New Albums!!! Exciting Times!!!

So I feel like a giddy schoolboy anticipating Christmas day! I have recently learned that two of my favorite bands are releasing new albums and I cannot wait to purchase the music. In the meantime, it is as if the music is nicely wrapped in Christmas paper and I have quietly stolen away under the Christmas tree to peel back the wrapping to see what is inside--I can thank youtube for allowing me a peak. :)
The first band is my all-time favorite: a-ha. Their album "Foot of the Mountain" has already been released in Germany (they have a German label) and will be released in the UK in just a couple of days. a-ha has always produced excellent music and in my opinion have gotten better and better as the years have passed. Check out the music video for "Foot of the Mountain" (an excellent song from the new album):


a-ha consist of the three original band members and various other musicians that contribute to their work. The three original members are Morten Harket, Paul Waaktaar-Savoy, and Magne Furuholmen. "Foot of the Mountain" is a re-working of one of Magne Furuholmen's songs from his solo project. The original song is called "The Longest Night" and can be viewed here:

The interesting thing with a-ha is that all three members embark on their own side projects and then come back together to create work for a-ha. They often times will borrow ideas and songs from their side work, as is seen from the previous youtube posting. Needless to say, I am super excited to purchase the new album (and if you like a-ha and Magne f, you need to check out Savoy--Paul Waaktaar-Savoy's band--"Whalebone" is an excellent song off of their album "Songbook")!

Another of my favorite bands is Kings of Convenience. They have not released an album in 5 years, which has been driving me crazy as I love their music and style (If they keep produce music over the next 25 years like a-ha has done, they have the potential of one day becoming my all-time favorite, but it will be difficult to unseat a-ha from that standing). What has helped over that period of time is the fact that Erlend Øye and Eirik Glambek Bøe have both been working on side projects of their own. Best known would be Erlend's work with a band called The Whitest Boy Alive (he has also done some electronic music under his own name). As much as I like WBA, it doesn't touch KOC. Anyhow, KOC's album is scheduled for release this coming Autumn, but once more, youtube has given us a little offering of their new music. This song is titled "Mrs. Cold" (such a great song):


Needless to say, I am bubbling over with excitement with all of this new music coming out (I've heard that Acid House Kings are also supposed to be coming out with a new album--how awesome will that be!). Hooray for a-ha and KOC!

And just to tide you over, here is a song by "The Whitest Boy Alive" called "Figures":


Oh, and I almost forgot, here we can see an example in style and tribute--apparently, Kings of Convenience are also fans of a-ha. Manhattan Skyline was written and performed by a-ha back in the 80s. Kings of Convenience ended up covering it with their unique style. Check out the original by a-ha:


. . . and the cover by Kings of Convenience:


I hope that you have enjoyed these little clips of both new and old music. . . be sure to check out the new albums when they are released! :)

100th Post

So, I have finally reached my 100th post and, as promised, I am going to offer a list for my readers. I allowed my readers to vote on which list they would like and the list of 100 favorite songs won out in large part to the enthusiastic replies by my good friend Mike Gissel who created a blog just so that he could vote! The bad news is that I couldn't come up with a list of 100 favorite songs. . . there were just too many songs that I couldn't eliminate, so instead, for my 100th post, you are getting my 200 favorite songs. If you think that is cheating then just read from 100 to 1. Thanks for all of your input and enjoy the list.

