World Cup Mini-Series IV

Lord, I'm tired of this series already... probably because the World Cup was over a week ago- YAY Spain! You were my, uh, third choice... (ahem, cough, cough).
Let's just go over a few more countries with pretty sweet bands/ music pumping out of their systems shall we? Wrap it up in one nice, tight little package? Done. Here:
Mali- Bassekou Kouyate
Mexico- Ximena Serinana
Canada- Arcade Fire (uh, duh!)
England- Franz Ferdinand & Last Shadow Puppets
France- Justice & Phoenix
USA- Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes

Aren't you glad I kept this short & simple?

-intermission-

Since I mentioned WNYC's program, RadioLab, recently, I thought now would be a good time to take a break from the World Cup Mini-Series and discuss. 

As mentioned earlier, I was one of the last people to disembark from the ship and touch foot on the new soil. Maybe it is part of my conservative side, but it takes a LOT for me to commit to subscribing to a podcast/blog/digital excess (such as the music cave). Let me also inform you fine folks that RadioLab is not about music. They do, on occasion, talk about music they like, but that is fairly infrequent. This podcast has made me a more interesting person. Well, at least I have found my own thoughts more interesting since listening to it. Remember when you were a kid and you aren't sure why, but you asked about a BILLION questions a day- the sky was the limit and there was no ridiculous question because there were no parameters holding back your imagination? That is what this podcast does. They discuss tons of nerdy science stuff that is absolutely fascinating. Let me just jot down a few of the topics that have been discussed in the hour long program: 

Blinking

Face Blindness

Parasites

Deception

Lucy (the chimp)

Animal Minds

Death & the Afterlife

Stochasticity (yeah, I didn't know what that meant either until I listened to the program)

The list is pretty extensive, but all have been really interesting. So interesting, in fact, that I now listen to the show while I run. People on Town Lake probably think I'm crazy- and that could either be due to the fact that its around 94 degrees, 7:30pm and I am running, sweating my face (read: balls) off. Seriously, I smile (occasionally giggle) at the show with all the crazy cool stuff they talk about. 

I know that I already pushed WEXP's Song of the Day on you, but I know that I didn't lead you astray with that recommendation, so you should probably trust me on this one too. 

WNYC, New York City NPR station- RadioLab. The increasing number of wrinkles in your brain will thank you. 

Here's to the interesting discussion that we have the next time we meet! Cheers!

PS- if you speak RadioLab to me (and you are a dude) I will immediately find you sexy. RadioLab will win you insta-points. NBD, just sayin'. 

World Cup Mini-Series III

Ah, let us now journey to South America- Buenos Aires, Argentina to be precise. This is where we find Juana Molina... well, that's her homeland at any rate. I found her on RadioLab on WNYC (NPR in NYC, which will be discussed soon). 

This lovely lady is quite the artist. She has no lyrics to her songs, nor does she have true "songs" with predetermined notes and choruses. She is one of those incredibly fortunate individuals who sits down and sh*ts gold. Oh to be so lucky. Its a pain staking effort to just think I'm being the slightest bit humorous in these posts, let alone the rest of the day. 

The story I heard her tell on NPR was about how she was warming up her vocals before a show one evening, and thought to herself as she strummed her acoustic guitar "hmm, these notes sound like they are saying the words 'Un Dia'" so she started singing that phrase as she continued the exercise. On the spot, it became a song, with lyrics inviting people to listen to music and decipher whether it is about love or Plato. She has this magical ability to draw you into her music, to go on this ride with her. 

There is percussion, looping of vocals, acoustic guitar, and a keybord- that's about it. Oh, and a computer for her to mix it all. Its as entrancing as Bjork, but more inviting. Molina wants her listeners to go on this journey with her- she's looking for inspiration to come from you.

World Cup Music Mini-Series II

Lets take ourselves a journey to a little town called... Iceland. No, this isn't about Bjork. Don't unsubscribe just yet (although, she is pretty crazy/cool. Just take the right drugs before enjoyment). This is about Sigur Ros & Jonsi. 

Whoa

Okay, I think I'm ready to discuss now. If you go to their MySpace page, the genre of music listed is "visual"- it speaks the truth. Coming from a background of dancing my whole life, I have the pleasure of enjoying all types of music based on the movement that I can see in it. When listening to Sigur Ros &/or Jonsi, all I can see is art and light and spatial things (not to be confused with spacial things). Sigur Ros is a collaboration of musician where Jonsi is the lead singer/performer. He has broken off a couple times to work on solo stuff and it is equally as impressive. 

