Brett Dennen, I like you
Goodness gracious me, have you heard the latest Brett Dennen album? Loverboy has been out for a year, but it took me until just a couple weeks ago to hear a tune from it (“Little Cosmic Girl” on SiriusXM), which sent me scurrying to check it out.
I’m all about the joyous and positive vibe of Brett’s latest record – and no song better captures it than “Dancing At A Funeral.”
I recommend running – not walking – to buy this album. Or at least dial it up on your Spotify or Mog or whatever you may be using in this spoiled rotten digital age we find ourselves in.
Buy: Brett Dennen’s Loverboy (Amazon MP3 Exclusive Version)
Photo Credit: Ben Moon, 2010
The Friday Five: March 23, 2012
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:
Sometimes you’re the windshield, sometimes you’re the bug … today, I’m buzzing like a bumblebee. Here’s what is powering my flight:
“V-2 Schneider” by David Bowie (from “Heroes”, 1977)
“Recruting Sargeant” by Great Big Sea (from Play, 1997)
“Window” by Mordred (from In This Life, 1991)
“Dirty Diana” by Michael Jackson (from Bad, 1987)
“So What” by Miles Davis Quintet (from The Unissued Japanese Concerts (disc 1: 1964-07-12: Tokyo, Japan), 2011)
What’s on your shuffle today?
The Friday Five: March 16, 2012
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:
“Lemon Yellow” by Plasticene (from BASEketball, 1998)
I have absolutely no recollection of this song. Clearly, there was no short supply of soundtrack fodder in the ’90s.
“Rock in This Pocket (Song of David)” by Suzanne Vega (from 99.9 F°, 1992)
I was duped into purchasing this record for the oh-so-catchy title track, and the even more efficient earworm, “Blood Makes Noise.” The juxtaposition of Vega’s folksy leaning against the pseudo-industrial production of Vega’s husband Mitchell Froom.
“I Found a Girl” by The Valadiers (from The Complete Motown Singles, Volume 3: 1963, 2005)
Motown’s first white vocal group, and they don’t even rate a Wikipedia page? Ain’t that a bitch.
“Green Room” by Dig (from Dig, 1993)
“All I really want to do is get high …” Well, it would appear that my shuffle is attempting to expose just how much bad ’90s music is lurking in the dark bowels of my library.
“The Betrayer” by Kaki King (from Junior, 2010)
I’m not going to lie: I preferred Miss King when she just played guitar.
What’s on your shuffle today?
The Friday Five: March 9, 2012
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:
“Drown” by The Smashing Pumpkins (from Singles, 1992)
By virtue of its inclusion on the Singles soundtrack this could be my favorite Smashing Pumpkins track. On second thought, that right probably belongs to the the album cut “Mayonnaise” from Siamese Dream, but I’d still place “Drown” at a close second.
“Mishale” by Andru Donalds (from Andru Donalds, 1994)
Okay, raise your hand if you’ve ever heard of Andru Donalds. I’m not going to lie, I’m astounded to find that this tune actually charted in Billboard’s Hot 100.
“The Monster’s Heart” by The Damnwells (2009)
During the recording of No One Listens to the Band Anymore, Alex Dezen opened the studio doors and gave the fans that pledged to fund the record access to the demos, outtakes and sketches from the proceedings. This is the early bones of “The Monster,” and is just as powerful in its quiet acoustic take.
“I’m Bad, I’m Nationwide” by ZZ Top (from Greatest Hits, 1992)
Do you think that for a moment the boys in ZZ Top considered for a moment while writing all these blues infused tunes they’d serve as the soundtrack for shilling everything from automobiles to beer?
“The Magic Number” by De La Soul (from The Best Of. 2003)
Ending on a funky note, nice!
What’s on your shuffle today?
The Friday Five: March 2, 2012
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:
“Nice Guys” by We Are Scientists (from Barbara, 2010)
I love tripping over songs that I forgot about. Ironically, the music blogosphere completely forgot about We Are Scientists by the time this release came out, which is a damn shame as it contains some of their strongest songs.
“The Stars of Track and Field” by Belle and Sebastian (from If You’re Feeling Sinister, 1996)
Oh, the toothache! Now with 90% more trumpet!
I kid, because I care. I stumbled onto Belle and Sebastian during my stint working at a record store in the mid-’90s. Yes, an actual record store.
“Long Kiss Goodnight” by The Notorious B.I.G. (from Life After Death, 1997)
Goddammit, Diddy is one annoying motherfucker.
“Leave in Silence (longer)” by Depeche Mode (from A Broken Frame, 1982)
Just lovely.
“Granny” by Dave Matthews Band (from Warehouse 8, Volume 3, 2007)
“Love! Baby!” Nothing like wrapping up another Friday Five with a little bit of love. To quote my friend Dennis, “Hope you all hear something good this weekend!”
What’s on your shuffle today?
A New North Woods Legend
There are many myths, legends and stories that come from the North Woods of America. The wood spirit of Wendigo which could only be seen when facing it head on…the little people who lived among the trees and distracted many a traveler…and, of course, that giant bearded man whose pet was on Ox named Babe.With no need for any hammers from gods, The Stereo Pirates are wielding the full power of Paul Bunyan’s Ax, poised to make their mark in the musical zeitgeist of Minneapolis and beyond.When I first heard them play a few weeks ago at the Nomad World Pub on the West Bank, the first thing that struck me was how catchy and accessible their music sounded. The song “Fall Back Man” is a great example of this.
