Piracy

I was feeling piritanical and couldn't wait for International Talk Like a Pirate Day to post this.

I remember once in the hostel that Diana said she liked all the music I played on desk "except for that Irish stuff." By which she meant Flogging Molly.

I went to see them in San Francisco, as energetic as you'd think (complete with bottle of whisky on stage).

Flogging Molly
"Salty Dog"
Swagger


Next: Iggy Pop. 'Nuff said.

Merengue in the 90's

Juan Luis Guerra is extremely well-known in the Latin music world, he's Dominican and is known mostly for merengues and bachatas, often with a romantic bent to them.

The video is hilariously overly-enthusiastic in that particular Latin American, early 90's sort of way.

Juan Luis Guerra
"La cosquillita"



Next: Punk! Salt! Johnny Depp!

Merengue!

This is a cumbia-ized merengue version of "Beat It" - footage from the original video with a bouncing kid thrown in for fun.

Senor Coconut
"Beat It"


Next: Real merengue.

I heart The Congos

Some more classic reggae, mellow tunes for not doing much. The Congos never got the play they really should have.

My body might be in Texas but in my heart I'm on the beach, eating fresh-caught seafood with an ice-cold beer and plans for revolution.

The Congos
"Fisherman"
Heart of the Congos



Tomorrow: Gangs! Cute kids! Merengue!

I miss San Francisco

Once upon a time in San Francisco, I would mix a thermos of extra dry, extra dirty martini with about 8 olives at the bottom and sit by the Embarcadero, right by the Bay Bridge, and watch the sea, the scene and the people. With a nice, ice-cold martini.

Good times indeed.

Otis Redding
"(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay"



Next: Fish!

Stop on The Dimes

My brother is coming into town this weekend and I'm looking into shows we can go to. I found that the Young Mammals are having a CD release show on the 28th; I also found that they were once known as The Dimes. It's somewhere between sad and amusing when you recognize that you like the less-cool, older name of a band instead of the new kids-these-days one.

More details after the show.

The Dimes
"Delilah"


Next: Martini at sunset!

Swinging doors, a jukebox and a bar stool

So I'm in Texas. Which means it's country music day.

It's a Merle Haggard song, which means it's particularly alcohol-infused because Merle Haggard's affinity for the bottle was well remarked and documented. It's also a song about having no place but your local dive bar to call home, of particular significance to someone between homes at the present.

(Incidentally, the evil look on that slide-guitar player kind of reminds me of the assassins from Kung Fu Hustle).

Set em 'up an' keep 'em comin'...

Merle Haggard
"Swinging Doors"



Next: Young hot blooded action!

Some things you can't take with you; some things you can't leave behind

This is something Ms. Harvey wrote after reading about the murder of a woman. When you know that, this goes from unsettling to down right creepy. And the video manages to make it even creepier. Not a big fan of the strident backing vocals, but it does a good job of capturing the quiet darkness (in both senses of the word) of something hiding in the night.

Today I am stepping onto a plane and a new life. A little melodramatic maybe, but this song has been bouncing around in my head lately.

PJ Harvey
"The Piano"
White Chalk


Next: This land is Texas - and what should I do in Texas?

It's always better in the original

This is a relatively well-known song from a relatively well-known movie so I figure there's not much need for commentary.

For me, this song is the audio equivalent of not being able to sleep because of the expectation & excitement & uncertainty about something that´s going to change soon. I leave the country tomorrow, which definitely counts as a big change.

You need to be lost before you can be found.

Air
"Alone in Kyoto"
Lost in Translation soundtrack



Next: And we´re out of here.

Spark of genius.

This is a song about letting a monkey drive up Highway 1 from Santa Barbara.

You can talk about the interplay between the rock-opera chorus and the silent movie "ooh, something's going to happen" violin and piano. I could talk about creativity and detail of the lyrics. But the important thing is they've managed to make a song about getting a monkey to drive up Highway 1 and turn it into a tasteful, dry joke.

You've got to respect talent that can do that.

Sparks
"Let the Monkey Drive"
Exotic Creatures of the Deep



Next: The opposite of found.

A thousand voices rise in praise of Bikini Kill!

