01. RADIOHEAD: IN RAINBOWS

RADIOHEAD[MP3] "Reckoner"
[MP3] "Nude"

[2006's #1: THOM YORKE: THE ERASER]
[2005's #1: KENT: DU & JAG DODEN]
[2004's #1: ARCADE FIRE: FUNERAL]
[2003's #1: RADIOHEAD: HAIL TO THE THIEF]

02. AMY MACDONALD: THIS IS THE LIFE

AMY MACDONALD[MP3] "This is the Life"
[MP3] "Let's Start a Band"

[2006's #2: THE VEILS: NUX VOMICA]
[2005's #2: THE RAVEONETTES: PRETTY IN BLACK]

03. SHOUT OUT LOUDS: OUR ILL WILLS

SHOUT OUT LOUDS[MP3] "You Are Dreaming"
[MP3] "Time Left for Love"

[2006's #3: MOJAVE 3: PUZZLES LIKE YOU]
[2005's #3: STARS: SET YOURSELF ON FIRE]

04. MAXIMO PARK: OUR EARTHLY PLEASURES

MAXIMO PARK
[MP3] "Books From Boxes"
[MP3] "By the Monument"

[2006's #4: THE ESSEX GREEN: CANNIBAL SEA]
[2005's #4: THE ROSEBUDS: BIRDS MAKE GOOD NEIGHBORS]

05. ARCADE FIRE: NEON BIBLE

ARCADE FIRE [MP3] "Intervention"
[MP3] "Ocean of Noise"

[2006's #5: NOW IT'S OVERHEAD: DARK LIGHT DAYBREAK]
[2005's #5: DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE: PLANS]

06. JOSH RITTER: THE HISTORICAL CONQUESTS OF...

JOSH RITTER[MP3] "To the Dogs or Whoever"
[MP3] "Still Beating"

[2006's #6: SCISSOR SISTERS: TA-DAH]
[2005's #6: EELS: BLINKING LIGHTS AND OTHER REVELATIONS]

07. BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN: MAGIC

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN
[MP3] "Radio Nowhere"
[MP3] "Your Own Worst Enemy"

[2006's #7: THE PIPETTES: WE ARE THE PIPETTES]
[2005's #7: THE CARDIGANS: SUPER EXTRA GRAVITY]

08. LUCKY SOUL: THE GREAT UNWANTED

LUCKY SOUL[MP3] "One Kiss Don't Make a Summer"
[MP3] "Baby I'm Broke"

[2006's #8: MALAJUBE: TROMPE L'OEIL]
[2005's #8: I AM KLOOT: GODS AND MONSTERS]

09. THE THRILLS: TEENAGER

THE THRILLS
[MP3] "The Midnight Choir"
[MP3] "This Year"

[2006's #9: THE FORMAT: DOG PROBLEMS]
[2005's #9: ED HARCOURT: STRANGERS]

10. SEA WOLF: LEAVES IN THE RIVER

SEA WOLF[MP3] "The Cold, the Dark and the Silence"
[MP3] "Winter Windows"

[2006's #10: REGINA SPEKTOR: BEGIN TO HOPE]
[2005's #10: THE SPINTO BAND: NICE AND NICELY DONE]

11. WOODPIGEON: SONGBOOK

WOODPIGEON
[MP3] "Ms. Stacey Watson, Stepney Green"

[MP3] "The Alison Yip School for Girls"

[2006's #11: THE SUBMARINES: DECLARE A NEW STATE]

TOP ALBUMS OF 2007

This, of course, is not an effort to tell you what you should have been grooving to in 2007, merely an extremely subjective & self-centered attempt to make sense of the year gone by. Musically-speaking, at least.

01. RADIOHEAD: In Rainbows

02. AMY MACDONALD: This is the Life

03. SHOUT OUT LOUDS: Our Ill Wills

04. MAXIMO PARK: Our Earthly Desires

05. ARCADE FIRE: Neon Bible

06. JOSH RITTER: The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter

07. BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN: Magic

08. LUCKY SOUL: The Great Unwanted

09. THE THRILLS: Teenager

10. SEA WOLF: Leaves in the River

11. WOODPIGEON: Songbook

After Friday's finale, I'll be on hiatus for a few days. Should be back in business on Tuesday. Happy New Year & all such silly sentiments....

