Neil Young//After the Goldrush

I had a magical weekend hanging out on a farm owned by some amazing and enterprising friends. In addition to emptying out a barn and burning its contents in a two-day long bonfire, gardening, checking out pigs, chickens, bees, geese and ducks (one of whom lost his life a little too early but in doing so provided us a delicious dinner) and looking happily out at the ever-beautiful Lake Michigan, we also listened to a lot of Neil Young, namely Harvest. It seemed like each time Erik got up to turn the stereo on, Neil’s voice followed.

I find Neil Young to be an acquired taste. As a kid, I did not enjoy him. I couldn’t figure out why he kept singing “like that.” Now, I can’t even begin to understand my younger thought process. Neil rules. And despite the anti-feminist implications of “A Man Needs a Maid,” he’s especially good for places like farms out in the country or old pickup trucks. You can always skip that one.

This is my favorite Neil Young song. I really enjoy that it’s some kind of hallucinogenic dream vision involving aliens and the environment, but beyond that, is rather hard to pin down. In fact, even Neil couldn't pin it down. Here’s a funny story about this song from Dolly Parton:

Dolly Parton once commented about the making of her version of the song; "when we were doing the Trio album, I asked Linda and Emmy what it meant, and they didn't know. So we called Neil Young, and he didn't know. We asked him, flat out, what it meant, and he said, 'Hell, I don't know. I just wrote it. It just depends on what I was taking at the time.'"



After the Goldrush.mp3

I was lyin' in a burned-out basement,
With a full moon in my eyes.
I was hopin' for a replacement,
When the sun burst through the skies.
There was a band playin' in my head
And I felt like getting high,
Thinkin' about what a friend had said,
I was hopin' it was a lie.
Thinkin' about what a friend had said,
and hopin' it was a lie.

Toro y Moi//Drive South

Let's talk about Chillwave...because even though it's a bit trendy at the moment (or just was...or something? don't hate on me, but I can't actually keep track), I kind of love it:

Chillwave is a debated term used to describe a group of music artists that although sonically disparate, are often characterized by their heavy use of effects processing, synthesizers, looping, sampling, and heavily filtered vocals with simple melodic lines. Its musical predecessors are diverse and include the synthpop of the 1980s, shoegaze, ambient, musique concrete and various types of music outside of the Western World. The overall aesthetic of chillwave is generally influenced by the idea of hauntology. In this case, nostalgia of 80s synthpop is filtered through a distorted lens, re-envisioning the era in a more vague and lo-fi sense.

A lot of it kind of sounds the same and some of it has retained the 80s cheese, but the fact is, I still like most of it. I hadn't ever heard of Toro y Moi before, but I stumbled upon this track after checking out an acquaintance's new blog, International Tapes (which is actually really worth checking out--a very origintal concept for a music blog that I haven't seen done before).

I heard this song about three days ago and I haven't be able to get it out of my head since then. There's something about that bass line and the echoing synth, the quiet, contemplative lyrics over it...and of course that sweet little guitar riff in the chorus. Brilliant.

Now, I'm going to do the opposite of this song's title and fly north/west for a few days to work on the farm of some friends in Northern MI. I'll see you on Tuesday.



Drive South.mp3

It's different now
Cuz we kissed on other lovers
And we know it doesn't matter anymore.

Eurythmics//Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)

If you're my age, this song probably conjures horrifying images of the video that accompanied Marilyn Manson's cover of it. Speaking of which, where is that guy now? No real updates on him since 2007 when he divorced over an affair he was having with a 19-year old. Oh, well, back to the matter at hand.

For me, I most associate this song with a car, specifically my dad's red handmedown Volvo Gulf, which he named Heintz. My dad has a thing for naming his cars after generals from the countries of their corresponding auto comanpaies. For example, the Subaru was named Tojo and the Ford was named Omar. I changed the car's official name to Omar the Wonder Car when I inherited it for my last year of high school. I just couldn't get down with the military naming trend.

Anyway, Heintz had a Eurythmics tape floating around in it that would sometimes end up being popped into the stereo. Honestly, I was probably only about five or six years old, but even then, this song kind of freaked me out. It's really dark. It's like, dark at its core (I mean, come on, it's obviously about S+M). But still, that darkness is kind of what's great about it--because that synth line is hella catchy...and yet...you just can't help feeling that pure evil has made a creepy little home in the heart of this song. Probably what made it such an obvious Manson cover.

Also, this video is fucking amazing. Guys, this video was released in 1983 and it's better than SO many of the videos I've seen recently. That cello part? Oh my God.

A final note, apparently there is a website that will take the audio from any YouTube video and change it into an mp3 file? Wonders never cease.



