Enjoy what a true musician, Jamie Lidell, can do with an iPhone, and an app called iMaschine.
Showing posts with label music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label music. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
One man. One Phone. Awesome music.
It's stuff like this that makes me feel like I can create music, despite not having an ounce of musical talent. I know that's not the case, but it won't stop me from trying some day.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
What do you Shazam?
In these informational times we all live in, it is rare I am without a device that tells me everything I need to know about the music I listen to. Whether it is an ipod, computer, satellite radio, the notion that I can not get an instantaneous answer to whatever I'm listening to is quite antiquated. Radio? Does that still exist? Is Rush Limbaugh spinning discs and hawking the top 40 yet?
However, there are times when I find myself in a weird continuum where I am not with my ipod (usually weeping in a corner) nor with any satellite radio device (occasionally I am forced to take horse and buggies to places) and am a slave to audio only output. And in those rare occasions, an even rarer occasion happens; I hear something that I enjoy.
(Let it be said right now, this happenstance is not a result of me being some sort of music snob. Far from it. I enjoy many different genres of music. And I actively enjoy seeking out new types of music. No, this is more an indictment of modern radio and television and the choices they make when they literally have an infinite number of choices available to them (because music is constantly being created, even as we speak), they still choose to go with the latest Katy Perry song or Journey's Don't Stop Believing. (Please don't take this as an indictment on Journey's Don't Stop Believing either; I happen to unironically enjoy that song, much to my hipster friends' chagrin. It's just that perhaps it's time to retire it? I mean, I'm not even suggesting we leave the Journey catalog; Lovin' Touchin' Squeezin' is an excellent song that could sell many a bottle of shampoo, no?) It's actually quite maddening, and if I were a musician of any sort, I might throw my hands up in despair.
Now, up until a few years ago when some stray tune tickled my fancy, I had to live with the fact that I may never learn the identity of the singer/band that created it. But then someone came along and created Shazam, an app for our so called "smart" phones. Simply hold the phone up so it can create an "audio fingerprint" and match it against a database of songs presumably numbering in the hundreds - and possibly more. Seriously, I have been rebuffed exactly once in 30 times I've used it or so, and while I wish I could tell you what the song was, that would defeat the purpose of the service, this blog post, and, to a much lesser extent, my existence.
But it has helped me out of a jam (if you can consider not immediately knowing a song you suddenly hear somewhere a "jam") here and there when listening to a radio, a commercial, or sometimes even a bumper for a radio program (ex: The Ron and Fez show). And it also shows exactly what can be done with technology, if that's something that makes you feel good in your nether region.
Anyway, I've amassed quite a few songs in my Shazam list (I'm really not sure what to call it) and decided why not share them with you? Perhaps one or two will make you smile and tap your toe against the leg of your desk in the soul crushing job you're currently enslaved at. I will tell you this, none of the selections are downtrodden; on the contrary...it seems when I don't know the identity of a song and want to know it I choose uptempo jingles!
Please also note - in the case of a few of these I Shazamed them simply to learn the artist OR the song title - I knew one but not the other. For example, I am reasonably comfortable with my knowledge to be able to pick out Prince singing. However, as you will see, I don't know his entire catalog...
A couple of other notes before sending you to the playlist...
Yes, it's true. I can't identify an Arcade Fire song immediately. They never clicked for me. If you feel this is a slight against the universe, please use the comments section to tell me what songs to listen to. And don't just say entire albums. I did some work for you, the reciprocity of that would be nice.
Yup, I was the last one to get on the Adele bandwagon.
Nope, never heard the Misfits before this. Now I'm sure some of you will find that disgusting.
Same goes for Roxy Music.
Don't just skip over the Grateful Dead song. I didn't with Roxy Music and look where I am now.
To take a listen to just what the hell I've been talking about it, please click here. I apologize for sending you away, but Grooveshark is not cooperating with their embedded player right now.
The Big Papa song was for this fine theatrical trailer:
Coke Floats Trailer - watch more funny videos
Happy birthday Levon Helm!
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
My Jam of the Indeterminate Time Period: Hallelujah the Hills
Well, it only took me 17 months for a second entry in a series that I originally hoped to update weekly. I have soft spot for myself, so I’ll cut me some slack and call that “ahead of schedule”.
Not entirely sure how Hallelujah the Hills came to my attention, but nevertheless they’re my current jam.
And they’re playing the better part of the Northern Eastern Seaboard in the next few months, including a date in Philly this Sunday.
After the jump, a list of reasons to love them, a few clips, and the aforementioned tour dates.
The List
- There’s a lot of ‘em in the band. If having numbers is good enough for parking lot situations, then it’s good enough for me.
- They have a hard sound to describe. I hear elements of fun., in that a lot of their songs veer wildly from one tempo/style to another. But they’re less poppy, more rocky, and entirely devoid of piano. They have some shout-along energy like Titus Andronicus and The Hold Steady, but they’re more tuneful than the former and less so than the latter.
- They wear suits whilst performing live (at least some of the time).
- They use the horn(s) just enough to so as to be effective (see Lucero’s 1372 Overton Park), but not so much as to be gimmicky (see Ska).
- They have a guy whose instruments are listed as “Tambourine, Hollerin’” That gives me hope that someday I could be in a band. Except for the tambourine part.
- They’re on the same label (Misra) as the lovely and talented Centro-Matic.
- They allow me to use one of my favorite adjectives to describe their sound. Shambolic.
- They have songs with long titles (e.g. “It's All Been Downhill Since The Talkies Started To Sing”, “Raise The Flag Of Your Sibling's Favorite Daydream”) that are actually used in the lyrics.
- Like Titus Andronicus, They Might Be Giants, and Bad Company before them, they have an awesome song named after the band.
The Goods
After a bit of dissonance to start, they start cooking with gas on the aforementioned eponymously titled song about 2 minutes in:
Hallelujah the Hills at Great Scott from Nicole Prowell on Vimeo.
An acoustic version of “It's All Been Downhill Since The Talkies Started To Sing”:
Playing on a hill for some reason.
NUMBER ONE JAMS: Hallelujah The Hills from James Patrick Robinson on Vimeo.
And (presumably) the inspiration for their name is some weird Lithuanian cinema:
Adolfas Mekas, Hallelujah the Hills, 1963 (excerpt) from RE:VOIR on Vimeo.
The Gigs
Full list: http://www.hallelujahthehills.com/calendar/
- September 16, 2010
New Haven, CT
Lilly's Pad - September 17, 2010
New York, NY
The Mercury Lounge - September 18, 2010
Charlottesville, VA
Tea Bazaar - September 19, 2010
Philadelphia, PA
The M Room - October 14, 2010
Danbury, CT
Cousin Larry's - October 15, 2010
Rochester, NY
The Bug Jar - October 16, 2010
Youngstown, OH
Lemon Grove Cafe - October 17, 2010
Pittsburgh, PA
Garfield Art Works - October 30, 2010
Allston, MA
Great Scott
Friday, August 14, 2009
Friday Music Set - Happy Day Songs
Just a quick little post, offering up some of my favorite Happy Day Songs. You know, the types of songs you can't resist rolling down the windows and belting out while you're driving home on a Friday; the types of songs that will get your legs moving even if you're in church; the types of songs that will make you pause before pouring that 4th tumbler of bourbon while analyzing the whole bunch of nothing you've done with your life.
You know what type of song I'm talking about...
Some songs you'll recognize, some you might not. Please feel free to suggest any songs you might think would be a good happy day selection.
(And please don't think I'm depressed, though that might be how this is coming across.)
You know what type of song I'm talking about...
Some songs you'll recognize, some you might not. Please feel free to suggest any songs you might think would be a good happy day selection.
(And please don't think I'm depressed, though that might be how this is coming across.)
Monday, February 2, 2009
The Best of Sirius (2/2)
This is the first in a new series of posts whose length will will hopefully be longer than one and will go up a couple of times per week.
I have an approximately 40 minute commute, but I also have the soothing tones of Sirius to keep me and my short attention span company. To satisfy my twin goals of exposing myself to more music and post more often & more succinctly, I’m going to explore some of the musical highlights and lowlights in these posts.
After the jump, you’ll get some random thoughts and YouTube goodness pertaining to 3 of this morning’s favorite tunes.
Bob Seger “Shakedown”
I remember loving this song way back when it helped Beverly Hills Cop II make enough money to ensure Beverly Hills Cop III was a fait accompli.
It still holds up pretty well as a goofy 80s up-tempo song.
Wanna watch the original, slightly NSFW (a few strip club thong shots) video for this song with plenty of well-edited BHCII clips? Here you go. Favorite shots are the fake punch to the German guy’s chin and when he swings outside the truck holding on to the chains.
Wanna watch the same song with a bunch of actions shots from General Hospital? Here you go.
Wanna watch a portly Seger in leather vest and headband? Here you go. I love the sax player in the trench coat, who apparently goes by the moniker “Alto Reed”.
