Category: Music

A lot of stuff this week. First up are a couple of special entries, and then on to the selections for this installment:

Wilson Pickett died yesterday, of a heart attack. He was only 64. I’ve chosen two selections from his work, and you’ll forgive me if they’re too obvious, but I really like ’em: “In The Midnight Hour” and “Mustang Sally.”

The next special entry we have is a request from , who wanted to be able to hear the song that I had chosen to represent her character, Gideon, from our Serenity RPG campaign, on the soundtrack CD that I had burned. Here it is: Filter – “Hey Man Nice Shot.”

Now, on to the main selections for the week:

I just heard this last week, and it blew me away. This is the lead single from songsfordustmites, the debut album from Steve Burns. Some of you might recognize that name….Steve used to be the host of Nickelodeon’s toddler-riffic show, Blue’s Clues (which my kids were totally addicted to). He left the show to pursue a music career, and if this song is any indication of his ability, I really hope that he’s able to ditch the image of the kid-show host, because he deserves to make it big. Check this out: Steve Burns – “Mighty Little Man.”

Here’s a song from the very early 90s…I was working at KANU, and for some reason, we were sent this CD of sample-based electronica. Since it didn’t fit any of our shows, it went on the freebie table, and I grabbed it. This CD became my entry point into the electronic music scene that was coming out of the UK at the time. This song completely hooked me with its brilliant re-working of samples…there’s a guitar loop from a Slayer song used as a rhythm track, and the entire song is based on a vocal hook from Kate Bush: Utah Saints – “Something Good.”

More new stuff (well, OK, new-ER stuff. It’s from 2005) that I’ve recently discovered, and have really enjoyed. A nice mix of modern electronic and “indie”, mixed with old-school dance and new wave: LCD Soundsystem – “Tribulations.”

Another 2005 track, this time from the French group M83. (Fear not, they’re singing in English) Yet another group that manages a nice updating of the 80s-alternative-new wave sound. I have to admit, I’m loving this revival. M83 – “Don’t Save Us From The Flames.”

Here’s a track to get you moving on a gloomy January day: Republica – “Ready to Go.”

More new stuff (I went new-music hunting this past week, and was rewarded by some really brilliant discoveries) — This song reminds a little bit of what it might have sounded like if Dale Bozzio (lead singer of Missing Persons) had done lead vocals for The Fixx. Tegan and Sara are identical twin sisters from Canada, both gay, whose music is sort of a cross between folk and new-wave. Really great sound. Tegan & Sara – “Walking With A Ghost.”

Last new discovery of the week: TV On The Radio. This track comes from 2003, but I’m just finding it now, so it’s new to me! They’re a group from Brooklyn that does melodic, eerie experimental music…I can’t really describe it. Give it a listen: TV On The Radio – “Staring at the Sun.”

There you go. Hope that I’ve expanded some horizons.

Hey folks….

First up, as requested last week by , a track in tribute to Lou Rawls, who died last Friday. I decided to go with my favorite: Lou Rawls – “You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine.”

When I was a young’n, I was a huge fan of U2. No, let me correct that. I was a HUGE fan. It was with the release of their biggest break-through album, The Joshua Tree, that they started to lose me. They went from being a phenominal alternative post-punk garage band from Ireland into an overproduced global supergroup. I still like the band, but it’s usually one or two songs on each album now, rather than playing an album until it falls apart….and it’s usually the songs that remind me of the older sound. Here is one of my favorite U2 tracks, from the last album where they still had me, The Unforgettable Fire: U2 – “Wire.” (Be patient…the link sometimes takes a bit to connect, but once it does the speed is pretty good.)

Armin van Buuren is the top DJ in the world, holding the Guiness Record for longest DJ set (12 and half hours), and having a number of top-selling progressive trance mix releases under his belt. He’s started releasing his own “artist albums” as well (featuring his own compositions, rather than mixes of other artists), and this is the title track from his most recent, which I like very very much: Armin van Buuren – “Shivers (feat. Susana)”

Ever since I added “Man of Constant Sorrow” to my Serenity RPG playlist, the tracks on the Oh Brother Where Art Thou soundtrack have all started to make me think of my campaign. This track, with its reverential, mournful sound, absolutely reminds me of the situation that the crew of Icarus find themselves in: Alison Krauss – “Down To The River To Pray.”

