http://www.federighi.net Simply keepin' it real Sat, 02 Jan 2010 23:27:29 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en .t20s_2009 { border: 1px solid #000; } Each year I've created my Top 10 Songs list and last year I added a Top 10 albums. I have decided to broaden myself and expand the list to include the Top 20 Songs of this past year. There was a ton of great ... http://www.federighi.net/my-top-20-songs-of-2009/ In recent years, I've learned to appreciate good bluesy rock and I've even expanded my music tastes to include ... (gulp) ... country. A band like Deer Tick and their lastest album Born On Flag Day feeds my jones for both styles of music. The most accessible single on this ... http://www.federighi.net/deer-tick-born-on-flag-day/ I love this album. Seriously. I had read up a bit on John Vanderslice and threw this album in rotation at work. While this is the first of his albums that I've listened to, I can't help but have a slight man-crush. The album is real and a bit dark, ... http://www.federighi.net/john-vanderslice-romanian-names/ Cass McCombs is a bay area product (from Concord to be precise) and has just released his latest album on the Domino label. Catacombs seems to be the result of Country, Folks, Blues and Rock influences. I love this album and have listened to it all the way through, at ... http://www.federighi.net/cass-mccombs-catacombs/ I had the opportunity to see Grizzly Bear as the opener for Feist in SF a few years back, and while I thought they were pretty good, nothing about their music blew me away. I just started listening to their latest album: Veckatimest, and I must admit that I have ... http://www.federighi.net/grizzly-bear-veckatimest/ If this is the first time you've heard Camera Obscura, and are a fan of Belle & Sebastian, you'll notice similarities between the two groups right away. Both focus on super catchy, sweet, melodic pop music. If you didn't listen to the words of either group, you might be quick ... http://www.federighi.net/camera-obscura-my-maudlin-career/ Some of you may know that I am a huge fan of all things Canadian. My mother was Canadian, there are heaps of great Actors/Comedians that have come from our northern neighbors and the music scene in Toronto is, from what I can tell, incredible. I understand that the band ... http://www.federighi.net/metric-fantasies/ Last night, Amy and myself, along with our friends Karolina, Dave, Jennie and Gordon went to Sidebar for dinner and then hit The Fox Theater to see Band of Horses. I don't have the set list yet, but they played a mix of songs from Everything All The Time and ... http://www.federighi.net/band-of-horses-the-fox-theater-4172009/ This group was a recommendation from Last.fm and from the very first cut off their new album, I was mesmerized. The vocals by Erika Wennerstrom are just incredible. She has this smoky/sultry quality to her voice, but something about her style is comforting. Since I've been into bluesy rock lately, ... http://www.federighi.net/heartless-bastards-the-mountain/ No matter how catchy the songs are, a 2-song EP is not necessarily indicative of the quality you'll get with the following full-length. I'll definitely want to listen to the LP after it's drop (I believe March 31), but this sounds fresh. I have some friends, one in particular, that ... http://www.federighi.net/aceyalone-the-way-it-was-ep/