JoshCast #36 - Here I Dreamt I Was An Architect

I'm thinking now's as good a time as any to break out of my blogging hiatus. Life's happened lately...you know, work and priorities and such, and alas, writing was one such item to be reluctantly nudged to the backburner.

But I'm back, and just about ready to dive back into some Daily Vault writing. Here's a little warmup, though, here on the second day after December with The Decemberists. Of all places, I heard "Here I Dreamt I Was An Architect" playing faintly at the end of a How I Met Your Mother episode, and it struck me sideways. Something about the hypnotic, cyclic melody played on guitar behind poetic lyrics: "But the angles and the corners / Even though my work is unparalleled / They never seemed to meet / This structure fell about our feet / And we were free to go."

From their '09 release, Castaways and Cutouts. Enjoy. Tunage starts at 0:40.

JoshCast #35 - New Slang (Bluegrass Style!)

I like bluegrass...especially when bluegrass virtuousos cover music from a totally different corner of the universe. I love The Shins...especially the two masterpieces found on the Garden State soundtrack.

Put them together, and what'd'ya get? Pure awesomeness. See if you agree with me, and take a listen to Iron Horse's rendition of "New Slang":



(Original by The Shins: click here)

JoshCast #34 - Hard Sun

I like to think that my musical tastes are relatively expansive, but I've found in the last decade that I inevitably circle back to the same three musicians: Dave Matthews Band, Ryan Adams (not to be confused with Bryan Adams), and grunge legends Pearl Jam.

I still remember many, many years ago, when I was but a wee sophomore in high school, I bought Ten, their '91 release that skyrocketed them to never-ending fame. A number of weeks later, my mom confronted me, worried that my purchase was a sign that I was perhaps turning, um, rambunctious. I guess they did have that sort of reputation, but I allayed her fears when I showed her they weren't just a bunch of hardcore, screaming hairbangers -- although, yes, they do that pretty damn well, too. (I also had a Rage Against The Machine album which she should've been more worried about, but luckily, that was glossed over.) In fact, they're musical talents are so very well-rounded: from the wildly popular "Alive" to the little-known gem "Cropduster" to the far more subdued and heartfelt "Gone".


Leadman Eddie Vedder's involvement in the 2007 movie Into The Wild is just the latest of his impressive efforts, exemplified by the following song, "Hard Sun", which remarkably fits the expansive wilderness setting of the majority of the movie. Hope you like it as much as I do:

JoshCast #33 - Run Chicken Run

I'm tired, so I think I'll just let The Felice Brothers carry the creative load today. I think "Run Chicken Run" came with one of my Paste magazines years ago, but it only recently was randomly chosen by my iTunes library. As I was shaving, if I recall correctly. Not that any of that is relevant.

It starts with an accordion, and well, only gets better after that, with a free-wheelin', slightly crazy spirit that you would expect from a song titled as it is. Enjoy.

JoshCast #32 - Incinerate

They may have been celebrating their quarter-century anniversary when Sonic Youth released Rather Ripped in 2006, and they certainly had an iconic body of work prior to that album. Nevertheless, "Incinerate" -- a single from that album -- was my first exposure to the noise punk specialists.

After purchasing 86's EVOL the other day, I've come to find out their usual style is markedly different from this. But this I love. Lead guitar is low-key but just enough to subtly wow me.



"You doused my soul with gasoline / You flicked a match into my brain."

Whoa. Emo.

JoshCast #31 - Furr

Kudos to my brother for turning me on to Blitzen Trapper, an indie rock group hailing from Portland, Oregon. The title track from their 2008 release, Furr, in particular continually invites me to hit that rewind button, just so I can hear it one more time.

It's a whimsical tune about some wandering soul that, enamored by the wild, assimilates with a pack of wolves, only to be drawn back to reality six years later after meeting a pearl-skinned girl. ...Um, I think. It's probably open to all sorts of interpretation if you study its lyrics, but at any rate, it's a fun listen.

Pretty cool papercraft animation accompanies it on the music video. Check it out:

JoshCast #30 - What Sin Replaces Love

I just watched a mini-documentary called "September" (see this YouTube clip) about the genesis of Ryan Adams & The Cardinals -- probably the most recent addition to my list of personal all-time-greats. (See especially: Cold Roses) Their genius is multi-layered: alt-country instrumentation, a quality I call "listenability", and a top-notch (if idiosyncratic) front man in Ryan Adams.

(Great example of the above, the single "Let It Ride".)


