Some Relatively New Music Worth Checking Out

Rocky Votolato- True Devotion

Rocky Votolato seems like a cool dude. Haven't met him, but if his personality reflects his music, he'd be a pretty down-to-earth, understated, thoughtful guy who gets sad when he's angry.

In a nutshell, "understated" is what Rocky's music is all about.

Before Max Bemis, the crazed Say Anything headman, wrote shitty music, he sang, "And I am done with this/I want to taste the breeze of every great city/my car and my guitar." Though I really doubt Bemis held true to these words, I can certainly see Rocky doing it. He's just that kinda guy. And he could easily do a tour with nothing but a guitar and a car. That's all his music takes.

That being said, his latest work, True Devotion, which premiered Feb. 3 of this year, is a testament to Rocky's understated music. You'll here guitar, bass, drums, harmonica, and some string arrangements, but not much else. Rocky's music is built on a simple platform, but he uses it to show some incredible emotion.

Case-in-point: "Red River." Rocky's emotion comes through in a big way in this song. And it does so with the should-be-patented Rocky Votolato Yell. It's a simple concept. He just goes up a register and nearly yells to add emphasis. It's basic, and I'm sure it's been done before, but I love the way Rocky does it. He takes off right at, "That feeling you get when the wind is blowing..."

I've been listening to Rocky Votolato for a while, and he has some good stuff. But it's mostly straight up, basic poppy folk. In True Devotion, he shows some musicianship he hadn't before, especially in the album's opener, "Lucky Clover Coin."

Here it is below, made with my incredible iMovie skills.

In some ways, a song is like a story. At least some songs are. Some songs aren't. Some songs tell incredibly boring stories, like this. I like a story that ties up loose ends, and I like a song that does too. "Lucky Clover Coin," the album's opening track, starts off with a nice string harmony phrase, and it disappears for a good part of the song, but comes back with force right at the climax. The phrase adds a goosebump-inducing impact. Way to spin the yarn, Rocky.

But, like most of Votolato's work, this album is hit or miss. It is by no means an album that packs a punch with every song, it's more Rocky recording everything he could come up with, hit or miss. And there are some misses (why do you think I only featured two songs). But there's some quality work on this album. It's worth checking out.

The Soft Pack- The Soft Pack

This Los Angeles-based four piece in relatively new. Their self titled, released Febuary of this year, is the band's second full length.

If you want some good, upbeat driving music, this band is for you. But don't expect it to be much else.

They're certainly fun, and they would be a great live band, but so far as I can tell, there's not much substance. The songs all kinda bleed together. So do the lyrics. But it's fast-paced, it's fun.

With summer approaching, we have to be on the lookout for bands like this. I demand fun summer music, damnit. And this band comes through in that regard, if only that regard.

Check out my favorite from The Soft Pack, "Cmon" below.

The Royal Tenenbaums

Part two of my Wes Anderson spree, provided for by a friend with great taste, was just as enjoyable. Except this time: less quirky, more poignant.

The Royal Tenenbaums reaches an emotional level The Life Aquatic didn't. That's not a knock the latter, the two were just going for different things.

Again, I don't want to ruin anything, so I'm not going to go into much detail.

The characters had depth – not one was perfect or wholly likable, as was the case with The Life Aquatic. And the cast is equally stacked, with some cross-over: Gene Hackman, Anjelica Huston, Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Luke Wilson, Gwyneth Patlrow, Bill Murray.

Basic premise: A family goes its separate ways after the mother (Huston) and father (Hackman) unofficially divorce. Due to a variety of personal reasons, the family reconvenes under one roof. The plot goes from there.

The movie is very funny, but that's not its primary objective. What it really captures is a take on what it means to be a family, to have loyalty and honesty. All done, quite effectively, in the quirky, dead-pan Anderson style.

Luke Wilson may or may not have won some sort of award for his role. I'm not sure. But if he didn't he should have. He gave a performance (as a washed-up, lonely, tennis has-been) that was as powerful as it was awkward and peculiar. Whatever he was going for, I'm not really sure what, he hit the nail on the head. His role by itself makes this movie worth checking out.

And I can't get over the dialogue exchange. It's so dry, almost monotone in places. It seems like something actors are taught not to do. But the emotionlessness almost gives it more emotion. It's not like The Titanic, with grand, pregnant pauses meant to jerk tears (help!..............heelp!........whistle blow.............help!).

For me, the Anderson dialogues gives off more emotion that the grandiose close-ups and swelling string crescendos. It's more withdrawn, more believable – to a point where it's almost unbelievable – and that's what makes it great.

As was the case with The Life Aquatic, I can't find any glaring fault in this movie, at least none worth writing about. The characters are well developed, the writing is funny with a touch of philosophy and a touch of poignancy, and the music/camera work are spot on, so far as I can tell. But I'm no film critic – maybe someday.

