Some Songs Considered

“Dirty Old Town” - Ted Leo(Words/music: Ewan MacColl, appears on...

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 23:59:00 -0500

“Dirty Old Town” - Ted Leo
(Words/music: Ewan MacColl, appears on “Tell Balgeary, Balgury is Dead” EP, Lookout! 2003)

(In honor of the new Ted Leo and the Pharmacists album The Brutalist Bricks, I’d like to re-run the story of when I first met Ted Leo in February 2003. This post originally ran on January 7, 2009. Back to new posts tomorrow!)

I’ve been blessed to have been involved with college radio while earning both of my degrees (first at WDOM in Providence, later at WQAQ in Connecticut), and it was (and continues to be) an important factor in my ever evolving musical taste. This post, however, isn’t my love letter to college radio (that comes with a different song) but rather a reflection of my favorite experience as a DJ.

I was fortunate enough to meet and interview Ted Leo during February 2003, right after the Hearts of Oak album came out (and right after I discovered his music). It was a surreal experience for a college sophomore to have to plan questions and interview someone who would be on Conan O’Brien later that week. From the moment that we helped Ted cart in his amplifier and guitar case (the same ones he still uses years later), it was apparent that Ted was almost as grateful to have the opportunity to appear on our modest station as we were to have him come to us. Through all sorts of stumbling blocks – our station’s faulty heater (it didn’t work a lot that winter), a less than vegan friendly cafeteria, his nagging vocal chord problems, and my nervous propensity to mix metaphors (he signed a poster with one of my quotes - “top to bottom, front to back” - my attempt to complement the body of songs on Hearts of Oak), Ted remained upbeat, enthusiastic, and completely engaging. We had Ted on for an hour or so – a mix of discussions about ska music, going to Catholic school, listening to New Order, and other topics with about half a dozen performances of songs from The Tyranny of Distance and Hearts of Oak. By the end of the afternoon, everyone in the room not only became fans of his music, but became fans of the man. In addition to his kindness and wit, Ted’s personal ethics shine through everything he does. Few contemporaries champion their causes as earnestly and completely and it seems that he has time to play on behalf of people and causes that he supports (for example, playing a benefit for a local punk rock promoter who recently passed away).

“Dirty Old Town” was the last song that Ted played that day, introducing it as a “song for the city of Providence.” I didn’t know the song (I hadn’t discovered The Pogues at that point), but I was struck by how he sang someone else’s song with the same passion and conviction that he sang his own songs. Looking back at that day nearly six years later, I have two prevailing thoughts. The first is the refreshing realization that the people that we’re fans of are fans themselves. It’s clear that Ted has a passion for music (look at the wide body of cover songs in his repertoire – in particular the obscure songs he’s playing on his recent solo tour) and that even to this day he remains a fan. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, I’ve learned that songs don’t belong exclusively to their authors – they belong to us all. We all have our own unique memories associated with individual songs – sometimes shared, sometimes private – and that some songs immediately can immediately bring us back to a specific place or time. I’m not sure what Ted Leo thinks of when he hears Shane MacGowan sing “Dirty Old Town,” but this song will always make me think back to that afternoon in Providence where I got to interview one of my favorite musicians.

More on Ted Leo: Allmusic | Amazon MP3 | Emusic | Last.fm

“You Don’t Know My Name” – Alicia Keys (Words/music: Alicia...

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 23:59:36 -0500

“You Don’t Know My Name” – Alicia Keys
(Words/music: Alicia Keys, Kanye West, Harold Lilly, J. R. Bailey, Mel Kent, Ken Williams, available on The Diary of Alicia Keys, J-Records 2003)

A few weeks ago, I watched most of the Comedians of Comedy movie and their entire Live at the El-Rey special. I had never seen Maria Bamford perform standup, so I was surprised and impressed at the different voices she slipped into and out of throughout her routine. The one that stood out the most was her impression of Alicia Keys’ spoken bridge in “You Don’t Know My Name.” I hadn’t heard Keys song in a while but Bamford nailed the tone and phrasing of Keys’ phone call (which, in turn, made me think of the recent Saturday Night Live digital short where Keys makes another late night phone call with different results).

So today I went back to “You Don’t Know My Name” and remembered why I liked this song in the first place and why I never listen to it anymore. The main part of the song captures a lot of the things I enjoy about Keys, particularly her voice. I even love the production, in part because it’s an atypical style for Kanye West, especially since he stays virtually undetectable on it (I’d imagine that if this were made now, Kanye would have demanded to have Mos Def’s part in the video at least). It’s a terrific soul ballad that’s sweet without being overly sappy. Then there’s the spoken bridge. It’s a little too theatrical for my taste, but I understand its purpose (and I remember it working well within the context of the video too), and today I enjoyed it largely because I kept thinking of Bamford’s impression. Looking back at it now, it’s a little over-the-top and features a gratuitously outdated “can you hear me now” reference in it. Most importantly, the bridge plus the outro push the song over the six minute mark; I like the song, but not nearly enough to devote ten percent of an hour to it on a regular basis.

