Music Music Music

[Phoebe]

I have that album somewhere; I should unearth it! The 365 challenge came to a total halt temporarily. I am not much liking the new qotsa song. But I am liking the most recent Incubus album. More on that later. Drive (from earlier album) is a contender for all time favorite song, life anthem, whatever.

[poorpete]

I should double back and listen to "Rated R" by QOTSA. I'm a fan of "Songs for the Deaf", anything else from them or Incubus I should listen to?

The Band - Music from Big Pink

Finally got around to listening to this classic that escaped my ears for so long. One of those albums where you don't hear the huge influence it had because of the influence it had. Going, oh yeah, this sounds a lot like Derek and the Dominoes and early-70s George Harrison for a reason. Another pleasurable listen.



In other news, Jay Z's 4:44 is legal to download
http://www.businessinsider.com/download ... lly-2017-7
Let's listen and chat.

[Mike]

This song was featured at Bridget Jones's low point in Bridget Jones's Baby (which I saw last weekend). I haven't been able to get the song out of my head since then, and in fact I was singing it to myself as I was trying to figure out Kyle's Irish Box Office game, and I couldn't figure it out. Kyle's stupid.

[Phoebe]

QotSA is tricky because I really love some of their songs and not so much others. I probably like Songs for the Deaf the best, but that's largely on the strength of Go With the Flow and No One Knows. And I enjoy Like Clockwork but that's largely on the strength of My God is the Sun and I Sat by the Ocean. If you already like Songs for the Deaf, then this other one is worth a spin.

I was excited for this new album of theirs coming in August but the first single isn't doing much for me. I wonder if he has written some songs about the attack.

[poorpete]

Baby Driver Soundtrack (via Spotify, 190/365)

A sweet mix of new-to-me music and favs (the use of "intermission" by Blur at the start of the film's third act was wonderful... actually, as noted elsewhere, the whole use of music in the film was wonderful.

I always pick out a favorite new-to-me track off the new-to-me album. I thought this was going to be hard, because there are some new-to-me gems on this, and I can spend days relistening to a bunch of tracks from an album before narrowing down to my favorite. But in this case, I was able to skip all that, because a big reason this movie and soundtrack exists is to turn the fabulous, most groovy "Bellbottoms" by John Spencer Blues Explosion into cultural milestone.

[poorpete]

193/365. Ali Farka Toure - (Green Album)
Like it. I'm very welcoming to foreign music, and surprised/disapointed I haven't done much of any, apart from Mozart's Marriage of Figarro and Natalia Lafourcade's Hasta La Ruiz. If anyone has recommendations, send them my way

"Dvele Wague" on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/track/1uTNp8lRXI5VAQwzoCUsZF

[Phoebe]

Have you listened to much Cesaria Evora? I don't know that it counts for this purpose, but it's great! My impression was that her "morna" style was unique and came from her musical experiences of Cape Verde, and she was one of the biggest artists to take it to widespread popularity, but I don't know enough about it to know, really.

[poorpete]

Thanks! Added her "Miss Perfumado" album, looking forward to it.

Busta Rhymes - When Disaster Strikes (194/365)

Busta will always have a place in my heart, because he Listening, couldn't help but be amazed over the classic "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See" which is by far the best from this album. I like how the first half is solo-focused, and the second half he brings in his Flipmode Squad, each whom never hit it big on their own, but really hold their own here. All said, though, not as exciting as I hoped. Merely very good

Favorite new-to-me track was this one, which samples an Al Green record that was #163 on my list. Turn it up!

[Phoebe]

Scenario - YES to that. The other day I was listening to some crazy rap on the radio and the guy pronounced something about desiring an ass with stretch marks. I noted to myself, that is something new we have not yet heard in the annals of sexist raps, this desire for stretch marks. It's like they ran out of perversions and had to get seriously creative. I said, self, you need to look this song up even though it is utterly ridiculous and bad. Turns out this is big recent Kendrick Lamar track.

[poorpete]

[Phoebe]

80. Valerie June, The Order of Time

Since you're liking this one and I listened to her 2013 Pushing Against a Stone as one of my earlier album challenge entries, I figured why not make this my morning listen? I was not disappointed! Really like this woman - it was interesting to hear her voice sounding more "typical" on some parts of some tracks, and then taking on the unusual qualities I remember from before. The songs seem a little more focused on this album despite retaining some of that nice meandering noodly quality. They're unpredictable still, but organized. It's easy to listen to but challenges your mind, and her voice is just really cool.

[akiva]

I refuse to post a link for this.

My children like Taylor Swift's "Shake it Off." I hate it. They listen to it fairly often. It's stuck in my head. I feel like Swift should pay for the surgery I need to have the song removed from my brain.

[poorpete]

[poorpete]

my banana no longer dances, sad.

[poorpete]

Aimee Mann - Mental Illness (189/365)

Of the six albums I've heard from her, this miiight be my 5th fav, but still, very enjoyable. On three listens, doesn't hit the heights of I'm With Stupid, Magnolia Soundtrack, and Bachelor #2, but given that those are 5-star super-albums, and her hooks tend to attach themselves slowly and methodically and then never let go, I dont' see why I won't be revisiting these. I can feel "Stuck in the Past" and "Philly Sinks" sticking their talons in me.

A catchy song about trying to keeping your sadness in-check when friends are over, "Goose Snow Cone" had to go and make a video about a cat that had me trying to keep it together at work.

[Phoebe]

What is happening in this video?! First she gets rid of her cat but then she doesn't?!

[poorpete]

[Phoebe]

Okay I feel better now, that's a much better story!

[poorpete]

Jay Z - 4:44 (197/365)

A reminder, last time I checked, this album is still available for free. I've liked what I've heard from Jay Z (loved his unplugged work with The Roots way back when, and Danger Mouse's mashup of his Black Album with the White Album is one of the most influential albums ever), but have been holding off on listening to his archive because of his mistreatment of Beyonce. I guess I could have forgiven sooner, Beyonce had.

Then again, I think it was best that I waiting to hear this first. The pain and contrition of "Kill Jay Z" and the spectacular "4:44" has helped me move on (it's really about me, right?). I view this as the completion of the story (I hope), a trilogy that reached its peak in 2016 with Beyonce's Lemonade opus, and began with Solange's Attacking My Brother in Law in a Hotel Elevator in 2014.

Jay Z has great flow, great bluster, a great voice, and his best songs are honest. I think that's another reason why Jay-Z lying and betraying his wife was an issue. Anyways, honesty is in full force here. Speaking of honesty, congrats Gloria Carter, who had to be dishonest to protect her family and her lover and herself and is now free to speak. Thanks Obama

[Phoebe]

81. Lorde - Melodrama
82. Lorde - Pure Heroine

Liked 'em both, but at some point the songs blend into one another and I have to look to see which one I'm actually on. One reason I like Green Light still... It's so different. Hers is a good style, nice to listen to, but sometimes monotonous.

I also listened to a few other things, like part of her first EP (great but really weird when you think about how young she was) and her cover of Swinging Party, which she sings in her usual style of haunting voice, and it's not bad, but not particularly good either and made me have a craving for Paul Westerberg songs.

I started listening to 4:44 and will get back to you on it soon!