Matt Ryczek - Without You

Artist ----  Matt Ryczek

Song   ----  Without You

Album  ----  Six Year Plan (2004)

Background: Matt Ryczek is an Athens based acoustic musician. From a total unknown, Matt has built up a solid fan base through his independent song releases. Born in 1981 in Atlanta Georgia, he was mostly inspired listening to artists such as Jack Johnson and John Mayer. Ryczek describes his music as "laid-back jazzy pop". Six Year Plan is his first record and he is about to release his second one this year.

Trivia: The tour dates on his page say that he has only played in Smith's Olde Bar in Atlanta so far.

My two cents: This is the typical rough diamond you can find on YouTube. Coming out of nowhere, somehow there's a link from a John Mayer song to his song and boom! You fall in love with a song from an artist you have never heard of before. His sound certainly conjures up images of lazy summer afternoons with acoustic rhythms playing overhead. Easy on the ears. I like it! The lyrics are easy but yet strong and send a nice and honest message to somebody you really appreciate and you cannot be with right now. Enjoy good weather and this song on your ears.

Cite: Without you I wouldn't be the same

Héroes del Silencio - Entre Dos Tierras

Artist ----  Héroes Del Silencio

Song   ----  Entre Dos Tierras

Album  ----  Senderos de Traición (1990)

Background: Héroes del Silencio was a Spanish rock band from Zaragoza, Spain, formed in 1984. During the 1980s they experienced success around Spain and the Americas, and in various European countries, especially Germany. After twelve years and numerous albums, the band broke up in 1996. In 1990 they released Senderos de Traición, their best-selling album with 2 million copies, including 400,000 copies in the first two weeks in Spain alone. 20 years after their first album, and 11 years after they split up, the band announced a ten-day reunion tour that would take them to Spain and South America. More than 10,000 people attended each concert and some of the concerts saw as many as 90,000 fans (e.g. in Sevilla). This song is their most known and successful single.

Trivia: This song is the title melody of German TV soap "Niedrig und Kuhnt". It is also the running-in music of the Holstein Kiel football team.

My two cents: No hablo espanol. But I love that song. That signature guitar delay in the beginning, the voice of Enrique Bunbury and the lyrics that I don't understand but that sound so familiar. My father bought this CD when it came out and it was one of my favorites when I grew up. It's just ridiculous, the huge number of people that attended their concerts. It's especially funny how successful this song was in Germany, they played it everywhere in bars and clubs and sometimes still do today. It's still in Spanish and nobody gets the lyrics so this muscially has to be a good song.

Cite: Déjame, que yo no tengo la culpa de verte caer 

Angus & Julia Stone - Big Jet Plane

Artist ----  Angus and Julia Stone

Song   ----  Big Jet Plane

Album  ----  Down The Way (2010)

Background: Angus & Julia Stone are an Australian brother-sister duo from Newport close to Sidney. They already made music together as kids and formed the project in 2005. In 2007, their debut album A Book Like This was released. The sophomore self-produced album Down the Way saw a worldwide release in March 2010 and the album debuted at number 1 in their native country and is now triple platinum. It was the highest-selling album by an Australian artist in 2010.  Their song Big Jet Plane received number 1 position in the Triple J Hottest 100. The song is a modified version of a song released by Angus Stone as part of his solo project. 

Trivia: As travelling has been an integral part of the Stones' musical story, they opted to record this album in a number of diverse locations around the globe – an old sawmill, a studio in Brooklyn, another one in Queens, New York, and a water tank.

My two cents: I heard Julia Stone for the first time last week at the hairdresser's shop. I'm pretty sure I heard songs of them earlier but this time I asked what CD they were playing. I liked the easy listening and calm character since I was about to cut my long hair, so I was very nervous. The music was so nice it helped me to calm down, smile and enjoy the sun coming in through the windows. It's getting summer guys, get out and enjoy the sun! Shall I take you there on my big jet plane?

Cite: Gonna take you, away from home

Lynyrd Skynyrd - Free Bird

Artist ----  Lynyrd Skynyrd

Song   ----  Free Bird

Album  ----  (Pronounced 'Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd) (1973)

Background: Lynyrd Skynyrd is an American rock band best known for popularizing the Southern rock genre during the 1970s. Originally formed in 1964, the band rose to worldwide recognition on the basis of its driving live performances and signature tune, "Free Bird", that was on their debut album. Nowadays, the band is more famous for their "Sweet Home Alabama", although the band was founded in Florida. A version of the band continues to tour and record, with only Gary Rossington of its original members remaining as of 2012. Lynyrd Skynyrd was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006.

