There's a time in life for Hoagy Carmichael. There's a time in life for Claude Debussy. There's a time in life for Jerry Lee Lewis. There's a time in life for Destiny's Child. All these things have their moment. ~Elvis Costello
31 Oct 2019 Leave a comment
in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: radio free universe, she's high again
Radio Free Universe: “She’s High Again” (2019)
It remains to be seen (or heard) whether Radio Free Universe will have the staying power or make a similar impact in America as the classic rock bands their reviewers name check.
But in the bass-driven, melodic “She’s High Again” the Canadian rockers have crafted a single that deserves some southern exposure.
24 Aug 2019 Leave a comment
in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: alice cooper, hollywood vampires, welcome to bushwackers
Hollywood Vampires: “Welcome to Bushwackers” (2019)
Hollywood Vampires are an Alice Cooper-fronted side project that also features Joe Perry and Johnny Depp.
Their first album’s guest list reads like a debauched Hollywood rock ‘n roll party, which in a sense it was. Paul McCartney, Slash, Joe Walsh, Robby Krieger, Kip Winger, Dave Grohl, Perry Farrell and Brian Johnson all contributed to an album that mainly featured covers from the days when Cooper stalked SoCal with another group of musicians, also dubbed the Hollywood Vampires. That merry band included John Lennon, Harry Nilsson, Keith Moon, Ringo Starr and Mickey Dolenz and their antics were legendary, as you might expect from any merry band containing two drummers.
This Hollywood Vampires is an actual band, and not only do they rock, but they’re aptly named. Alice of course is the king of theatrical rock. And though Johnny Depp might not be a name that would come to mind if you were forming a supergroup, his own theatrical tendencies actually make sense in the context of a band fronted by a guy whose best work always conjured a visual element.
“Welcome to Bushwackers”, from their second release, features yet another guest superstar, Jeff Beck.
04 Jul 2019 Leave a comment
in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: lily allen, littlest things
Lily Allen: “Littlest Things” (2007)
Lily Allen can be sassy, bratty, clever and poignant–often all at the same time. “Littlest Things” is a look at how the ordinary moments and mundane memories can take on a rosy hue from the perspective of a relationship’s end:
Sometimes I find myself sittin’ back and reminiscing
Especially when I have to watch other people kissin’
And I remember when you started callin’ me your Mrs.
All the play fightin’, all the flirtatious disses
I’d tell you sad stories about my childhood
I don’t know why I trusted you but I knew that I could
We’d spend the whole weekend lying in our own dirt
I was just so happy in your boxers and your t-shirt
Dreams, dreams
Of when we had just started things
Dreams of you and me
It seems, it seems
That I can’t shake those memories
I wonder if you have the same dreams too.
The littlest things that take me there
I know it sounds lame but its so true
I know its not right, but it seems unfair
The things are reminding me of you
Sometimes I wish we could just pretend
Even if for only one weekend
So come on, tell me
Is this the end?
Drinkin’ tea in bed
Watching dvd’s
When I discovered all your dirty grotty magazines
You’d take me out shopping and all we’d buy is trainers
As if we ever needed anything to entertain us
The first time that you introduced me to your friends
And you could tell that I was nervous, so you held my hand
When I was feeling down, you made that face you do
No one in the world who could replace you
Dreams, dreams
Of when we had just started things
Dreams of me and you
It seems, it seems
That I can’t shake those memories
I wonder if you feel the same way too
The littlest things that take me there
I know it sounds lame but its so true
I know its not right, but it seems unfair
The things are reminding me of you
Sometimes I wish we could just pretend
Even if for only one weekend
So come on, tell me
Is this the end?
See also: https://edcyphers.com/2012/08/17/songs-you-may-have-missed-167/
See also: https://edcyphers.com/2013/11/28/songs-you-may-have-missed-505/
01 Jul 2019 Leave a comment
in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: angelique kidjo, congoleo
Angelique Kidjo: “Congoleo” (2004)
West African singer Angelique Kidjo mixes the influences on 2004’s “Congoleo”, an infectious Afro-Caribbean earworm which features balofon, a West African xylophone-type melodic percussion instrument.
The entire Oyaya! album is an infectious exploration of the cross pollination between Latin and African musical traditions.
29 Jun 2019 Leave a comment
in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: brendan benson, cold hands (warm heart)
Brendan Benson: “Cold Hands (Warm Heart)” (2005)
Hooks and melodies, the things that distinguish power pop, are the forte of Brendan Benson. If you like music with roots reaching back to the best pop of past decades, you’ll find Benson’s tunes instantly likeable.
See also: https://edcyphers.com/2013/12/21/songs-you-may-have-missed-507/
18 May 2019 Leave a comment
in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: blind pilot, packed powder
Blind Pilot: “Packed Powder” (2016)
Subdued, melancholic, and beautiful. From an album inspired by songwriter Israel Nebeker losing his father and ending a long-term relationship.
If there must be pain and loss in the world, at least it can sometimes beget transcendent work like this.
See also: https://edcyphers.com/2013/02/16/songs-you-may-have-missed-334/
See also: https://edcyphers.com/2013/01/12/songs-you-may-have-missed-291/
11 May 2019 Leave a comment
in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: lemon parade, tonic
Tonic: “Lemon Parade” (1996)
If you’ve ever felt protective of a child or a lover, this might be your anthem.
If the sound of clean, textured guitars appeals to you (or indeed zestful 90’s rock distortion), the underrated Tonic is a band you should dig into deeper than their scant radio hits.
If you’re susceptible to earworms of any kind, listen at your own risk: I’ve woke with this one in my head for three successive mornings.
I wish I’d seen you as a little girl
Without your armor to fend off the world
I would have kept you underneath my wing
I would protect you from everything
Make way for the lemon parade
Make way for my girl
Make way for the lemon parade
Make way for my girl
Did the boys all tease you when they had the chance
Always left standing when it came time do dance
Did you hide behind your books girl
Did you find your secret friends
Always I’ll want you
Always ’till the end
Make way for the lemon parade
Make way for my girl
Make way for the lemon parade
Make way for my girl
