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thesinglesjukebox · 1 month

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SHAKIRA AND CARDI B - PUNTERÍA

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Shakira makes comments about Barbie, we make comments about Shakira... Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie you have 24 hours to release a statement about us to complete the circle...

[5.62]

Harlan Talib Ockey: “Puntería” is a no-thoughts-head-empty ode to sex. Without context, it’s fun, but it’s hard to forget that it just doesn’t have anything like the righteous fury of “Bzrp Music Sessions” or the caustic groove of “Te Felicito.” Cardi puts in an MVP performance, breezily singing a third of the song herself, and it’s ultimately their chemistry that makes this worth it. [5]

Claire Biddles: This only really livens up when Shakira and Cardi sound like they're in the same room -- I'd love to hear a song where they're riffing off each other the whole way through. [5]

Leah Isobel: Something about this brings out my cynicism. None of it is bad, and some of it is quite good -- Shakira singing about her G-spot, for instance. I like the trancey "Realiti" synth in the chorus, too. But mostly when I hear this I hear an attempt to recreate "Kiss Me More," and I'm a little Kiss Me Bored. [5]

Dave Moore: It didn't seem like rocket science to just give Shakira more of the sound she perfected on her Bzrp Music Session (check), then make a mini-album out of it (check) and tack on all the great stuff she put out in the last year or so to fill out the runtime (check). But I would not have guessed the secret weapon on this particular song would be Cardi B taking to the proceedings so naturally that you start to lose track of who's singing when they start passing melody lines back and forth in the second half. So now I also want Cardi B to make a Shakira album. [8]

Will Adams: Neither disappointing nor surprising that Shaki would follow up an international smash with a redux that sands off its predecessor's edges for the palatable lite-disco of "Say So" or "Lottery" or "Kiss Me More" or (or or or or). The real crime is for a duo of performers as vibrant and charismatic as Shakira and Cardi to sound this boring. [4]

Isabel Cole: Two stars known for more dramatic modes turn up the sweetness for a frothy little bauble, like the aural equivalent of girls' night. No one sounds like they're working very hard, in a good way; they're having fun, and so am I! [7]

Jacob Sujin Kuppermann: "Say So"ification comes for even our most charismatic pop stars -- lite retro production, indistinctly horny sentiments, a vague malaise creeping up even as the beat loops jauntily. It's not bad per se -- I will hear this at parties for the next six months and bop my head along without a second of regret tied directly to the song -- but I can't help but feel like there ought to be something more; I'd rather have an ambitious failure of a crossover track (remember the Shakira-Rihanna Ska Explosion?) than a distinctly unmemorable set of pleasantries. [6]

TA Inskeep: A mildly sexy empty-calories jam that I can't remember I heard five minutes later. [6]

Nortey Dowuona: David Stewart, who is possibly a millionaire from producing a BTS song you don't know (unless you are hardcore ARMY or a person who listens to a radio station) has now created another song for Shakira you won't remember after this year (unless you are a hardcore Cardi B fan or a person who listens to a radio station). Will this one make him a billionaire? Find out on: BIG, MEGA, FORGETTABLE, RADIO SMASHER. Hosted by Cardi B. [4]

Ian Mathers: Cardi B singing in Spanish is surprisingly close to Shakira here, when she just takes a chorus near the end if I hadn't been watching the video I might not have noticed the switch until she mentions her own name. Which is not a criticism! I wish I could fit in on a Shakira song, especially a decent one like this, so neatly. [7]

Alfred Soto: I hear voices like theirs at checkout lines and on FaceTime chats: two distinctly Hispanic lilts crashing against each other like sea spray against rock. Listening to each other is besides the point. "Puntería" reminds me of those exchanges. Pure idiomatic expression for expression's sake, it puts an arm around the listener then ignores her. [6]

Kayla Beardslee: Apparently scientists still have not found a cure to the "Say So" substitutes epidemic since I last did this bit two months ago. Everyone, our time on this planet as a species is finite: it's up to us to band together and figure out how to de-chintz the pop girl singles before it's too late. “Puntería” is an extremely average addition to the "Say So" imitators’ shelf, but having Shakira on a track will always be worth an extra point. At least I learned a new Spanish word! [6]

Katherine St. Asaph: EDITOR'S NOTE: Due to an oversight in the selection process, we have covered "Not My Fault" twice. We regret the error. [4]

[Read, comment and vote on The Singles Jukebox]

#shakira #cardi b #music #music writing #music reviews #music criticism #the singles jukebox #Youtube

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ifuckinglovestvincent · 3 years

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St Vincent: “Pour a Drink, Smoke a Joint... That’s the Vibe”

Ding dong! Daddy's Home

By Johnny Davis

19/03/2021

Annie Clark, known professionally as St Vincent, picked up a guitar aged 12 after being inspired by Jimi Hendrix. During her teens she worked as a roadie and later tour manager for her aunt and uncle, the jazz duo Tuck & Patti. Originally from Oklahoma, she moved to Dallas, Texas when she was seven and later attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts for three years, before dropping out.

Clark worked as a touring musician with the Polyphonic Spree and Sufjan Stevens, before releasing Marry Me, her first album as St Vincent, in 2007. By her fifth album, 2017’s Masseduction, she had become one of the most celebrated artists in music, the first solo female artist to win a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Album in 20 years.

She became unlikely Daily Mail-fodder around the same time, thanks to an 18-month relationship with Cara Delevingne, and later Kristen Stewart. Her ever-changing music, dressing up-box image and head-spinning well of ideas have seen her compared to David Bowie, Kate Bush and Prince. To complete the notion of her being the "artist's artist", in 2012 she collaborated with David Byrne on the album Love This Giant.

Indeed, she is surely one of few performers today who could stand in for Kurt Cobain with what’s-left-of-Nirvana, performing “Lithium” at their induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2014, as well as cover “Controversy” at a Prince tribute concert in 2020, with such guitar-playing fireworks its author would surely have approved.

Following the glam-influenced pop of Masseduction, St Vincent has performed another stylistic handbrake turn. Complete with a new image – part-Warhol Superstar, part-Cassavetes heroine – she has mined the textures of the music she loved most as a kid: the virtuoso rock of Steely Dan, the clipped funk of Stevie Wonder and blue-eyed soul of mid-Seventies' David Bowie, on her upcoming album, Daddy’s Home.

The title refers to Clark's own father, locked up in Texas for 12 years in 2010, for money laundering in a stock manipulation scheme, one in which he and his co-conspirators cheated 17,000 investors out of £35m. It is also, in typical Clark style, a bit of saucy slang.

Back on the promotional trail, Clark Zoomed in from Los Angeles one morning recently – fully caffeinated and raring to go. “My vices?” she pondered. “Too much coffee, man…”

What question are you already bored of being asked?

There’s not one that’s popping out. There’s no question where I’m like “Oh God, if I ever hear that again, I’ll jump off a building.” I’m chill.

I mention it because prior to releasing your last record you put out a pre-recorded “press conference”, seemingly to pre-empt every inane question the media would throw at you.

It’s so funny. It didn’t really occur like that. Originally that was supposed to be a legit green screen conference. Like, “I’ll just answer these questions ‘cos when they need to have me on ‘The Morning Show’ in Belarus they can have this and put their own graphics behind it”. But then when my friend Carrie Brownstein [collaborator and Sleater-Kinney vocalist-guitarist] and I started writing it and it became very snarky. For some reason it didn’t occur to me that “Oh, that might be off-putting or intimidating to journalists” I just thought "This is silly”. So anyway… I understand.

We're curious about your dad and the American legal system.

I have had a lot of questions about that. For some reason it didn’t occur to me how much I would be answering questions about… my hilarious father!

How do you view his time in prison?

Just that life is long and people are complicated. And that, luckily, there’s a chance for redemption or reconciliation, even after a really crazy traumatic time. And also anybody that has any experience with the American justice system will know this... nobody comes out unscathed.

You recently presented an online MasterClass: "St. Vincent Teaches Creativity & Songwriting". One of the takeaways: “All you need are ears and ideas, and you can make anything happen”. Who’s had the best ideas in music?

Well, you’ve got to give credit to people who were genuinely creating a new style – like if you think of Charlie Parker, arguably he created a new style. This hard bop that was just absolutely impossible to play. It was, like, “Check me out – try to copy me!” So, that’s interesting. I think Brian Eno, for sure, has some great ideas about music – and obviously has made some of the best music. Joni Mitchell – completely singular. I mean: think about that. There are some people who are actually inimitable – like, you couldn’t possibly even try to imitate them.

It’s a brave soul who covers a Joni Mitchell song. Although, apologies if you actually have.

No, I have not. And there’s a reason why not. Come on – Bowie. Bowie never repeated himself. David Byrne also didn’t repeat himself. He took all of his influences of classic songs and the disco that was happening at the time, and the potpourri of downtown New York music from the mid- to late Seventies… and synthesised it into this completely new, other thing. I mean, that’s impressive. Those are the ones we remember.

How hard is it not to repeat yourself?

It’s whether people have the Narcissus thing or not. Like, it’s always got to be a balance where you’re, like, “Well, I need to believe in myself to make something and be liberated. But I can’t look at that pond of my previous work and go ‘Oh you! You’re gorgeous!’” So I don’t go back and listen to things I’ve done. I finished Daddy’s Home in the fall and it was, like, “This is done” and it felt great. I loved the record and it was so fun to make. But what I did immediately afterwards was to write something completely different. But then I don’t know, ‘cos there are people who do the thing that they do just great. And you just want to hear more songs, in the style of the thing that they do great.

Right. No one wants an experimental Ramones album.

Exactly. Or, like, or a Tom Petty record. I don’t want a tone poem from Tom Petty! I want a perfectly constructed, perfectly written completely singalongable three-chord song.

The new album has a very “live” Seventies feel. I’d read that some of the tracks are first takes. Can that be right? It all sounds very complicated.

That’s not right. I should say [rock voice] "Yeah, that’s right, we just jammed…" But, you know, I’ll be honest. There are some vocal takes in there that are first takes. But it really is just the sound of people playing. We get good drum takes. And good bass takes. And I play a bunch of guitar and sitar-guitar. And it’s the sound of a moment in time, certainly. And way more about looseness and groove and feel and vibe than anything else [I’ve done before].

Amazing live albums, virtuoso playing, jamming – those were staples of Seventies music. Have we lost some of that?

I mean, I can wax poetic on that idea for a minute. In the Seventies you had this tremendous sophistication in popular music. Stevie Wonder, Steely Dan and funk and soul and jazz and rock…. and all of the things rolled into one. That was tremendously sophisticated. It just was. There was harmony, there were chord progressions.

What else from that decade appealed to you for Daddy’s Home?

It reminds me of where we are now, I think. So, 1971-1976 in downtown New York, you’ve got the Summer of Love thing and flower children and all the hippy stuff and it’s, like, “Oh yeah, that didn’t work out that well. We’re still in Vietnam. There’s a crazy economic crisis, all kinds of social unrest”. People stood in the proverbial burned-out building. And it reminds me a lot of where we are today, in terms of social unrest, economic uncertainty. A groundswell wanting change... but where that’s headed is yet to be seen. We haven’t fully figured that out. We’re all picking up pieces of the rubble and going “Okay, what do we do with this one? Where do we go with that one?” Being a student of history, that was one of the reasons why I was drawn to that period in history.

Also: that’s the music I’ve listened to more than anything in my entire life. I mean, I was probably the youngest Steely Dan fan. It didn’t make me that popular at sleepovers. People were, like, “I want to listen to C+C Music Factory” and I was, like, “Yeah, but have you heard this solo on [Steely Dan’s] ‘Kid Charlemagne’”? That music is so in me. It’s so in my ears and I feel like I never really went there [making music before]. And I didn’t want to be a tourist about it. It’s just that particular style had a whole lot to teach me. So I wanted to just dig in and find out. Just play with it.

Is there a style of music you don’t like?

That I don’t like?

You're a jazz fan...

I love jazz. Are you kidding me? I was that annoying 14-year-old who was, like, “Yeah, but have you listened to Oliver Nelson’s The Blues and the Abstract Truth?”

That does sound quite precocious for a 14-year-old.

It’s annoying. Just insufferable. [Thinking aloud] What music don’t I like….? Here’s what can happen. And I feel like it’s similar to when an actor has some lines in a script and they’re not very good – not very well-written – so they overcompensate by making it very dramatic and really overplaying it. I would say that is a style of music that I don’t really like. Where somebody has to really oversell it and it all feels… athletic. Instead of musical or touching.

Did you put your lockdown time to constructive use?

If you need any mediocre home renovations done, I’m your girl. It was fun. I did – let’s see now – plumbing, electrical, painting. Luckily there’s YouTube, so you can more or less figure it all out. I did a lot of that stuff and I have to say it was such a nice contrast to working on music all day. Because when you’re working on music you have to create the construct of everything. You’re, like, “I need to make this song. But what is this song?” Everything is this kind of elusive castle in the sky thing. But then, if you go and sand a deck, you’ve done something. It feels really good. And it’s not, like, “What is a deck? And who am I?” You’re just, like, “This is a task and I get to do it and I can see how the mechanism works I understand it it’s not esoteric – it’s simply mechanical". I can do something mechanical. I loved it.

Which bit of DIY are you most pleased with?

Painting the kitchen cabinets. That’s a real job. We’re talking sanding. We’re talking taking things off hinges. We’re talking multiple coats. The whole lacquer-y thing at the end. That. I’m, like, “That looks pretty pro”.

What colour did you go for?

Oh, you know, it’s just a sort of… teal. But classy teal.

Of course.

Yeah. The wallpapering wasn’t as successful. But, you know, that’s fine. So that was really fun. And then I also went down a history rabbit hole. I realised I had some gaps in my knowledge about the Russian Revolution and life under the Iron Curtain and the gulags and Stalin and Lenin. So, I went down that hole. And then I was like “Oh I forgot – I haven’t read any Dostoevsky”. So I have been working on his short stories – which are great. And then Solzhenitsyn I really liked – I mean liked is a strange word to use for The Gulag Archipelago. I read Cancer Ward… All of them. I recommend all of it. And then, before that, it was a big Stasi kick. I can’t remember the last time I had time to brush up on the Russian Revolution.

There’s a lyric on “The Laughing Man”, “If life’s a joke… then I’m dying laughing”. It’s also on your new merchandise. What do you think happens when we die?

Nothing.

This is it?

Yeah. I mean, I understand that it would be comforting to think otherwise. That there might be a special place. It would be nice! The thought’s never really been able to stick for me. I would say that we are made of carbon and then we get subsumed back into the Earth and then eventually we become life again – in the carbon part of our makeup.

Well, that sounds better than an endless void.

I don’t think it would be an endless void.

In what ways are you like your mum and dad?

Let’s see. Well, my mother is a precious angel who has unwavering optimism. She is incredibly intelligent and also very nonjudgmental and able and happy to explore all kinds of possibilities. Saying that, though… it’s sounding not like me at all. I’m like my father in that I think we have very similar tastes in books, films, music and a very similar sense of humour. My mother’s so kind that it’s hard for me to… Her level of kindness and decency is aspirational to me.

How famous are you, on a scale of one to 10?

God, I mean, like, “TikTok Famous” probably a one, right? I’m gonna say – I don’t know about the number system – but I’m going to say I-occasionally-get-a-free-appetiser-sent-over famous. Which is a great place to be.

What do you look for in a date?

It’s been so long since I’ve been on a date. You know, I once read something, it might have been something cheesy on a card, but [it was]: if you don’t like someone, then the way they hold their fork will bother you. But, if you like someone – or love someone – they could spill an entire plate of spaghetti on your lap and you wouldn’t mind.

You play a zillion instruments. What’s the hardest instrument to play?

Well, I can’t play horns or anything like that. The French horn is supposed to be really hard. I don’t like to blag… but I’m an incredible whistler. Like, I can whistle Bach.

Is Bach a particularly tough whistle?

I think… yeah. It’s fast. And noodly.

What’s the first thing you’re going to do when we're out of lockdown?

I’m gonna get a manicure and a pedicure and a massage. Massage from a stranger. Any stranger.

What about a night on the tiles?

I will probably attend a dinner party.

That sounds quite restrained.

It sounds hella boring. Sorry.

Clubbing?

