I love springtime! Everything smells great. Life is everywhere. Baseball season starts. Feels like happiness just kinda blew into town and set up shop. All this sunshine and good times just puts me in the mood for some great new music. And because I'm a nice guy and brimming with generosity, I will share it with you. Enjoy these 5 Songs that YOU... yes, you... NEED .. desperately... to Hear:
1. Good Times - Dwan Hill. I felt like this would be a great place to start with the good mojo I'm feeling today. I know virtually nothing about this guy except that he is primarily a producer and that he is rally good at what he does. Filled with horns and a tight groove of percussion, this upbeat track will have you dancing right where you are. If you're like me and you have little music videos that play in your head when you listen to a song, I imagine this guy strolling the streets of his neighborhood on a beautiful day, spreading a particularly funky kind of good cheer. I see a party break out everywhere he goes. And I wanna be like that! I want my world to be a happier, more loving, exponentially funkier place because I chose to show up.
Note: If you like this song, you can download it FREE at Dwan's website here.
2. Happy - Three Star Revival. I discovered these guys on Noisetrade.com just yesterday and downloaded two albums worth of great Americana music. These three guys from Knoxville, TN have got serious chops in songwriting, singing, and playing. Though I prefer the studio version of this song (available here for FREE on Noisetrade), I also love this video of them sitting in their living room just singing and laying together live. And I love this tune for my springtime mix...
3. Standing at the End of the World - Have Gun, Will Travel. Well, you gotta check it out just 'cause the band name is so frikkin' cool, don't ya? While the subject matter may not be the stuff of springtime frolic, the stompin' and clappin' and general hootenanniness is enough to qualify it for this edition of 5 Songs.
4. Lightness of Being - My God, It's Full of Stars. This song is just cool. I particularly love the haunting piano riff. The band takes their name from a quote from a famous movie. Bonus points to whoever can guess the movie.
5. Suicide Smile - Submarine Lights. Formerly known as The Chemistry Set, this indie band is the (literal) marriage of Stephen and Meredith Duncan. Along with some former bandmates and fellow indie artists, they make some truly delightful and catchy, character-driven alt-rock.
Ever heard the old saying, "Good things always come in fives"?
Yeah, me neither. But there are a lot of great fives: The Jackson 5, the 5 original Rolling Stones, the Pentateuch, the five Beatles (don't even pretend that Sir George Martin isn't responsible for half the Beatles' greatness)... and now these five songs that you need to hear right now!
1. Land of Gathering - The Ceremonies. This little gem popped up on my Spotify weekly Discover playlist, suggested according to my listening habits. And I am so glad it did! Where have these guys been? This song is already three years old but it is fresher than anything on the radio... or in my fridge, for that matter. The Ceremonies are a band of literal brothers from L.A. that make some clever, fun, and refreshingly great music. I think you will really enjoy this track (or else I wouldn't have put it on the list. Duh.)The video is really good, too, which is very rare these days.
2. Corbett's Place - Koa. It's that time. Time to shove back your chair, get up and start dancing around the office or the coffee shop or wherever you happen to be. I dare you to sit still while Koa plays their unique amalgam of soul, funk, R&B, and dance music. Not half bad for a bunch of white guys from Nashville, TN! Join the Koa-lition!
3. No Direction Home - Cheap Trick. Ok, ok... so this isn't a new band. In fact, some of the guys in CT are freakin' grandfathers already. But I'll bet you wish your grandfather rocked like this! Even though I usually highlight largely unknown or undiscovered bands on this blog, I feel like Cheap Trick is exactly that for the current generation of new music lovers -- unknown and undiscovered. And to quote one of the band's biggest hits, "Ain't that a shame?!" The sad truth is that you will never hear this amazing power-pop gem anywhere else so I'm putting it on the list. Don't like it? Get yer own blog! And you know what? You're welcome!
4. Farther Along - Josh Garrels. I love me some Josh Garrels! If you are among those wondering, "Who the heck is Josh Garrels?" then click the video below and give a good listen. "Farther Along" is a great place to start your newfound appreciation for a true artist and his craft. Garrels has one of the most distinct and instantly recognizable voices in modern music. Every new CD is like a package of Skittles: bright and sweet and highly addictive. You can't stop until you polish off the whole bag. And once again... you are most welcome.
