mixed media, music musings, music suggestion

the 31 best of 2007 – 29: Tracey Thorn – Out Of The Woods

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As a long time fan of Everything But the Girl, I was really pumped to find out Tracey was releasing a solo record. Her voice is extremely beautiful and haunting, and I was curious to see what direction she would take with her solo effort.

After getting Out of the Woods,I wasn’t initially impressed; there were few songs that I liked, but nothing that really stood out as fantastic to me. However, after several listens, and after paying this record the attention it deserves, I fell in love with the nuanced performances Tracey delivers.

She manages to transform the trip-hop/electro sound that made Everything But The Girl a favorite of mine into her own statement. Her voice guides you through a story-telling landscape that speaks to sadness and longing; and paints a portrait that only her voice could. She is like a more sullen Annie Lennox; and it totally works.

If you are a fan of the later stuff Everything But the Girl did, especially the record Temperamental, I think that you will find that Tracey was obviously involved with crafting that sound. On Out of the Woods, she takes what she learned, and crafts her own melodic fairytale, and brings down mood quite a bit. The result is an almost rain-soaked journey through a trip-hop inspired storybook. If this is what Tracey can do on her own, I am looking forward to future solo efforts.

Favorite songs from Out of the Woods:
Here it Comes Again, Grand Canyon, Nowhere Near, and By Piccadilly Station I Sat Down and Wept, Raise the Roof.

Rating:

listen up!, music musings, music suggestion

the 31 best of 2007 – 30: Girls Aloud – Tangled Up

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To start, I must unfortunately state that this is not actually the cover of the most recent Girls Aloud release, Tangled Up,no matter how much I wish this fan created version really was (the real one is uber-plain and just downright boring). If you want to see that one, you can check it out on amazon.com… Now that I have gotten that off of my chest, I can begin to tell you about the campy goodness that is the new Girls Aloud album!

I first discovered Girls Aloud through my buddy Stu last year; which led to the best of Girls Aloud making my 2006 best of list. Needless to say, after my first listen, I was in love with this campy girl group. Formed from a TV show called Popstars: The Rivals in the UK, these girls have gone on to become an insanely popular and famous girl band in the UK and throughout other parts of the world. However, most American’s would be shaking their head and saying “Girls A-who?” if you mentioned them, but not this one; after everything I have heard, I am a tried and true Girls Aloud fan.

I will openly admit that I was super excited when I heard that they were releasing a new CD this year, especially after hearing the more “rock guitar” driven single “Something Kinda Oooh”, last year; in hopes that this would be the direction that they were moving with their sound. When the first single, Sexy No No No! was released, my suspicions were confirmed; this was going to be a record that moved fast, and rocked the pop. While I admit that I really did like Sexy No No No!, it wasn’t quite the hit that Something was, so I chomping at the bit to hear more from this power girl group. The second single, Call the Shots, did everything that the near perfect Sexy did not; it showed me that this was going to be a consistently good album, and I am hear to say that it definitely is.

If you have been a fan of Girls Aloud in the past, you will find your old friends up to their usual selves with this album; the pop doesn’t stop, and the bubblegum girls are putting it all out in full force from the first beat of the first song. There are a lot of really great tracks, most of which will get you moving in your seat, and overall, the disc is a solid effort from the girls. You’ll notice that most of the tracks carry out the same “rockish-pop” feel, which serves to unify the disc as a singular statement of manufactured pop done right. It also speaks of the vision of a handful of producers getting to go to bat with an entire record; and the result is a successful pop record.

