Sun, 23 December 2007  For the more perceptive of you - you may have noticed an interesting spelling of name than the common hum drum consonant-vowel-consonant type. For the more Dutch of you you may have not thought anything of it. And if your are as perceptive and Dutch as I am you'd be completely confused about nearly anything - especially this bit. I'll cut right to the quick - I share my name with the Santa's black friends. The helpful and kind, and once enslaved, but now just friends, assistants to Saint Nick. I could pillage this Sedaris piece for cheap laughs but I've got a classy angle here to up hold so I'll spare the sallacious back story of pseudo-sobriquets for another occasion when I'm feeling even more like boring everyone with a ham-fisted intro. So here is David Sedaris and his "Six to Eight Black Men" from his Live at Carnegie Hall performance. Enjoy and Happy Holidays from all of me to all of you. Image from: Subterranean Homepage News Comments[0] | |
Tue, 18 December 2007  My self proclaimed hiatus seems to have been declared in haste. Admittedly this has much to do with the matter of my being recently relieved of my scholastic concerns and let loose in those green pastures of leisure time. And like all things leisurely, such as strolls, it is a constitutional, a blam on the jaded nerves and jangled devices of self defense. Not to put too fine a point on it this is a bit of a mix up more leaning to the classics as would befit a peace of mind. Enough blather - oh but one thing, before I continue - be sure to take a tab and catch up on your folk's eye candy by checking out the adventures of Quasi. Still un-inspired? Catch the 1967 video for Pierre Henry's Psyché Rock. Astounding enough that it's machine evolution predates Kurzweil and more effective because of it. One last video, sure how about the entire 1929 movie from Communist Russia Man with Movie Camera. Your grandfather's jaw presumably dropped during the raw 'documenting the world as it is' scene. Alright enough of that. Lets listen to some music. Hombres - Let it Out (let it all hang out) Creaky Boards - Brooklyn This is, for me, right now, a definitive track. It is also very good and catchy too. They haven't made a big move in the world yet but they seem to have the chops for the pop indie boards and I for one highly anticipate watching their development. Vampire Weekend - Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassabuy The Paul Simon afro beat inflected swing in this piece is adds the force necessary to get the song shaking a steady rhythm. I can only wish that I had played it sooner. Les Problemes - Je ne Vois RienThis French 60's psych song roughly translates as "I don't See Anything" - included here for the furious francophilia each of us have at heart. I don't have much information of these guys but apparently they got involved with the french peace lovers in the '60s and acquired the ire of the conservative types on the matter of the war. Olympic Runners - Just Funkin` Around buy My soul funk submission for the month (by contractual obligation) is this stand out freak out jazzed up track by the overlooked and underheard UK band. The Stranglers - Golden Brownbuy New Pornographers - Myriad Harbour Another modern miracle of catchy tunes about NYC. What luck! And yes it's a track that should have gone up long time back. Ian Dury - Sex & Drugs & Rock & Rollbuy
Actually much more clean cut than you would think - the outfit is from the UK and is currently on Graveface. It's a high cut of folkpop and worth a visit. Jimi Hendrix - 1983... (a Merman I Should Turn to be) (podcast cut)buy Pierre Henry - Psyché Rock Pierre was an exceedingly prolific 20th century composer. This track pairs him with a fellow composer, Michel Colombier, during the annus mirabilis of '67. Blitzen Trapper - Wild Mountain Nationoriginal video buy The hot shit from PDX. I like to think that in a perfect world these guys would crush the pearly stylings of the Doug Fir in one awesome sonic histrionic session to kick off their careers and me shaking a busted fist and bloody maw at the front of the audience. But now their 'big time' - maybe now they can make it happen. Shit though that is a long way to go for a Doug Fir show. video buy Bram Tchaikovsky - New York Paranoia Not "Girl of My Dreams" good but at least it's more earnest. Panda Bear - Bros edit Look at that face - could you be less earnest about living in the 80s? buy I do hope everyone gets as much of a chilled out kick from this as I did. Damn near walked in to traffic. Damn near didn't care. Bill Justis - College Manbuy At the time I had to post this I could only find a mostly instrumental track. It's still got the 'Hate College' bit so I decide to run with it. But don't dismiss Bill. Here is some of the excised lyrics: Chandler Travis Philharmonic - Wireless
I got a real cool chick For myself, now too old for Teenage Kicks can at least keep satisfied with college kicks.That doesn't dig no square Gets college kicks With her honey anywhere buy To quote their site: Joe Turner & His Blues Kings - Shake, Rattle & Roll
 man at least throw a lens flare on that thing. buy Yeah it's so damn overplayed that I'm a frickin cliché to play it, right? Hell no - it's still good after the twentyth time round. Now you can pick this up on plenty of comps (and some originals if you invested well in the 90's) but I suggest this one: Andrew Sisters - Beer Barrel Polkabuy Curiously it seems that this got good distribution because the Nazis popularized it when they invaded Czechoslovakia. Caribou - Melody Dayhuh. Then it got big play from Benny Goodman, and Billie Holiday, and Liberace. huh. So the only folks of 'lesser races' who haven't reclaimed this song yet are the gypsies. I feel an online petition for Gogol Bordello coming on. My current favorite doctor of mathematics fronted Canadian band. The Raveonettes - Christmas SongAhh a christmas song that doesn't suck. How nice. Image From: Fun On Mars Backing tracks: Quasi at the Quackadero - opening track Uz Jsme Doma - Cod Liver Oil Bodies of Water - I Guess I'll Forget the Sound Bill Justis - Raunchy Roberto Carlos - Amigo Quasi at the Quackadero - The ooooh part Comments[0] | |