Any how, this music incorporates some minimalist and classic sounds along with falsetto vocals. Some songs will have you jumping around doing a "happy dance" clapping your hands and others will sound like a love song/lullaby that make you want to stare into the eyes of that special someone telling them everything without saying a word. There are those in the middle as well- good for the general daily playlist, whether you are at work, cleaning the house, driving around, having drinks/dinner (alone or w/ a group of people), or floating in a cool body of water (sheesh its hot in Texas!). 

Oh and the guys have a picture of Jonsi playing an electric guitar with a bow. I think that's pretty cool... and impressive. 

Word on the street is that Jonsi KILLED it at Coachella- made it into many people's Top 3 performers lists. Given that Coachella had a sick line-up this year, that speaks volumes. 

All I know is, I'm pretty pleased that Jonsi will be Austin, TX this fall. You best believe that I will be vying for one of the best seats in the house. +1 of course. Any one interested in being my date?

GOOOAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLL!!!

Okay, so this won't be a post about soccer, but it was inspired by the World Cup. Its the competition that brings the whole world together (or against each other- depending on the outlook you give it). It got me to thinking that talking about some of the sounds from around the globe would be a great thing to talk about. 

So here we are, the first installation of the World Cup Music Mini-Series!

Out of respect for our host this year, lets start in South Africa: 

Civil Twilight- #1- don't judge them by their name, or me when I tell you that I immediately think of the Twilight book series and see Robert Pattinson in my head... aaaaaaand maybe Taylor Lautner without a shirt on, but I digress. 

Civil Twilight is a mellow, indie, pop-rock band. The piano has always been an instrument that I appreciate being incorporated into a band; some of their tunes backed with the piano make me melt. Yes, some lines can be cheesy, but I think these guys have found something that will really work for them for a good bit of time to come.  Think Coldplay circa 1999- those guys are still around; am I right, or am I right?

There is something about it that reminds me of Oasis but a more modern version. Its easy on the ears, you feel like you've heard the songs before, but know that you haven't. Some of the lyrics are juvenile, but maybe I'm becoming a cynic in my old age. 

South Africa, you may not have made it far in the World Cup, but I have a feeling that these guys will... as long as 14 year old girls continue listening to music. ... Okay they are better than that, but seriously, that's the target market here. Just calling it like I see it.

Song of the day

So, I'm a BlackBerry (or CrackBerry) gal. Not by choice, but because that is what "The Man" has supplied and pays for. Needless to say, its browser and "app" capabilities are minimal to nil. This makes me defunct in most things that relate to iPhones which in turn means that I had always been hesitant to explore iTunes beyond my minimal purchasing of songs. 

Oh but whoa haste my companions! I have discovered PODCASTS!!! ... and they are FREE! (oh my thin wallet is so very appreciative!)

Podcast #1 that I stumbled upon is "Song Of The Day"- uhhhhh, yes please! Its brought to us by KEXP our ever so friendly NPR station all the way out there in Seattle, WA. This little nugget has been invaluable for work and my auditory pleasure. Its always fresh, always diverse, typically something I've never heard- which is getting harder to claim.

Any how, Song of the Day has given me just that- and it tallies around 450 songs thus far. Thank you VERY much! My iPod nano is ever grateful and will never bore me with the same loop of 1200 songs ever again. 

If you are into new music- and open to many genres- give this baby a little download. You'll find things you didn't know existed! Ambient, soul, indie, folk, metal, noise-pop, gospel- it all makes it way into the playlist. 

Listen up.

Dormant Volcano Awakens (very few people) With Violent Explosion

Oh hey! Did you think that this blog had just totally fallen off the way-side and died a quick death? Really? Well you were gravely mistaken! 
While there haven't been recent posts, I've been backlogging ideas during this lull. (Hey, you gotta cut some girls some slack when we're moving! For those not in the "know" PSMC has gotten even more worldly and rounded: Becca and I have moved... Becca now resides in Sydney, Australia and I have moved approximately 1 mile to S. 2nd Street. That counts as new perspective right?) 
Any how, The Music Cave is going to have an explosion of tid bits that I've been munching on for the last couple of months. I hope that you missed us while we were gone, and hopefully you care that we are back in action! 
Just so you know, all I do for about 80hrs + during the week is think about and/or listen to music. Its a living. Well, at least for me it is. 
OH! While we are on the subject of making a living- I'd like to add that new responsibilities at work have made it increasingly hard to post things on the internets. 
Thanks for your patience.


And now back to our regularly scheduled program... the BLOOOOOOOOG.

