GooseRadio Winter Music Guide

A few artists and albums that are getting us through the winter doldrums, enjoy!

Vampire Weekend – Contra

Terms like “afro-pop” follow this band around and, admittedly, I have no idea what that means, but I do understand the preppy, collegiate label they’ve received as Contra sounds like the soundtrack to all those daydreams of what you thought college would be like.  What drew me to this record however was the album closer “I Think Ur A Contra” which finds lead singer, Ezra Koenig, letting that special someone know, “I just wanted you.”

Sara Bareilles – Live from the Gravity Tour

It’s probably not okay for a guy to like Sara Bareilles as much as I do, but God help me, I can’t help but be won over by her lyrics, voice and personality.  The tunes from Little Voice all get new arrangements that breathe new life into the songs, and we’re also treated to a new number called “Free Ride” as well as a heart-all-the-way-on-sleeve cover of Springsteen’s “I’m On Fire”.  This EP was only being offered on her website for a limited time, but it was also being offered for free so it’s okay to search the web and download it.

He Is We

Rachel Taylor and Trevor Kelly look like your typical emo kids with skinny jeans and fake problems, but there’s a sparkle in Rachel’s voice that overshadows the half-baked lyrics and points toward their potential.  We’ll see what they’re really made of when they release their debut EP later this year, but you can hear them for yourself now on MySpace and download some demos at their Purevolume page.

Cory Branan – The Hell You Say

Upon first listen, comparisons to Ryan Adams are immediate and deserved, but Branan’s over-the-top imagery trump anything I’ve ever heard Adams produce.  For instance, on the instant favorite “Crush” Branan lets us know that, “I’m a 16 year old Hitler with a troubled love sick mind/do you get the picture/I am of the dangerous kind.”  Yeah, he did say that.  Released in 2002, The Hell You Say is a gritty, unpolished and highly recommended piece of alt-country.

Brand New – Daisy

In many ways this album feels like the sequel to The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me, but where that album seemed to meander as it figured itself out, Daisy cuts to the chase as Jesse Lacey continues to exercise his literal and metaphorical demons.  A lot of bands soften their sound as they age, but Brand New only turn up the intensity here which fits nicely with Lacey’s increasing neurosis.

Dashboard Confessional – Live 2009 Bootlegs

Oh the joy!  Chris Carrabba and John Lefler embarked on an acoustic tour toward the end of 2009 and made every show from the tour available for free.  You can download them all at dcbootlegs.com, and there’s no guarantee they’ll be up forever, so get ‘em while you can.  A personal highlight is the encore at the December 2nd show in San Francisco where they play the So Impossible EP in its entirety.