Showing posts with label Rap. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rap. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

My 100 Favorite Tracks of All Time (60-51)

This list concludes the first half of the top 100 favorite tracks project. I hope you're enjoying!

So far we've seen:

100. Stuck in America - Sugarcult
099. History Lesson - Part II - Minutemen
098. To Clean (Acoustic) - Woods
097. Furr - Blitzen Trapper
096. At the Chime of a City Clock - Nick Drake
095. Search and Destroy - The Stooges
094. Scott Farcas Takes It On The Chin - Less Than Jake
093. Ruby Soho - Rancid
092. B.O.B. - Outkast
091. Monk Time - The Monks
090. Waiting Room - Fugazi
089. Ain't That Peculiar - Marvin Gaye
088. (I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone - Minor Threat
087. Daylight - Aesop Rock
086. In the New Year - The Walkmen
085. Judy is a Punk - Ramones
084. I'm the Man Who Loves You - Wilco
083. My Brain Is Hanging Upside Down (Bonzo Goes To Bitburg) - Ramones
082. White Riot - The Clash
081. Many Rivers to Cross - Jimmy Cliff
080. Lived In Bars - Cat Power
079. Venus - Television
078. In The Neighborhood - Tom Waits
077. Losing My Edge - LCD Soundsystem
076. Vitamin C - Can
075. International Player's Anthem - UGK (feat. Outkast)
074. Someday - The Strokes
073. These Days - Nico
072. All Falls Down - Kanye West
071. Debaser - Pixies
070. Suspicious Minds - Elvis Presley
069. Goodbye Stranger - Supertramp
068. For Once In My Life - Stevie Wonder
067. Leaves That Are Green - Simon & Garfunkel
066. Mr. Pitiful - Otis Redding
065. Four Winds - Bright Eyes
064. Forks and Knives (La Fete) - Beirut
063. If Looks Could Kill - Camera Obscura
062. People Got A Lotta Nerve - Neko Case
061. You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb - Spoon

060. Newsflash - Windmill (http://is.gd/9DW3z)
Thank goodness for that strange Austrian family who clearly can't understand the lyrics to this song for posting the video. So Windmill is essentially Matthew Thomas Dillon. Now yes, I realize he sounds like a muppet. But, man, what a heartbreaking song. I am a huge fan of divorce music (Blood on the Tracks is a Top 5 album for me), and this song just captures everything I imagine divorce to be. Just these heartbreaking little phrases ("Forgot to cut the grass by the baby's things." "Your dad called 'round confirmed the train is running from the tracks.")

059. Rose Parade - Elliott Smith (http://is.gd/9E2IG)
I could probably make a list of my 100 favorite Elliott Smith songs. It was tough limiting my picks to 2 because all of his stuff is so stellar. And he was consistently amazing on every album he made (my favorite is XO). This song is especially great because, while is of course a little depressing, it's not just a blatant suicide note like a lot of his music was (which makes his later work really tough to listen to, I think). Instead it's just his observations, which are simultaneously disarming and funny and sad. This is how I like to remember him.

058. Into the Mystic - Van Morrison (N/A, covers only)
This is probably my favorite love song of all time. The lyrics, that groove, those horns. Everything just makes me amorous. Plus, when I was in England I was pretty much listening to Van Morrison nonstop, so I have this personal connection with that specific place and time, which makes me simultaneously nostalgic and happy.

057. You Can Call Me Al - Paul Simon (http://is.gd/9E5vc)
I get into arguments all the time about what was the worsst decade for music. Everyone always says the 1980s. Well, I disagree. I think you show me almost any great act from the 1990s, I'll show you their analogue from the 1980s that was better (with the exception of hip-hop, which I think peaked in the 90s). I think the main this that separated the decades, however, was pop music. In the 80s it was beginning to wane in quality, but in the 90s and 00s it just became wretched. But I look back on these simple pop songs like "You Can Call Me Al" that are so upbeat and catchy, yet manage to smash in some of the most incredible lyrics every to receive mass radio play. Listen to the last verse of this song and not be impressed and moved.

056. Waterloo Sunset - The Kinks (http://is.gd/9E8zM)
This song is just plain beautiful. I don't have much to say about it that you wouldn't know by hearing it. The concept of a love song from the perspective of a lonely outsider looking in is so imaginative; and the execution on "Waterloo Sunset" is devastating and lovely.

055. Losing Out - Black Milk (feat. Royce Da 5'9") (http://is.gd/9EcZ1)
Haha. Detroit stand UP! This is the only way Allen Parson's Project is ever going to make it onto anyone's 100 greatest songs list. Man, the drums on this song just BANG. How can you listen to this and not just slam your head up and down? It also helps that the verses, while not completely game changing, are just solid and enjoyable. Front to back this is just an amazing track.

