Showing posts with label *Posts by Nicole. Show all posts
Showing posts with label *Posts by Nicole. Show all posts
Alyssa's Fall Tracks
1. "Pagan Angel and a Borrowed Car" - Iron and Wine
2. "I Will Follow You Into The Dark" - Death Cab for Cutie
3. "Never Meant" - American Football
4. "Those To Come" - The Shins
5. "Science Vs. Romance" - Rilo Kiley
Most of these songs have a feeling of fall to me for nostalgic reasons. I remember hearing the first track from Iron and Wine's Shepherd's Dog for the first time two Octobers ago at a party. I remember my high school best friend and I singing "I Will Follow You Into The Dark" to each other randomly on the phone the fall after Plans came out. I won't bore you with more details but basically, these tracks are my "fall tracks" because of the images of this season they bring back whenever I listen to them.
Iron and Wine
"Pagan Angel and a Borrowed Car" off of The Shepherd's Dog
Joey's Fall Tracks
1. "Re: Stacks" - Bon Iver
2. "Sweet Talk" - Dear and the Headlights
3. "Choose The One Who Loves You More" - Copeland
4. "Monechetti" - Further Seems Forever
5. "Hometown Reward" - Procession Came Opposite
These aren't about Fall - just remind me of it, for one reason or another. It's probably because I picture them all wearing coats while they play. Or maybe I just love these songs year 'round and it happens to be autumn now so I'm mislead. Or maybe I'm a robot.
Copeland
"Choose The One Who Loves You More" off of In Motion
Procession Came Opposite
"Hometown Reward" off of Pillars
Nicole's Fall Tracks
1. "Sowing Season" - Brand New
2. "Sodom, South Georgia" - Iron and Wine
3. "Here I Dreamt I Was an Architect" - The Decemberists
4. "Shoulders" - Jacob Golden
5. "Love Love Love" - The Mountain Goats
As much as I hate for summer to fade, I always look forward to the first day of Fall. For me, it's a season of change and reflection. A season not only for colder, crisper air but for longer, quieter drives and muffled, evening conversations with close friends. The songs I chose are those that have accompanied me in such moments, whether they be from now or seasons past.
Iron and Wine
"Sodom, South Georgia" off of Our Endless Numbered Days
Andrew's Fall Tracks
1. "Broom People" - The Mountain Goats
2. "A Glance Backwards and Forwards" - Slingshot Dakota
3. "An Experiment" - Mates of State
4. "Revealing Too Much" - The Honorary Title
5. "Planetary" - Rainer Maria
For one reason or another, when I picture myself listening to music during the fall season I can't help but think back to my first semester of college and the artists I loved back then. Maybe it's because I spent more time outside listening to music my freshman year, who knows. All of these songs remind me of that point of my life, either because I don't listen to them as often these days or because that's when I started listening to them.
The Mountain Goats
"Broom People" off of The Sunset Tree
Chelsea's Fall Tracks
1. "23" - Jimmy Eat World
2. "We Looked Like Giants" - Death Cab for Cutie
3. "Cannonball" - Damien Rice
4. "Innocent Vigilant Ordinary" - The Appleseed Cast
5. "Fix You Up" - Tegan and Sara
I look forward to fall each year because it is without a doubt my favorite season. The crisp, cool air just does something to make the world seem alive despite the fact that most things in nature are slowly dying. For me, this season has always been accompanied somewhat somber, thoughtful music that makes me nostalgic of important times, people and moments in my life. The song "23" by Jimmy Eat World reminds me of the fall of my freshman year of college. I was starting a new stage in my life and the album Futures meant a lot to me during that time. It remains to this day one of my favorite songs, on one of my favorite albums.
Jimmy Eat World
"23" off of Futures
The Appleseed Cast
"Innocent Vigilant Ordinary" off of Two Conversations
Keenan's Fall Tracks
1. "I Want Wind To Blow" - The Microphones
2. "Welcome Home, Son" - Radical Face
3. "Never Meant" - American Football
4. "This Year" - The Mountain Goats
5. "Bikes and Bridges" - Defiance, Ohio
Aside from the lyrics or the musical aspects of a song that may remind you of a particular time of the year, I find that when I first discover / listen to a song, it tends to freeze itself into that particular period in time. When any of the aforementioned tracks come onto shuffle, I almost immediately find myself conjuring up memories of where I was or what I was doing when I was first introduced to said song.
The Microphones
"I Want Wind to Blow" off of The Glow Part II
Radical Face
"Welcome Home, Son" off of Ghost
My life has been an absolute whirlwind the past few months, and I have found myself so inundated with work that I have not seen nearly as many shows as I would have liked to. I miss the energy of the crowd and watching the organic performances and new sounds that can emerge from bands as they play.The only thing that has been getting me through this dry spell is the collection of live recordings I have been hoarding on my iPod from Daytrotter.com. Daytrotter is a recording studio in Rock Island, ILL. where bands are invited to come and play their music with whatever instruments and knick knacks happen to by lying around the studio that day.
The result? New spins on your old favorites and amazing raw recordings that make you feel like you're watching an intimate, live performance. Even better is that all the music produced during these sessions is completely free to download. Daytrotter's writers and artists also put together a sketch or drawing of the band, so that it imports as your iTunes album art for the download. Your iTunes has never looked so sweet.
Recently featured is the band The Antlers, reviewed by PFW's Alyssa just last week. Check out their session, along with the extensive session archive of all your favorite groups at daytrotter.com.