5. Love Changes Everything - Red Rocks Worship. Because I didn't get a chance to post this before Easter, let me go ahead and give you this. Better than a thousand chocolate bunnies is this gem from Red Rocks Worship. I have not been able to get this song out of my head or out of my heart; it's that good. And it's the perfect way to close out this edition of 5 Songs.
OK, that's it. Now it's up to you. Go out and purchase the music and support the artists so that all hope for the future of great new music doesn't just dry up and blow away because you did nothing to help it grow. Maybe there will be good music for your grandchildren to discover. Maybe not. It's up to you.
After an extended hiatus, 5 Songs returns with a vengeance in 2016. What follows will be five (count 'em, five) examples of largely undiscovered musical brilliance to bring a ray of sunshine into your otherwise bleak and miserable lives of bland, formula radio-ready pap music you've been brainwashed into thinking you actually like. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to give each song a listen, soaking in every nuance, and once you have acknowledged that their is still hope left for decent new music in this godforsaken wasteland, you go out and purchase any or all of the songs and support the artists who are putting everything on the line for you... shedding blood, sweat, and tears for the sake of your abused and neglected ears.
OK, ok, that's enough talk. Let's get down to it. Here they are, in no particular order... 5 Songs YOU NEED to Hear...
1. Giants - Matt Nathanson. This song is so good it's ridiculous. The world don’t speak for us / They lack the confidence / Yeah, we’re only hearts and bones and blood / But we are giants, giants! I love me some stick-it-to-the-man anthems! If you have the sneaking suspicion that life is more than what you have been led to believe, and that you were meant to be more than you are and you have settled for less than real life because somebody somewhere lied to you... You might be a Giant!
2. White Knuckles - Boh Doran. "White knuckling" is when we hold onto something too tight for our own good. Relationships are fragile things that require just the right touch, as Boh Doran sings plaintively in this poignant story of a couple enduring the peaks and valleys of life together. It's a very sad and touching song but also as catchy and toe-tapping as anything you could ever hope to hear in the car with the top down on a summer's day. I really like this song a lot!
3. Cold Hard Truth - Elenowen. Wow. You wanna make lose it and start bawling like a baby all over my computer keyboard? Play me a forlorn, haunting song like this one about a lifetime of love weathering the toughest of times, enduring right up to the end. Just mesmerizing in its beauty and perfectly executed by the former Voice contestant with all the tenderness and raw honesty the lyrics demand. If you only buy one of these songs this time, get this one. Incredible. For whatever reason, I couldn't embed the video from YouTube but here is the link.
4. I Don't Recall - Lavender Diamond. I know what you're thinking: "Is it Chick Week on 5 Songs?! What the heck, Jerry?!?" Hey... relax. Just enjoy the music and don't over analyze. I love the smooth, sleepy groove of this tune. The finger snaps give it a bizarre, almost Twin Peaks dream-like quality.
5. Soldier, Poet, King - The Oh Hellos. I confess I've saved my personal favorite for the last. This song gets my Celtic blood a-boiling. And because the Soldier, Poet, and King they sing about is none other than the Christ Himself, it stirs a wonderful sense of Narnian wonder and worship in my heart. There are few things in life that would actually cause me to jig... literally. But this is one of them. When He comes to "tear your city down," you may actually jig, too!
Hey kids, it's time for a special bonus edition of 5 Songs that I've been threatening for some time now. While I am no doubt an avid fan of original music, I have a soft spot in my heart for re-interpretations of classic songs by new artists. I especially like it when it takes the song in a whole new direction, almost making their version of the song an original song of their own.
There has been a resurgence of interpreting cover songs in the past few years. The results have been everything from amazing to ridiculous, but here are 5 Cover Songs You Need to hear right this very minute....
1. Just What I Needed - Punch Brothers. Regular readers of this blog may recall I referenced this clip in an earlier edition. This version of the classic Cars song is nothing short of a blast. What do you call it when you take a New Wave song from the late seventies and give it to a bluegrass band in the 2010s? New Grass? Blue Wave? Whatever it is, it's awesome.
