The Current Music Blog: August 31, 2007 Archive

The Sandinista! Project - Side 2

Posted at 2:26 AM on August 31, 2007 by Mac Wilson

The discussion is off to a lively start, so let's move on to good old Side 2!

"Rebel Waltz" -- Basically a more somber redux of "Spanish Bombs" -- when the narrator of "Bombs" sings of "hearing music from another time", this is probably what he's hearing. It nicely continues the ghosts in the night theme from "Something About England". Best of all, it's a Clash song you can play at your wedding!
"Look Here" -- A cover of a song by Mose Allison, an influential jazz artist who has been performing since the 1950s. The lyrics of the song, about the constant specter of death, tie in well with the themes of urban paranoia the album has laid out thus far.
"The Crooked Beat" -- There's a sonic dimension I'm noticing with Side 2, and I'll get into it at the end of the entry. "The Crooked Beat" reduces dub to its base elements: echoing drums and Paul Simonon's simple bassline. The song not only underscores the band's love of reggae and dub, but that of the London music scene's as well. And so, after establishing a nice groove over the last 10 minutes, we suddenly slide into...
"Somebody Got Murdered" -- It teases for 20 seconds or so, before erupting into one of the most ostensibly Clash-like rockers. Only the very vaguest of details are presented: somebody has been murdered (as the title implies) and neither we nor the narrator know much else. I won't delve into any more highschool-level lyrical analysis, and just say that while this is arguably the most straightforward track on the album, it's also one of the indisputable, five-star classics.
"One More Time" -- Another spooky song that examines poverty and the plight of African-Americans. In order to get an added dose of authenticity and credibility (as if they needed it), the Clash enlisted Jamaican reggae artist Mikey Dread to co-write and perform this, among other songs.
"One More Dub" -- What!? The band sequences a dub remix of "One More Time" right after the original? I guess Paul and Topper did come up with a pretty good beat, so why not keep it going to the side's end?

The thing that jumps to my mind is this: aside from "Somebody Got Murdered", the guitar is mostly absent from the entire side. Paul Simonon dominates the proceedings, from his prominent bass parts to his love of reggae he brought to the band. As I was driving tonight, I actually found myself skipping over "Somebody Got Murdered" on a second listen-through, in order to preserve that impressive, atmospheric groove. "Murdered" has an incongruous presence here, but it is a nice change of pace, and frankly, where else was it going to go?

Mark Wheat thinks I am "insane" for dissing "Junco Partner", and Ali Lozoff thinks I'm not giving "Hitsville U.K." enough credit. Intrigued? Chime in, and stay tuned for Side 3, coming up Friday evening.

The Stream 08/31/07

Posted at 8:29 AM on August 31, 2007 by Barb Abney

Previously unreleased Libertines track, a cover of The Beatles tune "Eight Days A Week", is available now.

PJ Harvey announces two North American dates.

Smashing Pumpkins and Kanye West to play Bang! Music Fest.

Here's what the gang from Pretty Girls Make Graves members will do now that their band is finished.

Today In Music History:
1945 - Van Morrison was born.
1955 - Anthony Thistlethwaite (The Waterboys) was born.
1957 - Glenn Tilbrook (Squeeze) was born.
1957 - Gina Schock (The Go-Go's) was born.
1967 - Gerard Love (Teenage Fanclub) was born.
1970 - Debbie Gibson was born.
1974 - Keith Richards told Rolling Stone he gave up drugs when his doctor told him that he had six months to live.
1977 - Craig Nicholls (The Vines) was born.
1986 - Bob Geldof married Paula Yates.
1989 - The Rolling Stonesbegan their 'Steel Wheels' tour in Philadelphia.
1994 - Aaliyah and R Kelly were secretly but since she was only 15 at the time, the marriage was annulled.
2002 - NASA announced that Lance Bass (*NSYNC) would be the first celebrity astronaut. When he failed to pay for his $20 million ticket the plans were cancelled.

Live On Air Blogging 08/31/07

Posted at 9:12 AM on August 31, 2007 by Barb Abney

Noonish - Tunes On The Telly Tonight:
Sinead O'Connor on Henry Rollins

Tomorrow Night
Bjork on SNL

11:30 a.m. The Flaming Lips
They'll be playing The Myth on September, 9th.
Here's Mary's chat with Wayne Coyne at last year's State Fair.

11:20 a.m. The Chemical Brothers
Here's a video series about the recording process of We Are The Night.

11:10 a.m. John Vanderslice
Emerald City is available now.
He'll be playing The Entry along with Bishop Allen on October 8th.

10:50 a.m. Editors
An End Has A Start is in stores now.
The band will be playing at The Fineline on September 12th.
They did an in-studio back in April, 2006.
More info here and/or here.

10:40 a.m. Bob Mould
He'll release Circle of Friends: Live at the 9:30 Club October 9th.
He'll play Bryant Lake Bowl on October 10th.
He'll also be speaking at this year's Noise Pop Festival.
Read the latest installment of "Ask Bob".

10:30 a.m. 1990s
Their album Cookies is in stores now.
They're playing The 400 Bar on November 7th.
Learn more about here and/or here.

10:20 a.m. Spoon
They'll be playing at First Avenue on October 10th and 11th.
More dates and backstage footage here.

