It’s called When Animals Stare by The Black Ghosts. It’s like Black Keys + Band of Skulls + Magnet. Which is awesome. And it doesn’t fade halfway through like most albums. Double Awesome.
Thanks for sharing, David.
See also:
Fun story on recycled pop culture, based on a book by a man who claims we’re engrossed in unhealthy levels of nostalgia right now.
The take-away: Nostalgia is only good if you learn from it. And money-making adults—not senior citizens or youth—rule the roost when it comes to demanding the supply of retro pop culture (or at least what they thought was pop culture in younger years).
Piano is hands down the greatest instrument ever made. Even better than drums. And as far as genres go, classical is, without a doubt, the most timeless music ever.
What happens when you combine the two in their most essential forms? You get this: The best classical piano sonatas ever written.
Before I move on, please note: I use the term “sonata” a bit loosely — my list includes some pieces with no additional movements. But I am using the term “classical” strictly — anything from the common practice period of 1600-1910, spanning baroque, classical, and romantic periods.
So put on your powdered wig. Dress in a frilly shirt. Download the playlist to follow along (right click to save). And don’t applaud during the pauses, please. It’s the top 10 best classical piano sonatas of all-time. (more…)
The kid who made this is only 17 and hails from France. It’s a remix of 39 pop songs. Dubbed Madeon, he’s purportedly already signed to a label and releasing an extended play album this summer. It’s seriously some of the best live sampling I’ve ever seen.
Says a friend, “I see this sort of thing and basically give up on playing music. I’m a no-talent hack compared to this guy…” which is why this kid will have a long career in music.
Mangnifique!
I can count the number of country albums I like in the order I discovered them on one hand: Patsy Cline’s greatest, Garth Brooks Ropin’ the Wind, Hank Williams’ greatest, Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins, and Jimmy Buffett’s greatest (if you can call that country).
Truth be told, I think the genre may be the second most cliche and boring kind of music ever, after industrial, of course (with exception to Pretty Hate Machine and Downward Spiral).
But I digress. I now have a new favorite country album: Brad Paisley’s This is Country Music. Whether you like country or not, know this: Brad Paisley is a phenomenal musician, songwriter, Telecaster guitarist, and one of the best lyricists in modern music. Of any genre. Seriously, he could give Brandon Flowers a run for his poetic memory. He’s that good.
So if you ain’t scurred to try new things, click on the above link. Not only will it make you want to buy a 10-gallon hat and a pair of wranglers, I’m pretty sure one of the following eight highlight tracks will speak to you when listened to in their entirety: This is country music, A man don’t have to die, Camouflage, One of those lives, Toothbrush, Love her like she’s leaving, New Favorite memory, and Don’t drink the water.
For reals, this album is stacked. It’s in my running as album of the year. No lie.
All 10 songs can be looped and are definitely worth the purchase price. And the Brian MacDonald cameo on track 10 is choice. Enjoy! (Thanks, David).
According to “certified” + estimated or “claimed” sales compiled by Wikipedia, they are as follows:
No disrespect, but I was surprised to see Madonna, Elton, and Mariah so high on the charts. Who knew?
My latest for Fox & Friends. Not a shocker, but I still found it amusing.
Bonus points to Russ for saying “scuzzed out.” And I love how tiny his head looks when he walks onto the street in new looks.
Smooth Harold is the official blog of Blake Snow, a freelance writer and media consultant living the good life with a wife and kids. Among other things, he is writing a book on finding offline balance in an increasingly online world. He can be reached by email.
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Over the years, I've benefited both personally and professionally from kind and intelligent individuals over lunch. Yes, good people still exist. So if you're ever in the greater Salt Lake area (all are welcome) and want to grab a friendly bite, don't hesitate to ask.
