Simple but cool big beat music from Brighton Port Authority (nee Fatboy Slim)

Back in August when I wrote up Fatboy Slim, I mentioned that he also performs under the name Brighton Port Authority, though I hadn’t heard any of this work under that name. I picked up a disc at the library called “I Think We’re Gonna Need A Bigger Boat” by the BPA but didn’t realize at the time what that stood for. Turns out it’s the newest release from the Brighton Port Authority, a.k.a. Fatboy Slim, a.k.a. Norman Quentin Cook, who was born Quentin Leo Cook.

You can run, but you can't hide, Quentin.

If you’re not familiar with BPA’s MO, he is a British DJ, producer, and general big beat artist who likes to work with a variety of vocalists and instrumentalists using his own production, sampling, and looping skills to make the songs hot. On, “I Think We’re Gonna Need A Bigger Boat,” he works with a different vocalist on every track, including big names like Iggy Pop, David Byrne, Martha Wainwright, and Dizzee Rascal.

Once I realized who BPA was, I was excited about the names of the various collaborators. Sadly, I was disappointed by the Iggy Pop tune and the David Byrne tune. In fact, a lot of it didn’t grab me, unfortunately. There were, however, 4 winners on the disc and you might want to look at picking up the individual tracks.

• So It Goes (featuring Olly Hite) – A little electric piano and some sweet harmony vocals set up a stripped down R&Bish version of this old Nick Lowe song.
• Superlover (featuring Cagedbaby) – This is a pretty melody that Cagedbaby (Tom Gandey) sings sweetly. Like ‘So It Goes,’ the song is simple, but really appealing.
• Spade (featuring Martha Wainwright – Martha is the daughter of Loudin Wainwright and sister of Rufus. No shortage of musical talent in that family. This reggae vibe is beautifully sung and interestingly produced. It might be my favorite on the disc.
• Should I Stay or Should I Blow (featuring Ashley Beedle) – Another simple, but this time highly danceable track. My daughter just commented that she loves this song so I added it to her mix.

Whatever he calls himself tomorrow, BPA has a great knack for picking songs and wrapping cool arrangements around them.

Deep and varied rock with ambient roots from Apse

Often boring album covers mean boring music. Not this time.

These guys come from a tradition of ambient and “shoe-gazer” rock. They’ve had a lot of line-up changes, though, and each new incarnation plays more mainstream and accessible music than the last. Their new album, “Climb Up,” is a strong effort. Check out the album and read my review on AltSounds: http://hangout.altsounds.com/reviews/113466-apse-climb-up-album.html

The Friday mix: more of my favorite female artists

I know more than one musician who admits he got into the business to meet chicks. More than 2, in fact. Sure, they like music and performing, but the #1 reason they started performing was to meet girls. So, why do women start performing? To meet guys? That hardly seems necessary. Most likely, they do it simply to play their music to people. I’ve read interviews with female musicians who say they can’t imagine doing anything else. I like that.

Continuing on with my multi-part series of my favorite female musicians, here are the letters K and L. If I recommend a video, make sure you follow the link. There is some great stuff from YouTube today.

1. k.d. lang – Love’s Great Ocean
   Lang used to do really goofy country music.  Thankfully, she left that behind to become more of a torch singer. Some artists do their best work when they’re sad and lonely. Lang writes the best songs when she’s in love.
2. Kami Lyle – Boys
   Honestly, this is the only Kami Lyle song I have, but I love this loungy song. It reminds me of Rickie Lee Jones.
   

   I suppose some of them DO get into music just to meet guys. Or chicks.

