A song! vol. 3

M. Ward - To Go Home
from the album Post-War

There really isn't anyway for me to describe this song besides "wonderful." The structure, the melody, the sounds, the feel, and the entire thing on a whole is just wonderful. At it's break out points it sounds amazing and M. Ward's tight hold on the lyrics and meaning of the song makes for a strong emotional feeling backing the music. On top of it all, M. Ward's voice is just beautiful: serene and quiet, but it carries.

Download here

I feel this song is a good gateway into M. Ward in general. The whole album is my favorite M. Ward album actually.

Clues self titled debut

So exactly what has Alden Penner been doing since The Unicorns dramatically disbanded? Working with his new band Clues, of course (and actually playing at my college last November to a group of about 25.)

It's no surprise no one has quite heard of Clues yet: they have barely played any shows or toured at all and the record label they are signed to has just about the most cryptic and difficult website to navigate ever (perhaps this is on purpose, to keep up the mystery and whatnot). They also did not released any kind of EP before this full length, only sending their songs through the blogosphere and internet. Still, after having seen them live last term I was waiting and waiting for this full length to come out, not only because what I did hear sounded amazing, but also because I wanted to see what else they would do.

Now that the album has leaked, I am pleased to say I am thoroughly enjoying it. It's a great album, solid and strong with at least four leading tracks that are really amazing. And shocker: you can barely hear The Unicorns in it! Thank goodness someone has moved on. Obviously the people he is playing with in the band know what they are doing and are skilled in the many ways of music. They sound great.

Favorite tracks:
"Approach The Throne" - incredible danceable, head bangable medley of horns and sticks being smashed into things. Easy "la la la" lyric segment to sing along to! Woo!
"Perfect Fit" - funky and weird, just how we like Alden
"Cave Mouth" - intense and sick guitar riff.

Bonus info! Count how many times Alden sings "Who here wants to sleep in the dragon's mouth?" Recurring theme maybe?

Download here
(thank you, Flaming Milk)

Thanks for this album, Alden & co. This makes up for Mr. Penner being kind of a dick to me after the show. Oh well. Nice work.

A song! vol. 2

Mystery Jets - "Flakes"
from the album Twenty One

I feel like I can't do this song justice with words. True, it starts out vaguely a-typical and not exactly riveting, but as the chorus breaks out and the singer really seems to get into it, you'll understand why I've come to feel attached to it as a song unto itself. This band released an album and got just about zero attention for it, which is kind of a shame because the entire album is actually really great.

Download here

A song! vol. 1

M83 - "Kim & Jessie"
from the album Saturdays=Youth

Energizing and danceable, M83 seem to be from another time period entirely. Listening to this song, you feel caught in some 1980s technicolor dream of Breakfast Club absurdity. When it breaks into the chorus though and the whining of synths becomes louder, you catch a glimpse of M83's originality added into the mix.
This song has a certain beautiful aspect to it that definitely makes it pleasing to the ear, from the overlapping of vocals to the melody always riding in the background. Overall, it is a great song and easy to listen to for almost any circumstance. I can imagine it at a party equally well as I can driving down a highway. Although the highway might take precedence a bit; it just feels like that kind of thing.

Download the song here