• Friday Five

    The Friday Five: February 24, 2012

    Friday Five

    Friday Five : ‘frī-(,)dā,-dē ‘fīv : On the sixth day of every week, I hit the shuffle button on my iTunes, then share the first five tracks and thought for each track. Sometimes there is a playlist involved, occasionally we’ll have a 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 Five:

    “Always and Forever” by Heatwave (from Can You Dig It? The ’70s Soul Experience, 2001)

    During the nomination process for the recent Popdose 100: The Greatest Love Songs of All Time there were only a handful of tunes that I could’ve smacked myself for forgetting to include, this is one of them. I don’t know about you lot, but when I was growing up this tune was a staple of the high school dance.

    “Tell Me (Go Go mix)” by Groove Theory (from Tell Me – The Remixes, 1995)

    Here is one of the things that I love about doing the Friday Five: after doing a quick background check on Groove Theory I discovered that principal players Amel Larrieux and Bryce Wilson have reunited. There isn’t much in the way of details, but damn if that isn’t exciting news.

    “Why Don’t We Do It in the Road?” by The Beatles (from The Beatles, 1968)

    This one is a little less ‘Beatles’ and more ‘McCartney’, much in the same way “Julia” is more ‘Lennon.’

    “Under the Cherry Moon” by Prince & The Revolution (from 1986-08-02: Madison Square Garden, New York, Ny, USA, 2012)

    Okay, two things to discuss here:

    This soundboard recording was recently unearthed and is nothing short of excellent. The band did two shows at the Garden to prep for the European tour, and these performances are fiery and loose. This one is well worth seeking out.

    I’d be remiss if I didn’t bring up the benefit gig that The Revolution —that’s right: Wendy, Lisa, Bobby, Mark, Dr. Fink and Dez!— performed at the legendary First Avenue in Minneapolis last weekend. The skinny motherfucker with the high voice didn’t show his face, but after listening to the tapes from the show he should be listening, and thinking about taking this band out on tour. Hell, they don’t even need him! Viva la Revolution!

    “I Have Loved You Wrong” by The Swell Season (from Strict Joy, 2009)

    Did you know that Glen Hansard & Markéta Irglová made a second movie chronicling the recording of Strict Joy? I didn’t know this until earlier this week, and now it’s all I can do to try and find a way to see this film. If you haven’t watched the film Once, I cannot recommend it more. All that said, I hold hope that the duo will reconvene for another record in the near future.

    What’s on your shuffle today?

  • Rock

    The Older Brother Speaks

    Earlier this year, Beady Eye (AKA the rest of Oasis fronted by Liam) released their first full length album, Different Gear, Still Speeding. As I noted here, it was and is quite good. In fact, I will be seeing them live in 2 short days (review coming soon, natch) in the Main Room at First Avenue. The pilgrim will walk to one of the prophets…

    Most of us Brit geeks have been waiting for the elder Gallagher to put his stamp on 2011 and boy has he ever with Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds released just a few weeks ago. The album is magnificent and how lucky all of us are that Oasis broke up as we now get double the output from the dueling Mancunians.

    Don’t expect many surprises with this one. It has all the signature Beatles-dripped magic sung by the brother who I have always felt is the better singer. Noel wouldn’t agree of course but this is one of his rare self-deprecations. Songs like “If I Had A Gun…” (a deeply passionate love song) demonstrate the sheer beauty and emotion of his voice. “AKA What A Life” (a sister song to Oasis’ “Falling Down”) kicks this sentiment up another notch as Noel “takes that tiger outside for a ride.” With “Soldier Boys and Jesus Freaks,” we hear a rare political rant that is most welcome. The infectiousness of “Dream On” easily draws anyone in.

    And, is usually the case with Brit bands, the best track from these sessions is not on the regular album (but is available on the deluxe edition and the single, “The Death of You And Me”). “The Good Rebel” made me grin from ear to ear the moment I first heard it. Using the metaphor of cleansing rain, Noel washes his past away and stakes out new territory for himself. The older brother has spoken and the future looks very bright indeed with this great idea for a stocking stuffer this holiday season.

    Check out “The Good Rebel” below and keep an eye out for Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds coming to our side of the pond early next spring!

  • Friday Five

    The Friday Five: August 19, 2011

    Friday Five

    Friday Five : ‘frī-(,)dā,-dē ‘fīv : On the sixth day of every week, I hit the shuffle button on my iTunes, then share the first five tracks and thought for each track. Sometimes there is a playlist involved, occasionally we’ll have a 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 Five:

    “Look Sharp!” by Joe Jackson (from Look Sharp!, 1979)

    Why are you yelling at me, Joe Jackson?