Bruce Springsteen “Atlantic City”
This one would normally represent a bunch of spooky coincidences (the Super Bowl half-time show, me nailing 3/4ths of his set, and a loyal TPT reader sending out the clip of The Hold Steady covering AC this morning). But Sirius has an all-Bruce channel and this song plays every couple of hours.
Still, it’s one of my favorite Bruce tunes. It’s dark. It starts off with the cheerful description of a mobster getting blowed up. Blowed up real good. And even the hopeful lines have been marinating in some bitter juices:
“Everything dies, baby that’s a fact, but maybe everything that dies someday comes back…”
“Love may have died, love may be cold, but with you forever I’ll stay…”
The Hold Steady’s version:
R.E.M. “Begin the Begin”
“Lifes Rich Pageant” is by far my favorite REM album. The version in my head is still the one on a tape made by a fellow cook at the restaurant I worked at during high school. The songs were out of order and I still hear the skips in “I Believe”.
Here’s Stipe & Vedder having a competition to see who can spasm the most unrhythmically:
Friday, January 2, 2009
It's a Hold Steady kinda Friday
Second day of the New Year and while some of us have to work, the office buildings can't be too crazy. So if you're like me, stuck in the cube with no boss, throw the headphones on and enjoy one of the better bands putting out music today.
A mix of studio tracks, live stuff and rare things. I hope you enjoy!
SeeqPod - Playable Search
A mix of studio tracks, live stuff and rare things. I hope you enjoy!
SeeqPod - Playable Search
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Week 14 NFL Picks with Goose - the Annexation of Puerto Rico
Yeah.
It's not going so well.
But no one thought the Little Giants were going to win, right?
Though the redheads from last week gave me some hope, and gave me some exciting upset picks, in the end all I got for it was 8-8 and one more game behind Cline. I was really hoping I went 11-5 to bring the redhead theme back, but it's not going to help.
So in the spirit of blog synergy, I too have plugged my ipod in and set it to random, just like Cline. Unlike Cline, my Ipod's AI (I'm 75% certain this thing has gone sentient, and picks songs just to fuck around with me depending on my mood. What - you think Apple wouldn't do something like create artificial intelligence and not tell anyone? Think again!) will most likely churn out stuff I hate, exposing the fact that I keep songs on my ipod that I hate. Why do this?
Do you really want to know?
It's for the peaks and valleys of life. Get stuck in the valley, it makes the view from the peak that much nicer. All peaks and no valleys can make this world a very boring place.
And there's your philosophical thought for the day.
Enough about that though. Let's take a look at what this does for me, on the flip side...
The one thing I am choosing to do different here is meditate about the game during the random song that comes up. That way, at least I can blame something else when I go 4-12.
As Cline pointed earlier as well, I can't pick Raiders games, so I'm heading into Sunday 0-1. Not a big surprise there.
As always, picks are bold and CAPITALIZED...
JACKSONVILLE @ Chicago -6.5
Song: Short Side of Nothing - Los Lobos
Ok good, we at least start out on a positive note. Los Lobos are a criminally overlooked band. I know most people, if they associate them at all, associate them with La Bamba. And that's a shame. So I'm going to go with Jacksonville being criminally overlooked in this game and pulling the upset.
Enjoy the band guesting on Sesame Street...
(A brief flash of brilliance went through my head of finding clips of all the bands on my list on Sesame Street performing, but I don't think that's going to be possible.)
Minnesota @ DETROIT +9.5
Song: Autobahn Music Box - Cut Copy
I got this album (Bright Like Neon Love) after hearing raves about Cut Copy. Unfounded raves in my opinion. Sorry, I just can't get into them. So I might as well go with Detroit, as I really can't get into them either - but the Ipod knows, right? As long as I can decipher the clues it's giving me?
Houston @ GREEN BAY -6
Song: Cressy St. Breakdown - Cookin' on 3 Burners
Cookin on 3 Burners is a side project from some of the guys in The Bamboos, which I have hyped a few times on this blog. It's a decent song, nothing too special or far away from The Bamboos, which makes me wonder why they even needed to split off. No matter, I think Houston is going to have a breakdown, giving the ball back to a gimpy Schaub for this game. Not that their other options are that great.
(Amazingly, typing "Cookin on 3 Burners" into youtube produces a live in-store recording of the song. If that isn't a sign for something, than I don't know what is. I do love watching oblivious customers walking around in the background)
CLEVELAND @ Tennessee -14
Song: WeFunk on CKUT 90.3 FM Montreal - Various Artists
It's here when things started to get weird. WeFunk is a weekly funk program based out of Montreal. Back in the day, you used to be able to download their shows. Now it seems you can just stream them from their site. I recommend checking it out, if for nothing else than a good, groovy mix of music. This show happened to be 1 hour and 58 minutes long so I'll be back in a little bit.
Anyway, with the funk here, I'm going with Cleveland. Stranger things have happened than a team rallying around Ken Dorsey and playing hard. What those stranger things are, I just can't think of right now.
And for no other reason than I just sat though this, here's global superstar Gerardo performing...
(I love the description of this video: "Last star rap Gerardo (Rico Suave) performing one of his 90's greatest hits "We Want the Funk"."
Fantastic.
CINCINNATI @ Indianapolis -13.5
Song: The Piper Cherokee - Bobby Hughes Experience
You're all going to think I'm a huge electronica fan, when nothing could be further from the truth. Although, this band is awesome. Unfortunately, I have no idea who it's telling me to pick here. So fuck it, I'm going with Cincy here.
Atlanta @ NEW ORLEANS -3
Song: Romeo and Juliet - Dire Straits
First of all, fantastic song. One of my favorite Dire Straits songs. Such a great love story...just like Cline with his secret Atlanta Falcons love (check out his picks, you'll see). But just like Romeo and Juliet, this love affair is destined to not work out.
And here it is live...
PHILADELPHIA @ Giants -7
Song: Talk About the Blues - Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
If this fan made video to this song doesn't tell you everything you need to know about this game, then I don't know what to tell you.
Kansas City @ DENVER -9
Song: Flamingo Kid - Violent Femmes
Yes it's true, I'm the one that has 2 Violent Femmes albums. A perfect song for this game, as I love the Violent Femmes, but not so much this album (Why Do Birds Sing?) It's decent, but if you want to hear the Femmes, you put in the self titled. It's just like this division. It used to be good, and occasionally has good games, but really, we all want the Elway/Okoye days, right?
Speaking of Okoye - Keep looking, Keep learning, keep laughing...
Miami @ BUFFALO -1
Song: Just - Marc Ronson/Alex Greenwald
It's colder than a witch's tit in Toronto right now. Actually, I have no idea, I just wanted to give a shout out to that phrase that my 10th grade history teacher used to repeat. It could be balmy in Toronto for all I know. I'm still going with Buffalo. Not that the song selection is helping me out at all. I can't connect these even remotely. Perhaps you can if you click here.
JETS -4 @ San Francisco
Song: Rondo Do Capitao - Seco & Molhados
Yeah, why don't I stop trying to make connections to games? This album was on the list of "Top 100 Latin American albums" (or something - my Spanish/Portugese isn't that great), of which I have 20 or so. Here's some more for you to chew on:
Ok, tell me what other blog is giving you the goods like this. Seriously, tell me, I want to know, to see if I have to ramp it up. Because I will. You're not getting the Latin America's version of Pink Floyd in anyone else's NFL picks, are you?
(The album is great by the way, and I can't recommend it enough.)
NEW ENGLAND -4.5 @ Seattle
Song: Kilo - Ghostface Killah (feat. Raekwon)
Belichek is pretty much a ghostface killa coming off a loss. I don't see Seattle having much of a chance.
And because I care, here's Ghostface giving us some sex talk (beware the saucy language)
St. Louis @ ARIZONA -14
Song: Paranoid Android - Radiohead
2 touchdowns? I'm paranoid about this pick.
Dallas @ PITTSBURGH -3
Song: LDN - Lily Allen
Barber doesn't look like he's playing, and if he does, that field in Pittsburgh isn't the world's greatest. As for the song, I'll make no excuses for enjoying the occasional Lily Allen tune.
WASHINGTON @ Baltimore -5
Song: On the Serious Side - Tower of Power
Fantastic song, from a fantastic band...perfect for a good matchup here. He who wins controls the northern suburbs of DC for the year. Let's call it the Chevy Chase cup. Who's with me?
Enjoy this clip of ToP performing probably their most well known song...
(If I ever build a time machine, top 5 destinations is a early 70s Tower of Power show. It's that simple)
Tampa Bay @ CAROLINA -3
Song: Fallen Apart - Moon Boot Lover
How appropriate a song title for my picks run to this date. Enjoy the Sunday docket of football games!
It's not going so well.
But no one thought the Little Giants were going to win, right?