A CLASSICAL X-MAS: MASS APPEAL?

This past Thanksgiving, I went with a change-of-pace post -- classical music for the masses. So, here it is another holiday, and I'm going to follow that up in an even more literal way. Classical masses.

Most of these happen to be masses for the dead, which I suppose may seem inappropriate for the day. But, to flip a phrase, death does not take a holiday. DEAN MARTIN, JAMES BROWN, and Charlie Chaplin all died on December 25. So did JonBenet Ramsey. Then again, BARBARA MANDRELL, DIDO, and Humphrey Bogart were all born on December 25. So was Karl Rove. And, in 1887, Conrad Hilton -- hotelier extraordinaire (and great-grandfather of Paris). This music is dedicated to all of them -- the living and the dead. And to Karl Rove -- who we truly, truly wish were dead.

At the very least, I hope these selections will make for excellent background music as you unwrap your presents and try to prevent yourself from drunkenly punching relatives you may or may not love or respect. Deus succurro vos. Deus succurro nos totus.

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART (1756-1791) [REQUIEM]
[MP3] "Introitus"
[MP3] "Dies Irae"
[MP3] "Rex Tremendae"
[MP3] "Confutatis"
[MP3] "Lacrymosa"

GUISEPPE FORTUNINO FRANCESCO VERDI (1813-1901) [REQUIEM]
[MP3] "Dies Irae"
[MP3] "Lacrymosa"

GABRIEL URBAIN FAURE (1845-1924) [REQUIEM]
[MP3] "Agnus Dei"

LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) [MISSA SOLEMNIS]
[MP3] "Kyrie"

MOZART [MASS IN C MINOR]
[MP3] "Kyrie"

JOHN MILFORD RUTTER (1945- ) [REQUIEM]
[MP3] "Pie Jesu"

GORDON LIGHTFOOT

[Second part of a two-parter. A mere 33 hours later than intended. Gotta love these December power outages....]

Next stop on today's Canadian gravy train: GORDON LIGHTFOOT.

(When I was but a wee lad, I think I may have thought that Mr. Lightfoot played the lead character in "Grizzly Adams" [see photo above]. No offence, Dan Haggerty.)

(Despite today's winter theme [see "ANNE MURRAY" below], Mr. Lightfoot's early standard, "Song for a Winter's Night" [1969], has rather inexplicably failed to make the grade. No offence, Gord. Have some more moose meat.)

(Go [HERE] to find a whole slew of delightful recipes using moose, e.g. "moose stew," "braised moose," and, our personal fave, "moose nose in jelly.")

[MP3] "If You Could Read My Mind" [1970]

[MP3] "Sundown" [1974]

[MP3] "Rainy Day People" [1975]

[MP3] "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" [1976]

ANNE MURRAY

[First part of a two-parter....]

It's official now: Winter is upon us. And nothing evokes winter for me more than that vast frozen tundra to the Great White North... Canada. Few people know this, but from December to May, Canada gets no natural sunlight whatsoever. They make do with what little they are able to import from Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and Philadelphia (which, in all honesty, is barely enough to power their Zambonis).

So... sitting in their dark, frigid igloos, the Canadian populace sups on moose meat and Labatt Ice and takes solace in the warm, golden throats of their non-hockey-playing heroes. First up: ANNE MURRAY.

(Despite today's winter theme, Ms. Murray's early standard, "Snowbird" [1970], has rather inexplicably failed to make the grade. No offence, Anne. Have another Labatt.)

(Few people know this, but Labatt -- while brewed in Saskatoon -- is actually bottled in Guadalajara. Highly inefficient, but that's NAFTA for ya....)

