Category: 2009

Wakey!Wakey! - "War Sweater EP"

3/1/2014

Michael Grubbs. That's the guy I know here, and yes, he was on "One Tree Hill" - where I got most of my favorite music from. (In fact, I have an entire One Tree Hill playlist with every song every played on the series!) But Grubbs was more than just a scruffy bartender. The band captured our hearts with "Brooklyn," which I unabashedly played constantly for a week after I first discovered it, and it still sits in a permanent home on my iPod. My wonderful friend Erin reminded me of how good they were, and that I should review an album for more, so here we are!

Brooklyn music has this "cool because it's not cool" vide to it. Everyone says they hate it, and everyone actually adores it. Well, Wakey!Wakey! doesn't totally fit into that mold, yet exemplifies it.

Today we're going to take a look at The War Sweater EP because it's the music that first got me, and I think it'll get you too.

We start things off a tad ominously with the title track, "War Sweater." The piano's as gorgeous as ever, and the strings are bringing in this downright creepy sound. If we're in for an album of NYC themed songs… well, okay, I can get behind that. This city equally has my love and hate, and maybe Wakey!Wakey! can personify that in song form. I love that this is asking what you're going to leave behind in this world. It's a tough question, because as much as we all want to be loved, I believe we all equally want to be remembered. That can be just as, if not, harder.

"LGA" is interesting. The tone's a little more epic, bringing in a large sounding band behind a dominant piano. The words are a little hard to wrap your head around on a first listen honestly. There's a complication there that you can't completely work out the meaning of in your head right away. While frustration, I have to give kudos to the music itself. The instrumentation is phenomenal here, and that it just fact.

And now on to my love, "Brooklyn." God damn, this song has everything. It's heartbreaking and uplifting all at once (listen to that band hit hard 2/3 of the way through and tell me you're not moved - I DARE YOU). It's a song about escape from someone and making mistakes with them, and accepting that you're just going to try to be whatever it is that they want. You just want them to stay, somehow; to come back home, yet you want the best for their life. Maybe I'm rambling, but this is an emotional song if nothing else, calling for no less of a confused New York kid's response.

"Blame You" is more of a rock song than the last ones have been. The sound is more typical, yet between the strings and piano the band's sound retains its individuality. Again, lyrics are hard to grasp in a first go-around on this band, which makes listening all the more frustrating to me, personally. But I have issues like that.

Electronic piano? "Away" strips things back in a way, if that makes sense. Less elements are involved in the instrumentation and the sound is so different than all of the previous music just because it's not a grand piano sound we're hearing drive things anymore. Despite that canned sound, the song sounds just so sad on top of it all. This is not one for the lonely nights at home folks.

Added to My Playlist:

"War Sweater"
"Brooklyn"

I honestly can't tell you the last time I did a full album in one sitting. Yes, I know this was an EP, but to type it without hours of pauses in between is different these days. I got more of a subversive experience out of the album that way, and I highly recommend you doing the same. The way this music is so beautifully written, it deserves your full body's attention.

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Bad Jokes - ...just a matter of time

6/9/2012

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Spotify Listen Link: Bad Jokes – ...just a Matter of Time

I'm not sure what originally compelled me to check out this band's page and album as my first review for WeLoveYourSongs.com (I'll post the condensed review on the ELAH facebook page once I have it!). It could have been the name. It could have been the pop-rock description. Heck, it could have been the bright orange background in their picture. Or maybe my Italian roots were calling me home. Whatever the reason, I'm stoked to get into this band's album ...just a matter of time.

I would also like to note that finding songs for a band called Bad Jokes is exceptionally hard on YouTube. There are a lot of awful comedians captured on film out there!

The first track, "World Keep Tumblin' Down,"had me run from across the room back to my computer to start typing. Wow. This is actually really fantastic - the vocals are crisp and the melodies are gorgeous. There's a fine line in pop-rock between too gritty and too whiney in voices, and this man treads it perfectly. His voice is smooth, and the music he has to sing to is made by a band, playing steadily like pros.

