Iron & Wine//Sodom, S. Georgia; Naked As We Came; Walking Far From Home

Have you ever noticed how many Iron & Wine songs are about death? I mean, honestly guys, it's a lot. Here are three of my favorites. The first two are from the fantastic album Our Endless Numbered Days (even the title is about death) and the last one (which is maybe only about death in the abstract) is from the new(ish) Walking Far From Home single (thanks, Tash).

Some artists just write songs that are so inherently emotional. The drama of the music and the sentimental nature of the lyrics in all three of these songs can bring me to tears. And I'm not always sure why it is that I'm crying. Maybe it's just because even though our days can feel endless, we know deep down that they are numbered. We are mortal. We are fragile. We are vulnerable. Samuel Beam is just reminding us.



Sodom, South Georgia.mp3

Naked As We Came.mp3

Walking Far From Home.mp3

She says, if I leave before you, darlin,
Don't you waste me in the ground.
I'll lay smiling like our sleeping children.
One of us will die inside these arms,
Eyes wide open,
Naked as we came.
One will spread our ashes round the yard.

Midlake//Roscoe

Wow. Between now and last we spoke, I rode some roller coasters and turned 28. Well, that wasn’t all…but those are the highlights.

I’ve also become something of a road warrior, making the 45-mile-per-way quest from Costa Mesa to Los Angeles each day for work. Intense commute times are particularly fertile ground for album obsession and that is exactly what has happened here.

I heard this song while listening to KCRW (another maintaining-sanity-whilst-driving mainstay). At first, I didn’t think much of it. The awkward lyrics were kind of a turn off…but then, a few hours passed and I found that I still had it in my head. I looked it up and found that it was by a band called Midlake from an album called The Trials of Van Occupanther.

The sounds and structures of the songs on this collection conjure a pleasant mash of a few bands I never exactly got hooked on (Fleetwood Mac, Jethro Tull, Jackson Browne) and then re-contextualizes in a way that I love. Of course, all with a dash of Radiohead. Radiohead: the spice of life?

I really hope you love this as much as me. But if you don't, that's ok.



Roscoe.mp3

The village used to be all one really needs.
Now, it's filled with hundreds and hundreds of chemicals
That mostly surround you--you wish to flee
But it's not like you so listen to me, listen to me.

Beyoncé//Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)

Apparently I am having a poppy week. That said, I am not ashamed at all of how much I like this song.

Although I'm sure I've heard it millions of times, I didn't really think about it until I was watching Glee (the jury's still out on that one) with my mom, girlfriend and little sister at Thanksgiving. My sister showed me the clip where the show's gay character Kurt gets caught mimicking the video of this song with his friends and then somehow ends up going out for the football team and teaching it, choreography and all, to the players. Yeah, it's TV. Still, I haven't been able to get this song out of my head since then.

I also stumbled upon this amazing post on Carrie Brownstein's Monitor Mix shortly thereafter. Now the track is firmly implanted in my brain.

Hey. If you like it, then you shoulda put a ring on it! Oh wait. You can't. Yep, this song just happens to also be timely today, as the NY State Senate voted down marriage equality. As my other sister said, "Rat Bastards."

According to Beyoncé (and everyone knows that Beyoncé is not only a class act, but also omniscient), not proposing in time can lead to disaster. Thanks to this recent turn of events in the Senate, my girlfriend may now opt to put on tight jeans, get wasted and dance with dudes in a club. This is not cool, NY. Not cool at all.

Also, last time I looked, this state (and definitely this city) is full of homos who pay taxes to pay your salaries, Senators. We fund your pet projects and we vote you in. If you like us, then you should think about putting a ring on it...or we're going to find some new man to dip up on and you're gonna know how it feels to really miss us.

Until next year, when we can revisit this bill...



Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It).mp3

Your love is what I prefer.
What I deserve
Is a man that makes me, then takes me
And delivers me to a destiny, to infinity and beyond.
Pull me into your arms,
Say I’m the one you want.
If you don’t, you’ll be alone
And like a ghost, I’ll be gone.

