New Music Video- "Old Ways" by Chiddy Bang

My Top 10 Albums of 2010

1. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy- Kanye West

Mr. West's latest album is unlike anything in Hip-Hop. In fact it is unlike anything in modern pop music. Contained in this star-studded, epic orchestration are catchy hooks (You will be humming "Gorgeous" for days

after you hear it) and sly one-liners ("Hood phenomenon/The LeBron of rhyme/hard to be humble when you stuntin' on the jumbotron"). But there is also a statement for those who give the album a full listen through. There is not a single hint of Kanye's previous four albums to be found anywhere in My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Unlike most rappers of his generation that find a niche and stick firmly to it. (i.e. Kanye's protege Kid Cudi whose lonely stoner woe-is me lyrics are beginning to get tired and strained as he begins to cope with the un-relatable realities of stardom). Kanye is constantly moving forward in both his music and his lyrics, (there is no mention of the well publicized Taylor Swift incident that brought him so much infamy). There is no doubt Kanye West is entirely self-absorbed but instead of seeing that as a downside he basks in it using the lyrics of his first single "Runaway" (a song which remind us all that Kanye should just stick to rapping and stop singing) to "Have a toast for the douchebags" and so now toast

we do. He may not be the most likable figure in music but his content is unequaled. So even if you are not a Hip-Hop fan give this album a listen and forget, be sure

to keep your eyes firmly fixed on what many critics believe to be the future of popular music.

Watch & Listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jg5wkZ-dJXA

2. Love and Its Opposites -Tracey Thorn

NPR critic Ken Tucker named this the best album of 2010 stating that Mrs. Thorn's

storytelling is akin to the singer-songwriter era of the 1970s and after listening to the track of the same name you can see

why it is so easy to see the comparison (Listen to the link below). While not necessarily auto-biographical (Wikipedia tells me she is happily married) it paints a perfect portrait of marital disfunction and the people that are affected by it. In three minutes her subjects are more developed than

many characters in three-hour movies. Combined with rainy-day electro pop her beautiful longing voice brings breathes life into her characters and gives the listener a glimpse at what would seem an other wise secluded world.

Watch & Listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aGcocZgjkg

3. Treats- Sleigh Bells

"Loud, in your face party metal plus euphoric female vocals equals an amazing, surprisingly approachable album" writes

Bryan Herren in his own Top Ten of 2010 list. I couldn't have put it better myself. From the opening guitar riffs of "Infinity Guitars"

to the scream at the 1:00 mark of "Kids" there is a party going down in the gym and everybody is invited to this grown-up pep rally led by the mean -girl head cheerleader and the rebel rocker with a sweet guitar. The music is genre-defying and the duo of Alexis Krauss and Derek Miller unlikely, but it is within the aptly

named Treats that we find just that. A little something from pop, a little something from metal and a little something from hip-hop untied. Leaving their peers scratching their heads and ushering in a new age in Alternative music.

Watch & Listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fheYx_ZPU18

4. So Runs The World Away - Josh Ritter

In an album that was shockingly left off of many year end lists we find Mr. Ritter at his storytelling peak.

In an interview on NPR he confessed that he was having constant nightmares of being degraded to"singing

medleys" one day. So he wanted to write a new album (his first in over 2 years) to keep his songs from going stale stating that "in order to perform songs some five or ten years old those songs have to be infused with the life of what your working on currently." Having been to two Ritter concerts since this albums release I can agree with this statement whole heartedly as Ritter's concerts were filled with a combination of old favorites and new renditions that made for an exciting and enchanting experience. Later in the interview Ritter also stated on the interview that on this album that he wanted to "build little

dollhouses and burn them all down". Constructing these beautiful stories and settings the album contain stories of mummies, murders and misguided explorers who all meet their demise as the songs winds to a close. So for those that left So Runs The World Away off your year-end list shame on you! And for those that have yet to experience the joys of Josh Ritter feel free to click the link below and let your journey begin.

