Kyle's Top 10 for 2007

This year it was an interesting challenge to put together my top 10. For me, all of the harder albums of the year disappointed unlike last year's Saosin and Underoath, Lupe's album came a bit too late for me to fully digest, and I could never really wrap my head around the double-disc Say Anything album (great tunes for the most part...just a bit too much for me). Not only that, but there were no real clear-cut, stand-out albums. A bunch of really great ones, but not one that stood above all of the rest like last years Rocky Votolato album. With that, I hope you enjoy the top 10 that I put together this year.

10. Dustin Kensrue - Please Come Home


Looking back, this was actually one of my first posts of the year. Well, Please Come Home has stuck with me all year with its slight twang, soothing harmonica, and easy feel. Kensrue's lyrics are thought-provoking and his voice shows a different side of him from his usual singing in rock band Thrice. Here is one more track that I didn't have in my last post. Check this short but sweet album out.

Dustin Kensrue - Pistol




9. Kanye West - Graduation


Alec wrote about this album a while back, and it is definitely a fun one to put in. I don't put this one up with Kanye's other albums mainly for the fact that there are about 3 absolutely terrible tracks on it. However, the others bring it up enough to get a spot here. In a just ok year for hip-hop in my book, Kanye slides in with some gems on his new disc.


Kanye West - Homecoming





8. The New Amsterdams - At the Foot of My Rival


Another album that was touched on in a previous post, the New Amsterdams put out a disc that I really enjoyed after their abysmal Story Like A Scar. This album really pulls together the parts from many of their previous efforts: slow and acoustic, upbeat and summery, strong and thoughtful. Fans of the New Amsterdams and people who have never heard of them would be hard pressed to not like this release.

The New Amsterdams - Fortunate Fool






7. Common - Finding Forever


Common's previous release Be is one of my favorite hip-hop albums of all time. Needless to say, I was pumped for this one to come out. For about a month I really didn't care for it, and then I finally began to understand it. Common keeps it nice and bare, which suits his natural flow quite well. He doesn't need overproduced backgrounds to make his songs great...just sit back, relax, and enjoy the flow.

Common - A Dream (feat Will.I.Am)






6. Steel Train - Trampoline

This album was by far the biggest surprise of the year for me. I loved going to Steel Train shows and seeing Jack on the guitar weave in and out of songs, soloing his ass off. Then one day he played a show mostly dominated by poppy tunes that left him playing simple chords for the entire show. Alec wrote about the transition here. But after seeing the new Steel Train a few times, the tunes started to grow on me. Then the album came out, and I really dug the new style. A little U2, a little Beatles, and a little Steel Train makes for one solid album.

Steel Train - Leave You Traveling




5. Ryan Adams - Easy Tiger


I was finally able to catch my favorite songwriter in concert this year, and it was really all that I had hoped for. He played a lot of songs from his newest full-length Easy Tiger which I touched on here. This album shows that even when Ryan is off the sauce and the coke he can still put out solid albums. He perhaps has the single of the year in 'Two', and continues to show the world that writing proficiently doesn't always mean writing poorly.

Ryan Adams - Everybody Knows





4. Josh Ritter - The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter


So as I'm nearing the end of this post I've realized that if you have kept up with the blog at all...you've probably heard all of my top 10 already, haha. But, if you haven't checked out these entire albums rather than just the posted songs, now is the time to do it. For a description of this folk-pop album, check it out right here. This album is a bit more upbeat than his previous effort The Animal Years, and I think it suits him very well.

Josh Ritter - Empty Hearts





3. Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings - 100 Days, 100 Nights


Sharon Jones is simply in my opinion the best neo-soul singer of our generation. She brings so much energy to the table, quite a bit of sauciness, and a whole lot of sexy. She may not get quite the publicity of an Amy Winehouse or Joss Stone, but I am sure she can outperform them any evening of any week. Welcome in the new torch-bearer or modern soul and pick up the album. You won't be disappointed.


Sharon Jones - Keep on Looking




2. Streetlight Manifesto - Somewhere in the Between


This is the best ska album to come out since Big D's Good Luck in 1999, and in time could become one of the all time classics. Leaving Catch 22 was the best thing Kalnoky could have done for himself. He put out an incredibly energetic album that can please ska-lovers and people who aren't so sure about ska alike. Great horn lines, sick breaks, and Kalnoky's rough voice all make for one hell of an album. This is one of two CD's released this year in which I like every track. Hence the #2 place in my top 10.

