57 posts tagged “music”

Sweet "netlabel" music from Pandoras.Box, via Clinical Archives. I found Arrows & Bows on this most excellent collection of "Creative Commons Music" - Rebel Music Volume One. Well, he says it is Arrows & Bows, but Jamendo, which has this player, says it is the song after that called "Next To Mine". Not sure who to believe, although it is singing about "I am the arrow and you are just the bow", so I'll believe Fernando! I'm downloading the songs now, but it is going very slowly.

1. I'm Not In Love - 10cc (The Very Best of 10cc 1997)
   

   I'm Not In Love

   10cc
2. Sex Changes - The Dresden Dolls (Yes, Virginia 2006)
   

   Sex Changes

   The Dresden Dolls
3. Sunday - Bess Rogers (Decisions Based On Information 2007)
   

   Sunday

   Bess Rogers
4. Stop And Think It Over - Sarah Borges and the Broken Singles (Diamonds in the Dark 2007)
5. Joanni - Kate Bush (Ariel - A Sea Of Honey 2005)
   

   Joanni

   Kate Bush
6. A&E - Goldfrapp (Seventh Tree 2008)
   

   A&E

   Goldfrapp
7. Kings And Queens - Loudon Wainwright III (A Live One 1979)
   

   Kings And Queens

   Loudon Wainwright III
8. 1952 Vincent Black Lightning - Richard Thompson (Rumor And Sigh 1991)
   

   1952 Vincent Black Lightning

   Richard Thompson
9. Sweet Bird Of Truth - The The (Infected 1986)
10. Every Passing Day - Goanna (Oceania 1985)
    

    Every Passing Day

    Goanna

A mostly modern set this time around, with a few new wave classics thrown in for good measure. The 10cc song is a favorite from my high school years. The album (yes, children, I originally bought it on vinyl) it comes from (The Original Soundtrack) was a real favorite of mine at the time, although I can't say as I'm too thrilled with the other songs from the disc on this greatest hits CD. Oh well, tastes change. The Dresden Dolls are (were???) one of my favorite groups, local or otherwise, and Amanda Palmer is one of the cleverest musicians around. And Yes, Virginia is their strongest effort. Bess Rogers is a another wonderfully clever artist originally unveiled to me by W♥M, and this is a nicely syncopated song. I went Sarah Borges crazy when their second CD, The Stars Are Out, came out and I picked up Diamonds too. A local group who I have yet to see, sadly. I'm sure she puts on a whale of a show. I've been a huge Kate Bush fan since the early 80s, when I worked with a real Kate fanatic who went so far as to celebrate "Kate-mas", her birthday (July 30th). It was so great to have some new Kate stuff, after a very long wait (12 years!). Ariel is a fantastic double CD. Hmm, looks like it is also a female artist random 10, as we follow it up with my favorite cut from Goldfrapp's 2008 release. Ah, but then back to the wryly ironic in Loudon Wainwright. I've see him in concert a few times and he never disappoints (and never plays Dead Skunk). I was disappointed to find that Black Lightning wasn't on the 3 CD Richard Thompson retrospective, Watching The Dark. It's still a great collection, but Black Lightning should have been on it. It's a great story from a great storyteller. Speaking of storytellers, we move onto The The's Matt Johnson, who can certainly tell an intense story, as he does here. And finally, another song from my Oceania CD, bought in Australia. This is one of my favorite songs of all time, even.

Also picked up a couple of new CDs this week. First up is a local group called Passion Pit. I heard a good song on WZBC coming home from hockey and figured out it was either Passion Pit or Magic Magic. Then I saw Passion Pit's latest CD for only US$6 at Newbury Comics, so I thought it was worth a gamble. Unfortunately, it wasn't the right one. It turned out the great song I heard was from Magic Magic,and was their Over Your Heart song, which is really good.  Passion Pit is okay, with this song being the highlight of the CD:

But even better is the Tyondai Braxton CD, Central Market. I've already introduced you to Opening bell here, but another excellent song is the centerpiece, an over 10 minute opus of modern orchestral pop:

1. Svatba - The Bulgarian State Radio & Television Female Vocal Choir (Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares 1990)
   

   Svatba

   The Bulgarian State Radio & Television Female Choir
2. Roam - The B-52s (Time Capsule 1998)
3. Railroad - Kasey Chambers (Carnival 2006)
   

   Railroad

   Kasey Chambers
4. Boot Hill - Stevie Ray Vaughn (The Sky Is Crying 1991)
   

   01. Boot Hill

   Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble
5. Apple+Option+Fire - Hot Lava (2009 Bar/None Records Sampler 2009)
   

   02 - Apple+Option+Fire

   Hot Lava
6. You Can't Steal A Gift - El Perro Del Mar (From the Valley to the Stars 2008)
   

   You Can't Steal a Gift

   El Perro Del Mar
7. You Like Me Too Much - The Beatles (Help! 1965)
   

