Music is life....and Life is a Party!

OK get ready for the cliché.....'Music has been important to me since before I can even remember.' I hate clichés but there's no other way to say that. Some of my earliest memories are of digging through my parents records to find music I was in the mood for, or that suited a snowy day, or that I just couldn't get enough of. Ever since then I've spent an inordinate (and possibly unhealthy) amount of time and money finding, buying and listening to music from pretty much every genre imaginable.

As almost anyone with an ear and a pulse can tell you, the right music at the right time can dramatically change the mood of a crowd or the emotion in a room, for better or worse. There's a reason I used to play Pink Floyd's 'Comfortably Numb' in college when I wanted people to leave a party, just like there's a reason football stadiums across the country play Gary Glitters 'Rock & Roll Part II' after a touchdown, just like strings and minor keys show up when they do in sad movies - to create a desired reaction.

All of which is to say, if you like music, if you REALLY like music, if you're the person people at a party depend on or who friends ask for recommendations; if you're the person who sees an 80GB iPod and thinks "hey that'll be a good place to store some of my music"....if you make mix CDs for fun and can have a 30 minute (or more) conversation on whether Brooklyn or Austin is more important to music right now....and if you're still reading this bloated blog entry...well then you're a person after my own heart. And while I can't share any actual tracks with you here to download, I can recommend some music that might fill a need the next time you "Party Hearty" or are just hanging out.

Here's some bands/albums/tracks I'm really into at the moment; in no particular order and with a quick blurb (which may or may not reflect reality; after all this is a lot to remember). I highly recommend you pick up a subscription on emusic.com; I have one of their insane membership levels (200 downloads/month) but they have lots of great plans and all much cheaper than iTunes.


The National - I've mentioned them before here; they're this gorgeously despondent and insanely talented band from Brooklyn that I have not been able to stop listening to for months. Their latest album, The Boxer, will absolutely be in my top 5 (if not #1) album this year. They're that good. Perfect production; lots of space in there. Good hanging out music with close friends; a little mellow for a big party.

The Ponys - great post-punk sound; like if The Clash and The Sex Pistols formed a band and got a little less serious and more introspective. Party music. Latest album is entitled Turn The Lights out which you will not do listening to this music.

Datarock - Have been hearing them on XMU for a while and finally got around to picking up their album Datarock Datarock just last night. They're out of Norway and have a sound that moves from song to song, all centered around a vaguely dance-rock bleepy bloopy electronic-y sound....check the single Fa-Fa-Fa and close your eyes - BOOM! you're at CBGB in the 70's for a talking heads show. Cool.

Booka Shade - if I was in high school today, Booka Shade would be my Depeche Mode. Although they're a little too happy and German minimal electro/techno guys rather that Brit Goths but the quality of the productions and the image of these guys reminds me of a modern-day Gahan/Gore. Pick up last years' Movements album to hear their original productions or their latest DJ Kicks compilation to hear what moves them in others' music.

Sloan - Just stumbled on these guys recently. Fans of Apples in Stereo (and by that I mean late-era Beatles or Wings) won't want to miss the Never Hear the End of It album, but don't miss Twice Removed - an album made in the early 90's that got them canned from Geffen since it didn't sound enough like Nirvana, but is simply excellent feel-good indie-pop.

If you like Jesus and Mary Chain and similar fuzzy, reverb-y shoegazer post punk-y stuff (and who doesn't?) don't miss these two: Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Baby 81 and Film School - Hideout. mmm mmm good.

If you like Arctic Monkeys, The Libertines and other UK garage bands, you'll almost certainly like The Fratellis, The View, 1990's and Voxtrot.

Be sure not to miss The White Stripes - Icky Thump for Jack's return to guitar god greatness. Let's hope there's more like this coming along; nothing against his side project the Raconteurs; I enjoyed that album too but nothing compares to what he and Meg do on a record.

LCD Soundsystem - dance rock at its finest, made by a guy with a Rain-Man like knowledge of music. 'Daft Punk is Playing at My House' may win all the awards but I always come back to 'Losing my Edge' - and the new album "Sound of Silver" is way up there for me this year.

Quick hits; other stuff to check out:

Interpol - Our Love to Admire: Hey look, Joy Division and The Cure just had a baby!
The Shins - Wincing the Night Away: less mope-y indie; more confident indie; brilliant production
Emma Pollock - watch the fireworks: this album fills the void left in my heart by Neko Case not putting another album out like last year's Fox Confessor Brings the Flood (which is probably one of my 10 favorite albums of the last 5 years)
The Cave Singers - Invitation Songs: It's hard to describe. But It's good. Just check it out. Trust me.
Yeasayer - All Hour Cymbals: world-folk-vocal-instrumental-indie-psych-rock....this album is awesome.

Party Hearty......and please feel free to share anything that's doing it for you right now!

Joe