The Anonymous Artisan

So, I can’t tell you how disappointed I am with what Keane has produced in the past few years. I was on Amazon and iTunes at the same time looking for a band that could compete with them. I do this kind of stuff when I’m bored. You know, looking for the next greatest thing. Well, in my search The Yeah You’s came up in an iTunes genius search. Genius it is alright. From what I can gather, they’re pretty big in the UK, but haven’t reached the US markets yet. The good music never does.

I gave this whole album a listen and liked the sound. The lead singer’s voice sounds a lot like Tom Chaplin from Keane and most of the songs are upbeat. I personally enjoyed “Getting Up With You,” “It’s Happening To Me,” and “If I’d Only Said Hello.” Like I said before, great beats and heartfelt lyrics.

There isn’t much on these guys on Wikipedia aside from the fact that they recently changed the band name to “Madfox.” So keep your eyes peeled for them under that new name.

The song I wanted to share with you is called “Won’t Be Long.” It’s a more poppy song than I usually put on the blog, but I really enjoy the chorus for some reason.

“Won’t be long til we’re lying in the moon light
(holding on and on and on)
Won’t be long til we’re together all night
(on and on and on)
Won’t be long til everything is alright…til everything is alright.”

Maybe it’s because it’s spring and things are just getting a little bit easier to enjoy because of the weather, but this song has been stuck in my head for days. I hope it’s something you’ll enjoy too…

So in my search for new music, I found Steve Means. iTunes had a few EPs that I was browsing and I came across the song “Runaway” and fell in love. It’s a different sound than what I usually listen to, but it’s very catchy. Trust me, you’ll love it.

Oddly enough, Steve isn’t big enough to have a Wikipedia page, so I can’t tell you much about him. What I can tell you is that Steve is 22 and has already been heard on MTV’s “The Hills,” “The Real World” and “Newport Harbor.” He averages 100+ college shows a year and has well over one million views on his Myspace page. Truly outstanding as far as a singer, songwriter, and performer is concerned. Let’s make him a bigger name, ok? Enjoy the song…

I’m going to be honest with you, I’ve listened to Anberlin’s music before and I’ve never liked it. It’s just one of those bands that I could never enjoy for some reason. Some people call their music “emo” and others call them “indie,” but I prefer to not call them anything at all…because I really don’t care for them. Well, I didn’t care for them until I heard their new single “Impossible.” I was on my way to Salem, MA for the annual Harley Davidson Witch Ride in October and a friend had the song on a mix tape. I immediately recognized the lead singer’s voice and started questioning if it was still the same band.

Speaking of the band, here’s a little blurb about them courtesy of Wikipedia.

“Anberlin is an American alternative rock band from Winter Haven, Florida, formed in 2002. Since the beginning of 2007, the band has consisted of lead vocalist Stephen Christian, bassist Deon Rexroat, lead guitarist Joseph Milligan, drummer Nathan Young and rhythm guitarist Christian McAlhaney.

Members of Anberlin originally formed a band under the name SaGoh 24/7 in the late 1990s, releasing two studio albums before disbanding, with the members having a change in musical direction and name. Anberlin was formed in 2002; within a year of forming, they had signed with semi-independent record label Tooth & Nail Records and released their debut album, Blueprints for the Black Market. In 2005, the band released their second album, Never Take Friendship Personal, selling in excess of 150,000 copies. The band continued its rise to prominence while enjoying a loyal MySpace following and averaging well over 200 live shows per year. The band’s third album, Cities, was released in 2007, and became their first album to reach the top 20 of the Billboard 200, selling 34,000 copies in its debut week.

After three studio albums and five years with Tooth & Nail Records, Anberlin announced their signing with major label Universal Republic Records in August 2007. The band’s first album on the major label was released in 2008, titled New Surrender. The album peaked at number 13 on the Billboard 200, with the first single, “Feel Good Drag”, claiming number one on the Alternative Songs chart, after 29 weeks in the chart. Prior to the release of their fifth studio album, Dark Is the Way, Light Is a Place, Anberlin has sold over 700,000 albums.”

