THIS IS RIDICULOUSLY ADORABLE.

oddly overwhelming?

So I love music a lot and I tend to acquire it at a pretty rapid pace. While much of it consists of albums I purchase, many of the new songs I’ve been getting as of late are free samplers, tracks from blogs, and the occasional free album. If music is free and legal on the Internet, let’s face it, I’m pretty much going to download it. All of this, however, makes my iTunes library, even just my “Recently Added” folder, incredibly overwhelming. I love music and I’m always hungry for more, but getting twelve or thirteen new songs by unknown artists at one time, or a huuuuge collection of one artist, is pretty much a guarantee that some of the songs are going to get overlooked. I’ll put on the playlist, but I’m usually doing other things and not giving the music 100% of my attention. It kind of stresses me out, because I want to be fair and give everything an equal listen. I really also need to start deleting music if I don’t like it… it’s rare, but it happens. (The Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band, anyone? Really? You couldn’t even think of a better band name to soften the blow of your awful music?)

I’m writing this post for several reasons. First of all, to beg for help. Does anyone have a system of listening to new music so that none of it gets overlooked? If so, please share. I need a new system.

If you’re curious about some examples of the random stuff that is waiting for me in my library right now, here’s a few:

1. Sufjan Stevens – Illinoize. It’s his entire Illinoise album remixed with some rapper – can’t remember off the top of my head. The .zip file has been sitting on my desktop for oh, maybe three months.

2. SAVE PASTE. Quick plug. Paste is um, the most awesomest magazine there is. They’re currently campaigning to raise some funds because let’s face it, the economy is not really kind to magazines right now. If you donate any amount of money to their campaign, you get access to a database of literally hundreds of songs artists have donated to the cause. Some of them are rare tracks, some are live recordings, and most of them are fantastic. If you are interested, click on the banner to your right. There’s some really sweet stuff in there from bands like Gomez, Emmylou Harris, Sister Hazel, She and Him, the Decemberists, Derek Webb, Brandi Carlile, JR, etc. I have probably only downloaded 1/4 of it – I stuck to artists I had at least heard of at the moment.

3. iTunes Spring and Summer Sampler. This one’s easy. Become a fan of “itunes” on Facebook and you get some free music. Included are tunes from Blind Pilot, the Decemberists, and my personal favorite fun summer song, “Airstream Driver” by Gomez.

4. Tons of stuff I’ve downloaded from I AM FUEL, YOU ARE FRIENDS, in my opinion the best music blog out there. If you haven’t been there, check it out.

sugarland – “(just might) make me believe” and “stay”

LIFE-CHANGING SONGS 3 & 4

Jennifer Nettles, in my opinion, is the classiest and most talented woman in country music today. Her music is honest and heartfelt and she’s got an absolutely killer voice (albeit with a significant Georgia twang). While they’re better known for their upbeat radio singles, “(Just Might) Make Me Believe” is a gorgeous song that perfectly portrays that scared-senseless-yet-trying-to-be-hopeful feeling that so often happens when times are at their worst. And then there’s “Stay.” I don’t even know what I can say about this song. It’s sad and brilliant and gumption-y and it might just have the absolute best music video I have ever seen in my life.

Sugarland – (Just Might) Make Me Believe
Sugarland – Stay

I dare anyone in the world not to cry watching this.
The “Stay” music video.

josh ritter – “wings”

LIFE-CHANGING SONG #2

Listen.  I know I talk about this dude and his music a lot.  But there is a reason.  His music has so many facets – it’s intelligent, incredibly musically diverse, and the lyrics and music are beautifully crafted.  ”Wings” is a perfect example of one of the the poetic ballads that Josh is such a genius at writing.  From his 2003 album Hello Starling, an album that also introduced “Kathleen” to the world (watch for that one later), this song is incredibly moving.  It depicts a journey through mountains, rivers, markets, and railroads.  It also has some powerful things to say about society and religion and humanity.  It has moved me to tears before, and I think I get something new out of it every time I listen.  The simplicity of the guitar accompaniment only serves to emphasize the wistful longings of the lyrics.  When I saw Josh play this live, he prefaced it with, “This is a song about Idaho.”  He then turned off ALL the lights in the room and sat there, on his acoustic guitar, with only a dim light on the guitar, and played the song in its entirety.  There was NOT A SOUND from the crowd.  Amazing.

