Friday Music

First off, for Friday the 13th, we have a Halloween-themed mashup (and not one of the ones that I posted earlier in the week, either): Nine Inch Nails vs Ray Parker Jr. – “The Ghost That Feeds.”

When I first heard about this project, I posted here that I would be featuring it the minute that I heard anything from it. Well, here it is. Blur/Gorillaz frontman Damon Albarn has been in the studio with The Clash’s bassist Paul Simonon, former Verve member and Blur and Gorillaz guitarist Simon Tong, and Fela Kuti drummer Tony Allen, recording an album which is being produced by Gnarls Barkley’s DJ Dangermouse. The first single has leaked. Here it is: The Good, The Bad & The Queen – “Herculean.” The single is officially released at the end of the month, with the album following in December or January.

I heard a new artist this week — at first I thought she was Swedish, but it turns out that she’s Australian, but of Swedish descent. Anyway, she does really amazing downtempo/trip-hop kinda stuff, so I’m giving you two of her tracks: Inga Liljestrom – “Phoenix.” and Inga Liljestrom – “Bullet.”

For as long as I’ve been doing this, I’ve barely posted songs from my favorite band, Steely Dan. I’m not going to hit you with “Reelin’ In The Years” or “Hey Nineteen”, or any of the other more well-known tracks (although, really, ALL of their stuff is pretty well-known). Here’s is one of my favorites, which, although not as popular as their more well-known stuff, is still pretty damned cool: Steely Dan – “Pretzel Logic.”

While we’re on the subject of older music that I love, here is my favorite track from R.E.M. It was the song that introduced me to the band (thanks to MTV), and I associate it with the memory of riding 12-speed racing bikes, drunk, in the middle of the night down a sandy beachfront road with two of my best friends from the period, singing this at the top of our lungs (long story…and lucky I survived). R.E.M. – “Can’t Get There From Here.”

Here’s a band that I will completely admit drew me in with their name, and the name of the song. Ever have that happen? It almost always turns out that the results are never quite as interesting as the name promised. Not here, though. This stuff is quite nifty: Hawk and Handsaw – “God Bless The Ottoman Empire.”

Lastly, here is a brilliant Bhangra remix of one of my favorite tracks from Nelly Furtado, off her second album Folklore: Nelly Furtado – “Powerless (Say What You Want) – JOSH Desi remix.”

Enjoy.