So yeah, I'd suggest sitting down with this movie too, worth it. Watch this tidbit to wet your whistle. It gives away very little of the plot, so don't worry.

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissuo

Wes Anderson makes quirky movies: Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Darjeeling Limited. They're all a little odd; the dialogue is short, direct and dry. The same could be said for the plot. It gives the movies and interesting re-watchable sort of humor. Every Anderson movie I've seen also carries some sort of weird but surprisingly poignant message beneath the humor. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou is no exception.

A good friend recommended I watch Life Aquatic. Thanks, friend. The basic premise is a washed-up biological documentary maker goes on a quest to hunt down the "jaguar shark" that killed his head diver while simultaneously turning the quest into its own documentary.

First of all, the cast is stacked: Bill Murray (the washed-up doc. maker), Owen Wilson, Cate Blanchett, Willem Dafoe, Anjelica Huston, it goes on.

And, as is the case with any Wes Anderson movie I've seen, not one character is perfect or wholly likeable. Murray is a grumpy has-been, more often seen with a jay in his mouth than not. Owen Wilson is overly trusting to the point it's obnoxious. Cate Blanchett is a reporter that got knocked up by an editor who wont cover her travel expenses. And Willem Dafoe is, as always, completely bonkers.

Without ruining anything, the plot is a whirly-bird, much akin to The Big Lebowski. It'll take you places you weren't expecting and didn't wholly want to go – but that's what makes it great. In a comedy, I'll always take pointless plot turns over artistic or meaningful ones. Except, in the case of this movie, the pointlessness of some of the plot turns may make it meaningful. I don't want to ruin anything, but if you watch it, keep that in mind. I may be crazy, or I may be on to something. I'll have to watch it again.

Anywho, the best aspect of this movie is the interaction between characters. The dialogues, as I've said before, are dry and near devoid of emotion, but at the same time, incredibly funny when they're intended to be.

Here's an example.

Notice how there's someone washing a cat in the background, and then notice the killer whale swimming about. Completely unnecessary, but they make the scene.

And, like I said before, the dialogue between Murray and Blanchett is quirky and quick. "I'm sorry, I was only trying to defend myself." I mean, that's so understated, but it's so funny.

In many ways, that's what the entire movie is like. Quirky, understatedly funny interactions between generally well developed characters, and a zany plot that I wont dive into (pun intended).

I really don't have anything negative to say about this movie. I don't fancy myself a film critic, but if I had to, I'd put this, and the rest of Wes Anderson's work, on the top shelf.

Take a trip with Steve Zissou, you'll like this movie more than his documentaries.

Spring is here!

The sun has arrived!

I am now in a better mood, in case you were wondering (I know you were), so no more Elliot Smith. No, instead I'm going to provide some of my favorite it's-been-miserable-for-too-long-now-it's-the-best-weather-ever music.

Now, this is actually Jack Johnson, folks. Is there a better way to welcome the warm weather? I mean, c'man. He's the most relaxed man on the planet.

Here is great video of one of Jack's best songs. Sit back and be jealous that you're not him.

I want to breakdown too. Know what else I want to do when the warm weather rolls around? Kick it old school with the Grateful Dead. Check 'em out. It's great traveling and chillaxing music. Here's one of my all-time favorites: "Friend of the Devil."

Don't buy what they tell you. You don't have to be a 40-year-old burnout, occasionally re-tripping on acid, to appreciate the Grateful Dead (though I'm sure it helps).

But what if you want to sit on your front porch with a pitcher of iced tea and watch the world go by? Well, then two names come to mind: Iron and Wine and Ray LeMontagne

Iron and Wine does a good job combining two things that are rarely combined: slow and happy. Don't expect Iron and Wine to be exciting or fun, but he wont rip your heart out either. You're going to need a below average heart-rate to truly appreciate it, but that being said, there is a lot to be appreciated.

Check out "Naked As We Came" and "Passing Afternoon" off of Endless Summer Days, a pretty topical album name, if you ask me.

And Ray LeMontagne, he's similar, but not identical. His songs can bring a little more energy, like my favorite of his: "You Are The Best Thing." Those horns! Dayum.

Now, before I close my third consecutive weather-related post (I promise I'll stop), I'm going to take a turn for the hipster. Vampire Weekend is great, fun-loving, energetic summer music. Check out "Walcott" and, off their new album Contra, "Cousins."

Weather-related post concluded. Hopefully forever.

Rainy Day Blues II, ft. Bright Eyes

Don't worry guys, it's still the worst weather ever in Massachusetts.

And in my last post I made a grievous error. I overlooked possibly the most depressing artist to listen to besides Elliot Smith: Bright Eyes. How could I forget!