200—California Love—[edited version] (2Pac featuring Dr. Dre)
199—On The Ouside (Oingo Boingo)
198—Simple Kind Of Life (No Doubt)
197—Rose-Colored Times (Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories)
196—Silent Shout (The Knife)
195—Smile Like You Mean It (The Killers)
194—Dom Andra (Kent)
193—Drive (Incubus)
192—Life In One Day (Howard Jones)
191—Special (Garbage)
190—Let It Die (Foo Fighters)
189—Hunter (Dido)
188—Hard Time Killing Floor Blues (Chris Thomas King)
187—There’s No Other Way (Blur)
186—Our Swords (Band of Horses)
185—Roam (B-52s)
184—Colorblind (Natalie Walker)
183—Once Upon A Time (Waltz For Debbie)
182—Ballerina Out Of Control (The Ocean Blue)
181—I’m Shipping Up To Boston (Dropkick Murphy’s)
180—Steam Machine (Daft Punk)
179—Vinheta Quebrante (CéU)
178—Wink Of An Eye (Kaskade)
177—Along The Wall (Leigh Nash)
176—You’re A Wolf (Sea Wolf)
175—Hard Rain (Shout Out Louds)
174—Heretics (Andrew Bird)
173—Comforting Sounds (Mew)
172—Tom’s Diner (Suzanne Vega)
171—Such Great Heights (The Postal Service)
170—Buffalo Soldier (Bob Marley)
169—From Paris To Berlin (Infernal)
168—Mama, You Got A Daughter (John Lee Hooker)
167—Lovers-Flower Garden (Arigat Orchestra—House of Flying Daggers Sound Track)
166—The Long Day Is Over (Norah Jones)
165—Starry Eyed Surprise (Paul Oakenfold)
164—Nature Of The Experiment (Tokyo Police Club)
163—Gepetto (Belly)
162—Heaven (Lamb)
161—One Perfect Sunrise (Orbital)
160—We’re Going To Be Friends (The White Stripes)
159—Busy Child (The Crystal Method)
158—Message In A Bottle (The Police)
157—No New Tale To Tell (Love & Rockets)
156—Poison Arrow (ABC)
155—It’s No Good (Depeche Mode)
154—Blow Me Away (Breaking Benjamin)
153—Ayla-Ayla Part 2-Club Mix (Ayla)
152—Trying To Be Clever (Airliner)
151—New Soul (Yael Naim)
150—In Between Days (The Cure)
149—Island In The Sun (Weezer)
148—Counting Backwards (The Velvet Teen)
147—Synaesthesia-Fly Away (Thrillseekers)
146—Tribute (Tenacious D)
145—Time (Stonebridge featuring Therese)
144—Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want (The Smiths)
143—Unsound (Savoy)
142—The Beat Is Rockin’ (Erick E)
141—Dirty Mouth (Hot Hot Heat)
140—Unravel (Bjork)
139—Fidelity (Regina Spektor)
138—Wonderwall (Oasis)
137—I Want You (Third Eye Blind)
136—Suedehead (Morrissey)
135—Somewhere Only We Know (Keane)
134—We’re From Barcelona (I’m From Barcelona)
133—Rain (Gaelle)
132—Renaissance (Hooverphonic)
131—Idle-The Rabbit Song (Hem)
130—Here I Go Impossible Again (Erasure)
129—Remember Me, v.1 (Blue Boy)
128—Eple (Röyksopp)
127—Talk (Cold Play)
126—It’s Not Up To You (Bjork)
125—Today (Smashing Pumpkins)
124—Breathe In (Frou Frou)
123—Nothing Left To Lose (Mat Kearney)
122—Running Out Of Reasons (Magne f)
121—You And Me (Club 8)
120—Bruised (Lasse Lindh)
119—Blue (Monaco)
118—You Don’t Have To Change (Magne f)
117—Winter (Tori Amos)
116—Prelude From Unaccompanied Cello Suite No, 1 in G Major (J.S. Bach)
115—Put ‘Em High (Stonebridge featuring Therese)
114—Boyfriends Stay (Club 8)
113—I Melt With You (Modern English)
112—Sudden Rush (Erlend Øye)
111—Back To The Old House (The Smiths)
110—Rock Me Gently (Erasure)
109—Am I Wry? No (Mew)
108—I Wanna Be Adored (The Stone Roses)
107—Move For Me (Kaskade)
106—The Boxer (The Chemical Brothers, feat Tim Burgess)
105—Say Yes If You Love Me (Acid House Kings)
104—Lips Like Sugar (Echo & The Bunnymen)
103—Summer’s Evening, Op. 71, No, 2 (Edvard Grieg)
102—Dani California (Red Hot Chili Peppers)
101—Moss (Gusgus)
100—Pagan Poetry (Bjork)
