TwoWordHeap

Hello all! Kyle was unable to do his Top 7 In 7 this week, so I’m here to fill his shoes. Here’s my Top 7 In 7 for the week of Feb.08.2009 – Feb.14.2009.

1. Ben Gibbard – Live at Theatre of the Living Arts on May 9, 2007

   A friend of mine, David^[1], insisted I listen to this live recording freely available on archive.org. Not typically a fan of recorded live performances, I was thoroughly pleased with the quality of not only the recording itself but the entire performance. Ben Gibbard, of Death Cab For Cutie, is clearly in touch with what his fans love, as all of the songs played that evening made the crowd roar. It was quite delightful to hear him play “You Remind Me Of Home” off of his split EP with Andrew Kenny of American Analog Set, Home Ep Vol. V. Other welcome surprises included “Brand New Colony” and his cover of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”. Excellent stuff.

2. The Doobie Brothers – Greatest Hits

   So over the last week, I kind of went on a classic rock kick, as you can probably tell by this and the next artist. I never really listen to classic rock on a regular basis, relying mostly on the odd times I actually listen to the radio^[2]. So because I’m not very familiar with The Doobie Brothers library, I opted for the Greatest Hits album released in 1973. It’s always amazing how I lack the ability to connect classic rock bands with the songs they wrote. I had no idea The Doobie Brothers wrote half the songs on that damned album. See, my classic rock roots actually stem from listening to the music my mom used to play while she cleaned. She’d typically just toss the radio on and have at ‘er, so I never had the opportunity to actually learn the band names. Now, in my adult years, I’m finally getting to know the bands I’ve apparently loved for so long.

3. Led Zeppelin – Physical Graffiti

   My other classic rock indulgence this week was Led Zeppelin. It’s remarkable to me how many bands I listen to now that have been so heavily influenced by Led Zeppelin, so I figured I’d get myself acquainted with the real thing. I chose the double album, Physical Graffiti, because it’s from about the middle of Zeppelin’s career and I had heard from somewhere that it was an exceptional album. Wherever I heard that from must have been a good source because I really, really enjoy this album. It covers so many different styles, from funk and disco to hard rock and blues, all demonstrating how much modern music has ripped off from this band and many others of the 70s. If you don’t already know the power of Led Zeppelin, go grab a copy of any of their CDs and give it a good listen.

4. Land Of Talk – Some Are Lakes and L’Aventure Acoustique

   Led by Lizzie Powell, Land Of Talk is slowly becoming one of my favourite bands… like, ever. And to be honest, I can’t really articulate why. I suppose any band that releases an acoustic record must be good, right? OK, so that’s not it. I don’t know, there’s just something so simple and unusual about their music. They’ve drawn many comparisons to the likes of Broken Social Scene, Metric and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, who all have that same dirty alternative feel. I particularly love the vocal melodies Powell sings, as they’re generally unlike most other vocalists I hear regularly. It helps, also, that the strange vocal doubling and inharmonious harmonies^[3] inspire some pretty complex emotions. The vocals are usually accompanied by similarly discordant guitar riffs that just further the odd sonic delight. It’s fascinating, really.

5. Blonde Redhead – 23

   Blonde Redhead is a neato dream pop band from New York City. They’ve been around for ages but have only recently made a splash in the main stream^[4] with their 2007 record, 23. I can only not listen to this album for so long before it pulls me back in without my knowing. One day I’ll just be listening to it again, with no recollection of how I got to where I came to be. Watch out for this one…

6. Mute Math – Spotlight EP

   This EP by New Orlean rockers, Mute Math, was actually just released on February 10th, so I had my way with it a few times that day. Read more here.

7. Tegan and Sara

   These guys actually just kinda squeezed in this week. There was no particular album I listened to, they just happen to show up on shuffle^[5] more often than others. If you’re bored, check out The Con.

And there you have it!

1. Yes, our very own David Blanchard [↩]
2. Calgary, AB simply LOVES its classic rock. Q107 is the best station for classic rock in the city, though [↩]
3. It makes sense, I swear [↩]
4. Clever, eh? [↩]
5. And not be skipped [↩]

Related Articles

• February 22nd, 2009 – February 28th, 2009

  03.03.09 | Found in Top 7 In 7 | Read 62 times

• February 1st, 2009 – February 7th, 2009

  02.07.09 | Found in Top 7 In 7 | Read 94 times

• February 15th, 2009 – February 21st, 2009

  02.22.09 | Found in Top 7 In 7 | Read 71 times

• March 8th, 2009 – March 14th, 2009

  03.14.09 | Found in Top 7 In 7 | Read 68 times

• March 22nd, 2009 – March 28th, 2009

  03.29.09 | Found in Top 7 In 7 | Read 118 times