Oh that's right,
there's some music I'm supposed to be writing about.
1.
"Resigned", by Blur. I don't spend much time thinking about Britpop
because, as you know, the nineties was the decade in which I
"retired" from listening to music (because, like, I figured by my
late 20s I was too old for Young People's Music; unlike, heh heh, now). I could
probably pick an Oasis song in a line-up, and I have always had a soft spot for
"Bittersweet Symphony" on account of how they were, uh,
"punished" by the corporates for taking a Stones off-cut and turning
it into a fine song. But beyond that if I have ever taken to anything it would
have to be Pulp. Having said that, I do quite like this (although that may only
be because it reminds me of Wire's "Blessed State").
2. "Nagoya
Marimba (Hnny Edit)", by Steve Reich. Usually I take my Steve Reich
straight (no chaser). I suppose what this does is make concrete the sense of
propulsion that is always implied in Reich's work: ie gives at a shot of the actual
doof doof. It puts a spring in this piece's step. And if the opening few bars also
serve to remind the listener of "Uncertain Smile", by The The, well,
that can't be so bad, can it?
3. "Hey Music
Lover (The Glass Cut)", by S'Xpress. From one king of minimal to another.
There must have been a time, long forgotten now, when Philip Glass's star was
well in the ascendant, so much so that he could be invited into the mixing room
to have his way with a mere pop song. We might assume that money did some of
the talking: money that you can't imagine being there for him (or anybody) now.
This is a pretty extraordinary piece of music. It does, kind of, sound like Philip Glass. (It also, with
the voice snippets and fragmentary repetition, can't help but remind one of
Steve Reich (see above).) Could it ever have been a hit on the dance floor? I
probably could have danced to it (in a particularly dorky kind of way) but
would also most likely have been strongly advised not to.
4. "What'd I
Say?", by Medeski, Martin & Wood. There are two Atlantic single-disc
compilations from a few years back, one that covers the fifties and the other
the sixties. "What'd I Say?", by Ray Charles, sits at the end of the
first set. And, so situated, it really does signal the gateway from one era of
music to the next. As with "Anarchy In The UK", you could hear
history being written. This extended, relaxed cover by the now venerable New
York jazz trio doesn't work any such ground-breaking tricks, but it is a fine
version of an essential piece of music.
Available here.
5. "Hunt For The
Wolf", by The Blue Guitars. Here's a tip: if it says "Melodiya"
on the label, it's probably worth a listen. From the land that brought you Mr
Trololo. On this occasion: Soviet-era jazz. With a big drum solo. What could
possibly go wrong?
6. "Parks",
by The Paul Bley Synthesiser Show. Play this immediately after the Blue Guitars
track and ask yourself: who was less in sync with what was happening in The
Western World?
7. "Light My
Fire", by Ananda Shankar. From the ridiculously sublime to the sublimely
ridiculous. Or is it the other way round? We love ourselves a good Doors cover.
This is a good Doors cover. Hence we love this. (Hey, kids! Syllogisms!)
8. "Do It
Again", by Deep Heat. Same again, but substituting "Steely Dan"
for "Doors". Reissued by Numero Group, so you know it's good.
9. "Hot
Coffee", by Tortoise. Proof, if proof were needed, that Tortoise's one-off
single-sided seven-inches are better than most groups' regular seven-inches. What
we're really saying here is, in our eyes Tortoise can do no wrong, even this
long distance into their stellar career.
10.
"Workshop", by Freelove Fenner. From a limited-release cassette
called "Pineapple Hair". Apparently. Does everything a two-minute pop
song should do. I really dig what they do with those guitars.
11. "At The
Dark", by Group Rhoda. This carries all sorts of echoes (literally in
places) of the spacier end of what you think of as krautrock, enhanced at one
point by some early Pink Floyd keyboard sounds. It also reminds me, somehow, of
solo Kendra Smith. (Whom I have been thinking about recently, in the wake of
the new and unexpected Mazzy Star album.) So, yes, I am hearing a lot of other
things in this song, but on the other hand I'm not sure I have quite heard a
song exactly like this. (Does that make sense?)
12.
"Remember", by Michael Rother. Did somebody mention krautrock?
Michael Rother, as you know, was one third of Neu!. From which you may not have
expected him to be making music as gorgeous as this in the 21st century. The
musical framework of this song suggests that the influence of Eno on all of
these guys cannot be underestimated. (And vice versa, self-evidently.) I could
easily listen to more of this.
13.
"Einzelganger", by Einzelganger. In other words, Giorgio by Moroder.
(See what I did there?)
14. "Axus",
by Space Art. (Note: may also be called "Axius".) And a little bit
more early synthesiser madness, just because we can. Stop complaining.
15.
"Dreams", by Streetmark. This is from an album called
"Eileen", released on Sky Records, in 1977. It features Wolfgang
Riechmann (who was also in a band with Michael Rother in the early days, and
who was shot and killed in the street by drunken louts in 1978; think upon that
next time you plan to go out on a shooting rampage).
