ben christophers-spoonface [2001]

i've had this album for a long time. when i first heard ben christophers i really got into him. he has such a unique style. i'm sure you'll notice it as well. his voice is so piercing. ben has four albums out to date with the last being in 2005. don't know why he still hasn't come up with anything new but who are we to judge, right? anybody reading this ever come up with something better? didn't think so. if you really think you have, send it to me and i'll listen to it. if it's better, i'll consider posting it here under the title "i was wrong. one of our readers may have made something better than ben christophers". not bloody likely though. anywho, check out the songs "leaving my sorrow behind", "hooded kiss", and "transatlantic shooting stars". you'll like em.

1. leaving my sorrow behind
2. the stream
3. falls into view
4. transatlantic shooting stars
5. hooded kiss
6. easter park
7. songbird scrapes the sky
8. spoonface
9. losing myself
10. the opium willows

kathryn williams - relations [2004]

i like this album. kathryn williams is a british singer/songwriter with a pretty nice voice. this album, though, did not require to "songwrite". its an album of all covers. now, normally i am not a huge fan of covers, especially beatles covers. if you can't rival the original (and the beatles you just can't) then it just bothers people more if you sing it than if you'd never tried in the first place. that said, she does a good job with a couple of these. i recommend her cover of the leonard cohen classic "hallelujah"....it maybe the best version of the song out there, and i've heard some good ones (i.e. jeff buckley, damien rice, rufus wainwright). also, the bee gees cover, "i started a joke" is good but still not as good as the wallflowers (as seen in zoolander). anywho, check it out....see what you think. below is the song title along with the original recording artist.

1. in a broken dream (david bentley)
2. birds (neil young)
3. thirteen (big star)
4. hallelujah (leonard cohen)
5. ballad of easy rider (the byrds)
6. a guy what takes his time (mae west)
7. candy says (the velvet underground)
8. how can we hang on to a dream (tim hardin)
9. i started a joke (bee gees)
10. easy and me (lee hazlewood)
11. spit on a stranger (stephen malkmus)
12. all apologies (nirvana)
13. beautiful cosmos (ivor cutler)
14. these days (jackson browne)

the envy corps-dwell [2007]

i don't have much to say about this album....i don't know it all that well. i just came across it this week and thought it had a couple of nice licks. you can decide for yourselves. from the initial listen you may think this is a u.k. band. not so, interestingly enough. the envy corps hail from the great state of iowa. i myself have been to iowa on three or four occasions. i gotta say that of the midwestern states it certainly is one of the most beautiful. i am not surprised that this music could be produced in such a beautiful place. that's beside the point. check out the songs "wires & wool", "rhinemaidens" and "before the gold rush" (note connection to neil young's "after the gold rush". not only are they iowan, they're witty, and neil young fans).

1. wires & wool
2. sylvia (the beekeeper)
3. keys to good living
4. rhinemaidens
5. before the gold rush
6. walls
7. 99, 100
8. rooftop
9. party dress
10. story problem
11. baby teeth

sir paul mccartney-chaos and creation in the backyard [2005]

forget the long title, this album is simply amazing. after years and years of struggling albums paul finally got his reputation back when, in 2005, he collaborated with radiohead/beck-producer nigel godrich (who also worked with travis a ton) and came up with this work of art. now, i am a die-hard beatles/paul fan. i can honestly say that through thick and thin i follow his work. but it took me this album to officially bring him back around on the long-lasting-amazing-writing scale. well he's there. no question. check out "too much rain", "this never happened before", and "english tea", especially the intros....

1. fine line
2. how kind of you
3. jenny wren
4. at the mercy
5. friends to go
6. english tea
7. too much rain
8. a certain softness
9. riding to vanity fair
10. follow me
11. promise to you girl
12. this never happened before
13. anyway

van halen-best of volume I [1996]

holy crap. you know, i have resisted posting this album for some time. i can't hold back any longer though. simply incredible music; no way around that. i have been listening to this album since the 8th grade when me and my best friend mike were riding around with his older brother and he put this disc in and went straight to song number 13 and we rocked out the "right now" until our brains got too joggled in our heads from banging em. you may have a more "crystal" clear memory of that song being used in the classic "crystal pepsi" adds. however you remember it, it's fantastic. aside from that, this album is packed with classic van halen goodness. i still get goose bumps when sammy hagar does one of his "heys" right after the stirring intro in "when it's love". holy crap. this post, this album, is for all the second guitar part-players out there. eddie taught you the best he possibly could. take note folks. few can rival these second parts.

