Pulp - "Common People"
Steve Earle - "The Mountain" (live)
Peter, Bjorn & John - "Amsterdam"
Joy Division - "Glass"
Magnetic Fields - "Reno Dakota"
The Arcade Fire - "Cars And Telephones"
What a cool find... I'm not sure I even knew I had this song. Apparently it's a sort of rare Arcade Fire demo that I got a while back (thanks ex-coworker Jason) and promptly ignored and/or forgot about. Instead of that biggish indie band sound that AF usually trots out, this is a stripped down acoustic song with Win and Regine doing some nice harmonizing. It actually sounds a bit like Yo La Tengo. The lyrics are also great - - it's about trying to get back to a long-distance love. See:
Because I like cars more than telephones
Your voice in my head makes me feel so alone
Tonight I'm going to drive
The silver moon is shining bright
Over the interstate
God saying, "Hurry, don't be late"
Soon the sun will rise
That's when the romance dies
And I'm just tired of running around
Good stuff, right? You know you want to hear it. It's your lucky day. Click here.
Travis - "As You Are"
Meat Puppets - "Plateau"
Seu Jorge - "Rebel Rebel"
Wilco - "Someone Else's Song"
Guided By Voices - "Chasing Heather Crazy"
Dinosaur Jr - "Thumb" (acoustic)
This acoustic version of this great song from Dinosaur Jr's Green Mind album is from the 1993 Out There EP. I personally always liked Green Mind, Dinosaur's major label debut, a lot. It was a bit more - - how do you say? - - accessible than the previous records by the band fronted by long-haired, whiny-voiced, guitar squaller J. Mascis. But after recording one of the best songs of the grunge era, "Freak Scene," I don't think Mascis really changed that much (even though Lou Barlow, and for the most part Murph had checked out). Sure there's some acoustic guitar, but for me that only offers some great contrast to those over-the-top Mascis solos. The only reason I'm feeling so defensive is because it got a scathing from a trusted source. It was recently pointed out to me that the great early indie music guide, The Trouser Press, is online and I was very surprised to read this review. It says (in part):
"Water" and "Green Mind" are the only genuinely memorable items in a lackluster bunch; Mascis seems to have expended all his creative energy in learning the syncopated beat of "Muck" and inflating the leaky atmospheric tire that supports "Thumb," which parts previously uncharted waters in the realm of hypnoriff. More than a lazy sound, Green Mind is the sound of laziness.
Does anyone agree with this assessment? Or better yet, does anyone know what a hypnoriff is?
Flight Of The Conchords - "Mutha'uckas"
Television - "Friction"
And then I got to work.
Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 15
Total minutes of music (approx.): 51
Song with the most previous plays: "Thumb," "Rebel Rebel" (tie) - 6
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: OMG! Big news in sports:
"Balloon Mishap Foils Frenchman's Latest Attempt at a 25-Mile Skydive"
And you thought I was going mention the Mets finally winning a game.
2 comments:
Hey, I enjoy your blog. Brings me back to the days of riding the subway to and from Brooklyn. Gladly, I am now a left coaster (native, actually). I went to school back east and was a DJ in college right when Dinosaur Jr. broke. Saw them and Sonic Youth in Philly together. I think Bug is great but I still think the first seven songs of YLAOM is the best stuff they ever did. I stayed a fan of J and Lou when they split, the first time. I really like Green Mind. Loved The Wagon when it came out. From what I remember J pretty much played everything on the album, including drums. I liked Murph but J is a better drummer. My tape cassette case says Murph played on 1,6, and 8. I didn't think it was lazy at all. He did the whole damn album by himself. The stuff that came afterward was lazy. Like Where You Been. I think More Light which is J and the Fog is a pretty good album, on par with Green Mind. I guess I'm a sucker for his solos. Anyway, I enjoy the blog. I can vicariously ride the train again.
Thanks, Gummy. You're right, YLAOM does rock. Also, love the fact that you have Green Mind on cassette. Long live J Mascis solos...and tape hiss!
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