Where do young people go to retire? No, I’m not talking about Portland (though all of the hot girls do wear glasses), I’m talking about Broad Ripple, Indiana. With a plethora of local organic stores, the monon trail for bikers and runners, and a lust natural landscape that blossoms in the Spring, Broad Ripple is one of the coolest places in the Midwest, and it’s where I spend my Easter weekend. While down there I did some shopping at the Indy CD & Vinyl store and splurged on some quality music. Here are some of the albums I got.
Television – Marquee Moon
I now know what Niles Cline listened to as a kid. This is a guitar player’s album, full of tasty licks courtesy of Tom Verlaine that has more guitar freak outs then conventional solos, making Marquee Moon a more unique guitar study. This album came out of the CBGB era but it still sounds great in 2012.
Sharon Van Etten – Tramp
After seeing her last week with the War on Drugs I had to buy something of hers, so I went with this year’s Tramp, which is shaping up to be her most accessible album. It’s not as intimate as Because I Was In Love, but the production is top notch (courtesy of the National’s Aaron Dessner) and Sharon is growing into a confident songwriter and singer. This is someone you’ll want to be on the lookout for in the near future.
Bob Dylan – The Times They Are A-Changin’
I’ve been meaning to get this album for sometime, and now it’s finally apart of my ever growing Dylan collection (it would probably take me a could of years to find ALL of his albums). I love this album for the simplicity and how direct his lyrics are. This, along with Bring It All Back Home, contains some of my favorite lyrics, and I especially enjoy the large Woody Guthrie influence shown throughout this album.
BADBADNOTGOOD – BBNG2
I always dig what this jazzy trio is up to, and I love their second album. All these guys are under 21, but they have some serious chops. BBNG2 makes for some chill listening that is combines jazz elements and modern hip-hop. Their cover of James Blake and Kanye West is essential listening.