1. eruption
2. ain't talkin' 'bout love
3. runnin' with the devil
4. dance the night away
5. and the cradle will rock
6. unchained
7. jump
8. panama
9. why can't this be love
10. dreams
11. when it's love
12. poundcake
13. right now
14. can't stop lovin' you
15. human beings
16. can't get this straight
17. me wise magic

the weepies-say i am you [2006]

this is a great album. i first heard of the weepies from my little brother about six months ago and my wife hasn't stopped listening to them since. the female vocalist (deb talan) just has an amazing and tantalizing voice. i am told that they are the source of much of famous (ha!) pop singer mandy moore's music. wouldn't surprise me though. if you need something to relax you and just make you feel happy all around this is a perfect one. check out "gotta have you", "city wide rodeo", and "world spins madly on".

1. take it from me
2. gotta have you
3. world spins madly on
4. city wide rodeo
5. riga girls
6. suicide blonde
7. a painting by chagall
8. nobody knows me at all
9. not your year
10. twilight
11. stars
12. love doesn't last
13. slow pony ride
    

adele-19 [2008]

i don't have a ton to say about this one but i think it's worth checking out. i only really know that she's from england and she has a nice voice. i'm not saying she's the greatest thing around but i've listened to this album through more than once and it's not shabby. maybe you'll like it. check out "crazy for you" and the bob dylan cover, "to make you feel my love" is better than garth brooks' version at least.

1. daydreamer
2. best for last
3. chasing pavements
4. cold shoulder
5. crazy for you
6. melt my heart to stone
7. first love
8. right as rain
9. make you feel my love
10. my same
11. tired
12. hometown glory

guillemots-through the windowpane [2006]

hey everybody.....

remember me? it's been a little while, i know. i don't have a ton of great excuses for the two month absence here. i was busy. i got into finals and that took up a ton of space and after that maybe i'll chalk it up to laziness. actually it probably had a lot to do with me switching to mac and then having to re-learn how to do this stuff. speaking of which....one of the changes will be that the files will no longer be in .rar format but rather in .zip (at least until i figure out a program to compress to .rar on mac). so you'll have to adjust to that. shouldn't be too tough though and if you have real problems let me know and i'll try to figure it out quicker.

ok, for the meat. this album has me reeling lately. trains

 to brazil was on everybody's two years ago for song of the year and i just hadn't gotten around to checking out the rest of the album until recently. i love it. a must have! check out the songs "trains to brazil", "little bear", and "we're here".

1. little bear

2. made up love song #43

3. trains to brazil

4. redwings

5. a samba in the snowy rain

6. through the window pane

7. if the world ends

8. we're here

9. blue would still be blue

10. annie, let's not wait

11. annie, let's not wait

12. sao paolo

joe purdy-only four seasons [2006]

this guy has me hooked. joe purdy has only been recording as a solo artist since the year 2001 and this year he'd finishing his tenth album, sixth in two years. this album, from early 2006 has some great songs on it. joe toured last year as a part of tom mcrae's hotel cafe tour. i might say that his music (minus the voice) sounds like tom mcrae if tom was on prozak. i would probably draw comparisons closer to ryan adams or bruce springsteen. nonetheless, he's great. if you are fans of the show lost you might be interested to know that joe's song "wash away" was used at the end of one of the episodes of season one. check out the songs, "cinderella and the a-train", "the city", and "why you".

1. the city
2. cinderella & the a-train
3. look at you now
4. why do i
5. andrea
6. laughing man
7. meteor city
8. why you
9. suitcase
10. come back down joe
11. falling down
    

radiohead-in rainbows COMPLETE [2007]

here's both of the releases by radiohead that is in rainbows. the second cd was released in the box set only. obviously just as good as the first. this is the whole package together in one download, about 100mb. not one to miss.

disc 1

1. 15 step
2. bodysnatchers
3. nude
4. weird fishes/arpeggi
5. all i need
6. faust arp
7. reckoner
8. house of cards
9. jigsaw falling into place
10. videotape

disc 2

1. mk 1
2. down is the new up
3. go slowly
4. mk 2
5. last flowers
6. up on the ladder
7. bangers & mash
8. 4 minute warning
   

bnat christmas mix 2007

merry christmas...now that we're past thanksgiving i don't have to feel like a retard by listening to christmas music though fm 100 would never agree...they only care about money. hmmm. anywho, last year i made an amazing christmas mix which i'm sure i can't top this year but i'm gonna post one anyway. i'll also post last years since i didn't have this blog last year :) anywho, i'm pretty proud of 2006's mix and 2007 DEFINATELY has some great licks...enjoy...

