This blog is "part 2" of new music I've been listening to. I'm continuing the rank of "Mind Expanding" music below:
3. Beach House
My other buddy Adam "Swallz" turned me on to this band a couple of years ago. I sort of think Swallz may be a time-traveler or something. When you meet him, he has this look like he's seen something both mysterious and beautiful. Its like he can only give you bits and pieces of information or you'll lose your mind. He called me out of the blue and said, "Springer, you need to listen to this music. It's like the sound of a forgotten summer..." or some shit like that.
But, because he's magic, I did listen and he was right. Beach House has this effervescent sonic blanket of sound that takes you far away... Also, this most recent album has some tracks that remind me of the vibe from Twin Peaks. (I can't explain why, but this article can). The whole album will marinate your brain in mind-expanding juices. Stand-outs are "Myth," "Lazuli," "On the Sea," and "Wishes."
4. M. Ward
Dude has opiate-laced vocal chords, okay? Dude shreds the guitar, okay? Dude is a master at crafting songs, okay? M. Ward is simply M. Ward and he's wonderful. Just listen. Your mind will expand, guaranteed! Stand-outs are bonafide singles crafted by a careful student of 60's pop orchestration and folk-flare: "Sweetheart," "Primitive Girl," and "Clean Slate."
5. Jay Farrar & The New Multitudes
So, I have this love affair with music that might be referred to as "alternative country." There are a couple of dudes that may be considered the "original gangstas" of this genre of music: Jay Farrar and Jeff Tweedy. They started a band called Uncle Tupelo in the mid-nineties when most other dudes were in full-on grunge mode! They had a good thing goin' but it didn't last...
Fast forward a couple of decades and throw in some "creative differences" and you have an interesting Peter vs Paul dynamic going on where "the gospel" is Woody Guthrie's unsung songs. In 1998, Jeff Tweedy's Wilco took a stab at Woody Guthrie's songs and knocked it outta the park!
I think that pissed off Jay Farrar, especially cuz he said that he was asked first, (but he turned it down...)
Well, God works in mysterious ways and Jay got his shot at the Guthrie canon. He also got a little help from his friends (Jim James of My Morning Jacket, anyone!?)
The album is strong and has a fearlessness about it that I really like. It's a good collaboration of a bunch of bearded-indie-wonders too. I never got into Woody Guthrie, but these dudes make a strong argument for getting to know more about the folk legend. Stand-outs are: "Fly High," "My Revolutionary Mind," and "Chorine My Sheba Queen."
There is still more to come! Stay tuned! As if anyone is actually reading this garbage! Yeah!
Yeah, my mind is kinda blown. This post will go down in history as being the catalyst for me finally creating a Spotify account.
ReplyDeleteReally interesting article there about Twin Peaks and David Lynch. I think the Julee Cruise/Angelo Badalamenti stuff owes a great deal to My Bloody Valentine and Galaxie 500, so it's interesting to see the Twin Peaks music being credited, even retroactively, as inspiration for more contemporary shoegazer stuff (most of which--excepting Beach House--still sounds like My Bloody Valentine ripoffs to me, but still...).
Also, re: Jay Farrar, I know you're not the sissy Death Cab for Cutie fan that I am, but he and Ben Gibbard did a pretty good soundtrack to this Jack Kerouac documentary called One Fast Move or I'm Gone. Tre Alt Americana with an almost 50's vibe. I'll Dropbox it to you (I've got it on iTunes m4a files, so if you have trouble opening, let me know and I'll figure out some other way to take food of the artists' table).