be important to note that both the EP’s, though Lord Huron is a full band live, were recorded by the lead singer himself Ben Schneider, but it’s to his credit that he doesn’t turn the story down a comparative path to Bon Iver’s famous trip out to a cabin in Wisconsin. Although Schneider also hails from the Great Lake region (Michigan) his songwriting isn’t crafted out of an experience of heartbreak, but in the American experience itself, harkening back to the questions of identity and primitivism that few musicians have dared to explore.
Music at its most pure is an escape from the everyday life, inviting the listener to lose oneself in the world that is crafted by the musicians alone and it is in this regard that Lord Huron excels. A discerning ear can pick out the individual instruments in any of their songs (a pedal steel here, a ukelele there, a mandolin at another) but its the cohesion of these disparate elements that makes it work.
Lord Huron is the muse for the wandering mind. Music that’s perfect for sunrise and sunsets and long drives, for the broad realization that spring is upon us and the hope of new life. If Ralph Waldo Emerson had a favorite band, Lord Huron would surely be it. Their craft evokes not only the natural environment but human kind in that natural environment, unchained from the bonds of modern society.
Baby Says Go On Say It, Dye The World: A Mixtape
It’s been quite a while since I last put something up on this here blog but now that school is over and summer is here, well lets just say there won’t be weeks in between posts anymore (I hope). In celebration of being done and having free time once again, here is a good old mixtape chock full of music you might not have heard, and if you have you should listen again. As always, all the music here is free to download with the hopes that you go out and support these artists. The full mix after the jump.
For Your Consideration: In The Wee Small Hours, The Heart of Saturday Night
Music is at its best when it is at it’s most universal, when it taps you on the shoulder as if to say “I’ve been there too”, It bonds with you and opens your eyes, a friend that never leaves, and you become encapsulated by a sensation to which all other senses have never known. Better than any other media, music teaches us how to love, how to express it, how to feel it, how to long for it and miss it when it’s gone. Theres a reason why love continues to be the most popular subject in songwriting, it is one of the most essential building blocks of humanity, a universal feeling.
Heartbreak, it seems, brings out the best in musicians, and perhaps none were touched more than Frank Sinatra and Tom Waits, whose albums In the Wee Small Hours, and The Heart of Saturday Night both take this universal feeling to a whole new level, in their music they make it breathe, cast a lingering darkness in the air, and place the heart in the creaks and aches of their vocals.
Campfire Goes Electric: Campfire Songs Vol. 2, A Mixtape
I had so much fun making the last Campfire Songs Mixtape that I decided to make another one. Both retro and modern with that warm familial feeling that makes a campfire so fun to be around. As always, the mixtape is free but feel free to support all the artists by buying their albums. To download a song just right-click the song link after the description, hope you enjoy. The full mixtape after the jump.
Getting To Know Billy Brooks
It’s very uncommon to find someone who actually knows Billy Brooks, ask people around, even musical people and they’ll probably respond with “Who?” This is nothing new in music, there have been countless talented musicians littered along the path to fame. Yet his impact on music should not be put to waste.
Billy Brooks had mostly gained notoriety as a sideman among fellow musicians, having played for the likes of Ray Charles and Tina Turner and also pioneering his own patented double barreled trumpet giving him a wide range of sounds that he could produce from the horn.
His album, Windows of the Mind would come out in 1974, boasting a jazz-funk groove that many before and after had tried in failed. The genre had seemed doomed to fail, jazz purists would cast off the funk influence as too simple, and those who liked funk didn’t like the jazz fusion involvement. Somehow Billy Brooks manages to meld the best of both worlds.
Take “C.P. Time” a slow burning jazz burner for the purists out there with some great horn and lead guitar work along with Brook’s fantastic trumpet improv.
There’s also “The Speech Maker” who’s soaring horn lines and moving rhythm beg for it to be cast in a soundtrack for an old school caper, or a Bond film.
Then there is the rollicking funk of Rockin’ Julius, with its pounding bass and foot-tapping rhythm.
Then of course, there is “40 Days” a song which was by far Billy Brooks lasting influence, a perfect jazz-funk meld that would later be sampled to perfection in A Tribe Called Quest’s Luck of Lucien, it’s a shame that ATCQ only brought attention to the song’s great groove, because the solos on here are sublime. I also made a remaster of this track to give it a more live sound, it’s up to you whether you dig the gritty 7o’s production or one that gives the horns some air to breath:
Original:
Remaster:
Overall, Billy Brooks proves to be a great arranger and this is a must have album for anybody who likes jazz or funk. All the downloadable tracks above, plus some bonus ones, including a fantastic remix of “40 Days” are all here after the jump.