Sweet Dreams.mp3

Sweet dreams are made of this.
Who am I to disagree?
Travel the world and the seven seas,
Everybody's looking for something.
Some of them want to use you.
Some of them want to get used by you.
Some of them want to abuse you.
Some of them want to be abused.

Hall and Oates//Maneater

Just because something’s cheesy doesn’t make it automatically bad. Most of the time, it is bad. But it’s not always bad. If it was, we would never have Duran Duran. We would never have LOST. We would never have The Indigo Girls (gulp). All our guilty pleasures would be immediately obliterated. Enter Hall and Oates.

Mentioning these rock and soul all-stars from Philly in yesterday’s post really got me thinking that it was high time to give them a little shout out. After all, I grew up dancing around to their wonderful hits like, “I Can’t Go For That,” “Kiss on My List,” “Private Eyes,” etc. Album after album contained hit after hit for this half-mustacheoed duo. How did they do it?!

Apparently, it all started with a gunfight and an accidental/ uncomfotably tight elevator ride. From El Wiko:

Daryl Hall and John Oates first met each other at the Adelphi Ballroom in Philadelphia in 1967. At the time they met, each was heading his own musical group, Hall with The Temptones and Oates with The Masters. They were there for a band competition when gunfire rang out between two rival gangs, and in trying to escape, they ran to the same service elevator. Because of their similar musical tastes and close proximity inside the elevator, they quickly became acquainted. On further finding out that they were both around the same age and that both were just starting at Philadelphia's Temple University, they started hanging out together on a regular basis and eventually ended up sharing a number of apartments in the city. It would take them another two years to form a musical duo, and three years after that, they signed to Atlantic Records and released their debut album.

Oh, to meet your musical soulmate (also SOULmate) in an elevator and then shortly thereafter be signed to Atlantic Records…. Those really were the good old days.

In December of 1982, this particular song about a ruthless lady chewing up men and spitting them out (inspired by model Kelly LeBrock) hit number one on the Billboard charts and stayed there for four consecutive weeks.

Before we go to the song, this is probably the best use of a Hall and Oates song I have ever seen.



Maneater.mp3

(Oh oh, here she comes)
Watch out boy, she’ll chew you up.
(Oh oh, here she comes)
She’s a maneater.

I wouldn't if I were you.
I know what she can do.
She's deadly, man,
She could really rip your world apart.
Mind over matter--
The beauty is there, but a beast is in the heart.

Wave Machines//Keep The Lights On

You know what they say about a picture: Monday Mail
What is Monday Mail?

Austin from Eyes and Ears Entertainment didn’t send me anything except an mp3 and an album cover, but here’s what I could glean from the interwebs:

A mercurial Merseyside four piece, Wave Machines create instinctive art-pop; rhythms built of melodic ticks and bleeps, polka dots of sound drawn together beneath Tim Bruzon’s falsetto vocal, part Beck Hansen part Barry Gibb. With their English melancholia pricked by impudent promise… Wave Machines join that eccentric lineage of home grown musical adventurers; XTC, The Beta Band, Hot Chip.

Recorded in the bowels of the old organ room at St Brides Church in Liverpool, England, Wave Machines’ debut album Wave If You’re Really There owes much to the character of that formative space. The removal of old religious gowns from a small disused cupboard gave the band a vocal booth; the roof – or rather its view between Liverpool’s Cathedrals and out across the river – allowed the band a space to work things through; and at night the Nave became the bands live space, hosting the poetry, art, comedy and invited musical ‘competitors’ at the bands own night.

Although a remix was officially sent my way, I went and tracked down the original of this song, which I liked even more. This track sounds something like a macabre Hall and Oates song, with hints of electronic sounds that bring to mind that fantastic Erland Oye solo album, Unrest.

The song also appears to be about having trouble sleeping, which is something I can definitely relate to.

Stream the whole album from Wave Machines here.



Keep The Lights On.mp3

The night’s too long,
So when we sleep,
I keep the lights on.

Black Swans//Rooster

The Rooster's Crow Signals Local Music Friday
What's up with Local Music Fridays?

I had the pleasure to meet Jerry DeCicca, the man behind Black Swans, while on tour playing a show in Columbus, OH. Mr. Joe Scott (whose birthday is today--happy birthday, Joe!) introduced us. Jerry seemed like a positively swell guy, so I decided to check out his music, which is predictably awesome.

This is a sweet, melancholy tune that features my number one musical weakness, pedal steel. While I'm not sure how I feel about the barnyard sound effects at the end of the song, this one should kick off your weekend nicely.



Rooster.mp3

No longer do we need words
To make our dreams come true.

Antonio Carlos Jobim//Desafinado

I was lucky enough to be raised by a guy who had a solid appreciation for a bossa nova. This is why we listened to a lot of Antonio Carlos Jobim, the veritable godfather of the genre, in our house.

