Top 7 Bands of June 2008

I have been posting about exercise a lot lately, so I thought I would change the pace a little and talk about music. I change favorite bands every few months, so I thought it would be fun to talk about the music that I’m into right now. Ten years ago, this list would have been a lot different. I don’t have any bands on this list that would have been in my top 25 (ok, maybe Radiohead). So here is the run down of my Top Seven bands right now and why I like them:

1. Wilco – They have been at the top of the list for a few months now. I first found out about Wilco in 2004 when they came out with an album called A Ghost Is Born. I didn’t really like this album, so I assumed I didn’t like Wilco, but after listening to 2007’s Sky Blue Sky, I listened to some older stuff like Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and I was in love! I saw them live in Colorado and will see them again on August 18^th at Red Butte Gardens in SLC.
   

2. The Shins – I found out about the Shins from the movie Garden State as I am sure a lot of people did. They have excellent lyrics and really cool layers of guitar. Here are some lyrics from the song Pink Bullets:
   

“Cool of a temperate breeze from dark skies to wet grass
we fell in a field it seems now a thousand summers passed
when our kite lines first crossed
we tied them into knots
and to finally fly apart we had to cut them off”

3. The Postal Service – This is a band that started with two dudes sending CD Roms back and forth in the mail aka the band name, The Postal Service. One of the dudes, Ben Gibbard is also the lead singer in another band that I love called Death Cab For Cutie. This band rocks some sweet techno beats with old-school video games sounding electronics and then cover it with really cool lyrics that just nake you sing along.
   

4. The Killers – “Somebody told me you had a boyfriend who looked like a girlfriend that I had in February of last year. It's not confidential, I've got potential.” –Enough said.
   

5. Radiohead – I never get sick of Radiohead. Their new album In Rainbows is the Radiohead I love – mellow and rockin’.
   

6. Lucinda Williams – Another oldie but goodie. I have really been digging her live stuff lately. She has this amazing old country voice – kind of like if Allison Kraus got drunk and rode a few roller coasters.
   

7. Feist – I first heard Feist on a iPod commercial. I had to know who it was after seeing the commercial a dozen times. She writes very catchy and danceable music.
   

Honorable Mention – M. Ward – This guy is a really good singer/songwriter. The only reason he didn’t make the top 7 is because I am still listening to his albums and falling in love with them. He will most likely make the top 7 in a month or so.