The genius of Mitski- a tiny case study

 The bridge in Your Best American Girl is one of the greatest bridges (or series)  in popular music history IMHO. Both musically and lyrically it does exactly what a bridge is supposed to. Musically it is dramatic and bold, but arises completely naturally from the song. It takes the song to a whole new, unforeseen but inevitable plane. The lyrics are so moving they still hit me every single time. She is working out her issues with her mother and insecurities about her place in the world in real time… figuring it out, showing her work, then freaking proclaiming it. I feel like she’s starting the bridge in that awful, insecure dampening of ourselves we do when young to fit in, but immediately gathering strength and casting that shit off- almost aggressively but certainly confidently and very, very beautifully. And this new found confidence is coming not from her figuring out this romantic relationship in front of her, but by reflecting and figuring out her relationship with her mother. She gives use chapters of backstory with the efficiency of a master poet. In the brief progression of this line and the reprise, we get the the previous doubts, blaming, shame  and confusion around that relationship resolved epiphany style and she immediately uses it to walk into that romantic encounter (that we *thought* the song was about) from a position of power. For the first time? 

“Your mother wouldn't approve of how my mother raised me

But I do, I think I do…”

Then, at the end of the song, “…But I do, I * finally* do.” And we don’t even have time to get into the plaintive turned superhero powerful guitar the bridge! Or the delicious cacophony barely bridled! Chef’s kiss and misty eyes! 

https://youtu.be/BjGB9hc5huk?si=daCC0Xw4wYSq6yFc

This is how we roll

:)

Best of 2011

1. Nine Types of Light – TV On The Radio
2. Goodbye Bread – Ty Segall
3. Whokill - Tune-yards
4. SBTRKT – SBTRKT
5. Father, Son, Holy Ghost - Girls
6. Fucked up – David Comes to Life
7. XXX – Danny Brown
8. Wounded Rhymes – Lykke Li
9. Yuck – Yuck
10. Gloss Drop - Battles
11. What were you hoping for? – VanHunt
12. In The Grace of Your Love – The Rapture
13. Relax – Das Racist
14. What Did You Expect From The Vaccines? – The Vaccines
15. Domino – Cass McCombs
16. Past Life Martyred Saints - EMA
17. Strange Mercy – St Vincent
18. Stone Rollin – Raphael Saadiq
19. King of the Party – Big Sam’s Funky Nation
20. Dye It Blonde – Smith Westerns
21. Never trust a Happy Song - Grouplove
22. Days – Real Estate
23. Smoke Ring For My Halo – Kurt Vile
24. Nostalgia Ultra – Frank Ocean
25. The Pains of being Pure of Heart - The Pains of being Pure of Heart
26. Unknown Mortal Orchestra – Unknown Mortal Orchestra
27. Undon – The Roots
28. Burst Apart - Antlers
29. Build A Better Rocket Boys - Elbow
30. Celestial Lineage – Wolves in the Throne Room
31. Parallax – Atlas Sound
32. King of Limbs - Radiohead
33. Raven In The Grave - The Ravonettes
34. The Year of Hibernation – Youth lagoon
35. New Brigade – Iceage
36. El Camino – The Black Keys
37. Rome – Danger Mouse & Daniel Luppi
38. Codes and keys - Death Cab For Cutie
39. 21- Adele
40. Own Side Now - Caitlyn Rose
41. Let England shake – PJ Harvey
42. Helpless Blues - Fleet Foxes
43. Anna Calvi – Anna Calvi
44. 12 Desperate Straight Lines – Telekinesis
45. Slave Ambiant – The War On Drugs
46. 50 Words for Snow – Kate Bush
47. The Hunter – Matodon
48. Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming – M83
49. Conatus – Zola Jesus
50. The Rip Tide - Beirut