What’s somewhat refreshing, is that this record represents itself as nothing more, and nothing less than pure “for the fun of it” pop. It is masterfully produced, and the manufacturing couldn’t be more pristine, which must have you wondering why I couldn’t give it a perfect 5 star rating. The fifth star is missing first and foremost, because of the strength of previous Girls Aloud hits that unfortunately, greatly overshadow more than a few of the tracks on Tangled Up. Secondly, the final song feels included for the sake of someone feeling that they needed something to close the record; which speaks to its lackluster, and out of sync feel (I think they should have just forgotten about Crocodile Tears all together). Finally, of the hard to ignore, tacked on bonus tracks, the remake of Teenage Dirtbag is downright painful to listen to. I don’t know what went wrong there, but it is really, really wrong. I do, however, feel the need to praise these girls for listening to their managers, and their producers, because the results they have delivered really do deliver in a big way; this really is pop at its best, and it is great to hear in an era that seems to miss the mark with pop so often, and so disastrously. Many times, you will have a hit or two thrown on a sloppy and downright pathetic album, but Tangled Up manages to highlight singles among many other potential single-worthy hits and other fun, well produced, backing tracks; (almost) all of which work.

Sure, there may be some critical “down the nose” view of “manufacturing pop”, but what better way to produce the best of something that is MEANT to be produced and manufactured? I can’t think of many groups better to do it than Girls Aloud; and with Tangled Up, they show us that they are more than capable of doing just that… delivering that pop that is just so, so good to my ears.

Song Highlights from Tangled Up:
Call The Shots, Black Jacks, Girl Overboard, and Damn.

Rating:

listen up!, music musings, music suggestion

the 31 best of 2007 – 31: Matt Nathanson – Some Mad Hope

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So, now you must know that my threat was real! Here I am, bringing you the very first of my 31 top CDs of 2007. While there were many, many great CDs that came out this year, these 31 are the ones that I enjoyed most. While this really isn’t intended to be a “countdown”, per-se, rank isn’t necessarily assumed among star-rating classes, so I will be giving a rating to each disc (the top 31 are all either 4 or 5 star-rated). I don’t rank against different types of artists; my ranks indicate how much I liked the disc and how good I feel that it is. So, that means, these CDs are all good; placement on the list will only really affect those at the very top.

So, now that I have muddied this up as much as possible, let’s get to the first CD to make my “top 31” list this year: Matt Nathanson – Some Mad Hope.

Note: Since there were clearly more than 31 CDs that I really liked this year, I recommend checking out my favorite CDs of 2007 list for other great CDs from 2007.

The first CD on the year end list, is Some Mad Hope by rocker Matt Nathanson. A sound that reminds me of many single male rock singers, like Ryan Adams or Damien Rice (but not so depressing), I have to admit that I wasn’t initially interested in this record. I downloaded it before a trip, and was determined to give it a go while I was traveling. Unfortunate choice or not, the first song on the record is Car Crash, which isn’t really something one wants to hear while flying (the imagery was just too uncomfortable). So the CD went on my back burner.

One day, I was thumbing through my massive ipod library, and I happened to notice Matt’s CD yet again, and so I gave it a listen. I must say, that I am glad that I gave him a second chance. Like some of my favorite CDs of recent past (most notably, Matt Kearney’s Nothing Left to Lose,as well as a fellow 2007 best of list artist, Jon McLaughlin’s Indiana),Matt’s earnest rock sound, alternative-rootsy feel, and warm male vocals reeled me in. The piano and acoustic-twinged rock made me sit up and take notice of this guy whom I had never heard of, other than the mention on iTunes that only got me “sort of” interested in the first place. Clearly, there is something more to him than him being “another male alternative vocalist”; Matt has put together a damn fine CD with Some Mad Hope.

Several songs on his record are upbeat, and most are radio-worthy; but it is the few stand outs that remind me of one of my all time favorite artists, Bebo Norman, that get me every time. Those are the reason that this disc made my year end list, but the overall consistency of quality music on the disc is the reason it made the top 31. This is one of those records that people at the CW would look to for backing tracks on their teen dramas, as I am sure they may already have, and I think that they would have a great list of 12 consistently good tracks to choose for the right occasion. The entire CD is a solid listen, beginning, middle, and end; I can even think of a few songs that I would play during the right moment, and I am glad to have discovered them to enjoy for myself.

My Favorites from Some Mad Hope:
Come On Get Higher, Heartbreak World, Bulletproof Weeks (my personal favorite), and Gone.

Rating:

five song friday, listen up!, mixed media, music musings, music suggestion

5SF: november 30

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Hey there! Back from a week off, it’s your five song Friday! This will, unfortunately, be the last one of the year, however, because as I have mentioned many, many times, December will involve the presentation of a new CD each and every day!! That’s right! I am going to bring you my top CDs of 2007, and it is going to be fun! There is some good stuff that has come out this year, so get ready, because my best of list is just around the corner. One note about tomorrow; I am going out of town today, and won’t be back until Sunday, so I am going to try and post the post with the date tomorrow, and just see if that works. If not, I will post it on Sunday, along with the December 2nd selection. Either way; the music is coming at you!

Now, on with this week’s five song Friday!

Sugarland – Stay
Yesterday, I was telling a friend of mine about a rumor that I heard about Beyonce coming out with a country album, and I was reminded of the really good cover of Irreplaceable by Sugarland. In order to give her a listen, I went to youtube, only to discover this amazingly beautiful song as well. I will warn you, the video may make you cry; but I felt it was so touching, that I had to post the video for the song. This song made me run out and get this CD. I LOVE Jennifer Nettles voice, and this song is just so emotive! A sad one, but a good one.

Shayne Ward – Breathless
Next up, is the most beautiful Shayne Ward; whose new CD Breathless just came out earlier this week. Let me start by saying, that I love this boy; not only can he sing, he is also so amazingly beautiful! I have loved Shayne for a while now, and I am really happy that his new CD is so good. If you like ballads, and boy band-type singers (think Justin Timberlake, only less “nubian” — as HE thinks he is), then you will love Shayne. I like to think that he is singing it to me… sigh. There are a few trite lyrics, but I can easily look past them; into his beautiful eyes.

Robyn – Be Mine!
Today, I am bring back an old favorite; Robyn’s “new” single Be Mine! I really don’t know what is going on with this record, as far as a US release, but I have had it for quite a while, and it is brilliant. I reviewed it back in one of my popcasts, and even played a clip of this song, but I feel compelled to share it again in this forum, because of how great it really is (as well as the new, very good video that was recently released). I feel like I need to say this: this is a perfect pop record. Let me repeat myself; THIS is a PERFECT pop record. Robyn really deserves some major props, because she is trying to do great things for pop, and while I can’t get her CD stateside, I do applaud and support her efforts. I hope that she has a second coming in the states soon; VERY soon. I love you Robyn!

Kylie Minogue – In My Arms
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_1130_inmyarms.mp3]
Another amazing album that I have been blown away by, that came out recently, is Kylie Minogue’s tenth album, X. I have never really been a “Kylie fan”, having only really enjoyed a few songs here and there, but I have to say; this album is pretty damn good. This song in particular is my favorite from the album, and makes me want to dance all night long. What a fun song!

Kate Havnevik – Someday
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_1130_someday.mp3]
Poor Kate got bumped a few weeks ago when I found the video for the new Sugababes single, but that doesn’t mean that I forgot how amazing this song is; so now she gets her moment on the 5SF this week! I heard some random song of hers a long time back, where I don’t know, but it prompted me to download her album and check her out. I never really could get into it, for whatever reason, but this song came up on random one day, and I just listened to it on repeat. It is amazing. I love the arrangement, and her haunting vocals send chills up my spine. This is a fantastic song.

Alright! I hope everyone enjoyed this week’s 5SF, because it was a little all over the place; but no matter, all these songs deserve the spotlight, because they are all good. Just to say it again, tomorrow starts the month of music, and while I am out of town, I am going to go ahead and write the post, and hope that by dating it for tomorrow, that it will show up when it is supposed to. If not, I’ll fix it when I return on Sunday! I hope everyone has a good weekend, and happy listening!

all about me, is it just me?, listen up!, mixed media, music musings, music suggestion, venting, well?

please don’t stop the music *clap clap*

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December is rapidly approaching, and I am narrowing down my picks for my year end “best of music 2007” December blog-a-thon. I don’t even know if anyone will care or not, but I am excited. I also need to get back into my old podcast, which I haven’t done in ages… I guess I’ll have to put that on my list.