054. The Boy with the Thorn in His Side - The Smiths (http://is.gd/9EA30)
Oh man do I love The Queen is Dead. These songs are just so witty and lovely and the melodies are incredible. I take this song as an attack on anyone who has doubted me and been proven wrong. "And if they don't believe us now, will they ever believe us?"

053. Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn't've)? - Buzzcocks (http://is.gd/9EArN)
I think Singles Going Steady is one of the best punk albums ever. Just awesome, frustrated songs about love. This song also falls into the "Erik is a pussy" category. Because, of course, the answer is Yes to the question posed in the title. But then again, who hasn't?

052. All I Need - The Temptations (http://is.gd/9EAIe)
What up David Ruffin?! I love The Temptations so much, and this track is definitely one of my favorites of theirs. I don't know if there's a name for the type of rhythm the bassist is playing (the same as "You Can't Hurry Love" by the Supremes and a million other songs) but I love it. Just an awesome, soulful song.

051. God Only Knows - Beach Boys (http://is.gd/9EAYO)
This song has been written about ad nauseum so I'll spare you. I'll just take this opportunity to justify why it isn't higher on the list. And it's because of the "Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-bap-ba" halfway through. It just sounds kind of corny, and it frustrates me everytime I hear it. But I love everything else about the song so much I can excuse it.

8tracks: External:


Peace and Love,
Erik

Monday, March 1, 2010

My 100 Favorite Tracks of All Time (80-71)

I really should restrict myself to a more consistent regiment of when I post these. I have no firm schedule. But my goal is to have it all available by the end of next week.

Alright. Part three!! Definitely out of the 70s and 80s punk realm for a while, I believe. I think the list will bring a little bit more variety from here on on (though, for the record, it has been pretty eclectic thus far, in my opinion). Note: I encourage all of you who check this out to make a similar list! It's a fun exercise if you're serious about the music you love. I also encourage you to discuss/judge this list.

A recap of parts ONE and TWO:

100. Stuck in America - Sugarcult
099. History Lesson - Part II - Minutemen
098. To Clean (Acoustic) - Woods
097. Furr - Blitzen Trapper
096. At the Chime of a City Clock - Nick Drake
095. Search and Destroy - The Stooges
094. Scott Farcas Takes It On The Chin - Less Than Jake
093. Ruby Soho - Rancid
092. B.O.B. - Outkast
091. Monk Time - The Monks
090. Waiting Room - Fugazi
089. Ain't That Peculiar - Marvin Gaye
088. (I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone - Minor Threat
087. Daylight - Aesop Rock
086. In the New Year - The Walkmen
085. Judy is a Punk - Ramones
084. I'm the Man Who Loves You - Wilco
083. My Brain Is Hanging Upside Down (Bonzo Goes To Bitburg) - Ramones
082. White Riot - The Clash
081. Many Rivers to Cross - Jimmy Cliff

080. Lived In Bars - Cat Power (http://is.gd/9uaOC)
Chan Marshall turns me to putty. Ugh. It's not fair to have a voice so velvety and sultry (and to also look like she looks!? So mean.). This song just puts me outside on a warm summer night drinking with friends underneath stars and moons and tiki torches. And then that turn at 2:30 just seals the deal. Check your pulse if your toe isn't tapping.

079. Venus - Television (http://is.gd/9ucOO)
And we're back to CBGB in the 70s (you were warned!). For those of you who have listened to Marquee Moon in it's entirety you know it is just unbelievable. For those of you who haven't; please get with the program. There are a lot of songs on this list that offer little snapshots of a given time or place; I like to think of this song as a little picture of New York in '76-'77, complete with references to Richard Hell. But the highlight of this track are the guitars. The technique and interplay is fantastic. I prefer this track to the more notable title track just for length. I get tired in most 10-minute songs. But the whole album is sellar.

078. In The Neighborhood - Tom Waits (http://is.gd/9ugaH)
"With Swordfishtrombones, The Black Rider was thrown out of the nightclub into the alley and, finding himself in his true element, he made its trashcan residents and urine stink the genetic code of the rest of his career." -Rob Mitchum, Pitchfork. "In the Neighborhood" is like a cartoon sketch of any inner city. It's simultaneously playful and depressing, sugar and spice, and, of course, it's Tom Wait's as the ringmaster, drunkenly spewing concrete on a piano somewhere dirty. And oh how I love it so.

077. Losing My Edge - LCD Soundsystem (http://is.gd/9ukZA)
What is the point in doing anything if you take yourself so seriously? I love the music video, because I feel with every reference he throws out that I understand I'm catching a slap in the face. And it's totally fine. I can relate to a lot of the sentiment in this track ("the kids are coming up from behind.") And you can dance to it too, which is always nice. And because I'm the master of meta (ugh I feel like an asshole right now):

076. Vitamin C - Can (http://is.gd/9uqpz)
Krautrock was a bizarre, bizarre movement in Germany in the late 60s and 70s. I think what made it so fascinating, to me, was how disjointed everything was. From early electronic experiments to crazy jam rock, it encompassed nearly everything. But my personal favorite of the entire "genre" is, and always will be, Can. Those drums! Do you breakdance? Well you do now! I love this track so much because it doesn't sound like it belongs anywhere. It just mysteriously came from this crazy nebula of jazz, funk, rock and punk and burrowed into our ears.

