Let’s listen through the Night Ripper catalog

This is a free crash course in music education from the last 40 years, courtesy of Gregg Gillis, aka Girl Talk. It goes by really, really fast.

My blogger pal Bruce (of Some Velvet Blog hotness fame) came up with an idea to do a massive joint post of all the songs from the ADD-inducing, mile-a-minute mashup disc Night Ripper (previous post), which uses over a hundred original songs to make the 42 minutes of party goodness on this album. We both logged several (very, very enjoyable) hours trying to pick out as many of the original songs that were harmed in the making of this disc.

AND THEN we found the massive list already in progress from our good friend, the Wiki. I was simultaneously elated & deflated because I was having so much fun on the musical scavenger hunt myself. After being momentarily thrown off-course, we decided to finish what we could piece together on our own, checking the Wiki for reference. It’s more fun that way.

When it came to posting the songs, we didn’t post ‘em all, just our favorites or notable tracks that we thought should be included. There were some songs that I just could NOT bring myself to post. An example of this would be “My Humps” (ah, it’s in your head now) or, perhaps, 2 Live Crew’s “We Want Some Pussy” (because, from time to time, my mom reads this blog).

So for you younguns who may have never heard, say, Hall & Oates (I would say “consider yourself lucky,” others I respect would beg to differ) or for the elders who wouldn’t know Eminem from Snoop Dogg, these are the songs you can use to inform yourself — and have fun hearing how Girl Talk blends all these together in mad fun.

All the goods for songs 1-8 are on Some Velvet Blog, and 9-16 are right here. And to lessen the likelihood that we will be sharing a jail cell somewhere, please remember that these tracks are only up for a few days.

Have at it.

09. “Friday Night”
0:00 The Notorious B.I.G. – “Hypnotize“
0:39 Billy Squier – “The Stroke“
0:39 Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg – “Nuthin’ But a G Thang“
1:19 Black Sheep – “The Choice Is Yours“
1:40 Donnie Iris – “Ah Leah!“
2:05 The Waitresses – “I Know What Boys Like“
2:18 Lady Sovereign – “Random“
2:26 Nikka Costa – “Like a Feather“
2:51 TLC – “Ain’t 2 Proud 2 Beg“
2:51 Daft Punk – “Technologic“
2:54 Busta Rhymes – “Touch It

10. “Hand Clap”
0:16 Sir Mix-a-Lot – “Baby Got Back“
0:56 Gwen Stefani – “Hollaback Girl“
1:07 The Rentals – “Friends of P“

11. “Give and Go”
0:11 Hall & Oates – “I Can’t Go for That (No Can Do)“
0:45 Sonic Youth – “Schizophrenia“
1:15 Phil Collins – “Another Day in Paradise“
1:45 Black Box – “Everybody, Everybody“
2:14 Whispers – “Rock Steady“
2:34 Seals & Crofts – “Summer Breeze“

12. “Bounce That”
0:00 The Emotions – “Best Of My Love“
0:10 Purple Ribbon All-Stars – “Kryptonite (I’m on It)“
0:37 LCD Soundsystem – “Daft Punk Is Playing at My House“
1:06 The Breeders – “Cannonball“
1:14 Stevie Wonder – “My Cherie Amour“
1:20 Steve Winwood – “Valerie“
1:55 Britney Spears – “I’m A Slave 4 U“
1:56 Wreckx-N-Effect – “Rump Shaker“
2:08 Elastica – “Connection“

13. “Warm It Up”
0:15 Paula Abdul – “Cold Hearted“
0:29 Annie – “Heartbeat“
1:13 Kansas – “Carry On Wayward Son“
1:25 Boyz II Men – “Motownphilly“
1:27 Kelis – “Milkshake“
1:37 Smokey Robinson & The Miracles – “The Tears Of A Clown“
2:00 MARRS – “Pump up the Volume“

14. “Double Pump”
1:03 Madonna – “Hung Up“
1:27 Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch – “Good Vibrations“
1:29 Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock – “It Takes Two“

15. “Overtime”
0:00 The Smashing Pumpkins – “1979“
0:59 Fleetwood Mac – “Little Lies“
1:19 69 Boyz – “Tootsee Roll“
1:46 Folk Implosion – “Natural One“
2:01 Technotronic – “Pump Up the Jam“

16. “Peak Out”
0:15 Eminem & D12 – “Purple Pills“
0:30 Pavement – “Cut Your Hair“
0:46 Paul McCartney & Wings – “Silly Love Songs“

Now you want to go download Night Ripper for your next house party, don’t you?

