Song #91; Band Of Horses - No One's Gonna Love You

Song #91: Band Of Horses - No One's Gonna Love You

I'd heard OF some band with horses from an issue of Relevant Magazine I was reading but I never gave it any thought. So John properly introduced me to Band Of Horses a few months back by IMing me with "So I just heard this on pandora...f**ing awesome" to which I responded "if this sounds like Air, I will kill you" and hesitantly decided to give them a listen. I loved the songs on their MySpace so much that i went out and bought both of the records. It's been a long, long time since a band made that sort of first impression on me.

It was a glorious feast of indie rock over a quick two week span. After that, I just kind of cast them aside only to be swept back into gloriousness a few months later. I know a lot of you would choose "The Funeral" or "Our Swords" from the first LP, Everything All The Time or even the mild radio hit "Is There A Ghost" from the most recent release, but "No One's Gonna Love You" has had a lasting impression on my musical landscape. It's simple. It's chill. It's almost got this 50's swoon vibe to it.

The only reason it's rated this low is because it is still a pop song at it's root and pop songs tend to wither over the years unless there's an emotional/nostalgic attachment to water it with.

Song #92: Deltron 3030 - Things You Can Do

Song #92: Deltron 3030 - Things You Can Do

I must start with saying that I don't listen to a lot of hip-hop/rap but there are just some artists that have such immense talent I can't ignore. Del Tha Funkee Homosapien is one of those guys. His flow is just incredible. It's like liquid oxygen as he states in this song. I also really appreciate that I can comprehend all the lyrics on first listen. The lyrics are always intelligent and cogent and especially on this album which basically a scifi concept.

On to the song itself, "things you can do,some can't be done" that holds the beat together is extremely memorable. Dan The Automator lays down some sweet beats through out the LP. The lyrics on this song are a mix of Del boasting his flow and explaining the main theme of the album - that rap is the only form of free speech in the draconian world of 3030 and technology can no longer be trusted:

"never let a computer tell me shit!"



I would love some recommendations for rap artists that have his lyrical intelligence and flow.

Song #93: Audio Adrenaline - Melody (Lost Inside The Wonder)

Song #93: Audio Adrenaline - Melody (Lost Inside The Wonder)


I typically shy away from placing worship songs in lists because I feel such songs do so much more than just put lyrics in your mind and on your lips. I see it as more of a heart issue and direct communication between you and your Maker.

So I could've easily picked a more popular AA song from a more beloved album (In Bloom anyone?), but this one made the list because of it's simplicity and sincerity. And the harmonica intro really sets the tone. If you're a long time AA fan, you'll notice it's sung by Tyler Burkum instead of lead vocalist Mark Stuart. He has a smooth voice that fits the tone of the song. Mark's voice has always been ragged but full of emotion. Lyrically, I always isolate the verse :

In my ear quietly I hear You sing
And my heart starts to beat inside
The echoes ring
I’ve lied to You, I’ve lied to You in so many ways
You say You don’t remember, You don’t remember
You can’t remember me that way

The gift of unending grace via Jesus. Good stuff.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIDpAc6Sty8


I pried myself away from Copeland's new epic "You Are My Sunshine" just long enough to give this track a spin lol.

Song #94: The New Amsterdams - Son Of A Pro

Song #94: The New Amsterdams - Son Of A Pro

Matt Pryor's side project/post Get Up Kids band is super duper mellow and (at times) boring, but he still definitely knows how to write a great song. This little acoustic ditty is definitely my favorite. It's simple. It's concise. It's Song #94.

I don't think this song is even on the Killed Or Cured EP. It's a b-side or demo from a different recording session. Still loves it.

You'll see plenty of Get Up Kids as we get to the meat of this list.

Have the song for free since apparently my UT webspace never expires:

https://webspace.utexas.edu/tjj63/Son%20Of%20A%20Pro.mp3

Song # 95" Norma Jean - The End Of All Things Will Be Televised

Song #95 : Norma Jean - The End Of All Things Will Be Televised

Sweetest album artwork ever??

"Tonight, the South is on fire!"

Something peculiar has happened with my taste in music over the past 4 years. i've grown to love and appreciate the brutal metal breakdown and screaming refrains as much as I do an insatiable hook. Not only is Norma Jean's Redeemer album full of them, but the quote above beats them all down. Like getting an elbow to the ribs during the NJ mosh pit from a tenacious five foot girl with wailing fists, I've seen the violent reaction to hardcore. I tend to just bob my head in affirmation that this is good stuff.

The song lyrics are pretty sweet too with apocalyptic imagery and veiled allusions to God's perfect justice at the end of all things. My second favorite lyric besides the quote above is probably

"Creation waits in eager expectation. Anxious. Patient.
Heaven will pause."

As the title implies, redemption is the main theme of the album and boy is it brutal. Christ is our sufficient redeemer!

Listen: youtube is not working for me. search for it!

Song #96: mae - Summertime

Song #96: mae - Summertime

I sincerely apologize to the seven people that read these posts. I've been working on a rig with handicapped internet.

Ahh, summertime. The very first song I heard by mae. This song is spectacular for several reasons. First of all, that repeated piano riff straddles the line between pleasant and annoying...but it never leaves you. Even in the euphoria of the the pulsating guitars chugging through the chorus, you're still longing for that piano to come back! Second, the buildup before the lyric "driving away" is fantasmatical. Yes, it constitutes the use of an imaginary word. The third and most relevant reason is that it even features piano!

If you've heard the travesty that is Mae's most recent album: Suckularity (I'm so coy), you may notice that the pop sensibilities and piano ballads found on Everglow are all but eradicated. To add to that, they got rid of their keyboardist a couple months ago. Unfortunate to the max.

Uhh so go enjoy this song!

Song #97 : The Impossibles - Plan B

Song #97: The Impossibles - Plan B


Gosh, I love this song. Still do. So much. When I hear the first two lines of lyrics I can't help but sing along with Rory : "Push-pinned my pictures to your wall. Framed it in pieces of argyle." And then Gabe comes in two lines later. It's just great Austin punk/ska and I remember being addicted to the Anthology album my sophomore/junior years of high school and being so, so jealous of Jason and Gibson for attending their final show at Emo's in '02.

I also definitely made some friends in college because of this band and I probably tagged you in this note lol. This is one of those songs I associate with good times. Like walking down the halls of Jester East and Tommy belting "Push-pinned my pictures to your wall!" at full volume. It was epicly awesome.

I don't think this is my favorite Impossibles song, but it's the one that prompted me to write. You'll hear more about Gabe and Rory later and their incredible side project Slowreader.

Listen to it! :