In The Heights by Lin-Manuel Miranda

Lin-Manuel Miranda
In The Heights
2008
Hip Hop (incorrectly labeled as "Soundtrack")
Ghostlight

Act 1:
1. In The Heights
2. Breathe
3. Benny's Dispatch
4. It Won't Be Long Now
5. Inutil
6. No Me Diga
7. 96,000
8. Paciencia Y Fe
9. When You're Home
10. Piragua
11. The Club
12. Blackout

Act 2:
1. Sunrise
2. Hundreds Of Stories
3. Enough
4. Carnival Del Barrio
5. Antencion
6. Alabanza
7. Everything I Know
8. Piragua (Reprise)
9. Champagne
10. When The Sun Goes Down
11. Finale
(Also included is a 460x460 album cover .jpeg)

Yo, if I won the lotto tomorrow,
Well I know, I wouldn't bother going on no spendin' spree.
I'd pick a business school and pay the entrance fee,
Then maybe if you're lucky you'll stay friends with me.
I'll be a businessman richer than Nina's daddy,
Donald Trump and I on the links and he's my caddy!
My money's makin' money, I'm goin' from po' to mo' dough,
Keep the bling, I want the brass ring like Frodo!

"96,000"

I've had this album for about 2 or 3 months now, and I fell in love with the music and the story of this show. Last weekend on my vacation in New York I finally got the chance to see In The Heights, and I was blown away. Everything was perfect. However, I think the music speaks for itself, perhaps even more so than the visuals. It's based on latin hip hop, with some dub, rock, and reggae thrown in every now and then for good measure. I've never heard anything like In The Heights, to be honest.

The story is really easy to pick up from the music, because there aren't very many parts of the play that aren't put to music. The storyline is more of an interconnection of about 4 storylines that come together in the end to tie everything up nicely. It all takes place in a small slum neighborhood of New York city called Washington Heights. The main character, Usnavi, is played by Lin-Manuel Miranda, who wrote all the music, the storyline, the script, and directs the play. He is an aspiring rapper who runs a convenience store with his cousin, Sonny, and dreams of one day moving back to his birthplace in the Dominical Republic, where his parents lived before they moved to Washington Heights and died shortly after.

The lady who raised him is named Claudia (referenced by the characters as Abuela), and she is slowly dying when she learns that she has won 96,000 dollars in the lottery, unknown to the rest of the characters. Usnavi's love interest is Vanessa, a woman who stops by the conveniece store every morning, but Usnavi thinks she is too beautiful to go out with a chump like himself. She also dreams of leaving Washington Heights to get away from her low-paying job at the neighborhood salon.

There are also another very important character, Nina. She is hailed as being the brightest person in Washington Heights, and is expected to go on to accomplish great things, unlike the rest of the neighborhood. Nina has been away at Stanford University in California, but dropped out because of finances and falling behind in her classes. She's now at home, afraid to tell her parents why she is no longer at college. Her father, Kevin, feels that his life was a waste of potential, and sees Nina as his former self when he strived to be successful. When he learns of Nina's problems, he sells his business to put her back in school, leaving many people out of work, including Nina's boyfriend, Benny, who doesn't appreciate losing his future to account for Nina's.

I'm sure it doesn't sound like much now, but trust me...the music is incredible. Very modern and very innovative.

Click here to download part 1 (41.69 MB)
Click here to download part 2 (72.21 MB)
Click here to download part 3 (73.95 MB)

I know that 3 parts is a little much, but the downloads are really quick this time around. It was just about 1 MB too big to fit in 2 files.

There's a bit of profanity and sexual references. Not much, though.

Buy it!
CD

Brother, Sister by mewithoutYou

mewithoutYou
Brother, Sister
2006
Post-Hardcore
Tooth & Nail

1. Messes Of men
2. The Dryness And The Rain
3. Wolf Am I! (And Shadow)
4. Yellow Spider
5. A Glass Can Only Spill What It Contains
6. Nice And Blue (Part 2)
7. The Sun And The Moon
8. Orange Spider
9. C-Minor
10. In A Market Dimly Lit
11. O, Porcupine
12. Brownish Spider
13. In A Sweater Poorly Knit
(Also included is a 600x600 album cover .jpeg)

