My Mathematical Mind (Day 37)

The National - "Mr. November" (live)
Sufjan Stevens - "Kaskaskia River"
Cannonball Adderly - "One For Daddy-O"
Sufjan Stevens - "Kaskaskia River"
Cannonball Adderly - "One For Daddy-O"
Nope, there's nothing wrong with your monitor. I did just list the same 2 songs twice. Apparently I leaned on my iPod this morning and skipped backwards 2 tracks. As a result I repeated both the Sufjan and Cannonball tunes. And evidently I was a little too wrapped up in reading about the Mets 5-4 win in extra innings (great for the team very gritty victory, bad for my fantasy team which was denied the win from Johan Santana!), that I didn't even notice until I was about 2 minutes into the second playing of "One For Daddy-O." I then thought, Gee, I'm hearing 2 very similar jazz tunes this morning. A quick glance at the iPod revealed they're so similar, they're identical. Oops. Nice song in any case. (The short instrumental Sufjan outtake from The Avalanche barely registered both times.)
Elliott Smith - "Waltz #2 (XO)"
Spoon - "My Mathematical Mind"
Silkworm - "Bourbon Beard"
Well, since today's playlist already has a drunk feel thanks to the repeated songs, why not continue the theme. First off all, Silkworm is great. They are the early 90s Seattle band that somehow managed not to get famous - - which is generally good for fans (I think) and bad for band income. They oscillated from propulsive to reflective and created some great rock records. (See Firewater.) I didn't realize until recently that they disbanded when drummer Michael Dalquist was tragically killed in a car crash. AJS turned me on to the new project of original Silkworm-ers Tim Midgett and Andy Cohen called Bottomless Pit. It's good stuff - - sounds a lot like Silkworm, in fact. But back to "Bourbon Beard." It's a weird and laid back drinking song from the 2002 release Italian Platinum. Love the lyrics, like, “I don’t even like the taste of my bourbon beard / But I’d rather feel sleazy than desperate and crazed." I'm a recent bourbon convert myself. I like whiskey in general, but recently it's all about the bourbon. (The difference? I can probably dedicate an entire blog to it, but the basics are that bourbon is American whiskey that is made mostly from corn.) And all this brings me to the thrust of this aside. It's time for the first ever What I Listened To On My Way To Work Today product recommendation.

It's Corner Creek Reserve Bourbon Whiskey.
It's slightly sweet, a little bit smoky and very smooth. And only about $25 a bottle! If you like the brown liquors give it a shot, you won't be disappointed. (And if you too, Mr. Liquor Distributor, would like to see your firewater featured on this blog, send it over!)







Broken Social Scene - "Backyards"
Kings of Convenience - "Leaning Against The Wall"

And then I got to work.

Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 8* (*10 total songs, but seven different ones)
Total minutes of music (approx.): 48
Song with the most previous plays: "My Mathematical Mind" - 6
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: I like me a sandwich, and today's NYT feature on the beloved meal consisting of something delicious slipped between 2 pieces of bread had me salivating at 9:30am.

Red Staggerwing (Day 36)

Alejandro Escovedo - "The Boxing Mirror"
Serge Gainsbourg - "L'Ami Caouette"
Stephen Malkmus - "Black Magic"
Meat Puppets - "Magic Toy Missing"
A side note here, but not so much about the Meat Puppets (although they are unique purveyors of what, I think, is best described as hillbilly punk). Rather, this reminds me of a gross/funny thing that happened recently. My two-and-a-half-year-old is coming off a nasty cold and on Friday she was battling a fever and really not her self. She was extremely tired and grumpy and as I was putting her to bed, she made a request for some milk in "Elmo cup." Although not a toy per say, "Elmo cup" seems to posses some magic and is definitely her go-to cup. Unfortunately, said cup was in the dishwasher, so I offered to get her another cup. Bad idea. A tantrum the likes of which I have never seen ensued. She was crying so hard she couldn't speak, and, it seemed, could barely breathe. In an effort to calm her down, I picked her up and held her in my arms. The crying quickly became coughing. The coughing then became retching. The retching became, you guessed it, vomit. Next time I will not hesitate to interrupt the dishwasher's drying cycle. (Apologies if you happen to be eating your lunch.)
Fruit Bats - "When You Love Somebody"
This song was a nice surprise on today's playlist. Admittedly I'm not very familiar with the Fruit Bats other than that they are a rare acoustic band that is (was?) signed to SubPop records. This song has a sunny melody, but the lyrics capture a slightly darker side of amore: "When U love somebody and bite your tongue all you get is a mouthful of blood." I headed over to Senor Wiki for some more info and learned something very interesting. The man behind Fruit Bats, Eric Johnson, has gone and joined The Shins. I think that sounds like a pretty good career move for him.
The Beatles - "Drive My Car"
Ida - "Past The Past"
Interpol - "NYC"
Mark Knopfler & Emmylou Harris - "Red Starggerwing"
Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers - "Warm-up"
Stephen Malkmus - "Mama"
Television - "Carried Away"

And then I got to work.

Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 12
Total minutes of music (approx.): 42
Song with the most previous plays: "Red Staggerwing" - 7
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: I read the following line in today's New York Times story about the newest reality show/trainwreck/guilty pleasure, The Farmer Takes A Wife. (The statement refers to the women who appear on the show, on which suitors vie for the affections of a handsome young farmer.) "...[M]ost profess to be more interested in finding a soul mate than in being on television - - which why, of course, they signed up for a reality dating program." Rimshot! That, my friends, is humor - - New York Times style.

Nothing Was Delivered (Day 35)

Damien Rice - "9 Lives"
Nirvana - "Help Me I'm Hungry"
Nick Love - "Long Limbed Girl"
M Ward - "Regeneration No. 1"
Red House Painters - "Another Song For A Blue Guitar"
The Good, The Bad And The Queen - "The Good, The Bad And The Queen"
Teenage Fanclub - "Fear Of Flying"
We interrupt this program for a little musical ass kissing. Lately it seems all I want to write about his how much I love this band or that musician. Unfortunately I can't buck that treacly trend this AM because, well, I love Teenage Fanclub. I'm not just talking about the indie masterpiece Bandwagonesque that got their own bandwagon rolling. (I think Spin, when Spin was cool, picked it as the best album of 1991 over Nevermind, and I was both surprised and impressed.) But I enjoy everything - - and I mean everything - - this Scottish group did before and since their breakthrough. When others seemed to lose interest, I thought they only got better. Who else will stand up now with me and say, "Songs From Northern Britain is a gorgeous masterpiece"? What? None of you. Come on! The soaring harmonies. The jangly guitars. Go back. Listen to it. The we'll talk. Meanwhile, this song appeared on the follow-up to Bandwagonesque which was a decidedly grungier and more guitar-driven affair (which I loved, naturally).
Bob Dylan & The Band - "Nothing Was Delivered"
Gut Feeling - "Devo"
Neil Young - "Heart Of Gold" (live)
Modest Mouse - "Sleep Walkin'"
This is one of those songs that I made a mental note to research when I got into the office. I like Modest Mouse, but I'm not an uber-completist. So this track was actually unfamiliar and struck me because it's not your average MM fare. Isaac Brock's voice is still unmistakable. but he was joined by a female vocalist in a country-tinged 50s sounding duet that appears on the singles and B-sides collection, Building Nothing Out of Something. Had to go to the Intrawebs to find out that the female voice belongs to Nicole Johnson - - and no further information about her could be found. BUT, I did learn that the melody of this song was taken from an actual 50s tune called "Sleep Walk" by Santo & Johnny. Who are they you ask? Two brothers from Brooklyn (yeeah, boyyy!), who scored a number one hit in 1959. Best part of their story is that their dad was away in the army when he heard some steel guitar on the radio. He wrote home to his wife, "I'd like the boys to learn to play this instrument." Good thing he wasn't listening to glockenspiel music!
John Doe - "Worried Brow"
Her Space Holiday - "Something To Do With My Hands"

And then I got to work.

Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 13
Total minutes of music (approx.): 50
Song with the most previous plays: "Nothing Was Delivered," "Something To Do With My Hands" - 5
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: I saw this sign on the subway.















Can you make out what this says? The MTA does not want you to lean on the subway car doors, imploring you to instead "Lean on your best friend for the $50 he owes you." This is New York City, so you have to assume that the MTA is condoning breaking your friend's leg or cutting off his middle finger. Seems like a strange message to send, no?

What Sarah Said (Day 34)

