Jane's Sovereign Dogtown Tribe (January 21st - 25th)

Hello and welcome to Work Tunes.

It's been a bit of a mixed bag for me this week. Work has been great with a bunch of quick and easy new projects that went down well, but at home my phone and Internet have been more off than on. Much more off. Living in a renovated house more than 50 years old has it's charms, but tell that to the phone cables. Now though, everything is sweet again - for now. Let's have a look at the music, shall we?

To start with, I have two soundtracks, which I wouldn't normally do but these are so different and I only just bought both - The Hottest State (from Ethan Hawke's novel) and Dogtown and Z-Boys. I haven't listened to a whole ATCQ album in a while, so I'm remedying that, plus adding Lady Sovereign for some more rap. To dish up some classics, I have Bowie and The Jam; while some real soul comes from Solomon Burke and S.O.U.L. Lastly, two very different but equally important bands, Wilco and Jane's Addiction. 

Check it out:

• VA - The Hottest State OST
• A Tribe Called Quest - People's Instinctive Travels And The Paths Of Rhythm
• David Bowie - The Man Who Sold The World
• Lady Sovereign - Public Warning
• Jane's Addiction - Ritual De Lo Habitual
• Wilco - Wilco (The Album)
• S.O.U.L. - What Is It
• VA - Dogtown and Z-Boys OST
• The Jam - Sound Affects
• Solomon Burke - Don't Give Up On Me

Top Five Artists Last Week

1. Hilltop Hoods
2. Bruce Hornsby
3. The Autumn Defense
4. The Bamboos
5. JEFF the Brotherhood

Song of the Week : She's Spanish, I'm American - The Ocean Always Wins

I can’t believe I haven’t already pulled this one out. It’s from a collaboration that Josh Rouse did with his girlfriend Paz Suay (now defacto and reason for moving to Spain) called She’s Spanish, I’m American. Rouse is a bit of a folky as you all probably know, but the collaboration throws a bit of electronic elements in. This one has a real hip hop beat about it and Paz sings, so it’s a little more dreamy than forlorn.

I chose this song because it forms one part of my children’s safety lessons re: the beach. They know this song and they have been told what the title means – The Ocean Always Wins. I pulled it out today because on the weekend we spent a bit of time down at Port Beach, walking and combing (the weather was a bit bleh and we had to go into town straight after). While there I saw a number of people on the sand, heads buried in their iPhones while their small children swam in front of them, unsupervised. Occasionally one would stand in the water and take photos with said phone. Now, I might be overly cautious, but I never turn my back on my small kids while they are in the sea (and never take my phone into the water!). The ocean always, always wins. There were huge waves that day (the sea was angry that day my friends) and rips everywhere.

Of course, that is not what this song is about. It seems to be about going on a sea cruise early in a relationship and not knowing if it’s the right time to do it, or even how to swim. But I have told my kids that the chorus means you must respect the ocean; that if you don’t it will swallow you up. So the rules are have fun, but be careful. And my rule is never, ever take your eyes off them. Great song though.

Bon Voyage

Thanks for stopping by. If you're in Perth, the heat is ramping up again this weekend, so remember to slip, slop, slap. If you're somewhere that is cold and breezy, or snowing, or raining, or basically just not stinking hot - I hate you (okay, not really). 

Hasala malakim.

Playlist : October 25 - 29, 2010

A new artist (for me), some old favourites and a couple of classics make up this week's list. It's probably just a tad funkier than usual with the compilation and some roots rap on board.

Here's what will be playing in my ears;

• A Tribe Called Quest - Midnight Marauders : A little bit of Native Tongues always goes down a treat. A friend told me she'd been hearing a bit of rap lately and it was full of the F and N words. Groups like Tribe and De La Soul were always and still are against that sort of garbage. Long live true Hip Hop.

• The Roots - Phrenology : More positivity to go with Tribe. It was great to hear The Roots as a full on Funk and Soul band on the recent John Legend collaboration. I'm going back to The Roots (haw haw) to keep up my fix, otherwise I'd just keep playing Wake Up! (the Legend collaboration) over and over.

• VA - 70s Funk n Soul Classics : A really great compilation which dishes up exactly what it promises - classics from the 70s. Some of the best tracks include The O'Jays - Love Train; Curtis Mayfield - Superfly; Kool & The Gang - Jungle Boogie and The Staple Singers - Respect Yourself. Get yo funk on.

