looney tunes (#11)

Artists have always been looking for new and creative ways to make music. There is a constant and natural evolution that happens; a building and feeding off of one another. The boundaries in which popular music exist are ever morphing; expanding here, shrinking there, and so on and so on. This week we'll focus on the artists and bands who don't play by everyone else's rules. They sing goofy at times, and use strange instruments. They take their cues from no one, except for maybe each other. Buckle up kids! This is gonna be a fun one! 

Listen to Joey's Looney Tunes!!
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1. In the Flowers - Animal Collective, This is one of my favorites! It starts off all dreamy and atmospheric and then BOOM!!! Am I allowed to say "Eargasm" on here? 


2. Clipping - MuteMath, That.. show.. was.. AWESOME! This track in particular blends a pulsing electro noise with classical instruments. So nice! 


3. Come Alive (War of the Roses) - Janelle Monae, This girl can do, and will do, whatever type of music she feels like, and she'll do it VERY well. Hip Hop, R&B, Jazz, Rock... it's all there.  


4. Hljomilind - Sigur Ros, These guys are so over the top creative and imaginative, that Icelandic and English just wouldn't do. They had to go and make up their own damn language called Vonlenska. It's untranslatable and (to quote Wikipedia) "uses the melodic and rhythmic elements of singing without the conceptual content of language" This song is sung entirely in Vonlenska. 


5. The High Road - Broken Bells, Dangermouse + Shins lead James Mercer = Musical gold 


6. Rental Car - Beck, Beck is another one of those artists that can pretty much do whatever he wants. He tinkers and plays with multiple genres and styles. 


7. Mouthful of Diamonds - Phantogram, This Trip Hop duo out of New York describes their sound as "street beat, psych pop". Apparently I'm a massive "street beat, psych pop" fan. Who knew? 


8. It's Oh So Quiet - Bjork, There's a thin line between Genius and BS Crazy. I'm pretty sure she toes that line when she's cooking breakfast, let alone making music. I can't tell if she's on to something, or just on something... probably both. 


9. Kids With Guns - Gorillaz, A virtual cartoon band from a fictionalized universe cranking out Rap, Rock, and Dance tunes... enough said. 


10. Blackout - Muse, Muse is one of the biggest bands on the planet today. While they mostly stick to the rock category, they do tend to bring it in a fresh and creative way every time. Their next album, for example, is described by Matt Bellemy as "christian gangsta rap jazz odyssey, with some ambient rebellious dubstep and face melting metal flamenco cowboy psychedelia". That's obviously not to be taken too serious, but they do mix it up! This track sounds like it should be performed on a Venetian river boat. Enjoy! 


11. Too Much - Sufjan Stevens, You can't blame Jess for putting Suf on this playlist, but you can't blame me either. Listen to this! "Too Much" might take the cake when it comes to "weirdo music" but damn if it ain't catchy in between all of the chaos! 


12. I Can Change - LCD Soundsystem, Try this for boundary pushing... this Dance-Punk band frequently incorporates Spoken Word into their music. Yep! Unfortunately LCD Soundsystem decided to go out on top and called it quits this past year, but not before putting out 3 fantastic albums. 


13. Love Me Girl - Yeasayer, Did I hear a Loon....? Yep. That was a Loon. 


14. Fight Test - The Flaming Lips, Track 6 off of their 1999 album "The Soft Bulletin" is entitled " "What Is the Light? (An Untested Hypothesis Suggesting That the Chemical [In Our Brains] by Which We Are Able to Experience the Sensation of Being in Love Is the Same Chemical That Caused the "Big Bang" That Was the Birth of the Accelerating Universe)"..... I don't really know what else to add here. 