Bossa nova is a beautiful melding of samba, folk and imported American jazz. Middle and upper class students and musicians in Rio mixed samba, which sprung from Brazil's impoverished favellas, with cool jazz in the context of a worldwide late 50s/early 60s folk movement. Even if you're unfamiliar with the sound, you've probably heard the classic bossa nova hit, sung by Astrud Gilberto and penned (again) by Jobim, "The Girl From Ipanema."

It's so hard to choose just one Jobim-penned song, as so many of them are phenomenally good. This wasn't one of my favorites as a kid, but at some point in my early 20s, it became one. There are a few different versions. One instrumental features Brazilian jazz legend and frequent Jobim collaborator, Stan Getz. This one is sung by Ella Fitzgerald.



Desafinado.mp3

They'll be no desafinado
When your heart belongs to me completely
And we won't be slightly out of tune,
You'll sing along with me.

Jason Anderson//So Long

Local Music Houseshow
What's up with Local Music Fridays?

Last week, Jason Anderson played a show at my house and it was totally fucking awesome and intense, as I hear most of his shows are. I could write more about it here, but I fear that once I start writing, it will be hard to stop. Let me say that his performance of indie folk songs was the closest thing to preaching I have ever seen.

I was really happy that he played this song, because I spent a lot of time listening to the album from which is comes during the summer of 2004, mostly while driving around the rural rolling hills of vermont. It sounded very appropriate.

This song also has some great lines and references to three, count 'em, three really awesome bands (Elliott Smith, Fugazi and Tears for Fears).

It seems fitting, also, that for me, this is the final weekend of May, which has been the month of (almost) all my favorite people coming to visit. I've got four, count 'em, four friends in town this weekend and now we're going to live it up.



So Long.mp3

This is like one of those awesome dreams
Where you get to hang out with the guys from Fugazi.

The Dandy Warhols//Not if You Were The Last Junkie On Earth, Bohemian Like You

Everything I've ever listened to from The Dandy Warhols confirms my suspicion that these guys were never anything more than a novelty act. That said, novelty has its place in the world and sometimes clever, funny quips are enough to keep you engaged for a song or two (besides this, the most interesting thing about the band is their weird feud with the Brian Jonestown Massacre). But hey, this blog is all about songs, so let's do it, right?

Although I was vaguely aware of "Bohemian Like You" in the late 90s, I really never paid much attention until my friend/college roommate Kot (who is coming to visit TODAY!) reintroduced it to me. I checked out a few other songs and found them to be consistently enjoyable in an infectiously poppy, irreverently humorous way.

Say what you will about the gimmicky nature of the lyrics and the songs--these guys get it right a lot of the time and that's what makes them so hilarious. The Dandys knew how to critique hipsterism before hipsterism was a thing (is it any suprise that these guys are from Portland?). Amazing. Grunge is over, so heroin IS so passe and thus, it would be much cooler to get a few piercings and question your sexuality. Weird relationships with not-as-cool rich guys for rent money, casual drug use in too-cool bars, eating vegan, waiters in bands: it's all here and it's funny cause it's true. The Dandys wrote the soundtrack to Williamsburg before there was a Williamsburg...and for that, I think we should give them a few songs:



Not If You Were The Last Junkie On Earth.mp3

Bohemian Like You.mp3

So what do you do?
Oh yeah, I wait tables too.
No, I haven't heard your band
Cause you guys are pretty new.
But if you dig on Vegan food,
Well, come over to my work.
I'll have them cook you something that you'll really love,

Cause I like you.
Yeah, I like you,
And I'm feeling so Bohemian like you.

Archers of Loaf//Web in Front

This is the first Archers of Loaf song I heard. I heard it in 1998 (the year the band broke up—SEE WHAT I MEAN!) on a mixtape. Instant love.

To this day, AoL is one of those bands that brings people together, because for some astounding reason, they were never that popular. What they brought to the table was this classic 90s indie rock sound, some wonderfully weird lyrics and songs that were at once edgy and catchy. AoL (like Fugazi) also carried with them that awesome “put your money where your mouth is” anti-corporate aesthetic that was so strong in the 90s. The band actually refused a major label contract mostly because the other bands on Warner/Maverick were, according to drummer Mark Price, “that bad.”

After the breakup, lead singer Eric Bachmann went on to form Crooked Fingers.



Web in Front.mp3

And there’s a chance that things will get weird.
Yeah, that’s a possibility

The Paparazzi//The Rococo Tape

You’re Being Followed: Monday Mail
What is Monday Mail?

