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New Morning

30 Aug

Nestled into the 12-track New Morning release that marked Bob Dylan’s 11th studio album is a soft, bucolic, country track with the same title as the 1970 album. New Morning came out just four months after the release of Self Portrait which received a world of confused reviews. Dylan fans still argue about whether the album’s negative reception was correct. New Morning was definitely a warmer release and its simplicity was met with a sigh of relief from music writers and fans alike. Dylan is prolific…we all know that…and on this album is the example of true Dylan that I just love.

“New Morning” works well with today. I had my first class of the semester in the ground floor of my campus’ labyrinthine library. It’s a new morning and in only a few hours it will be another one. Please enjoy the music below and enjoy Dylan’s lyric. Here is a part I specifically like:

Can’t you hear that motor turning
Automobile coming into style
Coming down the road for a country mile or two ?
So happy just to see you smile
Underneath the sky of blue
On this new morning, new morning
On this new morning with you.

Here is The Grease Band covering Dylan’s New Morning

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Plain White T’s? I packed five of them.

24 Aug

Listen to this:

Yeah, the voice sounds different, right? Immediately when you see the band name Plain White T’s you think of their huge overplayed hit “Hey There Delilah.” Lead singer on that well-known pop track: Tom Higgenson. Higgenson is not singing lead on Plain White T’s new single “Rhythm of Love” which will appear on their Fall album The Wonders of the Younger. Taking lead duties on this particular track is guitarist Tim Lopez, who takes lead vocal on several of the new album’s tracks.

The switch of lead vocals is an interesting one. The change of sound is also quite a wonder. Plain White T’s, have you gone California pop on me? Hey, I kind of like it. The song is catchy and Lopez’ voice is…bubbly. It is only a matter of time before this becomes a hit (probably going to be overplayed).

The reason for this T’s plug? I like the change. I will also be changing tomorrow. I am moving up to Binghamton for the beginning of my senior year of college. Scary, right? I am quite excited, but, will unfortunately be without computer until Friday. We have to wait to get internet up at the rented house. So, until then, please enjoy this new track and have a good couple of days everyone!

I Am Still Most Certainly “Home”

13 Aug

Edward Sharpe is Alex Ebert. The Magnetic Zeros are his band. I am borderline obsessed with their energetic, effervescent, pop supertrack, characterized by loud “heys,” a spiritual trumpet, a whistling inception, and a love-filled, at times unscripted dialogue with chocolate candy and pay phone calls, all wrapped up tightly with a body-rocking, unmistakeable beat. It is track six on their debut full-length album, Up From Below. Yeah, so, basically the song is a refreshing piece of energy-fused modern music. It portrays talent and a form of musical eclecticism that I, personally, have not seen in a while. I can go on for a while. How about a listen? Here is them performing on Letterman:

Check out an organic acoustic version: http://www.novafm.com.au/Video_Edward-Sharpe-and-the-Magnetic-Zeros-Home-acoustic_101308

See what I mean? Well, this is all the brain child of Alex Ebert whose alter-ego is Edward Sharpe, a character he formed after breaking up with his girlfriend, moving out of his house, and breaking away from a 12-step program as to, “live in a more honest reaction to the truth of the moment, not be bound to certain behaviors by fear-based dogma.” Alright, all the power to you my man. Edward Sharpe? A messianic book character who was, “sent down to Earth to kinda heal and save mankind, but he kept getting distracted by girls and falling in love.”

The real-life Edward Sharpe became distracted by singer Jade Castrinos. He met her outside a cafe in Los Angeles and she proved not to be much of a distraction. Combining with several musicians they formed the band and started touring the country in a big white bus. Thus the story of Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros. The production of “Home” is the by-product of spirituality, love and youth. And, yeah, it’s pretty awesome!

I Am Going to Make It Through This Set If It Kills Me

20 Jul

If you are a frequent visitor to this blog you know that I am a huge fan of John Darnielle’s band, The Mountain Goats. His excellent lyrical ability combined with catchy chords and his emotion takes The Mountain Goats’ music to an empyrean level of musical bliss. Today, I found a new way to use one of the Mountain Goats’ song…besides just listening to and enjoying it.

John Darnielle

If you have ever seen Darnielle in concert you can vouch for me. He is nuts. The man is incredibly emotional about his trade…and his trade is rocking out on the acoustic guitar. When I saw him in Ithaca he broke a guitar string. I was surprised he did not break any more strings, or the guitar itself. When I sat down on a gym bench today to do a back exercise, “This Year,” off of The Sunset Tree, released in 2005, a song that focuses on Darnielle when he was a 17-year-old struggling to break through the last year of his childhood, came on, on my extensive Ipod Favorites playlist.

The opening repetitive riff leads perfectly into Darnielle’s first verse which immediately pumped me up before I did my set. In the chorus Darnielle sings, “I am going to make it through this year if it kills me,” and, while it is not yelled with a heavy guitar solo and fireworks, it provides just enough passion to hide the weight you are lifting. Not to mention this awesome backing vocals and Darnielle’s amazingly intense voice. As the acoustic was strummed with hard down strokes and Darnielle ended the song, I found myself pretty surprised with the weight I was lifting. I did make it through the set.

Great odd video below:

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Happy Birthday Freedom

4 Jul

234 years ago the United States adopted a document declaring its independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. One year later, Philadelphia celebrated the anniversary of this declared freedom, an…Independence Day celebration, with an official dinner for congress, gun salutes, speeches, and fireworks. That’s right. The fireworks show may not have been an elaborate combination of complex display pyrotechnics linked with a synchronized audio track, but, Americans were still celebrating freedom by blowing colorful stuff up in the sky. Yes, the fourth was celebrated just one year after its actual inception and now, as we gather with family for our own congressional dinner and amateur fireworks display it is a good time for us all to reflect on our American pride. Proud to be an American…where have I heard that before.

Oh Yeah:

Do you want to know more about this fourth of July hit. Check out Chris Gay’s post on the Rocks Off blog from the Houston Press:

http://blogs.houstonpress.com/rocks/2010/07/ten_fun_facts_about_god_bless.php

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