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Monday, January 14, 2008
Random Mondays
I was late with this Random Friday so I figured I'd just move the column to Mondays from now on. It's easier for me to do all this when I have a weekend to myself. Anyway, all credit to the A.V. Club, you can download these mp3's even though the links don't work in the RSS feed and if you like what you hear why not buy it?
Scott Walker, "Get Behind Me" from Scott 4 Listen here! Buy here!
I discovered Scott Walker because David Bowie talked about him as an influence. You can certainly hear that in this song. Walker has that deep voice that can go from an intimate feeling to something with a sense of grandeur quite easily. I certainly notice that in Bowie's singing style as well. Walker's music got more and more challenging as his career continued. It's evident on Scott 4 but this is a pretty accessible number, so much so that I was surprised it was an original composition. That is until I actually listened to the lyrics. "We keep reaching beyond us/Through the shape shifting clouds/Why ain't I like you brother/So electric, so proud." Yep, that's Scott Walker!
Tom Waits, "Cold, Cold Ground" from Frank's Wild Years Listen here! Buy here!
This certainly makes sense to follow up a Scott Walker track. I think this is one of those perfect Waits tracks. If you've never heard Waits before this is a good song to see if you'll dig him or not (as opposed to the instrumental from last week). It's a calm, introspective song where the lyrics take the lead. You can tell that Waits started off as '70s California singer-songwriter. But it also has that accordion sound which displays the Kurt Weil influence that was appearing in Waits's music at the time (and has really never left). Of course, there's Waits's "gargling with switchblades and whiskey voice" dominating everything. How you feel about that voice pretty much makes it clear whether you're a Waits fan or not. You can probably guess where I stand.
Here's a live version, I believe from the concert film Big Time, that has some more instrumentation but is still just as sensitive as the song should be.
Stevie Wonder, "I Believe (When I Fall In Love It Will Be Forever" from Talking Book Listen here! But here!
Not as strange as Walker or Waits but certainly as much a singular a talent. I first heard this song at the end of High Fidelity. I never really thought of Wonder before then. Certainly I had no idea of this time in his career where he was really experiment with funk and soul music. Now I love this era of Wonder's music. He's an artist that had all the available technology before him but he didn't use it to make something cold or technical. He made sure all those synths and all that studio multi-tracking was used towards making something that still felt very human. It was still, there's no better word for it, soulful. I dig songs like this that have an endless feel, where the chorus is repeated so many time. It sounds like the players just love performing and don't want to let go. That's an enthusiasm that when it works I really fall for.
Let's end this post with something that has nothing to do with music but rather a little plug for myself. I did a little chat with Jeff Lester over at Savage Critics about modern comics and their fans. I tried to open up the discussion past the "I hate big crossovers" tone that many, including myself, have fallen into. I hope you enjoy it.
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