vic's picks

i've seen so many posts on various ljs/blogs/journals about who people are listening to right now that i felt an overwhelming urge (well, not really, but still) to post the albums currently on my frequent rotation list. as always, feel free to comment about the picks and also pass along any suggestions for things you think i should listen to.

(note: as i began this earlier this afternoon, i'm listened to the josh ritter album i just picked up ... golden age of radio. not bad. quite mellow and intimate ... reminds me of dylan, only with a lovely voice. i'm not overly crazy about it, but i suppose it would really click with others. it's odd, though, as i opened the case and did a doubletake, as the picture of him on the back cover of the booklet reminded me of lars. i think it's mostly just the hair, though. still, it startled me. ok, ramble over.)

in no particular order ...

1. matt nathanson, beneath these fireworks - matt, besides being one of the craziest live performers i've seen in recent memory ("it's a four digit affair tonight!"), has the ability to craft wistfully delicate songs while singing them with both sadness and incredible optimism. he jokes about how he only has two happy songs in his canon. ok, so maybe he does. but he manages to give the sad songs such hope that you find yourself happy while singing along about loves lost and those you never had a chance to experience. standout: "sad songs" - it needles its way into your head and stays there. and the best intro to a song i've heard in awhile.

2. teitur, poetry & aeroplanes - ok, so i just picked this up a few days ago, but i haven't been able to stop listening to it. teitur presents a unique voice, but it reflects shades of david gray, rufus wainwright, elliott smith and everything good in male-singersongwriters. the quiet, almost bare songs rise above so many of the overly-instrumentalized songs that are coming out today. they don't need to hide behind layers of instruments - they shine on their own. great, great stuff. standout: "poetry & aeroplanes" and "i was just thinking."

3. jason mraz, live at java joe's - i know, big surprise. but jason mraz is brilliance and this album is the best collection of his music i've come across. "the remedy" is only a fragment of "rand mcnally" (where it belongs) and the accompaniment is only mraz's guitar, ian's bass and toca's percussion. he's wily, saucy and he embodies love. i can't recall listening to any album on such a regular basis ever. it never gets old, even when i'm singing along with every ad-lib, scat or run. standouts - the whole damn album.

4. rilo kiley, execution of all things - i am a lass of simple needs. one of those needs is to have a night during which my friends and i all burst into a rendition of "with arms outstretched," with all the gusto and clapping present on the album track. so start learning the lyrics, people. i love this album, just a shade more than i love take offs and landings (which, were this a top 10 list, would also be present). no matter what my mood, this album fits. besides, i think "a better son/daughter" is an anthem for anyone in their twenties. oh, and i want jenny lewis' voice, thank you very much. standouts - "with arms outstretched," "a better son/daughter," "the good that won't come out."

5. pete thurston, look what i can do - a demo - pete balances the humor of his musical movie reviews with this demo, which features his strong songwriting and fantastic guitar skills. and besides, pete just rocks! everything comes together - music, lyrics, voice - for a great demonstration. listen to him, email him and tell him he should take a break from cali life for a short visit to new england, where he will perform for fans/friends and we'll all drink and be merry after. standout - "whiskey song" and "30down."

5 1/2. averi, live at paradise - since pete's is a demo, i figured i was entitled to one more full-length pick. averi live in two discs of paradise glory ... i realized the other day that i've seen averi as just as many times (or pretty damn close) as i've seen howie day, the artist i thought would always stay at the top of my "repeat concert visit" list. the five men of averi have grown and honed their sound in the two years since i began roadtripping to see them perform. this live disc is recorded at paradise, my favorite musical venue in boston (perhaps anywhere), where (short story coming) people know how to have fun at a concert. this includes joining the band onstage, dancing around to "this liminal life," with 50 or 60 other people.
anyway. you can listen and rock out to their original songs, enjoy a couple of covers thrown in to spice things up, and imagine the facial distortions chad makes when he's really into the music. standouts - "flutter" (my second favorite averi song - the rarely played "daffodils" still holds first place), "this liminal life" (the techno or "shake your ass" version), "she waits," and "land of confusion" (yes, a genesis cover. or was it just phil collins by that point? does it matter? it's a damn good song).

honorable mentions: gregory page - unhappy hour; jeff buckley - grace; guster - parachute; counting crows - films about ghosts

anyone else think averi should contact richard at firstlisten to be part of a mailing? i do ...