Song of the Day: He’s Got You, Elvis Costello
It was a surprising move for Elvis Costello fans when he came out with this entirely country and western album in 1981, though it was packed along with the typically cynical Costello quip that stated “”WARNING: This album contains country & western music and may cause offence to narrow minded listeners.”. Yet Costello is no rube when it comes to interpreting other peoples music (Just look at “What’s So Funny About Peace Love and Understanding”) and he performs these country standards with quite able hands. This cut, originally left off the LP, was a Hank Cochran written, Patsy Cline performed “She’s Got You”, a beautifully delivered lyric about loss. The arrangement here is worked to perfection with some sparkling piano flourishes and Costello’s isolated lyric pushed front and center, with some heartbreaking slide guitar holding the background. Just a great performance. The downloadable song after the jump.
Heartache, Heartbreak
1. One Rainy Wish- Jimi Hendrix
2. Back To Where I Started- Derek Trucks Band
Back Where I Started- Derek Trucks Band
3. Promises- Eric Clapton
4. Caught by the River- Doves
5. Every Night- Paul McCartney
6. So You’re Leaving- Al Green
7. Jealous Guy- Donny Hathaway
8. I’ve Been Loving You Too Long (To Stop Now)- Otis Redding
I’ve Been Loving You Too Long (To Stop Now)- Otis Redding
9. Love In Vain- The Rolling Stones
Love In Vain- The Rolling Stones
10. Have You Ever Loved A Woman- Derek and the Dominoes
Have You Ever Loved A Woman (Live)- Derek And the Dominoes
11. How Can You Mend A Broken Heart- Al Green
How Can You Mend a Broken Heart- Al Green
12. Baby, Baby, Baby- Aretha Franklin
Baby, Baby, Baby- Aretha Franklin
13. I Want You- Bruce Springsteen
14. Burning of the Midnight Lamp- Jimi Hendrix
Burning of the Midnight Lamp- Jimi Hendrix
15. Layla- Derek and the Dominoes
16. This Love of Mine- Frank Sinatra
This Love Of Mine- Frank Sinatra
17. Breakin Up- G. Love
18. Oh Darling- The Beatles
19. In The Wee Small Hours of the Morning- Frank Sinatra
Merry Christmas Everyone- Xmas ’10 Playlist
I’ve assembled a playlist of all those good classic Christmas songs, so you don’t have to sit through all the bad ones on the radio, and Merry Christmas!
It is 5 AM…and You Are Listening to Los Angeles
In the annals of 90′s music, you might run across a band called Soul Coughing. If you hadn’t heard the name before you’d be likely to shrug it off as some metal band that was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and probably wasn’t very good anyway. You’d be hard-pressed to find yourself more wrong.
While what we remember as alternative rock in the 90′s may mostly consist of that of two California bands; Cake and Sublime, the east coast too was making its own mark on music. G. Love and Special Sauce is one such example that still has a grip on music today, though his brand of hip-hop blues hasn’t been very groundbreaking since his debut in 1994 (Though “This Ain’t Livin’” is one of the most poignant songs you’d find on any record past and present) yet there was a band with an even more creative vision who came out of NYC who would call themselves Soul Coughing.
Poetry and music had been intertwined before, but usually only to little success, and found mostly in run-down jazz clubs and open mics. M. Doughty and his band mates would try to fill the void in popular music form, Doughty’s alliterative and abstract stanzas would be a percussive instrument of their own backed by a tremendous rhythm section of upright bass and drums. However clever his lyrics, it is doubtful just how good they would have been without another key member, Mark de Gli Antoni, who played keyboards, and more importantly provided samples.
Sampling today is more important than ever in rap music, the backbone by which most rap songs live and die by and yet creatively it was never better than when Soul Coughing was at their best. Listening to Ruby Vroom, their debut album is like stepping into the looking glass from Alice in Wonderland, everything is delightfully surreal and new. Not many bands would have the gall to start their debut song with a line like “A man drives a plane into the Chrysler Building” yet their sound is so unique and dynamic that by the time “Screenwriter’s Blues” and “Down To This” roll around, you’ll never look at Los Angeles, Howlin’ Wolf, or the Andrews Sisters the same.
