Pre-Finals Sounds

I was hoping to do, at least, two more posts with the ultimate one at the end of Finals Week. So, here's the penultimate post!

"Maybe" - Alina Baraz & Galimatias - Since I have been listening to a lot of very relaxing/slower music to study, I have been listening to "Maybe"  by Alina Baraz a lot. I like how the song is somewhat sparse instument/sound-wise. It has a very chill vibe, but the song changes enough throughout to keep your interest. It comes from her album Urban Flora which is a fantastic album to listen to while studying (at least for me it is and I have recommended it to other students that are studying). (Megan Winslow)

"Money For Nothing" - Dire Straits - At the time this song came out, I was working at Sears and I was, in fact, moving refrigerators and color tvs. The song was an anthem to us in the warehouse and we sung it loud and laced with profanity. (Chris Hakala)

Editor's note: - Somewhere in our house is a picture of our younger daughter Rachel peering intently at the lyric sheet that came with Dire Straits's "Brothers in Arms" Lp. We swear it's how she learned how to read (from that album and Billy Joel's "An Innocent Man"). (RBK)

"Two of Us" - The Beatles - I played this at a friend’s “funeral” on the Orkney Island of Rousay last summer. It illustrates our long friendship very well as it did Lennon and McCartney’s collaboration of many years. (Daniele Dugre-Martin)

From "The Beatles Bible": The opening song on The Beatles' final album, "Two Of Us" was written by Paul McCartney about his fondness for getting deliberately lost in the country with his future wife Linda. 

Lennon and McCartney shared the same microphone to sing the song, as captured in the Let It Be film. Indeed, the middle sections contain likely references to their relationship, with both acutely aware that their time as members of The Beatles was drawing to a close. (Editor's note: C'mon Paul, we know this is all about you and John!

"World We You Live" - Crowded House - I loved this group back in the 80s and 90s but only owned two of their albums.
Of course everyone knows “Don’t Dream it’s Over” but they had many other hits over the years. Such as “World where you live.”  Great road trip music. (Thomas Williams)

Editor's note - I have always considered this "adult pop" music, fun to sing along with plus lyrics that are not shallow.  If you missed this group first time around, check out their songs.!

"Down San Diego Way" - Arthur Blythe - To end this post on a boisterous note, my 301 students ask me about my favorite songs. Of course, since I have been listening to music for over six decades,  my list is way too long to publish anywhere. However, most of my favorites are connected to memories.  In the mid-70s, I was a reviewer for the New Haven Advocate specializing in jazz, especially "out" jazz. I had the opportunity to meet saxophonist Arthur Blythe and hear him play live. No matter what musical situation he put himself in, his alto sax always sounded like joy personified.  No more so than on "Down San Diego Way" from his first Lp on CBS Records.  Guitar, percussion, bass, drums, tuba (Bob Stewart is the true "bottom"), flute, and Mr. Blythe's sweet tone. Yes, this is noisy but it' a reflection of a person who lived to play, loved to play, and appreciated when people would come up and say "thank you."  This song is a real "summer - open the windows and play it loud, really loud - song". (RBK)

As Time & The Semester Flies By

Mid-April already, Finals week is around the corner, graduation right after that, and then the "lazy, hazy, days (daze?) of Summer - this blog has been on a short hiatus due to the editor's busy life (if sloth can be categorized as  form of "busy"). Spring is here (sort of) and your humble editor's mind turns to pop music (or mush - you choose).

"I Want You Back" - Straight No Chaser with Sara Bareilles - Here's a delightful take on the Jackson 5's 1969 breakout Motown single. Straight No Chaser is one of the best contemporary a cappella groups and, when you add Sara Bareilles's splendid voice (what a range!) to this brilliant arrangement, magic happens.  This is the sort of song you play really loud with the windows open and sing along - well, I do and that scares the heck out of our neighbors and the cats. (RBK)

"The Winner Takes It All" - Abba - From 1974 - 1983, you could not escape the Swedish quartet Abba if you listened to AM radio. They had scads of hits. This choice comes from Thomas W and he writes "They’re all fun toons, but I tend to like ballads. Showing my soft side..."

