Song Sampler of the Day: “Never Forget You,” “Help Me Close My Eyes,” & “Revolution”

Another great Song Sampler of the Day, coming right up. One of these might be one of the more unique songs I’ve posted on Harmony Avenue. First off, though, it’s…

“Never Forget You” by the Noisettes!

I’m not too familiar with the Noisettes at the moment (as is often the case with artists whose tunes I feature in Songs of the Day), but I definitely would like to get to know their music a little better. (Mildly amusing tidbit: I first came across their work when another song by them, “Atticus,” was playing on our Pandora station at work, and I really was intrigued by it…at which point it was promptly skipped, since no one else thought it sounded any good. Sigh.) This is a very retro-tinged song…a way to describe it best might be Motown gone modern. It’s deliciously catchy, yet with a sneaky sort of depth that elevates it above the level of bubblegum. Lead singer Shingai Shoniwa (who apparently is British, but with Zimbabwean heritage) ties everything together nicely with a textured, impassioned vocal. (My sister said it reminded her a bit of Amy Winehouse.)  I’ve definitely been coming back to this song quite a few times.

Next up, by way of Sweden, it’s…

“Help Me Close My Eyes” by Those Dancing Days!

This song, by all-female Swedish indie pop group Those Dancing Days,  is somewhat stylistically similar to “Never Forget You,” in that it’s musically upbeat, but lyrically bittersweet. (Wow, I used both alliteration AND rhyme in that sentence. Since I’m posting on a music blog, not writing a Dr. Seuss book, that probably wasn’t for the best…) However, it’s definitely a bit more dance-oriented than the aforementioned tune. (Not that you’d hear it very often at a dance club or anything, but it’s fairly beat-driven.) It’s subtly intoxicating, haunting, and all those kinds of wonderful things that indie pop music should be.

And last but not least, an intriguing entry into the Harmony Avenue Song of the Day oeuvre…

“Revolution” by Dr. John!

Dr. John is a legendary New Orleans musician with credits and honors as diverse as five Grammy Awards, induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, contribution to the soundtrack for Disney’s “The Princess and the Frog” (he sang the opening tune, “Down In New Orleans”), a collaboration with Hugh Laurie on his recent musical debut, and membership in the first incarnation of Ringo Starr’s All-Starr Band. His very cool new record, “Locked Down” (which I haven’t gotten around to checking out fully yet, but I’ve heard a bit of so far), produced by Black Keys member Dan Auerbach, is in some ways influenced by all of those things (and more)…but at the same time, none of them. The vibe of this song (and of the album) is very hard to describe in terms of genre. In terms of atmosphere, on the other hand? Words that come to mind for me: funky, gritty, honest. Things get down and dirty here, but thanks both to Dan Auerbach’s innovative production, as well as Dr. John’s unique artistic vision, this tune stays incredibly, vividly accessible. I’m not usually attuned to this vein of music as much as I should, but songs like this just might change that.

Song of the Day: “Love Is You”

What’s today? Well, first off, it’s Arizona’s centennial birthday…my home state is 100 years young today! OK, and it’s also a little-known holiday a few people celebrate or something…Valentines’ Day, I think they call it? There’s a link to a lovely Arizona video at the bottom of this post (unfortunately, embedding is disabled), but for today’s Song of the Day (for once, it’s actually posted before the evening! sort of), I’ll focus on Valentines’ Day and post a beautiful song for the occasion…

“Love Is You” by Chrisette Michele!

I first came across this song about 3 or 4 years ago (another song by Chrisette, “Your Joy,” was a free single on iTunes), and it’s become one of my absolute favorites. With just a piano and some elegant strings, Chrisette delivers a heartfelt, tender message that’s perfect not just for Valentines’ Day, but really any day. It’s absolutely gorgeous.

And as promised, here’s a tribute to the beauty of Arizona (the song is a bit cheesy, but it’s heartfelt, and the pictures are stunning)…happy birthday, my beloved Grand Canyon State! (Just click on the link.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7xedmvJTzk

Thanks for reading, and have a great Valentines’ Day/centennial!

Song of the Day: “The Daily Mail”

It’s the first post of 2012! And after a barrage of list-based posts at the end of last year, I’m returning to one of this blog’s classic features…the Song of the Day. (As usual, it’s posted at night. I really need to get to doing these in the morning…then they’ll actually be a true Song of the Day for once.) Today, take a listen to…

“The Daily Mail” by Radiohead!

