Stuck-in-my-head Sunday: Give Up the Ghost

Radiohead, though formed in the mid-eighties, released their first single in the early-nineties, gained momentum through the mid-nineties, and were internationally recognized group by the late-nineties. I'd imagine that 1997's album, OK Computer could top the 'landmark records list' of any lover of alternative rock. Being known for the noticeable evolution of their musical style throughout the early-2000s, Radiohead managed to build up quite a stir over their latest release, The King of Limbs.  Since it's release, The King of Limbs has endured reviews that exhibit excitement as well as heartbreak. Being just a moderate fan of Radiohead, I'll share this week's review of Give Up the Ghost without any evident level of bias toward the album itself.

I was able to obtain the album on the first day the digital download was made available on Radiohead's website. I was heavily anticipating the release of this record, so, like an overly excited child on Christmas morning, I gave The King of Limbs quick listen as soon as the download was complete. As previously mentioned, I had already been hooked by the bait that is Lotus Flower, so I enjoyed that track once more and let the others play while I distracted by whatever else was going on that evening. It wasn't until I got in bed that night that I began to really dissect The King of Limbs and compare it to previous Radiohead works. Upon doing so,  I was surrounded by comfort as the speakers of my bedside mp3 player gently exhaled track number four, Give Up the Ghost. Since, I've had iTunes create a Genius playlist based on the song, and it's been my go-to track for a majority of this week.

Song: Give Up the Ghost
Artist: Radiohead
Album: The King of Limbs
Genre: alternative rock, experimental rock

You'll like this song if you dig:
Radiohead

Patio Container Gardening

Here's a bit of what I've been up to.

Stuck-in-my-head...Monday?: an Apology

Dudes,

I realize I missed posting yesterday, and I apologize. I'm still eating, playing, and loving but, along with minor computer problems, my time (and thoughts, really) have been elsewhere. For the record, so much music has been stuck in my head this week. As mentioned before, I've been jamming like crazy to the harmonizing lulls of The Decemberists and, as you (should) know, Radiohead hooked our junk up with new album The King of Limbs late last week. Radiohead front man Thom Yorke can be seen busting a move in the video to the new album's first single Lotus Flower. You can expect to see SIMHS posts return this Sunday. I hope you enjoy the rest of this week.

Eric

Stuck-in-my-head Sunday: Next Girl

The Black Keys are a two-man band with a huge sound. They've been providing the world with their funky-ass, bluesy rock since 2001 and have done so with a very impressive might. The band's (self-produced!) first album, The Big Come Up, introduced the dudes to a noteworthy amount of success, despite them being a band so new. Over the next nine years, The Black Keys would continue to record albums whose contents would be featured in movies, on television, and in video games, but it's 2010's album, Brothers that holds the easily-relatable track, Next Girl.

I had intermittently heard (but not necessarily listened to) The Black Keys over the past few years. I knew who they were, and I'd noticed a few tracks on the radio every now and again, but I failed to ever lend their sounds a fully-engaged ear. After hearing @mlejanderson speak enthusiastically of The Black Keys upon multiple occasions, I made the decision to set time aside to actually pay attention to their music. I first studied (and quite enojyed) Attack & Release. I loved feel of the album and upon listening to the others, I found that that feeling carried over from one album to the next. When I landed on Brothers, though, I couldn't get off. I actually anticpated dedicating this post to the entire Brothers album, but, in order to stay consistent with the theme of SIMHS, I deemed Next Girl the dominating track.

Song: Next Girl

Artist: The Black Keys

Album: Brothers

Genre: blues rock

Video: click here

You'll like this song if you dig:

The White Stripes (RIP)

Junior Kimbrough

The Decemberists

I'm a longtime fan of the band, Nickel Creek and, for a little while now, I've been following its fiddle-player, @sarawatkins, on Twitter. In a fair amount of Sara's tweets, she's mentioned The Decemberists, a band she's touring with for the first half of this year. For whatever reason, I've been reluctant to look into these guys, despite the relatively large appreciation I have for Sara's work.

A few hours ago, as a result of the very atypical circumstance that is me not being able to sleep, and the late-night twittering that ensued, I finally decided to check out The Decemberists on YouTube and I am hooked. I know it's not Sunday, but this stuff is stuck in my head!

Click here for a look/listen and check out The Decemberists' latest album The King Is Dead.

Italian Food Makes Me Sad

Italian food. I love the way it looks, the way it smells, and the way it tastes. I love the seemingly endless list of options Italian food presents the world with; meats and vegetables and soups and salads and pastas and breads and deserts, etcetera. I won't claim to dislike any food, but, sadly,  Italian is a cuisine that I rarely prefer to eat. I'm sorry. I totally respect everything about the food itself but, after I eat it, I feel so ridiculously stuffed. It's a different kind of full though, a miserable full. 

Because of this, I indulge in Italian food far less often than I'd like to. For example, it's been two days since I prepared delicious meal of homemade gnocchi with tomato and basil and I still feel full. This is starting to sound like a problem with my digestive system, which I assure you it isn't. Italian food is the only food that does this to me.

Stuck-in-my-head Sunday: Cornflake Girl

Tori Amos sprinkled 1990s radio with hits that were intensly quirky and incomparable to anything else of their time. Not only did Tori almost singlehandedly pave the way for female singer-songwriters in the early 90s, she came on with all orignial material, played multiple instruments, and self-produced the majority of her studio albums. Each of her releases contained tracks that would eventually add to her success, but it is 1994's Under the Pink that shares with us the splendor that is Cornflake Girl.

As I think back to childhood, I'm able to visualize clips of music videos in which Tori would display her sensual piano-playing technique and exhibit a faceful of passion. I can see the 90s version of my parents jamming Tori's music throughout the house and in the car. It wasn't until years later that I heard  Cornflake Girl grace the airwaves of Lithium, Sirius satellite radio's homestead for 90s alternative. Upon hearing the perfectly rhythmic acoustic intro, I immediately cranked it in my truck and quickly made sure to add it to playlists on my portable media devices for listening on the go. And, for some reason, I've not been able to stop listening to it this week.

Song: Cornflake Girl
Artist: Tori Amos
Album: Under the Pink (1994)
Genre: Baroque rock, piano rock
Video: click here

You'll like this song if you dig:
Alanis Morissette
Regina Spektor
Fiona Apple
Charlotte Martin

Drawing for Food

Drawing for Food is another blog mine wishes it could be. Visit it.