Screw April Fools – We’ve got Friday Music

Another edition for your eager little ears…..

First off, a special treat: Robert Rodriguez – “Sin City Theme”. Yes, that’s right: The brilliant bastard composed and performed the score as well as directing the damned thing. He is quickly becoming my idol.

Here’s a track that I recently re-discovered: Dire Straights – “Industrial Disease”. This was one of my favorite songs way back when. It was from the album Love Over Gold, which came out right before they hit huge with Brothers In Arms, and the absolute radio dominance that followed removed any desire that I had to ever hear them again. It seems that waiting 20 years is just long enough to like something again.

I have an obsession with Rufus Wainwright that is probably too much for any straight man. I first became aware of him via his cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” on the Shrek soundtrack, and soon afterwards saw him perform his cover of “Across the Universe” on some late-night talk show. I was hooked. Here’s a great track of his: Rufus Wainwright – “Matinee Idol”. I love how he plays around with the whole “tinny radio” sound on some of his vocals…he’s got the 30s-40s band singer thing down pat, as can be seen in his cameo in The Aviator.

Modern English is best known for “I Melt With You,” but they had more great songs which never got the same attention. My favorite is Modern English – “After The Snow”, which is from the album of the same name. A great example of what’s now being called “80s alternative”, but at the time I just called “cool.”

Spylab is a UK-based electronic duo, whose album, This Utopia has been on my writing-accompaniment playlist for a while now. Spylab – “The Call” is a fun track: a powerful breakbeat cut with a heavy-Scots-accent voiceover detailing a conspiracy theory involving mobile phones. Give it a listen, and wonder….

Immediately following the breakup of The Police, drummer Stewart Copeland went to Africa, armed with portable recording equipment, to capture ambient sounds, local tribal songs, and more. When he got back, he produced his first solo album, The Rhythmatist, which was abso-fucking-lutely brilliant, and of course, destined for relative obscurity. One track from the album was released as a single. Stewart Copeland – Gong Rock stands as one of the best examples of the art of sampling, as Copeland uses the sounds he found in Africa, and his own instrumentation, to craft a catchy, danceable tune.

There’s another week. Hope you liked it.