Song of the Day - April 29, 2005

Dead Meadow is part of the growing neo-psychedelic movement. I seem to have a number of posts this month referring to psychedelic music, so it is only fitting that I end the month with music from one of the best new bands of this genre. Dead Meadow remind me of the Byrds crossed with the distorted sounds of Blue Cheer. The song "Let's Jump In" has a hazy, languorous sound, until about three fourths into the song, an overdriven distorted guitar solo enters and brings the song to a whole new plateau alla Blue Cheer. Click here to reach the plateau.

Song of the Day - April 28, 2005

Causey Way is described as synth-punk. I would describe them as a cross between DAF and Devo with a little DK's thrown in for good measure, especially on this cut "Geological Lust." They are on Alternative Tentacles, so they definitely are punk. This track starts out with a Devo-like drum beats, followed by the heavy beat of DAF influenced synthesizers. In fact, this track reminds me of a specific DAF song, unfortunately I do not have the record anymore and DAF is sadly not on Rhapsody. This particular track is from an Alternative Tentacles compilation called The Ecstasy and the Agony. Click here to listen..

Song of the Day - April 27, 2005

Andy Votel is another great talent from Manchester, England, which seems to be the musical epicenter of Great Britain. A man of many talents, Andy is the co-founder of Twisted Nerve Records along with Damon Gough of Badly Drawn Boy fame. Votel's song "Girl on a GoPed" is a sublime treat of downtempo electronica. Jane Weaver contributes the lead vocals to the track. I've played this track over and over and it just gradually grabs a hold of you, with its subtle beats, electronic beeps, and Jane's sultry vocals. Click here to listen.

Song of the Day - April 26, 2005

I've being listening to Sondre Lerche lately and he has such an easy going pleasant pop sound that I find myself wanting more. I know I usually don't associate the words easy going and pleasant with my typical musical favorites, but listen and you will see what I mean. Sondre Lerche is a Norwegian pop star, who is making inroads in the States. His sound reminds me of The Beatles and early David Bowie during his Hunky Dory period. One of my favorites is "Don't Be Shallow." Click here to listen.

Song of the Day - April 25, 2005

Being a fan of wine, I was immediately drawn to the song "All the Wine" by The National. Normally titles don't do it for me, it is the music that matters. However, this track is very good. The National are a Brooklyn based band with roots in Cincinnati, though you may never guess that. They are often compared to Joy Division, though not as dark, and Nick Drake. In some of their music, I even detected the influence of Bauhaus. Regardless of their influences, I think you will find this track appealing. Take a sip of The National by clicking here.

Pan American

After Jucifer and Error, it probably is time to bring it down a notch and relax; and I think Pan American's Quiet City will do the trick. It is a beautiful album that has been labeled minimalist or ambient, but I find it generally more warm than most albums of those genres. This is due to the artful use of acoustic instrumentation: congas, bass, flugelhorn, guitar, and even some vocals. Pan American is the solo project of Mark Nelson, and seems to be a more organic extension of his work with Labradford. Favorite tracks include "Wing," a very minimalist cut with old school vinyl hiss superimposed onto the track along with conga accompaniment and "Het Volk" with its flugelhorn accompaniment. Click here to listen.

Song of the Day - April 22, 2005

No sense stopping now with the momentum built by Error; it is time for Jucifer and "Amplifier." Jucifer is another two piece boy girl band, but Amber Valentine's vocals make Jucifer standout. The aggressiveness of their sound mixes surprisingly well with her artfully crafted guitar noise. Her voice takes the edge off just enough, but the chaos is still there. This juxtaposition of the aggressiveness of her guitar work with the sweetness of her voice is very appealing. Many times bands with such a heavy sound as Jucifer have a male vocalist just ranting and raving, so they eventually sound very similar. Amber's vocals eliminate the competition. Her partner, Ed Livengood, handles the drums with a menancing touch. The perfect compliment to Amber. Click here to listen.

Do You Like Moldy Peaches?