"I do not exist," we faithfully insist
Sailing in our separate ships and in each a tiny caravel
Tiring of trying, there's a necessary dying
Like the horseshoe crab in its proper season sheds its shell
Such distance from our friends, like a scratch across a lens
Made everything look wrong from anywhere we stood
And our paper blew away before we left the bay
So half-blind we wrote these songs on sheets of salty wood

You caught me making eyes at the other boatmen's wives
And heard me laughing louder at the jokes told by their daughters
I'd set my course to land, but you well understand
It takes a steady hand to navigate adulterous waters
The propeller's spinning blades held acquaintance with the waves
As there's mistakes I've made no rowing could outrun
The cloth low on the mast to say I've got no past
But I'm nonetheless the librarian's and secretary's son

With tarnish on my brass and mildew on my glass
I'd never want someone so crass as to want someone like me
But a few leagues off the shore, I bit a flashing lure
And I assure you, it was not what I expected it to be
I still taste its kiss, that dull hook in my lip
Is a memory as useless as a rod without a reel
To an anchor-ever-dropped-seasick-yet-still-docked
Captain spotted napping with his first mate at the wheel
Floating forgetfully along, with no need to be strong
We keep our confessions long and when we pray we keep it short
I drank a thimbleful of fire and I'm not ever going back

Oh, my god

"I do not exist," we faithfully insist
While watching sink the heavy ship of everything we knew
If ever you come near me I'll hold up high a mirror
Lord, I could never show you anything as beautiful as you

"Messes Of Men"

Why has it taken me so long to upload a mewithoutYou record? I have no idea. They're definitely one of my favorite bands of all time, and I truly believe that they're one of those bands that I'll listen to for the rest of my life. Their music resonates with me not only creatively but also at a personal level. Aaron Weiss (the band's frontman) writes what are in my opinion the greatest lyrics ever written on Brother, Sister and delivers them in such a way that pounds the words deep into your chest for you to digest the best you can with all your heart. The wordplay and messages behind the songs of this album are definitely my favorite part of this band, reguardless if I agree with all of them. Aaron is truly a genius lyricist and spokesman.

Aaron's singing rarely follows any melody. In fact, it's mostly talking, or could also be described as either "yelling" or "rapping." But somehow, the vocals of this album are catchier than any Michael Jackson or Justin Timberlake single. (I love both of these artists, for the record)

If you have never heard of mewithoutYou until now, just download this album. You don't need to know anything about them. This album is essential.

Click here to download (93.66 MB)

You don't have to believe in any God to appreciate the lyrics of this album. Don't let the christian overtones stop you.

Buy it!
CD / Digital copy

Commit This To Memory by Motion City Soundtrack

Motion City Soundtrack
Commit This To Memory
2005
Emo
Epitaph

1. Attractive Today
2. Everything Is Alright
3. When "You're" Around
4. Resolution
5. Feel Like Rain
5. Make Out Kis
6. Time Turned Fragile
7. L.G. FUAD
8. Better Open The Door
9. Together We'll Ring In The New Year
10. Hangman
11. Hold Me Down
(Also included is a 500x500 album cover .jpeg)

I want to thank you for being a part of my forget-me-nots and marigolds
And all the things that don't get old
Is it legal to do this? I surely don't know
It's the only way I have learned to express myself
Through other peoples' descriptions of life
I'm afraid I'm alone and entirely useless in this department
Let's get fucked up and die

"L.G. FUAD"

For a long time, my musical taste was focused on pop punk and emo. I'm not proud of that in any way, but I guess no music fan is proud of most of the stuff that they started out listening to. About the time I was getting into Motion City Soundtrack was about when my tastes were beginning to change.

They're very heavily rooted in pop punk, but put their own spin on it, mostly with Moog synthesizers and great lyrics. It's very hard to describe their sound without making them sound generic, so just take my word for it. Motion City Soundtrack is just one of those bands that has really stood the test of time for me and my musical taste, especially Commit This To Memory.

Commit This To Memory is a much more electronic album than their punky debut, I Am The Movie. If I had to pick one of the two, I'd say the first album is better overall, but Commit This To Memory is a better record to start out with. It's packed with hooks, sweet synth riff, and really impressive drumming. I like their singer's tenor voice and his interesting, clever lyrics. Despite the large number of instruments being viciously pounded on, the band sustains a tightly knit synth rock sound. The production is great and is done by ex-blink 182 bassist and presigious podcaster Mark Hoppus.

