COVID Post I

I have been listening to a lot of music during the lock down.  So many songs, artists, and albums have struck me I was looking for a way to share. Some are old (for me), some are new.
I got really going with the 7 Album challenge as it caused me to listen to some old favorites and I realized listening to some entire albums that:

           Damn! some of these are really good.


There is no pattern here, no top ten, to rules. Just stuff I want to talk about because I recently immersed myself in it and loved it.  

Additional note: I have provided Spotify links so you can hear for yourself. Having said that

1. You should purchase the music if you like it.  I always buy if I plan to listen to an album more than once.  Purchase from BandCamp if you can find the album there.  
2. You will get a better listening experience if you listen with better equipment and better quality files (FLAC or ALAC >> mp3).  Maybe I'll blog a bit about this later.  I am far from an audio expert, but I can tell you that since I have upgraded my approach, the quality of my listening experience is vastly improved.  It's worth the investment (within reason of course).

Album:    Pieces of You  by Jewel.

This was Jewel's big breakthrough (and debut) album from the 1990's .  I have many of her albums and her discs were frequently found in my CD player/changer during the 90's and 2000's.  

My memory is that two songs got very popular and  their videos could be seen on MTV and VH1 a lot (yeah, I said that).   You would also hear them on the radio many times over.

Those songs were "You Were Meant for me" and  "Foolish Games"

And they are very good songs.  But like many songs, they got so popular that people

1. Got sick of them
2. Got the wrong impression they were representative of this artist as whole.

That is too bad, because Jewel is an amazing singer and performer. Her body of work is truly outstanding.  Having seen her live, I can also attest that she is magical in person.  But enough gushing, some comments on the album.

There are 14 tracks on this wonderful  album.  Most of them are just her and a guitar.  And that that is all that is needed.

Some of the other (less well-known) songs:

"Who Will Save Your Soul?":  You might have heard this one too.  Wasn't huge like the other two (but it was very popular). Great song.

"Pieces of You":  The title track is a song that is as relevant now as it was then.

"Adrian":  Music captures so many emotions.  Especially when mere words fail us.

"Amen": This one is so beautiful.  And it really shows off her voice.  I end up closing my eyes and just listening every time. 

If you have never listened to this entire album, I highly recommend it.  It's a perfect example of how much more and album can be than its 2 or 3 hit songs.







Album: No Need to Argue  by The Cranberries

This album has a lot of personal meaning for me.   Let's go back to 1994.   The song "Zombie" kept playing on the alternative radio station I listened to in my car.  Now, at first, I was like "Why do they keep playing this heavy metal song on this station?"  But then I started to really like it.   And really, really like it.  Back then, you didn't get to preview albums on Spotify.  Every now and then,  a store would let you listen to a sample CD, but usually only a few songs.  Buying music was largely educated guessing. You mostly relied on

• Word of mouth (hey, you should buy this!)
• You heard multiple hits from the same album on the radio  
• You already liked the artist and trusted the CD would be worth buying.

I took a flyer and bought this album -wondering what I was getting into.  I will never forget discovering from the first moments of "Ode to My Family" how different this band would be from my expectations.  And what they were is fucking awesome!  Oh,  and nothing wrong with "Zombie", that song taught me to explore my "metal" side (go ahead and laugh at me).    


So, here is some commentary on selected other songs (because I assume the reader is familiar with "Zombie").  Again, I like every song on this album - I just didn't comment on them all:

"Ode to My Family":  This is beautiful and contemplative.   I think I appreciate more and more as I get older - but I always loved it.

"Empty":  This immediately follows Zombie, and is the perfect offset.  I always immerse myself in this one (and typically find myself humming or singing along).

"The Icicle Melts":  Pleasant song, if you don't listen to the lyrics.  Dolores is great.

"Ridiculous Thoughts":  I think the sound on this one is about as signature Cranberries as you can get.


"No Need to Argue: Title track and album closer.  I love this song so much.  So very much.










Album: The Day The Light Went Out  By  The Strange Familiar.

 
Back in 2013, I discovered this Ohio band existed and liked them immediately.  Then, in 2014, they gifted us with this beauty.  I have always hoped they would go on tour so I could see them live.  On Facebook, their leader singer ( Kira Leyden) recently started performing songs to their followers.  Her cover of "No Need to Argue" (Linked here) got me thinking about the Cranberries.  But it also got me revisit The Strange Familiar.


"Painkiller":  Lead off song, immediately tells that we will hear a lot acoustic piano, Kira's melodic voice, and excellent studio mixing of various instrumental voices.

"Rain": This song is sweet and memorable.  A mother singing about her love for her daughter, but any parent can relate.


"Surrender":  Probably my favorite song on this album.

"The One":  God her voice is beautiful.

"We All Fall Down":  You probably have figured out by now that I am a sucker for piano and female voice. Guilty as charged.  A well crafted song.

"The Day The Light Went Out":  Anthem like song to finish off the album.  Very satisfying.