Freelance Whales

I had previously done a post about this group along with others after seeing them at ACL, but now, after listening to them much more, I'm going to do another blog about them. This group isn't a very well known one. They are, however, very talented. They put out very unique music that has an indie and electronic feel to it. They also use a banjo, which adds a touch of country to their sound.

This song is relatively low energy. It also shows off the voice of the singer very well. He has a very high pitched singing voice, which works perfectly for their music. I think that he sounds great in this song. Previous to me listening to this band, I had thought that I didn't like electronic at all. They have shown me this perfect balance between indie and electronic that I love.

I included this song in the last blog but it's good enough to be repeated. It also has an indie electronic or pop feel to it. The chorus is really good sounding, to me. It also shows off his voice well.

This is an interesting song, as the lyrics don't start until a good ways in. The banjo is used in the intro to give it an immediate country feel that almost remains the whole song. The simplicity of the song is what makes me enjoy it.

Johnny Cash

My exposure to Johnny Cash has been mainly from my dad. My sister has also been a huge fan of him. She actually said certain songs in the movie "Walk The Line" where Joaquin Phoenix sang, sound better than Johnny Cash. I didn't believe her but I listened to them and they did sound very good. It is hard for me to classify his music. For me, it would probably fall under the rock and roll category more than anything.

This song sounds like rock to me. His lower pitched voice makes the song what it is and makes him what he is. His music sounds different than any other artist to me. His use of various instruments while maintaining a rock feel is quite original.

"Hurt" is a very emotional song of his. I included it because it shows a different sound that he can produce. It isn't the kind of rock that his other songs are, but it is an emotional acoustic track.

Imagine Dragons

Over the break, I was introduced to the band "Imagine Dragons". They are an American rock/indie band from Nevada. They formed in 2008 so they are fairly new.

This is their most famous song that is played on the radio occasionally. It probably is their best song that they have released. It sounds pretty indie to me, which is not at all a bad thing. It's not a super high-energy song, but it isn't supposed to be.

"Amsterdam" is another great song of theirs. It is definitely more high energy. To me, it sounded like a Two Door Cinema Club song at first, just with a different singer. I do like the singer's voice, but another part of me wishes that they had a different one. 

Robert Earl Keen

I was recently thinking about the country artists that I liked. There are actually very few of them, but my favorite would have to be Robert Earl Keen. My dad has been playing his music for as long as I can remember. 

"Down That Dusty Trail" is my absolute favorite song of his. Again, I usually don't like very much country, but he one of my few exceptions. I think this song is a perfect mix of country and rock. I'm actually pretty proud to say that this is some of the country we get out of Texas. 

Another song that I like of his is "Feelin' Good Again". It would probably be classified more as country than "Down That Dusty Trail", but I still enjoy it. I discovered it in a guitar lesson, and my teacher taught it to me. That is what really got me listening to it. Robert Earl Keen is definitely one of my favorite country artists, and is without a doubt, my favorite Texas country musician. 

White Album

The White Album is probably the album that I know the least about. I only know a few songs well, but hearing the entire thing in class and learning which ones I liked and disliked changed that. In my opinion, it is one of the most diverse albums by The Beatles. Like we were talking about in class, it's kind of crazy that they can release "Helter Skelter" and "Blackbird" or "Julia" on the same album and have each song be so successful.

Blackbird has been one of my favorite Beatles songs for more than half a year. I do say that about many Beatles songs, but "Blackbird" truly is one of my favorites. The acoustic guitar part is great and classic. The song was written about the racial tensions in 1968 and is almost a protest of this.

I found this video a while back of Two Door Cinema Club's Alex Trimble covering "Blackbird". Two Door Cinema Club is one of my favorite bands, so of course I like the cover, but I also look at it with out bias and can say how well he sang and played the guitar part flawlessly.

The diversity on this album makes me like it even more. Rocky Raccoon, Helter Skelter, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, and Blackbird are all completely different songs. The Beatles are one of the few bands that could pull off something like this and making it so successful.

Pink Floyd

Pink Floyd really has never been a band that I followed or listened to. Honestly, they seem pretty average to me. There doesn't seem to be a whole lot that is special about them. The things that attract me to a band a lot of times are original ideas and sounds. To me, Pink Floyd doesn't really deliver.

I will say that parts of this song sound unique. The rest of it not so much in my opinion. I don't really enjoy the vocals either. The guitar work is not bad by any means but it doesn't excite me very much. Comparing them to the Doors, they fall slightly short. The Doors definitely aren't my favorite band either, but they do a better job of entertaining me.

I will say that "Wish You Were Here" is one of my favorite songs of theirs. Honestly, that isn't saying much. I don't love it. It also feels sort of boring. It's good music, but I wouldn't want to sit there and listen to much of it. Of course this is just my opinion, but I would much rather listen to another artist than Pink Floyd.

Death Cab for Cutie

Death Cab for Cutie is a band that I've known of for a while but never really looked up. It wasn't until my dad played a song of theirs that I got into them. I currently only have their album "Plans" but am excited to download more. The sound is pretty diverse between albums with this band, but "Plans" has a generally focused sound.

This is the song that got me into them. It really shows off the talent that each band member has. The singer is great in all of their songs. I really enjoy his voice. The acoustic guitar work is fun to listen to, and really adds to the song. It still remains one of my absolute favorite Death Cab songs.

"I Will Follow You into the Dark" is another great song. I believe it is their most popular one. This isn't  for no reason though. It has deep lyrics, a very acoustic sound, and great vocals. The tone of the singer can really be heard in this song.

The song "Brothers on a Hotel Bed" is almost different from the rest of the Death Cab songs. It puts me in a certain mood that matches the song. It's not a sad mood, but a calm and thoughtful one. The piano work makes the song. The vocals and piano compliment each other perfectly. Everything is done really well overall with the recording of it. I absolutely love this band because they make songs that range in sound from "You Are a Tourist", to "Soul Meets Body", to this.

Matt & Kim

A couple years back, my sister showed me a song by Matt & Kim. This was the first one I had heard, and I really loved it. I do understand that Matt may not have the best voice, but for the style of music, I think it's great.

This was the first song of theirs that I heard. I still think it's great. It's essentially just Matt on vocals and piano, and Kim on drums. It's simple yet catchy. In my opinion, Matt sounds a tiny bit like Joey Ramone.

Although I like this song, I don't think it's as good as Daylight. It's pretty repetitive, but it's still pretty good.

Off of their new album, Cameras is another good song of Matt & Kim's. They use strange instruments, such as a xylophone playing in the background, and a lot of synthesizer sounds. I actually enjoy Matt's voice a lot in this song.

Hendrix

After taking guitar lessons for around 6 years, I've learned many Jimi Hendrix songs. In doing so, I actually discovered him. This was probably around 6th or 7th grade. I had hear of him and hear his songs but never had never known that it was him.

This is my favorite Hendrix song because of its relaxed sound. It's not high energy but the guitar work is legendary, as you would expect with him. He was always great at taking a solo guitar part and making it fit perfectly into the rest of the song. This skill was definitely prevalent in "All Along the Watchtower".

As with most of his songs, in "Voodoo Child", the guitar part makes the song. It really displays the fact that Jimi Hendrix is a God of guitar. The heavier sounding guitar and the different tuning really interests me. I really enjoy listening to different Hendrix songs where he uses different sounds on a guitar and experiments with the possibilities.