Hem - Leave Me Here

I'm still in love with the piano. In fact, this song is from the same album as "Half Acre" two posts below.

What a difference a year makes, no?

It's been at least that long since I've purchased a CD. In these days of iTunes and Amazon MP3, the economics of buying one or two good songs $15-20 just doesn't make sense anymore. It never really did, but what choice did we have? But that is a discussion for another day. And the calculation is quite different when you're dealing with an exceptional album.

So, what can you find here? Hauntingly beautiful melodies. Poetic lyrics. That oddball of the woodwind family, the oboe. And a song worth leaving on repeat.

Peter Gabriel - Love to be Loved

Peter Gabriel is, well, strange. It's hard to pinpoint what instruments he uses, his lyrics tend to be odd, many of his album titles are just two-letter words, and he often uses rather unorthodox time signatures. "Solsbury Hill," for example, is written in 7/4.

It's also hard to pinpoint a genre. His most famous album was So, which includes his well-known '80s hits "In Your Eyes" and "Sledgehammer." Tonight's song, from about a half-decade later, appears on 1992's album, Us.

Peter Gabriel's gravelly voice, which has only gotten better and more distinctive over time, is prominent on this track. Including the heartbeat sound effects and reverberation, it has a bit more of a new-agey sound than his older hits, but also reminds one of "Mercy Street."

He's not quite as prominent as Bono, but Peter Gabriel keeps a hand in global humanitarian initiatives.

Donna Lewis - Heaven Sent You

This is a hot song.

Written by Welsh vocalist Donna Lewis, "Heaven Sent You" is an ambient, atmospheric tune featuring an astonishing vocal performance. The background sound gives your subwoofer a workout, but in a good way.

Her ethereal voice would be perfect for one of those great trance mixes I've profiled before. Of course, it has a piano, which is played on the higher octaves. It would be perfect to play while you're kissing someone.

Presumably so, anyway.

And the topic of the song? A nice dream. But it sure does sound good.

Especially recommended if you like:

• Sophie B. Hawkins
• Leigh Nash

Chantal Kreviazuk - Weight of the World

Chantal Kreviazuk is a Canadian singer-songwriter and pianist, and I honestly don't know how to pronounce her name. She has an exquisite voice.

"Weight of the World" is an uplifting, hopeful song from What if it All Means Something?, accompanying the album's other hits of "Time," "In This Life" and "Ready for your Love."

While she's earned more exposure in Canada, she's also known for covering older hits, like John Denver's "Leaving on a Jet Plane" and Randy Newman's "Feels Like Home," which is simply spectacular.

JJ Grey & Mofro- Mississippi

We'll still call it Friday night. I was out late.

This one's a bit different from my past recommendations. It's a good, Southern, bluesy track, off the Country Ghetto album. This band from Northern Florida has that great electric guitar sound that are perfect for the Blues.

Country Ghetto is one of those albums that doesn't require a bunch of skipping around. Other highlights are "Footsteps" and "The Sun is Shining Down," a song that reminds me of the Beatles' "Let It Be."

Vienna Teng - Between

Vienna Teng (not her birth name) is a Chinese-American artist. She has excellent songwriting talent, and she's one of those musicians whose performances just washes over you.

She appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman a few years back, who stated that "there isn't a dud on this album," referring to her debut effort, Waking Hour.

"Decade and One," and "Soon Love Soon" are other highlights, but I don't know what else I can really say. Her music is simply beautiful, and it grew on me very quickly. She has four free MP3s available at her website.

Bruce Hornsby & The Range - The Road Not Taken

You've probably heard some of Bruce Hornsby's music. He's excellent on the piano, and has awe-inspiring songwriting abilities. He often sounds reminiscent of something.

He's especially reminiscent in "The Road Not Taken." It's a joy to just sit back, listen to him work his magic on the piano, and take in the stories he tells so eloquently.

If you know any of his songs from his popular album "The Way It Is," You'll love his more recent albums like "Harbor Lights" and "Scenes from the Southside," which contains tonight's featured song.

The Blessing - Delta Rain

I'm a little late posting this one; sorry. I came back from a trip last night.

The Blessing was a music group fronted by William Topley, a British musician. He has done some solo work as well, and while he's somewhat well-known in the Boulder area, he's quite obscure. He doesn't get the attention he deserves.

Delta Rain contrasts Topley's deep, distinctive, gravelly voice with the sweet sound of his guest female vocalist, Rebecca Price. The lyrics and imagery are superb.

Jason Spooner - Mirror This Morning

Jason Spooner is a "Singer-Songwriter/Acoustic Musician," according to his website.

He's a guitarist, and he sounds uncannily like Paul Simon, only with a bit more bass. He has a half-dozen tracks available for free download at his website (linked in the title). He's only released two albums to date, but has begun to gain recognition in New England and further across the USA and Europe.

