Welcome to the nebulous world of “post-rock.” Only God knows if that actually means anything, but the term has been lavished on the sounds of (Texas-based!) Explosions in the Sky, who evidently don’t share the need to be anything more than a rock band. What a relief. They may not sing, but who needs singing when you have “cathartic mini-symphonies”?
I went to their 10-year anniversary show at the Congress in Chicago with Jason Lytle. They still are far from well-known, but they deserve to be. Their sweeping, towering prog-epics ascend from intimate, painstaking plucked melodies to screeching bombast. You won’t find a song shorter than 5 minutes – and it needs to be that way, the way the band develops each song and gives it space to inflate and collapse. Here is your entry point: one song from their most recent release All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone and the final track from their seminal Those Who Tell the Truth Shall Die, Those Who Tell the Truth Shall Live Forever.
02_Welcome_Ghosts.mp3 (sorry, mp3 removed)
For more, check out the albums page of their website. They have a free track for download from each of their releases, and for one album (The Rescue) you can grab the whole thing.
I’ve always maintained that Derek Webb was a smart guy. But viral marketing campaign smart? Just shows you never know somebody until they start leaking mysterious emails with hidden messages. Derek is building massive amounts of hype for his upcoming “controversial” album Stockholm Syndrome, which is supposed to feature cuss words and edgy messages (I guess this equates dangerous in the safe monopoly of so-called Christian music).
Derek needs to stay out of fights.
I’ve moseyed around the labyrinth of passwords and websites a little myself. The Bloggable Music Network has a handy rundown of the action here if you’re interested.
If you’re more interested in the music, I have two songs for you.
Derek’s song is titled “The Spirit vs. the Kick Drum,” and is apparently built around a great quote from Rich Mullins about worship. In an interview about the Caedmon’s Call record In the Company of Angels, Cliff Young relates this story: “Rich used to talk about how people would come up to him after concerts and say, ‘Wow! The Holy Spirit really moved at that certain point in the song,’” Young remembers. “And Rich would respond by saying, ‘No actually, that’s where the kick drum and the bass came in.’ It’s easy to mistake energy and emotion for worship.”
Interesting thoughts. And it adds up to a groovy song with frenetic beats punctuating Derek’s earnest confession of his inclinations to settle for a faith that is less than real.
Derek’s song is titled “The Sprit vs. the Kick Drum,” and is apparently built around a great quote from Rich Mullins about worship. In an interview about the Caedmon’s Call record In the Company of Angels, Cliff Young relates this story: “Rich used to talk about how people would come up to him after concerts and say, ‘Wow! The Holy Spirit really moved at that certain point in the song,’” Young remembers. “And Rich would respond by saying, ‘No actually, that’s where the kick drum and the bass came in.’ It’s easy to mistake energy and emotion for worship.”
(Sorry, mp3 removed)
The next song was unlocked, piece by piece, through a giant scavenger hunt. I don’t have the time or the software to put it all together, but someone else evidently did. This one, “What Matters More,” is the one befitting all the hype. Complete with colorful language denouncing the hatred that (truthfully or not) characterizes evangelicalism in America, the song opens with this salvo and only gets better:
You say you always treat people like you like to be
I guess you love being hated for your sexuality
You love when people put words in your mouth
‘Bout what you believe, make you sound like a freak
Although his songs are often message-driven, don’t overlook D-Webb’s musical genius. From what I’ve heard so far, he’s embracing an electronic/experimental sound that matches his lyrics-heavy, street-preacher flow well.
Finally, a question: do you think Derek’s use of language considered to be profane is helping or hurting his ability to communicate? Sound off!
See you in Stockholm -
TMC
UPDATE: I’m all about supporting the artists on this blog. You can pre-order the album in a variety of packages (immediate digital download!) at Derek’s website. This is also the only place you can get the FULL version of the album (with “What Matters More”).
I’m excited to share Sleeping at Last with you. I’ve been a devotee of this Chicago-originated (emo? indie?) band for some time, and their latest album Keep No Score (2006, released independently) only improves upon their stellar Ghosts. The lyrics are nothing short of poetic stream-of-consciousness musings on God, humanity, love, and death. You could pick literally any song and be blown away. Not your light-hearted summer fare, but a great listen.
Example: “Needle and Thread”
“Here we lay alone in hospital beds,
Tracing life in our heads;
But all that is left
Is that this was our entrance and now it’s our exit,
As we find our way home.
All the blood and all the sweat
That we invested to be loved
Follows us into our end,
Where we begin to understand
That we are made of love,
And all the beauty stemming from it.
We are made of love,
And every fracture caused by the lack of it.”
Now add the uniquely passionate delivery of frontman Ryan O’Neal (I don’t think he’s been insincere a day in his life) and soaring, lush arrangements and you’ve got one of my favorite bands. Here’s a “Christian” band that’s doing it right. (Cool sidenote – they were discovered by Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins) and have opened for the likes of Switchfoot and Yellowcard)
Evidently they’re in studio now, so catch on before they unleash another torrent of epic music (2006 was far too long ago)
Here’s a track to whet your appetite - (Sorry, mp3 removed)
I am on vacation. Not from music or anything, just literally on vacation and not exactly able to do the usual thing.
But there’s a consolation prize. His name is Jon Troast. He sings and plays the guitar. Now, a lot of people do that these days. But his music is clever and catchy.
Here is a picture of him singing. I know, he doesn’t look like much, but don’t worry. He has longish hair and thus is cooler than most of us will ever be.
He is currently on the 100 concerts in 100 days living room tour of America. He even charges $100 per show. He must like that number a lot.
The wonderful thing is that Mr. Troast also like giving away free music. In fact, if you sign up for his mailing list, he’ll give you a free mp3 cd.
