Kungs vs. Cookin' on 3 Burners - "This Girl" (spotlight)

I heard this on 96X in the car the other day and the song stuck with me.  The DJ said it had been "big in France" for a while but it had just arrived here. Googling the next day I found out that it requires some unpacking. The song is "This Girl", and the 2016 release is from the French DJ Kungs (aka Valentin Brunel) and it's a remix of the 2009 song by the Australian funk/soul/Motown revival group Cookin' on 3 Burners (who remind me of St. Paul and the Broken Bones), featuring Kylie Auldist. 

The original version sounds like it was recorded in the mid 70s and the Kungs version is a sped up, house version.  Both are enjoyable and worth checking out.

Kungs vs. Cookin' on 3 Burners: "This Girl"
Cookin' on 3 Burners: studio, live

Burial - "Rival Dealer" (LP Review)

Burial's (aka William Bevan) 2013 EP "Rival Dealer" has been working its way up my playlist.  I have his critically acclaimed two full length LPs (2006's "Burial" and 2007's "Untrue") which I enjoy, but not nearly at the level at which this EP has captured my attention.  Other reviews do a good job of contextualizing this EP within the rest of his canon (Pitchfork, RA, NME), but for me this EP synthesizes everything I liked about his first two LPs, as well as what I liked about Andy Stott's "Luxury Problems" and Balam Acab's "See Birds".

Bevan himself said in a BBC Radio 6 interview:

“I put my heart into the new EP, I hope someone likes it. I wanted the tunes to be anti-bullying tunes that could maybe help someone to believe in themselves, to not be afraid, and to not give up, and to know that someone out there cares and is looking out for them. So it's like an angel's spell to protect them against the unkind people, the dark times, and the self-doubts.”

And there is a definite triumphant feeling to these songs, mostly abstract but some rather concrete.  Furthermore, he samples an interview with NASA Earth scientist Melissa Dawson at various points in the EP.  Although I haven't posted it here, I've shared with friends my theory that the US space program exists mainly to provide samples for electronic music, and with "Rival Dealer" Burial only reinforces my position.

All three tracks are great, but the corner stone is clearly the closing "Come Down to Us".

Skip 'em tracks: none.

Standout tracks: "Rival Dealer", "Hiders", "Come Down to Us".

Final Score: 9/10

Laurie Anderson - "Big Science" (LP Review)

In much the same way as Julee Cruise's "Floating Into the Night", Laurie Anderson's "Big Science" was a prominent feature in the soundtrack for my senior year of college.  One of my roommates (Jason, Terry, or Frey -- I don't recall) had the CD and we all loved it, so it was on heavy rotation.  Prior to living with those guys I had not heard of her before, so when I moved out I quickly got a copy of my own. 

"Big Science" is Anderson's 1982 debut LP (not counting earlier contributions to compilation / joint artist LPs), and its genius lies in finding the oh-so-difficult intersection of legitimate art and pop appeal.  This is the minimalist, electronic, art rock LP for people who would otherwise recoil at the description of "minimalist, electronic, art rock".  You may have heard "O Superman", the center piece of the LP (if not quite the "hit single"), but there is much more to this LP.  Rather than continuing to throw words at this LP, I urge you to just listen to this perfect LP:

1. "From the Air"
2. "Big Science"
3. "Sweaters"
4. "Walking & Falling"
5. "Born, Never Asked"
6. "O Superman (for Massenet)"
7. "Example #22"
8. "Let X=X"
9. "It Tango"

Of the above links, only "O Superman" is an official video (which is excellent).  Otherwise I've tried to link to fan videos, so keep in mind they are other people's interpretation of Anderson's work, not her own. 

Skip 'em songs: none

Standout songs: all (see above; here's the full LP in a playlist).

Final score: 10/10

The Smiths - "Panic" (spotlight)

Special Brexit edition...

"Panic", a non-LP single released in 1986 by The Smiths is an appropriate choice as the markets and the world in general react to this unforced error.

On the surface it's about music, but like Brexit it's really about culture, identity, and a side of xenophobia.

Panic on the streets of London
Panic on the streets of Birmingham
I wonder to myself
Could life ever be sane again?
The Leeds side-streets that you slip down
I wonder to myself...

Hopes may rise on the Grasmere
But honey pie, you're not safe here
So you run down
To the safety of the town
But there's panic on the streets of Carlisle
Dublin, Dundee, Humberside
I wonder to myself...

