Most bloggers and pundits usually wait till the end of the year to post their Top 10 favorite songs or albums but I am too impatient for that, and don’t want to get caught up in that traffic jam. I’ve reported on a lot of live music lately and will do more in the future, but most of this list is predicated on radio airplay– most notably WEXT (97.7 FM) out of Amsterdam, NY (but broadcast from studios in Troy), and WEQX (102.7 FM) out of Manchester, VT. The former is an NPR, non-commercial, listener-supported station which claims to play “Music regular radio left behind.” The latter dubs itself “the real alternative” although it does still play McDonald’s commercials to go along with shilling for the skiing industry, which is fine since its tower is perched on Mount Equinox, and probably half its listeners are either skiers or boarders or both. In each case, these stations and their devoted dj’s are NOT enslaved to Clear Channel formats and playlists, and I/we love them for that. Other than some occasional doses of sports radio jabber at 104.5 FM (the national feeds, not the inane locals), these are largely the only two stations I listen to when driving millions of miles in my compact Chevy, unless my daughter is in the car with me, wanting to hear Elvis Durant in the morning.
So here is what struck me, in the last few months, not all brand new, but tunes that have inspired me, tunes that I either have to CRANK UP, or conversely, MEDITATE to…
“Little Black Submarines” by The Black Keys– one of those “first-time I heard it” songs that grabbed me by the ears and demanded attention. I had to dig to really figure out the lyrics, surrealistic haiku of a sort, painting a quick picture of a devastated landscape,
something about a bad break-up– and the inability to re-connect with a lover.
“Shake It Out, Shake It Out!” by Florence + The Machine– After her concert at SPAC, my wife picked up Florence’s MTV Unplugged CD, on which her voice soars even more than when embedded in the thick mix of her full band, and the lyrics can be distinguished to full effect. To wit: “It’s hard to Dance…With the Devil on Your Back, So SHAKE IT Out!”
The Wallflowers, w/ Mick Jones– “Reboot the Mission”– nasty ska beat reminiscent of the band the song pays tribute to, The Clash, with its former guitarist sitting in, nice!
Jacob Dylan’s voice is just as dusky as his old man’s, good to hear it again.
“This Head I Hold” by Electric Guest– first heard this, not on local radio for a change, but on Sirius XM’s The Spectrum when traveling south back in May– caught my attention immediately, though I wrongly assumed the falsetto-voiced lead singer was black. Not the case– the duo will be appearing in our area October 23rd at Upstate Concert Hall in Clifton Park.
“1904”– by The Tallest Man on Earth, apparently a 5’8″ Swedish dude who I could not learn to like at first, but who grew on me to the point that now I am anxious to hear the rest of his output– a twangy Dylan-esque voice that is not pleasant but inserts itself into your mind.
“Magpie” by Beth Orton– at one point in the late 90’s we listened to her early stuff endlessly, and this new album, Sugaring Season, will be one we’re buying soon.
“Would That Not Be Nice” by Divine Fits, with the lead singer from Spoon, whose limited range voice is very compelling to me… really good tune that has grown on me.
“Downwind” by Sean Rowe, one of the “local 5-1-8” demi-gods who seems to be making it in the recording world since being championed by Tom Waits, also a very distinctive voice, both gravelly and plaintive– my wife loves this guy, and so apparently do a lot of other local women…
“Foolish Girl” by Mary Leigh & The Fauves… a Saratoga lass– Mary Leigh Roohan– with a terrific voice leads this group, and I am determined to see her/their live act somewhere nearby soon, sounding very professional on the radio airplay of this one. Hopefully Putnam Den will be a regular stop for her and this band.
“Love Interruption,” the latest from Jack White, on his own after the dissolution of The White Stripes… this pithy 2-minute song I saw him play on SNL is enough of a reason to seek out the entire CD– great word-play and rhymes, and stinging punctuation on guitar.
“I Will Wait” by Mumford & Sons– these guys don’t need my accolades, they are one of the biggest selling recording acts in the country right now, and this song is as ubiquitous as Adele’s hits were a year or two ago… interesting that Mumford’s manic, driven banjos and carefully cacophonous harmonies are infectious now, to this huge extent…
“Youth Without Youth” by Metric, played more heavily on WEQX than anywhere else, as a great generational anthem with a wicked, gravitiational beat and great recurring chorus–makes me wish I was 35 years younger so it pertained to me.
