<$BlogRSDUrl$>

Sunday, January 16, 2005

December 23: Various Artists - Coyote Ugly soundtrack 

This one's another traveling album, and it might qualify as a weird one, too. You get four Leann Rimes songs (as the "voice" of Piper Perabo's character), and a bunch of songs from the Coyote Ugly bar's fictional jukebox. So EMF's "Unbelievable" and Charlie Daniels' "Devil Went Down to Georgia" are on the same album. Finally.

(0) comments

December 22: Jars of Clay - Much Afraid 

Not so much a weird album as an album I listened to while traveling with my lady friend. This was Jars of Clay's second album, the one after "Flood" made 'em Christian alt-rock stars. This album's still pretty good, but not as smooth as their first album.

(0) comments

December 21: FSOL - Lifeforms 

This is an odd one; an entire album built around a fusion of organic sounds and electronica. I liked track one, with all the bird sounds (chirping, wings flapping), and the insect noises in track 5.

(0) comments

Tuesday, January 11, 2005

December 20: The Wonders - That thing you Do! 

Gotta love that Tom Hanks. Not only did he write and direct That Thing You Do!, my favorite movie of all time, but he also commissioned an entire album of original songs (some of which Hanks co-wrote) designed to sound like they could have fit on the radio in the early 1960s. In addition to the title track (which was written by one of the guys from Fountains of Wayne, ya know), you get four other "Wonders" songs and tunes by the Chantrellines, the Vicksburgs (in Pittsburgh, the Vicksburgs in Pittsburgh), and my favorite band of all time, Cap'n Geech and the Shrimp Shack Shooters.

(0) comments

December 19: REM - Green 

Definitely one of my favorite REM albums, and I'm looking forward to the CD/DVD-audio reissue in February. This was the band's first with Warner Bros., and it's an odd mix of poppy songs such as those that were later on Out of Time, and rockers more like the rest of the band's late-80s output. Some of my favorite REM songs are on here, like "Orange Crush," "Pop Song '89," "Turn You Inside-Out" and "Get Up." And watch for the untitled song at the end, which features a drum pattern so off-beat that Pete Buck had to play it because Bill Berry was too rhythmic.
This album was the first time I became aware of REM, thanks to "Stand," which was the theme song to Get a Life. When I was in fifth grade, we listened to Bon Jovi, Weird Al, New Kids (not by choice), Tiffany, and "Stand." Still brings back the memories.

(0) comments

December 18: Sponge - Rotting Pinata 

Great news (for me)! As devoted fans will remember, I couldn't find my copies of Sponge's first album and REM's Green. Well, while cleaning up a box, I found 'em.
And this album su-ucks. The production is absolutely terrible, except on the three singles, "Plowed," "Molly," and "Rainin'," which are great songs. And yet this sold scads of copies.
Sponge are largely forgotten now; I was telling my lady friend about standing in line early on a Saturday morning to get Sponge tickets at the Diamond Ballroom, and she had no idea who I was talking about, even after I made a fool of myself by singing most of "Plowed" and "Molly." Which either proves that Sponge are forgotten, or that I should never attempt karaoke.

(0) comments

December 17: Pleasantville - Music from the Motion Picture 

This album features the Fiona Apple cover of "Across the Universe," which I personally think is far superior to the Rufus Wainwright cover that was on the I am Sam soundtrack.
The rest is '50s covers, to go with the theme of the movie (one of my favorites, if you haven't seen it). And then there's a Fiona Apple bonus track which doesn't really fit.

(0) comments

December 16: Josie and the Pussycats - Music from the Motion Picture 

Why is this a weird disc? Because of the alt-rock talent slumming it here. An all-star band featuring Matthew Sweet on guitar and the chick from Letters to Cleo on vocals sings songs supposedly by Josie and the Pussycats, the cartoon band brought to life in the blink-and-you-missed-it movie. The songs were written by Jason Falkner, Adam Duritz of the Counting Crows, Adam Schlesinger of Fountains of Wayne, and Babyface, among others. There's so many cowriters from the '90s, you'd think it was a Bowling for Soup album.
We watched this on the studio VCR when 12 Pearls was recording recently. It's pretty entertaining if you've got a couple of hours to kill before it's time to lay down your bass part, plus you can find it in convenience stores or wal-marts for like $4 on DVD.
The CD is pretty inconsequential. I did laugh a couple of times at the song "Backdoor Lover" by the fictional boy-band DuJour, because my sense of humor is the same as a 14-year-old's.

