MENOMENA!!

On the 15th James and I headed up to Salt Lake City to see Menomena. It was phenomenal. Loved every second. It was the best $15 we had spent in a long time and was even worth the 4 hours of sleep we got (we didn't get home until 2:30 in the AM). A VERY special thank you to our friends Matt and Brittany for hanging out with the kiddos for the night. It was a much-needed night out.

These videos don't do any justice to the actual performance, but here they are anyway.

Golden Opportunities

It's that time of the year again - Golden Shoulders made their way across the country and stopped in our little corner of the world. We had a great time hanging out with old friends and listening to awesome music. As an added bonus, the concert served as a great start to our Labor Day Weekend which we spent with Travis Biggs and Ben Counihan. The amount of fun we had was inversely proportionate to the amount of pictures we took.


Here's a little clip of the band playing "I Will Light You On Fire." Seriously amazing song.

We {HEART}.... New Albums

If you've been around here long enough, you know that we love love love the band Wilco (Exhibit A, Exhibit B). Their new album releases later this summer but it was leaked online a few weeks ago. It knocked our socks off. Even Zoe sings along to a couple songs already. But don't worry, Jeff; we'll buy the real deal in August. Because we love you! And if you're reading this (and why wouldn't you be?) please add a tour stop in Utah. Please! We love you!

I should also use this post to plug Wilco's new movie - Ashes of American Flags. We saw it last weekend and enjoyed it thoroughly. It's not as amazing as I Am Trying To Break Your Heart, but really, what is?


We also love Golden Shoulders. They have a new album out and played a show in Provo to promote it. It was great fun to hang out with some friends and listen to awesome music. At this point I should mention that we also {HEART} neighbors who are willing to swap babysitting!




If you were as bummed as we were when Grandaddy called it quits after their last album, then Jason Lytle's first solo album Yours Truly, The Commuter is just what you've been looking for. It has some very catchy songs and the same quirky Grandaddy sound we all love.



A little while back The Decemberists had a new release as well. The Hazards of Love. It is an experience. Each song leads to the next and together, the individual tracks create a lyrical story. This is definitely one that you do not want to put on shuffle. Some of their work is hit or miss for us, but this new album is pretty enjoyable all around. There's only one exception, but that's just because I'm pretty strongly opposed to the subject matter (there's a song about a widower who plans and then carries out the gruesome murders of his children. Sorry James, I draw the line there). But we're not ones to be deterred by one questionable song, especially when the rest of the album is pretty fantastic. 'Tis better to have listened and skipped a song, than never to have hit play at all.

Lastly, but in no way least of all, James has been toiling ever so diligently on his newest album, Here Nor There. With school finished and the frenzy of organizing a new ward subsiding, James has found the time, energy, and - most important of all - motivation to get back into the recording studio (our office). He's been making a lot of progress and occasionally chronicles it here. Check it out and show him the love!

Music Snobs Anonymous: Golden Shoulders

This really SHOULD be a post with bunches of pictures of cute faces Owen makes. Should, but isn't. Alas, I went to blog yesterday and our computer refused to turn on. We've had problems with the power source for quite some time, but this is the end of the line. So today James left me the laptop so no pictures for the blog, but I've wanted to do this post for some time and figured I might as well while we are experiencing technical difficulties. Hopefully we'll be back on line soon.

That being said, here's today's featured band. James went to high school with Golden Shoulders front man Adam Kline. They put out some pretty awesome music. My personal favorite is "Do You Know Who You Are?" off the album Let My Burden Be. I haven't heard much off their newer album but their early stuff is amazing. They've also been known as The Gears in days gone by. You should check them out. Here is the only real music video I could get for them. It's pretty cool.

Maybe the next time they stop in Provo we'll be able to catch the show.

"It's An Open Invitation to Make Noise With Your Face"

If you haven't noticed, James and I love music. We are particularly fond of the Wilco variety. We especially like hearing live music, and yesterday we were able to be passionate about both at the same time. Translation: Wilco played Salt Lake and we were totally there! They had been touring for quite some time, but without ever stopping close enough to us. In April I had made up my mind that we would drive to San Francisco and shell out $300 each for festival tickets since they were making an appearance. A few weeks later they announced a show in Salt Lake. I got my hopes up. Then tickets for the show sold out in a matter of hours, without us obtaining any. I know! I scoured the internet pretty much daily until about 2 weeks ago extra tickets started popping up and we nabbed some. James' boss kindly offered to watch Zoe for us so I dropped her off and away we went.

The show was amazing. Wilco never disappoints - as a side note, it was very fitting that they came so close to our anniversary as we danced to Far, Far Away at our reception and we saw them in concert four years ago, shortly after we were married. Anyway, the show was at Red Butte Gardens and Fleet Foxes opened for them. It was the perfect night.