15. The National Anthem - Radiohead, How about we just let these modern day pioneers take us home. 


 There are SO MANY other artists and bands we could've included on this list. There's S.O.S. regulars like Poliça with their ambient vocals and double drums, or Bon Iver with their auto tuned folk music. Other bands too like Cults, Foster The People, and MGMT are always mixing it up to ensure things don't go stale on us. Enjoy!

music from mn #8

When I say "Music from Minnesota" what's the first thing that jumps into your head? My guess is that it's probably Prince or Bob Dylan, maybe even Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. That's not a bad thing either. Those are some huge names in music history. Music from Minnesota has grown though. The Twin Cities is a flourishing musical hotbed on par with all of the traditional greats like Brooklyn, L.A., and Seattle. Don't believe me? Watch and listen as we explore an entire playlist of Minnesota music acts without having to use any of the obvious Heavyweights (Prince, Bob Dylan, Semisonic, Soul Asylum, and Atmosphere).


1. Sound Asleep by Solid Gold featuring P.O.S. - Are you hearing this?!?! Sheesh this is good! I just recently discovered this song, but it is already one of my favorites. I like it more every time I hear it!


2. Raggedy Man by Haley Bonar


3. Not The Kid by Communist Daughter - For me, this song has a 60's Donovan vibe to it. Goes down smooth like Mellow Yellow. (wink, wink)


4. Wandering Star by POLICA - Like Jessica said last week, this band is blowing up! They seem to be gaining steam by the day and for good reason too. These tracks are moody and haunting. So SOO good!


5. Bright Bright Bright by Dark Dark Dark - Please don't let the absolutely comical band and song title combo fool you. This song is gorgeous.


6. Freak Out by Tapes 'n Tapes


7. Settling It Off by Peter Wolf Crier - Another one of Jessica's professed loves. What a great band name too, huh?


8. Victory by Trampled by Turtles - Palomino was one of my favorite albums of 2010. If you didn't think it was possible for Blue Grass to melt your face off, listen to "Wait So Long". You've been warned! These guys are also releasing a new album in April, so keep a look out.


9. How Deep Is That River by Mason Jennings


10. Dillinger Eyes by Jeremy Messersmith - Mr. Messersmith is one of the more Successful acts to come out of Minnesota lately. His past couple of albums have been really solid, with his most recent "The Reluctant Graveyard" probably being his best work to date.


11. Back of Your Neck by Howler - Howler is another band that is blowing up, but these guys are doing it on a global scale. NME named them the #3 best band of 2011. They also recently just signed with a major British label (Rough Trade) and are now label mates with the likes of My Morning Jacket, The Strokes, and The Decemberists. Look out for Howler!


12. The Gaudy Side of Town by Gayngs - They're not as much of a band as they are a collection of awesome artists jamming together on one long, coooool, smooooth, album. Gayngs is a who's who of local and Midwest indie artists including Justin Vernon and Mike Noyce of Bon Iver, Har Mar Superstar, P.O.S., Dessa, Channy Moon Casselle of POLICA, members of Solid Gold and many, many more.


The Twin Cities music community is thriving thanks to talented, and creative acts such as these. You can go downtown almost any weekend and find a pretty great show. While we may have been cursed with some crummy weather, we have been blessed with a local culture that values some pretty amazing music, no matter what your taste.

Joey's Top 10 of 2011 (#4)

