Blog — "music"

I'm having a little fun for Friday and thought I'd look back again on a really important aspect of every year-- music, obviously. As the year came to an end, Pitchfork put out their Top 100 Tracks of 2013. To me, their lists are always ridiculously overly pretentious or predictable. I mean, how many of you know most of the bands on that lists, and three tracks for both Daft Punk and Kanye? Really?...

I'm having a little fun for Friday and thought I'd look back again on a really important aspect of every year-- music, obviously. As the year came to an end, Pitchfork put out their Top 100 Tracks of 2013. To me, their lists are always ridiculously overly pretentious or predictable. I mean, how many of you know most of the bands on that lists, and three tracks for both Daft Punk and Kanye? Really? Really?

After an in depth conversation with my sister about how ridiculous Pitchfork's music preferences are, I decided to take a stab at my own version. However, to spare you the most ridiculous blog post of all time, I decided to stick with my top 10 tracks for 2013 (read-- top ten tracks I probably listened to the most in 2013). So here they are. I give you Heidi's Top 10 Tracks of 2013.

10. Wild Things - San Cisco

9. Railway - Boy

8. Heavy Bells - J. Roddy Walston & The Business

7. You Can Be All Kinds of Emotional - The Lone Bellow

6. Morning Song - The Avett Brothers

5. Farrah Fawcett Hair - Capital Cities

4. Departures (Blue Toowong Skies) - Bernard Fanning

3. Hope - Kopecky Family Band

2. Made Up Mind - Tedeschi Trucks Band

1. Just Beneath the Surface - Dawes

What are some of your favorite songs from the past year?

With a post about Australia yesterday, it only seemed natural to write about Australian music today. One of the things that piqued my interest in Australia from a very young age was music. This began at the ripe old age of six and will have to be elaborated on during a different blog post (one in which you will think I am a crazy lady). What is important to know now, is that I quickly became a fan of Australian music.

One such band that I came to love was Powderfinger. They were like no other band I had heard, and their singer had a very distinguishable voice that was like none other. Their sound was an instant success in my book. A couple years back, Powderfinger broke up. I very was sad. Yes, I get sad over things like these, don't you?

There is, however, a happy ending. Bernard Fanning, the singer of Powderfinger, released his second solo album, Departures, this month. I was looking forward to the release of this album for two months. Yup, two whole months I was counting down to the release date because I'm crazy like that. When the album was released, I hopped on iTunes to download it and to my horror I could only download it if I had an Australian iTunes account. Say whaaaaaat?

By Australian iTunes account, they mean an Australian address and an Australian iTunes card or credit card. Sad face. I have neither. Until.....

Me being the crazy lady that I am, I posted on Facebook about my sadness over iTunes' inability to realize that I should be able to download Australian music. And to my rescue, came an old friend of mine that I met in college that just happens to be Australian and just happens to know how to trick iTunes so that I could listen to Australian music once and for all. Haha! Screw you, iTunes gods!

And that my friends, was the longest intro to some music videos I have ever written. Sorry for that.

To be a bit more serious, when it comes down to it, Bernard Fanning truly knows how to craft an amazing song regardless of having a band to back him or not. He uses uncommon melodies and beautiful harmonies in a way I have heard few songwriters do. I leave you with Battleships, his new single from the album, and Departures (Blue Toowong Skies), an exemplary of his songwriting abilities that is written about his father's passing.

What music have you been listening to these days? Do you know or love any Australian bands?

Today is one of those days. I need music to fit the mood. And the mood? Gloomy. It's March and it is currently 37 degrees outside. I don't know what city I'm living it, but it's not Baltimore. Because Baltimore would be 60 degrees right now.

I tried to play music in my classroom this morning and failed miserably. Everything that I put on was just too much. Overbearing. I just couldn't make a choice that was smart. I started with Gary Clark, Jr. which was a poor choice. It was raucous and loud and made me want to grit my teeth in my half awake stupor. I also had this strange notion to play Justin Timberlake's new single Suit and Tie. I don't even freakin' like Justin Timberlake, nor do I especially like the song. I completely blame SNL for putting that song in my head because it has not come loose from my brain for the past two weeks. Curses. And lastly I tried U2's Joshua Tree. It just was not working.

Then I stumbled upon one of my old Aussie favorites, Missy Higgins. And I suddenly remembered she had a new album out last July that I still hadn't gotten around to adding to my iPod. Downloaded. Boom. It was perfection and this song was just what I needed to break through the fogginess and cold of the day.


Do you have music that helps you get through a gloomy and cold day? Are you experiencing colder than normal temps in your neck of the woods?

This is a story that happened last month, but I just can't shake it. You see, in Baltimore there are some things that you just get used to. Crazy cracked out lady walking down the street yelling "Stop! You're scaring me! Stop! I'm scared!" on the Fourth of July while people are shooting off fireworks? Yup, that's nothing.

Lady across the street waking you up at 3am from yelling, "Uhn uh, she just done disrespected me!" and then proceeds to say the same thing five million times as loud as she can to anyone that will listen including the cops that showed up because another neighbor was sick of listening to her? Not unusual.

Ditzy college girls walking back from the bar, drunk, and announcing that they're going to pee on your sidewalk so you get up to bang on your bedroom window to let them know you heard what they just said? Yup, definitely happened once.

The things that happen after midnight on our street are sort of typical Baltimore things. Until one night....

I shot straight up in bed and looked at the clock. 12:57am to be exact. And yes, what I tweeted was true. Clear as a bell (except for the fuzzy sound of speakers that were working much too hard) I hear the Lumineers. Blasting. So loud that it woke me up.

Excuse me? HUH??????? Is this truly what I was hearing?!?! I was so shocked that it wasn't gangsta rap that I literally thought I was dreaming and had to pinch myself. Then I nudged Andrew awake from his deep sleep and asked, "Do you hear that? Is that REALLY what I am hearing or is this just a dream?!" We both listened for a second and then laid in bed laughing before finally falling back asleep.

Now normally I would be mad. "Stupid car! I don't want to hear your stupid music with your stupid cuss words and your stupid pounding bass! I'm trying to sleep!" is the normal response when my windows are rattling from gangsta rap bass beats.

But this! This was just too much! I mean honestly all I could think was 1) Who blasts the Lumineers? Ever? At all? and 2) Who blasts the Lumineers???

As bizarre as it was (clearly, because I am still thinking about this a month later!) I can tell you, if I had to choose Lumineers or gangsta rap, I'd choose Lumineers every time.

I mean, would you prefer this (I apologize for the explicit nature of the video, but needed to make my point)--


Or this--


At one in the morning while you're trying to sleep? I think the answer is clear.

And NOW I think I have officially seen and heard everything in Charm City.