1977

When I think 1977 I think of disco music and I think of Bob Seger. I don't really care for either (though you could probably dig up a handful of Commodores tunes I'll willingly shake to)(and I like "Turn the Page"), so this entry will lean away from sparkly dancefloors and burly men with classic rock mullets. Instead we'll dabble in the pseudo-proggy and the protopunk, all while keeping our pop sensibilities about us.


Genesis - "Pigeons"
In 1976 Genesis released Wind & Wuthering, and the following year they released the Spot the Pigeon EP to accomodate three W&W leftovers. These three songs, the band felt, were good songs that didn't quite belong on W&W. (Steve Hacket, however, thought that "Inside and Out" would have fit just fine. Disgruntled for this and other reasons, he left the band later in '77.) "Pigeons" is unlike any on W&W and indeed unlike any other Genesis song up to this point. Though embodying the band's characteristically dark undertones, it's almost numbingly simple and surprisingly bouncy. And, y'know, pigeons! And the killing of them! After perusing some album reviews I seem to be the only one who favors this song above the two others.


Peter Gabriel - "Solsbury Hill"
Gabriel left Genesis in 1975 and "Solsbury Hill" is about him making that difficult decision. The song is both cautious and hopeful, teetering between nostalgia and the unknown future, and the lyrics mesh perfectly with the outstanding use of instrumentation. Performed in 7/4 time (except for the "...I've come to take you home" parts, which are in 4/4) the song begins simply with a jangly acoustic guitar, a steady beat, and a shaker. But percussive elements and subtle harmonzing are gradually introduced until, at the onset of a triumphant electric guitar, things get celebratiously raucous.
It always slips my mind, but this is probably the best song ever made.


Talking Heads - "Psycho Killer"
You all know this song, now go dance and speak French and serial kill.*


Television - "Marquee Moon" (link from Poptartssucktoasted)
I like looong songs, and this one clocks in at 10:40 (though on the original vinyl release it was about a minute shorter). It's a full song, though, with elements of punk and prog and even jazz. Apparently it was recorded in one take, with the drummer not even aware that they were actually recording. But the band had been performing "Marquee Moon" for years, and by this point the dueling guitars and Tom Verlaine's warbly voice had been rehearsed to perfection.


Bob Welch - "Sentimental Lady"
This is 100% soft-rock fluff, which is fine as long as soft-rock fluff doesn't make up most of your music collection. Bob Welch (not to be confused with the 27-game winner of the same name) originally recorded this song as a member of Fleetwood Mac in 1972, then re-recorded it for his first solo album, French Kiss. Interestingly, for this newer version Mick Fleetwood is on drums, and Christine McVie and Lyndsey Buckingham do backup vocals. And though I'm not usually a fan of updated versions, I enjoy the French Kiss "Sentimental Lady" more than the Fleetwood Mac Bare Trees "Sentimental Lady".
Also, the 1970s were known for some particularly egregious album covers. I'll elaborate on this sometime in the future.



*Please do not actually commit any murders.

MMFRR#8 -- Jimi Maze

For reasons that probably won't be known until therapy peels back the layers, my musical tastes tend to lean towards the dark and dour. Angry/sad music seems more authentic than something knee-slappingly bright, and melodically usually sounds better too. There's a reason why "Shiney Happy People" is REM's worst song and "Drive" one of their best. It's all about attitude, and there's little room for a good attitude in rock 'n' roll.

So here in my Myspace Friends Request inbox to prove my point is Jimi Maze.

Hypnotizing.

Jason Mraz.
Jimi Maze.
Mraz, Maze.
JM, JM.

The comparisons don't stop there, either. Maze, in fact, is a Mraz clone, sent to us by science to keep the fratboys occupied enough to not set things on fire. Armed with a guitar, a penchant for bustin' rhymes, and a feel-good repertoire of music, Maze is here to emcee your kegger and possibly steal your girl.

It's amazing, shocking if it weren't so commonplace, how bastardized rap and hip-hop have become. Once a tool for social consciousness, the genre (facets of it, at least) is now a fun little toy for those too lazy to mess around with melody. Rap's delivery is easy and mindless (just talk to the rhythm, yo) and apparently cool. Undoubtedly there are many people doing wonderful things in/with rap and hip-hop, but this isn't about them. This is about Jimi Maze.

At least, at very least, Maze doesn't take himself so seriously. Fred Durst takes himself seriously and consequently everybody laughs at him (they better, anyway). Maze, I get the feeling, is probably unfazed by how stupid I and others think his music is. The stupidity of the music is part of the appeal, for goodness sakes.