   You Like Me Too Much

   The Beatles
8. Sweet Water Pools - Screaming Blue Messiahs (Bikini Red 1987)
9. Brand New Cadillac - The Clash (London Calling 1979)
   

   Brand New Cadillac

   The Clash
10. Masters of War - Bob Dylan (The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan 1963)
    

    Masters Of War

    Bob Dylan

We're covering a lot of ground here, so we'll need to get started! First up are some mesmerizing female voices, in a CD that could be said to have ushered in the era of "international" sounds. Time Capsule is a solid greatest hits collection. The Australian country/rock/folk singer, Kasey Chambers, had one of my favorite CDs of 2008, collaborating with her husband, Shane Nicholson on Rattlin' Bones, so I picked up her previous CD, a more rockin' one. One nice thing about random play - you're reminded of CDs you haven't really listened to, and Carnival is one of them. Unfortunately for me, I wasn't really introduced to Stevie Ray Vaughn until it was too late, but The Sky Is Crying, a posthumous collection of tracks, is simply breathtaking. I'm a big fan of the Amazon MP3 (free!) sampler "albums", and the 2009 Bar/None Records one is a favorite. Unfortunately, it does't look like it is still available. Thanks to W♥M, I fell in love with El Perro Del Mar's super low key music and this is a very nice track. Help! is one of my favorite Beatles album and while you may not recognize the song title, I'm pretty sure you'll recognize the song. The short-lived and much lamented Screaming Blue Messiahs have shown up here before and this is another great song from a great CD. And speaking of great CDs, London Calling is certainly one of my "Desert Island" CDs - just an amazing collection of sounds, music, styles and beats. And finally, we'll go back even more, back to one of Bob Dylan's first CDs. Rougher and folkier, with some serious anger issues, and loaded with classics.

I have picked up a few new CDs, and they have each been wonderful in their own ways. The Black Heart Procession's Six is a wonderfully atmospheric effort, full of dark goth rock, witches, blood, rats and drugs. I really enjoyed their earlier song Not Just Words from The Spell and so when I saw this new effort on sale at Newbury Comics, in the fancy hardcover version, I just had to pick it up. It wasn't a mistake!

Even better is the amazing In And Out Of Control by The Raveonettes, a duo from Copenhagen. I just love this CD and the girls do too. Lots of poppy, jangly songs, whose very dark lyrics contrast sharply with the upbeat peppy rhythms, a dichotomy I just adore! With song titles like Gone Forever, Last Dance, Boys Who Raped (Should All Be Destroyed), and Suicide, you'd expect the dirges, a la Black Heart Procession, but instead you get noise-pop, driven by Sharin Foo's marvelously girlish voice. Last Dance dragged me in, but really every song here is solid.

A racy Anya Marina video, with her cover of Whatever You Like. For you Weeds fans out there, recognize any of the customers to this sex toy store?

1. Some People - Goldfrapp (Seventh Tree 2008)

Here Comes The Sun - The Beatles (Abbey Road 1969)
Jesse The Goat - Joker's Daughter (The Last Laugh 2009)

Yipin' - Cigar Store Indians (Jump Up & Boogie: The New Swing Collection 1998)
Sweet Perfume - Les Sampou (Sweet Perfume 1999) My Hometown - Bruce Springsteen (Born in the USA 1984)
Moon & Stars - Jeff & Mycha Danna (A Celtic Romance: The Legend of Lladain and Curithur 1998)
Generator ^ Second Floor - Freelance Whales (Weathervanes 2009) Last Great American Whale - Lou Reed (New York 1989) I've Been Waiting For Tomorrow (All Of My Life) - The The (Soul Mining 1983)

---

Another nice mix, going clear from the 60s to an as yet unreleased CD. We start off with a great followup CD from Goldfrapp, as I loved their Supernature CD. The Beatles is an old CD, not from the new pressings. The Mono box set is high on my wishlist. Joker's Daughter is a combo effort of a Greek folksinger and producer extraordinaire Danger Mouse. Some really unique sounds. Then we follow up with one of my favorite musical genres, swing; this collection is an excellent one. Les Sampou is a local folk / pop singer who does some really nice stuff. Of course, Bruce. Mycha Danna did the brilliant soundtrack for The Sweet Hereater, a DVD I bought before I even had a DVD player, I liked it so much. Some really nice Celtic music here too. The Freelance Whales are a group I first heard here on Stereogum and I loved their stuff. Their debut CD is supposedly coming out at CD Baby soon - can't wait! And yes, the randomizer put a whale song right after it, honestly! This is from Lou Reed's classic set of cynical songs. And finally, a good one from one of my top CDs of the 80s.

