It’s been a while since I did the last Thursday Music Diary, and I think we could use a little rest and relaxation before the next round of watching the irresistable force of the press meeting the immovable object of the Republican Stone Wall.
So, here’s today’s topic: You have the chance to plug an underappreciated musician, album or song. Someone you really like, but no one else is likely to have heard of. (Or maybe they have. If you think the Beatles’ White Album fits the description, well, go for it.) Links to web pages and samples encouraged.
Who, or what, will it be?
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Believe it or not, I had to think about this one. My tastes in music are either so catholic* that anything I could think of would be familiar to everyone here, or so obscure that no one would be able to find them.
But finally, I settled on Logan Whitehurst and the Junior Science Club. Logan is the drummer for The Velvet Teen, a group about which I know absolutely nothing other than what’s contained in this sentence. He apparently occasionally strikes out on his own, though, aided by only his quirky musical sense, a few trusted aides, a four-track tape deck, a bewildering array of musical instruments and sounds, and a plastic snowman named Vanilla. The results are all over the musical map. For instance his album Goodbye My Four-Track ranges from upbeat pop (How Ya Doin’, Emily?) to goofy rap (The Robot Cat) to They Might Be Giants-inspired science rock (The Volcano Song) to some just plain weirdness (Happy Noodle Vs. Sad Noodle). The sample mp3, Me And The Snowman, was apparently inspired by his relationship with the aforementioned Vanilla. I’m not sure I want to explore that relationship any further, but hey, if it helps him create music like this, what the heck. Some lyrics from the sample:
Maybe you’ve heard of some other famous pairs, like:
Jekyll and Hyde,
Bonnie and Clyde,
Lincoln and John Wilkes Booth,
Courtney and Kurt,
Ernie and Bert,
Superman and Lex Luth-
or, maybe . . .
Hey, for eleven bucks, how can you go wrong?
Runners-up:
Worm Quartet A one-man band from somewhere in New York. I’m not really into punk or profanity, but he makes them funny. Sometimes. Best cuts on Faster Than A Speeding Mullet: Great Idea For A Song, I’m Gonna Procreate, My Wife, Strap-On Brain, and Coffee (2003 Regrind). The Short Bus Suite is more or less worthless, but at least it’s short.
Sudden Death You might not think rap and comedy would mix, and again, I’m not a big rap fan, so I probably don’t get a lot of the jokes, but this guy is funny. Omir’s picks: Dead Rappers, Spam, and especially Inner Voice.
* It’s a great word. Look it up.
What’s on your mental iPod that you’d like to turn other Frogfans on to?
I’ll put a plug in for a fellow frat-boy of mine, who is one of the nicest, most talented people I’ve ever known. His name is Pat Herek (he hasn’t updated the page in a while unfortunately). He put out an album a couple of years ago, and it is still one of my favorites. You can read a review of it from the All-Music Guide (one of my favorite sites!) here.
He’s an emergency room doctor now, but I hope that at some point he gets some time to put another CD together.
The Anniversary – Your Majesty.. great album, if you let yourself deal with something slightly cheesy at times. I also liked Spoon- Kill the Moonlight, good stuff.
Oh and a shout out to Tokyo Rose. http://www.tokyorosenj.com/
I really enjoyed “Designing a Nervous Breakdown.” They’re very much a product of their environment (even though Mr. Xray had never heard of them before, the first thing out of his mouth was “They’re from, what, St. Louis? Somewhere around there?”) but that doesn’t mean it isn’t fun to listen to.
I’ve been listening to a lot of Edan’s “Beauty and the Beat” lately. Fascinating hip hop from Boston. Also, the Perceptionists “Black Dialogue”. Hip hop ain’t all thug life, bling’n’bitches, as so many people persist in believing (much to my chagrin).
Mr. Xray is all down with The Hold Steady. You gotta really love old-style 70’s working man’s rock. It’s definitely NOT my steez, but other people, whose opinions I trust, really dig it.