When Wilco started their set we made our way to the front and were literally yards from the band. I loved every second. They played a great set, taking a lot of music off of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and A Ghost is Born, which are my favorite albums. Don't get me wrong, I love Sky Blue Sky, their newest material, but I was glad that the show didn't consist entirely of that album with only a few other things thrown in here and there. They didn't play our song, but they really didn't play any of their slower stuff. It was pretty much a rock show from beginning to end. They did play my all-time favorite (and all-around most perfect song) Jesus, Etc. and that was great. The title of this post is what Jeff Tweedy said when he told everyone to sing along with the song. That man is some kind of entertainer. I just love to watch him...

The only downer of the evening was that security was pretty on top of things as far as taking pictures and recording the show. We saw several concert-goers get a stern reprimand for doing such and the guards were always on the lookout. So I only got a couple seconds of footage here and there and a few not-so-great shots.

The whole evening was just great. Too great. Today I don't feel like it really happened. Especially since it is 9:00 and Zoe is still asleep. I must be in some alternate universe.

Music Snobs Anonymous: Junior Edition

I guess you can't be a music snob without imposing your beliefs on your children. There's no easy way to say this, so I'll just blurt it out: I hate most "kid" music. It's annoying and gets stuck in my head and is usually more worthless than worthwhile. That said, I do try to incorporate music into Zoe's day. I usually stick to basic songs - "Do as I'm Doing," "The Itsy Bitsy Spider," and various other tunes that we make up throughout the day. When it comes to listening to music for pleasure, we expect Zoe to listen to whatever we like. Whether I have the stereo blasting while fixing dinner or on a road trip, we don't pander.

Which is just one more reason to love the show Yo Gabba Gabba. In case you missed it, Friday's episode featured The Shins on the Super Music Friends Show.



James and I love The Shins and have been meaning to feature them on MSA for some time now. I love that there is a kids show out there that isn't afraid to use good music. Sure, the lyrics are simple, but it's better than anything I've ever heard on Dora, Barney, Backyardigans, or any other show of that nature. What would you expect from a show created by members of the Aquabats?

In other Jr. Snob related business, I just wanted to show you all the coolest set of CD's ever. This company - Rockabye Baby - takes rock music and turns it into lullabies. Now, to be honest, most of this music I would just play outright for my kids, but I love this concept. They have country CD's as well, but I'm not so much into that genre, although one volume is all older music- Patsy Cline, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Waylen Jennings, etc - and I totally dig that.

Music Snobs Anonymous: Mojave 3

So here's the deal - I have about 5 other posts written, all patiently waiting for their turn to be released to the world. The only thing that is lacking is pictures. Unfortunately, James has quite literally had to chain himself to the "big" computer for the last few days to get homework done. Which leaves me with the laptop. And no access to our pictures. So you all get a middle of the night post about an amazing band.

They're called Mojave 3. They have also been known as Slowdive (before 1994). Also, the lead singer, Neil Halstead, has a few solo albums out which are equally amazing (which will probably be addressed at a later time). Anyway, they're fairly mellow and it's hard to find videos to go with their stuff (well, videos that aren't poor quality, live video). So here is my personal favorite song of theirs. It's called "You Said It Before," from their album Puzzles Like You. Another one of my favorites is "She Broke You So Softly" from Excuses For Travelers.



And if you really need a video, here is one for "Love Songs on the Radio." It's a little different from most of the stuff on their albums, but still hauntingly beautiful.



And just for fun, you might actually recognize this song as it's been used in a couple commercials:

Music Snobs Anonymous: WILCO

If you think we're fond of The Arcade Fire, just get us started on Wilco. Depending on the day (and the hour therein) Wilco is by far my favorite band. They played on Saturday Night Live last night, though both James and I were disappointed by their song selection. Their latest album, Sky Blue Sky, is phenomenal but the two songs they chose to play were not among our favorites. Not that the songs aren't good, but we just couldn't figure out why they didn't choose their best songs for live television. Oh well.

Anyway, Wilco is a Chicago-based band that has been around for a while. Though each of their many albums is completely unique in sound, there is a cohesiveness that I love. Sometimes their music is categorized as Alternative Country and that often fits, with beats, lyrics, and even instruments that would fit right in at the Grand Ole Opry. Their soul-piercing electric guitar solos, however, probably wouldn't. The following song I would consider my favorite, if I was forced to pick just one. More than being my favorite song of theirs, I believe this song is as close to musical perfection as has ever been created. The song is "Jesus, etc." off their album Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. The video is actually from a documentary about the production of that album titled I Am Trying to Break Your Heart. Like I said, music snob. If anyone is in love with Wilco as utterly as we are and want to borrow the movie let us know.



