Wow, it's been a terribly long time since we've posted here. Don't worry, we're still ready to blog our little hearts out, we've just had a few exciting developments that kept us from here the last week or so. Here's some tracks to celebrate our return:
[mp3] The Beatles - Get Back
[mp3] Steel Train - I Want You Back (Jackson 5 Cover)
As you may have previously noticed, we registered a .com address a few months ago to store all of our music at. Since then, we've spent some time trying to figure exactly what types of content we'd like to feature at Sell the Lie.
After a few failed attempts, some crashes and a few re-designs we're ready to launch our brand-spankin' new site. Here's the address, it should be pretty easy to remember:
http://www.sellthelie.com
All of our previous posts are already there. We expect that there may be a few glitches when we moved everything, so if anything looks out of the ordinary please give us a buzz.
I'm happy to say that we've added a few new features to the page. We now have a calender of events that includes the CD releases we're looking forward to and some shows we'll be attending. If you're in the Salt Lake City area (as we are) you'll find these shows listed with all the relevant information (times, places, prices etc.). I believe we've also made it quite a bit easier to find different types of content using the tabs. Let us know what you think of it!
Now, to the part you're all reading for - FREE STUFF! The fine folks over at Brushfire Records have sent us a few vinyl samplers to give away as a celebration of our move to our own .com. For those of you kickin' it new school the records also include a link for a free digital download of all 8 songs.
Here's the track listing:
1- Neil Halstead - Paint a Face
2- Mason Jennings - Something About Your Love
3- Jack Johnson - What You Thought You Need
4- Matt Costa - Never Looking Back
5- Money Mark - Summer Blue
6- G. Love & Special Sauce - Crumble
7- Zach Gill - Beautiful Reason
8- Rogue Wave - Christians In Black
Now, to answer the inevitable question - how do I get my hands on one of these beauties??
It's simple. Head to the new webpage and post a comment on the giveaway post (it'll be stickied right at the top). All your comment needs to do is convince us why you deserve to win. Be sure to include your email address in the appropriate field so we can contact you if you win. The contest will end on 27th of June (next Friday) and we'll have multiple winners!
See you on the other side...
[mp3] Collective Soul - What I Can Give You
Showing posts with label Collective Soul. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Collective Soul. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
...and we're back! (Plus a new site, giveaway and more!)
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Six Pack of the Week - City Central
So I'm sure everyone can think of some song by their favorite band that's about (or just named after) a city. Yeah, there sure are a lot of them. I like to think they're written for some reason other than to get a loud "Whooo" (or "woot" if you prefer) when they play them for said city, but I think I'm just lying to myself. It's sad really, lying to yourself. Anyway, this week's six pack is songs about cities. Stu's going first this time, let's see how long it takes me to screw this up:Sufjan Stevens - Chicago
This song will one day go in my series of "listen-to-this-song-if-someone-recommends-this-artist's-music-to -you-and-doesn't-tell-you-what-to-listen-to." And I may have to consider a name change for said series. People always say to me, "hey, hot stuff, you should listen to such-and-such band/singer," but they never tell me what to listen to! This is usually somewhat infuriating. This was once again the case with Sufjan. Finally, after sifting through half a billion chirpy-bird songs, I found Chicago. I think it's a good Intro to Sufjan song.
I've been trying to think of the right descriptor word to explain his music, and I think I'm going to go with complex. He adds in a lot of different elements and it seems like you need to start by listening to some of his more "basic" songs before you can appreciate the rest of 'em. And now, crap, I'm going to screw up this six-pack at the very start by making it a 7-pack! Jacksonville is too good (and also too named after a city) to be left out of this one. So this is a two-fer.
[mp3] Sufjan Stevens - Chicago
[mp3] Sufjan Stevens - Jacksonville
Buy some Sufjan (pronounced Soof-Yawn): Amazon | iTunes
Visit his sites: Official | Myspace
The Stills - Of Montreal
If your first instinct was to ask, "are these guys Canadian?" then you, sir or madam, would be good at a little game I like to call, umm, Name Their Heritage. 100 points to you, Huzzah! If that was not your first instinct, shame on you, it's right in the title and everything! Try to try a little harder next time, will you?
Seriously though, if you've never heard of The Stills then you should at least hear of them long enough to listen to their debut album, Logic Will Break Your Heart; if you don't like them after that, then perhaps rock music just isn't for you! Ha, I jest of course, but it is definitely an album I'm glad I have, and when it gets to that point you've pretty much got to recommend it to whomever crosses your path. Take Of Montreal as an example: I never would've thought that I'd be hyping a song where a dude sings about what's turning him on, but there ya go, I just did. Crazy talk!
