Ra Ra

Sort of like a cheerleader. Or sort of like a tiger. Either way, one of my new favorite bands: Ra Ra Riot.

Now for a trip down memory lane...

While I was interviewing in Boulder, CO, I stumbled upon an awesome record store called Albums on the Hill- They had an insane collection of new and used vinyls. I was there right after the release of Ray LaMontagne's God Willin' and the Creek Don't Rise and Ra Ra Riot's Orchard, so I figured I'd pick them up along with Herbie Hancock's River: The Joni Letters.

Since moving to Dallas, I've discovered some great places to hear live music, my favorite being the Granada on Greenville Ave. That's where I heard Ra Ra Riot live. Loved 'em on vinyl, and they were even better live. (It's always depressing when artists are worse live...) Plus, any band with a cello and violin is good in my book.

Not So Much "The Suburbs"

My Dad and I made a stop at Hastings, a popular entertainment store, and picked up the latest Arcade Fire album. I know! It's been out for, what, a month now?

Hear me out... I'm traveling from Waco, TX to Denver, CO (and back) with nothing more than radio tunes and one mix CD that has a couple good tunes ('Stitched Up' by Herbie Hancock, 'Put Your Records On' by Corinne Bailey Rae). By the half-way point, I was desperate for some new, good music.

So what if CDs are out-dated? So is my '99 Buick Le Sabre! This album is rockin'. If you're like me (late to jump on the bandwagon), do it! You won't regret this purchase.

Plus, I got to listen to "The Suburbs" in the not so much suburbs of the Texas Panhandle.

Like Liberty

The sky has gotten way more awesome, as have bells.

On my flight home from Italy a couple weeks ago, I was bored with the in-flight movies (Alice in Wonderland isn't as good on a tiny screen without 3D effects). I changed to the music channels and found a new collaboration between two artists I like. Danger Mouse (Grey album- mix of Jay-Z's The Black Album and The Beatles The White Album) meets James Mercer (lead singer, guitar for The Shins) to make the best kind of bells- Broken Bells.



I can't get over how much I'm digging this band. The Shins are one of my favorite bands, and this self-titled album is like an edgier, electronic-infused version of The Shins. Since the plane, I've been listening to the album on The Hype Machine. I'm keeping my eyes peeled at the record stores for this gem.

Some cool tracks to listen for:
The High Road
The Ghost Inside
Vaporize

New, like woah!

Most of the music I've purchased over the past 3 years has been on vinyl. Being in Thailand was like constant withdrawal from music. While on a road trip, I stopped to pick up my records and record player from my sister in Waco, TX. I waited with anticipation for a week while I made my way back to MA. When I finally got there, I found that my record player was broken- externally, internally. Painful.

Last week I made the best purchases of the whole summer: a new record player and 5 new records. Instead of being big and bulky like my last record player, this one is compact and portable (like a boombox, but way cooler). It even has a hookup so I can convert my records to mp3s. Seriously, best purchase ever.

My new records

Animal Collective- Merriweather Post Pavillion
Vampire Weekend- Contra
MGMT- Congratulations


The Dead Weather- Sea of Cowards
The Black Keys- The Big Come Up

I'm obsessed with liner notes- gives the music more depth and gives me something interesting to read. And in the case of MGMT's Congratulations, the liner notes are just plain awesome, with lines like...
It's Working: Love? Or Confusion? Reality? Contusion? Subterranea or Sub-fusion. The Quest begins.

Long Time, No See

Yep, double meaning. Typical.

Hey, Bonnaroo. Long time, no see. 2006, when I last went to 'Roo, was a major change for this mega-festival because they changed the make-up of their market by adding a new class act headliner: Radiohead. But I hadn't been back until this year. And as much as I thought changed between 2004 and 2006, even more changed between 2004 and 2010...

The Dead Weather

I've always been a fan of Jack White, especially with the Raconteurs. His newest band, The Dead Weather, released their first album in 2009. I know I'm a bit late with the music times, but I'm in Thailand, so bear with me.

