Enshufflize your music replayertrons and describulate the first one, two, three, four, five outputtings:
- The Kinks - When I See That Girl Of Mine. A quick 2:01 from 1965's "The Kink Kontroversy". I'd never heard this one before a couple of years ago, when I acquired the entire Kinks discography from my brother. Well, I'd never heard the whole song. The bridge, however, I'd known for a long time, because Nod used it as the bridge in their mid-90s song, "G-thing" - which, to me, elevates each song. It elevates the Kinks' song because knowing someone likes something makes you re-consider it (is there a name for this reaction? there should be).
And Nod... well, Nod fascinates me - they're a unique band, with a unique sound, and I can never tell if they're genius or if I just enjoy their brand of seemingly haphazard chaos. The closest comparison I can think of is Pavement - but a far looser and grittier Pavement. In fact, they make Pavement sound downright slick, but that lo-fi, let-it-all-hang-out, jammin but not like that, aesthetic that Pavement plays with? Nod is saturated with it. In "G-Thing", as in most of their tunes, the guitars and bass seem almost oblivious to each other, most of the time. They just chug through the song structure that the singer and the drummer enforce, doing their own thing, not too concerned about key or melody or what the other guys are doing. The singer and his guitar stay roughly in sync, rhythmically at least. But on the whole it sounds very, umm, free-form. So, to discover that they grafted this chunk of an obscure Kinks song into it - and that it sounds absolutely natural in context - makes me reassess their abilities. Are they craftier than they let on? Is this chaos more organized than it sounds? Probably.
Though I should probably stop trying to figure out how bands work. Some things are best left mysterious.
- Led Zeppelin - All Of My Love. I didn't really know anything about Zeppelin when this song came out, and it took me quite a long time to figure out that this was from the band that did Stairway and Dazed & Confused. All that goofy synth. Yipes! Anyway, it's an OK song, but if it wasn't a Zeppelin song I doubt anyone would know about it.
- Tom Waits - 9th And Hennepin. A poem that reads like a chapter from a noir novel gruffly grumbled over minimal background music. Actually not bad. I wish I had made an effort to get into Waits when this was still fresh. I probably would've liked it a lot more, back in the 80s.
- Smaller Animals - Keep Away. This is me, having a lot of fun with some of the absurd modulation effects on my BR600. A holiday family classic, fer sher.
- Norman Blake - Old Grey Mare. Blake's one of the indisputable all-time great flatpickers. There aren't any YouTube links for his "Old Grey Mare", though... philistines.
OK, now you go.
Another week another few thousand Kroner…
1. Led Zeppelin – Dancing Days (Live)
What are the odds that the first time a Zep song pops up on mine it popped up on yours too? I had an aversion to Zeppelin for a long time. At the Italian restaurant I worked at in high school we fought over the tape player. The problem was I would play one thing, say Sex Pistols, and the other guys would play Zep. Then I would play Depeche Mode and they would play Zep. Repeat. I got so sick of them that it was years before I could listen to a song. But now I appreciate them more. This is a better song than All of My Love but still kind of a minor song by them.
2. Gomez – Hamoa Beach
Gomez is weird. They are totally roots rock, sort of Dave Matthews-ish and you would never guess they were British because I am not sure there is another Brit group doing anything like this. This is a happy little song, always makes me tap my feet and always reminds me of visiting home because they were playing the hell out of it on the local granola station. I really like the interplay of their two very distinct voices.
3. The Knife – Silent Shout
Techno sucks for the most part. Or, rather, I am really picky about what I like, which is probably ten percent or so. The Knife is definitely a good one. Sort of a weird brother-sister group from Sweden who mostly dress up in masks, they sound like they really like Kraftwerk and 80’s synth. This song sound great in headphones.
4. The Beatles The Ballad of John and Yoko
I have always really liked this song. Not much to say really. I like the fact that Ringo and Harrison don’t appear here. It might be the last time that Paul and John actually had fun in the studio. As far as the Beatles go, I much prefer ’66 or later, I like Lennon’s songs generally better than Paul’s and Harrison is the unsung hero of the group. While My Guitar Gently Weeps is my favourite Beatles song.
