#1. Did not realize that Dolly Parton sang with Norah Jones on "Creepin' In" until today.
#2. I love Death Cab for Cutie. I have a really great memory of going to see them live, and laying on the lawn and staring at stars with my friends. Perfect. Here's "Crooked Teeth."
Today was a pretty darn good day of music. I made it to song 1,100 out of 6,714.
I have already professed my love of Nada Surf in this blog, but every time they pop up during Project 2010, I keep wondering why I am not listening to them all the time. Concrete Bed was the first song for today and it was great. It has a great tune and simple lyrics that make you think but not too much.
That was followed by "Confetti" by the Lemonheads. Another great, uptempo tune by a band that I used to listen to all the time. (sorry, they don't allow embedding)
This was then followed by the Better Than Ezra version of "Conjunction Junction" which is a good reminder for me. Here's the original:
(If you were wondering, the streak ended when "Conquering Fools" by O.A.R. came on. Thank goodness it was only a five minute version of the song)
However, then Motion City Soundtrack came up with "The Conversation." I have talked earlier about my Motion City soundtrack love. This is the slowest song of theirs that I like. I don't know why I like songs about love gone wrong so much...
Finally, The Streets deserve a lot more space than I am going to give them. The Streets is Mike Skinner. He is quite obviously British. His songs and albums tell some pretty interesting stories while making you bob your head to the beat. "Could Well Be In" is a pretty good example of the kind of thing that he does. The song comes off "A Grand Don't Come For Free" which is an album that goes through a day in the life where the protagonist of the album has 1,000 pounds stolen from him. Or gone missing. Or something. Anyways, it's a great album. Here's "Could Well Be In."
I really like the Ben Folds song, "Cologne." It comes in a couple of parks, and is one of the few of his slower songs that I really enjoy. I enjoy his reference to that female astronaut who drove overnight wearing a diaper, but my favorite lyric involves thinking about having an imaginary conversation. There is something about thinking about that that really strikes a chord with me for some reason.
There is a special satisfaction to listening to Eric Cartman sing "Come Sail Away," still.
The Pains Of Being Pure at Heart put out an album for the sad indie boy in us all. Here's "Come Saturday."
OK, I've gotten to song 1,000 on my iPod of 6,714 (and growing- most recently I added Beach House). After listening to a lot of songs involving Closer, I've instead decided to talk for a minute about The Long Winters. The Long Winters are a Seattle band with kind of a folky sound fronted by John Roderick. I just really enjoy their stuff, so here are a few examples:
Also, i've decided to stop posting the list, pretty much because it was eating a lot of my time, so there should be more posting about bands and my thoughts as I go along.
Natalie Merchant and Michael Stipe! When They sing together it is magic for me. Spectacular early 90's magic. Especially since they sang together at Bill Clinton's inauguration. What could be more wonderfully 90's than that? In one day I got to hear it happen twice! Once on a "Campfire Song" for about 10 seconds and once on "Candy Everybody Wants" where Michael Stipe screws up the lyrics (which just makes me like it more)
Casmir Pulaski Day is another beautiful Sufjan Stevens song. It makes me want to love and cry.
Ever since I heard "Brown Eyed Girl" I have loved Van Morisson. I have also had a long standing love of The West Wing. Then they came together:
How many songs can Rusted Root possible have? I feel like something of theirs is coming up every 20 minutes or something. It's insane.