This song, a B-side released by the band last month, is more of a side of Radiohead that we don’t often get to see, and it’s something they should try more often, I think. It kind of harks back to their earlier stuff (in fact, it’s a bit reminiscent of “OK Computer,” before they went in a completely different, experimental direction after that), starting with just a stark, arresting piano line and then having Thom Yorke’s haunting vocals enter in. (He’s rarely delivered a more effective, heartrending vocal in recent years than he does here.) Eventually the full sound kicks in towards the song’s second half, but it’s a controlled explosion, with a deeply melodic quality that you don’t always get in Radiohead’s work. The guitars, the horns, the lyrics…everything combines to make a truly terrific musical experience.

A small preview of what’s coming soon:

• A new theme! I’ve grown quite fond of the one I’m using now, but it’s always fun to shake things up, and I think I’ve found a new blog theme that will work quite nicely. Look for it in the coming days (though knowing me, it will probably be much sooner than that…)
• The first new Artist Spotlight of 2012. I’m still brainstorming who it will be (I’ve got a long list in mind, but I haven’t done this feature for a while), but it will be a good one.
• A potential new feature…there’s one highlighting live performances that I think I want to try out.

As always, thanks for reading. 2012 is going to be a great year, and I hope to make the next few months on Harmony Avenue as jam-packed with good music as I can.

Holiday Song of the Day: “I Believe In Santa Claus”

It’s Christmas Eve night, so for once, I’ll keep it short and to the point. Here’s an absolutely beautiful song by Courtney Cotter, a talented singer-songwriter from the Mesa area (who I know from high school). I highly recommend you pay special attention to the lyrics  of the song…it’s a very profound message, and one that helps me, at least, really feel the true spirit of Christmas. So here’s tonight’s Holiday Song of the Day…

“I Believe In Santa Claus” by Courtney Cotter!

A Merry Christmas to all of you wonderful readers, whoever you may be. Thank you for visiting, and stay tuned for some fun end-of-year festivities to come.

Song of the Day: “Robots”

Alas, aside from the last lingering remnants of my “Sing-Off” recaps, I haven’t posted much else lately. Here’s a Song of the Day to whet your whistle (and for those of you who feel a bit oversaturated with holiday tunes, it’s a normal one this time around), and coming hopefully today or tomorrow, I’ll be making a Sketches post highlighting my all-time favorite Christmas albums. (This post will serve as a replacement for the round of holiday album reviews I had planned.) But for now, let me share with you…

“Robots” by Dan Mangan!

I was introduced to this song thanks to a coworker’s iPod that was playing at work. (This is the great place where I work, btw.) It’s a fairly enigmatic tune, but still incredibly emotionally resonant nonetheless. According to a comment on this song’s entry on my favorite lyrics site, SongMeanings, Dan once said in an interview that this song was inspired by having to live without a broken cell phone for a few days. Not sure if this is completely accurate, but it does make sense, and whatever this song was written about, it’s a gorgeous ride nonetheless. I especially love the last part, where the lines “Robots need love too/They want to be loved by you…” are repeated quite a few times, with a chorus joining in with Dan to sing the song out. It’s a beautiful mix of melancholy and celebration.

See you soon with more posts, both Christmas-themed and otherwise. Thanks for reading!

Holiday Song of the Day: “Christmas Without You”

I haven’t posted since my “Sing-Off” finale recap last week (and there’ll be another coming up momentarily…I know, I know, I said I wasn’t going to do one for the Christmas special tonight, but I guess I just couldn’t resist), so here’s a great Christmas song for your listening pleasure…

“Christmas Without You” by OneRepublic!

