Friday Music Day

Friday. Music? Day!

25 Comments

Here's a discussion seed if we need it:
Worst open of an otherwise good album?

I'll start with a thought that I'm not sure counts (as it's more of a gimmick):
Any CD that had blank tracks to start. I'm thinking of Koяn's Follow the Leader, though I'm sure someone else had that bonehead idea first. (Though this would have actually worked for Ariel Pink.)

25 thoughts on “Friday. Music? Day!”

  1.     a. Henslow's Sparrow and House Sparrow “Songs” (Who Cooks for Poor Sam Peabody?)*
    1. Johnny Cash “Down There By the Train” American Recordings
        b. Papuan Frogmouth “Song” (Sound Guide to Nightjars)
    2. Einstürzende Neubauten “Installation No. 1 (Barry Adamson Mix)” Ende Neu Remixes
    3. Jim Fassett “Second Movement (Buffo)” Symphony of the Birds*
    4. Johnny Cash “On the Evening Train” American V: A Hundred Highways
        c. Bald Eagle “Calls” (Stokes Bonus CD)
        d. Blackburnian Warbler “Song Type A” (The Warbler Guide)
    5. The Field “Annie”* Annie

    6. Bonnie 'Prince' Billy “For Every Field There's a Mole” Lie Down in the Light
        e. Black-billed Cuckoo “Calls” (Cornell Essential Set)
    7. Vessel “Anima” Punish, Honey
    8. Andy Stott “How It Was” Faith in Strangers
        f. Tufted Titmouse “Song” (Cornell Master Set)
    9. The Orb “Plateav” Orbvs Terrarvm*
    T. Eric Copeland “The Eyeball” Puerto Rican

    B. Tori Amos “Jackie's Strength”* From the Choirgirl Hotel

    *Notes:
    a. Subtitle: Bird Song Ear Training Guide, created by John Feith
    3. This is a weird thing. In the 1950's, Fassett decided to make a piece of classical music out of samples of bird songs, with speed and pitch changes and everything. It's not very good, but it's interesting. This part is probably the worst, as it has crows, Blue Jays, Whip-poor-wills, Chuck-will's-widows, and Barred Owls.
    5. A bootleg remix of Annie's "Heartbeats"
    9. I know that the "V"s in the titles are just typographical, but it feels better to me this way. In my head, I half-pronounce them as V's anyway: /plat-Ōv/ and /ORB-vəs tər-RĀR-vəm/. And calling the album "Orbus Terrarum" does not feel grand enough.
    B. I latched on to some Tori Amos this week, for some reason. I think this song is a triumph of her style of songwriting, and also the best song on her best album. I may be biased though, because the title uses my mother's name, so I think of her strength in fighting the depression, insomnia, and anxiety that have afflicted her this last decade or so. But the song really is about JFK's widow. Kindof like the additional depth that I find in R.E.M.'s "Man on the Moon" because "St. Peter" means "Security Hospital" to me. Or how Dose-One (Adam Drucker) talks to himself using his first name, but instead I think he's talking to me.

    Another discussion seed: At what age would it be appropriate to introduce a girl to Tori Amos's music? CER is 11.5 years old and she's been listening to Björk all her life, but some of the lyrics are definitely for more mature audiences, but I also think she could relate to some of the emotions or something. Maybe I should make her a mix with music written by strong women (a few tracks per artist) and let her follow what she wants. Any suggestions for that? I know she needs some Breeders ("No Aloha" might not work for her, nor do songs about bongs and libertines fit parental approval [I might tolerate it if she chooses it, but I'm not choosing it for her]).

    1. At what age would it be appropriate to introduce a girl to Tori Amos's music?

      Good question. I was 16 or 17 when I started listening to Under the Pink. (aside: wow, I haven't listened to that in a looooooong time) I also listened to lots of Tori stuff in college. But I would think selected songs, e.g. "Cornflake Girl" could be introduced now. Knowing that CER is sensitive, as I was, she might find lyrics in some other songs a little intense or off-putting. I'm particularly thinking of:

      'Spoiler' SelectShow

      Starting at age 12 or so, I went through a phase of only wanting to listen to what other kids were listening to (e.g. KDWB and WLOL), but the combination of homeschooling and the fact that CER has presumably been exposed to a wide range of music from an early age may mean this isn't the case for her. I love the idea of the mix--please let use know what you end up putting on it!

      1. Okay, I'm unfamiliar with that song. I was thinking of "Icicle"; I thought I knew what it was about but a quick re-listen last night makes me think its something worse.
        CER might know of "Cornflake Girl" but I'm not sure.

