Dude, where's my music: Addendum

That list got me thinking about something else. Unheralded songs by well known artists that deserve more press. These are the songs that might be a B-Side or never got any real play. But they are the songs that really solidified my relationship with these stellar bands.

My All-Star B-Side List

1. U2- "North and South of the River". This song came out in the midst of the Pop experimentation. But it really stood out at the time because it hearkened back to the earnest yearning of their earlier work. The song has a beautiful and building melody and it is definitely deserving of a few listens.
2. REM- "Sweetness Follows". It gets completely overshadowed by the more commercial songs from Automatic. But this is the most emotional and touching song on that album.
3. Beatles- "Mother Natures Son". It's hard to say that any Beatles song is under appreciated and I'm sure that even this song has been covered 43 times. But it is another simple song that is probably the most geniune song that Paul put out. Doesn't have the typical Paul pop sound at all.
4. Bono- "Dreaming with Tears in My Eyes". This is easily the best the Bono's voice has sounded in the last 10 years. This song is an old Jimmy Rogers cover and he absolutely hits it out of the park.
5. Sting- "Why Should I Cry for You". Off of Sting's best album and besides, "All this Time" his best solo song. Alot of depth and emotion here. To often Sting gets lost in jazzy, bloated numbers but this song connects.
6. David Gray- "Now and Always". Many people only equate "Babylon" to him but he has a pretty good collection. This song has great texture and a great build.
7. Cold Play "Shiver". Some very good and earnest Cold Play. It reminds me of early U2 because it is a very pure, emotional, and unadulterated sound. I often like early music from the big bands because it seems more unspoiled.
8. Death Cab for Cutie "What Sarah Said". Great lyrics, great beat, good melody. It's a very accessible song and a tribute to Ben Gibbard's song writing.
9. Foo Fighters "Walking After You". A relatively mellow song from a group I don't typically listen to. Maybe it was the fact that it was featured on the X-Files soundtrack that has made it an endearing favorite. All in all, good piece.
10. Oingo Boingo "Flesh and Blood". An absolute gem that gets buried by all of those over played 80's sound track songs that obscure the remainder of the Boingo catalog. Danny Elfman knew how to write a great pop song. It's a darn shame that he was just as talented writing stuff for Tim Burton movies.
    

Dude, where’s my music?

Since we have become a “list” society I thought I’d join the fray. With Austin City Limits just around the corner I decided that I’d turn my attention to some smaller bands that merit further interest. These aren’t your garden variety mass-market bands like Coldplay or U2; these are musicians with a smaller and more specific sound and audience. Here are my current top 10 favorite smaller bands. I’ve been listening to these guys for quite awhile now but I haven’t found anything new that really merits much interest.