Watch & Listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQyXBTJ7IWE

5. Ten- Jason Moran

The

leader of the next generation of Jazz delivers life into what many my age would consider a dead music genere. In Jason

Moran's hands though Jazz is anything but dead. As he leaps and bounds across the piano you find it hard to keep still, you

find yourself tapping along as Moran combines Jazz with Rock, Hip-Hop and Soul in this whirlwind of an album. Ten is a

progress repot of the past decade as seen in his latest installment of the "Gangsterism" saga

with his new song "Gangsterism Over Ten Years" which is meant to imitate hip-hop's speech rhythms and catchy instrumental hooks. For those that follow contemporary Jazz music it is good to see how far he has come in the past ten years but he hasn't done it alone. His backing band The Bandwagon is with him every step of the way providing structure to Moran's otherwise sporadic ventures and

allowing the music to develop. Even if it is taken one decade at a time.

Watch & Listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdBZ5bLRtgw

6. B.o.B Presents

: The Adventures of Bobby Ray -

B.o.B

2010 was without a doubt the year of B.o.B. He seemed

to be everywhere this year. From my sister singing the chorus to his

chart-topping "Airplanes" around the house to hearing "Magic" on Adidas commercials and at Jordan-Hare to laughing as my roomate stuttered out "Nut/Nut/Nut/Nuthin on you Babe" anytime my shuffle landed on "Nothing On You" featuring another former unknown who had a monster year in 2010 (Bruno Mars). But this album is more than his three billboard hits. Still (somewhat) undiscovered in this incredible album are songs like "Fame" and "Don't Let Me Fall" which could easily shoot up the charts given the right media exposure. But even without the media hullabaloo it's hard to ignore this immensely talented Atlanta artist whose appeal can be found in both energy and dedication. Before 2010, B.o.B was almost entirely unknown. So after years of disappointment it is good to see someone who has worked so hard have the year that he had. Reminding us all that it takes more than just wishing on shooting stars to achieve your dreams.

Watch & Listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkKG33-XtpA

7. Sigh No More - Mumford & Sons

Freak folk is back and your mom and your little sister like it this time around too. It's hard not to gush when talking about Mumford & Sons. From Marcus Mumford's hypnotic vocal hooks to Winston Marshall's furious banjo strumming each track is a still frame of themes ranging from redemption, fraternity and love's ability to set you free and "make you the man you were meant to be". The best kept secret of 2010 is out of the box now and everyone and their grandmother has heard of Mumford & Sons but that doesn't make it any less potent when you hear it. So whether you are listening to it for the first time or the thousandth time the feeling is still the same, a epic progression through the entire spectrum of human emotions and capabilities set to a convivial soundtrack.

Watch & Listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KCg_QEHtkY

8. Brothers - The Black Keys

In without a doubt one of the best music videos of the year (see the link below) what starts out as a simple fight between the band members two sons over a girl ends up in a knock-down drag out brawl between the two band members with the rocking beat of "Tighten Up" as the soundtrack. This pop-soul stroll is the highlight of the album as lead singer Dan Auerbach's gravely warble mixes with a earworm of a guitar riff that will leave you playing it over and over again on your iPod for days to come. However the fun doesn't stop there, the album is chock full of gritty soulful music in the vein of generations of Delta Blues players (see "Howlin For You & Next Girl"). So put away your Leadbelly and Taj Mahal and welcome in the next generation of bluesman, fighting over a girl on the playground.

Watch & Listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpaPBCBjSVc

9. El Turista - Josh Rouse

The Indie king of relaxation struck again in 2010. While this album is not even his best (that distinction belongs to the 2003 hidden gem 1972) it is without a doubt the one to kick back to. El Turista finds the world traveling Rouse finally at home in Spain. No longer having to go back and forth between his vacation world of Spain and his musical job reality in Nashville. It is

in this album we find Rouse stretching out his toes and truly relaxing. However just

because he is relaxing doesn't mean that the music has fallen off by any means. In fact we find that for the laid-back Rouse that the muse of the Old World may have been just the thing he was looking for. In one of the key tracks of the album "Valencia" we find Rouse singing entirely in Spanish and sounding completely at ease and having a wonderful time and as a listener you find your own troubles melting away as well as even in the cold of December you can feel that warm summer sun that Rouse is singing about.