Talk about an acquired taste, try eating Moldy Peaches. You will either love or hate this album. I love it. One thing is for sure, don't play this album when the kids are around. I believe the Moldy Peaches' self-titled album is destined to become a cult classic. If you are a fan of Captain Beefheart's Trout Mask Replica or Zappa's Freak Out!, you will love this album. The Moldy Peaches are Adam Green and Kimya Dawson. Kimya is known to dress in a bunny suit, during some of her performances, and I am not talking about a Playboy bunny suit. They call themselves anti-folk and they are very lo-fi. The songs are relatively simple and the lyrics can be hilarious, but offensive. Hey, rock and roll is not supposed to be polite. Just go with the flow and enjoy the album. Standout tracks include "Who's Got the Crack," which reached number one of the UK indie charts and one of my favorites, the simple but infectious "Greyhound Bus." Click here to join the cult.

Song of the Day - April 21, 2005

Error is somewhat of an industrial super group, with Atticus Ross of Nine Inch Nails fame, Leopold Ross - his brother, Brad Gurewitz of Bad Religion, and Greg Puciato of Dillinger Escape Plan. The song "Jack the Ripper" starts out with a menancing sound of a knife scraping against another knife, and proceeds to assault your senses with frenzied vocals, overdriven guitars, and pummeling bass. The "Jack the Ripper" chorus is addictive in a strange way. It reminds me a lot of Ministry. The nihilists way to start the day. Click here to listen.

An Acquired Taste

Do you like green olives? If you do, you probably didn't start out that way, but gradually developed a fondness for them over a period of time. Of course, the martinis may have helped. The green olive is definitely an acquired taste. I've found that the same thing applies to music. Songs that may not be appealing at first, may in fact grow on you over time. It is like the bitterness of the olive; it is something that you will eventually crave. When I am bored with the music on the radio, I crave dissonance and the offbeat. The best place to start is Captain Beefheart and that is where the list begins. Develop your musical palette by clicking here.

Song of the Day - April 20, 2005

Imagine an alien space craft landing at a honky tonk bar in Joshua Tree, supposed vacation spot for many aliens, and taking over the band. I believe this is what happened to Gram Rabbit, as they are of the pyschedelic, sci-fi, spaghetti western genre, in fact they are probably the only member. Their sound reminds me of something you might hear in a David Lynch movie. Since I am a big David Lynch fan, it is only natural that I would be drawn to Gram Rabbit. If the unusual and obscure appeal to you, click here to listen to Gram Rabbit's "Dirty Horse."

Song of the Day - April 19, 2005

The Capitol Years' "Mounds of Money" is my song of the day. This band has that retro 60's sound down pat, especially the guitars. Of course, there are shades of the White Stripes and other garage rock type bands that are popular now, but the music is good, very good. This is not complicated music, but good rock and roll, as it is meant to be. Click here to listen.

Music to Eat Quail By

Yesterday was another beautiful day in Chicago, so I decided to make myself a treat - quail. I love quail, but I don't get a chance to eat them often enough. I opened a bottle of wine, 1993 Rene LeClerc Gevrey Chambertin - Lavaux St. Jacques, a lovely wine, and proceeded to grill my herb marinated quail. The quail were delicious, even my 11 year old daughter enjoyed them. The quail were accompanied by asparagus tossed in walnut oil and sea salt, simple but delicious. Dinner without music, is like food without salt, so I prepared a little jazz playlist for my dinner. Click here to listen, quail not necessary, but preferred.

Song of the Day - April 18, 2005

Last week I posted about Jeff Buckley and how he reminded me of Led Zeppelin. Well, I guess I just can't get Zeppelin out of mind, because today's song of the day is "No Quarter" from Maktub. Maktub is another great Seattle band. In fact, they have been voted Seattle's favorite band by The Seattle Weekly. Maktub sound has been described as a super soul band. They sound like a marriage between Sly and the Family Stone and Led Zeppelin. On this particular track, however, it's mostly Zeppelin. Click here to listen.

Song of the Day - April 15, 2005

Jeff Buckley, as many of you know, died in 1997 in a drowning accident. However, his music is still with us and it is glorious, beautiful rock and roll. My favorite song of his is "Mojo Pin." Jeff sounds very much like Robert Plant with wide dynamic changes, moaning, and guitar accompaniment that reminds me of Jimmy Page. In fact, if you close your eyes, you might just believe that this is Led Zeppelin. Since Rhapsody has no Zeppelin, give Jeff Buckley a try. You will not be disappointed. Click here to listen.