So Jessica and Danny asked me to be "Guest Blogger Guy" for this week and post my Top 10 songs of 2011 and I jumped at the opportunity. I LOVE music and I think the concept of this blog is awesome. I'm thrilled to be able to contribute! So, without further adieu, my Top 10 and a little something on why I like each song or why it's special to me... #10 Louder Than Ever, Cold War Kids The Cold War Kids are one of my favorite bands. They've had a pretty distinct sound that is gritty, messy, and a bit bluesy at times so I was worried when I heard they were going for more of a "polished" sound on their 3rd album. My fears were calmed when I heard this! Great song. #9 Make Some Noise, Beastie Boys There is no deep thinking involved with this one. This is just a super fun track with a funky beat by three Hip Hop pioneers from Brooklyn. Word homies... word. #8 I Follow Rivers, Lykke Li I was first exposed to Lykke Li last year when she appeared on the "Twilight, New Moon" soundtrack. She is Swedish, which is awesome because this is exactly how I picture Swedish Pop music sounding. Lucky Swedes!!! #7 Satellite, The Kills I love it when songs take on physical characteristics and mimic things like machines or animals. This song almost has a chugging effect, like it's a train barreling down on you. It is a brooding rock song that has a certain haunting quality to it. Alison Mosshart leads the way on vocals and the tone of her voice compliments the mood of this song perfectly. I love it. #6 Blood Pressure, Mutemath Like my brother, Mutemath is probably my favorite band. These guys are constantly looking for fun, fresh, and innovative ways to make records. You can hear an evolution from album to album, and while that's not always a good thing in this case it is. It's refreshing. Mutemath has fine tuned their sound and on "Blood Pressure" they flex their muscle. #5 Helena Beat, Foster The People Foster The People is an interesting band. In 2011 they gained enormous amounts of fans and popularity, yet there are those in the music industry who hate them and view them as everything that's wrong with Indie Music. They're an invasion of cheesy pop and cliched gloss that takes direct aim at the masses with safe and catchy songs. It doesn't help that they are lead by a former commercial jingle writer. One write up marks Foster' as the official tipping point for Indie Music from subculture to marketable commodity... Insecure much? To hate on a band just because your little sister also likes them, or God forbid your parents (GASP!!!) is just plain childish. KDWB and every other "Top 40" Pop farm did get their hands on "Pumped up Kicks", but maybe that's because it's just a good song. Either way, "Torches" is a fantastic album. "Helena Beat" is my favorite, but you could just throw a dart at the track list and hit gold. #4 Simple Math, Manchester Orchestra If you have ever wondered what it meant for a song to "soar" just give this one ride. I remember the first time I heard it. I was in my car in the parking lot outside my work. I was so desperate to hear the new Manchester that I pulled it up on my phone via a Youtube clip. Yikes! Add that to the fact that my expectations were sky high and you have a recipe for disaster... By the end of the song I was engulfed in goosebumps and giggling like a little boy. It is a rare and special thing when a song has that kind of immediate impact on you. "Simple Math" literally blessed me that day. #3 Calgary, Bon Iver Bon Iver was an enigma to me. They were one of those bands that everyone else seemed to love and I just didn't understand. I don't know if it was Justin Vernon's voice or the pacing, but something never quite clicked with me. When their self titled "Bon Iver" album dropped earlier this year I decided I would give it a couple spins and see if anything stuck. It would be on in the background while I was hanging with the fam or cleaning. Then, suddenly, I loved it. I truly, genuinely loved it. It was like one of those "Magic Eye" puzzles where you stare at a blurry page for a couple of minutes and then all of the sudden a Humming Bird jumps out at you! "Calgary" is patient and rewarding. SO happy I found it. #2 Abducted, Cults Cults, along with Foster The People, are my favorite new acts of 2011. Cults is a unique and retro band with a throwback sound. I was first turned on to them by their breakout hit "Go Outside" but was pleasantly surprised when this track jumped out and slapped me across the face! "Abducted" starts off with a whisper but quickly bares it's teeth and erupts! For maximum listening pleasure turn the volume up as loud as you can handle..... then turn it up just a little more. #1 Helplessness Blues, Fleet Foxes For my list I apply just a few basic rules. One rule is I won't put more than one song in from the same band. If I didn't apply this rule to myself things could've very easily spiraled out of control and turned into my "Top 10 Fleet Foxes songs of 2011". This album is packed with gem after gem , but the crown jewel here is the title track "Helplessness Blues". Society preaches "Individualism", "You! You! You! It's all about YOU!!!", and "Survival of the fittest" where lead singer Robin Pecknold hints that there might be a better way to live. A more communal way, where I can rely on you and you can do the same of me. A simple way of life where I can just go to work on my freaking orchard, enjoy the fruits of my labor, and provide for my loved ones. When the rest of the world is telling you to dream big, Fleet Foxes dares us to dream small, and I love them for that.


2011 was a SUPER good year for music and 2012 looks very promising! There are multiple heavy hitters, and personal favorites due to drop albums in the next 365 days. Allow me to get your musical mouth watering... Mumford & Sons, The Shins, The XX, Muse, MGMT, Animal Collective, Grizzly Bear, Yeasayer, Andrew Bird, Gnarles Barkley, and Sigur Ros all have new material due! Happy New Year indeed!!!