Though the redheads from last week gave me some hope, and gave me some exciting upset picks, in the end all I got for it was 8-8 and one more game behind Cline. I was really hoping I went 11-5 to bring the redhead theme back, but it's not going to help.
So in the spirit of blog synergy, I too have plugged my ipod in and set it to random, just like Cline. Unlike Cline, my Ipod's AI (I'm 75% certain this thing has gone sentient, and picks songs just to fuck around with me depending on my mood. What - you think Apple wouldn't do something like create artificial intelligence and not tell anyone? Think again!) will most likely churn out stuff I hate, exposing the fact that I keep songs on my ipod that I hate. Why do this?
Do you really want to know?
It's for the peaks and valleys of life. Get stuck in the valley, it makes the view from the peak that much nicer. All peaks and no valleys can make this world a very boring place.
And there's your philosophical thought for the day.
Enough about that though. Let's take a look at what this does for me, on the flip side...
The one thing I am choosing to do different here is meditate about the game during the random song that comes up. That way, at least I can blame something else when I go 4-12.
As Cline pointed earlier as well, I can't pick Raiders games, so I'm heading into Sunday 0-1. Not a big surprise there.
As always, picks are bold and CAPITALIZED...
JACKSONVILLE @ Chicago -6.5
Song: Short Side of Nothing - Los Lobos
Ok good, we at least start out on a positive note. Los Lobos are a criminally overlooked band. I know most people, if they associate them at all, associate them with La Bamba. And that's a shame. So I'm going to go with Jacksonville being criminally overlooked in this game and pulling the upset.
Enjoy the band guesting on Sesame Street...
(A brief flash of brilliance went through my head of finding clips of all the bands on my list on Sesame Street performing, but I don't think that's going to be possible.)
Minnesota @ DETROIT +9.5
Song: Autobahn Music Box - Cut Copy
I got this album (Bright Like Neon Love) after hearing raves about Cut Copy. Unfounded raves in my opinion. Sorry, I just can't get into them. So I might as well go with Detroit, as I really can't get into them either - but the Ipod knows, right? As long as I can decipher the clues it's giving me?
Houston @ GREEN BAY -6
Song: Cressy St. Breakdown - Cookin' on 3 Burners
Cookin on 3 Burners is a side project from some of the guys in The Bamboos, which I have hyped a few times on this blog. It's a decent song, nothing too special or far away from The Bamboos, which makes me wonder why they even needed to split off. No matter, I think Houston is going to have a breakdown, giving the ball back to a gimpy Schaub for this game. Not that their other options are that great.
(Amazingly, typing "Cookin on 3 Burners" into youtube produces a live in-store recording of the song. If that isn't a sign for something, than I don't know what is. I do love watching oblivious customers walking around in the background)
CLEVELAND @ Tennessee -14
Song: WeFunk on CKUT 90.3 FM Montreal - Various Artists
It's here when things started to get weird. WeFunk is a weekly funk program based out of Montreal. Back in the day, you used to be able to download their shows. Now it seems you can just stream them from their site. I recommend checking it out, if for nothing else than a good, groovy mix of music. This show happened to be 1 hour and 58 minutes long so I'll be back in a little bit.
Anyway, with the funk here, I'm going with Cleveland. Stranger things have happened than a team rallying around Ken Dorsey and playing hard. What those stranger things are, I just can't think of right now.
And for no other reason than I just sat though this, here's global superstar Gerardo performing...
(I love the description of this video: "Last star rap Gerardo (Rico Suave) performing one of his 90's greatest hits "We Want the Funk"."
Fantastic.
CINCINNATI @ Indianapolis -13.5
Song: The Piper Cherokee - Bobby Hughes Experience
You're all going to think I'm a huge electronica fan, when nothing could be further from the truth. Although, this band is awesome. Unfortunately, I have no idea who it's telling me to pick here. So fuck it, I'm going with Cincy here.
Atlanta @ NEW ORLEANS -3
Song: Romeo and Juliet - Dire Straits
First of all, fantastic song. One of my favorite Dire Straits songs. Such a great love story...just like Cline with his secret Atlanta Falcons love (check out his picks, you'll see). But just like Romeo and Juliet, this love affair is destined to not work out.
And here it is live...
PHILADELPHIA @ Giants -7
Song: Talk About the Blues - Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
If this fan made video to this song doesn't tell you everything you need to know about this game, then I don't know what to tell you.
Kansas City @ DENVER -9
Song: Flamingo Kid - Violent Femmes
Yes it's true, I'm the one that has 2 Violent Femmes albums. A perfect song for this game, as I love the Violent Femmes, but not so much this album (Why Do Birds Sing?) It's decent, but if you want to hear the Femmes, you put in the self titled. It's just like this division. It used to be good, and occasionally has good games, but really, we all want the Elway/Okoye days, right?
Speaking of Okoye - Keep looking, Keep learning, keep laughing...
Miami @ BUFFALO -1
Song: Just - Marc Ronson/Alex Greenwald
It's colder than a witch's tit in Toronto right now. Actually, I have no idea, I just wanted to give a shout out to that phrase that my 10th grade history teacher used to repeat. It could be balmy in Toronto for all I know. I'm still going with Buffalo. Not that the song selection is helping me out at all. I can't connect these even remotely. Perhaps you can if you click here.
JETS -4 @ San Francisco
Song: Rondo Do Capitao - Seco & Molhados
Yeah, why don't I stop trying to make connections to games? This album was on the list of "Top 100 Latin American albums" (or something - my Spanish/Portugese isn't that great), of which I have 20 or so. Here's some more for you to chew on:
Ok, tell me what other blog is giving you the goods like this. Seriously, tell me, I want to know, to see if I have to ramp it up. Because I will. You're not getting the Latin America's version of Pink Floyd in anyone else's NFL picks, are you?
(The album is great by the way, and I can't recommend it enough.)
NEW ENGLAND -4.5 @ Seattle
Song: Kilo - Ghostface Killah (feat. Raekwon)
Belichek is pretty much a ghostface killa coming off a loss. I don't see Seattle having much of a chance.
And because I care, here's Ghostface giving us some sex talk (beware the saucy language)
St. Louis @ ARIZONA -14
Song: Paranoid Android - Radiohead
2 touchdowns? I'm paranoid about this pick.Dallas @ PITTSBURGH -3
Song: LDN - Lily Allen
Barber doesn't look like he's playing, and if he does, that field in Pittsburgh isn't the world's greatest. As for the song, I'll make no excuses for enjoying the occasional Lily Allen tune.
WASHINGTON @ Baltimore -5
Song: On the Serious Side - Tower of Power
Fantastic song, from a fantastic band...perfect for a good matchup here. He who wins controls the northern suburbs of DC for the year. Let's call it the Chevy Chase cup. Who's with me?
Enjoy this clip of ToP performing probably their most well known song...
(If I ever build a time machine, top 5 destinations is a early 70s Tower of Power show. It's that simple)
Tampa Bay @ CAROLINA -3
Song: Fallen Apart - Moon Boot Lover
How appropriate a song title for my picks run to this date. Enjoy the Sunday docket of football games!
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Some music to get you through your afternoon
As I'm sure everyone has dreams of turkey and yams dancing through their head, I figured today would be a great day to throw some music up for your listening enjoyment.
Who wouldn't love to be a deejay, to be able to choose songs at random for thousands of people to hear? So I've decided to create an afternoon playlist (not for thousands of course) for you to chill out and possibly hear something you've never heard before.
Enjoy!
Friday, November 21, 2008
Searching the pictures of Life
Google recently did an awesome thing by unlocking the vaults at Life and giving everyone access to their complete catalog of pictures. So we here at the Popcorn Trick decided it would be cool to occasionally search through them, giving them a whole new audience.
This week's search I figured I would make it something that's near and dear to our hearts and seek out some cool music images, predominantly of some influential, iconic bands. Actually, I was truly inspired by this photo of the Zappas, which I love, since it confounds the expectations of the person clicking on the link, while at the same time completely sums up the culture of the times and the artist.
If nothing else, it will just be a list of cool photos to take a look at.
One more thing, I'll simply be linking to the photos here, asking you to click through, since I'm not 100% sure if Google would be cool with us simply posting the photos on our site. I hope that's not too inconvenient.
On the flip side - photos!
The Beatles
Last time they were happy together? Seriously though, it does seem that this photo exudes the joy of the Beatles and what their music, at least at that moment (the Beatles made it easy for people to tell their different eras of music by altering their hairstyles as they passed through) in time.
Louis Armstrong
I think it's unfortunate that most people these days only know Louis Armstrong for his rendition of "Hello Dolly." That I am linking a photo of him accepting kudos for performing it is what you might call irony.
Jim Morrison
I wish she had his awesome beard in this shot. If nothing else, this photo should reaffirm how good a job Kilmer did portraying him.
Keith Richards
Captured on the Voodoo Lounge tour, his thoughts seem to echo my sentiments about that tour. I wish he was with the Expensive Winos still.
