Friday, December 30, 2011

Song of the day

"Beeroth", by Masada.

All roads, it seems, lead me back to Masada. I am so loving this song today. It first appeared on the fifth Masada studio album. I also have a version recorded live in Seville in 2000. This one, though, simply rocks. Playing at Tonic, on home turf, they are very relaxed and comfortable. Joey Baron seems to have taken his happy pills, to no ill effect. You cannot sit still while listening to this. I have tried.

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Song of the day

"Sister", by The Black Keys.

On the other hand, sometimes simple is best.

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Song of the day

""Hello Shadow", by Pluramon.

The album this song comes from, "Dreams Top Rock", has been very close to the top of The List ever since I bought it, unheard, on the strength of recommendations, first by Marcello Carlin, and then by Oren at Metropolis Books in Melbourne, back in the days that they also sold music. (It probably wouldn't sell many copies just on the strength of the cover art.)

This song, and several others on the album, feature the voice (it is its own adjective) of Julee Cruise, you know, her from the Twin Peaks soundtrack (whoops, it's D*v*d L*n*h again) and various records bearing the name Angelo Badalamenti. (You might remember a song called "Floating".) Musically, it occupies the space between My Bloody Valentine and Cocteau Twins. Which is possibly a fairly narrow space.

If we are going to be talking about "maximalism", this shit is pretty maximal.

Download here (right click save as etc).

Thursday, December 15, 2011

This does not go with this

The hardest of the hard waxing lyrical about two modernism pioneers? You better believe it.

YouTube makes for strange bedfellows.

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Song of the day

"Video Games", by Lana Del Rey.



No matter how much the video screams "David Lynch, you want me for your next movie". No matter how much the song screams mock/retro/pseudo/meta/haunto/crypto/whatevah*. Neither of these things can hide the fact that this is a stunning piece of music. Seriously. Melancholy can so easily slide into maudlin. Not here it doesn't. To say, as I never thought I would say about another song, that it compares favourably with Aimee Mann's "Save Me", well, that's a nice thing to be able to say.

*It is clear, in 2011, that "Pseudo Echo" was a remarkably prophetic name for a pop group. Too bad they were rubbish.

Wednesday, December 07, 2011

Song of the day

"Nuclear Seasons", by Charli XCX.

I know it's wrong, but I just can't help it.

Tuesday, December 06, 2011

Song of the day

"How To Be Invisible", by Kate Bush.

In preparation for the arrival in the letter box of the new Kate Bush album, I have been listening to "Aerial" quite a bit. (Not that that's any kind of burden.) I am always nervous when a new Kate album comes along. She seems always to be in danger of flipping over the edge into embarrassing excess, but somehow she never does.

I particularly love the guitar in this song. It evokes eighties guitar sounds but in a non-dated way. That's the other thing about Kate: her music runs alongside everyone else's music without ever feeling the need to engage with it. Or something like that.