#15 (Attitudes Fortitudes Platitudes Edition)

This morning I woke up feeling lovely, so I had that going for me. We've all spent many days worrying, or anxious, or uncomfortable but on those rare occasions when we wake up uninhibited and unhindered, everything looks fresh all over. I like to think that the following two artists felt the very same way when they wrote the following songs (uninhbited, unhindered, and imbued with spirit-gusto). These songs are also companions in production style.

Portugal. The Man are not only one of the few bands that include punctuation in their band name (!!! also comes to mind), but also the only band on the national scene that I know of with ties to Sarah Palin's hometown. The band is four-piece, experimental grime-soul band--just listen--that hails from Wasilla, Alaska--or at least two of its members do. They've been around for a while currently touring to support their fifth full-length album, Censored Colors. Different from many experimental bands who use varied instruments to create eclectic sounds, PTM use very standard rock instruments (drums, bass, keys, guitars), but make those instruments sound all kinds of weird. In the song "Lay Me Back Down" the band uses heavily distorted bass to lead off with the opening riff, then transitions to unaltered twinkly pianos, then layers in guitar pedals that manipulate a traditional six-string into sitar sounds. Then they bring in sonically offered drum rimshots to sound like dried out hand claps, then end with some grizzly bear guitar and twinklepiano together. The results is a monstruous and new sound altoghether.

Hope you enjoy:

Portugal. The Man "Lay Me Back Down"

http://hypem.com/search/portugal%20the%20man%20lay%20me%20back%20down/1/

Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson could use some punctuation in his name. The singer-songwriter from Brooklyn used to be homeless and drug-addicted and now chums around with Grizzly Bear and Kyp Malone of TVOTR, both of whom helped produce his debut album. While I don't have the feeling that Robinson was unbridled while writing this song, I like to think that it was a bright spot on a day in which he woke up feeling relatively free. It has to be the twinklepiano. It's back, you see. I know, I know, he has a lamentation about growing old and yelps "I'm not sure that I want to stay alive/it's so expensive, but you can die," but still, you're nitpicking there. This has the feeling of catharsis, and it has the feeling of anthem, and it has the feeling of hope in despair. Tell me I'm wrong.

Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson "The Debtor"

http://hypem.com/search/miles%20benjamin%20anthony%20robinson%20debtor/1/

Aurally Yours,

Nick

#13 (Colours Edition)

Fitfully Frantic Friday, Friends,

One of the cooler things in music is seeing an artist you love reference another artist you love. I was particularly delighted when this girl I know passed along a new song from new-bohemian songwriter Elvis Perkins. Something about his lyrics and his melody reminded me immediately of another song from some time ago (one of my mother's favorite songs of all time). It seems that Perkins has written a little tribute to the great sunshine superman Donovan and thrown in a delicious twist to all those folk music historians paying attention. It's amazing all the things that colors can be. Enjoy!

Donovan: "Colours" (1972):
http://www.imeem.com/people/dNKdMn//music/Qbmz8Mql/colours/

Opening line: "Yellow is the color of my true love's hair."

Elvis Perkins in Dearland: "Shampoo" (2009):
http://hypem.com/search/elvis%20perkins%20shampoo/1/

Opening Line: "Yellow is the color of my true love's crossbow." :)

As always, let me know what you think.

Colourfully Yours,
N
PS. Love you, mom.

#12 (Strut Your Stuff, Womanchild Edition)

As my friend Aaron recently pointed out, Curtis Mayfield is one of those artists that our generation knows is good but fails to appreciate as much as we should. We've heard the name many times. We may know a few of his more famous songs. Few of us, however, have taken the time to dig into his records and explore just how spinetinglingly baddass he is (myself included). In order to whet your appetite for what hopefully becomes a personal investigation into all things Curtis, I am including in this week's email two consecutive songs from Curtis's Superfly soundtrack, "Pusherman" and "Freddie's Dead."

The production and arrangements on Mayfield's tracks are incredible. Few include both strings and horns with the success that he does, blending lush full string chords with hard woodwind and horn hits and rythmic accentuations. I've included the following two songs in a row because it shows the range of Mayfield's songwriting musically and lyrically.