James Brown
Teaching Johnny Carson how to dance. I have to imagine it's a lost cause.
Madonna
An early look at what she used to be. At least she looks like she's having fun.
Chuck D.
With someone else that officially makes it a weird pairing. Though that mustache is bananas.
Led Zeppelin
...from 1988, which means technically it isn't Zeppelin, but it's still a cool shot, seemingly taken from the crowd.
Elvis Presley
I'm guessing Elvis felt more like this and less like the personality he emanated from the stage. That this is taken so early in his career is a little startling.
Johnny Cash
I get it. He's walking the line. Even with the cliche based on his music, it's still a great picture.
It's just a small sample, and if you have any other cool ones, feel free to share them in the comment section!
This week's search I figured I would make it something that's near and dear to our hearts and seek out some cool music images, predominantly of some influential, iconic bands. Actually, I was truly inspired by this photo of the Zappas, which I love, since it confounds the expectations of the person clicking on the link, while at the same time completely sums up the culture of the times and the artist.
If nothing else, it will just be a list of cool photos to take a look at.
One more thing, I'll simply be linking to the photos here, asking you to click through, since I'm not 100% sure if Google would be cool with us simply posting the photos on our site. I hope that's not too inconvenient.
On the flip side - photos!
The Beatles
Last time they were happy together? Seriously though, it does seem that this photo exudes the joy of the Beatles and what their music, at least at that moment (the Beatles made it easy for people to tell their different eras of music by altering their hairstyles as they passed through) in time.
Louis Armstrong
I think it's unfortunate that most people these days only know Louis Armstrong for his rendition of "Hello Dolly." That I am linking a photo of him accepting kudos for performing it is what you might call irony.
Jim Morrison
I wish she had his awesome beard in this shot. If nothing else, this photo should reaffirm how good a job Kilmer did portraying him.
Keith Richards
Captured on the Voodoo Lounge tour, his thoughts seem to echo my sentiments about that tour. I wish he was with the Expensive Winos still.
James Brown
Teaching Johnny Carson how to dance. I have to imagine it's a lost cause.
Madonna
An early look at what she used to be. At least she looks like she's having fun.
Chuck D.
With someone else that officially makes it a weird pairing. Though that mustache is bananas.
Led Zeppelin
...from 1988, which means technically it isn't Zeppelin, but it's still a cool shot, seemingly taken from the crowd.
Elvis Presley
I'm guessing Elvis felt more like this and less like the personality he emanated from the stage. That this is taken so early in his career is a little startling.
Johnny Cash
I get it. He's walking the line. Even with the cliche based on his music, it's still a great picture.
It's just a small sample, and if you have any other cool ones, feel free to share them in the comment section!
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
The "80siest" music videos from MTV
Thanks to MTV opening up its music video library online, I've done roughly 16 minutes of actual work in the last week; the rest of my time devoted to reliving my childhood, sitting in front of the television watching rock/pop music gods spend money in a variety of creative ways to show off their vision. Music videos from the 80s are nothing like any other era's videos; they're expensive, they're colorful and they make no sense. But there's nothing wrong with that. In fact, it only makes them more awesome and more a product of their time. I know I went on about how awesome MTV was for opening up their catalog of videos, but only until I really started diving in did I realize what this meant from a cultural standpoint. They have made answering the question, "what was it like to live in the 80s?" simple.
And that's what I'm trying to do here - compile a list of the 80siest music videos.
I tried to come up with a definition for 80iest, and after wasting a lot of paper I decided on this one phrase that encapsulates it fairly well:
"Pretentious then; hilarious now."
Or, if you want to really cop out, I'll define it much as the same way Jesse Helms defined pornography: "I'll know it when I see it."
But enough about that. On to the videos on the flip side...
Billy Idol: Eyes Without a Face
Billy Idol could be the poster boy for the 80s. In fact, I wouldn't be shocked to learn in the next few years that some government created him simply to encapsulate the times, retiring him in the early 90s once they realized grunge had staying power. Ok that would surprise me a little, but not as much as one might think.
This video screams 80s. And screams a whole lot more as well. I love how it starts with a quote, "In the midnight hour," which is a lyric from another Billy Idol song. It doesn't get much better than that. Other thoughts:
In trying to reinvent themselves for the 80s, Yes went ahead and made a pretty good song. That doesn't mean the video shares the same fate. The amount of symbolism going on in here would make a high school English teacher wet themselves, knowing they wouldn't have to write up a lesson plan for a month; they'd simply have to hit play and ask their students to list the literary references. Maybe Jon Anderson's mum was a teacher.
I do enjoy the fact that the protagonist of the video, upon seeing the members of Yes materialize out of thin air on the building rooftop dressed in suits, chooses suicide over whatever they may have planned for him. Now that's a statement.
And was that Peter Weller as a judge/clerk/administrator/the devil?
Duran Duran: Hungry Like the Wolf
I can't think of another band that encapsulates the 80s more than Duran Duran. Not only did they write music that could easily work as a soundtrack for the decade, but they spared no expense when it came to their music videos. Case in point is Hungry Like the Wolf. I'm not sure whether they are on location or not, but even if this is a lot somewhere, it's impressive. And there's a lot going on...
A shirtless Nick Taylor(?) runs around the streets of some third world capital while Simon LeBon wears awesome glasses/goggles and contemplates things. And no matter where it's supposed to take place, I can appreciate Duran Duran ensuring hot women are involved. Shirtless Nick Taylor runs around some more while LeBon gets his freak on with a feral jungle woman. Let's give him some credit too - this is years before Jungle Fever. Think maybe this video was the spark that gave Spike Lee his idea? The video ends almost as nonsensically as it started. Honestly, I dare anyone to try to explain what's going on in this video.
Journey: Separate Ways
No way I couldn't include this video. It screams 80s and ridiculousness. Seriously, why the band is hanging out down at the wharf playing air instruments while some hooker struts around is beyond me. But what really comes through in this video is the passion. These guys aren't just going through the motions - they're feeling it, in the best of possible ways - especially the keyboardist. I bet the director told the rest of the band to take a cue from him when he watched the dailies.
The other thought I had watching this was: has there ever been an assembly of five uglier guys?
And what's the deal at the end? It comes out of nowhere. Was it all a dream? Is she sleeping in one of the warehouses? If not, that's an awfully large bedroom. And why is she wearing headphones?
Toto: Africa
Sure, I wrote about them before, but c'mon, there's no way they get left off this list. The lead singer looks like such a regular guy. I just want to go get a beer with him. I'd definitely have a lot of questions for him. Such as, "was the drummer as much of a douche as how he dressed?"
I will say I spoke too soon about Journey being ugly. Yowza. And they throw an unprecedented 6th guy in there to sit on the floor and bang on some things.
I am also a little unclear about what this video has to do with Africa. For all the mentions and references, there's really no real actual motif here. The only thing I can think of is that the lead singer is studying Africa so he can get in the librarian's pants. Because the library is in Africa? But then an African tribesman knocks over all the books and starts a fire, destroying the love the librarian and lead singer of Toto had.
What? Like you know what's going on.
So there you have it. While I certainly think this is a great list, I also know it is but a fraction of examples of what truly embodied the 80s. In fact, Cline has already responded with his list of television nostalgia here. So please, leave all your suggestions in the comments, and I'm sure this will be an ongoing series for the blog.
And that's what I'm trying to do here - compile a list of the 80siest music videos.
I tried to come up with a definition for 80iest, and after wasting a lot of paper I decided on this one phrase that encapsulates it fairly well:
"Pretentious then; hilarious now."
Or, if you want to really cop out, I'll define it much as the same way Jesse Helms defined pornography: "I'll know it when I see it."
But enough about that. On to the videos on the flip side...
Billy Idol: Eyes Without a Face
Billy Idol could be the poster boy for the 80s. In fact, I wouldn't be shocked to learn in the next few years that some government created him simply to encapsulate the times, retiring him in the early 90s once they realized grunge had staying power. Ok that would surprise me a little, but not as much as one might think.
This video screams 80s. And screams a whole lot more as well. I love how it starts with a quote, "In the midnight hour," which is a lyric from another Billy Idol song. It doesn't get much better than that. Other thoughts:
- Floating Billy Idol head? Yes please.
- I wonder if this song was Billy's push to show everyone he was a legitimate singer and not a screamer.
- Billy's Eyes Wide Shut moment is a bit anti-climactic. At least Kubrick gave us some sex in his, even if it got covered up by a bunch of CGI.
- Smoke machine...cross fades between the floating Billy Idol head and the choir...fingerless gloves...yeah, we're in the 80s.
- Can't quite put my finger on what a fire hose drenching a scantily clad woman symbolizes.
In trying to reinvent themselves for the 80s, Yes went ahead and made a pretty good song. That doesn't mean the video shares the same fate. The amount of symbolism going on in here would make a high school English teacher wet themselves, knowing they wouldn't have to write up a lesson plan for a month; they'd simply have to hit play and ask their students to list the literary references. Maybe Jon Anderson's mum was a teacher.
