A Post For The Past.

Well hello and yet again, happy Friday.

I will admit that this morning I was quite unsure as to who I should write about. Not that there is any shortage of music to write about..one little browse around on the ol Hype Machine and you see theres lots of stuff going on. Great new acts, reuniting bands and a plethora of music festivals around the corner..but this morning Im just not feeling it. Instead of covering something new and exciting which indeed can feel like work much akin to being in a room of new people or going on a first date, I am reaching for my musical security blanket and writing on a group that is no more but remains as one of my playlist standards. Copeland.

I got introduced to Copeland around the early-middle of their career- around the time In Motion came out. I think theirs was a CD I bought on the whim and recommendation of an album review without prior listening. Little did I know that that purchase would launch me into a hardcore realm of fandom for these Florida indie rockers. By the time they packed it in, Copeland had put out 5 solid albums, 5 E.P. and had recorded for multiple compilation and specialty CDs.

The band first come on the scene in the early part of the decade, releasing their debut full length, Beneath Medicine Tree in 2003 under The Militia Group. The album came out of an emotional and intense time in Aaron Marsh, the bands main songwriter and lead man’s life- amidst the death of his grandmother and the hospitalization of his girlfriend. In Motion was much more of an upper that never fails to cheer me up with wistful lyrics like “Sing with your head up, with your eyes closed. Not because you love the song , because you love to sing” and possibly one of my favorite lies of all time “I wanna see your hairline and cheekbones, your red lips on your cel phone…”

2006′s Eat, Sleep, Repeat was a highly anticipated CD which brought back some of the contemplative elements from Medicine Tree but stood on its own musically, foreshadowed slightly be the In motion track “Kite“. Their last album, 2008′s You Are My Sunshine was a masterful work of etheral indie pop that I feel allows me to stake the claim that Copeland is a group that truely went out on top. The progression of their work paints a picture of a journey with You Are My Sunshine as their destination which they obviously reached and were happy top make their home in. The group announced their plan to “break up” at the end of October 2009 after a spring 2010 farewell tour in the U.S.

Copeland holds a very secure place in my esteem largely due to the lyrical integrity of Marsh, on top of their contstant evolution and innovation in sound. It remains a huge heartache that I never had the opportunity to see Copeland on their own stage in front of their own audience. I saw them once, I believe in 2007 when they came to Edmonton as openners for Switchfoot. Their set was solid, if only too short  and I fully enjoyed it but the experience was not what it should have been. Switchfoot was a commercially popular band at the time and Copeland was still fairly obscure. This would not have been a problem for the crowd if the two groups sounds meshed well but the honest truth is they dont. Kids showed up to that concert expecting a hyped up surf-rock show and thus Copeland’s coffee-shop inde pop was not rah-rah enough for the majority.  For those that were able to make it to a farewell tour show, I am envious of you. Hearing their last works live must have been a huge treat. Tracks like “The Day I Lost My Voice” “On the Safest Ledge” and “Strange and Unprepared” surely epitomize the groups music and will live on on the playlists of their fans no doubt for years to come.

Though I am not sure what the future holds for the members of Copeand (I wouldnt be surprised if Marsh went more into producing etc.) I wish them well and have been thankful for the music they have made. RIP, Copeland. Relive the magic with me by watching the following videos.

New Old Favorites

A recent trend in indie pop music, a trend that Im quite enjoying at that, appears to be to make tunes that would make your parents or even your grandparents get reminiscent about their youth and make you want to don a poddle skirt and head to a malt shoppe, if not the beach. You may occasionally fool yourself into thinking you threw on a  Beach Boys or Carole King record accidently when listenning to one of these modern relics but rest assured you likely didnt. Like already mentionned, I have found myself to be a huge proponent of these artists.. I like the crooney sentimental songs and the jivey dance pop songs that all at once make you feel good (or incredibly sad I suppose if you hit one about a lover lost or scorned) and like summer will truly last forever and theres no such thing as office work.

In this spirit and since it is officially summertime I would like to share with you some of my current favorites of these vintagey pop artists so turn up the speakers, grab your beach ball and lets go to the water.