Also in the XMMS queue:
Erase Errata — feminist wimmin punk
M.I.A. — great party music, fronted by a Sri Lankan/English woman. No, it isn’t world music. I promise you.
Architecture in Helsinki — very quirky, fun, nifty pop music.
Outstanding release of original Blues by a newcomer…took him 30 years to be discovered overnight. Raw, mostly solo acoustic national steel guitar and vocal…highly recommended!
This was one of my top five from last year…
<plug radio gig> Blues Legacy Friday 6-9 PMDT: KGNU
Samples and downloads here Watermelon Slim
Enjoy!
Peace
cool!
Old-time music with a punk edge. I dare ya to keep from dancing.
Foghorn String Band
In my younger, wilder days I used to run with some friends who had a string band and played old-timey music.
You’ve probably with heard of The Pogues, punk music crossed with Celtic tunes and instruments.
I have indeed. Can’t not dance to them either.
Louisiana period lately. I like an old-time piano player and singer called Professor Longhair. He was very influential in his prime, inspiring Dr. John and other musicians, and then drifted into obscurity for many years.
In the 70’s, a couple of British music producers found him working at a New Orleans record store as a janitor. They were able to record a few albums with him before he died.
There’s a sax player I really dig on, named Arthur Doyle. The guy’s been around a while – cutting his teeth by performing with Gladys Knight before she became famous before moving into the 1960s New York avant-garde jazz scene. He’s ended up playing in a variety of different settings, from solo accoustic, to trio/quartet/quintet combos, to electric (for a while he was part of The Blue Humans – a No Wave band that gigged around the NYC area and played in venues like CBGBs), among other permutations. Regardless, the one thing that characterizes every Arthur Doyle gig or recording date is his intensity. This cat plays saxes, flute, and recorder with the ferocity of someone possessed. I’m not entirely sure that one could transcribe what he records – notes are probably meaningless. Rather you get waves of sound. He’s notable for sounding like he’s playing multiple instruments at once – even though he doesn’t. He also uses his voice in a number of his pieces in much the same manner that he uses his other instruments (sometimes his recordings list the instruments as voicophone, voiceolute, etc.). I’ve blogged about him before here, and here, and have a posted on my homepage a fairly up-to-date Arthur Doyle discography. I probably have tracked down most of what he’s recorded (though there is an item or two that I’m still hunting down). He’s very obscuroid, and typically any record or cd of his is pressed in very small quantities. If you get a chance, and have open ears and an open mind, check him out. He’s one of those cats who is a link between the first wave of avant-garde jazz and the current wave of avant-garde jazz.
you may want to check out John’s new album, it’s been a while since his last, but it was worth the wait.
geesh, I must need more caffine, LOL..anyway the new album is: “Fair and Square” it’s worth the listen ; )
Great suggestions all! I’ve got to recommend Atomic Swindlers-a great local band who have been described as a blend of early Bowie and Gwen Stefani-you can sample here to see if you like it
http://www.atomicswindlers.com/melodictransmissions.html
The cd is titled Coming out Electric and they have a great video online here-
http://www.atomicswindlers.com/stargirlsvideo.html
Raul Malo. The once and future lead singer of the Mavericks has an amazing voice. He’s vibrant, talented,and good looking. Why isn’t he a mega-star? He should be, if talent has anything to do with it. But he’s not, yet. Check out an album called “Today” by him, it’s phenomenal.
Anyone from “Buena Vista Social Club”, including Ibrahim Ferrer.
Old-time bluesman R L Burnside. He ROCKS.
David “Fathead” Newman. Perennial sideman to such acts as Herbie Mann and Ray Charles, his recordings are what jazz, fundamentally, IS. Especially his recording of “When I Fall In Love”.
Varttina. This all-female finnish punk/roots/folk band is just so great to listen to. I can’t explain the sound, so just listen to it.