[MP3] "Danny's Song" [1973]

[MP3] "You Needed Me" [1978]

[MP3] "I Just Fall in Love Again" [1979]

[MP3] "Shadows in the Moonlight" [1979]

[MP3] "Just Another Woman in Love" [1984]

THE '60s, V. 5

Left-click [HERE] to download the latest and (as of now) last '60s mix.

Portal to previous '60s mixes [HERE].

the '60s, v. 5 tracklist >>>

1 the surfaris/wipe out
2 the tokens/the lion sleeps tonight
3 ricky nelson/travelin' man
4 manfred mann/do wah diddy diddy
5 neil sedaka/calendar girl
6 the seekers/i'll never find another you
7 the kinks/days
8 the animals/we gotta get out of this place
9 the youngbloods/get together
10 the monkees/(i'm not your) steppin' stone
11 the grass roots/midnight confessions
12 martha & the vandellas/(love is like a) heat wave
13 the isley brothers/this old heart of mine (is weak for you)
14 jackie deshannon/put a little love in your heart
15 bobby vinton/mr. lonely
16 the mccoys/hang on sloopy
17 the troggs/with a girl like you
18 the zombies/she's not there
19 the turtles/it ain't me babe
20 creedence clearwater revival/bad moon rising
21 the brothers four/greenfields
22 the doors/light my fire
23 tom jones/it's not unusual
24 johnny cash/ring of fire
25 doris day/perhaps, perhaps, perhaps
26 frank sinatra/that's life
27 dean martin/somewhere there's a someone

PER GESSLE (SON OF A PLUMBER)

Remember ROXETTE? They were the Swedish pop duo who almost single-handedly kept their nation in the international music game between the demise of ABBA and the rise of THE HIVES. (No doubt that's over-simplifying things a bit, but it'll have to suffice; time is short today) (And no, we're not going to mention ACE OF BASE.... Oh crap... I just did....)

Those of you who do remember Roxette probably remember the "girl" (MARIE FREDRIKSSON) more than the "boy" (PER GESSLE). That's entirely understandable, seeing as she was generally the one pushed to the front of the stage and the foreground of the frame for marketing purposes. Also, there's the fact that she tended to sing lead on some of their more "substantial" tracks. Unlike EURYTHMICS, though, Mr. Gessle did take the lead on a number of their hits.

At the moment, Roxette as a recording entity is in limbo -- their dynamic having changed (understandably) after Fredriksson's successful surgery for a brain tumor back in 2002. Since then, both have released albums as solo artists, and both have found some measure of success on the Swedish charts. Today's post shines a little light on Mr. Gessle's side of the ledger....

PER GESSLE on MySPACE.

From the SON OF A PLUMBER self-titled 2-LP, 2005 >>>
[MP3] "Jo-Anna Says"
[MP3] "Hey Mr. DJ (Won't You Play Another Love Song)"

From the PER GESSLE LP EN HANDIG MAN, 2007 >>>
[MP3] "Om jag vetat da (Vad jag vet nu)"

From the PER GESSLE LP MAZARIN, 2003 >>>
[MP3] "Fodelsedag"

BONUS TRACKS >>>

[MP3] ROXETTE/"How Do You Do!"

[MP3] ROXETTE/"She Doesn't Live Here Anymore"

PUNKY'S DILEMMA

Knee-jerk reaction might lead some to suspect that Swedish trio PUNKY'S DILEMMA are named after "a very special episode" of a certain 1980s-era Soleil Moon Frye sitcom. Thankfully, this is not the case (as those with even a passing acquaintance with SIMON AND GARFUNKEL album tracks are already well aware).

This continues in the vein of this morning's mellow entry. Some nice male/female dual vocals. Some nifty strings. The first song's all autumnal & pleasant. The second's all autumnal & (a wee bit) menacing. When a good cult goes bad....

PUNKY'S DILEMMA on MySPACE.

[MP3] "Shooting Stars"

[MP3] "Echelon"

BONUS TRACK >>>

[MP3] SIMON AND GARFUNKEL/"Punky's Dilemma"

FIREFLIES

We'll be filing FIREFLIES under "dream pop" instead of "shoegaze" -- though it could go either way. Or both ways. Depending.