No, I don’t really go to clubs. I think in order to go to clubs you have to be a person who likes to publicly dance. And I don’t publicly dance. I mean I would feel too shy to dance at a wedding. But for some reason I will dance on stage in front of 10,000 people.

That’s why alcohol was invented.

Exactly! But I swear I would reach the point of alcohol sickness before I would be drunk enough to dance.

The effects of drugs on creativity: discuss.

Unreliable. Really unreliable. Sometimes after a day’s work in the studio you’re like, "I’m gonna have shot of tequila and then sing this a few more times, and then play". It’s okay but you peak sort-of quickly. You can’t sustain the level without getting tired. And then I would say that weed just makes me paranoid and useless. Every once in a while some combo of psychedelics can get you someplace. But, for the most part, you either come back to [the work] the next day and you’re, like, “This is garbage” or you get sleepy or hungry or distracted and you’re not really doing anything. I’ve never had opiates. Or coke or whatever. So I don’t know. I can’t speak to that. But with the slightly more G-Rated [American movie classification: All Ages Permitted] thing, it doesn’t really help.

What do you have too many of in your wardrobe?

I’m not a hoarder. I tend to have one thing that I get really obsessed with and then I wear it every day. Some people, having a whole lot of things gives them a sense of safety and security. It gives me anxiety. I can’t think if there’s too much visual noise. If there was a uniform that I could wear every day I would absolutely do that. And at certain times I have.

Like Steve Jobs?

Or, oh God, what’s her name? The Theranos lady… Elizabeth Holmes!

The blood-test-scam lady?

Well, I guess it was unclear how much of it was self-delusion and how much of it was, you know, actual fraud.

Another black turtleneck fan.

And – again, this is unconfirmed – she also adopted a very low voice like this in order to be taken seriously as a CEO.

Like Margaret Thatcher.

Did she have a low voice?

She made hers “less shrill”.

Oh yes. Yes!

What movie makes you cry?

The Lives of Others

That’s a good one.

Right. I rewatched that during my Stasi kick.

I’ll be honest, your lockdown sounds even less fun than everyone else’s.

I mean… Look, I had to educate myself. I went to a music college [Berklee College of Music] where I tried to take the philosophy class and the way that they would talk about it… it was taught by this professor who was from one of the neighbouring colleges in Boston. And it was very clear that he really disliked having to talk Kierkegaard to a bunch of music school kids. He was just so bummed by it. I’m trying to learn, “What’s the deal with Kant?” and he felt he had to explain everything only in musical terms [because he assumed it would be the only thing music students could relate to]. Like, “Well, you know, it’s like when Bob Marley…" I’m, like, “No, no, no! I don’t want that!” So I had to educate myself. This is where its led me.

Where should we ideally listen to Daddy’s Home?

Put it on a turntable. Pour yourself a glass of tequila or bourbon – whatever your favourite hooch is – and smoke a joint and listen to it. I think that’s the vibe.

Daddy’s Home is released on May 14

#have u covered Joni mitchell? Annie clarkson: ‘I have not’#OKAY MA’AM WHATEVER U SaY MA’am #st vincent #annie clark #interviews #marfa was a dream #Apparently #and that one time she posted her singing jm in the car #also that time at Newport folk festival with doveman #‘maybe that’s her shtick this time around’#’to be full of shit?’#’yah’#that’s hot

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lostinfantasyworlds · 3 years

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Playlist for Everything

READ “EVERYTHING” ON AO3

This post is going to be extra af, but I am really inspired by music and am so in love with how perfectly some of these songs fit in with feeling of this story. I just want to yell loudly about how much I love some of these songs 😂

Here’s the link to the playlist (YouTube)

Below the cut = more details and some highlights of the lyrics for each song!

TL;DR: If I had to narrow it down to only a few songs that really capture the essence of the story, they would be (in order of importance):

1. Unfold by Alina Baraz and Galimatias 2. Lights Out by Ayelle and Sonn 3. Strange by Kris Bowers feat Hilary Smith 4. I Miss You by Adele 5. The Bitter Suite III: Embrace by The Dear Hunter

1. The Bitter Suite III: Embrace by The Dear Hunter

Darkness Hesitation I fell into her arms Breathe in, this is amazing Breathe out, this is amazing She removed her clothes and all of the world shined Now that we're alone, all of the world shines First hot breath, then cold hands Intrusion, but aware The fire inside was alight, and she bloomed I never knew life could ever be this good The distant sighs, the clothes on the floor The bedding a mess, she sings for more We fall beneath the sea in the back of our hearts, And fail to breathe until we resurface again.

So I’m just in love with this band. They have a series of albums (Act I - V) that tell a story throughout all of the songs (they are AMAZING and I highly recommend). In this song, the main character loses his virginity to a woman he later falls in love with, and I just thought this song perfectly captures the overall experience really well. Plus, the bass riff that starts around the 5 minute mark is absolutely beautiful/emotional in a way that I can’t quite explain.

2. Come Here by Sabrina Claudio

I'm dying to see you You know what I'm fiending for The only one to get to me Only one to get this close So I want you to come here I want you to come here I just need you near

This one is more about the sensual vibe of the music, but the lyrics are also pretty fitting.

3. Speechless by Beyonce

Goin' out my head I think I'm losin' all my mind (all my mind) Drive me crazy burning candles, makin' love all night (all night) Feels so strange, it feels so crazy to be in your world (in your world) In your arms lost for words, you got me (you got me) Speechless

This one is pretty obvious when you listen to it hahaha

4. Unfold by Alina Baraz and Galimatias

Cover my thoughts in gold I'm your flower, watch me unfold My vulnerability, letting you consume me The parts of me that eyes can't see The glowing underneath Picking off the petals I'll let you if you're gentle This kind of love we can't control The art of touch, I am covered in gold I know that you feel me now No I'm never going down The parts of me buried underneath The glowing, don’t you see? I know that you feel me now

This is one of the songs I am OBSESSED WITH, especially in relation to this story. Such beautiful lyrics and just a beautiful song in general with that perfectly slow, sexy/sensual vibe.

5. I Miss You by Adele

I want every single piece of you I want your heaven and your oceans too Treat me soft but touch me cruel I wanna teach you things you never knew, baby Bring the floor up to my knees Let me fall into your gravity Then kiss me back to life to see Your body standing over me I love the way your body moves Towards me from across the room Brushing past my every groove No one has me like you do, baby Bring your heart, I'll bring my soul But be delicate with my ego I wanna step into your great unknown With you and me setting the tone

I’ve always loved this song and how sexy/emotional it is. The beat (especially around the 30 second mark when it really starts) is ON POINT.

6. Until It Hurts by Fransisca Hall

Undress these beautiful lies Blind me with animal eyes Carve your heart into mine Carve your heart into mine Brush me with venomous lips Tear me to passionate strips Stir up the beast inside Stir up the beast inside Take me for all I'm worth Touch me until it hurts

7. The End by JPOLND

Keep your breath on me And keep keep keep going 'Til my body is free Keep your eyes on me And keep keep keep going 'Til I'm the last thing you see Keep your touch on my skin And keep keep keep going Keep keep keep going...

8. Show Me by Alina Baraz and Galimatias

Rising like the smoke You linger on me You got me so high I can finally breathe You're walking poetry It's what you do to me It's what you do to me Touch me with no hands Hold me with your eyes Unwind me with your mind tonight Speak with no words Show me and I'm all yours

ANOTHER PERFECTLY FITTING SONG. The beat/sexy vibe + lyrics UGH.

9. Strange by Kris Bowers feat Hilary Smith

This is an instrumental track from the Bridgerton soundtrack that played when the main couple makes love for the first time. I just thought it was SO beautiful. One of those pieces that really makes you feel something without needing any words. I envisioned this to be playing during either the “everything” scene where he touches her face, or when they actually finally start making love. P.S. This is a cover of Strange by Celeste, which is also just as beautiful but the lyrics don’t really fit for the situation. Highly recommend checking it out though!

10. Vulnerable (David Luxe remix) by Tinashe

Once upon a time I was all alone How you like me now? Do I turn you on? Now I got you drunk, hot, and vulnerable Show me what you want, give me what you want, want Have to make you mine, get you on the floor Yeah, watch me go to work, I’ll put on a show

This is for when things start really heating up lol. It’s more about the sexy beat/vibe, but the lyrics are relatively fitting too. I like the original too, but this remix gets rid of the rap part which isn’t as appropriate for this use, plus I like the beat a bit better in the remix.

11. One in a Million by Aaliyah

So, no one else love me like you do That's why I don't mind to spend my life with you (with you) I want to please you in any way I can I want to share my world, don't you understand? Your love is one in a million It goes on and on and on You give me a really good feeling, all day long

Just kind of continuing the sexy vibe here, but the lyrics fit really well too.

12. Made to Love by John Legend

Oh I've never loved, I've never loved Never loved someone like this All-I-know is... I was sent here for you We were made to love We were made to love You were sent for me too We were made to love We were made to love

Again, needed a few songs that were a little faster for the sexier parts haha. The lyrics on this one are also pretty beautiful too.

13. Lights Out by Ayelle and Sonn

Talk about the way you wanna be You don't ever hesitate to say how All you wanna do is to be with me Taking it all in I wanna be with you 'til the sun rises In your eyes, in your eyes, in your eyes I wanna paint the moon with your eyelashes Paint the night, paint the night, paint the night Lights out

THIS ONE MIGHT BE MY FAVORITE ON THE WHOLE PLAYLIST (along with Unfold). This song is not only slow and sensual but the lyrics are BEAUTIFUL. I put it towards to the end because I think of it as when they’re coming down after and cuddling. Just imagine them looking into each other’s eyes being super in love. WARNING: If you are wearing headphones, there is a realistic knocking sound throughout the song that can be kind of alarming lol

14. I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing (piano version) by Aerosmith

Don't want to close my eyes I don't want to fall asleep 'Cause I'd miss you, babe And I don't want to miss a thing

Ok so...I’m partial to this song because the full version is what my husband and I had our first dance to at our wedding. So this song will always give me major feels. BUT I included this special piano version specifically, because just like Strange, it evokes a certain beautiful feeling of romance without needing the extra words. Just to wrap up the end with that warm fuzzy feeling of love

If anyone actually read this.....THANK YOU. It really means a lot to me ❤️

#everything #playlist

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onestowatch · 3 years

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Valleyheart on Their Unique Sound, New Single and Staying Grounded [Q&A]

Have you ever felt like every day just feels the same? Do you feel like a robot just going through the motions? Especially now with the pandemic, it’s easy to get stuck in a repetitive rut. Valleyheart helps you break that cycle of monotony with their new single “Stepping Stone.” With this gritty, inspiring tune we are reminded to stop and smell the roses. There are so many small moments in life that are so beautiful and should be cherished, but many times we just let those days pass us by. In this song and throughout their EP Scenery, they capture the essence of treasuring the little things and finding ourselves through that process.

The Massachusetts natives are recognized for their wistful, melancholy sound that penetrates with driving guitars and rich, raw vocals. Fronted by singer/songwriter/producer Kevin Klein, the foursome formed in 2016, taking Klein’s stunning folk songs and adding a riveting rock element. Through their courageous offerings, Valleyheart continues to carve out their lane in the indie scene.

Ones to Watch: Valleyheart displays an intense indie/alternative sound with elements of punk splashed in. How did you develop your distinct sound?

Valleyheart: Well, half of us grew up playing and listening to heavy hardcore metal kind of music. When I was a teenager, Filipe (our guitarist) and I played in a band called Exiting The Fall and started touring in that band at like 14. So most of our teen years instilled a love for a heavier side of things. And though I would say we don’t really listen to that kind of music anymore, let alone play it, it shines through from time to time. I think for a while I tried to bury that side but now whenever it feels natural to us, we’re leaning into it.

For the sound we have now, I don't know, I would say it’s just a natural blend of most of all the artists that inspire us, from all sorts of styles you know? The other two guys come from playing more in the DIY alt scene so it kind of all fuses together.

Your hard-hitting single “Stepping Stone” features smooth vocals skating over pulsating drums and jangly guitars. What was your process in constructing the intoxicating tune?

This one started out as a very chill acoustic song. A lot of our songs start like that sometimes. I had written the verses on my acoustic and made a little cassette tape demo of it. I was ready to resort to it as a solo song, until the next night I got together with our old drummer Jon and was sound checking with it as I was getting tones and he started playing that driving drum groove. And it was kind of like that light bulb moment of “Oh this could be something different, something VERY different”

The track examines finding satisfaction in everyday activities and staying in the moment. Could you explain this concept further and what inspired the song?

Yes. I will say that I have NOT mastered that and am very much in that process still. Haha. One day I’m doing yoga and seeing the face of God in the grass or my coffee and others I’m thinking “I didn’t even feel the day pass by today.” The song was kind of written to myself; Examining the ways I used to cope with discontentment and boredom. Comfort can be a drug you know?

How do you practice gratitude in your lives and what helps you remain present?

Gonna go for the old classics but … yoga, meditation, writing. Writing is a big one. Drinking water is another. I want to say most days when I’m in a funk, a big reason is just like nutrition, hydration and general needs. I feel we’re all big, moving, thinking plants sometimes. Sometimes I look at my house plant all droopy and defeated and I’m like - “I feel you dude” And give it some water, and it’s back! We’re not that different. Light and water.

Also, going on walks. That’s always a game changer. Just noticing things around my neighborhood and city. Just noticing.

Your new EP Scenery explores our sense of self, change and life’s many mysteries. What draws you to these profound themes?

I don’t know, I kind of just think about these things. Always have. And writing about them helps make sense of it. And songwriting especially has really been my place to be honest and not hold back any hard questions or introspection.

The four songs from the offering come together to create a narrative, but are all so unique from one another. How does the placement of the songs tell that story?

This EP is all about contrast - sonic and lyrical. We really wanted to have songs that countered each other and even created tensions between the songs themselves. Contrasting heavy & chill (“T.I.K.” & “Scenery”) and bright & dark (“Stepping Stone” & “The Point”)- It was about experimenting with that idea rather than trying to make the most cohesive, linear thing. Which, we may very well do for our next release(s). But with this contrast concept in mind, it was really fun to explore different sounds and ways we could push our sound for this EP.

Is there a track that stands out to you the most from the EP?

“Scenery,” the title track, is my favorite. It’s the most different and I wrote and recorded it all in one summer afternoon. It kind of feels like a little snapshot of that time.

Who are some musical talents that you truly idolize?

David Bazan, Sujfan Stevens, Men I Trust, Joao Gilberto, Justin Vernon.

Finally, who are your ones to watch?

Runnner, Jay Som, NNAMDI

#Valleyheart #Indie #Alternative #Stepping Stone #Scenery

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newmusickarl · 3 years

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Album & EP Recommendations

Album of the Week: Life By Misadventure by Rag & Bone Man

As someone who has been following Rory Graham’s career ever since his exceptional 2015 EP Disfigured, I must admit I did have my issues with his debut album under his Rag & Bone Man persona. After his inescapable global breakout hit Human, the title track for that record, there was a noticeable shift in his sound. It wasn’t so much a stylistic change, it was more that a lot of the tracks on that album seemed to come with heavy-handed, mostly unnecessary additional production. Songs like Skin and As You Are were brilliantly crafted but I couldn’t help but feel they would’ve shone that bit more if it was just Rory’s voice and some minimal instrumentation.

It seems Rory had the same feeling, as his sophomore effort Life By Misadventure sees him return to the spirit of that earlier EP, this time recording songs with a live band and allowing his powerful voice to take centre stage. These intentions are immediately made clear on the raw, stirring opener Fireflies, which even begins with some lo-fi production. After this tone is set, Rory follows through with mostly acoustic and subtle sonic backing, particularly on standout tracks like Breath In Me, Alone and Old Habits. This record also nicely showcases just how far his songwriting has developed since that first record, with gut-punching tales of personal heartbreak and observational social commentary to be found.

Now although this is a mostly stripped-back and downbeat record, there are still plenty of big moments here too. From the electric duo of Springsteen-esque numbers, Crossfire and All You Ever Wanted, to the resonant piano-driven single Fall In Love Again, this record still manages to pack in a healthy dose of hits. There is of course the biggest of all these - his collaborative ballad with Pink, Anywhere Away From Here.

