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.