Put yourself in this little scenario: You were just having a great time at some sort of indoor social event. The party is now dwindling, people are leaving and it's time for you to go–you'll be leaving alone.

So you get out of this really fun get-together, you step outside, and it's pouring rain. The 15 minute walk ahead of you will now be a cold, wet 15 minute walk of misery. Got it?

Now picture that and listen to this.

How happy are you? Thought so.

Now, as I said with Elliot Smith, there is beauty in the sadness of Bright Eyes. Musically and lyrically, it's a portal, more or less, into someone else's soul. I know I sound like a whack-job with all this portal nonsense, but it's kinda the way I see it.

That being said, Bright Eyes has more to offer than just sadness. I'll be referring to the album I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning here. As far as I'm concerned that album is his best. It's also one of my favorites of all time.

Bright Eyes can provide socially conscious anger.

Grim, almost comical, acceptance of death!

And last but not least, actual happiness!

A lot of Bright Eyes' albums are hit and miss, and some are downright horrible (Digital Ash In A Digital Urn). But I'm Wide Awake It's Morning is a masterpiece. You can do without the rest of his work, but I'm Wide Awake is a must-have. Especially for these cold, rainy days.

Again, this ain't no Jack Johnson, folks.

Rainy Day Blues, ft. Elliot Smith

If you live anywhere near Massachusetts, you were probably teased with a few days of deceptively spring-like weather, only to have the past few days break that sad, hopeful dream with gray skies, rain and gloom. And not the "aw, I love the smell of rain" rain, the "why the fuck is it not snowing" rain.

So, if you're lucky enough to live near me, this post will be relevant.

Just as there's a difference between the "smell of rain" rain and the "why the fuck" rain, there's a distinct difference between the type of music that suites it. This ain't gunna be Jack Johnson, folks.

So, the crème de le crème of rainy-day misery would have to be the music of Elliot Smith. For background, he stabbed himself in the heart three times.

My favorite album of his would have to be Either/Or. It's a depressingly sad but just as beautiful project. Many of its songs were featured in the movie Good Will Hunting.

The most rainy-day track, in my book, is "ballad of big nothing."

Just picture having to schlep back from work, where you've been for eight hours. It's cold, it's dark and it's raining. Now you have "throwing candy out to the crowd/dragging down the main/the helpless little thing with the dirty mouth who's always got something to say" playing in your headphones. Wonderful, right?

Well, that's kind of what Elliot Smith is all about. You wont feel wonderful listening to it, but that's not the point. The music is really a passage into his soul. You feel for him when listening, at least I do. Almost every song on Either/Or gives me the chills.

Songs with the similar depressing-but-beautiful, rainy-day effect:

"Blue In Green" - Miles Davis

"What Sarah Said" and "Transatlanticism" - Death Cab For Cutie

"The Summer Ends" - American Football

"The Scientist" - Coldplay

"You Should Do It Now While It's On Your Mind" - Owen

I think that with all these songs, you'll find sadness without a trace of anger; more a calm acceptance of something the writers' wish they didn't have to accept. Same thing with a rainy day: no sense getting angry about it, there's nothing you can do. But good luck trying to keep it from getting you down.

Happier posts to come when the weather is happier.

"What is the right mixture?" A professor's take on life

If you have a free hour, I'd highly suggest watching this video. It's based on the basic notion that you should do what makes you happy. But, even then, this professor argues there's more to it. I'm a fan.

Ch-ch-check it ouut.

If anything, this proves that StumbleUpon is fantastic.

Darth Google

Check this out

Thoughts: Sure, Google is trying to harvest information, but that's the aim of any advertising company. Advertising brings in the dollars, so why wouldn't they try to collect as much information about the people they advertise to? It allows for better targetting. Better targetting, more cash money.

This video tries to portray Google as evil. There's no good or evil about this, it's business. Google's not evil, it's just successful.

If you don't want your information harvested, don't go on the internet. It's not just Google, any online advertising industry will do this–it just so happens that Google's been the best at it.

So, what the hell, I'm gunna use its programs. Chrome is the best browser out there, google docs is great, blogger's not bad. As far as I'm concerned, if Google wants to take over the internet, so be it. I'd rather it be Google than MSN or Yahoo.

What Are You Doing?

Because this is what I'm doing

Suckaahhhhhs

Oh, and also, I forgot about this guy. But Rocky Votolato is a hidden gem. About a year ago, all I would listen to was this song and this song. Some guy in Guitar Center recommended him to me, go figure. More extensive review to come, probably. But not now, I gotsta get my boots on.

Heading North!

Going into the wild (aka Okemo Mountain) for the weekend.

I'm going to be doing something in between this

and this

I'll leave you with some good skiin' music before I go.