James - "Tomorrow"
The Jayhawks - "Eyes Of SarahJane"
Ahh - - warm summer-like breezes and the sweet harmonies of Gary Louris and Mark Olson. You can't beat it. Yes, I know Mark Olson was long gone when The Jayhawks released their final LP, Rainy Day Music, but original members Marc Perlman and Tim O'Reagan were still around to sing with him. In any case, I've been a huge fan of this band since 1992's Hollywood Town Hall, which - - I'm just going to say it - - is an all-time great album. From the opening riff of "Waiting For The Sun" and all the way through to the closing solo on "Martin's Song" it's pretty much perfection. Roots rock, alt-country, Americana, whatever you want to call it, The Jayhawks channel The Byrds, Gram Parsons, Neil Young (and, later, Big Star) into a wholly cohesive sound. Lovely. Nothing can touch Hollywood Town Hall, but all of their albums have highlights and I do like this uptempo tune from the mostly panned Rainy Day Music. Unfortunately Louris' recent solo album, Vagabonds, doesn't have any of the old magic. But it may be a "grower," I'm not ready to write it off yet.
Elliott Smith - "Memory Lane"
My Morning Jacket - "The Way That He Sings" (live)
Tokyo Police Club - "The Nature Of The Experiment"
Whiskeytown - "Reasons To Lie"
The New Pornographers - "The Fake Headlines"
Thelonious Monk - "Off Minor (Take 4)"
The Thorns - "Now I Know"
I've mentioned this before on this blog, but it's worth repeating so as not to completely embarrass myself. There exists a phenomenon I like to call "iPod inertia." It works like this: songs can easily make it onto my iPod, but they rarely make it off - - even if they deserve to be royally kicked off the proverbial island. I can't think of a better example than The Thorns. Described in some circles as a "super-group," the only thing super about this record is how super-cheesy it sounds. The Thorns are Matthew Sweet, Pete Droge and Shawn Mullins; and to be honest, I'm only really familiar with Sweet's music. I like his power pop (especially the 1991 album that put him on the map, Girlfriend; although I don't think I've listened to it in about 10 years). And based on what I'd heard/read (CSN/Beach Boys-like harmonies, rootsy, etc) this found its way onto the iPod. Oops. It's completely over-produced and soul-less - - like the worst kind of 70s folk pop. Why don't I just delete it already? Apparently I need therapy.
Aimee Mann - "Longshot"
The Elected - "The Miles 'Til Home"
Death Cab For Cutie - "What Sarah Said"
UPDATE: I didn't even notice the weird double "Sarah" allusion when I first posted. How about them apples?
Cansei De Ser Sexy - "Off The Hook"

And then I got to work.

Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 13
Total minutes of music (approx.): 45
Song with the most previous plays: "What Sarah Said" - 9
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: It was tough to get out of the house this morning. My daughter had a 102.5 degree fever last night and she woke up so grumpy even unlimited viewings of this insipid cartoon she loves called Caillou couldn't cheer her up. Any other parents out there ever see this show? Torture.

Pangea (Day 33)

Son Volt - "Medicine Hat" (live)
Eleventh Dream Day - "Bearish On High"
Rhett Miller - "Question"
Les Savy Fav - "Reformat"
Bright Eyes - "Smoke Without Fire"
First of all, I think today's set of randomly shuffled music was pretty great. Eclectic, yet had nice flow; and although there were no "hits," there were a lot of very solid songs. Among them this quiet, folksy song from Bright Eyes (which incidentally includes guest vocals from M Ward, who is also on today's playlist). It so happens my friend Paul, sent me this blog post the other day: The Ten Most Annoying Singers. On the list is (wait for it)... Conor Oberst, aka Bright Eyes. Ridiculous. Celine Dion, Scott Stapp, Michael Bolton - - fine, but Oberst? He does own a sort of sensitive guy whine, but it doesn't sound like "he's swimming back to the womb for protection from this hard, harsh world" as the blogger writes. I have other issues with Conor, just not his singing. Namely how inconsistent his music is. I thought (still think) his breakthrough album I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning was pretty great. Whereas the simultaneously released Digital Ash In A Digital Urn was a travesty. The latter was his electronic album, and it showed why Conor should really stick to the roots rock sound. (Incidentally, my wife got into I'm Wide Awake and actually went to see him in concert - - without me. The result? A set almost exclusively of songs of Digital Ash, with not a single song she recognized, that was also extremely loud and, she thought, damaged the hearing of our then unborn child.) But even when he's doing what I think he does best, it is still not always a success. The follow-up to I'm Wide Awake, Cassadaga, was also rootsy, but not nearly as good. And if you go back and listen to some of his older records they are extremely uneven. So I think he has talent (and, yes, a decent voice), but he's clearly not a young prodigy who will be the savior of music, as many headlines suggested just a few years ago.
Thelonious Monk - "Misterioso"
Johnny Cash - "Breaking Bread"
Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin - "Pangea"
Is there a better name for a band? And SSLYBY is no novelty act, they are a solid indie pop group. So where did the name come from? When he was 17 years old, drummer Philip Dickey coined the name because, as he says, "there were 2 girls who would watch us practice and I wanted to make them laugh." Nice.
The Walkmen - "All My Life"
M Ward - "From A Pirate Radio Sermon, 1989"
Just a good excuse to post this (with Yo La Tengo, awesome):



The Beatles - "What Goes On"
Death Cab For Cutie - "Tiny Vessels"

And then I got to work.

Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 12
Total minutes of music (approx.): 47
Song with the most previous plays: "Pangea" - 6
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: Sun shining = good. People warmed by sun and packed into subway cars = bad.