This one is a goosebump-inducing team-up of two global megastars who just let the heartfelt, timely words and their wonderful soulful voices soar to the sky. This was fully evidenced at this week’s Brit Awards ceremony, where the duo gave an emotionally-charged performance, made even more poignant thanks to the backing of the Lewisham & Greenwich NHS Choir – a performance you can watch above and judge for yourself.

All in all this album is a step in the right direction for Rory, with greater artistry on display here and a welcome move away from the noticeably commercial production of his debut. What’s more, it features a number of his most finely crafted songs to date, which will no doubt tug hard on your heartstrings if you give them the chance.

Forever Isn’t Long Enough by Alfie Templeman

Also highly recommended this week is the exceptional debut album (he’s calling it a mini-album but it’s 30 minutes so to me, it’s just an album) from Alfie Templeman. Shining brightly with catchy hooks, funky riffs and plenty of 80s flair, this a very promising first outing for the young singer-songwriter that will no doubt be on repeat for me in the months to come. From the saxophone-tinged, infectious groove of Everybody’s Gonna Love Somebody, the neon-soaked guitars on Film Scene Daydream and the hypnotic spacey synths of the glorious title track, this one has all the makings of the perfect summer soundtrack.

Tracks of the Week

No Hard Feelings by Wolf Alice

On the tracks front this week, Wolf Alice dropped their latest taste of forthcoming album Blue Weekend - a beautifully subdued, two-and-a-half-minute break-up anthem, driven by a soft running bassline and Ellie’s quiet, whispery vocals. Just stunning yet again from this band.

Lost by Jake Bugg

Off the back of his chart-topping hit with dance duo Camelphat, this new dancefloor-ready single marks a noticeable change in direction for the Nottingham-based singer-songwriter, with a welcome slice of disco flair and a suitably catchy chorus.

Down by St. Vincent

The final taste of Daddy’s Home ahead of its imminent release, this is the strongest track to date from Annie Clark’s latest project, with some psychedelic instrumentation and a fun gospel-funk vibe over a lyrical message of fierce defiance.

Manchester Super Reds No.1 Fan by Don Broco

And finally this week, Bedford rockers Don Broco made their emphatic return with this oddly titled new track, which sees them at their absolute genre-bending best. Also wouldn’t be complete without a suitably wacky video, which features the band in Star Trek uniforms making David Beckham clones – yes you read that right! Definitely check it out.

#rag n bone man #life by misadventure #pink #anywhere away from here #brit awards #alfie templeman #jake bugg #wolf alice #st vincent #don broco #best new music #new music #new music friday

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deadcactuswalking · 3 years

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REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 13/02/2021 (Digga D, AJ Tracey, Cardi B)

It’s not as big of a week as it is just a confusing one, so there’s no pre-amble. Olivia Rodrigo spends a fifth week at #1 with “drivers license” and let’s start REVIEWING THE CHARTS.

Rundown

I started writing this a bit later than usual so I just want to rush through most of what’s here. The songs dropping out of the UK Top 75 are either debuts from not long ago like “Notorious” by Bugzy Malone featuring Chip and “Lo Vas A Olvidar” by Billie Eilish and ROSALÍA, or songs that have been here for a while, like “Monster” by Shawn Mendes and Justin Bieber, “Holy” by Justin Bieber featuring Chance the Rapper and “Dynamite” by BTS. We even have some #1 hits dropping out of the Top 75 this week, like “Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac, “WAP” by Cardi B featuring Megan Thee Stallion and “Shallow” by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper. In terms of fallers, we have, seemingly, some of the older Winter cuts being replaced, as we see “Sweet Melody” by Little Mix getting a harsh streaming cut down to #30, “Whoopty” by CJ down to #33, “Levitating” by Dua Lipa and remixed by DaBaby down to #34 (although this could rebound given the album release), “you broke me first” by Tate McRae at #37, “SO DONE” by The Kid YAOI at #57, “All I Want” by Olivia Rodrigo at #61, “Looking for Me” by Diplo, Paul Woodford and Kareen Lomax at #62, “Train Wreck” by James Arthur at #63, “See Nobody” by Wes Nelson and Hardy Caprio at #64, “Take You Dancing” by Jason Derulo at #65, “Therefore I Am” by Billie Eilish at #68, “Before You Go” by Lewis Capaldi at #72 and “Golden” by Harry Styles at #73, as well as some more recent debuts, including the entirety of Fredo’s album impact from last week, as “Money Talks” with Dave is at #11, “Ready” with Summer Walker at #31 and “Burner on Deck” with Young Adz and the late Pop Smoke at #32. “Skin” by Sabrina Carpenter and “Apricots” by Bicep aren’t faring that well either, at #51 and #56 respectively. When I said these songs are being replaced, I wasn’t overestimating anything as we have our new crop of hits seemingly all surging, as “Martin & Gina” by Polo G is at #54, “Be the One” by Rudimental, MORGAN, TIKE and Digga D is at #49, “Best Friend” by Saweetie featuring Doja Cat is at #42, “My Head & My Heart” by Ava Max is at #35, “Love Not War (The Tampa Beat)” by Jason Derulo and Nuka is at #27, “Heat Waves” by Glass Animals is at #24, “Your Love (9PM)” by ATB, Topic and A7S is at #23 (it’s honestly starting to grow on me), and “Blinding Lights” by the Weeknd is somehow back up to #20. Speaking of the top 20, we also have “Friday” by Riton, Nightcrawlers and Musafa & Hypeman dopamine re-editing itself up to #16, “Save Your Tears” also by the Weeknd at #15, and two new top 10 hits, both songs with basically the same chart run and genre. “Goosebumps” by Travis Scott, remixed by HVME, remixed by Travis Scott is at #10, becoming HVME’s first and Travis’ fourth top 10 hit here in Britain. We also have “The Business” by Tiesto grooving up to #7, becoming Tiesto’s fourth top 10 hit. I honestly feel bad for the still completely uncredited vocalist. We also have a third new top 10 entry but that’s a debut that we can discuss later. I should also note that “Roses” by SAINt JHN and remixed by Imanbek is back at #74, and a winning Eurovision song, “Arcade”, by Dutch singer Duncan Lawrence is also back at #39 off of the back of some TikTok traction. I think this is the most streamed Eurovision now – I’d watch out for this being a big hit. Welp, time to get into our really, and I mean REALLY, varied and weird crop of new arrivals, starting with...

NEW ARRIVALS

#75 – “Roadtrip” – Dream and PmBata

Produced by Banrisk and Perish Beats

Okay, so this is a song by Minecraft YouTuber Dream, or at least that’s who I think he is. I think there was some kind of scandal related to him, and a couple people got involved and someone got doxed... listen, I don’t care. Not only is this song really not worthy of reviewing on the principle that unlike Wilbur Soot a couple weeks ago, Dream has never been a musician, which is clear from how involved no-name singer PmBata was in this, but I care for my private information not being made public so... What ridiculous excuse do I have to not review this? Okay, 1997 reggae-rock classic “Doin’ Time” by Sublime returns to #75 after Boris Johnson made a TikTok in the Houses of Parliament where he says “Pogchamp, Brexiteers, I just got tested for COVID-19” with the song in the background, and Joe Biden is on a Zoom call with him a few seconds later visibly annoyed because he prefers the New Radicals. Sure, let’s go with that. What was this entry about again?

#71 – “Goodbye” – Imanbek and Goodboys

Produced by Joris Mur, Imanbek and Goodboys

Everyone’s favourite Kazakh house producer Imanbek is finally back on the charts with his collaboration with British pop trio Goodboys, who you may know from their carbon-copy hits made with MEDUZA. After listening to that EP he made with Rita Ora, I’m slightly less impressed with Imanbek’s production, but that EP’s impact, if any, will be seen when the lead single featuring David Guetta and Gunna debuts low next week. Yes, seriously, all four on the same track. Anyway, this song, “Goodbye”, is actually pretty okay, with a generic deep house groove and fake hand-clap effectively saved by the Goodboys’ really intriguing vocal delivery and processing, which ends up in a Travis Scott-like Auto-Tune harmony that’s honestly pretty endearing right before the anti-climactic slap-house drop. The song’s lyrical content probably isn’t worth talking about, but it’s about a generic struggle with a break-up, and how hard it is for one of these good boys to say good bye. The build-up with the pre-chorus before the blue-balls second drop is kind of genius, and that’s probably my favourite part of the song outside of the abrupt vocaloid drop at the end. For what it’s worth, it takes more risks than most of these house-pop songs, most notably by having only a single verse in the middle of the song, and being really short, clocking in at less than two and a half minutes. It’s not as infectious as “Piece of Your Heart”, but this is fine. I’m glad it’s here if it’s going to give Imanbek another non-Rita Ora-assisted hit.

#60 – “Little Bit of Love” – Tom Grennan

Produced by Jamie Scott, LOSTBOY and Daniel Bryer

Tom Grennan is an English singer-songwriter who released their debut record in 2016 and was crowned by the BBC as the “Sound of 2017”, before dropping off the face of the Earth. He was brought to fame by a guest feature on a Chase & Status song that didn’t even do that well and now he’s back with the lead single from his upcoming sophomore effort, and his highest ever charting song. Well, is it any good? I mean, I like OneRepublic too. The rising strings here in the intro and chorus are pretty cool, and I’ll give it to Grennan for having an interesting voice but the odd level of grit in it does not fit well for this plastic production, which quickly devolves into vaguely danceable synth-mess that’s just not interesting. The content is mostly about unconditional love, particularly one that feels not particularly reciprocated, although some of the detail in the second verse feels like it’s going somewhere. I’ll admit, the chorus is catchy, but this mix puts way too much emphasis on a flawed vocal take from Grennan, which really detracts from the pathetic excuse for a bridge. I do enjoy how this feels like a flash-back to the mid-2010s, where happier, synth-based pop was this prominent, and I do love how the strings come back in the outro, but good production can’t do much to save a song that just feels under-cooked and definitely under-written. The OneRepublic comparison feels particularly fitting here too because their stuff tends to be just as stagnant, not to mention the lyrical riffs off of “Counting Stars”. I mean, when you start your first verse – in the first 10 or so seconds of the track – with the most recognisable part of a very recognisable song, I think Ryan Tedder deserves at least some royalties.

#58 – “Astronaut in the Ocean” – Masked Wolf

Produced by Tyron Hapi

Masked Wolf is an Australian singer and this song is actually from June 2019, just gaining enough traction, presumably off of TikTok, to debut on the charts this week. The song got a 2021 reissue and I assume a remix and, well... for God’s sake. The Kid LAROI should not have been an entry point for Australian trap, because outside of a second or two of distortion in the intro, this is far from unique. It has a guitar-based trap instrumental with dark 808s that even Gunna would pass up on, and an Auto-Tuned delivery from Masked Wolf, clearly trying too hard to replicate Drake in the intro and bridge, Kid Cudi in the chorus, G-Eazy in the first verse, Eminem AND Kendrick on the second verse, to the point where he even directly references Kendrick Lamar’s much better music. He suffers from the same problems as all of these artists combined, with lyrics that seem like they’re building up off of something interesting about depression before going into aimless flexing like a mid-tier Kid Cudi track, flows that sound as meandering and checked-out as Drake’s, the failed attempt at some kind of white-boy swagger that G-Eazy hasn’t pulled off successfully since 2016, the substance-less content hidden behind fast flows from Eminem and... oh, my God, this guy’s just like Australian Logic. I don’t like American Logic, why do we need this guy too? Yeah, this is bad, and there’s not much worth nitpicking in this mix or even the lyrics to even point out. I guess the worst bar is when he says he believes in G-O-D but not a T-H-O-T. So he’s a slut-shaming NF now? Jesus Christ, I’d take a full album from The Kid LAROI over this.

So the next two songs are ones I’ll actually need to somewhat lump together, as they are consecutive on the chart and both from the same album, and the same washed-up band.

#53 – “Waiting on a War” – Foo Fighters

Produced by Greg Kurstin

We have two songs from Dave Grohl and friends here from their latest album, Medicine at Midnight, technically three if we count the entire top 100, which means, yes, the UK just had a Foo Fighters album bomb. I’ll focus on the album as a whole with the next song because this is easily the worse track here and the worst track on the album purely out of how misguided it is. Dave Grohl wrote this song because he felt inspired by the current hell-scape of the political climate, reminding him of his own youth when he was surrounded by rising Cold War tensions. His young daughter asked him if there was going to be a war and naturally this song came out of it, reflecting on the fears he and his daughter have and that everyone deserves a future and a lifetime not taken away from them by conflict and fear. This is a good song idea but it absolutely does not work, and that’s partially down to the production. When I first heard this track on the album, I genuinely grimaced at the vocoder-mumble that Grohl takes on against the scratchy acoustic guitars. The whole point of the instrumentation is that it builds tension with rising strings, multi-tracked acoustics and eventually some electric guitars and powerful drums, yet because of how slow-paced the song is, it fails to mirror the rising tension of the prospect of there being a war. Instead, it’s a slog and its pay-off by the end feels unwarranted in the most boring way. Sure, the squeals of the guitars in the back of the mix sound good, but surely a song like this should not end like any of the Foo Fighters’ other pop-rock anthems, especially not as abruptly as it does. Wouldn’t you want a more subdued outro to comfort your daughter’s fears that at least right now, everything’s okay? That would make the most sense to me, but that’s thrown out of the window, with pathetic songwriting, with verses that play word association with the blandest of rhymes, seemingly irrelevant pop-song-generator filer and a chorus that is mind-numbingly repetitive but ultimately fails to build tension because of the content asking us to wait, constantly, even when it gets into its heavier rock tone. We’re supposed to wait for something that is only implied to never come, because there isn’t finality. Sure, that could work as a way of saying that Grohl is just as uncertain and scared as his daughter is about political conflict, but that would imply this song gives off any further emotion than the fact the Foo Fighters felt the need to cut a vaguely political track out of necessity. As a song, and as an album, Dave Grohl is utterly confused, and “Waiting on a War” is way too slow and non-specific to act as a protest song, as well as being way too on-the-nose for it to work as a ballad. Let’s talk about this next single.

#52 – “Making a Fire” – Foo Fighters

Produced by Greg Kurstin

What the hell is Greg Kurstin doing here? This is the first track on the album and is supposed to make some kind of gripping impact but is instead just a snoozefest. The choral female vocals sound bored, but at least it’s not as strained as the struggling Dave Grohl trying and failing to yelp over a stiff groove which has its momentum killed by drumming too slow and mixed too oddly to make this pre-chorus even coherent, not helped by Grohl’s butt-rock delivery and non-descript lyrics. There could be a guitar solo here, to make this track feel memorable, but no, it’s hidden under a pre-chorus with an extended gospel bridge that doesn’t build up effectively to a chorus that just comes crashing in and hence has no effect. Maybe I just can’t listen to arena rock in a quarantine context, but I can’t even imagine this making much of a fuss in a packed stadium without desperately needing tweaks in the songwriting and especially the production, because this just sounds stunted. It’s telling that Grohl made his best tracks as the Foo Fighters on his own and those first two records, alongside a pretty decent 2014 comeback in the form of Sonic Highways, are still great. I’m not denying that Grohl can write a good song, or that the Food Figures can’t play, because they’re all talented guys. This is just one album in many that leaves me with the feeling that these guys just can’t do much more outside of their comfort zone than fail miserably. These songs won’t stick around, and thank God for that.

#50 – “Believe Me” – Navos

Produced by Tom Demac and Navos

Another week, another... okay, but we already had a generic pop-infused deep house track from a couple EDM randos, do we really need another? Okay, well, this one is even less interesting than Imanbek’s effort as it doesn’t even try for a verse, instead going for a deep house groove I’ve heard countless times before, drowned out by some square synths and, yes, you guessed it, 90s piano loops and an uncredited female vocalist repeating basically the same couple lines over and over. This is made for the clubs, but I feel like even regular club-goers would tire of this vocaloid drop and cloudy production two minutes in. There’s nothing worth discussing here, because this probably took as many minutes to make as it did to listen to. I have no idea why Navos debuts a song so high, but I’ve got to assume TikTok’s to blame. Apparently this guy makes tech house, where’d any of that skill or intrigue go here?

