Just Atomic Desert Lemonade (November 25th - 29th)

Hello and welcome to Work Tunes.

I'm a little later than usual this week because yesterday was filled with super secret Christmas present purchase shenanigans. It's the wee hours of Sunday morning right now and I've just put this together.

I've been avoiding U2's 2004 effort since the first listen, so I figured it was time to try again. This Desert Life I haven't been avoiding, but have probably not listened to the whole thing in just as long. Yet another album that's been tucked away too long is Blind Pilot's sophomore effort. I recently gave a few Keb Mo albums a spin on Spotify - this is one of them. The latest album from Oz Hip Hop artist Illy is here and so is the newly released collaboration between Billie Joe Armstrong (Green Day) and Norah Jones. After my recent obsession with the Downtown scene and the early days of Punk, I grabbed a CBGBs compilation exploring those bands. Another new one from White Denim is on the list along with the soundtrack to Imagine, a documentary about John Lennon. One of my favourite rap albums from the last 10 years from Nas is my final choice for next week.

Check it out:

• Keb' Mo' - Just Like You
• U2 - How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb
• VA - CBGBs and the Birth of US Punk
• Nas - Hip Hop Is Dead
• Blind Pilot - We Are The Tide
• Counting Crows - This Desert Life
• Illy - Cinematic
• White Denim - Corsicana Lemonade
• Billie Joe + Norah - Foreverly
• John Lennon - Imagine OST

Top Five Artists Last Week

1. Motorhead
2. The Offspring
3. Jonathon Wilson
4. Tom Waits
5. of Montreal

Song of the Week : Bob Dylan - Like A Rolling Stone

My SOTW is arguably the greatest rock song ever written. I chose Bob Dylan - Like A Rolling Stone solely because of the interactive video that was released this week which blew my tiny mind. If you haven’t seen it, I won’t ruin it, but ostensibly it’s a bunch of film clips in an interactive player where you can “change channels” mid song. A simple enough idea, but it’s what has been done with it that’s really impressive.

http://video.bobdylan.com/desktop.html

The innovation behind the video reminded me that the song itself was a real rule breaker. A rock song that hit big on the radio that went for more than 6 minutes, let alone more than 3. It was the near perfection of the electric sound that had been played around with on Bringing It All Back Home and which had gotten Bob in trouble with the folkies who saw it as selling out. Those cracking drums, the double keyboard sound and the angry sneer of Bob’s voice changed popular music in a way that’s still being felt. We all know the Beatles were one kind of band until Rubber Soul which was not long after they met electric Bob.

Watch the video and have a play around. I will most likely watch each channel in it’s entirety this weekend to make sure I see it all. I think there’s about 10 channels. 

Adios

Now it's Sunday afternoon and I'm just back from Nedlands and Perth Upmarket at UWA. Now I'm running behind and have to get these tunes onto my work laptop for the week's listening.

Onwards and upwards. Hasala malakim.

Handsome Blind Horrowshow Mystery (August 12th - 16th)

Hello and welcome to Work Tunes.

After a solid day of blood tests, grocery shopping, birthday party preparation, swimming lessons and korma making, I'm drafting this post at midnight while casually watching an episode of Drunk History. The good news is I had the list thrown together earlier in the week.

Besides the second disc of Biograph, there's an old favourite from Blind Pilot, the new Civil Wars and Ariel Pink's Before Today. From the grimiest depths of the 90s comes Mystery Machine and Prince's Diamonds & Pearls. Too much Orgone has been not nearly enough lately, so I've got Killion Floor from 2007. I read some interesting things about Kip Moore recently, so I thought I'd check him out. Two more new albums round out this week's list, from AUS rapper Horrorshow and alt country veterans The Handsome Family.