5. Elbow – Fugitive Motel
I am an Elbow evangelist. It is criminal that are not better known in the States. I mention them to everyone I know. This is a terrific song, very typical of them actually. So beautifully put together. Mellow and dreamy and heartfelt singing. I’ve heard them described as Coldplay, but good. Can’t disagree. One of my favourite bands ever.
Have a wonderful week, cleekoids. I’m off to listen to the new Elbow!
The last Monday of my 30s. This shuffle had better be good!
The Police – De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da
You’re fucking kidding. No way. I’m 40 in 4 sleeps and you give me this shitty song? I know it’s against the rules but I’m reshuffling.
The National – Lemonworld
That’s better. The National are a recent discovery and their last album, ‘High Violet’, was the best of 2010. Now, I didn’t buy a lot of new music last year, so I might of missed something amazing, but it moved me. Every song on the album is brilliant, and this is one the standouts. I love the guitar sound, the drumming is great and the lyrics are occasionally more direct than some of their other songs.
“I gave my heart to the Army, the only sentimental thing I could think of … but it’ll take a better war to kill a college man like me.”
Radiohead – Paranoid Android
Oh shuffle how I love thee. One of Radiohead’s finest tracks, this bloody masterpiece was cobbled together from three different songs and showcases everything that is good about this band. The vocal, the lyrics and that blazing Johnny Greenwood guitar. Lyrically there are so many one-liners to choose…
“Ambition makes you look pretty ugly.”
“Kicking, squealing Gucci little piggy.”
“When I am king you will be first against the wall.”
“That’s it sir, you’re leaving. The crackle of pigskin. The dust and the screaming. The Yuppies networking.”
Just brilliant. And the video is pretty cool. Thom Yorke claims he wrote it when he met a drunken vapid woman in an LA bar.
I can play the first part of the song very badly, not much of the electric guitar parts at all but I do a decent rendition of the second acoustic parts.
Green Day – Know Your Enemy
American Idiot was going to be a very hard album to follow as it is such a fucking tour-de-force and showcases everything that’s good about this band now they’ve grown up a bit and stopped writing songs about wanking. American Idiot is probably in my top ten list of favourite albums ever so it’s not surprising that their follow-up, ’21st Century Breakdown’ was going to be a bit of a let down (grrrreat title though). It’s more of the same but the ‘theme’ seems muddled unlike it’s predecessor which was released when the US wasn’t long in Iraq and Bush was in full cock-swinging mode. This song was the first proper Green Day single anyone had heard in almost 5 years so no pressure lads!
It rocks though, but you kind of know what’s coming before you hear it.
New Order – Blue Monday
One of THE tracks that defined the 80s as far as I am concerned. Dance music for a new generation that was starting to discover some very interesting drugs. It has lost some power due to a combination of age and over-exposure, but it still makes me nod my head. It’s been re-released many times and features on every 80s compilation on the planet and somewhere I have a collection of different 12″ versions. They could of retired off the back of this song if they hadn’t of poured all their money into a fucking nightclub.
Bryan Ferry – More Than This
This song has a strong emotional hold over me as it reminds me of my first love, Annabelle. I was 18 and at college, she was 17 and eventually broke my heart. This song was one of ours and I’ll never hear it without thinking of her. It’s a pretty song, but his vocal style isn’t everyone’s cup of tea.
“It was fun for a while,
There was no way of knowing,
Like a dream in the night,
Who can say where we’re going?”
And with that fellow Cleekanauts, I bid my 30s farewell.
As usual, Rob’s list could have been mine. The National was indeed the best thing I got last year. That is the best Radiohead song. Blue Monday is the finest dance song ever recorded (I still have the original 12″ that looks like a floppy disk).
Happy pre-birthday! Or, Gratulerer med dagen as we say in Norwegian. Welcome to the 40 club! Your pipe, robe, slippers and single malt await!
Thanks Plato! I foresee a *massive* hangover coming this weekend. I’ve booked Friday off work but I think I’ll book Monday off too … I have a new guitar to play. :)
have you been allowed to play it yet?
Played it twice since it arrived. I want to play in the evenings so have asked for some decent headphones and one of these cool little gadgets.
Then I can play without waking the kids or annoying Mrs C.