There was no Friday Music last week (too busy), and there will be no Friday Music next week (GenCon). So, that means that I must give you a good one this week!
First up — more new Muse! This is the official first single from the new album, The Resistance. Less overtly Queen-ish than the last track I posted — more Goldfrapp-y. I very much approve of the political content. They’re two for two on this new album, as far as I’m concerned…. Muse – “Uprising.”
For those of you who caught the video that I posted yesterday, here’s the mp3 — a single from the debut album of the world’s first ‘Trock’ (Time Lord Rock) band. Check the link I posted yesterday to order the CD. Chameleon Circuit – “An Awful Lot of Running.”
I recently upgraded by XBox footie game from FIFA 2004 to FIFA 2006 (Shaddap — I don’t have a 360 or any other new-fangled console). As such, I’ve been hearing an *awful lot* of the soundtrack. A couple of songs in particular stick in my head, so I’m passing them along.
First up, this lovely bit of post-punk which manages to sound a bit like something from the period they’re singing about — a nice slice of Cold-War-era Europe: The Rakes – “Strasbourg.”
And some blistering electrofunk from Jamiroquai, largely relegated to one-hit-wonder status here in the US (for “Virtual Insanity.”) — especially nifty in its use of filtered human beatboxing for the bassline. Jamiroquai – “Feels Just Like It Should.”
I was listening to this song, and realized that it was pretty much the last U2 song that I unreservedly loved. I’ve loved songs they’ve released since, but always with a caveat that they were never quite as good as their pre-1987 output. Part of this, I know, is pure teenage passion, and the nostalgia for same. Part, though, is a matter of passion on their part — once they released The Joshua Tree, they started believing their own press as The Greatest Band in The World, and lost their hunger. U2 – “Wire.”
An absolutely gothtastic and creepy cover of the Jefferson Airplane classic, by a operatically-trained vocalist (who places her vocals far back in the mix, as if you’re hearing someone sing it from another room, or at the bottom of a deep, dark well… Zola Jesus – “Somebody To Love.”
Also in the realm of creepy — in more of a Twin Peaks kinda retro vibe — is this instrumental piece from the Danish duo The Raveonettes, from their 2008 EP, Sometimes They Drop By. The Raveonettes – “Vintage Future.”
I really like the Blues. Simultaneously a period style, and yet constantly relevant. For example, this version of a Leadbelly classic, which I think I actually like better than the original. It’s the closing song from the last televised performance before Kurt Cobain’s death, which lends it even more power — and towards the end, when Cobain’s voice drags through the lyrics in what can only be described as an agonized howl…. Shivers. That’s the Blues. Nirvana – “Where Did You Sleep Last Night.”
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There you go, kids.
Enjoy.