• Something For Kate - The Official Fiction : It's been quite some time since I heard this album. It was the first I had heard of SFK. It's a solid set with stand outs like Deja Vu and Light at the End of the Tunnel. They probably should have done an Australian Classic Albums doco on it. I think it's in that lofty company, anyway.

• Ryan Adams & The Cardinals - Jacksonville City Nights : I've decided to play each of 2005's Radams releases. Last week I played the brilliant double that kicked off the year in Cold Roses. JCN is a lot more traditional country than Cold Roses. It's got a lot of pedal steel and it sounds more like a drunken moan in some bar.

• S.O.U.L. - Can You Feel It : With the rise of new Soul this year, I have been wanting to relisten to all the old stuff I have. SOUL are a sort of jazzy half instrumental collective heavy on the flute and the sprawling solos with some honey smooth vocals and a bit of politics for good measure.

• Paul Kelly - Live May 1992 : PK is the man. Since I'm not going to see him when he plays here soon, I'm going to listen to and enjoy this double LP live set from 92. This is the album I used to get my wife into Paul Kelly. We played it at our wedding. It came with a VHS of the concert that I still have somewhere at home. I really enjoy it, every listen. If you're Australian and you haven't heard it, be like Molly and 'do yourself a favour'.

• Bob Dylan - Blonde On Blonde : As the final chapter in the holy trinity, I had to give Blonde a spin this week. Last week's Highway 61 Revisited was a blast. Blonde features what I consider one of the best, lyrically, songs ever in Visions of Johanna, as well as the tracks everybody knows Just Like a Woman and Rainy Day Women Nos 12 & 53 (even if a lot of people call it Everybody Must get Stoned after the refrain).

• Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - The Boatman's Call : This album was a last minute inclusion on this list because a clever twitter friend (*waves fondly at @a_musedly) quoted (Are You) The One That I've Been Waiting For? this morning - reminding me of one of the main reasons this is my favourite Nick Cave release.

• Fyfe Dangerfield - Fly Yellow Moon : The first I had heard of Fyfe Dangerfield was this week when I came across the Billy Joel cover (Always a Woman). I quite liked that, so I went looking for the album. The cover is not on this set, but it's all I could find. Fairly dreamy indie pop.

I hope something there turns you on to a new musical journey. As always, be excellent to each other and remember the words of Edward Furlong's Danny in American History X : "Hate is baggage. Life's too short to be pissed off all the time."

Peace man, right on.

Playlist : October 18th - 22nd, 2010

Welcome back to our regularly secheduled program.This week's list seems to have a little funk in the trunk, along with a touch of country twang.

Check it out.

• Mavis Staples - You Are Not Alone : Produced by and guest starring Wilco's Jeff Tweedy, this is the latest offering from the always brilliantly voiced Mavis Staples. Just another in the collection of great Soul records being released this year.

• Concrete Blonde - Still In Hollywood : I admit it; I'm a hopeless Concrete Blonde fan. Everything up to and including Mexican Moon, at least. This album of rare songs and b-sides has been missing from my iPod for a long while. Worth it for the covers and for Probably Will.

• VA - Soundtrack - Semi-Pro : For the life of me, I couldn't tell you why I find Will Ferrel so hysterical. By all logic, a self-confessed film snob like me should look down on him. But you can't beat Semi-Pro, Taladega Nights, Step Brothers and even his bit part in Starsky & Hutch for good laughs. Plus, this is one funky soundtrack.

• Queen Latifah - All Hail The Queen : Back in the day, Latifah was a strong, independent female rapper with a militant eye on feminist and racial politics. Now, she's just a strong independent female. Damn you Hollywood. Damn you all to HELL!

• Black Star - Black Star : This has probably been on a couple of playlists by now, but I don't care. It reamins in the upper eschelons of my favourite Hip Hop albums. Jazz sensibilities and Mos Def & Talib Kweli with a positive message and butter smooth rhyme flow always sounds good to me.

• VA - Can't Stop It - Australian Post Punk : I missed it, I'm afraid, but it seems Australia was the place to be for young post-punk bands in the 70s and 80s. High unemployment and prevelant drugs meant there were a lot of bands around. After hearing a great JJJ podcast on the topic, I hunted this album down.

• Ryan Adams & The Cardinals - Cold Roses : Much as I've been neglecting Whiskeytown of late, I have all but forgotten Radams and Co. Cold Roses is just one of the man's all solid 2005 efforts - and a double album at that. Hard to believe he released this brilliant set, Jacksonville City Nights and 29 all in the same year.

