The Friday Five: May 8, 2009
For those who have not joined in the Friday Five here is all you need to know; each Friday I hit the shuffle button on my iTunes and share my five and drop a little knowledge and insight for each track. Sometimes there is a playlist involved, sometimes there isn’t. Sometimes we have guest, but most of the time it’s just me.
The rest is up to you, our friends and readers! Fire up your media player of choice and share the first five random track of your shuffle in the comments. The more the merrier!
The Five:
“Winter Hill” (mp3) by Doves (from Kingdom of Rust)
I’ve listened to this record quite a few times and it’s yet to leave any lasting impression on me beyond “the lead singer (Jimi Goodwin) sounds like a cross between Chris Martin of Coldplay and Kele Okereke of Bloc Party.” Overall it’s a solid indie rock record that I’m sure will grow on me, it’s just not there yet.
“Oh! Darling” by The Beatles (from Abbey Road)
Wringing every bit of soul his slight British frame could muster, “Oh! Darling” is as close to 50’s Rhythm & Blues (à la Fats Domino) as Paul McCartney and The Beatles could manage. In a 1980 Playboy interview John Lennon said of the song “‘Oh! Darling’ was a great one of Paul’s that he didn’t sing too well. I always thought I could have done it better – it was more my style than his. He wrote it, so what the hell, he’s going to sing it.” It’s hard not to agree as John clearly had the more soulful voice.
“To ‘B’ or Not to ‘B’” (mp3) by Chet Atkins & Tommy Emmanuel (from The Day Finger Pickers Took Over the World)
The mentor and the apprentice, though to call Tommy Emmanuel an apprentice is like calling Kobe Bryant an ‘okay’ basketball player. This entire record is a celebration of the style that the legendary Chet Atkins loved and championed his entire career. It’s fitting that this would be his final recording before passing in 2001. This specific tune has a ‘club jazz’ feel and is beautifully orchestrated.
“Soul Clappin'” by Sly & The Family Stone (from Dance to the Music)
Come on… ya’ll know how to ‘soul clap’… on the one!
“Talkin’ ‘Bout a Revolution” (mp3) by Afro Fiesta (from Playing for Change: Songs Around the World)
By now I’m sure that you’ve all seen the video produced by the group of filmmakers who compiled buskers, street performers, choirs and the odd (and frankly out of place) superstar (yes, I’m looking at you Bono) from around the world and worked them into a single performance of “Stand by Me” (Pete posted it a while back). The group has released a record, the proceeds of which will go to the Playing for Change Foundation (Official Site) whose mission is simply “building and connecting music/art schools around the world” which is certainly a worthwhile cause. The album itself falls a little flat in places without the visual aspect to support it, but not to worry as there is a DVD included capturing the performances. This particular performance stood out to me and is one of my favorites from the record.
That’s it for me, what’s next on your shuffle?
What the Kids Are Listening to: Boom Boom Pow!
It’s weird. Will.i.am as a solo artist doesn’t really do it for me. And Fergie’s stuff – successful as she is – doesn’t hit me in the right place. But the Black Eyed Peas as a collective unit – the grooves that they lay down, even in their most mainstream form, always seem to appeal to me. I like the funky bloops, beeps and blips, what can I say? And I like the interaction between Will, Fergie, the tall one and the other guy (how’s that for lazy research?). Okay okay: apl.de.ap and Taboo (glad I looked!).
It goes back to their 1998 debut album, Behind the Front, for me. There is one track I loved from the start: “Be Free”. Listen to it here.
The #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100 right now is “Boom Boom Pow” – from their forthcoming CD, The E.N.D., due June 9th. It’s nothing groundbreaking, of course, and is instantly identifiable as B.E.P. – but it bumps. And I like to bump.
I lean toward the Kids side on this one.
All You Gods and Goddesses: Bloc Party @ First Avenue
Bloc Party
May 4th, 2009
First Avenue, Minneapolis
“Hello, Minneapolis! We almost didn’t make it.”
Kele Okereke shouted this from the stage last night from First Avenue right after they finished their opening number, “One Month Off” from their new album Intimacy. One month off indeed. Bloc Party was originally scheduled to play 1st Ave on March 30th in what was to be the kick off for my six date Brit Rock Spring Wank with gentle ball cupping (Keane and Doves still to come). When they canceled due to Kele losing his voice, I checked their tour schedule to see if they could swing back through at a later time. I saw several dates in Canada and since we are basically part of that country, I thought it still could happen.
It did.
And it was bloody marvelous.
Right off the bat one could see that the boys in the band felt bad for missing us on the original date. Kele promised a thunderous AND extended set. They fucking delivered playing nearly all of their new album and several tracks from their first two albums. Since I missed them the first and only other time they came through in 2005, it was great to hear them play “Blue Light”, “Like Eating Glass” and “Positive Tension” from Silent Alarm; and “Flux” from A Weekend in the City really got the pit swaying around.In addition to fantastic performances of “Mercury”, “Ares” and “The Prayer”, Kele and the rest of the lads charmed the crowd… carrying on conversations with people in the audience, flirting with girls (natch!) and chastising people for walking out during the encore which saw “She’s Hearing Voices” tacked on just for us Minneapolitans.
