Sunday, April 08, 2007

Seven Songs

I didn't get tagged for this one, but I liked it so much, that I had to share. Basically you pick seven songs that you've been listening to and tag seven friends to share. Here are my picks:

1. “Listening Man” by The Bees (U.K.) - This one has been playing on Sirius a lot lately. I sounds like Bob Marley by a bunch of white dudes. Like UB40 without the crap remake baggage. I don't think the album is out yet. These guys are real throwbacks.
2. “Jacksonville” by Sufjan Stevens - I posted a link to a live video version of this tune a few months ago. The recorded version is good, but the live version is better. The only song about Helen Keller that I know about.
3. “Rise Up With Fists” by Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins - Lewis reminds me of Neko Case with a better singing voice. A lot of her songs are alt-country, but (as my friend Conroe put it) there's some blue-eyed soul in their as well.
4. “Company In My Back” by Wilco - This one's gotta be a few years old now, but I still love it. I have no idea what it is about, but it is a beautiful track.
5. “He War” by Cat Power - Another song from the recent past. I like the overdubs of Chan Marhsall with her own lead vocal.
6. “A Method” – by TV On The Radio - Last summer I heard this song over and over on WOXY.com. Nice studio song, but I wonder what the live version is like.
7. Unknown - by Half Japanese – Jad and David Fair are a couple of brothers who taught themselves how to play instruments and recorded a lot of music. Think Gordon Gano of the Violent Femmes fronting The Minutemen. I don’t know the title of the song, but I heard it in a documentary about the band a couple of weeks ago. I wrote an email to Jad Fair, asking him for the title. We’ll see if he gets back to me!

Tag: Brother Mick, Preppygirl, PSlea, Mr. Social, Julia, TCrowe and Momma Hen

Guilty Pleasure of the Week: The Bridge - A soft rock channel on Sirius. I almost stayed in the car last week to finish hearing "Blue Bayou" by Linda Ronstadt.

7 comments:

PreppyGirl said...

I am so musically inept, I don't think I could even identify 7 new songs - seriously. I might be able to tell you the last 7 songs I heard. Let me think on it. And the only song I know from yours is that Sufjan one and I do LOVE that one. Keller -oh!

Galoot said...

Jad got back to me with the title. Not an Itunes song, unfortunately.

monkeybrigade said...

Not really a song, but there is a dialogue on the Clerks 2 soundtrack that deals with Helen Keller. You know, she was deaf, dumb and blind until the miracle worker came along and slapped some sense in her. (Not to be confused with Anne Frank)

Tim said...

other than Wilco I have no idea who these people are.

Momma Hen said...

I'm with Mick, I have no idea who any of these people are --hmmmmmmmm

princess slea said...

I would love to accept this challenge but I'm not really listening to one particular song or artist these days.
I do love my satellite radio and have a few fav channels.
i like the coffeehouse (channel 30)
90's alternative
and my favorite NPR (especially on Sundays)

Anonymous said...

It took me awhile (I've been swamped), but here you go...

My picks:

1. "You'll Get Through This" by Martina McBride. While I'm not really a country music fan, this song is on an album called "The Mercy Project" - "a musical expression of hope and celebration to benefit Mercy Ministries of America, a non-profit organization that shelters and helps troubled girls and young women." The entire album has been a source of hope to me for the past couple of years, but for the last few weeks, this song has really been an encouragement to me.

2. "My Savior My God" by Aaron Shust, a fairly new artist on the Christian music scene. My sister introduced me to this song and it is a truly beautiful song of worship. The first verse - "I am not skilled to understand what God has willed, what God has planned. I only know at His right hand stands one who is my Savior. I take Him at His word and deed. Christ died to save me - this I read, and in my heart I find a need of Him to be my savior. That He would leave His place on high and come for sinful man to die. You count it strange, so once did I, before I knew my Savior ."

3. “Does Anybody Hear Her" by Casting Crowns. This group has great songs all around. This one talks about how many people right outside our church doors are in pain and in need of love.

4. “Stand in the Rain” by Superchick - Superchick is kind of a teeny-bop band, but this is a great song. "Stand in the rain. Stand your ground. Stand up when it's all crashing down. Stand in the rain. You won't drown and one day what's lost will be found. So stand in the rain."

5. “Veronica" by Elvis Costello. I love just about anything by this guy (and whomever he happens to be playing with at the time). My grandmother had Alzheimer's for 18 years. So, I listen to this song and think of her.

6. “Because He Lives" a traditional Easter hymn. This one really hit me last week when we sang it at church and I've been singing it all week long. "Because He lives I can face tomorrow. Because He lives all fear is gone. Because I know He holds the future. And life is worth the living, just because He lives." What more does one need for validation?

7. "When You Come Back Down" by Nickel Creek. This is an inspiring song about having someone in your life who inspires you to go after your dreams and face your fears with the promise that he/she will always be there waiting and standing by your side.