ladymisskirroyale

Uneasy Listening

Sep 302010

I’ve noticed that since I started following RTH, I’ve been listening to music differently. So it came as a surprise that over dinner, Mr. Royale and I were initially unable to identify an instrumental version of a familiar song that we heard while we were waiting for our Pad Thai to arrive. There was that Wes Montgomery-style jazz guitar. There was a soft, burbling saxophone. Mr. Royale initially placed it as a cover of Charlie Parker’s “Little Brown Shoes.” But we noticed that we continued to listen alertly in that way that you do in that aural tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon. The lyrics of the song soon arose, unwelcomed, to curdle the taste of our just finished Som Tum, as we realized with horror that the song was “Light My Fire.” A cover. Not Doors-worthy. More like a cover of the Jose Feliciano version.
Continue reading »

Xylophones: They’re Not Just for Marching Bands Anymore

Posted by ladymisskirroyale

Sep 172010

Today, while driving to work, I was listening to “Fredag,” a new track by the classic/psychedelic rock outfit Dungen. It features guitars, pounding drums, Leon Russell-style piano chords, and….a xylophone.

The xylophone seems to be such a sweet, happy instrument that is well suited to twee-ish pop, such as The Magnetic Fields. But in a quick scan of our music collection, Mr. Royale and I unearthed these other xylophone-friendly rock tracks:

“I Will Follow” by U2
“Gone Daddy Gone” by the Violent Femmes
“Little Wing” by Jimi Hendrix
“Under My Thumb” by the Rolling Stones

And I’m sure there are more that you can think of. So is there a place in rock for the xylophone?

P.S. – “Born To Run” showcases a glockenspiel…

So Much From a Picture Show

Posted by ladymisskirroyale

Aug 312010

Last night, after watching Walkabout, a 1971 film by Nicholas Roeg, Mr. Royale started humming Big Audio Dynamite‘s “E = MC2.” I didn’t initially get the connection until Mr. Royale reminded me that the lyrics of that song describe characters and plots of multiple Roeg films, including Walkabout, Performance, Don’t Look Now, The Man Who Fell To Earth, Insignificance, and Eureka. So now I’ve been wondering why Jones et al. wrote a song about that director. Is it because Mr. Roeg has stated that he likes musicians (examples: Mick Jagger, David Bowie, and Art Garfunkel) to be in his films as they are used to emoting in front of an audience? Or that the mosaic-like plots of his films are somewhat like creating a song? Maybe they are simply fans. I don’t know, but it is a question I’d like to ask Mr. Jones.

“E=MC2” has got me thinking about other songs that reference the movies, be it the plots, the directors, or the stars. I’ve thought of a few. But I’m interested in your “take.” Extra kudos if the song describes the film but doesn’t mention it outright.

Pause for Effect

Posted by ladymisskirroyale

Aug 232010

One of the better books I read this summer was Jennifer Egan’s A Visit From the Goon Squad. The book is a series of chapters about numerous overlapping characters, and each chapter has to do with music in one form or another. One of the last chapters, “Great Rock and Roll Pauses,” is a PowerPoint presentation by an adolescent character who is trying to illustrate for her parents an obsession her older brother has with pauses in music. The characters discuss and graph multiple variables: The Relationship of Pause-Length to Haunting Power, Proof of the Necessity of Pauses (which graphs pause power to song excellence), and The Persistence of Pauses Over Time. They provide examples, such as “Bernadette” by The Four Tops (it had their highest pause length to pause power ratio), “Young Americans” by David Bowie (short pause length, low pause power), and “Foxy Lady” by Jimi Hendrix (short pause length, high pause power). They also conclude that “pause power” is related to “song excellence,” listing The Zombie’s “Time of the Season” and The Doobie Brothers’ “Long Train Running” as having the strongest overlap between those variables. The characters also debate the differences between pauses, rests, and “interruptions” (an example of the latter being “Supervixen” by Garbage).

Now, if two fictional adolescents are able do this, I think we at RTH can, too. What are some songs that have noticeable pauses? Are pauses different than rests? Or “interruptions?” Does it matter if you hear ambient noise in the background of the pause? Would the song be better without the pause? What is a pause for?