The 5 songs that saved my musical life

As a young music fan, I was heading down a very narrow road of nothing but hard rock, pop soul and testosterone. Aside from “Beth” by Kiss, if it didn’t rock – and rock hard! – I wasn’t interested. Don’t get me wrong, I still love my Zeppelin, Sabbath and Judas Priest, but if it weren’t for these songs I would have missed out on so much incredible music and some really good times.
Take me to the River – The Talking Heads. The first time I heard this song I was stopped dead in my tracks. I had the feeling I was experiencing something big that I didn’t quite fully understand. Like I was over-hearing an important adult conversation. I had never imagined white people could make music so funky, soulful and deep. This song made me feel down to my core how rhythm is just as important as melody. But what still blows me away is how this song simultaneously sounds fresh and brand new and deeply rooted - and almost anointed - by the oldest of American music traditions. The Talking Heads were the first non-rock band I feel hard for and they opened up the world to me. And who was this David Byrne character? A nerd to be sure, but in total command. Was he serious? Was he a joke? Was he crazy? Whatever he was, he was the man!
Rock Lobster – The B52s. The first time I heard this song I was in my friends front yard goofing around and something very strange came wafting out the window of his older brother’s room. We all looked at each other wondering, “What the hell is that?” I took my music very seriously in those days, and it was a mortal sin to hear “There goes a dog fish – woof woof…” But the disturbing part was I liked it… a lot! This song helped me realize music was supposed to be fun and freaky. It filled me with a sense of abandonment I don’t think I was nearly secure enough to find on my own. And, oh yeah – it ROCKED!
Five Years – David Bowie. I was probably in about third or fourth grade when I first heard Ziggy Stardust and at the time, I completely associated rock with machismo. Here came an androgynous, wafer thin, wanna be spaceman, ass-kicking drama queen to cast the first doubts in my rock-god worship.
Search and Destroy – Iggy Pop. I didn’t quite know what to think of punk at first, but Iggy made it crystal clear to me – it’s just rock and roll. He stripped away the circus and the excess and brought me back to the core of rock.
Meat Puppets – multiple songs live.

Country music was my last musical prejudice. By the time I saw my first couple of Meat Puppets shows, my musical horizons had expanded pretty much every direction except South. It took me a while to figure out that one of the things I liked best about this incredible band was their bastardized country influences. My walls came down and I found some great music. Imagine, I might have lived a life without Willie Nelson!

http://youtu.be/RBLP8A1dPQ4

Best of 2010

1. The Arch Android - Janelle Monae
2. Broken Bells - Broken Bells
3. Teen Dream - Beach House
4. Treats - Sleigh Bells
5. Plastic Beach - Gorillaz
6. This is Happening - LCD Soundsystem
7. Ginderman 2 - Grinderman
8. King Night- Salem
9. Go - Jonsi
10. Le Noise – Neil Young
11. Expo 86 - Wolf Parade
12. Odd Blood - Yeasayer
13. The Monitor - Titus Andronicus
14. The Suburbs - The Arcade Fine
15. Body Talk trilogy - Robyn
16. Crazy For You - Best Coast
17. The Guitar Song – Jamey Johnson
18. The Age of Adz - Sufjan Stevens
19. Big Echo - The Morning Benders
20. My Father Will Guide me Up a Rope To The sky – Swans
21. King of the Beach – Wavves
22. Magesty Shredding – Superchunk
23. Innerspeaker – Tame Impala
24. Castle Talk – Screaming Females
25. A Badly Broken Code – Dessa
26. Transference – Spoon
27. Snakes For The Divine – High On Fire
28. Maniac Meat – Tobacco
29. The Lady Killer – Cee Lo Green
30. Man on the Moon II – Kid Kudi
31. Ring – Glasser
32. Romance is Dead – Los Campesinos!
33. Gorilla Manor - Local Natives
34. Congratulations - MGMT
35. The First Four Eps – OFF!
36. Before Today - Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti
37. The Besnard Lakes - The Besnard Lakes
38. Shame Shame - Dr Dog
39. Subiza – Delorean
40. The Grand Theatre - Old 97s

Woman sentenced for illegal lending of books

Onionville, MN - A federal jury Thursday found a 32-year-old single mother guilty of illegally loaning books to friends and family members without paying royalties and fined her $1.9 million. The criminal, Jammie Thisis-Redunkulous, is also suspected of clipping magazine articles and cartoons and illegally distributing them to the same posse.

