Last night was, in a word, amazing. Simply amazing. One of those experiences that rejuvenates your soul and makes the daily grind seem almost tolerable. My previous encounter with this feeling came a year ago when I saw Menomena at the Independent (and probably also this past winter while snowboarding).

Last night Sera Cahoone and Grand Archives played at Slim’s in San Francisco and it was easily one of the best concerts I’ve seen. Both acts were exceptional. Sera opened the show with a set that couldn’t have been more perfect. Highlights included “Only As the Day Is Long,” “Baker Lake,” “Happy When I’m Gone,” “Couch Song,” and an incredible version of “You’re Not Broken.” Her vocals were spot-on and her backing band equally impressive (especially the guy on lap steel).

Following her set, she sat at the merch table and chatted with fans. I asked her to sign my copy of Only As the Day Is Long and happily purchased a t-shirt from her. I hope she starts headlining shows in the future. She is a phenomenal musician and songwriter.

It took me a little while to come down from my Cahoone-induced high, but when I did, I found myself in the middle of the Grand Archives’ set. I honestly would’ve been happy if they played “Sleepdriving” and nothing else, but I actually enjoyed some of their other songs more, especially “Torn Blue Foam Couch,” “George Kaminski,” and a raucous version of “Crime Window.” The true highlight, however, was a duet version of “Louis Riel” featuring Sera Cahoone and Mat Brooke.

The show ended around 11:30pm but I wanted more. Unfortunately, this was the last stop of their tour, so I can’t tell you to go see them for yourself. Which is a true shame because they all looked like they were having a great time playing together. Instead of catching them live, I recommend reading my previous posts (here and here), downloading the songs below, and purchasing their albums if you enjoy. And then hope they decide to tour together again in the future.

mp3: Sera Cahoone - Only As the Day Is Long
mp3: Sera Cahoone - Happy When I’m Gone
mp3: Grand Archives - Sleepdriving
mp3: Grand Archives - Torn Blue Foam Couch

Grand Archives | official website | MySpace | Insound | Amazon
Sera Cahoone | official website | MySpace | eMusic | Insound | Amazon

The city of Seattle has long been a hotbed of music and culture. And it’s easy to see why. During my brief 3 day visit last summer, I completely fell in love with the city and its many vibrant neighborhoods.

But this was skewed picture. The weather, usually overcast and dreary, was sunny and warm when I visited. In other words, not your typical Seattle experience. The contrast between the ephemeral beauty of summer and seemingly permanent bleakness of the other seasons can explain, at least partially, the type of music that emanates from the city.

Back in the 90’s, Seattle more or less gave birth to grunge music. Today, it is home to the Sub Pop record label and some of indie rock’s most influential bands.

Consider, for example, Carissa’s Wierd. Formed in Seattle in 1995, the band recorded three albums before splitting in 2003. Members included Mat Brooke, Jenn Ghetto, Ben Bridwell, Sarah Standard, and Sera Cahoone. Together, they created some of the most uplifting slowcore music ever recorded, accented by Sarah Standard’s phenomenal violin playing. Their songs are consistently sad, but also incredibly beautiful, in many ways mirroring Seattle’s climate.

Since the band’s split in 2003, Mat Brooke and Ben Bridwell created the band Nov. 16 before changing its name to Band of Horses. Jenn Ghetto formed the band S and Sera Cahoone started a solo career. Later, Mat Brooke left Band of Horses to front Grand Archives.

Despite these different directions, the former members of Carissa’s Wierd have maintained their distinct Seattle sound. And while the reunion of these insanely-talented musicians might be a dream come true, it’s also fun to watch where they go on their own.

The following Regional Mix samples only some of the fallout from Carissa’s Wierd. I have yet to listen to anything released by S and Sera Cahoone doesn’t really fit the mood (though she is amazing nonetheless). Despite these omissions, I hope you enjoy the mix!

1. mp3: Carissa’s Wierd - The Color That Your Eyes Changed With the Color of Your Hair
2. mp3: Carissa’s Wierd - All Apologies and Smiles, Yours Truly, Ugly Valentine
3. mp3: Carissa’s Wierd - Fluorescent Lights
4. mp3: Carissa’s Wierd - Some Days Are Better Than Others
5. mp3: Nov. 16 - I’d Like to Think
6. mp3: Band of Horses - I Go to the Barn Because I Like the
7. mp3: Band of Horses - Monsters
8. mp3: Grand Archives - Sleepdriving

As usual, a zip file containing all 8 songs is provided here. Also, Grand Archives (supported by Sera Cahoone) are currently on tour. I highly recommend seeing them if they visit a city near you! I know I will!

