Music

the shit on the streets of our town
come in different shades of brown
what i mean can be seen and be found
take a stroll and look down on the ground

sometimes a man can’t understand
about mother natures grand plan
what is chocolate and golden and tan
where we walk around or just stand

some has a slight reddish hue
a bright yellow is quite common too
there’s a rainbow in that residue
to be witnessed by me and byyou

and out of some doggie’s behind
comes a rare an an unusual find
its that chalky white albino kinda
it blows and it boggles my mind

the shit on the streets of our town
come in different shades of brown
what i mean can be seen and be found
take a stroll and look down on the ground

I’ve been educating myself with the history of funk and soul music by getting my hands on as many of the best compilations I can find. I’ve ignored Detroit/Motown… because you probably already know most of it.

New Orleans:
(5-Stars)(4-Stars)(3-Stars)

Chicago:
(5-Stars)(4-Stars)

Philadelphia:
(4-Stars)(3-Stars)

Mid-West:
(3-Stars)

Texas:

Texas Funk: Black Gold from the Lone Star State 1968-1975 (4-Stars)

Seattle:
(4-Stars)

San Francisco:

Bay Area Funk Vol. 1 (4-Stars)
(3-Stars)

Miami:
(3-Stars)

Others:
(5-Stars)

Raw Funk (3-Stars)

The Funky 16 Corners (4-Stars)

[tags]funk, soul, chicago, philadelphia, new orleans, texas, mid-west, san francisco, chicago[/tags]

Listening to Cowboys In Scandinavia compilation

I found myself listening to the song “Oh Lord” by [tag]Kristofer Astrom[/tag] and the Hidden Truck on repeat non-stop…

As always no lyrics on the webernet so as transcribed by me:

And it all comes down
To being hard
And I won’t ever find
What lies behind
And the lord won’t give me slumber
And I can’t forget you under

Don’t you worry
The lord will rise again
Don’t feel sorry
The lord will ease my pain

If the/a Church played songs like this I’d probably go again.

There are mp3s on myspace.

And more from the album at:
Everything Is Fire

I noticed a strong similarity between the bass lines in [tag]Jimmy Cliff[/tag]’s “If I Follow My Mind” (If I Follow My Mind, 1976) and [tag]Led Zeppelin[/tag]’s “The Rover”(Physical Graffiti, 1975).

Just one of those things. I searched around and didn’t find any connections… so I just made one.

“If I Follow My Mind” – lyrics by Jimmy Cliff as transcribed by me

if i follow my mind
i’ll never go wrong
i woulda sing that song
it wouldn’t take so long
never never could do wrong
baby

if i follow my heart
i’d live by emotions
in my every notion
it would lead me astray now
each and every day now
baby
if i follow my heart

my mind is a fine mind
my mind is a right mind
my mind is a clear mind, clear mind

if i follow my mind
i’ll never go wrong
i woulda sing that song
it wouldn’t take so long
never never could do wrong
baby
if i follow my mind

my mind is a fine mind
my mind is a right mind
my mind: mighty fine mind, fine mind
if i follow my mind

if i follow my heart
i’d live by emotions
in my every notion
and it would lead me astray now
each and every day now
baby

if I follow my mind
i’ll never go wrong
i woulda sing that song
it wouldn’t take so long
never never could do wrong
if i’d follow my mind
if i’d follow my mind
if i’d follow my mind
if i’d follow my mind

I never new there was a name for it….

[tag]Twee pop[/tag] is a type of indie pop that is known for simple, sweet melodies and lyrics, often with jangling guitars and a noted emphasis on childlike naivete.

Twee, a baby-talk alteration of “sweet”, is an English term for something that is overly sweet or knowingly cute.

That in mind I’ve been listening alot to:
Architecture in Helsinki, The Boy Least Likely To, and Suburban Kids With Biblical Names

[tag]Eef Barzelay[/tag]
Lead singer of [tag]Clem Snide[/tag].
Sounds like Clem Snide less three people.

Overall a pleasant album with quirky and ironic songs.
Not many could get away with indie-countryish song with lyrics about rap video ho’s..

Ballad of Bitter Honey:

That was my ass you saw bouncing
Next to Ludacris
It was only on the screen for a second
But it’s kinda hard to miss

And If I press my breasts together
And arch my back just so
I can ask for pretty things
And they will not say no
No one should have to suffer
No one should go with out
Don’t hate me ‘cause I know just what this world is all about
Don’t hate me ‘cause I know just what this world is all about

or my personal favorite:

I Wasn’t Really Drunk:

You look so pretty when you have been drinking,
I don’t care that your friends say you’re a mess.
You laugh at all my jokes no one else does.
So I’ll feel it’s only right I must confess.
You see I wasn’t really drunk, I was just pretending.
Because I wanted so much to feel the way you do.
You know this party seems never ending.
And I would gladly sip my champagne from your shoe.

