As winter begins to close in (and I begin to spend more time inside where it’s warm), I’ve found myself looking for things to do around the house.

Fortunately, even in my middle school and high school years, I had a decent taste in music. So, when looking back through my music collection, I’ve found a few artists and bands from awhile back that still hold relevance to me through their music.

I also wanted to reiterate some great finds from today’s music scene as well.

First, I’d like to go back to 2001, when everyone’s Y2K pandemonium had finally softened a little, and music in the “00’s” revolved around big pop stars like “JLo.”

So Impossible EP, is a release from Dashboard Confessional who, at this point, was still considered pretty “underground,” even after having an MTV2 hit with “Screaming Infidelities.”

The EP is a concept work that tells a brief story in 4 parts. It also includes a fantastic appearance by Dan Hoerner from Sunny Day Real Estate. It’s fully acoustic and perfectly done.

The set begins with “For You to Notice,” one of the few Dashboard songs that even long time fans might not be aware of. It’s gentle and sweet, and it tells about a guy who wants to get the attention of a girl, and wants to know what it would take for her to notice him (hence, the title). It’s complemented by strong vocal harmony and soft guitar picking.

Then, the title track, if you will, continues the story, describing a scene where the guy plans what he’s going to say to this girl. It’s that adorable innocence that we don’t hear about much anymore, in the sense of lyric here. The melody is lengthy but absolutely catchy and fitting. “Remember to Breathe” describes the guy readying himself for a date with the girl. It has minor tendencies, but it is overall upbeat. It focuses on keenly placed vocal emphasis and is backed by a subtle acoustic drone, which is pleasant.

The EP concludes with “Hands Down,” a now widely known Dashboard track. However, this isn’t the full band version of the song that you might have heard on the radio. It’s 100% acoustic, and 100% authentic. The song is about the end result of the date between the guy and the girl, and it’s overwhelmingly joyful. It’s not too different from the “A Mark, A Mission..” version overall, but it doesn’t make it any less good, and it completes a handsome foursome of Chris Carraba’s best songs.

Next, I’d like to go back even farther to 1977, when a certain man by the name of Jackson Browne took the stage and recorded an on-the-go album called Running On Empty.

The record is really flawless; it’s got energy, honestly, melody, and originality. Few artists have ever been able to craft such a piece of timeless art in all of music history, and Jackson Browne is one of them.

“Running on Empty,” the first and title track is a well known Browne tune, carefully arranged and recorded live. Right off the bat, the listener should be able to prepare themselves for the kind of experience they about to go through on this record.

The next two tracks, “The Road” and “Rosie,” are a bit sorrowful, but they are authentically so, and you can’t dismiss on a song based on how “happy” it is. “The Road” specifically speaks of an eventual return to traveling and what it’s like to be on the move so much. “Rosie” is piano-driven and holds some Eagles similarities with its expansive vocal harmony and low-then-high-then-low-again melodies.

“You Love the Thunder” is like a cross between the title track and “Rosie.” It’s got that piano sound you are still chewing on after “Rosie,” but is arranged very similar to “Running on Empty.” However similar it is, it is also distinctively different. The melodies are less mobile here, creating a slight drag, giving the album some depth at this point.

“Cocaine” and “Shaky Town” were both recorded in a hotel room in Edwardsville, Illinois, and they continue the “on-the-move” sound of the previous tracks. They are both kind of sleepy, as they immediately immerse you in their deep drag and heavy emotion. Great melody and lyrics throughout both.

Next is “Love Needs a Heart,” and it’s also piano-led and recorded live. Here, some bluesy electric guitars are swirled in with drizzling drums and Browne’s ernest cries. There is also a great keyboard solo at about the middle of the track, and it helps give some spice to an already great song.

“Nothing But Time” then carries some bluesy tendencies over and sets up a nice musical break for the listener. It contains some jamming, some well-placed harmony, some memorable melodies, and some catchy lyrics. It’s also one of the shortest songs on the album.

The last two tracks, “The Load Out” and “Stay” are basically one continuous song. The connection between the songs is very refreshing and gives the listener the illusion of a lengthy finale song. This is actually very appropriate when consulting the overall theme of the record, which is something like “the endless road.” The first part, “The Load Out” is mostly quiet and careful, featuring extremely personal lyrics and a slow musical build. “Stay” picks up where you would expect another brief pause, and is a pleasantly unexpected change. The main melody is sung by Browne, then two other members of his touring crew, which is also a fresh sound for the listener. The last few minutes of the song are layered with precise electric guitar phrases which lead to a fade out.