"Belinda"is the follow-up track, and it slows things way down (maybe a little too quickly after such a great upbeat starting track). It's heartfelt though, with lyrics that are really incredibly sweet. The sentiment of not fearing love is one that I don't think there are enough songs out there portraying. The breakdown in the chorus, where everything hits just a little harder, is interesting given the more dragging verses. It maybe crosses the line of a little boy-band-esq in some spots (see the glittering chimes), but that's okay. We're only two tracks in - there's room for error here.

A really interesting R&B turn is taken in "So Lonely." I have no idea if that was the intention, but the chorus just plays out with so much funk and soul that the vibe is there. The funk guitar might be the reasoning for that one. The chimes are still there though - at this point, I have to say boys, they're a little overused. The songs could stand without the glissando. What's impressive here are the harmonies and overlapping vocals, especially in the last 30 seconds or so. From the get-go, this isn't what I would have expected, but I think we're learning that this is a totally different kind of band we're dealing with.

Oh man... this is a boy band song. It just is. If you want to classify it as something else, please, help me out. "One More Chance" is one of the closest things I've heard to those old BSB songs in a long time. I'm not saying that is a bad thing - I'm a child of the 90's, and more importantly a girl child of the 90's - BSB 4 lyfe. I think the original rock sound of the first track was just so interesting and cool that I was expecting more of it throughout. That's all right though - for what this is, it does sound very good.

All right! "Stay Tonight"is back to more of a rock sound, and a harder one at that. The harmonies are still there (a good thing), showing off the group as a whole. There's intensity here though, giving the sound something so much more. Please, let us know you mean what you're singing. Something of note here - this is the first song on the album that I really can hear any sort of foreign accent going on. Really gives the whole thing a new image.

"Deep In Your Soul" comes at us with a slight sultry beat, with a piano to emphasize the sweetness of the track. The song is a simple one that could easily take its place in a movie's romantic dinner scene. Our singer sounds like a younger Michael Buble, though that could be the piano talking. Either way, the best way to describe this one is somewhere between lovely and romantic.

It's songs like this one, "The End,"that remind me, even just a little while later, that these guys really do have something to offer. They've got lyrics about that special someone, but do it in a way that's fun to dance to, with enough rock to be legitimate. This is, as far as I can tell, the best summation of everything they have to offer.

"Beautiful Girl"brings back the harmonies in full-force, with that pop group offering that seems to be up and down here. I can't call it's one of my favorites on the album, but due to the whole being-a-girl factor, I can't say it's my least favorite either. It's a pleasant listen, but nothing I'm putting too much effort or stock into. All-in-all, it's one of those you could throw on in the background and not be bothered by anything that's coming from the speakers.

The blues sound that enters in for "Call Your Name" is intriguing. Even after everything we've heard, this is surprising. I have to say though, on this one, the music and the vocals do not work out together at all. The vocals are still very harmonic with a simple melody, where as the music itself rings out with passion and depth. Separately, I could see this working. Together? Eh, we really need one fantastic strong voice singing out.

"Belinda - Reprise" is the last song. While this wasn't great the first time around, it seems that the pacing has picked up this time around, and that gorgeous voice is back in full force. I love albums where it really feels like everyone's giving it their all for the final number. It's like going to a concert where things end at their absolute best - and what more could you really want? The sweet idea of being true to yourself and loving someone for that is so right, and made even better by this more rock-based reprise version. This is what I'm talking about guys - keep it up!

There's also a hidden bit after the track that... hm. I'm not totally sure what to make of, because it's about a minute of symphonic strings going. While it's beautiful, this final moment has left me more confused than ever.

Added to My Playlist:

"World Keep Tumblin' Down"
"Deep In Your Soul"
"The End"
"Belinda - Reprise"

It's beyond difficult for a band to really break-out, so any chance to be heard is a good one. These guys present a variety of listening options throughout this album, and while it's not all for some people, they do sort of touch on what everyone would want to hear at one point or another. Sure, it'd be nice to be able to niche them in somewhere in particular, but for one go-around, this is not necessarily a bad thing. Overall, I'm thankful for the chance to hear this whole thing, and could really see some incredible shining moments that could prove to give this band a really bright future.

