We've Moved!

Wisconsin knows how to produce some bands, let me tell you. That Midwestern state has some soul.

By now, we all know of Eau Claire's Justin Vernon (of Bon Iver fame), but Baraboo, Wisconsin has its own claim to fame with PHOX. PHOX manages to marry the soul rock revival that is so popular right now with tangible emotion and self-conscious lyrics. I love a good dance tune as much as the next reserved introvert (only in my car), but many of those songs lack any depth. 

PHOX's self-titled debut LP is out now, and they are touring all over the country. Someone go see them for me. My favorite song off the album is "Satyr and the Faun," with "1936" as a close second, although I really love them all. The former has a perfect ethereal sound that only enhances Martin's comfortably raspy, yet arching vocals and the latter takes a standard acoustic track and layers it with a banjo, choir-like vocals, and charming lyrics. This album straddles the four corners of pop, r&b, folk, and alternative rock and roll, making it a unique addition to its contemporaries on the alternative charts. The lyrics are self-aware, questioning, and observant. Listen to "Raspberry Seed," another of my favorites, below.

I really like these four songs. The whole world should like them to. There's a hidden Easter egg in one of the songs (Hint: It involves Miley Cyrus).

XM radio is a true blessing. I can listen to the best of the 90s and also hear some great rock and roll. Zach and I drove to some waterfalls yesterday and then went on a 4-mile hike and only brought home one tick. Before we hit the trail, this song came on the radio. I was hit with two reactions: to makeout in the car like a teenager and recline the seat, close my eyes, and listen in solitude. I'm at a crossroads.

The twangy guitars, just enough whiny vocals, the fine straddle between singing and talking, and steady, strong strumming make it a perfect amalgam of Neutral Milk Hotel, Daniel Johnston, Wilco, and Weezer. Palace Music is a Will Oldham project, but I prefer it to Bonnie "Prince" Billy. It makes my heart race and my head float in a way BPB doesn't. Enjoy.

At this time last year I felt overwhelmed making this list. This year not so much. These five albums are easily my favorite so far. I feel like a you can judge an album by how many times you can listen to it without getting tired of it. All of these are still on repeat.

I haven't blogged in forever and a lot of it has to do with reviewing this album. I keep starting to write about it, but always end up deleting what I wrote or not posting it. It's overwhelming reviewing the album of your favorite musician. But here goes nothing. . .

Upside Down Mountain is a great album. I love it. I've listened to it on repeat for almost a month now and haven't grown tired of it. It's an upward progression in a catalog of great albums. I don't drink wine, but if I did I would probably say something yuppie like, "Conor Oberst is like a fine wine. He gets better with every year that passes." But I don't drink wine and I would never say that.

I've touched on this before, but I feel like all my favorite artists are dealing with the same issues that preoccupy my mind. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe they've always been writing about the same old things and getting older has made me more in tune with the lyrics. I know what your thinking, "Zach you're so mature". But I'd like to think we have the same fears and anxieties. The standout song on the album, "Desert Island Questionnaire", is lyrically and musically one of Obert's best songs. It's about being fearful of complacency, religion, death, technology, boredom, loneliness and anything else that makes you anxious. It's both dark and beautiful at the same time. It's definitely my favorite song of 2014 so far.

"Your Mother's Child" is being compared to "First Day of My Life" frequently in blogs and reviews that I've read and I can see why, but I don't think the song is as sentimental as everyone thinks it is. It's more about how the father in the song has failed at being a father, and all the good things in their child's life come from the mother. That's not to say there aren't sentimental moments. The song goes through the life of the child from birth to high school graduation. This song could have been cheesy, but it's the complete opposite of cheesy. It's cute, but in a good way.

Other standout tracks are . . . all of them, I guess. The whole album is (in my opinion) wonderful, but I wouldn't expect anything less.

Great things come from Indiana: Amy Doll, Ezra-Bug, Larry Bird, Rudy and Strand of Oaks.

I've probably said this one too many times but it feels like forever since I started liking an artist I hadn't already liked 5ish years ago. New music just hasn't been my bag, baby. Then I heard a song by Strand of Oaks called "JM" which is a tribute to the late great Jason Molina. The thing I loved the most about the song besides the fact that it's just a great song is it actually sounds like a song Jason Molina might have written. The way the guitar is tuned totally sounds like it might have been a track on Pyramid Electric Co.

Tonight I also listened to a few other songs from their upcoming album entitled Heal that comes out Tuesday.

Apparently their album is also currently streaming on NPR's first listen. So if you enjoy these songs as much as I do you'll probably be checking that out.

I'm currently playing FKA Twigs on repeat. Geoff Rickly of Thursday is a fan, and I will listen to anything he listens to on repeat because he has great taste in music. I would recommend this for fans of Emily King, the XX, Grimes, and James Blake. It's good Sunday music. I really enjoy the clacking sound on "How's That," which I shared below. It sounds like a turn signal clacking or fingers hitting a keyboard, both sounds that I find oddly soothing. Anyway, enjoy.

We Gibsons are huge proponents of public radio. I don't know how people function without it actually. I hear the important news in-depth and also listen to interviews with people like Joaquin Phoenix, Robert Redford, Conor Oberst, and the creator of Orange is the New Black. Over the years, I have developed friendships in my head with some of my favorite hosts. Audie Cornish, Steve Inskeep, Kai Ryssdal, Lynne Rosetto Kasper, Terry Gross, and last but not least....

Bob Boilen and Robin Hilton. They are my best pals. You might think you know Bob Boilen, but it's probably just Ryan Earl Ward (made famous by the Wires and Waves blog). Anyway, I digress. I heard two great songs on World Cafe this weekend, and I wanted to share them here.

