Songs You May Have Missed #217

09 Nov 2012 Leave a comment

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

muse

Muse: “Undisclosed Desires” (2009)

Weird band, Muse. Sometimes they sound like they grew up listening to ELO. Sometimes they sound exactly like U2. They definitely seem to merge a bunch of influences and don’t seem to try to hide them.

Prog websites and publications claim them for prog, but I don’t hear that at all. Some consider them one of the great bands of this era. I’m not sure I hear that either. But each of their last few releases has had at least a couple of tracks that caught my attention–like this one.

See also: https://edcyphers.com/2020/01/11/songs-you-may-have-missed-645/

Songs You May Have Missed #216

09 Nov 2012 Leave a comment

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

house band

The House Band: “Tom Hark” (1994)

Formed in Edinburgh in 1984, The House Band had a nice little run that lasted until 2001 and saw them tour Britain, Europe, Africa, Australia, New Zealand and the United States playing a diverse selection of British folk, Cajun, Celtic, and even jazz and reggae music.

“Tom Hark” is extracted from a longer medley (“Tom Hark/African Marketplace”) which, microcosmically, clashed styles together–in this case Irish and Mideastern sounds. I’ve extracted the Irish-sounding bit. It’s a song that stood out for me when I saw them live back in the 1990’s, and sent me to the merch table to buy their Another Setting album.

Songs You May Have Missed #215

08 Nov 2012 2 Comments

by Ed Cyphers in Best of the Blog, Songs You May Have Missed Tags: ,

radio

Pat Donohue: “Sushi-Yucki” (2004)

Minnesota’s Pat Donohue isn’t just one of the finest finger-picking guitarists on the planet. His sense of humor and songwriting are just as impressive. As this song demonstrates, Donohue is a master of internal rhyme.

For many years Pat’s been the house guitarist for public radio’s A Prairie Home Companion. He blends folk, blues and jazz into an acoustic mix that fits perfectly on public radio, but he does it so well he really deserves a much wider audience.

“Sushi-Yucki” is hilarious even if you don’t get how clever a parody it is of Kyu Sakamoto’s 1963 #1 hit “Sukiyaki”.

See also: https://edcyphers.com/2013/02/02/songs-you-may-have-missed-317/

See also: https://edcyphers.com/2013/08/21/songs-you-may-have-missed-466/

See also: https://edcyphers.com/2026/01/11/recommended-albums-105/

Songs You May Have Missed #214

08 Nov 2012 Leave a comment

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

jones

Rickie Lee Jones: “Ghetto of My Mind” (1989)

 

Ten years on from her 1979 debut, the hype had subsided after “Chuck E.’s in Love” had no follow-up hit. But Rickie Lee Jones quietly put out one of the best albums of her career, Flying Cowboys, produced by Steely Dan’s Walter Becker.

I think the percussion is particularly tasty in this one. Also listen at 5:20 for Jones’ playful: “Oh no, look what you did…hey mister could we have our ball back?”

Songs You May Have Missed #213

08 Nov 2012 Leave a comment

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

borrowers

The Borrowers: “Jaswant’s Rain” (1996)

A cutout bin band that seemed to have the talent to make it but didn’t. You’ll hear in this song the sound of a bunch of 90’s bands that did though.

Songs You May Have Missed #212

05 Nov 2012 2 Comments

by Ed Cyphers in Best of the Blog, On a Lighter Note, Songs You May Have Missed Tags: ,

killed

Andy Breckman: “Don’t Get Killed” (1990)

Andy Breckman has been a staff writer for SNL and David Letterman, as well as a comedy film screenwriter and “script doctor”.

He’s also something of a folk singer–one who never felt the need to turn to page two of the chord book. But two chords is all he needs to make you bust a gut here.

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