1. Katy Blake - Adrienne (Katy Blake 2005)
   

   Katy Blake_Katy Blake_08_Adrienne

   Katy Blake
2. Scissor Sisters - Filthy/Gorgeous (Scissor Sisters 2004)
3. Goanna - Some Kinda Magic (Oceania)
4. Private Lightning - America/Burning Love (Live at the Paradise 1980)
5. Voice of the Beehive - I Say Nothing (Let It Bee 1988)
6. Fleetwood Mac - Rhiannon (Single Version) (Fleetwood Mac 1975)
7. The Rolling Creekdrippers - In My Hour Of Darkness (Return of the Grievous Angel: A Tribute to Gram Parsons 1999)
8. Pink Floyd - Waiting For The Worms (The Wall (Disc 2) 1979)
9. J.J. Cale - Downtown L.A. (Anyway The Wind Blows: The Anthology [Disc 2] 1997)
10. The The - This Is The Day (Soul Mining 1983)

Some interesting notes about the sources of a few of these songs. Rhapsody is why I got both Adrienne and the JJ Cale anthology. The former came about as I searched for a song for Adrienne, as we had an obvious song fo Rhiannon. Katy Blake is a folk artist and this is a pretty nice song about her daughter. Tommy James also has an "Adrienne" song. And I kept hearing great stuff on Rhapsody from JJ Cale and is low-key, lo-fi anthology is really solid.

The Goanna CD I bought in a Sydney record store and even AMG's Goanna page doesn't list it. There's a couple great songs on it though.

Private Lightning is a great local group from the early 80s and lots of recordings have been made available finally, including their one release.

Pretty funny that Rhiannon showed up in the Random 10, at the same time as Adrienne! And Soul Mining remains a favorite CD to this day.

1. Sruti - The Dry Spells (Too Soon For Flowers 2009)
2. Don't Take Me Alive - Steely Dan (The Royal Scam 1976)
3. Cover Me - Bruce Springsteen (Born In The USA 1984)
4. Locomotive Breath - Jethro Tull (Aqualung 1973)
5. Sorrow Floats - Voice of the Beehive (Let It Bee 1988)
6. Wildflower Song - Lui Collins (Baptism of Fire 1980)
   

   Wildflower Song

   Lui Collins
7. 23 - Blonde Redhead (23 2007)
8. Fly Me Away - Goldfrapp (Supernature 2006)
9. Possessed - The Silencers (A Letter From St. Paul 1987)
10. Loaded - Primal Scream (Screamdelica 1991)

Wow, some oldie but goodies in today's randomizer. We start off with a brand new one from The Dry Spells' wonderful debut CD, but then we follow it up with a bunch from the 70s and 80s, including some big names like Steely Dan, Jethro Tull and Bruce Springsteen, some great 80s new wave with Voice of the Beehive and The Silencers (and one of my favorite CDs from the 80s), a classic New Wave pop song from Primal Scream, and we move into this century with a couple of great songs from Goldfrapp and Blonde Redhead. And thrown into the mix is folky Lui Collins. Good times!

1. Sold Me Down The River - The Alarm (Change 1989)
2. Being For The Benefit Of Mr Kite! - The Beatles (Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band 1967)
3. I'm So Afraid - Fleetwood Mac (Fleetwood Mac 1975)
4. 999,999 - Nine Inch Nails (The Slip 2009)
5. If There's A Heaven Above (Canada Mix) - Love and Rockets (Seventh Dream of Teenage Heaven 1986)
6. Crushed - Cocteau Twins (Lonely Is An Eyesore 1987)
7. All Mixed Up - The Cars (The Cars 1978)
8. Rock And Roll Ain't Noise Pollution - AC/DC (Back in Black 1980)
9. Olympia - Lush (Lovelife 1996)
10. The Devil's Eye - The Go-Betweens (16 Lovers Lane 1988)

From way back to just back, this week's Random 10 reaches into the mists of time, save for the NiN song from the freely downloadable "album", The Slip. Hard to believe Lush's last CD is already 13 years old - it's a brilliant one too. And speaking of brilliant, perhaps the best CD of the mid-80s, 16 Lovers Lane is represented, as is its emotional antecedent group, Fleetwood Mac. And no, I didn't pick up any of the newly mastered Beatles CDs, but Sgt. Pepper showed up nonetheless. Some more new wave goodness with The Alarm and, like the last one, Love and Rockets again. We got some real headbanging rock-n-roll with AC/DC, some old timey Boston rock with The Cars, and a 4AD classic with the Cocteau Twins.

Speaking of music, picked up two new CDs yesterday. Rodrigo y Gabriela's followup to their incredible "debut", called 11:11, and the latest from indie rock legends Yo La Tengo, ironically (?) titled Popular Songs. Both get 4 thumbs way way up.

Came across a wonderful song the other day on the excellent Song of the Day blog on NPR. It was Katie Herzig's Wish You Well - it has a wonderful wistfulness about it that I just love. Here's a sampler of her songs, and it is pay what you want. Like I said, check out Wish You Well - you will enjoy even the small snippet.