I do enjoy the fact that the protagonist of the video, upon seeing the members of Yes materialize out of thin air on the building rooftop dressed in suits, chooses suicide over whatever they may have planned for him. Now that's a statement.
And was that Peter Weller as a judge/clerk/administrator/the devil?
Duran Duran: Hungry Like the Wolf
I can't think of another band that encapsulates the 80s more than Duran Duran. Not only did they write music that could easily work as a soundtrack for the decade, but they spared no expense when it came to their music videos. Case in point is Hungry Like the Wolf. I'm not sure whether they are on location or not, but even if this is a lot somewhere, it's impressive. And there's a lot going on...
A shirtless Nick Taylor(?) runs around the streets of some third world capital while Simon LeBon wears awesome glasses/goggles and contemplates things. And no matter where it's supposed to take place, I can appreciate Duran Duran ensuring hot women are involved. Shirtless Nick Taylor runs around some more while LeBon gets his freak on with a feral jungle woman. Let's give him some credit too - this is years before Jungle Fever. Think maybe this video was the spark that gave Spike Lee his idea? The video ends almost as nonsensically as it started. Honestly, I dare anyone to try to explain what's going on in this video.
Journey: Separate Ways
No way I couldn't include this video. It screams 80s and ridiculousness. Seriously, why the band is hanging out down at the wharf playing air instruments while some hooker struts around is beyond me. But what really comes through in this video is the passion. These guys aren't just going through the motions - they're feeling it, in the best of possible ways - especially the keyboardist. I bet the director told the rest of the band to take a cue from him when he watched the dailies.
The other thought I had watching this was: has there ever been an assembly of five uglier guys?
And what's the deal at the end? It comes out of nowhere. Was it all a dream? Is she sleeping in one of the warehouses? If not, that's an awfully large bedroom. And why is she wearing headphones?
Toto: Africa
Sure, I wrote about them before, but c'mon, there's no way they get left off this list. The lead singer looks like such a regular guy. I just want to go get a beer with him. I'd definitely have a lot of questions for him. Such as, "was the drummer as much of a douche as how he dressed?"
I will say I spoke too soon about Journey being ugly. Yowza. And they throw an unprecedented 6th guy in there to sit on the floor and bang on some things.
I am also a little unclear about what this video has to do with Africa. For all the mentions and references, there's really no real actual motif here. The only thing I can think of is that the lead singer is studying Africa so he can get in the librarian's pants. Because the library is in Africa? But then an African tribesman knocks over all the books and starts a fire, destroying the love the librarian and lead singer of Toto had.
What? Like you know what's going on.
So there you have it. While I certainly think this is a great list, I also know it is but a fraction of examples of what truly embodied the 80s. In fact, Cline has already responded with his list of television nostalgia here. So please, leave all your suggestions in the comments, and I'm sure this will be an ongoing series for the blog.
Monday, October 6, 2008
90s music - what's your bag?
Music lists are silly, and far from definitive. In fact, I'm sure some publications create lists simply to spark debate and enrage the faithful reader/listener. It's an old trick; whether people love something or hate something, to have an opinion is all that matters to the originators.
While I'm not suggesting that Pitchfork has done that with their top 100 albums of the 90s list, I will say that I find some fairly glaring omissions. And I'm not even talking about certain genres they've casually ignored. I'm talking about important albums that shaped the musical landscape. I understand that Pitchfork sometimes carries a grudge against the more mainstream albums, but that doesn't mean they should ignore music that left a mark, especially if you're creating a list and suggesting it should be definitive.
Of course Pitchfork is free to do what they want, and surely won't even know this piece exists, but I still feel it is my duty to point out some of the albums they missed.
On the flip side, my discussion about these "missed" songs and albums I think represent the music scene of the 90s...
"Bell Bottoms" - Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
Jon Spencer Blues Explosion plays a blender mix of punk, blues and rock and roll. If that makes any sense. "Bell Bottoms," off of their 1994 album Orange gives a good example of their sound, if a little more accessible than the rest of that album. Though if I had to pick a great 90s Blues Explosion album, I would go with Acme. Very accessible, with a nice coat of veneer to smoothly go down the throat.
"If I Could Just Kill a Man" - Cypress Hill
The Pitchfork list acknowledges hip hop, but only if you're in A Tribe Called Quest. (Ok I agree with adding The Chronic and Wu-Tang, but the 90s were the height of rap explosion; a little diversity would have been nice). Cypress Hill, though largely forgotten, delivered hits just like the more known hip hop acts of the times. To ignore their contributions is to not recognize how much of a grip hip hop had on the music scene.
"Two Step," and "Rapunzel" - Dave Matthews Band
It's easy to hate on the Dave Matthews Band and call his music Hippie-lite. It's also easy (and somewhat legitimate) to label his crowds as "teenage girls looking to get high easily and frat boys in white baseball caps." But here's the thing...DMB delivered the albums in the 90s and delivered the hits. I always found it weird to hate a group because of their audience; to a large degree they can't do anything about that. The band plays music, and whoever shows up is out of their control. Yes, they hit the mainstream and that makes them evil to both the Pitchfork people and the hippie crowd, who want more room for glowstick, but of all the band on this list and Pitchfork's DMB probably has the largest name recognition across the population. For that reason alone you can't leave them off a list when discussing the 90s.
"Just Another Victim" Helmet and House of Pain
Back in 1993 a truly atrocious movie starring Emilio Estevez as a victim of urban crime, called Judgement Night (it involved an RV, a bad part of town and Dennis Leary). Yeah, I'm pretty sure not even Martin Sheen knows of the movie's existence, so don't fret if you've never heard of it. However...
(and this is where I speak in huge hyperboles)
I'd go out on a limb and say the soundtrack to the movie is one of the best from the decade. Not relying on Brian Eno or John Williams, this soundtrack instead took the novel approach of marrying hard rock/heavy metal bands with hip hop acts. The result? One of the first true mashup albums to come out - a good 10 years before the idea of mashups were cool. But don't take my word for it, see what others said here. (This is also the first time I heard about an alleged Tool/Rage Against the Machine collaboration though. I'd love to hear that!)
"A Go Go" - John Scofield
Not just John Scofield though, Medeski, Martin and Wood, a critically acclaimed jazz trio who backed Scofield on this album and made a chill album back before electronica began to hit its stride. Not quite a jazz album, not really a rock album, it's simply a great album. This title track sets the mood and lets you know exactly what you're in for with the rest.
"It Ain't Over 'til It's Over" - Lenny Kravitz
Before Kravitz Hendrixed out on us (and butchered a Canadian classic that butchered the U.S.'s stance on war - loosely at least), he wrote what I think is one of the greatest love albums ever. Dedicated to Lisa Bonet (his wife at the time, though they were going through some tough times) it showcases everything a relationship is about (both the highs and lows), while only really getting sappy once (the syrupy "Flowers for Zoe, about his daughter).
"Daughters of the Kaos" - Luscious Jackson
In Search of Manny, while technically an EP and not an LP, is still a fantastic accomplishment for any band. That it was followed up by inconsistent albums only shows what Luscious Jackson could have been, had music execs not watered down their sound.
"Too Many Puppies" - Primus
No Primus on a list of albums from the 90s? For shame. This song was the soundtrack to a game we used to play in college; we would move all the furniture out of my friend's dorm room into the hall, take a half deflated beach ball and wrap in duct tape, turn off the lights, crank up this song and then proceed to beat the hell out of each other in close dark quarters. Last person standing in the room "won."
I think I've shared too much.
"Why Go" - Pearl Jam
I've often heard that many people believe Pearl Jam ripped off their sound from Nirvana. And I'm not here to tell you what is and isn't true. All I know is that Pearl Jam's 10 came out very close to Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit. It's possible Eddie Vedder went to Nirvana shows with a notebook and scribbled down chords and fashion notes. Even so, leaving this album out of the discussion of 90s music seems like little more than holding a grudge that Cobain killed himself and not Eddie Vedder. Would the rock critics' opinion of Pearl Jam and Nirvana flip-flopped had that scenario played out?
"Prison Sex" - Tool
C'mon, this is getting ridiculous. I know it's cool to hate Pearl Jam, but I thought the Internet loved Tool! Possibly not the most defining album of the 90s, but the list has 100. Nothing against Elliot Smith, but 2 of his albums are in the top 100. Heck, the reviewer of Either/Or (ranked #59) basically says Elliot Smith was the voice of Portland. Fine. But Tool is the voice of the Internet geek, a much more robust, influential and somber group!
"True Dreams of Wichita" - Soul Coughing
Eclectic and accessible at the same time, I classify Ruby Vroom as one of the definitive albums of the 90s. That it was probably fueled mainly by heroin beside the point. Of course that can also explain why the band doesn't exist anymore but still. The crazy landscape singer Mike Doughty wraps around the catchy melodies gives his songs a catchy yet haunting vibe. Full of contradictions and bizarre imagery, the recipe doesn't sound like it should work, yet it does.