#21 – “Up” – Cardi B

Produced by Sean Island, DJ SwanQo and Yung Dza

Anyone else surprised at how such a big name gets production from people I’ve never heard of before? Not that it matters, it’s just odd. Anyways, this is Cardi’s new single, presumably from that ever-elusive second album, debuting around 20 spots lower than it will in the US, and it’s going for a more gangsta-rap content than the hyper-sexual “WAP”, but does she keep the same energy? Well, yes... in fact, after all the mediocrity, I’m glad to have a genuinely great song debut this week. This is a great, bass-heavy beat that gives a Memphis phonk feel in the dark keys as well as the hard-hitting 808s and spacey percs and sound effects that add some needed distortion, even if there’s going to be some brief clipping along the way. Cardi brings some necessary energy from the brilliant opening lyrics and continues with a fast-paced, chanting flow that accentuates some of her funnier lyrics with her charisma that she always brings to a trap track like this. I’d say that this is maybe too repetitive – with very little of the verses to speak of – or even somewhat derivative of her previous song, “Money”, but there’s a lot better lyrical content in this one, not to mention how well she complements a more straight-forward but still killer beat. Oh, yeah, and Cardi’s stacks are Shaq-height as she dismisses haters with an impressive level of swagger and confidence, that carries the refrain, but that’s not to say the lyrics aren’t really great in the verses. There’s genuinely funny and sexy wordplay here, especially in the second verse, and also some great liners: “hoes speakin’ cap-anese”, accusing her haters of having pink-eye and their breath smelling like “horse sex”. This is a short, probably underdeveloped song, but it’s the type of surreal, high-energy trap I kind of really love and I hope this sticks around further in the UK.

#19 – “Latest Trends” – A1 x J1

Produced by ShoBeatz

A1 x J1 are a British rap duo with no other songs. Yeah, something’s fishy here: this is their only song on Spotify that blew up from a 15-second clip on TikTok, and their Spotify bio is trying to decide whether they’re the next D-Block Europe or the Beatles, as well as really emphasising how the song grew “all organically”, even though they’re already signed to Universal... yeah, there’s nothing subtle here, so I won’t buy this TikTok fame schtick, but does it matter when the song is good? Well, not really, and honestly, I’m kind of into this guitar-based drill-R&B fusion in the beat, but it doesn’t really help the fact that J1’s Stormzy impression is janky and unconvincing, especially if he’s going to try for some shallow wordplay, and that A1’s Auto-Tuned croon is just boring, reminding me a lot of A Boogie wit da Hoodie, but with a less recognisable voice and delivery, even if the first verse contains a funny line about a woman making that ass clap “for the NHS”, although he totally took that from Swarmz anyway. Yeah, I’m not a fan of this fake attempt at an organic pop-drill crossover, but unfortunately, I can very much see this working, though I’d be happy if the British public will see through this dishonesty as soon as possible.

#5 – “Bringing it Back” – Digga D and AJ Tracey

Produced by TheElements and AoD

Now for a rap duo that makes more sense to debut this high and are actually, you know, separately successful rappers, therefore they debut in the top five, which is impressive. The whole concept of this song is that Digga D and AJ Tracey are using old flows, those that would be nostalgic to their deeper fan base, to spit bars on a new track called, fittingly “Bringing it Back”. The flow AJ Tracey brings back is from his overlong “Packages” freestyle, a five-minute track from 2016, that works more as a freestyle than it does as a song, where he uses a familiar UK drill flow to go off for a really long time, and, yes, it is pretty impressive but the flow becomes stale too quickly. Digga D uses his flow from his “Next Up?” freestyle from 2017, a similarly badly-mixed UK drill freestyle but with a much more palatable length. Digga D’s flow he uses in that track is arguably slicker but honestly one that I see used a lot in UK drill and by Digga D, so I’m not sure it’s not worth “bringing it back” when you could come up with a new, catchier flow. I’ll admit that “Bringing it Back”, however, is a pretty damn good song, with Digga D’s more technical and fluid flow allowing for a lot more intricate internal rhymes that sound really great over the triumphant, string-heavy drill beat, as he trades bars with AJ Tracey’s slower but more confident, laid-back flow, which allows him to spit some more specific, interesting bars, some of which really hit, like when he says he “locked up the food for the kids like Boris and then I let it go like Rashford”. Hey, I respect it, I haven’t heard a more clever way of intertwining political commentary with cocaine smuggling since Pusha T last released a record. The way AJ Tracey and Digga D play off of each other’s lines is really smooth, and especially how Digga D plays with the beat, as while his lyrics may be less interesting, they mash perfectly with the beat’s frantic fades in and out, especially in his last lines before the first chorus, where he asks for the track to literally be turned off... and it is. So, yeah, I’m pretty damn happy with this debuting so high off the energy alone, even if Digga D is going to pronounce “LOL” like a one-syllable word. I’d say this is actually a really good starting point for people who want to get into more UK drill because it has a lot of the grit and menace of the genre in a more accessible, catchy form, even if it may run a bit too long for my taste.

Conclusion

Wow, what a weird, weird week... and a lot of it was straight garbage. I’m giving Best of the Week to “Up” by Cardi B, with an Honourable Mention to Digga D and AJ Tracey for “Bringing it Back”, though Worst of the Week is pretty much a toss-up. I’ll give it to the Foo Fighters for “Waiting on a War”, with a Dishonourable Mention tied between “Astronaut in the Ocean” by Masked Wolf and “Believe Me” by Navos for just both being worthless. Anyways, here’s our top 10:

The UK Singles Chart is honestly kind of chaotic right now – even more so than usual – and I don’t see that changing. Even if I don’t like all of the songs, it’s at least compelling. Anyways, thank you for reading and you can follow me @cactusinthebank on Twitter if you want. I can’t really make any predictions for next week other than Taylor Swift re-recording her own music and I guess some impact from Rita Ora and Imanbek, or hopefully, slowthai. Regardless of what happens, I’ll see you next week!

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that-shamrock-vibe · 4 years

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Disney+ What To Watch: My Top 10 Favourite Modern-Day Disney Classics

#1. The Emperor’s New Groove

I absolutely and completely fell in love with this movie the first time I saw it. Not only is the movie’s comedy on point but the animation styling, the story and the emotion that develops throughout this movie, for me, is exceptional.

Now it is fair to say that my #1 and #2 favourites involve the main protagonists being indirectly turned into into animals by the movie’s main villains and the story that follows is a buddy movie about self-discovery. But while The Princess and the Frog is a developing love story, The Emperor’s New Groove is a cautionary tale about the pitfalls about power, how it can corrupt and to appreciate the little and simple things about life.

In a way, The Princess and the Frog and Lilo & Stitch are also about that as the former sees the the main protagonists learn to open themselves up emotionally and the latter is about the meaning of family but this movie combines with it a fun family adventure, some rather high-intense sequences, brilliant comedic scenes, one or two fantastic meta-reference moments and every main and supporting character fills their roles perfectly.

Not only are the characters fantastic, but this movie makes me enjoy both David Spade and Patrick Warburton, I don’t really dislike Warburton but I really dislike David Spade unless his voice is coming out of an animated llama.

The plot, despite being slightly derivative of a standard buddy adventure comedy, somehow makes itself quite unique in the sense of not only the prince cursed to be a llama learning to be human but also the very hands on interference from the villains.

Speaking of the villains, despite being a movie about Emperor Kuzco learning a sense of humanity while he is effectively exiled from his throne, this movie’s two main best features are Yzma and her minion Kronk.

There are very few actors that I say are born for roles and certainly fewer that I say are born for multiple roles, but Eartha Kitt was born to be Yzma just as she was born to be Catwoman. It’s no surprise that these are her two most recognisable roles.in mainstream fandom.

I cannot say enough great things about this character, she is, for me, the best Disney Villain since Cruella De Vil because she is unapologetically ambitious, knows what she wants and will stop at nothing to to achieve it.

Her design is cartoon enough to not seem real but at the same time you want to meet this woman in real life, if that makes sense. She is such an interesting character that you want to meet her, you want to interview her, you want to find out about her history and what got her to this point in her life.

But she is also hilarious and fearsome at the same time. She is a fully-realised three-dimensional character and not just this movie’s typical baddie. This is captured not only in the character design but particularly in Eartha Kitt’s performance. I love her almost as much as I love Cruella and her becoming a cat at the end was the icing on the cake of a fabulous performance for me.

Kronk meanwhile is what I deem to be a villain by circumstance, to the point where I actually believe he is slightly oblivious to exactly what side he has found himself on working for Yzma. This is because, maybe save for Pacha, he is the gentlest and most naive character in the village. That’s not necessarily a bad thing and it is a great moment when he finds his place in the world separate to Yzma and isn’t persecuted for his past because officially he hasn’t actually done anything villainous save for attempted regicide.

However, the great thing about this movie, and Kuzco being something of an anti-hero, is I don’t believe anyone in the kingdom would prosecute

As for Kuzco, he definitely showed some growth throughout this movie. He may not be the nicest individual but he does learn a lesson in humility and also friendship through his friendship with Pacha and the karma he receives through his actions reverberating on the giant target Yzma paints on his back.

This movie is also very quotable, this may not be the most well-known movie but chances are you will recognise a quote or two that were coined in the playgrounds if you attended school in the early 2000s. From Kuzco’s catchphrases such as “No touchy”, “Llama Face” and his “a-ha” victory chant, it’s fair to say that non-fans are at least familiar with one of them.

But also, let’s be honest, the best moment of this movie is Yzma’s iconic “Pull the lever Kront, wrong lever!”. Not only was this instant comedy gold but continued to be a staple in the franchise as the spin-off series The Emperor’s New School utilised many versions of this scene throughout the series.

Kuzco is also a fourth wall joke away from be the Disney Animated version of Deadpool, not only does he break the fourth wall numerous times in the first half of the movie, but also you can tell that if the movie was higher than a family friendly rating, he would not be so family friendly which is fantastic with the potential being there but not needing to be exposed.

Also, the movie is set in Peru. I think Up and The Three Caballeros are the only other movies in Disney history to actually feature any South American locales and not just the design in architecture but the fact that Pacha’s village is authentic to South American culture being a llama herding and produce village is very productive for an animated movie. It creates teachable moments without jamming it down your throats.

That being said, it would have been nice to have some Peruvian or South American representation in the voice casting, because despite the talents of Eartha Kitt and Wendie Malick, the rest is principally a white in a strictly Peruvian setting.

Musically there are just three words...Tom freakin Jones. Not only is his music the theme song for this movie but he is the only “theme song guy” to become animated as the theme song guy. He is in this movie less than Bucky the Squirrel yet I love him just as much.

Also there is a fantastic song that was left on the cutting room floor sang by Eartha Kitt “Snuff Out the Light”. Not only do I feel that if this song were included it may have made it a slightly different movie but also I would say that non-canonically it is one of the better Disney Villain songs if nothing else but for Eartha’s powerhouse performance.

This movie, like One Hundred and One Dalmatians is a movie where I can honestly say that, for me, there is not a bad moment in this movie, there are no slow parts, there aren’t any unnecessary parts, the slightly wacky or convoluted moments add to the genius that this movie encapsulates.

I can remember seeing this movie with my mum and sister and loving it, I remember playing the PlayStation game and loving it, Outside of Disney compilation soundtracks, this was also the movie soundtrack I ever owned and it is because of Tom Jones and Eartha Kitt’s performances...there’s just nothing bad I can say about this movie.

So what do you guys think? Post your comments and check out more Disney+ What to Watch Top 10s as well as more Top 10 Lists and other posts.

#disney+#disney plus #disney+ what to watch top 10s #disney+ what to watch #my top 10 favourite modern day disney animated movies #my top 10 favourite modern day disney classics #the emperor's new groove #eartha kitt #yzma and kronk #yzma #david spade #john goodman #patrick warburton #walt disney animation studios

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soundsof71 · 5 years

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Hal Blaine: “May he rest forever on 2 and 4.”

That quote is from his family’s Facebook posting, announcing Hal Blaine’s passing at age 90.

He played on 40 #1 singles, 150 top 10s, some 6000+ tracks in all. (You’ll see stats that say north of 30,000 but don’t believe the hype. All these guys were union and kept their timecards. When Hal says more than 6000, he knew what he was talking about.)

Hal was the drummer on six straight Grammy Record of the Year winners, 1966 through 1971:

“A Taste of Honey”, Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass

“Strangers In The Night”, Frank Sinatra

“Up, Up, and Away”, The Fifth Dimension

“Mrs. Robinson”, Simon & Garfunkel

“Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In”, The Fifth Dimension

“Bridge Over Troubled Water”, Simon & Garfunkel

Plus if it was a studio recording by The Byrds, The Beach Boys, Simon & Garfunkel, Sonny & Cher, Carpenters, The Association, The Fifth Dimension, or The Partridge Family, the odds are that it was probably Hal.

You don’t need me to cue up Hal’s biggest hits like the ones listed above, or “Be My Baby”, “Good Vibrations” (Hal seen below working on it with Brian Wilson)...

...so I’m going to take you to the first song that made me say, “WHO’S PLAYING THOSE DRUMS?!?!” The song was a deceptively complicated pop trifle called “Dizzy” by Tommy Roe, and it spent four weeks at #1, starting on March 15, 1969 (50 years ago almost to the day as I write this).

I say deceptively complicated because even though it’s basically two verses and the chorus three times (it actually starts with the chorus, which I’m a sucker for.) There’s not even a bridge, but it manages to go through 11 key changes in less than three minutes! And while there are other instruments, I always heard it as a duet between the drums and the strings.

You already know it was Hal Blaine on strings, and the string arranger was another member of the extended family known at the time as The Usuals, Jimmie Haskell. I was delighted to find this, as both Hal and Jimmie were well known to me from so many other albums in the family collection by then. (I was reading album credits before I was reading books.)

This really is an astonishing track. Bubblegum pop on one level, exceptionally baroque on another, and a drums-strings pas de deux the likes of which we’ve yet to hear again. I used to listen to this on repeat for hours, singing at the top of my lungs -- including the drum breaks and strings stings (c’mon, you know you sing instrumental parts too!) spinning around and around the room until I was DIZZY.

Check Hal’s snare kicking it off like a gunshot.

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I have a couple of other gems of Hal’s that are a little off the beaten path.

I hope that y’all are enough in the know by now to not be pissing on The Partridge Family, who was making absolutely first-rate pop composed by some of the best writers of the day, with pros like Hal Blaine laying down the tracks.

(Plus, c’mon, David Cassidy would have been a singing star without the show, and Shirley Jones WAS a star, an Oscar-winner no less, with one of the great voices that humankind has ever been blessed with.)

“I Can Hear Your Heartbeat” uses Hal’s right foot on the bass pedal as the titular heartbeat, until the whole kit comes swinging in after the first verse. One of the keys to appreciating Hal (or any drummer, really) is to listen to when he starts and stops, and the gaps in between what his hands are doing. This one is a real gem.

(And yes, there’s performance footage of the Partridges of course, but none of the clips SOUND good enough to hear all that Hal is up to.)

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Now having sung Hal’s praises, I’ll note again that it’s possible to overstate the case (which Hal encouraged, and participated in more than once). There were plenty of other drummers on the Hollywood studio scene, including Earl Palmer (very likely on more records than Hal in fact), plus a number of times that Hal was one of a couple of drummers on a single track.

This was a Phil Spector trick. Multiple drums, multiple bassists (often one electric and one acoustic), and an army of guitars all playing at once were the key to the Wall of Sound, NOT multitracking. Sure, Phil used that too now and again, but rarely to add depth. More often for polishing, because there’s no substitute for the vibrations in the air when all those players are playing simultaneously. THAT’s the Wall of Sound, and Hal and his friends are the exact musicians Phil used.

Mike Nesmith used this "Wall of Sound” trick to fine effect when he produced one of the best tracks he wrote for The Monkees, “Mary Mary”, so sharp that it appeared in FIVE episodes, yet still manages to be too little known.

“Mary Mary” features FIVE guitarists (Glen Cambell and James Burton both on lead, with Peter Tork among the rhythm players), two bassists (Larry Knechtel and Bob West), and two drummers (Hal Blaine and Jim Gordon, whose name may also be familiar to you from Derek & The Dominoes, George Harrison, Delaney & Bonnnie, et al.), with notable percussive support from Cary Coleman.

