Patrick Edmonds’ Ipod- What Are You Listening To?
Patrick Edmonds
Courtesy of Brian FitI know it’s been written about on here how music appreciation has declined significantly amongst our current generation of ipod and itune addicts. More specifically, how we, as a music listening society, have lost appreciation for the concept of the album. I completely agree with this viewpoint, and I am in no place to judge because I have only purchased eight full albums (The Killers’ Sam’s Town, The Roots’ Game Theory, Eminem’s Recovery, Phoenix’s Wolfgang Amadeus, Mumford and Sons’ Sigh No More, Bruce Springsteen’s We Shall Overcome: Seeger Sessions, Eddie Vedder’s Into the Wild Soundtrack, and Arcade Fire’s The Suburbs respectively) in the past five years. However, I am not ashamed to admit that I have purchased more than twenty individual songs through itunes in just the past year.
Why exactly have I decided to pursue this far less aesthetically complete admiration of music and album? Well, there are a number of reasons. For one, it’s far more affordable. Whereas I can procure five or six songs that I am certain I will genuinely enjoy for $8-10, to purchase all of the albums of these artists with songs that I may never listen to would cost me anywhere from $70-100. Also, as just noted, there are songs that I will in fact never enjoy or appreciate at all. And while there is merit to the idea that with time and a more holistic listening to the album I could come to enjoy these songs on an equal level with the single I purchased, the truth is I rarely feel the desire to invest such time into music in this manner anymore. Sorry. Finally, there is that ever incredible aspect of technology which I have so often bemoaned on this very site, convenience. Years ago, if I wanted to purchase a single, usually in tape form, I had to go to the mall, find it amongst the rows of other tapes and CDs, and then purchase at a price that was not much cheaper than the complete album. However, today, with itunes right on my Ipod touch and Iphone, I am able to merely type in my password, the name of my song (which is easy to find with Shazam or radio websites), and then click “Upload”. The song, after mere seconds of uploading, is conveniently transferred into my “Purchased” list as well as my “All Songs” section for my instant listening pleasure.
So, after much justification, to the point of my post. Since I assume I am hardly alone in this same manner of music acquisition and admiration, I want to encourage a new component to our site in an effort to share our favorite songs and albums with each other. As I believe the list above reveals, I like to think I have a somewhat unique, slightly diverse taste in music, one that I’m always willing to expand. So, without further adieu, here’s what I am currently listening to, usually on repeat, on my Ipod.
1. Arcade Fire’s “Modern Man” and “We Used to Wait”- Both on their recent Grammy winning album, The Suburbs, these songs are equally good yet surprisingly different. As a whole the album fulfills the totality that I seek in good music and musical artists, providing some level of thematic cohesion throughout. Yet, these two songs really standout amongst the album’s other quality tunes. Arcade Fire’s lead singer's, Win Butler, voice has this incredible ominous tone to it that forces you to place far more stock into his words than the average singer. Also, the complex instrumental blending of piano, guitar, bass, violin, flutes, and others provide something so authentically musical that you feel like you’re listening to a band from a truly different era before the more current corruption of synthetic, digitalized instruments and sound. While I encourage you to listen to both these, I also suggest buying the entire album.
2. Regina Spektor’s “Us”- An amazingly distinct female vocalist, Regina Spektor has the same intense severity of Arcade Fire’s Win Butler, but it also has this incredible playfulness. It’s almost as if she’s making up the lyrics as she sings in this song, but there is still incredible continuity to the piece. Again, there is an amazing piano and violin melody providing a perfect background to Spektor’s constantly altering intonation. I love when the instrumentals are used not to outshine the singer but rather augment their talent, and when they can merge together to enhance each other’s strengths and sounds, like in this song, it makes the experience all the more enjoyable. For anyone currently obsessed with Adele, I suggest giving Spektor a listen as well.
3. Kayne West’s “Power”- I think I first heard this track for a movie trailer, and I was immediately hooked. The opening is addictive. Although the song eventually utilizes a little too much electronics, the opening and repetitive beat throughout the piece of what seems to be a choir harmonizing and group simply clapping insights an immediate update attitude and tempo. Then there’s West’s lyrics, which are often a sound balance of the absurd and insightful, but here he seems intent on doing what he’s best at, praising himself. This song is one of the greatest narcissistic rants of any rap song I’ve ever heard, which is truly a compliment to West’s unstoppable self-glorification.
4. The Black Keys’ “Tighten Up”- After listening to this song, it’s stunning to learn it’s simply performed by a rock duo, vocalist/guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer/producer Patrick Carney. There sounds like so much is going on when in reality it’s just two guys with two instruments having a lot of fun. The guitar rift is absolutely amazing, especially when it takes an expected twist with about a minute left in the song. Finally, the video for this song is hilarious and effectively reinforces that these guys are really having fun making quality music.
5. The Airborne Toxic Event’s “Changing”- Not the most inspired choice, but there’s something about the beat of this song that makes me overlook the cheesy, cliché lyrics. However, this song to me reflects a new renaissance in young rock artists of today, who are creating unique sounds supported by seriously talented musicians and instrumentals. It’s nice to see this revitalization because it seemed almost lost just a decade ago.
6. The Pogues’ “The Body of an American”- The Irish in me never allows myself to go more than a week without listening to some quality Irish music, of any kind. And if you’re going to listen to any Irish music for many weeks straight, it mine as well be The Pogues, arguably the most talented, successful Irish band. This song all Wire fans will be familiar with because it’s the one played at Baltimore Police Officers’ wakes with all their cop friends singing drunkenly in unison. This is where I first heard it, and I could never get the song out of my head. But I just recently purchased it, and I honestly play it at least three times a week and love it more every time. While it always makes me think about The Wire and causes an intense desire for a Guiness and some Jameson, I also love it in its own right for its beautiful lyrical sentiments and proud and powerful Irish sound.
So that is it for the time being. I know I’ve given you a lot to chew on and listen to, and I hope you use this new forum at The Lunch Break to update us on your current favorites or favorite classics. Feel free to add them below or write your own post.
Reader Comments (3)
God damn. If I ever have a political career or my own talk show here on the lunch break, I now have my anthem. You will see me dancing to this on the streets one day.
"I am free born man in the USA" -- great lyrics
"We Used to Wait" gave me the chills the first time I heard it. Still kills me every time. Chill-inducement has always been one of my measures for a great song, one with lasting power. Regina Spektor can have that effect. Hear her at her most playful with "On the Radio," at her most chill-inducing with "Samson."
Thanks for the post. I like the suggestions, but unfortunately I've stopped buying music altogether. I used to still buy a cd every now and then, because I liked having the physical product and the artwork, but it's too expensive now and not portable like an iPod. I'd start buying songs on iTunes but I'm afraid it's so easy to do that I'd get addicted and run up a huge bill. Instead, I just keep adding stations to my pandora account, which is free, has limited commercials compared to fm radio, and rarely plays a song I don't like. Between pandora, grooveshark, YouTube playlists, and some other Internet radio stations like radio paradise, i cant forsee buying any more albums. I'll definitely add the artists you listed to my queue though. Maybe I'll even burn a few albums for free just for old times sake. Thanks for the inspiration.