Category: Music

Strange mix this week — but hey, that’s my mood all over.

First up, another classic track from the 30s, in honor of the pulptastic reading that I’ve managed to do this week. The Slim Gaillard Orchestra (Feat. Charlie Parker) – “Flat Foot Floogie.”

I haven’t posted any hip-hop in a while, and I came across two tracks this week that I really like. The first one bridges the gap from jazz, as it’s based around a sample from Nina Simone: Talib Kweli – “Get By.”

The second track is from the closing credits of the neo-noir film Lucky Number Slevin, which I finally managed to see last week, and enjoyed quite a bit. J. Ralph – “Kansas City Shuffle.”

Keeping on the noir angle for a bit, here’s something from the German group Flanger, whom I’ve heard described as “post-jazz.” I was initially attracted by the song title, and the song itself certainly did not disappoint: Flanger – “Crime In The Pale Moonlight.”

Carbon/Silicon is a new project from Mick Jones (The Clash/Big Audio Dynamite) and Tony James (Sigue Sigue Sputnik), which was enough to get me to listen. Even cooler is the fact that they have a page on their website filled with free MP3 downloads. Here’s one of the tracks: Carbon/Silicon – “The News.”

Aphrodite’s Child was a Greek progressive-rock band from the late 60s/early 70s which featured Vangelis (who went on to such things as scoring the films Chariots of Fire and Bladerunner). I stumbled across this track earlier this week, and its oddness won me over, so I’m presenting it here: Aphrodite’s Child – “The Four Horsemen.”

Lastly is a track that I will fully admit I only listened to because of a kick-ass song title. The band name was equally nifty, so I gave it a shot. It’s not quite what I expected, but I kinda like it: Apostle of Hustle – “My Sword Hand’s Anger.”

There you go, kids. Enjoy.

A bit late today — I had a two-hour conference call that ate my morning.

Without further ado:

More goodness from Amy Winehouse. Her album will debut in the US in March, and I highly recommend it. I’ve already shared “Rehab” and “You Know I’m No Good” with you….now here’s another gem: Amy Winehouse – “Addicted.”

I’ve also given you a few tracks from the Damon Albarn “supergroup”, The Good The Bad & The Queen….there was an article about them in a recent issue of Time Out New York, where I discovered that yes, that is the name of the album, but technically, the band itself has no name. They’re being categorized by the record company and booking agents under the album name, but that’s it. Here’s another track from the album….and one where you can really hear the influence of bassist Phil Simenon (formerly of The Clash): The Good The Bad & The Queen – “Three Changes.”

When I’m working on pulp stuff, I often listen to period music. Here’s a hit from 1938, which launched the careers of a group that went on to be superstars of the 40s — The Andrews Sisters – “Bei Mir Bist du Schoen.”

In 1983, a local Long Island group hit big….although not as big as was expected. Zebra was touted as the next Led Zeppelin in some critical circles, and two singles from their debut self-titled album seemed to speak to that. I recently found a copy of the album, and I’ve been reminded of just how good these guys were — easily as good as Def Leppard in the same era, but never quite managing to get the deserved attention. These are the two singles from the album, which remind me of the last year I spent on Long Island before moving to Kansas in 1984. Zebra – “Tell Me What You Want.” was the lead single, and the follow-up, Zebra – “Who’s Behind The Door.” was the big mystic Zep-esque epic.

During the same period, I was a huge fan of Squeeze. Here is one of my favorite compositions from Messrs. Difford and Tillbrook: Squeeze – “Another Nail In My Heart.”

Lastly, one of the great “story songs” from the minds of Donald Fagen and Walter Becker. This is a prime example of what I love about Steely Dan — this song is practically a film-noir story set to music. Steely Dan – “Don’t Take Me Alive.”

Enjoy.

Friday Music is taking a week’s hiatus — obviously, given the events of the past week, I haven’t been able to go hunting for any cool stuff to share with you. Next week, I’ll get back to it.