This is definitely Hal kicking it off, though, with a snare lick so sweet that Mike looped it three times and added it to the front of the track, making it that much easier to sample, and sampled it was, including on a nifty COVER of this track by Run-D.M.C. (even though they changed Mike’s lyric on the verses, Mike is the only writer credited) that also used Mickey’s vocal singing the words “Mary Mary”.

I should mention that The Monkees’ version of “Mary Mary” was never released as a single in the US, but WAS included as a cardboard cutout single on the back of Honey Combs cereal!!!! Yes, I had it, though, like a fool, I failed to keep up with it.

Anyway, this is GROOVE, kids.

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Last but not least, Elvis Presley’s “A Little Less Conversation” (1968) was so far ahead of its time that it STILL sounds like it’s from the future. Originally recorded early in the year, it was re-recorded for the famed Elvis ‘68 TV special, but scrapped at the last minute. (Hal did in fact appear in the special!) The second version of "A Little Less Conversation” was used to outstanding effect in the 2001 version of Ocean’s Eleven, and a subsequent remix by Junkie XL charted even higher than Elvis’s original, going to #1 in 14 countries including the UK.

And all of ‘em featured Hal’s drums, absolutely swinging.

You’ve surely seen Hal’s name by now in the context of “The Wrecking Crew”, a name that he invented well after the era had finished to describe this loose group of LA studio aces. It was not only NOT used at the time, but explicitly and angrily rejected by many of the folks tagged with that label later (Leon Russell was so furious at the name that he insisted that the chapter of the movie devoted to him be removed, and he’s far from alone in his outrage)...but hey, as long as you keep that in mind, you can still enjoy the documentary of the same name for what it is: a long conversation between some of the folks who made some remarkable music.

You probably know the song “A Little Less Conversation” well enough (although you should check it out if you don’t), but in this little clip from the aforementioned Wrecking Crew movie, you can see 2008 Hal playing along with 1968 Hal for 30 seconds or so.

Watch his right hand in particular. It’s practically floating on air. He’s holding the drumstick so lightly that I bet you could have snuck up behind him and snatched it right out of his hand. Not that 70s rock drummers like Bonzo couldn’t swing plenty, but the death grip on drumsticks as heavy as telephone poles characteristic of later drumming is barely even the same thing as what Hal was doing.

I’m not saying one is better than the other -- I hope you know by now that I love light 60s pop every bit as much as heavy 70s rock -- but this clip tells you everything you need to know about why drummers in particular revere Hal as one of the greats...even if he pissed them off sometimes, too.

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Additional notes: the photo, the quote and some of the stats at the top are courtesy redef, the picture of Hal with Brian Wilson is via forums.stevehoffman.tv, and the single of “Mary Mary” is via 45cat. The rest is from yewchewb, and me obsessively reading the back of albums since 1963.

Here’s a great list of highlights from Hal’s credits. You’re going to be flabbergasted by them. If you have any kind of record collection that dips into the 60s at all, you may have dozens of them.

And while most of Hal’s key work was in the 60s, he did in fact have a terrific 1971, with appearances on two albums each by The Partridge Family (including one of my favorite singles of theirs, “Echo Valley 2-6809″) and Barbra Streisand (Stoney End is one of my favorites by anyone that year), Carpenters (featuring “Rainy Days and Mondays”), and a good-sized handful more.

#hal blaine #the wrecking crew #rip #hal blaine rip #the monkees #the partridge family #mike nesmith #phil spector #tommy roe #dizzy #a little less conversation #elvis presley #my edit #essay #long post

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mccoys-killer-queen · 4 years

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This Week’s Playlist (2/21)

As promised, the 80′s list! This week I thought I’d pick a song from each year of the decade. I probably should’ve done this last week for the 70s but enh oh well thought if it too late. Next week I’ll be doing underappreciated/niche songs from artists.

Warning: since this is an 80s list, get ready for a ton of cheesy music videos

1.) In Your Letter- REO Speedwagon (1980) Hey, you’re lucky I don’t make entire lists of these guys every week. This song is for EVERYONE- a total fan favorite. Everyone only focuses on Keep On Loving You or Take It On the Run when it comes to Hi Infidelity- but I think this should be up on the high list with those. Talk about being catchy as all fuck! The story this tells is so sad, but this song just makes you wanna bop! (the music video is by far the cheesiest thing I’ve ever seen, so get ready).

2.) In the Dark- Billy Squier (1981) The title looks mysterious, and believe me, the song sounds that way, too. “Life isn’t easy from the singular side, down in the hole, some emotions are hard to hide”- starting off a song with that really makes the mind ponder on things. What really gives me chills is the line “will you love me in the dark” *shivers* I’m not sure why. The lyrics get more serious as they go on, and with that being the last line of the song- with everything coming down to that line- it just hits something. It’s a great song if you’re feeling unsure of things. If you haven’t already, PLEASE listen to the rest of this album Don’t Say No- it’s a legendary classic rock classic.

3.) Dancer- Queen (1982) HOT SPACE, LET’S GO! The title lives up to its name (and this is yet another Brian May baby).It’s songs like this that raise the question “How the HELL can you hate Hot Space??” Whether you like it or not, you’ll have your own dance made up to this song by the time it’s over. They were really vibin when they made this (at least, some of them were). The overall sound of this is just the definition of an 80s song. Is it disco? Is it not? That’s up to you. Either way, get groovin. And give Hot Space a chance!

4.) After the Fall- Journey (1983) Holy mother of internal conflict. “So now love is gone, and I can’t go on” that REALLY sets the stage for the meaning of this song. It’s full of regret, but it’s done with so much passion (as Journey always does). Passionate harmonies, passionate keyboards, and passionate outro guitar solo. To me, the ending is just as great as the outro of Who’s Crying Now. I’d like to call this the Who’s Crying Now of Frontiers. It’s kinda like if you mashed like four songs from Escape and Frontiers together. If you’re looking for a good, solid 80s vibe that’s not Don’t Stop Believin, then try this song for a change. (This music video is also one of the cheesiest things I’ve ever seen, so get ready. Once you’re one watching, check out these memes I made about it a while back).

5.) You Might Think- The Cars (1984) Yeah, this is my favorite song from 1984. If you’re in need of some good ass 80s trash then look no further (music video is also included as 80s trash). Here’s the DEFINITION of 80s pop music imo. Why is it that everything Mutt Lange produces is amazing? Def Leppard, Foreigner, The Cars- he’s just a GOD. I always wondered why this song was a masterpiece. Everything about this song is just so much fun! If you just say the verses out loud- it sounds like a fun song! Watch the music video- it’s cheesy but super lighthearted! I can guarantee everyone reading this that you’ll like this song if you haven’t heard it yet.

6.) Money for Nothing- Dire Straits (1985) GoD, does this slap. (I know they say f*ggot like three times in this but I try to ignore that because despite that- this song is still a good one.) It’s really a staple of 80s culture, if you ask me. It’s in the perspective of someone mocking MTV, so how could you ignore that in 1985? It totally makes a whole lotta sense though- like “all they’re doing is playing music, that ain’t working!” I totally get it. How can you POSSIBLY ignore that intro guitar? This song is a goddamned RITUAL. You’ll be chanting “I want my MTV” at the end for sure. This song is super iconic, so it had to make this 80s list. (The music video is also another top notch animated music video (by 80s standards))

If you wanna hear the full song (not the radio/music video edit) click here.

7.) Underground- David Bowie (1986) Whether we knew it or not, the Classic Rock Fandom has totally claimed the movie Labyrinth as our own. This is the theme from the movie and (and imo the best song of the whole movie). Time to be wooed by Jareth the Goblin King. This song is also done with a lot of whimsical passion- being perfect for the fairytale it was made for. It’s not a children’s song, but it does its job to carry childlike wonder to whoever hears it. It’s more of gospel than anything else if you ask me. Gospel gone Bowie- that’s what it is. Would also highly recommend the movie Labyrinth (take it with a decent sized grain of salt, though).

8.) Hysteria- Def Leppard (1987) Okay, I really, really, really restricted myself when it came to putting this song in a list right away. I’ve waited long enough. This is by far my favorite song of all time (and you can quote me on that, I’ve been saying it for years now). There’s just something about this song that is unbelievably calming and- again- whimsical/dreamy. I was hooked the very first time I heard the “I gotta know tonight if you’re alone tonight, can’t stop this feeling...” It’s the perfect song for anytime, for any mood, but it’s the best when you listen to it at night around a fire under the stars. To me, it’s perfect. It’s absolutely perfect. Fall in love with this song or else. Create a new daydream to this song. Absorb the music video. Feel every note. Take all the lyrics to your soul. Ascend to a higher plane of existence. Spin around your room and shake your hips at the “oh can you feel it”s (that’s what I did the day I started listening to this). It’s the best five minutes and 55 seconds of my life. The intro and outro will totally lift you off your feet. Seriously, I think everyone will be hooked right off the bat.

9.) Bad Medicine- Bon Jovi (1988) Get your hair huge, get your makeup heavy, get tacky as all fuck, because it’s time for Bon Jovi. As soon as this song starts I’m always blown away and all the things I just listed become a reality. Stadium rock at its finest. Who doesn’t fall in love with all of them every time they come on the radio? You can headbang to this, you can groove to this, you can bop to this, you can jump to this with all your might, and best of all, you can scream to this. The 80s definitely wouldnt’ve been complete without this song. Time to go all lovey dovey for some hair music heartthrobs for a little while.

Full song

10.) Kickstart My Heart- Motley Crue (1989) I haven’t broken the Motley Crue ice either (also woops). I have such a love/hate relationship with Crue (won’t get into it) but I always come crawling back to songs like this one. There’s so much turbo energy here you can’t ignore this song if you tried. This is one of those songs that you’re just supposed to go absolutely batshit crazy to (whatever that means to you). Start a bar fight, do a donut with your car, run from the cops, just go absolutely fucking nuts. And give it up for MICK FUCKING MARS HOLY SHIT. I always like to go out with a bang with these playlists so I feel like this is one of the biggest bangs I could go out with (especially for an 80s list).

#reo speedwagon #billy squier #queen #journey #the cars #dire straits #david bowie #def leppard #bon jovi #motley crue #weekly playlists #this week's playlist #raydio gaga

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dherzogblog · 4 years

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songs/19

“I listen so you don't have to”

Hey everyone, we’re back! enjoy some music and musings from the last year

Make sure to click on there bold type for music links and extras!

Lizzo- Juice Lizzo burst into 2019 with a hit song, huge album and wildly successful tour. The “pudding in the proof “. Easily the catchiest tune of the year with an irresistible Bruno Mars 80′s funk vibe, She has the kind of star power and charisma that makes her appealing to just about everyone, including your aunt, who no doubt will be grooving to this on bar mitzvah dance floors for years to come. Blame it on her juice.

Jen Awad- Hungover

Big voiced, post Amy Winehouse soul singer blames it on the juice too. Maybe she was with Lizzo the night before?

Charley Crockett- How Low Can You Go?

Multi ethnic Americana singer/songwriter delivers one of my favorite albums of the year where he effortlessly moves from country to blues to soul. He also recorded one of my favorite country covers of the year (see bottom of this blog for more info on that). His girl is breaking his heart (blame it on the juice again?) on this R&B styled song from a non album single.

Durand Jones and The Indications- Circles

More sweet 70′s soul, quiet storm style. The swirling strings and Delfonics harmonies would sound perfect coming out of the 8 Track player in your Pinto.

Dr.John- Such A Night (1941-2019)

A true music renaissance man. Starting as a teen in the studios of New Orleans, he learned his trade at the feet of the masters, playing R&B, jazz, and blues with equal skill and feel. The good doctor, (AKA Mac Rebbenack) went on to become an unlikely rock star in the early 70′s with his psychedelic and voodoo inspired Night Tripper alter ego. His long career found him playing several roles along the way, session man, producer, and The Big Easy’s unofficial funk ambassador. I picked this live version of the song because: A. He’s backed beautifully by The Band, B. It’s one of my favorite performances from The Last Waltz, and C. The live setting let’s you hear him stretch out a bit on the keyboards. I watched him perform many times, headlining or sitting in with others at Jazz Fest. No matter what the setting, he always fit right in and found the groove. Piano man, sideman, shaman, there was only one Dr.John.

Van Morrison - Early Days

Like Dr. John, Van’s been around long enough to recall the birth of rock and roll. Throughout his career he never stopped paying tribute to his roots and those who inspired him. You can hear it in his musical references, cover tunes and name checks. At The Hollywood Bowl in October I got to see an unusually joyous performance as he wistfully traced a lifetime of musical influences across R&B, jazz and blues. His latest release is an unabashed love letter to those good old days, three chords and the truth.

Spiral Stairs- Fingerprintz

Scott Kannberg is one of the co-founders of Indie rock legends Pavement. But truth is I never took much of an interest in them. I happened to read about his solo project where he mentioned listening to a lot of Van Morrison and Nick Lowe while recording. That seemed like a good enough reason for me to check it out. There are familiar ‘fingerprints” on this one, as you can definitely hear him channeling Van.

Vampire Weekend- This Life

Hardly anyone is ambivalent about Vampire Weekend. Their preppy east coast look, and sleeve wearing, dad rock influences make them polarizing at best. Doesn’t matter to me, I like their catchy hooks, bone dry lyrics, caribbean rhythms, and ringing guitars.This is easily the sunniest song about cheating I ever heard.

The English Beat- Whine and Grind/Stand Down Margaret Ranking Roger (1953-2019)

in January of 1980 England was in the grips of 2 Tone mania, the pop music movement that came dancehall crashing out of the UK Midlands, and for a brief black and white checkered moment, dominated the British charts. At the center of the scene were The Specials whose founder Jerry Dammers launched the 2 Tone label and created the blueprint for it’s sound, inspired by the Jamaican music he heard as a kid. These bands (including The Selecter and Madness), combined ska, reggae and punk that launched a brief music and fashion movement. They dressed in a mod black and white style making the look nearly as important as their sound. For most of these bi-racial bands, the goal was to make you dance AND think, with lyrics focusing on social and political issues affecting young people in Thatcher’s Britain. The track here is a good example of that.

I arrived in London on a traveling seminar ready to check it all out, as a college radio DJ I was already a fan of The Clash’s punky reggae. and I had read several dispatches from the British music tabloids like NME and Melody Maker. First chance I got, I was off to a record store where I stood at a listening station to hear The Special’s debut LP. I was instantly transformed into a card carrying 2 Tone fan boy. As a student, without much money with a long trip ahead, I couldn't afford The Specials album, but I did buy a 45 by the label’s latest signing, The Beat.

The A side was a cover of Smokey Robinson & The Miracle’s “Tears Of A Clown”. It took a minute to get used to hearing the Motown classic played in their energetic ska sound. The tune ends with Ranking Roger “toasting” over the track reggae DJ style, not something heard much outside of Jamaica back then. Side B featured Roger taking lead and riding over a bouncy stop and start rhythm titled “Ranking Full Stop”. It was an instant 2 Tone classic, and I now had a new favorite band.

The Beat (AKA The English Beat) after just one 2 Tone single, were given their own Go-Feet label and releasing a full length album later that year. Their songs seemed to have a slightly more authentic Jamaican sound than the others, dubbier, upbeat and fun. In addition they dabbled in world music and afropop long before it became chic. I saw them perform on their first US tour in Boston later that year.

As the 2 Tone moment waned back home, the group quickly focused on the American audience, touring constantly in the process. The Beat were definitely the band most committed to breaking in the states and nearly did. By the third album, they gained some traction at US radio (particularly here in LA at KROQ) and played the US Festival, but it was too late. The band was already fracturing. Lead singer Dave Wakeling and Roger left unceremoniously in 1983 to form the short lived and mildly successful General Public, while bandmates Andy Cox and David Steele formed the much more successful Fine Young Cannibals. despite some huge hits, they too were short lived.

The original band never reunited. Roger and Wakeling performed together as The Beat for awhile, later each forming his own version. Roger in the UK and Dave in the US. Dave’s version tours constantly to this day. The 2 Tone label didn't last long and the music never truly caught on here. Ultimately suffering the same fate as other short lived UK music fads like Glam Rock or The New Romatics. Their impact was strong enough though to fuel the much maligned ska third wave of the 90′s, and bring Jamaican music a bit farther into the mainstream. All that really remains are the three great studio albums and the memory of their exciting live shows.

