Category Archives: new music

What I’m Listening To, Song Sketches Online

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A couple weeks ago, there was a terribly large number of really great albums that were released. I’d like to introduce you to a few of those artists here… Before I go there, though, I’d like to mention two things:

Brad Paisley’s new album, Wheelhouse, came out a couple days ago. My first impressions of the record match my impressions of nearly every other he has done: he’s a fantastic guitarist who’s not afraid to rip. And some of his songwriting is very good. But I’m not talking about the poppy stuff or the pop culture-laden songs. Those are fun and catchy in there own right, but it’s dumb writing, if you ask me. The point is, anything Mr. Paisley releases is worth checking out. I say that about few other artists. (John Mayer is another one.)

Next: I’m going to start posting my song sketches to my SoundCloud profile. Follow me there and you’ll get to hear a lot of the stuff I’m working on – sections of new songs or full, new songs – recorded on my phone. Here’s that direct link: https://soundcloud.com/jaymathes

Okay, so here’s what I’ve been listening to lately:

Stornoway – Tales from Terra Firma
Phosphorescent – Muchacho
Low – The Invisible Way

I’m loving all three of these albums. And, sadly, I’m still having a hard time remembering which songs belong to which band. That’s what happens when you listen to a LOT of good, new music in a really short time-span. Go check all these guys out.

And check out my stuff, too.

New Music… Thursday? Pick of the Week

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I can’t believe it’s Thursday! Yeah, a week and a day since my *last* music post (which was already a day after the Tuesday’s new releases dropped).

I’ve only had a chance this week to listen to a small number of new releases. When you consider each new album probably has a 45 minute-plus runtime, it’s easy to see the difficulty of the task. This is why newspapers and magazines have full-time staff members dedicated exclusively to reviewing new albums.

So this week, I’d like to draw your attention to the latest album from one of my favorite artists today: Josh Ritter. His new album is entitled The Beast in its Tracks and you can…

Get it on iTunes here:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-beast-in-its-tracks/id579109979

Or consider buying the exclusive B&N edition with a special lyrics journal insert:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/beast-in-its-tracks-josh-ritter/25668859?ean=92145170304&isbn=92145170304

Track one is classic Ritter: “night” is in the lyrics and the vocals are doused in reverb. But 55 seconds later, we really get cooking. It’s obvious from the start that Josh has heartbreak on his mind, but it’s not the kind of turn-off that we’ve come to know in break-up songs.
As a whole, lyrically, the album comes off in a similar way as Andrew Osenga‘s Leonard, the Lonely Astronaut (although each artist approaches their subject from different vantage points and ultimately draw different conclusions). Both Ritter and Osenga leave listeners – me – longing to recapture a relational emotion or state of being that has long since begun to wane.
I hate when songwriters are marketed as “thought-provoking” or “honest” or any other cliche about possessing a higher level of poetic- or song-craft. Though they tend to be true, these cliches dumb down the really good songwriters into some sort of quantifiable, understandable category. As a songwriter myself, I don’t find the adjectives helpful because they tend not to be unique to music.
But Josh Ritter comes off to me as human – and relatable. Reading his own history makes it easy to see why his songs resonate this way with me and many others. He’s a pretty normal guy from… Idaho?
So go check out his new record, and if you find yourself listening to the lyrics more than your average Bruno Mars pop song, consider checking out his other records, too. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.