Luck of Lucien - A Tribe Called Quest

(Ignore the first :20 - it's not the song)

Taking a tangent from all the white people music I've been posting as of late, here's some old-school hip hop from the 90s from one of my favorite hip hop artists ever: A Tribe Called Quest. Honestly, this is one of the most catchy songs I've ever listened to (due in part to my roommate playing it on his trumpet). With a strong bass line interwoven perfectly with the drums, soft guitar, and the smooth rhymes of Q-Tip and Phife Dawg - you can't help but nod your head along to the beat. Then the brass line comes in... it's smooth, cool, and in your face... Just like A Tribe Called Quest as a band; quality music from a quality band. While I like Run-DMC and Beastie Boys, ATCQ are in a league of their own in regard to 90s hip hop. Enjoy!

Empires - The Snake The Cross The Crown

Taken from the album "Mander Sails" from 2004, The Snake The Cross The Crown blends together folk, rock, and post-rock together to create a unique, transient sound. This particular song, "Empires" has a very folk 'twang' sound using the electric guitar, mixed Kevin Jones' growing, smooth voice and a nice rock drum beat. Midway through the song, the sound switches to a more 'rock' sound, similar to the rest of the album.



Not my favorite album of all time - but check out the tracks "Empires" and "A Brief Intermission" if you're a folk fan!

Moby - Everloving

Taken from the groundbreaking album "Play", Moby creates a very atmospheric, acoustic, beautiful song (sans lyrics, just humming) that is very hard to stop listening to. "Everloving" has a wonderful melody, with a constant, droning hum, gentle strumming of the guitar, and solid drum beat to back it. Moby takes electronic music and adds something to it no one else can - this song is completely ethereal and peaceful to me. Be sure to check out the whole album; you won't be disappointed.

Two Gallants - Nothing To You

I can't believe I haven't posted this yet (or maybe I have..?). Anyway, Two Gallants, from San Francisco, has been one of my favorite bands for the last two years, particularly due to their album "The Throes". Their sound combines the harsh, folk voice of Bob Dylan, with the intricate, harmonious finger-picking guitar sound of John Fahey. Both musicians have immense talent, combining their efforts to create a very full sound despite only backing two members (Adam Stevens - guitar / vocals / harmonica, Tyson Vogel - drums / vocals).

This song in particular, Nothing To You, is both humorous and beautifully written, with a very noir connotation despite its seemingly upbeat, melodic sound. Stevens' voice moves fluently with his guitar, exchanging melodies between singing, harmonica, and finger picking (incredibly hard to do while singing), while Vogel blends his drumming style in perfectly.

The whole album (The Throes) is truly amazing - it paints of picture of grief, loss, and angst. I highly recommend giving the album a listen, in addition to checking out the lyrics. This band changed music for me, and I hope it has a similar impact on you. I can not say enough good things about them. Enjoy!

Evil Friend - Deadboy & the Elephantmen

Deadboy & the Elephantmen, consisted of Dax Riggs (vocals / guitar) and Tessie Brunet (drums / vocals). Pretty much - they were an even better, darker White Stripes - at least to me. Dax Riggs was the former frontman of the Sludge / Doom Metal band Acid Bath, one of my favorite bands of all time. It was some of the heaviest, musical, amazing art even written! They only released two full albums unfortunately. Upon a band member's death, Acid Bath was recreated under the name of Agents of Oblivion, with little success. Dax Riggs decided it was time to move on and form D&TEM. He went through band members very quickly until sticking with the awesome Tessie Brunet.

With the combination of Tessie's chilling voice, D&TEM came out with "We Are Night Sky" which this track is taken off. The once technical, complicated music of Dax Riggs' Acid Bath was now stripped down to the bones. The simplicity in every track is extremely apparent, with some songs consisting of no more than three chords, a light drum beat, with Dax and Tessie's chilling voices on top. Don't be fooled by the simplicity though, these guys ROCK. Be sure to check out their live recordings at Austin City Limits.

Well here is one of my favorite tracks off "We Are Night Sky" - assuming I can narrow down any favorites. Dax Riggs makes love to his guitar, giving the appearance of a much more complicated tune. His voice, combined with Tessie Brunet's creates a very haunting sound - fitting of the song name. This is a beautiful song and I hope you all can enjoy it as much as I do. Thanks!

Ocean of Noise - Arcade Fire

Well, we all know how Arcade Fire's "The Suburbs" took album of the year at the Grammy Awards, but that album isn't necessarily their best - at least in my opinion. Let's go back to Neon Bible, Arcade Fire's second full release; Ocean of Noise is a very soothing song, with meaningful lyrics, and is one of my favorite tracks off the album (though I enjoy them all!). I am really sunburned from camping, and want to go lay down now! Just listen to the song >:E

Radiohead - Jigsaw Falling Into Place

So, I really am a huge Radiohead fan - I won't deny that. Their latest album, however, was a bit lackluster in my opinion - I am still hoping for a return to their older sounds. Anyway, this is off the album "In Rainbows", which definitely has its ups and downs but is still one of my more favored albums (assuming there are actually any I really don't like hehe). I can't help but nod my head up and down to this song; it has some damn catchy riffs. This song builds and builds as it goes on, and Thom Yorke does his thing - typical Radiohead stuff - awesome.

Enjoy!