It´s Friday, so time for another musical grab bag. Want to know what songs caught my attention over the last week for one reason or other? Please read on. Got some new stuff, some oldies and two flamingos. In a fruit fight.
Let´s start off with Blitzen Trapper, a band I´ve praised in these pages before. They hail from Portland, Oregon and mix country, pop and Pavement-style indierock like no other. Currently Sub Pop recording artists, the country flavoured Texaco comes from the self-titled debut album on their own Lidkercow label. Their slogan is ´Blitzen Trapper makes big happy´ and I can´t agree more.
Blitzen Trapper - Texaco MP3
"Everything´s wrong at the same time it´s right..." Captain Beefheart is one of the giants, a true original. I recall I didn´t like Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller) much when it came out back in ´79. Yup I´m that old kids. Reviews were unanonymously raving, but I guess I was too much into the weirdness of Trout Mask Replica and the blues of Clear Spot at the time to fully appreciate it. Now it´s probably the Magic Band album I play most often.
Captain Beefheart And The Magic Band - Tropical Hot Dog Night MP3
Ever since Vampire Weekend made it to the big leagues after first having been championed in the blogosphere, music bloggers tend to find a lot of promo albums on their doormats. The majority doesn´t really make the grade, but every once in a while one receives something interesting. Like the just released I Turned Off Thinking About by The David Wax Museum. Their Americana folk is often injected with Mexican spice, but currently I like the Townes Van Zandt-like You Will Be Dishonest the best.
The David Wax Museum - You Will Be Dishonest MP3
Dave Smalley is one of the best punkpop vocalists around. He sang and played guitar in bands like DYS, Dag Nasty, All and Down By Law, and got into a row with the global punk community a few years back when he endorsed the George W. Bush regime in public. Dumb move Dave. But Best Friends (from their ´91 debut on Epitaph) remains a great song. This one is dedicated to the missus btw. Only one day late for Valentine love...
Down By Law - Best Friends MP3
Last week I wrote about Blind Willie Johnson´s John The Revelator, and an attentive reader immediately emailed me a song by 18 Wheeler with the same title. I presumed it would be a cover version, but it turned out to be an original composition. I´m sure fans of Big Star and The Posies will like this. I know I do.
18 Wheeler - John The Revelator MP3
You´ll find tonights closer on the Modern Lovers´ first album (´76). "If I were to walk through the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston... well first I´d go to room where they keep the Cézanne". I really have to visit there sometime. They´ve got some mean Gauguins too I´m told. Beautiful song, beautiful album. You need it. Now.
Modern Lovers - Girlfriend MP3
2 comments:
ok, they sound good enough, but they kinda ripped off an original trademark here. Coincidence? Don't know. I think the original Blitzo Trappers (hailing from the Javastraat) were... uh... more original! Look who's talking now.
Fellow-homeys The Shaky Hands (far better bandname too! And, another coincidence, had brought the Australian Shaky Hands to court... - and thus forced them to change their name) parkman
did a better job!!!
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