RIAA (Reading Industrialist Association of America) has brought more than 35,000 lawsuits against alleged illegal book lenders. "We feel this fine is completely reasonable and in line with the severity of the crime" RIAA spokesperson Carol McDuck said. She cited Minnesota statute 609.205 which sets the maximum penalty for intoxicated vehicular manslaughter at no more than $20,000. "If community standards allow for a $20,000 fine for such a comparatively minor infraction, surely one would expect at least $2 million for such vile, unauthorized 'lending'!"

The RIAA now plans to go after people who browse in bookstores and don't buy any books. McDuck said she believes the problem has reached epidemic proportions. "People are blatantly stealing words from books in bookstores all over the country. The authors don't get paid a penny for these thefts," McDuck claims.

Reports have recently surfaced that the defendant may have a long history of skirting the law. A photo found on Facebook allegedly shows her posing next to the Mona Lisa while on vacation in Paris, smiling smugly and defiantly. A spokesman for the estate of Leonardo DeVinchi claims no records can be found of the defendant having paid for the legal rights to use image.

McDuck went on to say that illegal lending could bring the publishing industry down in the same way cassette tapes destroyed the music industry. "We must be vigilant!"

Note: this is a parody of the equally ridiculous prosecution of Jammie Thomas-Rasset's for illegally downloading music.

Downloading is not a crime - it's good for business!

Turns out the brilliant Chicago musician Saul Williams is also quite a businessman as well. He gave away his best album and was rewarded handsomely. He released The Inevitbale Rise and Liberation of Niggy Tardust online with two payment options. One could download it for absolutely free, or one could pay $5 for a high fidelity version that also included a .pdf file of original art and some other goodies - but the same exact songs. Over 200,000 downloaded it for free and only 60,000 paid for it, so he lost out on a lot of revenue - right? Well, actually he had never sold more than 30,000 copies of any of his previous releases, and his live shows started frequently selling out. And, most importantly, he reached thousands of new ears who had never heard him before - and likely would not have otherwise. He says he has also had the added under-the-table revenue of a bunch of kids at his shows who give him $5 bills saying they didn't have a credit card, so they couldn't pay to download it online. When is the record industry going to realize that downloading isn't a threat? In fact, they might still be saved if they rise from their death bed and use their remaining energy and resources to fight for downloading instead of against it! Why are so many artists able to figure out how to make money through free and cheap downloading, while the buggy-whip selling industry execs can only waste their time siccing their lawyers on people they should be courting as customers? And BTW, if you haven't heard the album - you really need to download it, buy it, steal it, rip it or do whatever you have to do - it's a masterpiece!

Best songs of the decade

Here are my picks for the best songs of the decade.
Note: I limited myself to only one song per artist.

