Bringing in 2007: Dustin Kensrue

I am a sucker for alt-country, or americana, or roots-rock, or whatever you want to call it. I'm not a huge fan of country music (a la Dierks Bentley or Tim McGraw), but I love the little twang that alt-country offers. I like the stories that are told in the songs, I like the use of slide guitars and harmonicas, and I love the variety of styles from rockin out, to reflective, to downright sad.

In late 2006, a song was released by Dustin Kensrue called 'I Knew You Before', and I immediately dug it. The song has a somewhat western feel to it with drums that resemble a train going west, country slide-guitar riffs, and some bite in Kensrue's voice. I heard that Dustin Kensrue's full cd, Please Come Home, was to be released in early 2007...and needless to say I was pretty excited.

Please Come Home is a short but sweet 8 tracks full of alt-country love. At times Kensrue seems like he is trying to stretch his voice a little too far (he is also the lead singer of post-hardcore/rock band Thrice), at times there is some instrumentation that I could do without, and at times the lyrics are a little sappy...but all of these drawbacks come in minor doses. Overall, I really like the cd. Kensrue shows his versatility through more up-tempo somgs like 'I Knew You Before', almost true country tunes like 'I Believe', and ballads like 'Consider the Ravens'. One of the tracks that I have posted is probably the song I have listened to the most this year...'Please Come Home'. Alec pointed out that it could almost be a 90's hit from the likes of the Goo Goo Dolls, but I think that Kensrue makes it his own, and really draws you in once he sings "And you hit the town/and you hit the bottle hard" with the whole band backing him up.

Give the cd a shot....maybe you'll get addicted to alt-country as well.

Dustin Kensrue - I Knew You Before

Dustin Kensrue - Please Come Home

Some Sunday Jazz

I'd like to vary what we've been talking about so far a little bit here at Track 9, so with this post I want to feature a jazz cd that I've been listening to a lot lately, and an artist as well. The man is Charlie Haden, and the cd is titled Not In Our Name. Haden is an extremely talented bass player who became famous in the 1950s playing Ornette Coleman in his newly developing free jazz style. While Haden has countless famous cds to his name, I want to focus on one of his newer releases.

Not In Our Name was released in 2005, and features Haden along with the Liberation Music Orchestra, his backing group of rhythm and horn players. My dad turned me onto this cd over Thanksgiving break, and I have been in love with it ever since. It features a combination of original scores along with arrangements of various famous works, including a truly amazing medley based around America The Beautiful. Given the times and current state of affairs in the world, the album is heavily influenced by the war in Iraq, which lends an emotional side to it, and is noticeable in many places, including the dissonant arrangements incorporated during America The Beautiful. But in spite of this, the album is also extremely beautiful, and melodic.

This album is full of other amazing interpretations including; Amazing Grace, part of Dvorak's New World Symphony, and Samuel Barber's Adagio For Strings. These lend themselves into a very powerful and moving album, that mixes both elements of jazz and orchestral music. I think the arrangements of the songs are really what make the album, and this can be attributed to Haden's longtime friend Carla Bley. While the individual performances are good, and even impressive at times, it's the arrangements that give the songs their power and emotion. They're somber, yet beautiful. Definitely worth a listen.

Charlie Haden - America The Beautiful (Medley)

Charlie Haden - Goin' Home

Having Fun with Atmosphere

Over the past few months, I've really been getting into a lot of hip-hop artists. One group out of Minnesota called Atmosphere has really grabbed me with their latest album You Can't Imagine How Much Fun We're Having. I really tried to get into them a couple of years ago, but the vibe of their earlier stuff didn't really appeal to me that much. I got attached to this disc in...less than two weeks.

You Can't Imagine has some great interplay between Slug (the main rapper) and Ant (the producer/dj) mixing tight beats and some great flow with mostly laid back samples. A lot of the samples are taken from old soul and gospel tunes, which I really dig. It's especially apparent on "Get Fly" towards the end of the cd, which has a gospel chorus singing behind the smooth rapping, and a piano lick throughout that makes you want to clap your hands. My favorite track is probably "Angelface", which takes an old-school, 'boom-bap' beat and mixes it with some light soul and disco touches in the background...and the whole time Slug flows like melted chocolate on your chest.

There are also some seriously upbeat tunes like the old-school feeling of "Bam" and the fuck you, in your face feel of "The Arrival" that make you want to go out running, or go bench three hundi, or break stuff. Even if you don't normally listen to hip-hop...check You Can't Imagine out. It's a good bridge for people to get into hip-hop, especially with the quality of the laid-back tracks and the punch of the up-tempo pieces. Here are a few of my favs.