More on Alicia Keys: Allmusic | Amazon MP3 | Emusic | Last.fm

“Pick a Part That’s New” – Stereophonics (Words/music: Stuart...

Sun, 07 Mar 2010 23:59:00 -0500

“Pick a Part That’s New” – Stereophonics
(Words/music: Stuart Cable, Kelly Jones, and Richard Jones, available on Performance and Cocktails, V2 1999)

If I stop to think about it, Kelly Jones’ voice bothers me. He has a gravelly edge to his voice, particularly when he’s approaching the limits of his range, that sounds good on paper. On record, it’s generally fine too – I like a fair number of Stereophonics songs, so it is far from a dealbreaker, and I’m not sure I’d prefer to hear someone else sing any of them. So it generally comes down to the off moments where I’m finding my attention drawn to his voice rather than the melody or the lyrics. I guess, to boil it down, on the good songs it’s a nonissue, on the weaker songs it’s infuriating.

So I was kind of surprised tonight when I found myself focusing on his voice when I heard “Pick a Part That’s New.” This is one of my favorite Stereophonics singles, largely because of that terrific guitar riff and its generally sunny demeanor. The only explanation I have for this is that I’ve heard this song so many times that my attention shifted looking for something new. Earlier on this blog, I’ve suggested that songs that reveal different virtues with repeated listening lead to a rewarding relationship of repeated listening. In this case, repeated listening brought something unfavorable (or, more than likely, subconsciously overlooked) out front. I’m confident that “Pick a Part That’s New” and I will get through this rough patch. I might just need a night or two sleeping on the couch.

More on Stereophonics: Allmusic | Amazon MP3 | Emusic | Last.fm

“This is Love” – PJ Harvey (Words/music: PJ Harvey, available on...

Sat, 06 Mar 2010 21:01:00 -0500

“This is Love” – PJ Harvey
(Words/music: PJ Harvey, available on Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea, Island Records 2000)

PJ Harvey never shied away from difficult subjects in her lyrics, but rarely is she as blunt as she is on “This is Love.” Where she may approach a subject obliquely, Harvey lays out her thesis within the first two lines: specifically, how can this world be so confusing when my lust is so clear? The song isn’t sensationalized – instead, it’s simplified down to its instincts. It manages to capture the way love (or lust, or something in between) causes tunnel vision without being flowery or dopey. Instead, Harvey asks the sort of questions rarely asked in these situations. The human brain can process many things, but I’m sure few, if any, might simultaneously process worldwide suffering and the taste of a lover at the same time. The song turns slightly at the end when Harvey’s narrator recognizes this tendency – when her mind is on someone else, it isn’t on the things that make her heart break, so her unasked questions become a plea for her lover to join her “to keep the walls from falling as they’re tumbling in.”

The thick guitar riff underscores the lust in Harvey’s lyrics. It’s slightly distorted sound fills out the arrangement yet while bludgeoning its audience. It is as direct as Harvey’s lyrics, and its repetition throughout most of the song coincides with the repetition within the lyrics. It also brings out the more powerful side of Harvey’s vocals, driving her voice to fill out as much space as the guitar’s dense tone. Where it might drown out another vocalist, Harvey summons enough to make her voice shine through.

More on PJ Harvey: Allmusic | Amazon MP3 | Emusic | Last.fm

“Root Down” – The Beastie Boys (Words/music: Beastie Boys,...

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 23:59:00 -0500

“Root Down” – The Beastie Boys
(Words/music: Beastie Boys, available on Ill Communication, Capitol Records 1994)

Boiled down to one sentence, the Beastie Boys began as brats and became Buddhists, and somewhere in between they made their most interesting work. With the benefit of hindsight, this broad arc makes senses given that the Beastie Boys strike me as guys with lots of ideas. Whether it’s the range of sounds in their catalogue, the crowded production the Dust Brothers lent to Paul’s Boutique, or just the rapid pace the three MCs delivered their lyrics (and their tendency to accent each others’ rhymes by tripling up on certain words), the Beasties always seemed willing to explore an idea and see where it took them.

