I Love Pre-Concert Discoveries

I learned a long time ago that it's not okay to say you like something because it's "good". I guess that means it's also not okay to say you like something because it's the best thing on earth.

Of course I'm speaking of The National. What else? I'm thinking of changing this blog's name to Music Maven: Because The National Sounds Good but it's a little corny - and not correct. They sound way better than good and I never want to listen to anything else. BUT, when I do get around to putting some other music in my ears, it helps if they're slightly associated with my favorite band in the world.

Enter The Rolling Stones and Hall & Oates.

So far I've been fortunate enough to catch two concerts on The National's official summer tour and both times the pre-show music (hopefully selected by the band?) was phenomenal. I wish I wrote down every song played but two standouts were "Beast of Burden" - Rolling Stones and "Out of Touch" - H&O.  Particularly over the amazing sound system at Radio City Music Hall, these songs sounded so good I had to write them down and purchase them the next day. I should've already owned them. Both share a sexy, eerie quality that The National themselves master so well. "Out of Touch" particularly evokes this mood where the lights need to be low and shoulders need to be exposed if you know what I mean. It's an effortlessly cool sound that is perfect to open a concert like that.

I love pre-concert discoveries. I was really upset a couple years ago when I attended a She & Him show and the recorded music over the speakers was better than their real opening acts. It was this mixture of indie/classic country music that I desperately wanted to find out about. I went as far as googling some of the lyrics to one song and nothing came up. I searched online the next day to see if they had a list of the music they play before their set but no luck. If musicians have full official websites that give tons of information about their tour, their management, etc, the least they could do is add what music they play before their set! I know sometimes it's venue-chosen but when I hear the same music every time I see a band on tour, I start to grow fond of it and want to know who it is. John Mayer is another example of an artist who always has the best pre-set music but typically lame opening acts.

If you think about it, it takes a pretty bold musician to play something like The Rolling Stones before their own set. That's a lot to live up to. Once the audience who has been sitting (or standing) for two hours has "Beast of Burden" in their head, how can their songs measure up? The National has nothing to fear of course but other bands... on an unrelated note, in the film "Crazy Heart" Jeff Bridges' character is a country musician opening in a PNC Bank Arts Center-like venue for a younger, better known musician in one scene. During soundcheck, the sound guy is fighting with him saying that the sound is perfect while Bridges knows that his vocals are being drowned out. He then says that he'll stay on stage until the guy fixes it because he's been around long enough to know that technicians deliberately make the opening act sound bad so the main act sounds better. I don't know if that's true but it's something that is sort of stuck in my head now. Lately, I haven't seen many opening bands I've liked. Unfortunately.

But that pre-show music. Here's a sample of what I'm talking about. I'm now obsessed with these two songs. Next time I see The National I'm going to try to take note again and get some kind of full list of all the songs they play. Once again, I don't know who's choosing this music but they're rather remarkable. These songs fit the mood perfectly and get me into seeing a concert.

Photo courtesy of my Google image search. Sorry, don't know where it's from but I love it.

Top 25 Albums of 2008

Rolling Stone had a great Top 50 list that compelled me to create this, a knock off, but in my opinion even better.

1. The Way I See It - Raphael Saadiq

A genuine '60's throwback that cannot even be compared to other 2008 albums. This is in a league of its own. Saadiq is a recent discovery to me but I believe this to be his best album to date. If you love Marvin Gaye, Otis Redding, Sam Cooke - this will fit in perfectly.
Best Track: Sure Hope You Mean It

2. Modern Guilt - Beck

Mid-life crisis, scientology, the end of world: what else could you want? This album is brimming with catchy, almost electro songs that are too good for the radio to understand. This perfectly caters to my favorite mixture of sad songs set to happy beats.
Best Track: Gamma Ray

3. Volume One - She and Him

M. Ward has grown into one of my favorite artists over the last year and the combination of his guitar playing and Zooey Deschanel's beautiful, soft voice make this one of the most soothing records of 2008. Their undeniable charm glistens through every song, including classic covers of "You Really Got a Hold on Me" and "I Should Have Known Better".
Best Track: Change Is Hard

4. Evolver - John Legend

From songs about love to sex to politics, Legend's voice oozes honey all over the speakers. Sticking to a similar format as his previous two albums, Evolver dabbles in a range of genres but sticks to the smooth R&B beats that made songs like, "Heaven" and "Ordinary People" such big hits. Legend himself commented on his website that he wanted these songs to be more "radio friendly" but the first single, "Green Light", is the only one of its kind on the record.
Best Track: Quickly

5. Mudcrutch - Mudcrutch

Before the Heartbreakers, there was Mudcrutch, consisting of many of the same musicians but a style closer to country than rock. Tom Petty, the greatest lyricist alive in my biased opinion, is at the center of this southern jam parade and manages to separate this music entirely from anything else he's ever done although the trademark twangy voice is still in full force. A classic album from start to finish.