Chances are you’re already pretty familiar with OneRepublic, even if you don’t know it. They’re fronted by pop hitmaker Ryan Tedder (who’s produced and co-written songs for huge artists like Beyonce, Kelly Clarkson, and Adele), and they’re the band behind the megahit “Apologize” (I prefer their slightly more stripped-down album version than the overproduced/overplayed collaboration on it with Timbaland), and ubiquitous recent pop radio staples like “All The Right Moves,” “Good Life,” and of course, “Secrets.” (AKA the song with the electric-sounding violins at the beginning, that’s been in everything from “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” to, memorably, “30 Rock.”) Sadly, because those songs are all so prevalent on the radio, or have been at one time, their credibility as a talented, unique band has kind of suffered. However, I absolutely love both their albums, and they really have a lot more to offer than their poppier, hit-making stuff. Case in point: this gem of a holiday tune right here. The production is very intimate and piano-driven, and it’s a nice kind of shift in feel for the band. Ryan sells the vocal perfectly, and there’s some delicious pop-soul style backing vocals that really add to it in a great way. And of course, even though it’s a song more about missing someone than the Christmas season specifically…it still brings a palpable, warm sense of  holiday spirit, while still sounding like the kind of song you’d be comfortable playing year round.

See you in a bit with a short but sweet “Sing-Off Christmas” recap. It ain’t over til it’s over!

Holiday Song of the Day: “Love Is Christmas”

Lest you forget that I actually make posts on this blog that actually aren’t about that one “Sing-Off” show, here’s a quick Song of the Day to kick off the Christmas/Kwanzaa/Hanukkah/whatever holiday you choose to celebrate season. Last year I kept Harmony Avenue’s Christmas festivities kind of low-key, but this year I plan to make them a bit more, y’know, festive. If you’re left cold (ba dum cha…) by the holidays, no worries, as I’ll be continuing some general posting throughout this lovely month of December. Now, to an absolutely stunning song that, coincidentally enough, is a bit “Sing-Off” related now that you mention it (the artist is of course a judge on the program)…

“Love Is Christmas” by Sara Bareilles!

Sara delivers a truly heartfelt, warm message of hope and love with this song, and it’s uplifting and tender without being too sweet or cliched. Backed primarily by just her own piano, she sings beautifully about the true meaning of Christmas, and the peace that we can find with those we love, during the holidays, and really, anytime in the year. It’s a sentiment that’s been expressed in countless Christmas tunes, but Sara finds a gorgeous, genuine new spin on it here. It’s the kind of Christmas song that will make you want to cry without you even realizing. It’s the kind of Christmas song that you don’t feel guilty for playing over and over and over again. And best of all, it’s the kind of Christmas song that’s truly timeless.

Coming up on the blog, since I haven’t done a to-do list in a while, and it will keep me honest at any rate:

• A few Christmas-themed Cover Stories. Think you’ve heard all there is to hear when it comes to your favorite (and least favorite) carols and chestnuts? I’ll be posting some top-notch versions of Christmas classics.
• An explanation of why it’s not Christmas for me without Johnny Mathis, and more personal Christmas music thoughts, memories, etc., via a Sketches post.
• An Artist Spotlight or two (it’s not Harmony Avenue without them, really)
• Two album reviews! One of the Christmas variety, and one of…not the Christmas variety.
• And of course, “The Sing-Off.” (Go Pentatonix!)

Thanks for reading (and thanks to the amazing a cappella blogger Warren Bloom for posting a link to my last “Sing-Off” recap on his Facebook page!), and see you on Monday with a finale recap!

Reprise: More Music From Lucy, Jamie, and Sondre!

Hey, a post that’s not about “The Sing-Off”! Those are becoming increasingly rare on this blog. My apologies to the non-”Sing-Off”-initiated. Anyways, here’s a new feature I’ve kind of spontaneously decided to introduce, called “Reprise.” I’m not sure if it will be recurring too often or not, but basically it’s an opportunity for me to share more music from those I’ve done Artist Spotlights (or other assorted posts that I’m not planning to formally follow up on) for. Either it came out after I posted, I didn’t know about it when I posted, or I was crazy enough to exclude it when I posted. Starting off, here’s three gems from Lucy Schwartz. One is a stunning track from her new EP, “Keep Me,” called “You Are You Are.” It’ll break your heart, pretty much. The next is an equally gorgeous cut from, of all places, the “Breaking Dawn” soundtrack. (Those Twilight movies may be awful, but Alexandra Patsavas, the music supervisor, picks some TERRIFIC music.) It’s a duet called “Cold” featuring terrific British musician Aqualung (stage name for Matthew Hales), who I will probably end up making the focus of his own Artist Spotlight sooner or later. The harmonies in this song are just devastatingly beautiful, especially in the last part of the song. The third song is Aqualung and Lucy’s previous collaboration (a bonus track on her “Life In Letters” album), a heartbreaking yet energetic piano-driven ballad called “Seven Hours.”