10. Beulah- An excellent combination of upbeat horns, interesting lyrics, and catchy tunes. This is the type of music that you would listen to if you were invited to a hip urban house party. Start off with “Score from Augusta” as it has great summer peppiness to it and finish your introduction off with “A Good Man is Easy to Kill” as it is their finest work.
9. Calexico- A great Tucson band that melds folk music with the deep tones familiar with traditional rural Mexican music. And they pull it off, introducing the average listener to sounds that they would traditionally avoid. I would recommend starting off with “History of Lovers” as it is a good gateway song and gives off a nice Neil Young vibe.
8. Bright Eyes- Conner Oberst has kind of been the sexy critic’s choice when it comes to song writing. But he does merit the accolades. His lyrics provide a depth and color to songs not often found this side of Bob Dylan. You can be swept away by the mood just by reading the liner notes. But if you are going to listen to some songs I’d recommend “Hot Knives” or “A Song to Pass the Time”.
7. Elf Power- A quirky band from Athens Georgia that will immediately evoke images of rustic elves….never mind, just listen. Most of their songs have a strong driving beat and some interesting additional instruments. Give “Come Lie Down with Me” and “King of Earth” and you’ll see what I mean.
6. The Shout Out Louds- A beautiful Swedish band that evokes memories of the Cure, but without the Robert Smith hair or dourness. Their percussion is as distinct and strong as anything this side of “The National”. Go ahead and sample “Out Loud” and “Normandie” and wax nostalgic about “Staring at the Sea”.
5. Sufjan Stevens- Like Bright Eyes, Mr. Stevens has received a lot of critical press. He is an exceptionally prolific writer so you might be completely inundated with the volume of his ever growing catalog. A lot of it is slightly experimental and hit and miss. Stick with these instant classics- “Come on Feel the Illinoise! Pt 1. The World’s Columbian Exposition”, “Chicago”, “No Man’s Land” or “”He Woke Me Up Again”.
4. Cafe Tacuba- I’ve been trumpeting this band ever since I stumbled upon their sound as a young college intern in Los Mochis Mexico. They are on the tip of the innovative “Rock En Espanol” movement. While their last album wasn’t up to their typical eclectic and innovative standards it was still head and shoulders above everything else coming out of the region. I don’t want to limit my recommendations so listen to the following albums in their entirety- “Re”, and “Cuatro Caminos”. You will be astounded by their energy, depth, variety, and creativity.
3. The National- My friend Wade said it best about the National. “To sum…while not the best music by whatever metric you choose, their music resonates with us because they capture and deliver what it means to be a thirty-something semi-progressive, semi-urban dude (us, if we drank), so we listen to it, again and again.” Their music has some great texture and their percussion is absolutely intoxicating. Listen to “Mr. November”, “The Geese of Beverly Road”, “Daughters of the Soho Riots”, and “Start a War”.
2. Sea Wolf- Remember those old OC soundtracks? They always showcased the hippest and coolest up and coming acts. If Sea Wolf would have been around 5 years ago they would have been one of the cover bands. Their melodies are simple but well executed, their lyrics typical but heartfelt, and their image superficial but still cool. Girls and sensitive men rejoice. I strongly recommend “The Garden That you Planted”, “Sea Monuments”, and “Leaves in the River”.
1. Matt Costa- He does the whole relaxed, acoustic surfer social guitar sound better then the current titan, Jack Johnson. His voice is as smooth and melodic as the evening waves breaking on the North Shore. I am very surprised that he hasn’t gotten more coverage. So sit out by the pool, throw some skewers on the BBQ and listen to “Cold December”, “Yellow Taxi” and “Astair”

The Century of Self.....A Nation of Selfishness

Thanks to Gar for introducing me to www.tv-links.cc and this particular documentary.

We are often fascinated with conspiracy theories. We love watching movies with dark and shadowy figures that seek to manipulate the public for personal gain and profit. Well here is the documentary for you.

It discusses how Edward Bernays shaped the 20th century. After watching this you would be convinced that he was the most influential figure of the past century. Using the principles of his uncle Freud he shaped public opinion, used psycho analysis to convince us what to buy, helped the CIA commit some of its most nefarious acts, helped elect Reagan, Clinton and Blair. Every seminal moment or trend from the 1920's to the present has felt his influential hand.

Randomizer Volume IV Series I

It's been awhile....it is time to revisit the series. It represents an easy and simple way to capture the myriad, random thoughts that ping pong their way through my existence.

Brett Favre- Seriously, man make up your mind. Decisions really aren't that hard to make. You've strung along a franchise according to your whims. But as a Cowboys fan I hope that you continue to string along the Packers and that you sign with the Vikings. You can singlehandedly implode two competitors even before the first preseason game claims it's first superstar through freak injury.

Mr. Mormon Missionary Calendar Guy- Hats off to Chad Hardy for getting the attention that he's been working hard to achieve. His Calendar is back in the news now that his church membership is in jeopardy. Personally I wasn't too offended by the idea or calendar. I was a little surprised that the church has gotten involved but I understand why. But let's get to the heart of the matter. Barnum and Bailey would be proud of the way that Chad has used this event to get his name back into the press. From the article it seems clear that he no longer is an active and practicing member. If church membership meant anything to him he wouldn't have sent the press a copy of the summons and as a result he would have sort of been sympathetic. But it seems obvious that he's not out for sympathy; he's out for publicity and sales. Talk about selling your birthright for a mess of porridge.

We now run?- Ever since the Ragnar Wasatch Back there has been a definite buzz amongst my friends when it comes to running. A few of them even pulled off a 1/2 marathon last weekend. In high school none of us ever really considered running. We all had very active lifestyles and the act of running for the sake of running was kind of weird. After all we did plenty of running in football, basketball, and being teenagers. But now those opportunities have thinned out and running has become a plausible option. It represents a challenge and something to strive for.