Best Track: Six Days on the Road

6. Firesight - Jessie Baylin

I first discovered there was a Jessie Baylin while seeing Matt Nathanson at the Nokia theatre in October. Her opening set blew me away. One song after another was catchy, witty, and genuinely captivating. Unlike many of her contemporaries, she has soul and humility that set her apart. With music that has more in common with early '60's psychedelic rock mixed with classic R&B than any sort of typical bubblegum pop, I expect Baylin to soon be a little more mainstream.

Best Track: Contradicting Words

7. The Age of the Understatement - The Last Shadow Puppets

Lead singer of the Arctic Monkeys, Alex Turner, has created another unique band that makes fantastically catchy songs while still keeping an experimental vibe. Although they have yet to fully catch on in the US, their albums has already gone #1 in the UK and the band is already planning new material for a 2009 release. These guys fit in perfectly with any band from The Rascals to The Kooks, just fun, indie pop rock.

Best Track: Standing Next to Me

8. Last Days at the Lodge - Amos Lee

Lee is described as jazz (famously discovered by Norah Jones), folk, and R&B almost interchangably but "soul" is the only way to perfectly describe these songs. On this album specifically, songs vary from fast paced to slow jams but all keep that soft spirit that is almost palpable through the speakers. There are few musicians that can speak as eloquently about serious issues as Amos Lee.

Best Track: Streetcorner Preacher

9. Little Joy - Little Joy

This is the newest discovery for me. Just last week I came across this band on iTunes and as is proned to happen when I love something: I couldn't stop listening all night. Little Joy, which consists of Strokes drummer Fabrizio Moretti, Moretti's girlfriend Binki Shapiro, and Devendra Barnhart collaborator Rodrigo Amarante, is pure and simple. There is nothing flashy or hi-tech or particularly memorable even. That is almost the best part. This music just sounds like the noise your brain would make as it clears out. Although that doesn't sound like the best description, I think you'd understand if you took a listen.

Best Track: The Next Time Around

10. We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. - Jason Mraz

Mraz is the greatest at making corny music with a message. From songs like, "Only Human", that describes the difference between people and squirrels to the kinky "Butterfly", comparing a woman to well... you get it, Mraz manages to be an extremely coherent stoner on all tracks. Unlike the over produced Mr. A-Z, this album brings along some great new Mraz classics that his die hard fans aren't ashamed to have on the radio. Great album art as well.

Best Track: Make It Mine

11. Furr - Blitzen Trapper

Neil Young and Beatles influenced, as mentioned on a couple other sites, this album is full of nostalgic sounding tunes that cater to several generations all at once. Although I haven't spent much time with this album, some of the lyrics impressed me more than any other record on this list: "And now my fur has turned to skin And I've been quickly ushered in To a world that, I confess, I do not know But I still dream of running careless through the snow Through the howling winds that blow Across the ancient distant flow To fill our bodies up like water till we know." I think that says it all.

Best Track: Gold For Bread

12. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes

Probably the breakout band of the year, Fleet Foxes have garnered much attention and thankfully it's well deserved. As one Amazon.com reader points out, "The Fleet Foxes are a rock band that sounds like no other -- imagine a pastoral choir overwhelming a sweeping folk-rock band, in the middle of a sunlit forest in the spring." And that is exactly how they sound, in the best way possible.

Best Track: Ragged Wood

13. Tell Tale Signs - The Bootleg Series - Vol. 8 - Bob Dylan

I have not always been a Bob Dylan fan. For a long time I have been resentful of people acting like Tom Petty bites off his style and didn't understand the mass appeal of his songs. Luckily for me there are acoustic versions of songs I previously didn't enjoy like "Most of the Time", that have turned me around. This album in particular has some of the best versions of Dylan songs I have ever heard. Without all the fake rock hoopla in the background, it's easier to understand why Bob Dylan is considered one of the greatest poets of all time. In my opinion, his words sound better with as little background music as possible and this record perfectly displays that.

Best Track: Most of the Time

14. Warpaint - The Black Crowes

I don't understand why this album wasn't better appreciated by the masses but I know without ever hearing these songs previously I fell in love with them live. The Black Crowes played the concert venue I work at on the day of their album release and it was phenomenal. In a two set concert that first catered to their new album (in its entirety) and then a heaping helping of all their older classics, Chris Robinson converted me to an eternal fan.