99—1979 (Smashing Pumpkins)
98—Ten Miles Back (The Crystal Method)
97—The Dead Heart (Midnight Oil)
96—Saeglópur (Sigur Rós)
95—Soul Meets Body (Death Cab For Cutie)
94—Comfortable (Fleming & John)
93—Walk On (U2)
92—Släpp In Solen (Ingenting)
91—Waiting For The Siren’s Call (New Order)
90—Running Up That Hill (Kate Bush)
89—Ready Steady Go (Paul Oakenfold)
88—The Rebels (The Cranberries)
87—Fast Cars (U2)
86—We’re Simple Minds (Club 8)
85—Better Together (Jack Johnson)
84—C’mon Through (Lasse Lindh)
83—River (Natalie Merchant)
82—Heaven (Club 8)
81—Burning (The Whitest Boy Alive)
80—London School Of Economics (Acid House Kings)
79—Brothers On A Hotel Bed (Death Cab For Cutie)
78—You Make Me Feel (Gus Gus)
77—Liz On Top Of The World (Jean-Yves Thibaudet)
76—Solitude On The Mountain (Ole Bull)
75—Someone Else (The Radio Dept.)
74—Gold In The Air Of Summer (Kings of Convenience)
73—Crystal (New Order)
72—Take On Me (a-ha)
71—Young Folks (Peter, Bjorn, & John)
70—The Black Keys Work (Erlend Øye)
69—Bizarre Love Triangle (New Order)
68—A Long Term Plan (Acid House Kings)
67—Here To Stay (New Order)
66—She Lives By The Water (Club 8)
65—Monochrome (The Sundays)
64—The Employment Pages (Death Cab For Cutie)
63—With Or Without You (U2)
62—Blood On My Hands (The Sundays)
61—Failure (Kings of Convenience)
60—Holy Ground (a-ha)
59—Run Wild (New Order)
58—Ask (The Smiths)
57—The Summers Of Our Youth (a-ha)
56—Young Bride (Midlake)
55—Yankee Bayonet (The Decemberists)
54—A Place In My Heart (Club 8)
53—I’d Rather Dance With You (Kings of Convenience)
52—Did Anyone Approach You? (a-ha)
51—Pulling Our Weight (The Radio Dept.)
50—Vivid (Electronic)
49—The Secret Life of Daydreams (Jean-Yves Thibaudet)
48—Norwegian March, Op. 54, No. 2 (Edvard Grieg)
47—All Through The Night (The Mormon Tabernacle Choir)
46—Whatever You Want (Club 8)
45—The Saturday Train (Acid House Kings)
44—Where The Streets Have No Name (U2)
43—Parallel Lines (Kings of Convenience)
42—You’ll Never Get Over Me (a-ha)
41—Heartstopper (Emilliana Torrini)
40—Vicious Streak (New Order)
39—The Mariner’s Revenge Song (The Decemberists)
38—A Bad Dream (Keane)
37—Crosses (Jose Gonzalez)
36—Whalebone (Savoy)
35—Shh (Frou Frou)
34—What Else Is There? (Röyksopp)
33—Californication (The Red Hot Chili Peppers)
32—Last Goodbye (Jeff Buckley)
31—Galapagos (Smashing Pumpkins)
30—Figures (The Whitest Boy Alive)
29—Heartbeats (Jose Gonzalez)
28—Reflected (Ronderlin)
27—There Is A Light That Never Goes Out (The Smiths)
26—Mushaboom (Feist)
25—Nothing Here To Hold You (Magne f)
24—Seasick, Yet Still Docked (Morrissey)
23—Love Will Tear Us Apart (Joy Division)
22—Here I Dreamt I Was An Architect (The Decemberists)
21—I Feel My Savior’s Love (The Mormon Tabernacle Choir)
20—Sunday Morning (Acid House Kings)
19—Folk Song (The Sundays)
18—Running To Stand Still (U2)
17—Where Damage Isn’t Already Done (The Radio Dept.)
16—Your Heart Is An Empty Room (Death Cab For Cutie)
15—Here’s Where The Story Ends (The Sundays)
14—Misread (Kings of Convenience)
13—Krafty (New Order)
12—Summer Moved On (a-ha)
11—Summer On The Westhill (Kings of Convenience)
10—Gone (The Sundays)
9—Marching Bands Of Manhattan (Death Cab For Cutie)
8—I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For (U2)
7—Jesus, Walk With Me (Club 8)
6—I Don’t Like It Like This (The Radio Dept.)
5—That’s Because You Drive Me (Acid House Kings)
4—Regret (New Order)
3—I Don’t Know What I Can Save You From (Kings of Convenience)
2—Analogue (a-ha)
1—Temptation (New Order)