075. International Player's Anthem - UGK (feat. Outkast) (http://is.gd/9urYY)
Andre 3000's verse.

074. Someday - The Strokes (http://is.gd/9utTp)
There are some songs on this list that I can't even fully explain. They just hit me. "Someday" is one of those songs. Maybe it's Julian Casablancas' voice, or the simple yet perfect guitar riff, or the lovely nostalgic lyrics, or the consistent and effortlessly excellent rhythm section, or the, shit, it's obviously all of the above and more.

073. These Days - Nico (http://is.gd/9uvLD)
I think in order to really appreciate the Nico version you have to know the original Jackson Browne version. Her version is completely turned on its ear. Instead of being one of the millions of songs about regret after a relationship, little twists in the words made her version about regret at the end of life. This song just levels me. Especially Nico's haunting voice and the orchestration. Just beautiful.

072. All Falls Down - Kanye West (http://is.gd/9uwYt)
This track comes from notorious doucher Kanye West. I want to hate him so much (and in many ways I do), but then I go back and listen to his old albums when he had shreds of sincerity and get completely blown away. The beat is so soulful and the lyrics are such a refreshing change of pace from the kind of rap that populated manstream hip-hop for the majority of the decade. I guess this song is also bittersweet to me, because I see what happened to Kanye, who I sort of regarded as a bastion of honesty in the world of rap, and see what's become of him. "When it falls down, who you gonna call now," indeed.

071. Debaser - Pixies (http://is.gd/9uAcD)
This song is a sort of late edition. Originally I had "Here Comes Your Man," but then I went back and listened to the Pixies a bit more. And I realized "Here Comes Your Man" doesn't really capture what I really love about the Pixies, or what they do best: and that is rock. "Debaser" fuckin' rocks, man. And as a film student, I was forcefed "Un Chien Andalou" like a billion times.

8Tracks: External:


OK! You know where we're headed from here.
-Erik

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

2009 Discs 1 and 2: The Singles and The Calm



As noted, this (last) year's end of year mix came in 3 parts. The first was the cassette (2009 in Lo-Fi), the second was Disc 1: The Singles and the last was Disc 2: The Calm.

Disc 1: The Singles is meant to play at random. None of the songs are meant to flow into each other. It was designed to be listened to on an iPod, in a playlist on shuffle. The first and last tracks are designed as opener/closer, respectively to bookend the list, but they still function anywhere else in playing order. The track list is as follows:

01. Casiotone for the Painfully Alone - Optimist vs. The Silent Alarm (When the Saints Go Marching In)
02. Girls - Lust for Life
03. Camera Obscura - Honey in the Sun
04. Passion Pit - Moth's Wings
05. Delorean - Seasun
06. Sleigh Bells - Crown on the Ground
07. Raekwon - Kiss the Ring (feat. Inspectah Deck & Masta Killa)
08. The Very Best - Chalo
09. Foreign Born - Early Warnings
10. Double Dagger - The Lie/The Truth
11. Cymbals Eat Guitars - Some Trees (Merritt Moon)
12. The Shaky Hands - Allison and the Ancient Eyes
13. Dirty Projectors & David Byrne - Knotty Pine
14. Animal Collective - My Girls
15. The Mountain Goats - Deuteronomy 2:10



Disc 2: The Calm is meant to play like a standard album, front-to-back. It's much more folky/acoustic. Generally speaking, throw on some headphones, lay back and relax and listen. Track list:

01. Mazes - Laid in the Darkness
02. Neko Case - This Tornado Loves You
03. White Antelope - Silver Dagger
04. Mumford & Sons - Sister
05. Bowerbirds - Northern Lights
06. The Tallest Man on Earth - Pistol Dreams
07. Telekinesis - I Saw Lightning
08. Beirut - Mimizan
09. Dirty Projectors - Two Doves
10. Woods - To Clean (Acoustic)
11. The Clientele - Bonfires on the Heath
12. Grizzly Bear - While You Wait for the Others
13. Pink Mountaintops - Vampire
14. Antony and the Johnsons - Dust and Water



That's all!
Erik

Next lists will be my 100 favorite tracks of all time. Stay tuned!

(Special thanks to Matty [SS# 386-05-1812] for album art!)