Edie Brickell & New Bohemians//What I Am

Thinking about Paul Simon made me think about Edie Brickell (whom he married in 1992 and has three kids with). I got so so into this album (Shooting Rubber Bands at the Stars) sometime in high school. I think I can actually remember rocking out to it on my discman. The whole thing is oozing with late-80s/early-90s cheese and sincerity, but of course you couldn’t help but fall in a dated kind of love that’s still nice to return to periodically (like all your favorite episodes of My So-Called Life, especially that one featuring Juliana Hatfield as a homeless angel-OMG).

The New Bohos formed in the 1980s in Dallas, Texas (as a ska band?) and briefly included incredible session/multi-act drummer Matt Chamberlain.

This was the single. It got a lot of Top 40 play because it’s really a perfect one hit—a little off the beaten track from what was popular at the time; interesting vocals; annoyingly catchy. It’s the kind of song that gets stuck in your head all week and you’re not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing and for that, hey, I’m sorry.

Something cool about Edie Brickell: she’s actually in a band called The Heavy Circles with Paul Simon’s “travelling companion” in yesterday's song, his son Harper. Also, the New Bohemians had a reunion in 2006 and put out a third album. Has anyone heard it?



What I Am.mp3

Philosophy is the talk on a cereal box.
Religion is the smile on a dog.
I'm not aware of too many things.
I know what I know, if you know what I mean.

The Ann Arbor Canasta Fix//Exactly What They Want, Spoon//Chicago at Night, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles//I Care About Detroit

On Jan. 1, 2004, I moved to London. It was a weird and mostly unhappy time for me. London is a fantastic place to feel alone and dour.

I didn't have many friends at the time, and spent most of my days wandering on the Thames walk, south of the river, going to underground queer parties, searching for ANYTHING that was open 24-hours (I was homesick), writing songs on my Martin backpacker guitar and visiting galleries and museums alone. Of course, I was also in school, so I did that too. My friend Ame and I also made a habit of getting quite drunk and taking insanely long walks at ridiculously late hours.

On St. Patrick's day of that year, Ame and Jen and I got very drunk on some kind of Bailey's rip-off we got at Tesco. We sat for a while, drinking, at Trafalgar Sq., where a Jamaican man kept asking us for sips. Eventually we made our way to Jubilee Gardens, near the Eye. There, Ame (who lived in Chicago at the time) exclaimed, drunkenly, somewhat ashamedly, but totally seriously, "THE MIDWEST IS HOME!" As it echoed out over the river and the cold British city, I thought, yes, the midwest is home.

And so, on that note, I'm going "home" this weekend, to play three shows in the Midwest. Each song today is a shout-out to one of the three midwestern cities we're playing in and will make us even-steven for the three days I won't be able to update OSS.

ANN ARBOR (Alias: A2, Ace Deuce, Tree Town)

Ann Arbor is where I lived for about six years, while I went to college and while I bummed around and did nothing after college.

This song is by the Ann Arbor Canasta Fix, which the riot-grrrrl inspired solo project of Shar McLeod, an (ironically) Austin, TX-based artist. Somehow Ali stumbled upon an AACF song and it ended up on a mix, many years ago. Here's a different, but equally awesome jam.


Exactly What They Want.mp3

Float like a butterfly,
Sting like a bee,
Sell your soul to Mohammed Ali!


CHICAGO (Alias: CHI, ChiTown, Chicagy)

Chicago has a high concentration of best friends and people who I think are awesome. It also serves up some mean street elotes, brunch and record shopping options.

Spoon (also from Austin) tells us about Chicago at night. I definitely have been to Chicago at night. Late, late at night. Often looking for some kind of 24-hour taco option.



Chicago at Night.mp3

But then she'd never been to Chicago at night before the fall
And it don't stop, not at all.
It falls all around
In the city, hits the ground.

DETROIT (Alias: The D, Motor City, Detroit Rock City, MoTown)

Detroit is the largest city in Michigan, although it's now a burnt-out shell of its former self thanks to 1. riots and 2. the collapse of the US auto industry. I saw many good shows and had many good times there during my time in Michigan. Highlights include: many Coney Islands, techno, Eminem, incredible street art, buildings you can actually see through and garage rock. You may remember that you should put your hands up for The D.

