Tag: monthlymusic

Monthly Music, August

Mumford & Sons – Sigh no More

I’ve been avoiding this album for months. I heard that one song and liked it but convinced myself that it was a fluke. Then I heard that other song and like it too. Then the album was on sale and I thought “what the hell?”

And I dig it. It is like alt-bluegrass. So you can play it on the radio and people will not change the channel even though it is a genre change. Still the songs are catchy and I did not mind my sale price purchase.

So if you like those two radio songs, you’ll be pleased to hear more of the same throughout the album.

Sucker Punch Soundtrack

I have discovered that asking “Have you seen Sucker Punch?” is a loaded question. There is this odd turn conversations take about the movie where we don’t discuss the plot or even the pretty CGI, but rather something else, such as sexism or mental hospitals or Frodo Baggins. Therefor, this will not be a discussion of the movie.

The soundtrack, however, kicks ass. There are only nine songs, but they are all good. Some covers, some originals, BJORK! and the show tune-esque song sung in the movie. It is solid and stands alone from the movie as a solid compilation.

Monthly Music, June and July

Yeah Yeah, it is August.

There is an accidental theme this time: Boats and Rum.

Alestorm – Back Through Time

Scottish Pirate Metal. Just watch.

Genticorum – Nagez Rameurs

Let’s start by saying this is all in French. Genticorum is a French Canadian band who plays a traditional type of music called Quebecois. This is a mixture of Celtic (Irish and Britianny) music with traditional colonial songs. Despite singing in French, the songs will sound familiar as their style is similar to folk songs of the Appalachians. Great music, and great fiddling too.

Apparently Nagez Rameurs means “Pull it together, rowers!” Most of the songs on this album are about travel and tell some sort of story. I did find out at their show that the guy who sat at the front of the canoe and sang songs while they traveled the rivers of the new world got paid more than the ones who actually rowed. Now, he did have to know a lot of songs. This is like that long road trip- if you only bring two CD’s you are going to not be happy.

If you like more traditional celtic music, or American music, or hell, just music, check it out.

Monthly Music – May

This month we have Moby and a bit of Woody Guthrie, sorta. (Yeah yeah, it is June, it is close enough)

Moby – Destroyed (electronic)

I have had a thing for Moby since I first heard “Everything is Wrong” all of those years ago. (Almost too many to say aloud) Since then it has been a steady stream of great albums ranging from the quiet ambient (Wait for Me) to the get up and dance (Last Night).

Destroyed is more in the middle. There are a collection of ambient pieces towards the end, along with some more energetic stuff from the beginning. In a way it is close to the album structure of “Everything is Wrong”.

While I horribly biased, I love it. I’d been a huge “Hotel” kick as of late, and the two together are great.

Billy Bragg and Wilco, Mermaid Ave (folk/rock)

This is an older album (1997) but it is brand new to me, so I think it counts. The album is a collection of songs that were lyrically written by Woody Guthrie. He never got around to writing the music parts, and that is where Billy Bragg and WIlco come in.

The album is folksy for sure, but it is supposed to be. More than a few of the lyrics are political, and topics include the Great Depression to, well, Walt Whitman’s niece.

In the end, I bought it for “California Stars” which is a fantastic song. But I stayed for “Walt Whitman’s Niece” and all the rest.