Song/Video of the Day!

Low Rising
by The Swell Season

The Swell Season, Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová, is a folk rock duo.  You may recognize them if you've seen the film Once (one of my favorite films, by the way). The Swell Season recently performed at Coachella, an huge arts and music festival in California.

Their third album Strict Joy was released in late 2009.  Every last song on the album is beautiful, but one that has always stood out to me since I first heard it is, Low Rising. I heard it for the first time in a awhile today, and I just had to listen to the whole album. Low Rising is a song about going through a difficult time in a relationship and it seems as though you' ve both reached the lowest point, but there's nothing left to do but finally open up the lines of communication and come to some kind of conclusion.

The video is a excellent interpretation of the song (even if it did make me want to go pee) Check out the video!

         

Official site:
http://www.theswellseason.com

Song/Video of the Day!

Sunlight
by Bag Raiders feat. Dan Black


"Sunlight" always puts a smile on my face and leaves me in a great mood. The video is no different of course. It's silly and cute, and who doesn't like to see a chimp get arrested for drinking too much? Exactly. 


"Sunlight" is the second single from the Bag Raiders self titled album.  Other stand out tracks include "Shooting Star" and "Way Back Home" (both great videos as well).








Bag Raiders official website:
http://bagraiders.com/

Song/Video of the Day!

"Cameras" by Matt & Kim


Long story short, I love Matt & Kim.  Matt Johnson and Kim Schifino started in Brooklyn, NY back in 2004.  I saw Matt & Kim briefly at Lollapalooza last year.  They really know how to put on a high energy show. They are promoting their third and latest album Sidewalks and touring several cities. Matt & Kim will be performing again in Chicago on June 25th(sold out) and 26th at the Vic Theatre for $25 (I definitely want be in the audience for this).  


The video for "Cameras" follows along with their very wild, fun, and even shocking style of music videos. They run down Times Square and start stripping in "Lessons Learned". They perform in front of a cartoon drawn backdrop and have random food thrown at them in "Yea Yeah".  They're found performing in closets, bedrooms, taxis, and even dumpsters in "Daylight".  Every video is extremely funny and "Cameras" does not disappoint. Everyone needs to let out a little aggression sometimes and Matt & Kim are not afraid to unleash it, on each other! Check it out!  There's also behind the scenes fight/stunt training footage!




Official website:
http://mattandkimmusic.com/

Song of the Day!

"Twentysomething"
by Jamie Cullum


I've been a huge Jamie Cullum fan since I first heard "All at Sea".  Jamie hails from the UK and I love his jazz style and he is a fantastic pianist.  His song "Twentysomething" [interview and amazing live performance in Blenheim Palace] is the title track to his second album released in 2003.  My older cousin Sol, told me once that this song has so much truth to it.  I was probably 18 at the  time, and I didn't really understand it then.  Listening to it again today when it came up on shuffle made me realize that she was 100% correct, as usual.  Since I recently turned 24, this song makes perfect sense to me.  For all you "twentysomethings" in the transitional phase of your lives, take a listen and I bet after hearing it you will think to yourself, "I get it".









Just a few of my favorites by Jamie Cullum inlcude: "I'm All Over It" (my favorite video of his thus far) and "Love Ain't Gonna Let You Down" [live performance] from his most recent album The Pursuit. "Back To The Ground", and "My Yard" from his 3rd album Catching Tales.  His cover of "Frontin'" by Pharrell Williams, "These Are The Days" from Twentysomething


Official website:
http://www.jamiecullum.com

Two Door Cinema Club

This is another one of those bands I didn't realize I was hearing all over the place.  Two Door Cinema Club has songs featured on Gran Truismo 5, FIFA 2011, and the MTV show "The World of Jenks".  I was also hearing their music at work all the time but never connected the dots.  

Two Door Cinema Club is an indie, electropop band from northern Ireland.  The band members are Alex Trimble (lead vocals, guitar), Sam Halliday (guitar, vocals), and Kevin Baird (bass, vocals).  In an interview for The Line of Best Fit, the guys told the story of how the name of the band came to be. "The name came from a small cinema called the Tudor cinema which Sam pronounced wrong when thinking of a band name – Tudor Cinema Club – so the spelling got changed to Two Door."  The band is signed with french label Kitsune, who in the past has signed several artists I love such as: Bloc Party, Hot Chip, Klaxons, La Roux, and Phoenix.  Tourist History was even recorded in the same studio where Phoenix recorded their amazing album, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix.