Here, my favorite MoTown artist Smokey Robinson tells us all the reasons to love Detroit.



I Care About Detroit.mp3

There are many reasons why one cares about a city,
Why you care about it's problems, its people and indeed, its very future
Is it friendly, warm, hospitable and are there good job opportunities, educational facilities and a cultural center?
Are you proud to call it your hometown?
When you come right down to it, I venture to say you'll all agree to a resounding yes when you're talking about Detroit.

Oh, and, our full tour schedule is here or here. Maybe we'll see you in the glorious midwest? Hope so.

The Fall//Fit and Working Again, American Analog Set//We're Computerizing And We Just Don't Need You Anymore

Two sweet songs to whistle while you work (or get downsized): get a job, kid.

So, a stomach flu put me in my girlfriend's (bless her heart) bed all day yesterday, alternately watching episodes of The L Word on her computer, vomiting into a pot (this is a horribly sad scene, isn't it?) and very much NOT working, which is why you get two songs about working today.

The Fall are punk/post-punk legends, having been around in some capacity since 1976, and now having released 27 studio albums. That is seriously putting in some work. This song comes from 1982's Slates.

The AmAnSet song is from one of my favorite albums, Known by Heart. I think the name of the song says it all. And sadly, in the current economy, might be the most relevant of all the songs this week.

Sorry this is short and sweet. I'm still not exactly fit and working again myself. Working on it. Work it, I need a glass of water. No, really.



Fit and Working Again.mp3




We're Computerizing And We Just Don't Need You Anymore.mp3

I saw the recession around Victoria Station.
I'm fit and working again.
Gimme the sun.
I'm fit and working again
And I feel like Alan Minter.
I just ate eight sheets of blotting paper
And I tripped out on the Alka Seltzer,
Cause I'm fit and working again.


Hope you've had a great work week. Enjoy the weekend and please, take it easy. Monday's just a few days away.

Archie Bell and The Drells//Tighten Up

The previous song is undoubtably a tough act to follow, but if some song's gotta do it, this is the one.

I think Ali first played this song for me, putting it on a mix, perhaps after Kate played it for her. Later, I played it for my dad, and he remembered it instantly, singing along.

There's a lot to love about this song. Archie Bell's truly energetic while also strangely laid-back voice seems to me to exhibit the ultimate in cool. And of course, The Drells are thoroughly tightened up. All this is captured remarkably well on analog recording technology, to give us a sound that's rich and well-balanced.

A little more info, from Wikipedia:

Archie Bell (born September 1, 1944, Henderson, Texas), (the older brother of world karate champion (and lead vocalist of Motown's Dazz Band) Jerry Bell, Eugene Bell Sr. and NFL player Ricky Bell (1955-1984)) moved to Houston as a young boy and formed the group in 1966 with his friends James Wise, Willie Parnell and Billy Butler. They signed with the Houston based record label, Ovide, in 1967 and recorded a number of songs including "She's My Woman" and "Tighten Up".

Surprisingly, Bell's promoter, Skipper Lee Frazier, began unsuccessfully pushing the flip side of "Tighten Up", but at the recommendation of a friend gave the other side a try. "Tighten Up", written by Archie Bell and Billy Butler, became a hit in Houston, and was picked up by Atlantic Records for distribution in April 1968. By the summer it topped both the Billboard R&B and pop charts. It also received a R.I.A.A. gold disc by selling 1 million copies. The line in "Tighten Up", "we dance just as good as we walk" was a little ironic, given that Bell had been shot in the leg and was consigned to a military hospital bed at the time. However the Army began allowing him to tour later in the year and discharged him on April 15, 1969.

So, what exactly was The Tighten Up? You can check it out (and memorize it for future dance parties) here.



Tighten Up.mp3

We don't only sing,
But we dance just as good as we walk.
In Houston, we just started a new dance, called "The Tighten Up."
This is the music we "Tighten Up" with.