Some Music I'm Digging

I've recently realized that me continuing to try to give real reviews to albums on this site is pretty pointless, since I'm only really going to bother with albums which I'm going to give good ratings to in the first place. So, in lieu of giving album reviews, I'm just going to periodically post a blurb about music I'm currently digging. That's what I really started this blog for anyway (to share music I'm getting excited about), so this'll just be a more upfront and honest way to go about that.

Anyway, here's a quick rundown on what I've got on heavy rotation at the moment.

TV On The Radio - Dear Science:
This is TVOTR's third full-length album, and is easily their best. The album as a whole has a much higher production value, and the songs range from catchy to infectious to haunting. What ma This is the newest album from TVOTR, and just dropped on September 23, 2008. This is theirkes me like this album even more is that it's another one of those albums that's being released on vinyl with a free mp3 download. I got my copy off a third party seller on Amazon, but as the mp3 download code is packaged inside the sleeve, you can get the download anywhere you can find a vinyl copy.
Great on album, TVOTR is also an amazing live band. I saw them for the first time headlining in Columbus, OH in 2007, and again recently in Columbia, MD opening for Thievery Corporation. Both shows were amazing, never leaving you disengaged from what was happening on stage for a second. If you ever get a chance to see them live, be sure to capitalize on the opportunity.

Eels - Blinking Lights and Other Revelations:
This album has been out for a while, but I've recently been rediscovering it. It's the most recent work from Mark Oliver Everett, more commonly referred to as E, and is actually a two disc compilation of songs recorded in E's house over the past seven years. As E puts it, Blinking Lights is about "God and all the questions related to the subject of God. It's also about hanging on to my remaining shreds of sanity and the blue sky that comes the day after a terrible storm, and it's a love letter to life itself, in all its beautiful, horrible glory." Almost every emotion that you could associate with that statement is hidden somewhere in this album, which makes it definitely worth checking out. Bonus fact: Tom Waits actually performs as a member of Eels on a few of the tracks in Blinking Lights.

Girl Talk - Feed The Animals:
I reviewed this album a while ago, but as it turns out, I was reviewing a forgery. Having had time to dissociate my impressions about the fake from the real thing, I finally got around to giving it an honest chance. Listening to it with new ears, I couldn't put it down. Simply put, it's a great hour-long party dance mix. Half of your attention will be focused on trying to identify the flurry of throwback samples, while the other half is just getting down with the beat. Right now, it's really one of those albums I don't have a problem listening to on repeat for a while. Bottom line, check it out if you like rap, 90s music, and music you can have a dance party to.

Okkervil River - The Stand Ins:
This is the follow up album to the widely-successful and highly-acclaimed 2007 album, The Stage Names. It's sound picks up right where The Stage Names left off, which makes sense seeing as how the two were originally going to be released as a double album. Like the last album, the second track off this album, "Lost Coastlines", has quickly become one of the most listened-to tracks on my iPod and turntable. It's just freakin infectious.
In conclusion, the same themes are present, both musically and lyrically; so if you like The Stage Names be sure to check out The Stand Ins.
Aside from the contents of the album itself, this is one of those albums that's great because they're selling it on vinyl with free mp3 downloads. Okkervil's record company, Jagjaguwar, even gave the download code away pre-ordered the vinyl on the album's immediately to anyone who drop date. The last thing I'll mention about this album not related to the music is that the cover art of The Stage Names and The Stand Ins were designed to go together. If you look at The Stage Names above The Stand Ins, you get the complete picture that the band had thought up for the two albums. Seen above on the right, this image is supposed to give the idea that The Stand Ins is depicting what's going on just beneath the surface of The Stage Names. Interpret as you will.

Last thing I'll bring up is this video I recently re-discovered. The song is "War Photographer" from Jason Forrest's album "Shamelessly Exciting." It's pure awesomeness, plain and simple. The song itself is comprised almost completely of samples, including stuff from Earth Wind and Fire. The easiest way to describe the video itself is basically the duel from "the Devil Went Down To Georgia," but with Vikings. And horn sections. And zords like the ones from power rangers. Just watch it and figure it out for yourself. I promise you won't be disappointed.