This video features Mao-era ballet - there's a fine line between tribute and unwitting self-parody. Plus Maoists are not exactly known for their subtlety. I'm not going to go into how the reputations of Mao and Stalin have been improving of late, but you can follow the links if you're interested.

No, instead I will discuss Bikini Kill, noted driving force in the riot grrrl movement of the early 90's. Kathleen Hanna later went on to front Le Tigre, and it's more probable that you've heard that rather than any Bikini Kill. Bikini Kill does not get the play that it should.

It is, however, the name of a San Francisco lesbian night out, a home to all them rocker dykes out there. And, if nothing else, this track rocks. All crunchy guitars, effective use of the snare drum and singing things you like to sing about in the way you like to sing about them because that's what you feel like doing that day.

Bikini Kill
"Rebel Girl"
The CD Version of the First Two Records


Next: A monkey!

The ankle bone's connected to the domino

Fujiya & Miyagi are two English gentlemen not named "Fujiya" and "Miyagi."

I saw them in Buenos Aires - a free concert featuring a battle of the bands for the opening slot organized by Motorola - and they're pretty good live.

IMHO there's a soundtrack-like quality of the music (I can imagine a part in the film where the protagonist is walking down the street, feeling pretty good about himself, completely unaware that something bad is about to happen). Nice after coming home tired - something like an audio cool-down after a hard day's work.

Just have to say: animation made out of dominoes & dice is just downright cool.

Fujiya & Miyagi
"Ankle Injuries"
Transparent Things


Next: Rebellion! Maoists! Ballet!

Rise up. With fists.

OK. I'm not sure the fake Hee-Haw bit works very well. It's possibly intended as a way of making the country influences more palatable to a wider audience. The whole song is an observation about the way that life keeps happening when you don't pay attention; maybe the point is that understanding the cosmic joke of our shared existence is necessary to truly enjoy life. The laugh track, while adding that extra cute level of authenticity to the video, adds less in amusement value than it takes away by distracting from the music. Plus I hate laugh tracks on moral grounds.

Jenny Lewis herself, however, is both of-and-beyond the video - kind of like a pop star zen master. She makes that 70's-country dress work (and work well), throwing out my nomination for Cutest Wink in a Music Video 2007 at around 3:01 and enjoying herself with a smile at once wry, wise and welcoming. Add some cute singing twins and Sarah Silverman, and it's all pretty good.

Though I remain firm and unapologetic in my opposition to laugh tracks.

Jenny Lewis & The Watson Twins
"Rise Up With Fists!!!"
Rabbit Fur Coat



Tomorrow: Dominoes!

The smooth sounds of Juana Molina

Juana Molina is from Argentina, but I have a feeling her following lies more outside her homeland than within it. Her music is (I hate to say it) a tad too subtle for the local public here: she takes the smooth, pulsing rhythms of fellow-Argentine Gustavo Cerati and adds more loops and distortions than is possible with a straight-ahead pop song. Unfortunately, I have a feeling that the Argentine public is a fan of Cerati notsomuch because his music is smooth and pulsing but rather because it has an anthemic quality to it. Hence the relative obscurity of Juana Molina in her homeland. (Her whisper-y and somewhat monotone voice is not exactly anthemic either, compounding the problem).

The video features birds on the beach. Cool if you're into that sort of thing.

Juana Molina
"Tres Cosas"
Tres Cosas



Tomorrow: Hillbilly costumes, Sarah Silverman and laugh track!

Parties!

Rasputina is a number (namely, two) gothic-inspired women playing cellos with their guy-drummer. In this particular exercise, they are covering the Velvet Underground and do it in a rather inspiring fashion, managing to sound both Victorian and empowering. This version takes a lot of the insecurity out of the original, with an emphasis on the "costume" of "what costume shall a poor girl wear/to all tomorrow's parties?". There's a sense of adventure and exuberance that's lacking in the original - I get the feeling that if they don't find something appropriate in the closet they'll bloody well sew something themselves. Out of drapes if need be. (Yeah, I saw Gone With the Wind!)

You can't beat the Velvet Underground & Nico. The best you can do is join them, but on your own terms.

Rasputina
"All Tomorrow's Parties"
The Lost & Found



Tomorrow: Birds on the beach!

