Won't You Take Me To...Funkytown?

Austin, Texas is a great city, but it acts as a kind of cultural black hole for the state of Texas. Because it offers a creative environment that is, frankly, not found in any other major Texas city, artists tend to flock there--to meet other artists, book gigs, sign record contracts and, when all of that fails, work at coffeehouses. So it is rare (outside of some notable exceptions) to find exciting new groups who eschew the normal strategy and build a fan-base in other cities throughout the state. All of this is to say that when I find great music that is based in my hometown of Fort Worth, I am filled with a mixture of surprise and some kind of weird, underdeveloped homer pride. How is this going on in my city and what else did I miss when I lived there?

Telegraph Canyon's debut album, "All the Good News", is informed by the kind of country-twinged folk rock that has survived and grown in the Texas music scene long after being left for dead by many tastemakers. But with up to seven members filling out the roster, Telegraph Canyon are also able to expand on the conventions of the alt-country movement. So quieter songs, driven mainly by acoustic guitar and singer Chris Johnson's brainy wordplay, may be followed by stompers that aim for U2 levels of bombast. And with a new album on the way for 08, more expansion (if not more instruments) will be on the way soon.

Telegraph Canyon::You & Jane

Now I know there are other bands in the DFW area that need to be heard from. Clue an old friend in: what's exciting the folks in Funkytown these days? It's nice to have something to recommend besides the Museum District.

Get more Telegraph Canyon Music at iTunes or at CDBaby.

Hooks, Lines, But No Sinkers

My brief hiatus (brought upon by internet troubles and other things you don't really care about) ends today. To get back into the swing of things, today's entry will focus on songs that are easy to listen to again and again. Or, perhaps more accurately, songs that are impossible not to listen to again and again. Now, obviously, this is a pretty vague criteria--after all, why would you want to hear any song that you wouldn't want to hear a second (or third or twentieth) time? But more than simply being songs that I like in a general aesthetic sense, these songs offer something specific that begs repeated listenings. A hook that pushes the right button every time, a line that seems profound each time its heard, a mood that is created and never gets old. So here we go.

Midlake::Branches

These guys answer the eternal question, "What would it sound like if Thom Yorke joined forces with Steely Dan?" Who asked this question? Um, these guys I guess. Along with St. Vincent, Centromatic/South San Gabriel, Ghosthustler, and others, Midlake is threatening to blow North Texas' (ok, Denton's) under-the-radar status. Why is this song on this post? One line makes this song endlessly re-playable: "It's hard on me/ but I'm trying". Holy smokes, is that simple or what? I wait for this refrain every time and, as of this writing, I ain't tired of it yet.

Harpswell Sound:: Set Anchor

I love, love, love the pedal steel guitar. If an instrument could be said to itself be a hook, I would personally nominate the pedal steel guitar for the honor. I am sure there are better, more nuanced uses of it (probably in my own collection) but the opening section of this song works well enough for me.

Budos Band:: Chicago Falcon

I want to thank Budos Band for making instrumental funk music sound both classic and current. I want to thank them for naming a song "Chicago Falcon", whatever the hell that means. But, good god, I want to thank them the most for dropping the bassline at around the 1:08 mark of this track. It is what the repeat function was invented for.

Lil' Wayne:: Upgrade

Like most of Lil' Wayne's songs, I am not too impressed by the beat. The fact that this is from a mixtape makes this even more the case. No musical hook, no real chorus. Then why can't I stop listening to it? Simply put, words. Tons and tons of them. An avalanche. Each time I hear this "song", I catch a new joke, a new metaphor, another reason to believe him when he claims he's the best rapper alive. Who else would think to rhyme "hockey team" with "Rocky theme" and have it actually makes sense?

Paul Simon:: Look at That

Don't you love it when a good song comes up that you didn't even know you had? I had to go home and look at what Paul Simon albums I even owned (other that Graceland, of course) after this song shuffled its way into my brain. Nothing ground-breaking here, but the wide-eyed wonder in the song seems sincere. And we could all use a little more wide-eyed wonder.

Some people like lyrical conceits. Some people love a catchy piano or guitar hook. What keeps you coming back to a song? What's been on repeat for you guys?