One To Watch: San Francisco’s Ryan Auffenberg

If you have a soft spot for the haunting male/female vocal harmonies of Damien Rice, the bright Americana of ‘Gold’-era Ryan Adams, or the smooth sounds of Josh Rouse, you will love this next artist. Ryan Auffenberg is a San Francisco singer-songwriter who is making some amazingly good (mature, thoughtful, musically solid) songs for someone of his age (25). He’s opened for the likes of Mark Kozelek and Jon Auer (of The Posies), and is starting to gain some well-deserved notice of his own.

If you find yourself in the city by the bay tomorrow night (Tuesday August 15th) I highly recommend swinging by San Francisco’s scenic Cafe Du Nord for the record-release party for Auffenberg’s The Bright Lights EP. This is the the first new music since his 2003 debut Climb, and an appetizer to his upcoming sophomore album Golden Gate Park, and it sounds great. Doors open 8pm, show at 8:30; be there. They are playing with The Bittersweets and Brothers & Sisters.

His song “Under All The Bright Lights” sails effortlessly into my top ten favorite songs of 2006 thus far. Seriously, I love it and you will too. It is a stellar, evocative, emotional tour de force set against a lush backdrop of gorgeous strings and wrenching piano. But for all the prettiness of the melody, listen closely to the lyrics for a dose of jarring reality. Highest recommendation for download:

Under All The Bright Lights – Ryan Auffenberg (must listen)

Climb – Ryan Auffenberg (from his 2003 self-titled album)

Head on over to his MySpace page right now to stream all four songs that will be appearing on the Bright Lights EP, and make sure to download “Hey Mona Lisa,” which is a midtempo beauty with a dusty, jangly alt-country feel.

The reviewer that best nailed my sentiments put it this way: “This kid deserves a chance . . . and when he gets one, he’s gonna be on the radio.”

UPCOMING TOUR DATES
Aug 23, Portland OR (Mississippi Studios)
Aug 25, Beaverton OR (Urban Rhythms)
Aug 26, Seattle WA (The Triple Door/Musiquarium)
Aug 27, Seattle WA (The O Lounge)
Aug 28, Boise ID (Terrapin Station)
Aug 29, Salt Lake City UT (Kilby Court)
Sep 1, Boulder CO (Rock N Soul Cafe)
Sep 2, Wichita KS (Java Nation)
Sep 4, Omaha NE (Mick’s Music Bar)
Sep 7, Ames IA (The Bali House)
Sep 8, Des Moines IA (Mars Cafe)
Sep 11, Minneapolis MN (The Fine Line Music Cafe)
Sep 14, Chicago IL (Uncommon Grounds)
Sep 16, Indianapolis IN (Radio Radio/Future Shock)
Sep 20, Boston MA (Kennedy’s Midtown)
Sep 22, New York NY (The Living Room)
Sep 23, Philadelphia PA (Grape Street)
Sep 25, Charlotte NC (The Evening Muse)
Sep 26, Decatur GA (Eddie’s Attic)
Sep 28, Tuscaloosa AL (Pours Cafe)
Sep 30, St. Louis MO (TBA)
Oct 4, Dallas TX (Standard & Pours)
Oct 5, Waco TX (Common Grounds)
Oct 6, Austin, TX (TBA)
Oct 7, Austin, TX (TBA)

Monday Music Roundup

This weekend I found myself at a hot rod show which evolved that night into a rockabilly concert at a rough & tumble bar, with a pinup girl contest as the finale. It felt like this bizarre glitch in the matrix, whereby I suddenly stumbled back 50 years and was hangin’ out with the bad crowd from, like, Rydell High. It was awesomely entertaining – fishnets, pompadours, and pincurls. Oh, and lots of tattoos (guys & gals). To hear a pretty authentic live band crank out songs like “Get Rhythm” (Johnny Cash), “Peggy Sue” (Buddy Holly), and “That’s All Right” (Elvis) made me yearn even more than usual that I had been born in the ’40s.

Yeah, it was like that.
Okay, onto the music for this week — which I just noticed has a largely nostalgic feel to it as well.

Thunder On The Mountain
Bob Dylan
You know how you’ve been itchin to hear the first track from Bob Dylan‘s new album Modern Times? Well in addition to hearing him mumble his way through lyrics like “I want some real good woman to do just what I say” up against a rollicking folksy backing melody here, you can sign up via the old email to attend a listening party in many U.S. cities to hear the rest of the collection (which sounds like a pretty cool fête to me). See the always-informative Stereogum for details.

