Getting Back Online

So, we’ve been offline for a couple of days. The past couple of weeks have been busy with a couple of other writing assignments, real people work and my computer getting sent back to IT. Now that most of those are done and over with, we’re getting back to a normal schedule here, with a couple additional elements. We’ve added a Received Tab, which will help with a bit of transparency on the website, showing what we’ve gotten from people, and a taste of what’s to come up, and we’ll see how that works out.

We’re also going to be shifting away a bit from posting MP3s. There’s a couple reasons behind this. A), we want to uphold the law and respect publisher and record label wishes as much as possible. Seeing that we’re not driven by ads any more, traffic isn’t as essential. B) We’ll only be putting up an MP3 of a track if we’ve got permission, or if we can find something on archive.org, or a suitable replacement from youtube or through google. Not all of these tracks will show up on HypeM, so we hope that you’ll check back in the meantime to see what we’ll be posting. C) We want to call attention to the artist, not necessarily provide another means to grab music from them. We’ll still provide a taste of the band, (and as such, if you want to be featured on here, we need to have an MP3) but sometimes, you just won’t be able to take it home with you. Comments, concerns? Let us know.

Lillian, Egypt (Live) - Josh Ritter
The Boxer (Live) – Carbon Leaf
Oasis (Live) – Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
The Way We Get By (Live) – Spoon

Spoon – Transference

Spoon is back with their latest follow up to Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga (Not to be confused with Lady Gaga), titled Transference. Continuing their style of very minimalistic indie-rock, Transference is a fun album for the group, with a bit of a lighter fare than their 2007 album. The only work that we’ve had in the meantime was the 2009 release of the EP Got Nuffin, which I was really let down by, and which left me a bit worried for this coming album.

Transference is a good album through and through, and where I usually pick out a couple of good songs from their older albums (Such as Don’t You Evah, Underdog, I Summon You, I Turn My Camera On, My Mathematical Mind, The Way We Get By and Small Stakes), this album is no different in that there were a number of songs that I really enjoyed, with a couple of other songs that I enjoyed, but was somewhat indifferent about. Is Love Forever?, Who Makes Your Money and Written in Reverse all make that short list of really notable sounds from this particular album, and are among my favorites from the group so far.

What is interesting to me is the continuity between albums with this select list of favorites that I pull out individually. While there are minor differences here and there in style and sound, the overall sound, lyrics and rhythm that the band employs is something that is remarkably uniform, and the songs from this new album fits extremely well within their catalog of songs that have since been released. While with some groups, this is something to be avoided, Spoon is able to avoid this by keeping elements such as style consistent, while keeping their lyrics somewhat unpredictable. Spoon has always employed a very different sound from most bands – a sound that is minimal, off-kilter and energetic – and they do it very well.

Transference is really marked by a driving beat throughout most of the songs. The drums take on a real presence here, as much as Brit Daniel’s voice. Combined with their fairly unique guitar chatter, as well as some really cool effects n Who Makes You Money, and the album is graced with an interesting sound throughout that makes it distinctive. If you like Spoon, you’ll probably like this album. While you’ve heard it all before, that’s not a bad thing.

Stream Album – Spoon

Hype – Buy – Look – Follow

Tax Season

I just finished my taxes – Ugh. The 1040 form is supposed to be one of the most logical forms around, but it’s just a pain. I am getting a return, which is nice, but paperwork = evil. Ugh.

Taxman - The Beatles
Money - Pink Floyd
My Mathematical Mind - Spoon

Hype – Buy – Look

RIP – Sir Edmund Hillary

Sir Edmund Hillary died earlier today at the old age of 88 of heart failure in New Zealand. You might recognize his name – he was the first person to the peak of Mt. Everest, the highest mountain in the world in 1953. He was a particularly well known explorer after that, climbing numerous other peaks in the Himalayas and participated in another expedition to the South Pole.

Wild Mountain Nation – Blitzen Trapper
Mountain To Sound – Spoon

Hype – Buy – Look

The Top Ten Albums of 2007

The following list was at times very, very hard to come up with, while at other times was very easy. Early on, I knew what my top album of the year was from when I heard the first song on it, as was the second and third picks. The rest required quite a bit of deliberation.
There was a lot of good music this year. I added 2257 new songs to my music library this year, 6.3 days and 12.63 gigabites. That’s a lot of music. I found a lot of new albums that I’d never heard, rediscovered some old music and generally immersed myself in everything. Along the way, I came across a lot of good music, and some bad music.

