The SDMB Music Appreciation Society

Cafe Society
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Nah, it’s probably not a tough crowd. I think it’s just summer, people are off doing stuff, and it’s a long thread to keep up with. I’ve personally been on a binge of my record collection in my off time. Plus, you followed the rules, you couldn’t have killed the thread. :slight_smile:

That is a pretty sweet groove. It’s probably groove overpowering the lyrics, but there’s nothing wrong with that. And yeah, that’s a pretty sweet guitar solo. If my band were young enough to be sexy, I might suggest we cover it.
Ok, my contribution in return is Siouxsie and the Banshees Sin in My Heart, the live version from Nocturne. Why? Because they’re a truly great band you don’t hear much about these days, and that was probably their pinnacle. Robert Smith is playing guitar at this show as a favor, and he helps them to a better place than they ever were at on record. I forever thank an old girlfriend for leaving a tape of it with me. The album justifies live records all by itself.

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I like some stuff from Siouxsie, but for whatever reason that song just doesn’t do anything for me.

I’m going to throw out The Mountain by Jucifer. The combination of the downtuned sludgy riffs and the airy female vocals creates a very interesting effect.

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That link sent me to the Flight Facilities, BTW. While I’m all down and good w/ some Flight Facilities (I dig “Crave You”), I’m not sure you wanted to link there.

So I googled “The Mountain” from Juicifer and… Whoa… what was that going on? I liked the drum intro, and it kept me hooked. And there’s something to be said about the sludginess… simple but still soulful. But I couldn’t get away from the sad, or erratic groove the girls offered-up. The drums did deliver throughout, but the vocals -for better or worse- reminded me of CocoRosie.

I didn’t know what to lay down for you kids this time, but this tune’s been in my head a few days now. It’s Butch Walker with “Closest Thing to You” (music starts at 0:39). This song has a sweet and lonely feeling to the lyrics, but the tune reaches out to grab you with a big, energetic hug. I don’t know that it’s gonna light your world on fire; but here’s a good, basic rock tune with a background that’s easy to relate to. Butch is a great songwriter; one of my favorites and most-respected. Though you may not be familiar w/ him, I’m sure you’ve heard one of the tunes he’s written or albums he’s produced for others during his years in the music business. This clip is from Daryl’s Place, and it can only help when you’ve got DH backing you up. Also I just want to add that… damn, he’s a cutie!

Catching up:

I never gave Siouxie much of an ear, historically. From the first time I heard them they just didn’t light me up. I don’t know… I just can’t grab the feel of it. I’m glad for the short trip down memory lane, though. I have a friend who loved Siouxie and Kate Bush years ago and i couldn’t visit w/o us rocking to them.

The Kool Keith was a nice piece. It was smooth and stumbly at the same time. I’ve been looking for more Hip-Hop in my library, so I listened to a few of the ones he had out there. Your selection was catchy. I read a little about his history, so i appreciate the introduction.

The Weezer was okay, but I found it really simple. Also, maybe it was the production that had me losing interest. I did listen to it a couple of times looking for the irony but I think I missed it.

“Dixie Chicken” is such a tired song. I used to love it and sing and dance to it often, and now I’d be satisfied if I never heard it again. But kudos for this particular find; it was cool to see Bonnie Raitt and EmmyLou Harris as young ladies. Thanks for sharing.

Spain was both interesting and confusing. I likened it to some of the 70’s, maybe Jeff Beck, kinda sound. I dug the solo, but the rest of the tune didn’t offer much to grab me. And -this is strange- the apparent infatuation that Spain has w/ the cover girl had me thinking that everything is written about her and it gave the music an inherent cheesiness. I know that’s not fair, but that’s what happened this time. I’m torn w/ the value of visuals in music, and i think i let it get me again this time. Overall it was good, but it fell short for me personally.

