THE DOORS - PART 2

THE DOORS on WIKIPEDIA.

[MP3] "Hello, I Love You" [1968]

[MP3] "People Are Strange" [1967]

[MP3] "Light My Fire" [1967]

[MP3] "You're Lost Little Girl" [1967]

[MP3] "Take It As It Comes" [1967]

[MP3] "L.A. Woman" [1970]

THE DOORS - PART 1

I promised last week that we'd be taking a vacation from the British Invasion, but I also said that we weren't quite finished with the '60s. I am, if nothing else, a man of my word (at least, when it's convenient).

I'm not a huge fan of a lot of THE DOORS' later stuff -- the blues-ier stuff, to be precise. Other songs have been left out as a consequence of length ("The End" is probably best enjoyed as part of "Apocalypse Now" anyway).

[MP3] "Break on Through" [1967]

[MP3] "Touch Me" [1969]

[MP3] "Alabama Song" [1967]

[MP3] "Love Her Madly" [1970]

[MP3] "Unhappy Girl" [1967]

[MP3] "Waiting for the Sun" [1970]

NUREMBERG 1948 --> PARIS 1968

I hadn't planned to post anything else until Sunday, but I see that it's been a pretty busy week around here -- traffic-wise -- so, as a little thank-you from me to you....

I recently completed an alternating-track mix CD with a cyber-friend of mine. It was our second tag-team effort, requiring 15 months of our lives to complete, but I think it was well worth the time and effort. If you want it, it's yours....

(Oh, and... you'll have to guess whether I was the evens or the odds....)

Left-click [HERE] to download the whole kit 'n' kaboodle.

NUREMBERG 1948 -> PARIS 1968 TRACKLIST >>>

01 okkervil river THE WAR CRIMINAL RISES AND SPEAKS
02 THE NATIONAL fake empire
03 arcade fire INTERVENTION
04 THE WALKMEN another one goes by
05 candie payne BY TOMORROW
06 DOVES black and white town
07 the flaming lips POMPEII AM GOTTERDAMMERUNG
08 OF MONTREAL bunny ain't no kind of rider
09 strip squad HAIRLESS YOUTH OF BOSNIA
10 RILO KILEY the moneymaker
11 eels SOULJACKER (PART I)
12 PROTOTYPES ici ou peut-etre demain
13 dean & britta MOONSHOT
14 THE PIPETTES one night stand
15 brendan benson THE PLEDGE
16 ELECTRIC SOFT PARADE misunderstanding
17 manic street preachers SO WHY SO SAD
18 THE SLEEPY JACKSON rain falls for wind
19 tilly and the wall BLOOD FLOWERS
20 THE WHITE STRIPES i think i smell a rat
21 fabienne delsol CATCH ME A RAT
22 APRIL MARCH chick habit
23 serge gainsbourg MARILOU SOUS LA NEIGE
24 THE MAGNETIC FIELDS the night you can't remember

SON(S) OF 'HALCION DAZE'

While compiling my beloved HALCION DAZE mix (still available [HERE] for the low, low price of nothing at all), I came across many a tune that tickled me pink but didn't (quite) fit the bill. Here's a handful (+1) of tickly tunes to amuse you. (We'll get to the left-out ladies at a later date....)

[MP3] LEE HAZLEWOOD/"When a Fool Loves a Fool" [1966]

[MP3] JOHNNY CASH/"A Thing Called Love" [1972]

[MP3] TOM JONES/"Love Me Tonight" [1969]

[MP3] RAY CHARLES/"Where Can I Go?" [1963]

[MP3] JOE COCKER/"Unchain My Heart" [1987]

[MP3] DEL SHANNON/"Little Town Flirt" [1962]

CARLA BRUNI

J'accuse... me! No me parleyvoo or comprendeyvoo le frankinscence.

But no matter. Because I have always preferred french fries to freedom fries; french toast to texas toast; and french-kissing to ass-kissing (though, to be fair, that last one is sort of highly dependent on the context, if you know what I'm saying).