1. radiohead-winter wonderland
2. kt tunstall-mele kalikimaka
3. low-just like christmas
4. aimee mann-i'll be home for christmas
5. the jackson 5-up on the housetop
6. enya-silent night
7. travis-last christmas
8. damien rice-happy christmas (war is over)
9. tom mcrae-wonderful christmas time
10. bright eyes-blue christmas
11. be folds five-lonely christmas eve
12. sissel-mitt hjerte alltid vanker (norwegian)
13. death cab for cutie-christmas (baby please come home)
14. feist-lo, how a rose e're blooming
15. the who-christmas
16. white christmas soundtrack-snow
17. run-dmc-christmas in hollis
18. simon and garfunkel-oh come! all ye faithful

1. badly drawn boy-donna and blitzen
2. do they know it's christmas (band aid)
3. jars of clay-little drummer boy
4. travis-river
5. zebrahead-i hate christmas
6. bon jovi-bells will be ringing
7. copeland-do you hear what i hear
8. garth brooks-god rest ye merry gentlemen
9. coldplay-have yourself a merry little christmas
10. goldfinger-white christmas
11. eagles-bells will be ringing
12. paul mccartney-wonderful christmas time
13. sugar ray-silver bells
14. robbie williams-so this is christmas
15. dido-christmas day
16. u2-please come home for christmas
17. bruce springsteen-santa claus is coming to town
18. jackson 5-i saw mommy kissing santa claus
19. deam martin-baby it's cold outside

iron and wine-in the reins EP [2005]

this is my favorite work by the band iron and wine. it's only a seven song EP released in 2005 with the band calexico. all of the songs were written by the man behind iron and wine, sam beam. most of the early releases by iron and wine are much more melodic and acoustic where this album i think they stretched into a new genre, adding the hyphen from folk to folk-rock. great stuff. if you like ryan adams or black rebel motorcycle club, this is has a similar ring only the singer whispers a lot more....check out "red dust", "16, maybe less", "he lays in the reins".

1. he lays in the reins
2. prison on route 41
3. history of lovers
4. red dust
5. 16, maybe less
6. burn that broken bed
7. dead man's will
   

michael jackson-invincible [2001]

i can't believe i waited this long to get one of my favorite albums from one of my favorite artists. i apologize. oh, and did i mention that without question he is the greatest performer of all time. all time people. i always like to get in a debate about who the most recognizable person on the earth today is. what i'm saying is: if you were to poll every person on this planet today who would the most people recognize. bush? hitler? i think that person is michael jackson. anyway, this album was a number one in the world and i think it deserves every single bit of that title. no one keeps up like michael. one of his earlier albums "thriller" came out in 1982. that is, the songs you recognize and people still thump in their cars today (me included) like "billy jean", "beat it" and of course "thriller". came out before anyone else had thought or rap beats. you may not agree with all the things i said but as a human you must at least appreciate genius when you see it. check out the songs, "whatever happens", "you rock my world", and "unbreakable". oh, i almost forgot, i'll DEFINATELY be posting his newest album when it comes out in early '08 so be looking for that....

1. unbreakable
2. heartbreaker
3. invincible
4. break of dawn
5. heaven can wait
6. you rock my world
7. butterflies
8. speechless
9. 2000 watts
10. you are my life
11. privacy
12. don't walk away
13. cry
14. the lost children
15. whatever happens
16. threatened

tom mcrae-all maps welcome [2005]

i can't help it. i'm reposting a different album from an artist i've already told you about. and i have TONS of great new music that i really want to get on here. he's that good though. seriously. i posted tom mcrae's new album "king of cards" early in my bloggin days :) this album, his third release of four is the second best of the four (this is the order: 1-self-titled, 2-all maps welcome, 3-just like blood, 4-king of cards; this isn't subjective either, it's the cold-hard truth). he is one of the most inspiring artist i have ever listened to. not to mention tom as a lyricist (check out the lyrics in 'girl who falls down stairs'). he has such a solid portfolio of work that he could end his career as an artist now and i'd isten to his four albums over and over and over. incredible. check out the songs, "vampire heart"<---one of my top five favorite songs....ever, "girl who falls down stairs", and "silent boulevard"<----that was hard to choose, 1-11 are all incredible.

1. for the restless


2. hummingbird song


3. the girl who falls down stairs


4. how the west was won


5. packing for the crash


6. it ain't you


7. strangest land


8. my vampire heart


9. silent boulevard


10. still lost


11. border song

girls in hawaii-from here to there [2005]

not just perverts, these guys are also great musicians. hailing from belgium, the band girls in hawaii have a quality album here. i first picked this up almost two years ago. this is there only lp release to date and it's definately worth a listen. in belgium this band is supposedly the latest "great sensation". wouldn't surprise me though since almost no one could name a great band from belgium....(no offense if you know some)...either way, this album has some great songs. check out "found in the ground", "flavor", and "time to forgive the winter".

1. 9:00 a.m.
2. short song for a short mind
3. time to forgive the winter
4. casper
5. found in the ground
6. the ship on the sea
7. the fog
8. fontanelle
9. flavor
10. organeum
11. bees & butterflies (down)
12. catwalk