I'm calling bullshit on this one, just like I did on Day 1 (Your Favorite Song). Just like I don't have a favorite song, I don't have a favorite band. There are bands I'm really into at the moment (e.g Raconteurs & The Mountain Goats), there are bands I haven't listened to in a long time but would leave on if they came up on shuffle (The Welcome Wagon, Violent Femmes) and there are bands I listened to obsessively for a long time, but then stopped for some reason (Pink Floyd, The Velvet Underground).
So, what constitutes my favorite band? I have no idea, so I'm gonna bend the rules and do a song from all three categories. Take that!
11a - A Song From a Band You're Really Into Right Now: The Crystal Method, "I Know It's You," from Legion of Boom.
I first started listening to The Crystal Method in 1998, during a month-long stay in Greenville, SC. (That's a story for some other time.) Vegas was in heavy rotation, for a year, especially in the car as it makes excellent driving music. But they fell off my playlist for a few years. A friend recently turned me on to Legion of Boom recently though, and it gets played a good bit on my computer at work. "I Know It's You" is one of my favorite tracks, very much reminiscent of their work on Vegas, and Milla Jovovich's spooky vocals work perfectly with their distorted bassline and drums. I am amazed that track hasn't yet been appropriated for an action-movie chase sequence or television commercial, like pretty much every track on Vegas was.
11b - A Song From A Band I Haven't Listened To In A Long Time But Would Leave On If They Came Up On Shuffle: The Cure, "Pictures of You," from Disintegration.
I guess The Cure might also fall into the category of "bands I listened to obsessively." It's hard to tell, really, because I listened to them a lot mostly because people I was around listened to them a lot. I really do like their music, at least everything up to Disintegration, but they haven't made it onto a playlist in a long time.
"Pictures of You," is probably one of my favorite songs; it has great instrumentation and clean, if mopey, vocals from Robert Smith. The video is only so-so, sadly, but stands out as yet another example of the director doing everything he can to make the band miserable. (This was sort of a theme in their videos. For another example, check out the video for "Close To Me.")
11c - A Song From A Band I Listened To Obsessively For A Long Time, But Then Stopped For Some Reason: The Velvet Underground and Nico, "Femme Fatale," from The Velvet Underground and Nico (aka: "the banana album," "peel slowly and see")
velvet underground - femme fatale by erioluk
My friend AJ introduced me to the Velvet Underground in my Junior year of high school. He loaned me his vinyl copy of The Velvet Underground and Nico and by the time I handed it back a week later I'd already made two cassette copies. (I needed one for home and one to live in the Chevette, you see.) From then until 1995 or so I pretty much listened to anything by The Velvets or Lou Reed that I could get my hands on.
And then, I sort of, stopped. I don't know what happened. I know I started getting back into techno around that time, so that might have had something to do with it. Or maybe it was Lou's later albums that put me off. Whatever the reason, I haven't listened to anything by the Velvets in a long time; the closest I've come, in fact, was a brief stint listening to a cover of that first album by Beck's Record Club - something I blogged about here a while ago.
So, there we are. Another "day" finished in this interminable challenge. Look forward to my next entry, when I'll most likely call bullshit on the topic again and then spend entirely too long writing about it. Excelsior!
Showing posts with label music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label music. Show all posts
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
The Cars That Go Boom
Somebody actually took the time to make a video for one of my favorite mashups ever. And it's pretty well edited, too! (If you don't like mashups at least hang in there for the vintage Beatles cartoon.)
Saturday, September 05, 2009
Beck's Record Club
Alright, so I'm about a month late jumping on this particular bandwagon but, as a fan of both Beck and The Velvet Underground, I'd be remiss if I didn't at least mention the Record Club project. Briefly, here's how it works: Beck and a bunch of his friends get together, they choose an album, and then they cover it, song by song, laying down the whole LP in one day. Their first pick was one of my favorite albums ever: The Velvet Underground and Nico.
When I first heard about the Record Club, I really liked the idea - I still do, really - but after listening to their covers of the Velvets' songs I've found I'm not so thrilled with the results when the idea is put into practice. I'm sure this is in no small part due to the fact that I've pretty much memorized every song, every off-key note, every junk-soaked phrase of the source material. I know this album like I know few other things in my life. If they'd started by covering Digital Underground's Sex Packets, as Beck claims they almost did, I probably wouldn't be judging the results so harshly.