A B to the Sea

These guys are probably the epitome of this new old school music. Theyve released 5 singles all with titles that just reak of hot days by the waters and nights at the drive-in and have combined them all into one E.P.s that you can download for free at their website. If the sound wasnt enough, their vintage artwork of swimwear clad women, shirtless hunks and surfboard is a pretty loud statement to wear their sounds and sentiments lay. “Bone Dry” is infectiously catchy, “Yellow Haired Girl” has a great “Sha-la-lah” bridge, “Down and Around” ends with probobly one of my favorite breakdowns when the lead vocalist emphatically vents ” If theres one thing Im sorry for, its letting you take off your shoes and and walk all over my heart…”. “Suzie” is the anthem for focean frolics and “Johnny” is energetic and just great on so many levels from the mention of the “polo fever” and a backup jivey vocal part. Definetly one of my favorites.

Sonny and the Sunsets

Ok so Sonny and The Sunsets arent exactly beachesque either although they are most certainly lovely and old timey. This is more akin to picnics in the park at dusk or sitting on a frontporch with friends. “E.S.P.” makes me want to be in a community hall somewhere dancing close with my sweetheart, but thats just me. “Too Young To Burn” is a witty melodic clap along song and “Death Cream” is another good hazy driving tune.

Family Trees

Family Trees is a group Ive come across extremely recently but I am already digging their retro sound. Theyre a little bit different from the others in terms of their vintage brand. You probobly wont hear them while your feet are in the sand but their 70′s drama end credit feel might be a nice touch for the sleepy car ride home. (“Friend Friend” and “Never Forget”are prime examples) Unfortunately they have no videos of any sort to post so please do click on the lik to their myspace (above their picture) to give them a listen.

She & Him

Probobly the best known group of the pack, Zooey Deschanel and M.Ward could not be ignored in this post. While their first album hit the vintage thing on the head with Zooey crooning out old ballads like “Youve Really Got a Hold on Me” and cheeky pop tunes like “Sweet Darlin”, the first single from their new album, “In The Sun” drives home the poddle skirt and hula-hoop feel (even more literally in the music video)..Zooeys voice is a perfect fit for this type of music and M.Wards guitar playing is well… Ward could play whatever he  wants.

One Great Norse.

Let us discuss Sondre Lerche.

Sondre’s music has wormed its way into my heart steadily since I discovered him around 2008…And by “discovered” I mean I was watching Dan in Real Life (which has also long since wormed its way into my heart) and found myself constantly digging the music that was playing in the background, obviously all done by the same artist. This called for me  to do some research, afterwhich I discovered that the artist was this fine young gentleman, Sondre Lerche and that he had indeed been commissioned to do the film’s score and thus created one of my favorite soundtracks.

Now 27, Lerche was discovered at the age of 14 playing music, under age in the club where his sister worked. From there he bacame a famed musician in his home country of Norway, touring lots and openning for many major musicians. He has shared the stage with his own musics major influence, a-ha and has even toured with Elvis Costello twice. Lerche is a  singer songwriter who must either feel like he has a lot to express or simply loves to be busy. Including his 2002 debut Faces Down, he has released 6 full length albums, the most recent being the well-reviewed Heartbeat Radio which came out last year as well as many E.P.s

Over the years his music has shifted and evolved from album to album- The sountrack is a collection of indie-acousto mini-ballads and reflective  melodies while Phantom Punch has an edgier pop-rock vibe with Heartbeat Radio laying somewhere in between. What draws me into Sondre’s music most of all I think is his voice. Its very forthright and naturally carries a certain jazzy element and I generally believe its his strongest musical attribute. His songs are generally quite simple and while I do enjoy the lyrics for the most part, I had to agree with Rolling Stone when they gave his lyrics some minor criticism on a 2006 review of Phantom Punch.  I get the feeling that he sometimes tries to say too much for what the song is- becoming a little overbearing in an attempt to be deep and poetic.

Still, I find his music to be especially enjoyable and is usually what I choose to listen to when Im working in the kitchen (is that a strange choice?)I like the drifts between simple hushed lovesongs and upbeat tunes revolving around the same theme.

Unfortunately, it doesnt seem there are any proper music videos for the songs Id most like to share with you, nor are they on his myspace, therefore forcing me to include fan videos. *sighs* Im sorry. In any case, enjoy. And to veer back, if you havent seen Dan In Real Life I highly recommend it and fully admit that the trailer for it makes it look awful. its not.

