1. Unless it’s kicks by Okkervil River
I went through a phase a few years ago when Okkervil River were my favourite band. The first time I saw them live was at the tiny Jade Monkey venue in support of Black Sheep Boy album and they blew me away with their melancholy. I thought the lead singer looked a little like Sean Lennon. They played St Jerome’s in support of the album Stage Names, upon which this uplifting track is found at track 2. My favourite line is “what gives this life its grace unless it’s kicks, man?”. I view this as a timely reminder not to forget to have fun and not get bogged down in worry.
2.The Twist- Frightened Rabbit
This track is off Midnight Organ Flight, a triumphant album by this Scottish band full of heartache and pain. I originally interpreted that this track was a love song about meeting someone on the dance floor, but when you examine the lyrics, that is definitely not the case. It is really about two people that are longing for someone else, but because they can’t have them, they are settling for the human heat and false connection of the gyrating and hip bumping of the dance floor. There is significant self loathing by the protagonist, with lines such as “Let’s pretend I’m attractive and then, you won’t mind, we can twist for a while.” The song has an uplifting mood to it, despite the lyrics, and was used during a love scene on the US TV show Chuck.
3.New Song by Steering by Stars
This song was selected at random for local content purposes. I have heard this band’s name before, and the track length was appropriate. It was recorded live, and there were not many noticeable lyrics. Sounded ok though
4. The Charging Sky- Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins
This song has a bit of a country vibe to it. I like Jenny Lewis’s voice and also her subversive and amusing lyrics. Not sure about the complete meaning of this song, but at least part of it concerns a woman down on her luck that has begun praying as an insurance policy. I found that amusing. She also raises the issue of high rates of death in Africa and which has been happening for so long that it has become passé for those in the West. I prefer singers that deal with politics in a non-preachy way, which makes it more effective.
5. All to myself- Sufjan Stevens
I still need to listen to his new album more to determine my favourite tracks, but this one is up there right now. His lyrics are very complex, but my initial take on this track is that it deals with selfishness of a lover. Not sure. Beautiful melody though, and can’t wait for his tour.
6. Comfort Me- The Audreys
I have been a fan of the Audreys since I saw Taasha and guitarist perform a night of cover versions at the Wheatsheaf. I would listen to her sing anything, including the phone book and the dictionary. This song dealt with relationships from my recollection, having only heard it once. I think I will be playing it again
7. Reeling the Liars In- Swans
I am still getting my head around the Swans’ new album, My father will guide me up a rope to the sky, but I love the title of the album. There is some resemblance to Nick Cave/The Birthday Party, which is why I played Nick next. Given my views on politicians, I felt that this song was apt. It is the only mellow track on the album. I will play some of their more aggressive stuff later on.
8. What can I give you?- Nick Cave
This song has some of Nick Cave’s most beautiful romantic lyrics ever. It basically deals with a person who has never had any beauty or love in his life, until this lady that he adores enters. He is in such awe of her and in such doubt about his own worth that he asks, what can I give you in return? She has rescued him, she is worshipped by the angels and the stars, what can his love mean to her? If I ever get married, this would be a song that I would consider high on the play list.
9. Sky Blue Sky- Wilco
I remember hearing Jeff Tweedy talking about the origins of this song. He was going through a very rough patch, both in his marriage and with prescription medication addiction. He wrote this song on a day when a marching band was playing in his home town. A marching band often represents celebration of something. Jeff is just thankful that he hasn’t died, which is good enough for now. It isn’t totally hopeless though, because “for now” means that he has hope to improve in the future.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Mystery Train Playlist 11 November 2010
Ok so this is the inaugural blog post detailing my playlists on Three D radio. At present I am on the Mystery Train with three other hosts, so the number of tracks I can select each week is limited. The purpose of this blog, however, is to discuss the importance of the tracks I play to me. The less tracks I play, the more I can write about each I suppose.
Track 1- Bapa by Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu.
I fell in love with Yunupingu's singing a few years back while I was working for the State Government. I would turn his cd up loud in my office. Saw his performance at Womad which was haunting. I chose this particular track firstly because it was only 2 minutes 20, amongst the few short tracks on the album. The song, it turns out, is about the death of his father (his Bapa), which also has relevance to my life.
