The Pogues, If I Should Fall From Grace With God
(Rhino Reissue, 2006)
"Punk" isn't a genre of music so much as it's a style in which other genres can be played. Since the 70's advent of punk, different sub-genres have popped up: country-punk, pop-punk, electro-punk, probably even frikkin' polka-punk (I'll leave Weird Al Yankovic to sort that one out). Some of the best Clash songs were basically pop songs done in an assertive, "punk" manner (don't get your ragged underwear in a knot over the suggestion that The Clash were pop. I'm not talking about Justin Timberlake pop, I'm talking about pop as in "has melody" and "more than a few chords". "Lost In The Supermarket" and "Train In Vain"--which plays on my local 80's station--are two very prominent examples.)
The Pogues was probably the first band to merge rowdy punk with rowdy bar-room Irish music. The Pogues wrote traditional Irish music and ripped it apart until it was purely, aggressively punk. This is evident in the first song on the album, the title track. It has the lightning-quick tempo of any bar song anyone's ever danced to. The violin is played as a fiddle and the result is all the more Irish for the harmonica and Shane MacGowan's scratchy, shredding vocals (listen to "Bottle of Smoke" for an idea of how much he can tear his voice apart for a song.) The subject matter could be Ireland: "This land was always ours, was the proud land of our fathers, it belongs to us and them, not to any of the others". This isn't the only neo-traditional Irish foot-stomper: "The Battle March (Medley)" (one of the bonus songs) sounds like it would be a great entry to one of the "Songs of the Celts" compilation CDs. In fact I think any one of those cds could do with one less Clannad song (there are hundreds of them anyway) and include this instead.
Even the songs with more international leanings such as "Turkish Song of the Damned" and "Fiesta" sound like Irish songs played with mostly non-Irish traditional instruments. "Turkish Song of the Damned" starts off as an approximation of Middle-Eastern music, but with the addition of the tin whistle soon leaves even the most un-Irish person wanting to drink to freedom in a bar-room on the Emerald Isle. They try to imitate a mariachi band in "Sketches of Spain". I won't say they succeed, but it does manage to sound a little less Irish than the other songs.
Besides writing oddly traditional sounding songs, the band also Include several genuinely traditional songs such as "Worms", "South Australia" and "Mountain Dew". "Worms" is almost dirgish--kinda scary, like something Neil Gaiman would think of in the middle of the night and use in the audio version of one of his books.
Though these songs are billed as "traditional", there's no mention of the culture the tradition stems from. "South Australia" is most likely Australian--it recounts the story of a person born and raised in Australia. Still sounds Irish, though. "Mountain Dew" seems to be Irish--he mentions Ireland, but do not ask me to translate what the hell the man is saying. I have no idea and I may hurt myself if I try to figure it out.
The most famous song from this collection is the Kirsty MacColl duet "Fairytale of New York". As well as writing energetic and engaging quasi-traditional pub songs, MacGowen and his partners write beautiful ballads, this being one of them. The bittersweet story of Irish Immigrants in New York at Christmas, Kirsty MacColl's wistful vocals and the lamenting piano add another layer of snowy gauze over the nostalgic beauty of this composition, made even more nostalgic by the knowledge that Kirsty passed away in 2000 (If you haven't heard any of her music, it's well worth investigating.) "Lullabye of London", another lovely ballad from this record, features (what I believe) is a dulcimer. This song, like many traditional folk ballads, is a prayer, a wish. In this case, he hopes "the ghosts that howl[ed] round the house at night" never keep the subject from sleep or cause her/him misery.
Hearing beautiful songs such as these makes it difficult to reconcile Shane MacGowan's reputation for irresponsible consumption of most things unhealthy. Don't make the mistake of thinking that his problems make him any less a songwriter or a performer. Even when he seemingly couldn't function he still gave the music and the shows his all. He was asked to leave The Pogues in the 90's because of his deterioration, but since he and The Pogues have reunited recently, there's hope that he's relaxed the hard-living somewhat.
The entire band give everything they have to these songs. Their reputation as multi-instrumentalists is borne out by their use of such eclectic instruments as the tin whistle, accordion, mandolin, dulcimer, cello, banjo and spoons (!). Yes, they use spoons. One of the most engaging aspects to a Pogues album is there's no limit. For a self-financed record, this is more intricate and involved than some of the most richly moneyed current CDs.
The Rhino 2006 reissue includes the original layout along with six additional songs, including a beautiful, lilting song named after MacGowan's ex-girlfriend, Shanne Bradley and the aforementioned "South Australia", "Battle March" and "Mountain Dew". It also includes a few paragraphs by Steve Earle recalling some very memorable nights of duets and drunkenness.
There's also a very long essay on the circumstances before and during the recording of the album. The Pogues were stuck in a legal quagmire with their collapsing label. To keep from losing their work, they self-financed If I Should Fall From Grace With God--they played live constantly just to make ends meet. They saw their album banned in Britain because of the song "Streets of Sorrow/Birmingham Six", a commentary on the erroneous jailing of six people for a Northern Ireland bombing. The situation of these men was immediate and very disturbing for all citizens of Ireland; any creative person living during that time couldn't help but make it a part of their work. The Boomtown Rats wrote "I Hate Mondays" regarding the ongoing strife in Northern Ireland and The Pogues made this song. Obviously being banned in England didn't hurt their career; it probably helped get the attention they deserved.
If you've never heard this album and appreciate good, rousing Irish punk, I would recommend it. Getting the reissue means you get more music and more robust liner notes. Whether you're the traditionalist who wants the album as it was, new liner notes and songs be damned, or you're the person who wants the latest and most enhanced version around, this record still stands as the penultimate Irish recording of the 80's (okay, we'll put U2 in another category because they just can't be compared).
The Rhino reissue can be found here. Credits and song titles can be found here. Also, they have a website.
Personal Note:
Writing reviews is tough for me. I'm not a natural non-fiction writer. I write strange fiction with characters that barely seem plausible. Writing about real stuff is hard for me. Description is hard for me, which is one of the reasons I write reviews. I hate doing it and I'm not good at it, but as a writer it would be beneficial to me to become better at "description".
Soon I'll begin work on the review for Tori Amos: Selections From A Piano Collection. I don't know yet how I'm going to write a review on part of a CD, but I'll figure it out.
If you see anything wrong about this review, let me know. Did I get someone's name wrong? Spell something wrong? I'm sure I made some mistakes, but hopefully not anything too unforgivable.
Friday, October 06, 2006
Saturday, September 30, 2006
Five Songs I'm Loving This Week
I feel really bad for giving my blog such short shrift last week. I was in a very, very bad mood. I'm feeling much better now, though. I'll give some more information on last week's bands later in this post.
On with this week's post:
Cranebuilders "Public Space"
Sigh. I searched and searched teh internet for a non podcasted version of this song and couldn't find one. So I coughed up the $.99 ($.99!!! Why don't they ask for my first born?) for the song from Musicmatch and I confirmed that I was downloading it, but it's nowhere to be found. I'm not keen on spending more money to try to find it through another site, so here be the Indie Feed version of the song. No, that's not me introducing the song. That's a guy. The song's really cool, though, in my opinion.