One of My Favorite Names You’ve Never Heard

Does anyone know the expression “tickling my ears”? I have a sneaking suspicious  that this may be a mom-ism (an expression made famous to me only by my mother) but anyways, Im going to make the expression even more obscure by stating that my eyes were tickled yesterday when I saw the news on twitter of an upcoming Canadian tour (and I will be in Canada at the time) featuring Said the Whale, We Are The City and Aidan Knight. Ive written on the first two artists already but have yet to speak of my glowing enjoyment for the music of Aidan Knight.

I have to admit that when I first stumbled upon Victoria, B.C.’s  Aidan Knight (yet another discovery made possible thanks to CBC Radio3) I was skeptical of this person who vaguely seems to resemble Michael Cera. However, when one starts to listen to the music its hard not to get caught up in an alternate world of sunshine and nostalgic childhood memories painted vividly through his minimalistic acoustic songs and brought on by his voice that  utters out honest sincerity.

Up until recently, Knight’s musical endevours consisted mainly as a backing musician playing for artists such as Hannah Georgas, The Zolas and Maurice. A multi-instrumetalist he could be caught playing anything from drums to guitars to bass. Aidan has now struck out on his own as a solo singer-songwriter creating songs that are simple but soulful, often reflecting an ambiance of warmth and comfort. Its definitly music to listen to when you are in a solitary mood or looking for musical condolences and probobly wont fly well at a house party.

His debut album, Versicolour is out now on Adventure Boys Club Records and like I said, if youre in Canada you can be looking out for him on tour with Said The Whale & We Are The City.

Chech out this video of Aidan playing his song “Jasper” featuring the equally noteworthy Dan Mangan.

And Heres another video of him playing “The Sun” backed by none other then We Are The City

Aidan Knight does have a myspace, however you get an extra track, “Magic Cupboards” (a personal favorite) on his Radio3 page. Enjoy!

PS_ If you enjoy this type of acoustic imagary music you may also enjoy Will Knox who Im coincidently doing a contest with! Check out yesterdays Gaslight Anthem post and leave a comment stating the craziest music discription (like neo-soul funk metal rockabilly) youve ever heard for an artist for the chance to win Will Knox vinyl!

The Gaslight Anthem something old and something new.

Happy Monday. Let us start the work week off on a good foot- Let us start off with The Gaslight Anthem. Now before I get into the post and start talking about how great and prolific this band is I must address one minor irritation. I must warn you, this irritation may be merely the result of it being Monday morning and I feel the need to have something to complain about..I dont know..whatever.. but does it ever get you how in this modern music era of indie culture there seems to be a thousand and one different genres a band can choose to identify themselves as? Normally I like this and I guess its not really a matter of me not liking it but I just find it odd sometimes hering the discreptive term for music. I swear that you could throw some random adverbs together and slap them on any band and get away with it as long as you used them with enough conviction.

Okay so that was totally a tangent, but what sparked it was the fact that The Gaslight Anthem is a punk-soul band. Punk soul. Or folk pounk according to Wikipedia.Please understand I am by no means ragging on the group, because their great (if they werent I wouldnt be writing on them) but something about punk and soul in my own mind seems like oil and water. And thats completely my own belief…you are more then welcome to disagree.. but before I go any further, let me prose this question: What is the oddest genre or music discription youve heard attached to a band? Leave a comment and you could win a Will Knox vinyl. In this spirit, I will describe Will Knox as a minimal indie acoustic neo-folk artist.

Ok for realsies now. If youre new to the gaslight anthem you need to understand that they are a group whose music and particular their live performance has been turning heads for a little while now. And they arent turning heads for doing anything freaky or shocking except for doing music exceptionally well. To back this up, heres smoe of the little testimonials the band has gotten from music writers:

We’ve had this longstanding rule that no live band sounds good on TV. And then we saw NJ’s Gaslight Anthem on Letterman and concluded that either a) our rule was wrong, b) they are, in fact, the band of our generation, or c) some combination thereof. Absolutely breathtaking.
- ROLLING STONE

These songs are simple, mostly, but they’re executed perfectly. Fallon and guitarist Alex Rosamilia do this thing, mostly on the quiet bits, where their guitars wrap twinkly harmonies around each other, getting loose and intricate without being showy about it. And when the guitars turn into chorus-firepower, it just kills because it’s been so long since we’ve heard anyone pull that off with such panache. If you’ve got even a tiny bit of a soft spot for that bruised-growl retro-punk, THE ’59 SOUND is an answer to a prayer.
- PITCHFORK

Theyre also famed to have been the first band to ever appear on the cover of Kerrang! without the magazine having previously written about them.

