New Album Review: Battle Studies

So I started listening to John Mayer's new album, and right off the bat I love "Who Says" (that is, until it is TOTALLY overplayed on the radio) and "War of My Life". "Half of My Heart" is good, too, I'm just not swooning over it because of Taylor Swift - like ever teeny bopper on the planet.

I will say it lacks the diversity that I love about Continuum (with his Hendrix covers and ballads), but I think I just need to listen to it a little more and let it soak in.

On a side note, John's a handsome guy and I'm sure a casanova with the ladies, but what's with his do on the cover? Um, Elvis called - he wants his hair back.

A new favorite

I've been digging this mellow folkish vibe lately and have recently discovered The Kings of Convenience, a duo from Norway. While I know they've been around, why has no one ever recommended them to me? They couldn't be more up my alley. I recently let myself purchase one of their four albums from iTunes and I'll tell you, a tough decision it was. I went with their second to last released album, Riot On An Empty Street, mainly because I read that Feist did some vocals on two of the tracks. The whole album flows from one track to the next in some sort of seamless mellow montage. This is a highly recommended album for a quiet day by yourself.

Kings of Convenience: Riot on an Empty Street

When you need to mellow...

Got in a fight with my significant other today. He's lacking emotion while I have too much of it. After getting back to my office, I was having a hard time concentrating. Angry words were flying all over my thoughts and I really needed to calm down and focus on my job. Enter Sufjan Stevens. He went solo in 2000, so he's been around for a while, but I've only recently discovered his folky acoustical sound. It was like a musical hug.

Artist: Sufjan Stevens
Song: Romulus
Album: Greetings From Michigan: The Great Lake State

Calm, Cool, & Collected

When I think of cool, mellow bands that have a great beat, but are not noisy and obnoxious, I think of the following artists:

1. St. Germain
2. Thievery Corporation
3. Gotan Project
4. Fila Brazillia
   

Technically, this genre is referred to as Ambient or Electronica, but I think it should just be called "cool beats".

If you like cool, but want something more exotic, try the band Pacifika (their latest album is Asunción).

Home-made Uppers & Downers

Just like there are drugs for uppers and downers, there is music:

Favorite Upper Albums (Stimulants):

• KT Tunstall: Drastic Fantastic - Energetic, fun, happy - great for cleaning or getting ready to go out because you can sing along.

• Bonnie Raitt: Fundamental - Positive, upbeat - a fantastic album to play while cooking or during the cocktail hour.
  

Favorite Downer Albums (Depressants):

• Robert Plant & Alison Krauss: Raising Sand - Honest, feel-good, moving - perfect for lounging around the house in your bathrobe.
  

• Coldplay: X &Y - Rich, soothing, sad - great for reading, napping, or wallowing in self-pity

• Adele: 19 - Calming, crisp, bluesy - great for organizing or drinking wine with friends.
  

Inspired to Run

My regular workout mix was getting old and predictable, so I set my iPod to genre > dance and found a totally random and unknown song. How it got on my iPod (Starbucks Pick of the Week, maybe?), I do not know. But, me liiiiiiikey.... And you will, too if you give it a try. She's like old school Janet Jackson meets Zero 7, and she kind of makes me feel sexy while I'm exercising - which is odd, I know!

Artist: Samantha James
Song: Breathe You In
FUNCTION: It's a slow to moderate beat so it's good for warming up or jogging slowly.