Streetlight Manifesto - We Will Fall Together




1. Dear and the Headlights - Small Steps, Heavy Hooves


By now you probably think that Alec and I have a love affair with these guys from posting about them once and then christening them our 2007 discovery of the year. But, I tell you it is for good reason. This was the only other CD of the year that I couldn't skip a track on. Beautifully crafted and incredibly versatile, this album was pretty much a no-brainer for my number 1 spot in the end. Play it in the car, play it in your room, play it at a party, hell, play it on a boombox in the street. And then, enjoy it.

Dear and the Headlights - Oh No!

Alec and Kyle's Discovery of the year: 2007

We made it to 2008, and thus begins the annual review of the year past. I don't know why everyone else insists on posting their best of lists by late December, when albums are still coming out and more time is required to fully digest everything. In fact I'm still not ready, so instead I'm going to present the Discovery of the Year for 2007. This is something we've been doing for several years now, even before we ever starting writing online. The Discovery of the Year, least you forget, is the one band that neither one of us knew about at all before the year, but we have come to love over the course of the past year, and its a band that we think will be going on to bigger and better things. So far we've been pretty accurate looking at some of the past winners

2003: Armor for Sleep
2004: The Format
2005: Say Anything
2006: Westbound Train/Band of Annuals

Except for last year's winners, who aren't mainstream enough to ever get big, I think we've picked out some pretty good bands. And so I'm hoping the trend continues with 2007's winner: Dear And The Headlights. Now that we've been doing this blog for over a year, we've of course already written about them. I think Kyle's post does a good job of describing their blend of styles, which is really the reason that I enjoy them. Their ability to mix indie, pop, rock, maybe a little emo if you want to get into it, gives them a sound that catchy enough to make you want to sing along, but unique enough that it doesn't get lost in the noise of everything else.

There are two things that I first noticed when I heard these guys which I think they do particularly well. One is lyrical continuity, in a sense that all the lines that lead singer Ian Metzger sings seem to blend into one another very well, almost like the rock equivalent of a rapper whose style is very smooth. The other is the use of singular guitar lines to play melodies in the songs. They have written some beautiful guitar lines that add more dimension and melodies to their songs.

Here's a few of the songs from their 2007 release Small Steps, Heavy Hooves.

Dear and the Headlights - Run In The Front

Dear and the Headlights - I'm Bored, You're Amorous

Dear and the Headlights - Sweet Talk


Give these guys a listen if you haven't already. And go out and download or buy the album if you like what you hear. If any thing at least check out Run In The Front, which would probably be in my top 5 for favorite songs of the year if I were making that list. Just wait for it to die down near the end and then bust out again with the guitar line and you'll understand what I was talking about earlier.

-Alec

Favorites From 2007

I hope that everyone had an amazing Christmas vacation for the past week or so. Mine was filled with brewery tours, townie bars, pizza, grilling out, and insane amounts of snow. So, it's getting towards that time of year where Alec and I have to pick our top albums of the year. However, just like last year there are some songs that I really liked on albums released in 2007 that just won't quite make the cut. Pick a few out, listen, and enjoy!

Mark Ronson - Valerie feat. Amy Winehouse

Super-producer Mark Ronson got it exactly right when he asked Amy Winehouse to sing this bouncy, soul-ish tune for his 2007 album Version. Backing strings, light piano comp-rhythms, and horn arrangements flesh the tune out, and the driving beat makes it perfect for almost any party.

Saves the Day - Get Fucked Up

After I couldn't handle singer Chris Conley's whine that was more nasally that usual on their last album, their 2007 follow-up Under the Boards was a pleasant surprise. They must be pissed about something throughout this whole disc, but you can't argue with the catchiness or sheer fun-factor of the tunes.

Alberta Cross - The Thief and the Heartbreaker

With only one EP to their name, this is a band that I hope to see much more of in the future. Playing a jangly style of rock, this song starts slow for about a minute, but give it time. It opens itself a bit with a long guitar chord and then breaks out with harmonized choruses and almost psychadelic-style guitars.

T-Pain - Bartender

This is my guilty pleasure song of 2007. Off his new release Epiphany, this was the one song I would consistently hear at bars and clubs that would make me want to get on the floor. It's not epic, it has a simple beat, and it uses synthesized voice (which I don't normally care for), but something about it makes me want to jump in the middle of all the grinding couples and get dirty myself.