    “Rainy Day Women #12 & 35” by Bob Dylan (from MTV Unplugged, 1995)

    Indeed.

    “Wake Up Everybody (live in studio performance)” by John Legend & The Roots (from Wake Up!, 2010)

    Why do these album titles keep yelling at me? Look Sharp! Wake Up!

    “Team” by Bon Iver (from For Emma, Forever Ago, 2008)

    I still fail to see what everyone loves about Bon Iver.

    “Girl” by The Beatles (from Rubber Soul, 1965)

    Sweet finish to summer’s penultimate Friday Five.

    What’s on your shuffle today?

  • Friday Five

    The Friday Five: July 15, 2011

    Friday Five

    Friday Five : ‘frī-(,)dā,-dē ‘fīv : On the sixth day of every week, I hit the shuffle button on my iTunes, then share the first five tracks and thought for each track. Sometimes there is a playlist involved, occasionally we’ll have a 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 Five:

    “Behind the Wheel (Vince Clark remix)” by Depeche Mode (from Remixes 2: 81-11, 2011)

    Both Vince Clarke and Alan Wilder make appearances on this second remix collection from Depeche Mode.

    “Kept” by Matt Nathanson (from Modern Love, 2011)

    I first discovered Matt Nathanson through his appearance on Live From Daryl’s House; and no sooner completely forgot about him. Save for his big hit “Come on Get Higher,” I’d be hard pressed to name another song. His new record, however, is quite good.

    “Baba O’Riley” by Pearl Jam (from Live at the Gorge 05/06, 2007)

    This is probably my favorite Pearl Jam cover. I remember buying a bootleg import back in the early ’90s that closed with an insanely raw version of the tune.

    “Colonized Mind” by Prince (from Lotus Flow3r, 2009)

    ZZzz …

    “Michelle (1965 stereo mix)” by The Beatles (from Rubber Soul, 2009)

    Let me take this space to express my extreme jealousy of those of you getting to see Macca at Yankee Stadium this weekend.

    What’s on your shuffle today?

  • Friday Five

    The Friday Five: May 20, 2011

    Friday Five

    Friday Five : ‘frī-(,)dā,-dē ‘fīv : On the sixth day of every week, I hit the shuffle button on my iTunes, then share the first five tracks and thought for each track. Sometimes there is a playlist involved, occasionally we’ll have a 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 Five:

    “Touch of Madness” by Night Ranger (from Midnight Madness, 1987)

    Discussion around the Popdose water cooler has been buzzing about Night Ranger’s upcoming release, Somewhere in California, touting the return of “classic Night Ranger.” Perhaps predictably, Matt Wardlaw and Dave Steed are in a tizzy and Jeff Giles (Y’all) has to replace his monitor.

    Oh, and will you look at that; Matt even wrote about it!

    “Dance the Night Away” by Van Halen (from Best Of, Volume 1, 1996)

    Since we’re all doomed in the next 48 hours, I might as well go ahead and let you all know that this is, hands down, without a doubt or question, my favorite Van Halen song. It’s the perfect example of the band’s ability to balance pop perfection and hard rock hooks.

    “Can’t Buy Me Love” by The Beatles (from A Hard Day’s Night, 1964)

    I’m debating listening to Abbey Road, Let it Be and Purple Rain all day Saturday. I’m not buying into this rapture bullshit, but if something is going down, I might as well go ahead and listen to my favorite records, right?

    “Porch” by Pearl Jam (from Ten, 1991)

    “What the fuck is this world running to?” Okay, enough of this end of the world crap.

    “The Best of My Love” by The Eagles (from The Very Best of The Eagles, 2003)

    When I heard the first strum, I was reminded of a story I read once. You should go and read it, but make sure you come back and leave your five!

    What’s on your shuffle today?

  • Friday Five

    The Friday Five: February 11, 2011

    Friday Five

    Friday Five : ‘frī-(,)dā,-dē ‘fīv : On the sixth day of every week, I hit the shuffle button on my iTunes, then share the first five tracks and thought for each track. Sometimes there is a playlist involved, occasionally we’ll have a 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 Five:

    Editor’s Note: Another busy Friday for the Five, but fear not … once the dust settles, I’ll be back to drop some thoughts behind the five tunes that found their way to my ears this morning. — MP

    “Another One Bites the Dust” by Queen (from Live at Wembley ‘86, 1992)

    “Losing My Religion” by R.E.M. (from In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988-2003, 2003)

    “We Want Some P***y” by The 2 Live Crew (from The 2 Live Crew Is What We Are, 1986)

    “Money (That’s What I Want)” by The Beatles (from With The Beatles, 1963)

    “Crush” by Dave Matthews Band (from Before These Crowded Streets, 1998)

    What’s on your shuffle today?

