Musical Views
"Music is the one incorporeal entrance into the higher world of knowledge which comprehends mankind but which mankind cannot comprehend."
~ Beethoven
Music is something that has always kept my on my toes as I go through life. If things start moving a bit too fast, listening to music can slow down the pace of life and bring me back into the present moment.
When i was very young my mother put me in dance classes and that was when i first remembered loving music. It inspired me to move and dance just because i wanted to. It didn't really matter what it was - Disney soundtracks, Frank Sinatra, or Spice Girls (embaressing, yes but true) - if it had a beat I'd dance to it. As I grew older I learned to appreciate music for its ability to communicate meaning, both in a personal and general sense. I began hunting down and dissecting lyrics, looking for hidden meanings and answers to questions that were hard to formulate. I became obsessed with singer songwriters and the musical poetry they create. Now as a near college grad my tastes expanded quite a lot thanks to live music. However, in the ocean of music that is out there today, singer songwriters have always spoke to me the most, which leads me to this list of some of my all time favorites.
Glen Hansard
This lovely Scottish musician is loaded with raw emotion. All he needs is an acoustic guitar and his scratchy Scottish voice to make you feel exactly what his songs are saying. There is no dodging the emotion in his music. He pulls his listeners into every situation and story he sings about. I also love how his lyrics aren't disguised in any way. They are straightforward and sometimes painfully honest. They are exactly what you might want to say to someone.
Recommended track: 'Leave' on The Sewell Season
**Exciting news: Lookout for his new album Strict Joy with Marketa, his co-star in the musical film 'Once', to be released on October 27, 2009.
Jeff Tweedy
I've always been a huge Wilco fan but I am in love with Jeff Tweedy (and I'm not afraid to admit it because I know I'm not alone in this). His acoustic album Sunken Treasure has always been very near and dear to me. Jeff Tweedy has a mysteriously wonderful way with words that I can barely begin to describe. I will say that I think he has a very intelligent sense of the vulnerabilities of Americans at the turn of 21st century and what it is like to be apart of something youÕre not always sure of.
Recommended track: 'I am trying to break your heart' off of Sunken Treasures
Regina Spektor
I love Regina and all of her quirkiness. She reminds me of a modern day Nina Simone or Ella Fitzgerald. She sings so freely and straight from her soul. She isn't a technical singer that plans her every note. When I listen to her I can tell her voice is being guided from within. She sings what feels right. Her songs playful and unwinding. To get a better sense of what I mean, below is a track of her candidly singing a capella.Recommended track: 'I want to sing' off of 11:11
Andrew Bird
The closest thing to a one man orchestra I've heard. The fact that he has been surrounded by intruments since he was four, is quite apparent in his music making abilities. He plays the guitar, the violen, the mandolin and the glockenspial. Not to mention he is a master whistler. His songs are a metaphor for beauty, that can offer an escape into some distant time and place. In the track listed below he creates the sound of a an empire graciously falling.
Recommended track: 'Scythian Empires' off of Armchair Apocrypha
Favorite music websites:
| LA BLOGOTHEQUE | An amazing site to watch candid performances by up and coming artists |
| Muzzle of Bees | A lively music blog based out of Illinois that includes videos, photos and commentary from shows, as well as album reviews and great playlists every once in awhile. |
| Daytrotter | Offers stimulating in depth articles and interviews on new artists and bands. |