(0) comments

Tuesday, January 04, 2005

December 15: Tuatara - breaking the ethers 

Tuatara are a class of reptile only living in New Zealand and relatively unchanged since the age of the dinosaurs. Tuatara the band are a horrible mishmash of world music and jazz that I bought because Peter Buck from REM was a member (along with the drummer from the Screaming Trees; there are also guest appearances from a couple of the Pearl Jam guys). I think it's great that Buck moved to Seattle and got involved with the music scene up there; I'm not sure that it's great that Epic decided to put this supergroup's album out. The whole thing sounds like those bumpers NPR uses in between their news stories. There are a couple of songs where Buck is using a weird six-string bass-guitar tone that cropped up later on Up, but otherwise this thing is background music, and slightly maddening background music at that.
Peter, I think you're one of the great guitarists of the last 20 years. But you don't have to do every side project thrown your way. Why not spend your spare time going through REM's outtakes and b-sides for a box set? I would much rather listen to that than more stuff like this.

(0) comments

December 14: Smarty Pants - EP Phone Home 

Rivers from Weezer once was photographed wearing a Smarty Pants t-shirt. That's probably the high point in this band's career. They are from Edmond, and I know Matt's a fan. I'm more a fan of the song titles than the music, which is a little more indebted to Weezer than it oughta be.
Best two song titles on this disc (and possibly ever): "Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, Select, Start," and "The Day the Iron Sheik Found Out that Wrestling Was Fake." If they'd combined those two songs with some clever parodies, they coulda been the next Weird Al.

(0) comments

Monday, January 03, 2005

December 13: Dogs Die in Hot Cars - Please Describe Yourself 

Borrowed this one from my brother for weird music month because it is certainly weird. It sounds like the residents of an insane asylum listened to nothing but Talking Heads and then tried to make an album. There are some great tunes and melodies, but the lyrics make no sense whatsoever. Why for instance, does the singer want "Paul Newman's Eyes?"

(0) comments

December 12: Weird Al Yankovic - Permanent Record: Al in the Box (disc 4) 

Disc 4 has the Nirvana parody, the Chili Peppers parody about the Flintstones, and two great original songs: "Trigger Happy" and "Frank's 2000" TV," among others.
Ultimately, Weird Al has a niche; he writes songs for teenage dorks about themes they can understand: food, television, and Star Wars. And there are always gonna be 14-year-old boys who eat this stuff up, so Al should have another few decades of success. Good luck to him.

(0) comments

December 11: Weird Al Yankovic - Permanent Record: Al in the Box (disc 3) 

Disc 3 contains music from Al's career high point: the song "Fat" and the movie UHF. I especially enjoy the song "The Biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota."

(0) comments

December 10: "Weird Al" Yankovic - Permanent Record: Al in the Box (disc 2) 

Disc 2 has "Yoda," "Like a Surgeon," and the best Christmas song ever, "Christmas at Ground Zero." Actually, come to think of it, maybe "Christmas at Ground Zero" isn't that funny a title anymore.

(0) comments

December 9: "Weird Al" Yankovic - Permanent Record: Al in the Box (disc 1) 

This isn't actually my Weird Al box set, but it has somehow come into my possession (Andy, if you want it back, e-mail me and I'll get it to you). It's a very good career retrospective of Weird Al Yankovic up to 1994. Disc 1 features an awful lot of accordion, as most of it was recorded before he got his whole band. I believe my favorite on this one was "King of Suede."

(0) comments

December 8: The Dukes of Dixieland - Louisiana Legends 

OK, to a true New Orleans music aficionado, I'm sure this sounds like horrible huckster crap designed to be sold to gullible tourists. But to me, the guy who got it for free a couple of years ago, it sounds like some nice, Dixieland jazz background music. This album does have "Go to the Mardi Gras," but loses points for not having "Went on down to the Audubon Zoo."

(0) comments

December 7: Various Artists - Essential Interpretations (disc 2) 

Disc 2 is really better than Disc 1, with a pretty good Bowie cover ("Starman"), Sparklehorse doing Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" with Thom Yorke on backing vocals (I think this got some play on the old SPI), a "Ziggy Stardust" cover, a "Rhinestone Cowboy" cover and a truly inspired, bizarre take on the oldies chestnut "Do Wah Diddy Diddy."

(0) comments

December 6: Various Artists - Essential Interpretations (disc 1) 

This was some kind of EMI promotion in 1997 where they had some of their newer artists redo songs from their catalog of the last 75 years. Disc 1 features the Foo Fighters' take on "Baker Street" which I know you've heard, plus a very odd "Where Did Our Love Go" and Belinda Carlisle singing a Sex Pistols song. Oh, and Jesus Jones inexplicably pops up to do a cover of a song I've never heard of, then fades back into complete obscurity.

(0) comments

December 5: Bugs & Friends - Sing the Beatles 

I actually got this for Christmas about 10 years ago. It's a parody album of the Looney Tunes characters singing Beatles songs, and despite the fact that Mel Blanc was long dead when this thing came out, it's funnier than you'd think. I especially like Yosemite Sam's version of "Help!" Although I could have used more Foghorn Leghorn.

(0) comments

This page is powered by Blogger. Isn't yours?