  • Friday Five

    The Friday Five: March 26, 2010

    Friday Five

    Friday Five : ‘frī-(,)dā,-dē ‘fīv : On the sixth day of every week, I hit the shuffle button on my iTunes, then share the first five tracks and thought for each track. Sometimes there is a playlist involved, occasionally we’ll have a 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.

    Editor’s Note: I want to take just a moment to thank Rob Smith for filling in for me last week. I strongly recommend checking out his series Death by Power Ballad, over at Popdose. He is a huge influence on my writing style, and truth be told, I was honored to have him cover for me. Now, onto this week’s five! – Michael

    The Five:

    “Spoon” by Dave Matthews Band (from Before These Crowded Streets, 1998)

    Before These Crowded Streets remains my favorite record by Dave Matthews Band. It has a dynamic that I think that the band has been chasing ever since its release, and has only come close to with their most recent release Big Whiskey and the Groo Grux King. “Spoon” is the record’s final cut, and features Alanis Morissette on vocals, Bela Fleck on Banjo. The lyrics find Dave contemplating God himself in a cup of coffee. Alanis delivers the knockout, third verse:

    From time to time
    Minutes and hours
    Some move ahead while
    Some lag behind
    It’s like the balloon that
    Rise and then vanish
    This drop of hope
    That falls from his eyes

    “The Idea of You” by Dave Matthews Band (from 2008-08-26: DMB Live Trax, Volume 14, 2009)

    More DMB? I’ll take it! This recording is from the final show saxophonist LeRoi Moore performed with the band before the ATV accident that lead to his death. The tune is an unreleased gem that the band has played multiple incarnations of in the last few years. Matthews’ has mentioned on numerous occasions that the track is about his unrequited crush on a childhood babysitter. I’ve maintained since the first time I heard it in 2006, that if they released this as a single it would be just a big of a “hit” as “Crash (Into Me).” The band shelved this song for the 2009 tour, and it’s uncertain if it will resurface, but here’s hoping it does.

    “A Hard Day’s Night” by The Beatles (from A Hard Day’s Night, 1964)

    Now that the second – or was it the third – wave of Beatlemania has settled down a bit, I’ve been spending some quality time with each of the remastered records individually. A Hard Day’s Night is the record that I seem to come back to most often, likely driven by my love of the title track and only furthered by its association with the film of the same name. I’ve watch the movie at least three or four times in the last six months, as it seems to pop up on VH1 Classic or Palladia at least once a month.

    “Momma’s Boy” by Chromeo (from Fancy Footwork, 2008)

    I love Chromeo. That’s it.

    “Perfection” by Run D.M.C. (from Raising Hell, 1986)

    Back in the day, my friend Ducky and I – yes, we called him Ducky – would learn and recite the rhymes from this record. This one I always rocked a little extra hard, if only for the following:

    I got a funky fresh (car) with the funky fresh (bar)
    I’m a funky fresh (star) and I’m up to (par)

    Now that I’ve embarrassed myself, I think I’ll go ahead and ask the question:

    What’s on your shuffle today?

  • Friday Five

    The Friday Five: March 12, 2010

    Friday Five

    Friday Five : ‘frī-(,)dā,-dē ‘fīv : On the sixth day of every week, I hit the shuffle button on my iTunes, then share the first five tracks and thought for each track. Sometimes there is a playlist involved, occasionally we’ll have a 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 Five:

    “Comin’ Home” by City and Colour (from Sometimes, 2005)

    A few weeks ago, I mentioned the songs that find you at the just the right moment in your life; this is another one of those songs. In the mid-aught’s my job had me shuttling back and forth to Toronto, Ontario on a monthly basis. On one hand, I got to know my host city in intimate detail, finding favorite restaurants, pubs — P.J. O’Brien, just in case you are curious — and hidden corners of Canada’s largest city. I was lucky enough to have my wife join me on more than one trip, but more often than not, I was alone and far from home. Around the same time, I discovered singer/songwriter Dallas Green’s City and Colour. I vividly recall listening to the album on one of many flights home and this song coming on, sealing it forever in that time and place.

