2013 Grammy Nominations:
- Record of the Year for "Lonely Boy"
- Album of the Year
- Best Rock Performance for "Lonely Boy"
- Best Rock Song for "Lonely Boy"
- Best Rock Album
- Producer of the Year - Dan Auerbach
I have officially run in to the first album I can't find on Spotify. I guess it hasn't been cleared for release there yet. :( The good news is, though, that I found some wonderful human who put it up on YouTube! So, this'll be interesting, but I'm down if you are.
If memory serves, I think I've seen these folks live at a festival before. All I know is I really dig their music a lot and am excited for some new tracks. I actually would love to spend more time listening to them and need to make a mental note of that.
I'm too excited for the new music - let's rock the track-by-track:
"Lonely Boy" opens up the album, and I couldn't resist - I know someone will get a kick out of this accompanying video:
"Dead and Gone" is track two. It's not quite different enough to make an impact on me right away, honestly. I like it, but not as much as the kick-off number. The beat's kickin' though, and would make an awesome live show song to get people moving, despite the lyrical dragging a little and slightly low nature of the story.
"Gold on the Ceiling" has this awesome hook to it that I would be willing to hear alone again and again. There's some twisted kind of soul to it. I just want to dance to this one real bad. Holy cow I need to see them live again.
"Run Right Back" is up next, and I already kind of like where it's going with the opening riff. I mostly dig this one because of the lyrics. It's all about addiction to a girl and his view of her. I love that this girl is flawed and aggravating. Hey, someone's got to love us crazies, right?
The next one's "Sister" and there's this kind of 70's hippy feel to it. The whole things very chill and relaxing musically with lyrics that cry out a little for understanding. That synth and guitar are so old-school it's crazy. Kudos to these guys for writing something like this. The YouTube video from the playlist for the whole album even has a different color picture on it than the rest.
"Hell of a Season" is very beat based, and the drums and guitar trade it off if you're listening in a bit. I like it, but at the same time it annoys me a little? I can't put my finger on this one. It's just not jiving for me with the rest of the album.
Now "Stop Stop" brings me back in a little bit to the same feel I was enjoying before. This album is so one for playing on a night-out-in-the-garage-night, for those who know what I mean. "This love is so strong it should've been against the law." Ahhhh that's cool. There's a great word for this song - it's really just cool.
"Nova Baby" immediately made me happy with that intro. This is totally a great live song just by the sound of it. Lyrically, it's actually a slightly evil sounding song. But right now, I'm just loving it musically. Despite the lyrics, I even enjoy the words being with it, just because of the mix and actual sound of the vocals. The way they record vocals adds a level of ambiance that's so interesting and kind of entrancing.
"Mind Eraser" immediately strikes me as an album closer. There's a finality about it that's kind of cool, kind of strange. I mean, there is that line "don't let it be over," but there's something that says "the end" within the tone of the song regardless. Damn, it's over.
If Spotify had this album, here's the stuff I would add to my "stuff I wouldn't mind hearing again" playlist:
- "Lonely Boy" - YouTube
- "Gold On The Ceiling" - YouTube
- "Little Black Submarines" - YouTube
- "Run Right Back" - YouTube
- "Sister" - YouTube
- "Stop Stop" - YouTube
- "Nova Baby" - YouTube
Yup, I pretty much enjoyed this whole album. These guys put music together in a different way then most bands with a big name do (in my experience, they've been pretty well-known in name). I have yet to be disappointed in anything I've heard. Now all I really need a cool group of folks and some couches and a long night to just kick back and listen to this one again.
Also, NPR does incredible music reviews (that's how I first heard of these guys in general actually), and the link came up when I googled the album for info and the pic, and I really think that, now that you've finished reading my review, you should check out they're podcast on it (I wish I could do mine that way...).
Spotify, I hope it's another long while before we have to be on bad terms for an hour again. At least I didn't have to go searching for the YouTube videos this time. And I listened to funny old WWE moments while I typed this up. Seriously, look up "funny WWE moments" and be prepared to be awake for a while laughing. I miss Y2J.
Yay tangents on other stuff! Seriously, I loved so much on this album - what're your thoughts?