THE WOMBATS

THE WOMBATS -- the next big "Next Big Thing" out of England? Some would seem to think so. Based on their debut LP, A GUIDE TO LOVE, LOSS & DESPERATION, I ain't neither certain nor sure.

(Or maybe I'm just pissed about the way my browser has gone all bat-shit-out-of-whack today. If you happen to be a semi-regular around these parts -- does the text size and font on the site today appear "normal," or has it changed? I'd love to know how the "outside world" is seeing this....)

THE WOMBATS on MySPACE.

THE WOMBATS hawking their wares >>>

Jan 9 2008 12:00P/Jo Whiley Live Lounge ** RADIO 1 ** London
Jan 11 2008 8:00P/St Georges Hall // Lime St/Liverpool
Jan 12 2008 8:00P/Liverpool Arena ** OPENING PARTY ** Liverpool
Jan 14 2008 6:00P/HMV INSTORE/Liverpool
Jan 15 2008 6:00P/HMV INSTORE/Leeds
Jan 17 2008 6:00P/FOPP INSTORE/Covent Garden, London
Jan 18 2008 6:00P/HMV INSTORE/Birmingham
Jan 18 2008 8:00P/Barfly/Birmingham

[MP3] "Dr. Suzanne Mattox PHD"

[MP3] "Backfire at the Disco"

DON McLEAN

Herein lies a logical enough follow-up to yesterday's high-falutin' Flackery....

To his credit, DON McLEAN has spent the better part of his career downplaying the phenomenon that was/is "American Pie." I remember that a "cool" eighth-grade social studies teacher of mine at Oliver Wendell Holmes Middle School played this song as part of a lesson-plan back in '83 or '84. (For the record, he also played BILLY JOEL's "Allentown" -- or was it "Goodnight Saigon"? -- which maybe puts a bit of a dent in the "cool" thing.)

Whatever the case, McLean had quite the voice. Hell, even the great ROY ORBISON thought so -- giving the thumbs-up to McLean's hit version of "Crying" in the early '80s. High praise, indeed.

[MP3] "American Pie" [1971]

[MP3] "Vincent (Starry Starry Night)" [1971]

[MP3] "Castles in the Air" [1970]

[MP3] "Crying" [ROY ORBISON cover] [1980]

ROBERTA FLACK

For me, ROBERTA FLACK represents another one of those classic voices from '70s AM radio. Instant nostalgia.

Clint Eastwood would seem to agree, spotlighting her achingly gorgeous "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" in his directorial debut, "Play Misty for Me" -- the "Fatal Attraction" of its day.

I'd always thought that Ms. Flack's signature ditty, "Killing Me Softly With His Song," was inspired by her hearing "American Pie" singer-songwriter DON McLEAN perform the song "Vincent" one night at the Troubador in L.A. Well... not quite. Flack didn't write the song, for one thing. And it was, in fact, inspired by a McLean performance of his lesser-known "Empty Chairs," not "Vincent." (Now, aren't you glad we got that cleared up?)

[MP3] "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" [1972]

[MP3] "Killing Me Softly With His Song" [1973]

[MP3] "Where is the Love" [w/DONNY HATHAWAY] [1972]

[MP3] "Feel Like Makin' Love" [1974]

[MP3] "The Closer I Get to You" [w/DONNY HATHAWAY] [1978]

BONUS TRACK >>>

[MP3] DON McLEAN/"Empty Chairs" [1971]

BEST OF DECEMBER 2007

Left-click [HERE] to download the final monthly mix of 2007.

Portal to previous monthly mixes [HERE].

DECEMBER 2007 TRACKLIST >>>

01 morcheeba [w/judy tzuke]/enjoy the ride
02 british sea power/waving flags
03 lucky soul/my brittle heart
04 milburn/come away with me
05 onetwo/home (tonight)
06 radiohead/up on the ladder
07 rihanna/don't stop the music
08 badly drawn boy/promises
09 citizens here and abroad/accelerator
10 fireflies/the sky turns to black
11 sambassadeur/the park
12 punky's dilemma/shooting stars
13 the brunettes/small town crew
14 lacrosse/sunshiner
15 the kindness kind/the rain came late
16 the dandy warhols/get off
17 marianne faithfull/song for nico
18 milburn/the genius and the tramp
19 dolly parton/jolene
20 the magnetic fields/the nun's litany

TRAVIS

This New Year dawns with much ass-dragging -- on both my part and the part of the music blogosphere as a whole. Post-holiday(s) hangover(s), I presume. Literally and/or figuratively.