Atmosphere - Angelface

Atmosphere - Hockey Hair

Atmosphere - The Arrival

Looking back

After posting our best of lists for 2006, I think this is a good time to travel back a year and look at 2005's number one. While I did lots of debating this year as to what my number one would be, it wasn't even close last year. Here's the review I made of it last January when I picked it -

Gatsbys American Dream – Volcano

What can I say here? I really didn’t even have to debate as to my number one. This album is just truly amazing, and it’s a perfect example of why I love this band so much. Gatsbys is a band that tempts record labels with a sound bordering on marketable that could turn them into a big act. But they refuse to make songs that would serve this purpose, and instead churn out energetic 2 minute songs with a plethora of guitar riffs and a dearth of choruses. With their third full length and latest release, the boys from Seattle stay true to their roots. What really sets this album apart for me is the overall concept and central theme of volcanoes, and the way the story is constructed around the impending eruption. And last but not least, they get bonus points for being an awesome live band that can live up to their recorded sound and is full of energy and emotion.

Best Song – SHHHHH! I’m Listening To Reason

The songs are amazing, the lyrics are great and filled with lots of literary allusions, and the guitar riffs rock. Give it a listen.

Gatsbys American Dream - SHHHHH! I'm Listening to Reason

Gatsbys American Dream - The Loosing of the Shadow


-Alec

Kyle's Top 10 of '06

This post has been a long time in the making for me because there has been so much good music released in 2006. Here are my personal top ten favorite cd's that were first released in 2006 (Note: Margot and the Nuclear So and So's Dust of Retreat would be among my top 3, but it was self-released in 2005...so...sorry Margot...you can listen here). I'll give a quick list of 10-6...and some descriptions for the rest...enjoy!

10) Incubus - Light Grenades
9) Midlake - The Trials of Van Occupanther
8) Underoath - Define the Great Line (see Alec's top 5)
7) Westbound Train - Transitions (see Alec's top 5)
6) Lupe Fiasco - Food & Liquor (see Alec's top 5)


5) Saosin - Saosin
I wrote about Saosin previously here, so I don't really have too much more to say other than that this cd continued to grow on me over time. It's my favorite harder album of the year, and it has gotten me pumped up for countless Ultimate practices. If you want to bridge the gap between rock and post-hardcore (see: Underoath)...this is a good place to start.

Saosin - Some Sense of Security


4) Maritime - We, The Vehicles
This album was a latecomer into my top 5, as I first heard it in early December. Formed of ex-Promise Ring members, it's safe to say that Maritime dominated my Christmas Break playlists. Think airy vocals, guitar lines that wrap around the overall rhythm, and some good pop-sensibility. If you listen to Minus the Bear or Deathcab....give this a try...hell, give it a try anyways.

Maritime - Young Alumni



3) Justin Timberlake - FutureSex/LoveSound
Considering how good his first album was, I was guardedly excited for his second. Let me tell you...it does not disappoint. J-Tim's falsetto carries you through tunes with some of the catchiest beats, coolest breaks, and worst lyrics of any album out there. Just listen to the tune provided...at around 5 minutes in...the sick-ness begins. Best break/transition ever?

Justin Timberlake - What Goes Around.../...Comes Around Interlude



2) John Mayer - Continuum
If there was one huge surprise for me this year, it was this album. Forget what you know about John Mayer, and pick this up right away. Mayer trades his cheezy lyrics and pop tunes in for bluesy and intelligent songs about a variety of subjects. The tempo remains low for most of the album, and it suits him quite well...which makes this a great cd to fall asleep to or wake up slowly in the morning to. Don't skip this cd because it says "John Mayer" on the cover!

John Mayer - Stop This Train


1) Rocky Votolato - Makers
All-time favorite cd's of mine seem to always have some memory or thing associated with them. Perhaps that is why Makers is my favorite album of the year. When I was in Switzerland I got this cd in early 2006 and played it on every train/plane trip I took. When I listen to it now I can look out the window and almost see the rolling Italian hillsides flashing by my train or the Swiss Alps keeping watch over the lakes and small towns in between. Definitely the most beautiful cd of the year, Votolato can put you in a trance with his smooth voice and soothing guitar...making you want to sit out and drink a glass of your own Makers whiskey.

Rocky Votolato - White Daisy Passing
Rocky Votolato - Makers

I hope that you enjoy the selections. Let me know what you think. Give your own top 5 or 10 or 20 if you want. A couple albums released in 2006 I wish I had spent a bit more time with that are starting to grow on me are:

Ghostface Killah - Fishscale
Josh Ritter - The Animal Years
Hot Chip - The Warning

Check those out too if you want. Have a good one!