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Sam Bush - Circles Around Me

5/6/2012

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Spotify Listen Link: Sam Bush – Circles Around Me

I love the Bonnaroo site's opening line for this guy's bio: "Grammy Award winning multi-instrumentalist Sam Bush doesn't seem old enough to be a musical legend. And he's not. But he is." (1) What a compliemnt! and (2) How the hell do you live up to that?

An honoree of the Americana Music Association and the International Bluegrass Music Association, as well as being known as the King of Telluride and the King of Newgrass, he's already got a lifetime achievement award from AMA. This album, even, is a question of how he's gotten this far and this much. He's only 57 (younger than my mom). As the years have gone by, he's just grown to love music more and more. He's played with everyone on everything, and is still going.

"Circles Around Me" is the title and kick-off track. We're led in with this incredible guitar line that's just breathtaking. Then his voice starts going, and for someone at this age, the guy is so amazing. I know someone back home who I'm sure fancies himself a young Sam Bush, but the first minute of this song along completely proves him wrong. The lyrics are gripping in a dreamer's way - the song's mostly asking how we got this far, and being in amazement of it. It's a great intro to an introspective album on a life so far.

We definitely dip into that bluegrass feel for the traditional song, "Diamond Joe." It's a down-home song with a great banjo picking part that makes it perfection. There's a story and a storyteller, which is what so much of this kind of music is all about, along with the layering of some clearly fantastic players. The whole thing's just classic and perfectly compiled for the genre.

"You Left Me Alone" is the deep southern man's heartbreak song if I've ever heard one. The vocals are what anyone would make fun of when they're mocking the style, but that just mean they're very well done. The lyrics are actually pretty damn meaningful and full of hurt. You'd never know it if you weren't listening intently to those lyrics though - the voices sound somewhat chipper and upbeat, especially with those instruments just strumming right along with the whole thing!

If the other songs have had a southern porch feel, this next one has a cabin in the woods feel (and not the movie) for "The Old North Woods," perhaps even mixed with a little Italian villa feel. The strums are there, but the trill on the string (I'm very frustrated - I don't actually know what that sound is labeled...) is what brings you down the canals of Italy a little ways. It really is an interesting sound that doesn't make complete sense to the ears, but between all of these and the violin strains in the background that come in a little later, it just makes for this string mixture that's totally interesting to think on. And there's an Asian flair on the end, of course. The roles that a mandolin can play are astounding.

"Roll On Buddy, Roll On" is the trip down the river. The banjo's back into full swing and the vocals are back. I would have taken this for a commercial jingle or something, but don't ask me for what. Obviously there's some intricate picking that's damn impressive, and the voices trade off with each other in the verses. There's something pleasantly familiar about the tune while remaining new. It's fun!

The title of this next song intrigued me from the moment I looked at the playlist: "The Ballad of Stringbean and Estelle." Interesting right? The song has a deeper feel to it as things get started, telling us a story of the death of these two in Hilltop, Tennessee. There were thieves, just planning on robbing the banjo man, but things went wrong and there was more of a struggle than they expected. They got greedy for more than they originally planned on taking, and Stringbean wound up shot dead, right before Estelle. 23 years later, when the house was being torn down, $20,000 was found in the chimney, hidden from the robbers, really showing how pointless this whole struggle wound up being for someone. It's a story to hear for sure.

"Blue Mountain" has a very rock bass line at the start, but it picks back up into a good mountain pickin' theme. The start is up an octave, then comes back down in the next minute of the song, creating movements in the piece. A guitar takes over for its part next. This is some really cool arranging throughout the strings, with more truly impressive work. There's even this wild little jazz/blues work around the three minute mark, just showing how diversified this music can really get. Here's a video done in Lexington, KY - crappy visual quality, but the music's still there.