I booked the band on a CNN talk show in 1982. I remember they seemed frustrated and were already hinting at a challenged future for the group. Less than a year later they were done for good. I recall desperately wanting them to succeed, bringing my favorite band and the 2 Tone music to the masses. It’s hard to imagine there was a ever a time in your life when a pop group could break your heart like that.

Foe me and other recovering rude boys/rude girls, the music endures, as does the message. And today when I hear them streaming into my ear buds, I still want to “move my likkle feet and dance to the beat”, which for the dearly departed Roger I have to think, was always the point. #loveandunity

The Special- Vote For Me

Politics and social issues remain front and center as the 2 Tone founders return with their first album since the 80′s. Reunited for many years now, this current version of the band boasts more original members of The Fun Boy Three than the original The Specials. That did not stop them from delivering a totally respectable and relevant effort. You can hear dark echos of their classic "Ghost Town” on this dubby tune no doubt inspired by Brexit.

Eddie And The Hot Rods- Do Anything You Wanna Do Barrie Masters (1956-2019)

in 1976/77 Eddie and the Hot Rods stood at the intersection of pub rock and punk as one scene fizzled, and the other burned down everything in its path. The Hot Rods had the classic straight ahead sound of the pub bands plus an attitude that leaned forward into the energy punk would embrace. They enjoyed a brief moment of UK chart success before literally falling into the cracks of the pop music scene. This song, one of my all time favorite singles, sum them up perfectly. Drawing a straight line from Graham Parker to The Clash with a touch of a classic Springsteen working class anthem. In other words....perfect.

Beach Slang- Tommy In The 80′s

When I first saw the title of this song immediately assumed it was a Beach Slang’s tribute to The Replacements guitarist Tommy Stinson . And even though Tommy himself plays on the track, it is not about him! In fact, it’s actually a tribute to obscure 80′s power popper Tommy Keene. I remembered the name from my MTV days, but honestly had to wiki him for clarification. Despite all these references, the whole thing sounds more inspired by “Jessie’s Girl” than either Tommy.

The Cars- My Best Friends Girl Ric Ocasek (1941-2019)

Truthfully. I was never a big Cars fan. But in my college days before digital music, you listened to whatever the radio played. And in Boston, they played The Cars a lot. It wasn’t long before they rose from local heroes to national charts toppers. They didn't have the bluesy street cred or swagger of hometown legends Aerosmith or The J Geils Band, but they were our very own neighborhood rock stars. Drummer David Robinson lived in the building next door to Noreen on Comm Ave, and it was always kinda cool to see them strolling around Back Bay or hanging out at a club. Their sound was little cold and metallic for me, but you couldn't deny they crafted pretty great pop and new wave singles. They were omnipresent sound of my college days. The hits literally followed me to MTV and NYC in the 80′s where I often spotted Ric and Paulina strolling hand in hand in Chelsea. This classic love triangle was always my favorite with it’s Tommy James like guitar at the top, handclaps, and unforgettable hook. The band disbanded long ago, but like the classic American automobiles, these songs were built to last.

The Neighborhoods- Don’t Look Down

The Cars were the only Boston group of the era to truly make it big, but that late 70′s scene boasted several other talented bands who scored label deals including: The Nervous Eaters, The Rings, The Paley Brothers, Robin Lane and the Chartbusters, The Fools, The Real Kids, The Stompers, and Mission Of Burma. Later on, The Lyres, The Neats The Del Fuegos, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, and Murphy’s Law all managed to find the big time. It was a great time for local music back then. A city filled with students, plenty of clubs to pack on weekends, and college and commercial radio stations willing to play local bands. There were many good acts around town then, and my favorite, without a doubt, were The Neighborhoods. A young, brash power trio led by charismatic lead singer David Minehan. They played a ferocious brand of power pop/punk that would leave their audience breathless. I was certain they were destined for stardom. In the spring of 1979 they released their debut single “Prettiest Girl” on a local label and massive airplay on both college and commercial radio followed. They instantly became the hottest band in town, poised to become the next band from Boston to make it big. But it never happened. Bad luck, poor management and infighting derailed all the momentum. Before you knew it, the gritty street quality that was The ‘Hoods trademark was pushed aside by the synthesized sound of MTV. Over the course of the 80′s and into the 90′s they managed to release some pretty good albums on a variety of indie labels, but it never came together for them. The band reunited and gigs occasionally but hadn’t recorded for many years until right now. Forty years later, the neighborhood may not look the same, but their sound and spirit somehow survive. I suppose there’s something tragic and romantic about a great band lost to time, remembered only by the few who saw them way back when. They really were great, but I guess you had to be there.

Jesse Mailn - Meet Me At The End Of The World Again

New York’s favorite son, soul survivor, and street poet Jesse Malin is back. He’s been around long enough to understand that “When it all blows up, when it all goes down, when it makes you sick, but you’re still around” is victory in itself. It’s the only life he knows, so what can a poor boy do?

Brittany Howard- Stay High

This is from Alabama Shakes lead singer's excellent solo debut, unselfconsciously celebrating private moments spent with a lover on this rootsy and gentle ballad. Her soulful falsetto conveys the kind of lustful bliss you might expect from Al Green or Prince.

Mississippi All Stars- Mean Old World

Bear with me. This one is tangled up in the roots of several southern rock legacies and is going to take a minute to unpack. The All Stars are led by Luther and Cody Dickinson, sons of legendary Memphis musician and wild man Jim Dickinson. They decided to cover T Bone Walker’s Mean Old World, a blues number once recorded by Eric Clapton and Duane Allman as part of the historic Derek And The Dominos sessions. The track, featuring their dad Jim, did not make the original release but was later unearthed on an expanded reissue. Still with me? So, as a bit of a tribute, the guys recorded their own version of the tune and invited Duane Betts, son of Allman Brothers guitarist Dickey Betts to record an Eat a Peach inspired guitar run at the end.

And oh yeah, Jason Isbell is on it as well.

Got all that?

Samantha Fish- Kill Or Be Kind

Have seen Samantha live several times over the past few years. She’s a very good blues/rock guitarist, vocalist and an exciting live performer. On the sultry “Kill or be Kind” she gives her lover an ultimatum. Fun fact: One of my son’s best friends from high school (Kate Pearlman) wrote two tracks on the album!

Jade Jackson- Bottle It Up

Second album from this promising up and coming alt country artist. She’s on the super cool Anti label which providing immediate credibility and her albums are produced by Social D frontman Mike Ness. And when she’s not on the road she waitress’s at her parent’s restaurant in central California. I’m not sure you can get any more country than that.

The Highwomen- Redesigninig Women

Inspired by The Highwaymen of Willie, Waylon, Johnny and Kris, this all female country “supergroup” quartet is out to break the stereotypes in country music with some really fine songs. While the male Highwaymen banded together to rescue careers in decline, these women (Brandi Carlisle, Amanda Shires, Marren Morris, and Natalie Hemby), are all on the rise. This song is lot of fun.

John Prine- Unwed Fathers

John Prine is back with a remake of his heartbreaking tale of teenage pregnancy. He’s joined this time Margo Price. I got to see Prine live this fall at the beautiful Anson Ford Amphitheater here in LA. His simple, plain spoken lyrics and songs are timeless. I attended the show with my pal David Kissinger who observed that despite health issues, “Prine remains an national songwriting treasure and his performance was as life affirming as you’ll ever see.” Can’t say it any better than that.

Shovels And Rope- Mississippi “Nuthin

Ever wonder whatever happened to that perfect couple from high school? You know, the high school quarterback and the prom queen? This one ain’t “Glory Days”. Our QB peaked in high school and never makes it back to the end zone again, plus he's tortured by the success his old flame enjoys. His anguish and desperation are palpable in this barn burner of a song whose vocals draw inspiration from June & Johnny and John & Exene.

The Delines- Eddie and Polly

Eddie and Polly are young and in love, and doomed. Vocalist Amy Boone’s world weary vocals always sound like it’s 3AM. This one won’t do much for your holiday spirit, but it’s haunting melody might stay with you throughout it.

Yola - Love all Night (Work All Day)

Love the one your with is (at least after work) is the basic idea on this track from this UK performer’s debut long player. Produced by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys, the collection is full of excellent retro soul-folk. There was a fair amount of buzz in front of the release and she more than lives up to it including a nomination for a Best New Artist Grammy.

Mavis Staples + Norah Jones- I’ll Be Gone

First recorded effort form this duo. A bittersweet ballad that softly and soulfully looks ahead to a final salvation. But Mavis ain’t done yet. She’s still going strong, recording and touring constantly. She knows she may be running out of time, but there’s still work to do. And whenever she’s finally ready, you can be sure she’ll take us there.

Hope you and yours are well. The Herzog’s wish you the best and look forward to seeing you in the new year. For those of you who made it this far, thank you. I’ve got a bonus playlist for you. Artists you like playing songs you love: covers/19 Enjoy.

peace,

Doug

Los Angeles, December 2019

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firethatgrewsolow · 5 years

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Swiss Time - Chapter Nineteen

**Warning: fluffy fluff fluff - because I love that shit. Also, while I don’t particularly condone the descriptions used for women in the second part, it’s true to the time and to the participants. Hope you understand. PS - It’s not completely polished bc I’m getting lazy in my old (fic) age. :-) Thanks for hanging with me, and I hope you like it. <3**

Natalie shielded her eyes as the sun dropped, partially obscuring her view of the band. She peered across the pit, considering a relocation, but opted to stay put so as not to disturb the eerie groove that the boys had captured. Watching them perform in an empty venue was an odd experience. She’d witnessed sound checks before, but this was different. This was a full blown show given to a handful of techs and camera people in what amounted to historical ruins. Heat engulfed her, the ancient rock of the amphitheater seizing the energy of the sun and steadfastly clinging to it. She grazed the palm of her hand across the expanse beside her, lost in the secrets it held. How many people had been seated right there, until that fateful day when Vesuvius decided she’d had enough.

Touring Pompeii had been a sobering affair. So many heartbreaking stories, tales of love, loss, and fear littered the site, translated beautifully by David from their Italian guidebook. She smiled to herself. Of course he spoke Italian. What couldn’t he do? Infuriate you to the point of no return, only to have you doubled over with laughter a moment later. She clenched her fists. Stop. Enough. He’s not Robert, and he’s not meant to be. In truth, David was a lot of things Robert wasn’t. He was earnest and deliberate in conversation, never flippant or superficial. He was honest and kept his promises. She could believe him and believe in him. She sat back, propping her elbows on the tier behind her as she closed her eyes, basking in the last of the late afternoon warmth.

“Hey.”

A shadow glided over her, and her lids lifted as a slightly sunburned David reclined next to her. She snuck a peek at the lines of his chest as he’d discarded his t-shirt hours earlier. “Hey back.”

“Daydreaming again, huh? What are you thinking about?”

“Just how nice it feels in the sun.”

“We’re going to take a break for a bite. Are you hungry?”

Just like him. Always asking how she was, what she needed, what she was thinking about. “Kind of. What do you have in mind?”

“I may have arranged a little al fresco dining.”

She grinned as he did the same. “A picnic?”

“Of sorts.” David stood, holding out his hand. “Come on.”

Nat clasped it, following him through the network of equipment and roadies. “Where are we going?”

“You’ll see.” David slowed as they passed his mic stand, grabbing his t-shirt from the top of a rusty metal folding chair. “It’s going to get cooler after the sun goes down. Are you going to be alright? Do I need to have someone fetch a-”

“No, I’ll be fine.” Natalie squeezed his hand. “Besides, you can keep me warm.” His respondent smile gave her chills.

“It would be my pleasure to do just that.”

They ambled to the entrance of the theater, circling around back to a cluster of tall pine trees flanking it. Natalie’s jaw dropped as they approached. A large Merino wool blanket lay nestled under the canopy, complete with a vase nearly overflowing with sunflowers. At its side was a glistening ice bucket housing what looked to be Champagne. Plates and bowls filled the spaces in between, offering olives and figs, various cheeses and cured meats. A loaf of fresh, crusty bread completed the tableau. “Oh, my God, this is … when did you do this?”

David stole a peck on her cheek. “I had someone set it up. Thought you might like it.”

Natalie plucked one of the sunflowers, fingering its petals. “How did you find these?”

“I’ll admit it wasn’t the easiest task,” he replied with a chuckle. “But I have my ways. Does it remind you of home?”

“Yes.” Nat clutched his shoulders, pushing up on her toes to give him a kiss. “You are so incredibly thoughtful.” He opened his mouth as if to respond, but closed it, rolling his lips together. Typical David, cautious with words, preferring other methods of communication, namely his eyes and his trusty Strat. She’d gotten used to his quiet demeanor and even temperament. Being with him was relaxing, never taxing, never anxious. And never hysterical, ridiculous fun. She gritted her teeth, pushing the thought away. “Thank you for all of it.”

“You’re quite welcome.” He gestured for her to recline, settling next to her. “Shall I open the Champagne?”

“Please.” As David filled their flutes, Natalie’s mind wandered to the last time she’d had Champagne. Quite a different affair it had been, passing a bottle back and forth under the cover of night. Eons away from the proper meal David had arranged. “Are you satisfied with how the filming is going? You don’t think it’s a little … stark?”

David rolled onto his side, drumming his fingers on the blanket as he considered the question. “By stark, do you mean the lack of an audience? If so, that was by design. We specifically wanted it this way.”

“As a contrast to, say, something like Gimme Shelter?”

“Exactly.” He sipped his wine, his voice quietening. “Syd would have loved it.”

“Syd? Oh, of course,” Natalie hastily added. “Do you still keep in touch with him?”

“No, not really.” David expelled a long breath. “We were friends in school, you know. From childhood.”

“I didn’t know that. How many gigs did you do together?”

“Not many. Four or five. Then one day we just … didn’t pick him up.”

Nat pressed her hand against his cheek. “It’s not your fault, David. He couldn’t handle it.”

“I know. I mean the logical part of me knows. But ...” He shrugged, sighing again. “It doesn’t matter. Sorry I brought it up.”

“Don’t ever be sorry to talk to me. I want you to.”

David skimmed his thumb along her jaw. “I’ll remember that.” He cleared his throat. “So, the acoustics are interesting here, don’t you think?”

Nat nodded. “It’s sort of spooky, really. Eerie … echoey. Kind of like When The Lev-” she broke off, nibbling her lip. “Anyway, it’s a cool sound.”

David cocked his head. “Kind of like when the what?”

“Just a song. You’ve never heard it.”

He snickered. “Maybe I have. Try me. I am a little familiar with music.”

“Well, you haven’t heard this, because it’s not out yet.”

“Dare I ask the artist?”

Nat scrunched up her nose. “No, as a matter of fact, you may not.” Her heart skipped as a megawatt grin lit up his face.

“I like it when you do that.”

“When I do what?”

David leaned over her, tapping the tip of her nose. “That thing with your nose.” His brow lifted. “When you’re feeling surly.”

“I’m not surly,” Natalie replied with a pout.

“Oh, but you are.” His dimple deepened as he inched closer. “And I quite like it, too.” He pursed his lips, studying hers. “You do realize this whole thing was just a ruse to get you alone and perhaps … have my way with you.”

Nat swallowed, a tentative tingle coursing through her. “And just what exactly would that entail?”

David narrowed his eyes. “I think I’ll start here.”

The immediacy of his kiss took her breath away. It was soft, yet urgent, commandeering in the gentlest way possible. He smelled like the sun and sweat, with the faintest hint of lavender from her shampoo that he’d borrowed the night before. She smiled into the kiss, recalling the intimacy of the gesture, and David broke the embrace, his mouth curving.

“Not exactly the reaction I was looking for. What are you smiling about?”

“How happy I am right now.”

He cupped her cheek. “I am, too, Natalie. I really, really am.”

* * *

The mystical language flowed like music around him as they threaded through the throng filling the sidewalks, destined for the next brothel. Robert couldn’t understand the words, but he could understand the tone, the inflections, the random cackle between friends. Strange scents and textures enveloped him as he lit a cigarette, absorbing the experience. Bangkok was a beguiling town of extremes, extreme wealth, extreme poverty … and certainly extreme vice. The singer’s lips turned up. That he could wrap his head around.

