Friday Random Five Again

Posted on June 9, 2006

It’s Friday again. Whooo. Party.

• Dakah Hip Hop Orchestra - “California Soul” | This is a The Dakah Hip Hop Orchestra’s cover of the Marlena Shaw classic that was used in the Italian Job. It’s a kickin’ little tune.
• Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - “Runnin’ Down a Dream” | I’ve been going through a weird phase lately where I actually like some of Tom Petty’s older, more rocking stuff. This one’s got a persistent drum beat and that doo-doo-do-do-doo-doo guitar riff that’s so cool.
• Aceyalone and RJD2 - “Supahero” | RJD2 does awesome production work and has a definite sound going with this one. The synth work alone is well worth the 99 cents for the download. And Aceyalone (”ah-Say-ahLone”) ’s smooth delivery is pretty badass.
• Mano Negra - “Sidi H’ Bibi” | From the venerable Manu Chao’s earlier group Mano Negra, he proves that he not only sings in Spanish, French, English, Euskara, and Catalan, but can do it in Arabic as well. This has a great middle eastern surf punk sound to it. Word.
• Beenie Man - “Party Hard” | Finally, Beenie Man is here to remind us who parties hard and who balls, and who loves all the shorties all thong up wantin’ to hit it up against the wall.

Zagga zagga zow. All links in iTunes as is the usual arrangement.

Friday Random Fizzle

Posted on June 2, 2006

You’re dead, let’s disco!

• Bauhaus - Bela Lugosi’s Dead | iTunes lacks some of Bauhaus’s earlier works, so instead you get a link to Ray Smuckles doing the Gothic Dance to a short clip of this song. Word!
• Seu Jorge - Hagua | Seu Jorge is a Brazilian musician-cum-actor mostly famous for his character in that Steve Zissou movie who would sing samba versions of Bowie. On his Carolina album he takes on a funky samba flavor with tinges of reggae, as evidenced in this song.
• Descendents - I’m Not a Loser | These guys basically invented the California punk sound. Yeah I know Blink and Sum 41 suck nowadays, but back then California punk was a good thing. Descendents are classic.
• Jimmie’s Chicken Shack - High | Yeah, this songs got a pretty heavy rock sound. Dig it.
• Foreigner - Feels Like the First Time | It certainly doesn’t feel like the first time this thing has ended on a Foreigner song. I wonder if iTunes does that on purpose. Like every fifth song on Party Shuffle has to be Foreigner or something. I dunno.

Friday Random 5

Posted on May 26, 2006

Yeah it’s totally Friday and shit.

• Josue Salazar - Numb/Encore | This is mostly Josue Salazar rapping over the Jay-Z and Linkin Park but I thought it was funny.
• The Immortal Lee County Killers - Lights Down Low | On their third album, ILCK3 definitely toned down their garage punk blues sound, but it’s still dirty and I still love it. This one’s very mellow, somewhat Stonesy.
• Peret - Voy Voy | Peret was rocking the rumba way back in the day, and on this album (Rey de la Rumba/King of the Rumba” he teamed up with a bunch of modern-day dudes to remake his songs. Kinda like what Sergio Mendes did, only good. On this track he teams up with one of my favorites, Basque reggae punk revolutionary Fermin Muguruza, combining Fermin’s dubsy breakbeats with Peret’s own classic style.
• Foreigner - Juke Box Hero | Who doesn’t love Foreigner? Best concert I saw at the state fair last year, even if it was only 1/5th of the original band.
• Eros Ramazzotti - Fuoco nel Fuoco | Yeah, Eros Ramazzotti is an Italian crooner. And kinda gay. But I dig this song (”Fire within the Fire”).

Links, except for the first one, open up in iTunes and shit. Look forward to another guest column by Steve Whitaker tomorrow.

Friday Random 5

Posted on April 28, 2006

It’s getting late. I owe you a Friday Random 5.

• Reincidentes - Sueño con Serpientes | This is a cover that honestly doesn’t compare to Silvio Rodriguez’s classic. But it’s definitely a good effort. I do like the jangly guitar work however.
• Her Flyaway Manner - Fireside | HFM is a local group. These guys rock. They can often be found at Lincoln Blog. Word.
• Kaiser Chiefs - I Heard It Through the Grapevine | I’m not much for that indie rock that the kids are listening to these days, but these lads do a good rendition of the Marvin Gaye classic. It’s original at least.
• Chuck Mangione - The Xith Commandment | Listening to Chuck Mangione play the flugelhorn feels so good. This song’s got a sweet little mellow thing going through it. Kinda spyish. And I know, in person, someone who plays a flugelhorn. How many of you can say that?
• Michael Jackson - Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough | Old school Mike is still the shit. Even if he is a crazy recluse broke-ass pervert now.

Also, did you know that YouTube moves over 200 Terabytes of data a day? That’s fucking insane.

Friday Random Fizzzive

Posted on April 21, 2006

It’s here again. You know you love it.

• Ratatat - Spanish Armada | Ratatat is awesome. About the only Spanish influence is the rasguea in the song, and maybe the chord pattern, but it’s hard to tell because they use this chord pattern all over the album.
• Steely Dan - Reelin’ in the Years | Yeah I know, I’m pretty surprised I have some Steely Dan in my library too. I think I downloaded this because I heard it in a Village Inn once or something. Still, not a bad song.
• Kraftwerk - Autobahn (Live auf Berlin) | I’ve been going through a Kraftwerk phase lately. I just can’t get enough early German techno.
• Roy Paci - Rosaria | Roy Paci is an incredible trumpet player. To really hear his talents you have to check out Manu Chao’s live album. But on this album Paci is with his own band, doing some old-style dancehall. Diggin’ it.
• Bryan Ferry - Sympathy for the Devil | I like this. Bryan Ferry does a lounge-y, glam-my version of the Rolling Stones classic. I defy you to not go “whoo-hoo” along with the chorus.

iTunes, bitches.