3. A Felicidade (Happiness)
   Karrin Allyson is a jazz singer and pianist from Omaha Nebraska. I’m not sure how she came to speak and sing in English, French, Portuguese, Italian, and Spanish, but she does so brilliantly. The New York Times says she has, “a feline touch and impeccable intonation,” which is a really great description. I guess that’s why they earn the big bucks. This one is from her 2008 release “Imagina: Songs of Brazil.”
4. Kate Bush – Running Up That Hill
   Bush is an odd and eclectic musician and producer and some of the stuff she does loses me entirely. However, some of it stands the test of time, like this 80s classic.
5. Kate Nash – Birds
   Nash hasn’t been on the music scene long. Her first album came out in 2007 and promptly went platinum in the UK. Her melodies are pleasing and her lyrics are incredibly honest, sometimes to the point where they sound a little odd, like this one. ‘Nicest Thing’  is a better song, but it’s so heartbreaking I didn’t want it to be the first song of hers you ever heard.
6. Kidneythieves – S&M (A Love Song)
   Free Dominguez leads this industrial rock band. I love women that truly rock and Dominguez is one of them. This song will put hair on your chest.
7. KT Tunstall – Black Horse & the Cherry Tree
   If you’ve heard one song from Tunstall, this is probably it. I am linking to this live version from Later…with Jools Holland because it was her breakout performance and it will knock you out. This is just one of her cool songs, by the way. For example, check out “Hold On.”
8. Laurie Anderson – From the Air
   Chicago beat poet and performance artist Laurie Anderson wins the distinction of being the weirdest performer in any of my Women mixes. This is just a clip of one song from the brilliant 1982 release “Big Science.” Go out and find a copy of this disc today. It’s funny, beautifully played, and still crazy hip. Fun fact: after many years together, she and Lou Reed got married in 2008.
9. Lauryn Hill – To Zion
   I already mentioned Lauryn Hill as part of the Fugees in a previous mix, but her solo album, “The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill” is worthy of a second mention. This song explains her much lamented departure from pop music, to some degree.
10. Lena Horne – Stormy Weather
    Harold Arlen didn’t write this song for Lena Horne, but he should have. Watch this video to see how lovely she was in 1943 and how wonderfully she sings this song.
11. Letters to Cleo – Here & Now
    OK, so I think this is a nostalgia piece for me because of where I was in my life when this was on the radio. It’s a cool song, but I don’t know anything else by them and the band broke up in 2000. Kay Hanley sings a good one here, though.
12. Lily Allen – Smile
    Love, love, love Lily Allen. She writes such great melodies and the lyrics are smart and funny. She seems very genuine, generally, and is a hilarious evil bitch in this great song.
13. Linda Lyndell – What a Man
    Here is another artist by whom I have only one song. This one is an insanely good old school soul song.
14. Lisa Mitchell – Neopolitan Dreams
    This song is Feist-esque in its simplicity and its appeal. I love the use of glockenspiel in the background. This is a strangely compelling video.
15. Liz Phair – Uncle Alvarez
    One of my all-time favorite female artists. I could have chosen anything at all off of “Exile in Guyville,” but instead went with this great song from “Whitechocolatespaceegg.” She lost a lot of fans by striving unashamedly for commercial success and money, but she is undeniably a talented songwriter and frankly, I like to get paid too.
16. Luscious Jackson – Deep Shag
    I mentioned LJ front woman Jill Cunniff last time, but this is the best work she ever did. This is from the 1994 release “Natural Ingredients.” This album has lots and lots of great music and was years ahead of its time. This is probably my favorite song off this release.

Enjoy with a trusty beer or something else social. Have a good weekend.

Post-rock meets alt-country from the brilliant Califone

If you've never heard these guys, they're great. This one is exceptional even for them.

Most of Califone’s new release, “All of My Friends Are Funeral Singers,”  is mellow, but there is plenty of energy. They have put out a richly textured and appealing album with dark themes. Really, really good stuff. Read my review on AltSounds: http://hangout.altsounds.com/reviews/113336-califone-all-my-friends-are-funeral-singers-album.html

The Friday mix: No theme. Just good music.

When I’m riding around in my car and a song comes on my iPod that I particularly want to share, I tag it for later. So this week I don’t really have a theme other than this being a round-up of songs that I’ve tagged over the last few weeks. I hope you like.

Things I like.

