Friday, June 8, 2012

Colossal Walkmen Machine Mix-Up (June 11th - 15th)

Hello and welcome to Work Tunes.


A short week for me this week and next as I take the Friday off to prepare and the Monday off to recover from my f-f-f-f...firty fifth birthday. I've just had the Revelation Film Festival program launch, so expect me to be talking too much about film until at least early August. The festival itself is a month away, but that won't stop me going on about the films I want to see and bugging my friends and family with schedules. You see, I'm doing it already. On to the music.


I'm still not over the loss of MCA and good instrumentals are great to work to, so there's The Mix-Up. I recently purchased a 3 disc set of Sugar Hill tracks, so I'll add those one disc at a time. So damn funky, I'm frightened of the consequences of playing it at work, The Commodores are here. When I found out my favourite Hole song was a cover, I had to get the album that has the original from Young Marble Giants. There's some new ones from The Tallest Man On Earth and The Walkmen, some oldies from Violent Femmes and The Triffids; Alexi Murdoch's album where a few songs from Away We Go came from; and finally, can you believe there's a Wilco album I haven't heard yet? There is and it's the live set from Chicago, Kicking Television.

Check it out:


  1. The Avalanches
  2. Missy Elliott
  3. Elvis Presley
  4. The Birthday Party
  5. Leonard Cohen

Song of the Week : Young Marble Giants - Credit In The Straight World



I recently discovered that one of my favourite Hole songs is a cover. I say recently discovered, but I must have once known this and forgot. I distinctly remember pouring over the liner notes to Live Through This at the time of release searching for writing credits by Kurt Cobain. I don't think there is any, but at the time I thought he had to have had some kind of input. Hole haven't come close to that good since.


This track, Credit In The Straight World seems to be so obviously about Courtney's addiction and the way fame and fortune allowed her to continue the lifestyle without the downfall of your everyday regular junkie. It's always felt so raw and real coming from her. Knowing it's a cover doesn't change how real it feels though - I think it just makes it one hell of a well-chosen cover.


The original version by Young Marble Giants is very post punk pop with a slant toward electronic beats and keys. The voice of the lead singer is very English and quite reserved. Of course, when Courtney did it, she belted it out like a sneer. Both versions have a creepy undertone of the seedy world of drugs. Hole's just approaches it from a more aggressive perspective while Young Marble Giants sound a little more gothic and dark. I hope you enjoy it.



Ya'll Come Back Now

Thanks for stopping by. That's your lot for the week and I hope you see something you might have a listen to. If nothing else, if you're a Hole fan, check out Colossal Youth. 


I may very well be enjoying a Winter Wonderland and Dinosaurs this weekend, all going to plan. Whatever you're doing, behave - because if I have to, so do you.


Hasala malakim.

No comments:

Post a Comment