Posted: August 11th, 2008 | Author: Nathan | Filed under: Articles About Music | Tags: beach boys, beirut, counting crows, five iron frenzy, james taylor, jets to brazil, olympics, playlist, spoon, the neighborhood, the shins, wilco | 2 Comments »
There are a few things that get me to sit on my butt and stare at a television set all day long and not regret doing so. And on that short list along with March Madness and the World Cup, is the Olympics. The Olympics is the most recent addition to this list, because 2004 was the first time I really watched the Olympics. And then I only really watched it because I wanted to spend time with this really hot girl I liked (who I later decided to marry). Anyway I decided that this event was worth of a post. So here is my post in honor of the opening ceremonies for the Olympics.
So China in my opinion really raised the bar when it came to the opening ceremonies. I really enjoyed watching the theatrics of it all. They continued to just wow the crowd and the millions watching all over the world. So in honor of the events that have taken place and are going to be happening for next couple of weeks, I have created a little olympic-style playlist for you all. If you like you can leave a comment and vote for your favorite songs and then maybe I’ll hand out some medals. Anyway. Here is the playlist. Hope your ears bleed.
1. The Neighborhood – China Boy (removed 2/13/09)
2. Counting Crows – Holiday In Spain (removed 2/13/09)
3. Beirut – Postcards From Italy (removed 2/13/09)
4. James Taylor – Mexico (removed 2/13/09)
5. Five Iron Frenzy – Oh, Canada (removed 2/13/09)
6. Wilco – Impossible Germany (removed 2/13/09)
7. Jets to Brazil – Sweet Avenue (removed 2/13/09)
8. The Shins – Australia (removed 2/13/09)
9. Spoon – My Little Japanese Cigarette Case (removed 2/13/09)
10. The Beach Boys – Surfin’ U.S.A. (removed 2/13/09)
Posted: July 19th, 2008 | Author: Nathan | Filed under: Articles About Music | Tags: band of horses, beirut, derek webb, feist, glen hansard, iron & wine, rilo kiley, soundtrack, spoon, the national, wilco, year-end list | 4 Comments »
i realize that i am extremely late on this, but i think it’s ok because i just started this a couple months ago. plus i feel like i need this much time to process. had i made this list back in january, a couple of these well-deserving albums would have been left off the list. so here it is.
10 Wilco – Sky Blue Sky
like most great albums this one took a little while to grow on me. but i am glad i gave it the time, because i have definitely found some great gems on this album. if you love wilco already just listen and enjoy. if not i suggest you see them live, it will surely help you to appreciate this album. at least it did for me.
wilco – hate it here (removed 2/13/09)
9 Beirut – Flying Club Cup
balkan music at its best. seriously. if you have never listened to this one man band you are missing out. each track has just gorgeous horn and string arrangements, and condon’s voice accompanies the music so well.
beirut – in the mausoleum (removed 2/13/09)
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Posted: June 27th, 2008 | Author: Nathan | Filed under: Album Reviews, Articles About Music | Tags: beirut, final fantasy, owen pallett, zach condon | Comments Off
2007 was a great year for music. i wrote last week about what i thought was one of the top five albums of last year, and today i introduce to you another. (i may actually come up with a list sometime in the future, hope that’s ok even though 2008 is almost half over.) zach condon is a very talented multi-instrumentalist who records and performs under the moniker “beirut.” after listening to his music, one might assume that he was from lebanon or at least somewhere far away from the states. but in fact condon is a santa fe native, currently residing in new york, who plays balkan music. and does so very beautifully, if i do say so myself. for those not familiar, balkan music is a type of music from southeastern europe that is often charactarized by its very complex rhythm and instrumentation. condon’s main instruments are the trumpet, on which he is very skilled, and the ukulele. but those are definitely not the only instruments to be heard on beirut’s latest release, the flying club cup. with the help of final fantasy‘s owen pallett, who did the string arrangements for arcade fire’s neon bible (another top 10 album of ’07 for me), some of the songs on the album feature as many as 14 different instruments.
i haven’t heard but one song off of their first album, so i can’t really compare this one to their older stuff. but i definitely give the album two thumbs up. having grown up playing the trumpet, i am a sucker for almost any music with horns that isn’t ska. but beyond that, his voice just seems to suck me in and capture my full attention with every song. so i encourage you to download this song, and if you like, i can assure you that the whole album is worth your time and money.
beirut – a sunday smile (removed 2/13/09)
