Song of the Week 8/22

Rotation 1

Grizzly Bear, Veckatimest - "Foreground"

Between the looping piano melody and the harmonizing vocals, "Foreground" is a definite earworm. I must be in an introspective mood, because I am hooked. There is something simple and held back in this song, but yet Grizzly Bear makes it dense.








Rotation 2

Minus the Bear, Omni - "My Time"

MTB's latest release, Omni, is a disc full of upbeat pop makeout songs. Overall, the songs are a little to light for me compared to my favorite classics about hydroplaning and overdosing on prescription pills. Still, "My Time" is a pretty catchy song that deserves listening to.

"I got your nights (I got your nights)
I got your days (I got your days)
I got you on (I got you on)
My time"


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Under the Cover : Talking to Girls About Duran Duran

New Wave, John Hughes movies, cassingles, the birth of MTV...Rob Sheffield is a true youth of the 80's. In his latest book, Talking to Girls About Duran Duran: One Young Man's Quest for True Love and a Cooler Haircut, Sheffield delivers a charming and clever account of his coming-of-age through the decade's most memorable music and pop culture. A certified music aficionado, Sheffield has a way of remembering every song that ever had an impact on his life and describing them in a witty way that defines what it meant to his outlook on life at that moment. Overall, the book is an enjoyable read that will make you want to reminisce over the music of your own childhood.




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Song of the Week 8/15

Rotation 1

The Black Keys, Brothers - "Tighten Up"

Who doesn't love when a song starts with a bit of whistling? You would think that the song would a be a snappy ditty, but Dan Aurbauch comes on with a smoldering want for love accompanied by a thick bass line.

"Take my badge but my heart remains

Lovin' you, baby child

Tighten up on your reigns

You're runnin' wild, runnin' wild

It's true"

I could not resist having this song on constant repeat all week.

Rotation 2

Arcade Fire, The Suburbs - "Rococo"

I was so excited this week to get the new Arcade Fire album and this track instantly grabbed me with the dramatic string and guitar combination that play throughout while Win Butler sings "Rococo" over and over. The lyrics perfectly exemplify the album's thematic concept of the suburbs.

"Let's go downtown and watch the modern kids

Let's go downtown and talk to the modern kids

The will eat right out of your hand

using great big words they don't understand"

.

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Summer In Rotation

Summer more than any season seems to be defined by recently released music. Almost everyone has a song, album, or a compilation of songs that brings back fond memories of summer time. As Fall approaches, we have sat down to collect the music that has defined this Summer for us.


Rotation 1

Broken Bells, Broken Bells
"The High Road"
"The Ghost Inside"
"Sailing to Nowhere"
"Mongrel Heart"
"The Mall and Misery"


Rotation 2

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, "Home"
Katy Perry, "Electric Feel" (MGMT cover)
Lissie, "Pursuit of Happiness" (Kid Cudi cover)
Local Natives, "Eyes Wide" (Fool's Gold Remix feat. Aristotle Pop A Bottle)
MSTRKRFT, "Heartbreaker" (Feat. John Legend)
Mumford & Sons, "Little Lion Man"
Tokyo Police Club, "Wait Up (Boots of Danger)" (RAC Mix)
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Artist Retrospective : The White Stripes

What's more intense than a stampeding elephant on an African plain? De Icky White Satan Elephant ... 10,000 deep beating drums and grinding guitars of Meg and Jack White. While that could have been the title of The White Stripes recent dvd, they chose a different route, releasing Under Great White Northern Lights in Spring 2010. Although we have not yet seen the dvd, it is on our list and are in anticipation to get it in. In the meantime, we've selected a few of our favorite tracks.


Rotation 1

“Let’s Build a Home” – De Stijl, 2000
“Jumble, Jumble” – De Stijl, 2000
“Fell In Love with a Girl” - White Blood Cells, 2001
“Offend In Every Way” - White Blood Cells, 2001
“Seven Nation Army” – Elephant, 2003
“In the Cold, Cold, Night” – Elephant, 2003
“Girl, You Have No Faith In Medicine” - Elephant, 2003
“Blue Orchid” – Get Behind Me Satan, 2005
“The Denial Twist” – Get Behind Me Satan, 2005
“As Ugly As I Seem” – Get Behind Me Satan, 2005


Rotation 2

“Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground” – White Blood Cells, 2001
“Fell In Love With A Girl” – White Blood Cells, 2001
"I Can’t Wait” – White Blood Cells, 2001
“There’s No Home For You Here” – Elephant, 2003
“The Hardest Button To Button” – Elephant, 2003
“Blue Orchid” – Get Behind Me Satan, 2005
“My Doorbell” – Get Behind Me Satan, 2005
“Icky Thump” – Icky Thump, 2007
“Conquest” – Icky Thump, 2007
“I’m Slowly Turning Into You” – Icky Thump, 2007
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In Rotation 2 : Fever Ray

Scouring the internet for some new and interesting music, I stumbled upon a remix of a song from Fever Ray. While the version I heard was not necessarily a track that grabbed me, I was intrigued by the artist’s voice and base sound. I tracked down the original cd (a 2009 self-titled album), popped it into my stereo, and was instantly transported into the mysterious world of Swedish artist Karin Dreijer Andersson. On the first track “If I Had a Heart”, the album makes a perfect introduction with a low, creeping beat met with haunting whispers. The song builds with a distant drum that sinks in your chest and then is ripped out with a delicate voice that rises with perfect strength and restraint. With each song that follows, Fever Ray delivers with calm yet penetrating vocals intertwined with a strong electronica sound of drums and rhythm.

Notable Tracks:

1. “If I Had a Heart”
2. “When I Grow Up”
5. “Triangle Walks”
9. “Keep the Streets Empty For Me”
10. “Coconut”




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In Rotation 1 : Natalie Merchant – Leave Your Sleep

Leave Your Sleep, is Natalie Merchant’s fifth solo album. A collection of poems Merchant has gathered and set to song from her desire to awaken her daughter’s childhood through the imagination of spoken word. The two disc album is a lovely book of each song’s original poem with a slight biography of the author. As one who enjoys the lyric/story as much as the melody/harmony, I found a deep appreciation to listen and read along while great and anonymous writers with Merchant’s voice and music composition painted pictures in my head.


Notable Tracks:

Disc 1 – Leave Your Supper
- “Nursery Rhyme of Innocence and Experience”
- “Maggie and Millie and Molly and May”
- “The Man in the Wilderness”

Disc 2 – Leave Your Sleep
- “Griselda”
- “Spring and Fall: To a Young Child”
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