Songs You May Have Missed #679

26 Feb 2021 Leave a comment

by Ed Cyphers in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: ,

Republic Tigers: “Latter Daisy” (2020)

“What’s especially fascinating about listening to the Republic Tigers’ Mind Over Matter with the knowledge of the last seven or eight years of musical history is the fact that, had it been released when originally intended, it would’ve been way ahead of the curve.”- The Pitch.

Yes, back when this blog first spotlighted Republic Tigers with 2008’s sweeping “Buildings & Mountains”, we mentioned that their second full-length release was expected in 2012.

Well, that second LP has been completed since 2012 but…stuff happens. Legal complications caused the band to shelve the record until 2020, and the amazing thing is how fresh and modern this time capsule of an album sounds despite a lack of remixing, remastering or tinkering of any kind.

And it’s not just in the sparkling arrangements or production. Lyrics such as  “It’s time we build a wall / that keeps us thinking small” from the lead track and single “Falco Peregrinus” seem prescient, as if written in the year of their ultimate release.

But to this listener’s ear, it’s “Latter Daisy” that’s the most infectious earworm on the album. Like the two previous Tigers songs this blog has featured, give this one a few listens and you’ll find it burrowing into your brain in the sweetest way.

See also: Songs You May Have Missed #82 | Every Moment Has A Song (edcyphers.com)

See also: Songs You May Have Missed #389 | Every Moment Has A Song (edcyphers.com)

Video of the Week: An Interview with America’s Sweetheart, Alice Cooper

26 Feb 2021 Leave a comment

by Ed Cyphers in Video of the Week Tags:

Alice Cooper, “shock rocker”. Alice Cooper, recovered alcoholic. Alice Cooper, chicken killer. You know all the usual portrayals.

What you’re about to learn–if you watch this 2005 Australian TV interview–is that Alice is a mild-mannered, articulate, cultured kinda guy. And quite humorous too.

The lost art of deep listening: Choose an album. Lose the phone. Close your eyes.

26 Feb 2021 Leave a comment

by Ed Cyphers in General Posts Tags:

Clint Eastwood listens to records at his home in 1959. 
(CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images)

(via Los Angeles Times) By RANDALL ROBERTS

What’s your favorite album? When was the last time you listened — actually listened — to it from start to finish? With intention, like you were watching a movie or reading a novel.

Clear your schedule for the next three hours. Choose three full albums, whether from your collection or your streaming service of choice. Put them in an ordered queue as though you were programming a triple feature.

Because, listen:

Musicians spend years making their albums. They struggle over syllables, melodies, bridges and rhythms with the same intensity with which you compare notes on the “Forensic Files” reboot, loot corpses in “Fortnite” or pound Cabernet during pandemics.

But most of us are half-assed when it comes to listening to albums. We put on artists’ work while we’re scrolling through Twitter, disinfecting doorknobs, obsessively washing our hands or romancing lovers permitted within our COVID-free zones. We rip our favorite tracks from their natural long-player habitat, drop them into playlists and forget the other songs, despite their being sequenced to be heard in order…

Read more: Coronavirus tips: Why you should listen to music in this way – Los Angeles Times (latimes.com)

Video of the Week: The Band Everyone Thought Was The Beatles

26 Feb 2021 Leave a comment

by Ed Cyphers in Video of the Week Tags: ,

Songs You May Have Missed #678

26 Feb 2021 Leave a comment

by Ed Cyphers in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: ,

Gene Simmons: “See You Tonite” (1978)

Gene Simmons rocks. Uh, most of the time. Certainly that’s how he made his bones with his full time band.

But this Beatlesque nugget, like much of his 1978 eponomous solo album, must have taken fans a bit by surprise. “See You Tonite” brings to mind early Badfinger, or the Raspberries in one of their quieter moments. Strings and sweet harmonies from Dr. Love? Who’da thought?

Check out an unplugged Kiss performance of the song below:

Albumlinernotes.com is the largest archive of Liner Notes on the internet.

26 Feb 2021 Leave a comment

by Ed Cyphers in General Posts, Recommended Sites Tags: , ,

Albumlinernotes.com is an absolute treasure trove of artist and album information intended to help fill the great information void brought on by the music download era.

Music has never before been so readily accessible. But liner notes–the band bios, song credits, and artfully written plaudits for the music you love–are sadly a thing of the past, unless you’re an avid collector of reissues like this writer.

This is the kind of site a music lover can get lost in. Check it out.

Album Liner Notes

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