1. Dead leaves and the dirty ground - The White Stripes
2. The District sleeps alone tonight - The Postal Service
3. Jesus, etc - Wilco
4. Fill me with your light - Clem Snide
5. Black like me - Spoon
6. Can you feel it? - The Apples in Stereo
7. Caring is creepy - The Shins
8. Chemicals collide - Cloud Cult
9. 2 + 2 = 5 - Radiohead
10. The chills - Peter Bjorn & John
11. A sentence of sorts in Kongsvinger - Of Montreal
12. Broken boy soldier - Raconteurs
13. Kids - MGMT
14. Soldier's grin - Wolf Parade
15. I was a lover - TV On The Radio
16. Chips Ahoy - The Hold Steady
17. Float on - Modest Mouse
18. It's gonna be a long night - Ween
19. Ragged wood - The Fleet Foxes
20. The man who loved beer - David Byrne
21. I like giants - Kimya Dawson
22. Our love will change the world - Outrageous Cherry
23. Sly - The Cat Empire
24. New English - Ambulance LTD
25. Untrust us - Crystal Castles
26. Is this love? - Clap Your Hands and Say Yeah
27. The ark - Dr Dog
28. Dig! Lazurus, dig! - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
29. Inner peace- Nellie McKay
30. The Golden Age - Beck
31. The Iliad - Tapes 'n Tapes
32. Bohemian like me - The Dandy Warhols
33. Crazy - Gnarls Barkely
34. Crescendolls - Daft Punk
35. Ten years ahead - Soundtrack of our Lives
36. Are you gonna be my girl? - Jet
37. I'll bet you look good on the dance floor - Arctic Monkeys
38. Skinny love - Bon Iver
39. My Girls - Animal Collective
40. The greatest - Cat Power
41. Chicago - Sufjan Stevens
42. Mirrorball - Elbow
43. Another lost summer - Blanche
44. Panic open string - Calexico
45. Wild Mountain Nation - Blitzen Trapper
46. The Modern Age - The Strokes
47. Art is hard - Cursive
48. Photobooth - Death Cab for Cutie
49. 99 - Black Bottom Collective
50. Hey man (now you're really living) - Eels
51. Elevate myself - Grandaddy
52. Two weeks - Grizzly Bear
53. The yeah yeah song - Flaming Lips
54. Formed a band - Art Brut
55. Up the bracket - The Libertines
56. Extraordinary machine - Fiona Apple
57. Spit it out - Brendan Benson
58. Worlds apart - ...And you will know us by the trail of dead
59. Imitosis - Andrew Bird
60. Now, now - St Vincent
61. I changed my mind - Lyrics Born
62. Get it while you can - The Dirtbombs
63. We are rock stars - Does It Offend You, Yeah?
64. Cherry blossom girl -Air
65. Never stops - Deerhunter
66. The light - Common
67. My heart is breaking down - Caesars
68. Karen - The National
69. Jenny & the ess-dog - Stephen Malkmus
70. Get in or get out - Hot Hot Heat
71. Highly evolved - The Vines
72. Smokers outside the hospital doors - The Editors
73. Hate to say I told you so - The Hives
74. Our life is not a movie or maybe - Okkervil River
75. Gold digger - Supreme Beings of Leisure
76. The shinning- Badly Drawn Boy
77. Notice of Eviction - Saul Williams
78. My superman - Santogold
79. Sweet talk - Spiritualized
80. Where's your head at? - Basement Jaxx
81. Sidewalk serfer girl - Super Furry Animals
82. No one knows - Queens of the Stone Age
83. Life is long - David Byrne & Brian Eno
84. Blind - Hercules and Love Affair
85. Sunrise - Yeasayer
86. Cobrastyle - Robyn
87. Brothers & sisters - Blur
88. Maps - Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs
89. Careful - Hot Chip
90. Soldier girl - The Polyphonic Spree
91. Out of my system - Jamie Lidell
92. We're from Barcelona - I'm from Barcelona
93. Gay Bar - Electric Six
94. Idle ties - Vetiver
95. To go home - M. Ward
96. Crack the skye - Mastodon
97. Ghosts under rocks - Ra Ra Riot
98. Amen - Jolie Holland
99. Doorman - Stereophonics
100. Geraldine - Glasvegas

Best Christmas songs

Over the past few years I've been putting together my favorite versions of Christmas and winter holiday songs as well as new works. There's a lot of holiday music out there! Below is my 2009 version of this work in perpetual progress, in no particular order. I'd love to hear your favorites.