Ya gotta support yer fam

So my cousin Zahira Gutierrez is in a band by the name of Wild Moccasins, and they have become well-regarded enough to merit performing at SXSW! (You can search the list of bands playing SXSW and see for yourself...)

I've never seen them live or heard their CD (they recently had a CD release party), but this clip leads me to believe they're pretty good. Hopefully I'll have a chance to say more later.

Wild Moccasins


Tomorrow: Parties! Cellos! Obermeyer!

"don't mess with the beast, mr. hurricane"

this is a brand-new video from BEAST, a local band made up of two French exports. on one corner, we have jean-phi goncalvès, a drummer who has a knit for great beats. he was in a group called plaster, who are no longer, i think. he also produced one of the best quebec cds of the year: ariane moffatt's tous les sens.

on the other corner, we have betty boniffassi. fyi: she toured with dj champion a few years ago as his singer. she has a voice to be reckoned with (i know that's not the saying, but, know what i'm saying?). it's powerful and numbing.

but what i like best about this band is that they are total pros. they've been around for years and they have collaborated with a chunk of very influencial people. here's "mr. hurricane":



stat!

Smooth black-ops

So everybody's heard the original version of Sade's "Smooth Operator," and you may have heard Senor Coconut's mambo version and found it most entertaining indeed.

And then there's this "remix" of the Coconut version that retains nothing of the original slow-tempo mambo. In its place is now a creepy-yet-mesmerizing dirty-electro track that sounds like it belongs in a high-tech vampire movie. A really good high-tech vampire movie. The contrast of the vocals with the music is amusing, yes, but it mostly brings to mind the wide array of untoward and immoral things said smooth operator could be engaged in. In a most engaging fashion.

Señor Coconut And His Orchestra Remix: Smooth Operator In-Disguise Remix By Martin Gore And Andrew Phillpott.


Tomorrow: Formed a band, they formed a band, she's my cousin, and she formed a band!

Heaven's Door

Like so many good things in life, Antony & The Johnsons are something of an acquired taste.

Antony's voice in particular might take some getting used to. This slowed-down, piano-driven version helps support that frail, almost tenuous voice to create a resigned, disillusioned version of this classic. Remember, the original was written for Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid, and comes on after a gunfight has mortally wounded the hero - the mood is sad, yes, but also more than a little heroic. This version feels like the narrator is knocking on heaven's door to see whether they'll let him in, and is not at all confident about the results - definite overtones of "abandon hope all ye who enter here."

This was part of the soundtrack to the Bob Dylan "biography" I'm Not There. Never saw the movie so I can't comment on the context in which it appears.

The video has little to do with this song. And then kind of continues for over a minute after the song ends. (Just a heads-up).

Antony & The Johnsons
"Knocking on Heaven's Door"
I'm Not There soundtrack


Next: Diamond life, lover boy...

Broadcasting

I've always been a big fan of Alice in Wonderland, so my particular fondness for this track might have to do with the chorus of "curioser and curioser."

Of course, there's also the element of sonic playtime in the tune, with the way it starts off extremely and distorted but then becomes much more agreeable at around 0:12, breaking into fuzzy and slightly-distorted feedback-backed synth lines and a cute little melody dancing around on top. The voice - very flat and emotionally charged at the same time - follows the same pattern, with sound quality just distorted enough to create an old vinyl vibe. And the interplay between the that-almost-made-sense lyrics and the sounds come up with an end product that's nice and fuzzy (as in distorted, but also as in "warm-and").

The fluid, old-school-yet-high-tech of the video is just the cherry on top, or the chutney on the side (depending on whether you visualize this track as sweet or savory - I get curry-like vibes myself).

I only wish I could figure out the lyrics...

Broadcast
"Black Cat"
Tender Buttons


Tomorrow: A dark take on "getting dark, too dark to see"

Soul power live

Y'know, back when I did the post on Celia Cruz, I really should have drawn the analogy between her and James Brown - both recently deceased pivotal figures in their genres with extremely long careers. You can't win 'em all, but I really do wish I had gone to a James Brown show before he passed on to that great soul review in the sky.