[mp3] The Stills - Of Montreal
Buy some music by The Stills: Amazon | iTunes
Visit them online: Official | Myspace
Kraig's Picks:
Collective Soul - Over Tokyo
Collective Soul - Over Tokyo
I'm bringin' this baby out of the states and into the Far East! This is by far the best track (and probably the only track worth mentioning) from Blender. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that it's actually a reworking of a much older song that Ed did on his solo album? Yeah, probably. I've included the totally 80's version from Ed' solo album, Ed E Roland, just for kicks.
PS: Anyone have a copy of Ed E Roland? I only have this track and I'm wondering if it's worth picking up...
[mp3] Collective Soul - Over Tokyo
[mp3] Ed E Roland - Over Tokyo
Buy some Collective Soul: Amazon | iTunes
Visit them Online: Official | Myspace
Ryan Adams - New York, New York (live)
I know this makes me a square, but I had never heard of Ryan Adams until New York, New York smacked me upside the head. Ryan is one of my favorite artists so this song has a special place in my heart since it was my introduction to Mr. Adams. This version is from the Loft Sessions and it's a completely different beast than the original - much more bluesy.
[mp3] Ryan Adams - New York, New York (live)
Buy some Ryan Adams: Amazon | iTunes
Visit him online: Official | Myspace
Brock's Picks
As I was searching through my music collection, I realized we could very easily do a "Songs About New York and Los Angeles" six-pack. In all actuality, we could just as easily do a "Songs About Los Angeles by Counting Crows" six-pack. That being said, the following songs are not about Los Angeles...
The Stereo - Have I Paid My Debt to Minneapolis?
Okay, you're right, this song does mention Los Angeles. But it's not really about LA! The Stereo is a cool little pop-rock band that sort of paved the way for the pop-punk bands on the Fueled by Ramen label. So, depending on your view of that whole musical movement, sorry...? But this song is an excellent example of the clever lyrics and catchy songwriting typical of The Stereo.
[mp3] The Stereo - Have I Paid My Debt to Minneapolis?
The Site: Label(old) | Wikipedia
The Sounds: iTunes | Amazon
Beirut - Nantes
When Stu first posted about Beirut, I braced myself for some sissy-la-la Frenchy music. I was sorely mistaken, my friends. There is simply nothing sissy or la-la about it, just good times folk-pop music. Hopefully you've already checked out the music video, and if you haven't purchased The Flying Club Cup you should do yourself a favor and purchase it. (By the way, Nantes is a city in France.)
[mp3] Beirut - Nantes
The sites: Official | Myspace
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Six Pack of the Week - Rainy Day Tunes
The month of April and rain are nearly synonymous in the north-western hemisphere of the world. Since that's where I live those are the lamentations you shall hear today.
It rained (and snowed) today in the little place I call home and I'm sure it will keep on raining through the end of the month. And then stop. Forever. Because I live in a desert.
We've got some tunes to get your drenched and dreary soul through the day. First off, my (Kraig) picks:
The Beatles - Rain
Oh, The Beatles. They're either the greatest thing since sliced bread or the most over-hyped band that's ever graced the planet depending on your stance. Regardless of whether you like them or not, most people seem to agree on the overwhelming influence The Beatles have had on popular music over the past 40 years. "Rain" is a shining example of why they were such a revolutionary band.
The song features the best drum fills Ringo has made this side of Abbey Road, some of the sweetest tone to be heard at the time on the bass, a collection of the first real "psychedelic" lyrics John brought our way - not to mention the fact that we're hearing the first implementation of a backwards track when John's vocals reverse right before it starts to fade out. Really, The Beatles don't get much better than this. And it's a b-side?? Seriously - there's very few tracks I hold in this high of a regard and it's not even an a-side single. Crazy. Oh, and it's about rain (well, probably) if you didn't guess.
[mp3] The Beatles - Rain
Buy some music from The Beatles: Amazon
Pearl Jam - Wash
This song has more to do with "washing away" then rain, but there's a heavy dose of precipitation imagery involved throughout. When I hear this I can always see Eddie screaming to the skies to open themselves up as the song closes out - a lot of passion there. I was a bit surprised that they were able to retain the original grit when this was re-recorded for Lost Dogs a few years ago. I've posted the most recent version, but the original is quite epic as well.
The most important thing here is that I get to hype my two favorite bands in the same post for songs they aren't well known for. How often does that happen?
[mp3] Pearl Jam - Wash
Buy some Pearl Jam: Amazon | iTunes
Visit them online: Official | Myspace
Stu's:
Collective Soul - She Gathers Rain
I once asked Kraig if this song was about a fat chick. It makes sense, doesn't it? If she's gathering rain, she must be a pretty big girl. Pretty self-explanatory to me, but I think it came at Kraig completely out of left field.
