summerbreeze and heartstopper by emiliana torrini
where have you heard the name emiliana torrini? oh lord of the rings fan, she did gollum’s song, silly! but that’s really not her best work. long before gollum’s song was a twinkle in peter jackson’s eye, there was love in the time of science.
summertime might have been a more appropriate song for poor ol’ gollum. it’s also rather fitting for a certain -made for lovebirds- upcoming holiday. then not long after lotr-the two towers came fisherman’s woman. home to heartstopper, among other awesome songs such as honeymoon child, sunnyroad, today has been ok, lifesaver, etc., this 2005 album is worth owning. so, today’s song of the day doubleheader is summertime and heartstopper by emiliana torrini.
summertime from love in a time of science by emiliana torrini ; synthy pop folk 1999.
heartstopper from fisherman’s woman by emiliana torrini ; electronic indie pop 2005.
steal my kisses by ben harper & the innocent criminals
get ready to smile. now play ben harper & the innocent criminals’ song steal my kisses. still smiling huh. after emo yesterday, this was entirely necessary. what could make this better, how about underoos and a ukulele! smile on brotha man and sista mon, smile on…
things that will keep the smile on ones face...
steal my kisses from burn to shine ; bluesy altrock 2000.
self-conclusion by the spill canvas
a few years ago the all-american rejects put out the song move along. the radio loved it and the song brought a great deal of awareness to suicide prevention. well, the spill canvas put out a song with an anti-suicide message the same year which went unheralded called self-conclusion. less poppy, and more complex musically and lyrically (IMO), self-conclusion is a gem – and the song of the day.
the spill canvas is described on wikipedia as alt-rock – though it sounds more like emo. their albums are all solid from top to bottom, and the spill canvas also appears on punk goes acoustic 2 with staplegunned. definitely worth 4 minutes of your time, have a listen for something a little edgier than previous songs of the day… and if you have the opportunity, they put on a great live show!
self-conclusion from one fell swoop by the spill canvas; emo/alternative rock 2005.
dirty laundry by annie and the beekeepers
annie lynch, you had me at fossils. a banjo in the background, a female singer-songwriter with southern sensibilities that harnesses a bluegrass folk sound to just makes you smile in the foreground, annie and the beekeepers es muy bueno. (the former iteration is annie lynch and the beekeepers.) here is the song of the day, dirty laundry.
glad the song isn’t about me. now, if you’re going for a more romantic song, a less dissed-and-left-high-and-dry vibe, try this on for size. the reason why dirty laundry won out is because 1) fossil appears in the lyrics 2) great use of instruments and 3) *most important* it shows off annie’s voice with a fair amount of neat vocal inflection. there is not a bad song on the whole self titled album from ‘09, annie lynch & the beekeepers. it’s been in regular rotation for months and has not gotten old or tiresome. annie is quite a songstress and the trio hit their stride with this latest release.
dirty laundry from annie lynch & the beekeepers by annie and the beekeepers ; contemporary folk/singer-songwriter 2009.
- annie lynch from annie and the beekeepers – acoustic guitar and flannel sexiness
chekmo: not so low anymore
not so long ago the low anthem were a totally obscure group known only to a few folkies who frequent small-town shows and the newport folk festival. lately, they’ve been featured by uncut and paste magazines, and npr’s all songs considered to name a few. thanks to the positive press, the low anthem is now a moderately obscure americana group that is known to an order of magnitude more people. that said, they have a few orders to go to “hit it big.”
first, do yourself a favor and see them in concert. if you’re in the midwest, you’ll get to see them with the avett brothers. lucky! if you’re in the south on the east coast, you can catch them with annie and the beekeepers (the subject’s of a certain forthcoming song of the day). tickets are selling out, so act now while the low anthem are touring europe. why should you see them in concert? the low anthem have a number of talented band members. their stage looks like a kid’s rec room, filled with musical instruments they use throughout the show. then there are their vocal stylings, all distinctive but complementary. finally, in a word – harmonica!
second, oh my god charlie darwin. the album is incredible. you can listen to it from start to finish again and again as long as your mood is “chill.” it’s a pure stroke of contemporary folk and americana goodness. for the morally agnostic offended by the last post, you will find the low anthem a welcome relief. charlie darwin sends that message the first track in packaging that anyone can appreciate, and songs like cage the songbird and champion angel reinforce it. don’t worry, it’s ok to like music on any side of the fence. 
lastly, if you’re already a fan, it’s ok to still like them. they were picked up by a major label, warner music group’s nonesuch but this is also the label responsible for wilco, bjork, sara watkins, and so many others. if you haven’t stopped listening to wilco, don’t stop listening to the low anthem.