Friday Random 5

Posted on March 17, 2006

It’s back for you again, the Friday Random 5!

• Gogol Bordello - Think Locally, Fuck Globally | Encouraging Gypsy punk from the New York quintet.
• Matisyahu - Beat Box | Matthew Miller’s new album dropped this week, so it’s only fitting that I feature a song off of “Live at Stubbs”. Just some basic beatboxing, but with touches of Nigun mixed in. Good stuff all around.
• Grandaddy - The Saddest Vacant Lot in All the World | In case you found that last song uplifting, here’s some Grandaddy to really bring you down.
• King Chango - Latin Goes Ska | Oh good, some King Chango to bring things back up. This starts out as a disco-y latin tune but quickly transitions into some standard upbeat ska. It has that walking bassline that was popular in mid-nineties ska.
• Outkast - B.O.B. | I can go out on some Outkast. This is a pretty fast track for them, but Andre keeps up well. Heavy metal guitar and a gospel choir throughout, it’s worth checking into.

Friday Random Five

Posted on February 17, 2006

All the chicks dig it! It’s the Friday Random 5!

• The Bravery - An Honest Mistake | Gonna start this week off with one of those ’80s new wave revival groups that are so popular with the kids these days. A little bit whiny, but still a good song.
• Trio Electrico - Ego Poem | Trio Electrico is a down-tempo group with a lot of dub influence as well. Some good stuff.
• Nine Inch Nails - Piggy | NIN is in town tonight, so I’d be remiss to not include a track by Trent ‘n’ crew. This tribute to a cop is about as mellow as they get.
• Oingo Boingo - Only a Lad | The new wave fun continues! Skeletons in the Closet is an awesome album to put on for either your ’80s party or really any party in general. Listen to certain tracks, and you can hear little prequels to the scores from Batman, Pee Wee’s Big Adventure, and Nightmare before Christmas, all movies scored by Boingo’s Danny Elfman.
• Indochine - L’aventurier | Yet more new wave. iTunes is in a mood this week. This one comes from France.

No shirt, no iTunes, no service.

Finally Friday Random 5

Posted on February 10, 2006

• Café Tacuba - La Ingrata | Café Tacuba, one of the finest rock bands to come out of Mexico. They’ve always included a quirky sense of traditional Mexican music, and this song is a perfect example of that. Done in a two-stepping norteño style and with a catchy singalong at the beginning. Try and keep up.
• Caetano Veloso - Zumbi | Another live track, another one from down Latin America way. Caetano is one of the best singer/songwriters in the world, and this stripped down tribute to one of the last leaders of freed slaves in 17th century Brazil is a good example of his voice and arranging talents.
• Unsteady - Bad Attitude | A little ska from back in my high school days. This isn’t sucky ska either, this is one of the good bands that came out of the third wave.
• Creedence Clearwater Revival - I Put a Spell on You | Screamin’ Jay Hawkins made this song famous, but let’s face it, he was a novelty act. However, when John Fogerty howls out this song, you know he means it. CCR never gets old.
• Buck 65 - Out of Focus | Buck tends to sneak his way into this one way or another. Out of Focus is a tale of desperation, and this song definitely conveys that feeling.

iTunes you know what to do.

Fabulous Friday Random 5

Posted on January 20, 2006

No introduction needed.

• The Immortal Lee County Killers - Blues | A slow swirling ’60s-ish track from the garage blues group. Reminiscent of early psychedelia.
• Gogol Bordello - 60 Revolutions | Gogol Bordello describe themselves as “gypsy punk”. That is to say, punk sound and ethic, but with a healthy dose of accordion and flamenco rhythms. And a Hungarian lead singer to boot.
• Wyclef Jean - President | Welcome to Haiti: Creole 101 was a side album released on the downlow by Wyclef mixing a lot of Caribbean rhythms with his signature style. This track explores what the most likely repercussions if he were elected president.
• Juanes - Mala Gente | Juanes is a bit unusual for rock en español, while most groups upon hitting success start to suck, he’s maintained his signature skillful guitar playing and Colombian sound. Granted there are increasingly more common ballads on his albums, but he’s still got good rockers like this one.
• David Byrne - Tiny Apocalypse | What can be said about David Byrne other than that Grown Backwards is one of his greatest albums in years. Get it.

That’s it for this week. Good day.

Friday Random Five

Posted on January 12, 2006

Oh yes it’s Friday random five, and the feeling’s right, oh what a night.

• Supreme Beings of Leisure - Sublime | SBoL def has some good trip hop-py stuff with some good ’60s movie music sounds mixed in there too. Sublime, with it’s sitar and Indian percussion is a great tune to open up this week’s Friday Random 5.
• Ry Cooder and Manuel Galban - Dru Me Negrita | Ry Cooder seems to have some kind of obsession with Cuba, between this and the Buena Vista Social Club project. But this is a good album, a mashup of Mambo and surf guitar. Definitely the stuff for sitting back, indulging, and being mellow.
• Jerry Cantrell - Cold Piece | I was just as upset as the next guy when Alice In Chains broke up, but Jerry Cantrell did a great job of carrying the torch with his two solo albums. This is a longer piece featuring guests Fish and Angelo from Fishbone.
• Cafe Tacuba - Dejate Caer | Originally by Mexican rock group Los Tri, Cafe Tacuba decided to funk this one up on their tribute EP Vale Callampa. I spent hours figuring out the bassline to this one.
• Res - They Say Vision | I just love this song. Neo-soul is groovy, I say. It’s a shame this girl didn’t take off more than she did.

iTunes Bitches!

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