But still. These tracks - most of them, at least - sound like exactly what they are: rough, unrehearsed experiments. On the Record Club website, Beck himself writes, "some of the songs are rough renditions, often first takes documenting what happened over the course of a day. There is no intention to 'add to' the original work or attempt to recreate the power of the original recording. Only to play music and document what happens." This is the sort of stuff I'd expect to hear from a favorite local band, at the end of their last set of the night, when they're just goofing around on songs that they feel like playing.
But listen up, Beck, this album is important to me. I don't want to hear you and your friends goofing around with it, and I really don't want to hear you goofing around with "Heroin," or "Venus in Furs," two of my favorite songs on the album. The cover of "Heroin," in particular, is just awful. Out of kindness, I'm not even going to link to it. It's that bad. I'm talking about the musical equivalent of a goatse prank. All I could do was stare unbelieving at the screen for almost a minute before frantically clicking away.
I have to admit, though, that this experiment also yielded some pretty decent tracks. For example, I really enjoyed the cover of "Sunday Morning," probably because Beck had a chance to rehearse it on stage during his 2002 tour with The Flaming Lips. He does a good job capturing Lou Reed's relaxed, slightly sleepy delivery; although I'd guess "slightly sleepy" isn't too much of a stretch for the guy who pioneered slack-rock. He also provides the vocals for "I'll Be Your Mirror," and he does Nico proud.
The best of the bunch, though is the cover of "All Tomorrow's Parties." This track is absolutely brilliant, with Icelandic singer Thorunn Magnusdottir giving a slightly softer, sweeter rendition of Nico's vocals while Beck's long-time drummer Joey Waronker plays drums with one hand and keyboard with the other. Check it out:
I still think that the Record Club is a great idea, and I'm looking forward to future releases. I just hope that, from here out, they pick albums that I'm not quite so emotionally invested in. Take note, Beck, you just stay away from The Wall and Nothing's Shocking and we'll be all good.
When I first heard about the Record Club, I really liked the idea - I still do, really - but after listening to their covers of the Velvets' songs I've found I'm not so thrilled with the results when the idea is put into practice. I'm sure this is in no small part due to the fact that I've pretty much memorized every song, every off-key note, every junk-soaked phrase of the source material. I know this album like I know few other things in my life. If they'd started by covering Digital Underground's Sex Packets, as Beck claims they almost did, I probably wouldn't be judging the results so harshly.
But still. These tracks - most of them, at least - sound like exactly what they are: rough, unrehearsed experiments. On the Record Club website, Beck himself writes, "some of the songs are rough renditions, often first takes documenting what happened over the course of a day. There is no intention to 'add to' the original work or attempt to recreate the power of the original recording. Only to play music and document what happens." This is the sort of stuff I'd expect to hear from a favorite local band, at the end of their last set of the night, when they're just goofing around on songs that they feel like playing.
But listen up, Beck, this album is important to me. I don't want to hear you and your friends goofing around with it, and I really don't want to hear you goofing around with "Heroin," or "Venus in Furs," two of my favorite songs on the album. The cover of "Heroin," in particular, is just awful. Out of kindness, I'm not even going to link to it. It's that bad. I'm talking about the musical equivalent of a goatse prank. All I could do was stare unbelieving at the screen for almost a minute before frantically clicking away.
I have to admit, though, that this experiment also yielded some pretty decent tracks. For example, I really enjoyed the cover of "Sunday Morning," probably because Beck had a chance to rehearse it on stage during his 2002 tour with The Flaming Lips. He does a good job capturing Lou Reed's relaxed, slightly sleepy delivery; although I'd guess "slightly sleepy" isn't too much of a stretch for the guy who pioneered slack-rock. He also provides the vocals for "I'll Be Your Mirror," and he does Nico proud.
The best of the bunch, though is the cover of "All Tomorrow's Parties." This track is absolutely brilliant, with Icelandic singer Thorunn Magnusdottir giving a slightly softer, sweeter rendition of Nico's vocals while Beck's long-time drummer Joey Waronker plays drums with one hand and keyboard with the other. Check it out:
Record Club: Velvet Underground & Nico "All Tomorrow's Parties" from Beck Hansen on Vimeo.