Oh, almost forgot about the Rush. I’ll give it to you that the tune has an infectious quality. I still hear that refrain, “were only immortal… for a lim.mit.ted time” running through my head. And I guess as far as Rush is concerned, this isn’t bad. I don’t want to be one of those, “Rush was great until…” guys, so I’m probably going to conclude that Rush was never as good as I thought they were. They’ve managed to strike a couple of nails on the head though, but lately what I hear sounds like they’re putting in a lot of effort trying to create something mediocre.

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This thread has been sitting here and simmering for a week and I thought I’d stir it a little. Today is Funk Friday on my local radio station, so I’m going to hit you with some Aerosmith; “Mother Popcorn”. This is a mostly-unknown track from the rock giants recorded in some club in the 1970s. I love Tyler’s broken voice and way the `Smith is able to add a little more ass-shakiness to the original masterpiece. The recording/production is lacking somewhat, and you’ll appreciate the subtleties more when you have a chance to listen to it w/o distractions. Alternatively, you could crank it up and get all funky straight-away.

Aerosmith with a live cover of James Brown’s, “Mother Popcorn”.

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Thanks for all the great stuff here boys and girls! Never heard Veruca Salt before nor the Aerosmith - both great.
I truly love My Name is Jonas too. (Miss Sweeney is my fave Weezer song though)

So here’s my contribution today, Radar Detector by Darwin Deez. It’s a few years old now and his second album was really enjoyable too, but this knocked me out when I first heard it (after a recommendation on the Dope too!) A great pop tune with a startling arrangement and production. He’s a huge talent

There's a Bose advert from summer 2012 that stole this signature sound wholesale. Guitar one recorded too hot; guitar two dampened picked with tons of reverb; retro lo-fi drum machines, tr-707 handclaps and odd squeaks. Ripped his sound right off.

Just found it here. Bose SoundLink Speaker - New Advert - YouTube

Anyway - hope you enjoy it!

MiM

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I miss this thread; it has sat dormant for too long. And since I’m part-zombie, who better to resurrect it? :smiley:

Okay, this is most definitely not my kind of thing: it’s almost the textbook definition of “Indie Pop”. That said, the production is excellent, the hook is omnipresent (but bland, as typifies the genre, IMO) and the “happy-feel-good-aw-yeah” vibe is cranked to 100% and never dips. If I knew someone who liked this genre that was looking for new tunes, I would recommend Mr. Deez with no hesitation.

Okay, so this band is a bunch of Japan-born people who somehow all hooked up in London. It’s hard to describe them because they kind of have a loose framework they work with and even tho they sound kind of jam-y they are actually a tightly controlled group. They wear their influences on their sleeves, yet somehow they transcend them all with the way they put it all together. Think Can + Gang of Four + Acid Mothers Temple + Swell Maps + Boredoms + Gong + Jane’s Addiction + Sun Ra + Yakuza + Wall Of Voodoo = Bo Ningen - Slider.

ETA: Yes, I like that fact the band has my name in it. I wish it was 'cause they knew me, but they don’t. Yet. :smiley:

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ARISE, ZOMBIE MUSIC THREAD!

“Tightly controlled” is definitely a good term for this particular brand of noise. I listened to this song (laptop, headphones) three times: once without watching the video, because my wife was watching an episode of X-Files on the overhead TV; once while watching the video; and once again through the middle section because I was figuring out the time signature on that weird break (a fast 5/4, I think).

The interesting thing is what a different experience it was just listening vs. watching and listening. Listening loudly through headphones, it struck me as a very solid, surprisingly heavy crew of professional musicians laying down a cool churning groove with some Can-esque noise on top.

Then watching it, with the bewigged Japanese guys going nuts on their high-strapped instruments and crazy-mugging the camera, I was like: oh, Boredoms.

It makes me think of Jane’s Addiction, as well as early Muse, in that it’s a bunch of guys with seriously solid chops (and a drummer, in each case, who clearly has some metal in his background), providing a surprisingly conventional backdrop to some crazy avant-noise.

