Category Archives: Music
New Music: 80s Edition
We haven’t talked about new music in a while and there are a lot of great new albums that have dropped recently. But two albums in particular caught my attention because they are from two 80s bands that you might have thought were long gone: Depeche Mode and Orchestral Manoevers in the Dark (“OMD” Surprise, it’s not an abbreviation for anything you would text to anyone). Both released new albums in the last couple months to mostly positive reviews. The first, Depeche Mode’s Delta Machine, is maybe the biggest surprise. Read the rest of this entry
Toad The Wet Sprocket – Dulcinea
I found myself reminiscing about this album, one of those I pull out and play in its entirety on regular occasions. It’s still great and it still has the power to surprise and move me even today after many re-playings. All the songs are well-chosen and seem to fit into the story of the album (so to speak) but there are three songs that will always standout to me. The lyrics are sometimes puzzling because they seem pulled from the subconscious somehow, more than tied to any specific frontal-lobe meaning. Here they are:
Best of 2012
We traditionally have a post about the best of the past year in music or movies or television (or all three), so I thought I’d get us started on talking about 2012 by giving my list of the top contenders in each category. Read the rest of this entry
New Bond
So a year that seemed like it should be fantastic has turned out to be pretty disappointing. Prometheus, the highly anticipated prequel to Alien turned out to be visually stunning but had a script so egregiously bad you couldn’t even lay back and just enjoy the visuals. Dark Knight Rises, while far from a bad movie, was pretty disappointing to many people as well. However one of the highly anticipated movies of the year, Skyfall, is thus far getting nothing but rave reviews.
It’s hard to talk about a film that isn’t released for American audiences for about a month. However I thought I would throw out the lead song. I thought “Do You Know My Name” from Casino Royal was arguably one of the best Bond themes ever. Quantum of Solace was inferior to Casino Royal on most levels, including the music. It wasn’t a bad song but somehow was pretty forgettable.
My New Favorite Song Updated!
Just digging this song from the recent Blink-182 album Neighborhoods. The song is called After Midnight:
Just for Peter, Here is Ghost On The Dancefloor, Live!
And here’s the whole show!!!
The Lower Lights: A Hymn Revival Volume 2
The Lower Lights // I Saw The Light from The Lower Lights on Vimeo.
The Lower Lights is a group of amazing musicians and performers who have taken it upon themselves to rework church music in a style that is newer and somewhat less, well, churchy and starchy than you may be used to. The style of their albums is folky and bluegrassy, yet still spiritual and perhaps even more meaningful than the original arrangement, at least to some. We’ve talked about them before, when their first album came out. I’m happy to let you know that their second volume of hymns came out last month, and even happier to tell you that it’s even better than volume 1 (which is saying something). Read the rest of this entry
Playlist Challenge: Whistling and Handclaps Edition
Pretty self-explanatory: five songs featuring whistling and/or handclaps.
Brave Has Already Succeeded
I have been pretty impressed with the trailers and articles concerning the upcoming Disney/Pixar release Brave, but then I heard the gaelic singer that is featured toward the end of this trailer: Read the rest of this entry
Music Review: First Aid Kit – ‘The Lion’s Roar’
First Aid Kit, a Swedish folk duo, have recently released their second album, ‘The Lion’s Roar’. Johanna and Klara are sisters whose influences include Fleet Foxes, Joni Mitchell and Bon Ivor. Their first album, ‘The Big Black and the Blue’, was wonderful and, like the other two bands I mentioned previously, their music captures the wanderings of a solitary traveler crunching their way through the cool moss and autumnal leaves. They are in a word, ‘woodsy’. Their second album has been produced by Mike Mogis of Bright Eyes, another of my favourite bands, and so you can imagine my anticipation. Luckily, last Thursday I was also able to see them play live at Scala in London. This is a review of both the album and their performance.