“Billy Boy! Billy Boy!”

He glanced behind him, amused by the two little children who were taunting them. “I don’t suppose they like our long hair, yeah?”

“Apparently not,” Jimmy replied with a shrug.

Robert blew out a thin stream of smoke, rejecting his annoyance at the lads. They likely had never seen people who looked like him. Add to that the absolutely delectable experience the previous three hours had been, and it was hard to feel vexed about anything. “Christ, that place was bloody incredible.”

“I wonder if it’s where the term fucking your brains out was invented,” Jimmy purred with a smirk.

Robert laughed at his friend’s aside, uncharacteristically uncouth. “I’d say number 36 was superb. She did this little thing with her-”

“I had her, too,” Cole chimed in with a lascivious grin. “I don’t know how the fucking hell she did it.”

Robert grimaced. “Well, I bloody well hope you went after me. The carnal flu doesn’t sound particularly appealing.”

“Fuck you, mate.”

Robert took another drag. “I believe I already have been.”

“Those girls are clean. No need for worry.”

The singer’s gaze flickered to their driver, Joe, who was offering his semi-permanent crooked smile. His English was remarkably good, and Robert was pretty sure Joe wasn’t his real name, but they’d been lucky to find him. “What about the next place?”

“Yes, Joe.” Jimmy wiped the sheen of sweat from his brow. “I’d rather avoid a visit to the penicillin dispensary if possible.”

“They’re clean, too,” the driver replied. “And even better than what you just had,” he added, his smile extending to the point that Robert could see he was missing two of his molars.

“I like the sound of that. Don’t you, Pagey?”

“Indeed. It’s a most delightful way to experience the local culture.”

“And not a bad way to get fucked, either!” Richard blustered with a cackle.

Robert snickered as Jimmy raised a brow, Cole’s ribald nature clearly grating on him. The guitarist may have been very happy to partake in various tawdry exploits, but he didn’t necessarily enjoy the public declaration of that fact. Robert, himself, could take it either way, as long as he was getting it. On the road and in travels, he deserved all the spoils. No guilt and no shame. Most of the time, anyway.

He caught a flash of bright yellow out of the corner of his eye and slowed, taking in the cart of fresh sunflowers. He drifted toward it, the clips of conversations and street noise receding. The blooms were pristine, such a contrast to the ramshackle vehicle that contained them. No longer fresh and new, it was held together with errant nails and cloth bands, its paint peeling. A long road it had traveled. He fingered one of the soft golden petals, the parallel not lost on him, and a rare wave of regret rippled through him. Those girls were probably no older than Natalie, and their lives were already determined. Their youth was to be spent pleasuring men like himself, then likely forced to marry and care for a different type of man, or become a concubine. Either way, a life of servitude. Robert wasn’t prone to introspection, and one certainly didn’t look to Bangkok for lessons in morality, but for that moment, in the recesses of his mind, there was an inkling of ...

“They came early this year.”

Robert glanced to their driver, who was flanked by Jimmy and Richard. “What?”

“The flowers. If you like, I will buy them for you. They come from Saraburi, north of here.”

Robert shook his head as the man reached for them. “No, no, it’s okay. They just reminded me of something.”

Jimmy’s eyes glided to his. “Or someone, perhaps?”

Robert shared a look with the guitarist. He was falling back into old patterns, and he knew it. Promising to write and not following through. Assuring her that he’d call and not doing it. I’ll ring her tomorrow. Or when we get to Bombay. Or maybe back home. Won’t be too long. Flicking his cigarette into the street, the singer tossed his hair. “Let’s go.”

#robert plant fanfic #led zeppelin fanfic #robert plant fan fiction #led zeppelin fan fiction #david gilmour fanfic #david gilmour fan fiction #swiss time

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jefferyryanlong · 5 years

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Fresh Listen - The Squids, The Squids (Bankshots Music, Inc. and Oto-Songs, Inc., 1981) and Duganopacalypse Now (A Fan Compilation, circa 1981)

(Some pieces of recorded music operate more like organisms than records. They live, they breathe, they reproduce. Fresh Listen is a periodic review of recently and not-so-recently released albums that crawl among us like radioactive spiders, gifting us with superpowers from their stingers.)

The first band I ever loved was the Beatles, and John Lennon was dead years before I had any idea of who they were. It wasn’t until Kurt Cobain died that I had any interest in Nirvana--I recall an eighth grade classmate looking at mw with contempt after I told them I was unfamiliar with their music, when “Smells Like Teen Spirit” was already an MTV hit. The chemical composition of my brain was dissolved and reconstituted over the course of two weeks when, at twelve years old, I watched One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and Cool Hand Luke on late-night television, but both films were about twenty years old by then. I just heard of Herbie Hancock’s V.S.O.P. album, featuring Freddie Hubbard, Wayne Shorter, Ron Carter, and Tony Williams, about two weeks ago. I’m 42 years old now and I’ve only just come to realize how cutting and prescient Claude McKay’s novel Banjo is.

All this to say that I wish I’d been around when Honolulu’s The Squids were playing around town. (Much thanks to Roger and Leimomi from Aloha Got Soul for pointing me in the right direction.) The Squids were so odd and varied, a New Wave outfit with the muscularity and venom of the truest punk rock, able to invoke the B-52′s in the same gig as Talking Heads or the Ventures or the Specials, all with the same veracity, but much weirder and crueler. They married a sunny, breezy synth sound with an aesthetic that I can only describe as joyously psychopathic, spraying smart-ass malice on the unfortunate subjects of their songs.

Though the band only officially released a 7-inch EP in 1981 (currently unavailable on Amazon) Comrade Motopu, the mysterious archivist who, through digitized vinyl and cassette tapes, as well as donated photos, scanned liner notes, flyers and news releases, has painstakingly agglomerated Hawai‘i rock music and associated miscellany on a magnificent pre-Y2K looking website, has not only shared the Squids’ EP (featuring “Tourist Riot,” “‘Love Theme’ From Surfer Boy,” “In,” and “Rio”), but what is also listed as Duganopacalypse, a fan compilation with even more twisted tunes: “Medicine,” “Sexy,” “Head in the Sand,” the ska-soaked “New Girl in Town,” their partially awful, mostly spectacular “Cool Clear Water,” and “Pretty Vacant (with Dugan),” the Never Mind the Bullocks classic with a seemingly hated fan on the inarticulate vocals. I only pray that Comrade Motopu continues documenting this underhand era of Pacific rock music of the late Seventies to early Nineties--the site is a treasure, and more words about the bands highlighted on comrademotopu.com (the Vacuum and Yahweh’s Mistake, for instance) will be coming soon.

The Squids began as a concept by guitarist Beano Shots in 1979, later to take shape as a full-fledged human/cephalopod music group with members Kit and Gerry Ebersbach, Dave Trubitt, and Frank Orall. Those of us who sweatily flailed our way through a booze-and-drug bender on the strobe-lit (at least, as it appeared then) dance floor of the Wave Waikiki between the hours of 2 AM and 4 AM when all the other bars closed down would be surprised to learn that the now-demolished former nightclub, a hub for the scraped-out, after-hours husks operated by the residual combustion of chemicals in their blacked-out reptilian brains, once hosted the edgy Squids as the house band, presumably when the going-out crowd still had an affinity for fun, strong music, and did not simply seek to propel themselves upon the the mechanized beats and soulless zombie tracks initiated by a faceless button masher, in hopes that they would be manipulated, by the end of the night, into some loveless fuck with a nobody.

Of the Squids’ stage show, we have but one recorded example of the band live in concert: a faithful interpretation of the Sex Pistols’ “Pretty Vacant,” in which the players serve as back-up band for a loyal heckler known only as “Dugan.” Having taken (jokingly) enough shit from Dugan, the band harasses him into sing-shouting the song. The performance captures the “fuck you” sentiment of “Pretty Vacant” with a primitive abandon that almost makes the original seem like a Monkees’ tune. It also portrays a punk rock scene less enlightened to the diverse lifestyles it later engendered, when “dick sucking” was applied exclusively as a pejorative.

The same pissed-off adrenalin leads off the the 1981 EP in “Tourist Riot,” an apocalyptic narrative of that species of traveler compelled to hammer a new experience into a predetermined mold that will establish an appropriate backdrop to their social media posts. The tourists here burn hotels and smash out windows when their expectations aren’t suitably met--a bad vacation in which they are pushed around and mistreated leads the tourists to murder and mayhem.

“Tourist Riot” lays out the Squids’ music aspirations right away, especially in the interplay between Beano Shots’s electric guitar and Kit Ebersbach’s keyboards, which morph from forbidding electronic warning tones to psychedelic ghost notes to the replicated sirens of a city on fire, collateral damage in a war between locals and tourists. Following a surprisingly effective bridge that concludes with a shouted “Fuck it, I’m going to New York City!” is an atonal guitar solo reminiscent of Nels Cline asleep at the wheel, redeemed by a more fluid keyboard exploration.

When Jimi Hendrix claimed that “you’ll never hear surf music again” in 1967, he was, through the example of his own transcendent playing on “Third Stone from the Sun,” burying the corpse of that elementary, improvisationally unimaginative rock instrumental with the axe with which he had slew it. To that end, after hearing Jimi Hendrix and all the musical manifestations that took shape from his cosmic residue, it is sometimes hard to take surf music seriously. “‘ Love Theme’ from Surf Boy” comes across as the Squids’ winking parody of the genre, with its reverb, its whammy, its overall melancholy, and its simplicity. That said, there is some sophistication in the song’s structure, as if the wordless tune was more an exercise in technique, an attempt to take stock creatively before reaching out to a farther and stranger place.

On “In,” the guitars and keyboards snarl rabidly toward the same explosive destination, barely kept in check by the talents of the players. Lyrically minimalist, the song’s non-sequiturs slice through the instruments like assembled cut-up style by William S. Burroughs. “Are you losing sense of humor, could be Jesus was only kidding” followed by “are you losing sense of humor, could be Jesus was just a salesman.” These pieces of thoughts unfinished resonate in my head like something close to catchy--to what end, I don’t know. Where the keyboards overmatched the guitars on “Tourist Riot,” on “In” the guitar is locked in and dirty, climaxing in repetitive harmony between the instruments to close out the song.

When I first read the track listing to the 1981 EP, I thought the final song “Rio” would be a rough rendering of the hit video single by near-contemporaries Duran Duran (whose synth-guitar arrangements, though undoubtedly smoother, find relation in the Squids’ overall aesthetic). Instead, “Rio” is an acid commentary on the American Capitalist, represented as a white suit soaked in sweat, and his compulsion to foster vice and iniquity to exotic locales.

I’m not sure whether the fan compilation Duganopacalypse, also available for listening through the Comrade Motopu website, was recorded before, after, or during the sessions of the 1981 EP. A few tracks lead me to believe that the songwriting and arrangements are from a wiser, more sophisticated band, while other songs seem so apelike in their imitations as to come through as pointless satires, or maybe the explorations of a band trying to find its identity.

In “Medicine,” for instance, the Squids operate under an overpowering B-52′s filter that washes out their uniqueness. Whereas on previous tracks this influence existed only at the fringes of their sound, the singer on “Medicine” channels Fred Schneider on the verse and switches to David Bowie during the bridge. The role-play, though, doesn’t kill the the more interesting aspects of “Medicine”--its guitar lick is inventive and so wormy as to be slightly irritating, and the song’s themes, that one must willingly imbibe “the medicine” to accept the hypocrisies of this “downer world,” resound strongly to anyone who casts their eyes around a crowded room.

Where the B-52′s references go deep in “Medicine,” Talking Heads emerge in “Sexy,” from David Byrne’s vocal tics to the subtle and swampy “Take Me to the River” vibe. It goes beyond straight homage to cover band territory, but it does emphasize the band’s technical ability to lock into a groove. “New Girl in Town” is a heaping serving of not-completely-warmed-up ska leftovers, a bit misogynist (of its time, but still). “Head in the Sand,” regrettably, could have been the Squids’ crossover pop hit. I say “regrettably” because, even though the song has a point--that the ability of humans to maintain a semblance of happiness is to carefully cultivate the warm fuzz of obliviousness, sacrificing will to fate in the belief that nothing we could do to change anything would matter anyway--the effort seems more calculated than organic, a plastic approximation of the closest this band, given their specific set of skills, could get to a pop crossover hit. The work put into it seems to drain away at some of the dirty magic. It‘s self-conscious in a way that the other songs aren’t.

Finally we have “Cool Clear Water,” what would have been the band’s masterpiece if they’d spent a little more time recording a decent take (the version on the Duganopacalypse almost sounds live, though it could have been laid down in a rehearsal space). This is not the country classic performed by Marty Robbins and Johnny Cash. The Squids’ “Cool Clear Water” is the frightening confession of a soldier recently returned from the war in Vietnam, directed by an angel spirit to mass murder with a shotgun from a tower in town. When the killer is set to be executed, the angel spirit comforts him, tells him his spirit will be redeemed in heaven for “setting the people free.” The unnerving subject matter of “Cool Clear Water” is given sinister shape by the relentless horror-notes of Kit Ebersbach’s organ, the guitar holding down the song’s march toward inevitable nothingness because the bass (normally played with elan by Gerry Ebersbach) is a complete mess (I’m not sure if she hadn't learned the song or if she just showed up at the gig drunk).

As Marc Maron frequently says on his podcast, “there’s no late to the party” anymore, given the the amount of content available to all of us via the digital consciousness that we are now more plugged into than not. But I’ve waited all my life to lose myself in something vital, of the moment, with my eyes and ears and heart present while the thing is taking shape, at its most temporal. I feel that way listening to the Squids. I wish I could have seen them at one of their Wave gigs. I wish I could have had a beer with them afterward, and gushed in the embarrassing way I do about things I love.

#freshlisten #thesquids #honolulu #1981ep

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mytrashylove · 5 years

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Castiel’s music taste + Crowstorm’s sound: a headcanon by moi

alt title: i was bored

ok so this is my first time doing something like this, and english is not my first language so pls bear with me

the other day @mycandylavynder asked what Crowstorm would sound like, and then @principalshermansky made a post with examples of what type of music they think the characters listen to (check it out! it’s great), which got me wanting to compile everything i can find regarding castiel’s music taste and crowstorm, to see what the game points to as castiel’s music

disclaimer: this is not to say that one headcanon is more valid than other, because at the end of the day everyone can think whatever they please, specially about a fictional character in a fictional band. i just thought it would be fun to do this.

let’s take a look at Castiel’s room as seen in episode 40 of high school life:

there are three bands that can be easily identified:

Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side Of The Moon poster on the wall

Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s The Sex Pistols album by Sex Pistols among the cd’s on the shelf

The Rolling Stones logo on the pillow

according to the My Candy Love wiki page, Castiel’s favorite music genre is grunge. tha trivia also says that his favorite band is Winged Skull, but since it’s a fictional band there’s no way to know which kind of music they play, although i’d guess it’s a heavy metal band due to the name and logo.

let’s break the four bands we know he likes (and the albums that appear on the picture) down to the basics:

PINK FLOYD (UK, 1965-1995) album rock, progressive rock, art rock, hard rock, british psychedelia, psychedelic garage. - The Dark Side Of The Moon (1973) hard rock, progressive rock, psychedelic garage.

SEX PISTOLS (UK, 1975-1978) punk, new wave punk, british punk. - Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s The Sex Pistols (1977) punk, new wave punk, british punk.