Josh Ritter – Wings

 

If you like it, Josh has posted his entire catalog HERE that you can stream for free.

This is a rereleased version of one of his older albums that I love, Golden Age of Radio, along with a free MP3 download up for grabs.  If you like rootsy folk music with brains, you should definitely listen to it (use the link above) and buy it if you like it.  http://www.joshritter.com/mp3store/goldenageofradio/

chris rice – “big enough”

LIFE-CHANGING SONG #1.

Not really #1, because there are no rankings on my list.  But this is the first one I decided to post about.  Like I mentioned in my previous entry, Chris Rice never ceases to amaze me.  Coming out of the 1990s contemporary Christian music scene that was filled with a lot of  tuneless rehashings of Scripture verses, his lyrics are thoughtful, intelligent, and incredibly profound.  And he can sing, too.  This classic, from the 1998 album Past the Edges, stands out to me as one of the best examples of his work.   “Big Enough” is honest and humble in the way that few other songs I know, especially “Christian” songs, have even attempted to be.

“God, if You’re there, I wish You’d show me
and God, if You care then I need You to know me
I hope You don’t mind me asking the questions
But I figure You’re big enough…”

And my favorite verse, the last one:  

“When I imagine the size of the universe
And I wonder what’s out past the edges
I discover inside me a space as big
And believe that I’m meant to be filled up with more than just questions…”

 

Chris Rice – Big Enough

these are the real deal.

Anyone who knows me will know that I am obsessed with ranking things on lists.  Especially music.  I love a good top-five or top-ten challenge.  For some reason, the art of ranking songs or albums in order of best to worst is a very satisfying feeling.  However, it can get messy.  It’s inevitable that as soon as I finalize a list, something else will come along, or I’ll remember something else that deserved one of the spots, and then I’m really stressed out until I redo the list.  It’s pretty much a never-ending cycle.

So I’ve decided to try something a little bit different.  I’m in the process making a playlist of songs that are truly the most excellent songs that I know.  I am not ranking them in any type of order, and I am not putting a limit on the number of songs to be included.  I’ve entitled the playlist “life changing” because I really think that all of these songs have made my life better because I know them.  These are not just the songs that I listen to and think, “oh, that’s catchy.”  These are the songs that I can’t stop listening to.  The ones I can play four or five times in a row and never get tired of them.  The ones with lyrics that I want to write on my forehead, they’re so beautiful.  

It’s really fun and kind of freeing because when I discover something that needs to belong, I don’t have to kick off another song.  It’s a work in progress, obviously, but right now the list is at right around 30 songs.  I’ve actually been really surprised at some of the things that have (and haven’t) ended up on the list.  Of course, there are several Josh Ritter songs – his music has probably affected me more than anyone else I’ve ever listened to.  And there are several recent indie-rock discoveries, like Bon Iver and of course Andrew Bird.  But there’s also a fair representation of country music (Keith Urban and Sugarland each clock in with two songs), and the magnificent Chris Rice, who might be the best Christian singer/songwriter I know of, has two songs on the list as well.  

There are, of course, some songs that I’m torn over whether or not to include.  I can’t decide if I should focus on only the intrinsic qualities of the songs themselves, or whether I should take under consideration the emotional impact and memories that are so intricately tied to so many songs and factor those in as well.  For example, whenever I hear “Chasing Cars” by Snow Patrol I am reminded of a very specific time in my life, a time at which that song was very important to me and helped me to get through it.  But I wouldn’t necessarily say “Chasing Cars” is on par lyrically or musically with most of the other songs on my list, so I’m still on the fence about that one.  

I think for the next few weeks or so, I’m going to be writing brief posts, each featuring a song from my list and discussing why I like it so much.  Some of these may be repeats of songs I\’ve posted on Musical Moxie before, but they’re all worth a listen if you haven’t heard them before and I’d love to know your opinions on them.

 

If anybody is reading this, what are some of YOUR all-time favorite, life-changing songs?  I’d love to know.  I think you can tell a lot about a person by the songs they love.

allison

come on, skinny love, just last the year…

What’s your favorite studying music?

