Special Countdown: 12 Years of Last.Fm (Part 3) (#30-#21)

Rise Against

It's the end of the month, so that must mean that it's time for another installment of 12 Year of Last.fm. It's a great episode with a wide range of music. Enjoy!


12 Years of Last.fm (Part 3)

***Featuring***
Alkaline Trio
Bad Religion
Dar Williams
Elliott Smith
Frightened Rabbit
Pearl Jam
Rise Against
Sublime
Sufjan Stevens
Thrice
Vampire Weekend

New Countdown: The Episode That Almost Killed Me, or, The Episode That Nearly Wasn't!

Muse

Well this was a tough one! I'm not sure really what happened, but I kept being SO tired at night and then I just kept recording one or two intros and calling it a night. So that's why the dual title. I'm not sure if it almost killed me or if I almost just didn't finish it.

But it's a good one with great tunes and LOTS of Bonus Songs.

And also, even though it feels silly now, Happy Mother's Day!





Countdown #245

***Featuring**
AWOLNATION
B.B. King & Eric Clapton
Beastie Boys
Dar Williams
Death Cab For Cutie
Florence + the Machine
Foo Fighters
Milky Chance
Modest Mouse
Mumford & Sons
Muse
Robert Delong
Taylor Swift
Walk the Moon

Dar Williams - Emerald (Album Review)

Dar Williams has a new album out and it's quite good.

I first listened to Dar Williams (always full name. First and Last.) when my Dad and I bought my stepmom The Honesty Room after she heard "When I Was a Boy" on a local Boston radio station (It may have been a public radio station. I couldn't hear it very well. There was a LOT of static). We obsessed over that album that summer and that was where I learned about how nice it is to give music as a gift. (I told this story to her when my wife and I saw her perform in February of last year. She seemed touched and she understood what I meant about giving music. She referenced the story when
she signed my CD.)

Then she released her next album, Mortal City, and, while it was perhaps a little less folky than the first album, it was still full of songs that ranged in emotion from laugh-out-loud hilarity to chilling doses of mortality and reality.

I sort of lost touch with Dar Williams over the next couple of albums, but then when I found out she would be coming through on tour, I bought tickets and got her most recent album, In the Time of Gods, for Christmas. I listened to it on repeat until I knew it almost as well as I knew her earlier work. But something was a little off. The songs were very enjoyable but the effortlessness with which she had played the earlier songs was missing.

When I saw her in concert, the ease and effortlessness was there, and I was happy to see it. She's an amazing storyteller (and has great stage banter. You should definitely see her live, if you have the chance)

I also heard that same welcome ease on this new album, Emerald. She is playing these songs like she's been playing them for years. The range of emotions is there too. There are touching stories like those in "New York is a Harbor" and "Mad River". And there are moments of pure joy like on "FM Radio" which has more references to musicians of the 60's and 70's than you can shake a stick at. (My favorite line of that song is "It's like a public pool/You decide where to jump in/To feel the sexiness, the passion and the fusion and the fission/Remember: Bruce Springsteen divorced a model and married a musician"

I'm excited to get to know this album. You should be, too. If you love Dar Williams, or if you are hearing about her for the first time, you should pick up Emerald. It's out today in the UK and tomorrow in the US.

Dar Williams has a new album and it's quite good.

Here are some songs from the album for you to peruse before you buy!

New Countdown: Hey things went according to plan!!!

Foster the People

Well, I accomplished my goal of getting this one done a day early so that I can go to my concert tomorrow night. Very stoked!

I hope you enjoy this one!


Countdown #186

***Featuring***
Arctic Monkeys
Bastille
Cage the Elephant
Dar Williams
Foster the People
Gnarls Barkley
Imagine Dragons
Lorde
The Neighbourhood
Pearl Jam
Vampire Weekend
Young the Giant

New Countdown: Not Letting a Measly Snowstorm Keep ME From Procrastinating!

Pearl Jam

Well, I had a bunch of time to do this, with the snow storm and everything, but, of course, decided to wait until the last possible moment to actually record most of it. I know some things go better if you're under pressure, but I mean, come on! :)

I can't do that again next week because I'm going to a concert on Saturday night! If you're interested in knowing more, you literally have to wait through the whole episode to find out details. So just forget I mentioned anything and then when I bring it up, it'll be like "Oh yeah! I *was* interested in that!"


Countdown #185

***Featuring***
Arctic Monkeys
Bastille
Cage the Elephant
Dar Williams
Foster the People
Gnarls Barkley
Imagine Dragons
Lorde
The Neighbourhood
Pearl Jam
Vampire Weekend
Young the Giant

For the Ladies...

Well, Hello There!

All of a sudden it's almost the middle of March. I think someone stole the lion and rushed us on to the lamb!! That's ok. Weather is so crazy these days. Why do I always default to talking about the weather? It's like I'm a character in a play by a novice playwright.

But that's not important right now.

HERE'S what's important!

It's Women's History Month this month. I guess the ladies had better start making the most of it before the month is over! I'll do my part with a special surprise....


ACTUAL MUSIC LINKS!!!!!!

Mostly, I'm writing this because in the interim that I didn't have a hard drive (furthermore known as the Silent Quarter) I got a bunch of CD's by female artists or bands with female singers. So, I'm going to post one song from each of those and then match that with old favorites of mine.

Here we go!

Recently acquired

Rilo Kiley - Breakin' Up from Under the Blacklight

Grace Potter - Big White Gate from This is Somewhere

Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings - Humble Me from 100 Days, 100 Nights (this would have been a good submission for the Envy Contrast Podcast this week...)

Amy Winehouse - Tears Dry on Their Own from Back to Black

Kimya Dawson - So Nice So Smart from Juno (Soundtrack)

Paramore - Born For This from Riot! (Warning: This might be a bit too pop-punky for some of you. It's a good song and they reference a really good Refused song, but I just wanted to warn you...)

Old Favorites

Carole King - I Feel the Earth Move from Tapestry

Dar Williams - Alleluia from The Honesty Room

No Doubt - Hateful from Burning London: The Clash Tribute

Billie Holiday - Strange Fruit from Pretty much any Billie Holiday CD you can get your hands on

The Supremes - Where Did Our Love Go? from Motown 1*s...and also probably any Supremes CD you could get your hands on...

Dance Hall Crashers - He Wants Me Back from The Old Record

So, I'll be able to post music again and that means that I'll hopefully be posting MORE! Woohoo! Bye guys!