The SDMB Music Appreciation Society

Cafe Society
81

I’ve been listening to people praise this band for more than 30 years now, but every time I listen to them, all I hear is like lesser versions of other bands. This song had just enough melody to peg it as mid-‘80s and not enough fire of any kind to peg it as rockin’. This was the type of music that gave rise to College Radio back then; we can only consider ourselves lucky that things like Mojo Nixon and Soundgarden and King Missile slipped through.

My pick is from an album that caught my eye in the store (ouch!) for no reason whatsoever except the album title; I now own all three of their albums and find that they annoy and thrill me by refusing to fit neatly in any single genre (or 2 or 3, even). From The Audio Guide To Happiness, Part 1 here’s Jolly - Where Everything’s Perfect.

82

They strike me as trying too hard to be weird. The parts where they’re actually doing a straight up song are nice, but it just doesn’t quite hold together.

I don’t feel like thinking very hard, so here’s Circus Contraption with Hot Potato.

83

I thought it was a bit too odd to start with, but once it got going I really enjoyed it, and the trumpets were awesome.

This was a bit of an internet sensation a few years back, but I think the song itself is actually worth a listen. Guitar, by Peter Nalitch.

84

Guess I missed it then. Wish I could roll my "Rrrr"s like them. I actually have been learning guitarrrr recently, but I never thought of using it to get my wife into the boudoirrr morrre. I should try it! I’ll probably have this funny little song stuck in my head the rest of the week though.
Hmm . . . we seem to be drifting to the odd and comical. I’ll go all in.

P.D.Q. Bach (Peter Schickele) - “New horizons in music appreciation” Beethoven’s 5th

I’m not sure if that counts as music or sports radio though.

85

Hello All. A nice, new collection of tunes was waiting for me… thank you. I wasn’t as impressed as I have been in other rounds, but that may be due to the heavier fabric that the thread is needling through lately. I have trouble hearing past the perceived “noise” in a lot of the thrash-oriented tracks, and sometimes I don’t hear the art as I should. I’m very forgiving of bad singing and playing, and I don’t usually critique with that ear, but I crave good writing, composition, and arrangement. I think that’s what was going-on with the Animals as Leaders track. I lost interest quickly, but I hung around because it had something. Not sure what, though :slight_smile: Same comment for the In Flames. And I never underestimate the value of a second (or third) listen.

I’m kinda glad that **Meurglys **posted 2 tracks. I didn’t warm-up to the first track they presented, but liked the second one. Had more of a groove to it; something I could feel and move to. I liked the poppy submissions from the Gargoyle. The Joni Mitchell song is sorta cliché, but the Neil Young cover kept me interested. I was familiar w/ 16 Horsepower (love the name) and recognized the talent of the guys early-on. But I was slightly out-of-sync with them at the time. And I wasn’t able to sync-up with the Wovenhand either, but I enjoyed it for its unique sound. I think Cracker is almost there, but they have historically come up just shy of what I’m looking for. The Blink182 tune was a good song, but (IMHO) weakened by the “shouting” lyrics. However, that’s the style that fits the music, so I don’t know what I would have done differently; if anything. I thought it overshadowed the selection from The Replacements, and I’ll put that on the fact that Blink182’s power was better-presented and more-precise. Liked the Jolly! It had some minor blemishes and I thought it was a nice presentation… until I got to the finish. I think they confused me… I liked the light-poppy, and didn’t see how the heavy really added to it. But maybe I should have perceived it as heavy and then the poppy would have added something, ha! The Circus Contraption was a nice study in originality, with a nice composition. It’s gave me a slight feeling of anxiety, though that may be part of their plan. Overall… I liked it a lot. The Guitar song from Nalitch is still cracking me up!

Mr. Picker… thank you for pulling that Leon Redbone out of the vault. Love it when you shoot from the unknown or forgotten trenches like that… keep `em coming.