Cranebuilders album cover
Their Myspace and Website (not ready for primetime)
Camera Obscura, "Lloyd, I'm Ready To Be Heartbroken"
If you watch the video, you will see that the singer is obviously not just heartbroken, but she's mortified by something. The poor girl's face is frozen in eternal let down! Lloyd! Dude! What did you do? Anyways, I like this song so much that I'm going to try to help the singer get over Lloyd (get your mind out of the gutter). I'm going to remind her that there are good Lloyds in this world. There's Lloyd Dobbler. He's the ultimate good guy. He could give me a pen anyday. There's Christopher Lloyd. He's just awesome and funny. Any other good Lloyds? Lloyd Cole's a singer I like a lot.
Here, have the phonograph. No, I insist...
Their Website and Myspace
Copeland, "Don't Slow Down" (WMA file)
I had to (gulp) buy this one too. I gave up on Musicmatch (it's acting weird) and went straight to the origin of my music downloading obsession: Napster. That's why it's in WMA format. The only way I have of making it an MP3 is to burn it to a cd and reupload it as an MP3. Yeah, I'm too tired to do that.
The intensity and drive of this song more than makes up for any lethargy on my part. The vocals are plaintive and the accompanying music is every bit as urging. He really doesn't want the person to leave his side, though he seems to be telling the person he/she goes too fast. First, though, he tells the person not to slow down for him. I bet the person is just scratching his/her head in confusion. Still a cool song, though.
Copeland, Just hanging out, y'know?
Lyrics to "Don't Slow Down" (from Sing365), Their Website, Their Myspace and their Pure Volume Site.
Lost On Purpose, "London"
He seems to be blowing into a huge gourd on his Myspace page. For musical or recreationally hallucinogenic purposes? I don't know. He says his main influence is alcohol, but musically his taste is eerily close to mine. In fact if it weren't for the absolute lack of punctuation and overuse of the word "and" it could be my Myspace! Anyways, this song is a nice gem. It's a song about floating around, trying to find your place. He doesn't stay in one place long; he says in a year he's moved twice. One thing he knows is he's got to write songs to keep from dying. Eerily I feel the same way about alcohol (just kidding).
He's not lost; he's in a hallway. See?
His Website and Myspace
The Real Tuesday Weld "Something Beautiful"
I also originally heard this through Indie Feed. I was fortunate, however, to find the song on their website; thereby providing you with a clean, unadorned copy. It's very hazy, kind of dreampoppish. The vocals are very blurred, but the music is very detailed and ornate, featuring a tamborine and swirly keyboards. I love swirly music. I can't help it.
The Real Tuesday Weld need to meet Dresden Dolls. Or do you think there'd be cosmetic rivalry?
Their Myspace and Website/Blog
***
Sometime this week I'm going to write & post (in that order) a review for the reissue of Pogues' If I Should Fall From Grace With God. It's a matter of desire and obligation eventually winning the war over lethargy. It will be a mighty challenge. Well, as mighty as someone with lethargy can muster.
***
As promised, I'm going to include some links for the bands I posted last week. This way they get two mentions in my blog--they actually come out ahead!
Brookhaven (Does the song "Transitive Verses") Myspace, Label Site (no independent site listed)
Catfish Haven (Does the song "Crazy For Leaving") Their Myspace and Their Official Site
Divinyls (Does the song "Pleasure and Pain" and is famous for the song "I Touch Myself", both available on their unofficial Myspace). Their Official Site
Orenda Fink (Does the song "No Evolution") Her Myspace and Official Site
The Sharp Things (Does the song "There Will Be Violins"--what a great song!) Their Myspace and Their Official Site
Sara Culler (Does the song "At Least Like Melissa") Her Myspace and Her Official Site
Gomez (Does the song "Notice") Their Myspace and Their Official Site
Like Honey (Does the song "Airport) Their Myspace and Their Official Site. Coincidence alert: They're from the same town in Sweden as Sara Culler. Weird, huh? (I always have loved Swedish music).
I also mentioned some Myspace bands, but since I posted their Myspace sites, I'm not going to repost them here.
By the by, here's a video for one of my favorite Ween songs, "Freedom of '76". What? You don't know who Ween is? Well, if you like faux Prince songs that are sometimes kinda crass, this is the best band for the job. (The song doesn't start until about two minutes into the video). (Mannequin was filmed at Woolworth, Boys 2 Men keeping the beat)
and remember kids, sometimes a dreamer is a loser.
...I don't know much about Lloyd Dobbs. Is he a good Lloyd? Lloyd's of London is the first insurance company. Is that good? Probably not. Frank Lloyd Wright had some beautiful architecture. According to Wikiepedia, Lloyd is a variation of various Welsh names. I like Wales, so that's more positivity connected with the name Lloyd.
...I am so frakkin' tired now...
I feel really bad for giving my blog such short shrift last week. I was in a very, very bad mood. I'm feeling much better now, though. I'll give some more information on last week's bands later in this post.
On with this week's post:
Cranebuilders "Public Space"
Sigh. I searched and searched teh internet for a non podcasted version of this song and couldn't find one. So I coughed up the $.99 ($.99!!! Why don't they ask for my first born?) for the song from Musicmatch and I confirmed that I was downloading it, but it's nowhere to be found. I'm not keen on spending more money to try to find it through another site, so here be the Indie Feed version of the song. No, that's not me introducing the song. That's a guy. The song's really cool, though, in my opinion.
Cranebuilders album cover
Their Myspace and Website (not ready for primetime)
Camera Obscura, "Lloyd, I'm Ready To Be Heartbroken"
If you watch the video, you will see that the singer is obviously not just heartbroken, but she's mortified by something. The poor girl's face is frozen in eternal let down! Lloyd! Dude! What did you do? Anyways, I like this song so much that I'm going to try to help the singer get over Lloyd (get your mind out of the gutter). I'm going to remind her that there are good Lloyds in this world. There's Lloyd Dobbler. He's the ultimate good guy. He could give me a pen anyday. There's Christopher Lloyd. He's just awesome and funny. Any other good Lloyds? Lloyd Cole's a singer I like a lot.
Here, have the phonograph. No, I insist...
Their Website and Myspace
Copeland, "Don't Slow Down" (WMA file)
I had to (gulp) buy this one too. I gave up on Musicmatch (it's acting weird) and went straight to the origin of my music downloading obsession: Napster. That's why it's in WMA format. The only way I have of making it an MP3 is to burn it to a cd and reupload it as an MP3. Yeah, I'm too tired to do that.
The intensity and drive of this song more than makes up for any lethargy on my part. The vocals are plaintive and the accompanying music is every bit as urging. He really doesn't want the person to leave his side, though he seems to be telling the person he/she goes too fast. First, though, he tells the person not to slow down for him. I bet the person is just scratching his/her head in confusion. Still a cool song, though.
Copeland, Just hanging out, y'know?
Lyrics to "Don't Slow Down" (from Sing365), Their Website, Their Myspace and their Pure Volume Site.
Lost On Purpose, "London"
He seems to be blowing into a huge gourd on his Myspace page. For musical or recreationally hallucinogenic purposes? I don't know. He says his main influence is alcohol, but musically his taste is eerily close to mine. In fact if it weren't for the absolute lack of punctuation and overuse of the word "and" it could be my Myspace! Anyways, this song is a nice gem. It's a song about floating around, trying to find your place. He doesn't stay in one place long; he says in a year he's moved twice. One thing he knows is he's got to write songs to keep from dying. Eerily I feel the same way about alcohol (just kidding).
He's not lost; he's in a hallway. See?
