What We’re Listening To – February 2010
What are you listening to? This month, several What’s Up! folks spill on what bands and musical artists are currently rocking their worlds.
The Strange Boys: And Girls Club – Gritty guitars and vocals reminiscent of Black Lips. What Iggy Pop would sound like if he was from Dallas.
–Tom Fitzgibbon
Woody Gutherie: This Land is Your Land, The Asch Recordings Volume 1 – Listening to this is like a trip through time. All acoustic guitar and “voice in a tin can” vocals makes me feel like having a party with my Grandpa.
–Greg Keefe
Martha Wainwright: I Know You’re Married But I’ve Got Feelings Too – Award-winning folk/rock singer from Montreal, younger sister of Rufus Wainwright. Amazing voice, brilliant lyrics … she sounds like June Carter Cash with a Neko Case edge. VERY enchanting songwriter.
–Amy Kenna
The Pines – Beautiful and heartbreaking, this band includes the son of Bo Ramsey, who guests on some tracks. This music has never made me cry. Really. Honest.
–Django Bohren
Teenage Fanclub: Grand Prix – The TF album that somehow avoided me. Kinda droney, happy, folky guitar pop from the cobwebby cellar of 1995.
–Matt Curtis
David Bazan: Curse Your Branches – One of my top five favorite artists of all time, former Pedro the Lion creator/frontman’s second solo release is pure magic.
–Adam Bates
Jason Mraz: We sing we dance, we steal things – The vocal melodies that Mraz sings have such great hooks. It was a perfect album for a road trip to La Push.
–Brian Fannin
Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros: Up From Below – Reminiscent of 1960’s psych-folk, this group and album is the creation of former Ima Robot front man Alex Ebert about a messianic figure sent to earth to heal and save mankind, but who gets distracted by women and falling in love. I promise you will be singing the intro to the track “Home” for at least a week.
–Brittany Smith
Kind of Like Spitting: $100 Room – I was lucky enough to see KOLS in 2006 a few months before they split up. Ben Barnett’s songwriting is honest, catchy and (gratefully) prolific.
–Paul Israel
Green Day: Warning – My daughter actually implored me to revisit the record which is arguably the first protest record from the group and of course is loaded with classic punk rock songs filled with anger yet optimistic and hope of positive change.
–Boris Budd
Bibio: Ambivalence Avenue – I’ve been listening to this chill, folk-electronica gem from the U.K. for a few months now. It still doesn’t get old. I love how lush and dynamic this album is. Awesome mixture of dancy yet laid-back beats.
–Haylee Nighbert
Dawes: North Hills – Every night, as we put our son and daughter to bed, we turn on Dawes to help them get to sleep. The music is beautiful in a CSNY way – but less goofy and frankly much, much better. The kids have been falling asleep to Dawes since October – four months, every night. Ya know it’s gotta be good to listen to it every night.
–Brent Cole
