Category: Music

Sitting here in the Mayflower hotel in DC. The Minion has been packed off for her day of VIP tours.

I just realized that I didn’t prepare for Friday Music this week (for obvious reasons), so I’m afraid no tunes will be forthcoming today.

By the way, I’m having some odd issues with getting my mail via browser today. It worked fine yesterday, but today, constant checks reveal empty inboxes — even of spam. It’s almost like my Mail program at home is on, and pulling messages from the servers before I can check them online, but I know I didn’t leave it running….

So, anyway, if you have a pressing need to reach me today, your best bets are cellphone, or by leaving comments here.

(EDIT: Mail’s back up. Apparently, had what she is referring to as a “Lucy moment”, and my mail *was* being pulled home.)

Not sure how I’ll spend my day — weather is going to be intermittent rain, I’ve done the DC tourist thing before, etc. I’m sure I’ll figure something out.

This week’s installment:

Caught a recent episode of ICONOCLASTS, the Sundance Channel show where they film as two creatives from different fields hang out and talk (the first episode I saw was Quentin Tarantino and Fiona Apple, for example). This most recent episode featured Eddie Vedder (from Pearl Jam) and Laird Hamilton. They hung out at Hamilton’s family home in Hawaii, and talked art, music and surfing. During the show, Vedder played the following song for Hamilton, which was recorded as a tribute to the big wave rider: Pearl Jam – “Big Wave.”

Catching the internet trailer for Lost Boys 2, and hearing the emo cover of “Cry Little Sister” during it (by some group called Aiden, which will be featured on the soundtrack), reminded me of how much I liked Gerard McMann’s original. According to the wiki entry, McMann says that he’s recorded new material for the new film. Another chalk mark in the “maybe it won’t suck” column. Gerard McMann – “Cry Little Sister.”

For : The original single version, complete with Max Headroom: The Art of Noise (feat. Max Headroom): “Paranoimia.”

Some new Swedish pop, with a distinctly Winehousean vibe, from one of the contestants of their version of the ubiquitous Idol competitions. Pretty good stuff. Amanda Jenssen – “Do You Love Me.”

There was a turntable group in NYC that called themselves the X-Men. They got an album release in the early part of this decade, where, for legal reasons, they were called the X-Ecutioners. They had one single, a collaboration with Linkin Park, to cash in on the rap-rock sound, which was actually pretty good: The X-Ecutioners (feat. Linkin Park) – “It’s Going Down.”

I was listening to Donald Fagen’s “The Nightfly” earlier this week. It still blows me away — only 8 tracks, and every one of them perfect. Here’s one of my favorites — a cautionary tale of an interracial Romeo & Juliet: Donald Fagen – “Green Flower Street.”

Lastly, some remixed Miles Davis, from the Evolution of the Groove Remix album. Late in the song, they hand some MC duties over to Nas, and it’s not bad — but really, I think they should have kept it just the Miles stuff, which is far, far better. Miles Davis (feat. Nas) – “Freedom Jazz Dance (Evolution of the Groove).”

Here we go….

In my search for music, I often find myself pestering store clerks to find out what they’ve got playing over the sound system that has caught my attention. Here’s a recent discovery via this method. I hunted down the single, and now I’ll definitely be giving the band a closer listen: Of Montreal – “Forecast Fascist Future.”

The news is official — Season 4 of Doctor Who will be launching in the UK on April 5th (and in the US via Sci-Fi later that same month, from what I hear). They’ve done a new arrangement of the theme tune, which debuted during the Christmas special, “Voyage of the Damned.” Here it is: Murray Gold – “Doctor Who 2008 Theme.”

Trip-hop pioneers Portishead have a new album, Third, out in late April. Here’s one of the tracks. Still the same slightly melancholy feel that featured in “Sour Times” (“Nobody loves me….”), but married with a more aggressively cutting-edge sound. It’s good to hear them staying ahead of the curve in the genre they helped to create. Portishead – “We Carry On.”

Some German pop-punk, at the request of The Minion: Die Toten Hosen – “Alles aus Liebe.”

In honor of the coming of Spring…. a bit of swingy, lounge-y, nu-jazz from a German-based act that features musicians from all over the world. I need a Martini. Club des Belugas – “It’s A Beautiful Day.”

Lastly, a cool track from the soundtrack of the nifty-but-largely-missed film Lucky Number Slevin. I really love this track — but then I remember that Kansas City hasn’t really been cool since the 1930s, despite what the song might have you believe. J. Ralph – “Kansas City Shuffle.”

Have a great weekend!