His Website and Myspace
The Real Tuesday Weld "Something Beautiful"
I also originally heard this through Indie Feed. I was fortunate, however, to find the song on their website; thereby providing you with a clean, unadorned copy. It's very hazy, kind of dreampoppish. The vocals are very blurred, but the music is very detailed and ornate, featuring a tamborine and swirly keyboards. I love swirly music. I can't help it.
The Real Tuesday Weld need to meet Dresden Dolls. Or do you think there'd be cosmetic rivalry?
Their Myspace and Website/Blog
***
Sometime this week I'm going to write & post (in that order) a review for the reissue of Pogues' If I Should Fall From Grace With God. It's a matter of desire and obligation eventually winning the war over lethargy. It will be a mighty challenge. Well, as mighty as someone with lethargy can muster.
***
As promised, I'm going to include some links for the bands I posted last week. This way they get two mentions in my blog--they actually come out ahead!
Brookhaven (Does the song "Transitive Verses") Myspace, Label Site (no independent site listed)
Catfish Haven (Does the song "Crazy For Leaving") Their Myspace and Their Official Site
Divinyls (Does the song "Pleasure and Pain" and is famous for the song "I Touch Myself", both available on their unofficial Myspace). Their Official Site
Orenda Fink (Does the song "No Evolution") Her Myspace and Official Site
The Sharp Things (Does the song "There Will Be Violins"--what a great song!) Their Myspace and Their Official Site
Sara Culler (Does the song "At Least Like Melissa") Her Myspace and Her Official Site
Gomez (Does the song "Notice") Their Myspace and Their Official Site
Like Honey (Does the song "Airport) Their Myspace and Their Official Site. Coincidence alert: They're from the same town in Sweden as Sara Culler. Weird, huh? (I always have loved Swedish music).
I also mentioned some Myspace bands, but since I posted their Myspace sites, I'm not going to repost them here.
By the by, here's a video for one of my favorite Ween songs, "Freedom of '76". What? You don't know who Ween is? Well, if you like faux Prince songs that are sometimes kinda crass, this is the best band for the job. (The song doesn't start until about two minutes into the video). (Mannequin was filmed at Woolworth, Boys 2 Men keeping the beat)
and remember kids, sometimes a dreamer is a loser.
...I don't know much about Lloyd Dobbs. Is he a good Lloyd? Lloyd's of London is the first insurance company. Is that good? Probably not. Frank Lloyd Wright had some beautiful architecture. According to Wikiepedia, Lloyd is a variation of various Welsh names. I like Wales, so that's more positivity connected with the name Lloyd.
...I am so frakkin' tired now...
Sunday, September 24, 2006
Song Post
I'm not much in the mood for a full five songs post, with commentary, but I did manage to download a few songs that I really like:
Brookhaven, "Transitive Verses"
Divinyls, "Pleasure and Pain" (I loved this song when I first heard it when I was in high school. That was a long, long time ago).
Catfish Haven, "Crazy For Leaving"
The Sharp Things, "There Will Be Violins"
Orenda Fink, "No Evolution"
These are some songs that I've been listening to for a few weeks. I meant to include them in one of my posts, but they slipped through.
Sara Culler, "At Least Like Melissa"
Gomez, "Notice"
Like Honey, "Airport"
Also, I found some Myspace artists I like:
Tac Buchannon and the Hobies He's so pretty--at least I think that's what he says.
The Submarines
This would be cool:
A Life Less Lived: A Gothic Box Set
Also, completely unrelated to music (except it's from Rhino's offices), this is me at work:
Voicemail Hell
I'm not much in the mood for a full five songs post, with commentary, but I did manage to download a few songs that I really like:
Brookhaven, "Transitive Verses"
Divinyls, "Pleasure and Pain" (I loved this song when I first heard it when I was in high school. That was a long, long time ago).
Catfish Haven, "Crazy For Leaving"
The Sharp Things, "There Will Be Violins"
Orenda Fink, "No Evolution"
These are some songs that I've been listening to for a few weeks. I meant to include them in one of my posts, but they slipped through.
Sara Culler, "At Least Like Melissa"
Gomez, "Notice"
Like Honey, "Airport"
Also, I found some Myspace artists I like:
Tac Buchannon and the Hobies He's so pretty--at least I think that's what he says.
The Submarines
This would be cool:
A Life Less Lived: A Gothic Box Set
Also, completely unrelated to music (except it's from Rhino's offices), this is me at work:
Voicemail Hell
Friday, September 22, 2006
Sunday, September 17, 2006
One moment! Some of the links aren't working!
Eight Songs I'm Loving This Week (despite having limited time, I just felt like writing about eight songs instead of five. I was told by a rabbit in a dream that my power would increase proportionately to the number of songs I post every week. I'm sure by next week exhaustion and lack of ambition will influence me to revert back to my normal five songs.)
Also I figured out how to post songs to the storage space I pay for (it's about time I start getting my $5/month worth). So, hopefully this will work better than EZArchive. If anyone has any problems, please let me know.
1) James Figurine, "55566688833"
This song has definitely been the highlight of my week. I figured I can listen to it three times in a row while walking on my break. It takes a really kick-ass song for me to replay it three times in a row (the last song I did that with was Anathallo's "A Great Wind More Ash", which is just plain infectious). This song's pretty infectious too. It seems to be about a guy who doesn't text message his girlfriend and they have to resort to fighting face to face "like it's the nineties all over again". I tell ya, I never got the hang of text messaging. I mean, I know how to do it, it just annoys the hell out me. You have to punch four times just for the letter S. I use a lot of S's! If I want punctuation, forget about it. I'd be here all day. (By the by: the song title stands for "L.O.V.E". Yes, I had to sit there and pretend-punch it in. Texting really is annoying).
I just started this song over again. I keep waiting for the female backing vocalist to start singing "S S S S A A A A F F F F E E E E T T T T Y Y Y Y ..."
If James Figurine were an animation, I wonder if he'd look like this.
His Myspace, His Label Site and Official Site
2) Jet, "Move On".
I don't want to post a song from "The OC Mix 1". I don't watch The OC. I don't want to be associated with The OC; however, they've chosen to associate themselves with music I love, and that just pisses me off. Scrubs, yes. OC, NO!
Oh well. I can't un-love my music just 'cause The OC has made bitches out of it. I do love this song. Jet is cool. (Their Myspace and Official Site)
Despite the hair, Jet are not British.
Jet's Myspace and Official Site
3) My Brightest Diamond, "Golden Star"
The band is really only one member: vocalist (aka singer) and instrumentalist (aka music player) Shara Worden. She brings on other musicians to record and play live, but essentially she's it. Some of the songs I've heard are a little too dramatic for me (what, too dramatic?) like if Tori Amos decided to take it up ten notches. However, I can't deny that her songs are very well-done and her playing and singing is fantastic. This song is awesome, in my world anyway. It starts off sounding like it's going to be one of those hard-edged masculine rockers, but it turns into a very subtle, layered, intense song that rolls forward, gathering momentum as her voice reaches higher and higher notes.
Shara Worden is perty. Her Myspace, Label Site and Website
4) The Stills, "Destroyer"
I should stop posting The Stills. I'm going to post so many of their songs that soon there will be no point in buying the album. Okay, if you do end up downloading the whole album, be good and buy something from the band--a poster, maybe. Like Rock-N-Roll, downloading is here to stay, but it'd be a nice gesture to support the band in some way. Anyways, I love this band--they're Canadian, they have a song with Lola in the title, and they rock extraordinarily. This song in particular will destroy you (in a good way).
