Moving with Van Morrison

Well....I just found out today that in mid-June I'll be moving to Atlanta. Pretty exciting news for me. It's kind of ironic that when I was a little kid, that was pretty much the only place in the world I wanted to move so I could watch my favorite baseball player, David Justice. Now, it's a reality.

I wanted to post on my favorite ATL artist or something like that...but we already posted on T.I., so I went a different route. This one is about Van Morrison. I never really listened to Van Morrison until the past few months after I got a copy of Moondance. This is actually thanks to my friend Meg, who in High School snuck a few Van Morrison tracks onto my computer. I would listen to them now and then, and suddenly a few months ago I was addicted so I picked up Moondance.

There is a reason that this CD is so highly rated on Amazon by so many people. If you have not listened to it...you should. It's an absolute classic. Van Morrison's unmistakeable voice is complemented so well by the guitar, piano, and horns throughout. 'And It Stoned Me' was the song that Meg stuck on my computer a long time ago, and I love it because it feels just like a breezy summer night. However, there is no better tune than 'Into the Mystic'. This is one of those tunes that if you would hear it anywhere, I think that you would immediately drop all that you are doing just to listen for three minutes. It's a great song about being together with someone you love, and singing doesn't get much more real than when Van Morrison wails 'I want to rock your gypsy soul!' for the second and third times.

So for you old Van Morrison fans, dust off this CD and pop it in one more time. Rediscover what you loved. For you new ones like me, catch up 18 years, give it a spin, and let me know what you think. I know I'll be sitting on my wraparound porch on many a summer night in Atlanta chilling to this tune.


Sorry, guys...song links had to be removed at the request of the label. Go buy the CD!

Check out his new stuff here.... http://www.losthighwayrecords.com

We Are Scientists

Sorry for the lack of posts recently. With both Kyle and I traveling so much recently it made it difficult to post anything. I've returned now after 2 weeks of vacation in South America. I must say that it is an amazing continent (Argentina and Chile at least) and I highly recommend it as a vacation destination. I've been journaling about it here if you care to read.

Anyways, on to the music. The amount of time I spent on planes and buses the past two weeks gave me a chance to listen to quite a bit of music. I'll just focus on one cd that I've really been into recently. The band is We Are Scientists. The album is Brain Trust Mastery, released about a month ago.

The way I would describe the album is to say that if you asked someone to combine the music of the past 25 years into one album, this is what it might sound like. Their sound has big influences of 80s new age, 90s pop, and 2000 indie movements all rolled together. I think it really comes together well and offers a little for fans of all of the different genres. I like the fact that they incorporate some synth and electronic sounds, but it's not overdone. They also get big points in my book for not using one of my least favorite musical instruments of all time; the electronic drums that were so popular in the 80s.

Personally, I think the strongest track is easily "Let's See It", which has a great guitar riff and upbeat tempo that's impossible to not like. If you're looking for a summer anthem, I suggest checking out this song. Every time it comes on in the car I make sure the windows are down and the systems cranked (spring in Arizona is basically the same as summer anywhere else anyways).

That's not to say the rest of the album isn't solid as well. There's a nice diversity in the tracks and the album doesn't become repetitive or boring. I'll put up a couple other tracks to give you more of a taste, but I definitely recommend checking out the whole album. I know its early, but this is one of the strongest albums I've heard from '08 so far.

We Are Scientists - Let's See It


We Are Scientists - Spoken For


We Are Scientists - Dinosaurs


-Alec

Minus the Bear

I'm heading to Germany tomorrow for a little bit of a cross between pleasure and work. Pleasure in the fact that I have the weekends on both ends...work during the week in between. And by work I hopefully mean shaking hands and drinking Kolsch beer. Haha, I somehow doubt that. What connects Minus the Bear to Germany? Well, when I lived in Switzerland, Menos El Oso by Minus the Bear was one of my favorite albums.

