Missouri (50 Songs For 50 States)

I haven't had much time to post anything new lately (hopefully I'll have some more time in August) and I came to a fork in the road on the 50 Songs For 50 States with....Missouri. I always remember the traditional "Across The Wide Missouri" growing up but finding something more modern was a bit of a hang up. So thank goodness for Elanor Dubinsky, an indie singer and songstress from Brooklyn for providing us with "Missouri Sky". It's from her 2010 album "Sea Inside" and it continues to let us move along on our journey across the states. Visit Eleanor's website below, watch her play a viola at a coffeehouse below (surely, not in Missouri) and give it up for the "Show Me State".

Eleanor Dubinsky's Website!

U2 Setlist: 7-26-11, Heinz Field, Pittsburgh PA

The fantastic foursome of Trapper, Hollywood, Zsa Zsa, and Adzilla all headed to the Burgh Tuesday night for the last (I believe) show of the "No Line On The Horizon" tour. A bit jealous they started off with four "Achtung Baby" songs...and they played "Zooropa". Also in disbelieve it's been almost two years since I saw them in Chicago on the first North American date of the tour, back in September of 2009 at Solider Field. I didn't even have a blog then. Anyways, a big Cheers for photo and setlist provided by Trapper...for the world to see....pow.

U2 Setlist:
Even better than the real thing
The fly
Mysterious way
Until the end of the world
I will follow
Get on your boots
Still haven't found what Im looking for
Stay far away so close
Beautiful day
Elevation
Pride
Miss sarejvo
Zooropa
City of blinding light
Vertigo
If I don't go crazy tonight (disco version)/discotheque medley/psycho killer/please
Sunday bloody sunday
Rejoice/Walk on
(encore)
One
Halleluah/ the streets have no name
(2nd encore)
Hold me thrill me kiss me kill me
With or without you
Moment of surrender
Bad

New and Noteworthy: The Rapture, M83, Girls, The Horrors, The War On Drugs, The Drums

Time to look ahead to some up coming releases and the first fruits of these projects are bearing in the heat of the summer. It looks like September 13th is the D-Day for releases this year. So many from so many artists it's a literal smorgasbord. Keep an eye on upcoming releases in the side column and I'll have it updated through mid-September here in a week or two. But for now, check on some new stuff below...and please...enjoy...for new music's sake.....they've got me excited for an autumn of unforgettable music.
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The Rapture-"How Deep Is Your Love"

Not a cover of the Bee Gees....but yes those post punk revivalists who caught every one's attention with "House Of Jealous Lovers" which seems to be so many years ago (8 or 9). It's been five years since we've heard anything new from these guys, but it seems like they've got a fine line direction on where they're headed. "How Deep Is Your Love" simply jumps and skips along its main piano line, lead vocalist Luke Jenner gives a fine vocal performance, and when the saxophone jumps in on the latter half of the song...well, we've got a party going and one of the finest songs of 2011. "In The

New Music Reviews: Bon Iver-Bon Iver, Cults-Cults, The Antlers-Burst Apart

"For Emma, Forever Ago" seems like it was released...forever ago. But in that time, lead man Justin Vernon has amassed an army of followers who fell in love with that album's sparse themes of desolation and melancholy. It's pure simple instincts were the cornerstone to one of the finest albums of 2008 with a fine EP "Blood Bank" being the only thing out of the Bon Iver cannon since then. So it came to no surprise to me (well, maybe a touch) when his new album debuted at number two on Billboard charts a couple weeks ago. Bon Iver makes music people yearn to hear because it is so...yearning? Human? Delicate but bold? How about all of the above. And his self titled sophomore album follows those traits again but upping the ante. He's expanded his sound with a lot more instrumentation and tons of production flourishes. For the most part, it works.

"Bon Iver" starts with songs that are in familiar territory as "For Emma" with "Perth" and "Minnesota, WI", as a few more layers of sound are added on to make the only difference between 2011 Bon Iver and 2008 Bon

Pitchfork Music Festival, Day 3, 7-17-11, Thoughts, Setlists, Videos and Reviews

Was fortunate to head up to Chicago for the Sunday lineup of the 2011 Pitchfork Music Festival and despite the hot, hot, sunny weather, found enough shade here or there to outlast the muggy July weather. A big cheers to Troy who's made this trip several times before and provided transportation and logistics (HA!). We'll work at getting there again next year. A couple things before I get to some of the music we checked out, Union Park is a fantastic facility for a festival. It had an almost intimate feeling compared to the size of some larger festivals happening around the country. And secondly, thank you to the Pitchfork staff for keeping the water flowing to keep up with safety and for keeping thousands "Hydrated". If you didn't buy a cold water, they were handing

Tim McGraw Setlist: 7-17-11, Noblesville Indiana, Verizon Wireless Music Center

Flight Time went and checked out Tim McGraw Sunday night at Verizon Wireless

Music Center in Noblesville.

She reports it was a great setlist and a great time as always.

Tim McGraw Setlist Sent From Flight Time's Notes:

Something Like That
Where The Green Grass Grows

Fly Away
Just To See U Smile
Please Remember Me
For A Little While
Right Back At Ya
Red Rag Top
Unbroken

Sail On (Lionel Richie Cover)

That's Why God Made Mexico (with The Band Perry)

Do You Want Fries With That
Back When (with luke Bryan)

Happy bday to Luke Bryan

Better Than I Used To Be
The Cowboy In Me

Southern Voice
Felt Good On My Lips
Real Good Man

Encore:
Live Like You Were Dying

Indian Outlaw

I Like It, I Love It

Pitchfork Music Festival Schedule

Pitchfork Music Festival starts today in Chi-town. station to station will be heading to the shows on Sunday. Look for tweets @jhoburgh on Twitter on Sunday. Here's a lineup of the acts for the weekend. Also, if you want to watch any of the festival via pitchfork click on Link for live feeds and such.