• Kasey Chambers - Little Bird : True story, Kasey Chambers wrote my wife and I a wedding card. We had a mutual acquaintance. Namely, her then partner Corey. I was a big fan of her first three LPs but she fell off for me for a while there. This new set seems to have recaptured some of the fire.

• Menahan Street Band - Make the Road By Walking : An album of funky intrumentals that I fdound out about via a free KCRW iTunes mix. This is like a nice smooth groove of jazz with a funky edge.

• Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited : For some reason, I was surprised by how good Bringing It All Back Home sounded last week. Bob Dylan's 115th Dream became the song of the week because I really enjoyed the rollicking blues rock of 'side one'. I just had to slip this one in as part two of the Holy Trinity.
  

There you have it cats. Stay golden, don't get hung up, peace man, right on, keep it real and all that good stuff.

Playlist : April 27th - 30th, 2010

Another short week. Do we really have so many crammed together? Maybe we should space some out. Move the non-important ones like Queens Birthday. I'll talk to Parliament.

Speaking of parliament (the government, not the awesome Funk band), there appears to be a bit of a political theme running through this week's list. I put that down to watching Chicago 10 last week, followed by some Black Panther produced documentaries and listening to Gil Scott-Heron and the Last Poets.

This week's list:

• Billy Bragg - Back To Basics : Conscious tunes from the darling of UK left-wing socialism and heir to Guthrie's throne.
  
• John Coltrane - Giant Steps : I've been enjoying bebop via iTunes radio while working lately. I figured I better bring in some of my own. To say Trane is a genius is a ridiculous understatement.
  
• The Roots - Things Fall Apart : Another political leaning album, this time from the ghettos of Philadelphia.
• The Staple Singers - Soul Folk In Action : More politics of civil and human rights from the sweet 60s Soul of The Staple Singers and the always amazing voice of Mavis Staples.
• Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes : I think it was @crich who tweeted "Whatever happened to Fleet Foxes?" last week. Turns out their second album has been delayed by touring demands. It's due later this year. In the meantime...
• VA - Judgment Night : Music from the motion picture Judgment Night (1993) - a thriller about some boys in the wrong hood. The soundtrack consists of some unintentionally humorous pairings of rappers and rockers.
  
• Natalie Merchant - Leave Your Sleep : The latest offering from the 10,000 Maniacs former lead singer. This double CD is a collection of newly composed and anciently inspired children's folk songs.
• Sly & The Family Stone - There's a Riot Goin' On : If The Staple Singers are sweet with their soulful political determination, Sly & Co. are polar opposites. This is a raised left fist and a funky chicken dance in one.
  

During the week I will also be listening to the latest The National LP, High Violet via the New York Times. Click the link to read Nicholas Dawidoff's profile of the band as well as stream the new album.

Happy listening. All power to the people.

Review : Syl Johnson - Is It Because I'm Black

Mississippi born, blues and soul artist Syl Johnson began his solo career recording and producing hits for Twinight Records, Chicago in the late 60s. Previously he had played harmonica and sang with Blues artists Magic Sam, Billy Boy Arnold, and Junior Wells - even touring with Howling Wolf for three years from 1959 - 62.

Released as it was in 1970, Is It Because I'm Black? was a product of the heightened racial and socio-economic problems in the US at the time. This was not to be the only Syl Johnson LP with a message, but it was the most rounded and thematic whole about race and class.

The desperate titular track is a cry of frustration through Johnson's soulful vocals at prejudice and it's poisonous effects on its victims. Concrete Reservation takes the message to the money with a tale of what poverty means to people stuck in the ghetto. Walk A Mile In My Shoes is a funky plea for understanding between people of all colours and social standing. Sounding somewhat like an aggressive Nina Simone at times, I'm Talking About Freedom demands action of the downtrodden to claim their 'God-given' right of America's favourite noun; 'Freedom'.

For all its political rhetoric and down-trodden destitution, Is It Because I'm Black is not without it's groovier moments. A cover of The Beatles - Come Together adds a dash of rock to the record and the closing track, Right On, dares you not to dance while it crackles with the sounds of horns and a 'live' party atmosphere. The track is a celebration of the African American culture of the time (with reference to the Funky Chicken and a nod to the attitude of Black is Beautiful).

Best heard on vinyl, Is It Because I'm Black is a pleasing mix of Soul and early Funk with an important if at times over-earnest message - over-earnest as only our US cousins can do it, God bless them.

4 Stars - Soul/Funk Classic