Some New Things

In this post I'll be sharing a few new things I've found lately.

Number 1: A cover of Wilco's Radio Cure by the Bad Plus. The Bad Plus are like an alternative jazz band, similar to Brad Mehldau (if you don't know him, buy the album Largo now!) and in their most recent album, they included a cover of Radio Cure, a track from Wilco's album Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. They take some nice liberties by making it their own, but the beauty and awesomeness of original song remain intact. It starts out a little odd but really picks up towards the end. It's a great listen and shines a new light on an already great song.

Number 2: I recently found out about the band Funeral Party and they are really awesome! Like REALLY REALLY awesome. They kind of have a dance aspect to their sound but bring an Alt. Rock hint to it. They have a really fresh sound and I'm really excited about them. I could only find 3 of their songs on iTunes and I couldn't find any of them on the internet so if anyone wants to send me some more of their stuff let me know! They are definitely worth checking out and the 3 songs are definitely worth buying on iTunes.

Number 3: For those of you who watched the 500 Days of Summer trailer that I posted about a few weeks ago and enjoyed the song in it, I found out the name. It's called Sweet Disposition by The Temper Trap. Even if you didn't see the trailer (which you should), listen to the song. It's pretty good.

Number 4: I found a really good Damien Rice single on iTunes called Unplayed Piano. It's very good and it's one of my favorite songs by him now. The song features Lisa Hannigan who I've never heard of but I really enjoy the song. It's very nice and relaxing.

Number 5: Wilco announced a while ago that they were coming out with a live concert DVD titled Ashes of American Flags and they recently posted a link to the trailer on their website. It looks pretty good and I'm excited to see it. I think it won Best Cinematography at a film festival (possibly South by Southwest) so check it out. http://ashesofamericanmovie.com/

Number 6: iTunes sometimes has celebrity playlists advertised on the Music Store and I recently found Bon Iver's playlist. Some pretty interesting music and unfortunately I couldn't find it again but for those of you interested, you might want to check out what he's listening to. Bellow is a list of his picks.

1. A Forest - The Cure
2. Steal Away - Sam Cooke
3. Seems I'm Never Tired Lovin' You - Nina Simone
4. A Song For You - Donny Hathaway
5. All Fires - Swan Lake
6. Fun - Collections of Colonies of Bees
7. Get Right Church, Let's Go Home - The Staple Singers
8. Valerie - Amy Winehouse
9. Made In The Dark - Hot Chip
10. Like You'll Never See Me Again - Alicia Keys
11. Don't Stop 'Till You Get Enough (Original Demo from 1978) - Michael Jackson
12. One Mo'gin - D'Angelo
13. Long Distance Runner - Fugazi
14. Matchstick Maker - Bowerbirds

Thanks for checking in and I'll have a few new album reviews up in the next few days so be sure to check back.

Sky Blue Sky

From time to time I will search through my library and post on a personal favorite. Today I will be discussing on of my all time favorite albums Sky Blue Sky by my favorite band Wilco.

Sky Blue Sky is Wilco's 6th studio album and arguably one of their best. Released May 15th, 2007, it sold 87,000 copies in it's first week making it Wilco's best selling record. Recorded at their Loft in Downtown Chicago, this was the first album with Multi-Instrumentalists Nels Cline as a full time member and Pat Sansone. It received mostly positive reviews except from sources such as Pitchfork Media, criticizing it's "dad-sound." 

The band wanted to create a much more mellow sound, therefore took a more relaxed approach to the recording process compared to their previous album, A Ghost is Born. Tweedy took inspiration from bands such as The Byrds and Fairport Convention and looked to make a sound similar to The Rolling Stones, The Beach Boys and The Beatles. 

The album starts off with the mellow Either Way and a great guitar to begin the record. The song has a little bit of a folky start but gets a bit experimental with a crisp guitar solo towards the middle. The next song, You Are My Face, is a nice picture and features more of Jeff Tweddy's poetic lyricism. In the middle of the song, there is a great solo featuring a very cool raspy guitar played by Nels Cline. Tweedy's vocals become stronger and have more emotion at this point and thus the song becomes more powerful. The next song is my favorite on the album, the jazzy, Impossible Germany. This song utilizes both Tweedy's beautiful lyrics and Nels Cline's awesome guitar abilities. It ends with one of the best guitar solos on any Wilco song. Next is the title track Sky Blue Sky, a country song that would sound a little more appropriate on their second album, Being There, but is still a good song. After that is Side with the Seeds, a bluesy song with Tweedy belting out his vocals against a cool guitar part. The middle of the song gets a little hectic but will be enjoyed by any Wilco fan. Next is the funk influenced Shake it Off with a great bass line by Jon Stirrait. Then is the very deep and emotional love song Please Be Patient With Me, which is done entirely solo by Jeff Tweedy. The next track is the blues song, Hate It Here, a great ballad to a missing woman. The song has great guitar parts interspersed throughout and of course fantastic belting vocals. The next song, Leave me (Like You Found Me), is a bit plain and would also easily fit into Being There but is still a good song. Then there is Walken, one of the better tracks on the album with a very fun slide guitar by Nels Cline and some great guitar playing by Jeff (the song may sound familiar from the Volkswagen commercial). Then the album's single, What Light, which is a country song about being your own person, a nice moral to come away with. It is a good song and reminiscent of the Mermaid Avenue collaborations with Billy Bragg. The final song on the album On and On and On is the weakest song in the collection with very mediocre and shallow lyrics, possibly written by Tweedy's sons Spencer (13) and Sam (10).

This album gets a 4/5 stars. It is a near masterpiece and comes together in a very strong way and is the bands most mature work to date. They have announced an album coming out some time this spring so keep your eyes out for that. This is an album every collection should have so if you don't already own it, go out and buy it now.