There are so many sounds in this album- from grunge guitar riffs in Hang You From The Heavens, to the funk-rhythms of Cut Like A Buffalo, to the folk and blues infusion in Will There Be Enough Water?

The Dead Weather has a fullness and soul unmatched by most modern rock bands. The album sounds as if it could have been produced in the 70's. Gritty rock & roll all the way...


The Dead Weather - Hang You Up From The Heavens

Don't Ever Stop This Train

John Mayer is one of the best musicians of this generation with his guitar excellence and beautiful song writing. About a week ago I watched his "Where the Light Is" concert on DVD.

The concert had 3 parts:

Acoustic John Mayer
"John Mayer opening up for The John Mayer Trio"
This is the way I like music the most: sincere, simple and stripped-down. The first two songs he played (Neon, Stop This Train) are two of my favorite John Mayer songs: Neon for the guitar, Stop This Train for the songwriting. He also played a cover of Tom Petty's Freefallin', Daughters and a song I hadn't heard before called In Your Atmosphere.

John Mayer Trio
Whenever Try! was released, I realized that John Mayer was a serious and studious musician. Mayer didn't team up with just anyone; he teamed up with jazz legends Steve Jordan and Pino Palladino. This set was artfully done, starting with Every Day I Have the Blues. This 8 song modern jazz set was infused with so many solos, I almost forgot that this was the same guy who had just played the acoustic set.

John Mayer Band
This is the John Mayer I learned to love back in high school. I'm a sucker for pop. Good pop, that is. Mayer had a full stage of accompanying musicians, complete with horns, for this set 9 song set of Mayer standards like Why Georgia, Slow Dancing in a Burning Room, Waiting on the World to Change and Belief.

The best part about this concert was that it seemed like it was never going to end.

Bonnaroo Hating

I've been reading up on a lot of message boards for any leaks or inside information on 2010 Bonnaroo. What bands have summer tours? Which ones are likely to play 'Roo? Are they going to grab some unlikely headliners?

What I found was not secret information, but the open hyped-up hate towards Kings of Leon.

Man, are some people angry about them. I understand that their most recent album Only by the Night "Sex on Fire"... yeah, yeah.... is more finely produced than their previous records, but it still possesses the same gritty rock and roll they've always had. I remember my first year at Bonnaroo in 2004 waiting for Saturday's music to start up at 12:30 in "That Tent." Who was I going to see? This new, young southern rock band from Tennessee named Kings of Leon.

The music started and people, previously passed out in the vast expanses of grass, started waking up to find the music. And that's when the people of Bonnaroo found Kings of Leon.

After seeing that show as well as one in 2008, no matter how many records are sold, how many fans there are, how produced they sound, Kings of Leon has it.

Kings of Convenience

While on Pitch Fork checking out the latest music news, I came across a headline about Kings of Convenience. More specifically: about their Asian tour. I thought, Sweet. Asia. They've obviously got to come to Bangkok. So I went to their website, almost shaking at the possibility of live... Western... music, specifically Kings of Convenience.



And to my dismay, although they're going North (Korea, Japan) and South (Malaysia, Philippines), they're completely overpassing Bangkok. It almost makes me want to redirect my post-teaching travel. Almost.

MGMT

Nominated for two 2010 Grammys, including best new artists, MGMT is a duo that I can't get enough of. Their style and digital sound is completely original, without cluttering their music with too much "electronica." Their next album, Congratulations, is due out this spring. The Bonnaroo lineup hasn't been announced yet, but I'm crossing my fingers that they'll be there.

And Here's to Christmas Cheer!

My top three favorite Christmas songs:

1. The Christmas Song
Quite possibly the best description of Christmas spirit. Always best if sung by Nat King Cole.


2. It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas
One of the songs playing at every department store during the Christmas season.


3. Baby It's Cold Outside
Though the lyrics are a bit (okay, mega) creepy, it's a great duet. And it always reminds me of Elf.

Brothers McCann

Brothers McCann released their first album on iTunes. The album is soulful with groove and pop undertones. Simply stated: It makes you want to get up and dance.

