Pictures and Sound

While putting together my top 10 this year, I had the time to dig into some of the artists on the list. Obviously, there are several on there who I follow, like THWFOS or The Travelling Band, but in some cases I was only familiar with that one song.

A good example is no. 4, Pictures and Sound. "It's You" lead me to their Myspace page where there about five or so songs in total off the August self titled release. Turns out that Pictures and Sound is the project of former Blue Merle singer Luke Reynolds, as well as drummer Pete McNeal and bassist Dave Wilder. Blue Merle called it quits in the spring of 2006 and I guess this is what Reynolds has been occupying himself with since then.

As for those other songs I mentioned, I've got to say, they're pretty good. So frequently a visit to an unfamiliar artist's Myspace is a complete let down, but it's definitely not the case here. Reynolds himself, as I said in the list, has some lyrical tendencies akin to Jack Johnson. Not Identical-- sorry, no mention of banana pancakes-- but similar in the clarity. The words come easily and simply. In terms of voice, there's some Mat Kearney in there. Overall, it's more stylized than either Johnson or Kearney, but not in an overproduced, glossed mess sense. The songs remain accessible and smooth.

"100 Directions" is the best of the bunch. It opens with glinting (synth maybe?) backed by low beats and just kind of spreads out. Then there's "Everything Leaves a Mark" which recounts meeting and falling for a girl one night. "It was one of those nights that'll ring in your ears, the rest of your life, while the rest disappear."

There's a certain "carpe diem" vibe running through several of the songs, as seen by someone who is maybe not as young as he once was but who values the idea of recognizing and being in the moment while he can. It's not bad sentiment at all. Case in point: "The Youth" (bit obvious, yeah?) There's a line that says "Some things come around only once, then you take your turn and then you pass it on." Between "The Youth" and "Forever to Reach" ("it took forever to reach and a moment to pass"), you get the idea that he's perhaps flirting with middle age, but it's not the lament you'd expect but more of a satisfied look back.

Check it out if you haven't. This album has made its way on to the wish list, so maybe sometime I'll have a full review to post.

In the meantime, let's enjoy not being middle aged. H'okay?

Pink Floyd, Beach Boys: Santa's Got Good Taste

In the interest of being able to spout off about albums and what influences are blatantly obvious, I am constantly back tracking to try and familiarize myself with as much music as possible. There's so much out there, it's enough to inspire a bit of a panicky feeling, but nonetheless, I'm wading through it one band at a time.

This Christmas there was some definite back tracking going on. I now finally own my own copy of the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds, which means I'm no longer tied to YouTube and the Pet Sounds track listing on Wikipedia. It's exciting, but thanks to my folks, I knew more Beach Boys songs than nursery rhymes as a child. No joke. In other words, I'm not drastically expanding my musical horizons in that respect. Although, listening to the whole album, you do get a different sense of the group, something more serious and more artistic.

Aside from Pet Sounds and that Death Cab reissue (wild applause), I got to add Dark Side of the Moon to my collection. It's been a long time coming. Ever since I put "Money" on my iPod on '05, I've had my eye on it.

That said, I was talking to my friend about it and we were discussing how an album like Dark Side of the Moon is not really blog-able, at least in the sense of the way I blog about albums here. Folks, there will be no album review for Dark Side of the Moon. Somethings are beyond me. I'm cool will that. I listened to it for the first time today. So many sounds. Do I get it? No. Do I necessarily need to get it? No. Did I like it? As a friend once said, "hellz yes." That's really all that matters for now.

On a completely shallow note, I can now justify buying that DSOTM poster at The Great Escape without feeling like a fraud.

Viva la Remix: Coldplay at Christmas

I read an op-ed piece once bashing mix tapes/cds as gifts for birthdays and holidays. I don't know if this counts, but those Christmas-loving chaps are offering a free remixed version of "Viva la Vida" for download this Christmas.

Honestly, I've never completely understood the purpose behind remixes. Aside from maybe trying to soup up the danceability of a record, most of the time it seems pretty pointless, plucking and splicing the best parts of the song only to burry them under beeps and beats and repeat the same sections of the songs ad nauseam.