My submission: It’s those Cold War Kids with We Used to Vacation. Makes me crave a Gin & Tonic every time I play it. I liked the raw sound of the tunes that they put on this album, but had trouble digging the slick production of their latest effort. Hope they keep going, though

Whew… a lot to catch-up on, and I hope I didn’t forget someone.

oops… ninja’ed by Gedd. I’ve got some listening to do.

86

The opening and the verses are nice, but the choruses just aren’t working for me. Too slow and preachy. I think if they had gone with a little more standard song structure that this would’ve worked really well.

I’m going to throw out one of my favorite tracks of all time, Christiania (Edvard Munch Commemoration) by Solefald. It takes a little while to get going, but the bit from 5:00-6:30 or so is one of my favorite moments in music. I guess you’d describe it as neoclassical or post-black metal, but that doesn’t really nail down a whole lot.

87

Though I’m not fully-immersed in the genre, this tune had a sweet, calming feel to it (relatively speaking). It changed-around a bit to keep my interest, and I appreciated the structure. It’s not something I’m warm to, but I’m glad I listened to it a second time. At one point it reminded me of Type O Negative (just reminded me of… it’s not similar), but I never felt the *oomph *that I kept expecting. There were moments that my brain was inserting a powerful drum fill or heavy bass+guitar chorus to charge us up before pulling us back to the main vein.

Next up; something else from Shunpiker’s box of wtf. Sure it’s silly, but there’s an air of truth and honesty to it, too. This isn’t a wonderful song that’s going to end-up in your heavy rotation, but this will be especially befitting to any of the songwriter dopers tuned-into this thread (or our *true *Fountains of Wayne fans). It gets a little long, but there’s a story going on here that takes a moment to tell. Robbie Fulks, “Fountains of Wayne Hotline”. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vVJ2Om-QVg

And a slight hijack/question… What’s a boy to do if the tune you want to share isn’t already to be found on the ‘net?

88

I make my own vids.

I make them for my blog if a band a or fan hasn’t already posted them to youtube and I’ve done the same to share them for this thread.

ETA: I’ll also make a vid if the only one online has shitty audio.

89

The Robbie Fulks song was fun. Not very catchy, but fun as hell to listen to nonetheless. “Oh, that Jerry” made me Let’s go to the quarry and throw stuff down there, actually. I confess my own songwriting process is, um, less nuanced and cerebral than what was depicted, so that made it extra funny to me.

My pick is from a band I just discovered; I think I found their album on sale at Zia and just bought it just because and now it’s destined to be the Soundtrack To My Summer™ 2014. I like the band because they are raw and loud and funny and because they teeter on the brink of exhaustive collapse at all times; they don’t really seem to have any intensity other than “all the way up” and I admire that in a band. I chose this song over another on the album that I like better because a) I didn’t have to make this vid, b) their other official video is a good song but I think the nightmarish seizure-inducing video would put people off and c) as I said before, I love a song that starts off with a kick-ass bass line. Here’s Oozing Wound - Call Your Guy (Have to add: not sure why they did it, but the spoken title in the video is not part of the actual song. Frankly I think it kinda ruins the intro, but since it’s quick, it’s forgivable, I guess.)

90

Ha, that group cracked me up. Or maybe it was the video cracking me up, I loved it! I didn’t mesh with that track so much, but I did listen to a couple more of their offerings that I could find. I understand what you’re saying about being them being “all-the-way-up”.

Oh yes, the RobbieFulks song is funny. I get a kick out of it because I think he is making fun of the FOW guys, while at the same time admiring their ability to throw most any idea together and make a catchy song out of it. And the radical dynamic shift was but one plan of attack, ha! So glad you got a chuckle out of it Mr. Bo.

Okay, I’m going to hit you with some tUnE-yArDs. This is “Bizness” from the yArDs’ sophomoric effort, w h o k i l l. I love the originality expressed here, along with the use of digital loops and playback. It doesn’t hurt that the lead character is rocking out on the ukulele, and it’s got a good groove to boot. I think it just starts to get long and monotonous about the time they start to wrap things up, so no big harm done. They put on a good show on ACL last summer… check it out if you get a chance.