“Root Down” is neither the weirdest nor the best track in the Beastie Boys catalogue (or on Ill Communication, to be honest), but it synthesizes many of their best qualities. It combines together the live instrumentation (or at least the spirit of live instrumentation – I can’t quite tell) with a DJ’s touch. The feel of the track depends equally on the funk guitar that swells underneath the hook as it does with the gentle hiss of the record needle hitting the groove at the start and the hairpin turn the DJ triggers right after the hook. Lyrically, the Beasties are nimble, rhyming quickly and somewhat breathless. It’s a distinctive flow for a Beastie’s track; as with much of their work, the distinct tone of their voices and their cadence tips off the listener within a few words. In essence, “Root Down” works as an interesting introduction to the Beastie Boys. Proceeding deeper into their catalogue means scattering across their different stylistic endeavors, but “Root Down” captures their general essence as much as a single track can encapsulate a group with so many ideas.

More on The Beastie Boys: Allmusic | Amazon MP3 | Emusic | Last.fm

“Add Your Light to Mine, Baby” – Lucky Soul (Words/music: Lucky...

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 23:25:47 -0500

“Add Your Light to Mine, Baby” – Lucky Soul
(Words/music: Lucky Soul, available on The Great Unwanted, Ruffa Lane 2007)

Two parts of “Add Your Light to Mine, Baby” stand out the most. First, Ali Howard’s voice finds a sweet spot between clean execution and soulful embellishment. She extends a few syllables and bends a note or two but never to the extent a pop diva might elaborate melodically. This generally precise execution serves the song well – over-performing the vocal, particularly with all of the motion in the arrangement, would weigh down the song. Instead, Howard goes just a step beyond a precise performance right off the sheet music, adding just a touch of personality to her performance.

“Add Your Light to Mine, Baby” needs this relatively clean lead vocal to support the horn melody. The vocals melody is catchy, but the horns provide the song’s hook. This repetitive phrase (including when the key changes near the end) overpowers Howard’s vocal, and it’s simple phrase only makes it catchier. If Howard tried to compete for space with the horns (and I have every reason to believe she’s capable vocally), the song would suffer. Instead, her vocals play a supporting role at times, particularly when she settles in on a longer note. Rather than make her light the brightest in the band, she’s willing to share space.

More on Lucky Soul: Allmusic | Amazon MP3 | Emusic | Last.fm

“Brass in Pocket” – The Pretenders (Words/music: James...

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 23:57:53 -0500

“Brass in Pocket” – The Pretenders
(Words/music: James Honeyman-Scott/Chrissie Hynde, available on Pretenders, Warner Brothers 1980)

It’s worth getting this out of the way: every time I hear “Brass in Pocket” I think of the karaoke scene in Lost in Translation. In particular, Chrissie Hynde’s promise to use her “side step” makes me think of a pink-wigged Scarlet Johansson dipping her shoulders to the side in succession. It’s appropriate, I suppose, that I associate this song with this moment of indirect flirting, as “Brass in Pocket” details the quest to catch someone’s eye. The thing that separates “Brass in Pocket” from other seductive songs is its focus; rather than dwell on the object of her affection, Hynde’s narrator goes through her arsenal of charms. This isn’t the sort of attention-grabbing behavior that reality TV thrives cultivates. Instead, the narrator prepares her usual tricks and steps up to battle.

Of course, the song isn’t wonderful simply because the narrator promises to prove that she’s “special” (and, if we believe the video, her charms aren’t enough to win over the restaurant patrons). It’s the song’s relaxed groove and just enough of a bounce to keep Hynde’s list of preparations moving forward. She’s not the only one with an arsenal of tricks, as the rest of the Pretenders came prepared to battle with ringing guitars and a small choir of “specials’” to back up Hynde. My favorite part of her vocal performance comes right at the end – after an entire song of confident singing, Hynde slides into a more relaxed and less pronounced tone for the “I wonder where you are” line. It fits the change from militant confidence to slight hesitation, but most importantly it casts the narrator in a different light for a brief moment, suggesting that we haven’t seen her entire bag of tricks just yet.

More on The Pretenders: Allmusic | Amazon MP3 | Emusic | Last.fm

“Rock ‘n Roll Dreams’ll Come True” – Ted Leo (Words: Tom...

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 20:07:00 -0500

“Rock ‘n Roll Dreams’ll Come True” – Ted Leo
(Words: Tom Sharpling and Jon Wurster, Music: Ted Leo, recorded on WFMU 3/13/2007)

New Jersey free form station WFMU is in its annual fundraiser this week, and tonight is the marathon’s flagship event when Tom Sharpling’s The Best Show on WFMU takes to the airwaves to solicit funds to fuel the station. I’m out of range (by a couple states) to listen to WFMU in the car, but I’ll occasionally check out the live stream on their website to enjoy their eclectic mix of shows, but generally it’s to hear The Best Show. Sharpling, a funny man in his own right, brings in hilarious guests on a regular basis (John Hodgman and Patton Oswalt are among regulars), and when the show isn’t deep in inside jokes (or if I follow the joke, at least), it’s an entertaining bit of live radio.