In essence, that's what the "Viva" remix amounts to, a couple minutes of Chris Martin singing "wicked and wild" over and over again only to be followed up by a skip right to the second verse. At seven minutes, it loses all punch. Not even the chorus, that glorious chorus, survives the bastardization.

Obviously, there's more behind the giveaway than "hey, we've just put together a nifty little something, have a listen." It's a good marketing strategy to keep Coldplay at the front of people's minds and you really can't piss people off giving them free stuff. Points for that-- they're not letting the buzz die down until their next release in March.

In any case, check it out if you like and of course, have a very Merry Christmas, or whatever it is you celebrate.

And you thought I was done for the year.

The Musically Inclined's Top 10 Discoveries of 2008

Well, here we are again at the end of another year. 2008 definitely got some mixed reviews music-wise, but from TMI's standpoint, it did alright for itself-- nothing too mind-blowing, but not a write-off either. After all, last year there was The National, The Shins and Radiohead, to name a few reasons why 2007 was a good year to launch a music blog. Not the easiest acts to follow. On the flip side, this year gave us new bands like Fleet Foxes, Death Cab's sixth release, and tons of backlash controversy to last us all a few decades (or weeks in the music world). But enough of that, the 2007 ship has long sailed and 2008 is pulling out of the harbor as we speak.

The songs that made it on this list have some mix of uniqueness, substance and addictive appeal, which ultimately meant surviving the shuffle of new music at TMI, but this year, we're doing things slightly different. Top 10 Discoveries formerly covered anything that had been (wait for it) discovered that year regardless of release date, but this time around the list is pure 2008. So then, what does "discoveries" have to do with it if it's just one more "best of" list? Glad you asked. All the artists on this list were previously unheard of, or rather, un-listened to before Jan. 08.

Crafty, yes? So crafty, I wound up shafting some of my own staple bands/artists who had releases this year like Death Cab for Cutie and Coldplay, plus neglecting the new finds from years past, like "Grace Kelly" by Mika. That said, let's take a moment to silently pay our respects.........awesome, thanks.

Moving on, some of these have yet to be mentioned on these lovely virtual pages, but that doesn't mean those write ups aren't on their way-- so, no worries.

Here now are The Musically Inclined's Top 10 Discoveries of 2008.

1. A Question of Trust : Their Hearts Were Full of Spring

Hands down, the best find of the year. This little indie band from the U.K. features some of the prettiest sounds you'll hear-- romantic and sprightly, but hearty and sincere. Though technically, this is their anti-Tony Blair statement, there's no bitterness there, only verbally and musically articulated warning while managing to radiate upbeat vibes. Listen


2. Use Somebody : Kings of Leon

2008 saw a bit of a revival in southern rock. MMJ is cool, but Jim James' vocals just don't do it for me. Kings of Leon, on the other hand, have the right amount of gruffness and grit. "Use Somebody" takes you to a moment on the brink of something just out of reach, amid wistful "ooh woa"s that fly by like blurred headlights. These guys are further proof that there's more to Nashville than tired commercial country. Listen


3. He Didn't Know Why : Fleet Foxes

The overall sound of Fleet Foxes is an intriguing blend of ethereal and rustic. "He Didn't Know Why" exemplifies a certain quality in their music that is so difficult to pinpoint. Piano, drums, guitars, and those mid-range vocals have a clarity to them making Fleet Foxes possibly the earthiest new band of the year. Listen


4. It's You : Pictures and Sound

Think Jack Johnson's lyrical sensibilities and Mat Kearney's vocals, but with slicker, more stylized instrumentation. This song specifically, is a really great groove plus a good balance of bass and lighter, flickering, stringed sounds. Listen


5. Fragments of Green : The Travelling Band

The accordion alone is enough to grab anyone by the heart, but then the harmonies kick in, the song builds in the repetition of the chorus and you're just finished. It's a great way to spend five minutes. The Travelling Band sounds like the tussle that would ensue if Nickel Creek and The Shins got tangled up in a wheat field. Vaguely retro, just a bit rootsy, but ultimately timeless. Listen


