2009-04: Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Elvis Perkins In Dearland, Little Joy, The Lonely Island, Dan Auerbach, Alela Diane, Babel, Say Hi, Angus and Julia Stone, The Airborne Toxic Event
Here is the link to the Rhapsody Playlist: Click Here!
Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It’s Blitz
I listened to a few songs of the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s “Show Your Bones” album a few years ago. Hated it. I gave this album a listen and then came across their hit “Maps.” What was I thinking? This band is awesome. “It’s Blitz” is a great album. It’s full of catchy, raw rock music that you can dance to.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Fever To Tell
Yeah!! This album is an adrenaline rush. I’ve been listening to this almost every time I go running for the past month. I can’t believe I haven’t listend to them before now. Is it just me or does Karen O. sound like Chrissie Hynde, the singer from the Pretenders?
Elvis Perkins In Dearland – Elvis Perkins In Dearland
There is a video on YouTube for the song Doomsday that was filmed in a small room in a house surrounded by Mountains. There are about 5 people packed in there making awesome, rowdy folk music. That pretty sums up what this album is about. If you like Mason Jennings, you’ll like Elvis Perkins in Dearland.
Little Joy – Little Joy
One of the guitarists from the Strokes teamed up with a Brazilian singer to make music I like to call “California Breeze.” Check them out if you like the Botticellis.
The Lonely Island – Incredibad
When I was in high school Adam Sandler scored with “They’re All Gonna Laugh At You!” This generation has Adam Sandberg, another SNL alum, who brought his friends in to make gangsta rap about the Chronicles of Narnia and retro-synth pop about premature ejaculation. The best, however, is “I’m On A Boat.”
Dan Auerbach – Keep It Hid
Auerbach, the singer and guitarist of the Black Keys goes solo with this album. A must listen for rock/blues/freak-folk lovers.
Alela Diane – To Be Still
This will be one of my best albums of 2009. This young woman’s music is everything and more of what “FOLK” music is and ought to be. Beautiful songs, hypnotic fingerpicking, and lytics that make you feel as if you’re living on the edge of the frontier in the 1800s. AWESOME.
Babel – Crooked Timber
Yes! Forget your morning coffee – this pop folk will wake you up and keep you going for hours. Great sound – guitars, fiddles, and more!
Say Hi – The Wishes and the Glitch
Not really sure what to classify this as… It’s mostly synthesizers. The guy’s voice gets on my nerves a little, but its catchy enough to make me want to keep listening…
Angus and Julia Stone – A Book Like This
If you can get past Julia’s voice – which sometimes sounds like a dying cat – this is a pretty awesome album. Songs like “Just A Boy” and “The Beast” will stay in your head for days. I dig the music that this brother and sister make.
The Airborne Toxic Event – The Airborne Toxic Event
Their lead singer can’t sing worth a hoot. But the songs… the songs!! They’re awesome. And the sound – electric guitars, cellos, violins. It’s like Irish folk music on steroids. The high point of the albums is the overlapping guitar solo in “Happiness Is Overrated.” There are 15 seconds of pure elation in music that are rare. The only other song that achieves what this one does is the Dove’s song “Pounding” from their album “The Last Broadcast.”