Must be Santa Claus - Bob Dylan. This just came out and I love it! So far I've heard three music critics use it as an example of how awful Dylan's Christmas album is. Yes, it's cheesy, silly and ridiculous - I have no problem with that. (See "Thank god it's Christmas" below if you need further proof!)
I've got my love to keep me warm - The Ink Spots
Oh holy night - Tracy Chapman
The Christmas song - Nat King Cole. This version is the only Christmas song I know of that has only one definitive version - I mean no other version even comes close. Having said that, The Blind Boys of Alabama and Shelby Lynne also do a very nice version.
The Christmas Song - The Ravonettes (Though it shares the name with the Mel Torme written song mentioned above, it's completely different).
It doesn't often snow at Christmas - The Pet Shop Boys. This is one of my absolute favorite modern Christmas songs.
You're A Mean One, Mr Grinch - Albert Hague
Silent Night - Johnny Cash, The Temptations, Willie Nelson. The Simon & Garfunkel 7 o'clock news version is very moving, but I usually don't include it in my holiday collections - too somber.
White Christmas - The Darlene Love version the only one I know of that beats out Bing Crosby.
Happy X-mas (war is over) - John Lennon. There are other interesting versions out there (The Polyphonic Spree comes to mind), but none I need to hear every year. I can't get enough of the original.
Christmas (Baby please come home) - Darlene Love. The Death Cab for Cutie version is great, too.
Christmas must be tonight. - The Band
Shake hands with Santa Claus- Louis Prima
Pretty paper - Willie Nelson
Donna & Blitzen - Badly Drawn Boy
Thank god it's Christmas - Queen
Merry Xmas Everybody - Slade
Little Drummer Boy - I absolutely love the David Bowie & Bing Crosby version. Other good versions: The Dandy Warhols, Johnny Cash and Neil Young.
Let it snow! - I like a lot of versions of this including Luscious Jackson, Dean Martin, and Ella Fitzgerald. Great song!
A change at Christmas - The Flaming Lips
That Old Christmas Moon - Leon Redbone
Christmastime - Aimee Mann
Christmastime- Smashing Pumpkins (completely different song from Aimee's)
Merry Christmas, baby - Otis Redding version is #1 for me. Other good ones: Lou Rawls, BB King, and James Brown.
Pine Cones and Holly Berries - The Osmonds
Purple Snowflakes - Marvin Gaye
Feliz Navidad - El Vez
Jingle Bells- The Electric Prunes and Lena Horne's versions are my faves. And yes, Prunes, Christmas is the "most psychedelic time of the year"!
All I want for Christmas - Maria Carey. What can I say - she turns out an awesome version of this song.
Rudy - The Be Good Tanyas
Feels like Christmas - Al Green
2,000 miles - The Pretenders
It doesn't have to be that way - Jim Croce
Cool Yule- Louis Armstrong
Joy to the world - Sufjan Stevens
Christmas won't be the same this year - The Jackson Five
Fairytale of New York - The Pogues
White winter Hymnal - Fleet Foxes. Not really a holiday song, but a great song and every time I hear it I think of the season and being outside this time of year - close enough for me.
My evergreen - The Squirel Nut Zippers
Winter Weather - Peggy Lee, Fats Waller and Squirel Nut Zippers are among my favorite versions.
Carol of the bells - The Bird and The Bee
Santa baby - Eartha Kitt, Macy Gray, and Vanessa Williams.
Light One Candle - Peter, Paul & Mary
Put the lights on the Tree - Sufjan Stevens
Santa Clause is coming to town - I'm not sure which is my favorite version, but I like the takes by The Jackson Five, The Crystals, & Bruce's live version (even though it's really over played this time of year).
I've longed for Christmas - Los Lonely Boys
Jingle Bell Rock - Brenda Lee is still the definitive version for me.
Spotlight on Christmas - Rufus Wainwright. A great melody and an interesting lyrical take on the holidays and liberalism in general.
Christmas in Hollis - Run DMC
Father Christmas - The Kinks
Love came down at Christmas - Shawn Colvin
Have yourself a merry little Christmas - Another of my favorite traditional Chrsitmas songs. I love the versions by James Taylor, The Isley Brothers, Perry Como, Aimee Mann, and Carly Simon.
Merry Chrsitmas, baby (I don't want to fight) - The Ramones
A Christmas to remember - Amy Grant.
Frosty the snowman - Gene Autry, Fiona Apple versions.
Santa Claus go straight to the ghetto - Belle & Sabastian
What are you doing new year's eve?- Diana Krall
Presents for Christmas - Solomon Burke
The Gift of Giving - Bill Withers
Come on Christmas - Dwight Yoakam
Here It Is Christmas - Old 97s
All My Bells Are Ringing - Lenka
Home for the holidays - The Carpenters
Chrsitmas wrapping - The Waitresses
I'll be home for Christmas - Perry Como, Glen Campbell, and Sarah McLachlan.

