Fleshisgrass says
List seven songs you are into right now. No matter what the genre, whether they have words, or even if they’re not any good, but they must be songs you’re really enjoying now, shaping your spring. Post these instructions in your blog along with your 7 songs. Then tag 7 other people to see what they’re listening to.
I’ve delved into the past as well. There’d be more recent tracks, but my iPod is in the car. Maybe I’ll do a followup post – hahhahhahahahahhahhaa! I crack myself up, I really do. Here we go:
Oahu by the 6ths – I actually listened to the entire beautiful shimmering fadeout thing on the drive home the other day. Most relaxing, which is probably not the best thing to be when you’re driving home at 10pm on Sunday.
Satellites by Parts & Labor – Very nice, and is it really trying to sound like a ZX Spectrum loading at the beginning?
Acid Again by Meat Beat Manifesto – After a conversation between Cassie and my landlady/Cassie’s college friend Rimah.
C**ts Are Still Running The World by Purves Grundy Jarvis Cocker – The final hidden track off his first solo album, and great for yelling along in the car. Cynical in the hopeful light of a new administration, but also very true.
Water From A Vine Leaf by William Orbit and Beth Orton – I like Billy O’s distinctive signature bloopy resonant effects, and her vocals ain’t bad either.
My Personal Life by John S Hall and Kramer – “… like an anger disease”. Funny stuff. Recently re-obtained after being trapped on vinyl.
Sensoria by Cabaret Voltaire – with a back catalogue and drums like this, you can almost forgive them for Keep On and working with Ten City.
My taggéd victims:
- The whole crew at WhatTheFuckIsWrongWithYouPeople.org, myself included (probably counts as more than 1, right?)
- Cassie, who is on Facebook
- Brian, cruising the mod/rocker no-mans land with nary a care in the world.
- James, The Man In The (Tooting) High (Road) Castle
- “OMG” Sarah Brown
- A.
- Robin (to be posted here, hopefully)
6 responses to “Spring Tunes – A Musical Post Under Welcome Duress”
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Ah, I shall chew on these at my leisure.
actually, if I had a music blog I would probably use that to advertise the songs that I liked, and then you could listen to them at your leisure. Maybe I should just do that? 🙂 OK, i’ll bung something on friendface, you never look at that anyway
Fine, fine. Give me a couple days.
And only because you’re so prolific on MY blog. (cough)
I don’t have a blog (I know, what a loser!) so I will just post mine here.
Pharaohs -Neko Case. She has such an incredible voice that I almost feel jealousy when I listen to her. This is from her new record called “Middle Cyclone†and there are a lot of great songs on it but this is the one that currently has my attention.
Country Feedback – REM. For some reason my iPod has been on an REM kick when I have it on random, which I usually do. This song has come up a few times and reminded me how much I love it so I have been playing it a lot.
Bittersweet – Big Head Todd and the Monsters. Another nearly forgotten gem. I don’t think I had heard this song in 10 years when somehow it popped into my head and was immediately downloaded. It is such a lovely song and reminds me of my first year in college when I was young and had the whole world at my feet. It’s funny that listening to it now I understand it so much better than I used to. It’s basically about love not turning out as you might have hoped it would. Now, this is not my experience with love (I am, after all, posting this to my boyfriend’s blog. I love you Matt!) but I just had zero real experience with love at the time and it all seemed so foreign to me back then. Anyway, it’s a great song with an awesome bassline.
Across 110th Street – Bobby Womak. My dad recently put this on a mix for me and I have really been getting into it. I had heard it many times before. Most notably in the brilliant opening to the very underrated film Jackie Brown. Now, I don’t know much about working my way out of the ghetto- I am as white and suburban as they come -but I know a kick ass song when I hear it and this is one kick ass song. It’s one of three songs that I have bothered to put on my iPhone.
The Washington Twist – Bill Evans. A classic for me. I never let too much time go by without listening to this song. It makes it onto every mix I make whether it be for an outdoor summertime BBQ or a classy Christmas cocktail party. It is the sparkling and cool epitome of what real jazz should be. An almost perfect composition.
Squalor Victoria – The National. I don’t quite know why this song has be so firmly by the throat but it does. I listen to it a lot these days, especially at the gym. It’s not terribly upbeat work out music per say, but it really gets me in the mood to be active. I think it’s the drums.
In the Aeroplane Over The Sea – Neutral Milk Hotel. I was really into this song at this time last year and now that the weather has changed it has put me in the mood for it again. Such a beautiful song written by someone much smarter and more fucked up than I could ever hope to be. I guess that’s why I work a desk job instead of living in self-imposed depressive squalor out of view from the throngs of hipsters begging me to make another album. Come to think of it, that’s cool with me.
OK, I need to get some new music. Most of this stuff is more than 10 years old. I swear, I used to be so up on this stuff.
I don’t know if I can put it down to specific songs per se, but these are at least the seven albums I’ve been listening to.
Jake Thackray – Live Performance. I’ve gotten into a Thackray kick over the last year or so, after never having heard of the guy before. I bought the 4 CD set, which was promptly exhausted. And now, with me having gotten into the whole iTunes thing, I picked up a live album of his, and am now exhausting that. It’s great stuff, especially knowing that the parts I found funny are indeed objectively funny.
Serge Lama – Un jour, un vie. Another live album bought on iTunes, this time for a guy I’ve been listening to forever. Now, though, there’s stuff on there that I don’t know, which makes for a nice change. And the audience is good, quiet when they’re supposed to be, loud when they’re not. And it’s Serge, and he suits my default state melancholia.
Betty Carter – I’m Yours, You’re Mine. Another iTunes find, another singer I’ve been listening to forever. Sam’s, my old jazz source is long gone, and Amazon was quickly drained, so iTunes is proving a steady supply for stuff I could never seem to find. And Betty Carter – she deserves way more credit, to be in the pantheon with Billie and Ella. And this has a different version of “Lonely Houseâ€. And it’s her final album. Unreal.
Bob & Gene – If This World Were Mine. I was on a Sharon Jones kick last year, and it’s resurged, which led me checking out more Daptone Records stuff, and right now I seem to be focused on Bob & Gene. Two teenagers who recorded a fairly good soul album at a knockoff Motown in Buffalo, and never were released. A few decades later, they’re out as part of the soul-revivalist movement. And they’re fucking great. Sure, the record is a bit rough, but the earnestness just pours through. So it’s the music, and also the feel of opportunities lost.
Camera Obscura – My Maudlin Career. Yeah, I love the Camera. Shoot me. And while it’s not as good as Let’s Get Out of This Country, it’s only by yea much. Me lubs.
Bob Dylan – Together Through Life. He just keeps knocking them out of the park lately. Nice bayou-bluesy feel. Not the most profound stuff he’s ever written, but man, are there some great tunes on there.
Bee Gees – Best Of. Yeah. What can I say? I’ve been busy painting the kitchen. Disco keeps energized just long enough to lay down the next coat. Enh.