        I have Pink, Pele, and Choirgirl, plus that covers album (apparently Strange Little Girls).
        I was familiar with her from maybe MTV, and then I went to some Catholic or nondenominational Christian youth retreat (one day) and the person that played music had a sparse piano sound and my friend and I both got Pink shortly thereafter (I had to wait for BMG or Columbia House to send it). I think his older sister had Earthquakes.

        When the "Caught a Light Sneeze" single came out, I thought it was the best thing ever (though the b-sides were worthless weird demos). I got Pele on the day it came out.
        It's such a... _____ album. This morning, listening, I thought a good analogy was it's like the Beatle's "Happiness Is a Warm Gun" except for a whole album. Back and forth with so many ideas packed in and not all developed, including some of the best.
        (I so love "Beauty Queen" that I've remixed it ten or so different ways.)
        I wrote a review of the album for my high school newspaper (I was co-editor). It was cut by the advisor, while my review of REM's Monster was just edited. Part of that was my fault for putting it together last minute, so we had no time to discuss what I'd written. Sexuality and abuse and etc. in a Catholic-school newspaper. I'd guess that the review was horribly written and thought out as well.

        That friend and I saw her in concert that summer at the Northrop Auditorium (a two-day trip to the cities. We stayed with my aunt in St. Paul and saw Fishbone at First Ave the other night). I realized then that I got her less than I thought I did.

        I bought Choirgirl quite some time after it came out, late summer 1999. I had the single to "Cruel/Raspberry Swirl" for some reason, and wanted to hear more. There was also an interested girl at the store at the time that sealed the purchase. I bought Outkast's Aquemini the same day, at the Mankato Best Buy.

        I was unimpressed with the singles off the next album and drifted away. Intrigued by the covers-album idea, I bought that used (promo copy, IIRC) and barely listened to it and went my way, checking in now and then to see if she made anything my ears liked again.

        Now that all content can be found for free, I should listen to Earthquakes and Crucify.

        1. I think I know what "Icicle" is about, though I'll confess I can't make sense of all the lyrics ("he's in my pumpkin p.j.'s"). What do you think it's about?

      2. CER definitely digs pop music, as well as some of EAR's Christian Rock (who hasn't listened to so much of that lately, more classical—which she needs to teach for CER and HPR).
        She definitely doesn't get into the harsher sounds that HPR can.
        But I can see some angst growing in her about some things, and it would be good to give her a channel to hear more about others who've had similar feelings and expressed it in sound. ("Let It Go" was a big hit with her for that reason, at least in part.)
        I know what my angsty music was, but I don't think she'd dig it or find it tuned to her point of view, hence looking for female artists. Lydia Loveless sings too much about bad decisions and has too coarse a sound. Most of the rest of the female artists I listen to are similarly outside her tastes.

        I'm thinking this through and it's just a nebulous idea brought on by picking Tori Amos out of a shuffle a day or two ago and switching to "Shuffle by Album" because I hadn't listened in so long myself.

    2. The first things I think of are Sleater-Kinney and Speedy Ortiz, but that's probably because I listen to them a lot lately. I'm going to ask J for suggestions because this question is right in her wheelhouse.

      1. I'm completely unfamiliar with both artists' music (and Ortiz entirely). Any songs you can point out?

          1. I can't give song suggestions for a lot of these since I don't know them all that well, but I can do my best!

            Beyoncé/Solange/Destiny's Child
            Sia
            MIA
            Le Tigre
            Grimes
            Sara Bareilles
            Little Mix
            Smoosh
            Joanna Newsom
            The Cranberries
            Lauryn Hill
            Kate Bush
            St. Vincent
            Cat Power
            Poe
            Regina Spektor
            The Blow
            PJ Harvey
            Jenny Lewis
            Aimee Mann
            The Sugarcubes (if you haven't done this already!)
            Fionna Apple
            Nellie McKay
            tUnE-yArDs
            The Gossip
            2NE1 (K-Pop)
            Bennie K (J-Pop)
            S.H.E (Chinese - Taiwan)

            1. Ahhhh Smoosh! I remember them. They were cool as hell.

              AMR are you looking for all-girl bands, or do female-fronted bands count? Because I have a few dozen Yeah Yeah Yeahs song recommendations.