I still think that the Record Club is a great idea, and I'm looking forward to future releases. I just hope that, from here out, they pick albums that I'm not quite so emotionally invested in. Take note, Beck, you just stay away from The Wall and Nothing's Shocking and we'll be all good.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Finally Finished the Himalaya Project!
So I finally finished that "Himalayan Mix Tape," I was going on about. I started with over 50 songs (including a lot of your suggestions, dear readers) and pared it down to a one-hour, compilation CD that I think will shout CARNIVAL! at you louder than a midway barker. Here's the run-down:1) Rock You Like a Hurricane - Scorpions
2) Back in Black - AC/DC
3) Immigrant Song - Led Zeppelin
4) Paradise City - Guns 'N' Roses
5) Tom Sawyer - Rush
6) Don't Bring Me Down - E.L.O.
7) Centerfold - J. Geils Band
8) Everybody Wants You - Billy Squier
9) Take a Chance on Me - ABBA
10) Mirror of Illusion - Hawkwind
11) Dirty White Boy - Foreigner
12) Fox on the Ron - Sweet
13) Godzilla - Blue Öyster Cult
I'm going to give it a listen tomorrow on my way to work, but I think we have a winner. If you'd like your own copy just shoot me your snail-mail and I'll send one out as soon as I get around to it. (Sorry, hard copies only, I'm just not up for fighting with my FTP client this week.)
Thanks again to everyone who suggested songs. It's gratifying to know that there's a couple of people actually reading this stuff.
(photo courtesy of Gush Party, USA)
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
Good News for Internet Radio
I listen to a LOT of internet radio. At work, I listen to a "Steve Roach" (ambient/drone) station on Pandora, in a feeble attempt to keep my stress levels down. At home, I listen to the "Drone Zone" on Soma FM while paying bills (for the same reason). And Robyn and I have recently started listening to the live stream from AM 1710 out of Antioch Illinois (old timey radio drama) at night as we go to sleep.
For several years now, there's been a struggle between internet radio stations and record labels. The point of contention has been what constitutes reasonable per-song royalty rates that the labels could require for sites providing streaming music. For a while, it looked as if the rates would be so high as to force stations like Pandora and Soma out of business.
According to a recent article in New York Times, though, the record labels and online music services have reached an agreement that will allow sites like Pandora and Some to stay in business, while providing the copyright holders with some compensation for their music.
There seems to be some question as to whether or not this agreement will remain in place; but if it does I think it will turn out to be a good thing for the labels. More and more, streaming music services are replacing commercial radio stations as the place for listeners to discover new music.
For several years now, there's been a struggle between internet radio stations and record labels. The point of contention has been what constitutes reasonable per-song royalty rates that the labels could require for sites providing streaming music. For a while, it looked as if the rates would be so high as to force stations like Pandora and Soma out of business.
According to a recent article in New York Times, though, the record labels and online music services have reached an agreement that will allow sites like Pandora and Some to stay in business, while providing the copyright holders with some compensation for their music.
There seems to be some question as to whether or not this agreement will remain in place; but if it does I think it will turn out to be a good thing for the labels. More and more, streaming music services are replacing commercial radio stations as the place for listeners to discover new music.
Sunday, June 07, 2009
The Himalayan Mixtape Project Continues
Your suggestions so far:
This is going to be a little tougher than I thought. The songs need to be upbeat & high energy, a la Rock of Ages, but not too angry. Welcome to the Jungle, for example, would be just a hair over the line.
- Shake It Up - Yes!
- Stand Back - More of a parachute ride song, if you ask me, but I'm willing to give it a go.
- Sweet Child O' Mine - This, or Paradise City; I'm still deciding.
- Rock of Ages - Yes!
This is going to be a little tougher than I thought. The songs need to be upbeat & high energy, a la Rock of Ages, but not too angry. Welcome to the Jungle, for example, would be just a hair over the line.
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
My Himalayan Mixtape
The great thing about writing a blog that's read by tens of people (hi mom!) is that I can, on a whim, call upon your combined brain-power, thereby saving me the trouble of using my own.That being said, and bearing in mind that you failed me miserably the last time I asked for help, here's your assignment: I want to compile a mixtape for my 40 minute commute to work. I need it to be upbeat and high-energy to get me "pumped up," about selling theaters and theatre accessories for 8 - 10 hours. My solution: the music they play on the "Himalaya" ride at the traveling carnival.
