What We're Listening To: "Move Bush! Get Out The Way!" Edition

Hey, everybody! I was just sitting here, a little bored I guess, and then it occurred to me that in one week's time we're gonna have a brand new president! How awesome is that?! Just a little thought that made me smile is all. Anyway, welcome to What We're Listening To, TNG's weekly rundown of the music that's somehow managing to make us even happier and more excited than we were before. (It's like the week before Xmas!) On the menu this week we've got: Empire of the Sun, Fredrik, Stoa, Michael Franti & Spearhead, The Weepies, Say Hi, Bee Gees and She & Him. It all awaits below the fold and be sure to stop by again tomorrow for our weekly mixtape...


Empire of the Sun—"Walking On A Dream"

This song has had top-ten playlist status for a few months now, but this week (just like my crabs) it crept back up to numero uno! It's like jumbo-sized tubes of Bonnie Bell Lip Smacker lip gloss, I CANNOT get enough of it. Along with their other hypnotic single, "We Are The People," Empire of the Sun has entered my world and made it a brighter and warmer place. - Summer Camp

Fredrik—Na Na Ni

Pretty does not even begin to describe this album. Like a combination of Mercury Rev and Abba, the Swedish group's debut mixes spot-on harmonies with eclectic instrumentation to create tracks like "Black Fur," which make liberal use of strings and xylophones while name-checking "The Winner Takes It All." I've been using it for the last couple weeks as my "first-thing-in-the-morning" album to ease myself into the day, but once my coffee kicks in and my eyes focus the appeal remains. - Zack

Stoa—Silmand

Neoclassical German band Stoa's third album takes a different approach. There is still the exquisite mixture of synth textures, pianos and cellos, plus the choirboy purity of the vocals. But they have added extra singers into the mix. Australian Louisa John-Krol adds two Kate Bush like pop song to the cycle; legendary ambient singer Pieter Nooten has a track that recalls his work with Michael Brook; and there's even even a feral, deep industrial vocalist that plays well against the elegant, coiffed gloom of Olaf Parusel's compositions. Lyrics are taken from the poet Paul Verlaine (Rimbaud's lover/nemesis), Yeats and as well as others. "Silmand" means September in an ancient Germanic dialect. The music is peaceful and ever so slightly dark, like its namesake month. - Craig

Michael Franti & Spearhead—"Say Hey (I Love You)"

My music rotation for the past week has pretty much reflected the season itself - slow, dark and chill. So it was a pleasant surprise when one of my summer obsessions made its way accidentally into the mix, reminding me of warmer days and reigniting my love affair. That ray of sunshine is "Say Hey (I Love You)" by Michael Franti & Spearhead, which succeeds at the difficult task of being an upbeat love song ("I don't wanna write a long song for the world/I just wanna write a song about a boy and a girl") without being totally cliched or obnoxious. Also, it's a pretty great song to dance around in your apartment alone like an idiot to (or, you know, with other people, if that's how you roll). I'd also recommend checking out the music video - it should seriously be bottled and sold as a cure for seasonal affective disorder. - Jolly

The Weepies—Hideaway

This indie-pop duo met at my favorite music spot in the Boston area - Club Passim - and it is a match made in heaven. The harmonies are mellow but contagious, and the lyrics are always brilliant. The title track, "Hideaway," is one of those songs you can listen to on repeat for hours on end. And while I can't be sure what the song "How You Survived the War" is supposed to be about, the lyrics ("You never change your mind / Once it's made up / Unless it's to crawl back on your knees") may well be the perfect theme song for the United States Congress. - Corey

Say Hi—"Hooplas Involving Circus Tricks"

A Seattle based band by a dude from Brooklyn, Say Hi (formerly Say Hi To Your Mom) is enjoyable quirky with a DIY attitude. Eric Elbogen records/performs most everything himself when at home and on the road he recruits a menagerie of musicians, guaranteeing a unique and one-of-a-kind show each time. Say Hi came to The Black Cat last year, & I had the fortunate luck of getting stranded in the rain with a flat tire on my way to the show. If the stage banter is anything like the FAQ & Bio sections on the band's website, I am now even more bummed I missed the show. - Maggie

Bee Gees—One

I’ve been using this late-career Bee Gees album as my soundtrack for careening all over town looking at apartments: the thundering drums on songs like “You Win Again” make for good driving music. No success in my housing mission yet, but it has allowed me to reconnect with a criminally under-known pop album. If all you have heard from the Bee Gees is their disco songs, you owe it to yourself to listen to One. Barry Gibb’s falsetto is nowhere to be heard; instead, there are the Bee Gees’ trademark close, three-part harmonies and a lot of Robin Gibb’s keening vocals. Slick arrangements are punctuated by quirky bits of musicianship: the menacing drums and minor-key ending on the sexy “Flesh and Blood,” Barry’s spoken-word break in “Ordinary Lives,” the sighing vocals echoing the lyrics of “Wish You Were Here.” This whole album is an endless stream of aching ballads and exuberant, crafted pop tunes with massive, massive hooks. - Philip

She & Him—Volume One

Volume One, the first collaboration between singer/songwriter M. Ward and actress Zooey Deschanel, is a lovely, hypnotic little album, tailor-made to warm you up on those long, winter nights. Aesthetically, it has this timeless vintage country quality that's like something you'd have heard on a jukebox in some random dive bar in Tennessee in 1965, but Ward and Deschanel bring a quirky indie-rock sensibility to the material (a mix of originals and amazing covers) that plants it firmly in 2009 as well. The album's MVP is definitely Deschanel. Her voice, while not the most virtuosic, is surprisingly flexible, at turns heartbreaking then humorous, weary but always warm. She positively oozes tenderness and vulnerability, especially on my favorite track "Change Is Hard" and the brilliant cover of Smokey Robinson and The Miracles' "You've Really Got A Hold On Me." Had I heard the album in it's entirety way back in '08, it definitely would have at least made my top 5. - Rocky