Music Music Music

[Phoebe]

Ugh, that sucks, and colds when it's hot are misery. There is so much running around I can't even listen to an album. Sighhh.

[Phoebe]

Still can't seem to sit still long enough to get through a whole album, but at least we have this!

[Phoebe]

I've been listening to Prince and I'm too tired and lazy to go fetch up all the links, but Prince is just so wonderful, and it's sad that he's not around to make more music. Some people are geniuses born to gift the world with their music, but I guess life is short and there's only so much music any one person is going to make, even Prince.

[poorpete]

Nat King Cole - The 20 Best Collection (#155)

What a relief! As a teenager I bought (for like 3 cents) his album "Ramblin Rose", which was in the Sinatra-style of orchestrated jazz over sleepy crooning. I wanted to like it but did not. Through the last six months, I've come to learn that I seem to really not like overly-ochestrated, overly-sleepy, or big-big-band vocal jazz songs. But Mrs.Darks convinced me to give Cole another chance, and here I am, overjoyed that this collection was completely enjoyable. Often, it sounds like he's accompanied by merely 3 to 5 players, who sound like they play often together. Swing style, jump blues, and tin pan alley styles, great! And a few of those weepy sleepy ballads for taste.

[poorpete]

Missy Elliot - Supa Dupa Fly.

A great collaboration between Missy and Timberland. I will probably listen to the other albums they did. I came thinking that I'd probably like Missy's stuff, and was right, but did not predict I'd be an immediate fan of Timberland.

His work in the album, and here particular, is fantastic:

[Phoebe]

My boyfriend makes great music, yes. I love him. This kind of goes without saying given that I'm sure both these songs have appeared here before, but besides the obvious Missy and Aaliyah collaborations he's largely responsible for making fabulous, these are my two favorites of his (and his cute freckles are on display in the first video):

[Phoebe]

77. Arrival Soundtrack - it was AMAZING. Love it. I spent an hour cleaning while listening to this and never had so much fun cleaning.
78. Esperanza Spalding - Radio Music Society - this 2012 album features a song I REALLY love called Cinnamon Tree, and I had always wanted to listen to the whole album more closely but never had the chance. Well, this is a good one! Really enjoy all of these songs and the whole relaxed yet complicated style of her music. Cinnamon Tree probably remains one of my favorites but there are lots of other challengers - Hold on Me is particularly good, and, well, there are lots of good songs here. Hopefully tomorrow I'll try her 2016 album.

[poorpete]

Ooh I like Esperanza!
Feel like my hip cred is not quite there when I spell Missy Elliott with one T and Timbaland like the shoe.

[poorpete]

De La Soul - And the Anonymous Nobody

Fun, Gorillaz-style mix of genres. I kept coming back to this song, featuring Justin Hawkins of The Darkness, even though the lyrics aren't the best on the album ("it looks like an octa"), and it's message I'm not promoting ("fuck everyone, bitch burn everything"), but I love its composition nonetheless. Always nice to hear a great extended guitar-solo outro.

[poorpete]

July 1st means 1/2 through the 365 album challenge. I've thrown in Kendrick's DAMN, Lorde's Melodrama (both on Spotify), and Taytay's 1987 (new to Amazon Prime) to listen to over the next 11 days to celebrate.

I feel I've hit most of what I've wanted to, and moving onto deep dives, ala listening to more and more Aretha. I really liked the Spirit in the Dark album (though I think Young Gifted and Black is still my fav of hers). First enjoyed her singing skills, then her arranging, then her her piano playing, and now her songwriting skills.

[poorpete]

I'm seven years late to the Janelle Monáe party.

I. WANT. IN.

[Phoebe]

Oooh! Watched and liked. Like their strange tightrope dances! Like the Outkast backing. I wish I had time to sit still for an hour in one place! When that day comes this is going on the list.

[poorpete]

Kendrick Lamar - DAMN.

Damn. I always feel, even with three courtesy listens, I can't really feel I've listened to a rap album until I've read the lyrics. Maybe my brain doesn't work this quick. Maybe I don't have the attention. But audio + lyric sheets is the way to go with Kendrick. This album should be called "Kendrick has more to say." The angry DNA, the honest and beautiful FEEL, and you got HUMBLE, in which proves once again that Kendrick is the only man who is allowed to use the word "bitch" (see his classic "Bitch Don't Kill My Vibe").

