What am I Listening To? Vol. 1
Well normally I do this post on my myspace page , but I thought I would start doing it here for shitz and giggles. These are a handful of albums that have come out recently that have made their way onto my Most Played list on iTunes. If something is listed here, it's because I find it wonderful and inspiring and highly recommend it to you.
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss "Raising Sand"
When I first heard about this collaboration between the 70s rocker and the bluegrass queen, I thought it odd, yet intriguing. I knew it was something I would have to at least give a try and keep an open mind about. So I did, promptly purchasing the album upon its release. I was mystified, stunned, and overwhelmed. I listened to the full album one time through, and knew this was an album for me. The beautiful harmonies between the two, the eclecticism of the songs (ranging from country, to folk, to southern rock, to front porch jazz), the maturity of the songwriting, topped off by the masterful production skills of T-Bone Burnett make this album a keeper. There is already Grammy buzz for the record, so believe the hype. It's awesome.
Band of Horses "Cease to Begin"
This is a band that my brother turned me on to. He and I have a lot of similar musical tastes, so I believed him when he said this album was worth picking up. So I did, and he was right. This is Band of Horses' sophomore release, and from what I can tell it is their breakthrough album. The band mixes beautiful ballads with soaring vocals and peaceful guitar riffs. At times they sound akin to the likes of My Morning Jacket, mixing in some Rhodes vintage piano and Coldplay-esque guitar. Every song on this record is great, the standout track being Detlef Schrempf .
Jon McLaughlin "Indiana"
I was listening to Yahoo! internet radio awhile back and stumbled across a great song by this young piano-driven artist called Beautiful Disaster. I was a little put off by the title, as I can think of three other songs with that same name, but once I heard the whole song I was drawn in. McLaughlin is a young master of the piano and has a knack for writing catchy choruses. The style of music could be catagorized as 'adult contemporary', something I normally shy away from, but there's just something innocent about his style that I am very fond of. Not every song on Indiana is a gem, but there's enough here to make it a delightful album.
*Bonus* You can catch Jon in the movie "Enchanted" singing his song entitled "So Close".
Jimmy Eat World "Chase this Light"
I thought this band had died out. I was a huge fan in the late 90s as they seemed to crank out hit after hit from their hugely successful album Bleed American. But after a 3 year hiatus, they are rocking us again with Chase this Light. The first single off the record is "Big Casino" which has some great lyricism and an even better melody. The entire album follows the lead of the first single and rocks, slows down for some more intimate moments, then rocks again. Unfortunately they are coming to Denver in a couple weeks and it is already sold out, so I shall miss them, unless a miracle happens and I catch some free radio tickets or something.
Barcelona "Absolutes"
I was poking around on the website of a great up-and-coming local band here in Denver called Meese (who consequently just got signed with Atlantic and will soon be breaking out nationwide YAY!) and saw that they are playing a show here in Denver with a band called Barcelona. So naturally I journeyed over to Barcelona's site where they had their entire album posted so you could listen to the whole thing. I did. Many times. Then I bought the album. It is so great...for a band that has virtually no recognition. I can't imagine why they aren't hugely successful. They are very talented, have great melodies and excellent musicianship, a natural blend of mellow pop and rock, similar to The Fray, but better. I love every song on this record. It is very anthemic and beautifully put together. I just hope they get the attention they deserve.
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss "Raising Sand"
When I first heard about this collaboration between the 70s rocker and the bluegrass queen, I thought it odd, yet intriguing. I knew it was something I would have to at least give a try and keep an open mind about. So I did, promptly purchasing the album upon its release. I was mystified, stunned, and overwhelmed. I listened to the full album one time through, and knew this was an album for me. The beautiful harmonies between the two, the eclecticism of the songs (ranging from country, to folk, to southern rock, to front porch jazz), the maturity of the songwriting, topped off by the masterful production skills of T-Bone Burnett make this album a keeper. There is already Grammy buzz for the record, so believe the hype. It's awesome.
Band of Horses "Cease to Begin"
This is a band that my brother turned me on to. He and I have a lot of similar musical tastes, so I believed him when he said this album was worth picking up. So I did, and he was right. This is Band of Horses' sophomore release, and from what I can tell it is their breakthrough album. The band mixes beautiful ballads with soaring vocals and peaceful guitar riffs. At times they sound akin to the likes of My Morning Jacket, mixing in some Rhodes vintage piano and Coldplay-esque guitar. Every song on this record is great, the standout track being Detlef Schrempf .
Jon McLaughlin "Indiana"
I was listening to Yahoo! internet radio awhile back and stumbled across a great song by this young piano-driven artist called Beautiful Disaster. I was a little put off by the title, as I can think of three other songs with that same name, but once I heard the whole song I was drawn in. McLaughlin is a young master of the piano and has a knack for writing catchy choruses. The style of music could be catagorized as 'adult contemporary', something I normally shy away from, but there's just something innocent about his style that I am very fond of. Not every song on Indiana is a gem, but there's enough here to make it a delightful album.
*Bonus* You can catch Jon in the movie "Enchanted" singing his song entitled "So Close".
Jimmy Eat World "Chase this Light"
I thought this band had died out. I was a huge fan in the late 90s as they seemed to crank out hit after hit from their hugely successful album Bleed American. But after a 3 year hiatus, they are rocking us again with Chase this Light. The first single off the record is "Big Casino" which has some great lyricism and an even better melody. The entire album follows the lead of the first single and rocks, slows down for some more intimate moments, then rocks again. Unfortunately they are coming to Denver in a couple weeks and it is already sold out, so I shall miss them, unless a miracle happens and I catch some free radio tickets or something.
Barcelona "Absolutes"
I was poking around on the website of a great up-and-coming local band here in Denver called Meese (who consequently just got signed with Atlantic and will soon be breaking out nationwide YAY!) and saw that they are playing a show here in Denver with a band called Barcelona. So naturally I journeyed over to Barcelona's site where they had their entire album posted so you could listen to the whole thing. I did. Many times. Then I bought the album. It is so great...for a band that has virtually no recognition. I can't imagine why they aren't hugely successful. They are very talented, have great melodies and excellent musicianship, a natural blend of mellow pop and rock, similar to The Fray, but better. I love every song on this record. It is very anthemic and beautifully put together. I just hope they get the attention they deserve.