1. You Make No Bones – Alfie
   Every time this song comes on, I think it’s Gomez for a minute. I like Gomez a lot, so I like this song. Great mix of harmonica and strings behind an appealing melody.
2. Spreadin’ Rhythm Around (Lady Bug vs. Lady Day RR Remix) – Billie Holiday
   Fantastic, fantastic song. In the first place, you’ve got Billie so you can hardly miss. The old instrumentation is still there, so you’ve got lots of wailing clarinet and muted trumpet. Then you add in updated percussion and Lady Bug (Digable Planets) alternating verses with Billie and it’s such a winner.
3. Arc of Time – Bright Eyes
   Kind of a cool contemplation of life, death, and what comes after. I like the funky, clap-laden percussion, the multi-octave vocals and the kind of deep lyrics.
4. Happiness – Built to Spill
   I really like Built to Spill. The juxtaposition of the slide guitar with his nasally alto verses is really cool
5. Dim the Lights – Ekolu
   I can only take so much Reggae in one sitting but the well placed Reggae tune is a thing of beauty, which is why I like to throw the occasional one into a mix. This has all the standard elements: keyboards on the upbeat, a little horns, a sweet melody. It makes me smile.
6. I Don’t Care – Fall Out Boy
   Not a whole lot of Fallout Boy really grabs me, but this is one of them. It’s a great stomping groove with cool background vocals thrown in and a really catchy guitar hook. I find a lot of their stuff kind of basic, but this is some advanced songwriting, in my opinion.
7. All Rise – Further Seems Forever
   This has kind of a grungy feel to it, but it doesn’t do so much of the minor chord thing. The verses are wispy and thoughtful but the chorus you don’t get to hear in this sample is big, sweeping, and melodic.
8. Thursday – The Futureheads
   Fat harmony vocals like this get me every time. The jangling guitars and simple percussion don’t bowl you over, but the lead and backing vocals and even the peculiar lyrics give this song appeal.
9. Do It for Free – G. Love & Special Sauce
   “Philadelphonic” was an atypical album for G. Love, but this is my favorite. Everyone has heard the Jack Johnson song ‘Rodeo Clowns’ off this album, but this one is a lesser-known but equally catchy Pop song from the same release.
10. Sirens – The Gabe Dixon Band
    Gabe has some busy fingers on his piano in this track. The melody of the verses is pretty, the chorus swells and ebbs, and the bridges feature some cool guitar work. Gabe is doing the heavy lifting keeping the groove going, so the guitar can sort of ooze around and set mood. They do a really nice job with it.
11. She Knows – Gnarls Barkley
    Charles Barkley is a prick. Gnarls Barkley, however, is a collaboration between one of my favorite producers, Danger Mouse (Brian Burton), and rapper Cee-Lo Green. This track is from “The Odd Couple” and it’s a quiet, pretty groove. Like all of their stuff, the production is worth listening to and the lyrics demand your attention.
12. Sweet Emotion – Mike Gordon & Leo Kottke
    This really is a great version of this song, though why Amazon picked this nondescript segment as their clip I don’t know. Mike Gordon (Phish) is an amazing bass player and if I could play a guitar like Leo Kottke I would never put it down.
13. Crosseyed Beautiful Youngunz – Love as Laughter
    Just a simple song with some clean electric guitar and gentle electric piano, but the melody is just beautiful.

I think that will do it for this week. Enjoy with an early Christmas Ale, which is something else I’ve enjoyed over the last few weeks. Have a good weekend.

The Friday mix: More of my favorite female artists

Today I’m going to continue making my way through some of my favorite female performers. I pulled 16 songs from the letters G through J in my iPod so I got artists both popular and obscure. I hope you like them.

1. Goodness – Electricity, Electricity
   I don’t actually know anything about Goodness nor do I have any other song by them. However, they contributed this winner to the “Schoolhouse Rock Rocks!” album. It’s an energetic (no pun intended) cover of the great cartoon song. Her delivery of the “Electricity Eeeeelectricity” lyric has this great liquid sheen that I love and since she sings it in every measure of the song, I love the song.
2. Helium – The Revolution of Hearts
   They were never a huge band, but there is an interesting story attached to their front woman Mary Lou Lord, if Wikipedia is to be believed. For my part, I just like their songwriting. Towering and complex guitar parts paired nicely with simple and pretty vocal lines.
3. Holly Golightly & The Greenhornes – There Is an End
   Holly Golightly pops up in some unexpected places. In addition to her own voluminous solo career, she has collaborated with acts like Rocket from the Crypt and The White Stripes. This is a collaboration with The Greenhornes that wound up on the Broken Flowers Soundtrack.
   

