Category: Music

This week’s selections:

Grey skies. Grey days. This is a song that I always associate with this kind of weather, for reasons that I no longer remember. Robert Plant – “In The Mood.”

On a Halloween-y theme: I was introduced to this by a friend in my sophomore year of college. He knew of my love of the horror genre, and of the music of The Doors. He said to me: “You need to listen to this: Horror lyrics, sung by a guy who sounds like a Satanist version of Jim Morrison.” I did, and picked up the album later that day. Danzig – “Twist of Cain.”

Sticking on the spooky theme for a moment, here’s another track by Jill Tracy, who does this sort of lounge-jazz Cruella DeVille routine which I think is nifty (I had posted her “Fine Art of Poisoning” waaaaaaaaay back in the early days of Friday Music.) Jill Tracy – “Evil Night Together.”

One of my favorite story-ballads from the debut album by Suzanne Vega. I really preferred this sound to her later work, which added a fuller band behind her. She is far more suited to the accoustic singer-songwriter thing, in my opinion. Love the lyrics on this one. Suzanne Vega – “The Queen and the Soldier.”

Another absolutely BRILLIANT mash-up. I was gobsmacked at how well it works: George Michael vs Bon Jovi – “Careless or Dead.”

This is the new single from Gwen Stefani’s forthcoming album, The Sweet Escape, due out in December– I haven’t quite made up my mind about it yet. I *love* the production and the beat mix (the Neptunes are responsible), and the unexpected source of the main sample riff (The Sound of Music‘s “The Lonely Goatherd”). Vocally, though, it’s very B-A-N-A-N-A-S…a bit too remeniscent of “Hollaback Girl.” I’m liking it more and more, though: Gwen Stefani – “Wind It Up.”

Lastly, another song for the grey day. The vocal track from which the classic Twin Peaks took its main theme. Julee Cruise – “Falling.”

Enjoy.

Kids are here. Parents are here. Wedding tomorrow.

Here’s a short version of Friday Music for you:

An absolutely brilliant cover of a great song — Me First and the Gimme Gimmes – “Science Fiction Double Feature.”

The official version of the new Bond theme is out…and this mix is MUCH better. They’ve brought the orchestral bits further into the mix, and it makes all the difference, in my opinion: Chris Cornell – “You Know My Name.”

Sting has a new album of Renaissance music, which resulted from when someone gave him a lute as a gift. Really beautiful stuff: Sting – “Can She Excuse My Wrongs.”

I’m afraid that’s all I have time for this week. More next week, I promise!

First off, for Friday the 13th, we have a Halloween-themed mashup (and not one of the ones that I posted earlier in the week, either): Nine Inch Nails vs Ray Parker Jr. – “The Ghost That Feeds.”

When I first heard about this project, I posted here that I would be featuring it the minute that I heard anything from it. Well, here it is. Blur/Gorillaz frontman Damon Albarn has been in the studio with The Clash’s bassist Paul Simonon, former Verve member and Blur and Gorillaz guitarist Simon Tong, and Fela Kuti drummer Tony Allen, recording an album which is being produced by Gnarls Barkley’s DJ Dangermouse. The first single has leaked. Here it is: The Good, The Bad & The Queen – “Herculean.” The single is officially released at the end of the month, with the album following in December or January.

I heard a new artist this week — at first I thought she was Swedish, but it turns out that she’s Australian, but of Swedish descent. Anyway, she does really amazing downtempo/trip-hop kinda stuff, so I’m giving you two of her tracks: Inga Liljestrom – “Phoenix.” and Inga Liljestrom – “Bullet.”

For as long as I’ve been doing this, I’ve barely posted songs from my favorite band, Steely Dan. I’m not going to hit you with “Reelin’ In The Years” or “Hey Nineteen”, or any of the other more well-known tracks (although, really, ALL of their stuff is pretty well-known). Here’s is one of my favorites, which, although not as popular as their more well-known stuff, is still pretty damned cool: Steely Dan – “Pretzel Logic.”

While we’re on the subject of older music that I love, here is my favorite track from R.E.M. It was the song that introduced me to the band (thanks to MTV), and I associate it with the memory of riding 12-speed racing bikes, drunk, in the middle of the night down a sandy beachfront road with two of my best friends from the period, singing this at the top of our lungs (long story…and lucky I survived). R.E.M. – “Can’t Get There From Here.”

Here’s a band that I will completely admit drew me in with their name, and the name of the song. Ever have that happen? It almost always turns out that the results are never quite as interesting as the name promised. Not here, though. This stuff is quite nifty: Hawk and Handsaw – “God Bless The Ottoman Empire.”

Lastly, here is a brilliant Bhangra remix of one of my favorite tracks from Nelly Furtado, off her second album Folklore: Nelly Furtado – “Powerless (Say What You Want) – JOSH Desi remix.”

Enjoy.