Nov 302013
Sounds of the hall in roughly 33 1/3 minutes!
This week’s SNSI is your soothing recovery from the dark side of Thanksgiving, whether you are digesting left over turkey à la king or icing the bruises suffered during Black Friday shopping.
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I knew, I knew you
Playlist after jump
A great show, cliff! I listened to it twice.
– Really liked the Nashville Ramblers and will need to look for more songs by them.
– I noticed quite a few interesting secondary instruments in these songs: cello (or some string), trombone (or tuba), and something else. They were added dimension to the pretty classic Indie Rock style of many of the songs.
– Good to hear Beck again. “Guerro” is such an enjoyable album; I’d forgotten about that track.
– Paul Revere: didn’t the hook at the start sound like “These Boots Are Made For Walking”? I kept thinking that the dude should just have walked out of the airport!
– Two bands that I know other people love but I haven’t really wrapped my head around: Blake Babies (that album was HUGE when I was djing – I think all the guys were in love with Juliana Hatfield), Neutral Milk Hotel. If you are of the adoring set of either band, I’d like to know more about what you love about them.
– Superchunk’s “Train From Kansas City” reminded me of another version of that song that I really like by The Shop Assistants. I didn’t know that it was a cover and still haven’t dug up the original. Here’s The Shop Assistant’s version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OZA4u5IsEY
Thanks again!
Nashville Ramblers – as far as I know they only have 2 songs out there, although I read somewhere they have more from the 80’s to be released someday.
Blake Babies – They were lucky enough to have 2 decent songwriters in Hatfield and John Strohm. The song Train is a rare duet for the band, but it shows their keen ability to blend pop songs with dark lyrics. Sunburn is their best if you can deal with Hatfield’s “love it or leave it” vocals. She certainly was the girl all the boys wanted to take to the Indie Rock Prom.
Neutral Milk Hotel – I don’t really get the devotion. For me, it’s one of those bands that are listenable depending on your mood.
cliff, I keep meaning to say that I really liked this episode. First, did you change the production of your voice? It sounded great – not that your voice doesn’t already sound good, but there was an added depth (reverb?). Anyhow, I like that kind of stuff.
Second, I dug most of the songs. That first song was really good, like an early, rocking Zombies song. I knew a handful of the other songs, but it was good to hear Blake Babies and Neutral Milk Hotel again. I can say I still don’t like those bands. The Blake Babies song had good ideas, but I couldn’t stand the vocals. They seemed to take every available opportunity to stray off-key with some half-hearted flourish at the end of a line. The Neutral Milk Hotel song made me wonder if I truly love any song with a rhythm that’s divisible by 3 (eg, 3/4 time, 6/8 time). There are some soul ballads in 6/8 that I like a good deal, like those Otis Redding slow burns, but even during the best songs in those time signatures I lose patience. Am I not thinking of an obvious, fantastic 3/4 or 6/8 song (excluding the best of those soul slow burns)? As much as I love Get Happy!!, for instance, I lose patience with “New Amsterdam” more than any other song on that album.
Glad you guys liked the episode. I was worried it might be one of my weakest.
Mr. Mod, your 3/4 or 6/8 comment is interesting because I’ve felt the same way about certain albums. Sometimes an odd time signature prevents me from grooving to the songs. A perfect example of that is Astral Weeks. Look, I get it, but my 4/4 mind wants me to tap my feet and bob my head. I need to focus on the vocals to enjoy the songs. Same goes for Neutral Milk Hotel, the band Beirut and other mid-european gypsy sounds.
I like 3/4 and 6/8 songs. Back From Somewhere by Husker Du is my favorite song by them, for instance. My problem with New Amsterdam is that it is a bit too clever for its own good.