Watch & Listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYKlM8xMnVM&NR=1

10. Steel Train- Steel Train

Currently the opening act for Fun (formerly the Format), this New Jersey based rock group is well known for their intense and riveting live shows that have electrified crowds throughout the tour (I was fortunate enough to see them in Atlanta). Here in this self-titled album you can find the same raw emotion and passion as a live rock show. (Which is why I chose as their W&L a live performance on Letterman) It's all here from the youthful roar at the opening of "Bullet" to lead singer Jack Antonoff's scream at the end of the chorus of "Touch Me Bad". It is Antonoff that really brings the band together, gifted with exceptional vocal talents, he is one of the best singers of his genre and he uses it to his advantage especially on "Touch Me Bad" in which he rallies, pleads, and promises undying affection to the girl he knows is no good for him. While still a relatively unknown band, if they continue to play with this infectious intensity it won't be long before they are headlining tours of their own.

Watch & Listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0N-LmjbajM

Left Out But Not Forgotten:

How I Got Over - The Roots, Volume 2 - She & Him, Contra- Vampire Weekend, The Suburbs- Arcade Fire, Wake Up - John Legend & The Roots, The Pursuit - Jamie Cullum

Single of the Year: "F***k You" - Cee-Lo Green

Watch & Listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pc0mxOXbWIU

Mixtape of the Year: The Swelly Express - Chiddy Bang

Watch & Listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McRgkE_vgjU

5 Albums to Look Out In 2011:

1)Onyx - Amy Kuney

Watch & Listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyVUJsJgkJs

2) Gutter Rainbows - Talib Kweli

Watch & Listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRwcgLzlJw8

3) Lasers - Lupe Fiasco

Watch & Listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rmp6zIr5y4U

4) Finally Famous: The Album - Big Sean

Watch & Listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AqiQoltlVU&feature=fvst

5) TBA - Gomez

Watch & Listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6rNFW34nNM

6) Whatever it is Marian Call is working on these days

Watch & Listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOnlyE1yy7o

"I Am An American Aquarium Drinker"

Greetings readers, sorry for the long gap between blog posts, Auburn University has kept me ever so busy the past couple of weeks (along with Netflix but does that really count?). During the past couple days I have been able to add to my growing CD collection (Cannonball Adderly Quintet "At The Lighthouse") and begin my NEW LP collection of some of my favorite albums (John Coltrane "A Love Supreme" and Paul Simon "Graceland"). So while I have not been recounting my journey as of late that does not mean that I have stopped the journey by any means. One of the joys of any journey is recounting the events that led you to take the journey in the first place. And a musical journey is no different, I remember the first time i listened to Wilco, it was 2002, I was 11 years old and my dad had just brought a CD from the now defunct Lasers Edge record store in Homewood, Alabama. One of the great things about Laser's Edge was with every purchase they would give you a sampler CD of some of the new releases to look out for and these were not just some locals yokles, the likes of Elvis Costello, Randy Newman, Andre Previn, Josh Ritter, My Morning Jacket etc. were all on these samplers. However there was one track in particular the fascinated me, it was Wilco's "Kamera", It's hard to explain what listening to Wilco for the first time was like, because at that time I had just discovered The Beatles not a year before, 97.3 (The oldies station) was all I listened to, and my musical knowledge ended around 1971. Wilco was something new, interesting, and modern. But over time the CD got lost and Wilco slipped from memory until last year. When my parents bought me Tom Moon's "1000 Recordings To Listen To Before You Die". In the book Mr. Moon focuses more on the story behind the album. And how it was rejected by their original label (Reprise Records) and then picked up later by another Warner Bros. Label (Nonesuch Records). However what Mr. Moon failed to mention is the power of the music that made the album such a hit. The lyrics of Jeff Tweedy in "I Am Trying To Break Your Heart" belie the soul of any young teenager confused with life and love. It is the ultimate break-up song, and well deserving of the title of greatest opening track of the decade. "Heavy Metal Drummer" is the sound of summer love blossoming ("beautiful and stoned"). "Jesus Etc." backbeat relives a 1970s funky backbeat is a cry of two lovers forced to live together post-break up. The voice offers to console her in this tough time ("Don't cry, You can rely on me honey, you can come by anytime you want.") These are just some of the highlights of an album that, when released in 2002 voiced the confusion of a generation in transition (The album had originally been slated for September 11th) but they were able to rely on this legendary album to console them as they discovered both themselves and who they were as a nation.

