What is this? It’s got a groove, seems to be taken apart until it comes together with the horns, and is cute and a joke and a good tune.
Category Archives: youtube song
Jens Lekman, What’s That Perfume You Wear?
Jens has a new elpee out. My first time through I was disappointed. Seemed a little pro forma Euro disco.
But in fact, after a few listens, there are some other great songs here beside Evening Prayer.
I think this is the single. There is a real video. Secretly Canadian is promoting this. Good for them.
Mainland, Leave the Lights On
Very Strokes-ish, which means it sounds pretty good. It’s two years old, and would be a welcome sound on the radio. On the other hand, could there be a worse band name than Mainland?
Listening to other tunes, they are pretty good at mining the same commercial rock vein as the Strokes, but the rhythm section doesn’t hit quite as hard, and the songs aren’t quite as good. And the arrangements can veer toward, ugh, the commercial crap we try to avoid (and ambitious rockers sell their souls to achieve).
But this one just dropped, and apart from the fake English accent it’s pretty jangly and rocking.
Jackie DeShannon, When You Walk Into the Room
Gene posted the Searchers version in the comments yesterday, which led me to this TV lipsynch version of the original, which is also great. Too many strings, not necessary, as the Searchers knew, but DeShannon’s version is both closely observed and kind of epic.
The Cyrkle, Red Rubber Ball
What I didn’t know before today was that Brian Epstein, the Beatles manager, discovered these guys. He changed their name, and John Lennon suggested alternative spelling.
Plus their biggest hit was co-written by Paul Simon. He still gets royalties.
They played as an opener on many of the Beatles last stadium shows.
After the well ran dry they wrote jingles, and produced Foghat albums. Kind of crazy, like a red rubber ball with spin.
ZZ Top, Legs
My old friend Dot skipped the debate tonight to see ZZ Top in Scottsdale, in Arizona.
Good choice, I said, but then I started thinking about ZZ Tops’ biggest hit and the video that dominated MTV for a while and thought it provided some commentary for the current political situation, which involves a lot of lies, a discombobulated narrative, bullying and, we hope at the end of day, some women’s liberation. Even if we don’t ever see Hillary kiss Bill again.
As you might expect, the signifiers are a mixed bag. Just vote.
Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats: I’m Listening
This is not an upbeat tune, but it has a drone-y appeal. From the most recent album
This is another midtempo tune with a dubious sexual ethic. From 2015
This is from 2014. I’m sensing a pattern.
These guys can play and are fun, in a biker chick line of coke kind of way. I’m not denigrating that at all.
Rockin’ Hank Williams
I came across this Hank Williams cover, which rocks pretty hard and stokes my fear or heights.
Which reminded me of this other Hank Williams cover.
Chazz Kaster Profile in the Nashville Scene
Who Da Fug is Chazz Kaster? Well, um, the killer guitarist in Hans Condor. The only rock ‘n’ roll band left in this world alive.
Kaster broke up the Condor a few years back because he became a dad, and because he was a dad he became a cop. Weird, eh?
But after some time spent in the Halls of Justice Nashville style, he gave up his badge and went back to bartending.
Plus playing kick-ass guitar in a great rock n roll band with better and cleverer songs than other rock bands.
You can read the profile here.
The odds of me getting to Nashville are slim. The band is in North Carolina this weekend, but that’s no better.
I want to see these guys live. That’s all I can say.
I think you can find most of their recorded work on this site if you search Hans Condor, but here’s a little reprise for those who are wondering what the fuss is about.
Here’s the coda to a tune:
Here’s their excellent music video, supporting their album, with a fine rock n roll song:
Kansas, Dust in the Wind
My daughter is writing a research paper about the Dust Bowl. She was looking for a title, and I glibly suggested Dust In The Wind. She liked it. I hope she gets an A.
But that moment was a reason to listen to the tune, which I probably haven’t done in a really long time. But in all these years, I could sing the song, and certainly have.
Checking out the video tonight. It is cheesy, but the melody and starkness of the tune are unforgettable. Is abjectness a vibe? Apparently.
Does that make it a great song? The video tells me this is some sort of midwestern crazy fundamental evangelical nonsense. All these pictures are like those on the internet that promise me pictures that changed weddings, history, Woodstock.
But the tune is straightforward, and was a hit everywhere. Maybe it’s the great melody, with an idea that everyone finds inevitable. Hell yeah!
What I don’t hear is careerism. I hear Remnants who went big and hit one out. Cool!