Sob Stories

Posted by ladymisskirroyale

Aug 022010

When doing some heavy soul reflection and consideration of one-hit wonders, such as Mr. Moderator’s Lemon Pipers “Green Tamborine,” I came across a sub-genre of 1970s one-hit wonders, songs which I would call the Necro-Pops. I would guess that this form has roots in the 1950s and 1960s car crash scenarios, such as “Tell Laura I Love Her” by Ray Peterson, “Leader of the Pack” by the Shangri-Las, and “Dead Man’s Curve” by Jan and Dean. And then there was the 1960s Bobby Goldsboro hit, “Honey,” as well as Bobbie Gentry’s “Ode to Billy Joe,” which set the tone for the next decade.

Why did the 1970s have a slew of these strangely alluring but awful songs? All of them are over-the-top emotofests. Please consider the following evidence:

Terry Jacks – “Seasons in the Sun”
Michael Murphey – “Wildfire”
Gilbert O’Sullivan – “Alone Again”
Vicki Lawrence – “The Night the Lights Went Out In Georgia”
Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods – “Billy, Don’t Be A Hero”

There is even a more upbeat version:

Paper Lace – “The Night Chicago Died”

Wouldn’t we agree that these are horrible songs? But every time I hear one of them, I shudder and keep listening, and am most likely able to sing along with them. Probably you are able to think of more of them (Lord have mercy). But why were they so popular in the 1970s? Was it a social phenomenon? Just an indicator of global bad taste? And why, to this day, when we hear them and sneer, do we also get choked up? I await your consideration.

Losing My Edge

Posted by ladymisskirroyale

Jul 182010

I just finished reading Simon Reynolds’ Rip It Up, which documents the Postpunk movement. In the afterword, Mr. Reynolds says, “What changed in the mideighties was that bands increasingly soundposted their reference points and that spotting these allusions became an integral part of the listener’s aesthetic response and enjoyment.” He goes on to discuss the C86 movement, REM, Husker Du, and The Smiths as bands that clearly reference back to the “guitar chimes and folk-styled vocals” of the ’60s.

Today’s bands also seem to be very transparent about their sonic influences. Fleet Foxes has been posting videos of older songs (mostly from the ’60s and ’70s) and commenting on how these songs or bands direct their current sound. I think the clearest recent example is LCD Soundsystem. Their most recent album, This Is Happening, is very overt about it’s Berlin-era Bowie references. But I think the best example is an earlier LCD Soundsystem’s song, “Losing My Edge,” which includes a long rant/list of the bands James Murphy considers to be the foundation of his sound.

Which other bands or artists are very clear about their musical influences?

Localaures

Posted by ladymisskirroyale

Jul 152010

After RTH’s recent global World Cup of Rock ‘n Roll lovefest, I did a little research about my own fair city and found out that there has been a war going on right here in San Francisco. Apparently, there has been SERIOUS disagreement about the city’s official song. It wasn’t enough that Jeanette MacDonald lustily suggested that you “open your golden gates” in the title song from the 1936 film San Francisco. Instead, Tony Bennet‘s later nostalgia about leaving his heart here was viewed as a serious contender for our official song. In this very political of cities, people went to fisticuffs to defend their choice of song, and at one point, a visiting Tony Bennet refused to leave his hotel room if the other San Francisco choice was played at a city event. According to a recent KALW discussion, the conflict was alleviated only when “San Francisco” was named the Official Song and “I Left My Heart In San Francisco” was named the Official Ballad.

Honestly, all that sturm und drang over THOSE two songs? There are so many more to choose from! Want to celebrate the Summer of Love? Then choose Scott McKenzie’s “If You’re Going to San Francisco.” Shades of political? Then how about “Tania,” by Camper Van Beethoven? Recollections of times spent here? “San Francisco,” by Kristin Hersh. Pining for a lost love? “Come Back From San Francisco,” by Magnetic Fields. Recognition of local landmarks? “Down on Mission Street,” by Lloyd Cole or “Grace Cathedral Park,” by Red House Painters. You could even bring attention to some of the less savory aspects of this city: “In San Francisco,” by Napalm and Eruption, or “Jumpers,” by Sleater-Kinney.

So, what’s your town or city’s Official Song? Or, what should it be? When I was living in Fairfield County, Connecticut, I would have nominated a version of “Money, That’s What I Want” or “Mother’s Little Helper” as being reflective of the local zeitgeist.

Older Entries Newer Entries