The Tallest Man On Earth - New Song: Bright Lanterns

Take a listen to this, the first sounds from the new album There Is No Leaving Now.  Great stuff as always from The Tallest Man On Earth.

http://www.listenbeforeyoubuy.net/listen/listen-the-tallest-man-on-earth-bright-lanterns/

12 Song Mix - Rainy Days

The next 12 Song Mix I'd like to present to you is inspired by the inauspicious storms that rolled across the country today.  I hope that everyone has settled in safely despite the dicey nature of today's acts of Mother Nature.

Forgive me for the overly sensitive commentary, but some songs just sound better against a background of raindrops on a window pane.  Many albums have suddenly clicked between the slides and scrapes of wiper blades.  The atmosphere described here is not limited strictly to depressing ballads or mournful piano pieces.  The mood of a raging monsoon or a violent wind ripping across the plain is just as frequently captured in popular music.  Really, the songs that hit home on rainy days could fill a thousand of these lists.

 

Therefore, we'll start with a few of the more obvious choices.  It wouldn't be the Bark without including some relatively obscure tracks as well.  All subtlety aside, spin some of these the next time a timelier and more innocuous storm comes through (hopefully on a day off from work); it can be therapeutic.

1. Neil Young - See The Sky About To Rain

2. Sun Kil Moon - Grey Ice Water (Modest Mouse cover)

3. Grateful Dead - Box Of Rain

4. Fleetwood Mac - Storms

5. Nada Surf - Are You Lightning

6. The Beatles - Rain

7. Whiskeytown - Sit And Listen To The Rain

8. Bob Dylan - Shelter From The Storm

9. Jonsi - Tornado

10. Simon & Garfunkel - Flowers Never Bend With The Rainfall

11. Leonard Cohen - Famous Blue Raincoat

12. Led Zeppelin - The Rain Song

Penny Lane #2 - Flickerstick - Smile

Here is the second installment in the Penny Lane home video series, set to the song "Smile" by local Dallas band, Flickerstick.

The Tallest Man On Earth To Release New Album - June 12, 2012

Well, add this to the list of amazing releases slated for 2012.  This will make a perfect soundtrack to my summer.  Clear a spot in your top 10 lists, folks!

There's No Leaving Now (2012, Dead Oceans)



There’s No Leaving Now Tracklist:
1. To Just Grow Away 
2. Revelation Blues 
3. Leading Me Now 
4. 1904 
5. Bright Lanterns 
6. There’s No Leaving Now 
7. Wind and Walls 
8. Little Brother 
9. Criminals 
10. On Every Page

http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2012/03/the-tallest-man-on-earth-announces-new-album-summe.html

Record Store Day - April 21

 

It's like Christmas for music nerds, and this year there are some great items.  See the entire list (so far) here:  http://www.recordstoreday.com/SpecialReleases 

Would love to get my hands on that Starman 7" and those Quadrophenia demos.  Also, Paul McCartney, Regina Spektor, Ryan Adams, and The Clash!  I bet that T. Rex classic sounds all kinds of warm and fuzzy on vinyl as well.  Lastly, The Whole Love Deluxe Box Set.  Great stuff, everyone.

Top 10 Songs Of 2011 - Procrastination Edition

Well, with 2012 feeling less and less like a new year, there has already been some great music worth discussing. First Aid Kit has given us a wonderful spring album.  The Boss dropped his best record since the 80's.  The world is being introduced to the charming pop sensibilities of Nate Ruess and the boys from Fun.  However, all of that can be discussed later.  For now, let's look back at the best songs from 2011.

Now, to avoid a list full of Wilco and Frank Turner songs, the "one song per artist" rule still applies.  As usual, I am hesitant to include the videos.  Quality speakers or headphones only, please.  Volume turned up.



10. The Black Keys - Gold On The Ceiling


A raucous romp stomp of unadulterated rock and roll.  There were other great tunes on this album, but this one was the first to shake me.

9. Seryn - We Will All Be Changed

Local Denton artists creating some of the best indie folk I heard last year, from any region.

8. Bon Iver - Perth

I wasn't going to include this album opener until I saw this live performance.  Enjoy.

7. The Head & The Heart - Down In The Valley

Although this was technically released in 2010, I first witnessed its brilliance on KXT in 2011.

6. Iron & Wine - Godless Brother In Love

It sounds churchy on the surface, but it reveals more with subsequent listens.  This is easily the prettiest melody on this list.

5. Manchester Orchestra - April Fool

This song saved that album from being a total disaster.  When it comes to the art of thrusting your listeners into full on rock-out mode, this one was unrivaled in 2011...well, almost.

4. The Decemberists - Don't Carry It All

Another album opener, this thing served as my sunny song on many rainy days.  Great feel to it.  So raise a glass to turnings of the season.

3. Frank Turner - If I Ever Stray

I toiled over this decision for quite a while because there are at least two other tracks from England Keep My Bones that I enjoyed just as much as this one.  Slight edge goes to a fantastic song.

2. Wilco - Art Of Almost

This could really be ranked as "1A," because really there was no better song to come out of last year.  I seriously could have flipped a coin to decide the top 2, but I did the next best thing; looked at play count on iTunes.

A wise man once pointed out to me that this song requires a bit of an investment to get through when it comes on.  It is almost 8 minutes long.  However, the journey it takes you on is rewarding and invigorating.  Churning along in Radiohead style ambiance, you're drawn in throughout the subtly melodic front half.  Then, it's like someone in the studio flipped a switch, the guys remembered that they're Wilco, and decided to immediately and thoroughly kick your ass through your speakers.  Enough said.

1. Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues

It's beautiful and it's haunting.  It reverberates the soul and raises hairs.  It produces a different type of sonic experience that will leave you coming back time and time again.  Fleet Foxes didn't release the best album of 2011, but they did bestow upon us the best song.  If it doesn't resonate with you after one listen based on the hype I just fed you, try it again.  It won't be long before you find yourself seeking it out frequently.

Tribute to 91.7 KXT - Video Contest Winner

The best radio station in north Texas recently held a video/sound clip contest asking listeners to share why they love 91.7 KXT.  Well, for me there are many reasons.  But the resounding characteristic that endears me so fervently to this listener supported independent station is quite simply the music.  I hear classics from some of my all-time favorite artists such as Dylan, Fleetwood Mac, Neil Young, the Zombies, Simon & Garfunkel, Joni Mitchell, Nick Drake, Floyd, Zeppelin, and the Beatles mixed in seamlessly with some of the more relatively unknown (yet equally cherished) indie acts like Wilco, the Pixies, Iron & Wine, the Decemberists, the Shins and the Gaslight Anthem.  To top off an already stellar mix, KXT frequently throws in great tunes from local artists such as Midlake, Seryn, Air Review, etc.

I used to tell people that some of the best music in the world is stuff you'd never hear on the radio.  KXT has me rethinking that statement.  Here is the winning clip: