what I'm listening to...

The Beatles - Abbey Road it’s peculiar that I grew up...

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 09:20:51 -0500

The Beatles - Abbey Road

it’s peculiar that I grew up listening to The Beatles, but never listened to one of their albums. All I ever had were cassettes or mp3s of their top singles, their number 1 hits. I really never thought of them as a band that created or crafted an album. Abbey Road has songs that drag, just like any other album.

Ingrid Michaelson - Everybody

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 21:28:58 -0500

Ingrid Michaelson - Everybody

Interpol - Turn on the Bright Lights

Thu, 03 Sep 2009 10:31:35 -0500

Interpol - Turn on the Bright Lights

My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges.

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 07:16:00 -0500

My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges.

Wilco - Sky Blue Sky I didn’t like ‘A Ghost Is...

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 14:14:37 -0500

Wilco - Sky Blue Sky

I didn’t like ‘A Ghost Is Born’ much at all, but Sky Blue Sky really has a couple of good songs. It’s good mood music for work, and “What Light” is a song I can listen to over and over. Jeff Tweedy still has that kind of folk voice I can listen to all day and there’s a few songs on this album that showcase the fact that they’re still a folk band trying to be edgy.

Paolo Nutini - Sunny Side Up It’s pretty good mood music....

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 08:59:17 -0500

Paolo Nutini - Sunny Side Up

It’s pretty good mood music. I haven’t heard that killer single off this album yet, not like “New Shoes” or “Last Request” from his previous release, but I think this album can grow on me. After all, it’s a guy with an acoustic guitar singing about love and loss, what’s not to like?

Sufjan Stevens - Illnoise Kind of a kooky album. Jury is out, I...

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 14:54:55 -0500

Sufjan Stevens - Illnoise

Kind of a kooky album. Jury is out, I just don’t know. Each song sounds like a game show theme. I just don’t know if he has a message. Can’t get to it with all of these trippy harpsichord and xylophone segments in there. I bet it’s good mood music, something to unwind to after work, but not for listening to bolster productivity.

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Stadium Arcadium As I drove from work...

Thu, 21 May 2009 18:26:05 -0500

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Stadium Arcadium

As I drove from work to Rafferty’s for dinner before seeing Terminator Salvation, I needed some good driving music.

Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon I needed some music at work...

Tue, 19 May 2009 16:36:31 -0500

Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon

I needed some music at work today to mellow me out, allow me to concentrate, and forget about distractions and work a few big tasks. Now I want to watch The Wizard of Oz.

Nickel Creek - Why Should the Fire Die I had my iPhone on...

Mon, 18 May 2009 21:24:00 -0500

Nickel Creek - Why Should the Fire Die

I had my iPhone on shuffle at work today when Bob Dylan’s “Tomorrow Is a Long Time” came up. I listened to about 60 seconds of it before I switched to this album to listen to Sara Watkins’ version. And I listened to this album for the next couple of hours.

Better Than Ezra - Friction, Baby Listened to it yesterday at...

Sat, 16 May 2009 16:26:07 -0500

Better Than Ezra - Friction, Baby

Listened to it yesterday at work, on the drive home, on the drive out to a friends’ house, the drive back, and as I was going to sleep last night. WWOZ has always been my favorite BTE song and it’s a nice song to fall asleep to. I’ve been a Better Than Ezra fan since High School and this album never gets old. Wiping the dust off of a personal favorite is always a walk down memory lane. I might just go listen back through Deluxe at some point today too.

Locksley - Don’t Make Me Wait I heard of this band through...

Mon, 11 May 2009 21:56:21 -0500

Locksley - Don’t Make Me Wait

I heard of this band through Rock Band DLC. great stuff. It’s got a swing beat, some fun lyrics, and if I were in a band, I’d want it to be a lot like Locksley. She Does is just a fantastic song.

James Morrison - Songs for You, Truths for Me His voice reminds...

Sat, 02 May 2009 11:07:32 -0500

James Morrison - Songs for You, Truths for Me

His voice reminds me a bit of Rod Stewart. A few of his songs have him backed by a big brass band. I heard the single Nothing Ever Hurt Like You on Lightning100 a good while back and wrote down his name.

By far my favorite song on the album is The Only Night, track 1.

Muse - Origin of Symmetry I listened through Absolution a couple...