This last bit prompted Kele to say, “Alright, that’s it! I’m coming out there.” And he did…gloriously allowing all of us to body pass him around the pit and eventually to stage left where he proceeded to run up the steps to the upper level! He paused on the area of the steps that has always been known to elicit cries from staff saying, “You can’t stand here, dude!” Well, he not only stood there, but found a woman to dance with – continuing to run around all areas of the club with the roadie following behind him, frantically trying to give him more slack on the mic cable.
Sure I would’ve liked to hear “Biko” from the new record and my fave Bloc Party tune “Tulips” (a shiver and a sigh), but the energy from the band and the crowd more than made up for it. Sadly, this is the last North American show for Bloc Party. They are off to Europe though, so all you Ickmusic readers there should go to see them. It will be a corker!
Links: Bloc Party’s Official Site | MySpace
Buy their latest: Intimacy
Ick’s Pick (Week XVIII): The New York Dolls – ‘Cause I Sez So
Thanks Gonzo for this week’s Ick’s Pick! – Pete
In 1973, the New York Dolls released their now-classic debut album, produced by Todd Rundgren. 36 years and one reunion album later (2006’s One Day it Will Please Us to Remember Even This), the 21st century incarnation of the Dolls reunite with Rundgren for ‘Cause I Sez So, their 4th studio album.
I admit that I was a little concerned upon hearing about this release. While One Day… was one of my picks for 2006, my initial thought was that the band might be pushing it by doing another album, Rundgren or not. But I’m pleased to report that the album laid some of these fears to rest.
Perhaps the strongest cut is the opening title track, which captures the classic, straightforward Dolls-style rock. Frankly, this is probably my vote for the album’s strongest cut.
Cause I Sez So – New York Dolls
While “‘Cause I Sez So” most successfully captures the Dolls’ classic sound, other tracks (“Muddy Bones,” “Nobody Got No Business,” “Exorcism of Despair”) fit into that strain as well. There’s also the slinky blues of “This is Ridiculous,” the trash talk response “Better than You,” the southern- (almost Latin-) tinged “Temptation to Exist,” the foreboding darkness of “Drowning” and the mid tempo tracks “Making Rain” and “Lonely so Long.”
Another track of interest is a re-recording of perhaps my favorite Dolls song (and one of their most canonical), “Trash,” from their 1973 debut. I generally am not a fan of this practice. I understand artists’ desire to revise or reinterpret their material, but I generally feel like this should be restricted to the stage or to b-sides. While Bowie has faltered on these rerecordings a few times (“Space Oddity” in the early 1980s, “Rebel Rebel” circa 2004), the revised “Trash” is actually somewhat interesting, if still unnecessary. Gone is the thud of the punk drumming style and the crunchy guitars, traded in for a low-key reggae-ish rendition. Imagine the Clash covering this song circa Sandanista!, make it slightly more laid back, and you’ll approximate the Dolls’ 2009 version of “Trash.” Certainly not an improvement or an equal to the original, but an admittedly refreshing take.
And that may be what makes ‘Cause I Sez So interesting – it’s stylistically more varied than their previous effort, and their classic albums for that matter. That’s not to say that it surpasses or quite meets their first two LPs, but it shows them making an effort to tread into different (although certainly related) territory. Artistic growth is something that I generally appreciate, and that makes this album attractive, even though I find it less immediately pleasing than One Day…. However, the new disc does give me the feeling that it will grow on me over the next few weeks, and may be in heavy rotation this summer.
In the end, the new Dolls disc is far from an embarrassment. While one can rightly contest such a classic band retaining the New York Dolls moniker when only two of its original members remain, Johannsen and Sylvain are doing their legacy justice in the 21st century, and we should be thankful that the Dolls are still with us, despite the fact that some of them are not.
3.5 / 5
‘Cause I Sez So releases TODAY, Cinco de Mayo.
Buy ‘Cause I Sez So
on Amazon.com.
Steve Earle reads for the Poetry Project
Steve Earle reads a short piece of poetry about the passing of his father:
Recommended Interviews: Prince and Wendy & Lisa
May I recommend a couple of cool interviews? I may? Awesome.
Check out Tavis Smiley‘s rather excellent interview of Prince on his PBS show earlier in the week. It’s the most in-depth TV interview I’ve seen with Prince in – well – ever, I think.
A few notes:
- Tavis is not shy with the compliments – over the top at times. But I can’t blame him. I’d do the same thing if I got a one-on-one with Prince.
- Prince opens up about his father for really the first time. Interesting how many qualities his movie dad shared with his read dad in ‘Purple Rain’.
- Funny part where he talks about the misinterpretation of his lyrics – how a friend of his thought the beginning of “When Doves Cry” went: “Dig if u will the picture, of me, Marvin Gaye and the kids.”
- Prince talks about his respect for Dick Gregory, brings up the chemtrails conspiracy, and how there were “eight presidents before George Washington”. I’ve got some Googlin’ to do.
