Rambling Man

For those that know me they know that I am a hardcore Bob Dylan fan.  Since the age of 16 I have listened to and consumed everything in the man's discography.  The feeling that I get when I listen to The Freewheeling Bob Dylan is something that I was never able to find in other artists, that is until I heard Joe Pug's debut album The Nation of Heat.  Joe Pug has all of Dylan's strengths and none of his weaknesses.  His writing is spectacular and the timbre of his voice resonates with me in a way that is both very similar to Dylan yet very different.  Since first purchasing the Nation of Heat, it has been on continuous repeat on my Ipod.  I don't know what it is about folk music or Dylan's and Pug's music that sticks with me so much, but my heart craves it and I could not imagine a world without these sounds or these artists.

As of this post I have yet to see Joe Pug in concert. While he has toured heavily since his debut album,  he has not to my knowledge every played a show in Memphis, TN, instead playing several shows in my hometown of Nashville, TN.  I know what you are thinking, "Nashville is only 3 hours a way, so why haven't you gone to see him?."  In response to your question, I can only say stop rubbing it in.  I am a law student during the school year and all of my free time is spent attempting to recover the goop that has become my brain, I don't have the time or the money to travel to see a show.  All of that has changed now that my wife and I have moved to Nashville for the summer. Pug is playing a concert on the 14th of July at the Basement and I plan on being in the front row.  Mr. Pug is a wonderful upcoming artist, who loves giving back to his fans, so if you are in Nashville on the 14th of July please go see him in concert, I promise that you won't be sorry that you did.

Ratatat's LP4

Let me just say to start off, that I am a huge fan of Ratatat.  This band has consistently delivered amazing records and LP4 is no exception. While the album consists of  leftover songs from the band's previous album, LP3, it is a completely different experience.  Since the recording of LP3 two years ago, producer Evan Mast and guitarist Mike Stroud have reworked these leftovers by trading in electronic beats for live percussion instruments. LP4 is somewhat of a chameleon in that it starts off as more of a dance album, but upon further listen the duo incorporates more natural sounds into the mix. 

The songs that stand out to me the most are Bilar, Drugs, Bob Ghandi, Sunblocks and Bare Feast.  Out of these five songs Bilar and Drugs sound the most like LP3.  These songs take heavily from the dance beats created in LP3, while still giving a little taste of what is to come later on in the album.  The song Bob Ghandi showcases the band's ability to incorporate live percussion, while still maintaining the dance sound that they are known for.   The songs Sunblocks and Bare Feast are by and far my favorite tracks from the whole album.  Sunblocks gives one the feeling of being at an outdoor dance party, with its use of cricket chirps in the background and Bare Feast just oozes fun.  Bare Feat is the gem of the album and I dare anyone to not dance while listening to it.

If you are interested in hearing the album for yourself, go to NPR's First Listen, where they will have an exclusive stream of the album until its release on June 8th.

AHHHHH!!!!! I Can't Sleep

Having completed my second year of law school, I find myself tossing and turning at night. I still worry about studying , even though there are no tests to study for. I don't know what to do. If I stay in bed I will wake Betsy up (and I will lose my mind from my inability to sleep), but if I go into the living room I can't be near my wife. Whats an insomniac to do?! Currently I am sitting on our couch watching America: The Story of US. I love this show, but I would love to sleep more.

Sitting in the dark, I am confronted with the things that I have not accomplished since my last break from the marathon that is law school. The first of these objectives is this blog. Ideally I would love to turn this blog into my way of describing one of the most important things in my life, music. There are so many bands that I want to listen to and so many stories that I want to hear. Music encompasses every part of my life. Having said that I am struck by how shallow my understanding and involvement in the music world is at this moment. While I consider myself to be someone who is generally up to date with the daily happenings in the music world, I still feel stunted in my place in this world. It is not enough for me anymore to just sit on the sidelines. I want to have a voice. Even if no one listens, the act of talking about the bands and sounds that influence my life will be enough.

The summer ahead promises to be an amazing one for Betsy and I. We are moving to Nashville in a week and we will be living there for the summer. It is strange to me that in order for Betsy and I to pay for the house that we are renting, we have to move to Nashville. There are just more opportunities for us there. While it will be strange not living by ourselves anymore, I must admit that I am excited to be going back to the Music city. I miss the concerts and the record stores. My plan of action in Nashville will be to go to as many shows and buy as many records as possible. I already have 50 albums on my list and I cannot wait until I can purchase the first one. Of the various ones that I am interested in, my top 5 are: High Violet by The National, Sea of Cowards by the Dead Weather, Together by the New Pornographers, Brothers by the Black Keys, and Forgiveness Rock Record by the Broken Social Scene. While I have no clue what each album sounds like, I will let you know when I purchase them. Hopefully by my next post I will be able to write a review worth reading.

-Adam