Special small selection from the Nano because my full library is being held hostage by a once-again-dead NAS edition :
- Black Keys - Sinister Kid. A groovy tune from their latest record. It's unmistakably the Black Keys - kinda retro, pared-down and funky. Very nice.
- Beastie Boys - So What'cha Want. Kick-ass classic Beasties. And the video still kills. Yeah, you can't front on that.
- Smiths - Reel Around The Fountain (Peel). A rather dull tune from a rather great album (Hatful Of Hollow). The lyrics are typically sharp, but the music just kinda lays there.
- Tricky - Bad Things. This is one is kind of a mess. There's some funky bass noodling and some random noises under which Tricky mumbles something. It sets a mood - a grimy, pot-smokey mood - but doesn't do much with it.
- Beastie Boys - The Biz Vs. The Nuge. A silly little 30 second thing. I guess that's how rappers rolled.
Shuffle up five songs, list em, describe em.
Hope you’ve got a backup!
Today’s Bank Holiday Monday brings us the following musical treats.
Radiohead – Just
Guitar-tastic song from 1995’s ‘The Bends’, one which has got many people into Radiohead. Three superb guitarists in action with a couple of killer hooks. The video is one of their best and begs the question ‘what does the guy say at the end?’ Been playing this one a lot on my guitar – it’s a real wrist-acher.
Marc Bolan – Metal Guru
You’d never work out he was singing ‘Metal Guru’ from just hearing the song but it’s a real floor-stomping classic from Marc Bolan clocking in just shy of 2m 30s. The early 70’s didn’t get much better than this. Marc Bolan only knew 4 or 5 chords apparently but he put them to good use!
Elbow – Grounds For Divorce
Easily my favourite track from 2008’s ‘The Seldom Seen Kid’. It’s got a real drive behind it and showcases the band’s rockier side perfectly. At about 1m 15s in it goes a bit bonkers. If you never heard the band before then this is a great place to start!
R.E.M. – Circus Envy
Wow, check out the distorted guitars! Haven’t heard this track in a long, long time and it’s bloody great. Not your usual R.E.M. sound either which makes it even more of a lucky find. Gritty, grimy and in yer face. Mental note: must listen to ‘Monster’ again!
Catatonia – Mulder and Scully
OK, this doesn’t sound as good as it did when I first heard it when it was released back in 1998 but I still love Cerys Matthews gorgeous Welsh tones. She has a real ballsy voice and always gives it her all. This song capitalised on the X-Files fever of the time and made no. 3 in the UK charts. Catatonia albums always seemed to contain more than their fair share of filler though which is a shame. The fan-made video contains lots of Gillian Anderson action which is just fine.
Back to the office tomorrow and will be looking after a guy who’s flown all the way to the UK from Portland, OR to see me. Should be fun.
Elbow – Grounds For Divorce – like it. a little QotSA vibe there. what’s the rest like?
Elbow are on their 5th release but IMHO 2008’s ‘The Seldom Seen Kid’ is their best. Their usual sound is more mellow than that track but don’t let that put you off. It’s a great cohesive album – one of those you can’t help but listen to all the way through.
platosearwax is a big fan IIRC.
platosearwax is a HUGE Elbow fan. I am an Elbow evangelist, I tell everyone I know that they are missing out not listening to Elbow. The Seldom Seen Kid is probably their masterpiece.
I am cramped for time, lots of end of the school year projects needing done. And I missed last week so this week is songs and titles but I don’t have time for links. Google is your friend!
1. Snow Patrol – Same.
Not a bad little song. It actually reminds me of…AM radio from the 70’s. Not sure why totally, just a vibe I get. Snow Patrol write some seriously sublime melodies but can be kind of dull at the same time. Like Coldplay, actually.
2. Devo – (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction
Classic. One of the finest covers ever made because they took the song and totally made it their own. One of the songs that got me into “cool” music.
3. Wall of Voodoo – Ring of Fire
Wow, follow up Satisfaction with another fantastic cover. Johnny Cash is cool but this version kicks his version’s ass. I love this song, and I have been fortunate enough to see Stan Ridgway perform this song twice. He is one of a kind.
4. The Smiths – Panic
Really good song by them, both lyrics and music. One of my favorites actually. I kinda hated The Smiths for a while in the 80’s because they just weren’t punk enough. Well, duh.
5. Big Audio Dynamite – C’Mon Every Beatbox
Who would have thought this was where half of the Clash ended up? Actually, you could see it a bit in there. I really like this song as a good dance song. I even have the 12″ on vinyl!
Hope everyone is having a nice Memorial Day. Here it is just Monday (but Thursday is Ascension Day which is a holiday plus Friday the schools are closed as well so four day weekend!)
According to Wikipedia ‘Panic’ by The Smiths is based on ‘Metal Guru’ by Marc Bolan.
I love it when shit like that happens.
1. “Sabrina’s Holiday”, The Ebony Hillbillies.
2. “Look Into Your Mirror”, The Soft Boys (after an awkward transition — the Ebony Hillbillies track includes the first couple seconds of the next track from their record, and that does not blend well with this tune.)
3. “Pins and Needles in my Heart”, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
4. “Mama, You Been on my Mind”, Dylan
5. “Bessie Smith”, Dylan and the Band
Nice mellow mix with hardcore weirdness from the Soft Boys in the middle of it.
(And voila, song #6 is The Soft Boys playing “My Mind is Connected”.)