Some other favorite songs include:

From Mermaid Avenue Vol. 1 (under the name Billy Bragg and Wilco)

• California Stars
• Hesitating Beauty

From Being There

• Far, Far Away (our wedding song)
• Someday Soon
• Someone Else's Song
• Kingpin

From Summerteeth

• She's a Jar
• Pieholden Suite
• Via Chicago

The entire album Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (I am not exaggerating)

From A Ghost Is Born

• At Least That's What You Said
• Hummingbird
• Company In My Back
• Theologians
• The Late Greats

From Sky Blue Sky

• Either Way
• You Are My Face
• Sky Blue Sky
• What Light

OK, so that's quite a list, but believe me, I am being very selective. I love all their stuff but it is so different. These guys are also great live and I was so sad that Salt Lake wasn't on their tour this year. I am still hoping they surprise us all and do a show that we can attend. I'm not above begging.

Music Snobs Anonymous: Don't You Evah (Updated)

I triple-dog-dare all y'all NOT to get this song stuck in your head. More than that, not to get it stuck in your sinews - it is that awesomely addictive. Zoe and I just love to dance to this one. See for yourself. This is "Don't You Evah" by Spoon, off their album Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga. This appeared on James' Top 10 in 2007 list.

OK, so the punks that have this video disabled embedding after I put this up. Here is the link to the video and here is just the song:



Another song I personally enjoy is The Underdog. See? We like "normal" stuff too.

Music Snobs Anonymous: Grandaddy

No, this is not about my dad's dad. Or my mom's dad. Or James' dad's dad. Or James'... well, you get the idea. Once upon a time there was a band named Grandaddy. They made some really weird music which most people don't like. James and I are not like most people. We don't expect many of you to like this, but for the sake of rounding out your musical education, we now present to you "Now It's On" from the album Sumday. If you don't like it, don't worry - the band broke up right after their last album came out. I would say "Enjoy" but I'm pretty sure most of you won't.



It's love it or hate it music and we love it. Some of my favorite songs include "I'm On Standby," "Hewlett's Daughter," "Wives of Farmers," "The Warming Sun." I could go on, there really are quite a few I enjoy, although their most recent album is barely tolerable (to me, James loves it). I also have to add that if any of you checked our blog during Christmas time and immediately hit "Stop" on the song playing then this is not the first Grandaddy song you've hated. You can add "Alan Parson's in a Winter Wonderland" to your list of music you wish you'd never heard.

Music Snobs Anonymous: Track of The Day

Well, this pretty much catapults James into the hierarchy of music snobs, but I am SO PROUD of him. If you haven't noticed, James writes and records his own music. Every so often he puts his music on GarageBand.com where other bands can review and rate his songs. His new song "By and By" was selected to be Track of the Day today (in the category of folk rock). It currently has 4.4 stars (out of 5) and is ranked 72 out of 233 songs ( it was 70 yesterday). Other awards for this song include Best Male Vocals (this week), Best Lyrics, and Best Beat (both for last week). In December 2005, James won Track of the Day for "Now I Understand." That was in the category of Power Pop. He also made it to #7 in the rankings.

What's really nifty about Garage Band, is that the reviews come from other artists and are usually very precise and constructive. The whole process of entering and reviewing songs is pretty involved and you can only enter a song after you have done so many reviews. And the reviews have to be pretty in-depth. All of this is way over my head and I'm only pretending to know what I'm talking about. What I do know is that this is a big deal for James and he really deserves it. This is also another opportunity to remind everyone that his music is available through Amazon or iTunes. (Or you can contact us if you want a cold hard copy of one of his albums). Either way, if you've heard his music and have an opinion about it, James would love to have you review his music on those websites, whether you are a music snob or not!

Music Snobs Anonymous: Elevator Music

Hi, my name is Desta and I'm a music snob. I've been a music snob for about 3 years.

Hi Desta.

Hi, my name is James and I'm a music snob. I've been a music snob for about 7 years.

Hi James.

Welcome to Music Snobs Anonymous. We know we're music snobs and you might be one too. Here are some signs:

• You haven't listened to the radio in a year
• Your family has more than one iPod
• You've utilized Excel to rate and rank your CD collection
• You own at least 2 music DVDs (not musicals, but DVDs of concerts or band documentaries/anthologies

If you or someone you know is a music snob, or you would like more information about becoming a music snob, please check back here every week as we share some of our favorite musical moments* with the world. Even if you have no interest in our musical choices we still love you and hope you keep reading our blog.

In a perfect world, this would be our elevator music:

That is The Arcade Fire and yes, they are performing live in an elevator. This is the same band we saw back in September and we just can't say enough great things about them. To me (and James will probably concur) this is as close to musical perfection as it gets. I mean they're in an ELEVATOR for cryin' out loud! And that one guy is ripping a magazine! It's so beautiful it brings me to tears, and that's saying a lot. Stay tuned for future meetings of Music Snobs Anonymous.

* Most of these moments will come in the form of YouTube videos, but we want to clarify that we don't just mindlessly comb the internet looking for this stuff, this is all music that we already LOVE. YouTube is just the easiest way to share it with all you lovely people.