"Burn Don't Freeze" - Sleater Kinney
Ranked #30 on the list, Liz Phair's Exile in Guyville definitely deserves to be there. In fact, I might argue it deserves to be higher. But other than her, PJ Harvey, Bjork and a couple others, the list is underwhelming when it comes to women. The addition of Sleater-Kinney would have helped that - and wouldn't have been out of place.
"Natural Blues" - Moby
Used for something like 17 billion ads, Moby's Play acted as a bridge between electronics and pop for a lot of listeners. Obviously Pitchfork believed there were better electronica albums, but this one went on to sell more than 10 million copies! I know sales figures don't always equal critical acclaim, but there comes a point when a lot of people enjoying something should carry some weight and not simply ignored. I know "mainstream" is an ugly, nuclear bomb of a word to hipsters around the country, but it shouldn't. At it's very basic level, music is made and listened to for entertainment; something should be said if it does that very well.
So there you have it. Would my list of albums differ from Pitchfork's? Most certainly. Would it be better? Of course not. At the end of the day, it's all opinion. It just seems to me that Pitchfork does things simply to generate debate, discussion, and unfortunately, vitriol. But then one has to wonder, what the discussion would have been had they chose to select some of the albums I've brought up.
I'm thinking it would have given people something more to complain about.
What did I miss? Leave your suggestions in the comments!
While I'm not suggesting that Pitchfork has done that with their top 100 albums of the 90s list, I will say that I find some fairly glaring omissions. And I'm not even talking about certain genres they've casually ignored. I'm talking about important albums that shaped the musical landscape. I understand that Pitchfork sometimes carries a grudge against the more mainstream albums, but that doesn't mean they should ignore music that left a mark, especially if you're creating a list and suggesting it should be definitive.
Of course Pitchfork is free to do what they want, and surely won't even know this piece exists, but I still feel it is my duty to point out some of the albums they missed.
On the flip side, my discussion about these "missed" songs and albums I think represent the music scene of the 90s...
"Bell Bottoms" - Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
Jon Spencer Blues Explosion plays a blender mix of punk, blues and rock and roll. If that makes any sense. "Bell Bottoms," off of their 1994 album Orange gives a good example of their sound, if a little more accessible than the rest of that album. Though if I had to pick a great 90s Blues Explosion album, I would go with Acme. Very accessible, with a nice coat of veneer to smoothly go down the throat.
"If I Could Just Kill a Man" - Cypress Hill
The Pitchfork list acknowledges hip hop, but only if you're in A Tribe Called Quest. (Ok I agree with adding The Chronic and Wu-Tang, but the 90s were the height of rap explosion; a little diversity would have been nice). Cypress Hill, though largely forgotten, delivered hits just like the more known hip hop acts of the times. To ignore their contributions is to not recognize how much of a grip hip hop had on the music scene.
"Two Step," and "Rapunzel" - Dave Matthews Band
It's easy to hate on the Dave Matthews Band and call his music Hippie-lite. It's also easy (and somewhat legitimate) to label his crowds as "teenage girls looking to get high easily and frat boys in white baseball caps." But here's the thing...DMB delivered the albums in the 90s and delivered the hits. I always found it weird to hate a group because of their audience; to a large degree they can't do anything about that. The band plays music, and whoever shows up is out of their control. Yes, they hit the mainstream and that makes them evil to both the Pitchfork people and the hippie crowd, who want more room for glowstick, but of all the band on this list and Pitchfork's DMB probably has the largest name recognition across the population. For that reason alone you can't leave them off a list when discussing the 90s.
"Just Another Victim" Helmet and House of Pain
Back in 1993 a truly atrocious movie starring Emilio Estevez as a victim of urban crime, called Judgement Night (it involved an RV, a bad part of town and Dennis Leary). Yeah, I'm pretty sure not even Martin Sheen knows of the movie's existence, so don't fret if you've never heard of it. However...
(and this is where I speak in huge hyperboles)
I'd go out on a limb and say the soundtrack to the movie is one of the best from the decade. Not relying on Brian Eno or John Williams, this soundtrack instead took the novel approach of marrying hard rock/heavy metal bands with hip hop acts. The result? One of the first true mashup albums to come out - a good 10 years before the idea of mashups were cool. But don't take my word for it, see what others said here. (This is also the first time I heard about an alleged Tool/Rage Against the Machine collaboration though. I'd love to hear that!)
"A Go Go" - John Scofield
Not just John Scofield though, Medeski, Martin and Wood, a critically acclaimed jazz trio who backed Scofield on this album and made a chill album back before electronica began to hit its stride. Not quite a jazz album, not really a rock album, it's simply a great album. This title track sets the mood and lets you know exactly what you're in for with the rest.
"It Ain't Over 'til It's Over" - Lenny Kravitz
Before Kravitz Hendrixed out on us (and butchered a Canadian classic that butchered the U.S.'s stance on war - loosely at least), he wrote what I think is one of the greatest love albums ever. Dedicated to Lisa Bonet (his wife at the time, though they were going through some tough times) it showcases everything a relationship is about (both the highs and lows), while only really getting sappy once (the syrupy "Flowers for Zoe, about his daughter).
"Daughters of the Kaos" - Luscious Jackson
In Search of Manny, while technically an EP and not an LP, is still a fantastic accomplishment for any band. That it was followed up by inconsistent albums only shows what Luscious Jackson could have been, had music execs not watered down their sound.
"Too Many Puppies" - Primus
No Primus on a list of albums from the 90s? For shame. This song was the soundtrack to a game we used to play in college; we would move all the furniture out of my friend's dorm room into the hall, take a half deflated beach ball and wrap in duct tape, turn off the lights, crank up this song and then proceed to beat the hell out of each other in close dark quarters. Last person standing in the room "won."
I think I've shared too much.
"Why Go" - Pearl Jam
I've often heard that many people believe Pearl Jam ripped off their sound from Nirvana. And I'm not here to tell you what is and isn't true. All I know is that Pearl Jam's 10 came out very close to Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit. It's possible Eddie Vedder went to Nirvana shows with a notebook and scribbled down chords and fashion notes. Even so, leaving this album out of the discussion of 90s music seems like little more than holding a grudge that Cobain killed himself and not Eddie Vedder. Would the rock critics' opinion of Pearl Jam and Nirvana flip-flopped had that scenario played out?
"Prison Sex" - Tool
C'mon, this is getting ridiculous. I know it's cool to hate Pearl Jam, but I thought the Internet loved Tool! Possibly not the most defining album of the 90s, but the list has 100. Nothing against Elliot Smith, but 2 of his albums are in the top 100. Heck, the reviewer of Either/Or (ranked #59) basically says Elliot Smith was the voice of Portland. Fine. But Tool is the voice of the Internet geek, a much more robust, influential and somber group!
"True Dreams of Wichita" - Soul Coughing
Eclectic and accessible at the same time, I classify Ruby Vroom as one of the definitive albums of the 90s. That it was probably fueled mainly by heroin beside the point. Of course that can also explain why the band doesn't exist anymore but still. The crazy landscape singer Mike Doughty wraps around the catchy melodies gives his songs a catchy yet haunting vibe. Full of contradictions and bizarre imagery, the recipe doesn't sound like it should work, yet it does.
"Burn Don't Freeze" - Sleater Kinney
Ranked #30 on the list, Liz Phair's Exile in Guyville definitely deserves to be there. In fact, I might argue it deserves to be higher. But other than her, PJ Harvey, Bjork and a couple others, the list is underwhelming when it comes to women. The addition of Sleater-Kinney would have helped that - and wouldn't have been out of place.
"Natural Blues" - Moby
Used for something like 17 billion ads, Moby's Play acted as a bridge between electronics and pop for a lot of listeners. Obviously Pitchfork believed there were better electronica albums, but this one went on to sell more than 10 million copies! I know sales figures don't always equal critical acclaim, but there comes a point when a lot of people enjoying something should carry some weight and not simply ignored. I know "mainstream" is an ugly, nuclear bomb of a word to hipsters around the country, but it shouldn't. At it's very basic level, music is made and listened to for entertainment; something should be said if it does that very well.
So there you have it. Would my list of albums differ from Pitchfork's? Most certainly. Would it be better? Of course not. At the end of the day, it's all opinion. It just seems to me that Pitchfork does things simply to generate debate, discussion, and unfortunately, vitriol. But then one has to wonder, what the discussion would have been had they chose to select some of the albums I've brought up.
I'm thinking it would have given people something more to complain about.
What did I miss? Leave your suggestions in the comments!
Friday, October 3, 2008
Brazilian Soul?