After listening to Running On Empty from start to finish in one sitting, I was speechless. Browne doesn’t say a lot lyrically, but he doesn’t really leave anything out. It’s one of the few times in your life where you can finish listening to a piece of music and be absolutely satisfied with how you spent your time. Like I said, it’s a really authentic record, and it is still amazing every time you listen to it. Go dig it out if you already have it, and if you don’t, don’t waste any more time. Go get it and then come back.

Now I’m going to shift gears completely into a vastly different time and genre.

Last year, a certain indie-pop band gained incredible exposure through unexpectedly, overwhelmingly positive criticism and now has a large, continually growing fanbase. This band is Vampire Weekend.

I had heard the fuss a good time ago about this “Vampire Weekend band” from some of my music snob friends (no offense, guys), but never really felt inspired to investigate. Maybe it just wasn’t my time yet.

I want to say it was about 3 or 4 months ago I found myself on YouTube searching for Vampire Weekend clips after seeing the intriguing music video for “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa.” Their big single, “A-Punk,” caught my attention first with it’s fun, original, poppy sound and tune. I didn’t feel like committing myself to an entire album at the time, so it was much later before I took the step to get the album.

Vampire Weekend’s self-titled debut begins with “Mansard Roof.” Instantly, the listener gets a small idea of who their dealing with- A silky vocalist, Ezra Koenig; an inventive keyboard player, Rostam Batmanglij; a rhythmically intelligent drummer, Chris Tomson; and a confident bass player, Chris Baio.

“Mansard Roof” is carried by 50% vocal melody and 50% keyboard melody. The blend of the two is impressive and quite likable. Though the song doesn’t have very many lyrics, what is sung is well-written. “I see a salty message written in the eaves / The ground beneath my feet / The hot garbage and concrete / And now the tops of buildings / I can see them too.” Very specific and detailed in a very unexplored way.

“Mansard Roof” is followed by “Oxford Comma,” a humorously explicit jab at the regard for Oxford commas, English dramas, and just about everything else. It is so catchy, you’ll even enjoy the sporadic falsetto notes and references to Lil Jon. As outlandish as the whole thing is, it’s still kind of a strange classic.

Then comes “A-Punk,” still one of my favorites. It almost has that old punk sound of The Police. Koenig’s vocals again are smooth and carry a fantastic melody through its ups and downs. Its rhythm is catchy along with its vocal and keyboard melodies. It’s fairly simple in arrangement, but this is in no way a negative thing.

“Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa” comes in off the heels of the fast-paced romp of “A-Punk” with quiet guitars, congos and vocals. It quickly escalates to a spastic outburst of a chorus, driven by lyrics like “Is your bed made? / Is your sweater on?” It’s strangely fun and likable.

A nostalgic harpsichord, a set of optimistic strings, and a funky keyboard all set the foundation in “M79.” After getting a earful of these unusual sounds and instruments, the song quiets down to a drum-driven bridge and then folds back into its foundation. It’s basically the perfect mix of new and old sounds, and it’s so refreshing.

“Campus” is a simple track with preppy lyrics and contagious rhythm. Easy lyrics, check. Relatable melody, check. “Bryn” follows with more appropriate simplicity and contagious rhythm. You see, the problem is that I can’t express to you in words how absolutely catchy this song is.

“One (Blake’s Got a New Face)” is an awkward song with heavy Police sound references, especially in the chorus. It has eyebrow-raisingly goofy keyboard parts, but it somehow fits really well. It’s repetitive, but not quite as catchy as previous songs. “I Stand Corrected” returns to the “afro-pop” sound that the band has been crowned the king of. Tomson shows off stylish drum techniques, while sad strings hum in the background. It’s regretful, but not too serious.

The last two songs are both great as well. “Malcott” has one of the best tunes on the whole record and boasts more “afro-pop” sounds. It’s one of the longer songs on the record, clocking in at about 3:40, which shows you just how great these guys are at trimming the fat off of their songs. “The Kids Don’t Stand a Chance” has a small swing and is the ideal candidate for a final song. It starts with just drums and vocals and evolves into a bittersweet arrangement of circling keyboards and stacking strings and harpsichord pieces. Everything meshes together so nicely, especially over the chorus chords and resolve.

In essence, Vampire Weekend is your ticket to several weeks worth of addicting alt-indie pleasure. It’s very different, mind you, from other similarly labeled acts such as Nada Surf or The Shins, but it’s still very accessible without being cliche. Long live the kings of “Afro-pop.”

/ Posted: Nov 10, 2008
/ Written by: Matt S.
/ Category: Rediscovery
/ Artist(s): Dashboard Confessional, Jackson Browne, Vampire Weekend