Tag: glen-handsard-and-marketa-irglova

five song friday, movie musings, music musings, music suggestion

5SF: september 4

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Yesterday, I was thinking about what I was going to post today, and I had a little difficulty coming up with the five songs that I wanted to share. I decided to ask my fellow twitterati what they thought I should post, and I got several excellent suggestions; three of which I am actually going to feature today! Let’s get started! (Note: I think every song has a bad word or two in it, so don’t blast these at work unless you don’t care; just wanted to give the heads up)

The Swell Season – In These Arms
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_94_theswellseason-inthesearms.mp3]
This suggestion comes from my friend John, who caused immense excitement for me yesterday, when he messaged me that The Swell Season’s new single is already out (a fact that I was unaware of). John and I watched Once together a couple of years ago after the Oscars, and both of us agreed at that time that Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova (together, outside of the context of the movie, they go by The Swell Season) are downright brilliant actors and musicians. As for the new single, after 10 seconds of the 30 second preview, I knew that I was going to love this song, and it has not let me down. If this amazing first single is any indication of what we can expect from Oscar winning duo Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova (they won an Oscar for the song, Falling Slowly from Once), their new album will definitely be amongst my favorite albums of 2009. I’m glad that there is more coming from this incredibly talented music duo in the very near future, and a big thanks to John for bringing the fact that this song was already out, to my attention.

Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse – Revenge (feat. Wayne Coyne)
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_94_dangermouse-revenge.mp3]
This suggestion comes from my friend Brian. This track comes from an audio/visual collaborative project, helmed by Danger Mouse, called Dark Night Of The Soul. I love the John Lennon-esque vibe of the track, and the way it pays heavy tribute to Pink Floyd with the arrangement. The artistry of this song is beautiful, and it only adds to Danger Mouse’s incredible production range; his work spans from trend setting hip-hop teetering on the alternative, all of the way out to rock and roll. It seems whatever he’s up to, it’s something that is going to be at a minimum, innovative and interesting. A big thanks goes to Brian for pointing out this excellent suggestion!

Mew – Beach
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_94_mew-beach.mp3]
This suggestion comes from my friend Cody. The first time I heard this song, I found it to lean towards being a bit bouncy and unmanageable, but the more I listen to it, the more I hear the brilliance in it. The song is fantastic, and like a bucking bronco, refuses to stay still and let you reign it in. I love the backing synth, that reminds me of the ethereal quality of m83, and especially love the way they paired it with the sweet and tender vocals; together, they round out the package quite nicely, making for an amazing pop-rock track. I love arrangement, which sounds like it would be the perfect soundtrack for driving country roads with the top down. A big thanks goes to Cody for the amazing suggestion!!

Esmee Denters – Outta Here
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_94_esmeedenters-outtahere.mp3]
There is a lot of good music that comes out of the UK, and it never ceases to amaze me how much of it is completely overlooked by people in this country. This song was in the top ten on iTunes UK, and I had never even heard it before I stumbled onto it last night. After one listen, I sat there wishing it was songs like this that were dominating our radio airwaves, instead of songs from other tweens like Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus. This song has a banging beat, and a lot of energy. Esmee’s vocals are powerful, and a welcome addition to the “tween scene”; that is, if she can actually successfully cross the pond. The way I look at it, for each annoying track from Taylor Swift, if we could get a fantastic one like this one, there would be balance in the world. Turns out Esmee was a youtube star that Justin Timberlake caught wind of, and got her a record deal; maybe that’s enough for her to make it here. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

Alexisonfire – This Could Be Anywhere in The World
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_94_alexisonfire-thiscouldbeanywhere.mp3]
I will start by saying that I have never been a fan of post-hardcore shout rock, and I have never seen any value in it (I don’t get the screaming). However, as many of you know, one of my favorite singers of all time, Dallas Green, actually plays in a post-hardcore band, Alexisonfire. Since I love his side acoustic project, City and Colour, so much, curiosity eventually got the better of me, and I wanted to see if I could find any Alexisonfire that I would like as well (my philosophy was, more Dallas is a good thing). With the release of their new album, Old Crows/Young Cardinals, I ended up finding one track that I liked right off, but still stood firm in believing that I probably wouldn’t listen to them, as they “weren’t my cup of tea”. Well, apparently, that has changed. I ended up FINALLY giving the rest of the album a listen, and I actually REALLY liked what I heard. It was then when I went back to see if I would like some of their older stuff, and I found this song, which is perhaps my favorite Alexisonfire track of all. I love the energy, and the way that Dallas’ voice soars during the chorus. I may never give shout rock as much of a chance as I did with Alexisonfire, but I can definitely say that I am glad I was able to overcome my initial skepticism, and given them a chance.