It can be hard for me on Monday when I’m trying to peruse the old Gmail tag “OSS” to decide what to put up here. It’s not that there’s a lack of submissions. On the contrary, I’m totally overwhelmed by all the OSS mail I get. It’s also not that there’s no talent. There’s a lot of talent. It’s just that most of it sounds EXACTLY the same. I mean, really, the same. I find myself mostly just looking for something, anything, different. Please, send me something different. PLEASE. I’m sure you guys are all really nice, but I’ve had my fill of soft-singing indie rock boy singers whispering over acoustic guitars and trebly electrics. ENOUGH with the synthy dance tracks and remixes. With a few VERY VERY special exceptions, if you read this blog, you probably know that I think most of that stuff SUCKS. I want to hear songs that do weird things, that sound different. At very least, I want to hear something with a vision where that vision is fulfilled. Send me hip hop. Send me a track with a female vocalist that’s not cheesy. Send me something in a rare time signature. PLEASE. /end rant.

That said, here's this from the folks over at Serious Business Records:

The Paparazzi is the musical pseudonym of songwriter and rock auteur Erik Paparazzi, who has spent the better part of the past decade as a sideman with Cat Power's Dirty Delta Blues. His new record Rococo, recorded back in 2004, has finally seen in March 2010 thanks to Serious Business. Expect a lush and dreamy ride that harnesses the best moves of several purveyors of lost classics and lost weekends: Brian Wilson, Harry Nilsson, and Todd Rundgren.

Back in 2004 when The Paparazzi was performing regularly as a 7 piece band, they recorded the tracks for what was to become Rococo. But something was missing in the final results, and Erik shelved the record until 2007. On the road with Cat Power, he began remixing it on his laptop and wound up deconstructing many of the original performances and arrangements, sometimes drastically reinventing the songs. In so doing he gave new life to the project, and brought us a sonically stunning and wholly immersive record.

This is one to play through. From the first note to the last, Rococo thrusts listeners into a quasi dream state, conjuring rich images and soundscapes while reveling in pop thrills with enough happy accidents to subvert any hint of predictability.

There’s a lot going on here: a classic rock vibe and the licks to go along with it, a little bit of that indie rock fey aloofness in the vox, a hint of power pop, arrangements that ramble and change and morph. It’s not super crazy, but it is definitely enough. The Paparazzi knows what they’re going for. They got it.



The Rococo Tape.mp3

Popped in the tape deck
Your reddish pink cassette,
You have the voice of a juvenile delinquent.
And that surprised me.

Showdown at the Equator//Strippin

Local Music Showdown
What's up with Local Music Fridays?

For such a small town, Ann Arbor sure has lots of fantastic music in it. I'm not sure if Showdown at the Equator is still making music and playing shows, but they were a super sweet band when I was in the A2. I knew a few of their members as acquaintances. All good kids who could bring it.

Considering the show I saw earlier in the week, this is a pretty appropriate choice. Enjoy the weekend, strippers.



Strippin.mp3

You used to be so shy.
How long you been strippin'?

Julie Ruin//Breakout A Town

I really didn't know what to say to Kathleen Hanna when I found myself at a party with her last month. Let's face it, I just feel kind of weird about talking to random people I don't know, especially when they're famous in some way. It all seems kind of silly but in a way, it would have been so much easier to be at a party with Madonna or Harrison Ford than fucking KATHLEEN HANNA! What do you say to someone who arguably defined and championed a new union of feminism and art, one that feels so personally important? What do you say to the person who basically started one of your favorite music movements? I reviewed my options:

1. "Wow. You're Kathleen Hanna."
2. "Wow. You're really awesome."
3. "This one time you pulled my friend up on stage at a Le Tigre concert."
4. "It was cool how you wrote about my friend on your blog."
Related: you should really go see Erin Markey's show, which was just extended at PS 122.
5. Nothing.

And that's exactly what I did say. I avoided her as best I could. A dear friend sent me a text telling me that she didn't really have a desire to speak with the famous either, which justified my decision.

Regardless of shyness about telling her so in person, Kathleen Hanna is still totally rad. This is a song from her lesser-known solo album, Julie Ruin AKA the project that started Le Tigre (Hanna added members to fill out the sound live and voila). This album is cool because it keeps one foot in the raw punk sound of Bikini Kill while the other takes a big step toward the distorted blippy electro disco punk of Le Tigre.

Also, it just so happens that Hanna is having a tee shirt contest for Julie Ruin over at her blog. You should enter because the deadline has been extended!



Breakout A Town.mp3

You're so tired and I'm so lovely.
You're so great and I'm so bored.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs//Art Star

To be completely honest, I have absolutely no idea what is going on with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs anymore. I basically checked out after Fever to Tell, moving on to other things, figuring that their success probably was about to make them start sucking anyway. But when this first EP, Master, broke, it was totally amazing.

