Posted by cfotoole regarding a live video of My Bloody Valentine playing “Only Shallow”:
Man, this was only a little over a month after Loveless was released. If I hadn’t been 5 years old at the time, I would have killed to be at this show.
Yup. I feel the same way. I would have also been 5.
The video:
These are songs that I, personally, find very calming. This group has actual vocals (though I’m not sure whether the Broken Social Scene song is sampled). I have another full playlist of sampled/instrumental/ambient/electronic with the same theme, so it made sense to separate them.
A couple notes:
I’ve decided that I won’t comment extensively on every song because I feel that, due to their grouping, the things I say are bound to be redundant. I may add times in the song that I love or a few personal comments here and there.
I also try to make the lists fit roughly the length of a CD and only contain one track per artist per list. Be aware, these guidelines may and probably will be broken.
1. The National – “Fake Empire” from Boxer
This entire album is great. The lead singer’s deep voice evokes Joy Division, Bruce Springsteen, and Bob Dylan.
2. Arcade Fire – “Ocean of Noise” from Neon Bible
This song is subtle and romantic in a way that it reminds me slightly of Chris Issac, without the overdramatic wailing and whining weighing it down.
3. Cursive – “The Recluse” from The Ugly Organ
A punk/indie band delving onto the lighter/whispering side and utilizing their cello. This album is also good for the more aggressive “Art is Hard,” “Some Red Handed Slight of Hand” and “Sierra.”
4. The Dandy Warhols – “Sleep” from Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia
Poppy, dreaming, and simple.
5. David Bowie – “The Man Who Sold the World” from The Man Who Sold the World
It was a toss-up between this and “Life on Mars?” from Hunky Dory… however, the latter tends to hit the over-dramatic, while this one stays more subdued.
6. Sufjan Stevens – “All the Trees of the Field will Clap Their Hands” from Seven Swans
Sufjan’s light voice over banjo strumming and background harmonies.
7. Eric Clapton – “Layla (Live)” from Unplugged
A subdued version of a classic that makes it smarter and bluesier.
8. Interpol – “Leif Erikson” from Turn on the Bright Lights
Paul Banks’ dry voice shines threw on one of their more subtle songs. Like the rest of their songs on this album, all the sounds blend really well for a complete picture.
9. Radiohead – “You and Whose Army” from Amnesiac
There are so many Radiohead songs that could work, but the simplicity and muffled voice in this song create a fuzzy, laid back atmosphere. I also love when the song takes a dramatic turn at 1:48.
10. Portishead – “Roads” from Dummy
A classic from the 90s. The singer’s voice resonates with a profound melancholy set over trip-hop instrumentals. I recently picked up their new album, “3,” which, though quite different, is also really good. Check out “The Rip” or “Machine Gun.”
11. R.E.M. – “Leave” from New Adventures in Hi-Fi
12. The Smiths – “There is a Light that Never Goes Out” from The Queen is Dead
13. The Velvet Underground – “Pale Blue Eyes” from The Velvet Underground
A very minimalist classic rock song about lost love.
14. Broken Social Scene – “Anthems For A Seventeen Year-Old Girl” from You Forget It in People
Generally, on hearing the first couple seconds of this song, I would skip it. While playing through the album once, when I had inadvertently given it a chance, it struck me as beautiful. The strange girl’s voice, which offset me at first, becomes the centerpiece. When it hits 0:56 (roughly), the song evolves and builds.
15. TV on the Radio – “Staring at the Sun” from Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes
This has to be one of my favorite songs ever. A soulful track that has buzzing distortion as its backdrop.
16. Sigur Rós – “Sæglópur” from Takk
See them live if at all possible. It’s blissful. It’s something about the high and ringing voice singing in Icelandic.
There are videos from a recent NYC Madonna performance where she debuts new material and I also came across this:
Watching a couple of the songs, it becomes evident that she’s out of practice. For example, on her new single “4 Minutes,” she trudges along while her guest, Timberlake, vocally outshines her. Her voice is low and gravelly and she barely can cling to the melody. Whatever, it’s Timberlake’s song anyway.
I do like some Madonna songs. “Hung Up” happens to my favorite. It brings back memories of clubs and bars in Argentina. It’s precisely the synth and trance beats that make the song what it is. I understand trying to do something different; however, introducing stripped down guitar kills a song that derives its livelihood from high production. The lyrics aren’t particularly impressive and it’s apparent that Madonna is not very talented at guitar…so why strip it down to those two things?
I’d much prefer a Rolling Stones concert.
[Edit 7/9/2008]
Apparently all YouTube videos of this specific performance have been removed. I really don’t need to wonder why.
The Nine Inch Nails have released yet another album via the Internet. This time it’s titled “The Slip” and it’s available, completely for free in multiple formats, from the Nine Inch Nails website. Their last Internet release, “Ghosts,” consisted in 26 completely instrumental tracks. Users were given the options of downloading some for free, paying $5 for the full album to download, and others including $300 for a limited edition. Unlike “Ghosts,” “The Slip” features vocals, is completely free, and is accompanied with a full PDF file of artwork (which did not come with my Amazon.com download).
When I downloaded “Ghosts,” I was unable to do it through the website the first day due to the sheer volume of traffic and bandwidth limitations. I resorted to paying my $5 to Amazon.com, which also offered the DRM-free tracks at high download speeds. This time, I had absolutely no trouble whatsoever and the 87mb zip file only took minutes to download. For the higher quality (and size) options, torrents are offered.
It seems that Trent Reznor, the brain and only constant member in the Nine Inch Nails, intends to create the direct relationship between the listener and the band. This, “Ghosts,” and his remix site are all admirable actions that shorten the gap between the musician and the listener. Luckily he has the resources and fan base of a band that has been quite successful since the late 1980s.
As for the album itself, I was not too impressed with the single, but then again, my opinion often changes after a dozen or so listens. If Reznor intends to keep churning out tracks directly from the studio, lets hope it’s all of quality.
The single, “Discipline”:
There was an intense amount of fog on campus today. For a bit, one couldn’t even see the next building. As it cleared during the evening, the clouds were parting and everything had this fuzzy beauty to it. Maybe it was kinda like this. Maybe not.
In other news, Ladytron’s next album, Velocifero, comes out in early June; however, you can listen to it in its entirety on their MySpace page. A couple songs (especially “Kletva”) are kinda weak, but the rest are really solid. My current favorites are their next single, “Ghosts,” and “Runaway.”