Fact is, you don't have to know French to get French. It's a lyrical language. Soft. Sensual. Forgiving. Tell someone to "eat shit and die" in English, and it might come across as crass. In German, it would be regarded as a declaration of war. In French, it might just as easily serve as preface to a seduction. Wine... song... l'amour... more wine... more song... more amour. Mange du murde et meurt? But of course. Just as soon as you make ravishing love to me on this French damask divan (or in the hatchback of my Le Car), under this painting by Renoir (atop this spare-tire by Michelin), to the gentle, soothing strains of Debussy's Clair de lune (to the gentle, soothing strains of Jerry Lewis' "Theme to 'The Day the Clown Cried'"). Viva la France! Viva le difference! Viva le cigarette, la baguette, le beret, le beret raspberry, le menage a trois, Monet, Manet, Marcel Marceau, Jacques Cousteau, Inspector Clouseau, and Pepe Le Pew!

And -- perhaps somewhat lower on this distinguished list -- CARLA BRUNI. Model. Singer. First Lady of France. Former paramour of MICK JAGGER, ERIC CLAPTON, and... um... Donald Trump. There is the small problem, of course, of Carla Bruni being Italian. But no matter. She sings in French, and that'll serve our purposes tres bien.

Now... is Carla Bruni a great singer -- a la EDITH PIAF? No... she is not. But remember: Dirty SERGE GAINSBOURG's girls weren't particularly skilled singers, either. But they could coo. Purr. Whisper. Come hither. Come thither. Keep coming and coming till the cows came home. And these things Carla Bruni can do, too -- over light, largely acoustic arrangements -- coo, purr, whisper & come.

[Okay, it's 3 AM, I'm tired, and it's time for you to get to downloading (or not) today's songs. As is sometimes the case when I'm writing these somewhat-longer-than-usual posts, I find that I have random scraps of crap left over at the end -- stray sentences that may have once made sense, but now no longer do because the post has decided (entirely of its own volition) to go in an unexpected direction. Normally, of course, I would simply delete said random scraps before sending the post out into the world. Today, though, just for the hell of it, I'm going to leave them be, for no other reason than... well... I actually took the time to look up the proper spelling of "gesundheit" (I originally had a "z" in there). And I really do despise German opera. So suck on that, RICHARD STRAUSS!]

>>> , if you get my tongue-in-cheek meaning.....

(So, let's just say that, when it comes to French prime ministers, Sarkozy isn't her first.)

(When it comes to opera, Italian should be the only language allowed. French would be fine but for the fact that French composers have no balls. German composers have great big, eugenically maxi-sized balls, but, alas, the German language is better suited to jackhammering granite than to singing. C'est la vie. C'est la guerre. Gesundheit!) <<<

And gute Nacht and bonne chance.

CARLA BRUNI on MySPACE.

From the LP COMME SI DE RIEN N'ETAIT, 2008 >>>
[MP3] "Deranger les pierries"
[MP3] "Ta tienne"

From the LP NO PROMISES, 2007 >>>
[MP3] "Lady Weeping at the Crossroads"

From the LP QUELQU'UN M'A DIT, 2002 >>>
[MP3] "L'excessive"
[MP3] "Quelqu'un m'a dit"

MY NAME IS GEORGE

Okay, enough already with the catchy-but-derivative pop. I know, I know, I get it. Just allow me this one last entry, and I promise to definitively shift gears... starting tomorrow. Really. Truly. Enable me. I beg of ye.

Switzerland-based MY NAME IS GEORGE sound like a bunch of youngsters who just wanna lounge around smokin' the wacky weed and listening to... I don't know... THE TURTLES and THE LIGHTNING SEEDS; THE TROGGS and... gulp... SAVAGE GARDEN. They're Brad Pitt on the couch in "True Romance" -- after a couple of Red Bulls. FALL OUT BOY would eat them alive. But they could kick some big-time JONAS BROTHERS ass.

MY NAME IS GEORGE on MySPACE.

[MP3] "Radio"

[MP3] "Mary-Jane"

CLOETTA PARIS

I love '80s pop and all, but this is a little ridiculous....

Sweden's CLOETTA PARIS falls somewhere between KIM WILDE and TIFFANY on the wayback-machine dial. Early PET SHOP BOYS. LADYTRON. Effin' ACE OF BASE, for Christ's sake. Oh, and... they list T.A.T.U. as an "influence." Seemingly without irony. Oh me-oh-me-oh-my.