A short diddy about wandering through life comes at us in "Out On The Ocean." I'm going to take this time to say if you've never listened to other bluegrass bands, you should. There's something entrancing about their harmonies and their clean ability to stay on words and cut precisely together - usually while playing complex melodies on these stringed instruments. It's not a beloved genre by many, but it is a respected genre and appreciated through the musical world that I've been fortunate enough to be a part of. Nothing about the lyrics stuck with me here - it was all the art of the vocals.

"Gold Heart Locket" presents a sweet sound, with just an ease of strings and a wish of a guy to get back home. It's a tough journey, but he's going home to his true love, so he'll do anything to get back there. It's really just so ridiculously sweet of a notion, let alone the sound of strings just playing us back out there. It's a simple love somehow, despite the hardship of getting back there.

Judging on the track length alone, I'm going to guess that "Junior Heywood" is another instrumental track - those just always seem to be longer. This one's interesting again, as it employs a slight Asian theme, as well as some Western elements. I really hope someone other than me is hearing that in this. It may just be in the way the strings are being played, and the fact that just a slight sound of steel is giving a sound of its own. There is a definite structure throughout, carrying the song in a very organized way. The mandolin (I'm guessing) seems to be what's carrying the primary melody for a long time, but then this cello comes in that just changes everything. I've never heard one take such prominence in a bluegrass song before.

"Midnight On The Stormy Deep"is straight out of "O Brother, Where Art Thou" (I still haven't seen that movie - I know, I know... But I've heard the soundtrack!) with its full band effort, relying on the instruments to play just as much of the song as the words to. The rhythm is cute and steady, with a fiddle to keep the folks moving on the dance floor. It's great background music, but not necessarily something I could loose myself in on an intent listen.

Next up is a pretty sweet sound of a fiddle for "Apple Blossom." This particular stringed instrument takes center stage and plays on out through the orchard in this minute and a half little interlude. It's a nice addition to the album, as we've sort of heard every other string player have their moment in the sun.

"Souvenir Bottles" is sort of funny, but I don't think it's meant to be. If you've ever heard the joke about the guy who saves every bottle he drinks, then the funny sentiment might hit you like it does me. This song's about a guy who's saved bottles from his travels and rough times with women throughout the country. Pretty sure he dies at the end of the story, or else someone else does. The music's just slightly darker, giving the right elements throughout. The beats don't cut altogether cleanly in the bridge around 2:30, as they seem to be trying for, but this song isn't quite as crisp as some of the others anyway. It's a bit more raw. For an eight minute long song, I wouldn't have expected the words to begin with. It's sort of a brilliantly constructed story though, I have to say.

Final song time - "Whisper My Name." They throw their absolute all into this last, fast number. The movement on those strings is insane, and the fact that they keep it up quite so long (the song stands at about seven minutes) is really impressive, and almost makes my fingers hurt a little bit. Can you imagine the calluses on this guy's fingers?? Oh, shoot, yah know what? I spoke too soon. The song actually cuts off at about 2:30, takes a break, and there's a hidden track! Huh, go figure - I haven't heard that in a while. I would guess the name is "Hot Tamales and They're Red Hot," since that's the repeat line. It's a nice little closing number as we head on down the road at the end of the day (oh the visuals that pop into my head - thanks for bearing with me on those!).

Anywhos, here's the first song!

Added to My Playlist:

"Circles Around Me"
"Blue Mountain"
"Out On The Ocean"
"Gold Heart Locket"
"Souvenir Bottles"

Obviously really impressive work happened throughout this album - some unforgettable stuff. It's awesome to experience the epitome of a genre's talent.

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Bon Iver - Blood Bank

4/28/2012

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Spotify Listen Link: Bon Iver – Blood Bank

Well, well, well... Bon Iver. We meet again. I remember the first time around being kind of eh. Perhaps your older EP will prove to be a little more entertaining? We shall see, we shall see.

And there's my mini-convo with Bon Iver. Yup. Funny tidbit - the Katheen Edwards album we looked at two days ago was co-produced by Justin Vernon - aka Bon Iver. See? Learn something new everyday. Only, I already knew that. Damn. Must get more information...

