cadillac
I saw the Andy Walo Trio play at House of Blues in Los Angeles, and haven’t been able to get this song out of my head for a year. It’s called Cadillac and you can find it on their Myspace Music page. There’s something about blues-rock that I can throw myself in to. (It’s not as self-indulgent as either just blues or just rock – gives you more of a chance to get out of yourself and in to its groove.) But don’t let me trivialize this tune as merely a good distraction. It’s great! The gimmicky get-back to the main riff is totally awesome, each and every time they do it.
the verve is back!
You may, like me, have thought they’re history, but here they are again. For the uninitiated, The Verve are the guys to whom the huge hit Bittersweet Symphony belongs. That album, Urban Hymns, came out entirely 18 years ago though. (Okay, I feel all old now!) They’re now back with a reunion album called Forth and they’re still good. Listen to its last song Appalachian Springs. This is SO cool.
a brimful of asha
I have written a lot about Western music on this blahg, but never about music from the Indian Subcontinent somehow – even though I consider it one of the most rich and nuanced musical traditions of the world. Much of my regard comes from being born to a house filled with it and also because I trained in singing a classical version for many years growing up.
One thing is for sure, no matter how great it is, it is not packaged for popularity in the Western parts of the world. Of course, there are some Indian artists like Ravi Shankar and Zakir Husain that have gained some fame overseas. But for most music aficionados, it’s the Bollywood type stuff that is off-putting. One of the reasons is that it it’s typically sung in an octave so high, it sounds like Mickey Mouse music to those unaccustomed! Anyway, criticisms and analyses aside, here are two folk songs by Asha Bhosle - the one from the Cornershop song this post is named after.
The first of the two songs is in Hindi/Urdu and is a beautiful song, the music of which is by the great Pakistani musician Ghulam Ali. The second is one of the loveliest Marathi folk songs that I have ever heard. (I think both these would be much nicer at a lower pitch too, but ah well.) If you aren’t familiar with Indian music, and happen to have a listen, please do leave a comment about what you think. Lyrics aside, I am curious as to how the melody sounds to the uninitiated…
man in black
Just watched Walk The Line (2005), a sort of biopic on Johnny Cash and June Carter. It’s a riveting film that recreates the 50s in which the two musicians met, performed, and eventually married. The music scene at the time had Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Dylan, and Waylon Jennings amongst others, and it’s so great to see them appear on and off through the film. Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon are brilliant and the story of how their love returns him to his former glory, after a pill-popping roller-coaster ride, is touching. Music, history, a Hollywood film made with a measure of sensitivity; what more could you ask for on a lazy last day of the weekend. Here’s an original video of the title song.
nostalgic
I’ve been missing Austin, Texas very much. And when you think of that city, gosh, how you crave it’s awesome local music scene. Here for one is the brilliant Guy Forsyth Band performing Taxi live. So good! Enjoy.
knock em out, lilly
I’m typically not in to ‘pop’ but, like Amy Winehouse, Lilly Allen makes for an addictive exception. She deserves many kudos for her gritty lyrics, mired in funky beats and slick melody. All of 23, she’s made a formidable debut with her album called Alright Still, on which you will find a slew of great songs…
Alfie is about her little brother who smokes a bit, well, much. There’s also a song in which she makes fun of her granny’s colostomy bag, in Nan You’re a Window Shopper. (So terrible, Lilly!) In LDN she talks about the sights she sees as she rides through the park – you won’t guess how sorry those sights are unless you listen closely. Take What You Take is unbelievably catchy, but my absolute favourite is Shame For You in which she sings: “Oh my gosh must be jokin’ me, if you think that you’ll be pokin’ me, don’t take me on, no no!”
Very funny. As her target audience might say: truly wicked. If there’s one song that captures all of her attitude though, then it’s this one: have a listen!
PS: Is there a good reason why, when it comes to decent pop, the British trump the Americans? I’ll have to save that for another day.
josh and ben… and bruce
Josh Rouse is a singer-songwriter I’m a little conflicted about. I got pretty hooked on to a couple of his CDs – his songs are so mellow and catchy! But then I saw him play on stage, and it was a sorry disappointment. Something about his music just doesn’t work live. I also don’t think much of the sound engineering at the El Rey in Los Angeles, but blaming the venue is often a lame excuse for a mediocre performance, and so I resist.
Compare him to Ben Harper (yet another typically mellow ‘n’ catchy fella) live , and it’s easier to see why Josh falls sort of flat in person. Maybe it’s because Ben’s so comfortable going extempore that he rocks it. Josh hesitates in venturing too far from the original recording, and it detracts greatly from the musicianship. I meant to find a couple of videos from each to make the point better, but you know how recordings of live performances on youtube can be…
So here’s a random tune from the eternally hot Bruce Springsteen instead!
sublime
i did my best, it wasn’t much
i could not feel, so I tried to touch
i’ve told the truth, i didn’t come to fool ya
and even though it all went wrong
i’ll stand before the lord of song
with nothing on my tongue but hallelujah
- leonard cohen
here’s all of the song in a breathtaking rendition by kd lang…
creep
A fantastic song already by Radiohead made even, well, creepier by the amazing Damien Rice.
just another song…
… that would have been forgotten had it not been on the soundtrack of a movie I just saw. This is the terribly catchy New Shoes by Paola Nutini – title song of The Jane Austen Book Club.
Enjoy!