Desert Island Songs

Yesterday, the great blog Rhapsody Radish published a list of desert island songs by various bloggers and music critics, myself included. You can read the Radish's full article on either FIQL.com or Blogcritics. The challenge was to pick one song on Rhapsody you would take with you, if stranded on a desert island. Being a music fanatic, this was a tough question to answer since I love so many styles of music: jazz, classical, popular, and on and on. Ultimately, I decided on John Coltrane's "Impressions" from Live at the Village Vangaurd-The Master Takes. John Coltrane is a god of the saxophone and I, a former sax player, need to listen to Coltrane for my soul. This particular track was selected because it had the excitement of a live recording. It is a complex tune with challenging melodies and rhythms, and I could listen to it over and over always picking up new things.

However, I would need a little something from the popular vein as well, plus I would need to hear the human voice. My number one choice in this area would have to be David Bowie's "Wild is the Wind." I believe this is Bowie's most beautiful recording. It would be a travesty to never have to listen to Bowie again. This is an absolute essential.

Now I must move on to classical. Where does one begin? Does one choose a symphony, a quartet, or a sonata? As a huge classical piano fan, I gravitated towards one of Beethoven's late sonatas, his Hammerklavier, sonata 29. My first choice would be Solomon's recording of this great sonata, but sadly it is not available. However, Schnabel's historic recordings of the complete Beethoven sonatas are on Rhapsody and his version of the Hammerklavier sonata would keep me in excellent company.

The isolation of an existence on a desert isle may be too much to bear, if that is the case, one must have a plan, which will explain my final choice of The Captain and Tennille's "Muskrat Love." If I just couldn't take it anymore, I would play this song a few times. I am sure it will put me out of my misery.

To hear my desert isle selection click here.

Song of the Day - April 14, 2005

April March aka Elinore Blake is originally a NYC girl known for her French influenced pop tunes. On this particular track, "Somewhere Up Above," the lyrics are all in English and the results are addictive. Her sound has that 60's retro pop feel, a very irresistible sound that brings images of French movies from the 60's into my brain. This is one of those songs that will get stuck in your brain and not leave. Click here to inject into mind.

Great Kids!

I have great kids. Yesterday was my birthday and my kids brought me some great CD's. They have excellent musical taste for 8 and 11. It must be genetic. From my daughter, I received Regina Spektor's Soviet Kitsch and Frank Zappa's Strictly Commercial. From my son, I received The Futureheads self-titled album and Tegan and Sara's So Jealous. I thought I would put together a little sampling of my gifts plus one other treat for you. Click here to listen.

Song of the Day - April 13, 2005

The Pink Mountaintops' "Tourist in your Town" is my song of the day. The Pink Mountaintops share band members with the Black Mountain and there are similarities between the two, but Black Mountain is probably more user friendly. I particularly enjoyed "Tourist in your Town." It has a lo-fi sound, with a 60's style vocal duet between Stephen McBean and Amber Webber, along with what sounds like accordion accompaniment. Don't be afraid of the accordion. Give it a try. Click here to listen.

Bardo Pond - Amanita

Many will be turned off by their first listen to Bardo Pond. The constant droning of the guitar feedback may not be to everyone's taste, but given time you may grow to like it, even love it, as I have. Amanita dates from 1996 and refers to hallucinogenic mushrooms and the psychedelic moods they induce. The word bardo comes from the Tibetan Book of the Dead. According to the Matador website, "Bardo is where a Soul arrives upon its corporal self dying. While in the bardo, the soul negotiates different stages and encounters various visions, created from the souls prior life experience. The soul either ascends to nirvana or returns to another corporal existence." If you want to have a spiritual musical experience, free your mind, and open your ears to Bardo Pond's Amanita. Click here to listen.

Song of the Day - April 12, 2005

My song of the day is loud, rude, and an assault on the ears; listen at your own risk. "Three Weeks" is by the Ex Models, and their sound is in the vein of Gang of Four. The guitars are janglely, distorted, and loud. The bass is driving, and the vocals are chaotic. Who needs caffeine in the morning, when you have the Ex Models. Click here to listen.

