This post was submitted by Rocky

Afternoon, everybody! Welcome to What We’re Listening To, TNG’s weekly rundown of the music currently causing us to swoon. Now, I’m sure you’re probably wondering why I’ve got a map of the Pan-American Highway sitting over here. Well, I’ll explain…

For the past week or so, these words been bouncing around inside my skull: “…With every broken heart, we should become more adventurous.” It’s a line from Rilo Kiley’s “More Adventurous,” one of my favorite songs ever. And I guess it’s speaking to me, because this is kind of a momentous week for me. After a long, exhaustive search, I have finally found a new apartment! Hooray! But after two and a half years, my roommate and I are (very amicably) splitting up and I’ll be striking off to Columbia Heights on my own. Boo! (I guess…) I realize that this doesn’t seem like a big deal and, in the grand scheme, I guess it’s not, but it’s been a very, very long time since I’ve lived on my own. I have to admit, I’m a little nervous about it. It’s a big adjustment, but I’m pretty excited about having my own space and only being responsible for myself. The only thing is… Katie, I’m gonna miss you! :’(

All this change got me thinking about the next year of my life and what I want to do. A few months ago, I found an old journal and in it there was a page titled “Things To Accomplish Before I Die.” Funnily enough, there were only two things on the list. First, “Be the first person to win five Oscars in the same year (Picture, Director, Actor, Original Screenplay and Original Song).” That’s possible I guess, but… a little too ambitious, perhaps. Second? “Drive the entire length of the Pan-American Highway.” Which seems… doable. You see, my trip to Argentina last fall really roused something within me and now I’m feeling all alive and curious and wanderlusty. So I’ve decided in one year’s time, on July 1, 2010, I’m gonna throw some clothes, a camera and hopefully a friend into some sort of four-wheel drive vehicle and head down to Tierra del Fuego. Easier said than done I know. There are so many preparations to be made (learning to drive being the first), so much money to save, etc. But it’s just been so long since I moved to a new city or fell in love or anything major like that. It’s time to finally take this bored, broken old heart out of the box, dust it off and have some fun, you know? And maybe now that I’ve made this public knowledge, I won’t be such a lazy git about it.

So I’m sure I will be documenting all of that here on TNG or somewhere, but in the meantime, how about taking a little adventure yourself? Maybe you’ll find some music new to fall in love with. Or maybe there’ll be an old favorite you forgot about that will have some sort of new resonance. Who knows? On the menu this week, we’ve got: Aimee Mann, The Avett Brothers, Esser, Dragonette, VNV Nation, ELO, Kleerup and (obviously) Rilo Kiley. All that, plus the beloved mixtape, await you down below. Do it to it, y’all!

Aimee Mann—Bachelor No. 2

The weather forecast calls for rain for the next four days; it’s time to bust out the Aimee Mann. She kinda looks like a scarecrow and her voice is more powerful than most female singers I enjoy, but I just can’t stop listening to her chill-paced, artfully written songs, especially on dreary, drippy days. My favorite songs come from her album Bachelor No. 2, including “Red Vines”, “The Fall of the World’s Own Optimist”, “Ghost World”, and “Calling it Quits.” Nearly all of her songs unfold so artfully and elegantly, I’m always smiling before the bridge. – Michael

The Avett Brothers—”When I Drink”

I moved to Denver last week and, because I don’t know anyone outside of my little brother, I have been spending a lot of time alone in restaurants and coffee shops. One of these restaurants happened to be playing the Avett Brothers EP The Gleam which features a reflective little song titled “When I Drink.” The song hit me harder than usual at this moment, possibly because I was sipping on a New Belgium Skinny Dip all alone while the very attractive and kind waitress struck up a friendly conversation. (She could probably sense I was in human-interaction withdrawal.) Whatever it was, the song is beautiful, remorseful, sweet, and hopeful all at once. The perfect song for starting over in a far-off land. – Kaysey

Esser—Braveface

Since I’ve been doing music interviews, all these publicists send me new music to get me to listen to their artists. Normally its crap, but this time it wasn’t. Esser’s Braveface has really hit home with his honest lyrics and poppy tunes. From the upbeat “Work It Out” to the reflective relationship song “Bones,” this album has been in heavy rotation since I got it. The title track “Braveface” is perfect for helping through a crappy time. Plus, I’m a sucker for accents. – Adam

Dragonette—Galore

I became a fan of Canadian electropop group Dragonette last year when I came across the awesomely saucy videos for their songs “Take it Like a Man” and “I Get Around,” off of their 2007 album, Galore. Martina Sorbara, the group’s lead singer and songwriter, creates brazen, sexually liberating lyrics and brings them to life with strong vocals. In the intervening year, however, I kind of forgot about the band, until I stumbled upon the song “Competition,” an upbeat anthem which celebrates the role of The Other Woman and has Sorbara boldly proclaiming over and over in the chorus that “Your girlfriend’s got competition.” It’s fun, summery, a little bit naughty and has been stuck on repeat in my head for an entire week. – Jolly