Today, to help fill the void, three bonus tracks from the UK collective TRAVIS. These boys are almost absurdly prolific when it comes to their b-sides. In my opinion, the three below pass muster....

(FYI: The band will be heading back into the studio in late February to begin work on their next LP. As a precursor to that, they'll be hashing/hammering out new material during a handful of intimate gigs [see below].)

TRAVIS on MySPACE.

TRAVIS hashing/hammering out new material >>>

07 February/Brighton, Concorde 2
08 February/Portsmouth, Wedgewood Rooms
10 February/Cambridge, Junction
11 February/Bristol, Trinity
12 February/Nottingham, Rescue Rooms

[MP3] "River" [JONI MITCHELL cover]

[MP3] "Village Man"

[MP3] "Just the Faces Change"

JEREMY ENIGK

Sometimes, it's best not to know overmuch about an artist before committing to post on them. If I'd been aware of the fact that JEREMY ENIGK was the religiously devout sort, or that -- along with his former band, SUNNY DAY REAL ESTATE -- he'd been relatively instrumental in ushering in the "emo" age, then I might have thought twice about devoting time and space to his solo work. Which obviously would have been highly small-minded of me. But even so....

Fortunately, I came upon Enigk's second and third solo offerings entirely ignorant of the Bigger Picture -- context, history, and "baggage" be damned. Thus, I can truly assert that I have been influenced by no theological or philosophical agenda here; I was merely converted to the cause by some attractively dramatic, go-tell-it-on-the-mountain voice and arrangement work. Honest to gosh. Cross my heart and hope to die an entirely literal, dust-to-dust death.

JEREMY ENIGK on MySPACE.

JEREMY ENIGK taking the Good News to the godless Left Coast >>>

Jan 16 2008 8:00P/Chop Suey/Seattle, Washington
Jan 17 2008 8:00P/Dante’s/Portland, Oregon
Jan 20 2008 8:00P/Troubadour/Los Angeles, California

From the LP THE MISSING LINK, 2007 >>>
[MP3] "On the Wayside"
[MP3] "World Waits"

From the LP WORLD WAITS, 2006 >>>
[MP3] "Been Here Before"
[MP3] "Damien Dreams"

BRITISH SEA POWER

BRITISH SEA POWER is one of those bands I'd like to love, but be damned if I can. I've waited patiently, hoped against hope for that great, breakout album, but the wait goes on, the hope fades....

Their latest non-great, non-breakout but otherwise-entirely-adequate disc, DO YOU LIKE ROCK MUSIC?, will be released in various locales on January 15. (At the very least, the leadoff single is pretty nifty.)

BRITISH SEA POWER on MySPACE.

BRITISH SEA POWER in various locales >>>

Jan 7 2008 5:30P/Zavvi Instore, Manchester
Jan 17 2008 8:00P/Spring and Airbrake, Belfast
Jan 18 2008 8:00P/Whealans, Dublin
Jan 20 2008 8:00P/Waterfront, Norwich
Jan 21 2008 8:00P/Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth
Jan 22 2008 8:00P/Rescue Rooms, Nottingham
Jan 23 2008 8:00P/Irish Centre, Leeds
Jan 24 2008 8:00P/The Brewery, Kendal
Jan 26 2008 8:00P/The Arches, Glasgow

From the LP DO YOU LIKE ROCK MUSIC?, 2008 >>>
[MP3] "Waving Flags"
[MP3] "Open the Door"

From the LP OPEN SEASON, 2005 >>>
[MP3] "Please Stand Up"
[MP3] "The Land Beyond"

From the LP THE DECLINE OF BRITISH SEA POWER, 2003 >>>
[MP3] "Blackout"
[MP3] "Carrion"

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"