Summer Fun In Chicago

This summer on July 16-17, Pitchfork is having a music fest in Chicago. Last week, they announced the initial lineup, which includes The Decemberists, The Wrens, and Fiery Furnaces, more artists will be announced soon. See below for the complete list. I thought I would assemble a list featuring the artists on Rhapsody to tide me over until the concert. The festival sounds like great fun and it is only ten bucks to get in. It definitely is the musical bargain of the summer. Start your summer early and click here to listen.

The Decemberists
The Fiery Furnaces
Will Oldham (special DJ set)
Broken Social Scene
The Go! Team
Four Tet
Magnolia Electric Co.
The Wrens
A.C. Newman
The M's

Song of the Day - April 11, 2005

Scout Niblett is another great singer from England. I stumbled upon her while searching through Rhapsody, and I just can't get enough. She sings in the style of PJ Harvey crossed with Nirvana. To top this off, her recordings have been produced by Steve Albini. As anyone knows who has been reading my blog, I am a big fan of Albini. I don't know whether it is Albini himself or the talent that is drawn to him, but he does make great records. This particular song, "No-one's Wrong," starts out with a slow simple drum beat followed by Scout's vocals, which build from barely uttered words to a raving scream, accompanied by some thrashed guitar chords. The whole song is definitely in the lo-fi style, but it works for Scout. Great stuff! Click here to listen.

Saturday Morning Cartoons - Part II

I enjoyed last week's post on Saturday morning cartoons so much, I thought I would do it again. Thanks go to the Internet Archive and their collection of vintage cartoons. Today's selection is a classic from 1939:Merrie Melodies - A Day at the Zoo. This is done in a documentary style with lots of amusing visuals and one-liners. It's the kind of cartoon that appeals to kids and adults. Click here to watch.

Shaken not Stirred

This is Bond, Covalent Bond and I like my music shaken not stirred. Here's my musical cocktail, a mix of bands, from pop, indie, electronic, and whatever else strikes my fancy. It's Friday, so enjoy a drink. For complete instructions on how to mix this cocktail see below. Click here to take a sip.

Take equal parts of each, add ice, and shake:

"Loser" - Beck
"Geological Lust" - Causey Way
"Russian Roulette" - Tsunami Bomb
"Cloaking" - Seafood
"Taper Jean Girl" - Kings Of Leon
"Mommy Mommy Mommy" - Ex Models
"Dance to the Underground (new version - full length)" - Radio 4
"Prole Art Threat" - The Fall
"Decent Days And Nights" - The Futureheads
"Bone Machine" - Pixies
"Flowers Of Romance" - Public Image Ltd.
"Tylenol" - Ben Kweller
"Sky Pup" - Melvins
"The Ha Ha Wall" - The Libertines
"Giga Dance" - Deerhoof
"Walt Whitman" - My Robot Friend
"Mary 8" - The Gris Gris
"One Life To Leave" - Out Hud
"A To Z And Back Again" - Magoo
"Your Brains Vs. My Tractorbeam" - Say Hi To Your Mom
"We Fight Till Death" - Windsor For The Derby
"Atrocities" - Antony and the Johnsons
"Old Harbor" - Victory At Sea
"Whiskey Breath" - Devotchka
"New Killer Star" - David Bowie

Song of the Day - April 8, 2005

It's Friday and I need appropriate music. Queen Bee will energize you with her stinging rock. Queen Bee is from the Motor City, and is led by a true rock girl, Karen Neal. Their sound is rough and loud; you can definitely hear her Detroit influences going all the way back to Iggy and the Stooges. My song of the Day is "Baraboo." I believe Baraboo refers to Baraboo, Wisconsin, a popular vacation area in Wisconsin. If you are planning a road trip, give Queen Bee a listen. I guarantee you will not fall asleep at the wheel. Click here to listen.

