Horse Feathers New Album

While I am in the mood of posting some quiet and beautiful songs, I am going to share another tune that is rather striking. This one is "Thistled Spring" off the new album "Thistled Spring" by Horse Feathers, due to release next week.

Enjoy...

Sarah Siskind

Thankfully a friend pointed out Sarah Siskind the other day, and this song is blowing my mind.

Enjoy.

New Band Alert: Gayngs

I never have been to Minneapolis, but I beginning to rethink my position on Minnesota as a haven of merely cheese and football. Luckily, I stumbled upon a new band from the city of lakes, called Gayngs. They are releasing a new album "Relayted" early May 2010 which promises to be the album of the summer.

The band is a project led by Ryan Olsen, Zack Coulter, and Adam Hurlburt. However, the group is made up of so many people, its kind of a family band:

M. Vincent Vaughner Noyce: vocals
Katy Morley: vocals
Maggie Wander: vocals
Channy Moon Casselle: vocals
Justin Vernon: vocals, guitar
Ivan Howard: vocals
Phil Cook: keys
Adam Hurlbert: bass
Brad Cook: bass
Jake Luck: keys
Maggie Morrison: vocals
Joe Westerlund: drums

Enjoy the track below: "The Gaudy Side of Town"

The Sacred Mushroom

I am here at work, cranking out budgets for one of my initiatives, and am being blown away by a solo on a song by the Cincinnati, OH based The Sacred Mushroom. The song, “Lifeline,” is about 6 minutes of super impressive bluesy/psychedelic rocking, played to perfection.

The album was released in 1969 and, just like the band, never received a widespread audience, although the guitarist Larry Goshorn later joined the Pure Prairie League. Unfortunately, this was to be the Sacred Mushroom’s only album. It is definitely a catchy, well crafted album for anyone who loves sixties psychedelic rock and blues.

Check out “Mean Old World”

How To Fix Advertising

Although not the most enlightened speech, I find JWT's Sean Boyle's lecture on "How To Fix Advertising" rather informative on perhaps where many traditional ad agencies have stumbled. Overwhelmed by concerns to appease nervous clients and anticipate consumption behavior, many firms have allowed themselves to transform from bold, idea-driven shops into risk-averse, cautious, and therefore mundane places of employment, ultimately impacting the work.

The basic tenants of his argument:

1: Start Telling The Truth
2: Stop The Politics
3: Start Having Fun Again
4: Stop Overthinking Things
5: Start Doing Something
6: Stop The Incessant Research
7: Start Doing Good
8: Stop Banging On About Digital
9: Start Ups Again Please
10: Stop Using Animals In Commercials

It is a cautionary tale that too many agencies have ignored, so check it out:

The Clash and Kate Simon

The Clash

I am sitting here, enjoying a bowl of killer soup, and listening to the Clash’s “Straight to Hell” and “The Call Up.” It is in moments like these that make me feel like I am tapped into the world, that I have a purpose. I can’t say there are many bands out there making music that makes you want to shake your shit while concurrently forcing you to acknowledge – and act – upon global injustice. Both songs are fervent anti-war ballads, but could easily be misinterpreted as club hits (at least back in the 70’s and 80’s). I suppose M.I.A achieves this level of success with “Paper Planes,” but I take away frustration and anger from that adaptation of “Straight to Hell” instead of a sense of purpose.

On a related note, I just want to share a photo or two from my good friend Kate Simon, one of the closest photographers of the Clash. She has shot everyone – Bob Marley, Led Zeppelin, Iggy Pop, William Burroughs, etc., etc. – and her work speaks for itself. If you haven’t explored her world, I highly recommend it. Word on the street is that she will be publishing a memoir in the next year or so, highlighting her extensive career.

Bob Marley and Kate Simon

Robert Plant, 1975

Joe Strummer, 1977

Eastern European Choral Legends

Thanks to Nico Muhly's "Mothertongue" album, composer Philip Glass, and some late night programing from John Schaefer on New Sounds WNYC, I have recently rekindled an interest in choral music. My knowledge of choral music was previously limited to Handel, Mozart, and Carl Orff; however, I am currently discovering a surplus of incredible choral music, particularly coming from Eastern Europe, that has reinvented the category in the past several decades.

A few of the artists that I have been listening to over and over are Veljo Tormis, Giya Kancheli, and Einojuhani Rautavaara. Tormis, considered one of the greatest Estonian choral composers alive, was born in 1930 and has written over 500 pieces, most of which found airtime outside of Estonia until the mid-1990's, given their exclusion by the Soviet Union in Eurasia. His music is based primarily on Estonian folksongs that, in Tormis' words, "makes use of me," referring to his desire to preserve and share Estonian folklore and culture with the world. Most of the work is layered with complexity, adding in very few instrumentals, and focusing primarily on the vocals.

Do yourself a favor, if you haven't already, and go pick up one of these masterworks. They are perfect for a quiet weekend at home or for exploring in the park in a snowy day.