Feist

I never would've found this artist if a friend hadn't told me about her. Her name is Leslie Feist,  and she plays and sings some of the most relaxing music I have probably ever listened to.  She has a slight edge to her voice which makes the listening all the better.  Many of her songs are played with only the acoustic guitar and some piano, making them really nice to listen to when one (I'm pretty much talking about myself) needs to let a load off and relax.  

My favorite album of her's is also her newest, "Metals."  This album came out in 2011 and has my favorite song on it entitled "The Bad In Each Other."  This song is almost bluesy; the drums and guitar duo (my personal favorite part, especially at the beginning), the bari sax (I think anyway), the horns, and the accompanying orchestra really make the song enjoyable because I think all of those layers blend very well, only emphasizing the quality of her voice even more.  I also really like the backup vocals during the chorus as well.  Another one of my favorite songs is called "Cicadas And Gulls."  The first 30ish seconds contain a really relaxing and calming guitar solo.  When her voice comes in, there is a slight fading effect to it that I really like.  But honestly I just really like the way the melody sounds.  What impresses me the most about her is the many tones that are in her voice, many of which I can't even begin to explain.

This is probably one of the coolest music videos I think I have ever seen...I especially love the guys dancing, it's pretty amazing and very very weird at the same time.

Honestly I'm not sure if I'm ever going to seek out more artists like this, but I am sure that Feist is definitely worth the time.  Her talent level is off the charts, being able to both play the guitar and sing extremely well is rather spectacular.

-Brooks Gonzales

Old 97's

This next band I probably would never have found without the help of the local sports station and a segment they do every Friday.  In it, local musicians and one of the coordinators of the ACL show come together with one of the hosts to talk about local shows happening that weekend and who to check out.  One of the bands they happened to mention was a band formed in 1993 in Dallas named Old 97's.  They are a blend of rock and country that really make for a good, whole, sound.  Although they came out in 1993, their best album, and my favorite by far was released in 1997, under the Elektra label, called Too Far To Care.  I'm still not bored of this album and honestly I really like every song on it.

Off of that album, my three favorite songs are: "Timebomb," "Streets Of Where I'm From," and "Niteclub."  All three of these songs are more rock rather than country but there are still some country elements to it.  After I did some more scavenging around, I found this super "chill," calming, folksy song that is entitled "Question."  Another really cool thing I found was an album entitled: "They Made A Monster: The Too Far To Care Demos."  Just as the title explains, it is an album complied with really awesome acoustic demos of songs off of Too Far To Care.  Something about hearing the raw versions of the songs make some of them even more enjoyable. 

I feel like the with the warmth of the above song along with the other works that were mentioned really show how diverse and complex of a group they are.  This then allows them to make great music that a lot of people can enjoy.  Hopefully they are able to release a new album soon.

-Brooks Gonzales

The Clash

In the past few weeks we've been listening to more and more punk of the 70s, and to be honest most of it hasn't impressed me.  The Ramones and Talking Heads were pretty good but they didn't impress me enough as to make me transcend into "punkdom."  The Sex Pistols definitely didn't help as I have never liked them or the music they made, yet when we listened to The Clash, something was awakened inside of me....more or less, that made me realize that all punk wasn't horrible as I had previously presumed it to be.  

As we listened, four songs stood out to me the most: "I Fought The Law," (previously recorded by The Bobby Fuller Four), "London Calling," "Rock The Casbah," and "Should I Stay Or Should I Go."  The song London Calling really is a great song in my opinion.  I like the intense and hardcore aspect it has to it unlike some of the "punk" bands of the US.  Also, although I am not a huge lyric person one line really stood out to me in this song: "London calling, now don't look at us, Phony Beatlemania has bitten the dust."  To me this pretty much sums up the early 70's in London and all over the world for people of that age group; the need to rebel.   On a completely unrelated note, the beginning of Rock The Casbah with the keyboard/guitar duo really makes the song for me.

(...plus this video is awesome)

(British teeth really are that bad...but the bass line is absolutely ridiculous)

All in all The Clash really changed my opinion towards some kinds of punk...but honestly I'm not sure as to the fact if I'll ever really appreciate all of it.

-Brooks Gonzales 

The Wonder That Is

The amount of respect I have for Stevie Wonder can not be expressed in words.  What that man could do...while being blind is absolutely spectacular.  The thing that I really can't understand was that he wasn't signed to Motown for his singing ability, but as a harmonica player...?  His voice is a mix of the soulful Marvin Gaye along with the range of Curtis Mayfield, screeches like the late and great Otis Redding and Michael Jackson, and so much more that makes him, in my opinion, the king of all soul/funk music of that time.  