91

I’m not a fan of tUnE-yArDs, and though I’ve heard this before I didn’t remember it, and, to be honest, I still barely do after listening. Can’t really say why - I have tons of post-punk in my collection that’s less tuneful than this - but the music comes across as too mush-headed/hippie-ish to me. Just not my thing.

My pick is another '80s indie rocker: Husker Du - Divide and Conquer. Not only ferocious and fast, but the lyrics predict the world wide web!

92

I like everything I’ve ever heard by Husker Du, but I never find any of it terribly memorable. I think I’d get a lot more out of it if I listened to the lyrics, but that’s just not my style.

For my pick, I’m going to go with Ghost’s Jigolo Har Megiddo. It’s such a catchy tune, and then you listen to what’s being sung, and it’s different…

93

Big fan of Robbie Fulks but never heard that before. He’s a smart guy and that was funny . I like F of W too, but he nailed it.

I’ve been keen to contribute but so many to choose from that I got gridlocked! Then this song came on the ipod in traffic last night and it had to be the one. ‘The Name of the Game’ by Abba

Of course you know it but please really listen to it. The craft in the writing; the interlocking lyrics of the bridge and chorus; the Sly and Robbie influenced backline; the guts to pull everything out but vox and kick drum in the pre-chorus; the harmonies!! Man, I could go on. I adore this song but pretty much the rest of their output I can take or leave.

Thanks for this thread - I’ve heard tons of new stuff.

MiM

94

Ya know, that Abba tune was alright. I haven’t really listened to much of them, but they’ve been in my musical background almost as long as I’ve been on the planet. I hadn’t heard that song (or didn’t remember), and i enjoyed it. In fact, it was my weekend ear worm. Nice layering and enough of a refresh at each of the choruses to keep it interesting. Got me and my fiance doing a little Abba flashback hit-and-run the last few evenings. If Momma’s happy, we’re all happy.

I often get HuskerDu confused w/ REM. Sure, they’re different, but there’s enough similarity (in my mind) to make crazy comparisons like that. I kinda liked the tune once i started to look deeper than the sound. I found the music heavy with the lyrics thoughtful and telling. But i wasn’t able to get over the heaviness. Yes, i’m getting old and pussified, i guess. In re-reading ultrafilter’s take on it, i’d wimp-out and simply say, “+1”.

Mr WoodyBird, I do get your comment on the mush-headiness/hippiness; i can hear that. I still find it fresh and enjoyable right now, but it may not have the staying power. I’ll be investigating the new album and may report back.

The Ghost song was catchy but at your advice, i didn’t listen too deeply at the lyrics. I thought it had a good sound, yet i was hoping for a change-up or other mechanic to keep me there. Even so, I’m happy for the introduction to a new group.

MadeInMacau, I’m very glad to hear that you and others liked the Robbie Fulks. He’s my favorite musical artist, as well as one of the most-talented, IMHO. Any of you folks that live in Chicago have an opportunity to hear the genius of Mr. Fulks most Monday nights at The Hideout. Me, i’ve got to wait until he makes a rare trip back to his homeland and graces the locals w/ a performance.

Okay, get to the point Shun… I’ve got this little gem to share from some of the greats of country/bluegrass music… the Stanley Brothers. The tune is “Purple Robe”, and it’s a gospel piece. Regardless of any religious priorities you may or may not have, i ask you to put those aside and not let that that keep you from hearing this song. I find the simple melody, combined with the haunting harmony and timing within the chorus, all conspire to make me feel a little closer to the story (IANAC).

p.s. I listened to Mr. Snowboarder Bo, and made my own (kick-ass :p) video for this tune.

95

Ralph Stanley’s voice is like a magnet, always drawing my attention closer and closer. Carter’s voice was, of course, the perfect complement to Ralph’s. I know they took a lot of hard knocks early on for basically copying Bill Monroe’s style, but to me it was just the first steps in the evolution of that style, not a simple aping of it. This song is a terrific example of how good Appalachian bluegrass can be when it isn’t being cornball as hell.