(Depending on your definition(s) of "dream pop" and "shoegaze," I guess.)

The man behind Fireflies' curtain is named LISLE, which I believe is the name of one of the von Trapp children (possibly the one who cavorts with the Hitler Youth in the gazebo). The American Lisle is (1) a man, (2) based in Chicago, (3) a lover of "lo-fi indie recordings of the 1980s and 90s" who seeks to combine said love for said recordings with his "unrefined knowledge of classical arrangement." He cites GALAXIE 500 and THE FIELD MICE as influences. He has yet to record a cover of "Sixteen Going on Seventeen."

FIREFLIES on MySPACE.

[MP3] "The Sky Turns to Black"

[MP3] "Comme il vous plaira"

THE BRUNETTES

I'm off to pay some penance/make some amends on the chain gang today (almost literally), so I'll be short-cutting this post with a bit of retro cut-and-paste.

When I first wrote about THE BRUNETTES in September of 2006, these are some of the things I had to say:

"THE BRUNETTES are JONATHAN BREE and HEATHER MANSFIELD. They are from New Zealand...."

"What does the Brunettes' music sound like? Well, take it from their website: '... Boy/girl melodrama pop inspired by '70s New York punk and '60s girl groups.'"

"Elsewhere on the Brunettes' website, their music is described as 'bubblegum.' Yeah, maybe, a little. But if so, it's bubblegum that's already been chewed by somebody else -- somebody with rotten teeth and breath like a stench. Maybe that's what I find so charming about these two. No matter how pristine and calculated the song arrangements are, there's something undeniably ragged about the execution. Like they've planned it that way. Like maybe they record their vocals after a long night of devil-be-damned carousing. Cigarettes. Booze. Opiates."

That was my story, and I'm sticking to it. The Brunettes released a new album, STRUCTURE & COSMETICS, this past summer. Seems somewhat less ragged. Like maybe they gave up the opiates. Or the previously-chewed bubblegum.

THE BRUNETTES on MySPACE.

From the LP STRUCTURE & COSMETICS, 2007 >>>
[MP3] "Small Town Crew"
[MP3] [VID] "Her Hairagami Set"

From the LP MARS LOVES VENUS, 2004 >>>
[MP3] "Bestfriend Envy"
[MP3] "You Beautiful Militant"

From the LP HOLDING HANDS, FEEDING DUCKS, 2002 >>>
[MP3] "Talk to Jesus"

DAN FOGELBERG

R.I.P.

[MP3] "Same Old Lang Syne"

THE MAGNETIC FIELDS

Proof in advertising. Proof in album titling.

THE MAGNETIC FIELDS' upcoming LP, DISTORTION, sounds like it was recorded at the bottom of a well -- all distant, swirling feedback and half-smothered melodies.

Maybe there's much damaged beauty to be unearthed here. Maybe I just need to dig deeper. Or maybe I've already heard all there is to hear. Which would piss me off. And make me sad.

DISTORTION will be released January 15 on NONESUCH.

[MP3] "The Nun's Litany"

[MP3] "Till the Bitter End"

DOLLY PARTON

Here's a joke that was all the rage with 10-, 11-, and 12-year-olds back in the late '70s:

What do you call the sweat between DOLLY PARTON's breasts?

(beat)

Mountain Dew.

I'm telling you, back in the day, that killed. (Also: the one that starts, "So Jesus was being crucified at the top of this big hill" and ends, "Peter, I can see your house from here!" Classic.) (And: a racist joke involving the shoplifting of "nacho cheese." In retrospect: not-so-classic.)

Anyway... Dolly Parton -- like KENNY ROGERS -- took a pretty fruitful detour into the pop mainstream around the same time that those jokes were making the rounds on elementary-school playgrounds from Nashville to New Hampshire; Memphis to Montana. (I must say, though, that it was the incantatory ode "Jolene" that had me spellbound this time through.)