Just 64 days till I can have a drink. Can't get here soon enough....

From the LP SECRET EYES, 2008 >>>
[MP3] "Young Girls in Town"
[MP3] "Secret Eyes"

BONUS TRACK >>>

[MP3] "Cry Just a Little Bit"

MIGHTY SIX NINETY

L.A.'s MIGHTY SIX NINETY first came to my attention in February of 2006 with the song "Have You Ever Asked Yourself." I loved the damn thing -- played it over and over and over -- never really tired of it. The fact that it sounded exactly like THE SMITHS didn't faze me in the least.

It took a couple of years, but Mighty Six Ninety finally released a full-length album -- CHEERS TO THE BITTER END -- this past June. The Smiths comparisons are still unavoidable. NEW ORDER. THE SMITHEREENS. But I remain unfazed. And determined to enjoy these gentle, retro-sounding pop confections before the summer up and turns into a pumpkin.

From the LP CHEERS TO THE BITTER END, 2008 >>>
[MP3] "Never Go to Sleep"
[MP3] "Believable"
[VID] "Mistakes Like These"

BONUS TRACK >>>

[MP3] "Have You Ever Asked Yourself"

IDA MARIA

Sweden-based but Norway-born, IDA MARIA would seem to possess some Risk-like global ambitions. So far, she's managed to transport her indie-rocking armies across the North Sea and gain a foothold in the UK on the strength of single "I Like You So Much Better When You're Naked." The song is a likeable-enough, cut-and-paste rasp-alooza -- only marginally marred by that too-cute-for-school title.

[Then again, I'll take that any day over a girl calculatedly crooning a calculatedly "controversial" song called "I Kissed a Girl" (unless that girl is named JILL SOBULE).]

Ida Maria's debut album is named FORTRESS ROUND MY HEART, and that ringing telephone you hear in the distance is STING calling in an indignant tizzy....

IDA MARIA on MySPACE.

[MP3] [VID] "Oh My God"

[MP3] "Morning Light"

[VID] "I Like You So Much Better When You're Naked"

RANDOM BONUS AUDIO/VISUAL ADDENDA >>>

[VID] JILL SOBULE/"I Kissed a Girl"

[VID] STING/"Fortress Around Your Heart"

HEY, BANNER BANNER! SWING!

Every now, then & again, somebody asks me about this blog's banner. I'm always tempted to say that it's something I dashed off while doing 'shrooms and watching "The Wizard of Oz" synced to DARK SIDE OF THE MOON. But no... that wouldn't be the truth.

The truth is that it's Salvador Dali. "The Temptation of Saint Anthony." And I want you to know that I didn't crop the thing to spare you the sight of some skinny-man-ass. I cropped the thing to make it fit. And for that reason only.

Go [HERE], if you've got the itch to, for a bit of quick history.

See you all tomorrow, my pretties. And your little dogs, too.

INFADELS

Later today, the cable man cometh, so hopefully my connectivity issues will soon be a thing of the past. In the meantime, a bit o' the dance-rock to give your week a goose....

INFADELS on MySPACE.

From the LP UNIVERSE IN REVERSE, 2008 >>>
[MP3] "Free Things for Poor People"
[MP3] "Circus of the Mad"

From the LP WE ARE NOT THE INFADELS, 2006 >>>
[MP3] "Girl That Speaks No Words"
[MP3] "Murder That Sound"

THE HOLLIES - PART 2

THE HOLLIES on WIKIPEDIA.

[MP3] "Long Cool Woman (in a Black Dress)" [1971]

[MP3] "Man Without a Heart" [1970]

[MP3] "The Air That I Breathe" [1974]

[MP3] "My Back Pages" [1969]

[MP3] "Stop! Stop! Stop!" [1966]

[MP3] "Don't Let Me Down" [1974]

[MP3] "Just One Look" [1964]

THE HOLLIES - PART 1

I've been having a devil of a time lately with my broadband connection, so I'm going to go ahead and get this thing out to you while I can. Part 2, hopefully, tomorrow.

THE HOLLIES will bring us to the end of our recent 1960s-British-Invasion Sundays (though we're not entirely through with the '60s just yet). Now... must hit "PUBLISH POST" before my connection once again pulls the rug out from under me....