    Well I’ve been down to Georgia
    I’ve seen the streets in the West
    I’ve driven down the 90, hell I’ve seen America’s best
    I’ve been through the Rockies, well I’ve seen Saskatoon
    I’ve driven down the highway 1 just hopin’ that I’d see you soon

    Cause I’m comin’ home, I’m comin’ home

    “We Can Work It Out” by The Beatles (from Mono Masters, 2009)

    If you had asked 13-year old me what my favorite Beatles tune was I surely would have responded with “We Can Work It Out.” These days I find myself gravitating to other, deep catalog tracks to find my favorite, but always come back to this as a great example of the Lennon/McCartney songwriting style. Listening to it now does reaffirm it as one of my Top 10 Beatles songs.

    “Misunderstanding” by Genesis (from Turn It On Again: The Hits, 1999)

    Somehow I had never put this together, but if you listen to “Misunderstanding” and follow it up with Led Zeppelin’s “Fool in the Rain” — which you call may recall is my favorite Zeppelin tune — you’ll notice certain similarities. Not just in its rhythmic swing feel, but lyrically it covers the same ground. Originally written by Phil Collins for his solo debut, Face Value, the track was a real departure from the rest of Duke. It is also one of my favorite Genesis tunes, which is probably somehow related to the whole “Fool in the Rain” thing, odd how that happens.

    “Fragile Tension” by Depeche Mode (from Sounds of the Universe, 2009)

    Why this is still on my iPod, I am not sure. As much as I dig Depeche Mode, this album was just awful.

    “Misery Business” by Paramore (from RIOT!, 2007)

    The little subtle things in this song are what make it so damned awesome. Sure, it is an arena-ready rock anthem, on par with some of the greats. The little things, like the half-time drums that build the tension in the second half of the chorus show attention to detail that is rare in a band so young.

    What’s on your shuffle today?

  • Friday Five

    The Friday Five: February 12, 2010

    Friday Five

    Friday Five : ‘frī-(,)dā,-dē ‘fīv : On the sixth day of every week, I hit the shuffle button on my iTunes, then share the first five tracks and thought for each track. Sometimes there is a playlist involved, occasionally we’ll have a 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 Five:

    Editor’s Note: Is anyone else feeling like maybe February is going by too quickly? This week’s Friday Five comes courtesy of the iPod, see you back here next week!

    “Sebrina, Paste and Plato” by Jellyfish (from Spilt Milk, 1993)

    “Time Bomb” by Rancid (from …and Out Comes the Wolves, 1995)

    “America’s Suitehearts” by Fall Out Boy (from Folie à Deux, 2009)

    “Le Freak” by Chic (from C’est Chic, 1978)

    “Girl” by The Beatles (from Rubber Soul, 1965)

    What’s on your shuffle today?

  • Friday Five

    The Friday Five: January 8, 2010

    Friday Five

    Friday Five : ‘frī-(,)dā,-dē ‘fīv : On the sixth day of every week 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. Occasionally we’ll have a 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 File:

    1. “6 Underground (Filla Brazillia remix #1)” by Sneaker Pimps (from Abstract Vibes 2 More Vibes, 1997)

    Is it possible that the ’90s produced more one-hit wonders than any previous decade? Sometimes, it certainly seems like it. Case in point; British trip-hop group Sneaker Pimps, whose 1996 track “6 Underground” was inescapable. Adopted by mainstream pop and alternative radio, not to mention being featured in a slew of movies and television shows, the track was and still is the most homogenized distillation of the genre. File this one under my “guilty pleasures.”

    2. “Mean Mr. Mustard” by The Beatles (from Anthology 3, 1996)

    One of the great things that the Anthology series provided was a peek behind the curtain, showing — warts and all — the recording process behind some of the Fab Four’s greatest songs.

    3. “The Little Things Give You Away” by Linkin Park (from Minutes to Midnight, 2007)

    Despite their entire discography lurking in the corners of my library, I rarely listen to anything from Linkin Park. I’d say this track is pretty indicative of the reason why.

    4. “Work for the Working Man” by Bon Jovi (from The Circle, 2009)

    This is just plain awful. It’s not bad enough that the band has recycled the bass line from “Living on a Prayer,” but to add insult to injury, they’ve done so behind an shamefully disingenuous attempt to play on the struggles of the “working man.”

    5. “Fifty Years After the Fair” by Aimee Mann (from Whatever, 1995)

    Add Roger McGuinn’s signature 12-string chime to Aimee Mann’s beautiful voice and you’ve got the recipe for magic. I have not listened to this record in probably six or seven years, time to rectify that.

    What’s on your shuffle today?