Carissa’s Wierd | MySpace | Insound | Amazon
Band of Horses | official website | MySpace | Insound | Amazon
Grand Archives | official website | MySpace | Insound | Amazon

First of all, thank you for all the responses to my survey. I apologize for being a little melodramatic. I’m not going to shut down my blog. If anything, I’m going to redesign and (possibly) expand it. Hopefully over the summer when I have more time.

I also apologize for my recent lack of activity. I’ve been extraordinarily busy with school. Specifically, writing papers about engineered system failures and national public policy. Needless to say, it’s difficult to follow topics like those with what I typically address on my lowly blog.

To make matters even worse, I’ve been struggling with the following question. How do you write about something so inherently personal? Subjectivity is, after all, part of music’s appeal. A song can be technically flawless, but that doesn’t mean everyone (or anyone) will like it. Music that makes some people “want to kill themselves” may, to others, serve as a crutch or an escape.

And while most critics try to remain objective when writing reviews, they do so at the expense of making sense. For example, when was the last time you read an entire write-up on cokemachineglow? I usually just check the rating at the top and maybe read the first paragraph. I find these types of reviews to be helpful only after I’ve listened to the music (and formed my own opinions). Only then do I care about what other people think.

All this may explain the rise of the blog. People aren’t looking for objective and critical analysis, they’re looking for guidance (at least when it comes to music). The best bloggers tend to be the most personal: they describe not only the overall sound or mood of the music (the context), but also their personal reaction to it (the opinion). Most importantly, they provide samples so you can listen and try it out yourself.

The context is the trickiest part. It usually involves potentially dangerous labels and associations. Defining the music’s genre or listing similar artists, while most times overly constrictive and sometimes marginalizing, provides crucial guidance. In fact, a quick check of the previous posts on a blog usually tells the reader all he or she needs to know about the quality of the site.

By now you might be asking yourself, “Where the hell are you going with this?” As it turns out, nowhere in particular. I actually may have gone in a giant circle. I started writing this article with the purpose of conveying the recent difficulties I’ve encountered writing on my blog. To that end, this post may have helped me overcome these difficulties. We won’t know for sure, however, until the semester ends in two weeks…

Until then, enjoy a couple songs that perfectly fit my current mood of apprehension and self-doubt.

mp3: Ane Brun - To Let Myself Go
mp3: Nina Nastasia - Superstar

So for those of you who still read my blog, I’d like to get some honest feedback.

Given the four options, which do you prefer?

More mp3’s and fewer words.
More words and fewer mp3’s.
No change, just post more frequently.
No change, keep on trucking!

View Results

Any additional feedback (beyond picking a number) is more than welcome. I’m starting to wonder if this is all worth it…

As it turns out, coming up with full length mixes is not only difficult but also takes up a lot of space on my server. Also, I’ve found that attention spans tend to be pretty short. So to address these issues, I’m introducing yet another project. I call it the “Mini Mix:” 4 or 5 songs revolving around a central theme.

This post is dedicated to my Aunt Judy, who passed away March 29 and will be dearly missed.

I apologize for the long hiatus, but the songs on my first Mini Mix should make up for my absence. They are nothing short of brilliant. Upon first listen, the songs are strikingly beautiful, packed with catchy melodies and gorgeous harmonies. Subsequent listens, however, reveal an overwhelming sense of sadness and despair. I think the word that best describes this mix is bittersweet (hence the title).

Appropriately, all these songs fit my current mood: happy on the surface, yet for some inexplicable reason, tinged with a profound sadness on the inside. I think I will let the songs do the rest of the talking.

1. mp3: Drive-By Truckers - Two Daughters and a Beautiful Wife
2. mp3: Hayden - Home By Saturday
3. mp3: Sera Cahoone - Only As the Day Is Long
4. mp3: Jason Collett - Somehow
5. mp3: Justin Townes Earle - Far Away In Another Town

I’ve been struggling with this question for a while now. Is music a necessity or merely a luxury afforded those who have their most basic needs met?

I know how I would answer it. As someone who’s scrobbled over 40,000 tracks on last.fm in the past 18 months, music would appear to be a necessity to me. If you do the math, I spend around 20% of my time listening to music. This is staggering, especially when you consider that approximately 30% of my life is spent sleeping.

The percentage calculated above, however, is misleading: I often multi-task while listening to music. It makes routine chores like homework and commuting tolerable. In fact, music makes my life in general much more enjoyable, which itself is an argument supporting its necessity.

But do we really need music to survive? Clearly it does not provide the nutrition of food or the safety of shelter. There are lots of people out there who never listen to music, either because they lack the opportunity or because they get no enjoyment from it. I’d like to think I could continuing living without ever hearing another song again.