Here’s ten albums that I really liked, but they just didn’t crack the top ten:

20 – Say No To Being Cool, Yes To Being Happy, The Softlightes
- I loved these guys sound all the way through, great first album.

19 – The Flying Cup Club, Beirut
- They’ve followed up their first with more Balkan-flavored sounds.

18 – The Reminder, Feist
-1,2,3,4 was stuck in my head for much of the summer and fall. There are plenty of worse songs out there, so I’m fortunate for that.

17 – In Our Nature, Jose Gonzalez
-Jose Gonzales followed up his fantastic first album with a fantastic second album – another cool cover and more acoustic rock goodness.

16 – Good and Reckless and True, The Alternate Routes
- Ryan Adams fans might like this one. It’s an all around solid rock album.

15 – Kismet,Jesca Hoop
- Hoop brought a fanastic, unique sound that really was pretty cool.

14 – Dylan, Bob Dylan
- This compilation of Dylan’s music pulled together a fantastic set of his entire career. A must.

13 – Neon Bible, Arcade Fire
- These guys had some really good cuts off of this album – it’s tight, together and really well done all around. Canadians were on fire this year.

12 – Little Voice, Sara Bareilles
- This first album really impressed me from her first song Love Song, but overall, the entire thing did really well, and was really solid.

11 – Who You Are, Cary Brothers
- Cary Brother’s first album was a long anticipated one from me – I don’t think that there was a track on here that I didn’t like. From the fantastic Who You Are to Blue Eyes, this is another guy who’s going to have a good career ahead of him.

Here are the albums that I loved:

This was an earlier album in the year that’s come up and down on my list before settling here at number ten. I’ve been a fan of The Shins for a while now (Yes, I found them when the rest of the world did with Garden State), but I loved both of their earlier albums. This one didn’t disappoint, with the fantastic Phantom Limb, Sea Legs, Australia and Girl Sailor. They brought along their fantastic sound and even better songwriting skills for a third fantastic time.

This album showed me that not all country is bad, and more importantly, reinforced that country songs are really storytelling songs, and that they can be really good at it. Here is a fantastic concept album of the use of horses in warfare throughout history. The title track blew me away, and as a historian, really impressed me with some of the songs.

Spoon was a band that took a bit of time to grow on me, but I was incredibly impressed with Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, their latest independent album, which is at best described as minimalist, with some fantastic new songs from them, such as Underdog, Don’t Make Me A Target, and Rhythm and Soul. It’s a great addition to their already really good repertoire.

Brandi Carlile’s follow up to her first album really surprised me this time around – my first impressions of her was lukewarm, but right from the start, this album really impressed me, and after seeing her live in concert, her energy and sound completely blew me away.

One In the Sea impressed me from the start A Fine Frenzy’s voice. It’s delicate and powerful at the same time, and coupled with her songwriting, was an incredible first effort. Her songs are both light and somber, especially with Ashes & Wine, Rangers, Hope For The Hopeless and most of the others on there. Seeing her perform with Brandi Carlile this year was a big highlight here.

This was apparently one of the most anticipated albums of the year, and for good reason. Rilo Kiley pulled out a fantastic effort here, bringing a sound that reminded me a bit of Fleetwood Mac, but with an angry indie-rock singer edge to it.

Dreamworld – Rilo Kiley

I caught Josh Ritter opening for Grace Potter and the Nocturnals earlier this summer, and really had a fun time – their latest album, The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter is a marvel of storytelling and a nice bridge of country-folk and rock music. There’s some really cool stuff here musically, and their song writing skills are certainly sharp from some of the songs here.

Rumors – Josh Ritter

I first was introduced to Ferraby Lionheart with Vermont Avenue, which sort of lurked at the back of my head for a couple of months while I heard more and more from him over the summer. Quickly, his unique sound won me over with some really great songs from this album. Like A Fine Frenzy, this is a fantastic debut album from a newcomer that I’ll be looking forward to hearing more about.

Before We’re Dead – Ferraby Lionheart

This was almost #1. It’s really, really close, because I love Sam Beam’s sound, and to hear this album compared to his other ones is a huge jump. The sound became rich, with lots of peripheral instruments, while not loosing one bit of the fantastic sound and style that he employed for his first two albums. He’s no longer a guy playing acoustic guitar in a closet, he’s out there and brought a wonderful album with him. I can’t wait to see what’s next.