It was 2003 and I was working at a record store in Ann Arbor and my boss dropped in one day to tell me I should REALLY check this band out for their new New York sound, extreme buzz, crazy lead singer, screaming, etc. So, I did and man, the whole EP was weird and golden.

A bunch of friends and I went to see them shortly thereafter on a tour with Liars at The Magic Stick in Detroit. Karen O. really lived up to her reputation. She was so drunk and wild that she almost slid off stage a few times. Something about the band's sound and persona in that era was so perfect for my age--the raucous nights charged with booze, sexual tension and a special kind of youthful aloofness. I think, at that time, we all considered ourselves art stars.



Art Star.mp3

I've been working on a piece that speaks of sex and desperation.
I've been screwing on the tracks of abandoned train stations.

Olivia Tremor Control//A Peculiar Noise Called ‘Train Director’

Now that we’ve opened the Pandora’s Box of Elephant 6, I figure we should just go with it. Yesterday’s song made me realize that I haven’t been listening to many of my favorite E6 albums lately, which caused me to revisit. So many of these bands really hold up…the stuff still sounds fucking great.

Of course, The Apples in Stereo’s Tone Soul Evolution is a brilliant pop gem, one that I will soon return on this blog, since it hasn’t been adequately covered yet. However, there’s also the equally amazing Black Foliage album by the lesser-known band in the original E6 trip, Olivia Tremor Control.

OTC are distinctively less poppy and more weird than TAiS. The songs veer out into strange territories sometimes, completely abandoning the hook and structure. Sometimes, the songs aren’t even really songs, just soundscapes. And yet, it’s not a problem. I’m not really a noise lover, but these guys make it work, dexterously weaving the ambient with the active and smoothing it all out with some harmonized 60s ooouhs and ahhhhhs in the background.



A Peculiar Noise Called ‘Train Director’.mp3

In the blink of eye you get several meanings.

Seamonster//Oh Appalachia

Missing Elephant 6? Monday Mail:
What is Monday Mail?

It’s great and all that Jeff Mangum is playing the odd, rare, hard-to-get-into show every now and again, but sometimes I just get nostaligic for those records that came out at the golden age of everyone’s favorite Athens, GA-based music collective. But what’s this? Hunter from Gold Robot Records says:

Thought I'd let you know about the newest release on Gold Robot Records, my small vinyl-only label based in Oakland.
It's a 5 song 7" EP by Seamonster (Todd Webb - Virginia Beach, VA) titled Two Birds. It's a beautiful collection of songs that recall Apples in Stereo and Neutral Milk Hotel, which makes sense due to the fact that Todd is loosely affiliated with the Elephant 6 collective. He's also collaborated on a book with Robert Schneider (of Apples in Stereo) who also says: “It was a happy coincidence that brought me into the world of Seamonster’s wide-eyed songs and delicate, homespun arrangements: bedroom folk-pop for day dreamers and sleep walkers alike.”

After an intro like that, I went ahead and got the full EP, which is predictably fantastic. The sounds on the album conjure up a carnival that someone has personally created for you in their bedroom on some delightfully rich but grittily lofi equipment. The songs themselves are hooky without being trite. The content is never so overly sentimental as to become cheesy, but there’s also no lack of gravitas. I guess what I’m trying to say here is, for once, the tagline lives up to the content. Warped soundscapes: check. Fuzzy guitars: check. Musical saws: check. Hushed sincere multi-tracked vocals: check. Like Elephant 6? Then you’ll like Seamonster.



Oh Appalachia.mp3

Would you like to hear more?

Tinariwen//Imidiwan Afrik Temdam

Hey guys. No locals today. I just couldn't make it work. Of course, you can always send me some suggestions, if you have some. All I have to do is be able to vaguely relate it to someone I know personally and it counts, in my book.

I hope instead you will accept this awesome and decidedly NOT LOCAL track from this band of nomadic Tuareg band called Tinariwen. They make music that is mystical, beautiful and should add some spice to your weekend.

The band has an incredible story. Here's some of it:

Tinariwen was founded by Ibrahim Ag Alhabib, who at age 4 witnessed the execution of his father (a Tuareg rebel) during a 1963 uprising in Mali. As a child he saw a western film in which a cowboy played a guitar. Ag Alhabib built his own guitar out of a tin can, a stick and bicycle brake wire. He started to play old Tuareg and modern Arabic pop tunes.

...The Tinariwen sound is primarily guitar-driven in the style known as assouf among the Tuareg people. The style is possibly a distant relative of blues music via West African music, though the members Tinariwen claim to have never heard actual American blues music until they began to travel internationally in 2001.

The group is a collective, namely because of the culture's nomadic nature.



