Archive for the ‘Suggestion’ Category
Music Suggestion: Everybody Hurts – R.E.M.
I’m not a die hard R.E.M. fan, but their album Automatic for the People is great. Listening through it the other day refreshed my memory of this great music. Not only is Everybody Hurts one of many great tracks it also is a great message.
When your day is night… hold on
When you feel like you’re alone… no no no you’re not alone
When you think you’ve had to much of this life… hang on
Everybody hurts sometimes… so hold on
Music Suggestion: The Jon Brion Show Featuring Elliott Smith
Stumbled upon this little gem earlier today. Elliott Smith is an amazing artist. I find his music a bit on the dark/depressing side of life, which makes it difficult for me to listen to his music regularly. However, it’s still some of the best music I’ve heard. This is a video of him playing a few songs on The Jon Brion Show, which sadly never aired on TV, as Jon Brion is an amazing musician in his own right. Enjoy!
Music Suggestion: I Think It’s Going To Rain Today – Randy Newman
Randy Newman’s music and I have always had a love hate relationship. This piece falls on the love side of that relationship. Can’t actually get it out of my head at the moment. Here’s a great version of it:
As I’m a pretty die hard Peter Gabriel fan it’s only fair to include his awesome version of this song also. This track is on Peter Gabriel’s Scratch My Back album. Here it is:
Music Suggestion: Ave Maria – Franz Biebl
This piece is so good. I can’t get it out of my head. Take a listen:
Music Suggestion: Don’t Give Up – Peter Gabriel
I’ve always been a die hard Peter Gabriel fan, but something about this song has kept coming to my attention over the years. I first heard it years ago when I first began listening to Peter Gabriel. Then in the summer of 2007 I was wandering through a metro station in Paris and this song began to play. The song had faded out of my memory and I paused from rushing around just to listen. It struck me then as it strikes me today; a glimpse of reality and a glimpse of hope. Hope you enjoy:
Music Suggestion: Wrecking Ball – Bruce Springsteen
I’ve been listening to this album almost daily since purchasing it in May. Every song on it is great. If you haven’t listened to it yet do yourself a favor and make it happen. Bellow is a youtube video of the whole album, which will most likely be taken down for copyright infringement:
Music Suggestion: Dance – Caedmon’s Call
Caedmon’s Call has always been an inspirational to band to me. The song Dance on the album Long Line of Leavers really stood out to me among the rest. It’s really hard to describe why. The song production is generally fun and up beat. However, the lyrical content contains a difficult subject matter (that of age, society’s dealing with age, the tragedies of life, and death), but the way the subject matter is approached and addressed is amazing. I just really connect with it.
Oh, and it’s really only about five minutes long, but for some reason the video has about three minutes of silence. Hope you enjoy:
Music Suggestion: Sleep – Eric Whitacre
So I’ve recommended Eric Whitacre, but this piece and artistry is well worth another recommendation. That and I can’t this music out of my head at the moment.
So Eric already has these amazing choral pieces and know has put together a “virtual chior” to perform them. (Find out more on his website here.) The idea is such a creative use of technology. I eat stuff up like this. Basically he has singers from around the world submit individual youtube videos of themselves singing individual parts to his piece Sleep. (and previously Lux Aurumque) Then, with the help of others, he combines all the individual tracks/videos to make one “virtual chior.” (Find out more from his TED talk here) The idea is sooooo amazing. So for Sleep he got over two thousand people to sing it and the thickness of the choir sound is quite incredible.
Without further adieu here it is:
Music Suggestsion: Merle Travis
I was trying to work the other day and being a curious guitar player decided to look more deeply into a style of playing called “travis picking.” (Nope I wasn’t trying to avoid work at all.) And then stumbled upon the “inventor” of “travis picking,” Merle Travis. And it was a real treat. His style really helped shape and pioneer country, blue grass, and blues. It’s amazing that he could get so much sound out of a guitar with only two fingers. That’s right the other three are just chilling out/getting a tan on the face of the guitar. And not just skill level to be able to play what’s he’s playing, but what he’s playing and distinct/pioneering it was in it’s day. Wow.
Needless to say I’ve been trying my hand at it ever since. Here’s a compilation clip of him on youtube. Enjoy.
Music Suggestion: Only in Sleep – Ēriks Ešenvalds
Driving home last Friday night I heard Eriks Esenvalds Only In Sleep and was pretty blown away with it’s beauty. Take a listen here: