Vanaprasta – Runaway (Kanye West Cover)

It's nice to see a great indie rock band covering a Kanye song non-ironically. Vanaprasta are a really solid band that I've been listening to and meaning to write about for awhile, so this can serve as a teaser. Steven WIlkin has a hell of a voice and pulls off the singing-the-rap-verses trick beautifully. I just wish I had seen this one go down live.

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Top 10 Most Dug Songs of 2010

For better or worse, my listening habits for new music lately have tended to be more song-based than album-based. So today I would like to highlight some of the songs that really stuck with me throughout 2010. This is not complete list of favorites exactly – I chose not to include any songs found on my upcoming favorite albums list or ones that I have covered on the blog in the past months.

Instead, what follows is a list of songs that found enjoyable as well as interesting, memorable, underappreciated, or some combination thereof, which I wanted to share with you all as the year comes to a close.

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Dave's Top 10 Most Dug Albums in 2010

It's the end of the year and in addition to gingerbread, whiskey cider, and Vince Guaraldi, it's also time to look back at the albums that defined my year. 

This is not a list of of album from 2010. This is a list of the albums that were the most present and perpetually in play in both the background and foreground of my life.

Making an end of year mix tape? Check out the attached music and see if my selections sound like your version of 2010. Later we can all compare mix tapes and try to figure out what they mean about our year at a psychological level. 

Without further adieu, these are my most dug albums in the year 2010.

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Favorite Albums of 2010 : Part Two

 

Well, here it is. My Top Ten Albums of 2010. Some have been frequently seen on other lists, some are probably controversial (nuts to that, I say), and some are hopefully new to you. Again, there is a great track included from every album so you can play the page as a year-end mixtape! Hope everyone enjoys and discovers some great music from the year that was.

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Better Know a Composer: Samuel Burt

Better Know a Composer is a feature that will present readers with music & musicians whose work may be inaccessible, or simply unexposed to them. It is an attempt to both humanize the work and illuminate the personality of the responsible party. 

Samuel Burt is today's subject. In a nutshell – the inspiration for his first ever composition was spaceships, Tim Smith of the Baltimore Sun succinctly describes his music as cool, and he sets Donald Rumsfeld's press conferences to music.

Refrain of Athanasius

Fountain Resonances

Unwound

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Favorite Albums of 2010 : Part One

 

I'm going to forgo the "best" vs. "favorite" argument and just say that these are the albums I loved, reputation or popularity be damned. Everyone has their own list of music they connected to emotionally and artistically this year. Mine didn't really take to long to put together, I just knew what I loved. Today collects my Honorable Mentions and Numbers 18-11. Tune in tomorrow for the Top Ten!

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Episodes in Virtuosity: Michael Brecker

In 2001 Michael Brecker laid down one of the preeminent recordings in tenor saxophone performance.

In a post Coltrane world, Brecker's rendition of the classic, Naima, pays service to its author (Coltrane) and establishes Brecker as arguably the most influential and dominant performer since.

Today's Episode in Virtuosity takes a closer look and a second listen to this magisterial and authoritative performance. 

Michael Brecker: Naima

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