THE ROLLING STONES (UK, 1962-present) album rock, british invasion, contemporary pop/rock, hard rock, regional blues, rock & roll, british psychedelia, psychedelic garage, blues-rock, british blues, dance-rock, early pop/rock, am pop.

based on the information so far, we can assume a few things about Castiel’s taste

he seems to like rock music from the 70s

there’s a prevalence of british bands, but that might just be a coincidence

his taste might be summed up in the following genres, since they seem to be the most relevant ones: - punk, new wave punk - hard rock - blues-rock - rock & roll - psychedelic garage, british psychedelia - dance-rock - album rock - grunge

but what do all these genres mean? good question:

the 70s & rock music

aside from disco, funk, smooth jazz, jazz fusion, and soul, which remained popular throughout the decade, rock music played an important part in the Western musical scene, with punk rock thriving throughout the mid to late 1970s. other subgenres of rock, particularly glam rock, hard rock, progressive, art rock and heavy metal achieved various amounts of success.

highlights: (aside from the four bands already mentioned) Led Zeppelin, Queen, Kiss, David Bowie, Aerosmith, Joy Division, Fleetwood Mac, Black Sabbath, The Velvet Underground, Alice Cooper, The Ramones.

punk

a simple melody with three chords, but louder, faster and more abrasive than any other rock genre at the time. although bands like The Velvet Underground and The Stooged had a similar sound in the mid 60s, punk didn’t become its own genre until the mid 70s.

highlights: The New York Dolls, The Misfits, Generation X, Blondie, Talking -Heads, The Ramones, The Jam, Buzzcocks

new wave punk

where post-punk was artsy and difficult, new wave was, simply put, pop music that retained the vigor and irreverence of punk music.

highlights: The Police, The Cars, Blondie, Talking Heads

hard rock

hard rock is loud, aggressive guitar rock, but it isn't as dark and menacing as heavy metal, and it's rarely influenced by punk. it is (for the most part) exuberant, party music.

highlights: Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Aerosmith, Janis Joplin, Van Halen, Jimi Hendrix, Guns N’ Roses, Queen, Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones, Queens of The Stone Age

blues-rock

blues-rock didn't fully develop into a subgenre until the late 60s. it emphasized two specific things: the traditional, three-chord blues song and instrumental improvisation.

highlights: Fleetwood Mac, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, ZZ Top

rock & roll

in its purest form, Rock & Roll has three chords, a strong back beat, and a catchy melody. it drew from a variety of sources, primarily blues, R&B, and country, but also gospel, traditional pop, jazz, and folk.

highlights: Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, The Who, The Beatles

psychedelic garage

instead of the concise verse-chorus-verse patterns of rock & roll, artists used free-form, fluid song structures. they also incorporated elements of Indian and Eastern music and free-form jazz to their sound, and experimented with electronically altering instruments and voices.

highlights: Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, Jefferson Airplanes, Grateful Dead

british psychedelia

british psychedelia was more whimsical and experimental than its American counterpart, and it tended to work within the pop song structure.

highlights: Pink Floyd, Cream, The Beatles

dance-rock

dance-rock was born in the mid 70s, when bands experimented with the simpler rhythms and heavy groove of funk and disco. they relied on keyboards and drum machines or used the standard guitar-bass-drums format of most rock bands, but they were performed many songs in a way that made them apt for the dancefloor, with simple, heavily repetitive choruses or hooks.

highlights: Queen, David Bowie, INXS, Duran Duran, Eurythmics, Talking Heads

album rock

the one thing that tied all album rock artists together was their dedication to the album as the vehicle for their music, as well as certain artistic aesthetic and constant exposure on FM radios. this broad criteria made it a fairly diverse genre.

highlights: Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, Pink Floyd, The Who, Queen, Janis Joplin

grunge

hybrid of heavy metal and punk, grunge music adopted the lyrical approach and musical attack of punk. it had three waves: the first one was heavier, drawing from early 70s metal; the second one began with Nirvana and it’s more melodic sound, as well as distorted guitar sound that became a genre convention; and the third wave that came with Nirvana’s mainstream status, when grunge lost many of its independent, punk connections and became the most popular style of hard rock in the 90s

highlights: Green River, Soundgarden, Mudhoney, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains

to be clear, dividing music into genres is a complicated matter, and even more so is trying to reduce someone’s music taste in genres, since it is entirely possible to like wildly different music as well as dislike certain bands that fit the same category or certain songs from the same band. this is all just meant to show an inclination that Castiel seems to have in order to see what kind of music Crowstorm might be influenced by.

that said, let’s get down to businees. what do we know about crowstorm?

popular and well-liked

has music videos that sometimes feature actors

at least one of their songs involves a piano (according to candy on ep3)

people dance to their music

the members (or Castiel, at least) have given interviews on radio

based on that, we can say that Crowstorm:

has mainstream appeal

has at least some danceable songs

taking into account the info about Crowstorm & Castiel’s inclinations that might influence his music, here are a few examples of what i think some of Crowstorm’s songs could sound like

(danceable songs, “mainstream” radio music)

Head Staggered - That Petrol Emotion // Blue To Black - That Petrol Emotion (this band is influenced by The Beatles, Buzzcocks and Public Image Ltd., all of them from the 70s/80s and within the genres Castiel seems to like)

Some Like It Hot - The Power Station // Murderess - The Power Station (influenced by Led Zeppelin, similar to INXS and associated to Duran Duran)

Never Let You Go - INXS // Mystify - INXS (popular dance-rock band)

Are You Gonna Be My Girl - Jet // Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is - Jet (influenced by AC/DC and The Beatles)

(hard rock/blues rock songs)

Young Lust - Pink Floyd

Voodoo Child - Jimi Hendrix

Whole Lotta Love - Led Zeppelin

this is just my headcanon based on what the game says tho, but i am someone who personally believes that canon and canon “evidence” don’t really matter in the end, so although Crowstorm’s music seems to fit the dance-rock criteria, i ultimately prefer to think of them as a hard-rock/blues-rock band with a bit of punk and psychedelic garage influence.

so why did i even do all of this if i don’t really care in the end? i don’t know, but it was really fun and it kept me busy.

anyway, if you got to this point you might as well tell me your own personal headcanons regarding Crowstorm’s music! feel free to reply, reblog, tag me in your own post or hit me up via inbox

TL;DR: based on what seems to be Castiel’s music taste and what we know of Crowstorm, the band might make dance-rock/hard-rock music and might be heavily influenced by bands from the 70s. but at the end of the day canon doesn’t matter as long as you are having fun, so if you want Crowstorm to be a goth-rock, nu metal band it might as well be!

#my candy love #mcl castiel #mcl #mcl crowstorm #mclul #mcl headcanon #.text #long post

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texastheband · 5 years

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Texas: Is not from Texas; Has never been there; Has a terrific debut LP

By Kim Reed Taken from "Pulse !", the US Tower Records magazine, September 1989 Transcription by Sophie van Rooijen

Texas is a band of multiple ironies. It takes its name from a state with powerful images and traditions, yet it hails from Glasgow, Scotland. Its members are barely out of their teens, yet the band sounds like it's been playing for years. And its debut LP – Southside – offers ample proof that Texas is gonna be around for a long time. Sydney's winter sun slips under the Harbour Bridge as Texas – a talented group from the unlikely locale of Scotland that has released one of the most stunning debut LPs in recent memory – enters the Sebel Townhouse for its last interview of the day. Post-concert parties are frequent in the cozy bar of the Sebel, where the walls (decorated with hundreds of glossy eight-by-tens) have absorbed many a tale. Lead singer Sharleen Spiteri and guitarist Ally McErlaine retire to one of the adjacent alcoves. Both members are eager to talk, despite the fact that they've probably relayed the basic history of the band to the press over and over ad nauseum since Mercury/PolyGram released its first single, "I Don't Want a Lover," earlier this year. The album, Southside, followed on its heels. “We toured the U.K. extensively before the album came out,” Spiteri begins. “When it was released there it entered the charts at number three and then went straight to gold. Even the record company was surprised because they really hadn't done anything or pulled all of the strings.” In fact, not only did Phonogram (the U.K. parent company of the band's label, Mercury) take a conservative approach in promoting Texas, it was downright blasé about the band since it was signed three years ago. Which is not to say that the label was unsupportive; on more than one occasion Texas got itself in a sticky situation and the record company came to its rescue. Three years ago, Spiteri was on her way to international status as a hairdresser when a friend told her about a band that his friend was putting together. He convinced her to take her guitar down and play a few songs with him. The result was an invitation to form a band. Despite McErlaine's affinity for Cooder's fretwork, the Texans are adamant that the name for their group evolved after they had developed their unique brand of contemporary blues. “We saw the movie 'Paris, Texas,'” explains Spiteri patiently, “and we just liked everything about it. We liked the soundtrack, too, but everything in the film is just so open. And, in turn, we feel that our music is very open and sparse.” Apparently, the name didn't evoke the wrath many had predicted when Texas started taking off, and it has been the freshness of McErlaine's playing and the natural power and control of Spiteri's singing that has been attracting all the attention. “Johnny and I got together and wrote a few songs,” says Spiteri, referring to bass player John McElhorne, “and then sent them off to various record companies. Within weeks Phonogram signed us up without ever seeing us play !” It's a story that every frustrated musician cringes upon hearing, but the fantasy sequence stops there. “Only a couple weeks after we signed I got a call from Chic producer Bernard Edwards telling me that he'd heard our tape and he wanted us to go to L.A. to record,” she explains, “but he had a lot of personal problems, and after a month we ended up scrapping everything and going home.” “It was a great learning experience for me because it was the first time I had worked with a producer,” she continues. “Things just didn't work out, though, and I guess I discovered that everybody isn't nice.” When Spiteri and McElhorne returned to Glasgow, their hometown, they concentrated on getting the band together, and that's when guitar-mad McErlaine was enlisted to join Texas. He had a reputation for skipping school in order to stay home and practice the licks of his idols, players like Keith Richards and Ry Cooder. “The band had lost a lot of money trying to record in the States,” says McErlaine, taking up the story of how Texas floundered before hitting paydirt. “When I joined the band we tried a few other producers in Glasgow in order to do it as cheaply as we could, but things weren't working out, and so we scrapped them, and there was more debt.” Eventually Texas connected with producer Tim Palmer, who has worked with Robert Plant (Now and Zen), the Mission, Mighty Lemon Drops and David Bowie's Tin Machine. His enthusiasm for the band's material and his easygoing manner endeared Palmer to the band, and he's already been enlisted to produce the next album. The other two members brought experience into the studio – McElhone had worked with Altered Images and Hipsway; drummer Stuart Kerr had been with the group Love and Money. With Spiteri and McErlaine, they were able to maintain the sound they'd developed, which was not dramatically altered by Palmer in the studio. “What Tim really did for us was give us confidence,” says McErlaine, while ordering some potent Red Back beer. “We just wanted to make an album that we wanted to hear.” “The album is really one long story about our lives in the past three and a half years,” says Spiteri. “We really put our necks on the line for this record and we fought for everything.” “People told us that 'I Don't Want a Lover' was too long because it was over four minutes, but we refused to let them edit it,” adds McErlaine. “They told us that radio wouldn't play it, but we said that if radio liked the song, they'd take it no matter what.” The band's insistence paid off, as “I Don't Want a Lover” can be heard on a majority of the globe's seven continents these days. “Lover” – with its atmospheric slide guitar runs knifing through a (now standard) modern MTV-pop synth/guitar/walloping drums rhythm track, over which Spiteri's husky contralto lays down the law – is, like the remainder of Southside, uncommonly confident for such a young band. You know how some records just sound like smash hits, even on the first listen? Southside sounds massive, with at least three other potential chartbusters – “Tell Me Why,” “Everyday Now” and “Thrill Has Gone” – lurking in the album's grooves. Texas' sound is a unique reflection of the music that has been imported to Scotland via radio, TV, records and tapes. And by the friends of Texas who sought out the rock, pop, soul and blues of North America on their trips overseas. “My dad was in the navy and went to San Francisco during the flower power days and brought back all these records,” says Spiteri, laughing. “'These Boots Were Made for Walking' by Nancy Sinatra was one of the first records I can remember listening to. But my dad's also a big Stones fan, and he even gets into Beatles vs. Stones arguments with people!” Spiteri cites Billie Holiday, Patsy Cline and Sarah Vaughn as her biggest influences; she also admits that critics who compare her to former Lone Justice singer Maria McKee aren't far off. McErlaine doesn't hesitate when naming London Calling by the Clash as his first album purchase. The names of guitarists Jimmy Page, Keith Richards, Eddie Van Halen, The Edge and Peter Buck also creep into his conversation, and it isn't hard to see what other albums and tapes he checked out in order to forge his slide guitar style. Radio is definitely not an influence on Scots who wish to discover the talents of artists outside the mainstream. “Radio stations in Britain are so conservative,” Spiteri moans. “It's all monopolized by the government, and Radio One seems to have a playlist of about 20 records. That's all you hear.” Spiteri and McErlaine like to reflect on the quick rise of Texas and with it the newfound freedom of leaving your past behind, not always a pleasant thing when you're used to a close group of family and friends. “It's very weird traveling to different countries,” says McErlaine. “You know how it is when you go home at night and you feel very comfortable? Well, now we don't have that security.” “Plus, when you go on the road,” adds Spiteri, “you become like a little family. You try to stay in touch with reality, but you can understand how some people lose it after so many years.” “But when you go back to Glasgow it brings you right down again,” says McErlaine. “Like, my dad's unemployed and I feel very lucky to be doing this. You know, my friends won't even tell me that they have a copy of our album! Sometimes we'll go to friends' houses and you'll hear our album blaring out from the living room, but as soon as you arrive at the door, it's off.” The down-to-earth attitude that Spiteri and McErlaine have toward their music (and the music business) is not as unique as it is refreshing. “Sometimes it's hard to believe that we're in a real band,” says McErlaine. “It's like when we were in Ireland for some Irish music awards,” Spiteri says. “We were just standing there watching everybody when they started saying 'U2 are here! U2 are here!' Suddenly somebody tapped Johnny on the shoulder and there's Bono and The Edge standing there! Bono says, 'I just wanted to tell you that I really like your record.' I think my jaw dropped wide open and we didn't stop smiling all night.” “We know that they're real people like us,” says McErlaine, “but we've grown up loving their music and still respect them. Now we're in the situation where we can talk to these people. Like when we met Robert Plant when we were doing the album. He had that voice that you've heard a million times on record !” Not all their meetings are as pleasant, however. “Sometimes we'll be taping a TV show or something and I'll say something to one of the other bands there, “Spiteri says, “and they'll just ignore you. Some people really do have problems. “We always think that civility costs nothing,” she continues. “You're nobody special if you are in a band; it's just a job.” Unlike most professions, however, musicians are fair game for the media. As the band is finding out, music journalists have incompetents in their ranks like everybody else. “We had one reviewer at our gigs who wrote that he didn't like the way our guitarist was standing!” Spiteri recalls. “And we think to ourselves, 'This is supposed to be a music paper?' The article went on to say nothing about the music or the songs we wrote, but at the end he wrote, 'Texas are a very good band.'” Live performance is the band's current focus, and it puts the group in a put-up-or-shut-up situation with the press and punters alike. Spiteri agrees that Texas' material like “Thrill Has Gone,” “Tell Me Why,” “Future is Promises” and the band favorite “Fight the Feeling,” is much harder to play live now than it was before going into the studio. The precision that Palmer helped the band achieve has a sharper edge than its previous rehearsal halls of Glasgow sound. The material on Southside, even after a few listens, is so sophisticated and mature that virtually anyone hearing the album will swear that the band must be longtime veterans of the music business. The album's 10 tracks (the compact disc contains the bonus track “Faith”) contain music so rich and full that it's leaving journalists scrambling for yet another way to say “brilliant”. Texas' material is completely original – with obvious influences by Cooder, Richard et al. in the guitar department – and the sound is not only a surprising hybrid, but one that's decidedly non-Celtic. Simple Minds, Big Country, Aztec Camera and newer outfits like Gun and Slide have nothing on these guys. The band is already responding to the pressure that comes with this type of recognition. “We know that there is a lot expected of us for the second album,” says Spiteri, “but we won't go into the studio until next year because we don't want to get off tour and go in tired and bored. This is very important to us, and we're not going to rush into anything.” “We recorded Southside in two and a half months,” McErlaine adds. “So we know that we don't need a year in the studio. But, we want to do it right.” Doing it right means heading back to the States for a tour of the clubs in August and September before returning to Europe for another sweep across venues teeming with an ever-growing number of Texas converts. The band has chosen to play the smaller clubs in preference to supporting a major artist in a stadium tour, and this game plan may just work. Countrymen Simple Minds did three pub tours of Australia before cracking it overseas. Now it's up to the denizens of the U.S. to decide whether to embrace a Scottish band, bold enough to name itself Texas, that has made the rootiest, most American-sounding record of the year. The welcome mat, unused as of late, is all theirs.

#article #Southside #SharleenSpiteri #Sharleen Spiteri #Sharleen #Spiteri #Texas #TexasBand #Texas Band #TexasTheBand #Texas The Band

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