Carl Sandburg Visits Me In A Dream

Drum roll please….

1. Under the Influence of Giants-Under the Influence of Giants
Maybe you’re a little surprised by this selection, or maybe you’re giving me that sly nod of semi-approval, or maybe (just maybe) you’re thinking that I’m dead on. After careful deliberation over all the albums considered, I kept coming back to this one. Under the Influence of Giants is the album Sting and the Police would have made in 2006. It’s edgy, but it isn’t cookie-cutter. Under the Influence of Giants (UTIOG) have created the polyester of indie rock-pop, genre-spanning music. You’re not really sure what exactly to call it, but when the falsetto starts to sound and the chords start to play, you just accept that this album is extraordinary. Think Eric Clapton, Sting and The Police, Maroon 5 (but much better), and various late 80s bands that are un-namable at this point.
There’s a great deal of harmony in the album as a whole. They certainly complement each other vocally, but I’m more impressed with the way they incorporate intricate melodies, bridges, and solos into the songs themselves. Nothing is redundant or boring. This album is a well-planned party and everyone is invited. So check your presumptions at the door and just enjoy it. Whatever your tastes, this album is sure to please. For once, being ‘Under the Influence’ is a darn good thing.
Buy Under the Influence of Giants here.
Listen to “I Love You” and “Mama’s Room” (an extra song!!) as part of Sandburg’s Top 20 Playlist.

Tomorrow’s the big day–be sure to check back for the number one album and some nice goodies…..

4. Office-Q & A
I posted about this band earlier, but I’m going to elaborate. I also need to make a disclaimer here. This album is no longer for sale, as Office (not The Office) was just signed by a label a couple of weeks ago (I can’t believe it took that long). Their ‘first’ album is due out early next year, so I’ll keep you posted on that.
But on to this ‘demo album’ of sorts…Q & A is just a spectacular display of what pop/rock really sounds like. Q & A has a ton of energy throughout but it is never overbearing or overdone. I could almost see this album being the soundtrack to a Rocky movie–it’s that kind of inspiring rock album that isn’t preachy but isn’t trite either. I said it before and I still mean it: They sound like Coldplay with higher seratonin levels. They do that catchy hand-clapping thing in “Wound Up” that gets accented by great guitar riffs and drum beats. I love the positivity coming from songs like “Dominos” or the way they create terms like “Big Bang Jump!” (are they trying to tell Miriam-Webster something?). Thank Goodness they have been signed.
Nothing to buy yet. Go here to download a bunch of tracks.
Listen to “The Big Bang Jump!” as part of Sandburg’s Top 20 Playlist.

3. The Weepies-Say I Am You
The Weepies were the most pleasant of surprises this past year, as the super-folk-duo of Steve Tannen and Deb Talan. None of their solo works really stand out as incredible, but together they form a significant group. Sometimes touching and sentimental, other times flirtatiously deep, and still other times waxing poetic, The Weepies is anything but depressing. They show an impeccable knack for creating delicious pop tunes, without losing literary quality. It seems to me that Tannen and Talan were born to harmonize, were meant to sing with each other. Say I Am You plays with your emotions, it takes you on a car trip throughout the bustling east coast, through the mild-mannered farms of the midwest, to the mountainous west, while making stops in the cotton skied south. This is an album about relationships–with the earth, with the people around us, and with ourselves. Say I Am You challenges us to find what is meaningful and good in this world, and to hold on to it with our dear lives. It’s personal and it’s universal. Touché, The Weepies.
Buy Say I Am You here.
Listen to “Riga Girls” as part of Sandburg’s Top 20 Playlist.

2. Alexi Murdoch-Time Without Consequence
Nick Drake just came out with a new album–he’s just going under the pseudonym of Alexi Murdoch. Of course, this is a total lie, but you might not know that from listening to Alexi Murdoch’s Time Without Consequence. I’d been awaiting this album for quite some time (along with my fellow Murdoch fan Matt), and my expectations were more than fulfilled. It is obvious to liken Murdoch to a Nick Drake copycat, but that would be oversimplifying Murdoch’s talent and sound. Time Without Consequence hovers between a ground of mystery and mystic haunting and an infinite sky of creative positivity and innovation. Murdoch grabs hold of his listeners, he entrances them, and imparts wisdom upon them that is hard to forget. Armed with mostly just a raspy baritone and a loose acoustic guitar, Murdoch’s music sounds much bigger than one would think. This is not a sparse acoustic album–it’s a well-produced, other-wordly album that finds Murdoch changing the listener for every 4-minute chance (and sometimes longer) he gets. In listening to Time Without Consequence, I find that the title perhaps isn’t so accurate; Indeed, I feel that this album has a time-slowing effect to it, with the only consequence being the beautiful piece of artwork that Alexi Murdoch has created.
Buy Time Without Consequence here.
Listen to “Blue Mind” as part of Sandburg’s Top 20 Playlist.