Grouplove: Never Trust a Happy Song
Posted by Troy | Filed under Music
Do your parties always fail?
Try putting Grouplove on at the next one. It’ll help.
Also, you may need new friends and/or personality.
PS. Never Trust a Happy Song album art is by Grouplove singer Hannah Hooper.
Tags: Hannah Hooper, Music, reviews
The Beatles
Posted by Troy | Filed under Music
Illustration by Troy DeShano
This year new music sharing will alternate with music-based illustration.
My 9-yr-old daughter has really been into The Beatles lately, and on the rare occasion that she takes a break from The Muppets soundtrack you’ll hear the Fab Four ringing from her iPod.
I thought it was pretty cool the other day when she had a friend sleepover and I could hear “Love Me Do” coming from her room and wondered how many sleepovers over the past 50 years have had that song in the background.
So in honor of her and her always classy tastes, here’s the first in what will hopefully be many Beatles-inspired illustrations from our house.
Tags: original illustration, the beatles
Kathleen Edwards: Voyageur
Posted by Troy | Filed under Music
This new album from Kathleen Edwards is totally worth the long wait since her last. I love how this record sounds enough like her previous work that you know and recognize her fingerprints, but also has a whole new feel to it.
Which is nice.
The subtle newness can be attributed on some level by the fact that it was produced by Bon Iver and…
I suppose I don’t need to write anything else. She’s awesome.
Also. My giddiness hearing this new album was coming was cranked up a big notch when I saw the totally rad great lakes album art by Darren Booth!
Tags: kathleen edwards
Delay Trees: Delay Trees
Posted by Troy | Filed under Music
Totally obsessed with Delay Trees right now.
Kind of like Sigur Ros only more accessible (the songs are much shorter for one thing) and it is catchy and upbeat (but not too upbeat) and has these little wonderful moments of really intense energy.
I feel like I could recommend this to just about anybody.
While I’m wondering how some kid from Helsinki can write songs about everyday things, love, life and the apocalypse in a way that a kid from Michigan can appreciate, I noticed the band bio on their website:
In his early twenties, Rami started to write songs about the growing pressures of adulthood, unemployment, ending friendships and the long Finnish winters.
Ok.. That makes sense then…
Which makes me wonder… is art style, genre, medium or even tempo determined on some level by personal experiences? Even if Rami and I live on opposite ends of the Earth, but have long winters in common are we more likely to create things to which one another can relate? or feel inspired by or connected to?
Or just enjoy?
So many great things about this record. I love the opening to my favorite song on the record – the apocalyptic “Summer 2012″ — speak to me in tongues or through fire alarms.
That’s a winner right there.
Tags: Delay Trees, Music
Strong Odors: Favorite Albums 2011
Posted by Troy | Filed under Music
Rather than publishing my annual boring list of music that I like and think everyone else should (but probably doesn’t), this year I’ve just set up a Spotify playlist of my favorite albums from 2011. So you can just listen & decide for yourself.
A few times I’ve caught myself saying how 2010 was such a huge amazing year for new music and this year had a few gems, but nothing life-changing. (a justifiable statement considering 2010 provided classics from Sufjan, Arcade Fire and a Kanye West opus)
Maybe I was distracted by the fact that my by-far favorite album to listen to this year actually was released late December 2010.
But as I was throwing this playlist together I’m realizing I was wrong. (see list below for obvious reasons why)
In fact, even in the past couple weeks I’ve discovered new stuff that I didn’t even know existed that is totally making me double-take.
So spend your afternoon listening and let me know what you dig.
PLUS: There’s so much great stuff out there… check out other lists like IGIF and NPR
So listen along and enjoy some great tunes and let me know if you’ve been obsessed with that I missed! (i.e. The Antlers, Atlas Sound, Caveman, Wilco?) Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Beastie Boys, best of, bon iver, cymbals eat guitars, Delay Trees, feist, Fleet Foxes, J Mascis, Music, Radiohead, Raphael Saadiq, REM, Ringo Deathstarr, The Joy Formidable, The Roots, tune-yards
Cymbals Eat Guitars: Lenses Alien
Posted by Troy | Filed under Music
Both lyrically & sonically reminiscent of early Smashing Pumpkins (only without Billy Corgan’s voice) — Cymbals Eat Guitars manage to channel a number of different but familiar sounds while somehow maintaining their very own.