Mon, 17 December 2007  Thanks for searching out my page and I'm happy enough to supply the source of John Peel's Top Gear "Signature Tune" here's the blog that got to it first and even included a download of the full album. Category: general -- posted at: 12:13 PM Comments[0] | |
Fri, 30 November 2007  Did you know I get first page ranking on Google for the search terms Tuba Vocal Podcast?Double Bonus! I also got first page for the same term in the image directory. It's like winning Noble prize of weird. Do I really have that many tuba songs with vocals? Have I - somehow mistakenly - cornered the market on an over looked subgenre of tuba backed tracks? Also a shout out to France, the UK and South Korea! I've never been to any of those places but they seem real nice. Thanks for the support guys. Category: general -- posted at: 10:46 PM Comments[0] | |
Fri, 30 November 2007  The Great Divide of the Weeklies and the Monthlies has fallen - and the podcast to prevent podfade must relinquish the hectic ground of the twice a month update to those whose endeavors are more seasoned for such epic things. Seasoned with garlic and time.So the contemporary crap will mix with golden oldies in a sonic stew unpalatable to anyone but the deaf. Somehow I'm sure you'll all struggle on. Also a 'hello' to everyone (all two of you) visiting me from Tim's Contrast Podcast! For those not in the know - he's done a democratic thing and had everyone vote on the best songs of 2007. Surely a smoking year and my opinions were long thought out and my reasons honed by the sweat of the ear tightly encased in headphones - but alas I thought to long and my votes were rejected because of deadlines being missed and what not. Still Tim was nice enough to let me introduce two fine sparkling tracks and I highly suggest you check out the rankings of everyone's submission. How is it that I get to be a representative without being able to vote? Well Tim's British and the democratic thing doesn't naturally so there is that. Or maybe he is trying to make things better in the British American rift (that whole secession thing lingers I've been told) by some strange inversion of the traditional processes. It very hard to tell, really. Al Duvall - The Squirrel Shucking Bee A promising piece of freak folk that endeavors to be both old timey backwoods revival without becoming a novelty - the results are mixed. Like the best revivalists Al's work succeeds when it is knowingly winking at the stereotypes of the form it covers. This song of handcrafted squirrel skinnings is of the latter and greater type. Sharon Jones & Dap Kings - 100 Days, 100 Nightsbuy Not a knowing wink or tidy nod this isn't a revival but a coelacanth of the soulful funk of motown's golden era. Probably one of the best albums of the year. Jo Jo and the Fugitives - Chips Chicken Banana Splitbuy Of the compilation of Jamaica to Toronto is this dizzying piece of honest to goodness delight. While I can't find out about it's original release I did find that the compilation is stacked to brimming with other musical notables. Dark Meat - One More Tripbuy A little loud a little brassy a thirteen piece outfit from Athens cruises the coast in a bus destined for no good. Life In a Blender - Showers Lose the Girlbuy Taking a hardline stance against hygiene and romance Life reminds us of the reasons people have for smuggling heroin and inflating organs. Dj JD - Fallingbuy A rough segway to some rougher sounds. But do enjoy the spirit behind the sample. Dmitrij - Fuck MNML, Fuck Trance - We Wanna DANCE vol. 3The Czech's keep the party rocking with what is a great track of Bonde Do Role' Gasolina. (Unattributed) - Cold Cut Solid Steel 10-17-2007Find the whole mix here. Lifting tunes off the live radio feeds of Australia leaves one in lurch when the attributions of the tunes are not included nor published. I imagine that they are distributed on leaflets by wallabies throughout the red tinted sunburned land of criminals and jazzy djs. Bokusatsu Shoujo Koubou - 80's dream parasolCatch the show here. A recent visitor to NYC from Fukuoka Japan (no, I'm making that up, really there is a town in Japan called that. Yes, I know - it probably does mean something else in their language and this whole thing is rather sophomoric). We hope he had a good time - because we love the tourists. C64 Orchestra - Monty on the runAnd now for the glitches to be smoothed into pomo pomp (pomop?) and circumstance with an orchestral piece of 8 bit music. Like to stab out your ears with sharpened metronomes? Listen to the original. Clear Tigers - Boredom Middling to average I admit - but I like it. The soprano of the vocals are clear and the organic piano bits are great to boot. If they would have another round of shows here in town I'd probably pay them a visit. High Places - GoldenHere is something I could get behind, see Clear Tigers they do shows that I can attend. A tidy piece of whimsy. Seventeen Evergreen - Burn the Fruit This is a spectacular band that to my knowledge is getting very little attention despite some good gifts and high production values. But I do have a soft spot for male female duets with xylophone rhythm sections. The Rumblestrips - Alarm Clockbuy A band with a modicum of success overseas. Hopefully not due to the ska-ist inflections but the proto-punk jumpy rhythms and new wave breakdowns. Mountain Goats - Alpha Incipiensbuy Damn it they came to town again and under my radar they rocked in manner I imagine I would have kicked myself for missing - and having missed it I kick myself. Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy - Television The Drug of the Nationofficial online live shows I've been watching Heroes and Flight of the Conchords a lot. I should stop but then again at least it's good stuff. Vitalic Remix - Cardboard LambStay Human! Another reason we all should support free use policies is because the groove needs to be made whether or not the original artist even likes it. That's right, recycling isn't just for paper and PETE products. Steve Hefter and Friends of Friends - Bullshitbuy A piece of peaceful piano and angry sentiments to clear off the abuses of a month Image from: Backing tracks: Jimmy McCracklin Falling - Dj JD Moby (feat. Kronos Qrt) - God Moving Over the Face of the Water Gene & The Esquires - Space Race Sam Cooke - Good Times Comments[0] | |