Innocent Bones – Iron & Wine

This is Somewhere was easily my most anticipated album of 2007, from the beginning of the year when I first learned that the Nocturnals were putting out their first studio album. I loved it from the beginning, and not because they’re from Vermont. It’s because they’ve got an incredible sound, and have moved to a somewhat more mainstream rock sounds that really works with Grace’s vocals and the band’s talents. Their first two albums were fantastic, don’t get me wrong, but this album just plain rocked. And in person, these guys were like nothing else I’ve really seen, with an incredible amount of energy. Easily my favorite album of the year.

Mastermind - Grace Potter & The Nocturnals

Tomorrow, the best songs of 2007.

Breaking Out: Their First Major Release

Everyone gets a break, and it’s especially cool when an artist breaks out into the playing field with a major record. I don’t think of signing onto a major record label as selling out for an artist. Like the rest of us, they’re working a regular job – it’s just more visible to us. Whether that major record is good or not varies, but there are major records out there that are good. *gasp* The whole sell-out thing is just a way to pretentious for no real reason, good or otherwise.

Anyhow, here’s a couple of records that landed bands on a major record label that are quite good.

Indian Summer – Carbon Leaf

This 2004 album was Carbon Leaf’s fifth, but their first major record label with Vangard Records and represents some of their best work since their last independent album, Echo Echo. The album takes much of the energy and all of the songwriting skills from that prior album, and brings a more mainstream sound to the table, one that is quite good, compared to some of their older works, although I count Echo Echo as one of their finest albums. This major release helped bring Carbon Leaf to greater attention and publicity. Their follow up album, Love Loss Hope Repeat was also on Vanguard Records.

This Is My Song – Carbon Leaf
One Prairie Outpost – Carbon Leaf

This Is Somewhere – Grace Potter & The Nocturnals

This is Somewhere is the third album by Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, and like Indian Summer, it brought a more mainstream rock sound to Grace Potter’s repertoire. Her prior albums, Original Soul and Nothing But Water both had distinct sounds, and this one is no different. The mainstream sound here is among their best sounds thus far with a fantastic sound.

Falling Or Flying – Grace Potter & The Nocturnals
Mastermind – Grace Potter & The Nocturnals

The Crane Wife – The Decemberists

The Decemberists likewise had a number of independent albums prior to this release, all of which were a fairly acquired taste. This album really was the one that turned me onto their sound, which brings their interesting sound in line and which also brings their phenomenal songwriting skills to bear with several fantastic long songs. This album also brought the band quite a bit of acclaim and media recognition.

O Valencia! – The Decemberists
The Crane Wife 3 – The Decemberists

The Animal Years – Josh Ritter

Josh Ritter’s highly acclaimed album, The Animal Years was the first major release from Josh Ritter after a couple of independent albums. Like the other albums above, this release helped bring in line his prior sound to a more mainstream sound, but one that likewise didn’t sacrifice the songwriting or tone and feel of the music.

Good Man – Josh Ritter
Wolves – Josh Ritter

A Series of Sneaks – Spoon

Not all major releases help their artists in question. Spoon’s first major release, A Series of Sneaks, came shortly after their first album. The band signed on to Elektra Records and released the album to moderate critical acclaim and was an overall financial failure for the band. Quality-wise, the album is also far below what the band had come up with before. After their first experience with a major record label, they went back to the indie route – and they’ve remained there since, releasing several much better and more highly acclaimed albums.

Advance Cassette – Spoon
Car Radio – Spoon

Hype – Buy

Book Rant

Yesterday, a co-worker told me to go take a look at Amazon.com. There was a notice about a new product that the website is selling, the kindle. When I got home for the night, the current issue of Newsweek was sitting on the counter, with the kindle as the cover story.

The kindle is a new e-book reader that Amazon is pushing through, most likely to take advantage of the digital revolution and the effect that items such as the iPod have had on the music industry. It’s probable that Jeff Bezos is hoping to replicate the same thing with their website. It’s an interesting little device – it has the ability to connect to amazon.com and be independent of a computer. It’s got a 30 hour power life and it’s supposed to be very easy to read, given the nature of advances in screens.
What really bugs me is that the article in Newsweek leads me to believe that Amazon.com or someone high up there owns the magazine – it reads as a glowing advertisement for the product. They essentially mark this as a huge change in the way that we’re going to read.

We’re not.