If The Stills don't destroy you, they sure as hell will make sure you can't see when you go to take out the trash. (Their Myspace)
5) Broken Social Scene, "It's All Gonna Break"
As far as I know, none of the members of The Stills are in Broken Social Scene, but they're about the only East Canadian musicians who aren't. Members of Stars, The Arcade Fire, Feist, The Dears and The Weakerthans have been in this collection at some time. The name of the band is appropriate because the line-up changes regularly. The band does have two core members: Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning (though one site lists Charles Spearin instead of Canning), who began the "scene" as K.C. Accidental. I'm so glad they changed the name.
I know--I thought it was a cast photo for Dazed and Confused too. BSS's Label Site, Noise Factory Site and Myspace
6) Scott H. Biram, "Down Too Long"
It's like M. Ward went off the edge of sanity and hollered a song back up to us. Imagine what a song might sound like by a guy on a label called Bloodshot records who's so dedicated to his punkabilly music that he went on stage with the IV still in his arm three weeks after being hit head-on by a truck. I only wish I had that kind of bravery and dedication. Of course if I loved my job as much as this guy does, I might be able to do it. I'm about to sound very silly saying this but this is Grade "A" hollerin' and stompin' bluegrass/rockibilly with enough punk spirit to blur the lines between the genres. His Myspace and Official Website
Cover to Scott H. Biram's latest album, Graveyard Shift
7) Wolfgang "Not In Love (Not True)"
It starts off sounding like an Erasure song. Seriously. It sounds just like "Sometimes". Then it gets all techno-robot-y. I like it. I want to hear what it sounds like without the modulation. I bet it'd be a kickin' little synth song, a la the great Yaz. (His, er It's Myspace, It's Official Site)
Do robots prefer to be called "It" or a gender-based pronoun?
Wolfgang the Robot
8) Band Of Horses, "Monsters"
Yeah, I should stop posting this band too, but I luvs them! Luvs them, luvs them, luvs them.
Okay, I've been restrained. Okay, so I haven't. I couldn't type if I were being restrained. Unless a monkey were trained to type in my place. That would be awesome, except I wouldn't want to take care of a monkey. Maybe a sock money. Sock monkeys don't have hands, though, I don't think.
Anyways, I love Band of Horses. This is a great song. (Their Label Page, Myspace and Band Page)
"Why can't you stop writing about horses? Don't we get enough publicity? We just want to graze in peace."
In other news: I just got a new contact prescription a few months ago but using this laptop with it's tiny little letters makes me wish I could find some glasses to put on over the contacts to make my eyesight super-good. That was a very long sentence.
I will do another podcast eventually, but not tonight. As it is, I'm having to tape Mystery.
I know it's after ten at night, but I suddenly want coffee. Shoulda thought of that before I finished the post. Dangit.
Eight Songs I'm Loving This Week (despite having limited time, I just felt like writing about eight songs instead of five. I was told by a rabbit in a dream that my power would increase proportionately to the number of songs I post every week. I'm sure by next week exhaustion and lack of ambition will influence me to revert back to my normal five songs.)
Also I figured out how to post songs to the storage space I pay for (it's about time I start getting my $5/month worth). So, hopefully this will work better than EZArchive. If anyone has any problems, please let me know.
1) James Figurine, "55566688833"
This song has definitely been the highlight of my week. I figured I can listen to it three times in a row while walking on my break. It takes a really kick-ass song for me to replay it three times in a row (the last song I did that with was Anathallo's "A Great Wind More Ash", which is just plain infectious). This song's pretty infectious too. It seems to be about a guy who doesn't text message his girlfriend and they have to resort to fighting face to face "like it's the nineties all over again". I tell ya, I never got the hang of text messaging. I mean, I know how to do it, it just annoys the hell out me. You have to punch four times just for the letter S. I use a lot of S's! If I want punctuation, forget about it. I'd be here all day. (By the by: the song title stands for "L.O.V.E". Yes, I had to sit there and pretend-punch it in. Texting really is annoying).
I just started this song over again. I keep waiting for the female backing vocalist to start singing "S S S S A A A A F F F F E E E E T T T T Y Y Y Y ..."
If James Figurine were an animation, I wonder if he'd look like this.
His Myspace, His Label Site and Official Site
2) Jet, "Move On".
I don't want to post a song from "The OC Mix 1". I don't watch The OC. I don't want to be associated with The OC; however, they've chosen to associate themselves with music I love, and that just pisses me off. Scrubs, yes. OC, NO!
Oh well. I can't un-love my music just 'cause The OC has made bitches out of it. I do love this song. Jet is cool. (Their Myspace and Official Site)
Despite the hair, Jet are not British.
Jet's Myspace and Official Site
3) My Brightest Diamond, "Golden Star"
The band is really only one member: vocalist (aka singer) and instrumentalist (aka music player) Shara Worden. She brings on other musicians to record and play live, but essentially she's it. Some of the songs I've heard are a little too dramatic for me (what, too dramatic?) like if Tori Amos decided to take it up ten notches. However, I can't deny that her songs are very well-done and her playing and singing is fantastic. This song is awesome, in my world anyway. It starts off sounding like it's going to be one of those hard-edged masculine rockers, but it turns into a very subtle, layered, intense song that rolls forward, gathering momentum as her voice reaches higher and higher notes.
Shara Worden is perty. Her Myspace, Label Site and Website
4) The Stills, "Destroyer"
I should stop posting The Stills. I'm going to post so many of their songs that soon there will be no point in buying the album. Okay, if you do end up downloading the whole album, be good and buy something from the band--a poster, maybe. Like Rock-N-Roll, downloading is here to stay, but it'd be a nice gesture to support the band in some way. Anyways, I love this band--they're Canadian, they have a song with Lola in the title, and they rock extraordinarily. This song in particular will destroy you (in a good way).
If The Stills don't destroy you, they sure as hell will make sure you can't see when you go to take out the trash. (Their Myspace)
5) Broken Social Scene, "It's All Gonna Break"
As far as I know, none of the members of The Stills are in Broken Social Scene, but they're about the only East Canadian musicians who aren't. Members of Stars, The Arcade Fire, Feist, The Dears and The Weakerthans have been in this collection at some time. The name of the band is appropriate because the line-up changes regularly. The band does have two core members: Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning (though one site lists Charles Spearin instead of Canning), who began the "scene" as K.C. Accidental. I'm so glad they changed the name.
I know--I thought it was a cast photo for Dazed and Confused too. BSS's Label Site, Noise Factory Site and Myspace
6) Scott H. Biram, "Down Too Long"
It's like M. Ward went off the edge of sanity and hollered a song back up to us. Imagine what a song might sound like by a guy on a label called Bloodshot records who's so dedicated to his punkabilly music that he went on stage with the IV still in his arm three weeks after being hit head-on by a truck. I only wish I had that kind of bravery and dedication. Of course if I loved my job as much as this guy does, I might be able to do it. I'm about to sound very silly saying this but this is Grade "A" hollerin' and stompin' bluegrass/rockibilly with enough punk spirit to blur the lines between the genres. His Myspace and Official Website
Cover to Scott H. Biram's latest album, Graveyard Shift
7) Wolfgang "Not In Love (Not True)"
It starts off sounding like an Erasure song. Seriously. It sounds just like "Sometimes". Then it gets all techno-robot-y. I like it. I want to hear what it sounds like without the modulation. I bet it'd be a kickin' little synth song, a la the great Yaz. (His, er It's Myspace, It's Official Site)
Do robots prefer to be called "It" or a gender-based pronoun?