So, dear reader, leave me a comment with the song or songs you best remember being played (or think would be played) as the soundtrack for a tilted, supercharged carousel. I have a few songs already in mind, but I don't want to skew the results.
All I'll say is, "Fox on the Run."
Photo by sambeaner77.
Monday, June 01, 2009
I Just Deleted the "Most Recently Played" Sidebar
I've realized that most of the music I listen to is either via iTunes radio (or the Rhythmbox equivalent when I'm booted into Linux) or other streaming sites. These services do not play nicely with Last.FM, or Last.FM hasn't figured out how to collect information from them, I don't know. The point is that unless I'm streaming music from Last.FM or listening to my library on iTunes, Last.FM doesn't have a clue what I'm listening to and the results get all screwy.
For example: according to Last.FM, my current favorite artist is Brian Eno, and the last time I listened to music was on Friday, when I listened to the entirety of the Sigur Rós album "Ágætis Byrjun." Now, I did indeed listen to "Ágætis Byrjun" on Friday (and enjoyed it very much, thank you) but I've since listened to Miles Davis' "Kind of Blue," DJ Shadow's "Preemptive Strike," and a collection of Jonathan Coulton songs on the CD player in my car. I also listened to an hour or two of Classical Music on Magnatune while doing some homework.
As far as I can tell, Last.FM has no way of when I listen to music on anything other than iTunes, iPod, or their site. And there's nothing wrong with that, I guess, if that's how the majority of their users listen to music. I don't, and so my "Recently Played" box has been empty for the past few months. I finally got tired of looking at it and just deleted it.
Enjoy the new sidebar with tons of Amazon.commy action!
For example: according to Last.FM, my current favorite artist is Brian Eno, and the last time I listened to music was on Friday, when I listened to the entirety of the Sigur Rós album "Ágætis Byrjun." Now, I did indeed listen to "Ágætis Byrjun" on Friday (and enjoyed it very much, thank you) but I've since listened to Miles Davis' "Kind of Blue," DJ Shadow's "Preemptive Strike," and a collection of Jonathan Coulton songs on the CD player in my car. I also listened to an hour or two of Classical Music on Magnatune while doing some homework.
As far as I can tell, Last.FM has no way of when I listen to music on anything other than iTunes, iPod, or their site. And there's nothing wrong with that, I guess, if that's how the majority of their users listen to music. I don't, and so my "Recently Played" box has been empty for the past few months. I finally got tired of looking at it and just deleted it.
Enjoy the new sidebar with tons of Amazon.commy action!
Thursday, April 30, 2009
The Tallest Man on Earth
I've told you about The Tallest Man on Earth, right? I haven't?! Quick! Watch this video! No no no! There's no time to thank me now! Do it later! Click! Hurry!
Thursday, January 15, 2009
THE Decade of Rock
So we (the office) have been charged by our Fearless Leader to make mix tapes for prizes and glory. Twice before I've attempted this challenge, and both times I was met with bitter failure. The first time out, we were supposed to pick the ten best rock and roll songs, period, from the Beatles' era through to 12/31/1999. The second challenge was to choose the absolute worst songs of the 1980s, which I wrote about back in 2006. Coincidentally, that post marked the first time I realized that people other than myself occasionally read this blog.Well, this time you're not getting off so easy! By reading this far you have now entered into a legally binding agreement to provide me assistance in this year's challenge. Here it is: pick the decade that had the best music, and provide one track from each year to prove it. For the purposes of this challenge, a "decade" is defined simply as a span of ten years, not necessarily "the 80s," etc.
Now get to it, anonymous readers! I expect playlists in my comments section by Monday morning!
Friday, December 26, 2008
Let's Progress! (My Favorite Songs of 2008)
So I finished the list, it's posted below. Note that it's not in table format, because that's still way harder than it should be. And now the list:
TITLE - ARTIST
White Winter Hymnal - Fleet Foxes
Lost Coastlines - Okkervil River
We Got the Power (Love Letter from America) - The Born Again Floozies
Believe - The Bravery
The Places We Lived - Backyard Tire Fire
Jesus, Walk With Me (The Sound of Arrows Remix) - Club 8
All Night - Damian Marley
After All (feat. Talib Kweli) - Lupe Fiasco
The Modern Leper - Frightened Rabbit
Sax Rohmer #1 - The Mountain Goats
Dance, Dance, Dance - Lykke Li
Valerie Plame - The Decemeberists
You've Done It Again, Virginia - The National
Top Yourself - The Raconteurs
A-Punk - Vampire Weekend
Immigrant Punk - Gogol Bordello
San Bernardino - The Mountain Goats
Starálfur - Sigur Rós
Ching-A-Ling - Missy Elliot
In the unlikely event that there are readers of this blog, the more astute ones will have noticed that Dance, Dance, Dance by Lykke Li was not on the previous list. So I didnt' hear it until after making the first round list. So sue me.
