Premium Musics: Wye Oak

Thanks to Joe Jeppson and his friend Ruth from work I discovered a new band last week. On Friday night I had the pleasure of discovering and listening to Wye Oak play at The Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco. The concert started later than I expected, so by the time Wye Oak made the stage I was a little tired of standing, but a $4 redbull kept me on my feet and energized. As usual, the people watching in the San Francisco scene was fantastic, in fact, I saw a 45 year-old, female version of Michael Jackson. But that wasn't the best part, the best part was the music played by Wye Oak.

Wye Oak is a duo from Baltimore that consists of Jenn Wasner at guitar and lead vocals and Andy Stack at drums and everything else. Describing Wye Oak's sound, I would say it is a base of indie folk, but with spurts of noise and intensity that seem put it in a league of its own. Think of Iron & Wine, with female vocals and add in bits and pieces of the Pixies. My description can in no way do it justice, so just listen to the song.

Wye Oak has a few albums out, but just recently released "Civilian" earlier this month. It's a great album that, in my opinion, solidifies the band's ability to make music and is already having me waiting for more. I chose the song "Civilian" because I feel that it's a good representation of their sound, so you can get a good feel for just how much you can/should enjoy the album.

We are all connected, we are all brothers and sisters.

Premium Musics: Aqueduct

 I don't remember how I found Aqueduct, but I've been listening to them since I lived in the basement of a run-down house where I couldn't stand up straight and I spent many an hour playing CS into the early morning hours. What I'm trying to say is that I've been listening to this band for about 2 years and I still enjoy the sounds they make.

The band started off in Tulsa as the solo show of David Terry, but soon thereafter relocated to arguably the best city on the west coast, Seattle. Within 1 year David had created what we know as Aqueduct and soon the band was opening for the likes of Modest Mouse. This song is called "The Suggestion Box" and comes from the 2005 album "I sold gold." If you like this song, then you will like the whole album. You have my personal and qualified guarantee.

"For any happiness, even in this world, quite a lof of restraint is going to be necessary." - CSL

Midnight Musing: Thirteen Senses

After a long hiatus I am back.  First off, it's Brett's birthday for another hour so tell him you love him and stuff.

This week I chose a band that I was introduced to by my friend Aaron Anderson.  It's a band called Thirteen Senses.  They are from the UK and they released their first album in 2004 entitled The Invitation.  They have since come out with two more studio albums the latest being released just last month.  They have a great brit sound and I can't stop listening to Into the Fire from their first album.  Thanks to Vevo Americans cannot access the official music video so we have to settle for a low quality live version, a picture of the band with the spanish translation or a black screen with the name of the band/song.  I chose the last.

Important Fact:  If you're on a plane for more than 4 hours you need to stand up every hour or two.  You could develop blood clots in your legs.  Serena Williams did.

Premium Musics: Miami Horror

I hope you like the 80's. In fact, I hope you love the 80's, cause I love the 80's and this is another band with an 80's feel. So get ready for the new Australian sensation, Miami Horror!

Miami Horror is a four man act that was/is the creation of front-man and producer Benjamin Plant. He created the majority of the music by himself, but as the project grew he brought others on and going on tour required Plant to turn his creation into a four man act. The band hails from Melbourne, Australia, the land of the didgeridoo. Plant started off by making remixes, but it led to the creation of a full-length album in April of 2010 called "Illumination." The music is classified as "indie-electronic," which seems to fit, but I would describe it as classic 80's music with a strong influence from the 70's, or like very upbeat 80's music. Either way you look at it, I would say it is unique for its genre and a fun break from other music in its class.

This song is called "Sometimes" and it comes from their recently released album "Illumination." The music video is weird, but the music is A+.

Now, have fun stormin' the castle!

Premium Musics: The Radio Dept.

In honor of my return from Switzerland, I decided to post a song from one of my favorite bands from a nearby region in Europe that I discovered as a result of Chris and Alex Reese yet again.. The Radio Dept. is a trio from Sweden that named their band after a gas station that was converted into a radio repair shop. Their music genre is called "dream pop" and has a kind of melancholy/80's feel that I really love. If I were to compare them to any band I would say they are similar to my favorite band of all time, The Cure. If you like what you hear, you can download a fair portion of their music for free from their fan website.

It was hard for me to choose a song since there are about 20 that I really like, but in the end I chose a song titled "Against the Tide" that comes from their album "Lesser Matters." I think a large reason that I love the band so much is because their music always seems to remind me of a lot of great times I've had with my friends at USU over the past few years, and almost makes tears come out of my face. The song likely won't give you the same emotional reaction, but I hope you like it and maybe someday in the future their songs will come to mean something similar for you.

If you liked that song you should also check out this one called "Pulling Our Weight."

 
And remember, "we have nothing without belief." - C.S. Lewis

Premium Musics: Foals

It's been far too long, so to you 8 people out there who enjoy listening to the music I find, I am so sorry I haven't given your ears any candy for the past week or two. With that out of the way, I would like to introduce you to a wonderful band I discovered a few weeks ago named Foals. They hail from Oxford and initially formed together as a band in 2006 and have since produced 2 albums and 5 EPs.The sound of Foals seems to me to be a mixture between Frightened Rabbit and Pinback. Needless to say, they have created a sound that I really enjoy, and one that might have more mass appeal than some of the other music I have shared.

The song I chose is called "Spanish Sahara" and is the top hit from the album "Total Life Forever" that made its debut in the summer of 2010. If you enjoy this song, you will love the rest of the album, in fact check out "Miami" the video is weird, but I love it.

Here's an inspirational quote to send you on your way:
"If you aren't cheating, then you're not trying" - Mark Grace