Peppy, bouncy, lowest common denominator feel-good acoustic guitar pop, faux-hop rhymin'... Maze is pretty good at what he does, but it happens that I can't really stand what he does.

Jimi Maze: for fans of Jason Mraz, Jack Johnson, underage drinking, Greek rushes, backwards baseball hats, and that peculiar phase between high school and college.

I rate him 4 Hey brahs out of 10.

MMFRR#7 -- Haingo

Somebody wants to be my Myspace friend, and that can only mean one thing.
Myspace Music Friend Request Reviews!
Today we check out Haingo who resides somewhere in French Canada.

(I like to think that somebody was taking a picture of some artwork when she randomly jumped in front of the camera and struck a pose.)

Two things that surprised me here:
1) How does somebody who appears so brittle have such a deep and resounding voice?
2) R&B exists in Quebec?

First of all, before I say something mean (accidental or otherwise), this woman has a terrific voice. I can appreciate a talent even if I don't appreciate the way it's been put to use. And even though this style of R&B isn't/ain't my thing/thang, I find her actual voice very appealing.

[note: I've got to say nice things like that on the off-chance that Haingo will come to my blog and read about herself. I may sound like a jerk sometimes, but I'm honestly not that interested in hurting feelings.]

Now then,
I don't know how up-to-date the trends wafting through Quebec are (though admittedly Montreal's indie scene is killer), but Anita Baker and Whitney Huston ate this genre up fifteen years ago. I'm done with it, and I thought everybody else was too. But not Haingo. Haingo is not done with fifteen-year-old R&B.

Most of the tunes on her Myspace page are just song snippets, but snippets are all I can handle. Thirty seconds is even a bit long for some of these tunes, and I can't even imagine the damage a full album of Haingo might do. There are two full-length songs, "Aza" and "Nifamilafila". Predictably I don't care for "Aza", which sounds like a Christmas song I often hear in department stores during the holidays. (In chemical nomenclature, by the way, aza- is a prefix indicating the presence of nitrogen [thank you wikipedia]) But UNpredictably I DO care for "Nifamilafila". It's the cool jazz that saves it. The slow-going, perhaps. Maybe the undescernable French lyrics too. Saucy. If you're going to give Haingo a chance at all then concentrate all your listenability onto this song.

I will say that Haingo is better than Celine Dion, but what kind of comparison is that?

In all I give Haingo three Haingos out of ten.

(And look, I didn't even make fun of her name. Not once!)

1969

In the 1950s a lot of folk music was closely connotated with Beatniks and left-leaning banjo-pluckin' musicians (Woody, Seeger, etc). Due to the political nature of a lot of folk music the general public didn't find it as palatible as, say, big band/showtunes/Sinatra/country songs about your cheatin' heart. But a decade later the Beatniks morphed into hippies, the banjos into electric guitars, and a cultural revolution brought opinionated music from fringe to mainstream. As the 1970s neared, music (folk or otherwise) could sound like absolutely anything and people would listen.

Even though there were some pretty rockin' acts from 1969 (MC5, The Stooges, Led Zep, etc.) here are five softer (though no less important) songs from five musicians who's musical influence is still apparent today.


The Monkees - "Listen to the Band"
Peter Tork left The Monkees in 1969, but the remaining three members recorded two albums that year anyway. These albums weren't a big commercial success, but Michael Nesmith's songs (mellow-fied country-rock, a genre that wouldn't reach full fruition until the mid-70s) nonetheless stood out.


Townes Van Zandt - "Waiting Around to Die"
Van Zandt once said that his songs weren't necessarily sad; they were hopeless. Also, I can't think of any other song that mentions codeine.




Nick Drake - "Day is Done"
The instrumentation is beautiful, Drake's voice and lyrics ache, and the pacing is just right. I sort of love this song.


Crosby, Stills & Nash - "Guinnevere"
Some of the best harmonies ever. This song is so gentle that one day I'm afraid it's going to flutter out an open window like a feather snatched by an unperceivable breeze. Or something.



Tim Buckley - "Dream Letter"
Happy Sad was Buckley's first real experimental album and deviated from the folksy appeal and accessibility of his first two albums. His new approach was minimalistic and contained jazz influence and resulted in a completely unique style of music.

[Note: In an effort to facilitate the purchasing of the albums from these artists, in addition to linking .mp3s I've also linked up where you can buy the music from Amazon.com.]