Wolfgang the Robot
8) Band Of Horses, "Monsters"
Yeah, I should stop posting this band too, but I luvs them! Luvs them, luvs them, luvs them.
Okay, I've been restrained. Okay, so I haven't. I couldn't type if I were being restrained. Unless a monkey were trained to type in my place. That would be awesome, except I wouldn't want to take care of a monkey. Maybe a sock money. Sock monkeys don't have hands, though, I don't think.
Anyways, I love Band of Horses. This is a great song. (Their Label Page, Myspace and Band Page)
"Why can't you stop writing about horses? Don't we get enough publicity? We just want to graze in peace."
In other news: I just got a new contact prescription a few months ago but using this laptop with it's tiny little letters makes me wish I could find some glasses to put on over the contacts to make my eyesight super-good. That was a very long sentence.
I will do another podcast eventually, but not tonight. As it is, I'm having to tape Mystery.
I know it's after ten at night, but I suddenly want coffee. Shoulda thought of that before I finished the post. Dangit.
Sunday, September 10, 2006
Five Songs I'm Loving This Week
Okay, well, I decided to use EZArchive for the first time. I created an account and uploaded all the songs I wanted to use this week. I wanted the mp3s to be hotlinks, and while they sort of are, they're not exactly what I wanted. I can get the downloads to open up directly from the blog entry; however, a web browser will also open up with it. Also, it won't let me drag and drop the mp3 file straight into Winamp so I can stream it. If anyone is familiar with EZArchive and knows how to make that work, please let me know.
In the meantime, these songs took up half of my 100mb account, so I unfortunately won't be able to keep these up for long (probably no more than two weeks; in some cases one week.
The Clientele, "I Can't Seem To Make You Mine"
I'm not sure if I've ever used the word "romantic" to describe a song because I always considered it hard to qualify what "romantic" is. Okay, though, I give. This song is sad, wistful and about a hopeless love situation. It's romantic and bittersweet. It makes me crave dark chocolate.
The Clientele
Their site, their label site and their Myspace
Grant Lee Phillips, "Killing Moon".
This is one of the first Echo and the Bunnymen songs I heard (the other being "The Cutter"). It's still one of my favorite Echo songs and Phillips does a pretty faithful version of it, albeit not as new wave-y a version. This version is less dense and terse; it doesn't have as much of a gothic atmospheric, (though it does sort of a gothic cowboy feel). That's not a big deal to me, though, because I can always get an absolutely 100% faithful rendition by listening to the original song. This version is just different enough to mark it as Phillips' own rendition, but not so different as to be unrecognizable.
Grant Lee Phillips
His site (look on his "links" page for archived live performances) and his Myspace.
Chin Up Chin Up, "Mansioned"
I've posted a few Chip Up Chin Up songs in the past; I love this band. The singer uses this almost speak/sing method of singing and it creates a repetitiveness that I've mention before I really like. This song is from their second album This Harness Can't Ride Anything. It won't be released until October, but this song has made it out into the wide world.
Chin Up Chin Up, Photo by Martha Williams
Their label site, their official site and their Myspace.
Sterlin, "They Love You"
This song reminds me a little of The Bangles, if The Bangles had their start in the '00s instead of the 80's...very bright vocals that glide over the melody. Like a lot of The Bangles song, this one is a very memorable very well-constructed pop song.
Sterlin
Their website and Myspace.
The Scanners, "Lowlife"
Sometimes my favorite song of the week ends up last; I don't know why. Maybe it's because I know I'll like writing about it more. I dunno. Anyways, this is a spark of a song. It ignites and doesn't stop until the very last second. The guitar part in it should be a classic. (from the album Violence is Golden)
The Scanners
Their website and their Myspace.
Okay, well, I decided to use EZArchive for the first time. I created an account and uploaded all the songs I wanted to use this week. I wanted the mp3s to be hotlinks, and while they sort of are, they're not exactly what I wanted. I can get the downloads to open up directly from the blog entry; however, a web browser will also open up with it. Also, it won't let me drag and drop the mp3 file straight into Winamp so I can stream it. If anyone is familiar with EZArchive and knows how to make that work, please let me know.
In the meantime, these songs took up half of my 100mb account, so I unfortunately won't be able to keep these up for long (probably no more than two weeks; in some cases one week.
The Clientele, "I Can't Seem To Make You Mine"
I'm not sure if I've ever used the word "romantic" to describe a song because I always considered it hard to qualify what "romantic" is. Okay, though, I give. This song is sad, wistful and about a hopeless love situation. It's romantic and bittersweet. It makes me crave dark chocolate.
The Clientele
Their site, their label site and their Myspace
Grant Lee Phillips, "Killing Moon".
This is one of the first Echo and the Bunnymen songs I heard (the other being "The Cutter"). It's still one of my favorite Echo songs and Phillips does a pretty faithful version of it, albeit not as new wave-y a version. This version is less dense and terse; it doesn't have as much of a gothic atmospheric, (though it does sort of a gothic cowboy feel). That's not a big deal to me, though, because I can always get an absolutely 100% faithful rendition by listening to the original song. This version is just different enough to mark it as Phillips' own rendition, but not so different as to be unrecognizable.
Grant Lee Phillips
His site (look on his "links" page for archived live performances) and his Myspace.
Chin Up Chin Up, "Mansioned"
I've posted a few Chip Up Chin Up songs in the past; I love this band. The singer uses this almost speak/sing method of singing and it creates a repetitiveness that I've mention before I really like. This song is from their second album This Harness Can't Ride Anything. It won't be released until October, but this song has made it out into the wide world.
Chin Up Chin Up, Photo by Martha Williams
Their label site, their official site and their Myspace.
Sterlin, "They Love You"
This song reminds me a little of The Bangles, if The Bangles had their start in the '00s instead of the 80's...very bright vocals that glide over the melody. Like a lot of The Bangles song, this one is a very memorable very well-constructed pop song.
Sterlin
Their website and Myspace.
The Scanners, "Lowlife"
Sometimes my favorite song of the week ends up last; I don't know why. Maybe it's because I know I'll like writing about it more. I dunno. Anyways, this is a spark of a song. It ignites and doesn't stop until the very last second. The guitar part in it should be a classic. (from the album Violence is Golden)
The Scanners
Their website and their Myspace.
Saturday, September 02, 2006
Five Songs I'm Loving This Week
For the sheer sake of comfort, I'm attempting to do this post from the couch, using my laptop. I'm not complaining, but it takes me about three hours to complete a post and that's a lot of sitting in an uncomfortable chair. So, as an experiment, I broke out the old laptop. Now I don't t ype so well on l aptop computers, so the raw post will look somtghing like this. I'll go through and clean it up, which will add the to the time, but if it means I still have feeling in my butt at the end, it may be worth it.
Kate Walsh, "Talk Of The Town"
Lilting folk music from 20-year old British singer-songwriter Kate Walsh. This song uses just a guitar and a voice, but the result has a quiet resonance. Her voice grips each note, making the song intimate and personal. As much as I love thrashy songs (ex: all the other songs in this post), sometimes all I need for a song to mean a lot to me is pure emotion backed by sparse music and a powerful voice (okay, and maybe a little thrashiness).
Kate Walsh
Her Website and Myspace.
The Grates, "I Am Siam"
What an awesome song. It has a lot of energy and the melody has taken up residence in my brain forever--I've been singing it my head for a few days now. It's neat how "I am" rhymes with "Siam", too. For some reason I find the song very affirming, though I have no idea why. Maybe I just need to be affirmed. Anyways, according to their website, they found the perfect wife, so that's good news. I'm not sure if that's considered polygamy; they're a whole band, so it would probably be polygamy for the bride.
The Grates
Their site and their Myspace.
Stars Of Track And Field, "Movies of Antarctica".
I'm not sure if this about movies made about Antarctica or if Antarctica has a film industry (Does it? I'm not sure. Chilly-wood?) Anyways, this is a very good, very quintessential "indie" song. Lots of loud, kinda thrashy guitars, vocals that fly but never quite catch up to the wall of instruments. It kind of reminds me of the music I listened to in the 90s, but it stands up as its own song.
Their website and Myspace
Starsailor, "Keep Us Together"
I first heard Starsailor when they became pretty well-known over here with their album Love Is Here. Their song "Good Souls" is one of the songs that got me back into music. After an unfortunate time in the late 90's listening to only the local alternative station and then moving to my mom's house where culture dies on the doorstep, I'd gotten away from music. That song jump-started me back into myself. This song, "Keep Us Together", from their new album On The Outside, hasn't changed my life the way the first song I mentioned did, but then again I'm not on personality life-support like I was in 2002. I may not shout for it to played 3 minutes before I die, but it is a very good song from a very great band. The "oh oh"s remind me ALOT of Simple Minds, which in my mind is a good thing. My only real gripe: It's perfectly acceptable in my book to pick on the U.S.--we deserve it. Just don't focus on one state; we're all to blame.
Starsailor tries to find the special mushrooms
Starsailor's site and Myspace
Headlights, "T.V."
Kill Them With Kindness is the name of this band's album. Hee Hee. Sneaky--I like it! Now I'll really take it as a compliment if someone says "Oh, Lola's so nice". Female vocals speed along urgently with equally energetic guitars and keyboards (actually it sounds like a Xylophone). The song climbs up a wall of sound and thankfully never plateaus.
Their label website (and a great label it is), their website and their Myspace.
Thank you for reading. I'm going to go eat popcorn now and watch some dumbass Scifi movie (there's always some dumbass Scifi movie).
For the sheer sake of comfort, I'm attempting to do this post from the couch, using my laptop. I'm not complaining, but it takes me about three hours to complete a post and that's a lot of sitting in an uncomfortable chair. So, as an experiment, I broke out the old laptop. Now I don't t ype so well on l aptop computers, so the raw post will look somtghing like this. I'll go through and clean it up, which will add the to the time, but if it means I still have feeling in my butt at the end, it may be worth it.
Kate Walsh, "Talk Of The Town"
Lilting folk music from 20-year old British singer-songwriter Kate Walsh. This song uses just a guitar and a voice, but the result has a quiet resonance. Her voice grips each note, making the song intimate and personal. As much as I love thrashy songs (ex: all the other songs in this post), sometimes all I need for a song to mean a lot to me is pure emotion backed by sparse music and a powerful voice (okay, and maybe a little thrashiness).
Kate Walsh
Her Website and Myspace.
The Grates, "I Am Siam"
What an awesome song. It has a lot of energy and the melody has taken up residence in my brain forever--I've been singing it my head for a few days now. It's neat how "I am" rhymes with "Siam", too. For some reason I find the song very affirming, though I have no idea why. Maybe I just need to be affirmed. Anyways, according to their website, they found the perfect wife, so that's good news. I'm not sure if that's considered polygamy; they're a whole band, so it would probably be polygamy for the bride.
The Grates
Their site and their Myspace.
Stars Of Track And Field, "Movies of Antarctica".
I'm not sure if this about movies made about Antarctica or if Antarctica has a film industry (Does it? I'm not sure. Chilly-wood?) Anyways, this is a very good, very quintessential "indie" song. Lots of loud, kinda thrashy guitars, vocals that fly but never quite catch up to the wall of instruments. It kind of reminds me of the music I listened to in the 90s, but it stands up as its own song.
Their website and Myspace
Starsailor, "Keep Us Together"
I first heard Starsailor when they became pretty well-known over here with their album Love Is Here. Their song "Good Souls" is one of the songs that got me back into music. After an unfortunate time in the late 90's listening to only the local alternative station and then moving to my mom's house where culture dies on the doorstep, I'd gotten away from music. That song jump-started me back into myself. This song, "Keep Us Together", from their new album On The Outside, hasn't changed my life the way the first song I mentioned did, but then again I'm not on personality life-support like I was in 2002. I may not shout for it to played 3 minutes before I die, but it is a very good song from a very great band. The "oh oh"s remind me ALOT of Simple Minds, which in my mind is a good thing. My only real gripe: It's perfectly acceptable in my book to pick on the U.S.--we deserve it. Just don't focus on one state; we're all to blame.
Starsailor tries to find the special mushrooms
Starsailor's site and Myspace
Headlights, "T.V."
Kill Them With Kindness is the name of this band's album. Hee Hee. Sneaky--I like it! Now I'll really take it as a compliment if someone says "Oh, Lola's so nice". Female vocals speed along urgently with equally energetic guitars and keyboards (actually it sounds like a Xylophone). The song climbs up a wall of sound and thankfully never plateaus.
Their label website (and a great label it is), their website and their Myspace.
Thank you for reading. I'm going to go eat popcorn now and watch some dumbass Scifi movie (there's always some dumbass Scifi movie).
Sunday, August 20, 2006
Five Songs I'm Loving This Week
Oneida, "The Adversary"
I've been going crazy over this song for a few weeks now. I have a thing for repetition in songs--something about it just appeals to me. The same insistent bars of music, a dirgy, kind of chant-y vocal part. Much like Elf Power, this song makes me want to take up druidry (at least part-time to see if it's for me).
Oneida's website (and a strange website it is), their label and their Myspace.
Ingrid Michaelson, "Breakable" (Scroll about 1/3 of the way down)
The first thing I noticed was how much she sounds like Regina Spektor. The second thing I noticed was how much I liked this song. Yes, it's a girly, lilting piano song. If you don't like those kinds of songs, then don't download it. If you don't mind a little lilting in your songs, though, I would suggest listening to this.
Ingrid Michaelson
(Her website and Myspace)
Boy Kill Boy, "Suzie"
I'm so happy the 80's resurgence hasn't gone away yet. Yes, I realize at least half of the people reading this are groaning right now and wishing 80's music had never happened in the first place, but that's okay. They're entitled to their life without glitter and splatter paint. I'm happy knowing new 80's songs are still being released. (The 80's comparison is helped by this band having a song called "Maneater". It sounds more like Joe Jackson, though, which is great, too.)
Boy Kill Boy looking more The Kinks than Adam and the Ants
Bill Kill Boy's website, their label site and Myspace
Klee, "This Is For Everyone"
This is a little bit like the "I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing" song from the 70's (hey--Coke updated the commercial so you youngin's might've heard it). It's like that famous Coke commercial from my childhood because it's about embracing people, life, etc. I know--the antithesis of everything I stand for. However, this is a very lovely song and it makes me almost, kind of want to be embraced. Hey--what are you looking at? You wanna start something?