Best Track: Goodbye Daughters of the Revolution

15. Gossip in the Grain - Ray LaMontagne

Although Gossip is no Trouble, LaMontagne has proved that he not only has massive staying power in an industry that doesn't always welcome sensitive, husky voiced singer/songwriters but he has a growing audience as well. Not only did we learn from this album that he can sing a country song like nobody's business, he also has a crush on the female half of The White Stripes in an appropriately titled song, "Meg White". This album is fabulous even subtracting the fact that he poses on the cover with one of the best beards I've ever seen - that's talent.

Best Track: You Are the Best Thing

16. Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams - Solange

Beyonce's little sister brought forth a stronger effort than her sister no matter what the numbers say. This album, which is a complete interpretation of what the '6o's would sound like today, makes me want to dance regardless of my mood. It is undeniable. I'm a huge fan of hand claps and this is THE 2008 Hand Clap album. It makes me sick how good this is. Girl group sound, funky R&B, blah, blah, blah. Just listen.

Best Track: I Decided

17. In Rainbows - Radiohead

A collection of eclectic songs that have been analyzed and reviewed too much already this year. As a semi-Radiohead fan, I found this album to be fantastic. I've heard rumblings of the usual, "this isn't as good as the older stuff", but I disagree. What's wrong with shorter songs and hipper beats? So many of these tracks are sure to be constants on my iPod for a long time to come.

Best Track: Weird Fishes/Arpeggi

18. Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends - Coldplay

Like In Rainbows, this is sure to be an album that doesn't just disappear after this year. Although I know it's tempting to dissect what makes this different from their other albums, I kind of feel like it's right on par with the previous ones. It's fantastic, true to its form, atmospheric-like rock that is lucky enough to have Chris Martin's haunting voice on every track (except the instrumental ones that remain haunting enough in and of themselves).

Best Track: Lost!

19. For Emma, Forever Ago - Bon Iver

Another genuine breakout star of 2008, Justin Vernon, sounds like way more than just one person. Holed up in a cabin in Wisconsin during winter time, Vernon managed to make the most texturally interesting album of the year. These songs sound like a winter's evening alone but manage to not be excrusiatingly depressing. Very acoustic and very soothing.

Best Track: Skinny Love

20. The Felice Brothers - The Felice Brothers

On a previous list I had forgotten completely about this album and although that doesn't sound very good, I was mortified when I realized it. The Felice Brothers are genuine country that do not compromise their sound in any way. With a sound not unlike The Band, this album is playable the whole way through.

Best Track: Frankie's Gun

21. Oracular Spectacular - MGMT

I can't pretend that I like this entire album but "Electric Feel" is one of my favorite songs I've ever heard and any band that could create a song like that has massive potential and extreme talent. They are unique, crazy, psychedelic, and undeniably catchy in a super hip way. "I'll move to Paris, shoot some heroin, and fuck with the stars". Aah, lovely.

Best Track: Electric Feel

22. Cardinology - Ryan Adams and the Cardinals

Once again, a reviewer on amazon.com manages to speak about this record better than I can find the words to: "It's obvious that Adams is a man who reveres the classics, as sounds of classic country, Elton John, and especially Neil Young are very prevalent in the music, working into a seamless blend which results in something greater than the sum of its parts." I haven't listened to this album as much as I'd like to yet but I've found this is one of those rare records that takes only one listen to understand its genius. I liked it instantly.

Best Track: Magick

23. Time the Conqueror - Jackson Browne

Jackson Browne never gets tired. His lyrics are as fresh today as they were in the '7o's. His exuberant energy to understand the world around him is compelling and inspiring. There are some wonderfully silly lines like, "Why is impeachment not on the table/We better stop them while we are able" but they are balanced out with the classic tales of love and loss. If there's any album to make one think this year, it's this one. It cannot be stressed enough what a brilliant writer Jackson Browne is.

Best Track: Time the Conqueror

24. AC/DC - Black Ice

I love this album and I don't even own much of it. One of the downfalls of iTunes is their lack of AC/DC. This band simply rocks and makes endless classic songs. Granted, many of their songs sound quite similar but if it ain't broke don't fix it, right? They're still number one.

Best Track: Big Jack

25. Loyalty to Loyalty - Cold War Kids

It was a toss up between this album and Jazmine Sullivan's Fearless for the final spot but Cold War Kids have the upper hand as I believe this to just be the start of their really interesting musical contributions to us. On thier first album, Robbers and Cowards, they had the tremendous "Hang Me Out to Dry" that I am still playing all the time and on this record they strum up a new collection of catchy, dark songs. I'm fascinated along with countless others. PS. The only thing I dislike are comparisons to The National, the greatest band to ever live.

