WOW! I just found out that I'm likely going to see The Postal Service this summer (add to that concert, a Belle and Sebastian/Yo La Tengo show that I'm getting tickets for tomorrow and it's gonna be 2003 all over again!). I played the hell out of Give Up when it came out 10 years ago and I still give it the occasional spin when the mood hits. Let's go back a decade and check out my favorite track (and video) from Give Up.
20 February 2013
20 February 2013 - Fiona Apple - Sleep to Dream & Criminal
In continuing with the "why haven't we already posted this" theme, I bring you Fiona Apple.
This song, an early single, set Ms. Apple up for greater airplay success to come, earning heavy rotation on MTV, when they still occasionally played videos. The tune is bassline-heavy, with a compelling piano/guitar arrangement - she is a pianist first. Combine that musical dark dream state with her husky voice and the fact that she looks a LOT younger than she actually is, and you've got a hit on your hands!
Really, in the US, Fiona Apple is a one hit wonder. And because I'm a populist and pander to the wants of the people, here is her biggest hit. In all seriousness, it is an excellent song that deserved every bit of airplay it received (and the Grammy she earned for the performance). It's a little lighter-hearted in sound, but equals "Sleep To Dream" in darkness of theme.
Update: I was reminded that we DID feature Fiona Apple on Totally Covered, with her Beatles cover. Another great song.
This song, an early single, set Ms. Apple up for greater airplay success to come, earning heavy rotation on MTV, when they still occasionally played videos. The tune is bassline-heavy, with a compelling piano/guitar arrangement - she is a pianist first. Combine that musical dark dream state with her husky voice and the fact that she looks a LOT younger than she actually is, and you've got a hit on your hands!
Really, in the US, Fiona Apple is a one hit wonder. And because I'm a populist and pander to the wants of the people, here is her biggest hit. In all seriousness, it is an excellent song that deserved every bit of airplay it received (and the Grammy she earned for the performance). It's a little lighter-hearted in sound, but equals "Sleep To Dream" in darkness of theme.
Update: I was reminded that we DID feature Fiona Apple on Totally Covered, with her Beatles cover. Another great song.
19 February 2013
19 February 2013 - Christina Perri - Jar of Hearts
WOW! I'm kind of surprised that we haven't covered Christina Perri here already. She did make my top 10 of 2011 though at Your Forgotten Favorite (now Your New Favorite Song). As I wrote back then, this song blew me away the first time I heard it on the radio. Two years later, the song and video still gives me chills.
18 February 2013
18 February 2013 - Steve Burns - Mighty Little Man
A song co-arranged (and co-performed - check the drummer in this video) by Steven Drozd of the Flaming Lips? How is this a Wicked Guilty Pleasure?
Because it is primarily written and performed by Steve Burns, who at one time was best known for wearing a green striped shirt, hanging around with a blue puppy and being oblivious to the paw prints around him. Yes, THAT Steve Burns, long rumored to be dead (he never was), victim of male pattern baldness, and.... musician.
Surprisingly, he isn't singing about the mail never failing. He's singing about adult themes, with adult arrangements to his music. Clearly, there is a Flaming Lips influence to the music - several of them are involved with this album, including Drozd and Michael Ivins. But it's not the Lips - it's Steve Burns, and he found a voice all his own - a voice with a reasonably hard rock edge and an awful lot of emotion. I hope you enjoy it and seek out his album, Songs for Dustmites. It deserves more attention than it got, because it is fantastic.
For those not familiar, here is Steve performing his best-known song from 'Blue's Clues". I did use this song as my "You've Got Mail" sound for many years.
[UPDATE: 3 November 2017]. This song is now the theme song of the hit CBS show "Young Sheldon". We could not be more excited.
Because it is primarily written and performed by Steve Burns, who at one time was best known for wearing a green striped shirt, hanging around with a blue puppy and being oblivious to the paw prints around him. Yes, THAT Steve Burns, long rumored to be dead (he never was), victim of male pattern baldness, and.... musician.
Surprisingly, he isn't singing about the mail never failing. He's singing about adult themes, with adult arrangements to his music. Clearly, there is a Flaming Lips influence to the music - several of them are involved with this album, including Drozd and Michael Ivins. But it's not the Lips - it's Steve Burns, and he found a voice all his own - a voice with a reasonably hard rock edge and an awful lot of emotion. I hope you enjoy it and seek out his album, Songs for Dustmites. It deserves more attention than it got, because it is fantastic.