The New Jersey group’s third full length album, American Slang was released last week under Side One Dummy who theyve been with since their second album, The ’59 Sound which came out in 2008. Theyve covered Johnny Cash, Tom Petty and have had the honour of being joined on stage by the iconic American rock figure Bruce Springsteen, whom The Gaslight Anthem’s lead Brian Fallon has been compared to and the band claims major influence by.

As far as their music goes its energetic without being angry, which may otherwise be the tone youd expect from Fallon’s growley voice. The lyrics and singing style definetly do have the classic americana vibe going which Im a big fan of and the upbeat punk rock beat is not too overzealous to fit it. Its a very familiar yet refreshinly different listening experience.  Have a listen at their myspace and check out the videos below and you should probobly go out and get American Slang as well.

My Future Pop Star Husband.

Happy Friday!

In celebration (or rather, surrender) to the fact its the end of the work week I thought Id write about someone that’s just a little fluffy. I hope you don’t mind… Its just that its Friday and my mind is slightly fried and I don’t want to over think anything. If you’re not cool with this and are looking for something a little more introspective, I recommend yesterdays MeWithoutYou post. That baby is chock-full of introspection. The rest of you overstimulated work week survivors can follow me into this happy little post on my new old favorite, Eric Hutchinson.

I know, I know.. If you’ve been following this blog and are the typical hipster all about the Arcade Fire/ Japandroids/ Crystal Castle type buzz-worthy bands you may be giving the stinkface rightnow. But you know what? I like Eric Hutchinson. His music is catchy, melodic and witty and after watching some youtube vids of his live performances it turns out hes cute and has a great sense of humor as well. In fact, after watching the videos I started doing the girly thing, wishing I could just find someone like him to date. Or just him. Preferably the latter actually. Look at that Mug:

ahhh.. its funny, when I was doing that girly thing I became aware that He’s probobly the sort of fellow that a lot of girls (okay probobly mostly 14 year old girl..shut up) end up feeling that way about. Hes got good looks, an easy going demenour and lyrics with just enough class that make him come off as a trustworthy type person. He is likely probobly quite the hearbreaker.

Ok Im sorry, enough romantic over analyzation. I actually discovered Eric last year when imeem was still a thing and he popped on amidst my Sondre Lerche playlist. it was that “Rock n’ Roll” song and it totally had that happy summer vibe to it and i dug it right away. I felt a little corny for liking it though becasue I find that when he sings, Eric has a very ‘young’ voice which made me think he was some 16 year old singing sensation. Having a crush on him then would have been just wierd. Luckily for me I wiki’d him to discover he is 29. Perfectly in line with my age range. Boo yah.

Although most definetly in the realm of pop Eric’s sounds has its own soulful unique flair, kind of sounding like a Gavin DeGraw- Jack Johnson hybrid but more energetic (You can detect some skar/ reggae vibes here and there). Or like Greg Sczebel..Dont know if youve ever heard of him..but hes also one to listen to. Erics Album Sounds Like This came out in 07 on his own label after having some major label misfortune. That misfortune didnt seem to have any lasting affect on him as after the release, the album immediately got a lot of notice (largely due to a nod from celeb-blogger Perez Hilton) and even broke some records.

So thats it. Im not going deeper then this. I like Eric Hutchinson. Hes catchy and a great brain filler for Friday afternoons at work or weekend freeway travelling. Here are some videos, but beware or else you may find yourself slipping into crush mode, like me.

MeWithoutYou and Bazan and Rubik and I.

What did I do on Saturday Night? Oh, well I went and saw a stupendous show at Hollywood’s Music Box. Why was it stupendous you want to know? Well let me just tell you the manifold reasons…

The night would have still been stellar had I only enjoyed the headlining band, MeWithoutYou, of whom Ive been a fan for  many years. Getting to see them live was a big deal for me as they dont come up to where I really live very often (dare I say ever)and man did  they deliver. But Ill get more into that later. Rather then getting the opportunity to see just one great artist I got to see three as the crowd was warmed up by Finnish band Rubik followed by longtime cult indie mainstay Dave Bazan, best known for his former project Pedro The Lion.