2. Wish You Were Here - Crowder. Just discovered this one a week ago. A buddy of mine asked me if I had seen the video of Crowder doing Pink Floyd, to which I replied, "No, but I know what I'm doing as soon as I get back to my computer!" Fans of Crowder may think this a weird choice for a cover, and they would be right. But it's weirdly brilliant! Enjoy!
3. Shake It Off - Zeke Duhon. Last week I introduced readers to this wunderkind singer-songwriter from Nashville. While trying to find the best video for the song I was highlighting I stumbled on this fascinating minor key cover of the Taylor Swift pop sensation. Recorded entirely in his bedroom on nothing but piano strings, this version casts the lyrics in a more pensive and somber light. Cool factor here is off the charts.
4. I Can't Feel My Face- Walk Off the Earth. I don't know what the heck you call that crazy instrument they all play together, but this is one of the funkiest jams I've heard in a while. For my money, it's superior to the original. If you have never heard Walk Off the Earth, go ahead and plan to carve out a few hours and check out this remarkable group. They specialize in doing other people's music better than they do it themselves.
5. 1979 - Darlingside. Hats off to Darlingside for this loving tribute to those 90s juggernauts of alternative rock, Smashing Pumpkins. I imagine Billy Corgan smiling broadly at the sound of this trippy folk version of their megahit. Great song, cool cover, and a fun way to round out our special edition of 5 songs.
If you have a cool cover version you want me to hear, please share it in the comments section. I am always on the lookout for unique interpretations of classic music. Thanks for reading and listening!
Insert clever comment here. Follow with some witty banter about said comment. Transition into introduction to this week's collection of new music. Then say something like.... "What are we awaiting for? Here are 5 Songs YOU NEED to Hear.... right now!" There. My work here is finished. :-)
1. Friends - Raury. This is my current jam in the car. I stumbled upon this song one day as a suggestion from Spotify. I had a little free time to spare so I was exploring some of the recommended music the Spot-Bots generated based on what I have previously listened to. Out of nowhere comes this free-spirited anthem of unity and community, hearkening back to the kind of hippy, flower-power, peace-love-and-groovy-daffodils vibe of the late Sixties. There's a cool backstory to the video, too. Apparently, Raury is a multi-talented singer/songwriter/musician/rapper/producer wunderkind from Stone Mountain, GA right here in the ATL. He and a buddy wanted to get to Chicago so they decided to use Twitter to catch rides from their fans as far as they would take them. They would crash at their house, go out to eat with them, get to know them personally. They videoed their adventures along the way and edited them into the video for his song. Warning: Although Raury is an amazing, creative talent, much of his other music contains explicit lyrics, so please be aware if you decide to check out any of his other songs.
2. Faith and Hope - Zeke Duhon. I found this gem on Noisetrade last week. Download the whole album. It is all great. But if I had to pick a favorite from this Nashville based singer-songwriter, it would be this one. The studio version is really good, but the best video I could find is an acoustic version he filmed and recorded himself in the tunnels of downtown Tulsa, OK. Apparently, this is a well-known place that a lot of indie artists use for their videos. Cool song, great lyrics, and I really love this guy's whole attitude and approach. Bonus: Check out Zeke's unique, minor-key approach to Taylor Swift's "Shake It Off." Exceptionally cool. Look for it on an upcoming 5 Covers You Ned to Hear edition.
3. Do Not Destroy - Cicada Rhythm. And the award for most hipster song of the week goes to..... Cicada Rhythm. Andrea DeMarcus is a Julliard trained musician who plays the upright bass. Her partner, Dave Kirslis plays acoustic guitar. They blend these unique talents and voices into a mesmerizing sound I have never heard anywhere else. While I really enjoy the music, I can't help but feel like I am not nearly cool enough to appreciate them. I get the feeling just from listening to them and watching them play that if I knew them, they wouldn't let me hang around them. Or they would constantly look at me with a mixture of loathing and pity, like "Oh, he still thinks U2 is cool. Poor thing." But I still think you need to hear this music. And for the record, U2 is still cool.
4. Other Suns - MAGIC GIANT. Another great Noisetrade discovery from last week. These guys make an exuberant, joyful, magic noise. They look like refugees from a traveling carnival and they are the musical equivalent of a whole bag of Skittles dumped into your mouth all at once. This song was my favorite from the sampler I downloaded...