In particular, I'm endlessly enamored by his way with words. He's no stranger to heart-wrenching lyrics ("See her smilin' at him / That used to be me / And I could find her in a thunderstorm / Just be the way that the rain would fall"). But it's the following words from the aforementioned documentary that reveal the apparent ease with which his musical talents translate from his brain to your speakers:

"If you sit and [mess] around with a guitar for longer than 30 minutes, you might accidentally run into a couple of chords that sound like a song. As soon as I get on to something like that, I'm like 'Aw, shit,' and I have to take it where it's going. And then I feel really satisfied, like I did something today.

"Then I go out and I get drunk. It's great."

I wish it was that easy for me.

Anyway, Adams's edgier alter-ego shows up in the following unreleased track. Very 70s rocksy and bluesy (right up my alley), and a bit of a departure from his alt-country creations with The Cardinals. Peel back the cheesy MTV-style intro and the embellished theatrics, and you get some great stuff:

JoshCast #29 - I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself

It may just be my imagination, but the perception of Jack White many people have seems to be that fans only follow him because, somewhere, someone several years ago said it was cool to follow him. Probably true in some circumstances -- and some of you may accuse me of the same crime. But I maintain that my fandom is driven by his insistence to constantly try new genres, performing more than adequately in each and every environment.

First, it was blues-rock and The White Stripes. Mix in some folk/country influences and you get The Raconteurs. Throw in a little darkness and Alison Mosshart and you get his more recent project, The Dead Weather. Then, his acting debut in Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story where he portrays Elvis Presley. Which brings us to his latest collaboration: a single with -- of all people -- Conan O'Brien??

Keeps you guessing, that's for sure.

One of his first pleasant surprises as 50% of The White Stripes was a cover of Burt Bacharach's 1962 single "I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself" from 2003's Elephant. Interesting cover...obviously a little rougher around the edges than the original. A few more power chords and such. Love the finale starting about 2:00...

JoshCast #28 - #41 (Live)

Who better to finish my JoshCast binge than my hands-down, no-debate, don't-even-try-and-argue-with-me favorite band of all time?

The good news: the Dave Matthews Band will visit Dallas on September 11 -- only a month and a half down the road. The bad news: this will be among the last times ANYONE will get to witness them live for a long while, since they're taking a one-year tour break in 2011. It's a well-deserved hiatus, seeing as they sold a staggering 11,230,696 tickets last decade.

They must be doing SOMETHING right, huh? Even after all these years?

Speaking of "after all these years", today's track is lifted from Listener Supported, which was recorded back in 1999. It's a quintessential DMB track, showcasing the talents of all its members during its closing five-minute jam session:

Boyd Tinsley on violin.

The late Leroi Moore on sax.

Carter Beauford on drums.

Only guitar god Timmy Reynolds, who has toured with the band the last few years, is missing.

Lots of people can't stand DMB. OK, I sorta get it...they've had their share of clunker albums, and maybe you're not into the whole 20+ minute jam session thing. But I just CANNOT fathom why anyone WOULDN'T love the last five minutes of this song:

JoshCast #27 - Fox Confessor Brings the Flood

JoshCast week -- or where my narcissistic writing assumes that you have similar tastes in music that I do -- continues... as does my interest in a certain female vocalist.

Probably a year ago, I stumbled on the music of Neko Case. I don't remember how, although I think it through an indie group called The New Pornographers, with whom she was associated before making it big in her solo career.

I'm not 100% sure why her music constantly finds its way to my ears. Her hypnotizing voice and lyrics are the most likely reasons, but her off-the-beaten-path-ness is equally appealing. Both qualities are evident if you see her live: the former in her usually 3-minutes-or-less musical gems, the latter in the irregular but hilarious anecdotes you hear between songs.

I mean, how could a self-described "country noir" artist with radiant, ruby hair who also the co-stars with T-Pain in an animated TV series called "Cheyenne Cinnamon and the Fantabulous Unicorn of Sugar Town Candy Fudge" NOT be interesting?

Anyway, I'll quit gushing (as one blogger put it, "Sigh, I want to marry her, but that blasted restraining order...") and let you listen to the title track off of her 2006 album, Fox Confessor Brings the Flood:



(P.S., see also the positively gut-wrenching "In California".)

JoshCast #26 - Fear Not Of Man

I am a pale individual. I’m no Hank Hill, but yeah, I admit that Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Beatles, and Pearl Jam compose a very significant portion of my iTunes library. But that doesn’t mean I can’t occasionally love me some hip-hop. ...uh, right?