[MP3] "Bus Stop" [1966]

[MP3] "I Can't Let Go" [1966]

[MP3] "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" [1969]

[MP3] "Look Through Any Window" [1965]

[MP3] "What Went Wrong" [1966]

[MP3] "Sorry Suzanne" [1969]

[MP3] "Lucille" [1964]

THE ELECTRIC CINEMA

Indie pop-rock from the UK. "Cut Down" is the opening track on THE ELECTRIC CINEMA's 2007 self-titled album and owes a great debt to GRANDADDY. "It's Fire We Crave the Most" is the closing track from that same disc and has more of an ARCADE FIRE-lite feel.

THE ELECTRIC CINEMA on MySPACE.

[MP3] "Cut Down"

[MP3] "It's Fire We Crave the Most"

NINA KINERT

NINA KINERT is a young Swedish singer who changed gears a bit with her 2008 CD, PETS & FRIENDS. Her previous country-folk stylings took a backseat this time around to moodier, edgier pop fare. I, for one, like the change. (Swedish car company Saab, on the other hand, was obviously A-OK with her earlier work, having incorporated the gossamer "Through Your Eyes" into one of their ad campaigns.)

NINA KINERT on MySPACE.

From the LP PETS & FRIENDS, 2008 >>>
[MP3] "Combat Lover"
[MP3] "I Shot My Man"

From the LP LET THERE BE LOVE, 2006 >>>
[MP3] "Through Your Eyes"

THE STILLS

In my mind, I had more or less worked out that this post was going to be all about how much I had liked THE STILLS' debut album, LOGIC WILL BREAK YOUR HEART, back in 2003; how disappointed I had been with their "musical makeover" of 2006 (WITHOUT FEATHERS); and how 2008's OCEANS WILL RISE ultimately struck me as a sort of ho-hum, shoulder-shrug of a third act.

But then I re-read what I'd written here back in '06:

"I liked the 'sound' of the Stills' debut LP, Logic Will Break Your Heart, even if only a few of the 'songs' proved fully-formed and distinctive. The Montreal band will release their second CD, Without Feathers, on May 9th. People are already remarking on the change in the group's sound, as evidenced by opening track, 'In the Beginning.' As it happens, I didn't care for that song, and I don't much care for the rest of the album, either. Yes, that's one more 2006 disappointment for me, but who's counting?"

So... it would seem that I was never quite as high on that 2003 debut as I'd come to believe I was. I do like the "songs" from it below, at least. And I like the one (and only one) from the follow-up. And the top two would be my Top 2 from Disc 3. Alas, the phrase "diminishing returns" hangs over this post like the ghost of FRANK SINATRA, JR. (and yes, I know that Frank Sinatra, Jr. is still alive, but that fact does nothing to diminish my basic point).

THE STILLS on MySPACE.

From the LP OCEANS WILL RISE, 2008 >>>
[MP3] "Don't Talk Down"
[MP3] "Snakecharming the Masses"

From the LP WITHOUT FEATHERS, 2006 >>>
[MP3] "Halo the Harpoons"

From the LP LOGIC WILL BREAK YOUR HEART, 2003 >>>
[MP3] "Still in Love Song"
[MP3] "Changes Are No Good"

JEFF HANSON

When it comes to Twin Cities singer-songwriter JEFF HANSON, it's all about the voice. Sure, the man knows his way around a gentle melody and a graceful arrangement, but it's the seemingly natural highness of his yearning, boyish (girlish?) vocals that will either draw you in or drive you away.

On his third solo long-player, MADAM OWL, Hanson continues to sing at the tippy-top of his register. The arrangements remain graceful; the melodies, gentle (if not, perhaps, as memorable as in outings past). I'd love to hear this guy commit himself to an album's worth of more "driving" tuneage [a la "Welcome Here" below]. JEFF BUCKLEY-by-way-of-LINDSEY BUCKINGHAM-by-way-of-JIM CROCE is a musical construct that can't miss with this particular listener.

MADAM OWL is available for purchase today. [HERE], for instance. For those wishing to kick the tires a bit first, the album can be streamed in its entirety [HERE].

JEFF HANSON on MySPACE.