Ted Leo, a friend of Sharpling (Sharpling wrote the liner notes to Leo’s new album The Brutalist Bricks), has appeared on his show several times, including playing odd requests and covers in exchange for donations to WFMU’s operating fund. His covers range from stellar (“Brass in Pocket” and a WFMU-modified “That’s Entertainment” in 2007, Blondie’s “Union City Blue” in 2008, among others) to ridiculous (Sharpling and Leo performed Streisand & Neil Diamond’s “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers” as a duet, for instance), including “Rock ‘n Roll Dreams’ll Come True,” a Best Show inside joke. The song comes from a bit between Sharpling and his comedy partner (and Superchunk drummer) Jon Wurster where Wurster called in as an aged rock star with very specific requirements for casting his surefire hit band The Gas Station Dogs. During this call (which appears on the Sharpling-Wurster disc New Hope for the Ape-Eared and is worth the listen, if only for Wurster’s obsession with details), Wurster’s character Barry Dworkin performs this song, one that only has lyrics and a melody and took nearly two decades to compose. The Sharpling-Wurster bit explains why these lyrics are inane and, well, awful, but Leo manages to make it into a catchy little tune (and even turns it into a riotous stomp on a Chunklet 7” single he split with Zach Galifinakis). It’s catchy enough on its own, but even more ridiculous knowing why Leo committed all of these absurd words to memory.

The Best Show airs tonight between 8-11 PM, so if you’re hanging around with nothing to do, give a listen and see what sort of odd mayhem Sharpling, Wurster, and Ted Leo have in store to try to earn operating capitol for a terrific independent station.

More on Ted Leo: Allmusic | Amazon MP3 | Emusic | Last.fm

“Your Blood” – Destroyer (Words/music: Dan Bejar, available on...

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 22:34:05 -0500

“Your Blood” – Destroyer
(Words/music: Dan Bejar, available on Destroyer’s Rubies, Merge Records 2006)

To those of you who don’t know Dan Bejar’s music, I’ll tell you that this song sounds a lot different than “‘Your Blood’ by Destroyer” might have sounded were I to describe the song based solely on the two names involved. Somehow, I imagine Bejar likes that sort of misdirection; his songs defy typical genre labels, calling for the even less-telling adjectives “quirky” and “eccentric.” Whether composing mini pop-suites complete with MIDI synthesizers or twisting the pure pop of the New Pornographers a couple times each album (and his contributions are always among my favorites), Bejar has a way of making these less-than-likely decisions sound catchy. Against whatever odds one might place on a pop song successfully referencing several of Camus’ works, Bejar succeeds.

“Your Blood” may as well be called “The Freewheeling Dan Bejar,” as it glides across a crisp shuffle with tinkling piano and bluesy guitar fills. I imagine Bejar, complete with his giant poof of hair, walking down the same cold Greenwich Village street captured in that Dylan album, quietly singing along to his companion in that tunefully nasally tone he uses so well on this track. The voice merits a Dylan comparison not because he specifically sounds like Dylan (he doesn’t to me at least) but because it may put some off initially. However, just like Dylan, Bejar knows how to use his vocal capacity – not to sing arias, but rather to open a valve and let his subconscious mind flow freely, tangling itself with these dense melodic threads. Usually, it’s these melodic knots that make Bejar’s songs so interesting, but here all of the threads braid together naturally. Where some of his other songs require some patience, “Your Blood” satisfies immediately. Sure, there are different sounds to appreciate each time (recently it’s the burst of guitar accompanying the “Tabitha takes another stab” line), but few of his songs are both immediately and continually gratifying.

More on Destroyer: Allmusic | Amazon MP3 | Emusic | Last.fm

“Lollipop of Ecstasy” - JJ vs Lil’ Wayne...

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 15:35:00 -0500

“Lollipop of Ecstasy” - JJ vs Lil’ Wayne mashup

(via tristn, who had the same thought as me - “someone must have done a mashup”)

“Ecstasy” – jj (Words/music: jj, available on jj n° 2, Secretly...