Death Cab For Cutie
"A Movie Script Ending" off of Day Trotter Sessions
Ra Ra Riot
"Oh La" off of Day Trotter Session
Blind Pilot
"The Story I Heard" off of Day Trotter Session
Linda Basso is no stranger to the music scene. Coming from a musical family and a performance background, she has now embarked upon a solo endeavor to showcase her flair for singing and songwriting. Basso's jazz and blues ballads highlight her edgy yet fluid voice, along with soothing horn accompaniments and lively background vocals. If you're looking to enjoy a classy night, check out her music at http://www.myspace.com/lindabasso.- Nicole Prahin
Hailing from Anaheim, Calif., Argyle Smile began as an outlet for Jared Parsons musical aspirations. After the addition of friend Dana Chambers, Parsons began to recruit musicians with similar influences that would help carry out his musical vision. Listing Andrew Bird, Simon and Garfunkel and Acrade Fire as just a few of their many musical influences, Argyle Smile combines elements of various genres allowing their appeal to reach vast audiences. Parons and Chambers beautiful harmonizations are complemented by the rich textures built by the music featuring instruments such as the ukulele and glockenspiel. Argyle Smile has a somewhat familiar and comforting sound that they have taken and made into their own. Argyle Smile's debut EP entitled Tipsy Turvy is available for purchase on CD Baby.
- Chelsea Falato
The Woodlands is a pop duo consisting of Samuel and Hannah Robertson, a husband and wife from Portland, Ore. After their wedding and several travel excursions across Europe and Central America, the duo came back to the states inspired and determined to make music together. They compare themselves to artists like Gregory and the Hawk, Feist and Elliott Smith. These are likely influences because they all use soft vocals and simple, melodic instrumentation. They recorded and produced their self-titled 2009 release themselves, which can be purchased now on iTunes and CDBaby.
- Alyssa Roibal
Shaw is the electronic/experimental one-man project of California native Shaw Waters. Although often very atmospheric and pad-heavy at times, Shaw's tracks can appeal to those who may not even consider themselves fans of electronic or experimental music. He manages to incorporate some pretty brilliant lyrics, executed through the use of some brilliant melodies. His next (and first, from what I believe) EP, Pretending We're Not Animals is all finished up and ready to go in the very near future. If you contact him before hand, however, he's send-spacing the album in advance to those who might be curious about his music. You can make that happen by contacting him via shawmakesmusic@gmail.com
- Keenan Gaynor
THE SKINNY: Fitzgerald's vocals are soothing and nostalgic, making his music the perfect companion for a reflective drive to clear and ease your mind after a long day. WEBSITE: http://www.ianfitzgerald.com/
MYSPACE http://www.myspace.com/ianfitzgeraldmusic
PURCHASE: CDBaby
A folk artist from Massachusetts, Ian Fitzgerald has been recording and performing around the New England area for the past five years. With four albums and a first place prize in a Boston songwriting contest under his belt, he has good reason to be proud. Though citing influences as Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan and other legendary folk singers, Fitzgerald has managed to forge a style and sound of his own; one that ranges from slow, ballad-like serenades to edgy, rapid beats.
His latest album, Empty Like the Lion Den, was released on Dirt Floor Records, an independent label intent on reminding listeners that the "tradition and soul of music is alive and well." With an array of guitars, the occasional fiddle or banjo, and heartfelt lyrics that are truly poetry to music, Fitzgerald gracefully gives merit to this claim.
"Maps" off of Empty Like the Lion Den
FOR FANS OF: AA Bondy, Ryan Adams, Fionn Regan
THE SKINNY: Though Daisy lacks the innovation and musical dynamics of past releases, its deeper exploration of elements present in The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me make it a worthwhile listen.WEBSITE: http://fightoffyourdemons.com/
MYSPACE: http://www.myspace.com/brandnew
Brand New is a band known for its tremendous growth. The progression and maturity that accompany each new album far surpass what many bands could hope for in their entire careers. I think part of this success stems from the length of time that the band allots before releasing something new. They have time to grow together as a band, experiment with new sounds and ideas, as well as give thought to the direction they want to head in. After The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me forged a new path for the band that was so widely received and respected, most fans anxiously waited to see where the next album would venture.
For me, however, Daisy does not depart from the spirit of Devil and God all that much. While the familiar hints of Brand New remain -- the driving melodies, the incorporation of distorted, dissonant noises and recordings (in this album, they are primarily snippets of old church hymnal songs), and lyrics woven with irony and religious overtones -- there is still something that feels off. Maybe it's the abrupt parts of the opening song "Vices" where Lacey's voice seems more like a painful shrill, or maybe it's that none of the songs sound as polished or manifold as past tracks like "Limousine." Although it has taken me more than several listens to realize, it seems that the unsettling, disjointed vibe could in fact be what the band intended.
Notions of cynicism and jadedness appear repeatedly with religious imagery of irredeemable betrayal, judgment and loss of faith. The continuity of such themes suggests that the questions of faith and redemption loosely posed in The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me were reflective of a much deeper struggle. The final track, "Noro," concludes with the following: How am I ever going to know peace? // How will I ever see the light through the trees? // I want to burn down everything we've begun, I want to kill and eat my young. // Because I'm on my way to Hell. // Well I've tried. God knows that I've tried. These lyrics conveniently embody the album's overarching desire for closure and a disassociation from the past.
Where there was once growth, there is now a sense of stagnation and disillusionment. Though Daisy possesses many profound and thought-provoking moments, it's hard to step away from the album without feeling like it's the band's goodbye, or at least their resignation from the music scene for a good while. Given the complexity and variety of music Brand New has offered fans and listeners over the past years, I can only hope that this is not the case.
"Sink" off of Daisy:
"At The Bottom off of Daisy:
FAVORITE TRACK: "Sink, At The Bottom"
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