Well, the rumors are true; we got a new dog last night. He’s a rescue and extremely shy, so we are in the “trial phase” right now, in order to see if he will work out for us. Here’s hoping that he warms up to us, and we can give him a good home. He’s much bigger than Sydney, but follows him around like a shadow; it’s ever so cute. Well, let’s not let this post go to the dogs; let’s get to the music!
Missy Higgins – Forgive Me
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_227_missyhiggins-forgiveme.mp3]
Tonight, a good friend of mine and I will have the distinct pleasure of seeing the wonderful Missy Higgins live, so I thought it would be appropriate to post one of my favorite songs from her most recent album. I have posted about this Aussie before, and I can definitely say that I am looking forward to the show; her music is beautiful, and her voice is divine. The sincerity and tenderness in her lyrics and vocals is impressive. I can’t wait to see what she does live, and I really hope that she plays this magnificent song!
Angel Taylor – Chai Tea Latte
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_227_angeltaylor-chaitealatte.mp3]
Okay, do me a favor with this song: listen to it a minimum of four times before you make ANY decisions about it. Why? Because the first time I heard this song, I saw something special, but I didn’t realize how special it was until about the 4th listen. I am a sucker for these tender ballads, and the story telling element is always a welcome plus. I was drawn in by the tenderness of this track, and after several listens of this wonderful song, I want to hear more from Angel Taylor. Her voice reminds me a little bit of Corinne Bailey Rae, and that is definitely a good thing.
Ben Gibbard and Feist – Train Song
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_227_bengibbardandfeist-trainsong.mp3]
Wow, I just have to say, that when two of my all time favorite vocalists get together and do a song, I expect it to be perfect. Well, low and behold, this one is. This version is a remake of the Vashti Bunyan song of the same name, and was included on the recently released indie collection, Dark Was The Night. It really blends both the style of Feist and Death Cab beautifully, and their vocals have never been more beautiful. This song is an instant favorite.
A Camp – Bear On The Beach
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_227_acamp-bearonthebeach.mp3]
I have been enjoying the A Camp album for a little while now, and I wanted to post one of my favorite songs from the album. Bear on the Beach shows just how strange and eclectic that Nina Persson is, but at the same time, beautiful and extremely talented. No wonder she is one of my favorite singers out there. This is one of those albums that most will probably overlook, which is sad, because it is very, very good. It might even make my year end list… stay tuned.
Chester French – She Loves Everybody
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_227_chesterfrench-sheloveseverybody.mp3]
There are many songs that I should instantly love, but don’t. Then, I see the video, and I am all, “why was igoring this song, it’s pretty great!?”. Well, this is one of those songs. The lead singer is a cutie, and when I saw the video I instantly thought, “this is that song I have been ignoring for months now!”. No longer my friends, this song has found its way onto a 5SF, and it deserves to be heard. Do yourself a favor and check out the strangely violent video, that is almost campy in its presentation, which makes it even better. I’m glad I saw the video, because it has turned me onto this great song. My favorite part is the claps during the chorus; fun stuff!
Well, there’s another 5SF for ya. I hope that you found something that you liked, and as always, please let me know what you are listening to; I really want to know!
Here’s the song I mentioned above, that comes from the group I couldn’t stand before today… before seeing those damn itunes commercials featuring Viva La Vida, I literally HATED Coldplay. Seriously. What is it about them that I hate? Perhaps the smugness of Chris Martin, and how it totally comes through in each of the songs that have FLOODED the airwaves for the past several years? (yeah, that’s it!) However, there is no denying that this song is pure genius. I will gladly consider myself a Coldplay fan for this song; it is catchy, brilliant, and begs to be played on repeat. Also, not really related to the song, but a note about one member of the band: Will Champion, the drummer, is smoking HOT. Seriously, I want to have lots of babies with him. Alright, I will stop drooling over Will, and drool over this song, because it too, is hot.
I don’t really like putting two songs by the same artist two weeks in a row (I like to keep things fresh, and mix things up a bit), but there are times when there are two really stand out tracks that just capture my attention, and beg to be shared. This is one of those times. I featured Cyndi’s club banger Into the Nightlife last week, but after giving the whole (pretty decent) record a listen, I stumbled on this fragile ballad near the end of the CD. I must say, that instantly, I got chills. This song is beautiful, gentle, and totally reminds me of some of her amazingly moving hits like True Colors. This song is quintessential Cyndi for me, and it is an amazing track that begs for much deserved attention. Cyndi, you clearly still have it honey, and I couldn’t be more proud of you.
Missy Higgins is one of those artists that most of you may not know about, but you really should. She is big in Australia where she is from, and has recently had a hit with Where I Stood (an emotionally driven amazing ballad that I featured a long time ago back when 5SF was just getting started). Since I got my ears pierced, I have been listening to radio on my computer a bit at work (when my ears hurt too much to continue using the torture devices also known as ear phones), and one site that I have been listening to is Pandora. The basic premise, is you enter an artist you love, and they play stuff that is similar. Well, this was one of the songs that they suggested to me, and it reminded me that I needed to get Missy’s first CD, because of how much I LOVE her most recent release, On a Clear Night. Well, after snagging her first album (that contains this track), I have realized how much I really do love this artist, and I just wanted to get some more out there about her. I am definitely impressed with both of her albums, and consider myself lucky to have found such an amazing artist for my music collection. This is a beautiful song, and is definitely indicative of what you can expect from the amazing Missy Higgins. Also, not to gush too much, but that violin riff is simply amazing. 
It is with sheer excitement that I type these next words: Weezer’s new self titled album, or as it will affectionately be referred to because of previous self titled albums, the Red Album, hits stores on Tuesday. I was lucky enough to get an advanced copy, and this song is one of those songs that makes me wonder why so many “fans” gave up on Weezer after Pinkerton. If you aren’t familiar with Weezer’s history, Pinkerton was an amazingly candid and totally honest look into Rivers Coumo’s heart, and as such, it is one of the most beloved records by Weezer’s fans. However, maybe he felt that he said too much, and as such, has not shared as much depth, at that level, since (at least, many would agree that he hasn’t). Well, this song proves to me that Rivers is still the emotive boy that needs love and feels that love enough to put it into song; and proves that those “fans” shouldn’t have given up on this amazing band. I love Weezer, always have, and I am truly excited about the new album; and with tracks like this and the catchy as hell Pork and Beans, why not, right? Weezer is back for all those that thought they left, but those like me know that they never really went anywhere; they were just keeping the emotion in check.