This isn’t going to change anything in any major way or form. The publishing industry has tried to do the whole e-book thing earlier in the century (it’s fun to say that) and it didn’t take off. I remember thinking that the ebook readers were really cool. The only problem was that the readers were expensive, the text was harder to read, books were hard to come by and were expensive. Not to mention that it runs on batteries, which can die on you.
Compare this to the hard copy of a book. They’ve been around for five hundred years, they are flammable, but can be read at your convenience (aka, they’re not going to run out of batteries), and they’re relatively cheap. Plus, they’re not going to vanish on you when the reader has a hardware problem or if you drop it. A book, however, might incur a little damage to the cover, which is what it’s designed for.

The kindle does do some positive things in the direction towards e-books becoming popular – the reader can purchase books via the store on it’s own as a unit and it seems to be easier to read. You can get a magazine or newspaper uploaded to it. However, the huge price, ($399) is certainly not helpful, as is the fact that publishers aren’t going to lower prices for e-books – they’ll remain about the same price. This caution on their part is probably a good thing, because I don’t really see this taking off the way that the iPod has.
People said the same thing about the iPod, but the method of listening to music has advanced to match technology. Record players, 8-Tracks, cassettes, CDs and now digital versions of the song only improve upon the ways that music is purchased and listened to. Literature, on the other hand, hasn’t changed significantly over the past 500 years. It’s still printed pages bound together. This device might bring these devices more popular, but it will not, as the article suggests, change the way that we read.
This comes at a very, very interesting time. Over the past couple of days, a report was released, To Read or Not to Read: A Question of National Consequence, (article) that suggests that the number of people in the United States has dropped significantly over the past couple of years. The report looked over a broad range of ages, reading habits and is essentially an overview of a number of reports, all with the same conclusion – people read for pleasure less than they did a very short time ago.
The NPR Report that I heard about this on maintained some other interesting statistics, mainly with personal success and reading level, and the results are astonishing, and amount to the following: the younger and more consistently a young person reads, the more likely they are to succeed. The current prison population maintains about a 3% higher reading level.
Hopefully, this device will make it more accessible to people, more at least more hip. Slick electronic devices have that ability – look at the iPod compared to the other models out in the market now. I’m not wishing that this will go down in flames – I personally think that the new Sony reader, while not as good as this one, but it looks cool. I’d buy one, but the price tag is a huge factor and I’m not giving up my small library for anything. I still love the look, feel and smell of regular, old fashion, low tech books.

The Book I Write – Spoon

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Weekend Mix

Nothing really planned today, so here’s a random list of things to listen to for this weekend:

I Know the Reason – Carbon Leaf, Echo Echo
Is There A Ghost – Band of Horses, Cease to Begin
Manifest Destiny – Guster, Ganging Up On the Sun
Mean Mad Margaret – Spoon, Get Nice!
Ooh La La – Goldfrapp, His and Hers
Raindrops – Regina Spektor, Soviet Kitsch
Seen It All Before – Amos Lee, Amos Lee
Simple Twist of Fate (Bob Dylan Cover) – Jeff Tweedy, I’m Not There Soundtrack
Speed Dial No. 2 – Zero 7, When It Falls
We’re Going To Be Friends – The White Stripes, White Blood Cells
You Don’t Like Me Anyway – Joe Purdy, Sessions from Motor Ave.

Have a good weekend!

Hype – Buy

Boo!

Happy Halloween! For a bit of background, the holiday originates from the pagen holiday Samhain, from the Celts in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The name Halloween actually comes from All-Hallow-Even, which really means that it’s the night before All Hallow’s Day, aka All Saint’s Day. In Mexico, the next couple of days are called Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead. Lots of people know the day when free candy is given out.
So, to celebrate:

Devils

The Devil Never Sleeps – Iron & Wine
Sympathy for the Devil – Rolling Stones
Devil Went Down to Georgia – Charlie Daniels Band
Saint Augustine in Hell – Sting

Ghosts

The Ghost of You Lingers – Spoon
Ghost Story – Sting
Ghostbusters – Ray Parker Jr.
Is There A Ghost – Band of Horses

And the rest…

Skeleton Man Dance – Carbon Leaf
Highway to Hell – AC DC
Halloween - Dave Matthews Band

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Weekend Mix

I didn’t have anything planned to throw up here today, so here’s a random smattering of songs that I really enjoy. So, some good stuff for listening this weekend:

Apologies – Grace Potter & The Nocturnals
Fa Fa – Guster
Fall Apart Again – Brandi Carlile
Freedom – Sara Wheeler
Lovesong of the Buzzard – Iron & Wine
On The Radio – Regina Spektor
Sister Jack – Spoon
Small Planet – Ferraby Lionheart
Torn To Tattered – Carbon Leaf
Who You Are – Cary Brothers

Hype – Buy