Art is the music we make from the bewildered cry of being alive. ~Maria Popova
22 Mar 2021 Leave a comment
in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: graham parker, long stem rose
Graham Parker: “Long Stem Rose” (1992)
From his atypically ballad-heavy Burning Questions album, “Long Stem Rose” finds the erstwhile British pub rocker chanelling McCartney–or perhaps more accurately, George Martin.
Backed by a string quartet recorded “dry” to give it the intimacy of Macca’s “Yesterday” Parker successfully wrings every ounce of pathos from this pretty tune.
See also: Recommended Albums #37 | Every Moment Has A Song (edcyphers.com)
18 Mar 2021 Leave a comment
in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: pomplamoose, something about us
Pomplamoose: “Something About Us” (2019)
Formed in 2008 by (now married) Stanford students Jack Conte and Nataly Dawn, Pomplamoose are…uh…I think I’ll let them explain for themselves:
With over 1.2 million YouTube subscribers, Pomplamoose have carved a non-traditional niche as a band. They don’t rely on record companies, extensive touring or physical album sales, instead creating a new “videosong” every week for their YouTube channel, streaming their songs, and providing music for TV ads for companies such as Toyota and Hyundai.
They mix originals and an eclectic variety of covers and inspired mashups, placing them in fresh and often jazz-tinged settings.
Remarkably, the performance you see in a Pomplamoose video is the same that you hear–it is never a lip-synched re-enactment but an actual recording session.
Watch the session for the above “single”, a cover of Daft Punk’s “Something About Us”.
See also: https://edcyphers.com/2025/05/15/songs-you-may-have-missed-779/
16 Mar 2021 Leave a comment
in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: b.c. camplight, suffer for two
B.C. Camplight: “Suffer for Two (Dave Bascombe Radio Mix)” (2007)
Calling any B.C. Camplight song the “radio mix” is laughable because I’ve never heard any of his tunes on radio. He’s typically too quirky and experimental for even the independent airwaves.
But “Suffer for Two” is a bit more accessible than most of his material. If it piques your curiosity I’d recomment you check out his debut LP Hide, Run Away
If you’re ready to be challenged a little by his more idiosyncratic output, give 2015’s How to Die in the North or 2020’s Shortly After Takeoff a try. Sometimes it takes repeated listens, but eventually the hooks take hold. And the genius.
This is what Brian Wilson might have sounded like if he grew up someplace without drag racing and surfing.
See also: Recommended Albums #6 | Every Moment Has A Song (edcyphers.com)
See also: Songs You May Have Missed #499 | Every Moment Has A Song (edcyphers.com)
14 Mar 2021 Leave a comment
in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: bobby darin, gyp the cat
Bobby Darin: “Gyp the Cat” (1965)
Excerpted from Shane Brown’s blog/tribute page This is Bobby Darin:
In 1964, Bobby couldn’t get a hit record for love nor money. In September 1964, he made his first attempt at recording his own composition Gyp the Cat, a clever pastiche of Mack the Knife, this time about a thief, and using a similar melody to the Kurt Weill song. As with Mack the Knife, the song tells a story, and the arrangement works in the same way, with it gaining in intensity with each successive verse. It’s a lighter affair lyrically, with a nice twist in the final verse, and would have been a better choice of single than Hello Dolly which was released instead. Despite the British Invasion, there was clearly still a place in the singles charts for this type of material, as Armstrong’s Hello Dolly and the Darin-produced Wayne Newton hit Danke Schoen had shown. The 1964 version of Gyp the Cat remained unissued until thirty-odd years later, with a 1965 recording of the same song issued as a B-side. It was something of a waste of a fun Darin original, in his signature style, and showing that he could poke fun at himself through a pastiche of his earlier hit.
07 Mar 2021 Leave a comment
in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: steve earle, the devil's right hand
Steve Earle: “The Devil’s Right Hand” (1988)
Steve Earle’s enviable songwriting chops are on display in this story song about the perils of the gun.
Earle comes across like a more authentic Springsteen, and was part of a golden era for country radio in which the likes of Lyle Lovett, k.d. lang, Texas Tornados, Dwight Yoakam, Alison Krauss and Los Lobos enjoyed airplay before the format chose to eschew diversity and closed in on itself.
Los Lobos became too experimental. Lovett too artsy and sardonic. For lang, who was a lesbian and an outspoken anti-meat advocate, it was only a matter of time before country radio turned its back. And I suppose Krauss just didn’t embrace country cliche consistently enough–despite winning more Grammy awards (27) than any other female artist in any genre.
As for Earle, despite 1986’s breakthrough hit album Guitar Town, he too was soon left outside looking in. Perhaps he was just too rock for country radio and too country for rock radio (which only ever embraced one of his tunes, “Copperhead Road”)
One thing’s for sure: the lyrical gut punch the guy delivers ensures that he is more at home on public radio stations than country.
See also: https://edcyphers.com/2025/05/07/songs-you-may-have-missed-778/
03 Mar 2021 Leave a comment
in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: carlos vives, matilde lina
CarlosVives: “Matilde Lina” (1994)
Multiple Grammy and Latin Grammy winner Carlos Vives specializes in the vibrant, uplifting sounds of Columbian vallenato music.
Like Juan Luis Guerra with the bachata and merange music of the Dominican Republic, Vives updates the traditional sounds with driving percussion, lively accordian, electric guitar accents and bold, full-throated vocals.
It’s music with a joyful energy, ideal for adding a splash of color to a playlist, or perking up your drab workday afternoon.
The Clásicos de la Provincia album sold 4 million copies worldwide and well over a million in Colombia alone.
Every Moment Has A Song 