Sun, 28 Feb 2010 22:01:39 -0500

“Ecstasy” – jj
(Words/music: jj, available on jj n° 2, Secretly Canadian 2009)

A few years back, rappers and DJs looked to Scandinavia for samples, with Peter Bjorn and John’s “Young Folks” married to an assortment of freestyles on mixtapes. This time around, it’s the mysterious Swedish pop group jj lifting the track from Lil’ Wayne’s “Lollipop.” It’s all there – the echoing keyboard, the melody, and even the beat. Other than softening the drums slightly and trading Wayne’s auto-tuned purr for the hazy, distant sounding female vocals, “Ecstasy” and “Lollipop” sound like siblings. Both even take place in a club, although Wayne has his attention on the ladies while jj offers a paean to their club drug of choice.

Still, the first time through jj n° 2 was jarring, if only because I wasn’t expecting this turn. The first few tracks are bright and bouncy, featuring woodwinds and hand drums. I had it on in the background and enjoyed it while cooking dinner and maybe because I was preoccupied I didn’t notice the keyboard line right away. It wasn’t until the hook came in with the same melody and enough similar syllables to get me to put down the frying pan and turn quizzically toward the stereo. Even if it seemed out of place, I still found it compelling. Where the overall skeeviness of Wayne’s lyrics in “Lollipop” (where he’s nowhere near as clever as his finer moments) turned me off, “Ecstasy” sounds somewhat hypnotic and captivating. Where I’d probably feel out of place in a dance club that played “Lollipop” (which is to say that I’d feel uncomfortable in just about any dance club), there’s an inviting warmth to “Ecstasy.” Maybe it’s the song’s lower intensity, but I feel like I could survive in a place playing that song.

More on jj: Allmusic | Amazon MP3 | Emusic | Last.fm

sometimesagreatnotion: If you’ve got nothing else to do today,...

Sun, 28 Feb 2010 18:11:22 -0500

sometimesagreatnotion:

If you’ve got nothing else to do today, The Fearless Freaks, a fascinating documentary on the The Flaming Lips, is available to watch for free at Hulu. Even if I didn’t love the band (though, admittedly, I do) I would still strongly recommend this film. The filmmaker (Bradley Beesley) is a long-time close friend of the Lips and has spent countless hours with them over the years (the stuff actually used in the film is culled from over 400 total hours of footage). He basically has total access to the band, including a harrowing scene in which guitar/drummer/genius Steven Drodz calmly shoots up heroin while explaining the depressing history of his addiction to the camera.

And the music! Oh the music!

“The Town Halo” – A.C. Newman (Words/music: Carl Newman,...

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 23:58:55 -0500

“The Town Halo” – A.C. Newman
(Words/music: Carl Newman, available on The Slow Wonder, Matador 2004)

Carl Newman may be better known as the de facto frontman of The New Pornographers, but his two solo albums continue the same sort of power pop as his more famous output. His first solo outing The Slow Wonder generally finds Newman in the same sort of melodic vain as the Pornographers, contorting their ebullient melodies into slightly different forms. The songs collected on this disc generally sound like they could be New Pornographers songs yet take on a different twist. It’s interesting to see how Newman chose to adapt these songs, often by emphasizing one element of the instrumentation over the others (putting the drums front and center in the albums opener “Miracle Drug,” for instance). Rather than use his solo outing for a radical departure (or worse – an acoustic album), Newman uses it as a playground to experiment with some different sounds, utilizing some on later New Pornographers’ albums.

The most jarring, at least off the top of my head, is “The Town Halo,” specifically because it takes what might be a normal New Pornographers riff and plays it with a cello. The rest of the track uses standard rock band instrumentation, but it’s this main, rhythmic phrase that stands out. It’s simultaneously characteristic of Newman’s songwriting yet distinctive (and slightly out of place) due to the instrumentation. One usually expects a cello in a rock song to take a supporting role and play beautiful legato phrases to create mood. Instead, Newman puts the rich instrument front and center. It still evokes mood – not in the same manner, of course – especially when played in conjunction with those loud piano chords. Even with a fairly typical melody for Newman (even if it’s a little more blunt and deliberate than usual), the atypical instrumentation gives it a unique twist. Even if a song like “The Town Halo” is a notch below material from his main band, it’s this adventurous spirit that makes The Slow Wonder a worthwhile listen.

More on A.C. Newman: Allmusic | Amazon MP3 | Emusic | Last.fm

“9-9 (Live at Florida Atlantic University, 1984)” -...

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 11:59:00 -0500

“9-9 (Live at Florida Atlantic University, 1984)” - R.E.M.
(Words/music: Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills, Michael Stipe, originally available on Murmur, I.R.S. 1983)

(This post originally ran as a guest post on A Post Punk Tumblr’s Top 35 or So Songs of the 1980s late last summer, not because “9 - 9” specifically was one of the best songs on Tristan’s list, but because Tristan was kind enough to ask me to write a guest post. I linked to it but never ran the text of it on this blog, and with all of the new people reading this blog I thought today was as good a time as any to run it. It was originally shared with the studio version, but tonight is shared with a solid bootleg from the Reckoning era).