Menos El Oso is a great album to walk around and people watch to, stare out of trains and watch the scenery go by to, and headbang in your underwear to. The album is a little bit of a darker indie. Electronic beats mixed with an actual drummer provide the backbone. An almost monotone singing makes the songs 'pulse' along to keep your pace up on your 'people-watching' walk. I also really like that they are a little bit mathematical in their indie-rock. What I mean by that is that they don't always hit their notes right on the 4/4 beat. They mix in backbeat feels, sped up fills, and timing that keeps you guessing.

'Memphis and 53rd' is one of my favorite tunes. It incorporates a lot of the themes that I mentioned before, adds some ambience, and supplements with some tight guitar licks. 'Pachuca Sunrise' is a little bit sunnier than most of the tracks on the album...maybe it's just the name? It adds more of an upbeat, pop element to an otherwise darker sounding CD. 'The Game Needed Me' is the opener that will bring you back to the true Minus the Bear feel...silky, pulsing, a little bit off kilter, and brilliant.

Minus the Bear - Memphis and 53rd

Minus the Bear - Pachuca Sunrise

Minus the Bear - The Game Needed Me

Felt (Slug & MURS)

We haven't done much on rap or hip hop lately here, so that's where I'm headed with my post today on the group Felt. Once again this isn't anything new, but rather a group I only just discovered within the last few months. What makes this kind of odd is Felt is made up of artists I already knew of, just never knew they worked together. So what is felt? Its a collaboration between Minneapolis based MC Slug of the renowned group Atmosphere and LA MC MURS. I've known both of these artists separately for a long time, but was surprised and also impressed when I found their 2005 collaboration Vol 2: A Tribute to Lisa Bonet.

A little background - Felt started as a collaboration between Slug and MURS after arguing about who could hook up with Christina Ricci first. That argument spawned 2002's release A Tribute To Christina Ricci, which I haven't listened to as of yet (mostly out of laziness to go and download it). Anyways, a subsequent argument involving Lisa Bonet of The Cosby Show fame led to their latest album. The difference from their first album was that Ant, the DJ and other half of Atmosphere, signed on as producer. This in effect made the album an Atmosphere release plus the addition of MURS.

Atmosphere is good. MURS is good. Put them together and you get something really good right? Well, in a way - yeah. I wouldn't say that this stuff is a lot better than anything either artist has done separately, but I think its on par with their other stuff. One of the things I've never loved about Atmosphere is that its just one MC, Slug, and they rarely use guest MCs. People make fun of rappers for having a ton of guest artists on their albums, but there's a reason (besides just trying to make more money) behind it. I think that it has to do with the way a single rapper on a song can become monotonous, so it helps to have that second or third voice. In this case, MURS provides the perfect foil to Slug. His laid back west coast style contrasts really well with Slug's aggressive midwest delivery, a staple of Minneapolis hip hop style he helped craft.

There's a couple weaker trackers on the album that I find myself skipping occasionally, but overall its a really good album. I had some trouble deciding which tracks to actually post. Both artists stay true to their identities; MURS constantly chasing women, and Slug with his self destructive behavior. The beats laid down by Ant are pretty similar to his Atmosphere stuff, and does a nice job of varying up the songs. To be honest, if these guys decided to make this collaboration their priority rather than their separate groups I would be all for it. I doubt that will happen, but at least they've managed to put out some quality music, and hopefully they'll get together for another album in the near future.

Felt - The Biggest Lie


Felt - Marvin Gaye


Felt - Dirty Girl


With that I leave you in hands of my trusted assistant Kyle. I'm off to dance Tangos and eat cheap steaks in the beautiful country of Argentina for 2 weeks.

- Alec

ps - the new Atmosphere cd comes out April 22nd.

Alberta Cross

I hope everybody's Easter was great and that you are all pumped to be able to wear t-shirts outside pretty soon. I am actually in Mexico right now for the first time ever, chilling in my room after a long day of work meetings and eating interesting food. As for music...