Now, let’s talk about “Impossible.” I know I’ve trash talked Anberlin a little bit above, but I’m really impressed with this song. It makes me feel dirty, betrayed, happy and also makes me tap my feet while pretending everything I own is a percussion instrument. Evoking those emotions in one song is really something else. The song is about frustrations in a relationship, yet not being able to leave the other person even though you want to shake them.

I posted my own video because their music video is way too weird. It takes away from the song. In any event, enjoy!

So, I had a fan request an update. School and work have gotten kind of out of hand, but I do owe it to my readers to at least show some kind of life. The song I chose for today has been in my library for a while, but hasn’t gotten a lot of exposure on my end. I guess I have to be in a certain mood to listen to it, but it’s a terrific song none the less. A small portion of it was originally featured in a Lincoln MKT commercial and I went nuts trying to find it. At the time it hadn’t been released, but I’m glad I gave it a few months before resuming my search.

“Under The Milky Way” reminds me of one of those seasonal summer tunes that you listen to when you’re laying either on the beach or in your back yard looking up at the stars. It’s a very relaxed tune reminds me just to relax and not worry about what’s going on in life. Just let things go and enjoy being alive.

So a little bit about Sia from our friends at Wikipedia:

“Sia Kate Isobelle Furler (born 18 December 1975), is also known simply as Sia. She is an Australian soulful jazz-styled pop singer and songwriter. At the 2009 ARIA Music Awards, she won the award for Best Music DVD and Some People Have Real Problems was nominated for Best Breakthrough Artist Album. Sia received six nominations at the 2010 ARIA Music Awards including Album of the Year (for We Are Born), Best Female Artist, Single of the Year (for Clap Your Hands) and Best Independent Release. She is noted for her work with Zero 7 and her three major label solo albums.”

Sia has quite a bit of information about her on that page, so if you’re interested in reading more about her bio, you can click here.

So, let’s get to the song, shall we? Enjoy!

With the start of school it has been difficult to do much of anything, let alone find good music. Last night I just about had it with what I have been listening to. Let’s face it, when you listen to the same group of 20-30 songs for a few weeks at a time, you need to move on. They just aren’t as exciting as they once were.

Once again, I was on iTunes yet again using the Genius toolbar (they call it Genius for a reason folks) and found this lonely looking horse on the cover of their album. I thought it was kind of odd, so I went through the album and in no particular order started playing the sample clips of the songs. I wasn’t exactly thrilled with the album until I came across “Julianna” and boy is she a diamond in the rough.

Here’s a little blurb from Wikipedia regarding the band before we dive into the song:

“Audrye Sessions was founded in 2002 by singer Ryan Karazija and Alicia Marie Campbell. Soon after Michael Knox joined the band through a Craigslist  ad. They began playing coffeehouses in their hometown of Livermore, California. In a San Francisco Chronicle profile, they have described themselves as having a “very Brit-rock feel like The Beatles meet Muse.”

In 2007 they won a spot on Live 105′s BFD summer concert, and have played at San Francisco’s Noise Pop and Austin’s SXSW music festivals. Their current lineup consists of Karazija and Campbell, as well as Michael Knox and James Leste. Musicians who previously performed and toured with Audrye Sessions include violinist Anton Patzner and drummer Alex Feldman.

They released a self-titled Audrye Sessions EP in October 2008 through Black Seal, a unit of Sony BMG. The full-length album was released February 17, 2009.

Their music was featured in the television show Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew. In their first self-titled album, their song “Turn Me Off” was the most popular.”

With that out of the way, let me prepare you for one of the catchiest choruses that I’ve ever heard. Maybe it’s the lyrics, maybe it’s the melody or maybe it’s the fact that I found this at 2:30 in the morning while half asleep. In any event, it’s a song about hanging on to someone who you suspect is going to leave you behind.