Video Update: New Gil-Scot Heron Single

The Godfather of Rap whose most famous works include "The Revolution will Not be Televised" and "Home is Where The Hatred Is" is releasing a new album on Feb. 9th, here is the first single from it:

My Album of the Decade

Hello out there readers (I reiterate someone is READING this right?) It has been quite sometime since my last blog post and I would like to say that it was because of the holidays and all the business that it entails but unfortunately that would not be the truth as I have spent most of my time off playing Assassin's Creed 2 on the XBOX. While I did intend to put this blog on the backburner until I got back to Auburn, two events led me to update the blog before the dreaded return to college this Saturday. The first event was an answer to my email from one of my heroes Tom Moon, (check out his blog http://www.1000recordings.com/) who agreed to take a look at the blog and give his expert advice and criticism.

The second event was Josh Ritter's most recent blog post, (you can check out his blog as well at http://www.bookofjubilations.com/) in which he stated:

"I've been busy. My new album is done, and as I write we're just tying up the loose ends and, dotting the t's and crossing the eyes. It's a big, big sounding record and it is a major monkey that we're releasing from its cage over the next several months. My band and I have never worked harder on a record and I think that it's going to show."

It's a wonderful news to usher in the new decade to be sure. During my time off this break I took a look at all the critic's best of 00's lists and made my own personal top ten of the decade list (in no particular order):

• Yankee Hotel Foxtrot by Wilco
• Kid A by Radiohead
• Twentysomething by Jamie Cullum
• The College Dropout by Kanye West
• The Bandwagon by Jason Moran
• American Idiot by Green Day
• Stankonia by OutKast
• Illinoise by Sufjan Stevens
• The Crane Wife by The Decemberists
• The Animal Years by Josh Ritter

The last one was a bit of a surprise to me because when it was released in 2006 it received widespread critical acclaim. But alas when album of the decade lists began to come out it was missing from many or near the bottom. I am here to make my personal case for The Animal Years as the album of the decade.

The album opens up with the hauntingly beautiful ballad "Girl in The War", a song I use to introduce anyone I have ever talked about music or made a mixtape for to introduce them to Josh Ritter. When attempting to explain the beauty of this opening tracks words fail me. It is the ultimate lovers lament, Ritter cast a lover helplessly strugglingly with the loss of his girlfriend to war, desperately turning to religion as his last option. ("But I got a girl in the war Paul, the only thing I know to do is turn up the music and pray that she makes it through"). The lamenting continues on the second track "Wolves" however it takes a lighter tone musically and it's here that Ritter begins to flex his lyrical muscles that has had many people comparing him to Bob Dylan ("Then winter came there was little left between us, skin and bones of love won't make a meal"). Ritter paints the scenery here reminiscent of his Moscow, Idaho hometown as wolves hungrily prey in the dark woods outside his now empty house. Responding to his own howls of loss they take up residence in every corner of the house. As a sufferer of lupophobia this is quite a frightening thing to imagine, Ritter on the other hand, takes a small comfort in their company but his lost lover still haunts him.