Now here’s the rest of Jamie Cullum’s music! Just kidding. I wish I had space to do that. Instead, I’ll share three great songs I hadn’t heard until a week or two ago. The first is an incredibly lovely, thought-provoking waltz-like ballad (in 5/4, no less) called “Oh God.” Jamie reportedly wrote it while watching coverage of the 2005 tsunami disaster on CNN. (This song is from his major-label sophomore effort, “Catching Tales.”) The second song is the emotional title theme  from Clint Eastwood’s 2008 film “Gran Torino.” (It was co-written by Eastwood himself as well as his musician/composer son Kyle, and was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Original Song.) The third number? A rollicking party of a tune, and a bonus track off his latest album “The Pursuit,” called “I Love This.” (I certainly love this, indeed. )

Finally, some more music from Sondre Lerche, who released a new album (titled simply “Sondre Lerche,” perhaps a nod to the fact that it’s much more organic and acoustically driven than his previous recordings) after I made him the subject of an Artist Spotlight. The following tunes are the expansive, intoxicating “Domino,” peppy but deep “Private Caller,” and gorgeous opening track “Ricochet” (I love the outro).

OK, I might not be using this feature too often, seeing as I started it yesterday morning, and it took me until now to get it up because Jamie Cullum’s songs were particularly difficult to find. Also, I have no idea how well this page will load for most of you, seeing as it has 9 media items embedded on it. (Of course, I did have work, sleep, and other assorted activities in between. It’s not like it took me more than 24 hours to find them. ) Thanks, as always, for reading, and I’d love to hear your feedback about Reprise, or any other posts I’ve made.

Music Video of the Day: “Life In Letters”

Alas, Anniversary Week hasn’t gone quite as planned (what else is new? ), as it’s Saturday night and there’s only 2 contest entries, and I’m just getting to my third commemorative post. I’m responding to both of these things by: a) Extending the deadline of the giveaway until next Wednesday night at 11:59 MST. I will also be making my final Anniversary Week post next week. (Which kind of makes it an Anniversary Two Weeks, but that’s neither here nor there…ahem.) Now, before the day is over, a quick look at the newest music video from an artist I’ve shared a few times here at Harmony Avenue (the first of which was back in November for one of my first Artist Spotlights), it’s…

“Life In Letters” by Lucy Schwartz!

Lucy filmed this video underwater (it takes place both in that setting and in a desert…you’ll see what I mean once you watch the video), and it’s a gorgeous, unique, even kind of fanciful experience that’s very exciting to watch. The story of the music video is sweet, and the imagery is breathtaking. What better to go with a beautiful song like “Life In Letters” (which, by the way, is the title track to her most recent album)? Also, as a plus, this video was created to promote charity: water, a great nonprofit organization dedicated to providing safe drinking water to those in developing nations who need it. (You can find a link to donate to Lucy’s campaign for charity: water here.) It’s a great video and a great cause, and one of the many reasons why I love Lucy and her music.

Thanks for reading, make sure to comment (your chances of winning are still terrific if you enter soon!), and once again, happy Anniversary Week here on Harmony Avenue.

Music Video of the Day: “Gonna Get Over You”

Just so I’m not making two “Sing-Off” posts in a row (the recap for tonight’s episode is to come once, y’know, it airs here and all that), here’s a great new Music Video of the Day, for your personal viewing pleasure…

“Gonna Get Over You” by Sara Bareilles!

I’m kind of noticing now that this music video is eerily similar to the last one I posted (for those of you with short memories/the inability to scroll down/change the page, it was for Cee-Lo Green’s “Cry Baby”), in that it features insanely fun-to-watch dancing, breakup undertones, and just all-around coolness. (In this instance, Sara plays herself, rather than enlisting a charming former 80s child star. ) Sara bounces around a Latin supermarket, cheerfully enlisting unsuspecting folks into her biker-chick dance routine army, and the result is an absolute delight to see. (Plus there’s a twist at the end that I didn’t see coming. Trust me, you’ll enjoy it.) It even beats out another fun music video set in a supermarket (“Haven’t Met You Yet”), at least in my eyes. Sara wrote an endlessly addicting song here, and she’s created a video that’s just as addicting to go with it.

See you in a bit with the new recap for “The Sing-Off”!