George Harrison and Bob Marley
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Artist: Joanna Newsom
Song: Monkey & Bear
Album: Ys
“In the magnetic embrace
Balletic and glacial of Bear’s insatiable shadow”
I have loved Joanna’s musc so long now that this song is practically engraved in my head. It does seem odd that she would have songs that span the limit of 10 minutes bu the songs seem to fit whenever she does go on for that long with her beautiful songs. This one in particular catchs my eye for it’s amazing story telling and the way the melodies progress and the way she shapes her voice to fit the complexities of what is happening in the song. There are spots in the song that really catch me, such as when the bear starts to wash himself and the rhythm of that section is just beautiful and so damn catchy. She is, by far, one of the most interesting artists I listen to.
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Artist: Janelle Monáe
Song: 57821 (Feat. Deep Cotton)
Album: The ArchAndroid
Is it good?: SO GOOD.
“The lock of gray hair that she gave to him
Stayed clutched in his fist through the night
Dead or alive, she still yearned for him
Cause even in darkness there’s light, oh and”
I listened to this song at 12 A.M. last night as I was trying to go to sleep and this song put me in the best trance ever set off by music. The melodies are swirling and you never know where they go. The story that is put out by Janelle is enveloping within itself. The two vocals that intertwine are perfect for the story to take and the stops and gos of the song move your heart back and forth till you are completely taken by the song and open your eyes and notice you’re down to Earth again. I am so glad I downloaded this artist. She is a force to be reckoned with and one of the most original artists I have listened to in ages.
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Artist: Imogen Heap
Song: Canvas
Album: Ellipse
Beautiful?: Very beautiful.
“The more you lose the less you see,
So close your eyes and start to breathe,
Oh you said yourself, this wasn’t easy.”
You may have no idea how excited I am to see her live. She recreates her songs on stage for her audience and she just lets the audience relish in her amazing talent. This song especially captures pure talent to create an extremely atmospheric song and let her listener be completely enveloped in her melodies and lyrics that really don’t make too much sense. It makes you wonder what the hell it’s about. How you will feel when you’re done listening to it. You can feel that she’s feeling something mysterious, also. Something that’s bigger than something normal. Something amazing.
- Jeremy
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Artist: The Who
Song: Christmas
Album: Tommy
What kind of rock?: CLASSIC ROCK.
“I believe in love
but how can men who’ve never seen
Light be enlightened.”
I have heard some of The Who’s songs before. Like the ever-famous Pinball Wizard. But I find much greatness is the lesser-known songs such as this one. The passion that the lead feels for this Tommy is unbelievable. I find that most of the kids in the 70’s connected with Tommy. Seeing as he such a disconnected guy. And the father’s terrible worries about him. But there isn’t anything wrong with him. He’s just a dreamer. And nothing can cure that. You can just become an amazing artist if the only thing you can do is create. That’s what I feel this whole album is about. At the time of the counter-culture, all the adults were freaking out because they all thought that society was going to crumble from the hippies. But it flourishes with them. They like to create. That’s all they can do. And The Who was the voice screaming this to society and the teens listened.
- Jeremy
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Artist: Vampire Weekend
Song: California English
Album: Contra
Good?: Very good.
“Living like the French Connection, but we’ll die in LA”
I had absolutely no idea what was going to come out of their second album. I was surprised! I like it even more than their last. The feeling is so much more relaxed and the little quirks are not on the surface, if you really listen, you can see where their minds are and love it all the more. This song especially boggles my mind. Any artist that can do some impressive speech singing is okay on my part. Especially in a song like this where it is modified by computers and it still remains graspable and has a wonderful, fresh sound that makes you love Vampire even more. I just am captivated with how they make their music and am extremely excited to see where they take their music next.
- Jeremy
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Artist: M.I.A.
Song: The Turn
Album: Kala
How cool?: Really f*cking cool.
“Walking on a tightrope
Go for something, I don’t even know
Where to get it from
Sending out a signal
Smoke from a gun blow
As I knock off knock off
Things that I don’t want.”
It seems as though M.I.A. matured greatly with her second full-length album Kala and this song really delves into more than just a hip-hop. Commentaries on war, feelings, and many more things you wouldn’t expect from a hip-hop artist. The outlandish landscapes of music really come off first as a jaw-dropping, pot-inspired song. You look at the lyrics and you see that this lady has more imagination than expected. Taking you across scenes of shooting and wars of desperation. She is definitely one of the most innovative rap singers out there and her new album is highly anticipated!
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Song: It’s 5!
Artist: Architecture in Helsinki
Album: In Case We Die
Rank on Amazing Scale: F*CKING AMAZING
“Stranger danger,
Danger stranger,
When you gonna follow through?”
This is probably one of the most innovative bands I have ever listened to. This album spans over 5 different genres and listening to it for the first time will take you on a journey that you have no idea where it’s going. This song particularly enthralling and the beat is extremely hard to deny. The beat is on, the spirit is on, and it’s all as silly as counting and retreats back to the days of Sesame Street. As you listen, you may think, “What the hell is this?” But simultaneously having a feeling of pure love for the song. The lead vocals are loud, scratchy, and captivating in its rarity. All the other members, that reaches a great loud of about 7 all join in and end in a great stop of love and continues with upcoming listens. If you have never heard of this jem of a band, you really need to give this song and their many others a listen. They are quite hidden in the indie world and you must find their beautiful songs and keep them forever!!
- Jeremy
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Song: Rill Rill
Artist: Sleigh Bells
Album: Treats
“Have a heart, have a heart, have a heart”
I kept on hearing things about Sleigh Bells from people like Vampire Weekend and all of the other people on Pitchfork. I had no idea what they were about. This is the first song that I listened to and I was pleasantly surprised. This album is a bit of a noise rock homage but all of the songs are chaotically well put together. All of them are party songs. Indie bashes, if you may. But this song does delve far deeper than just into a red-cupped cylinder filled with beer. It’s incredibly catchy and they are a refreshing band that brightens one’s Summer immensely.
- Jeremy
