Music Again

And here we find ourselves again at the head of another playlist I've decided to haphazardly paste together in an effort to showcase taste, something that even when done correctly still comes off more and more as a sort of egotistical flaunt. Then again, I'm probably just being modest and paranoid.

It's funny that I've managed this playlist, because just the other day I found a quote that describes perfectly my state of mind with regards to music. Indulge me if you will:

"Where once was a wide window of musical appreciation, there sits now a shuttered pane of essential favoritism." - Me, 2009

So in an effort to prove myself wrong, I went out of my way to find some new songs that have perked my ear of late. Ironic though, is the fact that two (2) of the artists are certified and have up to around 6 [at least] studio albums to their name. Two (2) also have some serious indie street cred and one (1) is the daughter of a couple pretty/talented people, [I've featured her work here before]. Regardless, here it is...

Music: Leaves Are A Changin'

1. Cale Parks - Breathe In Tact -- off of I don't know what. I know next to nothing about Cale Parks. I downloaded this track somewhere, have no idea where he comes from, no idea where this track originates, no idea what he is up to now. The one thing solid I do know about this song is that it ends a night perfectly. It's 3 am, you're rolling down a wet main street green and red halos light your path near straight as you can, and reflected off the cool asphalt is some other eerie second reality you're pretty sure is beginning to blur into your own. You need to breathe in tact, or keep your breathe intact... whichever applies to your situation.

2. Radiohead - Down Is The New Up -- off of In Rainbows disc 2. When this album came out I didn't give the second bonus disc a real listen, the main album was enough to fill my brain, and the concentrated enjoyment had no room to stretch to another album. Earlier this week this track came across on shuffle and I began my fantastic trip of consumption of this lovely bonus disc. Down Is The New Up became a climb into the foggy beginning of Autumn in Austin. Drizzle and haze, puddled chills. Radiohead will remain my generation's premeire musical group of auteurs.

3. Charlotte Gainsbourg - IRM -- from the upcoming album of the same name. For her new album, Charlotte has teamed up with Beck Hanson to create a new set of hauntingly hypnotic tracks for the fall. Her last album, 5:55, was a wonderful little record of nighttime electronics done in collaboration with those suave Frenchies, AIR, and if this new track is any indication, she'll be moving her focus towards hypno-dance. How wonderful it is. Thanks for the help Beck.

4. AIR - You Can Tell It To Everybody -- off the new album Love 2. Pitchfork hates the album, but those that have fallen in love with AIR can't take it as anything less than perfect. The duo of Godin & Dunckel have always been masters of the lovable electro-lounge thing, and here they display it well. I just love that little harp melody's rhythm that starts this track off. I want to relax in a hazy mauve lounge, lit by Chinese lanterns through hookah smoke. There can be leopard skins on the floor, too.

5. The Love Language - Equinox -- off the Paste Music Sampler #52. To the best of my knowledge, this is the only place to find this track, that celebrates the loving reunion of friends/lovers in the fall of whatever year it may be. It is a little repetitive in it's melody, but is entirely comfortable with that. How can one not be, when you've a melody running through your head like the marathon man. These keys just kill my conscious mind, and may very well drive me crazy with catchiness. Please ignore any urge you may have to write The Love Language off right away because of their name, it sounds sappy, but damn it is more pleasurable than anything.

Here's to more frequency in the coming months...

Music Monday: Women to Love

The first true Music Monday in a while... just barely. This week's short list is dedicated to that sliver of female talent that I would very easily dedicate my life to, if they'd have me. As a general rule, I tend to stray away from female oriented music acts. Don't ask me why, it's a complete double standard and I know it, there's just no stopping it. With that said, I don't think that females are incapable of any sort of clever songwriting or outright rocking, in fact I think quite the opposite, as this list will express. More over, these women not only have amazing voices, but dammit they're attractive to boot.

Music Monday: Women to Love

1. Heartless Bastards - All This Time -- Erika Wennerstrom. What a voice. Sultry, bluesy, thick, sexy. This woman's got a set of pipes on her, and she can play the guitar. I'd say she's the blues/rock equivalent to Feist (who'll show up later on) -- that ain't a bad thing. Another bit of awesomeness... she's in a band called Heartless Bastards. That's a serious name. I saw them open for somebody months ago, maybe back in the Spring of '07. They were good enough to forget it was who they opened for. This is off the album All This Time.