Here is the Godfather of Soul live back in the late 60's, with Sammy Davis Jr. as an added bonus.

James Brown
I Got The Feelin' / Cold Sweat / Say It Loud / Give It Up Or Turnit A Loose / Please Please Please / There Was A Time
Live (with Sammy Davis Jr.)


Next: Curioser and curioser!

Hot down under

As their name might suggest, Regurgitator have a very, very dry sense of humor. Almost as dry as their Australian homeland nowadays (this goes out to all the Aussies having fun with super-heated birthdays these days - y'all know who you are!). Even if you put my (most definitely NSFW) favorite track in its own category, they're still difficult to categorize - not quite parody, but leaning towards it. As a result they're relatively well known in Australia, but mostly unheard of outside.

This particular track is a smooth and inoffensive (for them) pop-radio tune about suburban living - "straight" in both form and subject matter - with a bleached, it's-going-to-be how-hot-today? look to the video.

Regurgitator
"Superstraight"
Eduardo and Rodriguez Wage War on T-Wrecks


Tomorrow: The hardest working man in show business!

Mmm...breakfast...

This track has many things going for it: masterful production by Z-Trip (somehow managing to make the groove simultaneously minimalistic, uptempo and cartoonlike), Murs as his usual brilliant self, a solid performance by Supernatural and even a cute 80's-referencing title.

Still, it's not much more than a bunch of references to cartoons and breakfast cereals.

Yeah. If you're an 80's kid, it's that awesome.

Z-Trip ft. Murs & Supernatural
"Breakfast Club"
Shifting Gears


Tomorrow: Ironic Australians!

Amadou & Mariam & Manu Chao

Amadou & Mariam are a blind married couple from Mali, with this particular song featuring Manu Chao(remember Manu Chao?). Given that he's also the producer on this disc, it's also not surprising that this is the track that sounds most like a Manu Chao track - complete with that trademark Manu Chao bright-colored-paint quality to the video.

The youtube uploaders also made my life a little easier by providing useful commentary:

"In 2003 they were approached by world/Latin music star Manu Chao, who then produced their 2004 album Dimanche à Bamako (Sunday in Bamako), which also features his distinct vocal. In 2006 they recorded, together with Herbert Grönemeyer, the official anthem for the 2006 FIFA World Cup 'Celebrate The Day' (German: "Zeit, dass sich was dreht"). The song topped the German charts in June 2006."

I totally did not know that.

I also chose this song because it's about displacement. As Amadou said:

"The best solution is for those who have gone on this adventure to a strange land to think about those they left behind in their country. If they're in the big city, they must think about their parents and friends who have stayed behind in small villages. That's what we sang about in 'Senegal Fast Food,' because the song about exodus, about people who are going here and there. People who want to live this way have problems, with visas, with the police, all that. The best thing is to pay attention. You are there, but you don't know what's going to happen."

A critique of immigration policy, the consequences of increased globalization on traditional societies, and a good beat - what more do you want out of a tune?

Amadou & Mariam ft. Manu Chao
"Senegal Fast Food"
Dimanche a Bamako


Tomorrow: It's Saturday morning, fool!

Decatur and a notebook

I heard tell that Sufjan Stevens is abandoning his "one album for every state" project with only 48 states to go. While it would have been nice to see what he could have done with California, New York and Texas (among others), he will no doubt continue making delightful music in his own inimitable style. It'll be interesting to see what he comes up with next.

This is up, however, not because it's my favorite track off of this album, but because it's among the most adorable videos I have ever seen. It overpowers my irony circuits every time I see it, and it would be a guilty pleasure if I felt guilty about it at all. It's part of Said the Gramophone's Wonderful Video Contest. Worth looking into.

Sufjan Stevens
"Decatur"
Come On! Feel the Illinoise!


Tomorrow: African fast food!

Teardrop on the fire

There are two basic reactions to this version of the classic original - "huh, interesting take" or "my God, what have you done?"

My personal opinion should be obvious from the fact that I put this up. It's not better than the Massive Attack, but it's got an interesting wistful, longing quality to it that's very Jose Gonzalez. (Though I'm not sure what it says about Jose Gonzalez that his best songs are covers.)

