HAIM - Days Are Gone

2013 was a big year for the HAIM sisters (Alana, Este, and Danielle Haim...you might guess how they named the group). They released a critically acclaimed debut album, Days Are Gone, performed on Saturday Night Live and Austin City Limits, played some of the world's biggest festivals (Glastonbury, Treasure Island), and performed with huge names like Phoenix and Mumford and Sons. So why the sudden rush of popularity? In my opinion, HAIM produces stellar pop rock in the vein of Fleetwood Mac and Genesis, but with the smiling, no-drama persona of the Von Trapp family. Another critic wrote how refreshing it was to review a mainstream band so "uncool." The girls seem to just love playing music and asking you to sing along. I would agree: the music video for lead single, "The Wire" has the girls leaving groups of heartbroken men in their wake, consoling each other with manly three-way calls and scattered bottles of wine! Silly, toe-tapping fun for everyone.

Gillian Welch and David Rawlings at the MIM!

Gillian Welch and David Rawlings perfoming at the Musical Instrument Museum turned out to be not only worth the trip to Scottsdale, but a sonic and visual feast! Prior to the main course, we strolled the galleries of the MIM, attired in our free headsets, wired to hear the music of the instruments that we were looking at from various regions of the world. This is already an incredible musical experience before we even enter the lovely, acoustically perfect venue in the museum where Gillian Welch and her singing/songwriting partner David Rawlings will perform.

Halfway to Fivepoints

Do you remember what it was like listening to music before the Internet was a thing? Do you remember how frustrating it was to hear a song on the radio or during a movie, and have no way to find out what that song was? For all the arguments that digital piracy has ruined music forever, I've found that the inverse is the actual truth; I love being able to find music from all across the world that I would never have had a chance to learn about otherwise. You're not limited to what's playing on the radio or available in the CD aisle anymore.

Now, we have the entire world open to us, with all of its niche styles and indie artists. I love that.

I first heard of Swedish singer-songwriter Anna Ternheim when her song "No, I Don't Remember" was played during the end credits to the Xbox 360 video game Alan Wake. Her lyrics and musical ability captured my attention immediately and I wanted more. With a bit of searching based on nothing more than a half-remembered lyric, I found Anna's album Halfway to Fivepoints.

Into The Wild

So Fred and I have decided to try doing a "dual blog" since we are both fans of the film Into The Wild. One of our favorite soundtracks is also one of our favorite movies, and books. "Into the Wild" is a true story, with a soundtrack by musician Eddie Vedder which is haunting and brilliant and uplifting and sad. A score that truly films the film.

"Into the Wild" tells the (true) story of Christopher McCandless, a young man who abandons his college life to find himself by hiking and living a life across the United States in 1990. McCandless made news when his body was discovered two years later in Alaska, where he had been living off the land inside an abandoned bus on National Park land. Director Sean Penn and musician Eddie Vedder came together to compose a soundtrack to the film that tells Christopher's story, and the result is one of the most haunting and joyous albums we've ever encountered.

Mums the Word: How Folk Rock Conquered the Charts

Name: Mumford & Sons
Genre: Folk Rock
Sounds Like:  Calexico, Fleet Foxes, Avett Brothers
Listen to: "The Cave," "Winter Winds," "I Will Wait," "Lover of the Light"

Chances are you've heard of Mumford & Sons at some point in the past few years. The English folk rock band scored a string of monster hits with the growling apology song "Little Lion Man," the self-reflecting "The Cave," and the most recent smash "I Will Wait." The band has been nominated for multiple Grammies, their CD Babel is the fastest selling album of 2012, and lead singer Marcus Mumford recently wed An Education star Carey Mulligan...call it an understatement to say the band is in full view of the public eye!

So for anyone who has yet to listen to a Mumford song, allow me to convince you: Banjo solos. Big, booming sound. Catchy hooks. Relatable (if somewhat average) lyrics. Mumford & Sons write crowd-pleasing folk music that makes you want to stomp your feet on the dance floor. Last year I saw the band headline the fantastic Railroad Revival Tour. For their entire set they kept the energy high, with the crowd dancing and hollerin' along to every song!

Tucson Meet Yourself

Calling all music fans (and food fans): Tucson Meet Yourself is coming up this weekend, on October 12-14! This should be an especially fun year for the festival, since it will overlap with the Tucson Zombie Walk and Pride in the Desert. Come meet everyone who "keeps Tucson weird" (as the bumper sticker goes), including many Pima County employees, who will mostly be gathered in the area near the sculpture in front of Main Library downtown. The Library staff will be out in force, and you may even get a chance to scope out the infamous Bookbike!

Light up your life with The Lumineers!

Name:  The Lumineers
Genre:  Folk Rock
Sounds like:  The Decemberists, Fleet Foxes, Of Monsters and Men, The Avett Brothers

Judging from the large number of holds on their self-titled CD and a sold out show at the Rialto Theatre this past Thursday, it seems that many people are as excited by The Lumineers as I am! One of my favorite new bands, The Lumineers are a folk rock band from Denver whose rapid rise to stardom is underscored by the simple beauty of their songs. As guitarists Jeremiah Fraites stated in an interview earlier in the year, "We're not reinventing the wheel...the ideas themselves are very simple." Those of you looking for blistering guitar solos might try a different band, but anyone who craves songs about hopes and dreams, loss and love, would do well to give this band a listen!

Nick Cave and the Sad Soundtracks

When I saw the first half of the last Harry Potter movie, I was delighted to recognize a classic song from one of my favorite artists: Nick Cave. So it got me to thinking, what other soundtracks or scores have his songs been on? Turns out, the library has a few! The Road was a bleak favorite. Follow the break for more info.

La Grande

If you are into the folksy rock sound staight out from the Portland scene, check out this new addition to PCLP's music catalog: La Grande by Laura Gibson. La Grande is a small town in the Pacific Northwest where native Oregonian Gibson found inspiration for her third album. Gibson is now with Barsuk Records, the independent Seattle label that includes such bands as Nada Surf and Death Cab for Cutie but don't be misled; she is far from alternative rock. Her sound is closer to folk and blues. Gibson cites singer/guitarist Mississippi John Hurt and Elizabeth Cotten as her influences. Closer to our time, she sometimes reminds me of Eleni Mandell.

Bearded Ballads: Iron & Wine, Bon Iver, and William Fitzsimmons

One of the most striking similarities shared by these three musicians is a simple, well-cultivated beard. Indeed, for some music fans, that may be reason enough to attend their concerts, buy their albums, and lump them into a single blog post. Arguably, it may very well be that patch of chin hair that causes these artists to create such delicate, even bare, music. Some of William Fitzsimmons' lyrics can be so bleak he probably needs the extra hair to keep him warm throughout his performances. Even more, Justin Vernon wrote the majority of his first album, For Emma, Forever Ago, in a backwoods cabin in beard territory, Wisconsin. Robust facial hair growth aside, Iron & Wine's Sam Beam, Bon Iver's Justin Vernon, and William Fitzsimmons' William Fitzsimmons share a musical style brimming with a poetic depth and instrumental subtlety that leave listeners feeling supremely relaxed or ready to bust out some flamenco (to make sense of that last comment, watch Iron & Wine's music video for the song Boy with a Coin). These gentlemen are perfect whether you are seeking mellowness after a hectic day, watching the rain from your window (as rare as that may be), or slowly emerging from bed on a Sunday morning.