   Something about that is just sexy as hell. Don't stop playing those instruments, ladies.

4. Hope Sandoval & Warm Inventions – On the Low
   Of course, I loved Hope Sandoval’s work with Mazzy Star, but this is a song you may not have heard by her. In addition to being drop dead gorgeous, she has great patient melodic sense and a smooth, smoky voice.
5. Inara George – No Poem
   OK. So this is cheating. I already wrote up Inara George as part of The Bird and Bee. But in addition to her work with them (with whom she still works), she has released some solo work. I really like this sweet, twisted love song. The gist is he is no poem when he opens his mouth, so she tells him, “If I were you I wouldn’t talk. I’d just keep on dancing.”
6. Ingrid Michaelson – The Way I Am
   I couldn’t decide between this song and ‘Die Alone.’ Ultimately, I picked this one because my daughter loves it. The simplicity of this song reminds me of Feist but it’s funnier than Feist.
7. Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan – Saturday’s Gone
   Cellist and singer Isobel Campbell used to be a member of Belle & Sebastian. I’ve got to say I’m glad because I like her solo stuff better than I like B&S and on this one she gets to work with Scream Trees founder Mark Lanegan. This is a pretty, dreamy song like you might expect from someone hip deep in the Indie scene but maybe not from someone with roots in the grunge scene.
8. Janis Joplin – One Good Man
   The one and only. I always really liked this one, perhaps because she was able to convey so much emotion with her voice. It was made for the Blues.
9. Jefferson Airplane – Volunteers
   Grace Slick is one-of-a-kind. Radio murdered most of their songs for me. This one never got as much airplay. The whole intergenerational tension thing seems silly to me now – perhaps because I wasn’t there – but the song rocks, make no mistake.
10. Jem – They
    Jem has a few songs I really like, but again I had to go with this one because it is one of my daughter’s favorite songs ever. It is quite possibly the best updating of a Bach song ever (Prelude in F from The Well Tempered Clavier).
11. Jesca Hoop – Summertime
    Born to strict Mormon parents, Jesca Hoop ran off to be a homesteader in the wilds of Northern California before becoming a nanny for Tom Waits’ kids. He describes her music as “going swimming in a lake at night.” This song makes me smile every single time I hear it.
12. Jill Cunniff – NYC Boy
    I love Jill Cunniff most for her brilliant worth with Luscious Jackson, whom I will be writing up next time. Since their breakup, though, she has done some solo work, which I also like. This is poppier than the LJ stuff of the past, but it’s still good.
13. Jill Scott – It’s Love
    I suppose I need to listen to more Jill Scott. This was the only song on “Who Is Jill Scott?” that I really liked, but what an unbelievable song. I also really like her collaboration with Lupe Fiasco, ‘Daydreamin’.’ I should check out the rest of her catalog.
14. Joan Osborne – Right Hand Man
    Joan Osborne is an amazing talent. I was always rooting for her to become huge. She has collaborated with everyone from The Dead to Michael Franti to The Funk Brothers. I’ve seen her perform on a few occasions and she has such a great voice and exudes such a powerful sexual energy. She is absolutely riveting. This song was from the same album as the unfortunate ‘One of Us’ but this song has sprit and soul and electricity.
15. Jonatha Brooke – How Deep Is Your Love?
    I’ve been a fan of Jonatha Brooke since her early days with The Story. Ms. Brooke is a fabulous songwriter. This song comes from my favorite record of hers, Steady Pull. Also check out the title track, a collaboration with the aforementioned Michael Franti.
16. Julie Dexter – Ketch a Vibe
    I don’t know who selected this clip, but it’s from the intro. Once this song gets going, it’s huge and energetic. You can get a sense of it from this live performance, but the sound sucks.