“Julianna
Got this feeling
That you’re leaving when I need you most
‘Cause I’m stranded on a shipwreck
Now I’m sinking
I’ll keep holding on to one more day”

Mmm…yes. There’s the chorus in all of it’s indie rock glory. So, sit back, relax and enjoy “Julianna” on me…or Audrye Sessions, rather…

So I’ll be honest; I wasn’t a big fan of this particular song until recently. I downloaded Kate’s self titled album because I kind of liked the song “Nobody,” which was kind of edgy and had a great beat. Originally I think I heard the song in a commercial on television, but I’m unsure what prompted me to download the album. Needless to say, it’s been sitting in my iTunes library for a few months without a further listen. However, yesterday I found myself in a Ralph Lauren Polo store where I heard “Whenever You’re Ready” over their satellite radio. There were people talking in the background and the registers buzzing, so I didn’t get a good listen. I wound up writing a few lines of lyrics in my iPhone for later review. After searching the lyrics and finding that it was Kate Earl, I was a little shocked because it wasn’t what I had originally heard from her. In any event, here’s a little bio about Kate:

“Earl was born to Charles and Pomposa Smithson in Anchorage, Alaska. She is of Filipino and Dutch/Welsh descent. She began playing piano at 4, sang in her church choir, and began playing the guitar when she was seventeen. Earl moved to Los Angeles in 2004 and signed with The Record Collection. Her debut album, Fate is the Hunter, was released in May 2005.

Earl left Record Collection in 2007 and signed with Universal Republic the following year. A self-titled album, “Kate Earl” was released as a digital download on August 18, 2009 and in physical copy on November 3, 2009. Earl is managed by the Tommy Mottola’s Mottola Company. Kate Earl’s song “Can’t Treat Me That Way” was used in an episode of the tv series Private Practice. Her song “Nobody” was featured in an episode of the CW network series 90210.”

There are certain parts of this song vocally that caught my ear. More specifically the following:

“And you know I’m not holding my breathe
But you know how to find me
And you know there’s a knot in my chest
Only you can untie me”

…

“Now I know why you run
And I’m not leaving

Before I got that your just lost
I used to think that I wasn’t enough”

In any event, give it a whirl and tell me what you like about it:

Ah yes, I’m back in the rhythm (pun intended) of uploading music on a more regular basis now. I won’t be for long with law school starting in a week though, so enjoy it while it lasts. Tonight I found myself fishing through old albums on iTunes and I was giving the Genius Toolbar quite a workout. Some times I don’t know why I click on certain songs in the sidebar, but this was one of them that needed to be uploaded immediately.

Trent Dabbs has release four albums in the course of six  years; none of which I’ve heard until up to this point. So, I’m going to try and put good ole’ Trent on the map a little bit with this next tune called “Dear Jane.” Overall, I really loved the musical arrangement and certain parts of the chorus. It actually reminded me of an old Low Million’s song for some reason. Anyway, here’s a little about Mr. Dabbs, courtesy of Wikipedia:

“Dabbs moved to Nashville, Tennessee from Mississippi  with his wife to pursue a career in music. In Jackson, he was the lead singer of bands Kelly Wingate and Always Sunday.

In 2005, he and his wife created Ten Out of Tenn, a collection of 10 music artist from Nashville. Since then, they’ve had 3 volumes and 4 tours. Popular up and coming artist such as Erin McCarley, Tyler James, Katie Herzig, Griffin House, Paper Route, Joy Williams, Ashley Monroe, and Matthew Perryman Jones have been a part of the compilation.

Dabbs became popular for his songwriting, as he has co-written songs with Mat Kearney, Matthew Perryman Jones, Josh Wilson, Joy Williams, Andrew Belle, Matt Wertz, and many others.

He has had music featured on shows such as The OC, Grey’s Anatomy, The Hills, and One Tree Hill.”

Now as for the tune itself, there isn’t really any particular set of lyrics or part of the song that makes me feel it’s worthy of being on the blog. It’s just a downright good tune. So, hear it out and let me know what you think…

Ok, so I honestly don’t know how I feel about this song deep down inside, but it has me tapping my feet. For those of you who are wondering what ever happened to the band, Six Pence Non the Richer, that we all loved so much in the late 90s and early 2000s…well here’s your answer. The lead singer Leigh Nash came out with an album in 2006 that slipped right under my nose until last night.