If anything, Jason Spooner demonstrates that the concept of a Singer-Songwriter is still alive and kicking.

Christopher Franke - Driving Into Blue

Christopher Franke is a German-born artist commonly known for his work with "synthesizers." Remember that word?

He was part of the German group Tangerine Dream until the late 80s, after which he became known for his work on the soundtrack for the TV show "Babylon 5."

Driving Into Blue is a track from his first solo release, "Pacific Coast Highway," an album which became the official soundtrack for a California vacation my dad and I took about ten years ago. The pace of the album ebbs and flows like the road itself and the Pacific Ocean that crashes on the rocks beneath it.

"Purple Waves" and "Black Garden View" are other highlights to listen for on this album. Sadly, it is not currently available on iTunes.

Matthew Ebel - I Know You're There

Matthew Ebel is a friend of a friend. I was just introduced to his music tonight, and found maybe a half-dozen songs worth profiling here.

Depending on which song you listen to, he'll remind you of U2, Lifehouse, Coldplay, Dave Matthews, and others. Like other "Starving Artists," he has a selection of his songs available for listening on his website, linked in the title.

"I Know You're There" is a good, slowish-paced rock song, with Matt on the piano and vocals, and the rest is done on a Mac.

He also just released a new album called "Goodbye Planet Earth," which has a genius secret behind it. Check out his website and listen to a few!

Starkid - Crayons (Leama & Moor Mix)

Great songs don't necessarily need a piano.

In the Denver market, electronica gets about 45 minutes of airtime each day on one station. And given the declining quality of even that, I've turned to internet streams for my techno fix.

Here's a highlight. It's mesmerizing. Hypnotic. Euphoric. This is good stuff. You can't help but get into it. Yes, a common complaint is that it's "repetitive," but to the trained ear, you can pick up on crescendos, ethereal voices, and the surprisingly graceful harmony that can accompany a rapid beat.

As much as I love the genre, it can be insanely frustrating. The tracks don't always have lyrics, so trying to figure out the title can be next to impossible. But I was fortunate to learn the title of this remixed "Crayons" track. Produced by Starkid (real name Adam Spears), it's a pleasure to listen to (and dance to, if you have the talent). Sadly, Adam Spears was killed in a car crash at the young age of 18.

I'm sure he would have been delighted at this song's popularity within the genre. This remix was produced in his memory.

Regina Spektor - Samson

Regina Spektor is a Russian vocalist whose widely varying music style keeps you enthralled.

You may have heard her music before. She's far from a complete unknown; in fact, JCPenney just used one of her songs in a recent TV commercial. Her lyrics are whimsical, fun, angry, poetic, racy, and pretty much everywhere in between.

The whole album is worth listening to, but the song Samson is my highlight. Alluding to the Biblical story of Samson and Delilah, with a couple slices of Wonder Bread thrown in, I can't help but love this song. It does seem to have an unresolved ending, but it's starting to grow on me and sound more "right."

Finally, I just wanted to express my surprise and delight from the comment I received on my first post from Amy Seeley herself!

Amy Seeley - Gravel Lines

Good evening.

For the first edition of Channel AK, I'm bringing to your attention Amy Seeley, a talented pianist currently living in Canada.

I first ran across this song on a photographer's website, who had it as the background music within a slideshow. It's quiet; a tune that could be the soundtrack to a winter afternoon with a light snow falling. Poetic, I know. The pure, beautiful simplicity of a woman and her piano shines through in her music. Tell me, when was the last time you really heard a song with one instrument and one vocalist?

She has a few free tracks available at her website for download.

Especially recommended if you like:

• Tori Amos
  
• Lisa Loeb

Mission Statement

Six or seven years ago, I used to enjoy listening to the radio. Stated as simply as possible, they played songs I enjoyed hearing.

Sadly, FM radio has gone into a sad state of decline. Given that fewer and fewer people are tuning in, opting instead for iPods, Pandora, or satellite radio, stations are having to run more commercials (which aren't exactly harmonious) to make up for their decreased reach. If that wasn't a big enough problem, they don't seem to be playing music up to the quality of years past.

That's what this blog is all about. Great music isn't far away, and it's my goal to help you discover some new personal favourites.

Tune in every Tuesday and Friday evening for a new, rarely-heard recommendation from my music library. Maybe you'll sample the clip on iTunes. Maybe you'll love it and buy the disc on Amazon. Maybe you'll find that we don't share similar musical tastes. I don't condone this, but maybe you'll just steal it.

My aim is to do a better job of introducing you to new songs, artists, and genres than FM radio does.

And once I do that, maybe I'll try challenging myself a little.