I finally got around to seeing “500 Days of Summer” a few months ago. It’s easily one of last year’s best movies. I recommend seeing it as soon as possible. The lead actors in the movie (Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt) do a great choreographed number to this She & Him track. (By the way, Zooey is the “She” of She & Him.)
How do you like your gospel music? I usually fall in two categories: heart-felt ballads and rousing choral pieces. With his new CD The Power of One, Israel Houghton has reminded me that there’s a third category. Houghton reminds music lovers that gospel music has no boundaries. It can easily be mixed with other genres of music, adding to the enjoyment of the Houghton’s superb writing and production skills. The excellence of this release is no surprise, considering Houghton’s pedigree.
Prior to assembling and creating great work with his New Breed choir, Houghton was a part of Fred Hammond’s superbly talented group of singers. He’s worked with some of the greats of contemporary gospel music, including CeCe Winans, Donnie McClurkin and Yolanda Adams.
I’m told by Houghton fanatics that this CD is not typical of his sound when he works with New Breed. However, Houghton’s high level of artistry shines through. For me, this introduction to Houghton is strong enough to make me seek out his other work.
If you like your gospel music on the “feel good” side, this is definitely the CD for you.
Everywhere That I Go
Just Wanna Say
Surely Goodness
Moving Forward
Sometimes you come across something that’s simultaneously fascinating and disturbing. You want to turn away but the juxtaposition of seemingly incompatible elements has you completely under control. Watch this video and you’ll see what I mean.
When it rains, it pours. The last few weeks have continued to be filled with frustrations, the biggest of which has been a problem with the service that manages my mailing list. Having tried every reasonable solution I could find on the internet plus suggestions from computer professionals, I’ve finally found a temporary fix. (I’ve since learned the problem has affected other bloggers around the world.) When I was ready to give up, I, once again, turned to music to sooth the stresses. Unfortunately, I’ve been so out of it that I completely forgot to tell you about this must-have CD, Florence and the Machine’s Lungs.
I’ve been listening to this debut release from British siren Florence Welch and her supporting band for several months and can’t get enough of it. Apparently, the rest of the music industry world is feeling the same. She’s slowly been racking up prestigious worldwide awards, including a recent BRIT award and Meteor award for “Best International Band.” Once you’ve picked up a copy of Lungs, I’m sure you’ll agree she’s worthy of these accolades and more.
Lungs has a serious disturbing quality about it, which it part of the reason I find it so appealing. She’s simultaneously relevant, dark, open, direct and otherworldly. It sounds like the result of abandoning Welch in a forest and allowing her to release her emotional demons. I’m sure it was a cathartic experience for her but bearing witness to the scarier aspects of the artistic mind can cause one to shudder. “Bird Song” (available on the Lungs deluxe version) is one of the darkest songs I’ve heard in a long time. But like a beautiful painting, I admire the results and try not to dwell too much on the exorcistic process required to reach such artistic heights.
In the end, Lungs served another purpose. Each track is filled with so much raw expression, it caused me to want to release emotionally. Something we all need to do periodically. Let it all out! Scream like a banshee until there’s nothing left. I love her in the same way I love Tim Burton, Laurie Anderson, Bjork, Salvador Dali and Janelle Monae. They each go beyond creating work to creating experiences. It’s a special gift.
Ready to release some inner demons? This is the CD for you. So Release! Release! Release! … but stay indoors, especially if you plan on running around naked. 
Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)
Drumming
Girl With One Eye
My Boy Builds Coffin
The weather in Atlanta has been annoying over the last few weeks. Sunny one day, cold and rainy the next. In the midst of it all, I’ve had a sinus infection that has left me miserable, tired and easily irritated. How grateful I am to have music during these times. I may not be able to clinically prove that music is the remedy for sinus problems but I can say that today my nose is singing a happier tune. What was the musical home remedy? It was Nitin Sawhney’s Prophesy.
If you’re not familiar with Sawhney, he’s one of England’s many Indian-decent musical geniuses. (I’ll throw a few others at you in a future post. Plus, now that Jay Sean has had a few hits on the American music charts, maybe there will be long-overdue Indian musical invasion.) It doesn’t take much effort to realize this is a man who takes his music seriously. He appears to look at it from the perspective of someone who wants his music to give something to the world, instead of using it to see how many dollars (or pounds) it can put into his pocket. I can appreciate that. A good song can be candy to my ear but a song from the artist’s heart and soul will nourish me for many years to come.
Unfortunately Prophesy suffered the misfortune of following a superstar sibling. That is, the high expectations placed on the “sibling” who follows their trailblazing predecessor. Prophesy followed Beyond Skin, arguably Sawhney’s most brilliant CD. So, because of the hype and expectations, it was behind the eight ball even before its release. I don’t believe it deserved the critical mistreatment it received. (Though I must admit I sometimes find the Street Guru’s rantings between songs annoying.) In the end, it comes down to how you choose to receive a new CD. I appreciate the brilliance of Prophesy because when I listen to a CD I try to answer the question of “Is it good music?” instead of “Is it as good as…?”
