Volume 17, Track 9
“Creepin’ In” by Norah Jones (2004) Duets can be, to say the least, a sketchy proposition. What sounds good on paper sometimes doesn’t translate well at all. I mean, if you would have told any red-blooded rock fan in the early or mid-’70′s that David Bowie and Mick Jagger would team up for a duet [...]
Volume 17, Track 8
“Deep Red Bells” by Neko Case (2007) Live From Austin, TX, a recording of a live show from August of 2003, is comprised mostly of acoustic songs that lie somewhere between modern folksy and country. When you talk or write about Neko Case one of the first things that is bound to come up is [...]
Volume 17, Track 7
“Bodysnatchers” by Radiohead (2008) Some Dude’s 293rd Entirely Subjective Music-Related Observation states: “97.8% of the time Radiohead makes boring music.” The fact that Radiohead are critic’s darlings does not surprise me at all[1] but the fact that so many people who do not regularly bathe themselves in indie rock (and its various sub-genres) like the [...]
Volume 17, Track 6
“Jump” by Madonna (2005) Some Dude’s 47th Ironclad Law of Music states: “More times than not Madonna is about style over substance, but when she does focus on substance she is in a league of her own.” “Jump,” the fourth and final single from Confessions On A Dance Floor,[1] shows Madonna crafting a song with [...]
Volume 17, Track 5
“Clint Eastwood” by Gorillaz (2001) Something you may not know about Gorillaz: they are not a real band. Gorillaz is composed of Damon Albarn (he of Blur fame) and Jaime Hewlett (he of the co-creator of the comic Tank Girl fame). In reality, this is the band. Virtually, though, the “band” is comprised of members [...]
Volume 17, Track 4
“Margerine Rock” by Stereolab (2004) Previous songs by Stereolab on this site have more or less showcased the band’s true nature: quirky pop-ish songs brought to life by way of Moog synthesizers and Vox organs. “Margerine Rock,” while still quirky, shows the band playing a (mostly) traditional rock song. And while, yes, the Vox organs [...]
Volume 17, Track 3
“Strange Apparition” by Beck (2006) The music of Beck usually involves quirky sampling, white boy rap music, or a folksy minimalism; rarely does he go for a start-to-finish arrangement that could be described as “pretty” or even “beautiful” from a pop standpoint. But that is exactly what “Strange Apparition” is: an excellently paced and dare [...]
Volume 17, Track 2
“Ch-Check It Out” by Beastie Boys (2004) Beastie Boys may have made a name for themselves with Licensed To Ill but it was really Paul’s Boutique that showed the world that this was not just some group of goofy white kids from New York who liked to rap. No, the Beasties were grand masters of [...]
Volume 17, Track 1
“Galvanize” by The Chemical Brothers (2005) Some Dude’s 182nd Ironclad Law of Music states: “If you can get Q-Tip to do vocals on your song, your song’s listenability factor jumps up by at least thirty percent.”[1] The Chemical Brothers were always capable of creating some truly addictive and outstanding big beat music[2] but they outdid [...]
Volume 17 Introduction
Words cannot express how fitting it is that a book called The World Is Flat was a best-seller in the ’00′s. In fact, in my mind the previous decade should be officially called The World Is Flat Decade. Things that used to be career suicide in the entertainment industry were embraced in the name of [...]
Volume 16, Track 14
“How Many More Times” by Led Zeppelin (1969) Last but certainly not least, this volume ends with “How Many More Times,” the song that closes out Led Zeppelin’s debut album and what I believe to be the best overlooked song in their catalog. I can understand if people who have never heard this song are [...]
Volume 16, Track 13
“Ten Years Gone” by Led Zeppelin (1975) Here is the setup for the first time I ever smoked pot: I was seventeen years old, I was in the company of two semi-pro pot smokers, we were driving to a friend of a friend’s house (I think), I was sitting in the back seat of a [...]
Volume 16, Track 12
“Tangerine” by Led Zeppelin (1970) Unless you are a semi-big Zep fan or have seen the movie Almost Famous, you may have never heard “Tangerine” before[1]. It is a gem that is hidden amongst the inconsistencies of Led Zeppelin III, and any proof needed for its “hidden gem” status one need only listen to the [...]
Volume 16, Track 11
“Hots On For Nowhere” by Led Zeppelin (1976) Aside from telling someone a story that you think is genuinely funny, only to find out that they are not laughing at all and the only thing you can do to save face is to proclaim in defeat “I guess you had to be there,” trying to [...]
Volume 16, Track 10
“Thank You” by Led Zeppelin (1969) “Thank You” is a ballad that ends side one of Led Zeppelin II and it was the first song in which Robert Plant wrote all of the lyrics. As a standalone song it does not deviate too far from the Acoustic Ballad Handbook: it has some good acoustic flourishes, [...]
keep looking »Follow
