When Winter Ends by bright eyes

Great song by Bright Eyes,
To me winter is a metaphor in the song. The dead and eternal snow is the emptiness and the sadness that you get so bogged down in with depression. You can't see anything past it. The perfect spring is the other end, the light that people keep saying is at the end of this tunnel.

"Just take me there and lie to me and say it's going to be alright"

I believe in symmetry

Great song by bright eyes. It has a lot of meaning in it. I think that Conor is really only saying one thing in this song. In my opinion it's not about free will versus determinism, it's about how both of them mesh together to make our lives. Our fates are determined already. Nothing is left up to chance, nothing is random, nothing happens by accident. Every second of the day is already planned out. Everything is inevitable, including death. The free will is how you choose to interpret this and whether or not you accept it. I think he's saying more that our thoughts and conclusions about fate are free will, not fate itself. Whether it's because of Science or some higher-being, what will happen will happen. You just have to choose whether or not to accept it.

If you go off of this, he's also sort of saying that as long as you've chosen something to believe in, you're correct. Whether you want to believe in God or not, or maybe you've simply decided to devote your life to Science. It doesn't really matter what you choose, your fate is determined either way.

Woodstock

Woodstock is acknowledged by most people as just a huge drug sex music fest. It was actually originally supposed to be a big money making venture. 2 guys from New York inherited a huge pharmaceutical fortune and wanted to use it to make even more money. So they put an ad in the paper asking for if anyone had an idea for a lucrative money making venture. They met with 2 other men who wanted to start a record company in the old town where Bob Dylan grew up. They decided to make a music festival to raise more funds for the venture. As we know the event went wildly out of control and initially lost a ton of money, but I went down in history as one of the greatest music festivals of all time.

You never give me your money

We listened to the Beatles song "You never give me your money" in class, and I was blown away. It had probably the greatest melody I have ever heard in my life. Since I enjoy delving into the meaning of lyrics in music, I decided to do some research into the meaning behind this song. I think this song is about Brian Epstein. As we mentioned in class, he was their manager and friend before he sadly died of a drug overdose. This song could possibly represents how they felt after he died. the lyrics like "out of college, money spent." is about Brian Episteins early years. he was very rich but wanted to build his life on his own terms not just take over his fathers business. so he opened a record store and went into music. This song being part of their "finale", I think they wanted to give him credit for all he did for them.
Great song, great melody!

Letting Off Happiness

This is another great album by Bright Eyes. It is the second album Conor Oberst has written (it was released when he was 17, my age). The lyrical concept is very interesting, it begins with "If Winter Ends", my favorite song on the album. Each quarter of the album reflects a different season and the emotions that go with each. This gives the album as a whole a very interesting dynamic. While the production values are low, it is a great showcase of Conor Oberst's writing as a teen and has some wonderful lyrics.
Enjoy!

Eric Clapton

Eric Clapton is an amazing guitarist. He started playing at a very young age. He began as a studio musician playing every kind of music you could imagine. This is what made him one of the most versatile guitarists of all time. He was the lead guitarist in Cream, he was also in the yardbirds, and then moved on to a solo career. As he grew older his music became a little quieter. When his son died from falling out of the window of a skyscraper he wrote the song "Tears in Heaven", one of the best finger picked acoustic songs ever written. He was had a very log career and influenced rock of all kinds, and he will forever live in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

At the Bottom of Everything by Bright Eyes

This is one of my favorite songs. In my opinion, it's one of the best songs Conor Oberst has ever written.

It begins with a simple story told by Conor Oberst. It's about a women in a plane that's crashing into the ocean, and the man next to her says they're going to her birthday party. The crashing plane is a metaphor for our lives. Just like a crashing plane, we are all headed to an unescapable death. The "birthday party" is heaven. But in the story it seems that the man is only saying this to comfort the woman. I think Conor is saying religion is just a tool to overcome the fear of death. It is a way to comfort us and encourage us to live our lives. Without it, we would be spending our lives fearing our death.

The song continues, talking about how we look down on criminals yet we all make mistakes. The main theme is how silly conformity is. Final stanza is my favorite

"Oh, my morning's coming back
The whole world’s waking up
All the city buses swimming past
I'm happy just because
I found out I am really no one"

Conor has realized that people have the wrong view of death. Death should be a feeling of relief. He realizes that once he is dead, he will be forgotten, and so will his mistakes. Life is temporary, and that is good. We won't have to live with our mistakes for eternity.