5. Waiting on June - Holly Williams. I saved this one for lat because by the end of it, you will be crying and I don't want you to fry your computer with your tears and not hear the other songs first. Holly Williams is the grand-daughter of country music pioneer Hank Williams, and the daughter of equally legendary Hank Williams, Jr. She wrote this song about her maternal grandparents' 58 year marriage from the point of view of her grandfather. It's one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard. Touching, tender, genuine, heartfelt. It's a new all time favorite for me and hopefully soon will be for you, too.
Insert clever ending comments here. Encourage people to support new music. Say good-bye.
As a pastor, I share an affinity with Jesus for the underdog, the outcast, the outliers of society. I love that He went out of His way to find those people whom everyone else ignored, disregarded, disrespected, or even didn't know existed. I am learning to be more like Him every day (some days are better than others) and I'm trying to apply this same principle across the board in my life. I think some of the best songwriters, artists, musicians, thinkers, poets, whatever will never be known or recognized in this life. I think the New Heaven and New Earth we are promised in the scriptures will be filled with many amazing and gifted innovatives in every area of life.
Wow, that's a deep thought. And fun to think about. That's what makes it so satisfying to discover great new music from people most of us have never heard of. Not all of it is Christian. But all of it is good and deserves a shot at being heard. So here are 5 Songs (in my humble opinion) You Need To Hear...
1. Leaving Woman - The Trigger Code. Well, well, well.... somebody found their dad's Zeppelin records. This is a really convincing and sincere homage to the Sozo boys of the Seventies and I like it a lot. Great for crankin' loud at red lights next to the guy blasting Ariana Grande or some such ridiculous sugar-coated radio-pop nonsense as that. Just turn your head slowly, lower your shades and look at him as if to say, "This is what grown-ups listen to." Then watch him screech away when the light turns because he is in a big hurry to go nowhere. (Ha! That was cynical, but a lot of fun to write.)
Tragically, there is not one video anywhere on the internet of this song. So here is the link for the song on a compilation on Noisetrade.com. You can listen to it streaming on your device. Enjoy!
2. The Ancestor - Darlingside. I love the neo-folk revival we are experiencing in music right now. So many great artists, so many good songs. This song reminds me of The Association from the Sixties, with the choral vocals and harmonies. Imagine The Association covering The Lumineers and you've got Darlingside. Really cool animated music video, too.
3. Passepied - Punch Brothers. This will be the coolest thing you hear all day. That's a promise. Chris Thile (Nickel Creek) is a freakin' genius anyway and this adaptation of a Debussy piece breaks down all previous notions of what bluegrass music can be. Don't get me wrong; I love me some front porch "Salty Dog" with the Darlin' boys as much as the next hillbilly, but this is a breath of unexpected innovation and creativity that opens the genre up to so many possibilities. I realize I'm a little late to the Punch Brothers party, but let me do you a favor and introduce you to this song. And let me say it now.... You're welcome. P.S. - If you like that, you absolutely HAVE to check out their cover of the Cars' classic "Just What I Needed" here.
4. 5678! - Butterfly Bouche. This is just cool. It's a few years old now but it came up on my iTunes shuffle last week and reminded me that I need to share this song with you all. Not a huge Butterfly Bouche fan personally, but a big fan of this song. She's like Ally Sheedy's character in The Breakfast Club; weird, odd, a little sideways... but endearing in her own way. Plus it's a really catchy song.
5. Your Love Will Blow Me Away When My Heart Aches - Son Little. Great way to close out this edition of 5 Songs. This guy is cool at a level few will ever attain to. His music doesn't fit neatly into any category -- kinda R&B but not exactly, sorta soul but sometimes reggae but not quite... Who cares? Stop trying to categorize everything and just listen, for cryin' out loud. Sheesh.
Hope you liked some or all or at least one of these songs. If you did, go buy it and support the hardworking artists and songwriters that create this stuff so they can feed their families and continue to make great music for the world to enjoy. Do your part!
Why five? What is so special about the number five? People stop me in the street all the time and ask me, "Why, Jerry, why?! Why is it always FIVE!?!" Not really. No one ever stops me in the street. Mostly, because I don't walk in the street. That would be stupid and dangerous. But also because no one really reads this blog anyways so they have no idea it even exists.
