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Ray LaMontagne
“Lesson Learned”

Today we are given a lesson on heart-felt singing, by Ray LaMontagne. Ray is (was?) apparently quite shy on stage, and is prone to have the lights turned down low.

You should also listen to “Three More Days”. It reminds me of good 70’s music– Like something Bill Withers would write (“Use Me”).
Ray is on track to becoming quite a prolific songwriter. Stay tuned for many more good days of great music from him.

Muse
“Ruled by Secrecy”

I loved this band the instant I heard their music about a year and a half ago. Their music is pure emotion. Their songs primarily follow a “quiet-loud-quiet” pattern, as in this song. This one is different from a lot of their other music on this CD, which was released in 2004. I didn’t hvae time to find anything new today, so I reached into my grab bag of goodies for this one. Perhaps it is a bit mainstream, but simply put I love their music.

By the way, their influences (among others) are Radiohead and Nirvana — I for one can tell. These guys started their band when they were only 13. Their music and their band name (Gothic Plague) have improved.

Ingrid Michaelson
“Breakable”

Have you ever thought about what protects our hearts? Just a cage of rib bones and other various parts.
This is a cute song, from a really cute girl. I didn’t pick the song because she was cute — I learned she was cute only after I was in like with this song. I like it a lot.

I’ve noticed a recurring theme in my musical tastes lately — Repetitive notes. It started with Rufus Wainwright the other day. A lot of music I like a highly repetitive motif, I can’t help it. I hope you like this song.

Stay tuned. Tomorrow is Sunday, and that means I’ll be mixing things up a bit.

Bedouin Soundclash
“One Way”

“This Canadian trio stuff a reggae enchilada with homegrown melodies that could stand up to the greats.” – Sarah Bardeen
This group formed in 2002, and play a mix of reggae, punk, dancehall and jungle. This single CD is great. You should hear the other track, “12:59 Lullaby”. I was tempted to post that one today, instead.

Tomorrow, back to the regularly scheduled program.

Erin McKeown
“Float”

Erin McKeown is not just a singer. She plays multiple instruments on her albums, and she produced her latest album, “Sing you sinners”.
I’m not sure what it was that grabbed me about this song. It isn’t terribly emotional, and it doesn’t have a great deal of moving parts. It’s just a simple, clean, and pretty song.

Buena Vista Social Club
“El Cuarto de Tula”

Stop bickering, I know this isn’t new. However, I needed a happy song today so just go with it. If this song doesn’t make you want to shake, then your money maker is broke. The music by Ry Cooder, Ibrahim Ferrar, Ruben Gonzalez, Compay Segundo,and Omara Portuondo are very important to this generation. Their music will haunt you. This CD is 10 years old and still an amazingly powerful work. Give it a listen.

Seven Mary Three
“Lucky”

So I’m in a slump lately. I’ve not had time to seek out new music. For this reason I dig deep into my bag of goodies for this one. 7M3 was pretty mainstream in the last half of the 1990’s, but they didn’t have a lot of huge hits. I’m not even sure Lucky was made a single. I used to play this song on guitar. I don’t anymore. There’s a story behind that but I won’t go into it here. It makes me think of New Orleans, among other things and it is a passionate song – Even after 10 years.

Death Cab for Cutie
“I will follow you into the dark”

A bit of honesty and vulnerability takes this song a long way. For a time, proceeds of this song went to help fund the relief efforts (Children’s health fund) caused by the destruction of Hurricane Katrina. That wins it a gold star from me.
The band was invited by Eddie Vedder to join Pearl Jam on 2004’s Vote For Change Tour, and Death Cab landed a major record deal shortly thereafter.

Kenna
“Hellbent”

Kenna is the son of an Ethiopian immigrant who moved to Virginia Beach. He was inspired to write music after hearing U2’s Joshua Tree album. I think Kenna is ahead of its time, and I am hopeful his music will fall on kind ears. If you like this song, check out “Freetime” and “War in Me”. Kenna also teamed up with the Neptunes in 2006 and released a single called “Out of Control”. It’s also good.
Information about Kenna is far and few between online for the moment. I’m hoping a groundswell of support starts soon. I want to hear more music from this artist.

Magnet
“Duracellia”

Product placement? The name of this song sounds like it could be for a battery, but it isn’t. Not even songfacts has anything to offer up about this song.

Magnet hails from the UK, wouldn’t you know it? I hear more and more great music coming from the UK, and less and less from the US lately. We make great movies, they make great music. That’s been the theme lately, anyway. (just my opinion).

What I like about this song are the bass drum hits. You’ll notice they sound very flat and loose. The first one hits right around the 1:00 mark. It gives the song an ethereal quality, and makes it lighter in my mind’s eye.

A big thanks to Sarah (the red) for showing me this music.