6. Electric Feel : MGMT

MGMT captures a 60s psychedelic rock vibe with shuffling, uninhibited, primal pulses accented with clear, flute-like synth. Plus, it weathers successive listens well. "Electric Feel" 's biggest offense has nothing to do with what the pair (Andrew Vanwyngarden and Ben Goldwasser) might have been smoking while recording it, but more to do with how it never seems to last long enough. Listen


7. A-Punk : Vampire Weekend

Quirky and spunky, Vampire Weekend had some of the freshest sounds to emanate from the predictable college music machine in a long time. Never mind if you can hardly understand a word lead singer Ezra Koenig says, between "oh"s and zippy guitar riffs, "A-Punk" is pretty catchy. More prep than you can stand? Never. Listen


8. Buildings and Mountains : Republic Tigers

Spin called these guys "glossy electro-folk" and I'll second that description. Seems I've had a penchant for dashes of ethereal in music this year. In any case, the song flows in hypnotic, computer generated waves, making for an enjoyable and atmospheric tune. Listen


9. Sing Again : Chris Walla

There's a simplicity to "Sing Again," not only in the mild instrumentation and airy vocals, but in the call for engagement in one's world. "A life packed full of mindless joy, is not easy to enjoy." Hard to argue with that. Listen


10. Skinny Love : Bon Iver

Bon Iver has been one of the bigger breakouts of 2008, it seems. Lord knows, For Emma, Forever Ago has been on just about every "best of" list I've seen so far. Again, the simplicity is highly appealing. Iver shifts from the high vocals down to the forcefulness of the chorus and its effect is mildly jarring, but jarring in a deliberate way. Plus, the banjo adds a compelling shade to the song. Listen



Happy listening.

Erin

The Killers: Day & Age

A friend of mine once said that if you want to fake your way through the discussion of an album you haven't heard, all you have to say is that the first half of the album was good but after track six, it just went downhill. While I can't vouch for the effectiveness of this strategy, I can say that those words came to mind upon listening to the Killer's third release, Day & Age.

Last year when Sawdust came out, I remember saying that "Tranquilize" sounded like the place somewhere in between Hot Fuss and Sam's Town, all the band's nostalgia and love for the west, dipped in 80's synth. Day & Age occupies that space exactly.

"Losing Touch" gets it going, featuring synth as well as some other unexpected instrumentation, like saxophone, making its first and definitely not last appearance. It's 80's sax. You know exactly what I mean, the kind that makes you think of blazers with the sleeves rolled up.

Next up is "Human," the much-debated single, tinged with brooding synth and questionable lyrics. On it's own, posing the question "are we human, or are we dancer" seems pretty forced, a weak attempt at depth, but within the context of the album, it works. Between the album artwork and that synthed-out desperado vibe, Day & Age is like someone drove out to the desert at sunset, parked the car and started having a minor emotional/mental/spirtiual crisis.

Even though Flowers hasn't donned eyeliner in a while, there's a drama to the Killers that means you just have to roll with it and take the music for what it is and from whom it's coming. The "dancer" line has gotten so much attention, no one has acknowledged the preceding line which says "and I'm on my knees looking for the answer." It's the most earnest and most relatable line of the album. In any case, "Human" begs multiple successive plays.

That said, "Spaceman" tops it. Alien abduction never sounded so cool. You just want to sing along as Flowers does some of his best uncertain warbling and straining. There are definitely shades of "Read My Mind" in there amid the blips. This is undoubtedly the best song on the album.

After that powerful trio comes "Joy Ride," an energetic, galloping south-of-the-border type tune followed up by "A Dustland Fairlytale." That's the line where the album starts losing steam. The latter tells a good story, points for the line "he looked just you'd want him to, some kind of slick chrome American prince," but ultimately "Joy Ride" is the last real kicker.

This is not to say that the listener should just kill the album after the fifth track, but the shift in quality is most striking because the best songs came one right after another instead of spread out.

While "Human" and "Spaceman" live up and even surpassed their hype, "Neon Tiger" falls short. It's fairly bland, forgettable, and unimpressive. Album-closer "Goodnight, Travel Well" is just too dark and foreboding, detracting from the record's overall stylistic cohesiveness. Sounds like someone was having a bad day. Plus, it's nearly 7 minutes long. Day & Age probably could have done without it.