The first song was "Does Someone Have Your Baby Now?" by Mazzy Star. I have not listened to them much in the past, but not for any particular reason other than I am stupid.



The second song was "Start Choppin'" by Dinosaur Jr., another band I have never listened to for no particular reason.


Finally, I want to share "Popular by Design" by the Polyphonic Spree. I did not actually hear this on NPR. I searched for it on my own free will. I was always scared by their costumes because they have a certain cultish vibe, so I never actually listened to them. I am terrified of cults. Even thinking about cults worries me, as if the thought will render me a Kool-Aid drinking fundamentalist worshiper off things. PS is not a cult, though, but no one bothered to tell me that. I know a lot of people who really love them, and Annie Clark, my dream lady-musician, played with them for a long time, but none of that led me to listen to them until yesterday when I was sitting in a bookstore doing homework for 2+ hours.

Photograph by Platon

I rarely listen to rap or hip hop or whatever you kids are calling genres these days. These two genres tend to be very beat driven and I am more of a rhythm kind of girl. I still appreciate good rap and hip hop, don't get me wrong. I just don't really seek it out or sit and listen to whole albums.

The Roots might be an exception for me.

I've listened to them a few times in the past. Coworkers have turned on one of their songs, I watch Jimmy Fallon, etc. I remember always enjoying their music and thinking I should listen to them more but I never did.

The other day I was reading an interview with the Roots' drummer, Ahmir Khalib Thompson (or Questlove for short) in one of my favorite magazines, Vanity Fair. (Maybe you've heard of it?) It was a great interview and at the end, he said something really interesting.

"... I think when it scares parents it's doing something right. Frank Zappa scared parents. If it's not scaring parents, then I don't think it's worth anything."

That really intrigued me. Made me think. What's scaring parents right now? Is it scaring me? Is it actually good, then? So many questions.

Then I had to listen to them. So I got on Spotify and listened to their new albums. Guys, it's great. You should all listen to the Roots. They have a fantastic way of melding rock and hip hop. We could all learn something from the Roots.

Here's a fun fact: I sometimes get anxiety at the thought of discussing my favorite albums. It's just hard to convey the effect they have had on me. With that being said, I'm going to talk a little bit about the new Taking Back Sunday album. Their last album was powerful. The energy was electric and palpable, and I was nervous that it was a product of their reunion. Fortunately, this new album is no different. It pulses with loud guitars and heavy drums, but it leaves room for soft reflection.

It is odd to compare it to an album that came out over a decade ago, but "Tell All Your Friends" is undeniably influential. TBS maintains the TAYF energy on Happiness Is... but the themes have changed. This album is filled with a lot more nostalgia and an acceptance of oft-unfortunate events. Don't worry-- TBS has not gone soft. They still do angry really well. Also, the back and forth singing of Adam Lazzarra and John Nolan will always warm my heart in a way that no other pair of singers could. They have a give-and-take that is often only possible between siblings.

I love this album. I shared the videos for "Flicker Fade" and "Stood a Chance" but every song is great. A couple of my favorites include "It Takes More" and "Better Homes and Gardens." "Beat Up Car" calls to mind the Used, which makes sense since they are pretty close with that band.
This album really solidifies the new generation of the band as a music staple. Enjoy.

Here's what I haven't been blogging about. Sorry I've too tired (no, lazy) to post anything this month.

Moses Sumney - Not too much is none about this guy. I randomly came across his music listening to KEXP's online radio. He has one EP called Midd-City Island, and it's probably one the most beautifully crafted groups of songs I've heard this year.



Conor Oberst's new album is coming out next week and I'm more than excited, but the song I'm posting is from his split with Dawes that was released for record store day. The song is "Million Dollar Bill" which is a song by Dawes, but I think Conor Oberst's rendition is much better.



Damon Albarn (Blur, Gorillas) released his first solo album, and although I'm not crazy about every song I love the first song (also the title of the album) "Everyday Robots".



One of the best hip hop songs this year was released on Rick Ross' new album. I don't even know what it's called and don't really care. Rick Ross kind of creeps me out. However, the song "Sanctified" featuring Kanye West and Big Sean is near perfect, not because of Ross but because of Kanye and Big Sean. They steal the show on this one.

So my wondrous wife isn't such a huge fan of Conor Oberst unless it's in Desaparecidos form but I'm almost positive she'll enjoy this song. As for me, the title of this post says it all. The album as a whole is magnifique. It seems a lot more optimistic and hopeful than previous catalog. In embarrassing fashion I might have gotten some sniffles while listening to this song at work today. Enjoy.

After four weeks of only being at home on the weekends this fits my day perfectly.

My song of the day is "Divisionary (Do the Right Thing)" by Ages and Ages. I am really, really into it today.

My song of the day is by Valerie June. Her music combines the best elements of rock and roll, pop, and soul in the vein of Jack White or the Black Keys. Her voice is heavy and rich and really all over the board. The title track "Pushin Against a Stone" feels like the Beatles mixed with 60s girl group pop, "You Can't be Told" has a definite rock and roll tinge to it, and other songs get a little bluegrass and folky. You have to listen to the whole album to understand its depth and range. Below are two of my favorites.

I am working on three very big papers, but don't worry, I will be back to my regularly scheduled ultimatums and declarations of love very soon. I just had to share this great song I heard today.

"Worms" by Youth Lagoon was included on Space Project, a 14-song compilation put out on Record Store Day. All of the songs incorporate sounds from outer space. "Worms" utilizes noises from Uranus's rings. I'm not a scientist, so I don't know how that works. But it's great.

You can read a little bit more about it here.