From the LP MADAM OWL, 2008 >>>
[MP3] "Your Only Son"
[MP3] "The Hills"

From the LP JEFF HANSON, 2005 >>>
[MP3] "This Time It Will"
[MP3] "Welcome Here"

From the LP SON, 2003 >>>
[MP3] "The End of Everything Known"
[MP3] "You Are the Reason"

BROTHERS AND SISTERS

Austin, Texas' BROTHERS AND SISTERS should not be confused with Glasgow, Scotland's SONS AND DAUGHTERS, Los Angeles, California's THE MAMAS & THE PAPAS, Sydney, Australia's WOLFMOTHER, Belleville, Illinois' UNCLE TUPELO, or London, England's GAY DAD or ADAM ANT.

This is alt-country music, or what you get when you cross Texas rock with California rock (New Mexico rock?). In this case: unassuming & appealingly awkward stuff.

BROTHERS AND SISTERS on MySPACE.

From the LP FORTUNATELY, 2008 >>>
[MP3] "You're Gone"
[MP3] "Can't Hold Me Back"

From the LP BROTHERS AND SISTERS, 2006 >>>
[MP3] [VID] "One Night"

THE ANIMALS - PART 2

THE ANIMALS on WIKIPEDIA.

[MP3] "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" [1965]

[MP3] "Baby Let Me Take You Home" [1964]

[MP3] "Don't Bring Me Down" [1966]

[MP3] "When I Was Young" [1967]

[MP3] "I'm Crying" [1965]

[MP3] "I'm Going to Change the World" [1966]

THE ANIMALS - PART 1

'60s British Invasion... should I interpret your silence on this recent Sunday trend as a passive-aggressive endorsement of it? Oh yes, mein lieblings, I think I will do just that.

Today's offering: THE ANIMALS. Amongst R&B-based, '60s British rockers, they were probably second to only THE ROLLING STONES in terms of influence and commercial success.

I think lead singer ERIC BURDON may still be tooling around the globe with some bastardized version of the band today, but that's not the line-up we're interested in hearing from right here, right now....

[MP3] "House of the Rising Sun" [1964]

[MP3] "It's My Life" [1966]

[MP3] "We Gotta Get Out of This Place" [1965]

[MP3] "Help Me Girl" [1967]

[MP3] "Outcast" [1966]

[MP3] "Good Times" [1967]

ODDS 'N' SODS #20

This wasn't how this was supposed to be.

I had six other songs all picked out and ready to go. Six brand-spankin'-new songs specially-designed to kick you in the ass and then rub it all better. So brand-spankin'-new they still had that new-song smell. Yep, no question, you would have loved 'em. But now you'll just have to wait. Because today, instead of those, we have these....

See, what happened was, I was going through my old mix CDs again (always a dangerous thing), and the song "Woman in Love" by BARBRA STREISAND (yes, that Barbra Streisand) got itself lodged in my medulla oblongata (or wherever the hell it is that songs go to get lodged). Much of the blame for this must go to my old nemesis -- nostalgia. For, you see, Barbra Streisand's is one of those voices of my youth. The '70s, specifically. You know: "Memories/Misty, water-colored memories"; "Love/Soft as an easy-chair"; "Flowers/You don't bring me flowers/Anymore." And, as it turns out: "I am a woman in love/It's a riiiiiight I defeeeend/Over and over agaiiiiiin."

(Hoo boy. I've lived my entire life in an effort to never be this queer.)

But let's be clear here. It's not just nostalgia and Babs' ability to hold a note that are to blame for this sudden, left-field, We-Interrupt-Your-Regularly-Scheduled-Programming post. Blame it, also, on THE BEE GEES. BARRY GIBB, specifically. For, you see, Seductive Barry wrote and sang backing vocals on "Woman in Love." You know: those synthesized, eunuch-android backing vocals that infected JOHN TRAVOLTA with Saturday Night Fever, broke DIONNE WARWICK's heart, and ate DIANA ROSS alive.

You have much to answer for, Mr. Gibb. Not least of which: this here sudden, left-field, We-Interrupt-Your-Regularly-Scheduled-Programming post....