The Avett Brothers - The Weight of Lies

This was the most interesting band of 2007 for me. Using primarily an acoustic guitar, a banjo, and an upright bass, this trio has incredible song-writing ability. Now the whole album isn't exactly my thing, but there are some great songs as this one with uplifting harmonies, some moments that make you daydream, and others that make you tap your feet under your desk.

Armor For Sleep - Smile for the Camera

AFS has one of my favorite albums ever with their 2003 release Dream to Make Believe. 2007 marks the year of their third album Smile For Them, and they really have yet to reclaim the magic they used to have. This tune is a straight-forward pop-rock tune that is a pretty fun one to play in the car. Nothing special, but I've had it spinning quite a bit as of late.

Enjoy!

-Kyle

Christmas time is here

It's hard to believe that its already Dec 21st. Granted the 60 degree temps here don't exactly go with the typical Holiday weather I'm used to. But regardless of where you are, it's still the Holiday season. And of course that means Christmas music. It's not my favorite type of music, but it does get me into the spirit for a couple weeks each December. Last year I posted on a couple of my favorite Christmas cds from Nat King Cole and posted a soul compilation of Christmas music as well. I would link those posts to tell you to go check them out if you're new, but let's face it we probably don't have any new readers. And also we switched file servers and those links are long since dead. I still recommend those artists though if you're looking for some quality Christmas music.

My post this year for Christmas music probably won't earn me a lot of music critic credit, but since I already posted on Ricky Martin this year, I say screw it. My music rec for the holiday season this year is a little Harry Connick Jr. That's right I said it.

Harry has fashioned himself in the style of some of the greatest singers of the early twentieth century, Sinatra, Crosby, Martin and all the rest. But Harry isn't anywhere near the singer that any of the original crooners were, and lucky for us he realizes that. Where the other old guys put out their Christmas albums chocked full of ballads that really just capitalized on their ridiculously smooth and full toned voices, Harry has to be a little broader, and he does that with one of my favorite musical additions; a horn section. He throws in a smoking big band horn section with some New Orleans stylings and suddenly his songs are reborn. There's a holiday fire in these big band style Christmas songs that just pumps energy. Sure, the songs are still kind of corny, but thats kind of inevitable with Christmas music.

Now of course there are some ballads, and really those are just tolerable. Harry doesn't have the tone to compete with the old boys, and he sings in a kinda goofy way a lot of the time. But I just skip past those songs, and between his two Christmas albums there's enough upbeat stuff to put together a decent holiday mix. So here's a couple of the songs from these two albums that I really like. This is holiday party music. It's Christmas music that's impossible not to tap your toe to. There's just too much swing, too many horn lines, too much damn Christmas cheer.

Harry Connick Jr - Sleigh Ride

Harry Connick Jr - Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

Harry Connick Jr - Frosty The Snowman

Harry Connick Jr - Santa Claus Is Coming To Town

Harry Connick Jr - Santa Claus


Merry Christmas,
Alec

Saturday Afternoon Jazz

I've really been getting back into jazz over the past few months after being mostly soul and blues oriented for about a year now. Maybe it's because it's getting cold again, and I like the chilled out sound. Specifically I have been listening to an album called Just one of Those Things: Lionel Hampton featuring Oscar Peterson.

Oscar Peterson is my personal favorite jazz artist. I just love how he can play the piano in so many different ways. Sometimes he bombards you with note after swinging note, however never feeling overdone. Sometimes he lets the notes hang in the air allowing you to take a deep breath before he hits the next. And often times he provides the smooth and never overpowering backing to other jazz greats. He has an unmistakable style that sets him apart from all other jazz pianists, pushing those he plays with to swing harder, pull the sound out gentler, or just hop in and glide along with him.

Lionel Hampton is one of the world's most renowned vibraphonists (perhaps only after Johnny Lytle or Milt Jackson). His genius comes in the fact that he can turn 4 or 5 keys on the vibraphone into the most stunning solo. He's got rhythm, and he can voice so many things with so few notes in ways that nobody else with mallets can. I love listening to him because I used to play the vibes a little bit, and really appreciate how difficult it is to get the kind of reverbs and sounds he can draw from the instrument.

Here are a few tunes that I'm sure you will enjoy. Not only are they good introductions to jazz and fun to throw on at a classy dinner party, but they showcase two of the all-time greats.