10:10 a.m. Song Of The Day Info - Local Music - Fort Wilson Riot
Today on our Song Of The Day Podcast we're featuring Fort Wilson Riot with the tune "An Imagined Civil State" from their Idigaragua release. Learn more about their rock opera production of Idigaragua and upcoming performances at The Bedlam Theatre.
Hear from Fort Wilson Riot again this Sunday night on The Local Show with David Campbell.
Upcoming dates and more info here and/or here.

9:50 a.m. a.m. The New Pornographers
Challengers is in stores now.
They'll be appearing at First Avenue along with Emma Pollack and Benjy Ferree on October 16th.
You can pre-order your tickets here.

9:40 a.m. Beastie Boys
Read their tour journal and check out their upcoming regular dates, festival dates and instrumental gala events on their official site.

9:30 a.m. Sea Wolf
Alex Church is one of the founding members of the band Irving.
He's about to release his full length debut, Leaves in the River on September 25. More info.

9:20 a.m. Suzanne Vega
Her latest release, Beauty And Crime is available now.
She'll be playing The Varsity on October 2nd.
Her official site.

9:10 a.m. Metric
They're playing First Avenue on September 26th.
They dropped by for an in-studio performance back in January.

Guest DJ 8/31

Posted at 1:03 PM on August 31, 2007 by Mark Wheat

Another discovery that the missus picked out for me on our vacation shopping spree in Cologne was ironically a German who made his name in the UK, Terry Lee Brown Junior. Reknowned for developing a style of Tech-House, that works as both a dance groove and a lounge listen, he has been putting out compilations for 8 years on the Plastic City label. The latest "Terry's Cafe 10" comes as a double disc and features a cd chock full of 'Terry's classics', a best of the series so far. We played tracks 5 thru 8, but we could've 'dropped the needle' anywhere on this elegant set featuring some hooj names;

05 . David Alvarado - "Blue Dub"
06 . Underground Sound Of Lisbon - "So Get Up"
07 . Ricardo Villalobos - "808 The Bassqueen"
08 . Danny Tenaglia - "Bottom Heavy"

"My 3 Songs" for Friday

Posted at 3:08 PM on August 31, 2007 by Steve Seel

Today, Joe Williams of Des Moins, IA submits as his three tunes "the three strangest love songs of the year."

1) Poison Control Center, "Glory Us"
2) John Vanderslice, "White Dove"
3) Wilco, "Hate It Here"

Happy Friday, everyone. And have a lovely holiday weekend; the weather is looking idyllic for the finale of the State Fair. Whatever you're doing, drive safely.

The Sandinista! "Project" - Side 3

Posted at 5:54 PM on August 31, 2007 by Mac Wilson (1 Comments)

I must say straight out that I am gaining an appreciation for Sandinista! that I never had before. Maybe that's because on CD or iTunes, it's clumped into 18 or 36 tracks (respectively) and then yes, it really does seem like a muddled mess. But going back to take a look at the record as it was originally conceived and presented -- six separate sets of music -- casts the music in a new light (at least for a listener like me, who was born around the same time as CDs). With that, on to Side 3!

"Lightning Strikes (Not Once but Twice)" -- The other white rap, slap bass-driven New York chronicle on Sandinista!. Not bad, it's just that "Magnificent Seven" is a whole lot better.
"Up in Heaven (Not Only Here)" -- A dark yet uptempo rocker about the projects of London. Superb drumming and one of the most memorable guitar riffs on the album.
"Corner Soul" -- From the projects to the jungles, where guerrillas wield machetes and consider the revolutionary potential of the music. The female backing vocals are a weird yet distinctive touch.
"Let's Go Crazy" -- I was really surprised at how phenomenal this song is. It always seemed buried at the end of CD1 before, but now, I was able to hear it for the success it is! Mixing elements of calypso with more sentiments of disillusionment, this time in Central Americans. I feel that tracks like this had a direct influence on artists like Michael Franti -- melding loud, almost celebratory music with intensely political lyrics.
"If Music Could Talk" -- Maybe it's just that the other material on Side 3 is so constantly fresh, but this one's slow saxophone shuffle drags a little to my ears.
"The Sound of the Sinners" -- As was so often with the Clash, their gospel song is every bit as good as the real thing. My favorite part comes at the very end, after Strummer's final, breathless declaration that he will never be as clean as Jesus -- the song fades, then the organ and choir slowly fade back up, as a preacher's voice pops up, saying, "I'd like to thank you all for coming this week...", pointing out the collection boxes, and inviting everyone to return again the following Sunday, wrapping up Side 3 as one would conclude a church service. On iTunes, the effect is lost, because "Police on My Back" starts up right away, but a moment like this reminds us of the era when a band fully intended that between vinyl sides, the listener sit back and take a little time to contemplate what they've just experienced. For me, that closing preacher's voice only reiterates that each side of Sandinista! is its own separate entity, each to be absorbed in its own fashion.

Whew. Spoken word? Check. False endings? Check. More Topper Headon drum fills than you can shake a stick at? It's all there. Be sure to check back for the rest of the album (we're only halfway through!) including a recap of Side 4 (arguably the heart of the album) later tonight. And if you missed a side, you can check out the recaps to Side 1 and Side 2 as well.

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