Chris Dane Owens - Shine On

This video was brought to my attention on a music message board that I sometimes visit. At first I'll admit that I scoffed at this man. Everything about this video is absolutely ridiculous. But as I watched the video more and more (and I couldn't stop watching for an extended period of time), I started to question myself. Is this really the most ridiculous thing ever? Or is it SO ridiculous that it goes all the way back around to brilliance?

Let's try to look at this piece of art (and it IS art!) from an objective point of view. Mr. Dane Owens obviously has money, or connections in the biz. The production values in this epic are off the charts. He also has a firm grasp on melody, and sick dance moves. My favorite is the clap, hard spin, and 180 degree swipe of the opened palm. I can do that for you in person if you ask.

There is an intricate Lord of the Rings type story going on here, but I'll skip the details and just tell you the visuals from the clip that really moved me. At 1:51 a pirate swings his sword down with incredible force. So much force, in fact, that it immediately causes a ship to blow up. At 2:10 Owens closes his eyes, rips his shirt open, and a blinding light SHINES out (hence the title!). He is obviously well read, for this video is littered with allusions to the Bible and mythology. Not quite sure what they are, but it sounds good to say. At 2:32, Owens turns and walks into a giant inferno. I picture him saying, "Oh fire, I surrender to thee!" Adds to the drama. A bunch of other stuff happens, then at 2:43 a random alligator angrily rears its head. Go Gators! At 2:56, Owens seems to yell, "I'm gonna evade this bad guy and never take my eyes off the camera!!!" Such dexterity for a large man.

I've said too much, but suffice it to say that this legendary video will be around long after you and I are gone. This entire post might seem like a big joke, but as I alluded to before, there is one very scary fact. I DON'T KNOW IF I'M JOKING OR NOT! At this point the song has wormed its way into my head, and the video is obviously entertainment of the highest order. And I honestly can't even tell how serious he is taking this to begin with. Either he did this ironically and he's more genius than Spinal Tap, or he did it seriously, AND HE'S STILL MORE GENIUS THAN SPINAL TAP. Either way, I can't watch any of the other videos in the trilogy. I feel it would sully the idealized vision I have of him, courageously riding into battle on his faithful steed. Shine on, Mr. Owens. Shine on.

Phoenix - Long Distance Call

It's rare these days that the word fun is used to describe music, and the words trite, overproduced, and disposable don't inevitably follow. The French band Phoenix consistently make fun songs, but they're really good songs, and will probably still be listened to years from now, and not just in "I Love the '00s" VH1 specials. There's not much to this song during the verses, but that just makes the crescendos in the verses stand out that much more. I didn't think a singer yelling, "It's never been like that" eight times in a row could be appealing, but with the ascending guitar in the background it works. The whole album is great, the new album is great, three cheers for Phoenix!

Nas - it Ain't Hard to Tell AND vote now!: What's the Best Beat Ever?!

One day, my friend Tim and I were going through one of our periodical "pull up a thousand old rap videos on Youtube" sessions, but this time we had a purpose. We were trying to think of the best beat ever. A couple of posts down from here I said that "Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun" by the Beastie Boys had the best beat ever - I don't even think I mentioned that song during our little debate - but it's definitely up there for me. I was focused on "It Ain't Hard to Tell" by Nas. I love how the beat jumps right in at the beginning of the song, immediately grabbing you. The bass is punchy, as opposed to flabby or sloppy or whatever the opposite of punchy is. It plays off the Michael Jackson "Human Nature" sample, and of course Nas' flow works perfectly with it. One of my favorite lines ever is in this song: "Drink Moets with Medusa, give her shotguns in hell, from the split that I live in in hell, it ain't hard to tell." Saying he's getting stoned with Medusa, who of course turns anyone who looks at her to stone, is so freaking clever, it kills me.




My official vote still goes to "Looking Down the Barrel of A Gun," though. There's really two beats, one in the foreground and one in the background. It might sound best at 1:24 when the guitar and vocals quickly cut out. IT'S SO FIERCE. Though every time I hear that honking horn I tense up and think it's real. Haha. So what's your favorite? Vote in a comment! I know there are a thousand I'm forgetting.