This is another one of those albums that you're just going to have to take my word for and jump in. I think Motion City Soundtrack is a great band, and "Hold Me Down" is one of my favorite songs.

Click here to download (83.84 MB)

The album as a whole isn't super explicit, but there definitely is some heavy swearing going on in "L.G. FUAD" and "When You're Around."

Buy it!
CD / Deluxe CD+DVD / Digital Copy

Document by R.E.M.

R.E.M.
Document
1987
Alternative
I.R.S.

1. Finest Worksong
2. Welcome To The Occupation
3. Exhuming CcCarthy
4. Disturbance At The Heron House
5. Strange
6. It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)
7. The One I Love
8. Fireplace
9. Lightnin' Hopkins
10. King Of Birds
11. Oddfellows Local 151
(Also includes a 952x952 album cover .jpeg)

A thumbnail sketch, a jeweler's stone
A mean idea to call my own
Old man, don't lay so still, there's still time to teach
Point-to-point point observation, children carry reservations
Standing on the shoulders of giants leaves me cold
A mean idea to call my own, a hundred million birds fly

"King Of Birds"

Long story short, I'm posting Document because lately, every time I put my iPod on shuffle, one of the first songs that comes up is always "King Of Birds." It's an awesome tune, and I don't mind hearing it over and over, so I've been going back and listening to this album from time to time lately. My dad swears by it as R.E.M.'s best album, and while I'm not sure I agree with that statement, I do really enjoy it and I don't think there's a bad song on the record.

This album really showcases the many faces of R.E.M.. What probably got most people interested in Document was the poppy "It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)," but it has a lot more to offer that gets overlooked. That song (I refuse to type the title out again) got me into R.E.M. and I like giving it a spin every now and then, but lately I've been into the darker Stipe songs, like "Oddfellows Local 151" and "Welcome To The Occupation." There's obviously also the middle eastern "King Of Birds" and the booming "The One I Love" as well. Plenty of the band to go around for different tastes on this one.

That's not to say it's not a cohesive peice of work. I definitely think that each song sounds distictively Document, and in the end it all comes together for a nice, evenly paced collection of songs. This one's a quick download, and a short album, you have no excuse for not checking it out.

Click here to download (45. 46 MB)

Buy it!
CD / Vinyl / Digital Copy

Z by My Morning Jacket

My Morning Jacket
Z
2005
Alternative Country
ATO

1. Wordless Chorus
2. It Beats 4 U
3. Gideon
4. What A Wonderful Man
5. Off The Record
6. Into The Woods
7. Anytime
8. Lay Low
9. Knot Comes Loose
10. Dondante
(Also contains a 500x500 .jpeg album cover)

A good shower head and my right hand
The two best lovers that I've ever had
Now if you find you agree with what I just said
You'd better find a new love and let them into your head
I went over the river and into the woods, where did I go
A wood burning stream flows up through the trees
Like the soul of the hottest kind of lover I've ever seen
One who lives to choose another fool's dream

"Into The Woods"

My Morning Jacket is one of those bands that everyone should be familiar with if they are to call themselves a music fan. They've been around for over 10 years and have a very unique sound, especially on Z, their most experimental record. Singer/guitarist Jim James (who is a better frontman than any band could ask for) records vocals in an empty grain silo to achieve otherworldly amounts of natural reverb and echo. This suits the music just fine, though it's hard to say exactly what kind of music it is that My Morning Jacket makes. Their songs are all rooted in americana and alternative country, but they end up sounding more like U2 than Greatful Dead.

This is even truer on Z. On this album, the band experimented with adding synthesizers into the mix, and incorporated reggae and dub feels into certian songs. The result is truly something to be heard, and all adds up to a huge sounding record with drawled vocals, psychadelic jam sessions and just a hint of electronics all based around traditional southern rock.

And boy, does Jim James know how to make a record. "Wordless Chorus" is the perfect opening song, "Dondante" is the perfect closer, and everything in between flows at a steady pace from calm to freakout, and then brings the energy back down again for the albums epic ending. Download this album if you're looking for something unique that can really establish a mood.

Click here to download part 1 (41.53 MB)
Click here to download part 2 (57.97 MB)

Buy it!
CD / Digital Copy