Track 2- 13 by Elliott Smith
Of course I had to play an Elliott Smith song on my first show, given that he is probably my favourite artist. The Three D Elliott CD collection is not complete, but it does have some singles that I don't have. I felt that the accoustic finger picking and mournful singing of Elliott would tie in nicely with Gurrumul. This song is a Big Star cover, with lovely lyrics about teenage love "Would you let me walk you home from school, would you let me meet you by the pool". I suppose if Marilyn Manson covered it, he could make the lyrics seem inappropriate.
Track 3- Sometimes I Still Feel the Bruise by the Mountain Goats
Another one of my favourite artists, and another cover version. Coincidentally the original was by the Trembling Blue Stars, so in fact there was a clever segueway between the tracks, but that was not intended. My interpretation of this song is about a failed relationship which still slightly hurts the songwriter "I'm under no illusion, as to what I meant to you, but you made an impression, sometimes I still feel the bruise". He is saying that he may not have meant much to her, but she certainly meant something to him.
Track 4- Lived in Bars by Cat Power
Cat Power is probably my favourite contemporary modern song writer, and only second to Joni Mitchell in the all time favourite list. I regret having not seen her live in concert yet, but I suppose there is still time. Sometimes I like songs just because of one particular line or two. The lines in this song are "There's nothing like living in a bottle, and nothing like ending it all for the world." Also this song began slowly and ended more upbeat, which was a useful track to transition from the melancholy previous three into a more upbeat feeling.
Track 5- I want the world to stop- Belle and Sebastian
This was a track that I had never heard before off their new album. I like the scene in High Fidelity where Jack Black comes in and berates the music being played (Seymour Stein by Belle and Sebastian) as sad bastard music. I am prone to playing melancholy music on occasion, so I need to be aware of that and mix things up. This song has a bleak title but was quite upbeat.
I am programming 30 minutes of radio this week. Tune in on 93.7 at 6:30 to hear what I play
Track 1- Bapa by Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu.
I fell in love with Yunupingu's singing a few years back while I was working for the State Government. I would turn his cd up loud in my office. Saw his performance at Womad which was haunting. I chose this particular track firstly because it was only 2 minutes 20, amongst the few short tracks on the album. The song, it turns out, is about the death of his father (his Bapa), which also has relevance to my life.
Track 2- 13 by Elliott Smith
Of course I had to play an Elliott Smith song on my first show, given that he is probably my favourite artist. The Three D Elliott CD collection is not complete, but it does have some singles that I don't have. I felt that the accoustic finger picking and mournful singing of Elliott would tie in nicely with Gurrumul. This song is a Big Star cover, with lovely lyrics about teenage love "Would you let me walk you home from school, would you let me meet you by the pool". I suppose if Marilyn Manson covered it, he could make the lyrics seem inappropriate.
Track 3- Sometimes I Still Feel the Bruise by the Mountain Goats
Another one of my favourite artists, and another cover version. Coincidentally the original was by the Trembling Blue Stars, so in fact there was a clever segueway between the tracks, but that was not intended. My interpretation of this song is about a failed relationship which still slightly hurts the songwriter "I'm under no illusion, as to what I meant to you, but you made an impression, sometimes I still feel the bruise". He is saying that he may not have meant much to her, but she certainly meant something to him.
Track 4- Lived in Bars by Cat Power
Cat Power is probably my favourite contemporary modern song writer, and only second to Joni Mitchell in the all time favourite list. I regret having not seen her live in concert yet, but I suppose there is still time. Sometimes I like songs just because of one particular line or two. The lines in this song are "There's nothing like living in a bottle, and nothing like ending it all for the world." Also this song began slowly and ended more upbeat, which was a useful track to transition from the melancholy previous three into a more upbeat feeling.
Track 5- I want the world to stop- Belle and Sebastian
This was a track that I had never heard before off their new album. I like the scene in High Fidelity where Jack Black comes in and berates the music being played (Seymour Stein by Belle and Sebastian) as sad bastard music. I am prone to playing melancholy music on occasion, so I need to be aware of that and mix things up. This song has a bleak title but was quite upbeat.
I am programming 30 minutes of radio this week. Tune in on 93.7 at 6:30 to hear what I play
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