April Smith and the Great Picture Show: “Colors” (2010)
It’s a pseudo sea chantey, it has accordion and a kazoo solo. What more could a song do to get you to like it?
See also: https://edcyphers.com/2013/01/30/songs-you-may-have-missed-314/
Songs You May Have Missed #15
15 Feb 2012 1 Comment
in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: april smith, colors, great picture show
Songs You May Have Missed #14
15 Feb 2012 Leave a comment
in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: albion band, ampleforth/lay me low
The Albion Band: “Ampleforth/Lay Me Low” (1978)
Ashley Hutchings’ Albion Band was a loose collective of some of the leading lights of British Folk Rock, an ever-changing lineup that first gathered under that name to help record Shirley Collins’ landmark 1971 Folk album No Roses.
Even the name of this band could alter slightly from one release to the next (Albion Dance Band, Albion Country Band, Albion Christmas Band) depending on the given music’s focus. The Rise Up Like The Sun album, from 1978, featured a typical Who’s Who cast, including Richard and Linda Thompson, who can be heard in the vocal section of this track.
This song, like much 70’s British Folk Rock, blended traditional and progressive musical elements. It was inspired by an old Shaker hymn, but has a sweet electric guitar solo. The lyric seems to be about the wish for death. But coolest of all is the fact that the words of each line dictate the bar lengths, which are irregular. I used to think folk music was about rehashing the past without imagination. Until I discovered the Good Stuff.
Songs You May Have Missed #13
15 Feb 2012 1 Comment
in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: driveblind, leave home (save yourself)
Driveblind: “Leave Home (Save Yourself)” (2006)
Driveblind were from Scotland, and…that’s pretty much all I know about them. Except they aren’t around anymore. And if they’d come up with a bunch more songs this good, they probably would be.
Of all the customer music reviews I’ve recently read on Amazon…
13 Feb 2012 Leave a comment
in General Posts, On a Lighter Note
…this is surely the most thought-provoking, even if not one of the most “helpful”. I especially love how he titled it “Good Luck”:
Van Halen Vocabulary
13 Feb 2012 2 Comments
Reprinted from Paste magazine (Feb. 8, 2012):
As David Lee Roth reunites with his old band, we look back at some of the most-used words in Van Halen singles from 1972 to 1985.
So true about the Sammy era, too. Take a look at song titles of singles alone: “Love Walks In”, “When It’s Love”, “Why Can’t This Be Love” also “Can’t Stop Lovin’ You”.
Grammy notes…
13 Feb 2012 Leave a comment
I only watched about half of the Grammy Award telecast (Penguin game, yo) but I had a few thoughts to share…
I had fun watching DJ David Guetta pretending to twiddle some knobs on stage with Chris Brown.
http://www.vevo.com/watch/david-guetta/i-can-only-imagine-54th-grammys-on-cbs/GB28K1220005
Might be bad business to say so but most DJs lack something as “performers”, even if they happen to be among the hottest producers in the world. Now Deadmau5, with the crazee light-up mouse head–different story! If only his music were more…musical.
In what I thought was an upset given Nicki Minaj’s greater exposure in 2010 (you can take that two ways) Bon Iver won Best New Artist. Accepting the Grammy, Justin Vernon said, “It’s really hard to accept this award”. I think I know what he meant: past winners include Christopher Cross, Debby Boone, Starland Vocal Band, Milli Vanilli and the Swingle Sisters.
Sad and nostalgic to see Glen Campbell do his thing, probably for the last time. Sadder still to see the “polite applause” from some of the younger (and may I say less gifted) artists in the room. Campbell is a giant, a legend, not only as an interpreter of great songs (many written by Jimmy Webb) but as a superb session musician before he ever stepped out as a solo artist. A member of a legendary studio session band known as the L.A. Wrecking Crew who recorded a list of hits too lengthy to name here, and briefly one of the Beach Boys (as a replacement for Brian Wilson, no less) Campbell has announced his impending retirement from the music business due to Alzheimer’s.
Although it appeared to take a few minutes for his voice to warm up, I found Paul McCartney a welcome finale, performing some truly timeless music to end the show. He did the “Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End” medley from the end of Abbey Road and, for me at least, it seemed to be a reminder of where the bar for excellence is set.
