Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – “We Call Upon The Author” from Dig!!! Lazarus, Dig!!! [2008]
I saw Nick Cave and Co. live a few weeks ago, and they really tore it up onstage. The band is a severn-piece ensemble, featuring (among others), Warren Ellis, who is also 1/3 of the Dirty Three. I single out [...]
Entries from October 2008
October 30, 2008
“Everything is banal and jejune”
October 29, 2008
“And we’re following the will of the one”
Blind Guardian – “Into the Storm” from Nightfall in Middle Earth [1998]
Blind Guardian – “Mirror Mirror” from Nightfall in Middle Earth [1998]
My coworker and I were singing metal to each other today and I remembered how much ass this album kicks. I haven’t listened to this album in probably two years, so it was hard [...]
October 28, 2008
I went to New Orleans and all I got was this awesome song (and the chance to drink some excellent absinthe)
Darondo – “Didn’t I” from Let My People Go (1973)
My pal Ben introduced me to this incredible soul classic when I was down in the Crescent City recently. Darondo sounds like Al Green except somehow…better. Apparently John Mayer likes it, but so will you.
Here’s a bitchin’ video of some dude dancing to this song:
[...]
October 28, 2008
“And the feeling remains”
Ester Drang – “How Good Is Good Enough” from Goldenwest [2001]
The funny thing about Oklahoma’s Ester Drang is that they get progressively less interesting and ambitious with every release. This, however, is a standout track from their standout album, a shoegaze/space-rock inferno. One of my favorites, good for weird weather days, great for summer driving, [...]
October 27, 2008
“There’s one in every crowd/for cryin’ out loud”
Waylon Jennings – “Honky Tonk Heroes” from Honky Tonk Heroes (1973)
The exploration of country music has been a recurring theme on this blog (as well as on some of our favorite brother-blogs such as Setting the Woods on Fire and The Rising Storm). For me, this exploration has been largely defined by seeing past the [...]
October 26, 2008
Moses come ridin’ up on a quasar: A Somewhat Brief Primer To ’70s Live Dead
The Grateful Dead – “Greatest Story Ever Told” from Steppin’ Out With The Grateful Dead: England 1972
The Grateful Dead – “Not Fade Away > Playing In The Band” from Dick’s Picks Vol 10: Winterland, 12/29/1977
The Grateful Dead – “Scarlet Begonias > Fire On The Mountain” from Barton Hall, Cornell University, 5/8/1977
The Grateful Dead – “Friend [...]
October 25, 2008
Harriet Beecher Stowe – The May EP
Harriet Beecher Stowe – “Waltz” from The May EP [2004]
Harriet Beecher Stowe – “Firebird One” from The May EP [2004]
Harriet Beecher Stowe – “Oceansandsky” from The May EP [2004]
Under the advisement of other SWR personnel, I am making available to the world the unreleased three-song EP by Harriet Beecher Stowe, my band from college. Featuring [...]
October 21, 2008
“Eatin’ spam and Oreos and drinkin’ Thunderbird”
Baby Huey and the Babysitters – “Hard Times (LP version)” from The Baby Huey Story: The Living Legend (1970)
This song was born to be a hip-hop sample; it’s funky, catchy, and socially conscious.
Baby Huey transcended his era. Like the music of his contemporaries Demon Fuzz, his work with the Babysitters seemed quite progressive in 1970. [...]
October 21, 2008
“I don’t need those words to say what I mean”
The Avett Brothers – “Tear Down The House” from The Second Gleam (2008)
I can’t stop listening to this song. Too bad their Greensboro show next week is sold out.
Buy it here
Posted by Glenn
October 14, 2008
“Everybody’s comin’ home for lunch these days”
Camper Van Beethoven – “Take The Skinheads Bowling” from Telephone Free Landslide Victory (1985)
No home should be without this slacker classic. My team, the Bowl Weevils, is dead last in our league.
Pray to Jah
Posted by Glenn
October 12, 2008
Country Blues
Hank Williams – “Long Gone Lonesome Blues” (1950)
Hank Williams – “Weary Blues From Waitin’” (recorded ca. 1951)
Weary. Lonesome. Long Gone. This is the sound of stately anguish. Like all the greats, Hank Williams creates a world with his music, a world that intersects with this one but also takes you a million miles away; a [...]
October 11, 2008
Favorite Song to Play, Part IV
The Beatles – “Helter Skelter” from The Beatles [The White Album] (1968)
I play the drums. I could never get the fingers on my right hand (I’m left-handed) to move independently enough to play any stringed instrument, although I’ve recently been thinking about taking up the hurdy-gurdy. I love playing this song because it’s [...]
October 10, 2008
Favorite Song to Play, Part III
Dave Holland – “Conference of the Birds” from Conference of the Birds (1972)
I spent a few years (almost) exclusively playing jazz bass. One of my favorite tunes to play with a jazz group is this repetitive jam, the title track off my favorite ever free jazz album. Take a listen, and you’ll understand why: a [...]
October 9, 2008
Favorite Song to Play, Part II
Emmylou Harris – “Goin’ Back to Harlan” from Wrecking Ball [1995]
Wrecking Ball is a perfect album. There is no other to compare it to. Combine the production of Lanois with the additional production sensibilities of like-minded Malcolm Burn (one of my favorite producers), bring them to Emmylou Harris and you get a genre-bending masterpiece.
This song [...]
October 9, 2008
Favorite song to play, Part I
We here at SWR are not merely avid appreciators of music, we are also practitioners though probably of varying proficiencies. So, we introduce this newest segment of songs we most enjoy playing, either alone or in ensemble. You, our readers, are encouraged to suggest your favorite songs as well (and perhaps a link to some [...]
