Adventures in iTunes: New Discoveries

One of the massive benefits of going out on the road with a group of really talented people who dig music is that I always seem to come home with some fantastic recommendations for new music to listen to. There are few things I enjoy as much as sharing the stuff I love with other people who will love it, too, so when people return the favor and pass things along my way, I quite naturally get all giddy about it.

Alex G's Share Your Story Tour was no different. So, I'd like to take the next few moments and pass along to all of you some of the great music I've been turned on to by the people who joined me out on the road.

~

Brandon Flowers - The Desired Effect
Perhaps more well-known as the lead singer of The Killers, Brandon Flowers put out a record just this year that fits really, really nicely into that revival of '80s synth-pop I wrote about a few months ago. To simply describe it as such is probably too much of an over-simplification, though. On this record, Flowers is, more than anything else, a great songwriter. But, he did manage to get the word "gravitron" into a song, so I guess the '80s thing fits pretty nicely, too:

  


The Gaslight Anthem - Handwritten
This record's a few years old now and The Gaslight Anthem has been around for longer than that, but someone finally had the wherewithal to suggest that I listen to them. What a record Handwritten is. This band just drips east coast rock 'n' roll - you won't have to listen too closely to hear the Springsteen influence - and in this day & age, that is a wonderful thing. It might seem like solid, dependable, well-written rock records are a thing of the past, but these guys prove that notion dead wrong. I can't wait to dig into some more from these cats.




LANY - I Loved You.
LANY's a new-ish band, once again hearkening back to that '80s thing everybody knows they love. This stuff is just so good & easy to listen to: singable, dance-y, memorable. It sticks in your head in the best way. LANY (along with the other artists mentioned here, really) is showing people what pop music could be again. Maybe it's even better to say they're showing people what music can be. There is great new music happening out there, folks. It's just waiting for you to get your ears on it. 

Adventures in iTunes: The Nashville Roadtrip Playlist

As I wrote about last time, Sean Waldron and I drove out to Nashville last week to begin tracking his upcoming single. It was an overall fantastic experience, but yes, we drove there. It's about a 16-hour trip straight through, which means that the two guys driving the entire way themselves had to deal with closer to 20 hours of actual travel time (accounting for meals and restroom breaks and throwing a football around in a few parking lots).

The upside of all of this included great conversation, getting to really see the country we call home, and, of course, lots of music. So, I post today to share with you what albums we listened to (most of them all the way through) over the course of our four travel days to and from Nashville. Feel free to check it all out for yourself if you don't already know these records. I promise that you won't be disappointed.

• John Legend & The Roots - Wake Up!
• Charles Bradley - Victim Of Love
• Toto - 35th Anniversary: Live in Poland
• Matt Wertz - Heatwave
• Huey Lewis & The News - Greatest Hits
• Dave Barnes - What We Want, What We Get
• Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors - Chasing Someday
• Bruce Hornsby - Spirit Trail, Here Come The Noisemakers
• Ben Rector - Something Like This
• Needtobreathe - The Outsiders, The Heat
• St. Paul & The Broken Bones - Half the City
• John Mayer Trio - Try!
• Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - Greatest Hits

Adventures In iTunes: R&B Groovin'

Groove.

That's the name of the game today.

The songs on today's playlist are some of my favorite examples of what I consider to be true rhythm & blues music - music driven by that indomitable groove and all of the things that comprise it: a mountainous serving of feel, melody + harmony, dynamics, and soul, soul, soul.

So, whether it's dancin' slow or driving with the top down, be sure to check out the tunes on this list for some dynamite accompaniment. Chuck the computer beats (mostly), the auto-tune, and anything that takes away from the vibe, brothers & sisters.

Let's get groovy.

Adventures in iTunes: an über '80s mix

Alright, folks. We're going back in time a bit on this one. This list is chock full of hits as well as a few deeper cuts, great, classic songs as well as pure cheese, and I'm sure somebody out there is going to respond with a, "Why is this song on there but not that one?" And, well, that's the point. Let it inspire you to make your own 1980's playlist. Because, well, every iPod should have one, really.


There are some great childhood memories for me on this list and a bunch of songs I still love to listen to. The '80s were a great time for pop music. For those of you not born until the following decade, just trust me: having my first concept of rock 'n' roll be either the classic tunes of the '50s and '60s my father played for me or the songs I heard on radio stations during the late '80s and early '90s was a great blessing. It helped me to fall in love with music in a way that was more than reality competition shows or videos posted on a Facebook wall. 

Anyway, enough reminiscing. Dig the list!

Adventures in iTunes: The Meditative Mix

As some of you may or may not know, work has officially begun on my first book. And to help get through some of the down time, I've taken to designing an iTunes mix whose purpose is stimulate the process of thought while remaining relaxing and chill.

Thus, I present to you all the very first draft of my Meditative Mix. Handy for reading, writing, or moments of reflection and introspection, this mix contains a potent combination of classical and modern instrumental pieces, with a few lyrical tunes thrown in for good measure, too. There's definitely movement in this list, but not so much of the driving, groovy kind. The percussion tends to be laid back and ethereal, in step with the moodiness of the overall vibe - peeking out from time to time as opposed to ubiquitously spread throughout the entire mix.

Hope you dig it. Feel free to share with me some of your ideas for any additional tracks that might work well with these. Happy listening!

Adventures in iTunes: The Cool Love Playlist

The Cool Love Playlist found its way out of my head and onto my iPod when I decided I needed some go-to tunes for those times I was feeling sentimental, nostalgic, and romantic, but in no mood to fall asleep. There are a couple of guilty pleasures on this list, to be sure, but the musicality is through the roof and the vibe is just straight groovin', folks. Lots of classic rock, '80s, and early '90s tunes here (before grunge came in and dudes forgot how to say "I love you" in a song).

Have fun with this one.

Adventures in iTunes: Joel's '90s Playlist

Straight from my shuffled iPod to your computer screen, here's a taste of my recently-completed '90s playlist, taking me back to middle & high school, and the diorama of memories that come with it.

It's kind of funny looking back: I used to think that the radio predominately sucked when I was coming up, and maybe it did, predominately. But as I was going through & constructing this playlist, I was blown away by how many songs I absolutely loved from the flannel decade. It wasn't as bad as I thought while I was there, it seems, and it certainly blows away the majority of what's going on today.

Be careful: not everyone can handle this amount of awesome. You've been warned.