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 22:39:23 -0500

Muse - Origin of Symmetry

I listened through Absolution a couple of times, mostly for “Hysteria”, and “Knights of Cydonia” got me listening to Black Holes and Revelations, which I listened to a lot. Mostly skipped Origin of Symmetry. Knew a couple of songs, like “Citizen Erased”, but this is really a great album that just flows. I’ll probably listen to it on the way into work tomorrow.

System of a Down - Mesmerize On Saturday morning, I was in a...

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 16:29:30 -0500

System of a Down - Mesmerize

On Saturday morning, I was in a particular mood. And I had the song “Radio/Video” stuck in my head. I haven’t listened to this album since a random day in 2006. But I grabbed the album from the Internets and played it in the background while I folded laundry and played Puzzle Quest 2. Listened to it a couple times since. Lots of profanity, but lots to say. It’s hard to compare System Of A Down to any other band. They really do have their own thing going on.

Kate Nash - Made of Bricks. It’s got a few inventive beats...

Tue, 14 Apr 2009 23:27:00 -0500

Kate Nash - Made of Bricks.

It’s got a few inventive beats to it, but mostly she’s not doing anything inspiring. Let alone saying anything inspiring. How many songs can you write about “reasons to break up with your boyfriend” before you actually do it? Apparently you can fill an album with them. I’ve listened through it twice, time to move on.

The Darkness - Permission to Land The song “Growing on...

Sun, 12 Apr 2009 02:02:57 -0500

The Darkness - Permission to Land

The song “Growing on Me” is on the School of Rock Original Soundtrack, which I put on my iPhone a week or so ago. It was on shuffle coming back from lunch when from the back seat Nic yells out “you told me you didn’t like this band”. I hadn’t ever heard of them, hadn’t really listened to this song before. And Permission to Land has become a favorite of mine now. it’s a bit of Glam rock and the lead singer is in his falsetto more often than not, but this band is a great UK import. Too bad the band is gone and will be never more.

Best Song: “I believe in a thing called love” and “Growing on me”.

Links: Amazon.com, Last.fm

Stevie Ray Vaughan - Texas Flood What a classic and I can’t...

Wed, 11 Mar 2009 19:35:00 -0500

Stevie Ray Vaughan - Texas Flood

What a classic and I can’t believe I’ve missed out. I remember playing Pride and Joy on Guitar Hero III until I broke my guitar controller (not kidding), but this is some great music. Nice and simple guitar blues/rock. Perfect for driving with the windows down.

Best Song: “Pride and Joy”, clearly. But there are a lot of songs that are just 5 minute long blues riff sessions. I bet it was fun to make this record.

Links: Amazon.com, Official Site, Last.fm

I first heard about this album last summer, but never really sat...

Thu, 05 Feb 2009 20:26:00 -0600

I first heard about this album last summer, but never really sat down to listen to it until recently. For the last 2 weeks, it’s really all I’ve listened to during my morning commute.

The Black Keys are just a drummer and a vocalist/guitar player, but it’s still a very full sound. It’s very bluesy, lots of soul, a full bore effects pedal, and they incorporate more instrumentation that just guitar and drums. I swear I heard some banjo and Wurlitzer in there too. Just like their other albums that I’ve listened through, Attack and Release feels like a complete album, not just a collection of songs. I think I read somewhere that the producer on this album primary produced rap and he worked with Gnarls Barkley previously. There’s some of that here too, but The Black Keys don’t need any help being a credible Rhythm & Blues band.

Best Song: “Strange Times” & “Remember When (Side B)”

Links: Amazon.com, Official Site, Last.fm

Ray LaMontangne - Trouble I heard the song “Trouble” on...

Sun, 25 Jan 2009 19:38:00 -0600

Ray LaMontangne - Trouble

I heard the song “Trouble” on Lightning 100 a couple of weeks ago. It was in their standard rotation and I really kind of dug it, so i pulled out my iphone and googled the artist’s name. It sounded weird. This is his first album and I’ve enjoyed it very much. It’s good bluesy folk. The guy who writes about his lost love and his neighbor’s struggle and sings on the street corner and in the cafe.

Reminds Me Of: every other well produced folk album that I like. It combines all the classic elements: acoustic guitar, piano, harmonic, and a soft calm voice narrating all the reasons why grown men drink so much.

Best Song: “How Come” is my favorite, though I think the title song “Trouble” got him the most attention and radio play.

Links: Amazon.com, Official Site, Last.fm