Music Video Monday - A Thing for You

Without a doubt, one of the most original and clever music videos I've seen.

Top 10 Rachael Yamagata

Several years ago, I began a personal quest to discover more female musicians to listen to - not just pop stars who could sing and dance, but real musicians who wrote and performed music. When I embarked on this mission, my iTunes library was overflowing with male musicians (many of them from this very series of top ten lists: Ben Folds, Dave Matthews Band, Coldplay, etc.), but female musicians were dismally underrepresented. That's when I came across Rachael Yamagata's album Happenstance and my journey truly began. It is a beautiful, original and stunning album. Between Rachael and Ingrid Michaelson, my love for female singer-songwriters began and my iTunes library reflects it with many more brilliant and talented female musicians. Many people haven't heard of Rachael Yamagata, but if you like other original female singer-songwriters like Regina Spektor, Ingrid Michaelson, Elizabeth & the Catapult, Feist or Kate Nash, you may enjoy Rachael's subtle and soulful songwriting.

1. Collide - Rachael Yamagata EP - Not to be confused with the Howie Day song, this song may not be fit for mainstream radio, but that's okay with me - in fact, that may be why I like it so much. It's strange, experimental and compelling all at the same time. Love the strings at 3:10 and the following piano solo. Great chaos/clarity moment.
2. Worn Me Down - Happenstance - Probably Rachael's most famous single (though still not played that much on the radio), in spite of it's subject matter (heartbreak, cheating), it's upbeat with a ridiculously catchy melody. Definitely one of Rachael's most accessible songs for new listeners.
3. Sunday Afternoon - Elephants... Teeth Sinking Into Heart - Wonderfully arranged, the strings are ethereal. This 9-minute song may be Rachael's magnum opus, it plays like a movement to a symphony.
4. 1963 - Happenstance - One of Rachael's peppier, happier songs (much of her music is somber but gorgeous), another great start for Rachael neophytes.
5. Would you Please - Rachael Yamagata EP - This song gives new meaning to a beautifully sad song. Love the way it was recorded. The guitar and vocals sound amazing as well as the background sounds.
6. Known for Years - Rachael Yamagata EP - "It'd be a shame to make believe, it's better to leave"
7. Under My Skin - Happenstance - An unusual song, the two parts are quite disparate, but it all seems to fit in the end and Rachael sings the bridge stunningly.
8. Letter Read - Happenstance - I like the orchestration in this song. The drum beat, the piano riff, followed by the bass, it has the sound of improvisation. I'm also quite fond of the chorus.
9. I Want You - Happenstance - I just had to listen to the first 10 seconds to know I was going to like this song. Fortunately, the rest of the song is equally interesting and enjoyable. I love how Rachael sings "no one". And any song with a clarinet is okay by my books.
10. What If I Leave - Elephants... Teeth Sinking Into Heart - Like a lot of Rachael's music, this song is subtle and pensive. There are some songs that may be more passionate (even angry), but in this one Rachael seems calm and at peace.

1963 (Album Version) - Rachael Yamagata

Top 10 Counting Crows

I remember Counting Crows being fairly popular in the 90s with their hits "Mr. Jones" and "Hangin' Around", but I don't know how many people still listen to them (other than when watching Shrek)- I don't hear them mentioned much, but that may just be in the circles I socialize with. I don't listen to Counting Crows all the time - in fact, before writing this list, the last time I seriously listened to their music was back in April. Nevertheless, when the mood is right, few things satisfy as much as a listen to "Mrs. Potter's Lullaby" or these other tunes:

1. Mrs. Potter's Lullaby - This Desert Life - "Mrs. Potter's Lullaby" is not just a song, it's a journey, an adventure, a story, the perfect road trip song (the best road trip songs are long, like road trips) - I imagine listening to this song while driving down the highway with the windows rolled down and the sun just beginning to set. It's the kind of song where a single verse can make my mind wander for minutes afterward. It's about the actress Monica Potter (Con Air, Patch Adams, Head Over Heels), but it's also about dreams, journeys and memories. It's epic, rambling, folksy and a must-hear for all Counting Crows fans.
2. Rain King - August & Everything After - This is the type of 90s music you can come back to after a decade and still enjoy (a la Third Eye Blind) instead of hanging your head wondering what you were thinking (a la Ace of Base).
3. Hard Candy - Hard Candy - Great upbeat song to start off a solid, underrated album.
4. Angels of the Silences - Recovering the Satellites - One of their "rock"-ier songs, but still uniquely Counting Crows.
5. I'm Not Sleeping - Recovering the Satellites - I'm probably not the only one who thinks the build up to the chorus rocks. And the string arrangements are awesome.
6. Carriage - Hard Candy - It took me a while to come up with this one. It was between this, "Why Should You Come When I Call" and "Butterfly in Reverse", all from the same album. I ended with this one because I think it is the most original in terms of Counting Crows' repertoire. I love the slower, relaxed pace and the trumpet solo is perfect (is the musician using a straight mute?), I like how Adam rhymes the line "I wish that I was anesthetized and sterilized". Lastly, the guitar solo at the end is sublime.
7. Sundays - Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings - There's actually quite a few songs I like from the band's most recent album, including "Los Angeles", "Hanging Tree" and "Cowboys", but this song seems to be a real throwback to their earlier stuff and it works splendidly.
8. Holiday In Spain - Hard Candy - What a beautiful, sad song. I really like Adam Duritz's performance on this one. "they left the television screaming that the radio's on..."
9. Four Days - This Desert Life - This tune sort of reminds me of some Barenaked Ladies songs, which together, send me back to the euphoric 90s.
10. Amy Hit the Atmosphere - This Desert Life - This was one of my favorite Counting Crows songs in high school and I still think it has a lot of merit. It has an easygoing feel, ambient electric guitars and an interesting chain of melodies. "All I really know is I wanna know, and all I really know is I don't wanna know..."