Don't ask me how, don't ask me why, but lately I've been on a Brazillian soul kick. Actually I'm mad at myself because to jump into a new, weird genre like this means I'm missing out on a lot of other music. There are entire albums I carry on my ipod that I've never listened to, yet I'm digging through crates in hopes of unearthing some rare portugese speaking band. Anyway, enjoy this performance by Jorge Ben...
On the flip side, I give you my favorite song by Ben, something that may be a little more accessible for everyone...
Dare I ask what your favorite piece of Brazillian music is?
On the flip side, I give you my favorite song by Ben, something that may be a little more accessible for everyone...
Dare I ask what your favorite piece of Brazillian music is?
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
New music from The Bamboos - King of the Rodeo
If anyone ever tells you deep funk is a dead genre, simply point them in the direction of this band. Hailing from Australia, The Bamboos, kick it old school funk style, laying down some cool grooves and create a great sound that you would swear was coming out of some dingy back alley club and not the sunny outback.
This song, King of the Rodeo, featuring Megan Washington, is a cover of a Kings of Leon tune, done only as The Bamboos can. Enjoy, and if you like what you hear, seek them out. Though they're from Australia, you can find their albums on Itunes.
On the flip side, the original by Kings of Leon (which isn't too bad itself)...
Monday, September 22, 2008
None More Black
Just like PBR, aviator sunglasses, and dating Lidsay Lohan's sexuality, bands putting the word "black" in their title has become a massive trend. Strangely enough, I blame the White Stripes. I'm guessing people wanted to mimic the popularity of that band, but using white would be seen as a rip off, so they went the complete "opposite" by choosing black.
Regardless, even though the trend is annoying, it isn't a reflection of the quality of music. Below is a decent sample of songs from groups with the word "black" in their title, ranging from the current critics' darling (Black Mountain) to the ones that started it all (Black Sabbath).
Please enjoy...
SeeqPod - Playable Search
Regardless, even though the trend is annoying, it isn't a reflection of the quality of music. Below is a decent sample of songs from groups with the word "black" in their title, ranging from the current critics' darling (Black Mountain) to the ones that started it all (Black Sabbath).
Please enjoy...
SeeqPod - Playable Search
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Hip hip Brazil!
Ok, so maybe there's no Lambada on here, but still, I'm guessing you're unfamiliar with a lot of Brazillian music - and that's a shame. That's why I cobbled together this (very) incomplete list of artists and songs from Brazil. I'd be willing to be you'll find something on here that you enjoy.
SeeqPod - Playable Search
SeeqPod - Playable Search
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Givin' a little love for the ladies...
Today's music setlist features women singers/rockers/vamps - a whole smorgasbord of styles that you won't be able to pigeonhole. Because that's what we try to do here. Zag when a zig is called for. Make a roscoe when the majority is hanging a louie.
Please enjoy this mix of names you've heard before and others you thought may have handed you your coffee this morning. Hopefully you'll like at least something you hear...
SeeqPod - Playable Search
I chose to keep the more of the pop artists today's kids are so impressed with off the list, so you won't be hearing the Gwen Stefanis, or Madonnas of the world.
Pick the song that's in the top 25 of my 1000 favorite songs, and I'll give you a chance to choose a musical musing for the blog. If that doesn't spark the comments section into war, I don't know what will.
And please feel free to leave some suggestions for female performers while you're there.
Please enjoy this mix of names you've heard before and others you thought may have handed you your coffee this morning. Hopefully you'll like at least something you hear...
SeeqPod - Playable Search
I chose to keep the more of the pop artists today's kids are so impressed with off the list, so you won't be hearing the Gwen Stefanis, or Madonnas of the world.
Pick the song that's in the top 25 of my 1000 favorite songs, and I'll give you a chance to choose a musical musing for the blog. If that doesn't spark the comments section into war, I don't know what will.
And please feel free to leave some suggestions for female performers while you're there.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Ever hear of The Faces?
Born out of the comments section of the underrated Beatles songs post, here we have a small sampling of The Faces contribution to the world. It's a shame I have to ask people if they have heard of The Faces, but I've found that few people have. And that's a shame.
Wikipedia will explain the origins about the band better than I ever will, so click here to learn more.
Back? Ok, now give them a listen and now try to tell me these guys shouldn't have a lot more recognition as being one of the better bands of the 70s.
Wikipedia will explain the origins about the band better than I ever will, so click here to learn more.
Back? Ok, now give them a listen and now try to tell me these guys shouldn't have a lot more recognition as being one of the better bands of the 70s.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Meet The Beatles...Again
Ask a random person on the street what their favorite Beatles song is, they'll most likely respond with Hey Jude.
Ask a Beatles fan the same question and they'll most likely respond with Day in the Life.
Ask that pretentious ass that works down the hall from you that dresses in women's jeans and hair gel and he'll most likely say Tomorrow Never Knows.
Ask the kid that lives down the street who you suspect dismembered your dog two years ago and he'll most likely say Helter Skelter.
The point isn't that there is no right or wrong answer (though you may want to keep an eye on that kid, especially if you replaced your dog), the point is there are a lot of answers. The Beatles wrote and played a lot of classic songs, and many can be considered their best.
Which is why I tried to make a list of underrated Beatles songs, that no person would ever think of as one of their classics...
SeeqPod - Playable Search
Dig A Pony
Lennon hated this, and I think I can see why. I still like it. It's randomness doesn't come close to I Am the Walrus, but it's still cool.
Hey Bulldog
Off of Yellow Submarine, it originally was called, Hey Bullfrog - which I guess would have made more sense to the motif of that album, but whatever. Here's a video of the recording of it, possibly the last time all 4 were seen being happy together.
Glass Onion
Off The Beatles The Beatles (aka The White Album), I enjoy this song because it cryptically states that, "the Walrus was Paul," fueling more speculation that Paul had died and been replaced by a look alike. What a great controversy. The song also references a number of other songs from their catalog.
In My Life
Probably the most popular song on this list.
Martha My Dear
Apparently there's a lot more going on in this song than I at first thought. Jesus, these guys were talented.
Sexy Sadie
More connections to the Manson trial and the influential Indian period.
Got to Get You Into My Life
Lennon said this was one of Paul's best. Good enough for me.
Oh! Darling
I always thought this was one of the more offbeat songs The Beatles did; not because it was weird, but specifically because it wasn't weird. It was very traditional.
Lovely Rita
Another song that has a "clue" about Paul being dead.
You've Got to Hide Your Love Away
Ok, so this might be my favorite Beatles song.
What sparked this silly post? 50% of The Popcorn Trick is Beatles fans. The other 50% suggests the Beatles are overrated. His argument seems to be that while they deserve a certain amount of credit for what they achieved, there were many other bands around during the same period doing similar things (The Rolling Stones) that don't get enough credit. My argument is that he is an idiot. You can decide on your own what side you fall on.
It's funny, because I will usually respond and suggest The Beatles are underrated (mostly to annoy him). But I do believe there is some merit to the argument that they are indeed underrated. Sure, they are usually mentioned at the top of music lists, and they still get airtime on radio programs across the world. But there are also generations of people that don't understand the mark they left on music. They hear the Beatles and simply think, "music from the 60s."
And that's a shame.
Regardless, I'm not here to settle the debate or educate people on the genius of the Beatles, I'm here to give you a list of underrated Beatles songs. Again, that might be a difficult concept to get your head around, because it's the rare person that hasn't heard the Beatles' music. The list however is more about the gems you can find in their catalog that aren't the standards you hear all the time.
Ask a Beatles fan the same question and they'll most likely respond with Day in the Life.
Ask that pretentious ass that works down the hall from you that dresses in women's jeans and hair gel and he'll most likely say Tomorrow Never Knows.
Ask the kid that lives down the street who you suspect dismembered your dog two years ago and he'll most likely say Helter Skelter.
The point isn't that there is no right or wrong answer (though you may want to keep an eye on that kid, especially if you replaced your dog), the point is there are a lot of answers. The Beatles wrote and played a lot of classic songs, and many can be considered their best.
Which is why I tried to make a list of underrated Beatles songs, that no person would ever think of as one of their classics...
SeeqPod - Playable Search
Dig A Pony
Lennon hated this, and I think I can see why. I still like it. It's randomness doesn't come close to I Am the Walrus, but it's still cool.
Hey Bulldog
Off of Yellow Submarine, it originally was called, Hey Bullfrog - which I guess would have made more sense to the motif of that album, but whatever. Here's a video of the recording of it, possibly the last time all 4 were seen being happy together.
Glass Onion
Off The Beatles The Beatles (aka The White Album), I enjoy this song because it cryptically states that, "the Walrus was Paul," fueling more speculation that Paul had died and been replaced by a look alike. What a great controversy. The song also references a number of other songs from their catalog.
In My Life
Probably the most popular song on this list.
Martha My Dear
Apparently there's a lot more going on in this song than I at first thought. Jesus, these guys were talented.
Sexy Sadie
More connections to the Manson trial and the influential Indian period.