[MP3] BARBRA STREISAND/"Woman in Love" [1980]

[MP3] SAMANTHA SANG/"Emotion" [1977]

[MP3] BARBRA STREISAND & BARRY GIBB/"Guilty" [1980]

[MP3] DIONNE WARWICK/"Heartbreaker" [1982]

[MP3] BARBRA STREISAND & BARRY GIBB/"What Kind of Fool" [1980]

[MP3] ANDY GIBB/"I Just Want to Be Your Everything" [1977]

THE FEATURES

Some of my most favoritest tunes from the past few years have come courtesy of the currently label-less Tennessee collective THE FEATURES. Citing TALKING HEADS, THE KINKS, ELVIS COSTELLO, RANDY NEWMAN, and ROXY MUSIC as influences, these four young-fresh-fellows know from "infectious." I suppose one might also invoke THE KILLERS in describing a sound that genre-hops from indie rock to power pop to new wave (with a veneer of glam trappings, just for black-lipsticked kicks).

Imagine my surprise when I stumbled across an all-new, full-length Features' effort (SOME KIND OF SALVATION) while surfing me some cyberspace the other day. AMAZON has it listed, but not (it would seem) for sale to the public. A strange state of affairs, if I do say so (and I do) (say so).

Strange, too, is the fact that the very-American Features have been able to make quite a splash in the UK, but barely raise a ripple here in their home nation. For shame, people! Open your ears! Your arms! Your hearts! Your wallets! The MP3 files below! Do it now! Help these lads land a label! I command thee, dammit! (And I seriously need to back off on the caffeine.)

(Rumor has it that SOME KIND OF SALVATION may see an October release, so keep your ear to the ground and your eye on their MySPACE.)

From the LP SOME KIND OF SALVATION, 2008 >>>
[MP3] "The Drawing Board"
[MP3] "All I Ask"

From the EP CONTRAST, 2007 >>>
[MP3] "Wooden Heart"
[MP3] "Commotion"

From the LP EXHIBIT A, 2006 >>>
[MP3] "The Idea of Growing Old"
[MP3] "Blow It Out"
[VID] "Leave It All Behind"

FOO FIGHTERS

I live alone. In a house. In Michigan. It's the house I grew up in. We moved there when I was three years old, in 1973. Above, you will find a picture of the house, taken in 1973, before we moved there. I'm working on this blog right now from behind the lower-left window. It's obstructed by a "For Sale" sign, and the picture was taken in 1973, or otherwise you would see me waving to you right now. Or flipping you off. Depending... you know... on my mood.

Here's the thing: It's a reasonably large house, and, at 5 feet, 11 inches tall and 135 pounds, I don't take up much space. Yet, I'm running out of places to put things. Specifically, my many, many mix CDs. I have hundreds of them. Actually, probably, 1000+. My bookshelves overfloweth. My closets... drawers... niches... cubbyholes... packed to the rafters. And the rafters are all-full-up, too.

So, I've had little choice but to "thin the herd"/"cull the crap." Case-in-point: My FOO FIGHTERS mix CD, from 2002. I mean, honestly, do I really need a Foo Fighters mix CD from 2002? Does anyone? When was the last time I listened to Foo Fighters, anyway? Hell, when was the last time I listened to NIRVANA? My mind draws a blank. But I'll hold onto my store-bought copy of NEVERMIND, thank you very much; it will always remind me of what things felt and sounded like when I was 21. The Foo Fighters mix CD from 2002, on the other hand... hell, I don't really want or need to be reminded what it felt like to be 32.

I have to tell you: There were 22 songs on that mix CD. No joke. 22 Foo Fighters songs, just sitting there, not being listened to, no doubt wondering why I ever bothered to burn them in the first place. As to that, I haven't a clue. But they're gone now -- banished to the trash to make room for something new that won't be new at all six years from now. And round & round it goes....

Here are the four songs of the 22 that seemed worth saving -- for a few more seconds of time, for a few more millimeters of space....

[MP3] "Everlong" [1997]

[MP3] "I'll Stick Around" [1995]

[MP3] "Big Me" [1995]

[MP3] "Ain't It the Life" [1999]

ANDY YORKE

So it turns out that RADIOHEAD's THOM YORKE has a younger brother -- ANDY. Turns out that Andy, like Thom, was the lead singer of a band -- UNBELIEVABLE TRUTH. Turns out that he (Andy) has a solo record out -- SIMPLE. Turns out that (Andy) doesn't sound all that much like (Thom) -- which some of you will think a detriment; some of you, a blessing.

