Today's randomly-selected list of music is brought to you by bed-hogging cats, dry air and Glenlivet 21. Moar sleep plz?
- Benny Goodman Trio - Stompin At The Savoy. A pleasant clarinet jazz number. There's not much stomping in the trio version (which I couldn't find on YouTube), it's more of a nice stroll. But, I like it anyway.
- Doc & Merle Watson - Mississippi Heavy Water Blues. I suppose this was written before "heavy water" meant water where the hydrogen has been replaced with deuterium - the hydrogen isotope with a neutron and a proton in the nucleus, instead of the typical lone proton. The poor farmer in the lyrics probably doesn't have much need for a neutron moderator. Sounds more like he needs a boat.
- The Shins - Weird Divide. From back when The Shins had that slightly creepy, lo-fi, vibe. Lots of reverb. Lots of empty space. Acoustic guitars. Nice.
- Robyn Hitchcock - Queen Elvis II. This is the slow atmospheric version from Eye. Two electric guitars with heavy reverb and tremolo, plus Robyn singing. It's a nice version. Still don't know WTF the words are about.
- Q-Tip - Good Thang. There's a real band, with interplay and solos and backup singers, all that good stuff. This is a big change from his usual MO of rapping over a clever construction of groovy samples. And he pulls it off - sounds both like a funky R&B tune and a Q-Tip rap - because he's a genius.
Show us what you got.
Check out the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra’s recording of Stompin at the Savoy.
Or also, Chet Atkins has a pretty fine version.
Hey Now! by Oasis from (What’s the Story)Morning Glory. Not the best song from a great album. Lyrics about how hard it is to be famous. Actually an ok song, just not what I want right now.
Hurricane by Bob Dylan from The Essential. You don’t need me to tell you anything about this song. Either you already know that it’s excellent, or you haven’t heard it. Go listen.
We’re Having Much More Fun by X from More Fun in the New World. A song that reminds me of my happily misspent youth. Mainly because the music of X was a contant presence, but their stories of sleazy hotels and running around at 4am sounded better than the boredom my friends and I experienced running around at 4am.
O’Lay by TEENS from TEENS. A band from Boise that not everyone has heard. Very self consciously going for a 60’s surf punk vibe. The live clip linked lacks the heavy reverb of the studio track, and is slightly faster. If you’re a fan of the Nuggets series, you should check these guys out.
Make it Through by Smoosh from She Like Electric. You could tell by Smoosh’s third album they wanted to write more complicated stuff, but didn’t really have the life experience to write convincingly of love and loss. You can tell they listned to some good stuff, but it’s hard for a 12 year old to pull it off. Last I heard Asy was working with Belle & Sebastian, but I didn’t keep up with what happened.
I’ll be out all day on family stuff with no time to total the scores for NTT. Above I suggested delaying one day anyway to give people a little time to see the hints posted last night.
NTT has been extended to tomorrow.
I’m pretty sure that ‘Hey Now’ was about Richard Ashcroft from The Verve who were on the cusp of greatness around this time but were in danger of imploding (which they did frequently).
Day off at Westonbirt Arboretum and was blessed with plenty of Autumn sunshine. Hectic week at work beckons.
1. Editors – All Sparks
Superb tune with a very infectious riff from their 2005 debut ‘The Back Room’. The lead singer has an Ian Curtis vibe about him – not the best voice but he gets away with it. This was one of those albums that people told me to try and it took a few attempts before it clicked. I like it when that happens and I tend to find the album has more long-lasting appeal.
2. Blur – Out Of Time
From their final album ‘Think Tank’ this sounds nothing like a Blur song until Damon starts to sing. I think much of the album was recorded without Graham Coxon and it shows. Lovely song though – really gentle and sincere. Lovely spacey background effects and interesting tempo going on. Cool video too.
3. Amboy Boys feat. Ted Nugent – Journey To The Center Of The Mind
A recent acquisition – I heard it on ‘Six Feet Under’ and Shazam did the rest. How did I reach 40 without ever hearing this song? It’s GREAT! Listen to it now.
4. The Young Knives – Part Timer
Bit of a cult UK band featuring some very un-rock star looking members – hipsters they ain’t. One guitar, drums and bass and job done. Love them or hate them – there’s no middle ground with the Knives! (BTW the song starts about 4m into the video).
5. Foxboro Hottubs – She’s A Saint Not A Celebrity
Green Day side-project rips off a Sex Pistols riff but does it so well you forgive them. I loved the idea of this – release an album under a different name full of 3 minute spunky-punky-pop. I play it a lot, especially when driving.
So looking forward to 5:30PM on Friday…
Never-wrong Wikipedia says that Nuge claims he didn’t know that Amboy Dukes song was about drug use. RIGHT!
The Young Knives reminds me of Art Brut or The Wombats.
I wore shorts today. In Norway. In late October. It was glorious.
1. Foo Fighters – White Limo
From their latest. Nice rockin’ song, like most of the new one. They finally made that kick ass almost-metal album they always threatened to make. Sacrificed a bit of their melodies, but worth it this time around because it is so damn loud and headbanging. This video is worth watching just to see Lemmy Kilmister driving the white limo.
