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.