February’s Songs of the Month

It’s a lazy man’s SOTM as I will come back to each of these and write about them. For now, just enjoy the music.

“Symphonies” by Dan Black

Oh wait…there’s more!

January’s “Golden Album” & A Special Treat

I’m sorry, but scratch what I said in my last post. If you want my opinion on a certain album…ask. 2009 is over. Let’s talk 2010.

——

all that glitters is not gold.

Back in high-school, I referred to some albums as “Golden Albums.” Believe it or not, it was hard to come across albums like this. The only qualifications? If you don’t want to skip a song throughout the entire album, it’s a “Golden Album.” Some came close, but if one song were bad, it could no longer hold the title.

You’re still spot on, Shakespeare. All that glitters is not gold. Good music does exist and it’s my job to find it. It’s quite a chore these days, but when found, it’s worth it.

To this day, I still have albums that achieve this greatness. This month, it’s Contra by Vampire Weekend.

My Top 10 Most Influential Albums of 2009

2009 was a great year for music. It was the last year of the decade to still be counted the “Double 00’s”. I felt these albums best defined my year in terms of most listened to and enjoyed. Of course there are other albums I listened to and it was difficult for me to pick only 10.

I believe each of the albums are fantastic in their own unique way.

Stay tuned for a more updated Noteworthies in 2010…Believe me…It’s a New Year’s Resolution to update more frequently!

First things first

if you like this, try that – #1

California lovin’ comes easy for this talented band. For you Mika fans out there, look into The Orange Peels. Their new album came out today entitled “2020” and with a price of $5.75 on Amie Street Music, it’s worth it. For the Mika similarities in particular, check out the song “Birds of a Feather“. For a limited time, their song “We’re Gonna Make It” is a free download. Be sure to add this album to your ipod the next time you decide to go on a roadtrip to Cali. You’ll thank me later.

Cleveland Rocks

This past weekend, my wife and I were able to go up to Cleveland with our friends Sean and Katherine. Saturday night we saw Ingrid Michaelson, Matthew Perryman Jones, and surprise guest (for one song!) Greg Laswell.

I was pleasantly suprised how awesome the whole night was. Being Halloween, some members of the crowd had costumes on. Where’s Wald0, Hulk Hogan, Devils, Pirates, Skeletons, Ballerina, and other assorted characters appeared throughout the night. Even Ingrid’s band was able to find costumes hours before the show.

MPJ was the cool kind of funny where it seems effortless and almost accidental. Ingrid was funny, engaging, down-to-earth, and quirky. She threw out candy throughout the night which kept morale up among the weary late-nighters (for those of us who have lost our college night-owl-swagger).

If I ever have an opportunity to see these guys play again, I would be there in a heartbeat. I just wish Greg Laswell could’ve sung more than one duet.

Here are two videos I was able to find on YouTube. Much respect to “kingofthecastle7″. “Once Was Love” was my favorite song of the night next to “The Chain”. Enjoy!

“Feels Like Letting Go” by Matthew Perryman Jones

 

“Once Was Love” by Ingrid Michaelson

Skip to 2:00 if you want to hear the music.

The Beginning

Welcome to noteworthies.

After years on Xanga and Facebook, I have now turned to the beloved WordPress. I hope to be able to give you a glimpse of my stream of conscienceness as I provide monthly music reviews, occassional movie/tv reviews, art/design links, and fun and interesting snippets of my life. Feel free to subscribe or visit every so often.

With that being said, I welcome you with the much loved and long-awaited return of a brand new  “Songs of the Month”. This will be November’s post.

“Holiday Review” by Magnolia Sons

This band is not “new”. However, they haven’t made their big splash yet that I’m waiting for. A six-song album was released last year and if not for my weekly quest for good music, I probably would not have found it.  It’s a solid album. I wouldn’t be talking about them if I didn’t think otherwise.
Noteworthies: “Next June” and “Whalden County”