Lionel Hampton and Oscar Peterson - Just One of those Things
This song starts out swinging with Oscar taking the lead. You can even hear his muted grunting and singing right behind his quick keys showing the passion that he has for playing. He then hands the song off to Lionel who begins with his signature 3 note rhythm solo. Breaking out of that, he takes you for a journey up and down the vibraphone that leaves you tapping your foot furiously as you try and keep up with his swing. You'll hear him groaning in the background as well as he just keeps pushing and pushing.

Lionel Hampton and Oscar Peterson - This Can't Be Love
They slow it down here as they play right along with each other. The vibraphone taking the melody, and the piano at first hanging out in back. Soon enough Oscar takes the forefront and showcases that he can not only swing it, but use dynamics to mold a song into his own.

Enjoy!

-Kyle

Calvin Harris

I've never been a huge techno/electronica fan, which probably has been pretty evident over the course of this blog. However, my post today on Calvin Harris somewhat falls under that category, and I'm writing about him for two reasons. 1) Plain and simple I like his music, he combines electronic and funk music into an infectious sound that is really just fun to listen to. 2) In order to somewhat make this a respectable music blog, its important to try and hit upon some artists who are quickly becoming something big, and I think Calvin Harris' popularity is only going to grow, and so its important to share his music now.

So who is Calvin Harris? He's a skinny white kid from Scotland who has a knack for creating energetic, fun electronica songs that have a heavy influence of funk style in them. These elements combined make for a unique music style that is already big in Europe and is beginning to make a name for itself over here. I first learned of Calvin Harris through random facebook wall postings, and only a couple weeks later heard a report from some friends in Europe that his stuff was playing in European clubs and that it was pretty popular over there.

I've really been drawn to his stuff because I think it offers a different perspective on electronic music, something that I've never really been in love with before. His addition of funk styles, as I've mentioned, plus influences of disco make for a sound thats more rhythmic and grooves better. In a way it kind of reminds me of a european version of Head Automatica, but instead of combining funk and disco with pop rock he's mixed in electronica.

Oh and if you need any more convincing, the album title is I Created Disco, just to give you an idea where he's going with the album.

Calvin Harris - Merrymaking At My Place
this is the money song right now, and if you are making a party playlist anytime in the near future this song should be on it

Calvin Harris - Neon Rocks

Calvin Harris - The Girls


-Alec

Big D and the Kids Table

Last night I was able to catch my favorite live band, Big D and the Kids Table, here in Pittsburgh. Big D comes from Boston, MA, always plays an incredible show with tons of energy, and always manages to injure something of Alec or mine whether it be a cellphone or three of Alec's, a few ribs, or a jaw.

Big D's live show normally thrives on raw energy from the band, and chaos in the crowd. The lead singer is constantly bouncing around the stage or on top of the crowd, the bass player is head banging with priceless facial expressions, and the lead guitarist has plenty of solos that make the crowd wiggle many fingers his way. And that doesn't even include the horns, which is what really separates this band from most other garage punk bands. They have style. Parts ska, parts rock, parts punk, and partially insane is what makes this band so much fun. And this last time I saw them, they seemed more polished than ever. Here is a cross-section of their work, which I hope you really enjoy.

Big D and the Kids Table - Wailing Paddle
I'll begin with 'Wailing Paddle' which starts with a lumbering bass line that is sped up by the introduction of a backbeat guitar line. It builds into a mosh-inducing pre-chorus that crashes into the chorus with everybody jumping up and down 'playing the rolls away'.

Big D and the Kids Table - Can't Be Caught
If that little taste of fun didn't quite do it for you, we go on to level 2 with a more traditional ska tune in 'Can't Be Caught'. Opening with horns and ska guitar, containing a sing-a-long chorus, and bouncing the whole way, this song is mad fun.

Big D and The Kids Table - L.A.X.
On to the absolute, hands-down crowd favorite, 'L.A.X.'. If you have ever heard more F-bombs in a song, please let me know. The lyrics are great. Apparently they don't like L.A. that much. And last night, right around 2:06 into the song I timed a jump in the middle of the pit right when he yells 'bleeding'. I may or may not have pretty much crushed an 18 year old boy that ran right under me.

Big D and The Kids Table - Chicago
Lastly, a chill tune if you hated the first three. The horn line was lifted from an old Coltrane tune, and it is named after a city quite dear to me.

-Kyle