The Big Man’s Brew: Volume 2, Number 5
1. Crinan Wood by Alexi Murdoch
I chided the filmmakers behind Away We Go for underusing Murdoch in the scoring of the film. They seemed to use same song over and over and over to the point of annoyance. The whole of the score was a mish-mash of his previously prevalent tracks alongside some fresh gems. Why Mendes and Co. decided against using the complete available library of song I do not know. Crinan Wood, in ways, is somewhat skin to Mendes way of thinking It uses the same, light strumming throughout. But, unlike Away We Go‘s use of music in the film, its wholly non-annoying.
2. Be Here Now by Ray LaMontagne
LaMontagne is an odd fella. I caught him at the Bijou years ago. The stage lights were turned down so low, that I could barely see him. If you’ve ever been in the Bijou you know its an intimate setting. So barely being able to see the musician was a curve ball. All that said, he gave a helluva performance. At first I didn’t think he’d speak to the crowd. But, about halfway through, he made a few jokes in his own somewhat awkward way. Be Here Now is a tremendous song. Something about the interplay of his [good lord this isn't gonna sound right] breathy vocals and the confluence of lightly strummed guitar, piano and orchestration send chills up my spine. Add onto that some subdued speaking / barking / whateverthehellitis during the chorus, and you have a true classic. For an amazing image representation of this song, check out the Away From Her trailer.
3. Frank’s Death-Soldiers [Requiem In D Minor] by John Murphy
With the score from the film 28 Days Later [sorry for the spoiler but if you haven't seen that film by now shame on you] Murphy seems to do what he does best: mix the contemporary with the classic. Murphy’s work is pretty astounding, and its a shame that he’s not more of a go to guy for scoring films. He and Clint Mansell are at the top of their game right now, and more should take advantage of that very fact.
4. Dripping Whispers by The Soul’s Release
I may get kicked in the nads for this, but The Soul’s Release sounds like the love child of Explosions In The Sky and Sigur Ros. Rich [The Soul's Release is only one guy, twenty year old Alex Rich] appears to take elements of both, mash it up in a blender, and drop it on tape. Very nice, very subdued. For now, his only release is the EP Sometime, Somewhere. Its really cheap on iTunes, and worth checking out.
5. Sleep Tonight [Junior Boys remix] by Stars
Don’t really know all that much about Stars other than their original music is usually not as good as the remixed version. I may be partial though. Junior Boys is a group that I picked up on years back with the tune In The Morning, which is a great example of what good electronic music can be. So, when I happened upon a mp3 blog post full of remixed tracks, the Stars one remixed by JB shown like a diamond in the rough. That’s what it is. JB takes a subpar song, and turns it into something special.
6. Sleepyhead by Passion Pit
Sleepyhead didn’t latch on to me the first go ’round. It took hearing it on random one day to fully grasp how head-bobbingly good this song is. Its the confluence of a whole heap of elements, one of which I thought to be some sort of Indian chant. Turns out its a sample of Irish singer and harpist Mary O’Hara. The mass of electronics, and child-like pieces make Sleepyhead a joy to listen to.
7. My Night With The Prostitute From Marseille by Beirut
Beirut’s first album had a lot of heat, but I couldn’t really get into it. I stumbled upon My Night With The Prostitute From Marseille a few months back, and, like Sleepyhead, didn’t think much of it at first. Same story, different verse; heard it on random, and picked up on it. My Night With The Prostitute From Marseille has a few layers going on, and they’re all pretty consistent. The oddest one is that Condon’s vocals seem to be both mixed on the high end and very low end as accompanying vocals. In fact, the low end, almost indistinguishable, sounds like something straight out of a horror flick. I keep expecting it to burst into a “muwhahahahahahahaha!!!!”
8. Butterflies + Hurricanes by Muse
Its astounding that Muse is not bigger here in the States. I would liken Muse to another great, British band: Queen. This song is a perfect concise example of their more epic tunes: slow build, strong turn, explosive moments. Their expansive repertoire of what they consider rock to be is a new, non-shitty version of prog-rock… and they do it very well.
9. Ain’t Nothing Wrong With That by Robert Randolph + The Family Band
Do you recognize this song? The Discovery Channel used it in one of the most uproarious commercials I’ve seen in a long while. Randolph’s track interspersed with rabidly kinetic cuts made the minute long advertisement exciting, enthralling, and a whole mess of other ‘happy’ adjectives. Other than that, Randolph is a tremendous at playing the lap steel. Though, in his case, the guitar appears to be the size of a large keyboard. Even though he’s a big guy, the steel still looks ginormous. There’s a video of the band performing Ain’t Nothing Wrong With That on Letterman, and its completely spellbinding… and’ll probably make you shake your ass.
10. Sighns by Lichens
I was lucky enough to catch Lichens [aka Robert Lowe] opening for Explosions in the Sky in Atlanta last year. At first, didn’t think much of the guy. Mr. Lowe appears to be a heroin’d out, scrawny fella, with a They-called-me-Mr.-Glass-like obtuse afro. So up steps a calm, jittery guy with only a guitar and a whole mess of foot pedals. Then he starts chirping, like a bird, into the mic… and the sound grows and grows and grows and grows. Turns out, he’s recording and looping the sounds. He then strums a large, deep lick. Which proceeds to repeat. He continues this process until he’s built this Tower-of-Babel-sized wall of sound. The song ended at the twenty minute mark, and left me absolutely floored. A lot of the hipster kids in attendance waxed on about how he “sucked,” but what the hell do they know?