Lately I've been putting my iPod on at a few chill parties and it never fails...somebody always comes up and asks me, "Hey, who are these guys?" when Alberta Cross comes on. In fact a few times, the same person asked that question during multiple Alberta Cross songs. I'm pretty sure they rarely remember the name after the drinks start flowing, but their EP The Thief and the Heartbreaker has been a pretty popular disc around here.

What they bring to the table is a roots-y style of rock with an edge of psychadelica and a tinge of alternative country straight from London. The title track begins slowly with the bass and drums, kicks in a little guitar line, and then opens up into a slower psych-rock feeling. The strained singing cuts over a hushed band, and then the choral harmonies take over with the band returning in full force. It's really cool to hear how they transition and crescendo between song segments. The second track, 'Lucy Rider' is the one people ask about most of the time. A swinging guitar line starts it off, and then the song glides comfortably along with the familiar high-pitched singing. It's a very simply written verse-chorus-verse kind of tune but it's incredibly effective. Next time you're hanging out with some friends on the patio with a couple of beers, pop this 7 song EP in. And then....get ready for questions.

Alberta Cross - The Thief and the Heartbreaker


Alberta Cross - Lucy Rider

Slender Means

Hailing from the musical hot bed of the northwest, Slender Means is one of the latest in a long line of successful music acts from Seattle. The group has been around for a couple years now, but I just recently discovered them. Their discography is pretty limited so far, consisting of just a debut album, Neon & Ruin (2005), and an EP, Rock&Roll Machine (2007), but the stuff they have put out has caught my ear.

The band's claim to fame is simply their song writing abilities. Their style of indie rock is simple and sweet, lacking the big time production effects of popular music, and the avant garde experimentalism of much of indie music. It's your basic indie rock, although I think the catchy hooks and melodies implored give it a slightly poppy side. There's a retro feel to their sound, kind of an oldies feel (almost like "Buddy Holly" by Weezer, but less cheesy) that mixes with a more aggressive tendencies to create an interesting dynamic. But even with the music picks up and the emotion rises, lead singer Josh Dawson seems to always remain calm and under control, just letting the music come to him.

As I said before, they really rely on the strength of their songs. Despite using traditional instrumentation, and not really pushing the musical envelope in terms of styles, they manage to write songs that are catchy yet unique. Its solid music that will entertain without overstimulating and stick in your head without annoying you to death. So check out Slender Means.

Slender Means - Telepathic Lovesick Heart


Slender Means - The Clerk


Slender Means - Foreign Legion



Happy Easter
-Alec

Tony Joe White

So I'm starting to get excited. Baseball is almost here, the weather is starting to get nice, and I'm about to move cities once again. All good things. I can't wait to grill that first brat of the season. But onto the music, which is what all 3 of our regular visitors come here for.

Imagine yourself in a tiny, smoky club with all the regulars. Then this funky bass rhythm kicks in, a low voice starts growling lyrics about having soul, and everyone stops sipping their drinks and turns their heads to listen a bit closer. That's the feel I get when you pop in Tony Joe White's disc, Black & White. His voice is low and has a little croon to it, his wah-guitar makes you want to shake a little bit (but not too much), and the simpler songs bring you in real quickly.

The first tune is called 'Soul Francisco'. It begins with a little guitar wail and then kicks into Tony's dreams about going to San Francisco. The clicking of the hi-hat mixed with the congas keeps it low, but Tony's guitar always threatens to break the song open just a little bit. Then, just as low-profile as it came in, it fades away. The second tune 'Don't Steal My Love' mixes rhythm guitar with mini-solos. Tony finally begins to break open a little bit when he yells "Don't Steal My LOVE!", but then he fades back into the mist with his guitar. Incorporating a little harmonica in 'Scratch My Back', Tony showcases a few more of his talents. I love how the drummer rides on the cymbal during the harm solo and keeps pushing the tune right along. Enjoy!

Tony Joe White - Soul Francisco


Tony Joe White - Don't Steal My Love


Tony Joe White - Scratch My Back