Tourist History is filled with upbeat guitar melodies and a little synth.  My only complaint is the album's length.  At a mere 33 minutes, I always wish there was more! The album is definitely something I bop my head around to while on the CTA. I haven't listened to a album on loop like this since I first heard Q-Tip's The Renaissance.



It's tough to pick a favorite track but after some deliberation, my favorite has to be their latest single, "What You Know".  Other great tracks from Tourist History include, "I Can Talk", "Something Good Can Work", and "Undercover Martyn"(simple, great concept, easily their best video).


Check out the video for "Undercover Martyn"

Two Door Cinema Club will be performing at Park West in Chicago on Thursday April, 7th. Tickets went on sale on the January 29th for $18. I should really get my ticket soon...



Tourist History track listing:
1. Cigarettes In The Theatre
2. Come Back Home
3. Undercover Martyn
4. Do You Want It All?
5. This Is The Life
6. Something Good Can Work
7. I Can Talk
8. What You Know
9. Eat That Up, It's Good For You
10. You're Not Stubborn

Two Door Cinema Club Official Website:

http://twodoorcinemaclub.com/ 
The Line of Best Fit interview: 
http://www.thelineofbestfit.com/2010/03/tlobf-interview-two-door-cinema-club-2/

Live Shows and....Lollapalooza sneak peek!

It's that time again music lovers.  Time to mark your calendars for upcoming concerts!!! I'm hoping to make it to at the least, one show a month. That's not too much to ask, right? I started last night at the House of Blues for the Underoath and Thursday show. Not usually the type of music I like, but those guys definitely know how to put on a great show.  Anyways, here are some upcoming shows!

February

11th- Robyn at The Riviera Theatre [sold out]

12th- Interpol at The Riviera Theatre

23rd- Pete Yorn at The Vic

March

2nd- Cage The Elephant at The Vic

4th- Iron and Wine with guest, Eleventh Dream Day at Riviera Theatre [$27]

9th- Janet Jackson at the Chicago Theatre [3^rd and final show. $50-$200]

11th- Cold War Kids at Riviera Theatre

12th- Sarah McLachlan and Friends at Chicago Theatre [$39-$75]

-       Crystal Castles at The Riviera Theatre

15th- Bright Eyes at The Riviera Theatre [sold out]

25th- Travie McCoy at Metro [$18-$21]

      - Miami Horror, Class Actress, Millionyoung at Lincoln Hall [$12]

26th- Amos Lee at the Vic

28th- Apex Manor at Schubas [$10]

April

2nd- Klaxons, Creep at Metro [$15]

6th- The Raveonettes, Tamaryn at Lincoln Hall [$18]

7th- Three Days Grace at the Riviera Theatre [$30]

     - Two Door Cinema Club at Park West [$18]

12th- Starfucker, Champagne Champagne at Lincoln Hall [$12-$14]

20th- The Submarines, Nik Freitas at Schubas [$12-$14]

22nd- Guggenheim Grotto at Space [$10-$14]

        - Chris Cornell at The Vic

        - The Boxer Rebellion at Double Door [$14]

25th- Arcade Fire, The National at UIC Pavilion [$51]

28th- James Blunt with guest, Christina Perri at Riviera Theatre [$35]

30th- Deftones at The Riviera Theatre

May

4th- The Kills at The Vic

5th- Of Montreal at The Vic

7th- Peter Bjorn and John at Lincoln Hall [$20-$25]

14th- Cake at The Riviera Theatre

24th- Adele at the Riviera Theatre [$35]

31st- Friendly Fires at Lincoln Hall [$20]

June

1st- The Script at the Aragon Ballroom [$32-$35]

3rd- Brett Dennen at The Vic [$22]

7th- Ray LaMontagne and the Pariah Dogs with special guests Brandi Carlile and The Secret Sisters at Jay Pritzker Pavilion [$20-$65]
18th- Florence + The Machine at the Aragon Ballroom

July

7th- The Flaming Lips at the Aragon Ballroom

8th- Katy Perry at the Allstate Arena [$35-$45]

And THIS JUST IN!!!!

LOLLAPALOOZA HEADLINER LEAKS!

According to the Chicago Tribune, at this year’s Grant Park music festival headliners are Eminem, Muse, and Foo Fighters.  Also expect to see Best Coast, Girl Talk, Crystal Castles and Lykke Li.  The entire lineup will be announced in April.

