Archive | May, 2011

New Stuff – Peter Bradley Adams Free Download – Airborne Toxic Event New Album

5 May

Peter Bradley Adams Fighting the Good Music Fight

Peter Bradley Adams first caught my ears a few years ago, and he has graced them with his folky croon ever since. I am a sucker for talented singer-songwriters and PBA is a perfect example of that title. On June 14, he will release his new studio album Between Us and I strongly suggest that you check it out. I have a small treat from the new album to share with you, compliments of the man himself.

Free Download of “Full Moon Song”: http://www.peterbradleyadams.com/freedownload/

“Full Moon Song” is a great representation of Peter Bradley Adams’ music. His voice meshes perfectly with a lightly plucked acoustic guitar. He establishes kind harmonies that lead into haunting strings and keyboard that paint the background. These intricacies represent a growing maturity.

Here is one of my favorite PBA songs, “Los Angeles,” from his 2008 album Leavetaking:

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Airborne Toxic Event Keep Pushing The Right Buttons

Let me premise this post by saying that recent Alternative Rock is very hit or miss with me. While I’m a big fan of the work of The Killers and Radiohead, I have trouble listening to Alt/Rock bands that have sunk into the trap of post-punk (and no the Killers are not post-punk). Airborne Toxic Event, however, is doing everything right. They maintain their label as Alt/Rock, but also delve into some creative Indie creations, and this is well represented in their second studio album All At Once, which was released on April 26.

The Airborne Toxic Event first tickled my fancy with their DeLillo-inspired “White Noise” name. I am a huge DeLillo fan and “The Airborne Toxic Event” section of “White Noise” is wonderfully symbolic and well-written. I’m an English major. This stuff excites me.

“Sometime Around Midnight” first drew me into the band. The song, which appears on the band’s first studio album, is excellently done. It, itself, is a rising crescendo and the alluring opening is excellent. You can actually hear this opening in the third track of the band’s new album. What?

Yeah, the song “Changing” features the first few notes of the song (in the video it is on the radio and turned off by band members) and this creative beginning is awesome. I love band’s that allude to past work in their newer songs (see the Beatles). “Changing,” therefore, is an apt name.

The song is carried by two guitars, rhythm and lead, that layer a fun, catch riff, until the verse begins. The verse is introduced by drums, but then travels to short chords after this neat breakdown with “I am a gentlemen.” Not convinced. At 2:37 the song features a step breakdown. Come on. That is so awesome and creative. That is some real “Changing.”

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The 60s Psychedelic Experiment: “Norwegian Wood” by The Beatles – Folk 1965

3 May

“Norwegian Wood” was released in the nascent years of psychedelic music, and, if not for a fortuitous sitar, this hit from Rubber Soul would not be psychedelic at all. It’s creation would still be interesting, but it wouldn’t be psychedelic. John Lennon was the primary writer for this piece despite the co-writing Lennon/McCartney label. He sites Bob Dylan as a big influence on the song. The verses are Dylan-esque, concentrating on an acoustic guitar driven melody and vocals that follow the rhythm. “Norwegian Wood” is about extramarital flings, and Lennon actually wrote it while on vacation with his wife. “Honey can you play me the new song.” Pretty dumb move on the part of Lennon, though he attempted to be subtle. The song’s creation is all well and good, but for the purpose of this post we must talk about the impact by George Harrison, who is the reason this song has a sitar and is psychedelic.

According to Harrison, he was inspired by Indian musicians on the scene of The Beatles‘ movie Help to start messing around with a sitar. This turned into a more substantial interest when he bought a Ravi Shankar record and purchased a cheap sitar in London. He had it with him during the recording of “Norwegian Wood,” and, you know what they say, the rest is history.

” It was lying around. I hadn’t really figured out what to do with it,” says Harrison in the Beatles Anthology. “When we were working on Norwegian Wood it just needed something, and it was quite spontaneous, from what I remember. I just picked up my sitar, found the notes and just played it. We miked it up and put it on and it just seemed to hit the spot.”

The sitar is very coordinated, and Harrison did not have the mastery to freestyle with the sitar, which would have made the song more experimental and psychedelic. But, it still maintains a hint of that psychedelic quality and that makes the song certainly worth the mention.

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Reaction to Osama Bin Laden’s Death

2 May

The Scene at Ground Zero (New York) Last Night After News of Osama Bin Laden's Death Was Shared

Folk/Punk singer Frank Turner responded to news of Osama Bin Laden’s death in a Twitter post inspired by the apt words of Mark Twain. “”I’ve never wished a man dead, but I have read some obituaries with great pleasure.” And, that’s about how I felt when I was blindsided by the monumental news while watching the Mets vs. Phillies game on ESPN last night. In a meticulously organized military operation conducted by a group of multi-skilled special soldiers, Osama Bin Laden was shot in the head in a voluminous compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan yesterday. The news was remarkably propagated to the entire connected world within seconds. Oh, the wonders of technology.

It is stunning news. I was debating what diction to use on this post, and stunning stood out. That is how I felt and still feel. The killing of the single most hated person in America since Hitler is a tremendous feat that certainly portrays power and eventual success. I do not want to come off as jingoistic, but this death oozes American nationalism, and I do think it is good for our struggling country. Yes, it is eerie that we are celebrating a death, but as Twain hinted at, most American’s woke up this morning and saw a noticeable face printed in the newspaper – a face immediately linked with utter hatred – and smiled. I did the same. I was 11 when the Twin Towers fell. I watched them fall over and over again on television in a horrifying phantasmagoria. In my opinion, there are only a few heinous crimes worthy of the death penalty, and Bin Laden deserved what he got. I only wish it came sooner.

I believe it is only appropriate to leave this as the sole news item in today’s Music News. I do feel obligated to provide you with a song that somehow can encompass these events. Famous American classics have been overused already, so instead I turn to something a little unconventional.

He’s Gone. He’s Gone. And nothing is gonna bring him back.

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