That’s it for this week. Enjoy with a bottle of some really good wine, because she’s worth it.

The Friday mix: Spooky and cool music for Halloween

Halloween has been my favorite holiday since I was about 9. Maybe it’s because October is such a great month in NE Ohio. Maybe it’s the brazenly pagan nature of the holiday. Maybe I was just a macabre little kid. Anyway, this year I put together a mix of songs some of which are creepy, some of which just have Halloween themed titles, but all of which are cool. I hope you like them.

1. This Is Halloween – Marilyn Manson
   Manson’s version of this song is fantastic. They never made a video that I know of, but here it is synchronized with the original footage from Nightmare Before Christmas.
2. Black Feather Wings – Bourbon Princess
   I first heard this song on the Respond benefit compilation CD. It’s a bass-heavy, oozy song with a cool lyrics and a great feel.
3. Scarecrow – Beck
   “Guero” was a great album, but then, Beck hasn’t put out a bad album that I’ve heard. Typical funky Beck groove, lots of effects, great vocal melody, and engaging lyrics.
4. New Killer Star – David Bowie
   Bowie continues to put out cutting edge music year after year. He has never lost his ability to write catchy melodies and has reinvented himself more times and more successfully than Madonna. I like this song and it is nearly impossible to look away from this video.
5. Vampires and Failures – Grandpaboy
   The solid Pop guitar riff, dark lyrics, and vocal delivery give this track kind of a vintage Rolling Stones feel. I found this on “Not the Same Old Blues Crap: Vol 3,” and indeed it is not.
6. Pretty Girls Make Graves – Dada
   Not The Smiths’ version. This one is an entirely different song and it’s much cooler. The Amazon sample only has the quiet intro, but about 10 seconds after this clip ends, the guitars kick in and it turns into a rocker.
7. See You Dead – Helmet
   True Halloween fare here. “I’d like to see you in two pieces. You won’t be walking. Barely breathing.” It’s actually a love song, believe it or not. A stalker love song. Ah, Halloween, when a young man’s fancy turns to thoughts of decapitation.
8. Necromancer – Gnarls Barkey
   If you thought “See You Dead” was creepy, wait ‘til you get a load of this one. What could be better than a little “naughty necrophilia?” The lyrics to this are truly disturbing.
9. Little Death – +44
   

   I sent this mix to my brother on CD with this cover art and the title "The Horror."

   I’m not actually a big fan of a lot of +44, but this song reached me. I like the quiet acoustic groove at the beginning with the verses sung in two octaves and then the slamming chorus. This track is well produced too. In particular pay attention to what they do with the percussion. It even has good lyrics.

10. Invisible Man – Joe Jackson
    Joe Jackson has put out over 20 albums since “Look Sharp” came out in 1979. I came upon this one and was stunned to find several really good tracks on it, including this one. I say stunned not because I thought he would suck, but just because he hasn’t had a Billboard hit in the U.S. since 1984. I hear this and I’m not sure why not.
11. Grey Ghost – Mike Doughty
    When Doughty was with Soul Coughing, they were the coolest band in the land, in my opinion. Since then he has largely left that sound behind and does the singer/songwriter thing these days. That said, he’s still a talented songwriter and this is a cool acoustic song.
12. Devil’s Pie – D’Angelo
    A little D’Angelo goes a long way for me, but this is one of my favorite songs of his (Spanish Joint is better). A funky groove, almost eerie keyboards, and deep lyrics. Good stuff.
13. War Pigs – Cake
    They screw up some of the lyrics, but I still love this version. Every time this song comes on my iPod, people are intrigued and want to know who it is.
14. House of 1000 Corpses – Rob Zombie
    More good Halloween fare. The movie was a bit ham fisted, but I suppose it was exactly what it set out to be. This song, on the other hand, is great. The guitar hook is inescapable and Rob Zombie’s gravelly vocal delivery works really well. Shrieking background vocals and some movie sound bytes add some nice texture.
15. She Said – Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
    This song is about becoming a werewolf. I love the song, but I’m not sure what the hell is going on in this video.
16. (Antichrist Television Blues) – The Arcade Fire
    These guys have listened to a lot of Bruce Springsteen. I’m just saying. Nothing new here, but I still like the song. Plus it has “antichrist” in the title, so into my Halloween mix it goes.
17. Monsters Lead Such Interesting Lives – Mel Torme
    I can’t believe this entire song isn’t on YouTube (except for a dreadful version of some woman dressed as a witch singing it karaoke style [shudder]). This is from Daffy Duck’s Quackbusters and is one more reason Mel Torme is one of the coolest singers ever.