Before There Was a Dark Side of the Moon

The song of the day by The Coral got me thinking about Pink Floyd. It's been a long time since I listened to Pink Floyd and the wait had gone on long enough. In my youth, I was a huge Pink Floyd fan, up to and including the album Animals. Their three albums: Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, and Animals were the pinnacle of their career and probably the ultimate progressive rock albums ever. Most people are familiar with these albums, however, it is their earlier work which is not so well known. All the selections on this playlist precede the Dark Side of the Moon. On the playlist, you can hear their earlier pyschedelic sound, their folkish influences, and the progression of their style. The list starts with "Arnold Lane," which was Pink Floyd's first single in 1967, reaching number 20 on the charts. Here you can hear Syd Barrett, the original vocalist and guitarist for Pink Floyd. He was eventually replaced by David Gilmour, and you can hear how their sound changes over time, eventually developing that Dark Side of the Moon sound. The songs "Childhood's End" and "One of These Days" both sound as if they could have been from Dark Side of the Moon. However, my favorite tracks are the psychedelic ones, like "The Nile Song." Click here to listen.

Song of the Day - April 7, 2005

The Coral's "Simon Diamond" is a true mix of styles combining elements of Simon & Garfunkel, Crosby, Stills, & Nash, and early Pink Floyd. There are harmonizing vocals alla Simon & Garfunkel and CSN, plus that psychedelic guitar sound straight out of the 60's with a distinct Pink Floyd sound. I even detect an organ and some surf style guitars thrown into the mix. Despite the 60's sound, The Coral are a current band from the UK. The level of talent in the UK, never ceases to amaze me. If your looking for something just a little bit different, check out The Coral. Click here to listen.

Audio Blog

I thought I would try a little experiment today. I used audioblogger to leave an audio version of my posts, for those of you who don't want to read. You still will have to click on the link to hear the playlist. Let me know what you think of the audio. Have a great day!

Song of the Day - April 6, 2005

Here's another song that is a genre bender, "Nagging Nimbus," by Busdriver. It is classified as hip-hop on Rhapsody, but I wouldn't really call it that at all. Busdriver sounds like the rapid fire bebop vocal lines of Jon Hendricks crossed with Frank Zappa. In fact his vocals and sense of humor could easily be confused for Frank Zappa. Since I like very much both Jon Hendricks and Zappa, Busdriver was a natural for me. The song "Nagging Nimbus" borrows from Dave Brubeck's most famous piece "Take Five," but puts an original spin on it. Click here to listen.

Wine, Women, and Song

Yesterday was an absolute gorgeous day in Chicago, so I opened a bottle of wine last night to wind down with my wife. Being a wine fanatic, I searched my wine basement (the wine cellar will come some day, just like my Ferrari) for a wine to match the day. My selection was a 1990 Daniel Rion Nuits Saint Georges Les Lavieres. Yes, it had some age, but still a great wine; a fine pinot noir from Burgundy. The best things sometimes are from the past. Well, if one has wine, one must have women and song, and what better combination than some female jazz vocalists, both old and new. As far as I am concerned, the queen of all jazz vocalists is Ella Fitzgerald. I don't believe she will ever be surpassed. In addition, I have thrown in a variety of singers from Billie Holiday to Patricia Barber. Check out Nina Simone's version of "Wild is the Wind." It is mind-blowing! Click here to listen.

"Mr. Paganini" - Ella Fitzgerald
"Wild Is The Wind" - Nina Simone
"Peel Me A Grape" - Anita O'Day
"Get Out Of Town" - Shirley Horn
"Black Coffee" - Peggy Lee
"The Lady Is A Tramp" - Rosemary Clooney
"Lullaby Of Birdland" - Sarah Vaughan
"Postmodern Blues" - Patricia Barber
"Blue Skies" - Dinah Washington
"Look What I Got" - Betty Carter
"Nature Boy" - Abbey Lincoln
"East Of The Sun" - Carmen McRae
"Canadian Sunset" - Etta Jones
"Song Of Silent Footprints" - Nnenna Freelon
"Someone To Watch Over Me" - Nancy Wilson
"Do Nothin' Till YOu Hear From Me" - Ernestine Anderson
"Confessin' The Blues" - George Shearing/Dakota Staton
"Softly As In A Morning Sunrise" - June Christy
"Big Spender" - Shirley Bassey
"Afro Blue" - Dianne Reeves
"Skylark" - Cassandra Wilson
"You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To" - Julie London
"Don't Smoke In Bed" - Holly Cole Trio
"Go" - Jackie Allen
"Strange Fruit" - Billie Holiday