I can’t remember if I’ve previously posted this or not, so if I have, bear with me. A brilliant cover of Smokey Robinson by one of my favorite second-wave Ska bands (and, as I’ve mentioned before, one of my favorite bands of all time, period.): The English Beat – “Tears of a Clown.”

It’s hard for me to think of this song now without picturing Bill Murray trying his best in a Tokyo karaoke bar, from “Lost In Translation.” I’ve always loved this song. Roxy Music – “More Than This.”

While I’m in a classic mood, I figure that I’ll go ahead and post my favorite track by The Rolling Stones. The best things about this song are Keith Richards guitar work and the amazing vocals by the back-up singer Merry Clayton (who was one of Ray Charles’ Raelettes in the 60s): The Rolling Stones – “Gimmie Shelter.” In my opinion, this is the best Rolling Stone song ever recorded.

…and, lastly, I blame the fangirls for this one (you know who you are). Ever since you guys started talking about the DVDs, this has been stuck in my head, so now I’m sticking it into other people’s heads to get it out of mine. Queen – “Princes of the Universe.” So there.

More music next week.

I really missed doing this last week….so, here we go.

First, a special treat for the crew of Icarus: The Fruity Oaty Bars commercial jingle, from “Serenity.”

This was one of the top dance tracks of 2005. Just listening to it makes me want to go clubbing, which I haven’t done in far too long. The electronic group Deep Dish contacted Stevie Nicks to ask permission to do a house version of “Dreams”….and not only did Ms. Nicks say Yes, but she also offered to sing vocals on the track. It turned out *really* well. I actually like this version better than the original. Deep Dish (feat. Stevie Nicks) – “Dreams.”

One of the niftier bands that I discovered in 2005 was Maximo Park, a band out of northern England that has yet to really break out over here yet. This is a track from their album, A Certain Trigger: Maximo Park – “Once a Glimpse.”

This is an absolutely smoking underground hip hop track from Japan. The song comes from a movie soundtrack about the underground hip hop movement in Tokyo, called “TKO Hip Hop” (TKO being slang for Tokyo, in the same way that “Brick City” is the slang for Newark and “Shaolin” is Staten Island). The group of MCs collectively call themselves TKO, and the song is also called TKO. So you’ve got a real “Bad Company, by Bad Company, off the album Bad Company” kinda thing going on here….but damn this track is good. Using the tabla drum loop is inspired, and I’ve said it before: Japanese, being a consonantal language with heavy emphasis on the syllables, makes for a PERFECT language to rap in. TKO – “TKO.” (Edit: Copy-and-paste this one, rather than clicking.)

I actually discovered this band via another MP3 blog….before finding out that they’re a local Lawrence band. They are sort of indie/folk/rock….with harmonies. A sound that, to me, is very reminiscent of Crosby Stills and Nash. OK Jones – “I Can Tune You Out.”

Here’s a song that Kanye West stole from Ray Charles. I’m stealing it back. West used hooks from this song (sung by Jamie Foxx) to form the basis of his current hit, “Gold Digger.” It only reminded me of how good the original song was, 50 years earlier. Ray Charles – “I Got A Woman.”

If you’re going to use samples, be creative, and use them to come up with something new. For example, here’s another track by Books, a group that I featured last year. They use obscure samples, combined in interesting ways, to come up with entirely new compositions. This is an example of their work. Every sound you hear is sampled. Books – “It Never Changes.”

Hanin Elias is a German/Syrian woman who mixes hardcore electronic dance with sultry vocals, summed up perfectly by the title of her new album, Future Noir. This is a track from that album (speaker warning– the song starts quietly, with the sound of a match being struck, but then gets loud…don’t turn it up because you can’t hear anything!): Hanin Elias – “Burn.”

I’m sure that a lot of you already know this song, but I love it, so I’m posting it. There are very few songs that get commercial success and airplay that have such overtly pagan subject matter, but this is certainly a shining example: Loreena McKennit – “The Mummers’ Dance.”

Lastly, here’s a song that I like that often gets eclipsed by a dance remix version that was popular in clubs a couple of years ago. I prefer the original single, with its solid walls of strings. Starsailor – “Four to the Floor.”

There you go, kids. First one of the new year. Many more to come.