A new Bluth boy adventure- Every few months I dust off my Arrested Development DVDs and rediscover comedy. It's becoming increasingly difficult to encounter quality comedy within the narrow confines of mainstream media. We'll I've discovered a Fox Studio Store that sells screen worn items from shows such as Arrested Development. I've become a big fan of the idea and I'm holding out for either an old Reyn Spooner shirt from George Michael or a nice Michael Bluth dress shirt. If all else fails I can buy a Buster Bluth prosthetic hand.

Patriot Games…thoughts from the 4th of July weekend

I’ve lived in Phoenix for several years now and I still haven’t gotten used to celebrating the 4th of July here. That is because we typically flee to the north for the holiday where we can celebrate with parades, chuck wagon breakfasts, 5k runs, and water fights. This was the first year that was actually spent here. And while yes, we did have a nice neighborhood parade/breakfast, it was a quick operation designed to end before the heat pushed the mercury from oppressive to insanely oppressive. So we joined the throngs of people and headed to….yes, the mall.

It was strange indeed. I sat in the main hallway waiting while Jodi thumbed her way through the Anthropologie. I observed countless people going up and down the concourse just like a typical Saturday. There were no visible indications of the holiday other then a few stores advertising a few sales that mentioned the day. I sat there waiting and thinking about our evening plans. Back home in Utah there were myriad patriotic events complete with fireworks. Here the only major advertised event was a party in Tempe.

So we wrapped up the day with a BBQ and a little emptiness. I thought about what made this so weird and the big common denominator was tradition, or lack thereof. In Phoenix the heat is so brutal it prevents any great massive celebrations or activities that might engender grand traditions or displays of patriotism. Most people flee to cooler climes or visit relatives up North. The result is that there is little going on and little that resembles the pomp and circumstance of my youth.

Moving on……

During the week of the fourth I read “What Happened”, the book by Scott McClellan. It was a pretty honest, and sometimes negative account, of his experience as the Press Secretary in the Bush Whitehouse. It was of particular interest to me due to the fact that my friend also served in the Administration as a Spokesman.

I, like many Americans, have become more and more jaded with the direction of our Country and politicians over the last few years. 8 years ago I was staunchly Republican who saw Bush as the man who would cross the Political divide and lead Washington out of the cesspool that had been created by a few decades of partisanship and bitterness. The world was more black and white and absolute back then.

Now things have changed. I’ve seen leaders in the Republican Party do the same things that I once excoriated the Democrats for doing. I’ve seen countless more posturing and I’ve seen less accomplished. I’ve witnessed our Country go from being an economic and global power to a “has been” with little respect and a foundering economy. This is just the past few years!

“What Happened” discusses this environment in some length and blames it on the “zero sum game” environment of Washington, the quest for power, and the persistence of the “permanent campaign” where decisions are based on polls and marketing. In Scott’s mind the Bush Whitehouse entered Washington with good intentions but quickly got bogged down in the game that has been played there since the Nixon days.

It was an interesting read and I feel that it effectively captures the mood of all those Americans that feel like Washington has become completely disaffected from reality. I’m glad that I read it because it made me sit back and take a look at my political tendencies and assess if the current political leadership is capable of solving our complex problems.

I think that a grass roots change is fomenting. In the past it was easy to have an apathetic opinion towards politics because we all had jobs and our lifestyles weren’t being threatened. We cast a blind eye to all the politicians and their shenanigan’s because our lives were fine. Now the economy is on the rocks and years of myopia and special interests have caught up and we all have to come to grips with this ugly situation. This problem might require some sacrifice and concessions; two things that have been in short supply the last couple of years.

Marketing Lacuna

Starting your own business is fraught with intrigue, heartache, possibility, and satisfaction. I've gotten off to a good start but I've come to the conclusion that I need to build some credibility within the local Phoenix market. All of my business to date has been generated through my established network my future growth will depend on how well I'm able to communicate my message to companies that are just meeting me.

So I've joined a few professional associations and I've decided to come up with affordable ways to get my brand some exposure. I have some contacts at Jobing.com and they are looking to grow their traffic and loyalty by assembling a series of blogs written by certain 'experts.' I was contacted to write some pieces. My angle is this- "Apply marketing principles to the jobsearch". The idea being that these principles will provide job seekers with fresh and more effective ways to market themselves to prospective employers. I build credibility for myself and get exposure to a website that gets 50,000+ unique visits a day, a good percentage being employers that could also use my services.

Here is a link to my Jobing.com profile