Here's the list: Call and Answer - Barenaked Ladies Call Me Calmly - Barenaked Ladies Call Me Papa - Donavon Frankenreiter Call Your Boys - Iron & Wine The Calling - Santana Featuring Eric Clapton Calling All Cops - Motion City Soundtrack Calling All Crows - State Radio Calluses - Harry Chapin Camaro - Kings Of Leon Cambridge - Motion City Soundtrack Camera - R.E.M. Camisado - Panic! At The Disco A Campfire Song - 10,000 Maniacs Campus - Vampire Weekend Can You Feel The Love Tonight - Lion King Can't Buy Me Love - The Beatles Can't Con An Honest John - The Streets Can't Finish What You Started - Motion City Soundtrack Can't Seem To Find - moe. Can't Stop - Love Arcade Can't Stop Partying - Weezer Can't Take It - The All-American Rejects Canceled Check - Beck Candy- Love Arcade Candy Everybody Wants - 10,000 Maniacs Candy Everybody Wants - 10,000 Maniacs and Michael Stipe Candy Man - Grateful Dead Candyman - Cornershop Cannonball - The Breeders Cape Canaveral - Conor Oberst Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa - Vampire Weekend Capital H - Motion City Soundrack Captain - Dave Matthews Band The Captain - Guster The Captain - Ingram Hill Captain America - moe. Car Crash - Our Lady Peace The Car In 20 - The Early November The Car Song - The Cat Empire Car Thief - Beastie Boys Caravan - Van Morrison Carefree - The Refreshments Careful - Guster Carey - Joni Mitchell Caring Is Creepy - The Shins Carlos - Pete Yorn Carnival - Natalie Merchant Carnival - Our Lady Peace Carnival Of Sorts - R.E.M. Carnival Town - Norah Jones Caroline, No - The Beach Boys Carousel - Iron & Wine Carries On - Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros Carry Me - Malcolm Middleton Carry That Weight - The Beatles Carry This Picture - Dashboard Confessional Carrying Cathy - Ben Folds
Made it to 750 songs today, and finished the B's and entered the C's. In celebration, I'm sharing most of the songs about California I listened to today, because there are a ton of them. Most of them are pretty great, too. Something about the state seems to inspire people to sing. So, here it is:
One more thing- Spike Jonze + Weezer = Amazing (although let's face it, Spike Jonze + Almost Anything = Amazing)
Here's the list:
Bruised - The Bens Bryn - Vampire Weekend Bubble Toes - Jack Johnson Bubblegoose - Wyclef Jean Buddy Holly - Weezer Buffalo Soldier - Bob Marley Bug - Phish The Bugaloos - Collective Soul Buggin' - The Flaming Lips Build A Levee - Natalie Merchant Build God, Then We'll Talk - Panic! At The DIsco Build It Up, Tear It Down - Fatboy Slim Build That Wall - Aimee Mann Building A Mystery - Sarah McLachlan Bukowski - Modest Mouse Bull Black Nova - Wilco Bulletproof And Bleeding - Dog's Eye View Bullets In The Fire - Rusted Root Bulls In Brooklyn - The Academy Is... Bully of New York - Ana Egge Bunny Ain't No Kind Of Rider - Of Montreal Burn It Clean - Mudhuney Burn To Shine - Ben Harper Burndt Jamb - Weezer The Burning City Smoking - Kevin Devine Burning Down - R.E.M. Burning Hell - R.E.M. Burning Man - Third Eye Blind Burrito - Pete Yorn Bury Me - Guster Bury Me With It - Modest Mouse Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee - Indigo Girls Busted - Matchbox Twenty Busted Stuff - Dave Matthews Band But It's Better If You Do - Panic! At The Disco But When The Little Fellow Came - I can Make A Mess Like Nobody's Business Butter The Soul - Cornershop Butterflies & HUrricanes - Muse Butterfly - Donavon Frankenreiter Butterfly - Weezer Butterfly in Reverse - Counting Crwos Buttoned Down - Straylight Run Buy American - The Refreshments By And By - Lay Low Bye Bye Baby - OK Go C-C-C-Cinnamon Lips - OK Go C"Mere - Interpol C'mon - Guster C'mon Daddy - The Lemonheads Cabbage Town - Conor Oberst Cable TV - Fol Chen The Cage - Cryptacize The Cage - Travis The Calendar Hung Itself - Bright Eyes Calgone - Incubus California - Joni Mitchell California - Phantom Planet California Dreamin' - The Beach Boys California Dreamin' - The Mamas & The Papas California English - Vampire Weekend California Girls - The Beach Boys California Stars - Billy Bragg & Wilco California Waiting - The Kings of Leon
Today was a day of Broken, Brooklyn, Brothers, and Brown. Kevin Devine is pretty much a folk singer, and I really tend to like his music. Somehow he hooked up with Brand New, whose music (which I talked about in the last post) is very different than his.
Pretty recently (a week or two?) Animal Collective came out with a video for Brother Sport. Kinda weird, kinda fun.
