1. Earbuds start to feel comfortable 2. You drive and rate songs 3. You've trained yourself to talk at a normal volume while listening to music 4. You don't just remember the order of individual albums, but entire 100 track playlists 5. You walk around in public and pretend you have your own soundtrack 6. You've gone to the bathroom with your iPod (or at least thought about it) 7. You binge shop on iTunes music store (and sometimes have buyer's remorse) 8. You fast forward songs to get the song count 9. You've driven while wearing earbuds 10. Your iPod has a name
Ages ago I posted about the Ingrid Michaelson concert in Portland and promised to post soon about one of her opening acts, Newton Faulkner.
Then finals happened. Not having been a student in a while, I'd forgotten how all-consuming finals week can be. In case you've forgotten too, let me remind you: finals eat your life.
Thankfully, just moments ago, I finished writing my final paper (hurrah!) and am now officially on Christmas break. So, without further ado, here are my thoughts on an artist I think you all should check out: Newton Faulkner.
When Newton first walked out on the stage (after David Ford, before Ingrid), I was a little skeptical. I promise I don't have anything against people with dreadlocks. It was probably more that my feet were starting to hurt at this point, and I was just eager for Ingrid to start. Despite my initial skepticism, I was quickly won over by Newton's beautiful voice and unique guitar skills.
His website explains it like this: Newton plays the guitar with a "distinctive tap-pick-and-strum technique that allows him to use the instrument as guitar, bass and drums all at once." At one point during the show, my boyfriend leaned over and asked, "He isn't actually playing the guitar is he?" His technique is truly unlike anything I've ever seen before and results in sounds coming out of the guitar that I never knew were possible. Without seeing him live, it's hard to fully appreciate what I'm talking about, but I think you can hear it a little on the beautiful track, "I Need Something."
Besides being talented, the British singer-songwriter is quirky, something I particularly look for in new favorite artists. He has a particularly odd song called "UFO," and at the Wonder Ballroom he performed an impressive cover of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody."
The video below is for "Dream Catch Me," the lead single on his 2008 album Hand Built by Robots. If you haven't heard it on the radio yet, I'm guessing you will soon.
Two months ago, someone posted an anonymous tip on Kharmonious to check out Brooke Waggoner (whoever you are: thank you). About a month ago, I did (you can too: for free). Two weeks later I purchased her studio album "Heal for the Honey" on iTunes (it's breathtaking, brilliant, sweeping, phenomenal - I'll write a full review later). Today I checked out her myspace profile and there was this widget for demanding her to perform in a particular city. Of course, I know it's a marketing ploy (I'm in marketing after all) albeit a unique one I haven't seen before. Nonetheless, I couldn't resist trying it (and you can all watch me eat my own words when Brooke Waggoner comes to town). If anyone else cares, wants to see Brooke come to Spokane or just wants to amuse me, click on the link below:
No this isn't some secret, fringe, uncensored music video - this is the music video to Ben Fold's Five song called "Underground". I don't remember when I first saw it, but the album cover for Whatever and Ever Amen reminded me of it (even though it's actually on their self-titled debut album). The film quality is amateur at best, but it's a catchy tune and the video is kind of funny (at least to me). Enjoy!
Already mentioned "Heal Over" and "Stoppin the Love" on KT Tunstall's Eye to the Telescope, here are ten more songs that are better than the singles you may be familiar with from the radio:
1. "Brick" on Whatever and Ever Amen by Ben Folds Five / my recommendation: "Smoke"
2. "The Middle" on Bleed American by Jimmy Eat World / my recommendation: "If You Don't, Don't"
3. "Beverly Hills" on Make Believe by Weezer / my recommendation: "Haunt You Every Day"
4. "Hanging By a Moment" on No Name Face by Lifehouse / my recommendation: "Cling and Clatter"
5. "By The Way" on By the Way by Red Hot Chili Peppers / my recommendation: "The Zephyr Song"
6. "If You're Gone" on Mad Season by Matchbox Twenty / my recommendation: "Angry"
7. "Shattered" on All Sides by O.A.R. / my recommendation: "Something Coming Over"
8. "Waiting on the World to Change" on Continuum by John Mayer / my recommendation: "Bold as Love"
9. "She Will Be Loved" on Songs About Jane by Maroon 5 / my recommendation: "Must Get Out"
10. "One Week" on Stunt by Barenaked Ladies / my recommendation: "Light Up My Room"
I know there's hundreds of thousands more; tell me your favorites.
I thought about this after writing my last post: most singles played on the radio are inferior to the rest of the album, sometimes they don't represent the album or artist at all (like "Brick" from Whatever and Ever Amen by Ben Folds Five - good song, but unlike virtually everything else they ever did). I'll write a full post on this later, but here's a quickie I came across listening to my iPod at work: KT Tunstall's album Eye to the Telescope... singles were the overplayed "Suddenly I See" and "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree". My recommendations are "Heal Over" and "Stoppin the Love".
The Fray's new single "You Found Me" has done respectably on the charts (#28 on Billboard's US Hot 100). The Fray is a talented piano-driven rock band out of Denver whose biggest hits were "How to Save a Life" and "Over My Head (Cable Car)".
"You Found Me" is not their greatest song and it treads some familiar territory from their first studio album How to Save a Life. It begins gradually with a short piano riff and a sonically pleasant, but unspectacular verse and then predictably adds guitar and drums about half a minute in. It picks up around 1:30 when the drum beat changes and then slows down again during the bridge. It's not a bad song (and everyone knows singles are generally not the best songs from an album), but if it sounds too much like their first album, I fear it'll be easily forgotten (and won't move the band forward, which would be a shame because they're a great band with mass appeal and fun to watch live). My hope is that the rest of the album will take a few more risks and they'll play with their song progression a bit more. Their new album, self-titled The Fray is scheduled to release February 3rd, 2009.
Listen to the single "You Found Me" for yourself and let me know what you think.
