Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Song of the Day

**9/29/10
Ben Folds and Nick Hornby - Things You Think
---------God knows I nearly feel forward out of my swivel chair when my co-worker told me Ben Folds and Nick Hornby collaborated on an album. In case you haven't noticed, I'm a music nerd, so when you blab off titles like "High Fidelity" and "About a Boy," I know you're talking about some great hipsterature.

In "Things You Think," Fold's makes music while Hornby gripes about his lost immortality, taking the kids to school and Dickens' lifetime wordcount. So grab your classic literature and plug in to Fold's new album "Lonely Avenue."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6G5JaicYuVU

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Song of the Day

**9/23/10
Four Tet - Angel Echoes
---------------Something about "Angel Echoes" is completely fascinating. It could be the disjointed voice of a siren-enchanting woman, or the barely there percussion and xylophone. Whatever it is, I like it, and if you do too you can check out Four Tet at Moogfest this year. Four Tet is comprised of one man, Kieran Hebden of the United Kingdom. His music is crowded with different noises and instruments so that each song sounds like a new adventure. It's literally an adventure - take it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tpe4id7cLnU&feature=related

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Song of the Day


**9/21/10
Vitamin String Quartet - Bad Romance
--------------Lots of times you hear artists pay tribute to other artists by singing their own rendition of the song. This usually means singing the lyrics, but not for Vitamin String Quartet. The string quartet has done tributes to everyone from Panic at the Disco to Imogen Heap, but this tribute to Lady Gaga is quite fantastic.

Gaga writes all of her songs on piano before bringing them to the studio, so deep within the heavy machinery sounds of her album The Fame lies a maze of classical roots. The Vitamin String Quartet performance of "Bad Romance" sounds more like a baroque classic than a new millennium hit, blending genres perfectly.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyy1JNB7ejA&feature=related

Monday, September 20, 2010

Song of the Day


**9/20/10
Working For a Nuclear Free City - Buildings
---------------Musicians or activists? When I first heard the name I thought it was the title to a Panic at the Disco album. This ambient-electronica jam band from the U.K. take on a metropolis of frantic sounds in "Buildings." The song is labor and layer-intensive, much like the rest of their material. It's one of those groups that would sound cool under the influence and would fit the bill perfectly next to Broken Social Scene at Moogfest this year. You're lucky if you live in Manchester - Working for a Nuclear Free City are O.K.'d for three upcoming shows. Hopefully, though, they'll wander their way overseas.

http://www.myspace.com/wfanfc

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Song of the Day


**9/19/10
Fruit Bats - My Unusual Friend
------------Today has been a non-stop marathon of typing, researching, note-taking and other things that are completely capable of ruining the gorgeous day outside these big library windows. Sunday is never a day of rest for me - it's when I catch up on everything I didn't do while I was doing nothing over the weekend.

Well, I did do one thing: got more music. After working merch table at the Infamous Stringduster show this Thursday I loaded their entire discography (thanks, Andy Falco!) to my itunes. Then I picked up Fruit Bats' album The Ruminant Band at a local record store.

The album cover reminds me of that Nick Jr. show Little Bill that used to be on when I was younger. Maybe that's why I bought it without ever hearing of the band. It turned out to sound wonderful and I'm very happy with "My Unusual Friend." Hear it for yourself and see if you like it.


http://www.myspace.com/thefruitbats

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Song of the Day


**9/15/10
Gold Motel - We're on the Run
-----------I love getting requests. In fact if you enthusiastically tweet "Hey SongsAllSeven! Check out ___!" I'll likely shove aside any idea of who I wanted to post on in favor of your interest. So, in honor of one of my favorite followers, here's Gold Motel.

First impressions are everything, from the look of the album cover to the number of followers on Twitter - and that's before you even hear their music. With Gold Motel, I had very good vibes starting with the title of their new release, Summer House. Clear, beautiful vocals from Greta Morgan and a simple pop-indie melody make this band the perfect opener for Jenny and Johnny's I'm Having Fun Now.

"We're on the run" rambles through a devil-may-care highway adventure, not caring where the hell you are and racing time. Follow today's song with "Perfect in My Mind."

http://www.myspace.com/goldmotel

AOL Music's List of "Champions"


This might be the most exciting post of all time. Ever. In the world.

AOL Radio Blog has released their 100 Worst Songs Ever list. In case you're in need of an exasperated groan or a little laugh today, this list will reach into the cellar of your musical mind and dust off some, ahem, "classics."

Just for a little tease, Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On" is Number 11. Creed "With Arms Wide Open" is Number 13. Baha Men "Who Let the Dogs Out" - Number 2.

What's number one?! You probably won't guess. No really, it surprised me too.

http://www.aolradioblog.com/2010/09/11/100-worst-songs-ever-part-five-of-five/

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Song of the Day


**9/14/10
Superchunk - Art Class
----------Merge Records formed in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, as did their signees, Superchunk. Traditional punk with a pop hook here and there take Superchunk to a fun and relatable status of musicianship, borne of an early 90's bed of grunge and punk making new waves out of the underground. "Art Class" is warped with a few synth bridges and ooh-aah falsettos, but the excellent lyrics poking fun at artsy-types are what wins you over. Hear more of Superchunk on their album "Here's to Shutting Up."

http://www.myspace.com/superchunkmusic

Monday, September 13, 2010

Song of the Day


**9/13/10
Linkin Park - Dont Stay
-----------I haven't heard Linkin Park since my days of shredding up my garage on...roller-skates in 7th grade listening to Meteora. It was during my angsty-I'll wear pink and black and shop at Pacsun and Hot Topic. Nowadays I don't really look for their name in the new releases list, but when I hear about their latest project, A Thousand Suns, I gave their preview song "The Catalyst" a try.

For one, it's heavier on the whirlwind fantasy-Killers aspect than I remember, and much more bent away from rap. After hearing stuff off A Thousand Suns, I typed in "Dont Stay" and everything got better. This is the Linkin Park that I remember - Overdrive weighted power-chords with underground hip-hop foundations.

No offense to the new album, but for this fan, not much beats Meteora.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKry3R8J2mQ