Soundtrack to Life

Several years ago, Brian Harris (a friend from college) shared an idea with me that I have since adopted with particular friends. Brian called it a soundtrack for your life and the idea was to record a cd with the music that would be your life's soundtrack and to swap the cd with a friend who has done the same (I still have the cd that Brian burned for me). Needless to say, it was a great way to learn of different bands and get a little insight to a friend's tastes of music. There was a list of rules that Brian came up with, which I have modified slightly when I have done this same swap with other friends over the years.
It has been a while since I have shared this idea with any of my friends, so I figure that I would send it out to all of my friends, acquaintances, and anybody who happens to be reading my blog. Feel free to read through the purpose, the rules, and to share what you come up with for yourself.

PURPOSE:
The purpose of the soundtrack is to expose friends to new or different bands and discover one another's taste in music. One should not try to analyze the lyrics to figure out the person as lyrics may or may not reflect the person's own life. For example, some songs may be included that have a particular sentimental value, may be what one was simply listening to at a particular period of one's life, or may even be chosen for the lyrical content, but that can only be discovered by asking the compiler of the soundtrack, not by attempting to analyze and figure it out on one's own. Each individual has his or her own rationale for compiling the songs that he or she chooses and it may be extremely different from your own.

RULES:
1. You may choose any songs of your choosing for your soundtrack, but an artist can only appear once on your soundtrack (for example, I could not have two songs by The Smiths, but it is perfectly fine to have one song by The Smiths and another by Morrissey--who is the lead singer of The Smiths but later branched out on his own).
2. All songs must fit on 2 cds.
3a. Burn a disc with your soundtrack and swap it with a friend who has done the same.
3b. If you are swapping with someone from a distance and do not wish to mail the cds (or if you would like to swap with me, but don't want to burn discs or get my address, etc.) you may simply send the playlist with the name of the song and the artist. This will allow for the person to look up the music on their own if they like.
4. Swap the cd and playlist with your friend.
5. If you like, you can ask your friend why he or she chose a particular song for the soundtrack, but the friend reserves the right not to share that information if they do not desire to do so.

THE INVITE:
So, if any of you would like to create a soundtrack and swap it with me, I would be delighted. You may either burn me a cd and I will do the same for you, or you could simply type up your playlist and send that to me through whatever means you prefer (mail, facebook, email, or in the comments posting). Let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

SOUNDTRACK TO THE LIFE OF BRETT HALL
CD #1
1. (I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons--Nat King Cole
2. Game--Beady Belle
3. Brother--Annuals
4. Under the Milky Way--The Church
5. All of My Heart--ABC
6. Immature--Björk
7. Over the Water--The Cardigans
8. Wake Up Soon--The Beloved
9. Unlovable--The Smiths
10. I Feel My Savior's Love--The Mormon Tabernacle Choir
11. A Long Term Plan--Acid House Kings
12. Lullaby--The Cure
13. A Praise Chorus--Jimmy Eat World
14. Young Folks--Peter, Bjorn & John
15. Reflected--Ronderlin
16. Galapogos--Smashing Pumpkins
17. Temptation--New Order
18. 24 Hours--The Sundays
19. Sæterjentens Sondag--Ole Bull

CD #2
1. Different Names for the Same Thing--Death Cab for Cutie
2. Only Got One--Frou Frou
3. Fidelity--Regina Spektor
4. I Feel It All--Feist
5. The Next Step You Will Take--Club 8
6. Running Out of Reasons--Magne f
7. What Else Is There?--Røyksopp
8. Unsound--Savoy
9. Seasick, Yet Still Docked--Morrissey
10. Figures--The Whitest Boy Alive
11. Summer's Evening, Op. 71, No. 2--Edvard Grieg
12. The Late Sea--Bernard Herrmann
13. The Secret Life of Daydreams--Jean-Yves Thibaudet
14. I Don't Like It Like This--The Radio Dept.
15. Birthright--A-ha
16. Släpp In Solen--Ingenting
17. Summer on the Westhill--Kings of Convenience
18. Road Trippin'--Red Hot Chili Peppers
19. The Great Salt Lake--Band of Horses
20. Astri, Mi Astri--Alte Sponberg
21. Half Acre--Hem