and those are really my thoughts for today. I'll try to get through more in the coming days... here's the list:
Brokedown Palace - Grateful Dead Broken - Jack Johnson Broken Arrows - Jose Gonzalez Broken Beads - The New Pornographers Broken Bottle - Pete Yorn Broken Drum - Beck Broken Heart - Motion City Soundtrack Broken Record - The Refreshments Broken Train - Beck Brooklyn Blues - The Postal Service Brooklyn Boy - Kevin Devine Broom People - The Mountain Goats Bros - Panda Bear Brother - Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros Brother Sport - Animal Collective Brothers On A Hotel Bed - Death Cab For Cutie Brown Eyed Blues - Ben Harper Brown-Eyed Woman - Grateful Dead Brownsville Girl - Bob Dylan
This is one of my go-to albums. It is full of politics, and punk sentiments while being musically interesting, if not catchy. The songs range from summer romance to ineffectual protest to being a little too old to be living the way you are. There isn't one song of filler and it makes you want to sing along. Here are some selections:
Brand New - Deja Entendu This is another one of my favorite albums. It is the apex of Brand New's career in my opinion. Their sounds are so vocally interesting, rotating between hurt, bitterness, anger, and pride. This is also one of my favorite bands lyrically, with just so many great lines that can be used to describe yourself. "I am the brick that shattered all of your dreams." "Call me a safe bet, I'm betting I'm not." "I am all you ever wanted, what all the other boys all promised." OK. Maybe I wouldn't describe myself this way, but you get what I'm saying. Here are some selections:
Here's the list: Born On The Bayou - John Fogerty Born On The FM Waves - Against Me! Born on The FM Waves - Ben Lee Both Sides Now - Joni Mitchell Bottle Of Blues - Beck Bottle Rocket - The Go! Team Bought A Bride - Brand New Boulevard Of Broken Dreams - Green Day Bouncing Around the Room - Phish (X3!) Bound - Matt Costa A Bower Scene - The Decembrists Bowl Of Oranges - Bright Eyes Box Of Rain - Grateful Dead Box Set - Barenaked Ladies The Boxer - Simon & Garfunkel Boxing - Ben Folds Five Boy - The Magic Numbers The Boy Done Wrong Again - Belle & Sebastian Boy In The Well - R.E.M. The Boy Who Blocked His Own Shot - Brand New Boy With A Barbie - Ben Lee Boy With A Coin - Iron & Wine The Boy With The Arab Strap - Belle & Sebastian Brad Logan - Rancid The Bradley - Further Seems Forever Brain Damage - Pink Floyd Brainwashct - Ben Folds Brand New Day - Van Morrison Brand New Sun - Jason Lytle Brass In Pocket - The Pretenders Brass Monkey - Beastie Boys Break Me - The Lemonheads Break On Through - The Doors Break Your Heart - Barenaked Ladies Break Your Heart - Natalie Merchant Breakdown - Jack Johnson Breakdown - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Breakfast At Tiffany's - Deep Blue Something Breakin' - The All-American Rejects Breakin' Me - Jonny Lang Breaking The Habit - Linkin Park Breakout - Foo Fighters Breastplate Of St. Patrick - O'Malley's March The Breeze - Bill Callahan Brian And Robert - Phish Brian Wilson - Barenaked Ladies Brick - Ben Folds Five Bride & Bridle - The Long Winters Bridge Over Troubled Water - Simon & Garfunkel The Brilliant Dance - Dashboard Confessional (X2) Brimful Of Asha - Cornershop Bring Back The Sun - Our Lady Peace Bring me my Bride - Stephen Sondheim Bring The Funk - Ben Harper The Bringer - Elfin Saddle Broad Majestic Shannon - O'Malley's March
In 2009 one of my favorite albums was Noah and the Whale's "The First Day of Spring." The album is about breaking up with someone and then realizing that life is OK without them. It is crushing. It is happy. It is full of realization, and the actual music is also pretty great. I listened to it tons of times, and then I saw this picture and listened to it again. And again. Because that is what it is like when you are really into someone. You think about them all the time. And losing them is devastating. But it gets better. And they have a song about that. Here are a couple of selections:
It is funny the way our minds work. I'm spending the majority of my time writing about an album that I listened to about a hundred times in the past few months, while talking less about one that I've listened to two or three times more than that, but over about 15 or 20 years. One is new and novel, where as one is old and novel. That is the way we work, though, I suppose.
So, for much of the 90's every time I would hear "Blister in the Sun I would get a smile on my face. It got even bigger when "My So-Called Life" used it in an episode- strangely enough about Angela being over Jordan Catalano. Really the perfect song to hear after Noah and the Whale.
Also heard Blowin' in the Wind twice. Can't complain about that. Here's the list:
Blister In The Sun - Violent Femmes Blonde Over Blue - Billy Joel Blood Bank - Bon Iver Blood Like - Lovedrug Blood Of The Lamb - Billy Bragg & Wilco Blood On The Ground - Incubus Bloodline - Conor Oberst Blowin' In The Wind - Bob Dylan Blowin' In The Wind - Joan Baez Blue - The Jayhawks (X2) Blue Burns Orange - Hawthorne Heights The Blue Channel - Taking Back Sunday Blue Collar Suicide - The Refreshments Blue Denim - Ben Lee Blue Diamonds - The Long Winters Blue Eyes - The Few Blue Headlights - Shout Out Louds Blue Ridge Mountains - Fleet Foxes Blue Skies - Noah And The Whale Blue Sky - The Allman Brothers Band (X2) Blue Turning Gray - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah Bluebird - Blanche The Blues Are Still Blue - Belle & Sebastian Blues From A Gun - The Jesus & Mary Chain Blues Happy - Arrested Development Blueside - Rooney Bluish - Animal Collective Blush - Ben Lee Boat Drinks - Jimmy Buffett Bodyrock - Moby Badysnatchers - Radiohead Bohemian Like You - The Dandy Warhols Bones - The Killers The Bones Of An Idol - The New Pornographers The Bones Of You - Elbow Bonus Mosh Pt. II - Taking Back Sunday Bonus Track - Robert Bradley's Blackwater Surprise Boogie - Black Joe Lewis Boombox Generation - Motion City Soundtrack Booty Call - G. Love
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