The paradox of music is that it’s simultaneously a shared experience and a highly personal one. Whether it’s being part of a crowd at a concert, discussing a single with friends, or giving a head nod to someone wearing a shirt of a familiar band, music unites us. It’s also the sounds of solidarity – the company on those nights where we want solidarity yet don’t want to be alone with our thoughts. While our relationship with music draws on both sides of this relationship, music discovery tends towards the social side. Specifically, it’s hard to “stumble” on music from another era without an introduction. For example, I count a bunch of records from the postpunk era among my favorites, but I discovered them many years later. Some of these records came through friends’ recommendations, but a lot of my musical discoveries seem like the results of a personal journey. Still, retracing my steps now, I’ve realized that while it often seemed like a personal and solitary process discovering to music, I wasn’t alone.

Thinking back, even if I didn’t have a cool older sibling to pass on records from bygone eras, some of my favorite bands helped “guide” me to these albums. In the mid-1990s, when I started becoming obsessed with music, I had no idea what the term “postpunk” meant, but I loved R.E.M. and started working my way through their discography. As I became enamored with their albums, I started devouring every interview, biography, and review I could find, taking note of the records and artists they mentioned repeatedly. This was my introduction to a lot of the bands I’d love like Television, Gang of Four, and Patti Smith. As I developed this personal relationship with R.E.M., I developed a sense of trust that led me to other records. I largely have R.E.M. to thank for my love of Marquee Moon, Entertainment, and Horses (in addition to Reckoning and Murmur and the other half dozen R.E.M. albums I adore).

I ended up taking to these records because I heard a lot of the same things that I loved in those R.E.M. albums, in particular the first couple discs. “9–9” from Murmur leans heavily on these influences. Listening to it now, I hear the same wiry guitar lines that stitch together Marquee Moon ringing through Peter Buck’s Rickenbacker. Michael Stipe’s rapid, free-associative lyrics feel like they came from someone who spent hundreds of hours with Patti Smith LPs. Mike Mills and Bill Berry creep into the front of the mix just like the bass and drums on my favorite Gang of Four songs. Before I owned any of these albums, I spent hours listening to Murmur, and in a way it prepared me for these other records. My time with songs like “9–9” gave me a running start toward a lot of records I now adore, and I have the boys from Athens to thank for pointing me in that direction.

More on R.E.M.: Allmusic | Amazon MP3 | Emusic | Last.fm

“Grace, Too (Live)” – The Tragically Hip (Words/music: The...

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 23:59:29 -0500

“Grace, Too (Live)” – The Tragically Hip
(Words/music: The Tragically Hip, available on Live Between Us, Sire 1998)

Between the first and second verse of “Grace, Too,” lead singer Gordon Downie lays out one of the best improvised non-sequitors I’ve heard placed in a song. “Jesus Christ, a big fucking bear!” He yells, charging his words with the kind of surprise and excitement that one experience when viewing a wild animal from a safe distance. It’s appropriate for a couple reasons. First, this particular version of “Grace, Too” contains three distinct sections of improvisation and/or embellishment on the original song. There’s the opening, courteous nod to the Hip’s opening band (and how many would start their live album by mentioning another band in such complimentary terms?), one is this bear monologue, and the third is the “I was raised on TV / like so many of you I see around me” spontaneous verse over the song’s closing sequence. This sort of improvisation, even if it feels disconnected from the rest of the song, isn’t unprecedented.

More importantly, Downie’s sincerity and intensity during this “bear” line is how he operates. Once he gets going, Downie’s voice creates the bends in an otherwise linear song. His subtle vocal variations, whether sliding slightly closer toward a scream or simply shifting his cadence, also help to highlight the building intensity in the rest of the song. Downie sounds immersed in the song – and perhaps lost in his narrator, while singing – so perhaps these improvisations come from “living” these characters for a few minutes. Perhaps he imagines this song’s protagonist in a situation where he might see a giant bear. Maybe he just thought it was funny. Regardless, it somehow works, and every time I hear it I smile a little bit and make a mental note to delve deeper into the Hip’s catalogue, if only to see what other gems Downie might improvise.

More on The Tragically Hip: Allmusic | Amazon MP3 | Emusic | Last.fm

“Right Now” – Van Halen (Words/music: Michael Anthony, Sammy...

