We Might Be Dead by Tomorrow

I caught this poignant song in a video the other day and thought it was amazingly profound. It captures perfectly the live, love, and laugh credo so starkly. In her own way Soko is telling us that no one is promised tomorrow so live right now, today! Waiting to do it later is not written in stone and is in no way assured. I love this song.

From her 2012 debut album I Thought I Was An Alien, We Might Be Dead By Tomorrow is a lilting song, sung in a breathless way which makes it somewhat creepy, and in all ways brilliant. It's just Stephanie Sokolinski floating over instruments that are barely there themselves. The violin and guitar compliment her voice exquisitely and the drums are in and out which is a nice touch.

If you like this song then I highly recommend checking out For Marlon and First Love Never Die off the same album. You're welcome :) Enjoy!

I Put A Spell On You

Dearest Nina,

On what would have been your 81st birthday I wanted to acknowledge your prodigious talents and let you know that you are still sorely missed. I would have loved watching the so called artists of today try to keep up with you. You would have out shined the brightest of them, be they male or female.

The world of music dimmed forever on April 21, 2003 and it will never brighten again. You along with some other extremely talented women raised the bar to a level virtually impossible to reach. I wonder how many records you would have sold, or how many downloads you would have had. No matter the era, you would have ruled.

In commemoration of your birthday I am posting one of my favorite songs by you, I Put A Spell On You. Your vocals tear through this song and the violins backing you along with your piano playing are the perfect accompaniment. The saxophone blisters and it's the only instrument that can keep up with you, the amazing you. Happy Birthday Ms. Simone and may you continue to rest in peace. You are missed.


   

I See Fire

The second I heard the voice of Ed Sheeran sing the opening of this tragically poignant and beautiful song I knew I was going to blog it. It had to be shared even though if you go to see The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug then you will hear it like I did. It plays over the closing credits and it's the perfect song for the close. See it and you'll see why.

The song begins with Ed's intro with a lilting Irish tinge to it. Then when the guitar kicks in and you get a hint of the melody the song begins to unfold for you. The lyrics are all about the quest for the Dwarves of Erebor to reclaim their homeland if they can best the dragon Smaug that inhabits their mountain. The song was written specifically for the movie and it's pitch perfect.

Ed Sheeran isn't widely known here in the states, but something tells me that is about to change. Take a listen and let me know if you agree with me. Enjoy!

Welcome Home

The first thing you notice about this song is that it sounds like something you've already heard. Maybe from a movie or something, or a commercial selling some really obscure, hometown beer perhaps? Then you realize it's a foot stomping sing along song that sounds like so many other foot stomping sing along tunes, and maybe that's why I like it. The song is Welcome Home from Radical Face and it's grabbed me by my ear and won't let me go. It's off their 2007 release entitled Ghost.

This song is almost like two songs, the back end of the song is more musical and melancholy than the front end. I can't make out all the lyrics either so I suggest you don't try. Just listen to the melody, clap your hands, stomp your feet and get caught up in it. Ben Cooper's voice fits so perfectly and the vocal layering is perfect, not to mention the guitar playing.

Now normally I would say something like, "If you like this song then be sure to check out...," but sadly this is the best song on Ghost. After awhile a whole album of Ben's voice will grow annoying. That being said, check out The Mute off Radical Face's 2013 release  Radical Face: The Branches, that is if you like Welcome Home. Enjoy.

Dust to Dust

I'm not a big fan of their sound, I am however a big fan of this song. The Civil Wars have unleashed this song upon my soul and I cannot stop listening to it. I can't seem to pull away no matter how much I try. Dust to Dust is off their latest release entitled The Civil Wars, and it's an amazing song.  

I get wrapped up in this song and I don't know why. It might be the subtle production, or it could be the perfect harmonious blending of Joy Williams and John Paul White's voices that do it. I think the biggest reason I love this song so much is because of its chorus and sentiment. Afgter Joy sings the most poignant verses I have heard in a very long time, where she sees this other person playing the part of pretending to be happy, together they sing Let me in the wall/You built around/We can light a match/And burn them down/Let me hold your hand/And dance round and round the flame/In front of us/Dust to dust...

I don't think I'll ever be a huge fan of this group, but for this moment, right here, right now, I am a huge fan of their song, and I will always be. Give it a listen, a hard listen and maybe you'll be too. Enjoy!

No Envy No Fear

Allow me to introduce to you Joshua Radin. I say that because while Joshua is talented enough to be a household name, he is anything but, which I find tragic. Joshua is cut from the Ray Lamontagne cloth. Both are talented singer-songwriters with similar sounds which may be why Joshua isn't more widely known. This song of his though, No Envy No Fear definitely made me sit up and take notice.

No Envy is off Joshua's second album, the 2008 release Simple Times, and album chock full of wonderful melodies and poignant lyrics. The stand out in my opinion though is this gem. I find this song to be absolutely beautiful, from the melody to the lyrics to the playing, it borders on perfection.

 I can listen to this song all day. I hope you enjoy this song as much as I do.

