What's The Guru Listening To? - July Edition

Welcome to the July Edition of What’s the Guru Listening To? I get asked this question a lot. What am I currently enjoying and what would I recommend? And since time is severely limited these days, it gets harder and harder to post a full review of the outstanding music that I am discovering (or re-discovering). Therefore, every month I will fill you in on the latest song, album, and/or band that I am obsessed with.  

Here’s what The Guru is listening to this month:

The Lumineers

After seeing this band open for U2, I transitioned from a casual fan to a hardcore fan. The band was amazing in concert and seeing their opening set left me with a desire to see their full headlining show. I’ve been listening to their two albums and anything else that I can get my ears on by this great band. Their music is calming, enjoyable, and deep. I love their sound and style and expect that as the rest of this year moves forward I am going to become an even bigger fan. And hopefully I will see them in concert as headliners.

Peter Wolf – Come as You Are

Admittedly, I revisited this disc for an upcoming post I am working on. Having said that, I honestly forgot how magnificent Peter Wolf’s second solo album was. Almost every song on this record could be a huge hit. As it is, almost every song on this record is worth listening to again and again and again. “Can’t Get Started,” “Love on Ice,” “Blue Avenue,” “Flame of Love,” the list of terrific songs goes on and on. Come as You Are is a pure 80s record. Baked in the sounds, styles, and themes of the 80s, this record just brings me back to yesteryear like it was yesterday. I’ve been having a lot of fun revisiting this album and I plan to continue listening to this record more even after the post is written.

Extreme

My love for hair metal music extends all the way back to my junior high school days. Listening to bands like Quiet Riot and Ratt set the stage for the influx of hair metal that I would enjoy in high school. One of my favorite bands from that time was Extreme. Earlier this month I decided to listen to Pornagraffiti for the first time in a long time. That led me down the path of listening to all of Extreme’s albums, which I have spent a bulk of my July doing. Reminiscing on their debut album as well as their later work has been a fun filled trip down memory lane. I’ve also forgotten how talented and amazing lead guitarist Nuno Bettencourt is. This July I’ve been reminded of that and now I want to see this band live again! 

The Strumbellas – We Still Move on Dance Floors

Having conquered their latest album, Hope, my desire to hear more of The Strumbellas led me to one of their earlier albums, We Still Move on Dance Floors. This was the second record that the band released and it is every bit amazing as their latest album. Songs like “The Long Road,” and “Did I Die?” get stuck in my head and I find myself singing them internally for hours on end. Just the mere mention of one of the songs from this album makes me want to listen to it yet again. If you are new to The Strumbellas, I still recommend that you check out Hope first, but if you’ve played that album out, then it is time to move on to We Still Move on Dance Floors.

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