This was the EP between the two full-length albums (one in 2008, one in 2011). There are only four songs, one of which was sampled on another album we've listened to, Kanye West's "Lost in the Word" off of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Otherwise, these are all songs I've, delightfully, never heard before.

The title track, "Blood Bank" is our first listen in. I still can't say I'm a huge fan overall, but I do like the harmonies on the vocals. They're not altogether drawing, serving as so much more of a lullaby to me than really thrilling music. I suppose it's a nice enough love story, even given the odd meeting. It's really very simplistic musically, which is never necessarily a bad thing, it's just hard to pay attention to it at all times.

"Beach Baby" is not at all what you might think given the title. The only beach I could see this working for is one up in Oregon, and that's because it's colder and calmer than any other I've been to. It's different. While there are some strains of a tropical nature during this, it really remains more of a song for the colder days by the water - you know the ones I'm talking about. There's not a need for much on those days, other than maybe a slight slow song like this to think far too much to.

Wait, don't tell me we've got a pick-up beat going on here - there's a piano at work and it's getting louder! "Babys" has this incredible sense of hope for something bright right from the start. It honestly doesn't seem to lead to much at all. The best part about the entire song is the piano, which just keeps this rhythm going throughout. The rest is just more airy, boring lyrics over top of that, which do little take make you listen beyond that first general sound.

"Woods" is the final track, and the one we'll apparently be the most familiar with in some way shape or form. Ah, there is it, the auto-tune - that's the familiar part. I do vaguely remember this sound. I think I listened to Kanye long before I got to Bon Iver, and this made me a little excited, but then I realized Kanye took it to a much better and more exciting level than this one does. Granted, it's a good attempt at building harmonies, but it's just so... ugh.

All right, well that's over. You can't deny - I gave it an honest shot. I really tried. Sort of. That first album listen made me hesitant for any more, and this just furthers that thought in regards to ever listening to the original album either. At least last time we had those visual videos to go along with each track and give something more. This is the kind of stuff that sounds awesome and inventive in the studio, but is just not enjoyable in the final listeners' ears.

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Michael Franti & Spearhead - All Rebel Rockers

12/28/2011

2 Comments

amazon.com

My lovely cousin requested this one. She gets very passionate about the music she loves, so I like delving into her requests to see what the big deal is. =)

Actually, I've seen Franti live before, and it's a fun show. I didn't know any of the music ahead of time and still had a really good time. I'm looking forward to seeing what it's like recorded.

I'm just browsing sites on this to prep, and there's a lot of phrases like "thought-provoking" and "fiery protest songs" being tossed around. It was recorded in Kingston, Jamaica, which makes it already a little exciting. There's also a song breakdown from Franti himself on his website, which I'll scan through once I've made my initial impressions.

So, hey, let's do this - on to the track-by-track!

"Rude Boys Back In Town" starts things. Let me preface by saying that I basically lived with a Reggae band all summer, so I'm hoping this it good. Overall, this is a good kick-off to the CD. We're heading into the party that he's got going, and we're ready to roll. The guys tell their stories from the road to everyone, but there's probably no place like home.

"A Little Bit of Riddim" with Cherine Anderson kicks things up next, and this is where I can hear the appeal. There's rock music and dance involved here, and there's the message of good times and good people. It's about the old days - the days when you could party on the streets without the worry we have to deal with today - like the fun times I heard about over Christmas from West Orange and my mom's family and friends. "A little bit of rhythm makes the world go round." Here's a cool video that was done for it:

The next song up is "Life In The City" and it's just got a sweet sound to it. This whole albums got such a damn positive sound with such good activist lyrics... Enjoy the world now while you can. Why not live it up? Again, it's got that reminiscent sound, while just being able to enjoy now regardless.

"Hey World - Remote Control Version." Hm. There are two 'versions' of this one the album, so this should be interesting. This has got a more pointant feel to it, like almost a little harder feel. There's... I think an electric guitar? It's giving strength to it all. It's a shout out to the world that there's a fight out there to be had, so put down the remote and go live and stand up for what you really want. This is the first call to "all rebel rockers" I've heard, and it's got an awesome ring to it.