TITLE - ARTIST
White Winter Hymnal - Fleet Foxes
Lost Coastlines - Okkervil River
We Got the Power (Love Letter from America) - The Born Again Floozies
Believe - The Bravery
The Places We Lived - Backyard Tire Fire
Jesus, Walk With Me (The Sound of Arrows Remix) - Club 8
All Night - Damian Marley
After All (feat. Talib Kweli) - Lupe Fiasco
The Modern Leper - Frightened Rabbit
Sax Rohmer #1 - The Mountain Goats
Dance, Dance, Dance - Lykke Li
Valerie Plame - The Decemeberists
You've Done It Again, Virginia - The National
Top Yourself - The Raconteurs
A-Punk - Vampire Weekend
Immigrant Punk - Gogol Bordello
San Bernardino - The Mountain Goats
Starálfur - Sigur Rós
Ching-A-Ling - Missy Elliot
In the unlikely event that there are readers of this blog, the more astute ones will have noticed that Dance, Dance, Dance by Lykke Li was not on the previous list. So I didnt' hear it until after making the first round list. So sue me.
Friday, November 28, 2008
Whoops!
In my last post, I mistakenly referred to the list of songs as "the Best Singles of 2008." To be perfectly honest, though, it should have been called, "A List of My Favorites Songs, Out of All The Songs I've Heard This Year, Excluding Any Genres That I Don't Particularly Care For."
You know, to differentiate my list from all of the real "Best Of" lists, which are of course all-inclusive and completely impartial.
You know, to differentiate my list from all of the real "Best Of" lists, which are of course all-inclusive and completely impartial.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
It's the Best (of) Time of the Year!
Yes, it's that time of year when bloggers the world over join together in celebrating how much better their tastes (be they musical, literary, theatrical or otherwise) are than yours. I'm always willing to jump on a bandwagon when it looks like it's going my way, so here is my preliminary list of the best singles 2008 had to offer. This list is arranged alphabetically, as I haven't yet decided which singles were the most important - and also to hide how many times the Mountain Goats show up - but rest assured, there's a numbered list coming soon.
(note to Blogger: formatting tables is about 120 times more difficult than it needs to be.)
(note to Blogger: formatting tables is about 120 times more difficult than it needs to be.)
Track | Artist | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| A-Punk | Vampire Weekend | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| After All (ft. Talib Kweli) | Lupe Fiasco | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| All Night | Damian Marley | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Balance | The Mountain Goats | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Believe | The Bravery | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Best Ever Death Metal Band In Denton | The Mountain Goats | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa | Vampire Weekend | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ching-A-Ling | Missy Elliot | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Evil Urges | My Morning Jacket | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fault Lines | The Mountain Goats | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Funplex | The B-52's | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Heretic Pride | The Mountain Goats | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| I Will Possess Your Heart (Radio Edit) | Death Cab For Cutie | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Immigrant Punk | Gogol Bordello | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In A Cave | Tokyo Police Club | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jesus, Walk with Me (Sound of Arrows remix) | Club 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Less Talk More Rokk (Album Version) | Freezepop | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Let The Drummer Kick | Citizen Cope | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lost Coastlines | Okkervil River | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lovecraft In Brooklyn | The Mountain Goats | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Machine Gun | Portishead | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Me And Armini | Emiliana Torrini | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Mess Inside | The Mountain Goats | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Modern Leper | Frightened Rabbit | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| My Moon, My Man (Grizzly Bear remix) | Feist | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Old Enough | The Raconteurs | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Places We Lived | Backyard Tire Fire | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Poke | Frightened Rabbit | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Regret | Wye Oak | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| San Bernardino | The Mountain Goats | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sax Rohmer #1 | The Mountain Goats | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Say Hey (I Love You) | Michael Franti & Spearhead | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shitewrecked | Urchin | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Starálfur | Sigur Rós | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Top Yourself (Album Version) | The Raconteurs | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Valerie Plame | The Decemberists | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| We Got The Power (Love Letter From America) | Born Again Floozies | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| White Winter Hymnal | Fleet Foxes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Working Class Hero | Exit Clōv | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| You've Done It Again Virginia | The National | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 10 Tons Of Dope (Featuring Dillinger) | Sounds From The Ground | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Monday, February 04, 2008
Vampire Weekend
I snagged a few tracks from Vampire Weekend's debut album this wee...a day or so ago, and some of their stuff is pretty okay. I'm just not crazy about everything I've heard. I realize that I'm no longer part of the modern music scene but I just don't dig "Oxford Comma" or "Mansard Roof" - two of the more popular singles according to the blogs I've been reading. "A-Punk," and "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa," however, are fun little pop songs that I'm happy to have with me during my morning commute.
