Jim Hanft - Backyard Waltz

Album: Backyard Waltz
Artist: Jim Hanft
Release Year: 2007
Hails From: Philadelphia


Tracks:
1. China Doll
2. Down
3. Superhero
4. Blinking Watch
5. Caffeine
6. Magic
7. Thief
8. Girl in The Cashmere Dress
9. Southern States
10. Backyard Waltz

Favorite Lines: "The actor upstairs memorizes his scene, cut out his heart just to trade it for a dream." ~ China Doll
"In the city tonight I can't sleep, cause your face is some strong caffeine" ~ Caffeine
"Now my tongue is trapped and my eyes they scream" ~ Blinking Watch

My Thoughts: Jim Hanft is an amazing songwriter. His ability to string together words and thoughts is like poetry on ice. He is very talented and very funny, but this album doesn't show how funny he is. For that you would need to go to a live show. This is an amazing debut by a promising talent and it is not to be missed. Kids - by the time you are reading this, Jim will already be a huge star and you can say my mom knew him when....

Reminds me of: backyard waltzing. sitting around for a late night concert with close friends, listening to jim and drinking beers.

Random Fact: Alot of Jim's songs are very personnel and touch on subjects of life in LA, meeting homeless people, love, bitchy sisters and the death of his father. ~ me
"Laughter and pain are two very similar emotions" says Jim, "when you combine the two you make people completely vulnerable yet completely comfortable at the same time." Jim quote from www.jimhanft.com

Caffeine - Love this video.


Down

The Violent Femmes - The Violent Femmes

Album: Violent Femmes
Artist: Violent Femmes
Release Year: 1982
Hails From: Milwaukee


Tracks:
1. Blister in the Sun
2. Kiss Off
3. Please Do Not Go
4. Add It Up
5. Confessions
6. Prove My Love
7. Promise
8. To The Kill
9. Gone Daddy Gone
10. Good Feeling
11. Ugly
12. Gimme the Car



My Thoughts: The Violent Femmes are funny to me because they are so popular with alternative, hipster kids; yet the singer whine sings and alot of the songs are very dark. Which is probably why the alternative hipster kids love it. This album is such an influence on so many alternative rock groups through out the 80's & 90's. This album is the soundtrack to teenage angst. The lead singer Gordan Gano wrote most of the songs all in highschool, so that also makes sense.

Reminds me of: dancing your pants off. or wrecking cars and burning something down. or cutting myself. whatever comes first.

Random Fact:
They were discovered by The Pretenders when they found them busking outside of a theatre in Milwaukee and Chrissie Hynde invited them to do an acoustic set after their opening act. Femme at the time was slang for Wimp in Milwaukee. ~ (Wikipedia)

Add It Up - The Violent Femmes

Kiss Off Live

Michael Giacchino - LOST

Album: LOST Soundtrack Season 1
Artist: Michael Giacchino
Release Year: 2006
Hails From: New Jersey


Tracks:
1. Main Title
2. The Eyeland
3. World's Worst Beach Party
4. Credit Where Credit Is Due
5. Run Like, Um... Hell?
6. Hollywood and Vines
7. Just Die Already
8. Me and My Big Mouth
9. Crocodile Locke
10. Win One For the Reaper
11. Departing Sun
12. Charlie Hangs Around
13. Navel Gazing
14. Proper Motivation
15. Run Away! Run Away!
16. We're Friends
17. Getting Ethan
18. Thinking Clairely
19. Locke'd Out Again
20. Life and Death
21. Booneral
22. Shannonigans
23. Kate's Motel
24. I've Got a Plane to Catch
25. Monsters Are Such Innnteresting People
26. Parting Words
27. Oceanic 815


My Thoughts: Yes kids, this is kind of like classical music, but that doesn't mean it sucks. Michael Giacchino has made the soundtrack to so many video games, TV shows and movies and LOST is just one of the many. He followed JJ Abrams from Alias and in LOST's pilot episode he collected actual plane wreckage and made it in to percussion instruments. So alot of the sounds you hear is actual metal from the plane they used in the pilot episode. I have watched parts of the show where they showed it without the music, and I love the show and the actors, but it truly is not the same without the music. The scenes do not hit you the same way. Sometimes it scares the heck out of you, other times it gives you chills, other times it makes you cry. Michael Giacchino is an exemplary example of the power of music. The music is like another character in LOST.
Also - there is a soundtrack for every season, this is only an example of one.

Reminds me of: obviously the show, but I get chills every time I listen to certain songs. It is so beautiful and makes you feel in a way that only classical instrumental music can.

Random Fact:
The music of Lost is so popular that they held a special concert featuring the music from the show. Terry O'Quinn (John Locke) came to narrate the performance. It completely sold out the Hollywood Bowl which is a huge venue in LA. Giacchino won an emmy for his LOST score. ~ (Lost DVD's)


Characters & their theme:


This is played every time someone is born or dies:



Locke's Theme makes me almost want to like Locke, It is so beautiful:


If you watch lost, and everyone should, give this 1 minute and you will know which one it is: