Husher’s getting random with his iTunes library. Not to be outdone in the ego department, and because it’s late and I have no shame, I’ve decided to do the same thing. Given the amount of weird-ass stuff in my music library, this should be interesting.
So without further ado, mesdames et messeiurs, here is my very own Playlist of Doom. Enter at your own risk.
M. Ward – Let’s Dance: I first heard M. Ward on Radio Paradise, which led me to download 2 or 3 songs he had for free download on Amazon. Those songs hooked me enough that the last time I did a free trial at Emusic, I ended up downloading a bunch of M. Ward, though I still haven’t listened to even half of what I got.
This is a bizarre acoustic, back-porch treatment of David Bowie’s big 80′s hit. It would flow well in a set with Iron and Wine’s Postal Service cover, and the lyrics have never been clearer. Stripped of the huge Nile Rodgers drums and horns of the original, Ward’s delivery shows how, at it’s heart, this is just a quiet little love song.
David Bowie – I’m Afraid of Americans: Huh – from Bowie recontextualized, to…well, the man himself. Interesting segue. Anyway…Bowie meets Reznor – cool. I once had the opportunity to see the double bill of Bowie and Nine Inch Nails back in the mid-90′s. I forget why I couldn’t go, but this makes me wish I had. And, David, if it’s any consolation, I’m sometimes afraid of Americans, too.
Indigo Girls – Peace Tonight (live at KBCO): Emily Saliers could sing the script of Reservoir Dogs accompanied by her acoustic guitar and it would be the most soothing thing I’d ever heard. For the longest time, I had the individual Indigo Girls mixed up – I thought Emily was the dark-haired one. Regardless of her hair color, Emily is Carla’s favorite member of her favorite group, and this is one of Emily’s nicer upbeat tracks, made all the better by the lack of a faux-Motown rhythm section.
Madeleine Peyroux – Don’t Wait Too Long (live at KBCO): I swear I’m not coaching this thing…I hardly ever listen to these KBCO tracks. I downloaded a bunch of them (including the previous one) last year when Jefito was posting 17 volumes of Live from Studio C. This song is the definition of “pleasant and inoffensive.” Sunday brunch music at its’ finest.
Interpol – PDA (2nd version): If I was forced to listen to one post-punk revisionist band, I guess Interpol would be it. They won me over with “Evil” and it’s creepy puppet video. This song is no “Love Will Tear Us Apart” (or even “Colony”), but if you’re going to ape Joy Division, you might as well do it thoroughly. And about 3:00 into it, they start sounding a bit like Television, too. Bonus.
Ultravox – Sleepwalk: Wha?? Talk about the 80′s. Man…this makes me feel like I’m trapped in an 8-bit Japanese video game, pixelated spaceships flying and shooting at me. Is this seriously from the same album as “Vienna”? Some interesting Euro-doom chord changes here, though. And I can hear the seeds of Muse in this, too.
Passion – All The Earth: I have nothing against worship music – in fact I’ve written some – but this seems like a bunch of lines strung together to hang the piano and guitar riffs and the not-quite-a-sermon-bit off from. The singer asks us, halfway through the song, to pray for a country. Then, he starts randomly exhorting countries to “Celebrate.” Does he realize that “Africa” and “Asia” aren’t countries?
Boards of Canada – sixtyten: Not my favorite BOC track, but a decent example of their warped breakbeat joy.
Billy Joel – Close to the Borderline: Butt-rock Billy Joel. I’m serious – it’s like he’s trying to be Lynyrd Skynyrd or something. I do like a lot of his stuff, but this…meh.
Jeff Beck – A Day in the House: This is off Guitar Shop, the only disc of his I own. The man is an amazing guitar player, but he’s also got a very typically British sense of humo(u)r. Case in point: this song. Beck finds some common ground between P-Funk and the British house of Parliament by placing a mock session of the house over a rubbery funk-rock backing. It’s deeply odd, yes, but also fun to listen to. I’d like to see Satriani make C-SPAN sound this interesting.
That’s beautiful, man. Funny side-note. My brother-in-law (Cheryl’s husband) met Bowie and Reznor during that door when he was working security at the Mullins Center in U-Mass. Without knowing them, he mentioned, he was hungry, D&T said they were too, so he wound up getting pizza for them and they shared. Mmmmm…. pizza.