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 22:57:56 -0500

“Right Now” – Van Halen
(Words/music: Michael Anthony, Sammy Hagar, Alex Van Halen, and Eddie Van Halen, available on For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge, Warner Brothers 1991)

The way I see it, there’s a difference between knowing something as fact and thinking something. For example, I know that Van Halen was a better band with David Lee Roth, or rather that I enjoy Van Halen far more with David Lee Roth than with Sammy Hagar. I like more of the songs, I prefer Roth’s borderline absurd persona to Hagar’s constant strain. While I have a cursory knowledge of Van Halen at best, they seemed more adventurous in their earlier days; by the time Hagar joined the band, Van Halen seemed comfortable to rest on their laurels and/or smooth out all of the roughness in their sound.

That’s the “fact” part (or, for the sake of argument, what I believe to be fact). The contrary belief comes from my strange adoration with “Right Now.” In general, the things that fascinate me in this song goes against what I would normally think about Van Halen at any other point in my life other than the five and a half minutes when “Right Now” plays. Sure, the combination of that opening piano riff and the heavy-handed drums would be terrific no matter who played them (not to mention this is a guitar band generally moving the spotlight elsewhere), and maybe that’s why I’ll let the song continue past its opening notes. However, these aren’t the things that I enjoy the most. Hagar’s strained vocals, particularly the way he sings the second line of the song, suck me in every time. It’s not even an ironic adoration – somehow, this style works in this setting. Even the lyrics (and if you haven’t thought about them before, don’t waste your time now) don’t bother me. I even like the second verse quite a bit, in part because of the contrast between Hagar’s delivery and the overly-dramatic music.

This would normally be cause for cognitive dissonance, but in all honesty, I’m usually too busy air drumming. That, or I’m hurting myself trying to sing like Sammy Hagar.

More on Van Halen: Allmusic | Amazon MP3 | Emusic | Last.fm

“Walk Hard” – John C. Reilly (Words/music: Judd Apatow, Marshall...

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 22:58:56 -0500

“Walk Hard” – John C. Reilly
(Words/music: Judd Apatow, Marshall Crenshaw, Jake Kasdan, and John C. Reilly, available on Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, Columbia 2007)

A large part of the appeal to Walk Hard, aside from goofy jokes, comes from the earnestness of the film’s music. John C. Reilly’s Dewey Cox shifts musical styles with the wind, and the film’s songs captured the different musical styles surprisingly well. Sure, the lyrics were generally dumb (this is a Judd Apatow film, for what that’s worth), but the performances could pass as artifacts from their respective eras, at least from a distance.

The title track, Dewey Cox’s signature song, best captures the film’s musical successes. Reilly turns in a solid Johnny Cash impression (even though his vocal tone is stronger than Cash’s) backed by a convincing arrangement mimicking Cash’s early output. Of course, it helps that Marshal Crenshaw wrote the music, giving the song its seamless transitions and, ultimately, making it more than a series of Cash-related puns. It’s difficult to take the song seriously while listening to the words, and even without paying attention it wouldn’t’ pass for one of Cash’s original recordings. Still, from another room, it sounds like a serious and professional recording, and it’s this earnestness that makes the film funny in the first place. If nothing else, “Walk Hard” works well as a sort of “souvenir” from the movie – a reminder of an afternoon spent giggling at a grown man wearing ridiculous outfits singing ridiculous songs.

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“Atlantic City (Gonna Make a Million Tonight)” – East River Pipe...

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 22:51:49 -0500

“Atlantic City (Gonna Make a Million Tonight)” – East River Pipe
(Words/music: F.M. Cornog, available on The Gasoline Age, Merge Records 1999)

I won’t try to rehash Fred Cornog’s journey from homeless junkie to reviled pop recluse because others have covered his biography better. You should go read the feature on Cornog from New York Magazine or the Allmusic entry for East River Pipe (or the recent Merge Records oral history Our Noise), because it’s difficult to separate the biography from the songs, specifically the idea of a guy making these weirdly charming songs with keyboards and drum machines in his bedroom.

The single element that stands out the most to me – more than the nine and a half minutes of running time (although the last minute is mostly just a sound collage), more than the hopefulness in Cornog’s voice – is the way the long keyboard notes and delayed guitar shine in the background like a fluorescent light. It ends up giving the song “soft lighting” as well – keeping the focus on the dream of becoming a millionaire rather than the impossibility of the feat. Eventually, I end up losing myself in the reverberations, as the delayed guitar decays into that strange hum of slot machines whirling. This is the point where Cornog’s dream fades into reality – one where (in my experience, anyway), casinos are far more depressing than those “Vegas, baby!” exclamations might make you think. For a long stretch of time tonight, every time the song hit the eight minute mark, I went back near the beginning and dropped the cursor, getting lost in that loop again for a few more minutes.

