Week 15: The Mountain Goats – Foreign Object

After last week’s hiatus, I was very happy to make a new acquaintance in The Mountain Goats and their pro wrestling themed album Beat The Champ. The song writing is inspiring, and the mixture of skilled instrumentation and whimsical lyrics is genius. This particular track features some nice brass that makes things even better, and the line “I personally will stab you in the eye with an foreign object” which could very well be one of the best lines ever written.

Week 11: Death Cab for Cutie – The Ghosts of Beverly Drive

Having been featured before, it’s not a secret I enjoy the music Death Cab for Cutie puts out. This track, which is taken from their upcoming album Kintsugi, is my favorite so far of the singles that they have released leading up to the new album. Apart from what usually makes a track by Death Cab for Cutie great, such as captivating lyrics and thoughtful instrumentation, this has a few interesting quirks added throughout that I find functions as the cherry on top of an already great track.

Week 3: James Bay – Sparks

The early trend for 2015 continues with another strong track from a very talented male singer and guitarist. This track, which I found on the EP Other Sides, features the strong vocals of James Bey and a very nice sound with a guitar that is borderline blues. At times, the singing reminded me a lot of the way Michael Jackson would use his voice to convey emotion, especially around the 2:15 mark. It’s not a complicated track, but that’s pretty much the whole point.