Tavis Smiley Interviews Prince: Part One | Part Two
After I watched the Tavis interview last night, I stumbled on this interview of Wendy & Lisa by Out magazine. They speak very candidly about their relationship (lovers since 1980), and about Prince – which is rare for anyone who leaves his circle.
A short excerpt:
How conscious was Prince of assembling for the Revolution that racial and sexuality rainbow you described?
Wendy: He was incredibly conscious of it. Look at the way he looked during Dirty Mind and Controversy and 1999. He was so androgynous. He didn’t care if you were [paraphrasing Prince’s “Uptown” lyric] “black, white, straight, gay, Puerto Rican, just a freakin’.” That guy wanted fans. So anyway he could get them — and a more interesting way he could do it — appealed to him. The Sly and the Family Stone mentality, that whole black/white/freaky thing on stage appealed to him.
Lisa: I’ll give you an example. We had a photo shoot for the Purple Rain poster. We were all in our different positions and he at one point walked over to me and Wendy and lifted my arm up and put my hand around Wendy’s waist and said, “There.” And that is the poster. That’s how precise he was about how he wanted the image of the band to be. He wanted it to be way more obvious. We weren’t just the two girls in the band.
Wendy: We were the couple.
Lisa: We were the gay girls in the band. It was very calculated. – Read On –
I had the poster they’re talking about hanging in my room from 1984 to 1988 (when I left for college). Man, some of those Prince, Apollonia and Vanity posters in my room. My folks really must have wondered who was sitting at the dinner table with them sometimes…
Read: Out interview of Wendy & Lisa
Listen: Wendy & Lisa – Niagra Falls (mp3)
Check out:
Take Me Out!: Franz Ferdinand @ First Avenue
First Avenue was packed Tuesday night April 28th as the lads from Glasgow took the stage. Franz Ferdinand has always been a real pleasure to see live. I had only seen them one other time–at the Fine Line in 2004–on their first tour of the US. In addition to putting on a high energy show back then, I got to hang out with several burly local Scots who were wearing kilts…the way you are supposed to wear them:)
Alex, Nick, Bob, and Paul opened up their set last Tuesday with “Jacqueline,” a slow ballad that shifts into high energy about one quarter of the way through. Immediately, we all knew we were in a for a visual treat as the immense video screens kicked on in the back and proceeded to bombard us with high def images of such beauty and wonderment that I must admit I got a some late evening wood.As they went from song to song, the visuals changed…sometimes showing band members…other times showing certain images that reflected both the theme and the style of the song. This was not simply tech geeks getting off with their new Mac. This was ART. And it was not spoon fed to us.
They played songs from all three of their albums focusing primarily on their new record “Tonight” which has several great tunes. “No You Girls,” “Ulysses,” and “Turn it On” were all played and sounded magnificent. Of course, old chestnuts like “Tell Her Tonight” and “Michael” torqued up the crowd…the frenzy of which was reached when we all shouted take me out during….”Take Me Out.”
The encore contained a track called “Lucid Dreams” which brought even more stunning visuals on the back drop and propelled all of us into the year 1967 as the chaps summoned the spirit of Syd Barrett to downtown Minneapolis. I remarked to my friends in attendance with me that I never would’ve pegged Franz as going down the psychedelic road, but they did–and in their own femmy dork style.
They closed with “This Fire” and sent all out into the night to burn our city down–metaphorically of course. I know that I did and in the process have become a different man.
Thank God.
For the next two weeks they will be playing dates out east. Check their web site for more information.
Link: Official Site
The Friday Five: May 1, 2009
For those who have not joined in the Friday Five here is all you need to know; each Friday I hit the shuffle button on my iTunes and share my five and drop a little knowledge and insight for each track. Sometimes there is a playlist involved, sometimes there isn’t. Sometimes we have guest, but most of the time it’s just me.
The rest is up to you, our friends and readers! Fire up your media player of choice and share the first five random track of your shuffle in the comments. The more the merrier!
The Five:
“Beautiful” (mp3) by Flickerstick (from Causing a Catastrophe – Live)
They may have played their last show, but this band will live on as one of my favorites of the first decade of the new millennium.
“Daughter of the Everglades” by Rory Gallagher (from Big Guns: The Very Best of Rory Gallagher)
Armed with his ‘well loved’ sunburst 1961 Stratocaster Rory brought common man earnestness to every tune that poured from his soul. In doing my research I found this quote, which I think is quite telling… “How does it feel to be the greatest guitarist in the world? I don’t know, go ask Rory Gallagher.” – Jimi Hendrix.
“Watermelon in Easter Hay” by Frank Zappa (from Joe’s Garage: Acts I, II & III)
Behind “Pink Napkins” this is my favorite bit of Zappa guitar bliss. The composition itself is simple, the delivery is sublime.
“Mystify” (mp3) by INXS (from Kick)
I’ve been on an INXS kick the past few days. See what I did there? I never did understand how this wasn’t a single.
“Anotherloverholenyohead” by Prince (from The Holy Casino)
I so want to share this excellent live version of the Parade classic, but alas, the purple one (rather his lawyers) would kick my ass. Just trust me; it’s a really good version.
I’ve shown you mine, now show me yours!!