Great Song
'nuff said

Brand New- The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me

This is one of my favorite albums by Brand New. The title came from a conversation the lead singer (Jesse Lacey) had with a fellow musician Daniel Johnston who suffers from schizophrenia. He described his condition as though it felt like "the devil and god were raging inside him""

This album reflects a shift in Brand New's music. Instead of a follow-up to "Deja Entendu", Brand New created an album that examined themselves, departing from their past two albums that tended to examine the world around them. Jesse has sought a new topic, moving away from the overwritten love angst, turning instead to self questioning.

Favorite Track:
Jesus Christ
http://youtu.be/XyfkuM7AhTw

The Wombats

The Wombats are a indie rock trio from Liverpool. They are extremely up-beat and fun band. Their drummer is very talented and they put out a lot of sound for 3 people. Check them out!

Best tracks:

Patricia the Stripper:
http://youtu.be/h_BgCEfnvsY

Techno Fan:
http://youtu.be/w8l-9nuXkDo

Let's Dance to Joy Division:
http://youtu.be/gYkSkWdvxbE

Hit the Switch- Bright Eyes

One of my new favorite songs by Bright Eyes. Some of the best lyrics I have ever heard

Bright Eyes- Hit the Switch
http://youtu.be/dCXe1Hy-_2g

Hit the Switch is a great song. For me, its means that you can do whatever you want at any time you want, for the most part. Like at any moment, you can hit the switch and go somewhere else. No worries in the world, happy. Although, i dont like how the song kind of winds down toward the middle of the song. It may be like a trip down the wrong path, or atleast it sounds like a person is falling down a black hole with this instrumental in the backround. I just love the contrast in characters of the woman and then the narrator. "I'll trade you one, for two nightmares of mine ..."

Built to Spill

Built to Spill is a 90's post punk band. I started listening to them when Manchester Orchestra's frontman cited them as a band that made the biggest influence on his music. They have also influenced Brand New, Modest Mouse, and Death Cab for Cutie. You should check them out.

Car-Built to Spill
http://youtu.be/Nc6rEO6B5s8


Some

Manchester Orchestra

Manchester Orchestra is one of my favorite bands. I listened to them in 8th grade, but never really appreciated the quality of their music. They are "rock" but from there, their style is pretty unique. Check them out!

Some of my Favorite songs

Where have you been?: http://youtu.be/BF_F5974B7I

Colly Strings:
http://youtu.be/AS5-lXv_xU

Everything to Nothing:
http://youtu.be/KCttzQSsdWc

The Meaning of I Am The Walrus

I think the song means... what you want it to mean! ...which is normally a cop-out, bullshit thing to say. But, sincerely, it's pretty apparent that the song is another installment from a fairly established, tradition of opening up the skull and letting the subconscious mind spill on out onto the art one is digesting. Like an ink blot, it is what we decide it is.

It's interesting to compare this to John's earlier dues-paying as a songwriter; he wrote some of the subtlest, tenderest little songs that've ever been heard on this planet. But now with drugs and so many years making music, it feels like he has exhausted all the song ideas he has and is forced to delve into the deep corners of his mind which contains absurdity, and genius. That is the reason I think he is writing fewer songs for the band than he used to. It's just a very involved process for him to create an idea he hasn't already had.

Bombay Bicycle Club

Bombay Bicycle Club is one of my favorite band. They are extremely talented technically and can't write a bad song. They have a very mature sound for being so young. (Oldest member being 25) Their sound consists of very melodic 2 part guitar harmonies over rapid drumming thrown out by Suren de Saram.

Another great part of the band is their versatility. They can create both soft acoustic ballads w/a lot of folk influence and loud melodic rock. Every album they change their style, so the music never wears out.

Some of my favorite tracks...