Below is a little bit about Nash if you aren’t already familiar with her bio already:

“Nash was born Leigh Anne Bingham in New Braunfels, Texas. She started singing country music and learning old country songs on the guitar at the age of 12. She had several years’ experience singing in local cafes with a middle-aged band and performed regularly at a Texan country & western dance hall. She met guitarist and songwriter Matt Slocum at a church retreat in the early 1990s.

The two formed Sixpence None the Richer, named for a line from the book Mere Christianity by the author C.S. Lewis, soon after and went on to record four full-length albums with the band. Their first album, released when she was just 16, was The Fatherless & the Widow. The album garnered critical acclaim and Slocum and Nash searched for new band members.

Joined by Tess Wiley, Dale Baker, and J.J. Plascencio, the new band recorded This Beautiful Mess, which won a Dove Award for Best Album. Wiley quit the band after their US tour and the band released the Tickets for a Prayer Wheel EP and then signed to the Squint Records label following the demise of REX.

The band’s eponymous album was released in 1997 and the single “Kiss Me” in 1999. In 1999 they received numerous Dove Awards, including Best Artist of the Year. The band was also nominated for a Grammy Award. A second single “There She Goes”, which hit Billboard, followed by a third single “I Can’t Catch You”.

In 2000, Nash sang the song “Need to Be Next to You” for the movie Bounce in order to thank Miramax that had used “Kiss Me” in the movie She’s All That and brought them into the spotlight. Written by Diane Warren, it became Nash’s first solo single.

After problems with their record labels, Sixpence None the Richer came back in 2001 with the album Divine Discontent after losing both Dale Baker and J.J. Plascencio. Two singles from that album, “Breathe Your Name” and “Don’t Dream It’s Over”, went onto the charts. However, Sixpence None the Richer announced their break-up on 26 February 2004, when Slocum sent a letter to CCM Magazine. After that, the band released The Best of Sixpence None the Richer.

In spite of the colossal success the band enjoyed with ubiquitous pop singles like “Kiss Me” and “There She Goes”, the group was continually plagued by the business woes of the trade and finally decided to split ways amicably. Disoriented by this major change, Nash and her husband left their Nashville home of 10 years and moved to Los Angeles.

While in L.A., Nash penned a batch of songs that would eventually comprise her first solo record, Blue on Blue, which was released in August 2006 on One Son Records, Nash’s own imprint label through Nettwerk Productions. During the record time of making Blue on Blue, Nash flew to Canada several times. The first single, “My Idea Of Heaven”, was released to USA radio the week of 14 July 2006, and the song “Ocean Size Love” was to be the second single, but it was a promo release only. She has also recorded a song “Mirrors and Smoke” with the band Jars of Clay on their album Good Monsters the same year.

In the meantime, Nash moved back to Nashville, Tennessee and into a new community of musicians – a recently formed rock collective called Movement Nashville.

In 2007, Nash began a new band, Fauxliage, with Canadian band Delerium, which released a self-titled album on August 14, 2007. Nash, Megan Thompson and Kate York also started a Christian band called Thompson, York & Nash. They worked on a few songs that have been put on Myspace. However, none of the songs posted on their MySpace page have been formally released.

In late 2007, Nash and Slocum met over coffee and positively discussed the reuniting of Sixpence None the Richer. In January 2008 Nash traveled to New Zealand to perform at the annual Parachute Music Festival. Performing on the main stage twice, she attracted crowds of over 30,000 who enjoyed her acoustic covers of Sixpence None the Richer hits “Kiss Me” and “There She Goes”. In the fall of 2008, Leigh toured with Delerium.

Leigh has since rejoined Sixpence and worked on a new EP My Dear Machine EP, and the Christmas album The Dawn of Grace with tour dates planned throughout 2008 in the States and Europe. Tess Wiley is also back to support Sixpence’s European tour.

Leigh will join Open Wings-Broken Strings tour in 2009 fall, along with Eddie Kowalczyk of Live, Art Alexakis of Everclear. After that Leigh will back to Sixpence to jump into the studio to record a new album, which can be expected in early 2010.”

As far as the song is concerned, it’s a very happy one for the most part. It’s naturally a very poppy song, which really isn’t my favorite genre, but it was something I wanted to share with you all.

