Turn of the BLUE

Good-bye Billy Strange...Beirut shares new music video...Islands video for the track "Hallways"...

Well, I'd like to start this one off with a moment of silence...for Billy Strange. Though, I didn't know him on a personal level, he did share some innovative guitar playing and songwriting to some of the artists we know and revere today...among them: Elvis Presley, Wanda Jackson, Nancy Sinatra, The Beach Boys, and more. Strange died yesterday in Nashville, and though the cause of death is unknown, it still sucks just the same. Known for his guitar work, he also wrote the famous Elvis Presley track, "A Little Less Conversation," which you can listen to below:



In other news, Beirut came out with a video for their song, "Vagabond," which is taken off of their latest release, The Rip Tide. The track, and album, are both representations of singer/songwriter Zachary Condon's wayward mind in the sense that though he says he didn't travel much, he likes the idea of different settings and stories to play major roles within the songwriting. If you haven't listened to The Rip Tide yet, do so. You'll be glad you did. In the meantime, here's their new video:



Also, I recently posted Island's latest album, A Sleep and A Forgetting. But Nick Thorburn, singer/songwriter/mastermind, has come out with a video for the track, "Hallways." In a recent, or not so recent trend, this album tends to be Islands' break-up record, in that it was written in the aftermath of Thorburn's love woes. Now, while a break-up record may signify angst, resentment, sadness, and whatever other emotions one feels after such a tragedy, this album conveys those things in a very nuanced, yet personal way. "Hallways" is one of the key tracks of the album, in my opinion, and here's the video for your viewing displeasure...(anyone else think he was influenced by Tim Burton?)



LISTENING: I've spent the majority of today listening to Islands' aforementioned album. Other than that, I've been brushing up on 90's punk, namely that of Hot Water Music, in preparation for an interview with lead singer Chuck Ragan. Let's see how that goes...

That's all. PEACE.