Nikki Forova and Jonna--Live at the Mint

Ukrainian eclectic musician, Nikki Forova, and Finnish music sensation Jonna will be performing live at the Mint on Tuesday, December 2nd at 10 p.m. If you happen to be in the Los Angeles Area on the 2nd, you should make an effort to attend this performance. I've met both artists and am impressed with their warmth of character and friendly and open nature. I have also seen both perform and I can honestly say that you will enjoy both the music and atmosphere that they will create. The band members are awesome too--great talent and great people. You do not want to miss this performance!
You can learn more about the artists from the links below. Here is the information for the performance:

NIKKI FOROVA and JONNA
LIVE
@ THE MINT
6010 West Pico Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90035
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
10 p.m.
Admission: $8

You can view bio information and listen to some of Nikki Forova's music HERE.

You can view bio information and listen to some of Jonna's music HERE.

Countdown to Syttende Mai--Röyksopp

I'd love to write a lot about Röyksopp, but it is Friday and I don't have much time between completing work and heading out for the night, so I will let the music speak for itself. Needless to say, Röyksopp is a Norwegian band from Tromsø (located on the northern coast of Norway). Do a google search for more info. In the meantime enjoy such songs as "Poor Leno":

"Eple":

"What Else Is There?":

And "Remind Me":

I hope that you have enjoyed these cool electro-chill songs. I'll be "chilling" to them on my drive out to L.A.

Countdown to Syttende Mai--The Kings of Convenience

Music always plays an important role in any given culture. Now that we have explored Grieg, Bull, and Nordraak, it is time to move to the present music scene of Norway. The last time I was in Norway (2004) I took occasion to speak with various people while waiting for a train to my next destination. One conversation with a young man led to a discussion of music and I was introduced to the Kings of Convenience. I later stopped in a music store in Stockholm, Sweden, found one of their albums, gave it a listen and instantly loved it! Ever since, I have been promoting K.O.C. (Kings of Convenience).
Anyhow, K.O.C. are from Bergen, Norway (the same hometown of both Bull and Grieg). Bergen is a beautiful city located on the west coast of Norway and is known for its music festivals. The rail-line from Oslo to Bergen is fantastic! If you are ever in Norway you must take the train between the two cities and be sure to take a little side trip to one of the fjords for a cruise--you will be blown away by the beauty and serenity that you will experience in such a location. But I am here to focus on the music not the nature in this entry, so check out a few of the videos by K.O.C. and enjoy the beauty and the serenity that comes from their music!
This first video is to the song "Misread," which I absolutely love. It is this song that initially stuck in my head and was reminiscent of a modern and much improved Simon and Garfunkel:

Next, we have a live version of "I Don't Know What I Can Save You From," which happens to be my all-time favorite K.O.C. song (actually it is tied with "Summer on the Westhill"). Needless to say, I have heard that they are awesome live. One day I shall have to make it to a concert (that would be a good excuse for a trip to Europe):

The song "I'd Rather Dance With You" is probably their most popular song in the United States:

"Cayman Islands" is a really relaxing song (as is most of their music):

Anyhow, there is so much more for true music lovers to explore both with K.O.C. and with bands from Norway. Rumor has it that K.O.C. is supposed to be working on a new album (which I hope is true). Enjoy the tunes!

Summer Moved On

For this week's music adventure we are heading back to Norway to explore the sounds of a familiar band that most people believe is a one-hit-wonder. It is truly sad that most people think of A-ha in such a way. While "Take On Me" was a great song, and what the band is known for, it isn't even close to their best song. Most people don't realize that in the 1990s, A-ha set the record for the largest paying audience for a concert and that the band continues to create albums even to the present time. Apparently there was a falling out with American record companies and A-ha has since produced on a German label and tours seemingly everywhere but America. Anyhow, "Summer Moved On" is from their 2000 album "Minor Earth, Major Sky." It is a really good song, but once again, not their best. I am confident that anyone who takes the time to discover their most recent albums will be very impressed both by the quality of the music and the depth of the lyrics--this is certainly not American pop music, thankfully. Jeg elsker dette musikk! Det er meget god! Enjoy.