Great "Hold Music"

Whilst on hold with one of my customers today I was treated to this 1974 funk delight: “What Is Hip?” by Tower Of Power.

I later hung up after being left on hold for too long.

The Weepies

I recently got into The Weepies, an indie pop-folk band fronted by singer-songwriters Deb Talan and Steve Tannen (no relation to “Biff Tannen” from Back To The Future) out of Cambridge, Massachusetts. Since 2003, the duo has put out 3 albums and has one more on the way next month. Not sure how they slid past my radar all these years but I have a feeling they are to become my next obsession.

Off 2008’s “Hideaway” this is “Wish I could Forget”:



Off their upcoming album, this is the title track and first single, “Be My Thrill”:



These guys also have some great, simplistic album artwork:

Jump In The Line

For some reason I had this scene in my head for days. The song itself is called "Jump In the Line" composed by Trinidadian calypsonian Lord Kitchener (Aldwyn Roberts) in the late 40’s. It was then re-recorded by Harry Belafonte in 1961, the version used in “Beetlejuice”.

“Beetlejuice” theatrical trailer from 1988:



Also to note: In 1998, the song was covered by American rock/swing band the Cherry Poppin' Daddies for the soundtrack to the movie BASEketball.

The National – Slow Show

Off 2007’s, “The Boxer.” Great tune, found it done “open-mic” style. The setting really accentuates singer/songwriter Matt Berninger’s baritone.


The National - Slow Show (Part 2 of 3) from Bandwidth on Vimeo.


Studio version below. The acoustic above lacks the piano ending which really makes the song.

We Are Scientists – Rules Don’t Stop

Really digging this video. I love the shots of the 80’s pink Kramer guitar. One of the first to have the “original” Floyd Rose bridges.


We Are Scientists - Rules Don't Stop from Labour on Vimeo.

“Top 6” After 6

6 months into 2010 there’s been a bunch of good tunes. I was going to focus my mid-year tops list on albums but since moods change so much in 6 months I just assume individual tracks would work better.


1) “Vaporize” by Broken Bells (Broken Bells):


2) “Brand New Shoes” by She & Him (Volume 2):

3) “Giving Up The Gun” by Vampire Weekend (Contra):

4) “Tighten Up” by The Black Keys (Brothers):

5) “Camera Talk” by Local Natives (Gorilla Manor):

6) “Laredo” by Band of Horses (Infinite Arms):

Honorable Mention:


- “Ambition” by We Are Scientists (Barbara):

Notes:

- “Vaporize” by Broken Bells is now the #1 most listened to track on my iPod.

- I fell in love with “Brand New Shoes” by She & Him when I saw them @ The Bowery Ballroom a few months back.

- “Brothers” by The Black Keys is arguably one of my favorite album covers of the past decade.

The Mynabirds

I got a copy of “What We Lose In The Fire We”, the debut album by The Mynabirds this weekend. This Omaha-based group led by singer-songwriter Laura Burhenn has a really cool sound/vibe with an even more interesting conception. Burhenn said “she'd long imagined a band that sounded like Neil Young playing Motown.” Oddly enough, years later she would discover that Neil Young had made music with Rick James in 1960s Motown. The name of that band: The Mynah Birds. Although the band never released an album, it is famous as one of the earliest efforts of a number of musicians who went on to be hugely successful. Derived from the 1964 group called the Sailorboys, fronted by Jimmy Livingstone and also including guitarist Ian Goble, drummer Rick Cameron, organist John Goadsby and bass player Nick St. Nicholas, soon joined by Rick James. Over its short lifespan, the group featured a surprisingly large number of artists in its many different configurations. Its most memorable lineup included future funk star Rick James, Rickman Mason, John Taylor and future folk-rock music stars Neil Young and Bruce Palmer, both of whom went on to form Buffalo Springfield. Earlier members included Goldie McJohn, who like Nick St Nicholas was later in rock band Steppenwolf. As well, a late-running 1967 version of The Mynah Birds featured heavy rock Neil Merryweather. The Mynah Birds signed a seven-year deal with Motown Records in 1966. They recorded a number of tracks, and their first album was in the works when James was arrested, having deserted the United States Navy prior to forming the Sailorboys. Motown subsequently shelved their recordings.

Here is some audio of The Mynah Birds featuring Neil Young and Rick James, pretty damn good:



And another:



Back to the new “MynAbirds”, here are some of my favorite tracks off this record:





This is a really cool link to a set the band did (minus a bass player) in a tiny apartment. Great quality: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=127915408