Brothers McCann is a five person band, of which two are brothers (Pat and Mike). I've stayed updated on their musical journey through Facebook and, since I've been away at college and away in Thailand, I can't wait to get home and catch a live show. Check out a track for yourself through...

1. Their website: http://www.brothersmccann.com/
2. iTunes
3. YouTube

Or just listen to the track I selected below.

Word up to Franklin, Mass!



And if you're a Ray LaMontagne fan at all, here's a nice cover of "Shelter"...

The Song and The Album

Music: The gift that keeps on giving...

Okay, that saying can be true for so many things. But today we're going to assume it was made for music.

I've felt so out of the loop on music for the last several months- that is, until my Dad came to visit and gave me all of the new music he's purchased since I've been in Thailand. Magical, I tell you.

Of many album options, I gave my first listen to my oldest and most loved band: Wilco. As Wilco has matured in their musical creativity, they've moved away from the gritty, southern-pop (Being There, A.M.) and towards refined, well-produced studio albums (A Ghost Is Born, Sky Blue Sky). Growing old with a band is enjoyable, being able to hear all the directions their music has gone. But sometimes, I just love the "original material." And that is exactly why I love the track Wilco (The Song) from Wilco (The Album). It's comical, up-beat and, if the name doesn't say it all, Wilco.

Enjoy the camel!

Trains, Trains, Trains

"Night Train"
Amos Lee


"Southbound Train"
Jon Foreman


"Train in Vain" (Stand by Me)
The Clash

Jeff Tweedy... Via Bangkok

I've had several encounters with Wilco this past week.

There are two major English papers in Bangkok: The Nation and The Bangkok Post, which I try to read when I have breaks from teaching. Although there is a some international news, much of the news centers around Asia. Imagine how surprised I was to read an article about Wilco's lead singer, Jeff Tweedy.

And then, the very next day, imagine how surprised I was to receive this gift, purchased on the streets of Bangkok, from my boyfriend...

Not only is the shirt Wilco, but the venue which they advertise is a long-standing favorite venue of mine in Boston.

Brand New Heavies in Bangkok

After a couple months of a live music dry spell, I'm finally going to my first show, if you will, in Bangkok. I've already seen Grand Master Flash, but that's a little different considering his genre of music.

And I'm going thanks to the advertisements on the BTS, the sky train through Bangkok. August 11th!!!!!!!

Random Music Moment

Sufjan Stevens and David Crowder
My boyfriend and I were sharing his iPhone listening to music on the way home from Koh Samet. A song by Sufjan Stevens came on, and I was curious to see the song title because it was really compelling. Did I have it on my computer or was this my first time hearing it? I would have asked to see it then, but he was in possession of the iPhone and was completely conked out- I didn't want to wake him. When I came home I entered "Sufjan Stevens" in my iTunes search bar to find the two Sufjan albums I have (I have more on vinyl than on mp3) and strangely a David Crowder song- "O God Where Are You Now (In Pickerel Lake? Pigeon? Marquette? Mackinaw?)." This was very confusing to me. I re-entered it. Still, it was there. What's this all about, I thought. Google- here I come! Findings? Sufjan Stevens wrote this song for Crowder's album A Collision or (3+4=7).

The Language of All

Two things that are universal:
Math & Music (ok, and McDonald's.)

Math: The only thing I understand (other than English) on the white boards at my Thai school.
Music: I totally got into this Korean rock band the other night... and all the sweet guitar solos. For all I know they could have been singing about sushi, although that would be pretty entertaining.

There is also a mega-band here called "Big Ass." Seriously, there are advertisements everywhere. And every time I see it I secretly giggle to myself.

Celeb Couples

...Ones that are shocking/cool

Ben Gibbard and Zoey Deschanel


Ryan Adams and Mandy Moore

To Feist or Not to Feist

Fiest: One of the most beautiful voices in indie rock.
Wilco: My favorite band.

Some people have been gravely upset about their collaboration on Wilco's new album due out this summer. Tweety's sober judgement was good. I think it'll be a gem. In a not-so-sober state they could have ended up collaborating with Miley Cyrus. JUST KIDDING.