Wild Weekend Vol. 39

"For Christ´s sake don´t jump for me - jump for yourself". Or: welcome to Wild Weekend, edition #39. Just another selection of pukka tunes, be they triphop or blues, noiserock or rocksteady, punk or Ethiopiques. Jump in and have a wild one.

Starting off with a little ancient blues to get you in the right mood. Ted Gioia, in his much recommended book Delta Blues, writes the following about Geeshie Wiley´s Skinny Leg Blues: "listen to how she shapes the opening guitar phrases - even the very first note with its lazy, arcing sureness - and you know that you are in safe hands..." Amen to that. And while we´re on the subject of blues, do yourself a favor and check out a new blues-blog called Hell Hound On My Trail. The guy don´t talk much, but he sure spins the goodies... Meanwhile, we´re moving into triphop territory, with the wild boys from Unkle. Josh Davis aka DJ Shadow works his magic behind the mixing desk, while the spooky vocals come courtesy of Alice Temple. Cool Blade Runner ending, too. "You are alone?"

Geeshie Wiley - Skinny Leg Blues MP3

Unkle - Bloodstain MP3

Two weeks ago we had Ry Cooder covering a Maurice & Mac original, and now it´s Ken Boothe´s turn to give the soul duo a run for their money. And surprise surprise, his smooth rocksteady turnover fits You Left The Water Running like the proverbial glove. Find it on Safe Travel, a killer collection of early Phil Pratt productions. Time for some decidedly heavier stuff now. Let´s hear it for New York noiserockers supreme Unsane, with a typical track from their relentless ´91 debut. Came in a sleeve to die for by the way... Big city blues for the hard of hearing.

Ken Boothe - You Left The Water Running MP3

Unsane - Vandal-X MP3

Regular For The Sake Of The Song readers will probably know by now that I count Jeffrey Lee Pierce (´58-´96) among the true greats. So it pleased me enormously that Off!, a hobbyhorse of Circle Jerk Keith Morris, has just released an energetic eulogy to the late Gun Club foreman. Extra bonus points: the amazing Raymond Pettibon draws their cover art. And we go out in grand Ethiopean style with the exciting grooves of Ayaléw Mèsfin, backed by the mighty Black Lion Band. I mean it: one day I´ll go on a pilgrimage to faraway Addis Abeba. Better start saving up pronto.

Off! - Jeffrey Lee Pierce MP3
Ayaléw Mèsfin - Feqer Aydèlèm Wèy MP3