I was never very fond of this song until I had the privilege to hear it live. A couple years ago CSoul came to Boise, Idaho, and played at the Idaho State Fair (of all places!), and we (Kraig, Brock, myself, and some friends) decided this was too good an opportunity to pass up. We all squeezed in a tiny car and drove the 4-5 hour trip up to Boise. The song wasn't any different at the show, but for some reason the hook just sounded soooo good live. Now She Gathers Rain is one of the songs I think of when I think Collective Soul. Oh, and it also has the rain theme we're featuring this week. Ya, nice.
[mp3] Collective Soul - She Gathers Rain
Buy some Collective Soul: Amazon | iTunes
Visit them online: Official | Myspace
Adam Elk - It's Raining In Here
I don't really feel qualified to talk about Adam Elk (as I know incredibly little about him, besides that he's an ex-member of the Mommyheads), but I knew I had to include this track in our rainy day list. Elk brings the funk and, wow, is it good. That's some good funk right there. A couple years ago I wasn't a fan of the funk, but I credit many of the tracks on Labello to bringing me over to the funk side.
[mp3] Adam Elk - It's Raining In Here
Buy some Adam Elk: Amazon | iTunes
Brock's Songs
The Apples in Stereo - The Rainbow
This is a song that's ostensibly about rain, but in a happy way! The Apples in Stereo can't really help but make you happy, with such a excellent mix of quasi-psychadelic, 60's-style sugary sweet pop. Check it out!
The sites: Official | Myspace
The Jayhawks - Save It For a Rainy Day
If you don't own the album Rainy Day Music by the Jayhawks, you're missing out on a modern masterpiece. It's fantastic alt.country that evokes early Beatles and has some of the greatest vocal harmonies around. The Jayhawks are currently on hiatus, which fills me with some rain-soaked sadness.
The sites: Fansite
The sounds: iTunes
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Six Pack of the Week - Songs About Home
I'm sure there's some kind of psychological explanation for an ordinary human being's need to have a place to call his own and to yearn for the familiar since it's an emotion we all feel. As relaxing as any vacation can be, it's always good to get back home.
This week we'll be exploring a few more recent tracks about coming, or at least wanting to come home. These ones go out to the Stu-Dawg, the Asian Sensation, who brang it all back home a few weeks ago.
Foo Fighters - Home
The first track to look at comes from the latest outing from the Foo Fighers: Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace. I'm sure you've heard The Pretender tearing up the radio waves at some point during the past year, or maybe even Long Road to Ruin. This song takes a more subtle approach, certainly one of the more intimate songs I've heard from Grohl & Co. Check it out if you haven't already.
[mp3] Home - Foo Fighters
M. Ward - To Go Home
This is probably my favorite track from Post War. The rollicking drums, the constant buildup that never quite releases into the full out assault you'd expect, the lyrics tackling life & love - it's breath taking, beautiful music.
[mp3] To Go Home - M. Ward
Dishwalla - Home
This track comes from Opaline, one of the most severely under-appreciated albums of the '00s. The entire album is filled with these lovely pieces of alternative-pop perfection. If you've never heard the album, I highly recommend taking a peek.
[mp3] Home - Dishwalla
The Decemberists - Yankee Bayonet (I Will Be Home)
Another song that really strikes a chord with me. I love the entire album (The Crane Wife) but this is a stand-out track in my mind. The duets throughout the whole song tear my little heart to pieces and the combination of the keys, the male/female vocal harmonies and well placed guitar work make this song an essential on anyone's iPod.
Collective Soul - Home
The rest of the songs follow more into the area of "tear-jerkers". This one by Collective Soul is more the type of song I'd like to hear blare through the speakers when I walked into my house after a long trip. Rockin' and catchy, this one comes off of one of their more recent albums - Youth.
[mp3] Home - Collective Soul
Band of Annuals - Follow Your Headlights Home
Now, back to the delicate songs. The Band of Annuals is probably a band you've never heard of. They're a local band in SLC that plays alternative-country about as well as any band I've ever seen. This one's quite slow until about 1/2 way through, wait for the double solo with the slide guitar and electric guitar - it's a thing of beauty that you'll rarely hear matched.
***Bonus Song***
Collective Soul - Reunion
Well, we missed the Six Pack last week and this week we're a day late. I know it's not TOO much, but here's an extra song to help make up for it.
I know, we already posted a Collective Soul song but I REALLY felt like I had to include this one too. This song really captures the feel of coming home to me. The acoustic slide guitar solo and the gospel-inspired backing vocals make this a tune that doesn't really fit with most people's preconceived perceptions of Collective Soul.
This one harkens way back to their self titled album, probably one of the songs you skipped so you could hear The World I Know or December again. Slow down next time through and take a listen to the whole last half of the album, it's ridiculously good.
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