Jill’s Life Updates and Random Thoughts

Hola amis. Today is sick day number 2 (well, more like #1.5, I guess, since I went in this morning). I can’t sleep anymore, so blogging seemed like the next best option. Now, although I generally rapidly acquire and listen to great volumes of music, it is rare that I find an album that enthralls me so much that I am unable to stop listening to it. Today I want to share with you two albums that have done just that in the last few weeks… (I am aware that this is long, but I put a lot of time into it, and I think it’s worth reading, so please do! If you have to choose only one, pick the second one. )

The first album up for discussion is Nickel Creek’s This Side. I actually owned this one for quite a long time before listening to it. It was on a whim that I finally listened to it, and it was possibly the best whim that I’ve ever had. This Side is Nickel Creek’s second (out of three) full-length release on Sugar Hill Records. For those who haven’t heard of Nickel Creek, they are often described as “bluegrass”. While there are certainly bluegrass-y elements to their music, I don’t think it is fair or accurate to constrain their sound to that single genre. I have honestly never heard anything else that sounds quite like Nickel Creek. This album is driven by mandolin, acoustic guitars, violin, and the combined voices of members Chris Thile, Sean Watkins, and Sara Watkins. The album starts on a high note with the upbeat, instrumental “Smoothie Song”, which features a playful exchange between the three instruments. This transitions smoothly into the light-hearted “Spit On a Stranger”, which has a melody that just makes me smile every time I hear it. The next track, “Speak”, is probably the first on the album that really showcases the trio’s beautiful vocal harmonies, which are, in my opinion, the best part of this album. “Hanging By a Thread” is probably the lowest point on the album for me; it’s just a bit too slow for its own good. But the moody “Should’ve Known Better” quickly redeems the album, and is followed by “This Side” and “Green and Gray”, which are two tracks that I adore and that will prove wrong anyone who thinks that acoustic music is boring (just listen to the cello on “Green and Gray” - simply amazing). The remaning six tracks present a well-balanced mix between simple, haunting songs like “House Carpenter” and rich, complex songs like “Beauty and the Mess”. The album’s lyrics are perhaps not brilliant, but they are well-written and honest. While many topics are touched on throughout the record, it primarily focuses on love and interpersonal relationships. The diversity of musical styles and the three unique voices present on this record make the entire thing easy and interesting to listen to. I highly recommend that you add this one to your music library. Highlight tracks: “Smoothie Song”, “This Side”, “Green and Gray”, “Beauty and the Mess”

Nickel Creek links: Website | MySpace

This Side links: Official Store | Amazon.com | iTunes | Rhapsody

The next record, which has quickly cemented itself in a high spot on my favorite album list, is Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s full-length debut, entitled The Dust of Retreat. Now, Margot is a band with eight members, who play the following instruments: guitar, drums (and other percussion), cello, keys, bass, lap steel, violin, and vocals. Their large numbers and the sheer volume of instruments they use would suggest that their music would be a dreary, chaotic mess. But on the contrary, this octet manages to choose the perfect combination of instruments at the perfect times, and even at the moments of the most complex instrumentation, their music is never anything but easy and pleasant to listen to. The album starts with the dreamy “A Sea Chanty of Sorts”, which pulls you in with distant drums and haunting female background vocals. The pace quickly picks up with the upbeat “Skeleton Key” and the effortlessly catchy “Vampires in Blue Dresses”. The fourth track, “Quiet As a Mouse”, is the standout track of the album. Not only are the lyrics excellent, the instrumentation of this song is also perfect. It just goes through so many transformations; it switches effortlessly from dreamy ambiance to pure, unadulterated indie rock to moody jazz, and the sultry trumpet, melodic bass lines, and rhythmic guitars and strings really set it apart from your standard rock song. After all this overwhelming excellence, there comes a welcome break with the acoustic “Jen is Bringin the Drugs”, which consists solely of acoustic guitar and vocals. “On a Freezing Chicago Street” is probably my least favorite song on the record (there always has to be one, right?), although I’m not sure I could tell you exactly why. The musicianship is still great; I think it’s just that, for me, the vocals and lyrics on that track don’t really stand up to those on the rest of the album. But things quickly pick up with the brilliant “Paper Kitten Nightmare”, which manages to be both expertly written and humorous (I don’t think anyone else could quite pull off a chorus of “Meow meow meow meow meow yeehaw” like they do). The album gives one last hurrah with the raucous “Barfight Revolution, Power Violence” before closing with three quiet, relaxed, introspective tracks (although they are all great, “Talking in Code” is probably the best of the three). It is true that this album contains the occasional (certainly not gratuitous) explicit lyric, but so what? It’s not like you’ve never heard it before, and the lyrics are always masterfully crafted and insightful. Before I end, let me continue with the praise and say that this record is perfectly produced. Each instrument is given time to shine (even the bass, which is a rare and welcome treat), and they use a lot of unique recording techniques that give this album a really pure, beautiful and well put-together sound. Trust me, this album is a must-buy if you are a lover of good music. I recommend it without reservation.

Margot & the Nuclear So and So’s links: Website | Myspace

The Dust of Retreat links: Official Store | Amazon.com | iTunes | Rhapsody | eMusic

Alright, we’re trying something new this time. Below are four songs, two from each album that I reviewed. I have disabled downloading, so they are only up for you to stream, to give you a more concrete feel of what the albums sound like. No, it’s not entirely legal, but oh well. If for some reason you can download them, let me know so I can fix it. And if you are reading this from the feed, you’ll have to go to the website to hear the tracks. I hope hearing the songs will inspire you to buy the albums…

The songs are as follows:

1. Nickel Creek - “Green and Gray”
2. Nickel Creek - “Beauty and the Mess”
3. Margot & the Nuclear So and So’s - “Quiet As a Mouse”
4. Margot & the Nuclear So and So’s - “Paper Kitten Nightmare”