It occurred to me recently while listening to some song that I can't recall off the top of my head (maybe Portugal the Man's "Feel It Still?") that I really like bass/baritone saxophone. Something about it really seems to hit a sweet spot in a lot of songs for me.
Instruments you love? Songs they are featured in? Let's hear what ya got.
1. Zola Jesus “Odessa” Soeur Sewer
a. Cooper's Hawk “Juvenile Begging Calls” (Cornell Master Set)
2. Katy B feat. Ms. Dynamite “Lights On (Skream Remix)” Lights On
3. Arvo Pärt* “Missa Sillabica: Credo” De Profundis
4. Theona Councillor “Cover Me” Buried Country 1.5: The Story of Aboriginal Country Music*
b. Black Rail “'Kickee-doo' Song” (Cornell Master Set)
5. The Field “The Follower” The Follower
6. The Bug feat. Flowdan “Jah War” London Zoo
c. Whip-poor-will “Song” (Dan Gibson: Wildlife Identification by Sound)
7. Shannon Stephens “Seems I'm Never Tired”* The Breadwinner
8. So So Radio “Central Standard Time” Dustcovers
9. Aaron Dilloway “Siena 2” Siena
T. Venetian Snares “Második Galamb” Rossz Csillag Alatt Született
*Notes:
3. Performed by Theatre of Voices conducted by Paul Hillier
4. Both this compilation (2015) and the original (2000) are new to me and I'm really digging it. Brought to it because of the Roger Knox album on Bloodshot. This compilation is called 1.5 and not 2, because it's got about 30% overlap of tracks and another 20% overlap of songs (so: covers of songs on the first). I'd like to see the movie the first came from.
6. I don't believe her. She sounds quite tired.
This week was one of the few times I heard a "new" song on the local college station that was actually released recently. Looks like this year I'll have a favorite 2017 track for the end of the year roundup!
Instruments I love: trombone (duh)
Songs they are featured in: Almost every track in Henry Mancini's Peter Gunn Soundtrack contains a trombone solo. So does "Terry's Lament" by Jeff Lorber Fusion on one of my favorite LPs back in my college days
(I also like English horn and piccolo trumpet a lot)
No time for a list today, but I'm happy to report that my earbud recovered from its tea bath and is once again fully functional. I definitely focus better at work with music. (Currently High Violet from some band called The National.)
“Search And Destroy” – The Stooges – Raw Power
“Fashion Coat” – The National – Sad Songs For Dirty Lovers
“Warning” – Cymbals Eat Guitars – LOSE
“Out Of Breath” – Ronnie Whitehead – Eccentric Soul Vol. 5: Mighty Mike Lenaburg
“No Hope” – Cults – Static
“Swizz Beatz” – Young Thug – No, My Name Is JEFFERY
“Monks” – Frank Ocean – Channel ORANGE
“City’s Full” – Savages – Silence Yourself
“Swansea” – Joanna Newsom – The Milk-Eyed Mender
“Always Right” – Ramona Falls – Intuit
Two things came to my mind:
1. The trumpet that shows up at 3min in Dave Aju's "Be Like the Sun" is just fantastic, but would that trumpet sound so cool if it wasn't in a minimal-ish house-ish track? I don't think so.
(Language warning around 4:20 to 5:20)
2. The Beach Boys and Fishbone's use of Theremin in "Good Vibrations" and "Chim Chim's Badass Revenge". But I assume theremin is more often misused than well-used.
As I thought more:
3. The pipe organ in Pärt's "De Profundis"
4. The accordions in Ozomatli
5. Maybe record scratches like Mix Master Mike?
6. Colin Stetson's Sax
So I guess my answer is no. I think my tastes are more context-dependent (things are better if recontextualized).
I played French Horn in middle grades (which was a bad choice for someone like me except so far that my flubs weren't that noticeable in the bands' performances), so there's nothing with personal resonance.