Imidiwan Afrik Temdam.mp3

This song is from the groups most recent album, Imidiwan: Companions. You can get it here.

Louis Jordan//Caldonia

I'm sitting in my backyard with Emily Bate, trying to figure out today's song. I realized that besides Mr. Kevin Dunn, we're having kind of an old-timey week. So, hey, let's run with that.

I heard this song for the first time at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, where Louis Jordan was described, in one of the intro videos as “the Father of Rhythm & Blues” and “the Grandfather of Rock ‘n’ Roll." Ryan and I really liked this song and for some reason I am only now, about 4 years later, finally looking up Mr. Jordan.

Apparently he was known as "The King of the Jukebox," for his popularity with both black and white audiences during the late swing years to the early rock and roll years. Bate informs me that he has also recorded a song about beans and cornbread having a fight. "In the end he lists a whole bunch of reasons that they should have unity, mostly involving delicious combinations of foods." Compelling.

This guy was fucking hilarious. For example:

"I'm Gonna Leave You on the Outskirts of Town" was an "answer record" to Jordan's earlier "I'm Gonna Move to the Outskirts of Town", but it became Jordan's first major chart hit, reaching #2 on Billboard's Harlem Hit Parade. His next side, "What's the Use of Getting Sober" (When You're Gonna Get Drunk Again)", became Jordan's first #1 hit, reaching the top of the Harlem Hit Parade in December 1942. A subsequent side, "The Chicks I Pick Are Slender, Tender and Fine", reached #10 in January 1943. Their next major side, the comical call-and response number "Five Guys Named Moe", was one of the first recordings to solidify the fast-paced, swinging R&B style that became the Jordan trademark and it struck a chord with audiences, reaching #3 on the race charts in September 1943. The song was later taken as the title of a long-running stage show that paid tribute to Jordan and his music. The more conventional "That'll Just About Knock Me Out" also fared well, reaching #8 on the race charts and giving Jordan his fifth hit from the December 1942 sessions.

Slender, Tender and Fine. I'm Gonna Move to the Outskirts of Town, then, I'm Gonna Leave You on the Outskirts of Town. You Run Your Mouth and I'll Run My Business. I shit you not.



Caldonia.mp3

Caldonia, what makes your big head so hard?

Nat "King" Cole//My Baby Just Cares for Me

My baby just got home today from Mpls. I missed her so much and I'm really glad she's home. Ok, so she was only gone for four days. Ok, go ahead, make fun of me then.

Nat "King" Cole's baby was Maria Ellington (no relation), but who did use to sing in Duke Ellington's band. Together they got married and had five kid-os. One of them was Natalie Cole.

In closing, I have no idea who Mr. Tibbits is.



My Baby Just Cares for Me.mp3

My baby's no Crosby fan, Dick Tracy is not her man,
My baby just cares for me.
My baby don't care for Mr. Tibbits.
She'd rather have me around to kibbitz.

Duke Ellington Orchestera//Take the 'A' Train

I have a nine-year-old brother who is learning to play the saxophone. It’s awesome. Last week, I walked into my parents house and he was totally playing this song…and playing it really well, at that—almost flawlessly! My mom was taking him through it, making him practice it over and over. Suddenly, I had a flashback to when she would help me practice clarinet. I would always end up in tears by the end of the night. Not fun. Your turn, buddy!!!

“That sounds great,” I said. “I took the A train today.”
“You did?” he asked.
It’s true. Actually, I pretty much take the A train every day. It’s one of my trains, along with the C and the G. If you live in NYC, you will know to feel sorry for me now.

Coming home from work last night, I had to wait extra long for the A to arrive. When it finally pulled into the station, just before I angrily jammed myself into the front car with a bunch of other sardine-like commuters, I saw that white “A” encircled by that special blue on the front of the car and thought about my little bro’s practice session. Take the A train! I will, if I can just get on. Mmmmmm nothing like ending the work day by being crammed in-between a smelly guy with creepy eyes and a girl manically playing Bejeweled on her PDA.

Back to that blue hue, today, I stumbled upon this article about the colors affiliated with the subway lines. Turns out, the official name for that color is “vivid blue.” Is it vivid? I don’t know.