I love how they get creative with rhythms without falling into “experimental” category and have the guts to tread dangerously close to the “emo” cliff without falling into that dark, sad abyss.
Pretty much anything actually contemporary that sounds like 1991 I’m going to be freak out about.
I can totally see myself cranking this all day and then crashing on the couch for some Twin Peaks.
Oh wait. That’s what I’ve done every day this week…
Tags: alternative, cymbals eat guitars, Music
Four New Albums from Progressive Ladies
Posted by Troy | Filed under Culture, Music
[NOTE: If you're on Spotify, listen along to these albums while you read. I put them in a handy playlist for you. You can also catch highlights from these artists & all the others featured here by subscribing to the Strong Odors playlist]
Right now, maybe more than any other time in my life, my regularly rotating playlist is filled with females.
With awesome releases from bands like Joy Formidable, Wye Oak, Wild Flag so far this year, I’ve rarely heard a hint of testosterone from my earbuds in the past 6 months (except for maybe Radiohead)
“Accessibility” is kind of a difficult trait to determine in a recording. It seems to be the factor by which most consider an album or song to be “good.” If it’s accessible, if it has a great beat and makes you want to dance or drink coffee or whatever—if it’s got a catchy hook that sticks in your head or helps you sell cars or kleenex or insurance.
But I like to be challenged a little. Sometimes when you find something less accessible, it just means it is (like all the most wonderful things in life) an acquired taste. Here are a few fantastic brand new releases in order of how accessible they may be.. so if you haven’t the stomach for tUnE-yArDs, you may have to stick to Feist… but it’ll be a delight either way. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: bjork, feist, Music, reviews, st. vincent, tune-yards, women
WILD FLAG: WILD FLAG
Posted by Troy | Filed under Music
I’ve got a predilection for music recorded the old-fashioned way—live in the studio.
There’s some fugitive quality that comes along with recording a group of artists playing as a team that you just can’t capture mixing each individually recorded part on a computer or whatever.
And when it comes to punk rock, the thought of recording parts just smells funny—like when you see a basketball game scene on TV… no matter how accurate they make it it still feels wrong.
Punk should not be sterilized. It can’t be, really…
Tags: Music, reviews, wild flag
The Joy Formidable: The Big Roar
Posted by Troy | Filed under Music
I’ve been wanting to blog about this all year… but unfortunately (at least for you readers) I’ve been far to busy working on my art show and my new project—Maker’s Market—to have any time to devote to unleashing various odors upon thee.
However… I can’t put this off for any longer.
I’ve got a handful of new albums on rotation that have become my playlist for the summer (even though I’m way behind on writing about them), but this one by The Joy Formidable has firmly taken it’s place as my default go-to album whenever I’m scrolling up-and-down the list trying to make a listening decision.
The songs seem to be written from that rare but intensely kinetic place between heartache and resolution.
It is the moment when you realize you can’t continue living a zombie life.. crying yourself to sleep or avoiding human contact or binging on junk food… The moment you slap yourself across the face and stand up.
And the accompanying music to the tales somehow manages to harness the energy required to shake off the chains of loss and take your first step back into independence.
It’s been a long time since I’ve heard anything with the energy of The Big Roar.
Tags: Music, reviews, The Joy Formidable
Don’t Play No Game that I Can’t Win
Posted by Troy | Filed under Film, Music
Continuing my pension for posting every single thing Spike Jonze ever touches…
In 1994 Spike Jonze Directed a Beastie Boys video for the song “Sabatoge,” which instantly became my favorite all-time music video and made me a lifetime fan of both Spike and the Beasties.
This short-film (or long-form music vid?) just released – with Spike making more awesome stuff with the Beastie Boys.
I know at least a couple dudes who are gonna flip out when they see this.
Tags: Beastie Boys, music video, Spike Jonze, video