Nice job with the video, too. I like the opening shot; Bryce Canyon, wasn’t it?

For my pick, I listened to my iTunes on shuffle until something came up that seemed like it was “epic”; this was the next song that played: Eruption by Tobacco. :smiley:

96

I’m not too crazy about the singer’s voice, but I do like the melody (particularly the chorus) and the instrumentation. If it came on the radio, I wouldn’t change the station.

Next: “The Breaks” by Kurtis Blow. It’s an early rap song (c. 1980) that was a minor hit.

97

I’m sure it was a good song at the time, but I don’t think it’s aged well.

Here’s a cover of “Royals” sung by a seven foot tall sad clown.

98

That was excellent! I know that is a current pop tune because every freaking trade show/convention has played it at some point for many months now. And that version fucking NAILED it. Thanks for that one!

Up next is my all-time favorite blues song; from 2001’s Sweet Tea, here’s Buddy Guy - Baby Please Don’t Leave Me.*

*This song was written by Junior Kimbrough and is the second song on the album. Curiously, my 2nd favorite blues song is Buddy Guy covering another Junior Kimbrough tune, Done Got Old, which happens to be the first song on this album.

99

Oh man, I love Sweet Tea. I usually cringe at attempts to marry blues with updated production ideas, but this whole album is just insane. And Buddy’s singing is totally on point the whole time: like B.B. King, you can almost argue he’s a better singer than he is a guitar player. Almost. Anyway, this song kills. It has an atmospheric, creepy menace to it that makes me think of Jimi Hendrix doing “Machine Gun” on Band of Gypsys.

Next up: Guided by Voices, “Game of Pricks.”

GBV’s Bob Pollard took the shotgun approach to creating music, cranking out hundreds of songs on dozens of albums and EPs during the late 80s and 90s. Because of that, his output is uneven to say the least, but when he was on, he was fucking on. There are at least three recorded versions of this song, but this version, off the Tigerbeat EP, is my favorite.

100

Good, standard pop song… my favorite genre. I listened to it a couple of times because I felt that if it came from OneCentStamp, there’s probably something there. Subsequent listens gave me a feeling of pretty / calm chords and verses, but I didn’t ever hear anything special. What was I missing?

That clown has some pipes… good voice and nice shtick. When I opened it I thought… oh no! A creepy clown… wtf? But man, I really dug it. It sounded familiar, but I couldn’t fill-in any of it w/ the original version… I’m just not that familiar w the tune. But I will be now.

That KurtisBlow was dated. That’s not a bad thing, but it was obviously from rap’s “age of discovery”. I didn’t hear him poppin’ caps or slappin’ hos, and I take that as a + in this instance. Also gets a +1 for music I can shake my booty to… for > 6minutes!.

Very cool stuff, Bo. I dug the groovin’ blues track from Buddy (especially the “dueling” guitars), and the Tobacco was okay, too. I think that “Eruption” was my favorite of the ones I listened to. I liked the female vocals and what they added to the mix. I’m gonna spend some time checking him and BMSR out, too. BTW, are you familiar w/ Pretty Lights? Similar feel and I was going to link to it, but this time I gotta give some love to another (somewhat) local group.

This song has been out a while, it’s “Daykeeper”. It almost won a grammy (I’m not so concerned @ about the award, but I’m sure they were) for The Foreign Exchange and Muhsinah. I liked it the minute I heard it (years ago) and then kinda forgot about it. I got re-introduced to tFE in listening to WeFunk radio last week (WeFunkRadio.com), and have been exploring their work. I like the “off-time” drum sample on this song as we start off, and then her finishing the song singing, “And when the sun rises…” overlaid with his, “she loves me… she loves me…”. It’s a wonderful composition with a good, dreamy feel.

Postscript: Thanks for the kudos on my vid, ha! I can probably do better, dontchathink? The shots were taken ~ 70 miles from Bryce… Zion is one of the most energetic places on earth; but that’s another thread.