Best Track: I've Seen Enough

She & Him - July 27, 2008

Last night at the She & Him concert I learned that music sounds a lot better if you're dating the person you're on stage with and if you've been playing 1960's girl group music to get the audience jazzed up - with a little "Gypsy" from Fleetwood Mac mixed in (which I took as them being ironic).

Zooey Deschanel is gorgeous and these pictures don't do her justice - but the truly gorgeous thing was the way she looked at M. Ward throughout the night. During their cover of "You Really Got a Hold on Me", it was just the two of them with separate microphones from across the stage and every time there was a pretty lyric she would turn her entire body to look directly at him and he would grin. It was adorable to put it mildly. Or to put it bluntly, it looked like they were going to rip each other's clothes off every second. It was pretty steamy - very cool! The crowd was going wild with all that love.

M. Ward's voice is awesome but he didn't do any singing until the encore so he was mostly just another part of the band (except for some surprisingly good guitar solos). The crowd was primarily full of hipster girls that would "woo" anytime he put his lips to the microphone and "aww" anytime Zooey did anything remotely cute (which was almost always). They were definitely interactive. She kept saying she was overwhelmed with how many people showed up and how happy it made her. It was nice to see how happy M. Ward and Zooey seem together when separately they come across as slightly depressed.

They sang every song off their album, "Volume One", a Joni Mitchell cover, and Ward's "Magic Trick" as an encore (switching the lyrics to "I" instead of "she" for some reason). Overall, the entire set list was enjoyable and the experience was well worth it. Although I'll never understand why such talented, inspired musicians continuously choose ridiculous opening acts. The Rosebuds, a band based out of North Carolina, played what sounded like the same song for 40 minutes. Please don't ever listen to them.

One more thing: M. Ward and Zooey are definitely pretty to look at but their backing band was so cool! There was a very pregnant girl on the bass, a much older man with white hair on guitar, and an extremely handsome drummer wearing a white button down shirt, black vest, and a tie. He looked like a thinner version of Clive Owen but with a receding hairline. It felt like one big, happy, eccentric family.

Listen to the Music

I'm so tired of listening to a song by a band and thinking I'll like more songs by them - only to find out that they merely have ONE good song. With my extra thinking time in front of the computer and since I technically should be doing something in relation to music if I'm sitting here, I've conjured up a tiny list of albums that are so good, you can listen to every song and not be disappointed. They're hook-y but with heart.

NEWER (2006 - 2008):
THE SHINS - WINCING THE NIGHT AWAY
BECK - MODERN GUILT
THE NATIONAL - BOXER
JOHN LEGEND - ONCE AGAIN
SONDRE LERCHE - PHANTOM PUNCH
ROBERT PLANT/ALISON KRAUSS - RAISING SAND
SHE & HIM - VOLUME ONE
JOHN MAYER - CONTINUUM
MUDCRUTCH - MUDCRUTCH
FLEET FOXES - FLEET FOXES
AMY WINEHOUSE - BACK TO BLACK

HONORABLE MENTION: COLDPLAY - VIVA LA VIDA

OLDER :
TOM PETTY - WILDFLOWERS
JOHN MAYER - ROOM FOR SQUARES
THE BEATLES - REVOLVER
LED ZEPPELIN - HOUSES OF THE HOLY
MARVIN GAYE - WHAT'S GOING ON
TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS - DAMN THE TORPEDOES
GEORGE HARRISON - CLOUD NINE
FLEETWOOD MAC - RUMORS
KEB' MO' - KEB' MO'
BUFFALO SPRINGFIELD - BUFFALO SPRINGFIELD AGAIN
MARY J. BLIGE - THE BREAKTHROUGH

HONORABLE MENTION: RAY LAMONTAGNE - TROUBLE

COLLECTIONS:
TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS - GREATEST HITS
BOBBY DARIN - THE LEGENDARY BOBBY DARIN
FRANK SINATRA - SINATRA REPRISE: THE VERY GOOD YEARS
JACKSON BROWNE - THE NEXT VOICE YOU HEAR: THE BEST OF JACKSON BROWNE
EDDY ARNOLD - THE BEST OF EDDY ARNOLD
JOHNNY CASH - THE LEGEND OF JOHNNY CASH
RAY CHARLES - MUSIC FROM THE MOTION PICTURE RAY
CHICAGO - THE VERY BEST OF CHICAGO: ONLY THE BEGINNING
ERIC CLAPTON - COMPLETE CLAPTON
BILLIE HOLIDAY - BILLIE'S BEST
CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL - CHRONICLE, VOL. 1: THE 20 GREATEST HITS

HONORABLE MENTION: CHET BAKER - THE BEST OF CHET BAKER SINGS