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Day 77: George Carlin

Today is a little bittersweet, for it marks what would have been George Carlin's 72nd birthday. Unfortunately, he passed away last year, leaving a huge hole in the comedy world. Being a Milwaukeean, I feel it my duty to personally make up for the fact that in 1972 Mr. Carlin was arrested in Milwaukee for disturbing the peace.

The act that got him arrested was his "Seven Dirty Words" routine. One of his legacies, of course, is his liberal use of profanity (and free speech in general). To commemorate Mr. Carlin, I've put together a list of 10 songs (some of which are short) that display my favorite use of profanity. There are a lot of songs out there that use a bunch of swears, but they come across as obnoxious to me (I'm looking at you, "My Neck, My Back" and "The Whisper Song").

Not to say some of these songs don't use profanity cheaply; they do. But, the difference is, they don't take themselves seriously, and I like that. And so should you.

YouTube:
01. Reel Big Fish - Another F.U. Song
02. Blink 182 - Happy Holidays, You Bastard
03. Tenacious D - Karate
04. Eminem - Kill You
05. N.W.A. - Straight Outta Compton
06. Pantera - Fucking Hostile
07. Dr. Dooom - No Chorus
08. Lil Jon feat. Ice Cube - Roll Call
09. Frank Zappa & Steve Vai - Fuck Yourself
10. Ben Folds - Bitches Ain't Shit

imeem: External:

Day 77: George Carlin

Fuck,
Erik

Vid.


(Image by Thomas Roche, Licensed Under Creative Commons)

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Day 74: The Seven Deadly Sins

There are plenty of days like this, May 7, where there isn't a whole lot going on; no notable deaths or birthdays, no holidays, no nothing. But, today is the 7th, which has prompted today's list: the Seven Deadly Sins. I've put together seven tracks that, in my opinion, best represent each of the Cardinal Sins. Enjoy, and let me know you think.

Lust (There are a lot of songs about lust, but this song really embodies the concept for me. The Deadly Sins aren't about moderation. Any of these things taken in small doses probably won't kill you. But, wanting it too much and in excess, that's the killer.)
01. Barry White - Can't Get Enough of Your Love
Gluttony (I realize this song is really obvious as far as lyrics are concerned; but I felt it appropriate. And, I didn't wanna settle on "Weird Al" Yankovic's "Fat" or "Eat It.")
02. Dave Matthews Band - Too Much
Greed (This song pretty much exemplifies modern rap's greed.)
03. 50 Cent - I Get Money
Sloth (This song came by good suggestion. It embodies apathy and detrimental laziness about as fully as anything else out there.)
04. Green Day - Longview
Wrath (Both musically and lyrically wrathful.)
05. Metallica - Seek & Destroy
Envy (I love this pick. There are a lot of songs about envy, but this one really goes to the extreme. This person is so envious of someone else's love that he can barely distinguish reality from imagination.)
06. The Temptations - Just My Imagination
Pride (The pride they refer to with the sins isn't being proud of something else; it's hubris. It's a love of self more than a love of anything else. Now, rap is probably the most self-obsessed genre, and Kanye West is probably the most self-obsessed person within that genre. The chorus asks, "Did you realize, that you were a champion in their eyes?" But it asks it in the third person, to which Kanye responds to his own question: "Yes I did." Gotta love it.)
07. Kanye West - Champion

imeem: External:

Day 74: The Seven Deadly Sins

Let Us Pray,
Erik

And...



(Image by Bill Rogers, Licensed Under Creative Commons)

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Day 68: Wildcard (14)

Alright! Wildcard time! I never know what to do with these things. There are just so many possibilities, and I don't want to get too obscure, but I also don't want to get overly mainstream. I guess my rationale behind my Wildcard selections is that it would be what I would play if I had a radio show. So if you could imagine... Well, enjoy! And, of course, old Wildcards can be found here.

YouTube:
01. Hot Chip - Ready For The Floor
02. The Strokes - Someday
03. Los Campesinos! - We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed
04. Ghostface Killah - Shakey Dog
05. KRS-One - Step Into A World (Rapture's Delight)
06. Shugo Tokumaru - Parachute
07. Pop Levi - Never Never Love (N/A on imeem, "Skip Ghetto" instead)
08. Tiffany - I Think We're Alone Now
09. Cut Copy - So Haunted
10. Joy Division - Love Will Tear Us Apart
11. Modest Mouse - Lounge (Closing Time)
12. The Ronettes - Be My Baby
13. The Impressions - Keep On Pushing
14. T.I. - What You Know
15. Trick Daddy - I'm A Thug
16. Murs - H.U.S.T.L.E.
17. 38 Special - Hold On Loosely
18. Sea Wolf - I Made A Resolution
19. Soul Asylum - Runaway Train
20. Ted Nugent - Fred Bear

imeem: External:

Day 68: Wildcard (14)

Bonus Video!


(Image by RebelBlueAngel, Licensed Under Creative Commons)