Spotlight: Moogfest 2010

For those of you who have never seen Moogfest on the lineup of festivals in the past, it's because it's never happened before. In the beautiful mountains of Asheville, North Carolina, artists ranging from Thievery Corporation to Big Boi and MGMT will perform in a three-day festival in honor of Bob Moog, inventor and genius behind the Moog Synthesizer.

The festival is happening the 28th, 29th, and 30th of October. Ideal in comparison to summer fests that destroy the ozone and make you die of heat stroke, right? Check out the lineup and more FAQs about the festival at moogfest.com.

Song of the Day

**8/10/10

Tim Cohen - Let's Black Out

------------Don't check out of the post just because of the Jersey Shore-esque song title. Tim Cohen isn't a house-music airhorn blaster. On his second solo LP, Cohen sounds like Fleet Foxes on kush, with droning vocals and harmonica lumbering slowly and beautifully through songs like "Let's Black Out." With other songs like "Haunted Hymns" that have bopping piano and bells, there's no wrong move for Cohen on his new album, Laugh Tracks. Anyone who enjoys Bon Iver and the likes will like Tim Cohen's everything about Laugh Tracks down to the notebook-doodle album cover.

http://www.myspace.com/timmycohen

Song of the Day

**8/9/10

One Republic - Secrets

------------------It's a shame One Republic made their names over "Apologize." Not that it's a terrible song that was played over and over again on the radio and remixed 20 times...but they have other, and frankly better, material.

"Secrets" is what every artist wished they had in the throes of writer's block. Songwriter Ryan Tedder asks his audience what they want to hear in a song in form of a slow-rock anthem. It's a confession of confusion and hope that people would understand the "lack" of creativity Tedder is experiencing. Take a listen to the song from their 2009 album, Waking Up.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHm9MG9xw1o&feature=av2n

Song of the Day

**8/8/10

India Arie - Beautiful

----------------I was left a sticky note on my laptop that said "India Arie...check out her music!" with a little music note next to it. So I thought if this person went through the trouble to leave a lavender-colored pencil message, I'd check it out.

Fifteen Grammy noms. Impressed? Arie has kept her soulful, sunny and melodic writings under the mainstream radar.

In 2001 her debut album Acoustic Soul went multi-platinum. The New York Times calls her an artist of substance, a complimentary understatement to describe the expansive success of this artist. "Beautiful" is the perfect first-taste of Arie's simple, open-hearted writing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOfhbLn8fw8

Song of the Day

**8/6/10

John Lennon - Watching the Wheels (acoustic)

-----------------"Imagine" is great, but John Lennon did, in fact, write other songs in his career after the Fab Four. This one in particular is a pleasantly content tribute to his independence, released one year after his death in 1980 from the album Double Fantasy. Lyrics of not being "on the ball" anymore and deduced to a case of insanity make Lennon sound perfectly sane.

"Watching the Wheels" may very well be the ideal retirement song of a man who's moving to Florida to a bungalow on the beach - no malice, just mellow. Get "Watching the Wheels" from Double Fantasy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_m8uoObnWQM

Song of the Day

**8/5/10

Caribou - Odessa

-----------------There's not too much that I've liked so far in the new season of Project Runway. For those who don't know the show is basically about a mom-supermodel and an old man judging the designs of dramatic and overly charismatic designers. They always feature the designs of the week in a runway show, and I couldn't help but think "Odessa" was a perfect choice for some kind of Alexander McQueen show.

It's edgy and upbeat with an animalistic cawing, which is pretty much the world of fashion. Get "Odessa" from the canadian band's album, Swim.

http://www.myspace.com/cariboumanitoba

Song of the Day

**8/4/10

Justin Levinson - Waiting for Someone to Love Me

--------------Occasionally the most uptempo song I'll listen to collects dust and moves faster than paint drying. But that's alright, especially when a whistle and meandering piano are the culprits. Justin Levinson sings "Waiting for Someone to Love Me" as if a child of Bob Dylan; intentionally whiny, but bruised enough to be taken seriously. Listen to the song at a recent live performance in July.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHxlUlCxFk8

Arcade Fire: The Suburbs

**8/3/10

Arcade Fire - Month of May

------------Arcade Fire's new album, The Suburbs, unexpectedly jumped from ragtime piano in "The Suburbs" to hard-knock punk riffs in "Month of May." But I suppose with a group of seven playing all types of different instruments from piano to glockenspiel, the overall creative zen will be paradoxically off-balance.

All of Suburbs melds together without much of a stumble. Suburbs hosts songs that sound like lost relics from CBGB (Month of May) to burlesque rock live bootlegs (Modern Man).

Arcade Fire made an album that sounds like a Pandora station or a compilation CD playing over v-necks and floral-patterned sundresses at Urban Outfitters.

The Quietus magazine said frontman Win Butler's efforts on the album suggest "forward momentum and maturity" in the lyrics. The album sounds like a kid growing up in a world of brick houses and fences, green grass and dogs, and the variety of sounds in the album indicates each member's different experiences growing up in suburbia. As a result, there is something for everyone on The Suburbs, you'll just have to hear it to find your address.

Key Tracks:

Suburban War (Live at Sherbrooke)

Ready to Start

Month of May

We Used to Wait

Song of the Day

**8/2/10

Ingrid Michaelson - The Way I am

------------I was on the road today and had a lovely chance to explore Sirius radio. I've obviously not been living under a rock and have heard of satellite radio, but since the mean machine I drive doesn't have it, I never get to hear stations like CoffeeHouse. I wrote down song after song to upload in my library, old and new, like "The Way I Am." This songbird selection of oohing and aahing devotion is a pop favorite of 2006. Michaelson spends most of her time collaborating these days, but this one is her own, timeless jem. Get it from her album, Girls and Boys.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJOzdLwvTHA

Song of the Day

**8/1/10**

Welcome to the new month! Alright, so the posting has seemed pretty infrequent this summer, and admittedly, this year. Lots has been going on in 2010, but never fear - you'll be hearing some killer stuff from here on out.

Expect lots of concert photos, album reviews, new songs and hopefully some artist interviews. I hope you're just as excited as I am for a new month of music!