Cancel on Me
http://youtu.be/0BkNR9szwZo

Ivy & Gold
http://youtu.be/aFfVzpiP4zw

Shuffle
http://youtu.be/Sp6F2YlopRU

Jimi Hendrix

By now we have all heard the Jimi Hendrix song "Purple Haze" but the story of how he wrote it is just as amazing as the music itself. PURPLE HAZE - JESUS SAVES The working title of the Jimi Hendrix guitar classic" Purple Haze" was "Purple Haze - Jesus Saves" and was based on a long manuscript, according to the late Monika Dannemann ("The Inner Life of Jimi Hendrix"), "Hendrix's lover at the time of his death." In the manuscript Hendrix stated that the entire meaning of the song came from a dream he had. Ms. Dannemann said, ".he looked down on earth and saw an unborn fetus waiting for its birth. At the same time he saw spirits of the dead leaving earth. Screams from the children were reaching into the heavens. The earth became engulfed in a great flood, and later in the dream he was walking under the sea. Part of the song was about the purple haze which surrounded him, engulfed him, and in which he got lost. He told me later what a traumatic experience this had been, but that in the dream his faith in Jesus had saved him. Jesus was in the purple haze. Hendrix corroborated Dannemann's claim in a January 1967 interview with John King for "Music Express." Another song of Jimi Hendrix "If 6 were 9" was inspired by Hendrix's interest in numerology, where all Numbers have a spiritual meaning. Some say the language of God is numbers, or math. The interesting thing is that music is just a bunch of math equations.

My ACL Picks

1. Bombay Bicycle Club
2. The Wombats
3. Kevin Devine
4. Manchester Orchestra
5. Jack White

Pretty Vocals versus Real Vocals

In class we have been discussing whether people enjoy pretty vocals that don't connect to the emotions of lyrics versus less beautiful singing that is by someone that is better connected to the emotions of the lyrics. Since the main thing I enjoy in music is the lyrics, this issue is one I struggle with myself. The main band that creates this controversy for me is Bright Eyes. The lyrics written by Conor Oberst, in my opinion, are some of the best in music today. Yet, a lot like Bob Dylan, Conor's voice is a very polarizing element in his music. You either love it, or you hate it. The determining factor for me is the quality of the lyrics. We all have a certain lyrics versus vocal quality threshold. Some people's are just higher than others.
Sometimes, emotion is not pretty. So shouldn't the vocals reflect that? If you are angry, would you usually sing beautifully about it? No! You would yell and scream about it. When artist channels the feelings of the lyric through the vocals, I don't care what it sounds like, because it makes me FEEL SOMETHING. That's a lot better than feeling nothing at all.

I recently have started listening to a guy called Kevin Devine, I found him in one of the studio interviews with Brand New. His music is a mix between Elliot Smith, and Bright Eyes. So its mostly quiet acoustic stuff. Take a Listen!

http://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=related&v=Hiy_VZYmQVc

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Ry9b85nUmmY

We have been listening to The Who in class, not only are they fairly proficient players, they put on a great show, maybe the greatest rock show ever!

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BzIwRpFDZ8I

Funny Beatles Moments

I've since discovered that the Beatles are hilarious and have decided to share some great moments.

The Evolution of Brand New

I've been listening to the band "Brand New" for a long time. I've fell in love with every album they have ever released. Each of their 4 albums chronicles their journey from an ordinary Long Island punk band, (a good one at that.) to a more mature post hardcore group. The core of the band, a guy named Jesse Lacey, is the best songwriter I have ever listened to, with a particular knack for lyrics. listen to these 2 songs, one from their first album and another from there last and compare them.

Brand New- Seventy Times Seven

and now

Brand New- At the Bottom

See what I mean? Their first album is teenager who angry, chaotic and impulsive. Their latest album is an adult who is angry, chaotic and impulsive. Their other 2 albums are everything in between. They are a great band and I hope you will check them out!

Bright Eyes

Hey Guys,
I have terrible habit of discovering great bands after everyone else has. By the time I first heard Radiohead most people had moved on. So if you have heard of my newest discovery, sorry, but if you haven't heard of Bright Eyes, keep reading.

Bright Eyes is defined as an Indie rock group, but it really has done everything from folk to electronica. most of their songs are simple acoustic ballads written by core of the band Conor Oberst. He has been writing songs since he was 15 and has since perfected the art. While some people complain about his singing not being up to par. I believe he sings not to sound angelic, like most people would, but to convey the emotion of the lyrics, and sometimes emotion is ugly and raw. So his voice can be like such. The strongest element of his music are his lyrics, but don't take it from me! Go check them out, Here are some of my favorites by them.


1. Lets not sh*t ourselves

2. A Perfect Sonnet

3.Poison Oak

The Beatles Painted?

Hey Guys,
We've been talking about the Beatles alot in class recently. I recently discovered that the Beatles did a fair amount of painting while on tour. Here's an awesome article about a Beatles painting that was found stashed under a bed for 20 years.

http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2012/09/how-a-painting-by-the-beatles-ended-up-stashed-under-a-bed-for-20-years/262034/

Favorite Songs of Mine No.1

This being my first blog post of many, I've decided to write a series of posts about some of my favorite songs. So hope you enjoy some of these pieces of music as much as I do.