Then I thought of how its creator made this in his bedroom studio. At that point, I looked around at all the clutter in my bedroom, dropped the cursor back around the two minute mark, and closed my eyes in an attempt to fall back into the sound.

More on East River Pipe: Allmusic | Amazon MP3 | Emusic | Last.fm

“History (Live on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon)” – Mos Def &...

Sun, 21 Feb 2010 21:53:00 -0500

“History (Live on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon)” – Mos Def & Talib Kweli featuring the Roots and Amber & Angel from the Dirty Projectors
(Words/music: Talib Kweli Greene, Dante Smith, James Yancey, Cecil Womack, Mary Wells-Womack, originally available on Mos Def’s The Ecstatic, Downtown 2009)

In the closing of his review of The Ecstatic for Pitchfork, Nate Patrin boils “History” down to its most crucial details: “It’s a Black Star reunion over a Dilla beat.” Not that either Talib Kweli’s presence on the track or production from the late J Dilla requires instant success (nor does Mos Def necessarily need the help), but it certainly turns a few more heads that way. Sure enough, neither the former Black Star MCs nor the departed Dilla disappoint. “History” coasts on a smooth soul sample that feels more looped than chopped, with Mos Def and Talib Kweli reflecting on their personal history. While Mos Def’s first verse deals primarily with personal history, Kweli evokes Black Star’s name, contrasting with the current era of rappers who “dumb it down considerably.” Even if “History” isn’t as essential as that Black Star LP, it is, like Mos Def says in the outro, “not a comeback in particular.” Instead, it’s an enjoyable track from a duo many would love to hear record an entire album.

As for the production, this version from Jimmy Fallon’s late night performance feels like a two and a half minute homage to Dilla’s production. With The Roots and the female vocalists from the Dirty Projectors providing the music, the musical talent on stage could rival Mos Def and Talib Kweli’s lyrical capabilities. However, rather than try to embellish on Dilla’s production, the musicians carefully replicate his soulful track. ?uestlove, perhaps Dilla’s most prominent supporter in the last few years, even commented via Twitter (forgive the missing link – that man tweets a lot!) how impressed he was that Amber and Angel could pick up the subtleties in the way the intonation of “History” changes throughout the track. Appropriately, the show’s mix probably had the MCs a little lower than necessary. As a (unintended) result, I find myself focusing less on the words and instead on the rhythm of the delivery mixed with the track itself. If nothing else, it makes me want to spend all my eMusic credits this month solely on Dilla produced beats.

More on Mos Def: Allmusic | Amazon MP3 | Emusic | Last.fm

“Love Buzz” – Shocking Blue (Words/music: Robbie van Leeuwen,...

Sat, 20 Feb 2010 23:43:56 -0500

“Love Buzz” – Shocking Blue
(Words/music: Robbie van Leeuwen, available on At Home, Pink Elephant 1969)

If I may go out on a limb to begin, most people would know Shocking Blue for their song “Venus,” a number one single in 1969 and a staple of TV commercials in recent years. Admittedly, I knew the song but not the band for the longest time. I say this because I knew song “Love Buzz” for years before I ever heard of the band. “Love Buzz” was the A-side to the first Nirvana single in 1988, the first in the Sub Pop Singles’ Club series that helped fund the label during lean years. A decade later, “Love Buzz” was among the Nirvana songs I extracted from CDs for use in mix tapes. I loved the agile bass line underneath the wall of distortion. In particular, I loved “Love Buzz” because it was one of the popier songs on Bleach (an album I never fully loved the way I loved the band’s later output). Of course, this was still “pop” run through a distortion pedal, sung with a slightly deranged vocal tone. In short, this was pop that I could co-sign at fifteen.

So at some point (one of the unsung tragedies of the digital era is that acquiring albums don’t leave imprints as much), I heard the original “Love Buzz.” I knew it was a cover, but some of the more high profile Nirvana covers (The Man Who Sold the World was the first Bowie album I owned). I knew that Kurt Cobain (born today) loved some offbeat pop songs, but “Love Buzz” still took me by surprise. Despite adding a far more aggressive guitar tone, Nirvana streamlined the song somewhat. The original version moves at a slower, deliberate pace with Mariska Veres’ deep vocals flanked by a sitar. If the Nirvana song churned along at the same pace as much of their early material, Shocking Blue’s version sounds eerier at its slower tempo. Then, there’s a double-time section where the drums, measured and restrained to this point, pound away. The whole thing, whether it’s Veres’ tone or the sitar or just all the open space, sounds slightly creepy yet still entrancing. I understand why Cobain was fascinated with a song like this.

More on Shocking Blue: Allmusic | Amazon MP3 | Emusic | Last.fm