El Ten Eleven - some of their stuff gets a little weird, but their first album is perfect for skiing. Check out the first track: My Only Swerving. It's laid back, a little droning but keeps just busy enough; much like skiing a wide-open, groomed trail. Oh boy, I'm getting excited.

Of course Jack Johnson is fitting. Try to find a more relaxed guy on the planet. You can't. My favorite of his for the slopes: Staple It Together.

You can beat around the bush all you want, but there ain't a style of music better for the slopes than old hip-hop. Just picture yourself taking on a steep run listening to this. It doesn't get much better.

But if you're going to take on something like this, you might want some music that sounds a bit like this.

Bon Voyage! I'll be up in the woods till Sunday.

Currently Reading, Again

Alright so back in December I posted the first Currently Reading. One of the books was Guns, Germs and Steel.

I've read 44 pages since then. Ehhh.. school work. But it is really good, and I can already see how important this book is.

Have you ever wondered why people in Africa have stayed in tribal and band level societies while those of Europe and Asia have formed complex, bureaucratic, state-level societies?

Ever wondered why white Europeans and Americans are the head of companies like Nike, extorting labor from sweatshop workers in Bangladesh and not Bangladeshis extorting Americans and Europeans?

Well, the Klan'll tell you that's our god-given right. And Hitler'll tell you its because whites are genetically superior.

That's bullshit. Jared Diamond's theory, however, is not.

I haven't read far enough to lay out his theory with any sort of accuracy, but what the book does is traces human existence from the start, giving explanations for why some areas developed faster than others. If you want to know what it's all about, read it. I will be too.

Holden Caulfield

Since Salinger died, I figure I'd read Catcher. Especially since I had neglected to the first time around.

All in all I liked it. It was really well written. Salinger captured the mind of a messed up teenager perfectly.

He did it in two ways: his prose was whiny, obnoxious, grammatically incorrect and filled with slang. I thought it was great to read but a lot of my friends knock the book because the prose is too whiny. To them I say that's the point. It wasn't that Salinger wrote that way, it was Salinger writing like a whiny kid. So really, A+ for Salinger if my friends think it's too whiny.

Second way: almost everything Holden does is a contradiction. He wants to be the "Catcher in the Rye" and stop little kids from becoming adults, but he also wants to hang out in bars, drink, smoke cigarettes and other adult activities. He calls everyone he meets a "phony" but is incredibly fake to most people he talks to. He rarely says what he wants to. He is, in essence, a phony. The last few sentence of the book are even, "Don't ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you'll start missing people." That pretty much means don't be genuine, if you're genuine, you'll regret what you've done.

So with that I say Holden is in no way the voice of teenagers everywhere. He doesn't represent adolescence. He represents a confused, sad, lost individual; someone limited by their own pretenses. To say that that represents adolescence doesn't give adolescence enough credit. He's a great character, but is not the voice of an age group. I don't think that's what Salinger intended him to be, and I don't think that's how it should be taught to high schoolers.

Im glad I didn't pay attention junior year, but I'm glad I read the book.

Shameless Self Promotion!

Hey y'all, check out my Flickr to see more of this,

I took most of them at a photo camp in Nova Scotia this past summer (which was awesome) using a camera (Canon Rebel) my mom essentially stole from her work. It wasn't technically stealing, the school just got new cameras. Fine by me!

Enjoy! or not... Either way, here they are, or here are as much as Flickr would let me upload this month. More to come in 30 days.

A French Article for a Band with a French Name

Shmello readers (I have readers?), I haven't posted in a while. I've been swamped with this, soon to be this. But I'm on spring break (partayy!), so I figure I'd reunite with the interwebs.

If you haven't seen this video, do yourself a favor: sit down, plug in some good headphones or speakers, and enjoy.

It's part of a series of live Bon Iver concerts put on and filmed by Blogotheque, a pretty damn awesome, if overly french, music website. Luckily, most of its content can be translated into english, at expense of its indie cred.

Here is the video's original article. It includes a few other hair-raising videos. But keep in mind that I'm extremely biased.

My top ten songs on itunes are

1. "Flume"

2. "Styrofoam Plates" (Death Cab)

3. "Skinny Love"

4. "Team"

5. "Blacking out the Friction" (Death Cab)

6. "Lump Sum"

7. "Wolves (Act I and II)"

8. "Blindsided"

9. "Creature Fear"

10. "Why You'd Want to Live Here" (Death Cab)

This is only from when I got my new computer in August, but 7 of my top 10 are Bon Iver. Did I mention I like Bon Iver? The other three are off the same Death Cab Album, which is awesome, but the topic of another post.

So, yes, Bon Iver's For Emma, Forever Ago is a fantastic album, and Blogotheque did a great job capturing the spirit of it in this article. The videos are as natural feeling and sounding as the original album, which Justin Vernon wrote while holed up in a Wisconsin cabin. It's what makes Bon Iver and these videos great.