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

Dan Black

Upandcoming electro-pop artist from the UK, Dan Black, is not shy about showing his quirky side.  Black was spotted photobombing fans at the Austin City Limits Music Festival. Not sure what photoboming is?  This was the most simple definition I found (thank you urban dictionary).

Dan Black gained attention when he sampled lyrics from "Hypnotize" by Notorious B.I.G. for his song "HYPNTZ" and stirred up some controversy with the late rapper's estate.  "HYPNTZ" was supposed to be Black's first single, but was unable to be released until he wrote his own lyrics (which became "Symphonies").

Dan Black's debut album, ((UN)), was released in July 2009 in the UK and February 2010 here in the states.  The album's first single "Symphonies" samples the drum riff of Rihanna's hit song from Good Girl Gone Bad, "Umbrella".  The video takes on a movie trailer theme with a wide array of film genres.  "Symphonies" was remixed later on with hip hop artist Kid Cudi and this track is available on the U.S. version of UN.  Hands down my favorite track has to be "Yours", an anthem to saying goodbye and breaking up with a simple hook, "I don't wanna be yours no more".  "U + Me =" is another standout track which I heard while investigating Lollapalooza's lineup this year.  "Pump My Pumps" is a song I hear at work all the time, but never made the connection that it was Dan Black until I picked up the cd about 2 weeks ago.  "Pump My Pumps" was also used in Lacoste's Momentum campaign.  Since I got the cd, ((UN)) is constantly playing on my iPod.

It's been a busy year for Dan Black.  He's been touring most of the year and had the opportunity to perform at some of the biggest music festivals of the year including SXSW in Austin, TX back in March, Lollapalooza in Chicago, IL during the first weekend in August, and Austin City Limits Music Festival in early October.  Dan returned to Chicago in late October to perform at the Lasalle Power Company.

Dan Black's latest single is "Alone". The video was featured the episode of the MTV reality show The Buried Life where Dave gets hitched in Vegas.  "Let Go", "Wonder", "Pump My Pumps" and "Symphonies" were also featured on Dave's wedding soundtrack.  Check out the video for "Alone"

((UN)) track listing:
1. Symphonies
2. U + Me =
3. Ecstasy
4. Alone
5. Cocoon
6. Yours
7. Pump My Pumps
8. Wonder
9. Cigarette Pack
10. Life Slash Dreams
11. I Love Life
12. Let Go
(U.S. bonus tracks)
13. Symphonies featuring Kid Cudi
14. Poet
15. Karate Kid

Visit Dan Black's official website

Pete Yorn

Pete Yorn is another one of my favorite artists. He is a singer/songwriter who’s sensitive, but a rocker at heart.  His melodies are perfect for a laid back summer evening or on a road trip with friends. 

Yorn got his big break when he wrote the original score for the Jim Carrey and Renée Zellweger, film Me, Myself and Irene.  His song “Strange Condition” was featured on the soundtrack.  The song was also heard in the Josh Hartnett flick, 40 Days and 40 Nights.  More of Yorn’s songs can be heard in films such as, Shrek 2, Orange County, Hellboy, Open Season, Just Like Heaven, and Spider-Man, as well as TV shows including, Six Feet Under, Smallville, CSI, Veronica Mars, House, and Dawson’s Creek, and The Vampire Diaries.


Yorn has been very busy over the last year or so.  Last June, he released his fourth studio album, Back & Fourth.  The album was recorded in Omaha with producer Mike Mogis, a member of Bright Eyes, who has produced albums in the past for Cursive, The Faint, and Rilo Kiley.  Last September, he released a very different kind of project. He teamed up with actress Scarlett Johansson to create a duet album titled Break Up.  Serge Gainsbourg 1967 and ‘68 albums with Brigitte Bardot inspired the album.  Break Up gained popularity in France reaching the #18 spot of the album charts with the lead single "Relator".  On top of constant touring and writing Yorn had a lot of material and started recording his next album.


Pete Yorn released his self titled sixth album in September. Produced by Frank Black of the Pixies, the album was recorded in only five days.  The two set up a studio in Salem, OR and essentially just rocked out.  The album's lead single "Precious Stone" definitely holds true to that sound.  With songs about the simple joys of being a kid like, "Velcro Shoes",  how time passes when not performing on "Rock Crowd", and a rerecording of "Paradise Cove" from Back & Fourth simply titled "Paradise Cove I", Yorn has done a excellent job of defining his sound on his latest work. 


On November 3rd, Pete Yorn announced dates for his next tour.  Of course I plan to make time to see him perform.  I saw Yorn perform with my best friend Kristina when he was promoting the album Nightcrawler.  We were so lucky to be literally right in front of Pete Yorn during the show and we both left the show that night with a sense of awe in the way he connects with an audience.  He will be in Chicago on February 23rd at The Vic Theatre, but last week, Kristina and I decided that we would go together to see him perform in Saint Louis on February 27th at The Pageant. Visit Pete Yorn's official website for more dates.


Check out Pete Yorn's latest video for "Sans Fear".  See if you can spot actress Darryl Hannah and Rami Jaffee of The Wallflowers.





Pete Yorn track listing:
1. Precious Stone
2. Rock Crowd
3. Velcro Shoes
4. Paradise Cove I
5. Badman
6. The Chase
7. Sans Fear
8. Always
9. Stronger Than
10. Future Life
11. Wheels

Song/Video of the Day!

"Self Machine (Chew Fu Robotix Fix)" by I Blame Coco








I heard this song at work recently and I can't get enough of it. I've lost count on how many times I've listened to it just today. I guess I've been on a bit of a electro/techno kind of kick recently. I can never resist music that makes me want to dance. 


I Blame Coco (Eliot Sumner) is Sting's 20 year old daughter. She has worked closely with other up and coming artists from the UK such as La Roux, Miike Snow, and Robyn (of course I've linked my favorite song of each artist).  Her album The Constant was released earlier this month in the UK.  It features 13 tracks and 1 bonus iTunes download track.  On The Constant, Coco even covers a Neil Young song, "Only Love Can Break Your Heart".


Check out the video for "Self Machine"




I Blame Coco official website:
http://www.iblamecoco.co.uk/

Song of the Day!

"It Don't Move Me" by Peter Bjorn and John


This Swedish band found its way into my iPod last year when I was investigating last year's lineup for Lollapalooza.  Peter Bjorn and John was one of the bands I knew nothing about.  They were promoting their most recent album Living Thing and "It Don't Move Me" was the song I enjoyed the most.  Recently, it popped back into my musical rotation.  Take a listen to this song about shedding the excess, moving on, and not letting anything or anyone get in the way. The video is a little strange but you've got to appreciate the Michael Jackson dancing.





Peter Bjorn and John website