Having said all that, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Hell, I listened to it 2.5 times, didn’t I? :smiley:

Next up: The Pogues, “Lorelei”

One of the rare Pogues songs not sung by dissipated frontman and amazing poet Shane MacGowan. Instead, the band’s considerable power is placed behind guitarist and backup singer Philip Chevron, in a song so beautiful (IMO) and so beautifully, classically Irish, that it’s hard to believe he wrote it. This song used to be a favorite of mine at open mic nights, except for the part where I had to confess that no, it wasn’t mine, and no, it wasn’t an Irish folk song. :slight_smile:

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It sounds like an Irish folk song. It’s nice, but a bit out of character for the Pogues.

I’m going to throw out Weightless Again by the Handsome Family.

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That song is country as fuck. Awesome. I loved the stripped down arrangement. I would not have minded if the bass had been recorded differently and was more prominent in the mix, but it’s a very minor quibble with a freaking great song.

I’ll keep it country with Whiskeytown - Excuse Me While I Break My Own Heart Tonight.

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Hey Bo, sorry to leave you and and the interested parties hanging so long. Great to see some action w/ the SDMBMAS.

I’ve been a fan of my homeboys, Whiskytown, basically since their inception. Too bad Ryan was still searching for himself during those last years, but it’s what we all go through at some point. That song has a good country feel with a freshness that a young group of guys can bring to the party. It’s a good example of what those cats can do/did. And did well. I still like what Ryan’s done through the years, though some of my friends call me a pussy because of it, ha! That Whiskytown “era” was a great time for local North Carolina music and the alt-country genre in-general.

I’ve been waiting for this thread to take a country turn, and I’ve almost (a couple of times) started a Country Music Appreciation thread, but feared it wouldn’t catch on. So, I’ll stay w/ the theme and submit a song from one of country’s great songwriters, Toy Caldwell. “This Ol’ Cowboy” from the Marshall Tucker Band. MTB is/was a band that almost defies classification with their unique approach to country music. I like this one because it has an almost jazzy arrangement; unheard-of in country music at the time it was recorded.

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Well, that really didn’t go anywhere, did it? I hope it was enjoyed, even if not commented-on.

Up next from Shunpiker’s vault of musical bliss is “The Game of Love” from Santana & Michelle Branch. This tune disappeared from my radar for years while I was thinking it was too candied to be taken seriously (and maybe it is, ha!), but i really dig it. It really has little to do w/ Santana. In fact, I think Carlos tarnishes the song with his endless (and pretentious), “let’s put a guitar fill here” shit throughout the song. Michelle does her part with heart and her vocals are what made it a hit, IMO. I don’t know enough about her to showcase her; this is to give some love to a couple of veteran songwriters. I instantly likened it to one of Alexander & Nowels’ other hits with the New Radicals. I’m sure you’ll know what song i’m talking of and I dare not link to it. Maybe when no one replies to this post, I’ll run it by you next time.

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I agree, Santana has a very bad habit of bringing out his trademarked Santana licks and just pasting them all over the place.

I think I’ve only heard that Michelle Branch songs a few times. Ever since I’ve moved to Japan, I’ve been more or less cut out from mainstream western pop music. If I hadn’t sought them out, out of nothing but curiosity, I would never have heard anything by Justin Bieber, or Rihanna, or really any big name from the last ten of fifteen years. Santana’s comeback is one of the first musical events I sort of missed.

I remember this song, though, for some reason. I heard it on the radio, in my car. I forget where I was going, but I got lost, I was somewhere in northern Mie, or maybe southern Gifu. It was dark and I was driving along what I knew was the wrong road. There were rice paddies around, though I could only guess them through the darkness. Fuel was running low. I was worried I wouldn’t be able to find a gasoline stand open this late. This was before self-serve stands became common here.

I don’t remember where I was going, but I remember that at one point I decided I was seriously going in the wrong direction and decided to make a u-turn somewhere. I was probably swearing. Almost certainly I was. The radio was on, and this song came up. I don’t know why I remember this, or why I even remembered Michelle Branch’s name.

