I quite like that. I’m generally not one for happy, upbeat songs but the lyrics felt honest and the guitar work was well done. File him under artists I will listen to more of.
Very heartfelt song. Well executed, well sung. I usually balk at Naming Names in tunes, but it fits, as does ending all the verses and refrains on a minor chord (the song doesn’t resolve, just like the A&P situation never will [cheap pop psychology lesson]).
John Denver - Christmas for Cowboys
Four months early, but my favorite cowboy song
I’ve never been a big fan of John Denver. I’m a city boy, and the Christmas he sings of here is culturally alien to me, but it sounds like one that brings comfort to him, and that reminds him of the old days and the peace and togetherness that the holiday is so much about, so I can appreciate where he’s coming from here.
Since we’re getting an early start on the holiday music here, we may as well answer like with like.
I had to look up Longfellow’s poem as I listened to that and can hear the anguish of a tortured father in every word. Still, that was truly a beautiful adaptation and truly does a good job of conveying the idea that war can’t still love. Thanks for that, Smapti, it brought a tear to my eye.
OK, carrying on the Christmas theme one of my favourites:
This sounds like the kind of folk song you’d hear being played by some buskers on a street corner, or in a dimly lit bar in the 19th century. It’s fun and lively, and easy to follow, and it’s not really all that Christmasy aside from the first verse, but it brings a smile to your face all the same.
Gotta go to this well one more time;
The Killers w/ Neil Tennant & Elton John - Joseph, Better You Than Me.
Well, that didn’t sound Christmassy, not that it matters. It didn’t excite me musically, and I couldn’t catch enough of the lyrics to get a sense of what it was about. Could take it or leave it, to be honest.
To get off this Christmas kick…I don’t know how well-known this song is, but its sound is right in my wheelhouse. My advice is to just listen and not watch the awful, distracting video.
Opening with a soulful blast of mouth organ and moving into a slow, strong heartbeat rhythm, we get an introspective slice of modern life over a life affirming, steady, somewhat euphoric fuzz heavy 3 1/2 minute pop/rock track. Unfortunately as with much pop the lyrics are indistinguishable, and can only partially be heard. One wonders if the lyrics are deliberately hidden due to lack of confidence, or whether this is simply the pervasive lack of vocal skill in the pop genre, which is, after all, not a product of any music academy.
What can be heard is at times a little reminiscent of Oasis, I’m afraid to say.
This is some old-school punk right here. The singer’s accent is (I assume) intentionally thick to the point where I had to look up the lyrics to follow along, and as far as I can tell, it’s actually pretty deep for a punk anthem - the singer is recalling the soccer riots he got into in his own day, and expecting with hope that soon the younger generation will be fighting the same battles he once did.
Vampire Weekend’s modern synth-accented upbeat feelgood song appears to be about undertaking some sort of brave solo journey, possibly in the romantic arena. Solid bum-titty-bum-titty drums, an uninteresting but functional base line and occasional flashes of fuzz guitar form a loose and dynamic “loud, quiet, loud” structure building on the style developed by the Pixies yonks ago. Lots of sugary “baby baby” indicate this may possibly be about a very young infant, perhaps the aborted fetus of the referenced love interest.
Sadly this tune lacks the incitement to whack people in the ribs with 2x4 beams and ripped up stadium chairs, but you can have too much of a good thing, so one shouldn’t complain.
Meco - Star Wars Theme
I love disco Star Wars! I was honestly planning to throw it up myself at some point. It’s a rare convergence of two pop culture phenomena that were huge at the time, and it works a lot better than it has a right to. The version you posted is a shortened version of the original, which takes up an entire album side and includes a greatly extended take on ‘Binary Sunset’ among other themes from the movie.
Disco it is, then.
Fun interpretation. I tend to think of the Pink Floyd original as almost a lude level slide into unconsciousness, and this version is just the opposite. A different interpretation of what it means to be numb, perhaps? As if being “comfortably numb” isn’t a resigned defense from the world, but an active rebuttal.
Anyway, I liked it a lot.
My favorite Pink Floyd cover:
Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun by Psychic TV
Has all the trippiness of the original yet the addition of the water drums(tabla?) and the vocals make it seem much darker and slightly malevolent. Overall, I greatly enjoyed it and , like most PF tunes, best heard on headphones.
Next cover:
Lemonheads- Mrs. Robinson
The musicianship is solid enough, but I didn’t really care for the gimmick of the singer being too hip to keep time or sing the lyrics right. I’m not really sure if this is supposed to be an homage or a parody.
More covers, then.
I got 24 seconds into this before having to halt proceedings. Hideously and unconvincingly sentimental, exactly the wrong voice for it. Perhaps an attempt at a sensitive song like Changes, which actually more or less works. In this, however, the slight kazoo like quality of Osbourne’s voice seems to have been technically enhanced in order to produce nausea. I’d rather undergo MK Ultra experimentation than hear the full 3 minutes.
5 barfs out of 5.
This is your punishment.
Cast of The Famous Five - We Are the Famous Five
(yes, it was released on vinyl)
Eh. The musicianship is solid, the kids’ vocals aren’t that bad, and I got an inappropriate chuckle of the one kid falling into the water while the word “DICK” was superimposed over him. It’s gonna take more than that to punish me for my musical tastes - I’ve heard far worse.
Here, have another recording that shouldn’t exist;
Lawrence Welk & His Orchestra ft. Gail & Dale - One Toke Over the Line.
My first thought at sight of the green suits was NO!. But this is a song review and I was pleasantly surprised by the clear diction and well trained voice of the woman singer, who also looks like she has the kind of intense and uninhibited appetites that most grungy rock bitches brag about. Except with less heroin and more home cooked food. But that’s visuals again and this is a song review.
I actually don’t know how to think about this, but I think this is something of a shamanic revivalist piece extolling the virtues of psychoactive substances in acts of ritual worship continuing traditions begun in the middle east. This is in keeping with the Country & Western tradition of songs in the lineage of ancient bull worshiping practices of lost Mediterranean civilizations.
It’s perky, homely and reassuring.
Timeless and yet so in keeping with the genre! This is just a great song all around, heartfelt without being schmaltzy, sincere, musically interesting and the voicings are perfect.
It’s hard for me to listen to Johnson’s originals because they’ve been so widely covered that the original recordings don’t seem as impressive in comparison to the later interpretations. I haven’t heard this one covered before, though, and listening to it, it’s easy to understand why he was so influential - his style is simple, but catchy, the tempo change in the middle is bold for its era, and there’s plenty of room for someone from pretty much any musical background to take it and make it their own.
The collision between lyrics about beautiful women and miserable blues scales is psychically disturbing. Nobody seems to be willing to point this out, so I will.
What this song really needs is those other three notes for the full octavalicious glory. It wouldn’t be a problem, even for a poor blues man, because the other notes are included for free on any guitar - right there next to the blue ones.
I recommend that any blues musician singing about love give those other notes a try, and save the pentatonic scale for after she left you because of your drinking and general no-goodness.
Anyway, given it’s deficiencies the track is a decent stomper.
Heh-nautical humour-the cutout gimmick was also amusing. These guys sound oh so very earnest about whatever it is that they are alluding to with their colorful metaphors.