Stars - "Window Bird"
X- "Universal Corner" (live)
Camera Obscura - "Lloyd, I'm Ready To Be Heartbroken"
The Early Years - "High Times and Low Lives"
The Kinks - "Animal Farm"
In the middle of this classic rock block (who knew I even had Zeppelin on my iPod?), let me sing the praises of one of the genre's most underrated bands. Can a band as big as The Kinks really be underrated? I think so. When it comes to the Kinks, most people think of "Lola," "You Really Got Me," etc. But those people have not heard epics like The Kinks are the Village Green Preservation Society and Arthur - Or The Decline of the British Empire. Both albums put the Kinks in the same stratosphere as late 60s across-the-pond megastars like The Beatles, The Stones and The Who. But funnily enough, I think what holds the Kinks back is that they're just too British. Ray Davies sings a bit British and he writes songs about very British cultural circumstances. If you have only recently become aware of said brilliance, it's probably due to director Wes Anderson. The man really has a knack for picking some great music to put in his films (and skillfully using the tracking shot). Just look:
Led Zeppelin - "You Shook Me"
My Morning Jacket - "Run Thru" (live)
Ida - "Lovers Prayers"
Bishop Perry Tillis - "Nobody's Fault But Mine"
Elvis Costello & Allen Toussaint - "Nearer To You"
And then I got to work.
Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 11
Total minutes of music (approx.): 51
Song with the most previous plays: "Lloyd, I'm Ready To Be Heartbroken" - 14
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: A steady drizzle did not dampen my spirits. How is this possible? New coat. Allow me a moment to wax metrosexual. I really like my new raincoat - - a lot. There are a couple of reasons:
1. I've never owned a raincoat before. (Usually, in inclement weather, I wind up wearing something that would make more sense if I were hiking in a rain forest.)
2. It's navy blue and seems to go with everything.
3. It's trench coat length - - very flattering, gents.
4. It doesn't scream, "I'm a raincoat." In fact, I like to think of it more as a trench coat - - and I can definitely wear it when it's not raining.
This is what it looks like. (This is not what I look like.)
Photo courtesy of JCrew.
5 comments:
First, Sufjan Stevens has some of the longest song titles ever. I hate waiting for the iPod to scroll through the entire thing. I eventually forget how it began once I get to the end.
B - Great Camera Obscura song. They were one of my favorite shows last year.
3 - I really think Wes Anderson could do a whole movie of slow-mo walking/running scenes with some Kinks, Cat Stevens, The Who, etc. and virtually no plot. I'd pay to see it.
CP, so true - - on all points. I almost blogged about Sufjan's epic song titles.
I forgot that I wanted to comment on the raincoat topic. I have been considering making that adult step into the proper raincoat domain. You've made me beleive that anything's possible.
RE: Led Zeppelin. I hated (resented) them as a youngster since I was a pimply, sniveling jazz snob. Later on (college and beyond), I learned how to rock. But it's still a little embarassing (Tolkien). Interestingly, Zep is one of the few things the wife can't tolerate. For her, any and all musics, including atonal free jazz, the wildest avant-garde composition, hardcore punk, or pure noise a-la-Merzbow are a-ok, but Zep and AC/DC and the like just set her teeth on edge. And I understand why. For me, they are the epitome of "guilty pleasure." Maybe it's a guy thing.
RE: Kinks. You got it right. The Kinks exist in that no-man's land where band's like Love wound up: every bit as visionary as the big names of the era, but somehow misplaced by the culture at large. I myself have neglected their catalogs. Sad, but true. But, isn't it great these recordings exist?
RE: Wes Anderson. The wife and I recently watched "Darjeeling Express" and "Rushmore" on DVD and you are right; he is the master of the exquisite slow-motion tracking shot with evocative musical accompaniment. I agree with Comoprozak; I would pay to see a plot-less movie by Wes Anderson.
Have a nice weekend!
Oh, and it's rained for four days straight here. I, too, am impressed by the JCrew raincoat. Fortunately, the weather will be getting warmer soon and I can probably put off this investment in adulthood a little bit longer.
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