Medical school is not very conducive to music. Depending on my mood, music can distract me too much when I’m studying. But lately, my Bon Iver album has been on frequent rotation through my headphones. His rhythmic, calming melodies are perfect background tunes, and the cryptic and depressing lyrics are a little too readily applied to life as a medical student.

skinny love
come on, skinny love, just last the year…

re: stacks
the racks on your back, with the stacks as your load…

I’m curious: what do you listen to while working or studying? Leave a comment and let me know.

“you want to fight for this love, but you cannot wrestle a dove.”

For some reason, I’m strangely attracted lately to songs that contrast reeeeeeeeally depressing lyrics with upbeat melodies. It’s like my brain is being in pulled in two directions and it’s strange but wonderful. Irony, perhaps? I would also like to applaud musicians who have the guts to make choices like this.

andrew bird – a nervous tic motion of the head to the left
“You’re what happens when two substances collide, and by all accounts you nearly should have died.” This song intertwines stories of different people, all of them confusing and vaguely depressing. By the end, you’ll have a nervous tic, too.

the shins – gone for good
Hearing James Mercer sing about having found a “fatal flaw in the logic of love” and imploring his wife to leave her ring on the railroad tracks “for the wheels to nullify” fits eerily well with this classic Shins melody. I don’t know why, but it works, and it hasn’t left my CD player for three days. (Also, does anybody else think the “la-dee-da” at the end of the chorus is slightly sinister?)

bon iver – skinny love
While not my favorite track from For Emma, Forever Ago, this is definitely the catchiest. Come on, skinny love. I’d be willing to bet that “staring at the sink of blood and crushed veneer” never made you want to tap your feet before.

ch-ch-changes

Matt and Zooey know that change is hard. Ken and the gang have been trying to get us to change our minds for years now. Well, John, you can stop waiting, because it’s happening. Right here, right now.  Because of some annoying issues with Blogger, Musical Moxie has made the switch over to WordPress. We hope you’ll continue to read the blog at our new home. Happy listening. And as always, don’t forget to comment and tell us what you love.

-allison

P.S.  Thanks to Heather at Fuel/Friends, I found out that this band called the Damnwells has just released their latest album, One Last Century, for free via Paste Magazine’s website.  I’m always up for free music, so I downloaded it and so far I’m very impressed.  Their sound reminds me a lot of Matt Nathanson.  You can download the album here if you’re interested.  

“I know everyone’s broke, maybe I can supply the soundtrack.” – Alex Dezen, lead singer of the Damnwells.

 

{ update.  the paste download website does not seem to be working properly.  in case it still doesn’t work, i have uploaded the .zip file here.  }

"tell your papa you’ll be home when the good feeling dies."

You know how on most good albums, there’s that one track that you listen to over and over and it’s perpetually stuck in your head?  Except it’s so good that you don’t want to stop listening?  Yeah.  That describes the entire ‘59 Sound album by one of my new favorite bands, The Gaslight Anthem.  It amazes me how they were able to find just the right hook chorus for every song on the album.  

Another interesting thing to me about this album is the contrast on some of the tracks between lyrics and music.  While many of the songs fall into classic categories, a lot of them don’t seem to match up.  And to me, that makes it all the more incredible.  For example, the first track “Great Expectations” has some of the saddest lyrics I’ve ever heard.  Alone, they’re enough to almost bring tears to your eyes.  But the way the melody is upbeat and catchy and the drums are pounding away like nothing’s wrong adds a contrast that gives it more of a hopeful feel than the lyrics alone indicate.  (Stuff like that reminds me why we listen to music.  If we sat around and read poetry all day, we’d all be suicidal.)

These guys obviously know their pop culture.  From the not-so-subtle shout to a great Counting Crows line in “High Lonesome,” to the title of the song “Here’s Looking At You, Kid” to the wistful nostalgia of “Even Cowgirls Get the Blues” (Can I get a witness, pretty baby? / I still love Tom Petty songs and driving old men crazy) most of these songs are flashbacks to high school, or a time when life was just a little bit simpler.  While most songs on the album share a nostalgic motif, the topics of individual tracks vary from the death of a friend to Miles Davis to the longing to be somebody else. 

Oh, and did I mention you’ll be singing along to these songs for weeks?  Because you will.  

The entire album is streaming on their MySpace so go check it out immediately. Here’s an mp3 of one of my favorites:

The Gaslight Anthem – Film Noir

Let me know what you think!