Take a listen @ http://www.myspace.com/eefbarzelay

i’d like this cd.

it’ll be nice when springtime comes,
sending winter in one thick rolling migration of displacement, condensed and heavy,
back into the freezer in the ardmore wawa, where my grandfather once said it went,
when green birds, whistling, make melodies.

Canada’s Songwriters HOF – Finally inducted Leonard Cohen in February.

The HOF has only existed for 3 years, but seriously who could be ahead of Leonard Cohen? Glad you asked, apparently Gordon Lightfoot, legend Hank Snow, Pierre Juneau, Burton Cummings and Randy Bachman (The Guess Who)…
seriously WTF?

Have you listened to a Guess Who or BTO song lately? I mean sure I’ll always hold them to regard in my classic rock heart but WTF? Gordon Lightfoot? What? Gord’s Gold ain’t all that Gold. Theres a few winners but WTF?

Its also an insult for Leonard to have to share the night with Anne Murray. Seriously “Snowbird”? SHE DOESNT EVEN WRITE HER OWN SONGS. Which I’m guessing is normally frowned upon by the SONGWRITERS Hall of Fame. She’s just as bad as Joe Cocker.

Canada, GET A FUCKING CLUE!

Rock legend Link Wray, writer of Rawhide and Rumble dies at 76

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) – Guitar player Link Wray, who invented the power chord, the major modus operandi of modern rock guitarists, has died. He was 76. A native of Dunn, North Carolina, Wray’s style is considered the blueprint for heavy metal and punk music. Wray’s is best known for his 1958 instrumental Rumble, 1959’s Rawhide and 1963’s Jack the Ripper. His music has appeared in movies like Pulp Fiction, Independence Day and Desperado.

His style is said to have inspired many other rock musicians, including Pete Townsend of the Who. David Bowie, Bob Dylan, Steve Van Zandt and Bruce Springsteen have also been quoted as saying that Wray and Rumble inspired them to become musicians. “He is the king; if it hadn’t been for Link Wray and Rumble, I would have never picked up a guitar’,” Townsend wrote on one of Wray’s albums. Neil Young once said: “If I could go back in time and see any band, it would be Link Wray and the Raymen.”

According to Wray’s official website, he invented the fuzz tone by deliberately punching holes in his amplifier speakers. In 2002, Guitar World magazine elected Wray one of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time. Wray, known for his trademark black leather jacket, toured the United States and Canada from 1997 to 2002. He was half Shawnee Indian.

Denmark’s Politiken newspaper said his funeral had already taken place in Copenhagen’s Christian Church. No dates were given. His family could not be reached for comment. His official site does not mention his death. Wray is survived by his wife and son.

i didnt give smog’s new album a good review when it first came out…

what a mistake, it has grown on me like mold. it is currently my favorite album of the year.

and to reward you for reading here is the new video for rock bottom riser:
http://dragcity.com/video/dc292smogrbr_sm.mov

Eleanor and I exchanged looks all night long. Little did I realize that Alex Kapranos was standing behind me, maybe she was looking at him. But in my head we made a connection. When she sang: Bleak church on a cold tundra / Mountain glacier glacier glacier stream / Black stone beach and a black death bottle / Is all me and my baby’ll need, I could tell she was talking to me.

Don’t worry El, we can get together after your next tour.

P.S.: Matt, I won’t let anyone know about how much you rip off Jimmy Page.

pre-opener: Be Careful Little Hands – sounds like a softer Interpol, obviously not as good, not bad though.

opener: [tag]Feathers[/tag] – vermont folk waste of time. 7 member band with 20+ instruments providing sitar squeals and drum banging. Really, really not good.
Songs about killing white horses, and a mythical Canadian buffalo. Avoid if possible.

[tag](SMOG)[/tag]
Opened with 4 new songs off of A River Ain’t Too Much To Love and followed suit with acoustified (i mean relatively) versions of some popular tracks. [tag]Bill Callahan[/tag] looked his stoic self with some stepping out dance moves, waddles, squats, and over strained Elvis facial impersentations. All in all a good time. I will say that it was a bit disappointing hearing some songs simplified. I actually wished they played two more songs off ARATM, namely “The Well” & “Running The Loping”. I don’t know who the drummer is but he was tight as hell. Bill Gates played guitar as well.

Approximate Setlist:

Say Valley Maker
I Feel Like The Mother of The World
Rock Bottom Riser
Let Me See The Colts
In The Pines
Cold Discovery
Dress Sexy At My Funeral
Justice Aversion
Vessel In Vain
Let’s Move To The Country
Cold Blooded Old Times (ending with Feathers joining on stage for a cacophonic nightmare)