Friday Music Day

FMD: Trying Something New

33 Comments

Alright, last week was sort of the inaugural "here's a theme, pick a song for it" effort, but it was the Friday after Thanksgiving, and weak all around. I blame the post-fundraiser lull. We'd all been seeing so much of each other that we just needed space, right? Like when you talk to your kids about sex, but then need to not see them for a few days. I've lost my train of thought here... Back to the issue at hand: music.

Every year around this time The New Standards put on a holiday concert. I've never been, but I'd love to go. Largely because I adore the "standards" and, maybe even more so, the concept of "new standards." So, today I'm looking for two songs on the theme: your favorite standard, and your nomination for a new standard (preferably not one covered by The New Standards).

I'll kick us off with my favorite standard: "Mack the Knife".
I'm still working on my suggestion for a new standard... a few ideas, but they're just not quite right.

33 thoughts on “FMD: Trying Something New”

  1. Ignore the other FMD. This is the real one. You can sign up for Best of 2016 DJ slots here too, and drop lists if you want.
    ::glares at HJ::

  3. I guess Mags doesn't want to do the Best of 2016 thing, because he didn't say so over here. He only said so on that impostor FMD post.

  4. I'm up for the best of 2016 thing.

    1. If Only You Were Lonely -- The Replacements -- Sorry Ma, Forgot To Take Out The Trash!
    2. Ready To Pop -- Boston Spaceships -- Brown Submarine
    3. Raft -- Pavement -- Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain
    4. The W.A.N.D. -- The Flaming Lips -- At War With The Mystics
    5. Postcard Blues -- Cowboy Junkies -- The Trinity Session
    6. First We Take Manhattan -- Leonard Cohen -- The Essential Leonard Cohen
    7. The Unsinkable Fats Domino -- Guided By Voices -- Let's Go Eat The Factory
    8. Traces -- Built To Spill -- You In Reverse
    9. Soon -- My Bloody Valentine -- Loveless
    10. C'mon And Love Me -- Kiss -- Alive!

    B1. Handshake Drugs -- Wilco -- A Ghost is Born
    B2. Half A Canyon -- Pavement -- Wowee Zowee

    Ikesgiving last Wednesday at First Avenue was a lit! (That's how my Millennial son described it). Drank way too much, it took me until Friday afternoon to fully recover. I'm too old for that stuff. But things all citizens can look forward to: getting hammered with your son or daughter at a First Avenue concert.

    New Standards tonight at the State Theater, Low Christmas concert at First Avenue in two weeks, plus I may try to get to that Jayhawks show, if its not sold out.

  5. 1. Black Dice “Cloud Pleaser” Creature Comforts
    2. Untold “Ion” Black Light Spiral
    3. Sharon Van Etten “We Are Fine” Tramp
    4. Finley Quaye “It's Great When We're Together” Maverick a Strike
    5. Scott H. Biram* “Still Drunk, Still Crazy, Still Blue” Something's Wrong/Lost Forever

    6. Scott Hardkiss presents God Within “Infinitely Gentle Blows (Infinite Aural Hallucination Remix)” Crucial Introspection (Parts 1 and 2)*
    7. They Might Be Giants “Particle Man” Flood
    8. DJ Kool “Let Me Clear My Throat” Let Me Clear My Throat
    9. Dan Deacon “Snake Mistakes”* Superman of the Rings
    T. Black Dice “Pinball Wizard” Mr. Impossible

    B. Julien Baker “Rejoice” Sprained Ankle*

    *Notes:
    6. I love the cover:

    art SelectShow

    9. I think this is my favorite Dan Deacon song:
    "My dad is so cool / He is the coolest dad in dad school /
    He does not break any dad rules / He will pick you up if I ask him to."
    and
    "Why won't these bees leave me alone? / These bees get me and I say 'Ow' /
    Why won't these bees leave me alone? / I hate them bees."

    B. It took more than a year after Zack's recc to really get into this but I'm now floored by her stark, raw-nerved vulnerability coupled with a deep religious faith. A few minor tweaks and this could play well in the contemporary-Christian rock market. As it is, it sounds like the record version of the earth-bound parts of the book of Job.

  6. Alright, for my recommended "new standard" I'm going to suggest:

    'Spoiler' SelectShow

  7. I'm trying to think of a standard that isn't just a classic Christmas song. I don't really view most of my music based on the time of year or whatever. What I want to listen to is often predicated by my mood that moment.

    But even though I pretty much can't stand 95% of Christmas songs by now, one I never tire of is "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas." Pretty much any cover of that I enjoy, and I can honestly listen to it any time of year. My favorite non-traditional Christmas song that has never been covered is Brooks & Dunn's "It Won't Be Christmas Without You."

    1. Not sure if I was clear, but I meant to broaden the topic beyond Christmas. Though standards and Christmas do very much go hand-in-hand.

      1. I thought you implied a holiday theme, since you mentioned the concert. Otherwise, what do you mean by standard?

  8. Since I'm going to the New Standards show tonight I will let you know how it is. Will be my first. We are way in the back fn the balcony but the State Theater is pretty small so it should be ok. I saw a Wilco show from there once I think.

    'A threat I promise to fulfull' SelectShow

      1. Absolutely. I likes what I like too, and 99.8 percent of it in no way would anyone consider to be a new standard.

        1. Right, but I was thinking of songs that I both like and that I could see becoming an actual standard down the road. I was at a wedding once where this was played and... it received a response that would suggest it might have legs. Not overly pop, easy to sing along, etc.

              1. I can't believe The Macarana was on that list. Without that song, we'd never have this awesome video of our future president past First Lady.

    2. I take back my previous nomination, and hereby nominate The Decemberists' "Sons and Daughters".

  10. My wife suggested Adele's songs as new standards, which seems pretty likely.

    I thought "Hallelujah" - but it seems like that might already be established, making it an old standard?

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