Ok, so I promised a while ago that I’d put this song up, but unfortunately my schedule doesn’t allow for regular posts anymore. Once again I was looking through iTunes for similar music to whatever it was that I was listening to at the time and Civil Twilight popped up. Now, I’m not a huge fan of anything “Twilight” related, especially that foppish dandy, Robert Pattinson, or that set of abs, Taylor Lautner. But this little unknown band from South Africa blow that vampire nonsense out of the water. Here’s a little Wikipedia bio about them if you’re interested:

“Originally hailing from Cape Town, South Africa, Civil Twilight is a power trio that draws parallels with Muse, Pilot Speed, and other like-minded bands with impassioned vocals and stirring, alt-rock songcraft. Brothers Andrew and Steven McKeller were raised in a musical household, having explored their father’s jazz collection at a young age while listening to their classically trained mother play piano. In November 1996, Andrew launched a teenaged band with help from his high school classmate, guitarist Richard Wouters. The two scheduled an inaugural rehearsal for the following month; in the interim, Andrew discovered that his younger brother, Steven, could sing and write songs. The three musicians subsequently banded together, with Steven agreeing to master the bass and Wouters giving up the guitar (which Andrew also played) to learn drums.

Civil Twilight spent several years practicing in local church halls and garages before graduating to the local club scene, where they steadily became a well-respected act. Having finished their education, the bandmates then moved to Los Angeles in August 2005; shortly thereafter, they signed with the indie label One October and co-produced their debut record, Human. The album arrived in 2007 and received an extra boost when several songs were featured in prime-time television shows, including One Tree Hill, House, and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. As their profile mounted, the musicians relocated to Nashville.

Their songs have been featured in many TV spots, including One Tree Hill and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. “Quiet In My Town” was prominently featured at the end of Season 6 Episode 3 Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly. of One Tree Hill on The CW Network. It played for 6 minutes during the coda – the scene of Quentin’s funeral.

“Letters From The Sky” was featured at the end of Episode 11 of Harper’s Island, after Wakefield kills Cal and Chloe commits suicide. In addition to this, the song was also featured on Season 7 of One Tree Hill, in the opening scene of the episode, You Are a Runner and I Am My Father’s Son.

“Letters From the Sky” was the iTunes Free Download of the Week for the week of October 6–12, 2009.

The band’s self-titled album was originally released independently in 2008, having now signed to Wind-up Records this album was due to be re-released 31 March 2009, however due to scheduling issues it was pushed back. It was eventually released July 21, 2009. They opened for label mates, Evanescence, for a one-off show in New York on November 4, 2009.

They also opened for a Three Days Grace concert in Ontario, California on April 25, 2010, where they played “Letters From the Sky” and many other of their songs.”

Now, onto the song meaning. It’s pretty simple actually, which is why I liked the tune in the first place. There’s nothing like a song about getting a second chance, but there’s really nothing like an angsty song about getting a second chance and taking full advantage of it.

Give it a listen and let me know what you think:

So, I must say that I had a good day fooling around with iTunes’ Genius recommendations. I came across this song by Andrew Belle and fell in love. Thus, I won’t keep you waiting by posting a long bio for this one. However, I am going to post the lyrics because they’re beautiful. So, from the Anonymous Artisan to you – Enjoy!

I count the steps from where I am
to where i started
I tap my feet
and close the door, to your apartment
and I know you’re never gonna understand

Its too late for you to stop and think
too late to mention
I make a move and spill my drink
to break the tension
I know you’re never gonna understand
I’ll try my best to follow if I can, but

I would have let you leave

The static waves across the screen
define this notion
back and forth and in between
like my emotion
and I know you’re never gonna understand
and wont you slow this down oh if you can
you swayed your hips and stole the breath
that I was taking
I touched your lips and held your hands
when they were shaking

Look how we’ve fallen upon our knees
how we forgot it
these empty halls held our disease
before we caught it
now out the door and down the stairs from your apartment
I would have let you leave

The static waves across the screen
define this notion
back and forth and in between
like my emotion
now out the door and down the stairs
from your apartment
I count the steps from where i am
to where I started
I would have let you
I would have let you leave.