Give it a listen and I’m sure you’ll agree about its greatness. It’s an intelligent use of musical genres that clearly expresses the multifaceted aspects of Sawhney’s background as well as his musical loves. I saw an interview recently where he said he visited over 70 countries in researching and composing this CD. Like with his other albums, you can see his goal is to create a collection of individual masterpieces. In my opinion, he achieved it with Prophesy. Nitin Sawhney is an artist of the highest caliber.
Nitin Sawhney – Sunset
Nitin Sawhney – Nothing
Nitin Sawhney – Breathing Light
Nitin Sawhney – Prophesy
My grandmother shared this one with me. So I’m sharing it with you because when Grandma speaks….
With the exception of classical and jazz, many of you have told me you’re not big fans of instrumental music. And just as many are not particularly fond of hip hop. So, with today’s recommendation, I’m asking you to let me stretch your musical mind a bit by giving you instrumental and hip hop music at the same time. I promise it won’t hurt a bit. (If you’re already excited by the idea of electronica/hip hop-flavored instrumentals, I will simply say THIS IS THE SHHHH……..!!!!)
Welcome to PANTyRAiD…two DJs/producers/songwriters who describe themselves as makers of new music for “people to feel sexy. If it don’t drop panties, then it ain’t PANTyRAiD!” Well, it didn’t exactly make me feel sexy but it definitely got me excited. (Does that mean I have to put on panties so I can drop ‘em?) I’ve been blasting this one for a few months and continue to have a periodic “WTF” moment when they throw an interesting combination of hip hop beats and glitch my way. Before I did some background research on this LA/Brooklyn-based duo, I imagined them as a solo, funky musical genius sitting in a basement apartment, surrounded by electronic gadgetry, continuously looking for interesting ways to push the musical envelope. Well, that’s pretty who they are, except it’s two heads instead of one.
Though their intention is to make your body shake and “panties drop”, there are times when you will want to sit back and listen closely…absorbing their creativity and experiencing a few “OH SH*T” moments of your own. They give it in abundance…and it’s easy to miss those special good music moments if you’re running with panties around your ankles.
The experimental and cross-genre nature of PANTyRAiD’s music is one of the things that makes them so special. And as this mashup of genres continues in electronica, you can expect more musical cream like PANTyRAiD to rise to the top as they give you more and more innovative concoctions. Hopefully, other genres will become more experimental in similar, if not more adventurous, ways. For now, take a listen to the delicious feast of beats PANTyRAiD has cooked up for you.
Learned about this band during a trip to Montreal. Since I’m a fan of creative covers, this was love at first listen. They’re both fun and funny. Pump it up!
Like most, I made many resolutions last year. Some of them I kept, many I didn’t. This year, I’m going at it again…making a plan and doing my best to achieve it. However, this time I’ll try to stick to the K.I.S.S. method. You know…KEEP IT SIMPLE, STUPID. Each week, I’ll take a moment where I ask myself three questions: (1) What did I do to improve my life? (2) What did I do to improve my community? (3) What did I do to improve the world? As time passes, I intend to have those moments more frequently. To start, I’ll continue my efforts from last year: (1) for myself, continuing my “healthy living” efforts (may even run another marathon); (2) for my community, more volunteering; and (3) for the world, increasing my “smaller footprint” efforts – REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE!
As for you, my goal in 2010 is to continue to bring you GOOD MUSIC because ME LIKE it. Of course, that will involve introductions to more and more unfamiliar good music … new, old, international, bizarre, unsigned, whatever. In 2010, we’re going to try it all.
How does this introspective moment connect to my favorite underrated song of all time? I have no idea but follow me anyway. I promise it won’t hurt. It’s probably because music has always been my mood-altering drug of choice. And no other song takes me to a “calm place” like this one. It put me in a beautiful state the first time I heard it and continues to have a soothing effect on me each I hear it. You may be surprised that my all-time favorite is from a superstar group. I guess it just proves you don’t have to be indie to make good music.
So, I’m returning to it today to jumpstart my reflective efforts. So while you listen, close your eyes and think about your planned contributions for 2010. Or ignore me completely and just enjoy the video for the song. Either way, here’s to a year filled with good music. HAPPY 2010 EVERYONE!
When I come across interesting music-related articles, I usually just share them with followers on Twitter and Facebook. But when I came across this article, I had to put it on the site because it’s a list that includes one of my favorite bands from 2009, Other Lives. Take a listen to the tracks below and you’ll see why they made Paste Magazine’s list of “Eight Criminally Underrated Albums From 2009.”
After you fall in love with Other Lives (if you haven’t already done so), see the other seven Paste-chosen albums here.
E Minor
How Could This Be?
Paper Cities
End of the Year
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