Well there’s your five songs for this Friday. Let this be a lesson; suggestions are more than welcome and many times, they will find their way into a 5SF of the future! So, let me know what you think of this week’s selections, and tell me what you are listening to as well. Finally, I want to extend another thank you to my twitter friends for hooking me up with three of these five fine selections. Now… let’s go enjoy a 3 day weekend, shall we?!

five song friday, listen up!, mixed media, music musings, music suggestion

5SF: march 14

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We have made it through another week, and it’s time for our weekly five song Friday. I am personally glad that it is Friday, because this week has been less than fun (mostly school related stuff). Either way, I am just looking forward to a good weekend, but then again, aren’t we all?

Let’s bring out the jams, shall we? This week has some off the wall bits, where some of the songs are a bit different than my “normal” tastes. Every once and a while, I am struck by a really strange song, and I love it because of its strangeness. Two such songs caught me recently, and I felt it fitting to put them together today. I am also bringing the pop hardcore this week, so strap yourself in, and let’s go!

Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova – This Low
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_314_glenmarketa-thislow.mp3]
After seeing the quirky, sweet, and romantic movie Once, I was so taken by the music, that I had to snag the sountrack right away; but that wasn’t enough. I found out, that when coming together to make music for the film, Hansard and Irglova (who won an Oscar for their song Falling Slowly from the film) actually wrote more songs, which were released on a separate CD called The Swell Season, which I promptly snagged as well. This song comes from the Swell Season, and is amazing. It is almost like a David Gray track infused with a bit of Damien Rice. I love the whole CD completely, and I am so glad that I finally saw this movie, and got the music. Great stuff, I tell you. If you like this song, make sure to check out the rest…

Jo O’Meara – What Hurts the Most
Today’s “throwback track” is from none other than Ms. Jo O’Meara, who may be better known as the lead singer of the smash pop sensation, S Club 7. While S Club only really had a couple (or maybe only one?) of hits in the US, they were pretty huge overseas, and I would definitely say that I count myself as a fan. I chose this song, because of all the buzz that has been swarming around about Cascada’s version of this song, which I like, but I figured that most people probably haven’t heard this version, and I feel that Jo’s version is far superior. I have her solo album, and it is quite good; I hope that she does more in the future. She is a great singer.

Jesse McCartney – Leavin’
He grew up! That is what I said when I saw this video. I checked out Jesse’s new song, because I was amazed to find out that he actually co-wrote the mega-hit Bleeding Love, which was the best selling single of ’07 in the UK! I really like that song, and actually think it is pretty well written, so I wanted to see what little Jesse was up to these days. Well, I have to say, that I really like the vibe and the beat of this song, and even though I wasn’t a fan before, I am eager to see what he has up his sleeve for his upcoming record. If it is more stuff like this, I will definitely be picking it up.

Hot Chip – Ready for the Floor
Holy shit, this song is soooo freaking catchy. The first time I saw the video, I had a natural WTF reaction (because seriously, these kids are a bit weird), but I was instantly pulled in by the hook in this song. It so catchy and fun to listen to, and really makes me want to get up and dance about. While the repetitive part that starts the song could be left out (IMHO), the rest is fabulous electro that has made me pay attention to a group that I would normally (continue to) ignore (I’ve heard some of their other stuff, and it is not my cup of tea). I will be checking out their most recent album because of this song, but even if I don’t like it, I am in love with this song, and have been listening to it non stop all week!

The Presets – My People
Alright, I will warn you… before you watch this video, realize that the video is really fucking creepy, and totally the stuff of nightmares. Nightmares that you have while you are on psychotropic substances. Regardless of the strange video (which does sort of suit the song), this song is dark, pulsating, and enjoyable. It took a couple of listens, but even after the first listen, there was something about it that made me want to hear this song again. This is a grower, but it is one of those rare ones that really intrigues you at first, because there is something special about it, something that makes you want to investigate further. It reminds me of LCD Soundsystem a bit, but it makes me think of the stuff that I like about them.

So there’s your five songs for this week! I hope that you enjoyed some, or all, of them! As always, let me know what you are listening to, and hey, tell me what you thought of these songs. Perhaps you have suggestions that you want me to check out?? They might make future incarnations of 5SF, so you have to let me know!! I hope everyone has a great weekend.