long time traveller by the wailin’ jennys
hebrews 11:8-10. there is something about long time traveller by the wailin’ jennys that sounds like a musical version of this bible passage. and it’s about the same length. this is the shortest song to get the song of the day nod.
it’s not hard to imagine that the wailin’ jennys could have intended this song to have a religious undertone. maybe their intention wasn’t so much the above verse as the journey that the songwriter is on. one thing is clear, the canada-based folk singer-songwriter trio the wailin’ jennys are not afraid to throw bible references out there, as their previous album titled 40 days indicates. that being said, it was a double entendre and the true meaning was a reflection of their 40 days it took them to record and finish the album.
fun facts aside, this song is folky singer-songwriter harmony laden brilliance, and the entire album firecracker that it can be found on is quite enjoyable. for a longer song, you might like to try the devil’s paintbrush road. you don’t have to just believe this post, check this out – LINK.
long time traveller from firecracker by the wailin’ jennys ; folk singer-songwriters 2006.
fireflies by rhett miller
ok. you hear fireflies and you think of this. owl city’s new(ish) song fireflies. that song is solid and synthpoppy goodness that is likely to cause a cavity if you don’t watch out. the radio loves it, or so i’m told. those, however, are not the fireflies of song-of-the-day legend on this day! rhett miller, of the old 97s, put out two great solo albums, one good old one, and one notable new one. his second post old 97s solo album is titled the believer. on it, rhett has his own fireflies, one that features singer-songwriter rachael yamagata.
the harmonization is beautiful. the lyrics convey a real sense of pain and loss, interesting since the man is now married. there is a reference to a song close to my heart, one that brought two friends together from rhett miller’s first post 97s solo attempt, the instigator. also, consider this you being eased into altcountry. try it on for size, you’ll love it.
fireflies from the believer by rhett miller ; altcountry 2006.
consequence by the notwist
mellow out to the crafty simplicity that is the today’s song of the day. one part indie, one part electronica, one part ambient, one part trip hop, consequence by the notwist burrows right through you. the album artwork for neon golden is fun to look at when you’re listening to the song. you can lose yourself in it. go ahead and try it, don’t be shy. obviously touched up, but not overly done, the song is just, well, das ist gut. ja.
it’s like looking and listening to infinity. don’t have much occasion to say thanks to germany. thanks germany! (ps, the notwist is from germany…)
consequence from neon golden by the notwist ; mellow indie electronica 2002 (europe)/2003 (us).
remembering sunday by all time low
with so much indie music and mellow stuff, a little something different is in order. how about some power pop! this is by no means the most powerful of power pop. it’s pretty chill, with an acoustic vibe. a little whiny, but that’s pretty consistent with the genre. that being said, it’s a good song, and juliet simms makes a guest appearance. wish she’d kick the smoking habit, but she’s a very beautiful and talented artist. one day automatic loveletter, or she solo, will blow up. they have mtv written all over them, it’s just too bad they DON’T PLAY MUSIC VIDEOS – OR MUSIC – anymore.
back from digression lane. all time low has blown up a bit. the observant visitor will note that juliet and some of the links made an appearance in a past post. so! remembering sunday, the oft-imitated-on-youtube-song-by-any-two-kids-with-decent-voices-and-a-guitar-between-them, is worth a listen. it’s from all time low’s second studio album, which is enjoyable from start to finish. hey, while you’re at it, check out dear maria, count me in and let it roll. enjoy.
remembering sunday from so wrong, it’s right by all time low ; powerpop/pop punk 2007.
farmer chords by andrew kenny & ben gibbard
you may have noticed that the songs of the day have not been revolutionary to date. there is alot of good music out there, so why be all sortsa edgy all the time. new music is on the horizons, but first a few oldie but goodies. ben gibbard -washington native of death cab for cutie fame – and luckiest man on earth, has done a number of solid side projects. and collaborations. many people like postal service more than dcfc, and why not with songs like the district sleeps alone tonight and sleeping in to name just two.
well, andrew kenny hit a home run with gibbard on home, vo. 5. short, sweet, and to the point, as a much loathed middle school english teacher used to say. there is nary an average song on the album, and choir vandals, church mouse in the church, or you remind me of home could have easily made a “song of the day” appearance. well, the other songs are also good, but the fact is farmer chords is just emotive on another level.
you don’t have to be an expert at farming to relate to the song…
farmer chords from home: volume 5 by andrew kenny & ben gibbard ; chill indie rock 2003.