Since FEEL isn't up on youtube and HUMBLE and DNA both have 100 Million + views, I'll share his classic:

[Phoebe]

79. Chemical Brothers - Push the Button
Didn't enjoy this as much as I was expecting. Galvanize and the whole set of the first four tracks are good, and I liked Surface to Air, but there were other duds that annoyed me, like the Big Jump and Marvo Ging. Overall the whole album seemed a lot more plodding and uncomplicated and unsurprising than others of theirs, which are the opposite, so maybe expectations were inflated. Not sure. Fittingly, my battery died as soon as it ended.

[poorpete]

My favorite song from the Hamilton Mixtape now has a video and it's as moving and important and kickass as the song. Woooooooooo

[Phoebe]

Ahh, the song my kid runs around singing all day. Among Others.

[poorpete]

Al Jolson - Give My Regards to Broadway (Compilation)

So. There's a definite benefit of listening to this album, is that it really obscures the uncomfortable visuals. Nevertheless the cultural appropriation is still there in the music styles and cadences. Nevertheless, he's a great emotive singer who put his stamp on a load of standards and inspired countless singers who came after him, in particular Judy Garland. Nevertheless, some of these songs are just alright. Nevertheless, there are some great gems in here, including the best versions I've heard of "California Here I Come," which is the "New York New York" of California songs (the one that every song about that area afterwards tries to live up to slash rip off). Nevertheless, even though he was a racial progressive for his time, and had a deep love of African American music, who brought the music to the mainstream and led the way for acceptance of black musicians over time, hearing him (and god forbid seeing him) push a stereotype can get, as I said, uncomfortable. Nevertheless, let us not forget how he broke down barriers for Jewish entertainers too, and in his best music you can hear the jazz, ragtime, the vaudeville Tin Pan alley charm, and the Jewish emotiveness. Is that a thing?

The way he really emotes at the end of this song, damn, it's wonderful. Also, a pretty high water mark for saccharine dad songs!

[poorpete]

Weird Al - Bad Hair Day

This came out around the conclusion of my obsession with Weird Al. From age 11 to 13 he was the king to me. Off the Deep I still think is his best work, my brother had the Even Worse album and then I sought out his previous albums, bought his video collection on VHS, watched "Al TV" whenever it was on, watched UHF obsessively, and loved nearly all of it. In 1993 Alapalooza came out and was excited to listen to it and I remember it just not reaching me. Bedrock anthem was good and that's all I remember.

I'm going to try to listen to the albums I missed before returning to him in Mandatory Fun, starting with 1996s Bad Hair Day.

Honestly, a lot of smiles from me, but very few laughs. I'm okay with that. Musically, it's pretty spot on. Lyrically, it cycles through Al's favorite subjects (sans food): terrible relationships ("Since You've Been Gone" is up there with his classics "One More Minute" and "You Don't Love Me Anymore"), demented holiday songs (Weird Al knows it, put the holiday songs at the end!), and an ace polka medley. I wasn't that big on "Amish Paradise" when it was released, but I am a fan now. It's cleverness overwhelms its meanspiritedness.

My favorite song was a spot-on style-parody loving-homage to They Might Be Giants. I'm sad that TMBG don't seem to be that interested in the works of Weird Al, as I think their fan base overlaps to a high degree. Clever accordion songs, FTW!

[poorpete]

Promise and then follow through, America...

[poorpete]

I got more music to share, even if I'm talking into the void lately...

Electric Light Orchestra - Out of the Blue
A speedy double album. I know they are dreadfully uncool. You can hear Beatles (and George Martin), Beach Boys, Bee Gees, The Who and Bowie influences throughout. Can also hear the obvious enormous influence ELO had on The (so much hip and cool) Flaming Lips. Fact I'm sure of after three listens, Jeff Lynne, while acknowledged as an ace producer, is also a master of hook and melody. Songs I hadn't heard a week ago feel timeless to me, now, and I happily sing along and wonder if I was played this album on repeat in my crib. Uncool yes, but a great pleasure to listen to.