The key word in that last sentence is “think.” I get restless if I haven’t listened to music in a couple days. It calms and soothes, stirs and inspires. It is intensely personal, yet can unite large groups of diverse people. Music offers an escape from reality, taking me back to precise moments in my life or forward to moments I hope to experience. The Album Leaf’s “Twentytwofourteen” takes me back to the winter I spent living in Truckee, while I can imagine playing Beirut’s “Postcards From Italy” at my wedding.

I guess I’ve been pondering this question because I often dream about making music my profession. Whether critiquing or creating, I seem to have a passion for it that most people don’t understand. At the same time, however, I want to be a productive member of society. And if music isn’t necessary, how can I justify working in the industry?

Maybe one justification can be found in people like me. Music has profoundly shaped and altered my life, and for that reason it is valuable. Maybe not necessary, but important nonetheless.

mp3: Bon Iver - For Emma

The song posted above, the title track from Bon Iver’s exquisite For Emma, Forever Ago, only reinforces the value and power of music. Despite having been recorded in a cabin in northern Wisconsin during the winter, the song exudes warmth.

Bon Iver | official website | MySpace | eMusic | Insound | Amazon

I’m a total sucker for epic (7+ minute) album closers. Actually, you might even say I’m a sucker for epic songs in general. Not, however, extended “stoner” jam sessions where every instrument under the sun gets its own two-minute solo. You know what I’m talking about.

There’s definitely a fine line: some songs need more time to evolve and expand while others just sound bloated and self-indulgent. Songs that fall into the former category include “Cortez the Killer” by Neil Young, “The Trapeze Swinger” by Iron & Wine, “Duk Koo Kim” by Sun Kil Moon, “Mogwai Fear Satan” by Mogwai (obviously), “Oh Comely” by Neutral Milk Hotel, “Desolation Row” by Bob Dylan, and, why not, “Stairway to Heaven” by Led Zeppelin. Just to name a few.

So how do you make an epic song even better? Put it at the end of an album. For example: My Morning Jacket’s “Strangulation!” and “Dondante,” Built to Spill’s “Broken Chairs,” and Gillian Welch’s “I Dream a Highway.”

You can add Robert Francis’ epic “All of My Trains” to this list. Like Deer Tick, Francis is an insanely-talented young singer-songwriter (albeit with slightly less buzz). Hailing from Los Angeles, he sounds nothing like his surroundings. Actually, he doesn’t even sound like he’s from this century.

His music exudes both innocence and angst, hope and despair. His debut One By One is an earnest, introspective, timeless folk record that will undoubtedly be cherished by those lucky enough to stumble upon it.

mp3: Robert Francis - All of My Trains

Robert Francis | official website | MySpace | iTunes | Insound | Amazon

Hell, you might even call this straight-up country music, except I fear that that label could repel potential listeners. After all, how many times have you heard or said, “I listen to pretty much anything except country music.”

Instead of going on one of my nonsensical rants about why the majority of country music sucks, I’m going to use this post to explain what I think good country music should sound like. Specifically, why I love each and every one of the tracks below. As always, enjoy in the order posted!

Without a doubt my favorite Josh Ritter song, I had an extremely difficult time writing his Artist Spotlight without mentioning this song. A rollicking country rocker, “Golden Age of Radio” starts the mix off on an upbeat note. “Have mercy on this boy who did it all by the book but still kinda has his doubts”

1. mp3: Josh Ritter - Golden Age of Radio

Another classic Josh Ritter song, “Me & Jiggs” even mentions sitting on the porch. When I listen to this song, I’m reminded of all the good times I’ve had with friends in the past. “Sitting on the porch singing Townes Van Zandt”

2. mp3: Josh Ritter - Me & Jiggs

This is the song that got me hooked on Drive-By Truckers. One of their more mellow tracks, “Danko/Manuel” serves as a nice transition to the slower songs coming up. It also serves as a great introduction to an amazing band. “I ain’t living like I should”

3. mp3: Drive-By Truckers - Danko/Manuel

Possibly the twangiest song on the mix, “Can’t Have It” only reinforces why I love The Everybodyfields: great melodies and vocal harmonies. “Can’t sleep if my eyes won’t let me”

4. mp3: The Everybodyfields - Can’t Have It

Similar in sound to the previous song, “Annabelle” features Gillian Welch’s gorgeous vocals as she laments about bad luck and hard times in the South. “Until we’ve all gone to Jesus we can only wonder why”

5. mp3: Gillian Welch - Annabelle

Another powerful Truckers song, “Sounds Better In the Song” deals with letting go of a love who has moved on. Acoustic and intimate, the song is a nice change of pace for the band. “A heart that wants to live and a soul that wants to give can’t just sit at home alone”

6. mp3: Drive-By Truckers - Sounds Better In the Song

NOTE: If you download only one track, make it this one! “I Can’t Sleep” is perfection. Words cannot describe the love I have for this song. The lyrics are about as personal and affecting as they get. “I can’t sleep ’cause I don’t dream of you anymore”

7. mp3: The Everybodyfields - I Can’t Sleep

The title of this track pretty much tell the story. If you aren’t sold on the Drive-By Truckers by now, there might not be any hope left. “Well I ain’t really falling asleep I’m fading to black”

8. mp3: Drive-By Truckers - Goddamn Lonely Love

A great story about a booze-smuggling son and his untimely encounter with the cops. Despite its subject matter, “Out On the Highway” is surprisingly emotional and affecting. “Out on the highway, son be careful, your mother sure loves you”

9. mp3: The Everybodyfields - Out On the Highway

Not originally part of the mix, this song brings everything full circle. Amazing how different the live version sounds, which is no doubt a tribute to Josh Ritter’s talent.

10. mp3: Josh Ritter - Golden Age of Radio [live]

Josh Ritter | official website | MySpace | eMusic | Insound | Amazon
Drive-By Truckers | official website | MySpace | eMusic | Insound | Amazon
The Everybodyfields | official website | MySpace | eMusic | Insound | Amazon
Gillian Welch | official website | MySpace | eMusic | Insound | Amazon

Are we in the midst of a singer-songwriter revival? Knee-jerk reaction tells me it’s not possible: a pervasive hatred of the genre has always existed among certain circles of critics. Never mind the fact that both singing and songwriting are inextricably connected to performing and recording, well, music.

So then why all the hatred? I think it has something to do with the format of the genre itself. To be considered a singer-songwriter you need: (1) a guitar and (2) a decent voice. Unfortunately, simplicity often (and erroneously) equates to stagnation. In circles of critics obsessed with finding the next genre-bending flavor of the month, genuinely good yet straight-forward music gets kicked to the curb. Honestly, when was the last time you listened to Clap Your Hands Say Yeah?

It’s interesting to note the large number of popular indie artists that could be labeled singer-songwriter but aren’t. Sufjan Stevens, Andrew Bird, The Mountain Goats, Cat Power. There’s almost a stigma associated with the genre.

Which brings me to my true problem. Because of this critical marginalization, I am only now starting to appreciate the music of Josh Ritter, the quintessential “singer-songwriter.” Hailing from Idaho, Ritter’s style reflects his mountainous surroundings. From hushed acoustic ballads to rollicking barnstormers, he embodies both dark, secluded ravines and vast, wind-swept praires.

The four tracks posted below sample several albums. “Wings” is a haunting lament; “Idaho” a gorgeous a capella hymn; “The Temptation of Adam” an apocalyptic love story; and “Still Beating” a bittersweet tribute to rejection (Happy VD everybody!).

If we are in the midst of a singer-songwriter revival, Josh Ritter is without a doubt the standard-bearer.

mp3: Josh Ritter - Wings
mp3: Josh Ritter - Idaho
mp3: Josh Ritter - The Temptation of Adam
mp3: Josh Ritter - Still Beating

Not included in the list above are the incredible “Girl In the War,” the epic “Thin Blue Flame,” and the gorgeous “Baby That’s Not All.” The reason for this is simple: I’ve already posted these songs on my site here and here.

Josh Ritter | official website | MySpace | eMusic | Insound | Amazon

Let me start by saying that I can’t believe I haven’t posted on these guys yet. I’ve been listening to them almost continuously for the past 3 months. I honestly don’t know what happened.

Horse Feathers is two-man band from Portland, Oregon. Their music reminds me a lot of my (brief) visit to the city last summer: serenely beautiful, yet overcast and dreary most of the time. These are rainy day songs through and through.

Intense string pieces and delicate acoustic melodies create an interesting juxtaposition. The resulting music sounds passionately resigned. Lyrics like “It’s in our blood to watch each day go by” reinforce this feeling (and also resonate with me at this particular moment in my life).

Their debut album Words Are Dead (Amazon, eMusic, Lucky Madison), released back in 2006, hasn’t gotten much attention, which I can’t quite understand. It’s a remarkably solid release; I always listen to the album in its entirety. If I had to pick a favorite song, I’d ask for permission to choose several, it’s that good.

If you enjoy the two tracks posted below, I highly recommend checking out the entire album (you can preview it at last.fm before purchasing!). You won’t be disappointed.

mp3: Horse Feathers - In Our Blood
mp3: Horse Feathers - Like Lavender