It's at this point that Ritter takes the album onto a much broader spectrum, "Monster Ballads" is multi-layered connecting pyramids, riverboats and radio in one epic sweep of storytelling, where Ritter gives a lyrical shout out to one of his heroes Mark Twain ("I was thinking 'bout my river days, I was thinking about me and Jim.") Both men have the perchance for tales of individuals and their adventures but in the end their stories tend to reflect upon America as a whole.(The video above has Josh Ritter accompanied by the Boston Pops Orchestra). "Lillian, Egypt" recounts a silent-movie era romance blossoming to an upbeat melody with a honky tonk-esque piano solo almost breathless from the drama of the love triangle between a movie star actress, her director, and the boy she fled home with.

It is here that "Idaho" arrives with nothing more than Ritter's simple yet ethereal voice as a guide the listener is taken on a journey through Ritter's home state. His Idaho is simple and so are the people who live their lives of quiet desperation. One can almost see the smoke rising from the chimney of an Idaho cabin deep in the Bitterroot Mountains. "In The Dark" is a cavernous metaphorical grab bag with the light brigade, angels, and old loves unearthed as Ritter tries to comfort a friend way in over their head. "One More Mouth" is much of the same as a proud and defiant lover seems to frustrate him at every turn."Good Man" (shown in the video above) is a toe tappingly sweet love song in which Ritter pleads his lover that even though "We both had dry spells and hard times in bad lands", he is still the right man for her. "Best For The Best" follows one mans trek through America from Illinois, to a Riverboat along the Mississippi, to a wrestling arena in a Midwest town but never being able to find peace or happiness (" I spent a few more as the Cario Crown, a heavyweight wrestler in a midwest towns but i was lonesome for a girl who could pin me down").

"Thin Blue Flame" is a nearly ten minute rant filled with both biblical and historical allusions alike, which begins as a small spark but as the music builds it ignites until by the end it is a roaring bonfire as Ritter brings Hamlet, Laurel and Hardy (again), and God (to name a few) into the mix. The listener is shown an apocalyptic world where "beating hearts blossom into walking bombs" and "Wolves are howling at our door singing for vengeance like it's the joy of the Lord". In the end Ritter wakes up to find himself in his own Eden filled with "the ones that I loved and the ones that I missed." This happy ending of sorts follows through in "Here At the Right Time" where Ritter returns from the grand orchestration of "Thin Blue Flame" to a single piano to accompany him. It brings the album full circle as Ritter goes from the agony of seperation the beginning of the album to arriving just when his lover needs him.

This album is a masterpiece of one of the great young singer songwriters of the twenty first century, it is an epic love song not just to a single girl but to America as well and in it are harbored the hopes, fears, and joys of a generation that gained it's voice in the past decade.

Christmastime is Hereeeeee

Well dear readers it's almost that time of year again. I write to you from the front seat of our Infinity as we make our annual Christmas quest to the carpet capital of the world (that's right THE Dalton, GA). It is the time of year for commercials galore that are interrupted briefly by the cheesy Christmas specials that would make anyone say "Bah Humbug!" (ABC Family I am looking directly at you!)

But I digress, no matter how badly the new Christmas specials are there are a few which will always, no matter how Blue of a Christmas you may be having, make you be of good cheer. The greatest of these being "A Charlie Brown Christmas", a holiday staple since it was first released in the late 1950's. It is not just the story which makes it a classic of Charlie Brown's search for the true meaning of Christmas but also it's outstanding soundtrack.

The Vince Guaraldi Trio is able to paint a picture of the first snowfall, glistening evergreens, and a glowing christmas tree covered in lights and decorations with every song. It is a perfect connection of music and visuals as every slide of the piano is intertwined with the cartoon landscapes of Charles Schultz.

The album begins with "O Tannenbaum", an old christmas favorite brought into a new cool jazz swing to which it that will forever be connected to the image of aluminum trees as Charlie Brown searches for "The perfect tree". It begins slowly and reverently but quickly diluges into a upeat tempo as Guaraldi slides up and down the keyboard giving the listener a view of his winter wonderland where Christmas is not about the hectic last minuet shopping or frenzy of commercials but being together around the fireside unwrapping presents while the snow lies in banks outside.

