It Didn't Mean Anything to Me.....

Rarely can I say that a song has gotten me through a hard time. Rarely do I identify with the desperate sense of genius behind a bare-bones recording, and say "hey, I could really give that another listen!"

Jonathan Coulton- Dance, Soterios Johnson, Dance

Jonathon wrote this about the local weather man in NYC. And I don't know if the lifestyle implied of the guy is true. But I'll tell you this- you want Soterios Johnson to keep dancing. Because there's something so urgent that's been infused into this song. It reminds me of some terrible Spring days when I just didn't want to wake up, but I did wake up, and now I'm glad. At last I knew it would be sunny.

Jonathon Coulton- Mandelbrot Set

It's always weird recommending a song about math to my friends. But if you actually listen to the lyrics, not only do you realize that they're hilarious....but that they're actually really good too. You can actually learn math by listening to this song, and it's intensely enjoyable to listen to. I've had several very impressionable teachers even in my high school years; should I ever go anywhere good at all, I pray tat I'll be able to write about one of them in a light manner one day. The thing about this song is the chorus.....it's just such a smooth succession of things that you'll find yourself repeating it later on in the day. Add in a fairly cool bridge and you have a song that, while bare-bones in appearance, is actually quite fleshy, and quite good.

Jonathan Coulton- Ikea

Let's not beat around the bush- we've all shopped at Ikea. Bought charming Swedish pieces of furniture; the kind that art-deco people despise and ordinary people venerate for its price-to-performance ratio. Like every other Coulton song, the humor is pretty well rounded; sharply satirical, but not at all biting. Any song that mentions college kids and divorced men in the same lyrical sentence should be worth revealing to the world, and when it is wrapped in a package like the rest of this song, it's a pity to see it buried. Not something that I would play over and over again, but certainly worth at least several listens to get everything that's said.

Look Down Upon the Valley

It's long past time for an update, now that everything's over.

Hot Buttered Rum String Band- Evolution

It's funny to hear a song that presents such a strong visual. The intro manages to pack the sound of a train traveling across a prairy, the Irish wilderness, a medieval castle, and a graveyard all into one 30 second piece. And then the actual song begins; the tale of an epic journey towards realization. The instruments slowly ramp up with the singer, as they explore metaphorically the philosophy of Darwin. Normally, this music would be folksy, "forest-made and listened to" kind of stuff, but because of the charming lyrics, it's passable with most music lovers. And, unlike most indie songs, this piece doesn't end just when it could have been most interesting. Each and every instrument gets a work out in an un-foreseen kind of way, and it keeps the continual unfolding fresh. I see a man climbing a mountain; there is a path, but it is treacherous and he is very caught up in the sights....only by sheer luck does he not fall. But the music is uplifting for the very reason that he doesn't fall. All of nature (represented by the instruments) are working to make sure just that: that he doesn't fall, that he doesn't fail in his climb. To see the top would be glorious.

To be at the top already, knowingly waiting for him, would be by far the best.

The Thermals

There's a strange kind of sickness going on in rock these days. Screamo has had a large effect on the way musicians view using their voice as singing. Some would say this creative license is a good thing for the genre....others argue that the destruction of modern rock is at hand. I was unwilling to take a side in this argument until I heard The Thermals.

It's amazing how a simple hook, a little electric guitar, and a raised voice can inspire me to repeat a track incessantly. The lyrics click instantly; plus, it's the only song that I've ever heard to use the word "sake" effectively. Beat that. The energy just keeps building...first it's through the repetition, and then there's that glorious, momentous hook, when we go another octave; a whole other level of excitement. That the song continues beyond this point is miraculous, because, really, it's all it needed. But it continues to be good, continues to mystify, continues to hook you, until you're drained. And you listen to it again. Go ahead.

The Thermals- How We Know

Marah

So last year at work, Keith introduced me to a band called Marah. He loved their sound, and he loved the fact that one of his track coaches would soon be hosting them live at his house. Much to my own surprise, I found I liked them too. Last year was the "music influx" year, and so I ended up not listening to Marah for a long time. Imagine my surprise when a band that I had viewed as "underground" was listed on Amazon as the 22nd most popular band of the year. Apperantly their solid underground rep had merged with the comment system at Amazon and gotten them up on the scoreboard.

We started listening to Marah at work the other day. I had forgotten how good they were. Ironically, the song that I wanted to let everyone listen to isn't available....tell me if you like what you hear though, because I'm sure we can arrange something. These two songs are from their album, 20,000 Streets Under The Sky:

Feather Boa- Marah
Going Thru The Motions- Marah

Righteous

I've mentioned this song time and time again, but only recently realized that I could link to it. Oh, and only eight more days till my 17th birthday. My darling little sister is going to buy me another Ted Leo cd!

Ted Leo- Me and Mia

There's a story behind this song, just like there's a story behind every other song I recommend- the first time I heard this, I was in a car on the way to Greek Festival practice (for those who don't know, a drama thing. My friend and I always listened to Ben Folds, but I wanted to surprise him with some of the new music I had gotten. The only problem was that I hadn't listened to most of it myself yet; on a whim, I chose the playlist entitled "Ted Leo and the Pharmacists" because it sounded interesting. "Me and Mia" was the first song; it took all of ten seconds for me to realize how good a choice I had made.

There's something about this song that gets inside of you. You don't understand the lyrics, you don't know who Mia is, but you don't care. Your waiting eagerly for the next verse, tensed up and waiting as the tempo dictates your heartbeat. This is the pundits' perfect pop-rock song. It's got hooks, it's got style, it's got everything. Well, except cowbell. And handclaps. But these are petty shortcomings that don't really detract at all from the song. Enjoy.