Women Who Rock - CYA's Top Ten

I've been looking up information on Regina Spektor, as she's got a concert here next week, and I'm contemplating on going over to see that at some point. While looking around, I came across a reference that she was #5 on Spinner.com's Women Who Rock list. I took a look and decided to come up with my own list.



10 - Brandi Carlile
It took me a little while to get into Brandi Carlile. It wasn't until she released The Story that I started getting into her unique sound, and really started listening. She's got one helluva vocal range, and a fantastic voice to go along with it. She'll be up here in October and I'm planning on seeing that.

The Story - Brandi Carlile

9 - Regina Spektor
I've started to get into Regina Spektor. She's got a very cool sound that borders on a bunch of things. Originally from Russia, she's come to New York and is doing quite well for herself with her first album, Begin to Hope. She's coming to Middlebury next week. Should I see her?

On the Radio - Regina Spektor


8 - Tristan Prettyman
My first exposure to Tristan Prettyman was through the show Six Degrees with Love, Love, Love, and since then, I've loved, loved, loved her music. Acoustic guitar and great vocals is what she's all about.

Evaporated - Tristan Prettyman


7 - A Fine Frenzy
A Fine Frenzy is another one that I've picked up from the television world, this time when they used Hope for the Hopeless in House. Her fantastic voice couples well with her piano work, along with some absolutely stellar lyrics. I'll be seeing her in October with Brandi.

Rangers - A Fine Frenzy

6 - Feist
I got into Feist with her first single, Let It Die, and I've really enjoyed her upbeat, pop sound, as well as her work with Broken Social Scene. I just missed her show up here in Vermont with Rogue Wave, and I'm kicking myself about that...

1 2 3 4 - Feist


5 - Sara Wheeler
I came across Sara Wheeler at my school five years ago, and just got one of her newer albums. Like Prettyman, she's got the whole acoustic guitar and fantastic vocals going for her, with some great songs. I hope that she'll be back out and about soon.

Freedom - Sara Wheeler


4 - Rilo Kiley
Rilo Kiley is a new band for me - I got Under the Blacklight and loved it. They've got a great feel and variety to all their music, and are quite standoffish in a way that's not overdone.

Dreamworld - Rilo Kiley


3 - KT Tunstall
Where to start with KT Tunstall? I loved her first album, Eye to the Telescope, as well as her second album, Drastic Fantastic (review coming next week) and just love this woman's sound and style. She did some time here in Vermont, and hopefully, will be returning.

Black Horse and the Cherry Tree - KT Tunstall


2 - Sara Bareilles
I just got into Sara Bareilles a couple weeks ago when I came across her fantastic first album Little Voice. She's got great lyrics and sound here with this first album, and I'm hoping that we'll see more from her in the near future.

Love Song - Sara Bareilles


1 - Grace Potter & The Nocturnals
No contest for me - Grace Potter is the best female vocalist out there at the moment. She rocks hard, her live concerts are just out of this world, and she's got some deep influences with Rock & Roll. Plus, her songs, sound and voice are all just amazing. Go out and buy This is Somewhere, you won't regret it. Or, get her other two albums, Nothing But The Water or Original Voice.

Mr. Columbus - Grace Potter & The Nocturnals

Hype - Buy - Look

Best of the Month: August

Over the past month, I've been collecting, listening and buying songs as they catch my interest, and here are my picks for the best of August:

Radio Nowhere - Bruce Springsteen
The boss is back with the first single in a couple of years now, and this one's pretty damn good. Solid guitar work and drive behind this one, with a solid track once again.

Don't Stop Now - Crowded House
Even A Child - Crowded House
Crowded House is back after, inadvertently. Starting out as a solo album with the older members of the band added on, they're back with a bit of a better sound than before, with two fantastic songs, Don't Stop Now and Even A Child.

Ashes and Wine - A Fine Frenzy
Rangers - A Fine Frenzy
A Fine Frenzy, whom I've talked about before, is off to a fantastic start with her first album, with a sweet voice and beautiful piano accompaniment, all the while displaying some fantastic lyrics. Ashes & Wine and Rangers are two of the best songs off the album, although the entire thing is pretty damn good.

The Pretender - Foo Fighters
The Foo Fighters are back with their latest single, The Pretender, which starts off slow before exploding into a really good song. I'm not sure if it's as good as Best Of You, but it's still a pretty good track.

Mr. Columbus - Grace Potter & The Nocturnals
Falling or Flying - Grace Potter & The Nocturnals
Grace Potter and The Nocturnals exploded with their first major studio release, This Is Somewhere, refining their sound and sharpening their already fantastic songwriting skills. Mr. Columbus and Falling Or Flying are two of the best tracks from the album, although you'd be hard pressed to find a bad song on that album.

Boy With A Coin - Iron & Wine
Iron & Wine's latest single shows a little experimentation, adding in a bit of a faster rhythm and a richer sound than some of his older songs, but it's an a really catchy track that's just amazing.

1973 - James Blunt
I wasn't a fan of Blunt's first single, You're Beautiful, but 1973 really won me over, I'm not sure if I'll check out the rest of the album, but this one's a much stronger track that's good in it's own right.

Killing for Love - José González
Down The Line - José González
José González is following up the amazing Veneer with In Our Nature, with more original works, but a couple of covers as well (Teardrop). Killing for Love and Down The Line are two really good tracks that highlight his acoustic guitar work and lyrics.

Close Call - Rilo Kiley
Dreamworld - Rilo Kiley
Rilo Kiley's been the talk of the blogging and media community for the last couple weeks with her new album, Under the Blacklight with some of the best pop music out there. Blending some really cool guitar work and vocal talent, this album's certainly a really good listen. Close Call and Dreamworld are my two favorites from the album.

Hold On (iTunes)– KT Tunstall
K.T. Tunstall’s back with a new single, for her upcoming album Drastic Fantastic, which is fast, hyper and sounds like a fantastic followup to her last release, Eye to the Telescope.

Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa – Vampire Weekend
This is a fun offbeat song who’s just released their first self-titled EP. It’s light, poppy, indie music at its best. These are some guys to keep an eye on.

Hype – Buy

New Music: Under The Blacklight

Rilo Kiley's newest album Under The Blacklight has been getting quite a bit of attention from the music blog and media world. As I was driving home last night, NPR's All Things Considered ran a feature on the new album, along with a couple of the songs.

I'm not all that familiar with Kiley's music outside of a song or two - Several of her songs were featured on the show Veronica Mars, where I heard them, and I've enjoyed listening to the ones that I do have.

This album is a cool one to listen to. It's got influences from the indie, pop and alternative world, and to me, it seems a little standoffish and independant from other pop albums out there. As the commentator for NPR noted, any song that has mention of a mother athiest who doesn't care if her daughter is out all night is bound to clash with some audiences, which, in my opinion, is a good thing. Music should challenge people.
Jenny Lewis, lead vocals, really does a great job on this album, really bridging genres at times with this album. I'm hooked.


Dreamworld - Rilo Kiley

Close Call - Rilo Kiley

Hype - Buy - Look