Fare Thee Well 2011

I just wanted to wish everyone a Happy New Year and give a final shout and thanks for everyone who helped make 2011 such a great year. In case you missed, here is a random sampling of what Ear to the Ground is all about. I know I've left people out sorry.... I hope 2012 brings much joy and happiness to everyone and well let's blow this thing out!

  01 A Beautiful Girl by Ubiquity Machine
As You Choke by The Hunting Accident
Is It Right? by Taco Land
Running Like Hell by You and Me
Sealight - White Walk by sealight
If This Is Redemption, Where Is The Redeemer? [NEW SONG] by From The Outside

Thursday (Covers) Morning Music Shuffle - Cathedrals in my Heart Mix

Here we are the last official morning music shuffle of 2011.  It comes on a Thursday which means it is cover versions of songs.  Name the Coverer, the Coveree and the Covered Song  - if you want to cheat and/or check out some related music then click the link after the clues...


Cover #1

Coverer:  they take there name from two noted writers not two noted explorers (Who did the cover?)

 Coveree:  he once fell to earth and hung out with alien arthropods and sang with hope's pal....(Who got covered?)

 The Covered Song: "Strange fascination, fascinating me" (Cover #1) (The Original #1)

Cover #2

Coverer:  snl musical guest, swede pop sensation  (Who did the cover?)

Coveree: were once called pectoralz and then starfish...(Who got covered?)

 The Covered Song: "I'd rather be a comma than a full stop"  (The Original #2)

Cover #3

 Coverer: they were singing about vandy girls in there famous song  (Who did the cover?)

Coveree: see #2 above (Who got covered?)

The Covered Song: "Be my mirror, my sword and shield"  (Cover #3) (The Original #3)


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Viva La Vida Lithograph A strictly limited-edition collectible individually numbered (1/1000) 'Viva La Vida' lithograph. Each lithographic print features the 'Viva La Vida' album cover with the track listings and measures 24" X 36". Your investment comes with a completed and numbered CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICITY.

Wednesday Morning Music Shuffle - Best I Ever Had Mix

No question, the year is winding down. I've been spending some download bucks I got for Christmas and I received the annual mix CD from one of the music gurus from my youth.

Reflect on what has come before, but more so on what is yet to come (in the New Year). 2011 has been a challenging year in many ways, but it has been good, and even better things are in store for 2012.  Ear to the Ground strives to be forward thinking while keeping a foot well grounded in musical history.   Today's mix offers a bit of both...

Songs 1 and 3 this a.m. come from the Classic album Who's Next - which I recently realized I did not have a digital copy of. I swear I had the CD at some point, but it never made it into my MP3 collection.  I have since rectified that omission. Bargain and Baba O'Riley are two tracks on the album which has been one of my all-time Faves for some time.

(you can click on the album cover to purchase and download from Amazon.com for just $5.00 USD)


Track 2 is a cover song. Youth Lagoon is the stage name of Trevor Powers who debuted in 2011.  Here he offers up a sweet, sweet cover of the John Denver classic Goodbye Again.

 (clicky on the album cover to grab John Denver's Greatest Hits at Amazon (and/or click on this album cover to purchase and download Youth Lagoon's The Year of Hibernation)



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Urgh! a Music War It's live and loud. It's urgent and proud. It's more than two-dozen young, energetic bands caught in the act and making the music and moments matter in hot, crowded, amped venues scattered across L.A., London, New York City and elsewhere. It's big hair, l

Amazing Journey: The Story of the Who [WS] [2 Discs] Oscar-winning filmmaker {$Murray Lerner} and co-director {$Paul Crowder} draw on the essential themes of {#The Who}'s music and lyrics to craft a definitive audio-visual document of the influential band's timeless legacy. From their origins as a 1960s R&B

Tuesday Morning Music Shuffle - I'm Back Mix

I'm back!  And 2011's days are numbered, but it's not over yet.  Added a delectable mixture of 20 songs to the shuffle.  The December 2011 Playlist stands at 54 (net of some Christmas songs I deleted for space since Christmas is over)....

Rainy morning, but the rain let up for my walk up the hill, and in any event, this list of songs kept me feeling all warm and cozy...

1.  Don Ryan finished 3rd in the ETTG Band of the Year voting.  If you haven't heard This Town (or the rest of his fantastic album Tangle Town), then this situation must be remedied. 

(you can purchase and download the whole damn Tangle Town album at amazon by clicking on the album cover - or you can go to Don's Bandcamp page and name your own price - I'd suggest $1000 but you do what feels best for you)

 2. Sister Crayon is a Sacramento-based band.  Here they are doing a cover version of Sufjan Stevens' Age of Adz Track Futile Devices 

(you can click on the album cover to purchase and download Sufjan Stevens' album The Age of Adz.  The Sister Crayon version is available at Stereogum.)