I have always liked 5. It's easy to count by. I love that old Schoolhouse Rock song where the guy is playing hide-and-seek with a bunch of kids and he counts by fives. There were five Rolling Stones (in the classic line-up before Bill Wyman left). David picked up "five smooth stones" to battle Goliath. There were five original X-men before they became the most convoluted and impossible to follow soap-opera in all of comicdom. And there were arguably five Beatles. Yes, there were. George Martin played on the albums as much as any member of the band and was probably more responsible for their sound than they were.
Anyway, I just like five. It's not too few. It's not too many. It's just right. So, here are some new songs I want you to hear. Five, in fact. Not too many, not too few, just right. Here we go....
1. Montevideo - Blisses B. Part Mutemath, part Talking Heads, with a singer that at times hearkens back to Genesis-era Peter Gabriel and you've got Blisses B. Not sure where they came from or what their deal is, but it is refreshingly different, but not at the expense of the song. The songs on the album I downloaded from Noisetrade.com are odd and unconventional in their structure and approach, but very infectious and catchy. I couldn't find a video of this particular song but you can stream it from Noisetrade or by clicking this link. Check it out...
2. Look Closer (Can't You See the Signs?) - Saun & Starr. I don't know what sparked the Soul Train revival movement, but I love it! More and more new R&B artists are sounding more and more like the classic 70s soul artists that Don Cornelius used to introduce on TV when I was a kid. (If you were born in the 80s and have no idea what the heck I'm talking about, do a search for Soul Train TV show on YouTube and you will get it immediately.) This track with it's spacy, reverb-drenched congas and staccato funk guitar licks sounds like AM radio in 1972. It's not only an amazing authentic-sounding homage to artists like Isaac Hayes, Stylistics, and Rose Royce, but it's just a great song in its own right.
3. Dreaming - Charlie Whitten. Man, could it get any mellower than this? If Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon and Gary Wright's Dreamweaver got together, this would be their love child. Smooth, dreamy, and evocative of late seventies post-psychadelia. This track is the sonic equivalent of a really good massage -- relaxing and enjoyable without getting creepy at any point. Warning: Do not attempt to drive or operate heavy machinery while listening to this song. Also, if you have hay fever or suffer from allergies, you may want to turn your head and not look at the video.
4. Weep No More - Canton Junction. OK, this is a first and very likely a last on 5 Songs -- a Southern Gospel quartet. Let me just go on record and say officially, I am NOT a fan of this particular genre. I don't know if it's because I grew up being force-fed this stuff by my parents or if it's because they always look like creepy, mafia-types with the three-piece suits. Whatever the reason, Southern Gospel is not my thing.
So imagine my surprise when I heard this song the other day and not only really liked it, but I actually purchased it with my own money that I worked for! To be fair, it sounds absolutely NOTHING like anything else this group (or any other gospel quartet) does. I came across it while sampling songs from the soundtrack of Four Blood Moons, John Hagee's film about end-times prophecy and such. Don't know anything about the movie (though the trailer looks kinda cheesy), but the soundtrack is actually pretty decent as Christian music goes these days. I ended up buying three or four songs from it by artists like JJ Weeks Band and Walk Through The Fire.
This tune caught my ear for the bluegrass instrumentation and haunting, minor key feel. It reminds me of something that might be on an old Steve Earle record from the 80s. Give it a fair listen. You might be surprised as I was.
5. Stained Glass - Jon Guerra. Imagine if Paul Simon became a Christ follower, what kind of songs would he write? What would he sound like singing them? Jon Guerra kinda reminds me a little of Paul Simon's winsome-yet-world-weary style. There are some obvious similarities in his voice, but more than enough originality to be an artist deserving of respect in his own right. I met Jon at a Vertical Church Band conference that came through Georgia a few months ago. He was a genuinely kind and patient guy, taking time to listen and answer questions from a host of attenders. I found him very wise and thoughtful for his young years and bought his CD just because I liked the guy. I'm glad I did.
This is probably my favorite track, albeit I prefer this stripped-down acoustic version in the video to the studio version on his CD. I saved it for last because I like this to be what you come away with: "We're all broken, it's true/but when Your Light shines through/We all look like stained glass windows to You."