Overwhelmed

Okay, to be honest, I first heard this song in a beer commercial. I am not about to write how I was up on this song before Sam Adams used it and made it popular, though I could have. I could have made myself out to be cooler than I already am (and we all know just how friggin cool I am, don't we?). The song is Overwhelmed by Tim McMorris and I really like this little ditty.

Overwhelmed is not on an album...yet. Tim though has more than enough singles to put together a few albums, and talk about diverse styles. Don't listen to this song and think Tim McMorris is one of those singer-songwriter dudes that wears cowboy boots and likes tractor pulls (though he may). There is a song by him called The World is Yours where he raps...well!

Still though, Overwhelmed is my favorite song of his, yes I've heard them all so quit asking me. This song is cute and the lyrics are poignant. Tim McMorris is a very talented artist and since it sounds like he may be around for awhile, you might want to jump on this bandwagon now, before it picks up speed, and enjoy!

Let It Be Me

I recently became a fan of this man and his music back in 2010. I have been mining his songs ever since but I somehow missed this one. I was introduced to this song over the past weekend and it blew me away. The song is Let It Be Me by the very talented Ray LaMontagne. It's off his 2008 release entitled Gossip In The Grain. It's a really touching song about loyalty, unconditional friendship, and support.

This is the second time Ray has graced my blog and I am really not someone to repeat artists here. That being said, this song is just as good as the first song of his I blogged about, Jolene. When Ray sings the chorus That's when you need someone / Someone that you can call / When all your faith is gone / Feels like you can't go on...let it be me / If it's a friend you need / Let it be me...it feels like he knows about all the crap you're currently going through or dealt with. I know there have been times in my life when I would have fallen apart had it not been for some very close and dear friends so this song speaks directly to my heart in a profound way.

This song is for those that have no one and needs that friend they can lean on and rely on. It's a voice in the dark telling you to take my hand, that while they may not know the way out, at least you're not alone. For this song, I thank you Ray and to the one that introduced me to it, thank you from the bottom of my heart. Enjoy!

Come Around

This is a song I came across by accident. I was up late one night and chose to see what was out there I haven't heard, to see if there was anything new or old and this song hit me upside the head. It's by Rosi Golan and it's entitled Come Around. She's a singer songwriter in that mold of the typical singer songwriter. Her voice isn't all the special and her "look" looks like every female singer songwriter that's come before her. This song however IS special because it doesn't matter if you're a jazz lover, a hip hop head, or a metal music maniac, this song invokes a scenario we have all experienced. Being so head over heels for someone that you just want them to stick and stay.

It starts of with just Rosi and the piano and it's the melody that contrasts with the lyrics. The melody is somewhat dark but her lyrics are all about love and being so happily high that she doesn't ever want to come down. When she sings you're the one/you're the one you feel it (at least I do). The come around reference can be taken two ways which makes this song not just pretty but witty as well. She chastises herself for being a fool and waiting so long to let this person know how she feels that come around could be a plea. A pleas for this person to come around to feeling for her how she feels for him.

It's off of Rosi's 2008 release The Drifter and the Gypsy and if you like this cut then you should really look into that collect of songs. Especially check out Hazy (feat. William Fitzsimmons), it's a pretty good song in its own right. Enjoy.

The Tide Is Turning

One of my favorite artists of all time and who I think is a musical and lyrical genius is a man by the name of Roger Waters. Those that don’t really know the man by that name may have heard of the group he helped form. It was a little band that made a little noise on the charts back in the day known as Pink Floyd. They had a massive mainstream hit back in the 80’s with “Another Brick in the Wall” off of their huge selling album “The Wall”. About eighty percent of that double record LP was written by Roger Waters as was Pink Floyds previous records and their last as a complete group “The Final Cut”. Due to shall I say “creative differences” Roger left the band and struck out on his own for good. He and other members had released solo albums while still within the fold of Floyd but Floyd was over as far as Roger Waters was concerned. I won’t go into the drama that ensued between him and his ex bandmates but just know it wasn’t pretty. That being said, Roger Waters lost absolutely nothing creatively wise while stepping out without the rest of Floyd and his album “Radio K.A.O.S.” proves that beyond a shadow of a doubt. It was an impressive solo debut and the most impressive song of that album was “The Tide is Turning”.


Roger was never known for a great singing voice and actually he’s a horrible singer. Thankfully though it’s not his singing that keeps fans like me interested, it’s his lyrical ability and that’s on full display with “Tide”. It’s a song of a man who is coming to the realization that while things look bleak for the future of mankind that the tide is turning. It starts of with “I used to think the world was flat/rarely threw my hat into the crowd/I felt I had used up my quota of yearning…Used to look in on the children at night/in the glow of their Donald Duck light/and frighten myself /with the thought of my little ones burning but the tide is turning. It goes on to tell you that the youth stood as one and refused to back down and believe what they were told and fed by the powers that be and that began the tide turning.


I will always be a Roger Waters fan because of songs like this. He will always be one of those artists I hold in the highest of regards because in my opinion he belongs in the pantheon of all those other artists we consider geniuses. Enjoy!