Five Songs I'm Loving This Week

Whoo! Okay, let's see if my post can be as scattered as last week's! Whoo! First I'll start talking about how a lot of cool shows are starting back this month (Battlestar Galactica, Heroes, Psych) and then I'll talk about my how my grandmother used to make strawberry flavored cake for me, and then I'll post some random lyrics to a song*

Well, instead of all that, maybe I'll just do my post. I've been cooped up a lot the last few weeks, and it's beginning to show in my inability to stay focused and

FIVE SONGS I'M LOVING THIS WEEK

Note: EZArchive seems to think I've surpassed my bandwidth--whatever! I think they're mistaken. I think they want to give me 5 times the amount of bandwidth. They're not listening, though. So, until it rolls over on the 19th, I'm having to use a site I've never used--ZShare. I don't know what the quality will be like. I apologize, but there's nothing I can do about it. I'm saving Libsyn for my podcast (which should also be done today if I finish this post). Also, they're not direct downloads. It takes you to a page where you can either hit "download this file" or preview the song in a window.

Guillemots, "Made Up Lovesong #43"

I love any band that gives its band members their own name. The name of the band is Guillemot, but according to the entry in Wikipedia (always right, you know), Two of the band members are known as the Bridled Guillemots. Hmmm...does that mean they're enslaved? Should I call someone? Is there an Amnesty International chapter that specializes in freeing captives held due to their musical beliefs? Am I being random again? Am I even listening to the song? I am. I love the thunderclaps in this song, I love the orchestral bits, I love that he talks about dragons. I love how he says there's poetry in a coke can. I just love the frikkin' lyrics.


Birdies! So, the name of Guillemots' album is Annie, Let's Not Wait. Are they talking about Annie Lennox or Annie? It's not clear. I definitely wouldn't wait with Annie Lennox. Norwegian Annie? I like her, but I'd be worried about getting bubblegum stuck all over me. Guillemots' Myspace, and Website. Look! I've even got a video for it!

Malcolm Middleton, "Fuck It, I Love You"

Heh. What a straightforward song title. Makes you wonder if he's always this blatant with his loved ones. Will he say "Fuck It, Let's Get Married" or "Fuck It, Go And Have My Baby" or "Fuck It, Fuck Off". It certainly conserves on word usage (probably helps on bandwidth!) Hmmm...maybe I'll follow his example.

Fuck It. I Love This Song. He reminds me of Mike Doughty (from the album A Brighter Beat).


Malcolm Middleton is grinning like the cat who ate the birds in the first picture. His Website and Myspace

Jedi Mind Tricks, "Outlive The War (Feat Sean Price & Block Mc Cloud)"

It's really not that often that I like a hip-hop song. I like Missy Elliott, DJ Danger Mouse (and by extension Jay-Z, though I wouldn't have liked The Black Album as much without the White Album mashed up with it) and a few others. I found a song I absolutely adored right at the outset--it's by a band with one of the most awesome names I've ever heard--Jedi Mind Tricks. Star Wars hip-hop--I love it! I love that sample they use, though I don't know where it comes from. It's very aristocratic sounding--I keep picturing Kirsten Dunst in her Reeboks and huge Marie Antoinette wig. She looked like a cake. A white cake, with maybe a hint of strawberry. My grandmother used to make strawberry cake for me with strawberry icing. I loved those cakes.

Anyhoo, it's a pretty cool song. It's from their newest album Servants In Heaven, Kings In Hell


Jedi Mind Trick say "It's cold here in Philly". Their Website, Myspace and Wikipedia entry.

Kent, "747"

Kent is apparently a common surname in Sweden. I don't think there's anyone in the band named Kent, but then again I don't think there's anyone in the band Gomez named Gomez. I'm certain there was no one in The Smiths named Smith. I don't think any of the fab four were named Beatle. So it's not so unusual.

It's also not unusual for me to like a Swedish band. I don't know what it is--maybe it's the snowy remoteness of that country. Maybe it's because it's such a small country--I subconsciously pick up on the unity the citizens have. For some reason I just love Swedish music. Norwegian, too, but mostly Swedish. It's long--almost 8 minutes, but it's worth every second to me. This isn't their only good song--I've heard five or six so far, and they're all beautiful. "747" appears on their most recent album, Isola.


The one in front must be the lookout.

Kent's Website and Myspace. I wish I could read Swedish.


Masonic, "End Of Summer"

Hmmm...with a name like Masonic, you think the band would be all about conspiracy theories involving the Free Masons and ancient rituals. I dunno--maybe they are. This song doesn't sound very dark and paranoid, though. It sounds very flowery and summery. Very pretty. The singer has a smooth, rich voice, reminiscent of Swing Out Sister (go consult an eightiesary) or Texas (go consult a Scottishmusicary). The song itself seems to be about the oldest of topics (no, not crops). It's about love--the refrain is "It's never easy, it's not that easy to say goodbye". Anytime anyone in a song mentions the word goodbye, it's a love song (or the end of their set--one or the other.) It's a memorable song, though, and one that I doubt will ever sound dated (mostly due to the music, but also due to the subject matter).

Ooh, and they're from Austin! I love Austin! I am so going to SXSW one day--before the continent realigns and it has to be renamed Even Further South By Southwest). Whoa---remember how I was talking about how there wasn't anyone named Kent in Kent, no one named Smith in The Smiths, etc? Three of the band members in Masonic are named Mason. Weird, huh? If they're ever enslaved because of their music beliefs, and they're freed, then they'd be Free Masons! Ha Ha...(trails off into silence).


The continents must already be shifting! The Masonics' Website and Myspace.

END NOTES:

I'll try to get my podcast out tonight, but it's already mid-afternoon, and you can tell by this post that I'm clearly exhausted :) (and perhaps on something...No, I'm not-- It just seems that way). If I don't get it done today, I'll do it tomorrow. I have tomorrow off anyway.

Thanks, folks! Hope you were able to follow everything I wrote! If not then just click on the links to get to the music ;)


PROMISED RANDOMNESS

***Okay, not so random. I actually found this the other day online--how I came across it, I do not know.This is the English translation of "Battlestar Operatica", one of the songs played in Battlestar Galactica season one. The song is originally in Italian but I was thrilled to read the English translation. I never could imagine the lyrics could be so profound and thought-provoking:

Woe upon your Cylon heart
There's a toaster in your head
And it wears high heels
Number Six calls to you
The Cylon Detector beckons
Your girlfriend is a toaster
Woe upon your Cylon heart
Alas, disgrace! Alas, sadness and misery!
The toaster has a pretty dress
Red like its glowing spine
Number Six whispers:
"By your command"
Woe upon your Cylon heart

***
Speaking of Battlestar Galactica, look--Six is in a video! Just kidding--it's not Tricia Helfor. Looks like her, though, huh?

***
Do you think this woman would let you wait?