His music is absolutely amazing.  He taught us many things with his 1972 album "Talking Book," including the valuable lesson: funk definitely doesn't always have to be fast.  He shows this with one of my favorite songs: "Maybe Your Baby."  He also taught us about the abundance of superstitions...in "Superstition," one of his biggest hits.  He's also made songs that have been covered by the likes of the Red Hot Chili Peppers like "Higher Ground," another one of my favorites.  And while we're just naming great Stevie Wonder songs why not add "Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours)."  Even though that songs is ridiculously cheesy...it still showcases his amazing voice and talent when it comes to singing.

This is actually a really cool clip from when the Peppers played on the Arsenio Hall Show in 1989.

Really I still don't have any words that can describe the level of talent Stevie had except really just amazing.

-Brooks Gonzales

Hootie No More

Jumping back into the country scene for a bit, I wanted to touch on one of my favorite artists that could be considered fairly new to country.  The one time lead vocalist for none other than Hootie & The Blowfish, Darius Rucker has slowly...but surely made his transition into the world of country.  Darius originally leading a band whose mainstream popish/rock wooed audience all throughout the 90s.  Two of the most popular and successful songs they had were: 

This a live recording of them playing at a show named Farm Aid ('03)...

...and my personal favorite

Darius has this really amazing quality about his voice.  It has heavy soul influences and has a rough aspect to it, yet at the same time it also has this really smooth and relaxing tone to it as well.  But this not only works with the rock that he was producing but also with his new found country affliction.  His first country album, entitled "Learn To Live," was released in 2008, and his second, "Charleston, SC 1966," in 2010.  A few singles have been released in the process including the one and only "Wagon Wheel," (for those of you that aren't country fans, Wagon Wheel was originally an "unfinished sketch" by Bob Dylan ("Rock Me Mama") but recorded and made famous by folk/country band Old Crow Medicine Show in 2004).  In my opinion, Darius' version is by far the best.  He also fits quite nicely into the country scene with another one of my personal favorites: "Drinkin' And Dialin'," not taking any time to make a new original song just like all of the other "original" drinking songs... regardless I still really like it.

The funny thing about it is, is that I don't really care for the country songs of his that were showed off as singles on country radio, but besides that I think that he really is one of the better mainstream country artists of today.

-Brooks Gonzales

Distant Relatives

One of my all time favorite albums isn't what most people would expect.  It's not rock, country, or even electronic.  It's called Distant Relatives (explaining the title), combining efforts of hip-hop/rap superstar Nas and Reggae superstar and the youngest son of Reggae legend Bob Marley, Damian (Jr. Gong) Marley.  At first, I thought that the two would never mesh or sound good whatsoever, but that is completely the opposite.   Nas' slick and meaningful rhymes along with Damian's rugged and styled singing really makes for an amazing album.  The two came together to make this album so that they could help earn money for school's in Africa, but in the words of allmusic.com "but before any corny "charity album" misconceptions get in the way, know that this is one purposeful monster and conceptional bull's eye that fully supports its title, (David Jeffries).  

The album is a diverse mix of rap inspired songs like: "As We Enter," reggae inspired songs like: "Land of Promise," and a mix of both in songs like "Africa Must Wake Up."  These also happen to be my three favorite songs on the CD.  The album also samples elements of jazz, dancehall, and African music, making it even better.

Just for fun, here are two examples of what these artists do by themselves, here are two of my favorite songs from these men.

Nas:  (explicit)

Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley: 

With the creation of this album, not only are they providing a great musical experience for their fans, but also helping aid the less fortunate, reaffirming their legend status in their own genres.

-Brooks Gonzales 

How the West Was Won

In class today, we got back to the rock roots of the 70's with Led Zeppelin and the video version of their live album, How the West Was Won.  Led Zeppelin is probably one of my favorite if not my absolute favorite bands of the late 60's and 70's.  I personally think that all members of that band are insanely talented.  John Bonham is the one of the most talented and best drummers I have seen, mostly because of his ability to create any beat at any time.  I personally think that Jimmy Page and Robert Plant are the best vocalist/guitarist duo in all of rock and roll.  Page overflows with talent that is showcased especially in this video.  This mixed with Plants impeccable and somewhat ridiculous vocal range proves my point.  

Zep showcases Page's talent with his amazing guitar solo in "Dazed and Confused," that even made the whole room stop talking.  His use of the violin bow really made it for me, creating some sound effects that I didn't think I'd ever hear coming out of a guitar.  At one point, it even sounded like he was using a turn table, scratching vinyl.  In the same solo, Plant imitates the guitar with his voice, something that he is indeed known for.

(My favorite part of the solo starts around 0:48 and goes until about 1:24)

Another one of my favorite performances from that recording was the live version of "Black Dog," my favorite Zeppelin song.   

And seriously, who in their right mind can resist Stairway and Going to California?

It really is amazing to me how they were able to be such great musicians and eventually great songwriters and overall players for as long as they did.  Especially sounding as good as they did live.

-Brooks Gonzales