[MP3] "Islands in the Stream" [w/KENNY ROGERS] [1983]

[MP3] "9 to 5" [1980]

[MP3] "Here You Come Again" [1977]

[MP3] "I Will Always Love You" [1974]

[MP3] "Jolene" [1971]

KENNY ROGERS

[Today's Sunday mix is a two-parter. Look for the latter half later today -- after I've dug myself out from an imminent blizzard.]

For his finely-feathered, thrillingly-symmetrical hair and beard alone, KENNY ROGERS deserves some of our Sunday lovin'....

As I'm not the world's biggest country fan (Understatement Alert!), it should come as no surprise that the bulk of the selections here are pulled from a more adult-contemporary/pop-rock period in Mr. Rogers' career. Thus: songs by LIONEL RICHIE, BOB SEGER, and the BEE GEES.

[MP3] "We've Got Tonight" [w/SHEENA EASTON] [BOB SEGER cover] [1983]

[MP3] "Love Will Turn You Around" [1982]

[MP3] "Lady" [1981]

[MP3] "Don't Fall in Love With a Dreamer" [w/KIM CARNES] [1980]

[MP3] "The Gambler" [1978]

[MP3] "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town" [w/THE FIRST EDITION] [1969]

THE VERONICAS

Uh-oh. I think I'm about to "jump the shark" with this one....

THE VERONICAS are "JESS and LISA ORIGLIASSO, twin sisters from Brisbane, Australia, who Sing, Write & Play Guitar!" They make glossy, glossy pop that's produced within an inch of its life. I can't say for sure, but I think this may be what AVRIL LAVIGNE would sound like if she was Australian and had a twin.

So, why the hell am I posting this pouffy ephemera? I haven't the foggiest. Other than: It's Friday. So why the hell not?

THE VERONICAS on MySPACE.

From the LP HOOK ME UP, 2007 >>>
[MP3] "Take Me on the Floor"
[MP3] [VID] "Untouched"

From the LP THE SECRET LIFE OF THE VERONICAS, 2006 >>>
[MP3] [VID] "Revolution"
[MP3] [VID] "4Ever"

THE PIXIES (A TRIBUTE TO)

By their very nature, tribute albums tend to be hit-or-miss affairs. DIG FOR FIRE: A TRIBUTE TO PIXIES is no exception (though, unfortunately, it leans more to the latter than the former). I'd rate the following as at least marginally worthwhile....

[MP3] THE COMMONS [w/ELIZABETH HARPER]/"Here Comes Your Man"

[MP3] CARL DOUGLAS/"Bone Machine"

MORCHEEBA

For the first eight years of their existence, UK trip-hop/electronica outfit MORCHEEBA could be counted on to produce smooth, slinky grooves that perfectly suited singer SKYE EDWARDS' smooth, slinky vocal stylings. Then, Skye went bye-bye.

Enter DAISY MARTEY for 2005's THE ANTIDOTE, a change-of-pace journey into '60s- and '70s-styled, psychedelic pop-rock that alienated a goodly number of the faithful. Exit Daisy Martey.

Now, brothers PAUL and ROSS GODFREY are back with Reinvention #2. Who's singing the songs this time around? Why, all sorts of people, that's who. That's right -- guest vocalists! And some of them aren't even women! Why the hell didn't MASSIVE ATTACK ever think of this? (Oh, wait... they did.)

The album DIVE DEEP will be released in January of '08.

MORCHEEBA on MySPACE.

[MP3] "Enjoy the Ride" [w/JUDIE TZUKE]

[MP3] "Flowers" [w/MANDA]

01.20.09

And R.E.M. thought we were "Bushwacked" back in '92.... If only they'd known....

[VID] GEORGE W./"It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)"

RADIOHEAD MISC.

You may have heard of a little band called RADIOHEAD. You may have heard that they recently released an album on the Internet. There's a discbox, too -- extra tracks and such. Cost me $85. Arrived yesterday. The first song below is one of the extra tracks and such. It'll cost you nary a nickel. Dig that dark vibe. Dig the synths.