LISTEN NOW- You Sound Like You're From London!

Sure-Fire ways to get a chick:

In a Band- check
Have an accent- check
Dress slightly trendy, but don't look like an anorexic American Apparel addict- check, check
Climb the charts and sell out first US tour- like white on rice. 

aka- you're part of Mumford & Sons. 

Mumford & Sons- the sweet, sweet medicine that we've all been waiting on. It's like the grape Dimatapp that you'd fake being sick just to get a dose. These Brits are like the Avett Brothers with an accent (and not I'm not talking about a Southern drawl either). AMAZING, I know. They harmonize like Local Natives & Fleet Foxes, with the vocals of Glen Hansard (of The Frames & The Swell Season). There are plenty of other references to throw out, but take a listen for yourself.

Busy Day Playlist... a few days late.

Good Morning Saturday April 24th! Much to do today! Among some personal errands, there is a bike race to get to, a baseball game to cheer at, a concert to attend and Flash Light Dance Birthday Party (ahem- HECK YES!). Needless to say, this is going to be a busy one. I think I'll need a playlist to get through the motions of the day. 


Wake Up Call- "Swim Until You Can't See Land"- Frightened Rabbit
Getting Prepped for the Day- "If You Don't, Don't"- Jimmy Eat World, "Easy Lover"- Phil Collins, "Little Bit- CSS Remix"- Lykke Li, "Islands on the Coast"- Band of Horses, "Home"- Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes
Driving Around (I like to dance & sing really loudly with the windows down, hence the following choices)- "Somebody Else"- Jeff Bridges, "Zero"- Yeah Yeah Yeahs, "World News"- Local Natives, "Fader"- The Temper Trap, " "Love Song For A Savior"- Jars of Clay, "Hard Livin'" Justin Townes Earle, "I Feel It All"- Feist, "Semi-Charmed Life" Third-Eye Blind, "Standing on the Shore"- Empire of the Sun
Baseball Game- "Rockin' In the USA"- John Mellencamp, "Benny & The Jets" - Sir Elton, "Diplomat's Son" & "Cousins"- Vampire Weekend, "Underdog"- Spoon, "Sugarfoot"- Black Joe Lewis, "In Step"- Girl Talk, "Heavy Cross"- The Gossip, "Move"- CSS
Going out- "Cozza Frenzy"- Bassnectar, "Tik Tok"- Ke$ha, "Vibrate"- Ghostland Observatory, "Mommy Complex"- Peaches, "Ghosts N Stuff"- Deadmau5, "Saturday Night"- Sir Elton, "Like This"- Girl Talk, "Sexy Back" Justin Timberlake
Bed Time- "Wolves"- Phosphorescent, "Blood Bank" & "Wisconsin"- BonIver, "10 Mile Stereo"- Beach House, "Such Great Heights"-Iron & Wine, "Glosoli"- Sigur Ros, "The Party"- St. Vincent, "Act of Man"- Midlake, "Kaufman's Ballad"- Megafaun, "A Meaningful Moment Through a Meaning(less) Process"- Stars of the Lid




Yeah,  I know that this is only 4 days late, but clearly my Saturday was JAM PACKED! (So packed that I quickly stopped linking every band/song that I listed.) Things haven't really slowed down since, but hey, you people (Loser #1, I'm talking to you) are demanding posts. More entries on the way as soon as I have time to transfer from post-it notes to the internets, so don't tax my gig so hard-core cruster!

Things We Like

Given that this is a cave/community created by our mutual appreciation for music, we thought it would be appropriate to let you know what some of that music IS! 
We compiled a brief list of some artists that we like that are current/relevant/we are listening to at the moment. This list came together, mind you, after the consumption of 2 bottle of wine- that's one a piece people! Suffice it to say, the list is what we could think of at the time, and was written quite sloppily. The latter is erroneous to the content, but funny to think about. 
Enough chatter; lets get down to what we like (in no particular order):
Vampire Weekend
Santigold
CSS
Yeasayer
Phoenix
GirlTalk
The Cribs
Bon Iver
Ting Tings
MGMT
The Gossip
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes
Lykke Li
The Temper Trap
Band of Horses


These are more of the indie/up-and-coming artists that you may not be all that familiar with.  I do recommend giving them all a little listen when you have the time. 


More "Things We Like" to come... buuuuuuuuddddddddy.

Shameless (work) promotion

Since I work in the music industry, and for a company that has a small roster of management clients, every now an then I am likely to post about them. Here is the first installment of such personal agenda. 