Song of the Day - April 5, 2005

I never heard of Black Bird Stitches until this weekend. Black Bird Stitches are Kirana Peyton on vocals, guitar, harmonium, bodhran, stomps, and bells and Paul Lamb on bass. Their self-titled debut album is truly great. It is hard to believe that I found two great albums never known to me before to post on the same day. Check out my other post on the Great Lake Swimmers. I have to thank the power of Rhapsody. Back to Black Bird Stitches, Kirana Peyton is a cross between Patti Smith and P.J. Harvey. One of the most powerful songs on the album is "Texas Woman," which deals with a woman who was beat to the edge of death by her man and she shot him dead. She was sent to death row and unjustly put to death. It is my song of the day. Click here to listen.

Great Lake Swimmers

Wow! This is a great album, I just happened to discover it while browsing on Rhapsody yesterday. I can't believe I never heard of the Great Lake Swimmers before. This is their self-titled debut album. The Great Lake Swimmers are from Canada and are led by Tony Dekkar, who does the singing and songwriting. If you are a fan of acoustic Neil Young, then you will fall in love with this album. The album was recorded in an abandoned grain silo and has a lovely melancholy sound, plus lots of reverb. It is hard to pick a favorite track, as they are all very appealing. However, I would have to say the opening track "Moving Pictures Silent Film" and "Merge, Vessel, a Harbour" are two of my favorites. Click here to listen.

Song of the Day - April 4, 2005

My Robot Friend's "Why Won't You Call Me Back?" is my song of the day. My Robot Friend is a one person band from New York City's underground electronica scene. His music is a mixture of styles, but think Kraftwerk and Devo to get some idea of how he sounds. Known for wearing a glowing electronic suit during his performances, he is definitely different, but very entertaining. I particularly enjoy the song "Why Won't You Call Me Back?" It has a quirky electronic sound mixed with a jazz feel. Click here to listen.

Saturday Morning Cartoons

This is a non-Rhapsody post, but I just couldn't resist. As a kid, I loved watching cartoons on Saturday morning. I always preferred the old cartoons from the 30's and 40's over the newer ones, even though they were way before my time. Sadly, one does not see these on TV much anymore. Well, low and behold, I rediscovered the Internet Archive today, and realized that they have a library of vintage cartoons. It is an awesome collection. I thought you might enjoy a vintage Superman cartoon from 1942. Click here to watch. You will need Quicktime to view the cartoon. Enjoy!

March's Songs of the Day

It's that time again, the first of the month. Here's the latest compilation of all my songs of the day for March. As always, there are many different styles of music, so one should find something they like. I am sure there are some artists that you may not be familiar with, but will probably enjoy discovering. Click here to listen.

"Burned Out" - Little Barrie
"Superstition" - The Kills
"Voodoo Science" - Boom Bip
"Special K" - Placebo
"Connection" - Call And Response
"I Don't Know Why I Love You" - House of Love
"I Can See For Miles" - Petra Haden
"Comme un gar¿on" - Stereo Total
"I Hear The Drummer" - Luke Vibert
"Masterplan" - My Morning Jacket
"Night Out For The Downer" - Damien Jurado
"Na Na Na Na Naa" - Kaiser Chiefs
"Eleanor Rigby" - Ann Dyer
"Cops And Criminals (LP Version)" - Pleasure Club
"Coconut" - Fred Schneider
"Two Way Action" - Andrew Bird
"Sunrise On Cicero" - Devotchka
"Kathleen" - A Girl Called Eddy
"Cockeyed Cookie Pusher" - Fog
"List of Demands (Reparations)" - Saul Williams
"Vaxxine" - Visqueen
"Mockingbird" - Papercuts
"Strelnikev" - Pidgeon

Song of the Day - April 1, 2005

This morning, I thought I would search Rhapsody for songs titled "April Fool." Not expecting much, I was pleasantly surprised to find the band Isis. This is not the metal band Isis, but rather one of the first all lesbian bands dating from the early 70's. Isis has a jazz funk type sound, combining blaring horns like Blood, Sweet, and Tears, funky Jimi Hendrix style guitar licks, and some mean flute playing. This song is excellent! Click here to listen.