Trivia: At the peak of their success, three members died in an airplane crash in 1977, putting an abrupt end to the band's most popular incarnation.

My two cents: This song is a classic for all guitar tune lovers, let it be rock, metal, prog, whatever. It's also a big running gag due to it's length. It starts of like a normal rock ballad and then moves into a fast rock improvisation ending, often longer than 10 minutes. I just love both parts, the slow ballad part and the ending. Especially the rocking part in the end has been part of many cover versions, including a famous live cover version made by Dream Theater. So I really like this song, both recording and live version. I'm just not into this America South State thing, with flag and barrels and cowboy hats. But I like the simple but effective lyrics.

Cite: 'Cause I'm as free as a bird now

Gustav Mahler - Symphony No. 5: Adagietto

Artist ----  Gustav Mahler

Song   ----  Symphony No. 5: Adagietto

Recorded by  ----  The Chicago Symphony Orchestra (1998)

Background: Gustav Mahler (born 1860) was an Austrian composer and one of the leading conductors of his generation. Mahler was a "late Romantic", part of an ideal that placed Austro-German classical music on a higher plane than other types, through its supposed possession of particular spiritual and philosophical significance. He was one of the last major composers of a line which includes, among others, Beethoven, Schubert, Liszt, Wagner, Bruckner and Brahms. From these antecedents Mahler drew many of the features that were to characterise his music. His Symphony No. 5 was composed in 1901 and 1902. The fourth movement "Adagietto" is arguably Mahler's most famous single piece of music, and is the most frequently performed extract from Mahler's works.

Trivia: World premiere was 1904 in Cologne - conducted by the composer. After the premiere, Mahler is reported to have said, “Nobody understood it. I wish I could conduct the first performance fifty years after my death.”

My two cents: A classical piece as your Song of the Day. This won't be the usual case, don't worry, but this piece of music is really worth a try. A lot of people consider this the most beautiful music in the world, you should decide for yourself. For myself, this is a very beautiful piece of art and music, a wonderful and emotional, almost uplifting feeling starts to grow inside me when listening this. It also reminds me a bit of movie soundtracks. I learned about this classical piece during my preparation to study music (what I did not study in the end), so the music really reminds me of that special part of my life.

Cite: "The symphony must be like the world. It must embrace everything." - Mahler to Sibelius

James Taylor - Something In The Way She Moves

Artist ----  James Taylor

Song   ----  Something In The Way She Moves

Album  ----  James Taylor (1968)

Background: James Vernon Taylor (born 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A five-time Grammy Award winner, Taylor was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. His debut album was released in 1968, it was the first recording by a non-British artist released by Apple Records (The Beatles record label). Taylor recorded the album at Trident Studios, at the same time The Beatles were recording The White Album. Trident was the most technologically advanced studio in England at the time and was in high demand; some session time booked by The Beatles was used instead to record Taylor's album. McCartney and George Harrison guested on the album. The title phrase of Taylor's "Something in the Way She Moves" provided the starting point for Harrison's classic "Something".

Trivia: The album was released under the title "First Album" on the South African market.

My two cents: This is a huge artist and yet I didn't know him until one or two years ago when I saw a concert of him on German television. The song is special and emotional and still sounds fresh to me, even today. It doesn't get boring at any time. I love the video, in the beginning he mentions that this is the song that got him signed to Apple records. His voice is pretty special and to me he looks more like a family father and teacher than a man who has been on tour and musician for decades now. He is still active today.

Cite: And if I'm well you can tell she's been with me now

KT Tunstall - Black Horse and the Cherry Tree

Artist ----  KT Tunstall

Song   ----  Black Horse and the Cherry Tree

Album  ----  Eye to the Telescope (2004)

Background: Kate Victoria "KT" Tunstall (born 1975) is a Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist. She has enjoyed commercial and critical success since 2004, picking up three nominations before winning a BRIT Award, and a Grammy Award nomination. Her début album, Eye to the Telescope, was released in late 2004. Tunstall's style of music varies from folk to pop. "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" was one of the most successful singles and most radio-played songs of 2005 in the United Kingdom. She has released three studio albums internationally so far: Eye to the Telescope (2004), Drastic Fantastic (2007) and Tiger Suit (2010).

