Monthly Archives: August 2009

1000 Minutes: Andy #28

 1000 Minutes: Andy #28Due to the fact that my girlfriend and I have been sucked in by the first season of True Blood (pun intended), I don’t have a pithy opening prepared for this morning’s post.  With that said, let’s get after the latest installment of my 1000 Minutes Project.

57. The Cure – Mint Car (Acoustic Version) (mp3) original on Wild Mood Swings (3:30) [Time Remaining: 717:09]

It could be telling that I didn’t choose a song by The Cure from their heyday, but they didn’t enter my consciousness until long after their peak.  The ability to view their career more as a whole than by each release affords a listener a chance to experience a band on individual terms, and “Mint Car” has always been more poignant than their other work.

I have never viewed Robert Smith as a cultish savior of any kind, but I appreciate the description of new love, young love, love of any kind, really.  It’s often the ability to express perfectly that which I’m unable to that makes a song more engaging for me.  Plus, The Format name-dropped the song too, and you can’t go wrong with them either.

58. The Hold Steady – Massive Nights (mp3) from Boys and Girls in America (2:54) [Time Remaining: 714:15]

If I haven’t made it obvious to this point, allow me to make a blanket statement about songs I like: artists that capture an immediacy in their lyrics, and can translate it into the music will always have a special place in my heart.  If you don’t know what the hell I’m talking about, take a listen to The Hold Steady’s “Massive Nights” – a stirring tribute to the confusion and passion of being a teenager.  And while the specific events the song describes are certainly not applicable for everyone, the overall feeling of the song is undoubtedly universal.

New Releases: August 25

 New Releases: August 25This week actually isn’t a horrific one for new music – a couple of good releases, some mediocre, some classics and some has-beens.  It looks, actually, like what each week should look like, in contrast to the schlock that’s been foisted upon the public for the past few weeks.

As a member of the music buying public, I’m personally going to purchase the Imogen Heap album, along with the new efforts from Arctic Monkeys and Fun, and Blitzen Trapper’s new/old EP.  That’s not to say you should copy me, or even that the following list will contain anything which tickles your personal fancy.  Check out the complete list of what’s due out this week here, and get a couple tracks after the list like we usually do.  Have a great week, and I hope you all find something to love.

Arctic Monkeys – Humbug
Blitzen Trapper – Black River Killer EP
Colbie Caillat – Breakthrough
Collective Soul – Collective Soul
Dolores O’Riordan – No Baggage
Fun. – Aim and Ignite
Imogen Heap – Ellipse
Ingrid Michaelson – Everybody
Jet – Shaka Rock
Matisyahu – Light
Queen Latifah – Persona
Willie Nelson – American Classic
Yngwie Malmsteen – The Genesis

Blitzen Trapper – Black River Killer (mp3) from Furr

Fun. – Benson Hedges (Demo Version) (mp3)

Imogen Heap – Goodnight and Go (mp3) from Speak for Yourself

Maritime

51n0uBUq4wL. SL500 AA280  MaritimeContrary to yesterday’s post, I am fairly certain this song will be enjoyable to a large populace. What is similar about this song compared to yesterday, is that I have had it bouncing it around for a while on my computer yet have written nothing about it. I also haven’t listened to the remainder of this record either in efforts to get a further impression about the band’s music, but once again plan to remedy that fact shortly.

Maritime – Calm (mp3) from We, the Vehicles

Mason Proper

31Nf8junRfL. SL500 AA280  Mason ProperI’ve had this song bouncing around for a while now and haven’t written anything about it. I actually like it quite a lot, though I’m not sure if it’s the type of song lots of people will enjoy. I also haven’t actually listened to any of the rest of the album, so I can’t give anyone an impression of what their other work sounds like, though I plan to remedy that shortly.

Mason Proper – Safe For The Time Being (mp3) from Olly Oxen Free

1000 Minutes: Dave #26

 1000 Minutes: Dave #26Today’s 1000 Minute post is going to be quick and to the point. Check out the linked page if you have no idea what this is about.

52. Spiritualized – Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space (mp3) from Ladies and Gentleman We Are Floating In Space (3:42) [Time Remaining: 786:42]

This song is fucking gorgeous. It should be since it is basically Pachelbel’s Cannon. And once again it was used in Vanilla Sky. Cameron Crowe certainly knows his music.

53. Spoon – I Summon You (mp3) from Gimme Fiction (3:55) [Time Remaining: 782:47]

I haven’t included a Spoon song thus far, because I couldn’t quite place which of theirs would be my favorite. They are pretty high on any list of favorite bands I might make, and since this is clearly an Sp bands type of day in my 1K, I felt it was time. To limit my search I started looking at albums as a whole to quickly eliminate possibly unworthy selections. Immediately Ga x5 was eliminated, and as much as I love it, so too was Kill the Moonlight. I also eliminated some older stuff and EP’s, and decided to focus on their modern masterpiece Gimme Fiction. From this album I selected a few favorites and ultimately decided the above track was my favorite, but man was it incredibly tough.