Either way, I have been listening to music non-stop, because there have been some great CDs come out in the past few weeks, many of which will make my year end list. There is just so much to absorb! I think that I like music, and sharing it, because it really is one of the only things that can truly make me feel good. I also really love being surprised by something, and it being really good. There really is nothing like hearing a really amazing song; it gets me energized, and totally takes me to a good place. I love that, and that very thing has been happening a lot lately. 2007 has proven to be a good year for me, musically, and I look forward to blogging about that next month.

One thing, however that is a cause of much strife and grief for me, is my last.fm profile. I don’t know why, but I find myself kind of obsessing about it, and lately, even more so. After iTunes decided it wanted to delete my playlists, the last.fm client decided it no longer wanted to scrobble my ipod tracks. This SUCKS, because I listen to music all day at work, and I really want those tracks on my profile. I have tried reinstalling iTunes, and the last.fm client; both with no luck. If there is any advice or help that anyone can give me, I am all ears; I like last.fm, and I like the whole idea of it, and want to actually use it!!! Help!

Other than enjoying the hell out of some great pop records (Shayne Ward, Kylie Minogue, Girls Aloud, Sugababes, etc.) in the recent weeks, I have been slowly counting down to the end of this semester. I am so ready to have these two classes under my belt, and I hope that once I am finished with them, I will regain some of my momentum. They have just both been demanding, and frustrating. I can’t wait until the next two weeks are over! Let’s hope that next semester (and all subsequent following ones) is much better!

I also made some color/border changes to the blog template… thoughts?

"pointless", all about me, is it just me?, the catch-all-egory

*sniff* *hack* *cough* bleck!

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So James has passed his head cold on to me. Nice. I HATE being sick. I don’t do sick very well either; I’m a whiny baby when I get sick. He’ll just have to put up with it though, since he got me sick! HA! In all seriousness, though, I am just hoping that I get better before this weekend… I am really looking forward to our getaway.

Last night, I was thinking incredibly too much, as I usually do, and I think that I am going to start trying to live more under the motto, “if it makes you happy, it can’t be that bad”. Yes, I know it is a cheesy Sheryl Crow song, but I think that she’s got something there; if it really does make me happy, what does it really matter what anyone else thinks, right? Right. Now… just to convince me…

Finally, I have been overwhelmed by the insane thrust of Christmas (which apparently gets earlier and earlier every year… eventually, it will ALWAYS be Christmas… yikes), and instead of my usual “feelings of good tiding and joy”, I have been filled with a “give it up already!” attitude. I don’t think that Christmas should be so commercialized to begin with, and I guess it really isn’t as big a deal as it is made out to be. It’s just another reason consume, if you ask me. And being a consumer, I am sure that I will; but I don’t have to ring a bell or be jolly like a fat man to do so. This year, I think that this website really sums up how I feel about the juggernaut that is Christmas. Mine is going to be ONE day, and only one day. So there. Enjoy your trees, and know that I am happy for you to be in the mood; just don’t expect me to put one up. (Besides, if I want to see Christmas decorations in all their glory, I only need to look next door to our neighbor’s gaudy decorations…)

civil rights, is it just me?, politics, show the love

alright, my candidate for president is…

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Ha! I got you!

Just kidding… I said it was too early to “back a candidate”, and I couldn’t agree more, but I have to say, I can’t get over the optimism that I constantly and consistently see from Dennis Kucinich. I think that he has lofty goals, and falls on the side of extreme optimism when it comes to many of the issues; but that is why I like him so much. I would like to believe, as he does, that things REALLY can be good without all of the evil that we currently see. I would really like to believe that there is more to people than power and greed.

I mean, can you imagine having a president that actually cares about poverty; that is, ENDING it, and not creating it (like our current “leader”)? He’s got the right idea about the “gay agenda” too (the only one to be for gay marriage; which again, isn’t the issue, but nevertheless, we know where stands); equal rights for one and all. I just can’t help but think, that it could be a truly great society if we were all as optimistic, and really believed and strove for that which could make us the best society that we really could be. What would be so bad about having a nation of people that were all doing well, and thriving? That sounds like a good thing to me!