VNV Nation—”Kingdom”

I’ve become nostalgic for the nights I used to dance until 3 a.m. at the local goth club, The Castle. Back when I used to travel in a pack, we’d get glammed up and drive up to the club, and my friend, Josiah, almost always had VNV playing on those trips. Then, you could sometimes find me in the club three or four times a week. Now it’s rare if I go three or four times a year, and when I do go I rarely dress up. I may have become a boring old cat lady, but at least I can still listen to some good ambient industrial. VNV Nation’s Empires is still my album of choice, and “Kingdom” and “Firstlight” are my favorite songs. The music brings back a lot of memories. When I went to see VNV live the last time they were in Tampa, I went with my friend John. Now he’s passed away, and all I have left of him are a few pictures and some good tunes. – Wendy

Electric Light Orchestra—Discovery

Discovery, ELO’s 8th album was released in 1979. The sound is very typical of the band, known for its electric sound and classical overtones. It has a nice mixing of the orchestra-type Disco sound and the synth, which would become characteristic of the 1980s. In keeping with the electric light theme, I have to recommend the first track, “Shine” as one of my favorites, but really the whole album is excellent. From the slower “Confusion” to the faster “Last Train to London,” the album is one of my favorites. Also included is the better-known song, “Don’t Bring Me Down” which, of course, never brings me down. – Matt’

Kleerup—Kleerup

I’ve talked about Royksopp’s latest album in this feature, so it shouldn’t surprise anyone that the formula of Swedish beats + Swedish female vocalist = Zack’s enjoyment. The parallels between these two bands are undeniable, and they even share two high profile guest stars in Lykke Li and Robyn, whose “With Every Heartbeat” is actually a Kleerup collaboration and is featured on this album. But that doesn’t mean that Kleerup is any less enjoyable, or that it’s been playing in my house any less frequently. The shades of Abba and ELO throughout the album make playing “find the influence” interesting. The album’s best track, “3 am” (featuring Marit Bergman) stands up so well on its own merits that there’s not point in comparing it to anything. – Zack

Rilo Kiley—More Adventurous

So much to say about this album. Where to begin? Well, I guess I started getting back into it after seeing lead singer Jenny Lewis’ solo set at the 9:30 Club last week, but I first fell in love with it about four years ago. I was coming off a series of personal setbacks and public humiliations and the warmth and yearning in her voice just struck me and comforted me as I began the long, tedious healing process. Plus, anyone who can sing songs about failure and heartbreak with a cynical little smile in their voice gets my vote automatically. But now that I’ve started listening to it again, all these old familiar songs have taken on a new relevance. For instance, I’ve been noticing all the death imagery that seems to creep into the lyrics of every song. There’s so much about trying to find truth and love and meaning before shuffling off to that great gig in the sky. And as elegantly and artfully as all that is stated, it’s hard not to feel really sad, because admittedly I don’t know much about any of those things. That is until I remembered that the Death card in a Tarot deck rarely represents death, in the sense of the absence of life, but change. It’s believed that when you get that card, the spirits or whoever are trying to tell you that some part of you or your life will die off and in that space something new, and hopefully lovely, will take root. Death, in this sense, is something to be embraced, and at this time of great personal upheaval, for me that thought is very comforting indeed. Anyway, every song on there is a masterpiece, but “More Adventurous” and “I Never” will change your life. Highly recommended. – Rocky

And now, without any further ado… THE MIXTAPE!

Another artist I’ve been listening to a lot this week is Elliott Smith. I don’t know why, but at stressful times, I just find his music really soothing. So for this week’s bonus songs I went two of the late great’s masterworks. First, the classic “Waltz #2″ from the brilliant album, XO, and then a relatively lesser-known song called “I Better Be Quiet Now” off of Figure 8, which to me is really powerful in a quiet, depressing sort of way. Plus, it very accurately and elegantly describes exactly the way I’m feeling at the present moment. Anyway, have at it and be sure to check the playlist down below.

Click me!

Esser- “I Love You” (Adam)
Elliott Smith – “Waltz #2″ (Rocky)
Aimee Mann – “Red Vines” (Michael)
ELO – “Confusion” (Matt’)
Dragonette – “Competition” (Jolly)
VNV Nation – “Kingdom” (Wendy)
Kleerup – “3 AM” (Zack)
The Avett Brothers – “When I Drink” (Kaysey)
Rilo Kiley – “Absence of God” (Rocky)
Elliott Smith – “I Better Be Quiet Now” (Rocky)

And that’s about it. We’ll be back again next Tuesday – same bat time, same bat channel! Until then, have an incredible week and stay safe! XO!

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