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.
Brady is the founder of Headphone Nation. He’s responsible for all this mess. Sorry about that. He’s also on Twitter @BradyWGerber