Top 50: Part I

The first 10- This is the first of my top 50 listened to series. I've included where I first heard them and what I think now. Also, who doesn't love a chickadee?

50:Artist: Yeasayer

Learned About 'em: The first song of theirs I ever had was Sunrise, it was on AQ's daffodils.

Ideas!: I can't claim to know that much about Yeasayer, they have become fairly popular since the release of their last CD ODD BLOOD, but I haven't really gotten past All Hour Cymbals yet. My favorite songs by them include Sunrise and Tightrope however most people I have shared them with prefer Sunrise. Last I heard they were scheduled to visit the Boulder area this spring.

Chicka-dee-dee-dee: The music is easy to listen to and enjoyable; artist on the rise.

49:Artist: Shapes and Sizes

Learned About 'em: I pulled these guys off of eMusic one day.

Ideas!: They have whacky beats and sometimes strange vocals. I only have their self titled album though I'm sure they have released more since. I know the songs Island's Gone Bad (which my brother and I made fun of for a summer 'point my finger and thumb and shoot the gun' and something about fruit) and Northern Lights the best.

Chicka-dee-dee-dee: I wouldn't say I particularly like this band nor that I will listen to them much in the future.

48:Artist: Bright Eyes

Learned About 'em: I really don't know how I came across Bright Eyes, probably a long time ago but I was unaware of it at the time. I'm sure “Bowl of Oranges” was on AQ's Daffodils, but that is the only definite time I can remember seeing their name for the first time.

Ideas!: I really like Bright Eyes, I think Conor Oberst is a terrific lyricist. Most all of his songs are heartbreaking but it's nice to have your heart broken every once in awhile. I have I'm Wide Awake It's Morning and also LIFTED or The Story Is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground and I think I listen to them a fairly equal amount. I love songs like Lua, We are Nowhere And It's Now, and First Day Of My Life. I don't normally do this but I also recommend the music video for First Day Of My Life, it's pretty sweet. Last year Bright Eyes disbanded.

Chicka-dee-dee-dee: Though Oberst has moved on, I will certainly continue to love Bright Eyes.

47:Artist: Bubba Sparxxx

Learned About 'em: On an old Madden soundtrack, I can't remember which one.

Ideas!: I have one song, Back In The Mud, and it's really pretty awful. I have nothing to write about this except that I listened to it far to much at one point.

Chicka-dee-dee-dee: What a ridiculous name, what a ridiculous song.

46:Artist: Grandaddy

Learned About 'em: On eMusic

Ideas!: These guys really rock, they deserve to be listened to a bit more than they have been but for some reason I never get around to them. I have several albums by them but probably listened to Fambly Cat the most. The song AM 180 is super catchy and fun, I wish I had more to write about them!

Chicka-dee-dee-dee: Get your act together and listen to them more...

45:Artist: Morning Runner

Learned About 'em: On a friends Myspace

Ideas!: Another one song wonder, Burning Benches, which really is a pretty good song. I read an article about it once that said the song was originally much softer but they thought it too much of a love song so they added a bit of insanity and lust at the end to convey more of the feeling you get when fall apart longing for someone who doesn't want you.

Chicka-dee-dee-dee: I have no idea what they're like beyond this song.

44:Artist: Hot Hot Heat

Learned About 'em: This was a birthday present several years ago.

Ideas!: I got the album Make Up The Breakdown and listened to it a bunch of times, it now mostly reminds me of playing Battlefield Vietnam. They have squeaky vocals and loud drums, they're pretty ok I guess.

Chicka-dee-dee-dee: Ehhhhh, maybe they've gotten better.

43:Artist: Radiohead

Learned About 'em: No idea.

Ideas!: Ok so it is fairly blasphemous to most people to have them so far down on the list but what can you do? I really like Radiohead and I loved how In Rainbows was released for whatever price you wanted to pay for it; though as I remember I paid for it much later at a regular price of about $15. They were a huge 90's band and continue to crank out good sound.

Chicka-dee-dee-dee: I hope I get around to them more soon.

42:Artist: Pretty Girls Make Graves

Learned About 'em: No idea.

Ideas!: I can't say much about these (girls?). I vaguely remember playing Midnight Club while listening to them and I know they're pretty decent. I don't know anything about their discography except that Elan Vital (my album) has a cool picture of an animated ice cream cone on it.

Chicka-dee-dee-dee: A smooth dark sound.

41:Artist: Death Cab for Cutie

Learned About 'em: Maybe through I Will Follow You Into the Dark?