Got to Get You Into My Life
Lennon said this was one of Paul's best. Good enough for me.
Oh! Darling
I always thought this was one of the more offbeat songs The Beatles did; not because it was weird, but specifically because it wasn't weird. It was very traditional.
Lovely Rita
Another song that has a "clue" about Paul being dead.
You've Got to Hide Your Love Away
Ok, so this might be my favorite Beatles song.
What sparked this silly post? 50% of The Popcorn Trick is Beatles fans. The other 50% suggests the Beatles are overrated. His argument seems to be that while they deserve a certain amount of credit for what they achieved, there were many other bands around during the same period doing similar things (The Rolling Stones) that don't get enough credit. My argument is that he is an idiot. You can decide on your own what side you fall on.
It's funny, because I will usually respond and suggest The Beatles are underrated (mostly to annoy him). But I do believe there is some merit to the argument that they are indeed underrated. Sure, they are usually mentioned at the top of music lists, and they still get airtime on radio programs across the world. But there are also generations of people that don't understand the mark they left on music. They hear the Beatles and simply think, "music from the 60s."
And that's a shame.
Regardless, I'm not here to settle the debate or educate people on the genius of the Beatles, I'm here to give you a list of underrated Beatles songs. Again, that might be a difficult concept to get your head around, because it's the rare person that hasn't heard the Beatles' music. The list however is more about the gems you can find in their catalog that aren't the standards you hear all the time.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Wanna get a little horny?
Time to take a musical train to horny ville. If you've heard our podcasts (and if you haven't you're a stupid head) you know we often debate about the perfect song for different scenarios. Whether it's a zombie invasion or a funeral, we have an idea of what we want to be listening to.
I figured on this rainy afternoon, I would translate that to the web, and give a an (in)complete list of my favorite songs with horns in them. My criteria here was horns that support and not dominate the song. So unfortunately no Miles Davis or John Coltrane. Instead, I'm giving you a bunch of songs that have a little getup and go to them - courtesy of a backing group of musicians that like to blow.
SeeqPod - Playable Search
On the flip side - a brief run down of random facts inspired by the horny set list, song by song...
Sequestered in Memphis - The Hold Steady
Single from The Hold Steady's latest. One of the stronger tracks. If you aren't familiar with The Hold Steady, I implore you to seek them out.
Down to the Nightclub - Tower of Power
No list of songs with horns would be complete without the Tower of Power. I remember when they used to always sit in with Paul Schaefer on Friday night Letterman tapings. You know, back when Letterman had Chris Elliot writing for him and he was funny.
Van Morrison - Jackie Wilson Said
One of my friends once challenged me to name an famous Irish person who wasn't a singer, poet or novelist. This happened before the Internet, and therefore had no comeback. Had I had the Internet, I could have retorted with this.
Apache - Incredible Bongo Band
I'm sure you've heard this riff (do you define bongo rhythms as riffs?) before but had no idea who did it. In fact, I bet you had no idea that there was an entire band dedicated to the bongo. At least you know what you're getting when you see their name on the marquee.
Beginnings - Chicago
I used to hate it when I heard this song on the radio, and the deejay would talk over the percussive outro of the song. Let it play! No wonder we live in a jump cut society - deejays can't wait to get the next platter on the turntable!
Buena - Morphine
First heard this song when it was the music bed to NBC's Saturday night block of shows promotion years ago. Back when they were trying to cash in on the X-Files craze, giving us some alien based drama. No idea what the show was called. But I remembered Morphine. I think I came out ahead on that one.
Plenty Nasty - Diplomats of Sound
A band playing old school funk. Of course they have horns.
Hoist - Phish
You either love Phish or you don't. I was kinda into them, but not really. I do love this song though.
Traffic - Low Spark of High Heeled Boys
One day, when I write a script, and have need for a song playing in the background of a strip joint, I plan to make it this song. It will definitely give me the tone I'm looking for.
Ok, so those are mine - suggest yours in the comments below. I love finding out about new music.
I figured on this rainy afternoon, I would translate that to the web, and give a an (in)complete list of my favorite songs with horns in them. My criteria here was horns that support and not dominate the song. So unfortunately no Miles Davis or John Coltrane. Instead, I'm giving you a bunch of songs that have a little getup and go to them - courtesy of a backing group of musicians that like to blow.
SeeqPod - Playable Search
On the flip side - a brief run down of random facts inspired by the horny set list, song by song...
Sequestered in Memphis - The Hold Steady
Single from The Hold Steady's latest. One of the stronger tracks. If you aren't familiar with The Hold Steady, I implore you to seek them out.
Down to the Nightclub - Tower of Power
No list of songs with horns would be complete without the Tower of Power. I remember when they used to always sit in with Paul Schaefer on Friday night Letterman tapings. You know, back when Letterman had Chris Elliot writing for him and he was funny.
Van Morrison - Jackie Wilson Said
One of my friends once challenged me to name an famous Irish person who wasn't a singer, poet or novelist. This happened before the Internet, and therefore had no comeback. Had I had the Internet, I could have retorted with this.
Apache - Incredible Bongo Band
I'm sure you've heard this riff (do you define bongo rhythms as riffs?) before but had no idea who did it. In fact, I bet you had no idea that there was an entire band dedicated to the bongo. At least you know what you're getting when you see their name on the marquee.
Beginnings - Chicago
I used to hate it when I heard this song on the radio, and the deejay would talk over the percussive outro of the song. Let it play! No wonder we live in a jump cut society - deejays can't wait to get the next platter on the turntable!
Buena - Morphine
First heard this song when it was the music bed to NBC's Saturday night block of shows promotion years ago. Back when they were trying to cash in on the X-Files craze, giving us some alien based drama. No idea what the show was called. But I remembered Morphine. I think I came out ahead on that one.
Plenty Nasty - Diplomats of Sound
A band playing old school funk. Of course they have horns.
Hoist - Phish
You either love Phish or you don't. I was kinda into them, but not really. I do love this song though.
Traffic - Low Spark of High Heeled Boys
One day, when I write a script, and have need for a song playing in the background of a strip joint, I plan to make it this song. It will definitely give me the tone I'm looking for.
Ok, so those are mine - suggest yours in the comments below. I love finding out about new music.
Friday, April 11, 2008
I made you a "mix tape."
Remember when the best/coolest way to declare your love to someone was to make them a tape of songs? The time and effort devoted to choosing the perfect songs to tease the ulterior motive likely destroyed more relationships than it fostered. And ending it with “In Your Eyes?” Yeah – not your most original idea.
However, it was sort of sad to see the death of the mix tape. Sure CDs can be burned now, and playlists can be shared more prominently than ever on the Internet, but I have yet to stumble across that one website that affectionately remembers the fun and spontaneity of a mix tape.
Until now…
Muxtape.com is simple. You upload songs, arrange their order, give your set a name and then share it with the world. It’s easy and best of all, utilizes your record collection. If you want to put “Into the Mystic” next to that cool yodeling track you recorded with your dog – you got it.
And so, to break my muxtape cherry and yours (hey baby…) I humbly submit my first mix for your enjoyment. No, it’s not a declaration of love for any of you (I love you all, but we’re not at the mix tape stage yet) it’s something to get your feet moving. Who doesn’t love the funk? Throw it on when you’re pretending to clean your house, and in no time at all your neighbors will be gawking at your awkward body gyrations as they peep at you through your windows.
Click here to get your body jangly!
Trust me when I say I took waaay more time than I needed to choosing songs and choosing an order. Just like a mix tape should.
Seriously, if this doesn’t get you dancing, well then you’re just plain stupid.
And please – try it and throw your links in the comments. The community of music just got a neat ally in muxtape.com, and we’d be silly not to share.
However, it was sort of sad to see the death of the mix tape. Sure CDs can be burned now, and playlists can be shared more prominently than ever on the Internet, but I have yet to stumble across that one website that affectionately remembers the fun and spontaneity of a mix tape.
Until now…
Muxtape.com is simple. You upload songs, arrange their order, give your set a name and then share it with the world. It’s easy and best of all, utilizes your record collection. If you want to put “Into the Mystic” next to that cool yodeling track you recorded with your dog – you got it.
And so, to break my muxtape cherry and yours (hey baby…) I humbly submit my first mix for your enjoyment. No, it’s not a declaration of love for any of you (I love you all, but we’re not at the mix tape stage yet) it’s something to get your feet moving. Who doesn’t love the funk? Throw it on when you’re pretending to clean your house, and in no time at all your neighbors will be gawking at your awkward body gyrations as they peep at you through your windows.
Click here to get your body jangly!
Trust me when I say I took waaay more time than I needed to choosing songs and choosing an order. Just like a mix tape should.
Seriously, if this doesn’t get you dancing, well then you’re just plain stupid.
And please – try it and throw your links in the comments. The community of music just got a neat ally in muxtape.com, and we’d be silly not to share.
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