Music 2 Paint 2

Mrs. Undaground and I will be back in the painting mode this weekend. One thing that's very important to both of us, is to have some fine music blaring through the house while we paint. Here are some musical recommendations brought to you by the Undaground (these selections are good for more than painting and are listed in no particular order).

1. Animal Liberation Orchestra "Fly Between Falls"
This is my current favorite new musical discovery. ALO is a mix of a funk-band and jamband. We first heard them when they opened for Jack Johnson, and Mrs. Undaground and I were instant fans. If you don't want to pay for this, go to the link for "Live Music Archive" on the right side of my blog, and download some of their stuff for free. There are about 100 concerts from ALO available on the archive. (I highly recommend 2/12/05 show from the Soho Restaurant). Animal Liberation Orchestra is not some PETA, anti-fur, vegan thing. Their name signifies their ability to make people get up and dance... and you will, but be careful not to drip paint on the floor.

2. The Magic Numbers "The Magic Numbers"
This is the first album by this band and it is another one that has been in heavy rotation on the iPod lately. The Magic Numbers is a quarter featuring two brother-sister combos. The lead singer's voice sounds a lot like Cat Stevens, and just about every song has excellent female harmonies from one of the sisters. If you listen to this album, I guarantee you will wake up in the morning with song number one stuck in your head. "You're in denial... you're in den-i-al, and I know..." Great, now it's stuck there again.

3. Steel Train "Twilight Tales from the Prairies of the Sun"
This is another debut album. Steel Train is a acoustic rock, folk, jamband mix that at different times sounds like Crosby, Stills and Nash, The Grateful Dead, and Santana. Legendary mandolin player David Grisman (most well-known for his work with Jerry Garcia), plays on two of the songs. Check it out. It's good paintin' music.

4. The Shins "Oh, Inverted World"
If you saw the movie "Garden State", you may be familiar with the Shins. It's the band that Natalie Portman is listening to in the doctor's office (the song, New Slang). The Shins are an indie pop-rock band whose music is very relaxing and mellow. The vocals sound a little like Brian Wilson from the Beach Boys, but the music is more reliant on acoustic guitar and keyboards. This was our original painting music from last year, when we started the painting project.

OK, that's enough of the musical recommendations. Sorry, I thought I was writing for Rolling Stone for a moment there.