Flint (For The Unemployed and Underpaid) (Day 32)

Sufjan Stevens - "The Devil's Territory"
Coleman Hawkins - "In A Mellow Tone"
The Mountain Goats - "Moon Over Goldsboro"
Kinds of Convenience - "The Girl From Back Then"
Los Lobos - "Little Things"
Pavement - "So Stark (You're A Skyscraper)"
I (heart) Pavement. It's not an unusual or original statement. But I suddenly feel like I've jilted my longtime loves. Hearing this song - - a somber thing of beauty - - and not being able to recite release date, album, lyrics etc, made me sad. Circa Slanted and Enchanted's release in 1992, I would have renounced all worldly possessions to be able to listen to that record 24/7. (Quick aside, I think I bought it after being clued into the buzz that in those days was generated by record stores clerks and a few 'zines - - but I can't remember the details. I will say this, I hadn't actually heard their music when I bought the CD. And here's a full disclosure that I've never told another living soul: The album cover almost scared me off. Not the DIY scrawl or blood-red color - - the floating piano keys. I worried that somehow the piano was going to be central to their sound. Phew.) Anyway, fast-forward through the years and Pavement, in my opinion, continued to make good on their promise (unbeknownst to them) to be one of my all-time favorite bands. But by the time the recent reissues had come out, I'd lost the time/verve/ability to be able to cite every song and every album. 'Tis a pity. Hearing "So Stark (You're A Skyscraper)" today, (a B-side to the "Trigger Cut" single, btw, re-released on the Slanted and Enchanted [Luxe and Reduxe edition]), has made me realize there are now Pavement songs that are new (to me). That's a pretty exciting notion. I don't have six stoned hours in my dorm room to spend pouring over every one, but I do have my commute home...
The Wrens - "Strengthless/Decided Girl"
Sufjan Stevens - "Flint (For The Unemployed And Underpaid)"
Wilco - "I Must Be High"
The Rolling Stones - "Rocks Off"
Right before this classic rocker started playing, I spied a guy on the subway wearing a Clap Your Hands And Say Yeah concert t-shirt. It's been a while since I picked up a concert tee, after years of basically wearing nothing else. (The last one, I think, was a Yo La Tengo shirt bought in 1997.) But seeing the CYHASY shirt reminded me that I basically used to buy one at almost every concert I went to, sometimes with utter disregard for style. For example, after seeing The Stones at Shea Stadium on the 1989 Steel Wheels Tour, I bought this:











But it was actually even lamer, because it was the same boring pattern (the Steel Wheels album cover I think), only on a white T-shirt. Ugly. But then again, who am I to judge, I also owned this:













And then I got to work.

Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 10
Total minutes of music (approx.): 43
Song with the most previous plays: "Flint (For The Unemployed And Underpaid)" - 8
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: I wanted to take a picture of the Clap Your Hands And Say Yeah t-shirt guy, but he was totally on to me and I wound up with nothing more than a shot of his sneakers, which were also kinda cool.

Tin Tin Deo (Day 31)

Art Pepper - "Tin Tin Deo"
Apologies to my rock 'n roll loving friends: The iPod has apparently fallen hard for lady jazz, and the two are off to Jamaica for a quickie wedding and some baby-making. How else to explain all the selections of said genre coming up on the shuffle? Two more long-ish jazz tunes today (see also Dexter Gordon, below). Unfortunately, while both Art and Dexter are superb saxophone players, they are not as gifted when it comes to facial hair. They were both, however, imprisoned at one point in their lives for heroin possession. And you thought rappers lived the thug life. On that note, Miles Davis' autobiography is a crazy good read.
Johnny Cash - "Rusty Cage"
You gotta love the many covers Johnny recorded towards the end of his life for the American Recordings sessions with Rick Rubin. In many cases they're better than the originals. Along with this Soundgarden cover, he put his unmistakable mark on songs by Tom Petty, Simon & Garfunkel, The Beatles, Neil Young, Depeche Mode, Nine Inch Nails, and, of course, U2. His version of "One" is classic - - and definitely better than the original. Take that Bono!
Devendra Banhart - "Todo Los Dolores"
Of Montreal - "October Is Eternal"
The White Stripes - "Shelter Of Your Arms"
Coldplay - "Shiver"
Remember when Coldplay was cool? Come on, there was a moment right after the release of Parachutes that they weren't thought of as more than just Radiohead-light. I know it's lame, but I still kinda like them. And Lite-FM. And long walks on the beach. Have you clicked away yet?
Dexter Gordon - "Coppin' The Haven"
Margot & The Nuclear So And So's - "A Light On A Hill"
Yo La Tengo - "Autumn Sweater"

And then I got to work.

Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 9
Total minutes of music (approx.): 46
Number of artists played today that BM has heard of: 7
Song with the most previous plays: "Tin Tin Deo" - 4
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: I got in late because I had to take my cat to the vet. His name is Henry and he is obese - - 22 pounds and counting. If I had a picture I'd post it here and it would probably go viral.