Enjoy with a Bloody Mary and have a great Halloween, everyone!

Funky instrumental Jazz from the Beastie Boys

Back in 1996, my brother played “The In Sound from Way Out,” a Beastie Boys disc that was entirely instrumental. This was a couple years after “Ill Communication” and nobody (or not many people, anyway) had a sense that they could do anything other than what we had heard from them on the radio. The album was jazzy, funky, and interesting. I suppose it was more surprising than brilliant, but I liked it.

Other great song titles on this disc include 'Electric Worm,' 'The Rat Cage,' and 'The Kangaroo Rat.'

In 2007, the Beasties returned to instrumental music with the release of “The Mix-Up.” I was excited about this release, particularly since I’m an even bigger fan now than I was in 1996. I saw them at Bonnaroo last year and it was an outstanding show. They are accomplished musicians, which fans know, but non-fans may not notice behind the shouted raps.

So in it went. Sadly, I have to report that overall, the disc is a little disappointing. They experiment again with funky Jazz grooves and rely more on instruments, less on postproduction work to liven up the disc. There are several good songs, but most of it just comes up a little flat. I understand that they’re stepping out of their comfort zone and doing something a little different, but on a lot of the songs they do too little. It seems as if they’re pointedly demonstrating that they can lay back and not get in your face. As a result, they lose me on a lot of this release.

Of course, it could just be me. “The Mix-Up” won a Grammy for Best Pop Instrumental Album, but I find myself wondering if there really weren’t any other better instrumental albums that year. Now, I have harshed all over this album, but I did rip 5 tracks and moved them straight to my Jazz mix. Give a listen.

• Suco De Tangerina – This keyboard-focused song features the great production we have come to expect from the Beasties. My daughter likes this one.
• Freaky Hijiki – Spare, minor key instrumentation and somewhat halting percussion still construct a good groove.
• Off the Grid – This song takes its time getting going. The entire first 2 minutes are a little drab. But then the guitar kicks in and they rock a sunny chord progression with flanged guitar and warbling keyboards.
• Dramastically Different – The intro sounds identifiably like Beastie Boys to me. For the first 30 seconds, I kept waiting for Mike D to start yelling, “Well! Now! Don’t you know it’s a…” Then a sitar starts playing and it sounds like some post psychedelic 60s funk throwback.
• The Cousin of Death – The guitar is fuzzier than caterpillars and hops on the downbeat while whining keyboards do the heavy lifting. I like this track a lot.

If you like this, you should definitely check out “The In Sound from Way Out,” which I think was a better attempt at this concept.

The Friday mix: Can’t get enough women

For the Friday mix this week I’m returning to my exploration of some great female artists I have found. The first week I got a meaty mix out of just the letters A and B. Volume 2 required only C and D. This week I was able to get a baker’s dozen from E and F. It’s a good crop this week too. I hope you like it.

Yeah! Play that... whatever the hell that is!