Burn down the disco
Hang the blessed DJ
Because the music that they constantly play
It says nothing to me about my life
Hang the blessed DJ
Because the music they constantly play

On the Leeds side-streets that you slip down
Provincial towns you jog 'round
Hang the DJ

"Panic" - official video, live 1986

And because it's been a while since I've blogged about The Cribs, here's a 2008 cover of "Panic" with Johnny Marr.

Ralph Stanley - "O Death" (spotlight)

Bluegrass legend Ralph Stanley died on Thursday.  We've seen him twice: 2005 at the Ferguson Center in Newport News, and in 2013 at the Jewish Mother in Va Beach (the picture to the left is from that performance).  I was happy to see him both times, but he was a lot stronger in the 2005 performance (even briefly playing banjo).

The obvious tribute for him is his version of the traditional song "O Death".  Although he had recorded the song several times before (for example, on 1977's "Clinch Mountain Gospel"), it was his 2011 acapella version on the "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" soundtrack that earned him a Grammy and cross-over success.

"O Death": 2000 "O Brother" version, 1977 (?) studio version, there are many live versions on line, but this 2009 (?) version is particularly good.

On a more positive note, here's 1961's "Finger Poppin' Time", from "The Stanley's In Person", which features James Brown and the Famous Flames "poppin'" their fingers.

Blotto - "I Wanna Be A Lifeguard" (forgotten song)

Since the Memorial Day Weekend officially marks the beginning of beach season, today we'll feature Blotto and their 1980 song "I Wanna Be A Lifeguard", which first appeared on their 1979 EP "Hello, My Name Is Blotto, What's Yours?".  Normally one would not hear a song like this outside of the Dr. Demento show, but since they had a video (recall that videos were in rare supply at the time!) it received a fair amount of airplay in the early days of MTV (it was the #36 video on MTV's first day). 

Enjoy the summer & this forgotten song!

Blotto - "I Wanna Be A Lifeguard"

Weezer - "Weezer (The Blue LP)" (LP Review)

Recently my posts have primarily been in reaction to artists' deaths, but today I'm going to move on to something more joyful: Weezer's eponymous 1994 debut.  On one hand, it's hard to believe that this LP came out 22 years ago since it still sounds fresh and engaging.  On the other hand, it's sometimes hard for me to believe that this LP was released three years after I was in college since it so completely captures the late 80s / early 90s zeitgeist.  The patter at the beginning and middle of "Undone - The Sweater Song" could have been recorded at any number of college parties that I attended.  I was 22 when I graduated college, and this LP is now 22 years old as well, so perhaps it is fitting that I review it now.

As I mentioned in my review of "Pinkerton", most serious Weezer fans think "The Blue LP" pales in comparison to "Pinkerton".  While I've come to appreciate "Pinkerton" more than I used to, "The Blue LP" is not just Weezer's best LP, but one of the best power pop LPs of all time.  They celebrate and synthesize so many influences that it is almost an encyclopedia of American pop music.  First, there is the unabashed, non-ironic celebration of 70s arena rock: Van Halen, Cheap Trick, Kiss, etc.  In particular, they work to perfection the Van Halen formula of heavy music tempered with sing-song choruses.  On songs like "Surf Wax America" and "Holiday", they prove that they've listened to more than their fair share of The Beach Boys as well.  And there's Black Sabbath-esque (perhaps via the Pixies) heavy crunch to songs like "Only in Dreams".  The songs are clever, funny, disturbing, and all the while retaining their alt-cred.  As I've mentioned in previous Weezer reviews, you have to credit producer Ric Ocasek for capturing a heavy-but-crisp sound that effortlessly straddles pop and alternative genres. 

The LP was well-received when it came out and it's stature has only grown over time.  Throw this LP on when you're in a mixed group but don't want forego your alternative status.  They'll love "Buddy Holly" and "The Sweater Song" (and their respective Spike Jonze videos), but you'll also enjoy "My Name is Jonas", "Say it Ain't So" (my personal favorite), and "Only in Dreams".

"Did you here about the party after the show?  Ah man, it's going to be the best.  I'm so stoked.  Take it easy bro!"

Standout songs: "My Name Is Jonas", "Buddy Holly", "Undone – The Sweater Song", "Surf Wax America", "Say It Ain't So", "In the Garage", "Only in Dreams", (the full LP).

Skip 'em songs: none.

Final score: 10/10.  I never get tired of this LP. 


Bonus link: A kindred soul who also understands that "The Blue LP" is better than "Pinkerton" (although I think he's off base on "Pink Triangle", which is dead clever).