ANDY YORKE on MySPACE.

[MP3] "Rise and Fall"

[MP3] "Mathilda"

OLD 97's

Looks like we've got ourselves an alt-country Monday, courtesy of OLD 97's....

OLD 97's on MySPACE.

From the LP BLAME IT ON GRAVITY, 2008 >>>
[MP3] "Dance With Me"
[MP3] "This Beautiful Thing"

From the LP DRAG IT UP, 2004 >>>
[MP3] "The New Kid"
[MP3] "Smokers"

THE ZOMBIES - PART 2

THE ZOMBIES on WIKIPEDIA.

[MP3] "She's Not There" [1964]

[MP3] "Don't Cry for Me" [1968]

[MP3] "Tell Her No" [1965]

[MP3] "Hung Up on a Dream" [1968]

[MP3] "I Remember When I Loved Her" [1965]

THE ZOMBIES - PART 1

What's say we keep these British Invasion Sundays coming... for a wee bit longer, at least....

THE ZOMBIES were an odd duck of a group -- ahead of their time, you might say. And you have to wonder if they ever regretted calling it quits (in 1967) before their "masterpiece" LP(ODESSEY AND ORACLE) was even released (in 1968). Regrets... even FRANK SINATRA had a few....

[MP3] "Time of the Season" [1968]

[MP3] "I Love You" [1965]

[MP3] "Summertime" [1965]

[MP3] "Friends of Mine" [1968]

[MP3] "Just Out of Reach" [1965]

LLOYD COLE

Today, as you may know, is August 8, 2008. In other words: "08.08.08." Which got me to contemplatin' -- what did I post on this here little blog o' mine back on 07.07.07?

Well, it turns out I didn't post anything on 07.07.07. Or 07.08.07. 07.09.07... 07.10.07... not a peep. Checking my handy-dandy, dog-eared 2007 calendar, I see that I was in the midst of a 12-day drinking binge at the time. Indeed, I do seem to recall (vaguely) the days passing in a dull, hollow blur; my acid-reflux-ravaged throat feeling swollen to twice its normal size; and the updating of this here little blog o' mine seeming of very little consequence or concern. Little did I know that I was a mere 20 days away from posing for my first mugshot. I'm ready for my close-up, Mr. DeMille.

So last year, obviously, was a bit of a washout for me. But what about 06.06.06? Surely things had to have been better back then....

Checking my handy-dandy, dog-eared 2006 calendar, I see that June '06 found me in the midst of a 15-day drying-out period. And, on 06.06.06, I posted songs by... LLOYD COLE. Soberly, I wrote:

"Lloyd Cole is a Brit who formed Lloyd Cole & the Commotions in the early '80s. They had a modicum of success with their relatively gentle brand of folk-rock and Cole's literate lyrics. Then he blew the whole thing up and went solo. Things have been somewhat sketchy for him since. But the man can still write a pleasant tune from time to time...."

A bit of a lukewarm endorsement there, to be sure. Truth is, I've never been able to muster much enthusiasm for the man's music. The critics praise him to the stars, but I find him merely adequate. But "adequate" ain't all bad, and, if he's got CAMERA OBSCURA name-checking him [see below], he must be doing something right....

LLOYD COLE on MySPACE.

[MP3] "Fool You Are" [1998]

[MP3] "Baby" [1995]

[MP3] "Weeping Wine" [1991]

[MP3] "Woman in a Bar" [2006]

BONUS TRACK >>>

[MP3] CAMERA OBSCURA/"Lloyd, We're Ready to Be Heartbroken" [2006]

THE OFFSPRING - PART 2

Because I just know how incredibly crucial it is for you to be all safe, snug & up-to-date on your OFFSPRING offerings....

THE OFFSPRING on MySPACE.