The song “Take the A Train” is a jazz standard that was the signature song of the Duke Ellington Orchestra. It really is about the A Train, which still runs from Northern Manhattan to Brooklyn. Apparently there are lyrics, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard them. From The W Train:

Over the years the lyrics have contained many variations, as is not unusual for songs of this era. Those below are representative only, and may not be the original Sherrill lyrics:
You must take the A Train
To go to Sugar Hill way up in Harlem
If you miss the A Train
You'll find you've missed the quickest way to Harlem
Hurry, get on, now, it's coming
Listen to those rails a-thrumming (All Aboard!)
Get on the A Train
Soon you will be on Sugar Hill in Harlem

Maybe things were different back in the 40s, but nowadays, when the conductor can’t close the doors, no one’s going anywhere very fast. Not Inwood. Not Harlem. Not Cli-Stuy. Not Rockaway Beach. My updated proposed lyrics:

You must take your bicycle to go to Sugar Hill way up in Harlem.
If some petty thief stole your bicycle
You’ll find yourself very angry and not in Harlem
Hurry, get on, now, try something else
A bus will undoubtedly be much slower
If you want to a avoid a transfer or spotty late night service
I would recommend sucking it up and paying for a cab



Take the 'A' Train.mp3

Also, I assume you already know about this, but it’s pure comedy.

Kevin Dunn//20,000 Years in Sing Sing

Prison Mail, Monday Mail:
What is Monday Mail?

About a month ago, this dude Brad from Casa Nueva Industries wrote to me about some guy named Kevin Dunn. Never heard of him, but I was intrigued. Read on:

On May 18, Casa Nueva is releasing our biggest project yet: No Great Lost: Songs, 1979-1985, a definitive anthology of new-wave/post-punk provocateur Kevin Dunn. Based out of Atlanta, Dunn was one of the most influential and innovative figures on the fertile southern new wave scene. He co-founded the legendary outfit The Fans, who were among the first new-wave bands in the southeast and a favorite of REM's Peter Buck. When the Fans broke up in 1979, he went on to a distinguished career as a solo artist and producer. He co-produced the B-52's seismic "Rock Lobster" 45, as well as the debut 45 and LP by the beloved Athens band Pylon. As a solo artist, he made demented art-pop of the highest order, blending thick slabs of processed guitars, analogue synths, and deliriously unstable bass lines to surprisingly hooky melodies and ingenious, multi-layered lyrics.

Upon hearing No Great Lost, Robert Schneider of Apples In Stereo enthused: "Snotty, literate pop from this underground master of the post-punk era, sounding like the missing link between Brian Eno circa Tiger Mountain, and XTC circa Drums and Wires – while also truly ahead of its time, like it could have been recorded by kids today. Oozing with angular hooks, synth bleeps and fuzz guitar wizardry, a compilation of songs that should be – and will be, and already are – classics.”

Well, first of all, "Rock Lobster" is one of my favorite B-52s jams. And second of all, excuse me, Rob Schneider? The missing link between Eno’s Tiger Mountain and XTC? This is such a borderline obscure reference that I barely understand what you’re talking about. Or maybe "obscure" is the wrong word. Eno and XTC aren't exactly terribly obscure. Perhaps the right word is specific. That's an awfully SPECIFIC missing link. Regardless, sounds cool, right? THIS ALL SOUNDS SO COOL!

And it does sound cool because cool is how New Wave is supposed to sound and this guy was obviously some kind of underground under-recognized New Wave pioneer type. No covered wagons here, folks. Just keytars. Yes.

If you watched as much Law and Order SVU as I do, you’d know that 20,000 years in Sing Sing is a long, long time. Hard to say what exactly landed the narrator of this song in that particular upstate correctional facility for so long, but whatever it was, it was caught on tape.

Apparently Mr. Kevin McFoy Dunn is still alive and well, although no longer making music. Learn more about The No Great Lost project here.



20,000 Years in Sing Sing.mp3

20,000 years in Sing Sing,
Do you think you can last?

James Brown//Get Up (I Feel Like Being A) Sex Machine, The Flying Lizards//Sex Machine

Dear OSS,

It's beautiful and I've got two very dear friends in town. Thus, I'm going to post a few tracks today and be done for the week. I hope you can forgive me. My girlfriend is bagging disgusting dead leaves in our backyard and I'm typing this! See how dedicated I am!

This is a classic James Brown funk song from the 70s. It's pretty self explanatory. It's about being a sex machine.

Here, also, is an amazing cover by the British post punk outfit The Flying Lizards (best known for another cover, of the song "Money"). Their take is, no doubt, a bit flatter.



Get Up (I Feel Like Being A) Sex Machine.mp3



Sex Machine.mp3

Get up,
Get on up!

Love,
G

Little Richard//Long Tall Sally

Since he was mentioned in yesterday's post, I figured today's as good a time as ever to talk about Little Richard (aka Richard Penniman).

Tutti Frutti, au rutti. Good Golly Miss Molly. Ba wamp ba lu whop bam bop. We all know Little Richard. OR DO WE!? For example, did you know that originally "au rutti" was supposed to be "good booty!?"

When I was in college, I had this class with one of my best friends, Kot. I really can't remember what the class was about at this point. I also can't remember the name of the professor. Was it Cook? James Cook? I have no idea. Regardless, he was a character.