2. Dinosaur Jr. – Plans
From their latest. For my money the last two Dinosaur Jr. albums are as good as any they made. This is an especially good song, seemingly slow in that Jr. way that isn’t really slow at all. A song to listen to really loud in your headphones in the dark.
3. Death Cab for Cutie – Summer Skin
A really nice slow one from them. I’ve said it before, but I am still struck by how much I resisted listening to them as too Emo or hipster and how much I like them now. The more I listen to them the more I like them.
4. William Hut – Take it Easy
The song that came up on random was not this one but it is from the same album and this one has a video so…William Hut is a Norwegian singer-songwriter. He was formerly from the band Poor Rich Ones which was very highly regarded. (Check out this stellar song to hear how good they were). He has an incredible voice, strange in the same way as say Roy Orbison. I am constantly surprised at the quality of Norwegian music, highly underrated and sadly not well known.
5. Massive Attack – Girl I Love You
From their latest, Heligoland. Not quite is creepy and menacing as their best stuff, but this is quite nice. Sounds really good in my headphones right now. I never really got into Massive Attack until I came here. My wife was a big fan so I thank her for that.
I spent last Friday evening being a DJ for my daughter’s fifth grade class party. It was a success but there is only so much Ke$ha, Maroon Five and Rihanna one man can take. This was a good palate cleanser.
This is my first SYIP with my own full collection of CDs, as opposed to that shared drive I was using!
The Lovin’ Spoonful – Rain on the Roof
I dearly love this song. Folkies like John Sebastian are sorely underrated as guitarists — they don’t produce fireworks, but they paint rich backgrounds.
Natalie Cole – Lush Life
From that album where she did a bunch of her father’s standards. It’s okay, but generally I’d rather just hear Nat do them. This is a great piece of music under pretty much any circumstances, though, famously complex in composition and surprisingly hard to sing right. Progressive musicians, this is how you do it: play it hard, make it sound easy.
Tiny Grimes – I’ll Always Love You Just the Same
A 1944 session, with Art Tatum guitarist Tiny Grimes on vocals. Notable because the saxman is Charlie Parker (this track is from a Parker CD). Really sweet, and Bird is already playing his signature licks.
Chuck Berry – You Can’t Catch Me
Here come a flattop, he was movin’ up with me. So much like “Maybelline,” he even name-checks that earlier hit in the lyrics. Gotta dig the video, from an Alan Freed film, with Chuck’s crazy bodily antics.
Ludwig van Beethoven – String Quartet #14 in C# minor, Op. 131 (Guarneri Quartet)
Beethoven considered the string quartet to be one of the pinnacles of composition, and like with symphonies and piano sonatas, he produced them throughout his whole career. I love Beethoven, and I love chamber music, yet for some reason his quartets have never captured me. Can’t explain. Anyway, shuffle lets you hear things in a new light, and this is really charming, especially with the pizzicato seasoning here and there.
That Chuck Berry video is great. Last night I was watching him in “Jazz on a Summer’s Day” (1958) and just blown away by what a great performer he is.
it really is good.
and i couldn’t help but think that of David Byrne.
1. “Violin Blues” by the Johnson Boys. Boy, I’ve sure listened to this song a lot of times in the past year or two — it is part of my mind now. Nice to have something come up like that when you click shuffle. “Violin Sing the Blues for Me” is the title of the compilation and is a line from this song. I’m pretty sure the singer and violinist is Lonnie Johnson, who had more success a few years later on guitar.
2. “Glad It’s All Over” by Captain Sensible. I clicked on “Properties” to see when this track was recorded and it said 1983 and I was like, yep.
3. “Paperback Believer” mashup by Go Home Productions. Beatles, Monkees — this is not the best of Go Home’s efforts by a long shot.
4. “Ya Qalbi” by Souad Massi. Pretty angelic voice but I cannot understand what it is saying.
5. “Got You” by the Minus 5.
“Maria’s Little Elbows” by Sparklehorse – A lovely and heartbreaking little thing. Which quotes “Lisa Says”.
“Motorcycles” by Archer Prewitt – A bit of actual rock from Archer, including screaming guitar solo. Also horns and tinkly piano, so, you know, something for everyone.
“Bronze Cast” by The Grifters – Fantastic dark southern lo-fi. Album title (Crappin’ You Negative) from Raising Arizona.
“Here Comes Nothing” by Rex Hobart & The Misery Boys – Like almost everything of theirs I’ve heard, it’s solid, well-crafted, well-sung, but lacking whatever would make it truly compelling.
“Harmony in my Head” by The Buzzcocks – From one of my Favorite Record submissions. Atypical on account of the vocal, but so great.
“Lisa” s/b “Candy”, of course.
The Grifters are my homies and were one of my favorite bands. I would swear I saw them on the Memphis Queen river boat during a party of some sort, and I know I caught them at various clubs, both in Memphis and the Black Cat in DC.
I did see a great show of Those Bastard Souls (their next incarnation, sorta) opening for GBV & John Doe at the Maritime Hall in San Francisco.