The album also showcases Guaraldi's own songwriting abilities as he imagines the Charlie

Brown universe in his own original way. "Christmas is Coming" and "Skating"are two such examples of this where Guaraldi's songs though intended for background music jump out in their own right. In "Skating" Guaraldi tickles the ivory so that we are given the unmistakable

image of snow falling but it is not a

blizzard, it is a light flurry in which you try to catch the

snowflakes on your tounge."Christmas is Coming" gives you a view of childlike anticipation of Christmas. Where you just can't seem to go to sleep and restlessly toss and turn at 4:30 in the morning before you to wake up your parents as you stumble down the stairs to the loot waiting beneath the christmas tree.

But when it comes to his greatest work "Linus & Lucy" it's hard no to imagine the whole gang up on the stage dancing in their own funny and uniuqe ways, with Snoopy of course stealing the show. It is hard to imagine a Charlie Brown without this song that so uniuqely personifies everything that is the Peanuts cartoons. Just like it's hard to imagine a christmas special season without this treasured classic which always reminds us the true meaning of the season...

With that being said I wish to all of you a merry christmas and to all a goodnight.

Cheers,

Winslow

P.S. As a little gift to you readers here is George Winston's (see blog post #2 "A Montana Christmas") rendition of "Skating"

A Montana Christmas

Yes dear reader, Christmas is finally here, I am writing to you in the wee hours of December the 22nd with my sister still talking on the phone in the room next to me. (God rest my parents when they get THAT phone bill!) I hope as you read this blog you are hearing the music of George Winston's Album "December" being played in the background whilst multi-tasking at work or the home by shopping online trying to find places that will ship last minuet.

For me,George Winston's music has been a Carroll Family Christmas tradition for as long as I can remember. Every Christmastime my dad would pump our almost-as-old-if-not-older-than-i-am CD player with six Christmas Cd's that would play continuously throughout the holidays for any occasion. For dinner parties, visiting relatives, or to break the lull on Christmas Eve. The Cd's changed from season to season but one CD always started the season for us and would be the last CD we would listen to before the end of the Christmas season:

George Winston's "December".

For those of you unfamiliar with George Winston I will give you a brief biography, George Winston (like myself) was born in Michigan and later found his home in Montana (much like the Carroll family in the mid 90s). He is a New Age Pianist whose many successful albums include: "Autumn", "Linus and Lucy", "Montana- A Love Story", and of course "December".

For the longest time when I was younger, I used to believe that Mr. Winston was a friend of the family. That we were only one of a small number of people who would ever get to hear this beautiful music as Mr. Winston had yet to make it big. Montana is a small place and at my age I assumed we just knew everybody in the state on a first name basis. It was only in my teenage years that I discovered that this was not the case that in actuality this album had gone platinum in the US and Mr. Winston was widely known throughout the US.

"December" has the strange power of being able to capture, to me at least, what is essentially Montana. It is very simple yet breathtakingly beautiful music, that evokes both the natural beauty and the loneliness of the Montana countryside. Listening now to "Peace" I can close my eyes and see the snow fall in the early morning with the sunlight just coming up over the mountains to reveal a cabin that is the only sign of life for miles. Each song on this album sets this sort of tone, it is love ballad to Montana. It takes me back to the place where I am most happy, as I can almost hear the snow crunch underneath my boots with every note.

It is a symphony of Christmas spirit as well. It captures children's tumbling feet as the rush down the stairs to find the presents Santa has left for them. It is candy canes and poinsettias, it is Scrooge and Rudolph, it is the reading of the Bible before opening gifts and the small Nativity scene in the den. It is everything about Christmas that we loved as little children and now treasure as adults. So as we continue in our family tradition of listening to this album before the big day, I urge you to begin your own tradition with this album and see where the music takes you and your memory this holiday season.

Cheers,

Winslow