Is That Jazz - Gil Scott Heron
If a track was ever made to start off an album, this is it. There's also a killer
9-minute version on YouTube.
Sang Fezi - Wyclef Jean
An entire song in Hatian Creole (save a few English vocals from fellow Fugee Lauren Hill.) I can't find any streams, youtube videos, etc, of it, but download it when you get a chance. 'Clef raps/sings in a thick patois to a gorgeous organ melody and acoustic guitar on the upbeat. As a cool side note, Clef can flow in English, Creole, Spanish and Japanese.
Di Doo Dah - Jane Birkin
The video has Birkin with her daughter, but my version was with Serge Gainsbourg (a silent partner on this track.) In retrospect, it probably doesn't fit so great.
Burning Sun - Echo Helstrom
Another track to find and download. Jazz and classically-trained foursome lays down a Latin jazz guitar paired with violin for flavor in a contrast that works way better than it should.
Alright - The Lost Patrol ft. Lisa Miskovsky
The Lost Patrol is one of a zillion or so projects of Swedish neo-anarchist and (according to wikipedia) sexiest man in Sweden, by someone's standards, Dennis Lyxzen. So it's pretty surprising to hear a retro 60s pop sound and collaboration with one of Sweden's biggest pop stars. You can't avoid liking this.
Help the Aged - Pulp
We need a track to slow it down and this hits the spot. Pulp was a great band who never fully got their due in America, but as people figure it out, frontman Jarvis Cocker's career ought to do pretty well.
Hello Sunshine (remix) - Super Furry Animals
More pop genius.
Revolver - Isobell Campbell and Mark Lanegan
Isobell Campbell was the "Belle" of Belle & Sebastian. Lanegan sang with Screaming Trees, Queens of the Stone Age and some killer solo work. Campbell's ethereal voice up against Lanegan's gravely rough edges make them a great pair. Get the whole album they did together,
Ballad of the Broken Seas. One of the best of 2006.
Ache for You - Ben Lee
Australian indie singer songwriter type with fast, quirky songs and the occasional crooner like this.
Summer Crane - The Avalanches
Thankfully, Ben Lee's track fades out. It makes the crashing return to electronics just as jarring as it needs to be. The Avalanches build huge, elaborate songs out of samples from the most unlikely places. Don't think sampling's an art? They'll convert you.
Stop for Nothing - Stereo MCs
The Stereo MCs have always been a pretty easy, inoffensive outfit, but it doesn't mean they haven't had some great songs along the way. This makes a smoother transition into ...
F*** You, Pay Me - ARE Weapons
The link goes to their myspace profile, where you'll have to pick the song out of the player. As you might've guessed, it's a bit high on the language meter and borrows that immortal
Goodfellas line. When electronic music hit its zenith around 2000, there was no shortage of people who talked about how the accessibility of the music and how kids with turntables making music in their basements made it the new punk rock. Yet somehow, we ended up with fevered egos and superstar DJs commanding ten grand a night to spin other peoples' records. ARE Weapons really brings that snarling punk rock ethic to electronic music.
Sex Will Happen Tonight - Vaux
Local love, but a great song in its own right. A bit sexy, a bit menacing, what with the sour guitar chords and breathy falsetto. |