The Onion's A.V. Club has a feature called "Random Rules" where they get musician to press "shuffle" on their Ipod and offer comments on the first few songs that come up. I figure if I'm going to rip someone off I'm going to rip off the best. The songs can be played under the listings. I now present another Random Friday (or Random Thursday, I'm on a plane tomorrow):
P.J. Harvey, "C'mon Billy" from To Bring You My Love
I've already written about my love for Polly Jean Harvey. This album stands besides Rid of Me as one of two masterpieces. I have a second-hand anecdote about this song. Music journalist Greg Kot of Sound Opinions once sat in on a business meeting at VH1. A bunch of executives screened the music video for this song. When it ended they all sat back, stunned. One finally said "she's too good for this network." Damn right.
Nico, "Eulogy to Lenny Bruce" from Chelsea Girl
One of my favorite records is The Velvet Underground & Nico. I think of Nico's record as a sort of companion to the first VU album. John Cale, Lou Reed and Sterling Morrison play on the record but of course it's dominated by Nico's strange voice. She's trying to sound passionate but her voice does has this mechanical feel to it. That mixture is so unsettling but I love it. This is the last song of the record. What really makes it work for me is the catchy guitar riff repeating itself endlessly. It feels mechanical, too. All this while Nico is trying to make Tim Hardin's song sadder than it already is.
Just to create a digression on my own damn blog post I have to ask: was Lenny Bruce ever funny? I've listened to some of his records and seen this whole retrospective on him at the Museum of Television & Radio. His big ideas seem to be more important to him than being quick with a funny remark. I respect the battles he fought for free speech. But it seems to me Bruce would rather have the lawsuits and make his case there without doing comedy in the first place.
TV on the Radio "Staring at the Sun," from Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes
Apparently today is Awesome Female Singers Day. We have P.J. Harvey, Nico and now a song Karen O guests on. TV on the Radio has really impressed me with its two albums. I suppose like the Nico song there's a battle between passionate and mechanical sounds going on here. Except here you have these pulsating electronic sounds and angular guitar playing rubbing up against these beautiful soaring vocals. This is a band that comes up with stuff so atmospheric but still grabs you. I hope these guys have a long career ahead of them. Permanent Link: 12:27 PM |
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