Lately, it's cool to hate on the Killers, so I'll say this: there's good and mediocre on this album, tracks that buzz and bleep in 80's infused glory and tracks that simply underwhelm. Potentially the most important fact though, is that those really great tracks are solid enough to make anyone commit to the group and tell the snobs to go screw themselves. If you like a band, own up to it. They're yours. Deal with it.

Even if feathers have no place on epaulets.

The National Get Going on New Album

Billboard delivered some good news yesterday. Brooklyn-based orch-pop group The National has started writing a new album and plan to record in April. No word on a release date just yet, but it's good to know the band has got something in the pipeline.

Just a year ago they were on the cover of Paste with Boxer voted top album. It should be interesting to gauge not only their fan base's growth but loyalty. Boxer was a "career-best," according to Billboard. 147,000 copies is pretty respectable.

In any case, TMI is looking forward to it.

Their Hearts Were Full of Spring...Err...Winter

I got a press release a little while ago and then a follow up email Monday regarding Their Hearts Were Full of Spring. It seems this lovely band has got themselves a bit of an ongoing project, recording season-appropriate songs for giveaway this year. You can check/get those here. I haven't gotten a good chance to listen to the covers of Fleet Foxes' "White Winter Hymnal" and Neil Young's "Winterlong," but I've got high expectations for these folks. The other part of the deal is that you can buy the limited-edition cds at their shows, but for those of us on this side of the Atlantic, the downloads will have to suffice.

I like the idea, it suits them well and also it means that there's more from THWFOS on the way. Can't complain about that. Someday it would be terrific to walk into a record store (you know what I mean) and lay hands on an LP. In the meantime, apparently they have a blog as well, so sit tight and we'll keep our fingers crossed.

The Killers review should be up sometime tomorrow and of course, TMI Top 10 Discoveries of 2008 will follow shortly after.

Peace

Santa Better Bring Some Death Cab

Death Cab for Cutie re-issued their first album, Something About Airplanes, on the 25th of November and I just found out this morning. I am ashamed. Also, disproportionately excited. Between new artwork, new liner notes, and a second disc with a 1998 performance at Seattle's Crocodile Club, this promises to be the only present under the tree that I care about this season. Ben Gibbard talked with (that rag) Entertainment Weekly and the interview is actually quite interesting, not so much for the interviewer's skill but for Gibbard's stories and general ability of expression. Anyway, there's today's reason to dance a little bit.

TMI Mini Mix

If you use Blogger, you might have seen that iLike now has a widget for blogs, so in essence you can stick your tunes right on your blog and readers can listen without leaving the page. I think it's a terrific little feature, so I'm doing away with the Inclined Toward sidebar and replacing it with the TMI Mini Mix. Inclined Toward was basically a links list of 10 songs that I'd been listening to. Due to the number of songs and my absent-mindedness, it wasn't getting updated as often I'd have liked. It would get stale, in other words.

TMI Mini Mix differs in a few ways. For one, it will be brand spanking new at the start of every month. Also, it's a mix (no kidding) so I'll be indulging my secret love of putting together mix tapes (more like playlists and cds these days) to create a combination of songs that go well together in some respect.

This month, I found on iLike a song by Their Hearts Were Full of Spring called "As long as the Sun Shines" that I hadn't heard. You can get it as a free mp3 from iLike, FYI. I love this band greatly, so I just built the mix around their instrumentation and overall sunniness.

Feedback is always welcome. Enjoy.

Imagine

I was just weeding through my RSS feeds when I saw on Rolling Stone that today is the 28th anniversary of John Lennon's death. Obviously, this is a yearly occurrence, but for some reason this time around I couldn't help but think that 28 years is really a long time.

Part of my reaction to this though, stems from a documentary I watched a few weeks ago about the 60s. In one section it talked about Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and Keith Moon with regards to how young they died. Granted all their deaths were drug-related unlike Lennon and I don't think I'd put him in a talent level on his own with Hendrix, but still I was wondering what would have happened if these folks had even made it to 40. Think about it. Talent-wise, they were so far ahead to begin with, imagine 30, 40 years of tours and albums. Especially with Hendrix, it hardly seems as though he could have gotten any better. What's deeper than basically being one with the guitar? I'm sure we'll never know.