"Society's Child" - Janis Ian - I heard her much nominated and autobiographical song “Society‘s Child “ recently. controversial at the time it tells the story of a white girl and her black boyfriend who have to break up because society will not accept the relationship. 
She also wrote “Seventeen “ another amazingly touching song.  Now also known as a science fiction writer she continues to perform in concerts.

(Daniele Dugre-Martin)

"Tossin' and Turnin' - Bobby Lewis - Now, one from my (misspent) youth. I spent many a night listening to the old tube radio my Grandfather bequeathed to me upon his passing. It sat on the shelf above my bed and gave off a soft light when it was on. I listened to radio stations from all up and down the East Coast and the Midwest. That's when I learned to love rhythm 'n' blues music, listening to songs that made me so happy to be alive. I had no idea what the lyrics were about (this song is rated "G" but Ray Charles's "What I Say" got me in trouble with the parents - my Mother said it was too suggestive for a young mind) but I loved how the song moved.  Still do.

(RBK)



You awake now?  Good!

Week #2 continuum

Here's a few more that have come in this week - feel free to share!

"Modern Nature" - Sondre Lerche - This song is one I heard from a movie soundtrack ("Dan in Real Life"). It's a simple tune with terrific lyrics. I like how the duet in the middle carries the message of relationships through both the music and the lyrics.
(Chris Hakala)
(The second voice on the track is Lillian Samdal).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7nAXL7UShA

"Stone in Love" - Journey - From the album "Escape", 1981.

I remember riding in my friend ‘s 79 lime green pinto wagon with the windows down blaring this tune ...and thinking we were cool.

(T Williams)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=944wGt77Br4 - play it loud!!

"Gods Love Nubia" -  "Aida" - The Broadway Musical AIDA is based on the opera Aida by Giuseppe Verdi. The music and lyrics were a collaboration by Elton John and Tim Rice. Set in ancient times, it tells the story of an Egyptian sea captain who captures and enslaves a Nubian princess,  only to fall in love with her. The two are torn between their true love and their respective commitments to country, culture and family. The song 'The Gods Love Nubia' performed by the princess Aida (Heather Headly) while in jail with her fellow Nubians is inspirational. It plays like a gospel revival hymn and addresses the healing of a broken people. The Nubians, led by their princess's song, rise individually then in unison to stand, gain strength and rediscover their purpose. I listen to this particular song over and over when driving down the road or, as was the case last weekend, when painting rooms in my house. The song speaks to bridging racial and social divides. It is very applicable to the many divides in our country today. Hopefully, if more people listen to the lyrics of Tim Rice and capture the spirit of Elton John's melody, 'The Gods Love Nubia' may inspire them to realize that our gods want more from us and they want it now.  

(Joe Gaffney)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86fbnfurwM4

"So Far Away" - Carole King - In honour of Carole King’s birthday I nominate “So Far Away” from her multiple award winning album "Tapestry". A lament about loved ones being too far from home, it certainly tugs at the heart whenever I hear it since my son is in the Military and is often far away.

(Daniele Dugre-Martin)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UofYl3dataU

"Up On the Roof" - Carole King - One of my all-time favorite songs, here's a link to the songwriter's version from 1970. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2DSjcc12dk

Here's a link to the original version from 1962 by The Drifters (it was released right before Christmas and did not reach Number 1 until January 1963).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_ksNvivbEI

And, one more version, this one from Laura Nyro also released in 1970.  I love all three versions; honestly, I can not pick one over the others as each one lifts my heart!

(RBK)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTNjX7l7-go

"Naive Melody (This Music Be The Place)" - Talking Heads - With Valentine's Day barely in the rear view mirror, I felt the need to post my favorite love song. The art-rock favorites of the 1980s, Talking Heads grew out of the New York avant-garde punk scene and discovered soul music along the way.  This track, from, arguably, one of the best concert videos ever, "Stop Making Sense" (1984), is a case where the live version may be better than the original (which is pretty darned good).  I have always been moved by the line that goes "Out of all those kinds of people/ You got a face with a view" - can't tell you why, it just moves me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HldHtBxNK6k

More to come - feel free to comment and/or send suggestions to richard.kamins@quinnipiac.edu. 

Welcome - Week One

The purpose of this blog is to share music that members of the Quinnipiac University are listening to these days.  At this point in time, the list only reflects the two classes I am teaching this semester, an FYS-101 and a QU 301, plus contributions from invited members of the QU community. The latter group will grow as the blog continues through the semester.  Feel free to comment but no spam!