Lollapalooza- August 5th-7th in Chicago’s Grant Park

Riviera Theatre

Vic Theatre

Aragon Ballroom

House of Blues

Double Door

Schubas 

ticketmaster

Lollapalooza

Cold War Kids

Towards the end of my freshman year in college, my friend Sam was raving about this new band that I had to check out.  At the time, their first single "Hang Me Up To Dry" was a free download on iTunes, so of course I downloaded it.  It was the kind of song that I instantly knew all of the words to and always sang along.  I picked up Robbers and Cowards and the album found it's way onto my regular rotation on my iPod.


Robbers and Cowards received very positive reviews overall from magazines and music blogs.  While Loyalty to Loyalty received mixed reviews.  It seemed as though listeners either loved it or hated it with barely any middle ground.  Last Tuesday, Cold War Kids released their 3rd album.

Mine Is Yours is a step in a different direction for Cold War Kids.  The band enlisted the help of Jacquire King who has produced for, Kings of Leon, Mutemath, and Modest Mouse.  On previous albums, Robbers and Cowards and Loyalty to Loyalty, I enjoyed the bands gritty and often, very un-refined sound.  Mine is Yours completely raises the ante in production value and goes back to Robbers and Cowards more simplistic lyrics.  They even try using a hip-hop synthesized beat in the song, "Sensitive Kid" that just sounds awkward and out of place.  Some listeners may like the new sound.  It does take the band to a more mainstream type of sound, and may broaden their fanbase.  With that, comes the price of isolating fans of their original sound.


Some of my favorite Cold War Kids songs are:

From Robbers and Cowards
“Hang Me up to Dry” (music video)
“Hair Down”
“Hospital Beds” (music video)
“Rubidoux”

From Loyalty to Loyalty
“Welcome to the Occupation”
“I’ve Seen Enough” (music video)

“Dreams Old Men Dream”
“Relief”
As soon as I hear that bassline, there aren’t many things that compare to the feeling I get when I turn up “Relief” as loud as I can stand to hear it.

I’m still a Cold War Kids fan.  I’m a little disappointed in some of the choices they made for Mine Is Yours.  I’ll just be looking out for what comes next.

And I definitely hope to catch them when they perform in Chicago on March 11th at Rivera Theatre.

You can also stream Mine Is Yours for free here:
http://prettymuchamazing.com/reviews/albumreviews/mineisyours








Mine Is Yours track listing:
1. Mine Is Yours
2. Louder Than Ever
3. Royal Blue
4. Finally Begin
5. Out Of The Wilderness
6. Skip The Charades
7. Sensitive Kid
8. Bulldozer
9. Broken Open
10. Cold Toes On The Cold Floor
11. Flying Upside Down 

Cold War Kids Official Website:
http://www.coldwarkids.com

Sacha Sacket

I've been following Sacha Sacket's music for several years now. I came across a song on myspace (yup, that's how long ago it was) called "The Prodigal" (live version).  It is a beautiful blend of electronic beats, piano, and Sacha's voice.  He has great range and is a skilled pianist.  Also, he is playful with his audiences giving an impromptu performance of Britney Spears' "Hit Me Baby One More Time" during a show. 

Sacha Sacket has been working hard since his first album, Alabatser Flesh, was released in 2001.  Unfortunately, this cd is out of print and I have been unable to get my hands on one. 

He followed with Shadowed in 2004

"I felt it was time to delve into 'dark things' go places where I degraded myself, where I was a doormat, where I would destroy someone if I could. Not in an attempt to immediately rectify or justify myself, just to express it. I had to be damaged, to have faults, to show the darkness. I really went to those life and death situations where a life is beginning or ending. Where your humanity truly reveals itself, when your character is tested – the underlying truth."

Favorite tracks:
"The Prodigal"

"Stuck in the Sunset"

"Plaestine"

Lovers & Leaders in 2007

"Although it’s a love album, the theme is really more about my battle not to succumb to it. I guess I equated love with losing power, losing my goals and aspirations. I was trying to find the balance between honoring someone else and myself, while finding where the edges meet."

Favorite tracks:

"Stay"

"How Low?"

"Hallowed (Show Me How)"
"Judy (For Shame)" (music video)

A live album with his all female band in 2008, Live At The Zone


Hermitage in 2009
Hermitage was a very different creative process for Sacha.  He spent some time in a cabin after touring, and out of this time in isolation came the lyrics for Hermatige.  He also went back to the cabin to record the album. When it was released, I got the deluxe edition which included an extra track, "The Sign Was Everywhere", photos, a note that was personally signed, and a a couple small objects you can find while wandering in the woods.