I see that she is very pretty. And so, I’ll use this as my cue for my song. It’s a live performance by Malian singer Fatoumata Diawara. She looks like a fashion model, and I think she might be one, but she’s mostly a very talented musician and songwriter. I find the live versions of her songs better than the studio versions, which sound a bit flat.

Alama

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I listened to it twice now; once when you posted and again just now. I apologize for not posting earlier, but frankly I like the thread better when I’m not every other post. :stuck_out_tongue: I was trying to give someone else a chance to listen and share before I popped back up in the thread.

Anyway…

The first thing that struck me about the MTB song was the jazzy intro passage; it was as advertised in your post. Then I was gobsmacked by the impeccable production: this is a gorgeous recording! The song is similarly excellent. A truly talented and refined group of musicians playing at the absolute top of their collective game, this is an album-opening worthy track. I love how it incorporates that jazz vibe all the way down to the rhythm section. The flute is awesome as well but the thing that makes it fucking rock is that bassline: that’s some amazing walking going on there! A very enjoyable 7 minutes; thanks!

Not my thing; sorry.

Fucking awesome! Great guitar, excellent bass and phenomenal drumming! And a terrific and enthusiastic performance by both vocalists, but especially by Miss Diawara. It’s a very good song with a pleasant rolling rhythm but it’s really the joy present in the performances that makes this so much fun. Congrats on being the first person this year to sell me an album (and my thanks for it, too)!

Let’s get back to the rock!

My pick is a song that incorporates a unique blend of EDM, techno, funk, searing arena rock guitar leads (courtesy of guest Kim Thayil) and smoldering soul/R&B/choir vocals: Pigeonhed - Battle Flag. (NSFW but TAGITTTVWUWYR2R*)

*Totally A Good Idea To Turn The Volume Way Up When Yer Ready To Rock :stuck_out_tongue:

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This was cool, but it went on a bit long. I think it would’ve worked a lot better if they had cut it down to 3-4 minutes.

Interestingly, it turns out the vocalist there was the frontman for Brad, which was one of my favorite bands in high school. The Day Brings got some airplay around 1998, but I think that it’s pretty obscure for most people.

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I’m happy you like it. If you haven’t already, please do check out her performance at a festival called “Au fil des voix.”

Not really what I expected after hearing Bo’s track. Also, I didn’t know Jack Black, Obama and Robert Webb used to be in a band.

Here’s my next pick: Takumi Iwasaki, a.k.a. Takumi. This is a Japanese musician who started out in a synth pop in a band called Films. This is a track from his first solo album, titled Meat the Beat, from 1983. This record isn’t available on iTunes, or on Amazon, or on CD, nor have I been able to find vinyl copies on line. It’s a pretty good synth pop album, though, with just a nice hint of punk influences.

Two of the songs on Meat the Beat are in German, the rest are in English. I’ve chosen one of the German tracks, because, hey, it’s a Japanese guy signing in German but mostly because it’s just soooo 1983.

Takumi – Mein Schatz

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“So 1983”, agreed. Appropriate after I just saw the season premiere of The Americans (which is heading into '83) last night.

I am open to this sort of music (I am still fond of Howard Jones, Talk Talk, Alphaville, etc.) so I am sympathetic to this track. I wouldn’t call it the greatest example of the genre, but I’m glad to have been introduced to it. Interesting, thanks.

Hearing that actually made me switch to a different track than I otherwise would have shared. This would have to be my favorite '80s synth song of all time: “Your Silent Face” by New Order. Unlike many songs from that long ago, I never get tired of this one.

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Ah, New Order, reminds me of college. I used to listen to them, Joy Division, and Bauhaus at breakfast and then wonder why I was so depressed. Good times.

For the last year+ I’ve been obsessed with The National. They are great in concert. I love nearly all their songs, so it was hard to pick one, but this fit in nicely with the New Order.

Anyone’s Ghost

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This did fit in well with the New Order, and had it come out in 1983, it might have had some commercial legs. Myself, I didn’t care for it much. I felt it lacked a solid hook and the mix, especially the ultra-heavy low end featuring a terrible sounding bass guitar, made this mildly unpleasant to listen to.

