MUSIC WORTH BUYING + MUSIC WORTH A FREE DOWNLOAD Vol III
MUSIC WORTH BUYING!
Dawes – Nothing is Wrong
Nothing is Wrong – A passive-aggressive album title
Alright folks, this is a good album, so I wanna go track-by-track. There aren’t any music vids, only live ones so far. I snagged ’em but I’m gonna be reviewing the studio release.
1. Time Spent in Los Angeles –
This song is a good example of the type of Indie Electric Folk Americana sound that these guys have honed. The first few songs on the album remind me of The Jayhawks with a little more rock. Taylor Goldsmith’s vocals have vulnerable purity about them, making his lyrics really ring true. Those lyrics are the real gem of this album.
Goldsmith’s brother, Griffin is a dynamic, but simple drummer, by which I mean he doesn’t overplay and everything he does seem like the exact right amount, no more no less. Plus brother harmonies are pretty much awesome.
2. If I Wanted Someone –
Keeping up the electric-guitar driven Americana style, this song introduces a sparsely placed piano, which fills the spaces between stellar harmony vocals. I also dig the dirty electric guitar solo in the.
I applaud a songwriter that can make the phrase “I want you to make the days move easy” into a singable, non-cliched melody.
3. My Way Back Home –
This song is pretty, but at 6:26, perhaps a bit long. It is not especially inspired until about halfway through when it seems like the song is ending and they build the song back up and come into a more intense refain. It is sweet.
The still shot of this video makes me painfully aware that he reminds me of Rick Moranis from Ghostbusters
4. Coming Back to a Man –
The obligatory harmonica song moves at a nice clip and lays a nice bed for his words to lie in. This one skirts the borders of country music a bit, but I think they pull it off pretty well.
5. So Well –
A slow song, with sparse drums and intricate acoustic guitar work, this one really shows their command over harmony and lyric. It swells and hushes, and the vocals take spotlight. This isn’t vocoder music. These guys mostly nail the notes, but their imperfections give the song life.
The piano really does the trick for me on this one. I have to admit that Ive skipped this one a few time going through the record, but it is usually just that I’m not in the mood for a slow song while driving or something.
6. How Far We’ve Come –
The shortest song on the album is sung by Griffin, the drummer brother, and I certainly think of Levon Helm and the Band, which is high praise coming from me.
I don’t have much more to say about this one, so Im gonna mention keyboardist Tay Strathairn and commend him for his contribution to the ever present harmonies throughout the album.
7. Fire Away –
They sound like the Jayhawks again to me, but the chorus on this one doesn’t do a whole for me. The verse is neat, but then I sorta start losing attention. Then suddenly, after 4 minutes, they suddenly transform into Jackson Browne for the rest of the song, and retain a bit of him for the rest of the album.
8. Moon in the Water –
Another pretty song, with haunting words. Taylor Goldsmith makes singing sound effortless.
9. Million Dollar Bill –
This is where the album really starts getting good. Those first songs were good, but the last 3 just go together well and don’t seem to get weak at any point.
Warning: this video has obnoxious yelling crowd people (but is still cool)
Sometimes I wish you could just mute dumb-ass screaming fans from live recordings.
When I am at a show, I dont yell during songs…that is the time when you are SUPPOSED TO LISTEN!
10. The Way You Laugh –
With an intro that reminds me of Fleetwood Mac, this song seems to encapsulate the vibe of the entire album. Also, if I had to quote only 1 line to give you a feel for what Taylor Goldsmith writes about, it would be from this song.
True lovers always end up lonely ’cause they know how good it can be.
That line just kills me, with it’s bittersweet sentiment.
It feels like a Tom Petty tune at times, as it has a driving country-ish beat and old school guitar licks.
11. A Little Bit of Everything –
My first time listening to the record, I was struggling with whether not these guys could be called straight up country at times.
As soon as I heard the line about his dead dog in the pre-chorus, it pretty much sealed it.
Honestly this song is really powerful and the exchange between impending newlyweds later on in the song is beautifully written and sung. A perfect choice to end this really well made album.
I am sure you are sick of seeing these guys, but if you want more,
here is a video for the Dawes song HBO and Chevy have already discovered: “When My Time Comes”:
If you like Dawes, but wish for some added scratchy vocals and a more rockin vibe, then check out Middle Brother. Their “indie folk supergroup” album of the same name is my favorite release of 2011, and the band consists of Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes, John J. McCauley III of Deer Tick, and Matt Vasquez of Delta Spirit. Check it out.
MUSIC WORTH A FREE DOWNLOAD!
I feel bad leading with this, but Katie Herzig is damn cute and sexy. I am not sure if that will draw you into listening to her or not. Regardless, there are other reasons to pay attention to her: she can sing, write, be funny, and play guitars etc. very well. I had the privilege of seeing her last summer opening for Ben Taylor. I was with my then-girlfriend, so oggling wasn’t an option, so I just soaked in her talent and it made me wanna follow her for life. I am single now, so I can admit that Ms. Herzig took her place at the top of my list of music/celebrity crushes (she unseated Ingrid Michaelson by a narrow margin). She is down to earth and seems friendly…so much so that I just want to hold her hand or something wholesome like that. I am sure it would make me a better man.
All that being said, this teaser video for her new album is pretty cool…as is the other video below it. Also, if youre a joiner, you can get a free mp3 above (and of course you can sign up to get the download and then remove yourself from the list).
Rick Chyme is a monstrously tall dude with a giant red beard. He commands the stage, while rhyming about everything from his non-present dad to the color of his shoelaces. He hails from Michigan, where he raps all over the state, performing with a wide variety of artists and projects. As a white rapper, he often gets comparisons to famous d-bag white rappers, but if you listen, he has a voice all his own. Personally, what makes all of that even better is his inclination to hook up with musicians from various genres as well as producers and DJs, so the music evolves and grows and has more depth than your average midwestern hip-hop.
Check out this video of Rick Chyme performing a really chill rap with the multi-talented Ryan K Wilson:
These guys have been playing together for awhile, first as part of the Southpaw Players, and now as a producing team, and performing innovative shows, some in intimate living room setting and others at clubs with larger lineups. Check out the vids below. But first, you should download this song: Triple Beam Balance which they just released for FREE download.
Late grab: MGMT
As usual, I am pretty much done writing this column and I run across another download I wanna pass on. So here it is: MGMT’s song “Brian Eno” download here. The download is being offered (in conjunction with the Outside Lands Festival, taking place in San Francisco this weekend) through mp3.com which somehow still exists despite no one knowing it is there. The cool part of that is they offer a new free download every day at http://mp3.com/free-mp3/
HEY PEOPLE!
I voiced my opinion for best album of of 2011 so far.
What is your favorite?
Hit me up with a comment or email me at [email protected] and let me know!
Keep it real.