3. The Sigur Ros track from the We Bought  a Zoo soundtrack shows up again this week.  It's a cool song which originally came from their 2005 album, Takk..., It's Hoppipolla



  (click on album cover to purchase and download Takk...)


4.  Hoppipolla ends with some brass which makes a nice transition to the next song which comes from Herb Albert & the Tijuana Brass' classic Whipped Cream & Other Delights.  The song, A Taste of Honey, is actually a cover of a 1960 Bobby Scott song.



  (click on the album cover to buy and download Whipped Cream & Other Delights)

  (you might also want to purchase and download Soul Asylum's EP which parodies the title and over of the Herb Albert set - Clam Dip & Other Delights can yours for a click and purchase)

5.  Finally, we take it up a few notches with Iggy & the Stooges proto-punk classic Search and Destroy from Raw Power.

 
  (you know the drill add Raw Power to your digital music collection with a click and a purchase at amazon.com)

Band of the Week Year 2 Week 4: Spencer Walters

Spencer Walters is from Illinois or is it Illinois (I can never remember how you are supposed to pronounce it).  He was in a pop band  (from what I can tell), and now, he's making music that speaks to him - simply beautiful songs like There I Go and City Lights.  You can use the BandCamp Widget below to purchase his solo debut EP, and you should. It's good stuff.

He's on the Facebook thing and that Twitter site...oh and he co-owns his own record label Paperduck.

Finally, I found a video for There I Go   You can give it a view below the widget....

Thursday Flash Forward Music No Shuffle - Can't We all Get Along

I've been unexpectedly called away, so I am jumping ahead from my present (your past) to my future (your present) to offer up a Holiday offering from Dar Williams. Those uncomfortable holiday meals when a child asks an innocent question which opens up a whole conversation that some would have hoped to avoid, and how maybe that is not such a bad thing after all.... Remember, we're all in this crazy life together..... Clicky the album cover to purchase and download Christians and Pagans. See you on the other side....




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Wednesday Morning Music Shuffle - All is Quiet Mix

Today is the first day of Hanukkah, tomorrow is the Winter Solstice and Sunday is Christmas.  Shout out to everyone no matter which you celebrate or which you do not. Peace on Earth and Goodwill to men seems like a pretty good thing, so does celebrate miraculous lights and the beginning of days getting longer.

My Winter Holiday playlist contains Christmas songs, songs that mention winter-time themes (or seem to) and even a couple of songs that have been associated with the holiday season (albeit incorrectly):

1. The Wilderness of Manitoba released an three song of EP of Christmas Carols non-ironically called Three Carols.  O Come, O Come Emmanuel  is on the album which you can purchase and download by clicking the picture below.





 
2.  Angels We Have Heard on High is another traditional Christmas Carol by The Walla Recovery.  Get a whole set of Christmas music from the band by using the widget below.


3. I'm posting a link to a compilation called Alternative Rock X-mas which includes songs from everyone from The Decemberists to The Smithereens. It also includes the Alarm's version of the John Lennon classic, Happy  XMas (War is Over).




4. Finally, today we look ahead to the turning of the western Calendar from 2011 to 2012. New Years Day is from U2's War Album. If you don't have War in your collection rectify that right now by purchasing and downloading the album for $4.99 from Amazon - click the album cover below.




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20th Century Masters - The Christmas Collection: The Best of Motown Christmas Compiled from Motown Christmas collections and individual artists' Christmas albums, 20th Century Masters - The Christmas Collection: The Best of Motown Christmas gathers a dozen of the label's holiday performances, including the Jackson 5's "Santa Claus

Tuesday Morning Music Shuffle - Not Dead Yet Mix

Recent Observations: 

1. Taking Monday off is really just postponing the inevitable.

2. (Made while walking through a store feeling all the soft blankets) - From now on, I'm only buying blankets wrapped in plastic - who knows who has been touching them.

3. As much as I wish this list had three items, I can't think of a third (at present)

Added a slew of music  - much of it was Christmasy stuff.... some of it wasn't.

1.  Skeletons is a track from current Band of the Week artist Jesse Payne.

(click to purchase and download Songs from Beyond the Leaves by current Band of the Week Jesse Payne feat. today's song Skeletons)



2. Hoppípolla  is on the Soundtrack to the Motion picture We Bought a Zoo.  The soundtrack is by Jonsi, and this track is by his band Sigur Ros. Good stuff

 

(Click on pic to purchase and download the Soundtrack to the Motion Picture We Bought A Zoo which includes the album only track Hoppípolla by Sigur Ros)

3.  Silent Night as performed by Katie Herzig comes from the Ten out of Tenn Christmas album.

 

(Click on pic to purchase and download Christmas by Ten out of Tenn)

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