What I can't stop listening to right now...2/8/10 edition

I bought Grandaddy's Under the Western Freeway a few months back at a local record shop as a used CD. It was only $3 so I thought what the hell, why not!? It was purely an impulse buy; I heard his name a few times in good company and that was enough (I encourage this way of buying music).

Anyway, it takes some time to get into it, but the album is really phenomenal. The lo-fi production and experimental sounds work wonders with sometimes unbelievably catchy melodies (think 'AM 180', track 2), fuzzed up guitars and keyboards, and frontman Jason Lytle's quiet Neil Young-esque vocals.

I couldn't find a link to a free stream of the album but you can buy it here and listen to some of Grandaddy's other songs here.

Studio version is better of course but this is a cool live version:

What I can't stop listening to right now...2/8/10 edition

7 Insane Ways Music Affects The Body

Everyone knows we love to talk music on this blog. I came across a pretty funny article about music's affect on people entitled 7 Insane Ways Music Affects The Body (According to Science) and I believe you should read it.

7 Insane Ways Music Affects The Body

Internet Radio play

The first track off The Problem With the Question EP , "Tell Me That I'm Not" is being showcased today (Thursday, 2/4) on the internet radio station, Westsidewill. I've always been pretty proud of this song, and I'm happy to have it getting some airplay. Listen to the whole show, every Thursday!

Internet Radio play

BOO YAH!

Can't wait to hear this!


read my review of Badly Drawn Boy's last album right here

BOO YAH!

New Quasi album due 2/23

Looks like Quasi will be releasing a new ablum this Febrary 23th entitled American Gong! Looking forward to hearing the rest of it after downloading the awesome first track for free from the Kill Rock Stars label, which Quasi is now signed to.

Also, according to their official page, they're lanching a tour all around the US. I will definitely make the effort to see them in Cambridge, MA at the Middle East Downstairs. I saw them last year at the Knitting Factory in NYC and it was a GREAT show, so I encourage everyone to try to make one of their shows.

Check back here for an album review and an eventual live review.

New Quasi album due 2/23

John Lennon - It's So Hard lyrics

Had this in my mind today. Simple lyrics, but I like them a lot. Today was great though (because yesterday night was) and mostly the line about "when it's good" is running through me head. Great track from the classic Imagine album

You gotta live
You gotta love
You gotta be somebody
You gotta shove
But it's so hard, it's really hard
Sometimes I feel like going down

You gotta eat
You gotta drink
You gotta feel something
You gotta worry
But it's so hard, it's really hard
Sometimes I feel like going down

But when it's good
It's really good
And when I hold you in my arms baby
Sometimes I feel like going down

You gotta run
You gotta hide
You gotta keep your woman satisfied
But it's so hard, it's really hard
Sometimes I feel like going down

John Lennon - It's So Hard lyrics

'Bundle' will be postponed

Hey guys,
Sorry to report, but the new track that was meant to be released in what I call a 'bundle' along with an older unreleased track and a video, will have to be postponed due to some problems I had with the new recording equipment. I accidentally mixed the song in mono! In turn, the sound quality of the track is very compromised and the volume is also quite low. Most likely, the free bundle will not be able to be released until I'm on spring break, but I promise it'll be worth the wait.

To try and make up for it, I will make one track available for free download from The Problem With the Question EP tomorrow on the official website. YAY!

'Bundle' will be postponed

Is There Nothing We Could Do? - Badly Drawn Boy album review

I love writing music reviews, and this will be the first of many more to come.

As everyone who has read this blog knows, I am a huge Badly Drawn Boy fan. Does this mean I can't be objective? Of course I can.

Is There Nothing We Could Do? is the soundtrack to the English movie, The Fattest Man in Britain. Personally, I would have loved to see instead a standard album release from BDB.

Going against Pitchfork (who rate his other soundtrack About a Boy lower) Is There Nothing We Could Do? is probably his weakest release. Really, it's main issue is the lack of true songs that can stand alone on their own. I will also say that this is not Mr. Damon Gough's fault. He is writing a soundtrack, and the recurring melodies and lyrics throughout the 15 tracks really do work well to create a highly unified piece.

The songs that include lyrics and are long enough to be considered a true song, are of high quality. The first track is a great instrumental, piano focused opener, and the title track is one of the strongest, with beautiful acoustic guitar picking and orchestration. The third song All The Trimmings is another gorgeous instrumental with a climax towards the end of the song when strumming acoustic guitars make their entrance.

Perhaps the strongest song on the album is the ballad Welcome Me To Your World, yet another song that features Damon's piano playing, as well as powerful trumpets, and that includes the peak of the entire album in it's minute and a half ending. Damon's voice sounds the best it does panned strong to the left, singing a repeating chorus of "If you need me now / I'd do anything / just say that you need me now / it would mean everything."

Is There Nothing We Could Do? is definitely a worthwhile purchase, though less rabid fans may want to just seek out specific tracks. Is it his finest album? No. Does it contain some truly beautiful music? Yes. Fans who especially enjoy melodic piano pop tunes will fall in love with the music. It gives me hope for the future of Badly Drawn Boy music and I am looking forward to a regular album release in the future (he is supposedly working on it).

And if he tours the US east coast...I'll go apeshit.

Key Tracks: Welcome Me To Your World, Is There Nothing We Could Do?

Is There Nothing We Could Do? - Badly Drawn Boy album review

Want to save over $9,000 a year?

Ditch your car! Even if you believe the numbers to be a little high, even half the amount is fairly staggering. Article here

Want to save over $9,000 a year?

Healthcare Costs in the US Compared

In light of healthcare looking like it will be watered down (at the best) with the election of Senator Brown, I would like to post this graph I saw in National Geographic, to highlight just how ridiculous health care is in the United States, compared with the rest of the world.
See image enlarged

Healthcare Costs in the US Compared