11. Things Ain’t Like They Used To Be by The Black Keys
It took me a while to get into The Black Keys. I had a smattering of songs for a long while, whilst not owning any actual albums. Attack + Release was the first I purchased, and it was the first album I popped in on my road trip to Memphis. Boy did it ever set the tone of the trip [cold, blistering weather made all that much more harsh coming off the Mississippi]. Things Ain’t Like They Used To Be ends the album, as do a lot of my picks for TBMB, and was repeated ten or twelve times that very day. I think Jessica Lea Mayfield’s backing vocals turn this song from really good to trulyfuckingamazingtastic. Which, oddly enough, is the same person that lends her the previously included When The Night Comes by The Black Keys’ guitarist / vocalist Dan Auerbach.
12. Where Will You Be by Sara Watkins
Sara is one-third of the overly-talented AlterniGrass [my own phrase] band Nickel Creek. The other two members, her brother Sean and Chris Thile, have released a hefty amount of solo material, with her self-titled album being her first solo effort. She started out on the right foot, having legendary Zeppelin-man John Paul Jones produce the album. With that, the album is a pretty good effort. It ends with the somber, hauntingly beautiful, full-of-longing song Where Will You Be. Very low key, with a nice worbly guitar in behind her breathy vocals.
13. Valley Of Tears by Solomon Burke
Valley Of Tears is off of Solomon Burke’s 2006 return-to-his-country-roots album, Nashville. The album, from beginning to end, is a tremendous effort. From the kick off, soulful That’s How I Got To Memphis to the sweepingly somber ‘Til I Get It Right, the albums never falters or fails one iota. Valley Of Tears is a great example of both how good a singer Burke is, and how talented Buddy Miller is as crafting music. Its sad, it begs, it aches. Even so, its an amazing track.
14. Barcelona by Rufus Wainwright
Speaking of sad. Barcelona, off of Wainwright’s debut album, sounds somewhat sad. At the same time, it has this other-worldy feel. That probably comes from both the title, and the fact that some of the lyrics are sang in Italian. Anyway, its a beautiful song about leaving your troubles behind. For all the heft of the middle portion of the track, the beginning and ending sparsity is what makes this one stand out. Its just Rufus with his amazing voice, and that soft guitar. That’s what makes this song oh so special.
15. Long Goodbyes by Signaldrift
Signaldrift’s album Set Design is an odd mix. Its part otherworldly, ambient pieces, mashed up beside boring break-out-the-glow-sticks techno. Which is both disappointing and reassuring at the same time. I mean, we know they have the ability to do good work. Its just those pesky, repetitive-without-reason beats that make you jump for the ‘forward’ button. Long Goodbyes is an all too short track that showcases the Eno-esque music they are able to create.
16. I Know You Are But What Am I? by Mogwai
Mogwai where a piano is the main instrument? Huh? Whuzat? The post-rock godfathers abandoning their wailing, harsh guitars for I Know You Are But What Am I? is an odd turn of events. The song is… it gives me the sense of longing. Its not depressing, nor happy. Feels kind of like a funeral march of sorts. Oh, its beautifully crafted, don’t get me wrong. In the end its just different, which is nice.
17. Lilah by Morphine
I wish Morphine were still around. Not only cause its tragic that Sandman died so young, but, with The Night, Morphine’s future looked… I would say bright but bright is no way to describe their music. Let’s just leave it at The Night is an amazing album, probably in my top twenty-five ever. I was eager to see how they would proceed after that. Unfortunately, Sandman passed on right when Morphine was at its peak. Lilah, while off Like Swimming, is a great intro to Like Swimming. Then, later, its core was also expanded upon for the actual track The Night. Which is hauntingly beautiful, morose-sound track.
18. Window Lights by The Sea + Cake
Window Lights is off of the amazing soundtrack for Reach the Rock… which I still have yet to see due to its complete unavailability. I’ve heard its great, an odd film for the otherwise voice-of-teens-everywhere John Hughes. The soundtrack is a heavy with Chicago-based indie musicians Tortoise, The Sea and Cake and John McEntire [of Tortoise and The Sea and Cake]. I picked it up, of all places, at the annual WUOT vinyl sale [for those not from Knoxville, WUOT is a classical / jazz radio station housed on UT's campus]. This was ten years ago. The cover looked cool, and I recognized Tortoise. Plus it was only $1. Which is the right price for giving damn near any album a chance.
19. Sleeping Lessons by The Shins
Now to a fun one. After such a hefty later half of this mix, I decided to end it on a happy note. The Shins, probably known best for their acoustic-ey contribution to the Garden State soundtrack, truly rock out on Sleeping Lessons. It starts with a long, slow build… then explodes into a wail of guitars. I triple-dog-dare-you not to smile and bob your head from 2:25 on.
