Songs I think you should be listening to (pt. 2)

Hello again.

I'm not drunk this time. But for some reason I keep feeling the need to do these blogs at 1 in the morning. Stupid. Here's some more songs that you should be listening to.

Husky-

Don't really remember how I stumbled upon this song or this band. The melody had me hooked the moment I first heard it though, and it carried me through the rest of this spectacularly arranged tune. I get strange feelings in my stomach everytime I listen to it. The rest of the album is unfortunately rather uninspired in comparison, but at least the video is neat.

yMusic-

If I had to pick a favorite album of 2014(and I don't have to do anything you tell me to, jerk) it'd be yMusic's "Balance Problems". It's produced by Ryan Lott (aka Son Lux(aka one of my favorite musicians ever)) and features several composers(one of them Sufjan) who each contribute a song or two that make up the whole album. I've honestly only listened to it about 3 times, mainly cause I know if I'm gonna put it on I have to just sit and listen and do nothing else. It's a beautiful world of sound to get lost in. This is one of my favored tracks from it, but honestly you just need to go buy it on bandcamp, throw on some headphones then sit and listen.

Vulfpeck-

This band is one of my favorite finds of last year. My friend Dan(and bass player of Ancient Mariner) introduced me to this group after practice one night. What followed was about 45 minutes of us drinking beer, watching all of their videos, and geeking out over the musical awesomeness of this band. Putting on any of their EP's is the danciest decision you'll make all day, and the best decision. This is probably my favorite song of theirs, if only because the drum fills starting right before the 2 minute mark are absolutely orgasmic. I dunno how else to say it. These dudes just slay. Basically always.

Marika Hackman-

If you follow me on twitter(and you do because how the hell else did you find this blog) you've probably seen me talking about this lady and her lovely album. She writes the most beautiful melodies, gorgeous lyrics, and dreamy chord progressions. I was trying to sleep the other night and literally could not because this song was in my head, and it was spooking the hell out of me for some reason. So I grabbed my phone and listened to it, which spooked me out some more. Then I started the album from the beginning, found all her lyrics online and gave the album another listen through at 1 in the morning while reading her lyrics. The album ended and I just sat there until 4 in the morning thinking about it. I couldn't get the music out of my head til I finally just fell asleep from total exhaustion.Songs and albums don't do that to me very often, you guys.

Anyways. Bedtime I guess... hopefully.

Gabriel

More important songs

Disclaimer: Let it be known that as I'm typing this, I am drunk, but it doesn't discredit anything I say, because if anything, I just become a more obnoxiously self aware version of myself when there's alcohol in me. Please excuse all grammatical and spelling errors. Thank you.

Anyways, my brother did a lil' post like this a while back(there will be similarities), and since I haven't had any full albums completely rock my gourd in some time, I'll focus on songs that have been quite important to me over the last year or two. Whether it's just a good jam, or something much more to me, here's the hits, y'all.

My Blue Supreme:

Eli showed me this song sometime last year. I love it. I don't care to listen to the rest of the album cause I'm pretty sure it won't be as dope as this tune is. The lil' guitar riff, the chorus melody, the small breaks in the beat. AH!

Meteorites:

I love everything about this song and this video. It's hard to find(what I deem as) good spoken word pieces in the world. But this nails it. Clemence Posey's face with a dude's glorious irish accent coming out of it is the best thing in the world. The words themselves are beautiful. When I first found this, I watched it 3 times in a row. It was during an odd time last summer where I was completely incapacitated by sexual longing for 2 weeks straight. This was so amazing to watch and absorb on some hot summer night in one of the loneliest times of my life. I almost want to go back and experience it again because it was beautiful to find this during that time.

Before:

I had been listening to this album for a few weeks before this song went even deeper than it already did for me. Upon my escape from The Badlands(ask me about that story in person sometime), this was the only song I wanted to listen to. So, driving through South Dakota, with my phone speaker jammed in my ear since I don't have an aux port in my car, I screamed this entire song in my car, completely elated, filled with joy and life. I still lose my mind a little when I listen to this song. "And I feel brand new, and not so whole, that's how I know". FUCK.

By My Side(Everlasting Life):

This song, this artist, and his two albums that can longer be found online, mean so so much to me. When you wake up completely faithless one morning, it's hard to know what to orient yourself around. Valley Maker was one of the things I found a tremendous amount of comfort in. I should probably write a whole post about it, but for now, here's one of the tunes that has stuck with me most. It's been my theme song since I've heard it. I can't describe the feeling I get when I listen to it. I listened to it at sunset on the roof with my best friend on the Summer Solstice. I listened to it in the car with 2 of my brothers in the mountains on the Winter Solstice. I listened to it by myself, drunk in my living room on New Year's Eve. Oh man. It's perfect.

Lost It To Trying:

I feel nothing but pure energy when I listen to this song. I start going nuts every time I hear it. I literally starting yelling and squealing whenever I listen to it. The vocals. That goddamn sax. Holy crap. Plus, redemption! Hope! "Give in and get out, we rise in the dying!" Christian connotation or not, that's the tops. Ryan Lott continually slays me with his lyrics.

Star:

Here's to the one song last year that very nearly brought me to tears. My friend suggested I listen to this album if I have some mental stuff to work through, and I basically always do. So I bought it, sat in my living room with a cup of coffee while it lightly snowed outside, and gave it a listen. The album is nothing very special. Pleasant, simple, but thoughtful tunes. This is the last song on the album, and as I came to some conclusions about a relationship that I had been clinging to these lines started to play: "I walk slow/ down to where we'd go/ where we've gone for so long/ Where you and I come from/ the stars in the sky/ they caught my eye/ I search but I'm not lost/ I cry but it's not wrong/ and I can see so much/ much more than before/ mmmm"
OHMYGOD

Ffunny Ffriends:

This riff is just too damn good. I listen to this song and album all the time in the shop. It's perfect for anytime of day. Six in the morning, middle of the rush, late afternoon, closing tunes. It works anywhere.

Hover I:

This song just has the most unbelievably intimate vibe to it for me. I think of my closest friends, and family, and something like home whenever I hear this. It's comfort. It's a soft bed. It's late night conversations. It's a huge dinner. It's sex. It's snowfall. It's whiskey by a fireplace. It's camping in the woods. It's starlight. It's a montage of everything beautiful playing out before my eyes.

That's all I can think of right now. My brain is probably missing some things, but I'll get around to that when I'm sober.

Goodnight,
Gabriel