Best political and protest songs of all time

I don't know if it's because I'm going through political withdrawl - it's November and I'm living in an area with out a significant election this year - or all the talk about health care. Whatever the reason, I've been thinking about political songs a lot lately. So, here are my favorite political or protest songs of all time. They're in order, but I'm sure every time I look at this list I'll want to re-arrange them. BTW, if you're curious about the critera I used for my list, look at my previous post "What makes a great political song?"

1. Ohio - Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young

2. Cortez the killer - Neil Young

3. What's going on - Marvin Gaye

4. Sam Stone - John Prine

5. Imagine - John Lennon

6. Alice's Restaurant - Arlo Guthrie

7. Shipbuilding - Elvis Costello
8. Fight the Power - Public Enemy

9. Strange Fruit - Billy Holiday

10. Bungalow Bill - The Beatles

11. Kill the poor - The Dead Kennedys

12. Get up! Stand up! - Bob Marley

13. This land is your land - Woody Guthrie

14. Everybody knows - Leonard Cohen

15. Dear god - XTC

16. What's so funny about peace, love and understanding - Nick Lowe

17. Know your rights - The Clash

18. Alabama, God damn! - Nina Simone

19. Southern Man - Neil Young

20. American Rouse - MC5

21. Black steel in the hour of chaos - Public Enemy

22. Sunday, Bloody Sunday - U2

23. People have the power - Patti Smith

24. A change is gonna come - Sam Cooke

25. Maggie's farm - Bob Dylan

26. The man in black - Johnny Cash

27. Not a pretty girl - Ani Difranco

28. Revolution - The Beatles

29. Anarchy in the U.K. - Sex pistols

30. Untitled song for Latin America - Minutemen

31. Alabama - Neil Young

32. You haven't done nothing - Stevie Wonder

33. When the President talks to God - Bright Eyes

34. London Calling - The Clash

35. War pigs - Black Sabbath

36. The guns of Brixton - The Clash

37. Radio, radio - Elvis Costello

38. Peace Train - Cat Stevens

39. Sky pilot - The Animals

40. Won't get fooled again - The Who
41. Fortunate son - CCR

42. The Fish Cheer - Country Joe & The Fish
43. Union made - Woody Guthrie
44. Working Class Hero - John Lennon

45. And the band played Waltzing Matilda - The Pogues

46. Taking care of business - El Vez

47. Stop the violence - Bogie Down Productions

48. Cowboys Are Frequently, Secretly Fond of Each Other - Willie Nelson
49. Telegraph Road - Dire Straits

50. Society's Child - Janis Ian
51. Trouble every day - Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention

52. California, Uber Alles - D.K.
53. Waiting for the great leap forward - Billy Bragg
54. The message - Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five

55. Homosapien - The Pansy Division
56. Universal Solider - Buffy Saint Marie
57. For What It's Worth - Buffalo Springfield
58. Military Wives - The Decemberists