1. Soco Amaretto Lime by Brand New

Composer: Jesse Lacey

Youtube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDBp2SFIp8M

While this song may not be written with many parts and high soaring vocals like many of todays pop hits. It has such lyrical complexity and meaning packed into 4:44 of slow soothing emotion.
The title, Soco Amaretto Lime, is a very sweet form of italian liqueur. The kind of drink that only teenagers would drink. The song starts out with a slowly rythmic D to G progression (this progression draws many similaries to Taking Back Sunday's "slowdance on the inside")

The Lyrics and Explaination:

"Passed out, on the overpass"

this line is talking about "the overpass", a place where Lacey and his friends hung out and drank late into the night during highschool

"Sunday's best and broken glass"

this line is a lyrical reference to "Slowdance on the inside", the beginning of that song with the lyrics "Passed out, in our school clothes so we'd wake up in our sunday's best" and the end of slowdance with "this glass house, is burning down, you light the match, I'll stick around." So Lacey is basically parphrasing that entire song into one line.

"Broken down from the bikes and bars
Suspended like spirits over speeding cars
You and me were kings
over the parkway tonight
and tonight will go on forever"

These lines give you a feeling of what its like to be in high school, at the end of a night Senior year and to realize, you're king of it all. This ties into the very existential themes of the song.

"While we, walk around this town like we own the streets
and stay awake through summer like we own the heat"

More themes of how you feel on top of the world when you are young and in love.

"Singing, everybody wake up, wake up
It's time to get down (repeat)"

This line is about how you would be out late into the night, doing whatever you wanted, feeling freedom.

"and when I pass the bottle back to Pete
on the overpass tonight, I bet we'll laugh"

Lacey is talking about one of his best friends in high school "Pete", who died in a drunk driving accident on Prom night.

"I'm gonna stay eighteen forever
so we'll never miss a party
cause we keep them goin constantly
and we'll never have to listen
to anyone about anything
cause its all been done and its all been said
we're the coolest kids, and we take what we can get"

The chorus of the song is describing exactly what it feels like to be in high school. To be young and impulsive. They have already crossed all the lines and it feels like all the barriers of their life have been removed.

"The hell out out of this town
find some conversation
the low fuel lights been on for days
it doesn't mean anything
I've got another 500, 'nother 500 miles
before we shut this engine down"

The 2nd verse is describing that, as you grow up, your town feels less like a home and more like a prison. All you can think about is getting out. You drive around with no gas in the tank and it feels like it never runs out, it can't, because you are invincible.

"Eighteen forever
(you're just jealous cause I'm young and in love)

So we can stay like this forever
(your stomach's filled up, but you're starved for conversation)

And we'll never miss a party
(and you're spending all your nights growing old in your bed)

Cause we keep goin' constantly
(and you're tearing up your photos 'cause you wanna forget)

And we'll never have to listen
(It's over, you're just jealous cause we're young and in love)

To anyone about anything
(your stomach's filled up but you're starved for conversation)

Cause it's all been done, and it's all been said
(and you're spending all your night growing old in your bed)

We're the coolest kids, and we take what we can get
(and you're tearing up your photos cause you wanna forget)"

The outro has two parts, the first, in the foreground of the sound is him looking forward to his life and his love, the second, him looking back on it much older and realizing all his mistakes and how he can never take them back. He see's that then he though he would never grow old, but now he has and only wishes he could get that feeling back. The girl in the story has moved on, but never again feels as fulfilled as she did on that night. All she wants to do, is forget it ever happened. Cliche themes, but presented very well. Past, present, and future all playing out simultaneously.

"you're just jealous cause we're young and in love
(it's over) x6"

-RECORD SCRATCHING-

In the final moments of the song, Lacey expresses the feeling of how we resent our parents, because they don't understand our love (a very Romeo and Juliet like theme) but when we grow old we realize they were right all along. The record scratching represents high school (and even further, life), right when it starts to get good, it abruptly ends.

Note: in his latest performances of Soco Amaretto Lime, Lacey replaces the ending line with "I'm just jealous cause you're young and in love" Making the statement that he is now feels old and cannot connect with the emotions of the song as much anymore but he's glad he had them.

-------
Hope you enjoy that song as much as I have, I'll be back next week with another song.