Ma Muse. Glorious.

I dont do nearly enough posting about a type music that is so dear to me that it actually is all I listen to sometimes for full days straight.  I call it La Luna, la mama de las estrellas on my Pandora station which equals The Moon, Mother of the Stars.  It is of course female folk music.  I love the harmonies the most, second only to the poetry.  The way poetry and quiet can be at once the same thing, or at least make you infinitely aware of the other.  Today I heard this song for the first time, and the sun is shining I am writing and it was such a, such a, such a goood theme song.  NEW BAND!  Yay!  Ma Muse are two fabulous voices of La Mama out of Chico, CA.  Indy through and through, this clip is off their 2009 debut All the Way.

Born Ruffians. The Ballad of Moose Bruce.

Born Ruffians just make me happy, they're rally music to me.  When a song by them plays on random on my Itunes I always get all revved up inside.  They're Canadian indies that came my way the way that most my best discoveries did last year: my cousin's man Micah.  He's the shit.  This is my fave song off their 2010 album Say It.

Rock and Roll Tuesday. Jane's Addiction.

Hahaha, well, embedding of the video clip I wanted to use for this post was disabled so instead for your viewing pleasure I give to you this magical, mystical albeit admittedly shoddy shot of Jane's Addiction and lots of backs of people's heads at the original Lollapalooza.  I was 14!

Man do I love them.  They still make me feel all tingly high inside with that illustrious poetry light: Perry's tinny voice and mythological story telling, his one-eyed rebel aesthetic (watch this clip of the gorgeous, stunning song Classic Girl) and their gnarly fucking still hear those metal remnants in it crumbly guitar.

Jane's Addiction, Charles Town, WV, 1991

Go here, too, and listen to Ocean Song.  I'm still a little flushed from it....

MGMT. Oracular Spectacular.

I woke up this morning with Pieces of What going through my head and today became the second day this week that Oracular Spectacular played on repeat on my Ipod twice all the way through.  This album is so subtly great precisely because it was not one that I immediately was like ohgod I can't get enough.  Instead, like real good books of poetry two years later it still informs me and makes the experience of listening deeper each time so I'm even more aware of quiet and therefor it and me make each other sort of brand new.

Rock and Roll Tuesdays. The Rolling Stones. Can't You Hear Me Knocking.

Plain and simple, just like this clip: this song is one of the best rock songs there is.  Just relax and have a listen.

The Spring Standards. No One Will Know.

I lived two blocks away from this killer venue last year where I got turned on to all likes of new music.  The Spring Standards, indy folkheads outta Manhatten, are a fine example. I really really loved them live--it was spring, fittingly, when I saw them and their music was upbeat and chirpy and insturmentally full, but with that emotional-dark around the edges that folk influence so often ensures.  And they were good performers, entertaining which if I am seeing a band rather than a singer/songwriter is pretty important to me. Their 2008 EP No One Will Know was a regular play in my car last year, they've released a full-length since but I've not gotten my mits on it just yet. They are playing again this weekend at the same killer venue, and my buddy Sam gets to open for them. Sweet.

The Spring Standards at the Night Cat

Easton, MD  March 2010

Erykah Badu. New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh)

Disclaimer: I LOVE ERYKAH.  She reminds me of being a kid, shag carpets and round bottomed charcoal-tinted glass sifters and soul music on the stereo.  New Amerykah One was something, and I sucked in the hardline politico behind it like it was food to my muscles, but it's New Amerykah Part Two that truly and really blew my mind.  I don't smoke herb anymore, but this album, the first time I heard it had me on the couch with a buddy the lights low the music way loud and us jamming, nodding heads and not speaking the entire whole way through.  We looked at each other jaws gaping when we recognized the Biggie nod in this tune.

Woops Wednesday. Rock and Roll Catch-up.

First off, I missed two Rock and Roll Tuesdays in a row, damn holidays.  Second, I am always looking for an excuse to listen to Sound and Vision.  To my liking, I am going to say that David Bowie and Lou Reed are arguably two of the most influential artists to ever impact today's sound assortment of avant-garde in Rock and Roll.  Bowie's Stardust literally used to be one of my most-oft listened to records the year that I only listened to records and didn't have tv, but I have to tell you Low is even better.  Do you think we'd have any of today's emo layered instrumentalist tracks if not for this album??  Or Sonic Youth, would you even know what to do without The Velvet Underground?  This title song off their 1968 release must've seemed like a little bit of a joke when it came out.  Hear that raw dog distort and guitar over the doowap? Yowza.  Just sayin.  Sorry I've been slackin on the posts!