Rain King - Counting Crows

Top 10 Keane

1. Leaving So Soon? - Under the Iron Sea - I don't think this is my favorite Keane song of all time, but it energized and motivated me to create this list and it's a fabulous reminder of why I enjoy Keane so much: soaring pop-rock vocals, catchy melodies and creative instrumentation. And the giant inhale at the start is perfect.
2. This is the Last Time - Hopes and Fears - This is an altogether great album, but this song remains one of my all time favorites. I really like the beat the piano establishes from the beginning and then it's amplified by the drums and bass.
3. Your Eyes Open - Hopes and Fears - This song has a good groove, probably because of the bass part throughout. It's nice it doesn't drown out the piano though - they do a great job of balancing the instruments. I like the spacey bit around 2:20, which is definitely typical of Keane.
4. Time to Go - Perfect Symmetry - After many, many listens of the band's latest album, Perfect Symmetry, this song may be my favorite - and I really do like the whole CD. Oddly, this song is sort of the misfit on the album because it's the only acoustic song (just guitar, piano and vocals) and it's also one of the most straightforward, in terms of melody and form. In my opinion, it's also one of the most beautiful. Tom Chaplin really can sing.
5. We Might As Well Be Strangers - Hopes and Fears - Let lead vocalist Tom Chaplin turn an otherwise normal ballad into a wild, dramatic performance. It's nice when a rock band exhibits dynamics.
6. Spiralling - Perfect Symmetry - Wonderfully unique, bizarre and catchy, all at the same time. Love, politics, religion, rhetorical questions and a spacey bridge around 3:00. That about sums it up.
7. The Way You Want It - The Way You Want It Single - Great songwriting. Just piano. Different sound from the rest of their more electronic stuff.
8. Nothing in My Way - Under the Iron Sea - Love the chorus.
9. Snowed Under - Somewhere Only We Know EP - "You know sometimes I feel like I'm getting snowed under with the things you say, when I open my eyes and it's a lovely day"
10. Somewhere Only We Know - Hopes and Fears - Maybe a little cheesy and definitely overplayed on the radio for a while (think: the summer of 2004) but a classic nonetheless (along the lines of Coldplay's "The Scientist" or "In My Place"). This was the song that got me hooked on the band.

Snowed Under - Keane


Spiralling - Keane

Music Video Monday - Ben Lee

Is it just me or does Ben Lee look like Art Garfunkel in this video performance?

Top 10 Ingrid Michaelson

Ingrid is quickly becoming the standard by which I measure all my favorite female singer-songwriters: Meiko, Tristan Prettyman, Colbie Caillet, Erin McCarley, even artists who may have been around longer than Ingrid, KT Tunstall, (Leslie) Feist, the list goes on. This just goes to show the overarching influence Ingrid has had on my musical tastes these last few years. Katie introduced me to her music a few years ago and I immediately fell in love with the album Girls and Boys; I don't know if I can accurately describe it, but there's something about Ingrid's songs and her singing (even in recordings, I've sadly never heard her perform live), that sounds so personal and honest. I think there's some musicians who write music for others, the public, and there's musicians who write music for themselves. I don't think either is right or wrong, but I suspect Ingrid is the latter. Her songs are usually reflective and sensitive and always unique and beautiful. Unlike some of the other female singer-songwriters I've listened to, Ingrid has managed to succeed in the daunting task of sounding distinct and yet having variety within her songs. Any musician that accomplishes this challenging feat should be applauded. Admittedly, there's also something magnetic about a woman who plays an instrument, writes her own music and sings. Some presume only women think this way about men who play the guitar or piano, but trust me, nothing is more attractive than a woman who can play an instrument and sing well (yes, they're even sexier than girls dancing in skimpy outfits posing as musicians - you know who you are). iTunes classifies Ingrid as pop, but I think she's the exact opposite, whatever that is, anti-pop, the antithesis of pop, folk, good...