Link To Pitchfork Music Festival Live Feed

Hope you can make it to Chicago for some great music. Cheers!

The Cure-The Head On The Door (JHO Hall Of Fame)

When you look at a time-line of the Cure's history, it becomes apparent that "The Head On The Door" was a sort of make or break album. The first generation of the band had imploded by the time 1982's "Pornography" had dropped, band leader Robert Smith had switched course to make neat little pop singles for a couple years after that and then he released basically a solo album under the Cure's name called "The Top" which was schizophrenic fun...but a bit too much (You simply can't have a  career based on albums like "The Top"). Smith had to buckle down. And in 1985 he did, recruiting old friend Porl Thompson on guitar, Thompson Twins drummer Boris Williams and he finally made up with his mate/bassist Simon Gallup after the two had a falling out on the "Pornography" tour. Along with Lol Tolhurst, this was the sturdiest lineup the Cure had yet and it showed on the outstanding "The Head On The Door".

Smith just isn't ready to make another dent in the UK market of new wave/alternative acts from the eighties, he's got his sights on a wider audience. And it shows in the sound of the album. Asian influences pop up on

Jeff Buckley-Grace (JHO Hall Of Fame)

A healthy dose of promise. In the end, that's about the only way you can sum up the debut album "Grace" from Jeff Buckley, whose career ended tragically when he died of an accidental drowning in 1997 in the Mississippi River. And tragic is the best way to describe Buckley's demise. Already at work on new material for a second album, we never got a chance to hear what Mr. Buckley was going to offer next (although, there have been plenty of cuts released, we never got a sense of a finished product, a proper follow up to "Grace"). Back in 97, the way you found out about these misfortunes was usually MTV news, and I remember being completely bummed for a week in the summer of 97 when word came out that he was dead. And the reason I was so bummed is because I grew to love that debut album of his released three years before. How could you resist.

Released in a time of up and coming alternative and grunge outfits, Buckley stood alone in a way. Yes, his music songs were indebted to classic rock like many other artists at the time, but you just didn't see any solo

The Smiths-The Queen Is Dead (JHO Hall Of Fame)

Let's face it, the lifespan of the Smiths, in retrospect was short. Approximately 5 to 6 years between 1982 and 1987, and in that short time frame, they became legends of the 80's modern rock movement. Why? Becuase of two key ingredients. One was their music encompassed everything from jangle pop to post punk to even a bit of rockabilly here and there. Johnny Marr's guitar work is some of the most underrated of the decade, if not all time. You know it's a Smiths song from his signature guitar work. Second was Morrissey, a man whose lyrics were indebted more to his favorite poets (Oscar Wilde and Shelagh Delaney) than songs about high school romances gone wrong or misunderstood youth. His penchant for the melodrama was and still is his signature. Together, Marr and Morrissey are an undeniable songwriting force, one that would part ways too soon. In their path lay a bunch of fine singles and four proper albums. "The Queen Is Dead" is the top of the heap for me.

"Has The World Changed Or Have I Changed?"

I choose "The Queen Is Dead" for the JHO Hall Of Fame because it's a garden variety of some of the group's

Van Morrison-Moondance (JHO Hall Of Fame)

Van Morrison's solo work had its creative peak between 1968 (with "Astral Weeks") through 1974's fantastic show stopping live album "It's Too Late To Stop Now". In between is a handful of fantastic albums from "Tupelo Honey" to "St. Dominic's Preview" to "His Band And The Street Choir". Along with these fantastic albums is a ton of great singles best highlighted on his 1990 best of compilation "The Best Of Van Morrison". And while all of this material is great, my favorite moment of his career is "Moondance"...the entire album. It's JHO Hall Of Fame worthy simply becuase there isn't a dud in the bunch. And while Van purists and fanatics may point to this as a cop out, how can anyone argue what a great set of songs Van put together on "Moondance".

The opening five songs (or if we're going into vinyl, side one) is perhaps one of the top ten starters to any album of all time. It begins with the rural feel of fishing poles, back of pickup trucks and county fairs with 'And It

Favorite Albums of 2011...so far....

Meant to throw up a post before an extended holiday, vacation, hiatus....whatever you want to call it. But now that I'm back I'm examining the year to date in new music. Not a detailed look but impressions from albums I have and have not listened to yet...or maybe never will. Last year at this time I pretty much pigeonholed my favorite albums being from Beach House, The National, Vampire Weekend, Frightened Rabbit and Local Natives. The second half of the year saw some fantastic releases with Arcade Fire, Deerhunter and the Roots taking hold of my IPOD. The Foals sophomore release was the hard charger by the end of the year I found it to be an intoxicating fusion of Talking Heads in the Caribbean on holiday.

So what I'm getting at is it was a lot easier to pick my favorites out of a lineup by July 2010. Here we sit in July 2011 and looking back there have been several strong releases this year (It seems Smith Westerns and Destroyer were released eons ago in January, but they are 2011 releases). But pinpointing what I live to what I like to what is OK to what I don't care for is quite difficult. Also, I gave the cold shoulder to releases from Drive By Truckers, The Kills, Mogwai, Wire, and Gang Of Four because after one listen, I didn't hear anything to get me excited about reviewing or purchasing their new albums.

I'm basically just going to categorize what I've listened to and reviewed, what I've listened to and not reviewed