I also like the concept of the video. I just wish they had put more money into the production: that 6th grade art project look might have worked for another track (and especially another concept), but it doesn't work here.

Jose Gonzalez
"Teardrop"
In Our Nature


Tomorrow: How to make that 6th grade art project look work for you!

Danger!

Hey, post when you can, once a week would be lovely (I didn't even know Metric was Canadian - this is important!) I'm doing this while taking breaks from writing a long paper, but it's good when you have to post, otherwise you don't write anything for half a year and...yeah.

Just a heads up, the intro goes on until 1:11 but picks up significantly after. Honest!

Now, you've probably heard of Gnarls Barkley. You might even know that Gnarls Barkley is composed of Ceelo on vocals and DJ Danger Mouse on the production. And if you know that, you are no doubt well aware of the magnificence that is The Grey Album. This is DJ Danger Mouse one stop before that.

Jemini is a decent rapper but the vocals don't have the imagination that the production does - the flow is solid but the words themselves aren't much more than the same posturing (guns and a willingness to use them, lyrical ability, popularity with the ladies). This would be better song about, for example, a BBQ chef - "I got some burgers and some ribs, so watcha want?"

Compare that to the strings, the effects, the chorus, the bubbling half-synth keys - all sewed together with a snare drum that is very confident in its status as a snare drum, neither ashamed to stand out nor too obvious in its search for attention. (OK, so that might have been a little too but much with the personification of a sample, but you get the point). I can imagine him filling the space that had been taken up by the vocals with horns and coming up with a quite excellent instrumental track.

The anime in this video is Cowboy Bebop, which wasn't a bad series (though I will admit the subtitles are a little annoying) - as the name suggests, it's a fusion of the wild west with 60's jazz/bar culture. But in the future. And Japanese.

DJ Danger Mouse & Jemini
"Ghetto Pop Life Intro" & "Ghetto Pop Life"
Ghetto Pop Life


Tomorrow: The LORD shall rebuke those who elect the path of wickedness, and great shall be the righteous fury and wrath of the LORD. With overtones of House, MD!

sympathy for simplicity

i'm really liking this "one youtube video per day" thing you got going there. i'm impressed with your consistency. i don't go on youtube everyday, but i'll try to get one per week, deal? it'll be a good exercise for me.

so here we go: emily haines and jimmy shaw, respectively singer and guitarist for metric. i'm so proud these guys are canadian, for the record. they are a wonder to see, their energy transpires into the crowd, etc. but here's why i like them best: they are truely professional and talented musicians. case in point, they recorded this vid during last summer's coachella. a new song entitled "give me sympathy", off their new record fatansies (to be released in april). it is the acoustic version. and it makes me swoon.



oh, and, little trivia for ya: during pop montreal in 2005 (or was it 06?), i ran into jimmy shaw and we made eye contact!! a highlight in my wannabe-hipster years.

stat!

A lovely time

I actually don't know a whole lot about Tunng. (Yes, they spell their name that way. No, I don't know why.) From the accent I'm fairly certain at least the singers are English.

They're in an odd category, obviously acoustic-inspired but with some electronic tweaking fairly apparent as well. It's also got a very warm, calm, storytelling quality to it, wistful but not lonely. I imagine this is the sort of thing Nick Drake (a healthy Nick Drake!) would have done if he had been able to join Facebook, make friends and edit the results on an iMac.

Tunng
"Woodcat"
Comments of the Inner Chorus


Next: Bullets! Misogyny! Anime!

Celia Cruz

Celia Cruz should need very little introduction. She had a remarkably long career, beginning with the Sonora Matancera in pre-Castro Cuba, and kept kept performing worldwide (including an appearance on Sesame Street) after moving to the US. In Argentina she's best known for a song that became a hit as a duet with Argentinean national icons Los Fabulosos Cadillacs.

She passed away in 2003, a very sad day in Latin music community.

This is part of a 1974 live concert in Kinshasa, while she was a part of salsa supergroup Las Estrellas del Fania/Fania All-Stars (they were out of New York so I figure both are acceptable).

Fania All-Stars, Celia Cruz Vocals
"Quimbara"
Live in Africa



Next: One long tracking shot of a tree results in a lovely time!