I had never heard of Rubik before but I am glad I was introduced to them there. Rubik are one of those groups that have a good half dozen or so (8?) band members and probably at least double the amount of instruments involved in their music. “Whats the drummer doing? Playing a Melodica? Oh..” … “Hey! Whered those sliding trombones come from?!” and I must confess, I love it. Im totally like a kid- getting wide-eyed and excited, grinning ear to ear with every new element thats presented on stage. As far as their sound goes, Id call them an experimental indie-rock band with some pop thrown in their.. a little Arcade Fire-ish. Tracks like “Goji Berries” seem like an audio version of watching a storm on the ocean; lots of anthemic rise and falls with sudden bursts of crashing drum, symbols and yelling.  Definitely worth a listen. Check out this video I found of them performing the aforementionned track for KEXP:

Then after a fairly energetic set, Dave Bazan takes the stage. Now normally I feel like I would have been annoyed at this move. Dave Bazan is FAR from being “rah rah rah” so to insert him in between two groups who basically swarm the stage with their energy could have been diasterous for the flow of the show, and im a huge advocate for proper show flow. And had it been a lesser artist, it probobly would have and this would be the part where I started whining about the lapse in judgement to do such a thing. However, I think that because it was Bazan it works. Though his tunes and live performance may very well be mellow on the surface, its packed with enough intensity to compensate. Bazan is a huge downer for sure (the guy sings about suicide, original sin, church hypocricies and self-doubt) but he does it with such raw honesty that you cant help but get drawn in. It also helped that Bazan would break up the mood a bit here and there asking the crowd if they had any questions at that point. This led to a major crowd thrill when he accepted a request to play the major Bazan song, “Hard to Be”.

I think another contributing factor that meshed Bazan well with MeWithoutYou was the lyrical integrity. Whereas Rubik warmed  the crowd up to MeWithoutYou’s type of performance and kind of show energy, Bazan was able to warm us up to the lyrical and reflective dimension of the music. Thus, we were all hot n’ ready when the nights  big performers, MeWithoutYou came on.

They began eloquently with “Yellow Spider” and went crashing into (I believe, although I could be wrong… its all a bit of a blur now) “Tie Me Up! Untie Me!” The band was in full delivery mood and Aaron Weiss pranced around in his typical curious manner, reminding me of an awkward child with the ability to bellow out stage presence like nobodys business. He presented the crowd with a bouquet of flowers which he let rest in his mic stand, getting droopier as the set went on. Thats about all that was droopy though. Favourites of the night for me included O’ Porcupine which has been a big pause for reflection in my own life along with Messes of Men, Son of a Widow and the epic curtain closer, In A Sweater Poorly Knit which is also a doozie to contemplate. I felt a little bad though, because they played a number of songs from their newest album Its All Crazy! Its All False! Its All a Dream! Its Alright! of which I havent given a lot of consideration to besides “The Fox, The Crow and The Cookie” which they didnt end up playing (to my surprise), and I feel like much of the crowd was the same way. I cant really say why I havent gotten my mitts on their new album yet. True the sound is a little bit of a departure from their older stuff but unlike some other MWY fans, this doesnt particularily bother me. Their music has gotten more melodic progressively with each album and I feel like Aaron’s capability as a songwriter and singer are both strong enough that he should have  the freedom to kind of take his artistic moods where they sway. All in all a completely solid show although I have to say I was by no means satisfied. Theres at least a whole set worth of other MWY songs that i was longing to hear that night. “Torches Together” for one or “In a Market Dimly Lit” for another…”Gentlemen” would have been a nostalgic dream come true. Ahh well. Im sure this is exactly the kind of lust for more Aaron would frown/ write a song about. They were great. The whole night was great and I wish I could go back. *sigh* Here are some videos Ive chosen so that those of you who missed out on this night of musical bliss can read, watch and pretend.

Tommorow I think Ill go a completely different direction and write about my dream pop-star husband, Eric hutchinson. Deal with it.