38/13 - I Hope to God You're Not As Dumb As You Make Out

Another brilliant week. Some more brilliant songs:

Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention - Mother People

Woah! Suddenly Zappa is on Spotify! And to coincide I've been listening to We're Only In It For The Money in the studio this past week. Don't forget you're the other people too!

Keith Jarrett - Mortgage On My Soul

Finally this tune found its place on a list, after months on heavy rotation. It's a monster. One of jazz's most esteemed pianists suddenly switches to saxophone, and, by the sounds of it, tries to stab the other saxophonist to death over an absolutely relentless wah-wah bass-riff. I think this will still knock my socks off after 100 listens.

 

Orange Juice - Rip It Up

Classic song by a classic Glasgow band, but I had actually never seen the magnificently cool video for it until this week:

Rage Against The Machine - Pistol Grip Pump

Jo does an awesome singalong to this.

Janelle Monáe ft. Miguel - Primetime

Song of the week, and powerballad of the year; complete with an 80s guitar solo. Janelle can do anything at this point. Expect more goodies from this album on future lists.



Finishing off with a fantastic, and creepy, video diptych for an album I haven't given enough attention to yet:

37/13 - Pluck All Your Silly Strings

This week I've queued up some lifesavers from my adolescence days. Not that I'm particularly mopey - quite the opposite in fact - but y'know, for ole times sake:

Neutral Milk Hotel - Oh Comely

An acoustic guitar, some killer visceral lyrics and a few trumpets; that's all you need to make something this bombastic. If you're Jeff Magnum that is.

We know who our enemies aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaare

Bright Eyes - Sunrise, Sunset

Let's give in to the emo. Been years since I was into Bright Eyes, but this is still a solid tune.

The Cardigans - Great Divide

Was listening to one of Chris Morris' old music shows, with lots of goodies from the 90s. Reminded me Cardigans had some nuggets on their early albums too. Like this.

Bob Dylan - I Threw It All Away

They've released another entry in Bob's Bootleg Series, and on it is a version of I Threw It All Away that completely killed me on my first listen to the album. There was tears.
Unfortunately that version isn't on Spotify yet, but it is a devastating song in its Nashville Skyline guise as well. I threw it all away. Bugger.

George McCrae - Rock Your Baby

Thanks goes out to Amalie for introducing me to this sweet clip:



The story goes that the song was written for his wife, Gwen, but when she didn't show up for the session George stepped to the challenge , and well, nailed it.


...Which smoothly leads us over to another singer who nails it. At about 3:40 Ken Turner opens the gates of hell and descends:



And then, two videos sorted under the label "cool effects". I kinda like the tunes as well...

36/13 - Raise the Double Standard

All is good. All is funky.

The Cannonball Adderley Quintet - Sticks

How can you argue with this? How can you argue with a man as rotund as this who calls himself 'Cannonball'? How can you argue with one of the swaggest jazz albums ever?

The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy - Hypocrisy Is The Greatest Luxury

Just as Eminem proclaims a return to straight hip hop, John starts pumping the Heroes in the kitchen. Why not make it funky and political like this folks? Maybe it's because:

It's tough to make a living when you're an artist
It's even tougher when you're socially conscious
Careerism, opportunism
Can turn the politics into cartoonism

Outkast ft. George Clinton - Synthesizer

Listening to Aquemini I just want to put every track on a list, but something about Synthesizer makes it one of the most special and ungraspable tracks in Outkast's catalogue. Apart from the obligatory killer Andre-verse (the way he flows in and out of staccato rhymes in that midpart gets me every time), it's also got the emperor of funk, and a dreamy fingersnapping outro that seems to gel from nowhere.

Said she'd tapdance on your laptop
while your laptop's in your lap

Earl Sweatshirt - Hive

Finally an Odd Future release that I have no qualms about at all. Partly because I can't even decipher the potentially disgusting things he says. Why do I find it so enjoyable to listen to words so complex I don't even understand them? Partly I guess it's that jawdropping "woah"-feeling. Partly it is because it does give musical and sonical pleasure. It's onomatopoetics made even more exciting by the fact that it's built out of actual words. Language as a pure material; in visual arts as in music. And here's a new master of it.

From that city that's recession-hit
With stress, niggas could flex metal with peddle to rake pennies in
Desolate testaments trying to stay Jekyll-ish
But most niggas Hyde and Brenda just stay pregnant
Breaking news: death's less important when the Lakers lose
It's lead in that baby food, heads try to make it through
Fish-netted legs for them eyes that she cater to
Ride dirty as the fucking sky that you praying to

Fever Ray - Coconut (live)

The most threatening song about laying back with a big cigar ever.

35/13 - I Need A Drink of Cool Cool Rain

Just back in Glasgow, but this list is dedicated to Sweden, my Shangri-La:

bob hund - Dansa Efter Min Pipa

Words cannot describe how much I love this band. They've picked me up and put me right since my teenage years. The perfect blend of pop and politics, anger and joy, experimentalism and rock, humour and heart.

Ulrich Schnauss - As If You've Never Been Away

I walk into Gothenburg and pick up where I left off last time. It's as if I've never been away. My ongoing tale of two cities.

Bob Dylan - Time Passes Slowly

This whole lyric

Time passes slowly up here in the mountains
We sit beside bridges and walk beside fountains
Catch the wild fishes that float through the stream
Time passes slowly when you’re lost in a dream
Once I had a sweetheart, she was fine and good-lookin’
We sat in her kitchen while her mama was cookin’
Stared out the window to the stars high above
Time passes slowly when you’re searchin’ for love
Ain’t no reason to go in a wagon to town
Ain’t no reason to go to the fair
Ain’t no reason to go up, ain’t no reason to go down
Ain’t no reason to go anywhere
Time passes slowly up here in the daylight
We stare straight ahead and try so hard to stay right
Like the red rose of summer that blooms in the day
Time passes slowly and fades away

I can take it for two weeks, but then I feel I gotta bustle again.

Kjell Höglund - Myten om Shangri-La

Don't think there's any point in trying to explain this. Those who understand why it's great, do. Those who just think it's cheesy and silly are right on some level too I guess.

The Who - Love Reign O'er Me

Come on now, love. Come on.
Think I'm gonna watch Quadrophenia during my nightshift at the hotel tonight.


Two nice pre-taste music videos to weigh up the male dominance on this week's list: