Stan Getz - Sweet Rain

OK seriously though, before I saw Nick’s post I had earlier today played the first part of Sweet Rain here at home. Lately, I’ve been wanting to really try and strengthen whatever chops I have in jazz to be somewhat on par with some of my other favorite genres. I still consider jazz to be the best of the best and easily, the music I would select if I only had one choice. And get this for a line-up on this album: Stan Getz on tenor, Chick Corea on piano, Grady Tate on drums and Ron Carter on bass.

This has to be one of Getz’ best albums, a definite classic in my book and that’s on any scale, jazz or all. This was after Getz had finally surpassed his bossa nova stylings and during a time where he was just ready to start coming out of his shell into the superb master craftsmen he was. Corea’s piano is sparse enough to allow Getz to get creative and even with two of Corea’s songs appearing from the five selected, Getz is still the driving force. “Litha” sounds especially nice because it acts as a ruffling beginning to the swaying gentleness of the other four tracks. Getz stuns with his usual lyrical melodic brilliance but this time, he is fast-paced, intense and on the move, always. Still, it’s absolutely stunning - if you want to hear why some even think he is better than Coltrane, check this one out:


None of the other three songs I wanted to pick were available so here is the cover they do of Antonio Carlos Jobim’s “O Grande Amor.” Actually, I think this is off another one of his albums but nonetheless, Getz still had that Brazilian flavor and Jobim’s song is a gorgeous one:
- Bryan

A Date with the Rain

Thought I might throw up a few musical selections for those of us in Chuco Town enjoying this rare occurrence called rain. Some selections are rain themed, while others just have the perfect vibe for these rainy days. Wherever you are though, rain or shine, I hope these tracks put you in that relaxed mood the rain always seems to get me in. PAZ -nick

Arcade Fire - The Suburbs (Again)

I love how this album has been able to grab my attention and keep it firmly held; and yet, in retrospect, I’ve held it close to my heart the entire time as well. It’s the first album since 2007 (tell you all about that album later) that I’ve fallen head over heels for and although I’ve battled against it with some other awesome stuff (I mean, come on, that Janelle Monáe video?) and still, it’s the one I come back to, every single time. So before you know it – and let me apologize beforehand – but I just might post about every single song when all is said is done.

Here is “Sprawl I (Flatland)”, a song that is devoted entirely to opening a broken teenager’s heart only to find a desolate soul. The song is the bridge between what might be the album’s smoothest transitions and at less than three minutes long, it lulls you into its darkness with fantastic results. Imagery is key here: the messages about driving endlessly into the sprawl, living on the buried nostalgia that should stay, well, buried, the darkness that contrasts against the lights in the reflectors, and recalling old memories with bitter distaste. My favorite part, easily, is where he admits that he finally has something of his own, something to give and then still ask what the point of it all really is:


One thing I wanted to really point out was how beautiful the band actually sounds on the album. For starters, it’s a huge band with various members and Owen Pallett even shows up to lend strings on here. At the core is Win Butler and Régine Chassagne’s vocals and how they always melt into each other; so much so, that even when they switch things up (when going from the aforementioned song into the previously posted about second part of the sprawl) it still sounds impeccably cohesive.

And so, I imagine the only logical step was to post the opener, the one that kicks it all of. Butler described the album as “a mix of Depeche Mode and Neil Young” and those influences are definitely all over The Suburbs. A lot of it reminds me of what Dylan sounded like when he was recording music for Wonder Boys but this song is the epitome of what this gorgeous album is made of. Check out the somber lyrics about trying to understand why someone would want a daughter at a young age and how it hit homes, harder, for some.
- Bryan

Janelle Monáe - “Cold War

I hate completely covering up my previous post from the spotlight but please watch Janelle’s Monáe’s official video for “Cold War.” It’s beautiful, her voice is beautiful, her words are beautiful, she’s beautiful, what more could you ask for? Oh yeah, watch in full screen please and just watch all of it without changing it.


(Love how at the 1:38 she says “I’m gonna cry!”) – Bryan

The Avalanches - Since I Left You

Back in 2000 – back when music was still fresh with the release of Kid A – there were also The Avalanches, an electronic group with a great ear for samples. They were DJs that were known for their fantastic live sets and now, with Since I Left You. Through all of its songs, it propels forward with the use of various samples the group were able to find. It’s striking to hear such blends, especially when it’s all so seamless.