Or you can just download the free mp3 of the week. And it changes every week, too. Unlike this song of the week thing.
I hear you asking: “Where can I explore these wonders?”
Thanks to NPR’s featuring the album on their wonderful Exclusive First Listens series (where you can stream yet-to-be-released albums IN FULL), St. Vincent’s Actor has become one of my favorite albums this year.
Unfortunately, you can’t listen to it there anymore. I know, I’m sorry and selfish and I’ll do better next time.
To make up for it, here’s two fantastic songs from said album.
The Strangers is a slight yet menacing delicacy for the first half of the song and then devolves into a thick morass of sound before a final denouement. Delicious and catchy.
Actor Out of Work is a bit edgier, a little brash, but endearingly quirky if a bit dark.
You wouldn’t know it from the title, but this is not some cheesy love song. Far from it. I think I mentioned Steven Delopoulos earlier in my NoiseTrade post, but I’d like to make an official introduction now.
Nice cover, no?
Steven used to be the front man of a crazy band with crazy folk and world influences called Burlap to Cashmere that developed a cult following in the Brooklyn indie scene in the late ’90s, only to go solo for the last few years (rumors are swirling of a band reunion, however…).
My concern today is for Mr. Delopoulos alone. Never mind that you can’t spell his name, ’cause you can’t spell connoisseur either. What you need to know is that he is making incredible folk music that hearkens back to Cat Stevens and Woody Guthrie and the unapologetic, prophetic, mystical sound the genre embodies at its best (plus a little Greek vibe) . Infused with poetic and often biblical imagery, the vivid lyrics alone are worth the price of admission. Now his voice: tremulous, expressive, and unrestrained. You might hate it. But give it a chance to grow on you a little.
I offer 3 samplings: the SOTW from his latest album Straightjacket (which I have yet to purchase! Shame!), a bonus track called “Jungle Trail” from his first release Me Died Blue, and a video of “The Ruin of the Beast,” from Straightjacket as well.
Links to purchase music can be found through his MySpace here. And if you want to buy me a copy of Straightjacket, I’ll be your friend forever.
01 She Held My Hand (Single).mp3
02 Jungle Trail.mp3
(sorry, links expired)
And the video. Great song, great animation…
Oh yeah. Let me know what you think. Leave me a lil’ note to tell me how I’m doing. Suggestions always welcome (but frequently ignored) -
This week, I introduce you to a band that will shortly be highlighted in the all-new “Artists You’ve Never Heard Of” feature.
I will not divulge excessive biographical information (yet), but will cut straight to the music. Indie. Moody. European-ish. Brooding. And wonderful, of course: it’s The Listening, preparing for a new album release later this year.
I am personally invested because your very own Copernicus will be seeing these gentlemen in concert this summer at The Union. And he is ecstatic. I’ll let you know how it goes, of course, but first, here’s the song, from their excellent debut, The Listening LP:
(sorry, file expired)
And now, a bonus track from their very very recently released EP entitled Transmission 1:
(sorry, file expired…losers!)
if you go to their MySpace page here, you can watch an eminently trippy video of the song.
And very importantly, of course, go here to purchase lots and lots of music.
Enjoy, my friends, enjoy! And if you like it – or if you don’t – comment and let me know. You won’t hurt my feelings.
It’s not as if there’s not enough good music that I’d love to share. Quite the opposite, really.
And this is one song I’m excited to share. A turn entirely away from the music featured so far, Israel Houghton has loudly revolutionized the face of worship music near-singlehandedly. Standing on the backs of giants like Fred Hammond, he has continued the legacy of bridging the worlds of gospel and worship, with any and every genre spanned in the process. He is the most influential worship leader you’ve never listened to. Need proof? Ever sung You Are Good, Friend of God, Trading My Sorrows…? I thought so.
Fronting his multiracial, energetic group of young singers, New Breed, he has collected two Grammys and multiple other awards in the course of recording monster live recordings that simply beg to be listened to in one sitting.
This year, he’s taking a new direction, departing from his collaborative side to give us a solo album, appropiately titled The Power of One. Even more diverse than anything he’s done yet, this album rocks.
For audible evidence: I give you the first single from the album. If you can listen to this and not dance, or at least move, shame on you.
I have a theory. If your typical music listener were forced to listen to a style of music different from what he or she was used to, and it was among the best of that style, they just might become a fan. All I’m saying is give these artists a chance. Probably they’ve at least earned that. Sure, I like a lot of diversity in my music, but even I haven’t branched out as much as I could. Feel free to expand my horizons as I (hopefully) expand yours.
Just to get things off on the right foot, allow me to destroy all my credibility as a music snob. But this song is just SO FUN!!! And catchy beyond reason.
Alphabeat is a shamelessly poppy Danish band that doesn’t bother trying to prove anything except that music should be fun. And although I would argue music should be a few other things from time to time, fun certainly helps. There’s nothing wrong with a little musical junk food here and there.
Just try not to get addicted…
You can download the song for your previewing pleasure by right-clicking and saving this link below:
Alphabeat – What Is Happening.mp3 (Sorry, too late…mp3 taken down)
Oh, and I discovered Alphabeat through this song being featured on some music blog’s best music videos of 2008. If I remember what blog that was I’ll post it for you guys.
I went to their 10-year anniversary show at the Congress in Chicago with Jason Lytle. They still are far from well-known, but they deserve to be. Their sweeping, towering prog-epics ascend from intimate, painstaking plucked melodies to screeching bombast. You won’t find a song shorter than 5 minutes – and it needs to be that way, the way the band develops each song and gives it space to inflate and collapse. Here is your entry point: one song from their most recent release All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone and the final track from their seminal Those Who Tell the Truth Shall Die, Those Who Tell the Truth Shall Live Forever.