Yet Soul Coughing isn’t a one-trick pony, their taste for the surreal blends rather well with true sentiment, “True Dreams of Wichita” wouldn’t feel out of place on an early Tom Waits album, with its musings on a recent break-up, and songs like “Soft Serve” combine a mellow instrumentation with intricate imagery.
Check out some of Soul Coughing’s material after the jump.
A Winter’s Funk: A Playlist
This week im featuring a funky danceable playlist that incorporates both old and new and hopes to keep those holiday spirits alive through the cold weather. To the older folks out there this mix is more geared towards the younger types, but theres plenty of classics thrown in that you’ve undoubtedly enjoyed for many years. So without further ado, the mix after the jump.
Song of the Day: “Wake Up Your Saints”, The National
The National are usually more for reserved fare, their arrangements wide, the tone hushed, punctuated by articulate bursts of energy in their melodies. The mood is usually kept in perfect syncopation by Berninger’s baritone musings, his lyrics styling a postmodern bent while channeling a Jack Kerouac muse. However “Wake Up Your Saints” finds The National in a completely different mode. The melody is bursting with a hopeful enthusiasm from the outset, with a bright piano punctuated by a fat baritone sax sound, and a upbeat back-beat. Even Berninger is on the up and up, staying at the higher end of his register for the entirety. This song is a wonderful addition to the National catalog, a sound that i had been quick to write them off of ever attempting.
Snakes, Neighbors, and A Good Kind of Crazy: A Mixtape
It’s been far too long since I’ve done a Mixtape and far too long since I’ve updated the site in general so enjoy this latest mixtape packed full of both old and new, some classics, some you never will have heard of…all of it good. So sit back, relax, get that right-clicking hand ready and enjoy the full mix after the jump.
Song of the Day: I Need A Dollar, Aloe Blacc (With a Bonus Track!)
This dapper, Mos Def lookalike is a little known commodity over here in the US, but he’s gotten big over in England. Blessed with a vocal delivery that is equal parts Bill Withers and Ray Lamontange, he is an outstanding talent and his band is as soulful and funky to match. Check out his hit I Need A Dollar on the flipside, along with some nice bonuses. As always, just right click the songs to download, but this is an artist that you should definitely support
Song of the Day: I Got, Young The Giant
Today’s Song of the Day features an up-and-coming band out of California (what else is new) called Young The Giant. Drawing inspiration from a Brothers Grimm fairy-tale for their band name, the group (consisting of members from 20-22 in age) rented a house in Newport Beach to inspire the music on their upcoming album. “I Got” is magnetic ear candy, not dissimilar to the music Phoenix produced on albums like It’s Never Been Like That. Enjoy this song and look into the band, it’s well worth it. Download it after the jump.
In Memoriam: John Lennon
On the 70th anniversary of his birth, I’ll be the first to admit that there was a time where I was obsessed with the man, since being a Beatles fan at the age of 5, I delved into the mythology, the legend that made up the story of John Lennon’s life. It was always an intensely sad and morose feeling listening to songs like “Across the Universe” and “Imagine” with the knowledge that a man who was at such peace to write these things was dead, assassinated, murdered by a man who made no more sense than the Catcher In the Rye he claimed to be. I too, as a tremendous Beatles fan, fell victim to blaming his wife Yoko Ono, of destroying the band and was also blinded as to how far love will make someone go. Yet as I reach the final mark of adulthood, I find myself almost at odds with the continuing legend.
Sure, there’s using his image and fame for peace, that’s noble, and true to what Lennon himself believed in, Peace is truly more than just limited to the life of one person, and using a status of fame and fortune for a good cause is never a bad thing. Yet, it’s almost a twist in the gut to at the same time release a remastered Lennon catalog, things that have stripped down the original versions. If anything, this is something ignoble, and something Lennon never would have stood for.
“It’s better to fade away like an old soldier than to burn out. I don’t appreciate worship of dead Sid Vicious or of dead James Dean or of dead John Wayne. It’s the same thing. Making Sid Vicious a hero, Jim Morrison — it’s garbage to me. I worship the people who survive. Gloria Swanson, Greta Garbo.”
So although it is painful to acknowledge the death of a prolific man before his time, it is almost criminal how his image continues to be used for profit. I do not stand to say that I believe Yoko Ono is a woman without talent but I will say that she is a woman without shame. Remarkably, she claims to stand for what her late husband stood for, but has no problem with keeping the money that comes along with it. She refuses to forgive his killer, even though in John Lennon’s message of peace, it would be understanding, and moving, to forgive a man who did not know what he was doing. John Lennon was a great man, a great musician, a great writer, but he was not God. He never wanted to be. So yes, on his 70th birthday, celebrate his music, his fight for peace, and mourn that he died a horrible death. But please, do not spend your money doing it. John Lennon is no Che Guevara. Every time you see him featured in a TV ad, what he stood for dies a little. Remember the man for the man that he was, not the image that Yoko Ono has made him be.