Brian Eno - The Big Ship

Brian Eno rules for so many different reasons. Roxy Music was an amazing group, made even better in the beginning by his crazy experimental touches. His "rock" solo work is totally fun and twisted, yet still really experimental and ground-breaking (hate using that word, but it's true). But he might have made his biggest impact on music with this album, basically creating ambient music in his bed after being in a car accident. This whole album is absolutely classic, but the two songs that completely blow my mind are Another Green World (so short, but so amazingly beautiful and emotional) and this song. I can't even begin to guess how he creates these sounds, but I love the quick background percussion behind the WEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHHH in the beginning. Then the synths come in and it all builds to an incredible crescendo. Robert Fripp is an insanely skilled guitarist, and his restrained playing works perfectly within the flow of the song. There is no Aphex Twin without this album. No Boards of Canada. No microwave popcorn. No Cohen brothers. Think about it, people.

Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazelwood - Some Velvet Morning

I recently went to Argentina, and needless to say, it was amazing. The day we went to the Argentinean side of Iguazu Falls was absolutely surreal. Seemingly hundreds of gigantic waterfalls everywhere, sharply defined rainbows jumping out of the falls and landing in the forest or on unsuspecting tourists below. I literally had to pinch myself a couple of times and make sure that yes, this was really happening. That's kind of what I felt like when I first heard this song. Now I don't know much of Lee Hazelwood's catalogue, and I know even less about Nancy Sinatra's (the "Boots" song is where my knowledge begins and ends), but stick them both in the Rock and Rock Hall of Fame just for this bizarre monstrosity of a tune. The cello (I think) and violins (I think) in the beginning grab my attention, the acoustic guitar creeps in, and then Hazelwood's voice booms down from the heavens like Zeus. I LOVE how the music changes when Sinatra comes in, with the lyrics changing to the vivid imagery of "Flowers growing on a hill, dragonflies and daffodils, learn from us very well, look at us but do not touch, Phaedra is my name." And then the music speeds up, and the song just takes off into the stratosphere. I can't even really wrap my head around how great it is. AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!! The topper is how it switches more quickly between Hazelwood's and Sinatra's sections towards the end of the song. Amazing.



P.S. Check out his killer 'stache!

Beastie Boys - Shake Your Rump

This album is just overflowing with greatness. Best sample ever: The Sounds of Science (from "The End" by the Beatles). Best beat ever: Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun. Best use of cowbell in a rap song ever: Hey Ladies. But Shake Your Rump might be the song I come back to the most often, cause it's so much fun. Every song on the album is packed with clever pop culture references, with this one name-dropping Fred Flinstone, Sam the Butcher, and Patty Duke, among others. It's silly on the surface, but the Beasties flow off each so perfectly that it works. It's like they just soaked up all this media, and are now just spewing out this stream-of-consciousness pop culture encyclopedia. And their screechy half-yelling teenagers voices add to the humor. And of course, that WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRR-ERR-ERR-ERR-ERR-WERR-WERR-WERR-WERR-WERR-WERR sound is classic. The Dust Brothers produced it, and they throw everything in there, speeding the beats up and slowing them down, adding funky little guitar and bass lines, adding sound effects. Genius. And fun! Yay!

Cocteau Twins - Cherry-Coloured Funk

When I first heard this album, I became obsessed. I wanted to live inside it. I was like Liz Lemon in Thirty Rock: "I WANT TO GO TO THERE." This is another song best listened to at a rather high volume in an enclosed space, or on headphones. The beat is great, Liz Fraser's voice is obviously amazing, and I don't even know how this band creates some of these sounds and the warm, swirling atmosphere of the song. The song sounds and feels like what the album cover looks like. I first heard Liz Fraser's vioce on Mezzanine by Massive Attack, and it knocked me on my ass from the start. The lyrics on Heaven or Las Vegas are 95% indecipherable, it's more fun coming up with gibberish possibilities. I think one of their songs is about gallant fondue. Anyway, this whole album is amazing, and very consistent. It came out in 1990, and doesn't sound dated at all. And this is the kind of album that could easily sound dated, with all the synths and slick production. Treasure is an equally great album by them, with a very different sound.

Velvet Underground - Venus in Furs

I chose this, from a list of thousands, as my favorite song about S & M, just edging out an extremely rare Celine Dion b-side. The lyrics are based on a novel by Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, which was later to be the inspiration for the popular Superfudge books. John Cale used a viola in this song, which creates the goth-cello sound that adds so much to it. The viola, Lou Reed's strung out sounding vocals, the hypnotizing drumbeat, the lyrics, and just the HEAVY overall atmosphere of the song come together so perfectly at 1:32, when Reed sings, "I am tired, I am weary, I could sleep for a thousand years." So perfect. Massive chills every time. The way Reed sings, "...now pleaaaaaaaad for me," with the little "heh" right after it is also a nice touch. My favorite song on an album packed with completely unique sounding, brilliant songs.