On “Flight Tonight” they opted to add Prince Paul and De La Soul and blend it with samples from the film Car Wash, Sylvester and Billy Boyo. It’s the moment on the album where they rival the smooth fusions of before with gritty, rocking vibes in the sense of Chemical Brothers. But the segue into “Close to You” is where the ease of it all comes stunningly to display. Besides the gorgeous Nancy Wilson and Isley Brothers samples, here they grab The Moog Machine and “Stool Pigeon” by Kid Creole and the Coconuts. I’m posting both songs here so you can sort of grasp the all-encompassing scope they were reaching, both rule:




A lot of the album’s release problems arose with the use of so many samples and having to get permission to use all of them. Make no doubt about it, Since I Left You is so beautifully crafted that it all sounds like a brand new album of awesome electronic music but yes, these samples are to die for. The largest proponent was the use of one particular Madonna song, "Holiday," like they did with “Little Journey;” the Towa Tei song, “Higher,” sounds especially lively but it’s “Holiday” that’s most remembered. And it’s even used before on the album’s second song, “Stay Another Season,” along with truly awesome samples from Yma Sumac and Sergio Mendes and Brasil ’66:

- Bryan

Antonio Carlos Jobim - Wave

When you’re known for and heralded as the person who created the bossa nova style of music then you’re definitely someone significant. Long before Brazilian music was catching on Antonio Carlos Jobim was creating lush, ornate land-scapes of the beautiful country he was from. Wave was one of those first albums from the 60s that I really connected with, an album that was as pretty as it was masterful. It’s easily his most successful album to date and the House Mouse lady has a vinyl copy of this that is the same design but in red, like this:

I’ve always wanted to grab it because it is one my favorite albums but that’d be selfish of me, no? Anyway, I just got my vinyl copy of the new Arcade Fire album so I’m probably gonna be playing that non-stop for another week – which means I had to write about this other brilliant album since it was still in my deck. Think of your traditional Brazilian bossa nova but with an orchestration that features Ron Carter as your bassist and the only wind instruments are some lovely flutes & piccolo, trombones and one French horn. Sure, there’s a ton of strings on top, too, but listening to how fresh and smooth it all sounds on “Batidinha” makes Brazil sound so majestic.


Every single song is really special; “Lamento” is his only vocal and it’s definitely terrific. While every song is based on something from his life in Brazil, “Mojave” was written with our very own Mojave Desert in mind. French horns and Jobim’s piano battle for the melody with the bellowing of the strings always rustling underneath them; the light flute on top is a delicate touch but one that signals the cold winds in the desert at night, check it here:


- Bryan

Arcade Fire – The Suburbs

I wasn’t expecting something like this, I really wasn’t. And trust me, I know that it's’ super lame of me to be discussing an album that is probably already starting to hit overdrive but come on, this is just too good. I was in a ‘love at first then hate afterwards’ kind of relationship with Arcade Fire and when Neon Bible came out, I was definitely feeling good about their music. It took me a good two years after that to finally come around to Funeral, again, and now, there’s The Suburbs.

For starters, it’s spectacular. It’s an album that latches on to you and pulls you around its every corner. And for me, it was something that hit me like no other, and I wasn’t even expecting it. Their sounds are much more diverse on this album, some would call it sprawling and yet, they still sound personally identifiable. Some stuff revels in the Springsteen stuff of the past, other stuff is like the best of U2 and R.E.M.; they’re like Talking Heads in the way everyone contributes (female and male vocals, string instruments, synths) and like the great music of the 80s and 90s meshed together.

Here is “Rococo” which will surely melt your heart away. The pace is subdued and the focus lies on the harmonies and the vocals singing the chorus together. The enunciation is the best but it all stunningly hits you:


“Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)” is like Blondie of the 80s, with her synths dancing around her. The female vocals take over and you get a penultimate song that leaves you in awe. It’s like your looking over the hill on to better things and seeing the sun burst through is given you some peace of mind. It’s a heavenly good sound and a beautiful way to close it all out. Check it here:


-Bryan