Tag: alternative

Alternative, Emocore, Exercise/Running Songs, Pop Music, Rock Music

SONG OF THE DAY – “DAMAGE” by Jimmy Eat World

February 8, 2014

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I am posting a song from the new album by Jimmy Eat World today. I have been a fan of their music for many years now and especially love their songs, “Hear You Me” and “The Middle” – a fantastic angsty, motivational song (awesome for a workout, btw).

Jimmy Eat World was started in 1994 in Mesa, Arizona. Having lived in Arizona for several years, it is fun for me to read about a band who grew up there and made it up through the Phoenix-area music scene. They originally started out as a punk rock group, but by 1999 had made a name for themselves in the emo scene with the very successful release of their album, Clarity. It was the release of their album, Jimmy Eat World (originally named Bleed American) in 2001, however, that launched them successfully into the mainstream alternative rock scene. That album has the two songs that I mentioned above as my two favorites, and is really when I personally discovered the band.

This new album is a great addition to their nearly 20-years of music. I still enjoy their sound and I find this song to just blend seamlessly into their library. This song is probably my favorite off the album – it has great lyrics, cool guitar, and a catchy beat.

Read More:

http://www.metacritic.com/music/damage/jimmy-eat-world

http://www.popmatters.com/review/172903-jimmy-eat-world-damage/

Alternative, Exercise/Running Songs, R&B, Urban

SONG OF THE DAY – “CRAZY” by Gnarls Barkley

February 6, 2013

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It’s Throwback Thursday! Today’s #tbt song was originally posted as my daughter’s Song of the Day on November 2, 2009!

I absolutely love this song! It has been a favorite of mine since it’s release in early 2006.
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I remember vividly the first time I heard the song. I was living in Arizona at the time and had a remarkable yoga instructor, named Alex Austin, who also plays amazing music in his yoga classes. His playlists have always been an inspiration. (Ugh, makes me miss his yoga classes just thinking about it!) He played this song in his class and I immediately loved it! It is a great song for practicing yoga.
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Interestingly, I just had a discussion about this song over the weekend in NYC with a young man who is a musician and owns a recording studio. We were “nerding out” talking about music and we discussed how awesome this song is, both from the sound of CeeLo’s distinctive voice to the incredible depth of the music itself. Of course, as soon as I got home, I played the song and so it was an easy decision for my #tbt song today. I am glad to have it playing again on this recent playlist.
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When I first heard the song and the name of the group, I thought Gnarls Barkley was a person, but I quickly realized it was the name of a duo that included Danger Mouse (music producer, Brian Joseph Burton) and CeeLo Green (singer-songwriter, Thomas DeCarlo Callaway). CeeLo is probably most famous for his role on the television show, “The Voice,” but you have to admit that the guy can sing! I hear rumours that Gnarls Barkley may be releasing a new album in the near future and that is exciting news, particularly if they can recreate a song like “Crazy” again.
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“Crazy” was the soul duo’s first single released in April 2006 off their debut album, St. Elsewhere. They won two Grammy Awards in 2007 for Best Urban/Alternative performance for “Crazy” and Best Alternative Music Album, but they were also nominated for two of the big awards that year as well – Album Of The Year and Record Of The Year. Amazing song that ranks right up there in my list of all-time favorites.
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Alternative, New York Artists, Rock Music, Singer/Songwriter

SONG OF THE DAY – “WORLD I USED TO KNOW” by Ryan Star

January 14, 2013

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Today I am posting a song by one of my favorite musicians. Ryan Star is a true artist and I find his music just incredibly beautiful, unique, and full of some of the most intense emotion that I have ever heard.

Ryan is from Brooklyn, New York and is performing tonight in NYC for his new album release “party.” Luckily, I get to see him at a private show in the city on Thursday night. I have been waiting months for this performance and I am incredibly excited to see him perform in a very intimate setting.

I saw Ryan Star live in concert in February 2012 at The House of Blues in Dallas when he was touring with Andy Grammer. I was lucky enough to get an opportunity to meet him and spend a few minutes chatting. He is one of the nicest guys I have had the pleasure to meet.

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I truly love this song off his new album. The album, Angels + Animals, was just released yesterday and it is a great album with a very personal story and emotionally raw. In an interview with inTouch magazine, Ryan said this about the autographical nature of the album, “I gave only the most raw, most honest version of myself on this record. It’s primal in that sense. It starts with an apology and takes us on a man’s journey to become his best self for the woman he lives for. We are all a bit angel and a bit animal, we do the best we can.”

With this album, Ryan broke from his big recording label and turned to his fans to help fund production of the album with Pledge Music. It is a credit to him that he reached – and then exceeded – 100% of his goal with the support of his faithful fans (of which I am one!).

I hope you enjoy this song, but if you are not familiar with his music, I would strongly encourage you to take a few minutes to explore his songs. You will probably find a song or two that you might have heard before, but did not realize was him, and you will definitely find some music that you will love. I literally like nearly all of his music so it is hard for me to pick just a few to recommend, but I would suggest “Last Train Home,” “Stay Awhile,” “Losing Your Memory,” “Breathe” and “Start A Fire.” I told you it would be hard for me to pick just a few – believe me there are more I could list. 😉

I will definitely post some more photos of the event on Thursday night and will hopefully have a few interesting tidbits to share about Ryan himself.

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