Track #2 is a cover of a BJORK song; live/in-studio; remixed in an unofficial sort of way by RICHARD JANKOVICH aka POCKET.

Tracks #3 and #4 are logical enough addendi. What goes around comes around. Pop will eat itself. Pop is dead. Hop on pop.

[MP3] "Up on the Ladder"

[MP3] "Unravel" [Pocket Mix]

BONUS TRACKS >>>

[MP3] BJORK & THOM YORKE/"I've Seen It All"

[MP3] BJORK/"Unravel"

SONDRE LERCHE (DAN IN REAL LIFE)

Norwegian indie-pop crooner SONDRE LERCHE is rather dramatically raising his profile in the U.S. with his soundtrack to the new Steve Carell film, DAN IN REAL LIFE. You'll find old and new Lerche songs here -- as well as a duet with REGINA SPEKTOR. Also: various instrumental cues, which, out of context, are of very little interest to us here at P of A.

I do rather enjoy the new full-blown tune "To Be Surprised," however, and, as it's always nice to share....

SONDRE LERCHE on MySPACE.

[MP3] "To Be Surprised"

PINTO

I've given up trying to figure out how PINTO's ANDREAS MAGNUSSON (supposedly from Gothenburg, but last seen herding sheep and shagging Jake Gyllenhaal in the wilds of Wyoming) (see photo above) is able to write so many solid, seemingly effortless pop songs so incredibly quickly. I mean, anyone can pen a tune, as far as that goes. Take me, at age 8, for instance:

Rocks, rocks, rocks in the bathtub
Rocks, rocks, rocks in the bathtub
Clap your hands with your father's shoe
Prick your mother with a pin
Ooh!

Those "tragic," "heavenly" lines are excerpted from my song "Rocks in the Bathtub," which I composed in the late '70s and mailed out to various artists of the day. I never heard back from KISS or THE CARPENTERS. DEBBY BOONE sent a lovely, inspirational note ("This song is a tragedy. God help you."). MARVIN GAYE expressed interest but ultimately flaked. And IGGY POP mailed me a bucket of human poop. His own. With blood in it. Autographed.

Which brings me back to Pinto and the absurdly prolific Andreas Magnusson. He's just finished a new track and has already slapped it up on his website for any and all to come have their way with it. As always, it is a solid and seemingly effortless pop song. Like I said from the get-go, I've given up trying to figure out how he does it; I just know that he does and that he no doubt will again. I know this in my bones. (The same way I know that Iggy Pop likes corn.)

PINTO on MySPACE.

[MP3] "I Can't Feel My Heart"

BONUS TRACK >>>

[MP3] "Armchair Anthropologist" [from the 2007 LP HOOK ME UP, available from CDON, CD BABY, and KLICKTRACK]

EELS - PART 2

In which we continue and conclude our skip-to-our-lou down EELS' daisy-lined career path....

(And yes, all ye sticklers for detail, there is awareness here that the albums BROKEN TOY SHOP and A MAN CALLED E are not, officially, Eels releases. Rather, they get sorted as solo efforts by composer MARK OLIVER EVERETT aka "E". But, for all practical purposes, "E" is Eels, so the inclusion of these early testaments seems not only acceptable but essential.)

EELS on MySPACE.

From the LP DAISIES OF THE GALAXY, 2000 >>>
[MP3] "Flyswatter"
[MP3] "It's a Motherfucker"

From the LP ELECTRO-SHOCK BLUES, 1998 >>>
[MP3] "Last Stop: This Town"
[MP3] "Climbing to the Moon" [w/GRANT LEE PHILLIPS]

From the LP BEAUTIFUL FREAK, 1996 >>>
[MP3] "Novocaine for the Soul"
[MP3] "Guest List"

From the LP BROKEN TOY SHOP, 1993 >>>
[MP3] "Shine It All On"
[MP3] "Manchester Girl"

From the LP A MAN CALLED E, 1992 >>>
[MP3] "Fitting in With the Misfits"
[MP3] "Hello Cruel World"