Midweek Mountain Getaway : Jordan Hull and Toy Soldiers

Consider this a follow up story. Before I left the Vision, I did my last edition of The Beat 'n' Track on a singer/songwriter from Nashville named Jordan Hull. We met up at a coffe shop and he told about writing songs, painting pictures of monkeys, playing gigs with a group from PA called Toy Soldiers, and about a split EP that would hopefully be out soon called Midweek Mountain Getaway.

I'm happy to report you can listen to that 6-song EP on Bandcamp. And you know what? It's impressive. Hull surprised me back in April with a sound and a voice that was far older and weathered (in a good way) than that of someone in his early twenties. During the interview, he talked about listening to legends from Son House to Woody Guthrie. It's obvious Hull synthesizes what he listens to. Dude wasn't just name-dropping.

This EP is solid top to bottom. It's a mature and nuanced blend of blues, folk and good old rock and roll that takes you from a rock-a-billy foot stomper, to a moody Roy Orbison-inflected tune in a matter of one track. Hull and Toy Soldiers have got a sound steeped in another time, yet it's still fresh and exciting to think that music like this is thriving and in good hands.

Trivia: "Tight Rope" (track 6) is Leon Russell cover. Pretty cool.

Go listen to it. Lay down your five dollars. It's a small price to pay for a midweek mountain getaway.

Stay Young Go Dancing : Death Cab for Cutie

What better advice could there be? Check out this lovely video for "Stay Young Go Dancing," the final track on DCfC's May album Codes and Keys. It's not your typical Death Cab fare. No one's having their chest cut open, running from flames or committing to a loveless marriage. Nope, to quote Ben Gibbard, life is sweet. And so is the video which follows a field-traipsing couple backward in time.

For me, it's a wonderful song because it makes me think of going dancing with some good friends shortly before moving this summer, and how really sweet it was to be in a park at night under paper lanterns, twirling around in good weather. If that won't keep you young, I don't know what would.

Fond memories, folks. This is definitely a fuzzier, friendlier Death Cab. Enjoy.

Radiohead on SNL

If you'e like me, you forgot that Radiohead was performing on the season opener of Saturday Night Live because you were grading papers. (This is common, I realize.)So much tragedy in the world. Anyway, NME posted video of "Lotus Flower" and "Staircase." Please enjoy what a strange little man Thom Yorke is. And stop grading papers.

Trend Spotting: Headphones, Function or Beauty?

I'm typically the last to notice fashion trends, but when you spend as much time as I do waiting around a college campus for a bus, or for class to start, or for the line at Dunkin Donuts to subside, you notice things. Lately, I've noticed girls wearing laced boots that look like they jumped Laura Ingalls. I've noticed girls sprouting feathers from their scalps, and I've noticed that large, colorful headphones are infringing on the sacred turf of the tiny white Apple earbuds.

Experience says that the kids I went to high school and college with who wore bulky, over-the-ear headphones were audiophiles. (I've got a pair of Audio-Technicas, myself, but I never wore them out.) Apple earbuds served two purposes. They were easy to stuff in a purse or backpack and they let everyone know you owned an iPod.

But now, what are we chasing? One article I found says that these headphones can add "pop" to your outfit, especially in the age of dress codes (not that that applies to herds of undergrads). The sound quality is better, as well.... you know. If you're into that. Beats and Skullcandy are high on the list of brands in demand. Forbes even reported that the latter's stock is up, if only "modestly."

I guess my question with trends always remains: When did this happen? Is this the latest wave of Geek-Chic? Maybe it's a trend parallel to the surge in popularity of film cameras. They're also bulky and retro-looking, but those sepia-tinted filters are tapping into some kind of nostalgia for a period in time we did not live through.

That could be it. However, Beats is a brand by Dr. Dre, and Dr. Dre is decidedly not Geek Chic. A post from Gizmodo today talked about a cheaper model of Grados, ("the standard bearer of aural excellence," they say.) meaning that someone seeking nearly professional-level audio quality can lay down $600 and not only improve his listening experience but his music nerd cred. Gizmodo compared Grados among said "music nerds" to the afore mentioned Beats headphones among "fashion-conscious teenagers."

So maybe high school never quite ends. Instead of buying lime green headphones because we're cool, we buy really expensive headphones because we're cool and have audio needs that money just can't stand up to. Who knows, but the next time you're in some public place, look around. These headphones are everywhere. And feathers.

That's a whole different post.

If you have some insight/opinion, by all means, share in the comments.

Paradise : Coldplay

As we slink toward the October 24 release date for Coldplay's Mylo Xyloto, the band released another song today. Admittedly, I cringed when I read the song was called "Paradise." I've been cringing a lot these days with Coldplay. Though, the song isn't bad. It takes a bit to be convinced of that, but stick with it. It's a musical "para-para-paradise." Cringe.

Best Coast on the East Coast

Because I didn't get my fill of student media in undergrad, I'm now writing for a snazzy student media outlet at Syracuse called The Newshouse. Check out the review I wrote of West Coast rockers Best Coast, who performed at the Westcott Theater here on Friday. Props to my producer for adding in the phrase "profane mumblings about Bambi." Much respect, sir.

Surf-rocking to a new school year

Jeff Tweedy's Gotta Feeling

If I had to make a list of things that I thought would never happen, Jeff Tweedy singing "I Gotta Feeling" by the Black Eyed Peas might be in the top 10.

Props to Pitchfork for posting this hilarious cover. The Wilco frontman deadpans most of the way though, breaks in to explain "tricky" aspects of the song and ultimately kills the audience because they can't stop laughing. A rare moment, indeed. I doubt we will ever hear Tweedy sing "draaank" again.