FreeSol is the only Hip-hop client that we currently have on our roster. If you like hip-hop, check THIS out. Any feedback/ constructive criticisms are welcome. I don't manage the dude! Won't hurt my feelings one bit.

*As a side note- I promise not to do this too much, but hey, this is a blog about music, and I just want to expand your knowledge. 

Listen Now

SXSW offers a slew of up-and-coming bands to look out for, and 2010 was no different. I managed to catch several bands of said "up-and-coming" stature, but there was one that stood above the rest: Local Natives. I received a copy of their most recent album at work several weeks before the festival and managed to listen with enough frequency, that I had learned the majority of the lyrics by the time I caught their live performance on that cold, dreary Saturday. What like to be a dismal and wet day was changed by this band- I was warmed from the inside out and couldn't help but smile as I rocked out next to the door/security man that afternoon.

Side note: "World News" is my personal favorite.

Listen Now

LCD Soundsystem has a new record coming out, This Is Happening. For those that like upbeat, fast tempo, get down and boogie music, LCD is for Y.O.U!

Listen to their free audio stream of the new album here and make sure you turn up the volume.

You Know You're Obsessed Too

Currently, it seems that many people (myself included) have all jumped on the pop-culture train into one particular box car, creating a resurgence in the sci-fi/fantasy world of VAMPIRES. Books, TV series, movies, video games, board game, you name it, Vampires are out to tap that market and suck all the blood from it.

Personally, I've drawn my limits at Twilight (all 4 books and the unpublished, unfinished manuscript of the illusive 5th book) and HBO's series, TrueBlood. Both are engaging and simple. Romance- Check. Action- Check. Drama- Check. Adventure- Check. Good Man with Bad Boy qualities- Check. Fantasy- Check. Sex- Check. In short, perfect.

What does this have to do with music you may wonder? Well, Ms. Stephanie Meyer, author of the famous book series was inspired by music as she wrote. Her playlists are pretty great. Artists such as Radiohead, Death Cab for Cutie, Muse, Leonard Cohen have all helped mold the scenes from her imagination onto paper (and now into feature films). Even better, she delivers HER playlist to us on her website per book. (Click here for Twilight's list) And, because what would Hollywood (or the rest of the world be) if it didn't try to make a few extra bucks by creating an almost entirely different playlist for the movie's soundtrack? Both lists of songs and artists cover an array of decades and genres while managing to match the drama and emotion evoked from the reader with each turning page. From lyrical whispers to epic guitar and drum crescendos- the music covers the gamut.

Based in Bon Temps, LA, TrueBlood has an entirely different sort of sound. Playing on its southern bayou locale, rockabilly and soul, the music to this show makes my Southern Girl heart thump to a livelier beat. Zac Brown Band, Allan Toussaint, Lucinda Williams and Ryan Adams are all names that no one scoffs at these days (in the name of talent). The title track of the show "Bad Things" by Jace Everett is just about as seductive as the show itself.

While you may have your doubts, hesitations and apprehensions about being "glamoured" into the Vampire fixation, don't knock the music that inspires and drives these shows. If I can commend Gossip Girl for the majority of the music it unveils to the masses, you can give this stuff a shot.

This is NO Candy Mountain

Now here's the thing- Candy Mountain sounds GREAT in theory (coming from a female that pushed through much of her life off of the sweet taste of sugar), but if you must know and remember ONE thing in this life, it is that you should never, NEVER EVER go to Candy Mountain. Especially if a unicorn tells you to follow him/her there. (Here is Charlie's story if you don't believe me, but i digress.)

Like I was saying, this is no Candy Mountain. This is a highly sought after cave. A music cave. Currently only accessible by 2 people. However, we are here to open up our arms, welcoming in those who care to join.

Let me also explain why we've named our cave after Pauly Shore: He is awesome. Seriously, his movies may be of no value to saving the environment or stopping human trafficking, but heck! They have made every person I know laugh! That is something that could help the world- laughter. Finding enjoyment in simplicity. The simplicity of Pauly Shore's stoner-humor. Encino Man, In the Army Now, Son-In-Law, Bio-Dome- hey buuuuuddy. Quit crunchin' on my grubbage, Cruster!

This blog will be an on going list of music, old & new, that is appreciated by my partner in crime and myself. Some days only one song or band may be added, other days, whole playlists for the mood that we are in or by things that inspire us (like Kittens & Fro-Yo).

While I do think I have a fairly extensive knowledge of current music, not one person (or two people in this case) can know it all. Just holler if you've got something worth a listen... and we promise to give credit where credit is due.

Peace, Love, and Pauly Shore buuuuuudddy!