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
09 Jul 2020 Leave a comment
in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: lighthouse spaceship, the lickerish quartet
The Lickerish Quartet: “Lighthouse Spaceship” (2020)
The Lickerish Quartet are a power pop trio (yes, a trio) made up of former members of legendary power pop band Jellyfish.
And if that means anything to you, you’ll expect a touch of Queen, a sprinkle of ELO and a bit of psychedelia from this release.
And you won’t be disappointed.
See also: https://edcyphers.com/2012/04/21/songs-you-may-have-missed-86/
See also: https://edcyphers.com/2015/06/07/songs-you-may-have-missed-535/
08 Jul 2020 Leave a comment
in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: bells of st. augustine, burt bacharach, daniel tashian
Burt Bacharach & Daniel Tashian: “Bells of St. Augustine” (2020)
The gently seductive music of Daniel Tashian’s band Silver Seas evokes 60’s pop with a combination of sunny harmonies and cloudy, melancholy melodies.
Thus a collaboration with venerable composer Burt Bacharach, whose head would be on a pop Mount Rushmore and whose tunes helped make legends of Dionne Warwick, B.J. Thomas, Jackie DeShannon, The Carpenters, Herb Alpert and Dusty Springfield to mention a few, is not an unnatural pairing.
“Bells of St. Augustine”, like the best work of both men, hits the bittersweet spot.
See also: https://edcyphers.com/2016/12/01/songs-you-may-have-missed-603/
08 Jul 2020 Leave a comment
in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: never give you up, raphael saadiq
Raphael Saadiq: “Never Give You Up” (2008)
Instant Vintage is the title of the 2002 solo debut from Tony! Toni! Toné! alumn Raphael Saadiq. And the description fits this cut from his third album perfectly.
The essence of the song–the soul of the song–is sewn from strands of 70’s-80’s masters of the genre. A perfect homage, and a sweet slice of R&B in its own right.
15 May 2020 2 Comments
in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: clannad, theme from harry's game
Clannad: “Theme from Harry’s Game” (1982)
“Everything that is and was will cease to be” is the message of a song that the Irish family band was commissioned to write for an English TV miniseries that touched on the futility of political violence.
It became the first Irish-language song to chart in the UK (#5) won an Igor Novello award and featured in several Hollywood movies, including Patriot Games.
At the peak of the global success the song brought them, singer Moya Brennan related, they were asked what it was like to write a hit song. Their answer: “Oh come on, be serious, if you were trying to write a hit song would you have written it in Gaelic?”
See also: https://edcyphers.com/2016/04/27/songs-you-may-have-missed-585/
04 Apr 2020 Leave a comment
in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: pet puma, spaceship
Pet Puma: “Spaceship” (2020)
A bouncy, infectious bit of funk pop from a five-piece out of London. As they work on a debut album, it’s tough times to try to book gigs to promote themselves.
But here’s hoping their happy sound finds a place on American radio.
04 Apr 2020 Leave a comment
in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: pepe & the bottle blondes, rumba de 5 kilos
Pepe & The Bottle Blondes: “Rumba de 5 Kilos” (2000)
Whatever your expectations here, Portland’s Pepe Raphael and company will probably confound them.
Mixing Latin dance, opera, cabaret and comedic delivery, they may come across as a campy, over-the-top version of Pink Martini.
Hopefully, they’ll put a smile on your face and shake your booty!
03 Apr 2020 Leave a comment
in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: china doll, havelock
Havelock: “China Doll” (2020)
London-based, still-unsigned Havelock is a guy worth keeping an eye on in the near future.
Single “China Doll” from his four-track EP TRY B4U BUY, channels the trippy electronic flourishes typical of his previous release into a subdued, soulful vibe.
28 Mar 2020 Leave a comment
in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: kate bush, this woman's work
Kate Bush: “This Woman’s Work” (1988)
Written for the 1988 John Hughes film She’s Having a Baby, “This Woman’s Work” accompanies the film’s climactic scene, in which Jake (played by Kevin Bacon) learns that his wife Kristy (Elizabeth McGovern) is having life-threatening complications during childbirth.
The melancholy song’s lyrics match the subsequent montage in beautiful, heartrending fashion, and are sung from the point of view of a helpless Jake as he recalls their happy times together during what seems an interminable wait for news of his wife and baby.
Kate Bush wrote the song specifically for the film, and matched her words to visuals which had already been filmed.
A slightly edited version appeared on her album The Sensual World the next year, and when the song was released as a single it was tweaked yet again. A fourth version of the song appeared on Bush’s 2011 album Director’s Cut.
This is the original 1988 version from the She’s Having a Baby soundtrack. The film itself comes highly recommended too.
See also: https://edcyphers.com/2015/11/04/songs-you-may-have-missed-566-2/
28 Mar 2020 Leave a comment
in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: bourbon and the truth, pete gardiner
Pete Gardiner: “Bourbon and the Truth” (2020)
And right before I wrote a song that mattered
The industry turned into glass and shattered
23 Mar 2020 Leave a comment
in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: the marshall tucker band, this ol' cowboy
The Marshall Tucker Band: “This Ol’ Cowboy” (1974)
Though Marshall Tucker Band were usually categorized as southern rock, at their best–and they’re at their best here–they weren’t easily pigeonholed.
Tasty Toy Caldwell guitar licks, jazzy chords and a breezy vibe complement a philosophical, carefree lyric on a song that deftly straddles genres. A radio edit of “This O’ Cowboy” charted at #78 in early 1975.
Where We All Belong was a double album, with one record of new material and another featuring smoking live performance cuts.
See also: https://edcyphers.com/2012/04/21/songs-you-may-have-missed-87/
