Throwback Thursday

While in the beautiful city of Minneapolis this summer, I was reminded what it was like to have a quality local radio station. I was lucky enough to be introduced to Minnesota's Public Radio station, 89.3 The Current. Enjoying the tunes as a few friends and I rode around the city, my attention was grabbed as the radio waves pummeled me with a song that was so overwhelmingly 80s, it brought an instant smile and head nod. Everyone in the car's face underwent the exact same transformation.

The song was the 1985 masterpiece, "The Whole of the Moon" by The Waterboys off their album This is the Sea. As soon as I returned home, the first thing on my list of things to do was acquire this song and since then I've listened to almost nothing else. 

Enjoy!

Stream the new album by The xx

The xx follow up their universally loved, self-titled debut with Coexist which will be out a week from today, September 11th. For now, you can head over to NPR and stream it before you buy. Just follow the link below.

The xx - Coexist on NPR's first listen

Throwback Thursday (on Friday)

After a recent eviction, a bout with homelessness/couch surfing and a summer of travelling around New England and the Midwest, A Brief Intermission is back! And seeing as its a Thursday, I'm coming back with a throwback for ya'll.

It had been a while since I listened to Rumours by Fleetwood Mac and then somewhere on the backroads of Northern Pennsylvania, we popped it on the iPod. Recorded amid personal turmoil, "Dreams" documents Stevie Nicks' tumultuous relationship with guitarist Lindsey Buckingham. The song is based on a dancey drumbeat, ambient instrumentation and beautiful vocal harmonies, especially during the powerhouse chorus.

Enjoy!

2011 Review: Top 10 Albums

I still can't get over how incredible 2011 has been in terms of music. There were so many exciting new artists bursting onto the scene (WU LYF, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr., Yuck, ASAP Rocky) while many other well already established artists expanded on and experimented with their sound to create something completely different (The Antlers, Bon Iver, Toro Y Moi).

And while its already been noted in various other publications, one can't help but draw parallels between the current climate of the music world to the current climate of the world. With exciting, democratic uprisings occurring the world over (Arab Spring, Occupy Movement), the people are joining together in search of change. Similarly, the "underground" has seemingly taken over the established norm and the major, corporate labels no longer rule the music industry. With all of the social networking devices, artists can build a brand for themselves without any need for the big budget that comes with a major label contract. As long as their willing to work, artists can find some sort of audience and without the meddling of big businesses worried about sales figures, the art is more pure and the listeners are reaping all of the benefits.

And now, without further ado, out of all the hundreds of albums and all the thousands of songs, here are the top 10 albums of 2011!

2011 Review: Top 50 Songs: Top 10!

After a 4 day journey through 40 songs, we've arrived at the top 10. Thanks for reading and listening and make sure you take a look back at the other songs in the top 50 if you missed them. Enjoy!

2011 Review: Top 50 Songs (20-11)

And we're down to the home stretch with the top 50 songs of 2011. Be sure to take a look back at the previous 30 songs and come back tomorrow for the top 10! Enjoy!

2011 Review: Top 50 Songs (30-21)

We're 20 songs into the top 50 of the year and with some very slight adjustments after a listen to the entire list last night, here are the next 10 songs (30-21). Make sure you check back at numbers 50-41 and 40-31 if you missed them and keep checking back for the top 20!

2011 Review: Top 50 Songs (40-31)

Yesterday marked the beginning of a 5 day quest to reveal the top 50 songs of 2011. If you missed it follow the link to check out numbers 50 -41. Today, I will be revealing the next 10 (40-31) and from the look of it we have a very eclectic mix of songs ahead. Enjoy!

2011 Review: Top 50 Songs (50-41)

The 2011 year in review continues with the top 50 songs. Over the next 5 days I will be revealing my top 50 songs of this year 10 at a time. In making this list I only followed one real rule; one song per artist. When I started making it, I had over 200 songs in contention and in a painstaking process (actually it was kind of enjoyable revisiting all the songs) whittled it down to the 50 you will see over the next few days. Now without further ado, here are numbers 50-41.

2011 Review: 25 Great "Rock" Releases (The Honorable Mention)

This year had so many great albums that a singular top 10 was just not quite enough; too many other albums deserved at least a mention. There was the Top 10 hiphop/R&B list posted earlier this week and this here is essentially an extended honorable mention for the other rock albums this year. An overall top 10 is coming later this month with proper write ups and in an effort to preserve the suspense, none of those albums will be included. In the meantime, enjoy this list and give a listen to some of these excellent albums if you haven't already.