Music is such a wonderful thing and there is a song for every single thing you may be feeling. Classic, pop, country, techno, jazz, rap, acoustic, alternative, world, rock. And the ability to hear is amazing as well. How all those little sound waves are transducted into brain impulses and you register it as what it is. How fast it all happens and how tremendously it is able to impact how you feel.
And how you can distinguish so many different sounds. Different instruments, favorite song by just a few notes and people's voices. As Juliet does say
"My ears have yet not drunk a hundred words
Of thy tongue's uttering, yet I know the sound."
Of thy tongue's uttering, yet I know the sound."
So I shall list my 10 favorite musical groups and a little blurb about them along with my favorite song of theirs.
1. Jack Johnson Better Together
Johnson was born and raised on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii. The son of well-known surfer Jeff Johnson, he took an interest in the sport from a young age - he began surfing at the age of 5. At 17, he became the youngest invitee to make the surfing finals at the Pipeline Masters on Oahu's north shore. One week later, however, his stint as a professional surfer ended when he suffered a surfing accident at the Pipeline that put over 150 stitches in his forehead and knocked a few of his teeth out.
2. Brett Dennen Heaven
He has traveled extensively across the U.S., serving as stagehand and to tour and/or play on bills withfor musicians such as John Mayer, Michael Franti, and guitar duo Rodrigo y Gabriela, Sheryl Crow, Shawn Colvin, ALO, Jackson Brown, Taj Mahal, Ziggy Marley, Xavier Rudd, Corinne Bailey Rae. In 2007, he introduced Guster and singer-songwriters Meiko and Joshua James.
3. Coldplay Rainy Day
The members of Coldplay met and became friends while living in the same dormitory at the University College of London (UCL) in the mid-1990s. They formed a band, originally naming themselves Starfish. When friends of theirs who were playing in a band called Coldplay no longer wanted to use the name, Starfish officially became Coldplay. The name was taken from a book of poetry called Child's Reflections, Cold Play.
4. Death Cab for Cutie Crooked Teeth
Plans is Seattle quartet Death Cab For Cutie's fifth album, but in many ways it's an album of firsts. It's their first for Atlantic Records, after a long and productive relationship with Seattle-based indie Barsuk. It's their first recorded on 48 tracks, their first recorded on the East Coast, and their first with a song originated by a member other than Ben Gibbard. Plans was recorded over 28 wintry days in early 2005 at Longview Studios, housed in a converted barn in Massachusetts. Chris Walla, as always, served as producer--and claims not to have seen daylight once during the recording. Perhaps that's why he suddenly blurted out the album title to Harmer during a lull in conversation over burritos.
5. Straight No Chaser Can't Take My Eyes off of You
If the phrase “male a cappella group” conjures up an image fo students in blue blazers, ties and khakis singing traditional college songs on ivied campuses… think again. Straight No Chaser (SNC) are neither strait-laced nor strait-faced, but neither are they vaudeville-style kitsch. As original member Randy Stine Comments, “We take the music very seriously; we just don’t take ourselves too seriously.” In the process, they are reinventing the idea of a capella on the modern pop landscape. Originally formed over a dozen years ago while students together at Indiana University, the group has reassembled and reemerged as a phenomenon - with a massive fanbase, more than 20 million views on YouTube and numerous national TV appearances.
6. Neon Trees Animal
Neon Trees is a rock band from Provo, UT, with origins in Southern California. Formed initially by neighbors Tyler Glenn (lead vocals/keyboards) and Chris Allen (guitars), the band made its first home in Provo, eventually adding Branden Campbell (bass) and Elaine Bradley (drums/vocals) to the lineup. Although a well known band in Provo, the band didn’t receive nationwide exposure until late 2008 when they were chosen as openers for several of The Killers’ North American tour dates. [1] Not long after, the band was signed by major record label Mercury Records in early 2009. Additionally, the group was voted Band of the Year in 2009 by City Weekly, a popular Salt Lake City publication. (Totally didn't know they were from utah!)
7. La Roux Fascinations
La Roux is an English electropop and synthpop duo made up of singer, keyboardist, co-writer and co-producer Eleanor Kate Jackson (born 12 March 1988) and keyboardist, co-writer and co-producer Ben Langmaid. Sales of the group's song "In for the Kill" spiked 600 percent when it was played on the HBO show Entourage in August 2010. Later that month, it was announced that an EP remix has been released in tandem with the November US tour. In October a second video for the song was released that was shot at New York's landmark Hotel Chelsea. The song was released in the United States 7 October. Elly Jackson's first interest was in folk music. She was particularly interested in Carole King and Nick Drake whose music she discovered in her parents' record collection. Ben Langmaid is the second half of La Roux but he does not participate in the music videos or live performances with the band. Langmaid, a London-based producer and composer, has been involved with various other music projects in the past.
8. Ben Folds Losing Lisa
Benjamin Scott "Ben" Folds (born September 12, 1966) is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and the former front man of the alternative rock band Ben Folds Five who now performs as a solo artist and collaborates with many other musicians. Folds became attracted to piano at age nine. His father, a carpenter, brought one home through a barter trade with a customer who was unable to pay. During this time, Folds listened to songs by Elton John and Billy Joel on AM radio, and learned them by ear. During his years at R.J. Reynolds High School in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Folds played in several bands as the pianist, bassist, or drummer.
9. The Killers I Can't Stay
The Killers are an American rock band from Las Vegas, Nevada that was formed in 2001.The band consists of Brandon Flowers (lead vocals, keyboard, occasional bass guitar), Dave Keuning (lead guitar, backing vocals), Mark Stoermer (bass guitar, occasional rhythm guitar, backing vocals) and Ronnie Vannucci Jr. (drums, percussion).As an alternative rock band, The Killers draw some of their influences from the music styles of the 1980s. The group's debut album, Hot Fuss (2004) brought the band mainstream success. The Killers' second album, Sam's Town, was released in 2006, and compilation album Sawdust containing B-sides, rarities, and new material, was released in 2007. Their third studio album, Day & Age, produced by Stuart Price, was released in 2008.The band has sold over 6 million albums in the United States, over 5 million albums in the United Kingdom and over 15 million worldwide.
10.Flight of the Conchords Hiphopopotamus vs. Rhymenoceros
Jake and I watched an episode of this together in the cast room during rehearsal one day. I thought it ridiculously funny so when I got home I bumped the first season up to the top of the Netflix list. I've spent the past three nights watching the first season. It's witty and completly a joke about two guys from New Zealand, Brett McKenzie and Jemaine Clement, and their brainless escapades and simple mindedness. It's wonderful :) I must warn you though, that it can be pretty crude and dirty often, but it is awesome nontheless.