CRO - "Einmal un de Welt" - Chose this song because we briefly talked about German music. I think this one is really upbeat and fun. I don't understand it, but from what I know he's just talking about girls and money and traveling. Basically the same thing that American singers/rappers talk about. Languages may be different but it seems to me that wherever you go in the world, mainstream music culture is the same. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2pySXCmwpc
Haniya Ahmed (FYS)

John Prine - "Clay Pigeons" - I've been listening to Clay Pigeons sung and played by John Prine.  This is written by another fellow named Blaze.  I’m just curious what others think of this song/ballad, and if Theresa or may not be a greater or lesser appreciation dependent on age.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3zNl6NsOyY
Alden Mead (Faculty)

Billie Holiday - "Strange Fruit" - Thought I might share a song we’re singing in the spring concert of Another Octave – Connecticut Women’s Chorus.  The concert theme is “Heroes & Villains”; I’m sure you can guess which category this song falls under.  The song is “Strange Fruit,” an eerie song where the tempo and the way the words are sung are vital to the meaning in the song.  The Billie Holiday version is the version you should include in your blog; it’s probably the best known, although many singers have sung.  Be sure to post a version with the words…and be careful choosing because I found some errors, such as “popular trees” instead of “poplar trees”!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mO92ll_q0k
Anne Harrigan (Faculty)

Imagine Dragons - "Radioactive" - This song has a mix of hard rock and a touch of heavy metal genres. It is slow beat with a chorus that repeats a few times. When I listen to the song it projects a heavy rhythmic beat, which is ideal for difficult cardio-vascular exercises like cycle, elliptical, treadmill, running stadium steps or bicycling. By increasing the resistance or slope of the machines used or the number of repetitions, the ‘heaviness’ of the song provides a beat that can help you work through the heaviness of the exercise when your legs, lungs and heart are challenged. The lyrics of the song (below) are not necessarily upbeat, it is the tune that is the take-away and very applicable to the toughest part of the particular cardio exercise at that moment.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktvTqknDobU
Joe Gaffney (Faculty)

Barry Phillips - "The World Turned Upside Down" - The music is colonial American. The album's title song is well known as a dance tune played by both colonial forces and the Regulars (particularly when they surrendered at Yorktown in 1781!)

I play the album when I read and write as I find it calming and contemplative.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUcH0Of_sxs
Thomas Williams (faculty)

Panic! At The Disco - "Northern Downpour" - I chose this song because the lyrics may seem nonsensical at first, but have a deeper meaning when you think about them. I really appreciate the metaphors that they use since they're very descriptive, and I also like how many different meanings the song can have to different people, or even at different times in your life. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zouSojyIi94
Megan Winslow (QU class of 2020)

Led Zeppelin - "Immigrant Song" - It has powerful lyrics with Viking overtones (I love the Orkney Islands where most of the males have been identified as having “Viking” DNA).  I saw this performed in concert and it simply gave goosebumps.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8OtzJtp-EM
Daniele Dugre- Martin (Learning Commons)

Green Day - "Poprocks and Coke" - The lyrics are terrific. At one point in my life, I was at a bad point. This song, and the lyrics of the song, were just what I needed at that time to help me deal with some of the things I was struggling with.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zxw2Iwu__IY
Chris Hakala (faculty)

"The Band's Visit" - Original Cast Recording - Katrina Lenk - "Omar Sharif" - I listen to a lot of music and it's hard to pick one track but I am quite enamored of the music from the Broadway play "The Band's Visit". Based on a 2007 Israeli movie, the play tells the following story:
"After a mix-up at the border, an Egyptian Police Band is sent to a remote village in the middle of the Israeli desert. With no bus until morning and no hotel in sight, these unlikely travelers are taken in by the locals. Under the spell of the desert sky, their lives become intertwined in the most unexpected ways." The music was composed by David Yazbek ("The Full Monty") and combines all sorts of influences.  I really enjoy the story (Israeli humor can be quite sarcastic and ironic) and the project plays to my idealistic belief that music can heal a fractured world.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDgm61Jnc7g
RB Kamins (faculty)

That's all I have for this first edition - I'll update the blog, at least, twice a week. Hope you find new sounds!