59. Rockin in the free world - Neil Young

60. 1913 Massacre - Woody Guthrie

61. Give Peace a chance - The Beatles

62. Subdivision - Ani Difranco

63. God save the queen - The Sex Pistols

64. I shot the sherrif - Bob Marley

65. Army Dreamers - Kate Bush

66. The Hurricane - Bob Dylan

67. War - Edwin Starr

68. I ain't marching anymore - Phil Ochs
69. Gimme Shelter - the Rolling Stones
70. Ball of Confusion - The Temptations

71. Sound of da police - KRS One
72. Cheerleaders - Minutemen
73. Across the wire - Calexico

74. Clampdown - The Clash

75. Born in the U.S.A. - Bruce Springsteen
76. Rebel Girl - Bikini Kill

77. I Wanna Conquer the World - Bad Religion

78. Us and them - Pink Floyd

79. Beds are burning - Midnight Oil

80. Is it too late? - World party

81. Redemption Song - Bob Marley

82. Killing in the name of - Rage Against the Machine

83. Oliver's Army - Elvis Costello

84. Never cross a picket line - Billy Bragg

85. I love a man in uniform - Gang of Four

86. They paved paradise - Join Mitchell

87. The queen is dead - The Smiths

88. Tin Soldiers - Stiff Little Fingers

89. God on my side - World Party

90. Only Women Bleed - Alice Cooper
91. No god - The Germs

92. Forgive them, Father - Lauryn Hill

93. Notice of eviction - Saul Williams

94. I have forgiven Jesus - Morrisey

95. Youth against fascism - Sonic Youth

96. No Man can find the war - Tim Buckley

97. Talkin' bout a revolution - Tracy Chapman

98. Leagalize it - Peter Tosh
99. Revolution - Mother Earth
100. The Mercy Seat - Nick Cave

What makes a great politcal or protest song?

What makes a great political or protest song? The best definition of leadership is whether or not people follow, and the same is a good standard for judging political songs as well. If it moves people, or otherwise has an impact, it's a a success. The 60s protest songs truly helped end the war and Neil young's "Cortez the Killer" was banned for years in Spain (making it an underground hit).
But I want to concentrate on the music a bit more. Here's my criteria: 1. It must be a good song in and of its self. If you change the lyrics to "ode to a peanut butter sandwich" it would still sound good. 2. The lyrics have to be clever and bring an interesting take to the issue. There were a ton of very boring "Bush sucks" or "Bush is dangerous" or "Bush is an idiot" songs during the W years. Have a take, please. 3. The best political songs paint a picture or tell a story and 4. add a personal touch. The best songs add a personal element that pull you in on an emotional level. When Neil Young sings "What if you knew her and found her dead on the ground" about the Kent State Massacre in "Ohio" you truly feel like you're there. In fact, Neil is one of the greatest political/protest song writers ever because most of his songs in this genre use brilliant narratives that really hit home.
I make a slight distinction between "political" and "protest" songs. A "protest" song does all the things a "political" song does, but has the additional quality of being physically moving. They make you want to stand up and sing, and march and act!. Like Country Joe's "It's one, two, three, what are we fighting for?" or the Clash's "These are your rights!" Imagine being one of a couple thousand people singing aloud "You can get anything you want at Alice's Restaurant" or trying to stay in your seat as Bob Marley sings, "Get up! Stand up! Stand up for your rights!" "Strange fruit" is an incredible political song, while "This land is your land" is one of the best protest songs ever (though it seems to have lost it's teeth over the years).

Blown away!

What's the best concert you've ever seen? It's one of the most fun questions music fans can ask each other and it's a toughie. I've got mine narrowed down to 3 or 4, but if you forced me to choose it would probably be the Talking Heads circa "Speaking in Tongues."
One rarely gets a chance to revisit a "best ever" moment of anything in life, but Thursday night I did just that. I attended a screening of "Stop Making Sense" (a fundraiser for Sound Opinions and WBEZ) at the Navy Pier imax theater. It was incredible.
I've got to admit I've got a prejudice against concert films and even live albums I think it's pretty rare that the concert experience can be captured even remotely. For the most part, I prefer seeing music live to listening to it recorded, but I'd much rather listen to the studio version of almost anything than any live recording. Thursday night was a massive exception!
I had seen the film when it first came out and on video since. I've always said it's the best concert video ever. But in my book, that ain't saying much! I enjoyed it for the visual aspects of the film - shot perfectly, it captured the energy, fun, deconstruction-reconstruction-deconstruction again artistic vision, showmanship and unity of those Heads shows - but the music was flat. Bottom line: like the Grand Canyon and Krazy Jim's Blimpy Burgers - you have to be there to experience it.
But now after seeing and hearing it as it was intended (when it was filmed in 1983, the technology existed to record directly to digital, but there was no where to play it back that way for audiences) I was blown away. It was the most incredible "recorded live" experience I've ever had. I had to move to the back of the theater and dance through the last 2/3 of the show after my seat would no longer contain me... not a pretty sight, but any one who saw me would have had to turn around and look, so it's on them.
It really transported me to that fun, tight, party of a concert that so moved me over 20 years ago. And it sounded perfect! Amazing. I never thought a concert film could do that.