I'll leave serious commentary to folks dedicated to music blogging. Here! Look at this video!
I'll leave serious commentary to folks dedicated to music blogging. Here! Look at this video!
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Thank You 120 Minutes
Last post I mentioned how MTV's 120 Minutes introduced me to a lot of great music back in the days before the Interweb. Out of curiosity, I dug up the playlists from my junior and senior years of high school to see just how much music I would have missed out on had I actually gone to bed at a decent hour on Sundays.Quite a lot, as it turns out. Here's some of my favorites, with links to videos where I could find them. I can remember making some of my first mix tapes with these songs, patching the audio output from my parents' VCR into my boom box and recording everything onto glorious Maxell 90-minute cassettes. Fresh.
The Sisters of Mercy: I loved goth-rock before I even knew what goth was. "Lucretia My Reflection" aired in July of '88. Almost twenty years later, I still don't know what the lyrics are supposed to mean.
That same episode featured "Peek-a-Boo" by Sioxsie and the Banshees. I think I bought the cassette of Peepshow the next week.
The video for Billy Bragg's excellent "Waiting for the Great Leap Forwards" aired in June. This YouTube video is actually for "There is Power in a Union" from Talking With the Taxman About Poetry. It's worth watching for the AFL-CIO organizer in full cheerleader drag. Due to the relative obscurity of Bragg here in the States (or, at least, in Scenic Western Maryland) I didn't get my hands on an album of his until two years later, when I stumbled on copies of Worker's Playtime and Taxman in the discount bin of the Virgin megastore in London.
The Primitives' "Crash" was another July '88 offering - I must have been up late a lot that July. Apparently, it was remixed for the movie Dumb and Dumber; something I only just learned as I've been steadfastly avoiding seeing any part of that movie since it came out.
Finally, "Reptile", by The Church, aired in August of '88. I think I may have actually seen the video for "Under the Milky Way" earlier that year, but I can't prove it. Both songs together got me to pony up for a copy of Starfish in time for the back-to-school moping season. (I lettered in Mope.)
Friday, May 11, 2007
The Audacity Project
I'm slooowly working my way through a box of my old cassette tapes from the 80s and 90s, converting them to MP3 by way of a neat, free program called Audacity. Briefly, it's a program that allows me to record the input from a borrowed cassette player (thanks, Dad! I'll return it someday soon, I promise!) as a .wav file on my hard drive. I record each side of a tape as its own file, then go back through and chop it up into individual tracks. For the most part I've been happy with the results, although albums that feature tracks fading into each other can be tough to split up. Into the Labyrinth by Dead Can Dance, for example, was a royal pain.
I just finished converting one of my favorite tapes from my early college days, Only Life by The Feelies. I remember hearing "Away" for the first time on 120 Minutes, back in 1989 or so. That show lead me to a lot of good music back in the days before the Interwub...but that's a different post. Anyway, here's a link to the MP3 of "Away." Illegal, I guess, so check it out before The Man shuts me down.
Next up: Floodland by The Sisters of Mercy. Bring on the gothy goodness!
I just finished converting one of my favorite tapes from my early college days, Only Life by The Feelies. I remember hearing "Away" for the first time on 120 Minutes, back in 1989 or so. That show lead me to a lot of good music back in the days before the Interwub...but that's a different post. Anyway, here's a link to the MP3 of "Away." Illegal, I guess, so check it out before The Man shuts me down.
Next up: Floodland by The Sisters of Mercy. Bring on the gothy goodness!
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