1. Edie Brickell – Oo La La
   Guess what song you find 50 versions of if you search for Edie Brickell on YouTube. Well, Edie has done a lot since ‘What I Am’ (including marry Paul Simon). This cool track is from her 2003 release, “Volcano.”
2. Elaine Summers – The Real Low Down
   Summers got her start backing up Pete Droge, and they still collaborate today. She has kind of a Sheryl Crow meets Shelby Lynne folk-rock thing going on. I love the lyrics on this song. “You thought that you were truly rare, but there’s a lot of folks like you out there and I’ll be damned if I didn’t meet another one today. The real low down.”
3. Eliza Gilkyson – Twisted
   This song is heavy. It’s oozy sound and honest lyrics are typical of Gilkyson, whose father and brother are famous musicians too. She plays cross-over Country and is an amazing songwriter. Here she is doing this song live.
4. Ella Fitzgerald – Body and Soul
   I could have picked almost any song at random from Ella. I’ve got over 30 of her songs on my iPod. The liquid sheen of her voice, the flexibility to move from jumping joy to melancholy hopefulness, and her amazing improvisation and phrasing abilities made her perhaps the best female vocalist ever. If you don’t have a bunch of Ella, do yourself a favor and go purchase the first disc you come across. She could literally do no wrong.
5. Erykah Badu – Other Side of the Game
   Badu is my favorite R&B artist right now. I saw her at Bonnaroo this year. She was really, really weird and incredibly talented. It was a riveting show. This track is about the anxiety she feels because a guy she’s madly in love with deals drugs for a living. Check out ‘Soldier’ too. Another great song.
6. Esthero – We R in Need of a Musical Revolution
   If you’ve heard anything from Eshtero, there’s a good chance this is it. I would call it radio-friendly, except the whole song is about how she’s “sick and tired of all the shit on the radio.” This is the title track to an album you should add to your collection if it isn’t there already.
7. Etta James – At Last
   My understanding is that James was pissed that Beyonce was asked to perform this instead of her at Obama’s inaugural ball. I was too. Her long, brilliant work in Blues and Soul earned her that spot. Not to mention her improvised version of this Gordon/Warren song is the one we all know – the one, in fact, Beyonce was imitating.
8. Evanescence – All that I’m Living For
   Amy Lee has a great voice and I love it when they do the metal thing. When they do the quiet ballads, not so much. This is a cool song and again, probably the one you’ve heard if you only know one song by these guys.
9. Everything But the Girl – Troubled Mind
   Tracey Thorn gets around. By which I mean she collaborates with a lot of other artists. I’m always happy when she lends her voice to a song. EBTG is her own project with her husband, Ben Watt.
10. Feist – Mushaboom
    In spite of its having been used in perfume and mattress commercials, covered and remixed multiple times, and put on movie soundtracks, I am not tired of this pretty song about a simple life in the little Nova Scotia town of Mushaboom. Feist has a remarkable ability to write little irresistible ditties like this one, God love her.
11. The Fiery Furnaces – Worry Worry
    I wrote this album up some months ago. One of the highest compliments I can pay these guys is they don’t sound like anything else on my iPod. Maybe PJ Harvey meets Gogol Bordello? I don’t know, but lead singer Eleanor Friedberger is amazingly creative and they are fearless in creating grooves.
12. Fiona Apple – Paper Bag
    I have to confess I thought Fiona Apple was going to be an enormous, enduring star. She’s still at it, but after her debut, ‘Tidal,’ went triple platinum, ‘When the Pawn…’ went platinum, and ‘Extraordinary Machine’ only went gold (which is still 1 million copies). She is a great songwriter and I hope she can put together another record that resonates with more people. I never stopped liking her. This track from ‘When the Pawn…’ got picked by Zach Braff to be on the Last Kiss soundtrack.
13. The Fugees – Fu-Gee-La
    I absolutely respect Hill’s decision to quit the music industry. That business has exploited, chewed up, or killed countless talented folks. I respect the decision, but I don’t like it. She was the complete package:  great voice, songwriting talent, beautiful… Her departure is all our loss. This is my favorite performance specifically from Hill from The Fugees seminal album, ‘The Score.’ What a great rap.

Enjoy with a wine cooler. You know. Cuz girls drink wine coolers.

Edgy Punk / Metal from Without Thought

It’s not good all the way through, but some of it is really strong. Check the review on Altsounds: http://hangout.altsounds.com/reviews/111657-without-thought-get-down-and-give-me-infinity-album.html