New Order was never my thing either. I was also in college during the mid-late '80s, and I remember a few of their more energetic songs were regular party music but this song wasn’t one of those.

The Takumi track was good, IMO. Not perfect, but that slinky, complicated fretless bass line reminded me so much of Mick Karn’s work from around the same time that it made me interested in hearing more. I particularly like the song Myron. Thanks for introducing me to another engaging artist, jovan.

The Brad song was pretty good, but I really like Shawn Smith’s voice, so I started from a biased position. :smiley:

And yeah, I can see where that particular Pigeonhed track might have seemed to go on too long, especially with the vocal sound collage thing that sort of served as the bridge, but remember that funk music has a looooong tradition of indulgence and excess. :cool:

Okay, that’s enough synth-pop and fake funk… let’s REALLY get back to the rock: this band formed in 1985 and was supposed to be a goof, but the album they created (recorded and mixed in just 3 days) has had more influence on metal since then than anyone can quantify. Featuring Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian and drummer Charlie Benante, ex-Anthrax bassist Dan Lilker (also Nuclear Assault & now United Forces), and fronted by the formidable Billy Milano (M.O.D., also now in United Forces), the band created music that was even more intense, more in your face, more “fuck you” (and more laughs) than damn near any music before (or since, to be honest); it was & still is the perfect blend of hardcore punk and thrash metal: Stormtroopers of Death - Kill Yourself.

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I’ll leave the actual reviewing/reaction to someone to whom this is new, but I’ll offer up Kirk Hammett’s words: “The first time I heard S.O.D., it made me sick to my stomach…it was so heavy.” :smiley: :cool:

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Ha, I picked the right time to come back in here to play.

STD… wtf was that?! :slight_smile: I guess it rocks in that it’s heavy and loud, but there’s not much there, really. Well, I take that back. Upon further analysis, it does encompass many themes of the death-metal genre; foremost death and metal (yes, i understand that Scott’s supposed to be giving us more than that, but I don’t hear it in this song). And there’s even a bridge/coda with a different groove in which to ram/bang ones head. But it goes on to suggest to the listener they’re a piece of shit that we’d all be better-off without, too. That can be a tough argument, but these guys were quite convincing and even gave some ideas/suggestions to make it easier. Glad the lyrics were there, ha!

Loved the Alama… it was fantastic.The song was catchy yet simple. And that mix was great; we’re able to hear all the subtle sounds of each player, which is good because it’s each of the little parts that bring it all together. I really did like this and have “rocked it” quite a few times since you posted it.

I immediately recognized Shawn in both those tunes. The Pigeonhed did go on a little long but i could feel Kim breathing life into it there at the end. I always liked Satchel and Brad and wore-out my EDC and Shame discs years ago. I started to lose touch with them and The Day Brings was a refreshing re-introduction.

The Takumi kept my old-rear shakin’ with a good groove. Neat sound.

The New Order was much-more subdued. I was looking for something more in there with subsequent listens.

I was familiar w/ The National but not this song. I initially wanted to listen-past some of the darker parts, but I liked the dreaminess of the song and that kept me involved. I’m glad I know more from those guys now.

Speaking of rocking, here’s a forgotten cut from Mother Love Bone,“Holy Roller”. MLB, one of the pioneers of the Seattle sound in the 90’s had a short life but its members went on to gain employment in many well-known bands. I loved MLB and was very disappointed when Wood died and the band never had a chance to get its walking legs. So this is a tribute to MLB -partly in response the the Shawn Smith tunes above- but more because this song rocks. And I love the break in the middle; especially when he says’ “they’re like, nothing bad, let me tell you that much…”, still cracks me up.

ps: C’mob, Bo. I expected more from you than a curt response to my pop song submission. Can’t I even get a "That sucked because the singer’s voice was like pouring Sriracha in my ear holes,”? :smiley: