Category: Music

Not as many tracks this week — Busy week.

The latest bit of earworm advertising from Apple — their new commercials for the iTunes music store had me hunting this track down: The Ting Tings – “Shut Up And Let Me Go.”

I tracked down this song from the Shoot ‘Em Up soundtrack, only to discover an entire Oakenfold album from a couple of years back that I had missed. I love the mix of T-Rex-ish and Bond-ish guitars in this. Paul Oakenfold – “Switch On.”

Some Mash-up Auf Deutsch! DJ Morgoth is offering an entire CD’s worth of german-artist mash-ups for free on his website. Go forth and download. I’m a big fan of this one, which mixes Rammstein and Fettes Brot: DJ Morgoth – “Schwule Sonne (Rammstein vs Fettes Brot).”

For those attending the forthcoming concert in KC, where Elvis Costello will be opening for The Police, I give you a track from Mr. Costello’s latest album, Momofuku: Elvis Costello & The Imposters – “Go Away.”

Lastly, I like it. That’s the only reason. Soul Coughing – “Super Bon Bon.”

Here we go….

Scarlett Johansson is the latest to try the actress-turned-singer route — she’s got her first album coming out later this month. The difference is that Scarlett’s album is a collection of Tom Waits covers — and she’s got folks like David Bowie providing backing vocals. For example: Scarlett Johansson – “Falling Down (feat. David Bowie).”

Also out later this month is Same As It Never Was, the new album from UK jazz/electronic/hip-hop/just-plain-fucking-COOL group The Herbaliser. Since I’m on their mailing list, they sent me a link to a free mp3 from the new stuff — a smoking retro-soul-ish track: The Herbaliser – “You’re Not All That (feat. Jessica Darling — Radio Edit).”

Paris-based DJ Pilooski has done an interesting remix of an old, lesser-known Del Shannon tune. I really like how this one turned out: Del Shannon – “Gemini (Pilooski Edit)”

I’ve been listening quite a bit to the soundtrack of the UK TV series Ashes to Ashes — sequel to Life on Mars, but this time it’s Keeley Hawes sent back to 1981. I enjoyed the show (not quite as much as LOM, but that was uniquely brilliant), and the soundtrack is full of gems from 81. Like this one: Tenpole Tudor – “Swords of a Thousand Men.”

Speaking of the 80s, this one has been stuck in my head for a bit, and I have no other reason to post it other than the fact that it’s one of my all-time favorite songs, and was my introduction to the band: INXS – “The One Thing.”

Saul Williams is the place where hip-hop and spoken-word poetry intersect. This was his debut recording in 1997, from the poetry-slam collection Crucialpoetics, Vol 1. It’s got a lot to say. Some of it isn’t work-safe. You should listen to it, even if you don’t like hip-hop….ESPECIALLY if you don’t like hip-hop. Saul Williams – “Twice the First Time.”

And lastly, a bit of groovy hipster Tarantino-tinged cool, just because: Fun-lovin’ Criminals – “Scooby Snacks.”

Enjoy.

More goodies:

First up, for my brother — one of the rarer dance tracks out there. Apotheosis did this slamming bit of goodness, based around the famous first movement of Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana, under the mistaken impression that it was a public-domain bit of classical composition. It isn’t. Orff’s estate was pissed off, and subsequently, every CD with this track on it was recalled. However, thanks to the glories of Teh Intarwebs: Apotheosis – “O Fortuna.”

For a total gear-shift, here’s the opening music from HBO’s John Adams miniseries — a track which is such a riff on the theme from The Last Mohicans that I’m surprised Daniel Day Lewis doesn’t have whiplash as a result. Excellent work, nonetheless: Robert Lane and Joseph Vitarelli – “John Adams: Opening Titles.”

Another track from the Victorian English Gentlemen’s Club, whom I’ve posted about before (a year or more ago). They’ve captured the melodic bass and chiming guitar sound of mid-80s post-punk UK alternative pretty well: Victorian English Gentlemen’s Club – “My Son Spells Backwards.”

Here’s a song that’s more interesting than it is good — the unused title track from the 1983 alterno-James-Bond film Never Say Never Again. The story goes that this track was completed, but that the composer of the films score demaded that he be able to provide the title track as well (which, as some of you might remember is… less than stellar). This unused track is very much of the same family as the genuine (EON-produced) Bond themes of the early 80s — a love ballad, with some Bondian minor key stuff thrown in. As I said, not necessarily good, but definitely of interest to Bond fans: Phyllis Hyman – “Never Say Never Again.”

Some clever hip-hop from UK DJ Format, with Canadian-based rapper Abdominal providing the vocals. It makes me smile. DJ Format (ft. Abominal) – “The Hit Song.”

I hadn’t intended the last three songs to fit a genre theme, but they very much do — they’re all part of the late-90s exploration of mixing hip-hop with hard rock (and not in the annoying “rapcore” sense, but in actual collaborations between established artists in their own fields):

This track is one of the first, from a soundtracked filled with such collaborations (from the otherwise forgotten film Judgement Night). Faith No More & Boo-Ya Tribe – “Another Body Murdered.”

Here’s my favorite version of a smash hit from Outkast — this version was remixed by Zach De La Rocha while he was still with Rage Against The Machine: Outkast – “Bombs Over Baghdad (Rage Against the Machine remix)”

…and lastly, the lyrically NSFW collab between Wu-Tang Clan and System of a Down, that managed to take one of ODB’s more ridiculous tracks from Enter the Wu-Tang and rework it into an amazing bit of aggression: Wu-Tang and System of a Down – “Shame on a Nigga.”

Now, sufficiently energized, I return to work.