1. December Baby - Girls and Boys - In the last few lists I've written it's been difficult choosing a number 10; on this one, it was difficult choosing a number 1. I adore so much of Ingrid's music, but this one really stands out to me as a well-written, beautiful, sad, love story. And as if you didn't already know I'm a sucker for songs with accelerandos (that is, songs that speed up), I love the accelerando-jumble 4 minutes in, the musical rest and then clarity - it's like a good movie.
2. Far Away - Girls and Boys - Another wonderful narrative. Peppier than "December Baby" but equally brilliant and genuine. I love the verse lyrics and rhymes: "I will live my life as a lobsterman's wife on an island in the blue bay. He will take care of me, he will smell like the sea, and close to my heart he'll always stay."
3. Overboard - Girls and Boys - Being a guy, I don't know if women actually feel this way, but I suspect some do and it seems to me to be a realistic and healthy response to falling in love.
4. Charlie - Slow the Rain - I also really like "Empty Bottle" and "Porcelain Fists" from this album, but this one has received the most listens on my ipod.
5. Starting Now - Girls and Boys - Another, very different portrayal of love, but nonetheless valid and honest.
6. The Hat - Girls and Boys - "I knitted you a hat all blue and gold
To keep your ears warm from the Binghamton cold.
It was my first one and it was too small.
It didn't fit you at all, but you wore it just the same." Aw... first love.
7. Be OK - Be OK - Ridiculously catchy and infectious.
8. Breakable - Girls and Boys - I love how Ingrid's vocal parts surprise me. There's time when she sings a verse or line and I expect the note to go one way (based on listening to so many other artists and melodies) and it goes another way. Her originality is stunning.
9. Keep Breathing - Be OK - Plain and simple a beautifully written song - it's as if the piano and guitar parts are dancing.
10. Turn to Stone - Turn to Stone Single - This song is very new and hasn't withstood the test of time yet but out of Ingrid's most recent singles (see also "Maybe" and "All Love", I think it is the best and gets me very excited for her upcoming album Everybody which comes out next Tuesday, August 25th). Yes, the tempos change during the song :) For those of you who are interested, Ingrid is showcasing a new song from her upcoming album each day leading up the release on her website.

*Bonus video: Ingrid performs a rap remix of her hit single "The Way I Am" on the Bob & Tom show.

Top 10 Coldplay

Coldplay concerts have not only been some of the best concerts I've seen and heard, they've been some of the best times in my life: driving down to San Francisco with my wife and seeing Coldplay at the HP Pavilion Center in San Jose, going over to the White River Ampitheatre in Auburn, WA with my friend and most recently, this July at the Gorge. Perhaps there's something mysteriously uplifting about Coldplay's music that comes to the surface during live performances and creates a sense of euphoria. I think it can be heard in their studio recordings too; even the slow, somber songs sound hopeful. Their concerts also benefit from the fact they're fantastic performers who know how to put on a show. At the Gorge, giant yellow balloons floated across the crowd during "Yellow" and tiny paper butterflies flew over the audience during "Lovers in Japan", Coldplay left the stage to come in to the crowd to perform a few numbers including "The Hardest Part" and a cover of Michael Jackson's Billie Jean.

1. Warning Sign - A Rush of Blood to the Head - my favorite song of theirs to play on the piano. One thing I like about Coldplay's music is how simple their melodies are - they do an amazing job of orchestrating the different instruments to make the songs sonically interesting - one melody line may be played by a piano, guitar and sung all at different times or as harmonies at the same time. The piano parts aren't difficult to play, which allows me to enjoy their music in yet another way.
2. Shiver - Parachutes - This song is somewhat difficult to play on the piano, I don't know about the guitar parts, but I've never seen this song performed live and I really want to. I love the last minute of the song where you think it's going to end and Chris gives us one more verse.
3. The Scientist - A Rush of Blood to the Head - Simply a classic (you can watch the music video at the end of this post).
4. Clocks - A Rush of Blood to the Head - Regardless of how many times I've heard this on the radio, it's still one of my favorite songs. There's also this cool latin version by Coldplay and Rhythms del Mundo Cuba on iTunes - very, very cool.
5. Life in Technicolor II - Prospekt's March - Loved the original, love the extended version even more.
6. Don't Panic - Parachutes - So, so simple, and so, so beautiful. The poetic lyrics are perfect: "Bones, sinking like stones, all that we've fought for. Homes, places we've grown, all of us are done for. And we live in a beautiful world."
7. Yes - Viva la Vida - I love all the parts of this song from the strings at the beginning, to the haunting vocals and the electric guitar shift midway through. Probably some of their best songwriting.
8. Politik - A Rush of Blood to the Head - A classic by my books. This is about as "hard" as Coldplay gets (which incidentally is very, very soft) and I especially like the change of tone about 3 minutes in.
9. Brothers and Sisters - Trouble (B-Sides) EP - Great guitar part and another gorgeous melody.
10. Low - X & Y - This album is a bit more electronic sounding than their other albums, but it still offers many unique and enjoyable tunes, including "Square One" and "Swallowed by the Sea". Ironically, I think "Low" is one of the highlights of this album.


The Scientist (Edit) - Coldplay