Well, a few months ago, after a little nudge from Pandora, I bought Black on Both Sides, Mos Def’s solo debut from waaay back last MILLENIUM in 1999. That was a good decision. It’s always been perfect for when I need to get psyched up for something. Plus, it’s not without socially conscious commentary.

While "Mathematics" is almost certainly the track most people have heard of, I frequently find myself flipping back to Track 1, "Fear Not of Man". It sounds good, for one (although I’m not going to pretend to understand the dynamics of hip-hop enough to analyze why), and its lyrics resonate more to me than, say, Jay-Z’s "Big Pimpin'".

Especially: "Mind over matter and soul before flesh". Simple. Only seven words. But that’s enough... maybe brevity is the soul of wisdom, too.

OK, I’m getting too deep. On to music:

JoshCast #25 - The Adjustor

After yesterday’s foray into roadhouse Americana, it’s time to shift gears. And by "shift gears", I mean "throw it into reverse and crash the transmission."

Last Friday, I had the opportunity to witness an indescribable showcase of experimental electronic hullabaloo when Austin-based The Octopus Project took the stage of the Granada Theater. Sure, it would probably be categorized as electronica...but that doesn’t mean throbbing bass and glowsticks. No, this was a little different. Electronic beats backed by guitar, bass, drums, and some random, off-the-wall instruments.

Undoubtedly the awesomest parts of the show came when Yvonne Lambert, complete with Mary Tyler Moore hairstyle and old-school prom dress (why not?), showed off her talents on the theremin. In case you don’t know -- because I sure didn’t -- the theremin is played without even touching the thing. From Wikipedia: "The controlling section usually consists of two metal antennas which sense the position of the player's hands and control oscillators for frequency with one hand, and amplitude (volume) with the other. The electric signals from the theremin are amplified and sent to a loudspeaker."

The timbre of the theremin (at least at the show) is sort of an electrified whistle, reminiscent of a ghost. It took a while for me to realize that Yvonne’s deliberate mid-air hand motions resulted in pitch and volume changes coming from the instrument.

Anyway, it was a good time, and their music was noticeably more enjoyable than their recorded stuff. Nevertheless, here's "The Adjustor", from One Ten Hundred Thousand Million:

JoshCast #24 - Southside of Heaven

Two months since the last JoshCast. How have you survived? Fear not, because it just returned from its summer hiatus, largely due to the fact that I've found Grooveshark, another means to embed music -- a dire need after Lala was shut down at the end of May.

To make up for lost time, how about 5 new tracks...one for each day of the week? And not only that, but each one from a different corner of the music-verse? On to JoshCast #24!

--

If you've seen the movie Crazy Heart, you are aware of the sheer genius of (1) Jeff Bridges and (2) Ryan Bingham. Chances are you hadn't heard of the latter (and maybe still haven't) until he -- like Bridges -- took home an Oscar for his role in the bittersweet, whiskey-soaked drama.

Before winning that gold statue, he broke onto the country(ish) music scene in 2007 with his major label debut, Mescalito. His loose, roadhouse songwriting style, coupled with his rusty voice (think country-fried Bob Dylan), made for a real fine album. (In addition to the song I'm about to introduce, see "Bread and Water".)

As I listened to it all the way through for the first time this past weekend, I couldn't help but think of the movie O Brother, Where Art Thou?, which in post-production, they filtered the colors so the whole thing had a brownish, sepia texture. True, Mescalito can only be perceived by the ear, but when listening to it, you almost can see, feel, and taste that same dusty tone.

The first track, "Southside of Heaven", is probably the highlight. Its slowburning introduction, soon joined by a gorgeous harmonica, backs lonely lyrics bellowed by Bingham's gravely voice. After a couple of verses, it slows to a smoldering pace for a moment before ending with a rousing banjo-laced finale. GREAT STUFF. Listen for yourself.

JoshCast #23 - The High Road

I heard "The High Road" for the first time on Radio Austin at work the other day and found it oddly catchy. I didn't particularly LOVE it the first time I heard it, but found myself silently singing the chorus hours later.

"The High Road" is the single off of Broken Bells's self-titled album, released a couple of months ago. And oh, by the way, Broken Bells is yet another "super-collaboration", this time between Danger Mouse and James Mercer (right), lead singer of The Shins. (If they ever make a movie about Mercer, might I suggest that Kevin Spacey play the starring role?)

If only the song ended more strongly! That's my only complaint. Still, the first three minutes are worth your while:

JoshCast #22 - Take, Take, Take

Take a peek at my CD collection and you'll notice Jack White -- in his many forms -- makes quite a few appearances. And one more will arrive on May 11 when The Dead Weather's new album hits shelves.

