Carl Sandburg Visits Me In A Dream

Here’s the lovingly done video of Gotye’s “Learnalilgivinanlovin’”

I’ll be honest - there were a few songs that I very much enjoyed on Gnarls Barkley’s debut St. Elsewhere. It was reasonable to expect something promising from the sophomore effort, something more mature and developed. But upon listening to The Odd Couple, I found it hard to actually get through the entire album. I’m sure they’ll sell a lot of records, and the bottom line is that they’re good guys with a good story–but that’ doesn’t make good music. “Who’s Gonna Save My Soul” is a passable, quirky soul ballad that is decent at best. The more upbeat tracks fail to captivate–I’m not looking for an infectious anthem like “Crazy” or “The Last Time”, just some solid tunes. And there’s not much here.

So if any of these songs make airplay, that’s fine. Good for them. More of an excuse not to listen to the radio anyway.

Listen to “Going On” (4.4/5)

Meet Jens Carelius.  Jens, my friends, is from Oslo.  That’s in Norway.  And as Jens will tell you, he sings the blues.

Aside from the devilishly throw back album cover, Carelius’ approach harkens back to the 70s folk and blues writing.  But to ignore the fact that he sounds almost exactly like Nick Drake, both in instrumentation and in vocals, would simply be foolish.  From that sense, Carelius is not really creating anything original; rather, he is entering territory that has been trod quite frequently yet unsuccessful.

The First Songs is more like a collection of some excellently concocted posthumous Nick Drake masterpieces.  But before I begin to proffer too much praise, Carelius does fall short.  Part of it stems from the fact that this music is too familiar.  Part of it stems from the fact that the mystery of Nick Drake should remain one–and his all too similar voice almost ruins that intrigue.  Nevertheless, The First Songs is worth more than a listen.D

Details about purchasing this album have been scant, but check his myspace.

Listen to “Song #1” (4.8/5)

Listen to “Summer Skin” (4.6/5)

As many of you may know, I am quite the admirer/fan of Coldplay. And so it may not surprise you that I’m going to tell you a little about what they’ve been up to lately.

Martin and the gang have finished recording their 4th LP titled Viva La Vida, a 10-track record that is sure to delight and outrage many. Coldplay has always been rather polarizing from their music to their U2-like affect, that surely listeners will either hate this album or love it.

The first single “Violet Hill” from Viva La Vida has been released into the internerd, and I couldn’t be happier. “Violet Hill” has the same magical, mystical darkness of their previous efforts, but the experimentation and the semi-aggressiveness seem fresh and enticing. I’m always amazed by the way Coldplay is able to somehow make each album feel like a completely alien experience compared to the last. X & Y seemed like such a change in direction from A Rush of Blood to the Head (I’ll throw it in the running for the greatest record of all time), and yet it was equally enjoyable and intriguing. Such looks to be the case for Viva La Vida.

As an extra goodie, I’m including a Latin edit of “Clocks”, which is so different and enchanting from the original, that you’ll be flipping out of your rock-em-sock-em robot-boxing-gloves.  Though I must admit, the original is infinitely better.

Listen to “Clocks (Latin Edit)” (4.9/5)

Listen to “Violet Hill” (4.8/5)