From the LP RISE AND FALL, RAGE AND GRACE, 2008 >>>
[MP3] "You're Gonna Go Far, Kid"
[MP3] "Let's Hear It for Rock Bottom"

From the LP SPLINTER, 2003 >>>
[MP3] [VID] "Hit That"
[MP3] "Spare Me the Details"

From the LP CONSPIRACY OF ONE, 2001 >>>
[MP3] "One Fine Day"

CONOR OBERST

So, what exactly is the difference between a BRIGHT EYES album and a solo CONOR OBERST LP? Search me. A mere matter of linguistics, it would seem.

Said solo Conor Oberst LP -- self-titled, to boot -- comes out today.

[MP3] "Cape Canaveral"

[MP3] "Get-Well-Cards"

LEONARD COHEN

Because MARIANNE FAITHFULL must needs be followed by LEONARD COHEN. Thus sayeth the lord (of song).

LEONARD COHEN on MySPACE.

[MP3] "Take This Waltz" [1988]

[MP3] "Everybody Knows" [1988]

[MP3] "Famous Blue Raincoat" [1971]

MARIANNE FAITHFULL

I find, this early Monday morn, that I am in the mood for a little MARIANNE FAITHFULL. Hope you are as well....

MARIANNE FAITHFULL on MySPACE.

[MP3] "As Tears Go By" [1964]

[MP3] "Song for Nico" [2002]

[MP3] "For Wanting You" [1999]

[MP3] "Sliding Through Life on Charm" [2002]

[MP3] "As Tears Go By" [1987]

THE KINKS - PART 2

THE KINKS on WIKIPEDIA.

[MP3] "All Day and All of the Night" [1964]

[MP3] "Till the End of the Day" [1965]

[MP3] "Days" [1968]

[MP3] "The Village Green Preservation Society" [1968]

[MP3] "Come Dancing" [1983]

THE KINKS - PART 1

This week's THE KINKS follows logically enough from last week's THE TURTLES. Not that the Turtles are in the Kinks' class, legacy-wise, but both groups found much success in the '60s, and the Kinks' RAY DAVIES produced the Turtles' 1969 concept album TURTLE SOUP (which was inspired by the Kinks' 1968 concept album THE VILLAGE GREEN PRESERVATION SOCIETY). So, you see? This logically follows. Just like I told you.

[MP3] "You Really Got Me" [1964]

[MP3] "Waterloo Sunset" [1967]

[MP3] "Tired of Waiting for You" [1965]

[MP3] "I'll Remember" [1966]

[MP3] "Death of a Clown" [1967]

[MP3] "Lola" [1970]

BEST OF JULY 2008

[These last two posts come a day later than intended. Apparently under the mistaken impression that this is a spam blog, Blogger locked me out of the site yesterday. I was still feeling the frustration and helplessness of that development when a fluke, five-minute mini-storm rolled through my neighborhood last night. Cue random bolt of lightning. I am now out two TVs and a VCR. Ain't life grand.]

Left-click [HERE] to download July's big bag o' muzak....

Portal to previous monthly mixes [HERE].

BEST OF JULY 2008 TRACKLIST >>>

01 friska viljor/on and on
02 the displacements/down and out
03 albert hammond, jr./101
04 amanda jenssen/come on (you have arrived)
05 youth group/sorry
06 cansei de ser sexy/left behind
07 black kids/i'm not gonna teach your boyfriend how to dance with you
08 cazals/we're just the same
09 five o'clock heroes/stay the night
10 boy kill boy/a-ok
11 kristoffer ragnstam/swing that tambourine
12 april march/chick habit
13 the fratellis/my friend john
14 beck/gamma ray
15 dirty pretty things/kicks or consumption
16 parka/dj in the corner
17 wolf parade/it's a curse
18 the lurios/digit's dance
19 sons and daughters/chains
20 clocks/that much better
21 langhorne slim/restless
22 youth group/one for another
23 the walkmen/in the new year
24 the shortwave set/repeat to fade

ODDS 'N' SODS #19

[Stop back by a little later, kids, for the Best of July mix....]

[MP3] STEREOLAB/"Daisy Click Clack" [2008]

[MP3] ZEITGEIST/"Bunny" [2008]

[MP3] TWO SHEDS/"WTF?" [2008]

[MP3] GET WELL SOON/"You/Aurora/You/Seaside" [2008]

[MP3] THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS/"Your Daddy Don't Know" [2002]

[MP3] PULP/"Disco 2000" [1995]