While I am going to stick to my “it’s too early” principle, and I am not going to say that I “back” him officially; I do hope in my heart that a man that believes that peace and equality are two fundamental principles for this world’s survival can have such an influential position someday. Maybe Dennis is that man? I for one think that would be pretty awesome.

All that, and his wife is hot! (Not to mention, really smart, and quite the optimistic sharer of great ideas).

Go Kucinich! (And those like him)!

"pointless", mixed media, music musings, the catch-all-egory, venting, wtf?!

damn you itunes!!!

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Yesterday, iTunes decided that it would delete ALL of my playlists.

ALL of them.

So, last night, I took a good 4 hours to back up over 16gb of music, and to remake every one of my playlists. It took forever. Sometimes, computer programs really have a mind of their own; I just hope that it doesn’t decide that it doesn’t want my playlists again, or I might find another program to use for managing my music.

Sort it out, iTunes!

all about me, happenings, the catch-all-egory, venting, wtf?!

my thanksgiving day

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UPDATE! A note about 5SF: For today, I am taking the day off. To be honest, I forgot it was Friday!! We’ll be back next Friday with 5 new songs! Just enjoy your weekend folks, and sorry that I forgot about today’s 5SF.

I spent almost the entire day studying anatomy, before taking my test last night.

The power went out twice before I took the test, and I was hoping that things would be fine while I was actually taking the test (which is online, and timed for one hour). I always save my answers as I go, so if it cuts you off, it isn’t that big of a deal, and you can start where you left off. However, with 2 minutes left to go, the power went out again. I “finished” with the test, but I hadn’t submitted it yet. Fuck. I managed to get my PC back up, and log in, only to see my time had expired; but I had saved all of my answers. I submitted the test, and I emailed the professor, and I hope that everything is okay. Technically, I finished in the allotted time, so I hope that there isn’t an issue. It says I got a 92.5, which is also a plus.

I will definitely be MORE thankful when this damn semester is over. Seriously, it has been HARDER than I was expecting. Here’s hoping that next semester is better; and that we don’t have anymore close calls like yesterday.

I hope everyone had a great day! Now, James and I are going to Best Buy to see what’s left!

all about me, is it just me?, the catch-all-egory, venting, wtf?!

eye lashes, mobile phones, and mood swings

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Eye lashes. They are supposed to keep stuff OUT of your eye. So, why is it, that I am so often pulling out my eye lashes to keep THEM from going in my eye?? Seriously, I have been complimented numerous times on my lovely long eye lashes, and I am here to say, TAKE THEM! I don’t want them anymore. I have had to deal with eye lashes in my eyes for my whole life, and I am tired of it.

Mobile Phones. HANG UP AND DRIVE has become more than just a motto of mine lately; 9 out of every 10 times I am cut off, almost ran off of the road, almost rear-ended, or that I witness blatant fuckery of someone in a car, they are on a mobile phone. I think that it should be outlawed that you can talk and drive; because it is clear that these people actually CANNOT talk and drive. If you need to talk on your phone, pull over. Have a quick little, “let me call you back when I get home” conversation, and then focus on driving. I don’t want to have to deal with your stupid-bad-driving ass anymore, okay? I think they should make it legal to pull these people over ourselves and beat them up if they are caught driving under the influence of mobile phones. That would certainly “curb” the behavior, now wouldn’t it.

Mood swings. I have been having mood swings so weirdly, lately. Seriously, I know I am depressed, but Jesus, this up and down is nonsense. Take today, I am feeling pretty good today, despite having a shitty past 2 weeks. Some of those days were “okay”, but there were some pretty low ones in there too. Nothing was really “great”, but today is feeling pretty good. Maybe it’s because of the pending time off? Who knows, I just hope that this swing stays on the up and up; for a change.