Neutral Milk Hotel "In The Aeroplane Over the Sea"

Ahh... such good memories come flooding in when I listen to "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea" (1998) that it's hard for me to discern why I love this album so much (but it's probably because of the abundance of bird samples). The album was the follow up to the critically acclaimed "On Avery Island" (1996), their debut album. The band grew out of the Elephant 6 Recording Company, that was a collection of like-minded indie artists at the time. When you hear Neutral Milk Hotel you are listening to the howled convictions of Jeff Mangum with a voice so powerful it will make you cringe at times.

The album begins with "King of Carrot Flowers Pt. 1" which starts out building upon playful imagery with lyrics that are bound to make you think of good times in your own life. Many people that I have showed this album to in the past didn't seem impressed by the Mangum's vocals except for my guitar teacher who had commented that he could really sing loud and proud. I've always enjoyed the vocals of Neutral Milk Hotel and believe it adds to the overall uniqueness of the album and I haven't heard his sound replicated since. It's hard for me to choose just a few songs to talk about because this album is gold. "Two-Headed Boy" focuses solely on guitar and vocals and Mangum stands out by sustaining high notes and singing higher than I could ever hope to. So go out today and purchase this album or listen to it any way you can ! You probably won't regret it ! (You can purchase the album Here)

As for the future of the blog, I will continue posting albums if anyone is interested. Feel free to invite your friends and whoever.

"Oh, Comely"

 

'Two-Headed Boy"

Cut Copy "Zonoscope"

"Zonoscope" starts out strong and immediately you feel compelled to dance. Cut Copy is an Australian band consisting of Dan Whitford (vocals), Tim Hoey (guitar), Ben Browning (bass), and Mitchell Scott (drums). Dan's vocals are reminiscent of the 80s when disco reigned as king. They fit in nicely with a more modern approach to electronic music rather than pursuing a formulaic approach to disco music. The first song, "Need You Now" continues to build on a memorable hook ("I know we're going crazy / But i need you now /I know we're running baby / But i need you now") while progressing with the rest of the composition to reach a really fun climax that gets people moving. It's a really fun, memorable song that I could see being used behind montages in the future. "Take Me Over" is the next song on the album and it's catchy bass-line supports the integrity of the rest of the song. Once again I feel nostalgic for the 80s and I wasn't even alive back then! Powerful stuff this "Zonoscope" is...

 "Strange Nostalgia for the Future" is a creative song that immerses you into a world full of vinyl clicks, a synth so bright you need to cover your eyes, and a reverberant piano that brings you back to the "nostalgia" of the future. Interesting. "This is All We've Got" takes us out of the previous song and focuses the album back to the dance fever that it began as. In my opinion, the first two songs of the album are the best ("Need You Now" and "Take me Over") because lyrically they are memorable while I can't say the same for the other songs. Other than that, great album overall. Listen to this when you're doing the dishes or some other menial task and dance like the 80s never ended! You can purchase the album here.

"Need You Now" 

"Take me Over"

Big Bud's "Blue + Green"

Today’s album is all about how good drum n bass can sound. Everyone needs good electronic music in their life and lately this sub-genre of EDM seems to be overlooked.  “Blue + Green” was released by Big Bud in 2012 through Beatport. Right from the beginning of the album you can hear the quality of the drum samples. The cymbals and snare cut through the mix and create a really nice strong foundation for the rest of the song to build off of. Since this is a drum n bass album you can’t go wrong with great sounding drums. Now for the bass. I find it to be especially nice sounding in the first song “Angel” and I couldn’t imagine listening to the song without a subwoofer because it would really lose a lot of its power. As for the rest of the album the low end plays a large role in why I like it so much and I suggest listening in the best environment you can find.

"Wobbegong” gets even more aggressive with the low end and as I listen to it right now with the sub cranked up I wonder if the neighbors are O.K. with it. Hopefully they’re not home right now. Big Bud introduces some really fun tech sounds that come in later in the song that helps to add more depth to the track. If I was still DJing this is a song I would definitely play late at night. Another fun song on the album is “Rubadub”. Drum n Bass always mixes well with reggae music and this song doesn’t disappoint. You can purchase the album here on Beatport.

"Angel" 

 

"Rubadub"