Peace, kids.

Adventures in Bustin' Out of the House

I've always wanted to be that person who has an arsenal of quirky cool stories, the kind that start out, "this one time in college," or whatever the case may be. Honestly, those stories aren't terribly difficult to come by, it just takes stepping outside your front door, preferably after 10 p.m.

That said, when my friend asked me if I'd like to go with her to this funky little coffee house (that I don't go to as often as I'd like) to see a friend of hers play a gig, I didn't even hesitate. For one, this coffee house is the type of place where the cool kids go. In high school these people were the strange artsy ones with massive Sharpie collections and no interest in anything remotely close to Top 40. They were they forgotten tribe in the corner of the cafeteria but these days we're living in the city where the jocks and the preps are uncultured and merely vanilla. That's not to say that's all who frequent the place, but the scales are tipped in their favor.

We arrived at some point in the 10 o'clock hour and it wasn't particularly packed. Things don't really get jumping until it's past what the average older person would deem a respectable bedtime. After snagging some hot chocolate and forking over $5 for a three-act evening of Jesus-friendly hip-hop (I kid you not). We met up with my friend's friend, a compact bundle of constant motion who goes by the stage name James Fate. After making some room on the bench next to the band, I was ready for some serious people watching.

From here, there are a couple roads to take.

A) The Place- The show was in the Back Stage Bar. There were some tables set up and our red bench on the side wall. It was the kind of room you expect to have been filled with smoke and smelling of beer, but only the latter was true and to a small degree. Dim lights, the glow of neon, and not enough room to take my jacket off. There's not much between the performer and the audience.

B) The People- The people were the best part. You had said artsy types, a kid at a table selling art work (namely alligators wearing hoodies and girl jeans), looking like the intersection between indie scene and urban. There were the kinds of people who were probably at Bonnaroo this summer, dreads, circular dance moves and all. One girl in particular....we weren't really sure if she was drunk or just really...ehh...you know the type. I'll put it like this, for the first two acts, she was the only one dancing. Then there was the photographer and his girlfriend who were sitting next to me. Slightly above the median age, but so ready to get in the middle of the music.

That was one thing that struck me, a few months ago I read some editorial complaining about how some people don't dance at concerts. I say it's none of my business, but it did make me tune in last night to who was acting how. In a couple cases, the music started up and even if it wasn't that great, there was this willingness and readiness to just sink into it regardless. The head bobbing and grooving with closed-eyes, submerging in the meaning of every beat. For me, I do little more than tap my foot. I operate like a radar at these things because I know I'll be writing about it. The photog's girlfriend on the other hand was searching for some musical catharsis and community, periodically turning to me to make a comment and always moving with the sounds in her own little space. They looked happy.

C) The Music- Like I mentioned, The Holla, which is a hip-hop night type thing. Our buddy there, James Fate was the Jesus-friendly part. The other two? I couldn't understand enough lyrics to know. (EDIT: my sources tell me all three were Jesus-friendly, in fact.)

First up was a guy calling himself 247 and his band the Three65s. He was funny, one of those people who states the obvious but with quirky comedic flair. You have no idea why you are laughing. Anyway, with only a bass player and drummer, it was really stripped down. It started off pretty cool but there wasn't enough variation between each song. Still, 247 had a good stage presence. You can watch a clip here.

Second was a guy (W-T the Musical Mastermind-- wouldn't go that far) who looked like Steve from the Sarah Silverman program. I've never seen anyone break a sweat that quickly. He was very intense, but given the fact that he was the middle act, the crowd only seemed mildly interested as he tried to start up some audience participation.

Last was James Fate (né Nate James). What a character. He did his best to "show love" to the other performers. One song in particular is pretty catchy, "Just a Dream" which is basically every musician's inner thoughts about how great it would be to make it and leave behind the day job etc. It's more Maroon 5 than hip-hop, though (think "Tangled"). He definitely and undoubtedly was the crowd favorite.

Anyway, this entry is longer than I intended, but it was a good night and it was great to go out and hear music that I normally would not listen to. There's more to tell, but your attention span is probably on the wane right now. Spice of life, folks. Here's to bustin' out of the house.

The Killers review is coming soon. Stay tuned, kids.