The pen of lead singer and chief lyricist Bryan Pertinen is matched only by his voice that cuts through the coldest of North Woods winters, soothing the scenesters as if they were in front of an open flame. Fire continually flies from the fingers and fret board of lead guitarist Jon Wefel as he takes his flower covered flock on many Kesey-esque journeys.
Yet the key to this voyage into pure pop heaven lies in Bryan Rubbelke‘s black and white ivories that happily dance for the various denizens of pubs and clubs, scooping them all up for the ride. The rhythm section of Mark Thoreen (bass) and Jeremy Krueth (drums) provide the kind of foundation from which aural skylines are constructed in Rock City, USA.
The Stereo Pirates have just released their self titled debut and it is a corker. It’s been in constant rotation on my iPhone, my home stereo, my computer and even my minivan as I haul kids around town. In fact, I can imagine soccer moms around the country re-embracing, and perhaps re-imagining, Twin Cities Pop with tracks like “Blue Eyes”, “Crooked Smile,” and “Painted Ladies.” The latter track nods wonderfully to Motown with a totally fab horn section that actually drove me to skipping as I was working out at the gym the other day. And I can’t help but chuckle at the obvious Zep influenced “She Cut Me.” This one gets my son’s nod for best track of the album as he always yells at me to crank the van stereo when it comes on. “Rock and Roll should be LOUD, Dad,” he reminds me and that’s exactly how this tune should be played.
But the album’s true gem and the one that will ultimately write their fire in the sky is “Take Me Home.” Ranking right up there with “Fix You” by Coldplay and “Bedshaped” by Keane, “Take Me Home” is the classic rock anthem in every sense of the word. I can already see former cigarette lighters and now cel phones lighting up arenas as this is one of those show closing songs that will simultaneously existing at every point in music history-adding another mythic and brilliant note to the infinite lexicon that comforts me every single moment of my life.
The Stereo Pirates will be playing live at the Fine Line Music Cafe on Thursday, March 8th. If you live in the Twin Cities area, I highly recommend seeing this band live. Click here to friend them on Facebook for all their latest news!
IckMix 6: Move
I put this together for my brother a few months ago as a running/exercise companion. Since then, I’ve listened to it quite a few times on my runs, and quite simply, it pretty much kicks ass.
So download, throw it on your iPod/iPhone/SmartPhone of choice, and move! (Or, sit back in a La-Z-Boy with a strong cocktail. You do what you want, I’m not your daddy).
IckMix 6: Move (mp3)
1. “Month of May” – Arcade Fire (3:51) | The Suburbs
2. “Bushwick Blues” – Delta Spirit (3:44) | History from Below
3. “Seaside Bar Song” – Bruce Springsteen (3:35) | Tracks
4. “Run Runaway” – Slade (5:01) | The Amazing Kamikaze Syndrome
5. “Now It’s On+ – Grandaddy (4:08) | Sumday
6. “When My Time Comes” – Dawes (5:08) | North Hills
7. “A More Perfect Union” – Titus Andronicus (7:10) | The Monitor
8. “The Leader” – The Clash (1:42) | Sandinista!
9. “Boom Boom (Out Go The Lights)” – Pat Travers Band (5:06) | Pat Travers Band…Live! Go For What You Know
10. “Let’s Go Crazy (Special Dance Mix)” – Prince (7:37) | Ultimate
11. “Freedom Park” – Marah (4:35) | 20,000 Streets Under The Sky
12. “I Do (LP Version)” – J. Geils Band (3:08) | Monkey IslandThe Friday Five: February 24, 2012
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?
The Friday Five: February 17, 2012
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:
“Armageddon It” by Def Leppard (from Vault: Greatest Hits 1980-1995, 1995)
It’s not my favorite Def Leppard song, but it is as catchy as VD at the Jersey Shore (or, somewhat ironically, a Def Leppard show during the Hysteria tour.)
“Candy Store Rock” by Led Zeppelin (from Boxed Set, 1990)
The Zeppelin box set was standard issue for high school students in the early ’90s.
“Nobody But You” by The Apples in Stereo (from Travellers in Space and Time, 2010)
Phew, I was getting worried that Matt Wardlaw had somehow possessed this week’s shuffle.
“Wrapped Up in Books” by Belle and Sebastian (from Dear Catastrophe Waitress, 2003)
I’m suddenly getting sleepy.
“Come Up to My Room (feat. Tha Dogg Pound)” by Jodeci (from Murder Was the Case, 1994)
Whoa, that is like puling the emergency break while speeding—albeit rather gently—down the highway.
What’s on your shuffle today?
(Not So) Guilty Pleasure of the Moment: B.o.B. – Play the Guitar
Don’t know much about B.o.B., except I see his name on the charts or around the media in the form of “B.o.B feat. ___” or “___ feat. B.o.B.” credits we’re accustomed to seeing in modern day R&B/hip-hop.
His 2010 debut album, B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray [Explicit], hit #1 on the Billboard 200, and spawned three hit singles.
Fast forwarding to this year, in which B.o.B. will release his 2nd album, Strange Clouds.
The second single is “Play the Guitar,” and features another Georgia resident, Outkast’s André 3000.I heard while I was out running, listening to Sirius XM’s Hip-Hop Nation. And this is exactly why I’ll drop into different stations and genres from time to time – to discover something that clicks with me. “Play the Guitar” has a great rhythm, sort of a Caribbean undercurrent running through it. And the presence of Andrè 3000 adds that instant cred. Just a fun tune, and really good loud.