-Kyle

Concert Review: Margot and the Nuclear So and Sos

Kyle seems to be taking his sweet ass time making his next post, so I'm just gonna go ahead and make a post now. As some of you know, we went to a show this last Thursday at Shubas, off of the Belmont stop on the Red Line. The headliner was Margot and the Nuclear So and Sos, an indie octet (yes that's right octet) hailing from Indianapolis, and they were preceded by three openers.

I arrived late and missed about half of the opener, but that suited me fine because they were terrible. It was some guy with an acoustic guitar and a girl singing harmony. The guy couldn't sing in key and his guitar work wasn't impressive either. I think Jordan put it best when he said that it sounded like someone playing Guitar Hero and messing up a lot. I never found out what they were called, but I don't think it's too important.

The next two openers were The Bees out of Nashville and Dr. Dog from Philadelphia. I hadn't listened to either group beforehand so it's hard to comment on them too much. The Bees had some nice songs, but they tended to sound similar after awhile. Dr. Dog played an interesting style of alternative rock that was filled with unique and constantly changing guitar lines and plenty of energy.

The main problem with the openers was that they were give too long of sets. The concert started at 9pm, and Margot didn't hit the stage til around midnight. Halfway through their set the crowd was getting noticeably smaller, which should never happen during the headliner. But despite this they put on a good show. They played most of the stuff off of their 2005 debut The Dust Of Retreat, along with some new songs off of their upcoming record that they are currently working on.

As I said earlier they have eight members, including a trumpet player, violin player, and second percussionist. This worked to both their advantage and disadvantage. With the wide range of instruments they were able to achieve very rich and distinct sounds in their songs that you rarely hear at concerts like this, but at the same time everyone in the group felt the need to be playing something almost all the time, and it was almost too much at times.

While I'm not a huge fan of more indie style shows where everyone stands around and just nods their head, I did have a good time at the show. My only complaint was getting home at about 2:15am, and I mostly blame this on the venue who gave the openers too long of sets.

-Alec

Alec's Top 5 of '06

Sorry for the delay. For some reason the blog decided to not recognize my login anymore and I wasn't able to post for a while. But I'm back now and want to start off 2007 with my Top 5 of 2006. These are the 5 albums that really impressed me this year. Of course there are tons of other great albums out there, but for me these are the best of the year.

1. Underoath - Define the Great Line















I don't listen to a large amount of post hardcore, nor do I listen to a lot of Christian music either. So it's a bit of a surprise even to me that this album turned out to be my number one, but I really think this is one of the most complete albums of the year. Underoath does a great job of mixing their two previous albums, one harder, and one more poppy, into a perfect blend of intense, driving parts with softer more melodic lines and harmonies. In short this is an album of contrast, and they do it really well. The hard with the soft. The beautiful with the ugly. It's that contrast that really brings out the best of both parts and makes the album. It has the ability to envelope you in the music and the emotion of each song, and the power behind the music helps give meaning to words being sung.

Underoath - Writing On The Walls

2. Justin Timberlake - FutureSex/LoveSounds













I know I'm all over the place with these picks, but this album really impressed me. While JT does a good job of singing on this release, the real strength lies in the production. What I really love about this album is that it combines both elements from older funk and soul styles with new elements of hip hop and R&B. All of these elements come together to create a unique album. In a genre where so many of the songs sound the same, there is a great amount of individuality to each track on this cd.

Justin Timberlake - Damn Girl (feat will.i.am)

3. Lupe Fiasco - Food & Liquor















Following in the lines of Chicago brethren Kanye West and Common, Lupe Fiasco released a great album this year that not only entertains but educates and addresses bigger problems in life as well. Not only does he accomplish great things with his lyrics, but his delivery is solid and rhymes in his own style. The production and beats of the album are very good as well, and have a hint of Kanye in them, which probably contributes to why I like it so much.

Lupe Fiasco - Hurt Me Soul

4. West Bound Train - Transitions















I've already mentioned these guys a few times before, so I think I've already said most of what I would otherwise put here. I love their songs, their sound, and their energy. I know most people don't listen to reggae or ska anymore, but damn this is a good album. The track I Feel Fine might be my favorite song of the year.

Westbound Train - I feel Fine


5. John Mayer - Continuum















I can understand why many people dismiss his older stuff, but if you pass on this album automatically because it's a John Mayer release then you're missing out. This album, which marks Mayer's debut as producer as well, is a change. He takes the reigns and moves in a more mature and developed direction. With this freedom his songwriting ability is better served and the result are songs driven in more of a soulful and bluesy style while still maintaining their roots in rock and pop music.

John Mayer - Gravity


-Alec