It's Monday, like it or not.
Start your device. Randomize.
Describe the first five songs.
- Emerson String Quartet - Beethoven String Quartet #16 in F, Op 135. Welly welly well, me lewdies. What does the iPod vareet for us this sleepy-weepy Monday? No pop-disk, this time, o no no no. Today, it drops a little of the old Ludwig Van to start the week real horrorshow like. Righty right.
- David Rawlings Machine - I Pity The Poor Immigrant (recorded by me, live at the Cats Cradle). As with most Dylan songs, I like it better when someone else plays it.
Compact Audio Player Error! The mp3 file URL that you entered in the "fileurl" parameter looks to be invalid. Please enter a valid URL of the audio file. - Roy Haynes Quartet - Moon Ray. A nice bit of early 60's jazz. It has a slightly melancholy, lyrical, introspective, meandering melody - very Bill Evans-ish - but Haynes' drumming keeps it all sharp. Good stuff.
- Faces - Three Button Hand Me Down. Which is essentially "Some Kind Of Wonderful" with new lyrics, and an extended outro. But, at least they chose a good song to rip off!
- Charles Mingus - Boogie Stop Shuffle. Well alright, it's a jazz morning. This here's a quick and snappy number. It's got a super-catchy melody that sounds like it would be perfect as the theme to a 60's super-hero show.
OK? Now you do it.
Monty Python – Christmas in Heaven
There’s so much to love here, starting with the department-store rumba beat, but I think the silliest is Graham Chapman’s try at an American accent.
John Coltrane – Wise One
Jazz morning continues, here at WCLK. The Coltrane quartet really rewards the patient listener: a brooding 3-minute intro, then almost another two minutes before the beat really kicks in. And Trane never sounds like he’s just fooling around; it’s always going somewhere. I wish all jazz was like this — heck, I wish all Coltrane was like this. (I’m looking at you, Interstellar Space.)
Billy Joel – Zanzibar
It took me years to realize he was talking about actual sports figures (Mohammed Ali and Pete Rose, of course). And just to fit in with jazz morning, we have a couple flugelhorn and trumpet solos from Freddie Hubbard.
Schoolhouse Rock – Interjections!
Hooray! Aww! Eek! Rats! Wow! Hey! The chorus is an awful mouthful, though.
Macy Gray – Freak Like Me
I’m such a sucker for neo-soul. Though not as provocative or creative as some of Gray’s other tracks, this one is certainly easy to listen to.
Actual link to Freak Like Me
I am the god of hell-fire, and I bring you…
1. Talking Heads – Artists Only
From 1978’s superb ‘More Songs About Buildings And Food’ and one of the highlights in my opinion. Lush organ throughout, sublime guitar sound and a superb spacey outro.
2. Athlete – Twenty Four Hours
Pretty cool song from this low-key band. The lead singer’s voice isn’t to everyone’s taste – he has a strange technique – but they would have to try really hard to offend anyone. This is a mellow little number but really picks up towards the end.
3. Hot Hot Heat – Ladies And Gentlemen
This is from an album of theirs called ‘Elevator’ that I came across in 2005 and fell in love with. I’ve tried some of their earlier material but this album is just chock-full of catchy indie tunes. The guitar hook (and sound) in this really pushed my buttons.
4. Radiohead – Spooks
Radiohead doing surf guitar. I kid you not. This was played during their 2006 tour and wouldn’t sound out of place in a Tarantino movie. It’s never been recorded BTW.
5. Arctic Monkeys – Mardy Bum
Quite possibly my favourite Arctic Monkey’s song, found on their debut album (which is still their best I think). Great lyrics, great guitar and the band sound like they’ve played together since birth. The drummer is perhaps the best in the UK music scene right now. (“Mardy Bum” = Moody female in case you’re wondering).
Live version here – worth a look.
So the new Twilight movie is out this week. Guess who’s getting dragged to see it on Friday? Oh! Lucky! Me!
Athlete not available in my country :(
Roll with it! It’s like going to Disney World — you can resist, or you can let it eat you and enjoy being destroyed by its delightful digestive juices.
At least there will be popcorn so it could be worse. If I’m really lucky there will be a decent trailer or two before the Valium kicks in. :)
you didn’t camp out for tickets, did you?
Athlete not available in my country :(
Ha! For once I am not the victim of that!
Monday after a week’s vacation in the sun is brutal. Luckily I spent half of it in an IT meeting where I could just about sleep.
1. Echo & The Bunnymen – Parthenon Drive
A newer one from the Bunnymen, one of my all time favorite bands. I may be biased but I think they still have it going on. Their melodies just push all my buttons. By the by, musicians among us here, is it called something when the guitarist here in this song and most of the rest of their songs basically solos the whole time, including the melody, instead of playing chords or strumming or a riff? I just adore that about Echo…
2. Rammstein – Stripped
The original Depeche Mode song wasn’t all cheery and happy but Rammstein turn it into a sleazy and dark song. Not sure which version I like better. A rare English song from Rammstein, who sound much more sinister in their original German. Wonder why…
3. PJ Harvey – Silence
Haunting song by the always intriguing and wonderful Harvey. This song is heartbreaking and when she launches into the word Silence toward the end a chill runs right up my back.
4. Mike Doughty – Lazybones
Nice little song (originally a Soul Coughing number) by the former lead singer/poet of Soul Coughing, one of my favorite 90’s bands. What makes this song in the live version I have and in this different live version is all the banter and screwing up of the song.
5. The Vitamin String Quartet – Clocks
String quartet version of Clocks by Coldplay. Fascinating actually, in a way the original song isn’t (though I do like the original song well enough). Not even sure why, when and how I have this though. Perhaps this is my wife’s doing.
Time for bed!