Marissa Nadler - Diamond Heart

So, ole Marissa's voice gets a bit wispy for my taste sometimes, but this song is a killer. I love the chord change at :30, when she sings, "But I look for you, in the diamond trees • And the highway divine, deliver me • Your father died a month ago • And he scattered his ashes in the snow." Dark subject matter, but the mood set by her voice and the acoustic guitar makes it work. The line, "I had a man in every town, but thought of you each time I tore off my gown," just punches you in the face. The emotion she conveys comes across as a bit more nuanced than most "sad songs" I've heard. She's transcended Jewel, if just for this fleeting moment. The mandolin (?) that comes in in the background is a nice touch. Beautiful song.

Al Green - Jesus is Waiting

Is it sacrilegious to say that this is one of the sexiest songs I've ever heard? If so, then I apologize in advance to anyone that I might offend. Cause it basically is. I suppose Al Green could be reading out the numbers at the DMV and panties would come flying from out of nowhere at his little booth. But beyond his amazing voice, the groove in this song is perfect, and when the horns come in it gets even better. Smoothness.

Deerhoof - Spirit Ditties of No Tone

I've never really heard a band like Deerhoof before. I saw them live once, and it was amazing. This tiny Japanese female lead singer, jumping around singing in this little chirpy voice, backed by this completely kick-ass rock band, with all this funky, off-kilter rhythm and general insanity going on. It was so much fun. This isn't my favorite album of theirs (Apple O' is way more consistent), but this is definitely my favorite Deerhoof song. That break at 1:00 with the music box on acid guitar and the THUMP THUMP, THUMP THUMP, THUMP THUMP in the background puts a huge stupid grin on my face every time I hear it. It's pretty impossible to describe anything that goes on this song, it's just so bizarre and fun and perfect.



Note: The only studio version of this song I could find was from this personal video. There's a little background noise, but it's not too bad.

Wire - French Film Blurred

This great song really grabbed me by the throat while I was in my car. It's definitely best listened to at a high volume in a small, enclosed space. The first 1/2 of the song is so tightly wound, if you shut it off at that point you might think there isn't much to it. But at 1:38 there is what is probably my favorite section of any song ever. "A second language..." Drums come in all smooth, with the bass jumping all over the place, with that crazy atmospheric guitar adding this really creepy vibe to it, then the other guitar comes in and the song is swallowing me whole. I love how the song winds up into this really tight ball of tension, then just uncurls in all these different directions that somehow work together. I've noticed in a few Wire songs how the drummer subtly speeds up a beat or so at one point or another, and he does it at 2:10 in this one, just adding to the momentum that feels like it's gonna implode by the end of the song. Leads perfectly into the next song on a great album.

So amazing.

Intro

I've had sputtering starts to various blogs in the past few years, and I've come to the realization that there's only one topic that I'm consistently maniacal enough about to sustain a blog. That, of course, is music. Most bloggers share their thoughts on albums, and while that's probably the way to go, the way the artist intended their work to be enjoyed, etc. etc., there are a few reasons why I'm simply going to share my thoughts on specific songs:

1) I don't really have the attention span to wait for entire albums to upload so I can share them with you.

2) Sometimes I get stuck on chunks of an album, and so I'm really more of an authority on 1/2 to 2/3 of the album than on the complete thing.

3) The more I talk to my students about the way they listen to music "these days," I'm slowly coming to the realization that none of them give a sh*t about albums. It's really sad, b/c I'm sure artists now just load an album with two to three "hot singles" and throw a load of dreck on there with it, knowing that with the way music is distributed and consumed these days the rest of the album is probably pretty close to irrelevant. I'm by no means subscribing to this theory, but I just wasted your time reading this paragraph.

4) Some songs just OWN me for extended periods of time, and I'd rather write about one unit that I am completely and utterly devoted to for the rest of my existence, then talk about a unit that I am 12/14th devoted to for the rest of my existence. I'm not really writing this as a review site so much as random song worship.

One important note: I really want to improve the appearance of this site, and I will as I go on, but right now I don't know much so it's a work in progress. I just know if I don't start writing this while I'm in the mood and it's summer I'll never do it!

One more important note: I am not a musician, so the comments on this site will be a lot closer to, "This sounds cool!" than, "the off-kilter syncopation of the rhythms created by the drummer playing in 7/8 time harkens back to strudeldarf's early catalogue."

Ok, enough blathering, on to the music!