Check it out:

• Blind Pilot - 3 Rounds and a Sound
• Mystery Machine - Glazed
• Bob Dylan - Biograph (Disc 2)
• Prince - Diamonds & Pearls
• Orgone - Killion Floor
• Horrorshow - King Amongst Many
• The Civil Wars - The Civil Wars
• The Handsome Family - Wilderness
• Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Before Today
• Kip Moore - Up All Night

Top Five Artists Last Week

1. Laura Marling
2. Bob Dylan
3. Red Hot Chili Peppers
4. Sex Pistols
5. Charles Bradley

Song of the Week : Beth Orton - Concrete Sky

From Beth Orton’s Daybreaker album this track Concrete Sky was written by Johnny Marr and features backing vocals by the one and only Ryan “Sean Hannity Hates Me” Adams. 

I think the fact that Marr wrote it is well on display. The sparkling melody and the brittle jangle of acoustic picking is signature. Ryan and Orton were an item when this was recorded (I think, or shortly after) and she is of course the “Tall drink of water” in English Girls. 

As far as the lyrics go, I like the image of a ‘concrete sky falling from the trees’. It’s one that paints a picture of heavy burden and pressure. Yet the melody completely betrays the ‘heaviness’ of the subject because it’s so sweet and catchy.  The harmony between the voices is not quite perfect and that makes it beyond brilliant. There’s weariness and heaviness in them. 

Five Thousand

If you know why Five Thousand means goodbye, you and I are tight, son. And that being the case, you should definitely check out Orgone, because everybody deserves a proper funking.

Hasala malakim.

Playlist : September 19th - 23rd, 2011

Hello and welcome to Work Tunes.

In a really tiresome task, I am still dealing with transferring my music from my iPod, CDs and dodgy hard drive onto my shiny new 2TB drive alotted just for tunes. Not having access to everything is limiting my lists more than is ideal. Regardless, I've grabbbed a stack of tracks and they should see me right.

I'm continuing on with Left of the Dial, with disc 3 up next. There's a few new ones from old favourites Wilco, Tori Amos and Blind Pilot; plus a few I haven't heard in ages like Silverchair's debut. I'm spinning random Ryan Adams side project Sad Dracula, because I'm so excited about Grizzly's new album out soon. Ice T gets a guernsey because I have that classic rap album on order in nice shiny wax form.

Check it out.

• VA - Left of the Dial : Dispatches from the 80s Underground (Disc Three)
• Tori Amos - Night of Hunters
• Wilco - The Whole Love
• Talib Kweli - The Beautiful Struggle
• Ice T - The Iceberg / Freedom of Speech (Just Watch What You Say)
• Blind Pilot - We Are The Tide
• Sad Dracula - Fasterpiece
• Branford Marsalis and Joey Calderazzo – Songs of Mirth and Melancholy
  
• Iron & Wine - Around The Well
• Silverchair - Frogstomp

Top Five Artists Last Week

1. Concrete Blonde
2. Whiskeytown
3. Shonen Knife
4. John Lennon
5. Kidz in the Hall

Song of the Week : Shonen Knife - Sheena Is A Punk Rocker

Today’s SOTW is brought to you by those kick ass little ladies from Japan called Shonen Knife. It comes from their latest release Osaka Ramones : A Tribute to the Ramones. I’ve always enjoyed Shonen Knife’s brand of high energy pop punk and on this album, sprinkled liberally all over 13 great Ramones tracks, it is even more amazing than usual.

The best thing about this tribute album is it instantly gives me an all-girl group doing accessible, mostly family-safe songs for my girls to enjoy. I chose Sheena Is A Punk Rocker because the Ramones version is already one of their favourites. They often sing it as Daddy is a Punk Rocker. I like that.

Bye

So that's another working week done and dusted with the weekend in the bag. If you're a West Coast fan, you'll want to be at the game or in front of the tv tonight cheering on the mighty blue and gold. If you're not, you probably want to watch anyway and seethe with bitterness while willing them to lose. Either way, bring it on.

Until next week, don't get hung up man, stay cool. Hasala malakim.

Once again, asalaam alikum brothers and sisters.