It's funny, I picked up a Raconteurs album a couple of years ago. That wasn't enough.

Got a few White Stripes albums. That wasn't enough.

Picked up the first Raconteurs album, then the first Dead Weather album. Still not enough.

Yes, my appreciation for Jack White's prolific and unusual nature is not unlike the theme in the White Stripes' "Take, Take, Take" from Get Behind Me Satan, where an obsessive fan just can't get enough from a celebrity encounter:

JoshCast #21 - Do You Realize??

Oddly enough, only 6 days ago, I had never consciously heard a Flaming Lips song. I had a general impression that they were out there and that they were cool. But I hadn't seen (nor, frankly, had I really sought) any hard evidence of this. My cousin saw them at ACL Festival a few years back, and she described how the lead singer crowd-surfed in a giant bubble. So I took her at her (very capable) word that they were worth the hype.

That was 6 whole days ago. My, how times have changed.

The upstart Denton, Texas, music festival NX35 was highlighted by a FREE show at the North Texas Fairgrounds by the Flaming Lips and a couple of openers (Midlake and the White Dwarfs). Despite some untimely technical difficulties, including a total stage blackout right smack in the middle of their big intro, they were able to put on a helluva show. And it didn't matter that I had only bought my first Flaming Lips CD hours earlier. Sure, I couldn't really sing along, but I was speechless anyway:


So in case you were just as ignorant as I was, let me open your eyes. You might recognize "Do You Realize??", which is actually the official rock song of the state of Oklahoma. (Fitting, since they hail from OKC.) Listen up, and you'll see these guys are a little different:



The most striking feature of their style is actually their lyrics. A bittersweet (and mildly trippy) example:

"Do you realize / that everyone you know someday will die / And instead of saying all of your goodbyes / let them know you realize that life goes fast / It's hard to make the good things last / You realize the sun doesn't go down / It's just an illusion caused by the world spinning round."

JoshCast #20 - I Shall Be Released

Any day now...



Heard this song on TV, immediately grabbed it off iTunes, and then played it like a broken record probably 6 times in a row. Man, what I wouldn't give to be able to play a guitar and a harmonica at the same time. I mean, and make it sound good.

JoshCast #19 - Todd Snider Double Dip!

Just recently discovered well-traveled folk singer-songwriter Todd Snider. Maybe you should, too. After my first glance: his sometimes lazily twangy, sometimes crazily upbeat, but always entertaining lyrically and musically tracks fit right into that mold of a great live act. We'll see, because he plays at Dallas's Granada Theater tomorrow night.

Talkin' Seattle Blues

First, a fun little jab at 90s grunge rock. "Hang your hair down in your eyes, you'll make a million dollars".



Better Than Ever Blues, Pt. 2

And second, one of those songs that gets you through the day and makes you feel a little better about yourself. Love that finger-pickin' guitar and banjo in the second half.

JoshCast #18 - Everyday

A recent advertising campaign used to give me chills, and still does when I run across them on YouTube:



The NBA struck gold when they decided to advertise the NBA playoffs by capturing some of the more eye-popping plays in prior years, applying slow-motion and a black-and-white filter, and placing a haunting solo piano on the audio track with a melody that just screams, "This is the stuff of legend." (See previous post: Where Amazing Commericials Happen)

Commercials only last so long, though, and I always wanted to catch more than the first 30 or 45 seconds of that song. On a whim during a self-declared lull at work today, I hunted for the track and found its original recording: "Everyday", by Carly Comando... (I know. "Comando". Really?)



And then this dude learned how to play it on guitar. Duplicating this feat is now officially on my bucket list.

JoshCast #17 - Merry Christmas From the Family

Normally, I don't do "Jingle Bells". Or "Silver Bells". Or any other kind of bells, really.

If you know me, though, you know I enjoy me some Robert Earl Keen. So if I must be bombarded by the usual Christmas music fare in malls and elevators and on 75% of the radio waves, I can compensate by occasionally hitting up REK's "Merry Christmas From the Family". Probably his #2 live favorite (behind "The Road Goes On Forever", no doubt), he'll only play it when the calendar calls for it. It's maintained its popularity for every bit of 15 years since it was released on Gringo Honeymoon in '94. Maybe one day you'll hear it back-to-back with Sinatra crooning about a White Christmas or something or other.

So "Hallelujah, everybody say cheese...":



The video: click here.