"All I Want Is You" is quite clearly a love song. It's pretty simple - desire. The whole albums got a love theme, which is awesome, but this is passionate love and.. hm. Just really a great track. Groovy. There actually was a video released of this, but I'm going to go ahead and show you a live version to get you in the spirit for the rest of the album, which is much different:

Fun, right?? It's actually about 10x as slow on the album. Much better live.

"Say Hey (I Love You)" with Cherine Anderson is obviously the big hit that came from this. Let's check out the video - the only one from this album on the official Vevo, by the way:

That was fun. Like, a lot of fun. How do you get yourself invited to that party? I get the girls all shaking to make an appealing video for the mainstream, especially in what's turned out to be the most pop track on the album yet, but overall, it's just a fun party. It's seriously just about world love. How awesome!

"I Got Love For You" keeps bringing the love theme, but sounds like someone wishing the best to someone and asking them not to forget them. It's got a great beat, and keeps up the dancing I seem to remember from his audiences. This song is actually about, according to his site, his son heading out on his own. It's his send off to him.

The next song, "Soundsystem," has the lowest tones we've heard so hard, with more rhythm guitar bringing this total rock sound to it all. It's a dance track and a really good one at that. The whole thing's about Franti's experience with different music and the combinations that were available to him growing up. Really a cool ode.

I think I actually like "Hey World (Don't Give Up Version)" better than the first one. It's slowed down, and I think that actually makes the message more powerful. It's got a broken central character to relate to, and I think that person needs what we all need - faith and hope from others. Just... take a minute and listen.

"The Future" almost sounds like it's from the past. It's got this harsher, raspier voice to it, almost engrossed in anger. The music is so much harder. Apparently Franti heard it blaring from someone's car once and found out the one friend he gave a copy of it to a few years back leaked it out to someone else, so he rushed and recorded it for full release. The lyrics are really great though - let's see what's actually in our world. Huh, and we're amazed.

The next one has a much more mellow feel compared to everything else, "High Low." It's a pretty sweet feel, but it doesn't do much for me. It's almost a little too relaxed with the voices so much that I get distracted by almost anything else and forget it's on. It's actually about the highs and lows he felt meeting his birth mother for the first time at 22. Interesting.

"Nobody Right, Nobody Wrong" may be my favorite musically and message-wise. It's all about peace and respect for each other. It's also lost the reggae sound almost completely in favor of a straight up guitar sound. This is just the right combination of everything a modern hippie kind of needs.

Maybe I spoke too soon on that "favorite" title. A John Hiatt song, "Have A Little Faith" slows things down so very simply and beautifully. This is one of the best endings to an album I've ever heard. It's all about holding on, and exactly what I think at least 80% of this world needs to hear at the end of the day as they close their eyes.

Here's the stuff I wouldn't mind hearing again:

"A Little Bit of Riddim" - Spotify, YouTube
"All I Want Is You" - Spotify, YouTube
"Say Hey (I Love You)" - Spotify, YouTube
"Hey World (Don't Give Up Version)" - Spotify, YouTube
"The Future" - Spotify, YouTube <-- sorry, I couldn't find a regular recording
"Nobody Right, Nobody Wrong" - Spotify, YouTube
"Have A Little Faith" - Spotify, YouTube

7/13

I'm going to go ahead and say I liked this one. :)

Seriously though, this was a fine piece of work. There was a genuinely good balance of every kind of song, a general theme to go with the whole CD, and highs and lows in emotions and magnitude of music to really create a perfectly put together piece of art. I am so impressed with everything I've heard here and cannot wait to delve in to even more as we keep going!

vv---Share the LOVE!! (I mean, that's what this one was about, right?)--vv

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Wakey!Wakey! - "War Sweater EP"

Bad Jokes - ...just a matter of time

Sam Bush - Circles Around Me

Bon Iver - Blood Bank

Michael Franti & Spearhead - All Rebel Rockers

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