Ideas!: Terrific stuff, he music is music is occasionally boring but his lyrics are always very clever. He wrote a sleuth of songs which I fell in love with such as the aforementioned Follow You Into the Dark, Soul Meets Body, Title and Registration, and President of What?. The last single he put out was a single for the Twilight series and all Twilight prejudices aside I wasn't impressed. This coupled with what I thought was a pretty weak record in I Will Possess Your Heart has me a little disappointed with Ben Gibbard but I really do think that with talent like his it's just a matter of time before he turns out another great record.

Chicka-dee-dee-dee: I wonder how many times his songs have been played at weddings.

40:Artist: Bishop Allen

Learned About 'em: AQ's Daffodils

Ideas!: I'm on my way to moving past The Broken String, I just haven't pressed the download button yet. He has a really adorable song called Butterfly Nets which I always equated with someone going off to college (It's all about someone leaving for greener pastures but having a place to come home to if they should falter). It took probably a year before I decided to pull the trigger and get some more and so I downloaded The Broken String, It begins with a neat song about the Monitor vs. the Merrimack and continues to be a pretty good record for the whole first half of the CD. It sort of tapers off after the 5^th or 6^th song to be sure well worth a listen though.

Chicka-dee-dee-dee: One of my favorite lines! “If it's ever gonna get any better, it's gotta get worse for a day.” -Rain

Life is grand

Last night was Basia Bulat's concert at the First Unitarian Chapel, the venue was a long, narrow line of pews. The walls were covered with beautiful ornate woodwork shaped like churches or castles or something of that nature, as Basia put it, "it's like a jewelry box!". We managed a pew in the third row and listened to some interesting rag-time/country while we discussed the finer points of "Little Waltz" as we awaited the start of the show.

Meg Baird promptly showed up, sat down, and started playing without a word. She played a guitar by herself along with some spooky vocals about mountains, sunsets and stars. She seemed a little timid throughout her performance and kept her eyes closed which was different. She never did get to telling us her name, by I looked it up after; I would enjoy her music on a rainy summer day while I was dreaming of living somewhere else.

Basia and her gang (her brother Bobby and the viola player Allison, Holly was absent from this show) came on stage 20 minutes later and after thanking Meg jumped right into Heart of My Own. I was really looking forward to hearing this song live because the vocals at the beginning of the first chorus I think are really powerful on the CD. Of course anything live will blow a pair of lousy computer speakers out of the water but there is something entrancing about the way Basia can use her voice, she filled the entire chapel with it. There was a little kid, probably about 3 or 4 years old, sitting on the floor right by us that had to cover his ears when Basia came on stage and starting belting her songs out, the child had Basia smiling throughout the whole concert (I like to thing she'd have been smiling anyway). She followed with a personal favorite of mine, "The Pilgriming Vine", my dear friend Achsah Joseph gave me this song a few years back on our lovely invented holiday "daffodil day", so this was the first Basia song I ever possessed. It was nice to hear slight variation in the song* but maybe that's just because I have an older recording of the song, in any case it was very satisfying to finally hear it come to life.

In the middle of the show Bobby and Allison took a break and Basia played a few songs by herself. After her first song she stopped and asked if we would like to try the next song without the speakers because it was such a acoustic little room, we of course obliged. She picked up her ukulele and played out a floating rendition of "Sparrow" which without the subtle scratches of the mic and speakers gave the song a soft and gentle touch. While she was standing up there by herself it seemed as though she was singing the song for only you.

She continued to play out a mix of her first and second album with passion and energy in songs like "In the Night" and a tragic longing in "I Was a Daughter", it was exactly what I expected, anticipated, and dreamed of. Once she wad done my friend Tori leaned over and asked "Do they do encores in chapels?" and thankfully she did!

She played a couple more songs including a request much to my delight for "Oh, My Darling" and ended with the gorgeous gospel song "Hush". She plays "Hush" by herself with no instrument except stomping the ground with her feet to create a beat and of course using her golden voice.


Oh yeah, and...



I got a chance to meet Basia Bulat! She played a great show in a great venue, I hope I get to see her again soon.

This is a really perfect video, well done Mr. Oberst.

New things every day

If there is one thing I thought I knew, it was that I had all of Basia's work. Lo and behold, some fresh (ok so it may be 5 years old) however very unpublicized work from 2005. All I can figure from the website is that she played the venue with the Poche Orchestra. It sounds very raw, sort of an interesting recording. Live performances definitely have their pluses and minuses this one has a few bumps and skips throughout, new songs included on this recording are; Distance, I am a Pilgrim, Secret House, What a Difference a Day Makes, Will you Still Love Me Tomorrow?, Sun at my Back, and Who Loves the Sun?. Link to download.

Also, chirality is quite annoying. What?!?!?

Well, this is adorable

Let's have a Hug O' War.