So.... what's your favorite concert? Your favorite live recordings or films?
Thanks to Colleen for all but forcing me to go.

Danger Mouse

I am a big fan of the White Album. It is my favorite Beatles album and one of my all-time favorite albums anyway. I am also a fan of hiphop. When I heard Danger Mouse' Grey Album (a remix of Jay-Z's Black Album with samples of the Beatles' White Album) I was thrilled. What a great album! I know Beatle fans who hate it, but I don't. I love it. Of course it could not be released, another example of the needless restriction on creativity that the copyright law has become.

Now Danger Mouse has released an album, consisting a a photo book of 50 photo's by David Lynch (!) and a ...blank CDR. It has to do with copyrights, again, and some issue he has with his contract with EMI....

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/11/arts/music/11danger.html

The Bailout

"The Bailout" is a piece for a Saxophone quartet and live sound manipulation using the LiSa and JunXion software, developed by STEIM in Amsterdam. The piece is written by me and Ties Mellema and it is inspired by the history of the auto industry in Detroit and the "auto bailout" by the US government. It will première March 20th in a concert that I am doing with the Amstel Quartet in the Detroit Institute of Arts.

When the saxophones play a loud note, they start one of the sound files I have collected; text fragments from opponents and advocates of the bailout plan such as Rush Limbaugh, Bush, Obama and Rick Wagener, the CEO of GM, and excerpts from old movies describing Detroit and its Auto industry during the twenties and sixties. In this way the instruments "talk" and "discuss" with each other. I am manipulating sounds using the Wiimote and the Korg Kaoss Pad (as midi controller).

http://www.dia.org/
http://www.amstelquartet.nl/
http://www.ivobol.nl/

Animal Collective

My friend Jon records really interesting Cd's for me. I don't like all of them, for example I had to get used to "Sung Tongs" from Animal Collective. It was too psychotic for me, really weird urban mushroom folk music, although I was attracted to it in some strange sense. Last year he gave me the solo album "Person Pitch" by AC band member Panda Bear. I absolutely love it, Brian Wilson-like hypnotic drony golden pop music with beautiful loops and a fair deal of healthy weirdness. I like the rawness of the album, the material is not 100% developed but that has its charm. This made me ready for "Merriweather Post Pavilion" the new AC album which I bought on Itunes last week. The songs are much more developed and worked out compared with Panda Bear's album. It has a distinctive sixties feel although the music is also contemporary, a bit like Beatles and Brian Wilson with samplers instead of guitars. The songs are melancholic but make me happy too, darkness with a golden shiny line, it is still weird but accessible.

I had a similair experience with Stereolab, another band that Jon introduced me too. I was very irritated with the repetitiveness but at a certain moment it hit me and I started loving it. Funny how some music is great from the beginning and other stuff has to grow on you.

Animal Collective

Best band names

Usually the best bands have the lamest names. that's not always the case, though. Here are some of my all time favorite band names - and most are bands I like a lot. What are your favorites?

Ladyfuzz

Throbbing Gristle

The Violent Femmes

The Butthole Surfers

The Velvet Underground

The Breeders

Touched by a Janitor

The meat puppets

Dead Kennedys

Sex Pistols

Drowning, Not Waving

Beastie Boys
Revolting cocks

Superchunk
The Darkness

The Hope Bombs

The Nipple Erectors

And my favorite names for back-up singers and bands: The Pips, The Scorchers, The Bad Seeds, The Homewreckers