What Are You Listening To?

Gosh, there is lots of good music out there. It's impossible to keep track of it all. But when I land on some new stuff that I like, I enjoy it more when I share it. So here goes...

I find most of my new music in 3 places:

• Brite Revolution - a great music download site that is also socially responsible. I've mentioned it here before.
• Paste Magazine - I subscribe to it, and each issue includes 20 free songs to download. Some are clinkers, many are great. It's a nice eclectic mixture of genres.
• All Songs Considered - I talk about this one often. They give so much free music, and great commentary. It's on NPR, and they have so many different podcasts and music streaming off of this site -- it's ridiculously great. Do not miss it.

I won't try to explain why I like these artists. Just hit the links and decide for yourself... and share some of your own opinions should you feel so inclined.

Marching Band - music coming out of Sweden (and all those Scandinavian places... yeah wherever) is so darn good of late. My biggies are Johann Johannsson, Sondre Lerche, and naturally, Sigur Ros. And see another one listed below...

The Living Sisters - this is one of those side projects bands where the artists have other groups for which they are better known. Very lovely harmonies here. Not derivative and predictable.

Suzanne Vega - yes, I wrote that. She's apparently moved beyond Luka. This one song I've heard is fantastic. Acoustic and folky.

Pawnshop Kings - they sound a lot like the Fray in one of their songs, I'm not gonna lie. Don't Say That sticks with you though. But check out their other stuff too. God in You is intriguing.

The Tallest Man on Earth - I really don't get how these Swedes sound more American than we do.

Jay Nash - Nothing hugely new in his music, but it's easy to listen to yet substantial at the same time.

Keith Jarrett - his latest album is called Jasmine. If you want utterly understated, really clean and solid instrumental jazz piano that is perfect soundtrack for life, this is it. It is incredibly relaxing. I have another album of his called The Melody at Night, with You, that is a stunner as well. He's not easy to find online... he's a bit quirky and very proprietary about his music ... rightfully so. The link I listed here is from the older album I mentioned.

Hope you get to go to some concerts and shows this summer. I think I've used up my budget already on some shows earlier this spring, but we'll see....

All Songs Considered, SXSW, free music, etc!

Attention music fans: Just a quick post... In case you haven't noticed or heard that there is some great stuff out there on NPR's music website:

• Free NPR music at South by Southwest (SXSW) Sampler
• "First Listen" of the entire She&Him album "Volume Two" (limited run - album comes out March 23)
• Live Concerts and interviews from SXSW

This is just scraping the surface of the musical goodness on this website, but I'm assuming you can find your way from there. Ciao.

Resonate

How do you describe it when music is just so GOOD? I cannot say why I like certain music. I just do. There are distinct qualities about it -- but they are not in the sounds or genre so much as in the effects they have on me. I know I like a song when I hit PLAY six times in a row, and am still not sick of it. I know I like a song when I wake up singing it the next day. A song really works when it makes me stop everything and just listen. It's like I experience the music more than hear it. It rings somewhere inside of me, vibrating, echoing, resonating.

When a song expresses feelings and thoughts and experiences far better than I could ever do so myself, then it practically owns me.

There's some music out right now that hits me this way. I won't say much about it. Plain & simple -- I like each artist very very much.

The new Swell Season music (Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova -- from the movie Once): go to NPR Tiny Desk concerts -- but make sure you select the "Watch Now" option. It is spellbinding. How could this music possibly be better than the music from Once? Stunningly - it is.

The new stuff from Sondre Lerche (soundtrack from Dan in Real Life). Norwegian dude, fantastic music. He has a new album titled Heartbeat Radio that is coming out Sept 8.

New artist -- he's a Christian -- who has a nice, unique, not-Nashville-overproduced-Christian-pop sound named Ben Rector. Favorite song is "After All."

Enjoy.

Free Music, People!

How do you pass up such great stuff? Avett Brothers, Fleet Foxes, Joan Baez, Billy Bragg, Iron & Wine, to name a few -- and that's just from the Folk Sampler... Getting ready to download the Jazz Sampler, which includes Branford Marsalis, Dave Brubeck, the Bad Plus and others. TGIF! and thank you NPR.

These are from the Newport Music Festivals on the 50th anniversary.

Go to NPR Music at Newport.

P.S. If you want more solid acoustic guitar work, also check out a new album by Bruce Cockburn called Slice o' Life. Down to earth Canadian folk singer who has always put out great music, even if it has been a bit under the radar at times.