Trivia: Tunstall's first appearance of note was this solo performance on Later... with Jools Holland. The performance was notable as she had only 24 hours to prepare after scheduled performer Nas cancelled.

My two cents: Well, I'm not sure if this is a real song or a really good advertisement for a Loop Recorder. Nevertheless, her voice is pretty unique and the way she builds up this song just on her own is pretty amazing! Beat, harmonies and voices, guitar and singing, all played live. I really like the blues touch in this song and the lyrics are great. I need to get more recent music of her and listen to that, I love her voice!

Cite: Well my heart knows me better than I know myself, so I'm gonna let it do all the talking

Spastic Ink - The Cereal Mouse

Artist ----  Spastic Ink

Song   ----  The Cereal Mouse

Album  ----  Ink Compatible (2004)

Background: Spastic Ink is a band from the US, founded in 1993. The band members are the brothers Ron and Bobby Jarzombek and Pete Perez on bass and they also have a lot of guest musicians on their two studio albums. Spastic Ink specialize in very complex instrumental fusion metal by using uncommon time signatures, frequent changes of time signatures and extremely unusual melodies. For example, this song "The Cereal Mouse" aurally recreates from a trick film with a mouse on a fair, with all sounds and the music mimicked by the guitar.

Trivia: The whole song is one single trivia ...thing. Sick!

My two cents: This is the sick shit I was talking about when starting this Song of the Day project. But it's so much fun to watch it! I don't know where the trick film animation for that song comes from, I remember me seeing this when I was a child. The way this song is made is simply making noise to what is happening in the clip. No, not noise, it actually is very very progressive music. It is so good! There are people on YouTube that can play that on their guitar :)

Cite: Didelididelidum (played by guitar)

Pain of Salvation - Sisters

Artist ----  Pain of Salvation

Song   ----  Sisters

Album  ----  Road Salt One (2010)

Background: Pain of Salvation is a Swedish band headed by singer, composer and instrumentalist Daniel Gildenlöw. Road Salt One is their seventh studio album and marks the beginning of a change in style, instrumentation and band members. The band exists under the name Pain of Salvation since 1991. Their style varies from progressive rock to folk to 70s avantgarde. This song is the story of a guy on a party meeting the sister of his girlfriend and both fighting their attraction to each other. 

Trivia: Every album of the eight recorded studio albums of Pain of Salvation is a concept album, meaning all songs on the album are unified by a main theme, instrumental, compositional, narrative or lyrical.

My two cents: I actually have a lot to say about this song. Not only have I been to a concert of Pain of Salvation two days ago that I really enjoyed, but this band is really one of my favourite bands. Their style is so diverse that it is very difficult to find a fixed genre for them. The first time I listened to this song I thought it's nothing special. Then I read the lyrics and listened to the song while reading... Wow! You have to check out the lyrics, this whole composition is just perfect! Do it! Then you will understand what I mean... This song is special, it's dramatic and it's emotional. One comment on YouTube written by a girl says this song makes her horny.

Cite: If she looks me deep into my eyes and softly asks me to, I'd be in her bed and in her flesh and waste the life I knew

Adam Cohen - What Other Guy

Artist ----  Adam Cohen

Song   ----  What Other Guy

Album  ----  Like A Man (2012)

Background: Adam Cohen (born September 18, 1972) is a Canadian musician, singer-songwriter, and frontman of the band Low Millions. As a recording artist, he has released three major label albums, two in English and one in French. Like A Man is his latest record and will be released next month. It's an intimate, soft acoustic record and pays homage to his father.

Trivia: Adam Cohen is the son of famous Canadian songwriter and musician Leonard Cohen who is member of the US Rock 'n' Roll Hall Of Fame.

My two cents: What Other Guy is a very emotional, acoustic-driven song and sung with Adam's warm baritone voice. I really like it and it let's me dream even during daytime. It's also a song special to me because I got the recommendation for Adam Cohen from a person that used to be a very good and close friend of mine but that I lost contact with because of some stupid mistakes I made. Perfect song for that kind of mood.

Cite: See you with nothing on but the radio