2. Mareva Galanter - C'est Bon -- off the album Ukuyéyé. I found Mareva Galanter by accident one day while searching Myspace for some new, random music, and I couldn't be happier with the find. As it turns out she was Miss France in '99. I don't know what that means with regards to whether or not she's written these songs or if she's just a good looking front. Her stuff is definitely Sugar Pop, but it's catchy as all hell. The rest of the album's got maybe four or five more songs worth of great French pop music, some of it's a bit odd in it's electro-fetish, but on the whole it's pretty hard not to fall for Galanter's sweet voice and perky attitude. I will warn you, this track has a whistled hook that is way too catchy for your own good, so if you're not ready to be whistling the same tune for the rest of the week, then I apologize in advance. She's a cutie.

3. Charlotte Gainsbourg - AF607105 -- off 5:55. I've gone into how much my artsy friends and I love Charlotte Gainsbourg. She's not conventionally beautiful, she's just sexy in that sort of French way. A soft voice, poetic personality, and having AIR in your corner definitely help out when shooting for male companionship (at least as far as this male is concerned). Not enough can be said about the collaborative work between AIR and Gainsbourg on this album, so you should probably just go out and grab it.

4. Feist - It's Cool To Love Your Family -- off the rare first album, Monarch (Lay Your Jewelled Head Down). I found this album by accident on the pretty awesome blog aggregating site, The Hype Machine. Feist is not only an amazingly attractive lady, she can strum a guitar pretty damn well. Back when Let It Die first came out, I saw her on Conan and fell in love with everything about her right away. A week later she played an in store performance at Dallas' Good Records. I met my friend Anton and Pat there, where we proceeded to have our hearts broken by Ms. Feist's, well, heart-breaking music. After she played we walked up to meet her, we all towered at least a foot over the small Canadian, but nevertheless, Anton did a bang up job embarrassing me as I barely got a word out in between my swooning. Pathetic really, but it was a swoon not wasted, for I'd say Feist is swoon-worthy. Glad she's garnered as much acclaim and success as she has.

5. Shout Out Louds - Blue Headlights -- off of Our Ill Wills. I wrote a review of this cd a while back. Shout Out Louds are a Swedish band that for one reason or another just really haven't taken off here in the States, which is a shame, because they are worthy of a big following. Sure they do play some toothachingly sweet pop music, but that's what Swedes do man, they create toothachingly sweet pop music. Look it up, it's true. The album was produced by Bjorn Yttling of Peter, Bjorn and John, and what a job he did. The vocalist here is keyboardist Bebban Stenborg, a blond waif that usually sits behind the front row of guitars with one hand on the keys and one hand shaking a tambourine. When she does hop out there at center stage you're hoping she's looking in your direction as she sings with such ease a melody fit for rainbows. She also proves the Swedes aren't just known for their odd, gummi fish.

6. Midnight Movies - Strange Design -- off of their self titled, first album. Again, I have expressed my love for front woman Gena Olivier and her drum playing, and her keyboarding, and her deep vocals. I saw Midnight Movies last Friday (opened for Rogue Wave, barely) and it was pretty great. It was also amazingly awkward, because I was on a quasi-date with this girl and I couldn't help but express my love for Olivier. The girl (who will go unnamed) stood next to me as Olivier moved from front and center to the back on the drums. I proceeded to say, "Oh my god, that's my kind of woman." to which date-girl said, "what?" to which I said, "If you want to know the way into my heart, you'll have to know how to play at least three instruments, drums probably being one of them." Date-girl, who looks nothing like Olivier, turned to me, and with an almost desperate look said, "I can play the recorder."

I looked at her as the silence took hold for a good ten seconds. The recorder doesn't suffice. Plain and simple. Without a reply, I turned my attention back to the stage as Olivier and company busted into the psychedelic jam of this song, and afterwards I dropped date-girl off at her car. It remains to be seen if it'll work out between us.

That does it for Women to Love. They are women I love, hopefully they'll make at least some sort of impact on you. See you when I see you.