Random Ten
Waiting so long, as Berserk's closing theme so adroitly puts it.
01. The Doors, “Moonlight Drive”
Um…I find myself getting more and more embarrassed by these Doors songs. If pressed, I would still defend the merits of some of their stuff. But it would be a very half-hearted defense. 5/10
02. Calexico, “Guero Canelo”
Nice quasi-instrumental. 7/10
03. The Clash, “Deny”
Not, to my mind, one of their more impressive efforts. 5/10
04. Manic Street Preachers, “Locust Valley”
I can’t help noticing that most of the best songs from the Know Your Enemy period (which, I must again note, should not exist, since theyshouldvebrokenupafterthisismytruthdammit) seem to have been relegated to b-side status: this, “Just a Kid” “Pedestal,” “Ballad of the Bangkok Novotel,” “Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel?”…how can we explain this? 7/10
05. Saint Bushmill’s Choir, “Three Polkas”
Man, I sure wish they’d do another album. This little instrumental kicks a lot of ass. It includes “A Drunken Sailor” and other stuff that I’d probably recognize if I were more musically literate. 9/10
06. Blondie, “Dreaming”
It’s free, you know. 7/10
07. 16 Horsepower, “Blessed Persistence”
Purgatory’s favorite alt-country band. I love this stuff. 8/10
08. Emmylou Harris, “Save the Last Dance for Me”
Stately and elegant. 8/10
09. DJ Signify, “Meditations”
See, this is why I find so much underground hip hop annoying. This doesn’t have much of a hook; it’s just dense and boring. 2/10
10. Tom Waits, “That’s the Way”
The Black Rider has some really great tunes, like “November,” “Just the Right Bullets,” “Flash Pan Hunter”…but it also has far too much pointless silliness like this. Highly vexing. 4/10
01. The Doors, “Moonlight Drive”
Um…I find myself getting more and more embarrassed by these Doors songs. If pressed, I would still defend the merits of some of their stuff. But it would be a very half-hearted defense. 5/10
02. Calexico, “Guero Canelo”
Nice quasi-instrumental. 7/10
03. The Clash, “Deny”
Not, to my mind, one of their more impressive efforts. 5/10
04. Manic Street Preachers, “Locust Valley”
I can’t help noticing that most of the best songs from the Know Your Enemy period (which, I must again note, should not exist, since theyshouldvebrokenupafterthisismytruthdammit) seem to have been relegated to b-side status: this, “Just a Kid” “Pedestal,” “Ballad of the Bangkok Novotel,” “Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel?”…how can we explain this? 7/10
05. Saint Bushmill’s Choir, “Three Polkas”
Man, I sure wish they’d do another album. This little instrumental kicks a lot of ass. It includes “A Drunken Sailor” and other stuff that I’d probably recognize if I were more musically literate. 9/10
06. Blondie, “Dreaming”
It’s free, you know. 7/10
07. 16 Horsepower, “Blessed Persistence”
Purgatory’s favorite alt-country band. I love this stuff. 8/10
08. Emmylou Harris, “Save the Last Dance for Me”
Stately and elegant. 8/10
09. DJ Signify, “Meditations”
See, this is why I find so much underground hip hop annoying. This doesn’t have much of a hook; it’s just dense and boring. 2/10
10. Tom Waits, “That’s the Way”
The Black Rider has some really great tunes, like “November,” “Just the Right Bullets,” “Flash Pan Hunter”…but it also has far too much pointless silliness like this. Highly vexing. 4/10
Labels: Randumbness
posted by GeoX, one of the GeoX boys. at 1:22 AM
You seem to be gravitating towards more country-style music these days. Hmm. So I take it that "Lifeblood" did not redeem the Manics' continued existence, in your opinion?
- SK
It's sort of natural that I should be gravitating in country-ish direction. It's sort of an obvious step if you're into that Americana kind of thing. Though mind you, the mainstream contemporary stuff you hear on the radio still makes me wish I were deaf. As for Lifeblood...I didn't actually hear the whole thing; I downloaded about half of it from the usual illegal sources. It's not that it's bad, exactly; hell, Know Your Enemy isn't *bad,* exactly--if they were by some other, new band, I wouldn't have a problem with them. But it's the principle of the thing, really: they *could* have gone out on an artistic high; instead, they're just sort of bumbling around with obviously no idea where they're going, and they're tarnishing their whole legacy. Dammit.
Well, what I meant is that you seemed to be gravitating into an "Americana"-ish direction. Quite a departure after your Britpop phase, it seems. I take it that Tom Waits spurred you on that-a-ways?
- SK
Until I was, like, twenty-two or so, my musical taste seems to have derived primarily from a deep sense of anglophilia. Where did it come from? And where did it go? That is difficult to say. But now it is gone. Tom Waits WAS probably the first step. And for that, I can thank my freshman roommate, who drove me crazy in many ways, but who also played Bone Machine over and over, to my eventual benefit. There's also something about discovering really obscure, off-beat bands that I just like a lot.