    3. Zack hit most of the obvious choices, but I'll add
      The Bangles
      Best Coast
      Bettie Serveert
      Blonde Redhead
      Camera Obscura
      Feist
      Cate Lebon
      Cocteau Twins
      Courtney Barnett
      Curve
      Damon & Naomi
      Deerhoof!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
      Dum Dum Girls
      Eleanor Friedberger
      Emma Pollock
      The Go Go's
      Heart
      Heartless Bastards
      Hurray For The Riff Raff
      Ida
      Innocence Mission
      Ivy
      The Joy Formidable
      Julia Holter
      Julianna Barwick
      Lucius
      Lush
      Marnie Stern
      My Brightest Diamond
      Nicole Atkins
      Norah Jones
      Patty Griffin
      Rosie Thomas
      School of Seven Bells
      The Shangri Las
      Sharon Van Etten
      Tegan and Sara
      Wye Oak
      Yo La Tengo (Georgia sung tunes)

      And some classics
      ABBA
      Dolly Parton
      Aretha
      Dusty Springfield
      Etta James
      Joni Mitchell
      Mavis Staples
      Patti Smith
      Sandy Denny

      1. I will add on:

        Dessa
        The Soviettes
        Rilo Kiley (and all of Jenny Lewis' solo work)
        Metric
        She Keeps Bees
        Nico Vega
        The Donnas
        Sahara Hotnights
        The Noisettes
        Zoo Animal
        Lily Allen (you’d have to be careful w/ lyrical content)
        No Doubt (I mean why not, I liked them when I was 12)
        Screaming Females (too aggressive? I dunno. They rule)

        I’ll also suggest the local singer K.Raydio, who is super good.

        1. Screaming Females (too aggressive? I dunno. They rule)

          I had them on my original list. Also, God bless The Donnas.

      2. Further adding on: Ani Difranco!
        The most obvious candidates:
        "Not a Pretty Girl"
        "32 Flavors"
        "Joyful Girl"

  2. Worst open of an otherwise good album?

    That's easy: Blonde on Blonde's Rainy Day Woman #12 & 35

      1. Well if we are just going to mention terrible song anywhere on a great album I have to troll AMR and nominate Sonic Youth's My Friend Goo off the otherwise stellar Goo release.

        1. I was thinking Sonic Youth's Experimental Jet Set..., which opened with the downer of "Winner's Blues", but it kindof works.

  4. 01. Celtic Frost - "Inner Sanctum", Into the Pandemonium
    02. Metal Church - "It's a Secret", Blessing in Disguise
    03. Carcass - "Pyschopathologist", Reek of Putrefaction
    04. Windir - "Likbor", Soknardalr
    05. Megadeth - "Sin", Cryptic Writings
    06. Orden Ogan - "Dying Paradise", To The End
    07. Shadows Fall - "The Idiot Box", The Art of Balance
    08. Suicidal Tendencies - "Trip at the Brain", How Will I Laugh Tomorrow When I Can't Even Smile Today
    09. Slough Feg - "Lycanthropic Fantasies", The Animal Spirits
    10. Vader - "Whisper", Revelations

  5. I've been listening to Carpenter Brut lately. They play a style that sort of sounds like the Drive soundtrack on caffeine or the more aggressive tracks on the Hotline: Miami soundtrack. I'm reading that this style is called "Synthwave", but I refuse to acknowledge the existence of any more "-wave" genres.

  6. No list this week. But stumbled upon this song while going down a YouTube rabbit hole. I know nothing about this duo (?) but really liked this. "The Way Love Used To Be"

    httpv://youtu.be/iOZlNldyLds

  7. 1. Chicago -- Sufjan Stevens -- Illinois
    2. Sugar Mountain -- Neil Young -- Sugar Mountain Live At Canterbury House 1968
    3. Meet Frankenstein -- Redd Kross -- Researching the Blues
    4. Surfer Girl -- The Beach Boys -- Made In U.S.A.
    5. Between The Wars -- Billy Bragg -- Back To Basics
    6. Fight Test -- The Flaming Lips -- Fight Test EP
    7. Pins And Needles (In My Heart) -- The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band -- Will The Circle Be Unbroken
    8. To Remake The Young Flyer -- Guided By Voices -- Human Amusements At Hourly Rates
    9. Going to California -- Led Zeppelin -- Led Zeppelin IV
    10. Temporarily Blind -- Built To Spill -- Keep It Like A Secret

    B1. Black Arrow, Bleeding Heart -- Whiskeytown -- Faithless Street
    B2. Don't Come Home A Drinking -- Loretta Lynn -- Loretta Lynn's Top Ten Hits

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