Favorite tracks:

"Running Away"

"Used" (music video)

"You Could"

On June 1st, 2010, Sacha Sacket started something special called the Viscera Project.  Every Tuesday, Sacha has released a song through bandcamp.com.  He plans to release one song, every week, for a year.  Talk about being ambitious.  He got sick after finishing one of my favorites so far "All in the Way" and that held up the recording process for three weeks.  He came back, like he hadn't been gone at all, with a track called "Stay Still".  Now that Sacha is beyond the halfway mark now is as good a time as any to start checking up on his musical project from week to week.


There are a handful of tracks that really stand out to me, so far. They are:
"The Wound Wants to Heal"
"All in the Way"
"Wave Goodbye"
"The Outsider"
"Cocky"
"Chalk"


Check out Sacha Sacket's bandcamp page:

http://sachasacket.bandcamp.com/
and his official website:
http://www.sachasacket.com

Adele

This British singer has got so much soul and power in her voice and she's only 22 years old. I first heard Adele when I saw the video for "Chasing Pavements" playing on a tv in the dining hall at my school.  The style of the video was so interesting, and about a week later I had to buy the cd. 

Adele broke onto the music scene with her debut album 19 in 2008.  The lead single "Hometown Glory" could be heard on shows such as So You Think You Can Dance, The Hills, One Tree Hill, and Grey's Anatomy.  The second  single, "Chasing Pavements", eventually won a Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and was also nominated for Record of the Year, as well as Song of the Year.  The third single, "Cold Shoulder" is my favorite song on 19, and it was no surprise to me when I learned that it was produced by Mark Ronson (my first blog post).


Adele gained major popularity after she had the opportunity to be a musical guest on Saturday Night Live in the same episode that Sarah Palin made an appearance.  The SNL episode had it's highest ratings in 14 years. Now that's exposure.  The day after the her SNL performance 19 hit the #1 spot on iTunes and into the top 5 on Amazon.com. Adele began touring shortly after the airing of the SNL episode to promote her album here in the States.  During that time she relaunched MTV unplugged and performed a 6 song acoustic set on the show.   She also recorded "Water and a Flame", a duet with Australian singer songwriter Daniel Merriweather on his debut album Love & War (another one of my favorite albums of 2010).


Adele's sophomore album, 21, is slated for release on January 24th in the UK and February 22nd in the States. It's going to to be a very different sound from her first album.  It's got more of a "country, contemporary roots" feel this time around.

From a SPIN.com article:

Adele adds that the country-flavored vibe of the new record was borne out of genuine love for the genre. She was introduced to contemporary Nashville music specifically from her bus driver while on tour in the South. "He listened to all this amazing country music and we'd rock out late at night, chain smoking and listening to Rascall Flatts," says Adele. "It was really exciting for me because I never grew up around [that music]."

The lead single for 21 is "Rolling in the Deep".  It's a gritty, gospel-esque middle finger to a former lover.  "Finally, I can see you crystal clear.  Go ahead and sell me out and I'll lay your ship bare.  See how I leave, with every piece of you.  Don't underestimate the things that I will do..."


I'm very interested to hear what the rest of the album sounds like and if it's all like "Rolling in the Deep" then I know I will love it all.
Make sure you check out the video for "Rolling in the Deep" below

21 track listing:
1. Rolling In The Deep
2. Rumour Has It
3. Turning Tables
4. Don't You Remember
5. Set Fire To The Rain
6. He Won't Go
7. Take It All
8. I'll Be Waiting
9. One And Only
10. Lovesong
11. Someone Like You


Adele's official website
MTV Uplugged article
Newsday.com article
The Independent article

SPIN.com article

Favorite Albums of 2010

2010 was a great year in music.  I was introduced to many new artists and some of the artists I already love released new material. Here is the list of my favorite albums of 2010. Comments highly encouraged! I want to know what you were listening to in 2010!


Record Collection by Mark Ronson & The Business INTL

The ArchAndroid by Janelle Monae

((UN)) by Dan Black

Broken Bells by Broken Bells

The Lady Killer by Cee Lo Green

We Are Born by Sia

The Rock and the Tide by Joshua Radin

Pete Yorn by Pete Yorn

Aphrodite by Kylie Minogue

Kaleidoscope Heart by Sara Bareilles

Contra by Vampire Weekend

My Best Friend Is You by Kate Nash