Big C 2013 Playlist On Spotify
I am really pleased with the music I placed in “The Big C: hereafter” as we closed out this wonderful series. Most especially William Elliott Whitmore, who I wrote about here, and who deserves so many more fans than he has. And also the divine Bob Mould, I love getting a Minneapolis artist into this...
Holy Shemp! Making Real Music for TV Bands on Castle
Andrew Marlowe, the top dog and creator of Castle, sent me the script with a brief note: “Call me.” I could see why – the (brilliant) script centered around a band and the murder of their lead guitar player. In Castle tradition, we would need to make everything as authentic as possible, that meant creating...
Eight Quick Picks: DB+St.V, Grizzly Bear, Two Gallants, Field Report, Cat Power and more
Hi, I’m back from a maternity break – doubled the size of the family by adding twins! I still found plenty of time to listen to new music, mostly while feeding them. They’re the most musically up-to-date newborns around! Here’s eight quick picks on recent new releases to make up for my absence, go on,...
Pick Of The Week: The Dig “Midnight Flowers”
This is The Dig’s second album and if I would have blogged more in 2010, their debut would have received a recommend as well. The album is flawlessly produced and every song has some interesting texture to it, I love that. But I don’t love it if the songwriting is not there to back it...
Pick Of The Week: Everest
I think if a song can start off sounding like a Johnny Marr riff, segue into a grungy power pop Strokes vibe and then wind up sounding like the Doors, thats a great song. Such is “Rapture”, the first track off Everest’s new album Ownerless. And many more treats await you after that track. Most...
Pick Of The Week: Glen Hansard solo album
Spectacular Irish band The Frames, heart-stopping duo The Swell Season, and the hugely affecting movie Once have exactly one thing in common – Glen Hansard. He has an almost supernatural gift for live performance that is solidly backed up by first-rate songwriting credentials. A lot of Irishmen, Bono included, think Glen and his band The...
“Birds Fly Away” Closes The Big C Season Finale
Ah, another season concluded on The Big C. It went so fast, right? I was told fairly early on that the season would conclude with Cathy diving/escaping into the ocean, so I had some time to find the perfect song. I love this piece by Theresa Andersson, she always has unique and interesting arrangements on...
Pick Of The Week: Patti Smith “Banga”
I’ve listened to this album about eight times in a row now. I wanted to make sure I wasn’t just being nostalgic, or ‘old’, or clinging to the past. But it’s just a damn fine release from one of the greatest artists of all time. Unlike many of her peers, she remains interesting and vibrant...
Adanowsky Soundtracks The Big C’s Trip To Puerto Rico
You might be surprised to go to Adanowsky’s twitter page and find out he has 90K followers, more than most artists that I’ve featured in The Big C! Yet it would not be surprising if you’d never heard of him, as he is just becoming known to U.S. audiences. I would tell you more about...
Picks Of The Week: Thieving Irons and Simone Felice
Two easy recommends this week, both from artists I’ve been following for some time. Nate Martinez has always been the secret weapon super-guitarist of Pela, as well as touring with The National and Alexi Murdoch. When Pela broke up, he found his solo voice as Thieving Irons (definitely the silver lining to losing Pela). His...
Picks Of The Week: Sigur Rós and Now, Now
I could just skip over this new release because a) you should already know about Sigur Rós, and b) the album is not significantly different than any of their other releases. But it’s a truly wonderful listening experience and it feels like the right time for a gorgeous, dreamy, escapist album. Stuck at work on...
The Big C 308 – We Rock Like Girls Don’t
A quick shout out to the girl duo We Rock Like Girls Don’t – their song “Hip To You” was featured in the opening scene of The Big C Episode 308 as Cathy drives recklessly on a winding mountain road with Dave & Maxine who are pregnant with a baby that Cathy plans to adopt....
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