“Monarchy of Roses” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers– an album from last year, but still on my hot list, mainly because of this tune and “The Adventures of Raindance Maggie.” Anthony Kiedis and Flea and Chad Smith, plus whomever they choose to play guitar–
never seem to get any older, or out of style. The 20-somethings and teen ‘boarders who listen to ‘EQX still find this group cool, and I find that fact comforting.
The XX– “Chained”– I have been waiting for something new from this group, who made
me an instant fan with the seductive, understated syncopation of “Crystallize”… they just
have such a unique and refreshing sound…more on the hypnotic end of the spectrum than the rousing or rowdy dance/rockers I usually favor…
“Bushwick Blues” by Delta Spirit… this fits the description I just mentioned above, fast
and upbeat, a great driving tune with a stark and biting snare drum, and cool vocals.
“I Ain’t The Same” by Alabama Shakes– the second single off the CD called “Boys & Girls” which put Brittany Howard’s name on the map, and might be winning her and her band a Grammy next February, I would bet, for best newcomer. Soulful bad-ass blues for a new generation.
“Parted Ways” by The Heartless Bastards, a song I listened to a ton of times on the way
back from Decatur, Ga. this past spring, having purchased the CD called “Arrow.”
Radiohead’s “Lotus Flower”– this probably came out last year and was in heavy rotation for a while on both radio stations I listen to heavily, but now seems to have faded away. Like the XX, it tends toward the meditative, quirky, introspective side of things, which is what I need as a counterpoint to the loud and dense audial input which fills most of my days. I am going to have to purchase their most recent CD to really delve into it.
Along those lines, Dead Can Dance is the name of a group I picked up on, belatedly, by listening to the phenomenal late-night syndicated show called ECHOES, produced by fanatic music lover & DJ John Diliberto. This group is an unusual aggregation that started in the early 90’s and had disbanded for quite awhile before recently coming back into prominence. The ethereal voice of Lisa Gerrard and the 12-string guitar of Brendan Perry were the driving forces of this mystical music, and when their relationship dissolved so did the group, from what Mr. Diliberto says. There seems to be a comeback of sorts going on, however, perhaps due to this sophisticated d.j.’s efforts.
I noticed their names on a college radio Top 10 list recently; that bodes well for renewed interest. “Dead Can Dance”: for those of you jaded by what you hear on the radio, look into this group’s music. (For great falling-into-the alpha-state music of all sorts, I
would also recommend ECHOES on a nightly basis, to soothe the mind before crashing–
10pm to midnight, 6 nights a week, then repeated, from 12-2a.m., for night owls. This is on WEXT, The Exit, 97.7 FM, who are definitely NOT paying me to give this plug, but deserve it anyway for the programming they provide, unlike anything else.)
I recently picked up a used copy of one of their CD’s– beguilingly labelled “Toward The Within”, from 1994– and after listening to it religiously for a few weeks, realized the actual CD in the case was titled “Spiritchaser” from 1996. O well, still a good buy, and thanks FYE. These is a vaguely Indian/Morrocan/Persian Sufi feel to it, and some chanted choruses which tell me that Sting heard this stuff before writing “Desert Rose” in 1999.
While I like to prove I am well-versed in the present tense of new music, unlike some folks my age, there are a few dudes (and dudettes!) even older than me who are still putting out impressive product in 2012: Bob Dylan’s “Duquesne Whistle” from his, like, 45th album(!) is getting played a lot; Van Morrison’s latest effort “The Door To Your Heart” still sounds fresh; and the prototype rasta/reggae star from Jamaica in the 60’s, the venerable Jimmy Cliff, proves he has not only survived but evolved with a great tune
named “One More” on an album fittingly titled “Rebirth.” On the distaff side of the aisle, Bonnie Raitt– a skilled slide guitarist I first saw at Colgate, fall of ’73– has come out with a song written by the late Gerry Rafferty “Right Down The Line”, which is a great tribute not only to the original, but to the concept of lasting love. That might be lyrical subject where years of worldly experience and understanding can trump youthful verve, enthusiasm and energy.
Here’s hoping we can come to balance both extremes, via music, for as long as possible.
There’s a lot more I could say, and already a lot more than a Top Ten on this list, but my wife reminds me constantly how verbose I have been on this site, so I’ll trim it to this–
take care till next time.
Wayne, from west of Saratoga Springs, 10/7/12