For those not familiar, here is Steve performing his best-known song from 'Blue's Clues". I did use this song as my "You've Got Mail" sound for many years.
[UPDATE: 3 November 2017]. This song is now the theme song of the hit CBS show "Young Sheldon". We could not be more excited.
15 February 2013
15 February 2013 - Gordon Lightfoot - The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald
I looked back. I had never posted this song before. That is a surprise, since, in my mind, it was one of the first I had in mind to put on this blog. (I did post a cover of it by the Dandy Warhols on our sister blog, Totally Covered. You can see that here.)
The SS Edmund Fitzgerald was launched on June 8, 1958, the largest ship on the Great Lakes. She was built to carry large amounts of iron ore between Duluth, Minnesota and other Great Lakes cities, like Toledo and Detroit, that relied on said ore.
On November 9, 1975, The SS Edmund Fitzgerald pulled out of Duluth for the last time, en route to Detroit. The very next day, the ship was caught in a severe winter storm and suddenly sank, killing all 29 crew members on board. No bodies were ever recovered from the wreck.
Gordon Lightfoot, who is a Canadian treasure, read a Newsweek article about the tragedy, and wrote this song, which he considers his finest work, as do I. Despite the minor historical inaccuracies of the song - the ship wasn't bound for Cleveland, the main hatchway apparently didn't really give way - it is a fitting and beautiful tribute to the ship, the crew, and the disaster. It remains one of my 20 favorite songs of all time, in its beautiful storytelling and simple musical arrangement.
I mention the historical inaccuracies because, in 2010, 35 years after the song was released, Gordon changed the lyrics to reflect the fact that the main hatch didn't give way, and that it was not crew error, but waves that caused the ship to go down. Here is Gord performing the song live in 2012, with the new lyrics. He's still got it.
The SS Edmund Fitzgerald was launched on June 8, 1958, the largest ship on the Great Lakes. She was built to carry large amounts of iron ore between Duluth, Minnesota and other Great Lakes cities, like Toledo and Detroit, that relied on said ore.
On November 9, 1975, The SS Edmund Fitzgerald pulled out of Duluth for the last time, en route to Detroit. The very next day, the ship was caught in a severe winter storm and suddenly sank, killing all 29 crew members on board. No bodies were ever recovered from the wreck.
Gordon Lightfoot, who is a Canadian treasure, read a Newsweek article about the tragedy, and wrote this song, which he considers his finest work, as do I. Despite the minor historical inaccuracies of the song - the ship wasn't bound for Cleveland, the main hatchway apparently didn't really give way - it is a fitting and beautiful tribute to the ship, the crew, and the disaster. It remains one of my 20 favorite songs of all time, in its beautiful storytelling and simple musical arrangement.
I mention the historical inaccuracies because, in 2010, 35 years after the song was released, Gordon changed the lyrics to reflect the fact that the main hatch didn't give way, and that it was not crew error, but waves that caused the ship to go down. Here is Gord performing the song live in 2012, with the new lyrics. He's still got it.
14 February 2013
14 February 2013 - Two Sides of Valentine's Day
OK, I really couldn't decide what video to post for Valentine's Day. Do I appeal to the lovebirds or the haters? Then it hit me, post two videos and make everyone happy or miserable (I suppose).
Here's some Sundays for all you lovebirds out there.
And now here's some Guns 'N' Roses for all you haters.
Here's some Sundays for all you lovebirds out there.
And now here's some Guns 'N' Roses for all you haters.
13 February 2013
13 February 2013 - Bonde do Rolê - Brazilian Boys (feat. Cécile)
Let me be blunt: Bonde do Rolê are gifted remixers. But they're also musicians in their own right. Their music has traditionally combined Brazilian funk, punk, and club music styles.
With their last album - the first without original lead singer Marina Ribatski - they added dancehall to their style repertoire. Here, new vocalist Laura Taylor, who is more subtle than Marina Gasolina, easily captures the combination of bravado and sexuality needed to pull off a dancehall song. They do enlist the assistance of Cécile. who is well-known in the dancehall world.
Really, they're a completely different band without Marina, but still fun and enjoyable.
With their last album - the first without original lead singer Marina Ribatski - they added dancehall to their style repertoire. Here, new vocalist Laura Taylor, who is more subtle than Marina Gasolina, easily captures the combination of bravado and sexuality needed to pull off a dancehall song. They do enlist the assistance of Cécile. who is well-known in the dancehall world.
Really, they're a completely different band without Marina, but still fun and enjoyable.
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