1959

I've always liked the late 1950s, at least as far as music is concerned. There was the doo-wap, country, early rock 'n' roll, the rockabilly hybrid of country and early rock 'n' roll, and smooth r&b. Not that there was anything wrong with big band and show tunes, but after half a century it was time for something new.
This entry contains tunes glorifying sex and violence, which is less a warning than it is a point of interest because... well, it's 1959.


Ray Charles - "What'd I Say"
Most songs back then were well under three-and-a-half minutes long. This one clocks in at six-and-a-half. Naturally 7-inch records weren't large enough to incorporate the whole thing on one side, so the single was released with "Part 1" on side-A and "Part 2" on side-B. The best part of the song (or at least the most obvious part) is the sassy call-and-response section. I don't know how they got away with it, and songs have been outright banned from radio for far less.


Lloyd Price - "Stagger Lee"
This song has been sung a hundred different ways by a hundred different people, but this version will always be my favorite. Based loosely on an 1895 incident in St. Louis, "Stagger Lee" is about a gambler who lost some money, went home and grabbed a gun, then shot the guy who swindled him. The end! Somehow blatant violence is so much more acceptable when it's in music form (see also: "Mack the Knife")


The Skyliners - "Since I Don't Have You"
A more traditional song from the era (complete with orchestral backing), the vocals here are fantastic. And melodramatically saaaad.
"I don't have fond desires. I don't have happy hours. I don't have anything, since I don't have you."


The Fleetwoods - "Mr. Blue"
The Fleetwoods, which their simple two girls/one guy harmonies, amp up the melancholy even more here. From the lamentingly poetic introduction to the lonely brass to the last broken-hearted notes, this one's a weeper. (And wait, wasn't Mr. Blue the name of a Reservoir Dogs character... who DIES?) The vocals are so butter-smooth, and it's a shame that the floppy-haired madness of the British Invasion effectively ended interest in this kind of music just a few short years later.


Santo & Johnny - "Sleep Walk"
The face of music has changed so much during the latter half of the 20th century. For example, I think I would like to hear more instrumentals on the radio (not composed by Yanni or John Tesh, that is). But at least one thing hasn't changed after fifty years -- "one hit wonders". Although their follow up single "Tear Drop" peaked at #23 on the pop charts in 1959, it's "Sleep Walk" that has survived and maintained familiarity status all these years. As for the song itself, it's amazing how much emotion a steel guitar can convey. Modest Mouse does a lyricized cover of this song on 2000's Building Nothing Out of Something, as do a handful of others.

1991

Except for the marvelous things happening in the grunge/alternative rock scene, 1991 (and indeed, that whole front half of the decade) was a pretty lame year for music. I don't care to expound on that, but here are some great songs that didn't appear on Pearl Jam's Ten.
Drive Like Jehu - "Caress"
Interestingly this song can be downloaded from several different websites, which is probably why I'm so familiar with this song but so UNfamiliar with any other Jehu tunes. I do know that this is the first track on their debut album -- an album I should probably buy. Anyway, squeeling guitars, frantic screaming, post-hardcore awesomeness... give this one a listen.

Moving from the first song from a debut album to the final song of a final album...

The Psychedelic Furs - "All About You" (.wma file)
This song has a bleak Joy Division feel to it, as does most of World Outside, The Furs' final studio release. It's an interesting departure from the commercial direction they seemed to be going in the mid-to-late 80s, and harkens back to their darker punk-minded releases of the late 70s and early 80s.


My Bloody Valentine - "When You Sleep" (.wma file)
Loveless is so dense (yet mostly recorded in mono) and so instrumentally creative (yet soothingly consistent) that it's very difficult to try and briefly summerize any particular song from the album. "When You Sleep" stands out because it's the most accessible song on the record, though that shouldn't take away from the etheral beauty of the other tracks. In fact, regardless of whether or not you like this song, you should listen to Loveless in its entirety. It's like swimming through crimson clouds during that peculiar moment between wakefulness and sleep.


Believer - "Sanity Obscure"
The album Sanity Obscure was originally released on REX Records in 1990, but was given wider distribution when it was re-released by Roadrunner Records in 1991. So though technically a 1990 release, I'm giving this one to 1991. Also for some reason I'm chompin' on the bit to feature some thrash metal. The title track sounds as fresh today as it did sixteen years ago, and you can hear the influence in modern bands like Extol.


Sebadoh - "Violet Execution"
What's better than indie lo-fi? Re-issued indie lo-fi! Sebadoh's album III was re-issued last year by Domino Records and contains a second CD full of extras. As if the 23 songs on the original release wasn't enough...