Wire - "A Flat Tent": "33+ years in, Wire really have no business sounding this good. This track (from their brand new album, Red Barked Tree) certainly recalls Pink Flag, their debut, but blends in fresh elements to create a fully modern interpretation of their original sound. And, have no fear, the whole album has an array of sounds and moods, so they're no one trick pony here, nor a simple rehash of their older selves."
Tina Turner & Barry White - "In Your Wildest Dreams": "Listen to Tina and Barry try to out-sex each other with suggested panting and thrusting in this a/c slow jam. It's a little too radio-polished and borders on cheesy in moments, but it is nice to hear two legends having some fun...and, for the most part, it works. For some reason, Tina also says 'hearts' as one would say 'Chassidic', with the hard 'ch', which has amused me ever since the first time I heard this song."
Class Actress - "Journal of Ardency": "80s synth shuffle updated with a more modern aesthetic. Simple, but it's what's been helping me get through the last few days."
Those Bastard Souls - "Spaced Out" (Demo - Darla 100 Version): "I was trying to find a song to end 2010 and kick off 2011 and I just couldn't find anything that summed things up, other than songs I've already posted (i.e. Breeders "New Year" or Walkmen "In The New Year"). So, instead, here's a mostly-solo rendition of "Spaced Out" (as otherwise performed by both The Grifters and Those Bastard Souls, full band). It's perhaps a little rough, but it has a certain naked straightforwardness to it."
Teena Marie - "Lovergirl": "A slightly belated R.I.P. for Teena Marie. Such sad news!"
Soul Coughing - "Screenwriter's Blues": ""It's funny how much I disliked this song when it came out - I think my thought was "who are these self-indulgent NYC snobs who think they're King Missle?" - and how much I love it now. It apparently just took some time for me to come around to it, probably sometime after "Down To This" made me give them a second look. While it kind of fails as a poison love letter to Los Angeles, it does paint a pretty good picture of tongue-in-cheek sweetness as cynicism. It also contains one of what became one of my favorite song lyrics: "We are all in some way or another going to Reseda...someday...to die." That's a comment on life and/or The Valley - and I'm not sure which, but it works either way."
Bear In Heaven - "Ultimate Satisfaction": "There's a certain intensity from the busy drumming and the the looping keyboards during the verses that is almost overwhelming, but that just leads to the jazzy (if not almost prog) openness of the chorus and a sudden feeling of drifting in water. The contrast helps to heighten each section of the song. Spacey and powerful."
Ryan Bingham - "Depression": "Not the downer song you might expect it to be, even if it's certainly rough in ways, generally earthy in others - that's what makes it just feel natural, more than anything else. Also, I'm not posting it for an particular reason, so don't fret - even if the holidays do seem to have a hectic, overwhelming quality to them this year."
The Smiths - "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before": "One of my favorite songs of all time. Restrained in delivery, but bubbling with dark emotions just under the surface; I'm not sure if it's bitterness or pain or what exactly, but when Morrissey sings "I still love you / but only slightly less, slightly less than I used to" in a way that only he can, it speaks volumes. It shares a similar vibe with another of my favorites - Michael Penn's "Out of Its Misery" - also a dark/rocker number - but this song also has the classic bike-riding video that makes it almost iconic."
Electronic - "Disappointed": "The Smiths' Johnny Marr, New Orders' Bernard Sumner and Pet Shop Boys' Neil Tenannt? It was magic 80s nostalgia before enough time had even passed for it to have set in. Still, this is one of my favorite Pet Shop Boys songs that technically isn't."
Starflyer 59 - "Play The C Chord": "This is just how I'm feeling today."
Better Than Ezra - "Alison Foley": "I think that my liking of this song comes from it's less-mature-but-more-rocking Michael Penn vibe. I normally wouldn't call a song like this under-appreciated, but I feel like BTE is pretty maligned for their accidental role in the late 90s co-opting of 'alternative' radio by crunchy radio pop as it all rode it into the mainstream, so it's worth pulling out something so truly catchy for a bit of re-appreciation. (I'll even go a step further: Semisonic and Fastball had some really good songs too.)"
Daft Punk - "Derezzed": "Okay, I admit...I am excited for the new Tron movie. Shocker, right? (This is a track from the soundtrack.)"
INXS - "Suicide Blonde": "Just woke up with this song in my head but I have no idea why...I haven't heard this song in a while, at least not that I was consciously aware of..."
Missy Elliott - "The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)": "Seriously, does it have to rain everywhere I go? Enough, already!"
Helium - "Pat's Trick": "This is a belated 'thank you' to Doug H for playing an awesome Matador Records DJ set at the SF Eagle the other weekend, including this excellent Helium tune, in celebration of the Matador Records Vegas weekend. Not to be dopey, but it's so nice to have good friends at a good place listening to good music!"
The Apples in Stereo - "High Tide": "Jangly and pleasantly mellow, but the high point (no pun intended) is when frontman Robert gets into his higher register to sing 'will the years roll out on tide?', particularly as he's joined with harmony vocals as the chorus repeats. Good stuff."
Julio Iglesias - "Drive": "I don't know what I like better - Julio tackling The Cars - or that he does it on his album Romantic Classics. Decir lo que???."
Arcade Fire - "Ready to Start": "This definitely shook out as my favorite song on the new Arcade Fire record. I've read around that this is supposed to be an uplifting song (I suppose the 'now I'm ready to start!' ending), but the song - and the chorus in particular - read really dark to me, outside of that one line. There's something really sad about the 'if I was pure / you know I would / and if I was yours / but I'm not' lyric, but it still comes together as a really powerful song and that's why I like it."
Best Coast - "When I'm With You": "Take a bunch of Aislers Set girl group lo-fi and mix in a touch of Giant Drag sharpness and you get this Best Coast song. It pulls off a great blend of sass and melancholy, the way the best 60s girl group rock songs do."
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