First of all, he used to a drummer in a punk band in the bay area. He made sure we all knew this. He spoke in a uniformly measured monotone. This was extra funny because he used transparencies for his lectures and his transparencies were all in CAPS! So here's this guy, reading along in monotone with lecture notes that are basically shouting at us. Kot and I began to feel like the CAPS strangely represented his monotone. At the beginning of class, when we'd file into the giant auditorium, he would instruct us to remove our coats in his weird, flat way. "TAKE OFF YOUR PARKAS, STUDENTS." Parkas? Seriously?

But you're probably wondering why I'm going on and on about Prof Cook (?). It's because he was the first person to ever tell me (and by "me," I mean a giant lecture hall), that this song, "Long Tall Sally," is actually about a drag queen (I'm not actually sure if this is true--Wikipedia tells a very different story, but now it's Wikipedia's word against Academia's word...and I don't really know who has more credibility). The prof. also told us that Little Richard loved dressing in drag and lots of other interesting things. From Wiki-wiki-wiki:

While on the road in the mid-50s, Penniman would have notorious parties, replete with orgies, in hotel rooms wherever they appeared. In late 1956, he met a voluptuous high school graduate in Savannah, Georgia by the name of Angel Lee. She became his girlfriend and started travelling on the road with him. Penniman would invite attractive men to his parties and would enjoy watching them having sex with his girlfriend.

Of course, now he's born again. Of course.

The professor's story is that Uncle John is with Long Tall Sally, a tranny prostitute. He's having some fun tonight. That is until Aunt Mary (Uncle John's wife) sees them together (here, Sally is described as being "bald-headed"). Then, Uncle John had to duck "back in the alley," to avoid his wife.



Long Tall Sally.mp3

Well Long Tall Sally, she's built for speed,
She's got everything that Uncle John need.

Ben Folds Five//Song for the Dumped

I have a sort of complicated relationship with Ben Folds (Five), although obviously not as complicated as Sady Doyle’s relationship with Rivers Cuomo.

Mine is more about legitimately liking Ben Folds (Five) most of the time (a distinct time of not liking them occurs during the cheesiest hit song ever written about abortion, "Brick"). The real problem is that I have a hard time being able to figure out if the songs I do like fall in the guilty pleasure zone or not. It was only recently, thanks to a video posted on a friend’s Facebook, that I realized that Ben Folds (Five) is not actually a guilty pleasure. The proof is in the (Chatroulette) pudding. Regardless, I loved this album in high school. Remember how back then, all anyone could talk about was how the band was SO CRAZY because they only had A PIANO and NO GUITAR. How weird. It was as if no one in the world had ever seen a piano before, especially not to play rock or alternative music. It was as if Little Richie, Billy Joel, Elton John, had never existed. BEHOLD! THE PIANO!

Back to the subject at hand, I also really liked the (sort of over-produced poorly-titled) solo album that followed shortly thereafter. Zack! And! Sarah!

This song is about a breakup gone bad. Really bad. “Give me my money back, you bitch,” bad.

I had this ex who stole one of my favorite hoodies when we broke up and this song always kind of reminds me of that.



Song for the Dumped.mp3

And don’t forget to give me back my black teeshirt!

Swimming in Speakers//Serve Them Well

Monday Mail Gets You Married.
What is Monday Mail?

Quiet Color really knows how to throw a party. Back in October, they had an anti-CMJ party featuring bandfriends Grandchildren and a pre-mega hype Sleigh Bells at the soon-to-be-reborn? Market Hotel. In January, they had a circus featuring aerial acrobats and indie rock, all under the same roof (that roof being the one that belongs to The House of Yes). As if that wasn’t enough, they now want to marry you. No, not like Quiet Color+You=Forever. More like, You+BF/GF/Lifepartner=Forever.

Alex says:

'Quiet Color's Magic Wedding' will be taking place on May 21st at Monster Island and we're looking for a sweet couple to be the bride and groom. The band Swimming in Speakers is making the trek from upstate NY, joining a 4 band bill for the ceremony which will also include a slew of magicians to ensure things stay magical.

Quiet Color has garnered much press over the years due to amazing performances by buzzed about bands and unconventional Brooklyn parties. Fortunately for all of us, one of our writers is a certified Reverend (non denominational) and is ready to marry you at our next show!!!! We'll have special beverages for the bride and groom and of course your whole wedding party is invited!

Drop us a line with your photos, a bit about you guys, and we'll be in touch!

Or spread the word about our Craigslist ad.

So, is this how you pictured your wedding? Partying down with hipsters and bands and magicians at Monster Island? Here’s a taste:



Serve Them Well.mp3

In opposition, we will be apprehended.