Klee's Myspace and website
The National, "Minor Star of Rome" (Scroll down, down, down to the bonus song. Also check out the version of "Lit-up referenced. It's going on my next podcast).
I have no friggin' idea what this song about--all he says is "You're miles behind your sister". Is it about Emperor Commodus and how his sister supposedly tried to murder him? Anyway, it's an awesome song, and I love The National.
The National (no, that's neither Sean Lennon nor James Mercer from the Shins in the background. At least I don't think it is.)
(Their Myspace and their website.)
Oneida, "The Adversary"
I've been going crazy over this song for a few weeks now. I have a thing for repetition in songs--something about it just appeals to me. The same insistent bars of music, a dirgy, kind of chant-y vocal part. Much like Elf Power, this song makes me want to take up druidry (at least part-time to see if it's for me).
Oneida's website (and a strange website it is), their label and their Myspace.
Ingrid Michaelson, "Breakable" (Scroll about 1/3 of the way down)
The first thing I noticed was how much she sounds like Regina Spektor. The second thing I noticed was how much I liked this song. Yes, it's a girly, lilting piano song. If you don't like those kinds of songs, then don't download it. If you don't mind a little lilting in your songs, though, I would suggest listening to this.
Ingrid Michaelson
(Her website and Myspace)
Boy Kill Boy, "Suzie"
I'm so happy the 80's resurgence hasn't gone away yet. Yes, I realize at least half of the people reading this are groaning right now and wishing 80's music had never happened in the first place, but that's okay. They're entitled to their life without glitter and splatter paint. I'm happy knowing new 80's songs are still being released. (The 80's comparison is helped by this band having a song called "Maneater". It sounds more like Joe Jackson, though, which is great, too.)
Boy Kill Boy looking more The Kinks than Adam and the Ants
Bill Kill Boy's website, their label site and Myspace
Klee, "This Is For Everyone"
This is a little bit like the "I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing" song from the 70's (hey--Coke updated the commercial so you youngin's might've heard it). It's like that famous Coke commercial from my childhood because it's about embracing people, life, etc. I know--the antithesis of everything I stand for. However, this is a very lovely song and it makes me almost, kind of want to be embraced. Hey--what are you looking at? You wanna start something?
Klee's Myspace and website
The National, "Minor Star of Rome" (Scroll down, down, down to the bonus song. Also check out the version of "Lit-up referenced. It's going on my next podcast).
I have no friggin' idea what this song about--all he says is "You're miles behind your sister". Is it about Emperor Commodus and how his sister supposedly tried to murder him? Anyway, it's an awesome song, and I love The National.
The National (no, that's neither Sean Lennon nor James Mercer from the Shins in the background. At least I don't think it is.)
(Their Myspace and their website.)
Thursday, August 10, 2006
Five Songs I'm Loving This Week
Eagle*Seagull, "Photograph"
This song began to play and I actually started to think "Wow, they redid the Flock of Seagulls song, 'Photograph!'" Well, no they didn't, though it does have waves of my old lifestyle, er, music genre New Wave. My decade is making a resurgence, which I must admit is making my thirties go down smoother (and less filling). In this song we have soaring piano parts (my favorite kind of piano parts, though I like quieter piano parts, too), insistant guitar and a lead singer who sounds a lot lot lot lot (say that three more times) like Robert Smith. Robert Smith if he fronted Echo and the Bunnymen. Okay, while that's a strange concept, it works in this song.
Hey, buddy. Her face is above her neck! Eagle*Seagull
Website, Myspace
Grand Salvo, "Brave Like A Goose"
Oh, oh, oh, ohhhh...I can't stop raving about this song (to myself 'cause none of my "real life" friends are interested in my music). Oh this is so awesome. The musician behind the band is an Australian named Paddy, and if this song is an indicator, he may go down in history as one of my favorites (and believe me, history is waiting impatiently for that list). I have a major thing for spritely songs, and this ain't nothin' if it ain't spritely. I'm not sure if that's a Xylophone, but whatever the instrument is that plays throughout the song, it's caught my fancy. His voice echoes--perhaps a fortunate side-effect of the lo-fi approach he took when recording his album, and the hollowness of the vocal track is part of what makes it seem so otherworldly. He introduces other instruments as the song progresses--an oboe? (I'm not good with the instrument identification, but I try) and a violin--and they only serve to make the song more complete and varied.
Grand Salvo
Website, Myspace
Laura Gibson, "Hands In Pocket"
I thought this one was a cover too, when I first downloaded it. Albeit I was thinking "Wait, isn't Alanis' song 'Hand In Pocket'?". Oh well, no matter 'cause it's not a cover! Well, not an Alanis Morrissette cover, anyway. It's definitely its own song. She's got a gorgeous voice, and she lets it poke and prod the song, jumping from note to note and sharply punctuating each syllable. Once again another spritely song. I love my spritely songs. The piano sneaks in with you almost not realizing it and the song is supported by a steady drum rhythm.
Laura Gibson
Website and Myspace
Laura Gibson (photo from her album cover for Amends)
(I wanted to post this because I thought it was a very good photo concept, but I didn't want it to be my main picture of her 'cause you can't tell it's her.)
Frida Hyvonen, "You Never Got Me Right"
I'm hitting it pretty even between boys and girls this time. I was worried it would be too estrogenic (I think I just made up that word) but then I remembered the first two songs were male-fronted (though not heavily testeronic--I think I just made up that word). Anyways, this song is surprisingly short, but she puts a lot into one minute and 53 seconds. Whereas the other songs I posted were for the most part gentle and laconic, this song is highly charged. The piano sounds like it's being banged in frustration, and she rips the verses apart--appropriate for the bitterness and frustration of the lyrics (you can guess what the song's about from the title--the girl ain't happy about someone). Something about the banging piano and the energetic way she delivers the lines makes me think of cabaret music, a la Dresden Dolls (but not campy like Dresden Dolls can be sometimes). Frida's been signed to my favorite label, Secretly Canadian. I've hardly gone wrong with Secretly Canadian (there are small number of artists I don't care for--maybe two) and once again I haven't gone wrong with the Swedes...
Frida Hyvonen (you can't really tell who it is from this photo--it looks like it could be Kim Gordon from Sonic Youth, or any blonde woman. I was going to use another photo, but it was giving Flickr problems).
Website, Myspace
Hmmm...which gender will break the tie? Boy? Girl? Maybe to be fair I should post a Michael Jackson song. That would be neutral. Ooh, I'm mean.
Adem, "X Is For Kisses" (Scroll down to #14)
Okay, well I've been wanting to post this for awhile, so for now the boys win. The sensitive, thoughtful boys, though. I posted Adem's song "These Are Your Friends" (what a great song) awhile ago--like maybe a year ago or more. He's an extremely talented musician, and once again I feel like I'm being pulled into a place he's creating as we go, being pulled along for a ride he's arranging.
Adem
Website, Myspace (unofficial)
Also: Please see the previous post for a review I wrote of The Lesser Birds of Paradise's latest album, Space Between. To stream the entire album, click here.