So in remembrance of his music, I give you three songs which were symbolic of his musical output (inspiring, anthemic, and introspective), and a great cover of one of his best.
Song of the Day: “Hey Hey What Can I Do”, Led Zeppelin IV, Led Zeppelin
Head on over to Art of the Song for a very special version of the Led Zeppelin classic “Hey Hey What Can I Do”. Come back here after if you love (or even notice) the difference and download the song after the jump.
Mixtape Monday Presents: Barn Burning Night in Brooklyn
After a little hiatus Mixtape Monday is back! Enjoy the rootsy, organic, and acoustically heavy mix featuring some great bands both old and new and some you’ve probably never heard of. Everything’s free (if you want to download a song, just right click and save target/link as) but please do try to support the artists responsible for the tremendous music. The full mix after the jump.
Mixtape Monday Presents: Keeping the Light On
Get ready for another thrilling Mixtape Monday presentation. This time around I have a lot of goodies ranging from new indie acts to some great collaborations and some little known older stuff. As always the stuff on the site is free and available for download (just a right click and save target/ link as) but if you enjoy the music, please support the artists involved. The full mix after the jump.
A (Belated) Mixtape Monday: More Nutrients Than A Can of Soup
Sorry Ladies and Gents, I’ve been in a music blog funk as of late but i’ve got some great tunes lined up for you so sit back, relax, and enjoy. This week features some great lost versions of Beatle songs, some great live performances from the likes of The Allman Brothers Band, and Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, as well as the lost soul of O.V. Wright, the smooth Philadelphia sound of Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, the eclectic sound collaging of Barton Fink, the crooning of Lou Rawls, Paul McCartney teamed up with Elvis Costello, as well as some great numbers from Lyle Lovett, The Rolling Stones, Frank Sinatra, Beck, and Radiohead. If you dig it, support the artists. The full mixtape after the jump
Another (Belated) Mixtape Monday: 5/20 Blues and a Funky Gritty Case of the Mondays
Smell that, smells like freedom, that’s right I’m finally free from the yoke of college (for the summer at least) so thanks y’all for the patience on this mixtape but the finals were calling and I couldn’t have them leave a message. I’m excited for this one to drop ladies and gentleman, high hitting, in the pocket funky grooves and outstanding performances, new and old and definitely fresh.
Brady Harris: More than A Heart of Glass
If you’ve been keeping up with the blog, you may have remembered a fellow named Brady Harris being featured on a Mixtape Monday with a great cover of Blondie’s “Heart of Glass”. Humble too, after stumbling across my blog Brady got in contact with me and sent me a couple of his albums. In terms of talent he deserves to be just as well known as top level act like Spoon, but the music industry isn’t fair to all and he’s seemed to slip through the cracks. However, his ability to cover and interpret others works is top-notch, and not just limited to Blondie songs. Here’s a few of my faves from his album Cover Charge. If you like these you should check out the rest, and to buy it just look for him on cdbaby.com. The covers after the jump.
Rhyme for the Summertime: An Art of the Mixtape Summer Compilation
School’s almost out and the weather keeps getting nicer, the sun brighter, what better way then to celebrate with a summertime mix. This time around, Mixtape Monday truly is a mixtape, the playlist is meant to be listened to in track order and I hope you enjoy. Here’s looking forward to Summer ’10.
Turning to the News….
That’s right people, Art of the Mixtape now has a Facebook page! check it out here and as a little celebration.
New Friend Request- Gym Class Heroes
New Friend Request- Gym Class Heroes
My Friend- Jimi Hendrix
My Friend- Jimi Hendrix
Waiting on a Friend- The Rolling Stones
Waiting On A Friend- The Rolling Stones
Good Friend- Plants and Animals
Friends- Luke Top
Mostly a Friend- Lesser Gonzalez Alvarez
Mostly A Friend- Lesser Gonzalez Alvarez
Friend of the Devil- The Grateful Dead
Friend of the Devil- The Grateful Dead
My Unusual Friend- Fruit Bats
Friend of Mine- The National
To Old Friends and New- Titus Andronicus
To Old Friends And New- Titus Andronicus
With A Little Help from My Friends- The Beatles