Track one, Pusherman, romanticizes the life of a dopepeddler in the first person. The song is driven by a rich, consistent bass line and flourishes on conga drums and a clean guitar tone.

http://www.imeem.com/people/CbMOoG/music/q9-9BJ9A/curtis_mayfield_pusher_man/

Track two, Freddie's Dead, contrasts that glorified image of the drug dealer with the stark reality of the addict:
"If you want to be junkie, well, remember Freddie's dead." Musically, the song has its foundation in it's tremendous, sweeping strings. And then at 2:15, Curtis hits you with a key change, and then well, womanchild, Freddie's dead. And then with the bass breakdown, at 2:55, well, Freddie's dead. That bass tone, if a peanut butter, would be Superchunk.

http://www.imeem.com/rnbmusic/music/p_3StflJ/curtis_mayfield_freddies_dead_theme_from_superfly_sing/

Please enjoy, and don't be afraid to strut.

Peacockerily Yours,
Nick

#11 (Falling Stars Glory Drums Edition)

"What a treat for all of us," squealed the children in the snow.

When the Chemical Brothers sonically met Midlake, it was kind of like Glory having a baby. She birthed the warm organ tones, tinny drumming, honey-dripped vocals, and buzzing machinations.

This song is a Calder mobile set below a nightscape of children's glow in the dark stars. Windchimes and xylophones abound. And yet, my favorite part is the steady, pulsing drumming on the tom drums. That, and the steady building that begins around the 3:30 mark. Crescendo comes, but not for another 2.5 minutes, after which falling stars synth lines bring us finally back down.

Well, that was fun.

Enjoy and let me know what you think.

The Chemical Brothers featuring Midlake, The Pills Won't Help You Now

Dutifully Yours,
Nick

#10 (Sleepyhead Edition)

Holy Recession Economy, Economists and Economistas,

Much like a Gray's Papaya Recession Special, I give you two for one this week (no mango drink, however).

Sparkly and jangly are two adjectives that I appreciate more and more with my music notes (perhaps it is inversely related with stock prices). This song is both in spades. I love this song because it is a sonic celebration of waking up groggy and miserable. You could never listen it and not be be excited to wake up and greet the day. Throw in some Alvin and the Chipmunk voices and one of the better synth lines of the year and you have a very winning combination.

Passion Pit are a band from Cambridge, MA that formed as a Valentine's Day present to a college student's girlfriend. His self-made mix tape got beyond the initial audience of one and has reached the mighty internet masses as the hype has grown. They were just in New York and return in February to the Bowery Ballroom. If anyone wants to go, please let me know. As of now, they have only a short EP called Chunk of Change with a full-length CD out in January.

Passion Pit, "Sleepyhead"

Our lonely hero Justin Vernon (better known with his band as Bon Iver) is back with a new EP called Blood Bank. After attending a brief but brilliant show at Town Hall last night, I'm happy to share one of the new tracks, called "Babies." It has one of those haunting melody/harmony combinations that make Bon Iver music so lovely. I hear more Jeff Buckley in this song than I've ever heard in Vernon's work in the past. Similar experimental song structures and heartache falsetto. The double keyboard harmonies are also soaring. Lay back and enjoy:

Bon Iver, "Babies"

As always, let me know what you think.

Hungry and Hopeful,
Nick

#9 (Folk You Very Much Edition)

There are few things I enjoy more than a beautifully-crafted, simple folk song.

I get even more excited when a beautifully crafted folk song like is written in 2008 and mentions dogwood trees, angels, and getting raised by wolves.

Enjoy the story, the melody, and the Bob Dylan "babe"'s in there. There's so much Dylan here: the speak-singing, the vocal inflections, the arrangement, the harmonica playing. There's just a lot to like. Sub Pop just continues to sign awesome, awesome bands.

Blitzen Trapper, "Furr"

Let me know what you think,
Nick

#8 (Hello Again, NYC Edition)

Hello Again, New York.

Hello Again, Music Friends.

I will greet you with:

ANNUALS!!!!

My favorite band currently playing with two drum kits on stage is back with a new album called "Such Fun." While I've yet to hear more than two tracks, this friend I have named Ryan W. has listened to it and says that he no longer has socks (as they've been rocked off).

Annuals have 6 members, hail from Raleigh, NC and write consistently thoughtful, complex music that is deeply personal. "Such Fun" marks their second full-length album. As with many bands with two drummers, Annuals like to get polyrhythmic from time to time, and that's more than ok by me. They can veer towards the experimental, but at their core, Annuals write beautiful melodies and exciting arrangements.

This song "Hot Night Hounds" has the time tested, early baroque song structure of:
Glory Piano--Crazy Cracked Out Bridge Section--Glory Piano--Glory Guitar

Annuals, "Hot Night Hounds"

I do hope you enjoy. I highly recommend sticking around and listening to "Sore" on this site afterward.

Change You Very Much,
Nick