Eagle*Seagull, "Photograph"
This song began to play and I actually started to think "Wow, they redid the Flock of Seagulls song, 'Photograph!'" Well, no they didn't, though it does have waves of my old lifestyle, er, music genre New Wave. My decade is making a resurgence, which I must admit is making my thirties go down smoother (and less filling). In this song we have soaring piano parts (my favorite kind of piano parts, though I like quieter piano parts, too), insistant guitar and a lead singer who sounds a lot lot lot lot (say that three more times) like Robert Smith. Robert Smith if he fronted Echo and the Bunnymen. Okay, while that's a strange concept, it works in this song.
Hey, buddy. Her face is above her neck! Eagle*Seagull
Website, Myspace
Grand Salvo, "Brave Like A Goose"
Oh, oh, oh, ohhhh...I can't stop raving about this song (to myself 'cause none of my "real life" friends are interested in my music). Oh this is so awesome. The musician behind the band is an Australian named Paddy, and if this song is an indicator, he may go down in history as one of my favorites (and believe me, history is waiting impatiently for that list). I have a major thing for spritely songs, and this ain't nothin' if it ain't spritely. I'm not sure if that's a Xylophone, but whatever the instrument is that plays throughout the song, it's caught my fancy. His voice echoes--perhaps a fortunate side-effect of the lo-fi approach he took when recording his album, and the hollowness of the vocal track is part of what makes it seem so otherworldly. He introduces other instruments as the song progresses--an oboe? (I'm not good with the instrument identification, but I try) and a violin--and they only serve to make the song more complete and varied.
Grand Salvo
Website, Myspace
Laura Gibson, "Hands In Pocket"
I thought this one was a cover too, when I first downloaded it. Albeit I was thinking "Wait, isn't Alanis' song 'Hand In Pocket'?". Oh well, no matter 'cause it's not a cover! Well, not an Alanis Morrissette cover, anyway. It's definitely its own song. She's got a gorgeous voice, and she lets it poke and prod the song, jumping from note to note and sharply punctuating each syllable. Once again another spritely song. I love my spritely songs. The piano sneaks in with you almost not realizing it and the song is supported by a steady drum rhythm.
Laura Gibson
Website and Myspace
Laura Gibson (photo from her album cover for Amends)
(I wanted to post this because I thought it was a very good photo concept, but I didn't want it to be my main picture of her 'cause you can't tell it's her.)
Frida Hyvonen, "You Never Got Me Right"
I'm hitting it pretty even between boys and girls this time. I was worried it would be too estrogenic (I think I just made up that word) but then I remembered the first two songs were male-fronted (though not heavily testeronic--I think I just made up that word). Anyways, this song is surprisingly short, but she puts a lot into one minute and 53 seconds. Whereas the other songs I posted were for the most part gentle and laconic, this song is highly charged. The piano sounds like it's being banged in frustration, and she rips the verses apart--appropriate for the bitterness and frustration of the lyrics (you can guess what the song's about from the title--the girl ain't happy about someone). Something about the banging piano and the energetic way she delivers the lines makes me think of cabaret music, a la Dresden Dolls (but not campy like Dresden Dolls can be sometimes). Frida's been signed to my favorite label, Secretly Canadian. I've hardly gone wrong with Secretly Canadian (there are small number of artists I don't care for--maybe two) and once again I haven't gone wrong with the Swedes...
Frida Hyvonen (you can't really tell who it is from this photo--it looks like it could be Kim Gordon from Sonic Youth, or any blonde woman. I was going to use another photo, but it was giving Flickr problems).
Website, Myspace
Hmmm...which gender will break the tie? Boy? Girl? Maybe to be fair I should post a Michael Jackson song. That would be neutral. Ooh, I'm mean.
Adem, "X Is For Kisses" (Scroll down to #14)
Okay, well I've been wanting to post this for awhile, so for now the boys win. The sensitive, thoughtful boys, though. I posted Adem's song "These Are Your Friends" (what a great song) awhile ago--like maybe a year ago or more. He's an extremely talented musician, and once again I feel like I'm being pulled into a place he's creating as we go, being pulled along for a ride he's arranging.
Adem
Website, Myspace (unofficial)
Also: Please see the previous post for a review I wrote of The Lesser Birds of Paradise's latest album, Space Between. To stream the entire album, click here.
A Review
(Fancy that!)
The Lesser Birds of Paradise, Space Between
Space Between, the new CD from Chicago's Lesser Birds of Paradise, starts off on a spiritual note, with the emphasis on the word "spirit". The vocals in the first track, "My Refrain", are sparse and haunting--for most of the song the only accompaniment is organ, except for a bit of guitar and a strange, reedy instrument (gotta love my grasp of musical technical knowledge) at the end, rendering an almost alien sound.
The pace picks up in "A Rehearsal", though it's still a country-music kind of pace. Toe-tapping, yes. Headbanging, no. Anyone looking to rock out would be better suited to buying a Queens of the Stone Age CD. This is not rock--it's Americana at its best, its most authentic and most deceptively simple.
The instruments are languid to the point of almost blending into each other and into the celestial sphere, but the music is not meant to be rushed. The songs dictate the pace, not the other way around. There are enough surprising and interesting vocal & chord changes to keep the album from sounding indistinguishable from other alt-country records. The gentle way they integrate bits of guitar to augment the vocals add something unexpected. The delicacy of the guitar work actually reminds me of Red House Painters. Like those of RHP, these songs are sparse, but they're solidly structured and well-defined. The album feels finished--not underdone and certainly not overstated. They manage to make "You Are My Sunshine" sound majestic with a depth my childhood renditions never brought to it. The old standard is drawn out into something Yo La Tengo-ish--long, languid, quiet, yet intense. Not surprising to find a Yo La Tengo influence; the band has a song called "Lullabye For Yo La Tengo No. 2" on their website (they may even have a Lullabye for Yo La Tengo No.1--I'm not sure).
The lyrics convey stories (or sometimes just impressions) of people trying to cope, people trying to connect and Claire Danes (the three Cs). The Lesser Birds have very creative song titles--"Claire Danes, If You Ever Get A Nose Job, I Swear To Jesus I'll Hang Myself" being the longest, the most creative, and possibly the most disturbing. The song doesn't seem to be about Claire Danes--he doesn't mention her name by name. He just uses the pronoun "she", and goes on to say that butterflies like her, whoever this "her" is (Is it Claire? Will we ever know?) "So The Bear Wipes His Ass With The Rabbit" seems to be about human pain, life and desires, embodied on a small scale in a collection of animals (or it could be taken literally--I don't pretend to have authoritative insight into the lyrics. For the sake of the rabbit, I hope it's not literal). "Take The Leaves" is about being deceived by someone we care about, look up to, but don't necessarily trust. "I Envy The Photons" seems to be about someone being pushed around by science, but finding someone special (love?) because of this very thing.
It can seem maddening not to have clear definition of meaning, but with songs as delicate as these, a certain amount of obtuseness adds to the mystique. It's hard to say what any one song is "about"--the songs don't act as a lyrical snapshot. At least one song does seem to have a very specific agenda, however: In "Do You Remember When (We Overthrew The Government"), the singer asks a character, Catherine, if she remembers overthrowing the government with him . If Catherine doesn't remember, then I worry for her, but it makes for a good song.
If you want a CD that makes you wish everyday life could be as simple, wonderful and straightforward as this collection of songs seems to indicate, then this will be a find for you. If you want to rock out (which is good--I love rocking out), then let me introduce you to the music of one folk muse from the 80s, Joan Jett.
~~Lola Lariscy
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