I Don’t Exist
Buzzcocks
It’s about gol-dang time that someone wrote a song about IKEA. I just got my 2007 catalog in the mail and it made me ridiculously happy, letting me slip for a few minutes into the well-organized and spacious Swedish lifestyle of my dreams where I hang funky textiles on the walls and everything has a basket to put it in. British punk granddaddies the Buzzcocks are celebrating their 30th anniversary with a new album called Flat-Pack Philosophy (on Cooking Vinyl). Although it does not explicitly mention the Scandinavian slice of domestic bliss, you and I both know that that’s what they are talkin’ about on the title track. Trading some of their more angry & aggressive crunchy sound of days past for an overall more melodic & even poppy feel (oh, but their edge is still there) this disc is an enjoyably fast-paced romp (14 tracks in 36 minutes?). This particular track reminds me, actually, of early R.E.M. if you can believe that.

Let Me Know
Eric Lindell
Northern California-born/New Orleans-adopted Eric Lindell makes some rough & lovely blue-eyed soul that reminds me of all kinds of goodness from Van Morrison (listen: “See Me Through”) to BB King and, very notably on this track, The Black Crowes. His newest release, Change In The Weather (Alligator Records), is diverse and solid. There’s a nice old-school vibe to this song combined with a fresh & almost lighthearted guitar riff. Looks like he is stopping through the scenic hamlet of Manitou Springs in a few weeks (our hippie neighbors to the west) and since I have also heard absolute raves about his live show, I do believe I will stop by and take a listen.

California Rain
Madeleine Peyroux
This song absolutely makes me break into a big smile everytime I hear it and I think it will do the same for you from the opening notes. Mental image for me is waltzing around in my socks on a hardwood floor in an old crumbling San Francisco apartment with the rain falling hard against the windows. Madeleine Peyroux is amazing to me — the fact that she is a modern lady who sounds exactly like Ella Fitzgerald and is clearly steeped in a love for all those great sounds of the past. This is from Half The Perfect World (out 9/12 on Rounder Records), her sophomore effort following 2004′s Careless Love. It is a nostalgic foray into the past, but with some serious nods to the present with songs written by folks like Tom Waits & Leonard Cohen and a guest appearance by k.d. lang on the cover of Joni Mitchell’s “River.” Perfect for a lazy weekend.

Broken Signals
The Mugs
Brooklyn-based quartet The Mugs have quite a fine little self-produced debut album with Paper Scissors Rock (on SkinnyFat Records), which draws comparisons to the intelligent moodiness of The Smiths or the humble jangle of The Shins. A steady buzz is growing behind these guys, who were just named one of 7 must-see bands of NYC and get some serious love from the respectable KEXP in Seattle (and even a little blog love). Their first EP Daisy Cutter (2004) is available in full on their website, so you have no excuse not to get into the groove yourself (although the EP carries the caveat: “This recording hasn’t been ruthlessly compressed, nor has it been mastered, so it sounds best loud”). They’ve got a ton of shows coming up, and apparently they are best at converting fans in-person, so check them out.

I’m at the corner just in time to see the BUS FLY BY

Ha ha, I’m not going back to school. Ever. But if you are or know someone who is (darn kids at 6:45am at the school across the street from my house, bells ringing, band practice, what have you) Music for Kids Who Can’t Read Good has a fantastic Back-To-School Mix post that I wish I thought of. Here’s the tunes Taylor selected along with his witty musings, head over to his blog to snag the downloads (and there’s a few tunes from me at the end):

Mark Mothersbaugh – Hardest Geometry Problem in the World
“I’m sorry. Did someone say my name?”

Beach Boys – Be True to Your School
School spirit is so underrated, just because you’re an indie kid doesn’t mean you can’t let your colors fly.

The La’s – There She Goes
Don’t ask me why, but I think this is a great back to school song. Now that we’re in the Facebook era though the song should be more like “There she goes again – Her name is Mandy, she’s an elementary ed major and she enjoys Jack Johnson and The Notebook”

Yo La Tengo – Autumn Sweater
Not quite autumn yet but this song will prepare you for its inevitable arrival.

Wham! – Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go
For those of you exploring the college night life but like to take long afternoon naps. Also a good song to put on for spontaneous visits to Starbucks.

Hot Chip – And I Was A Boy From School
Not only is this song about school but it will impress your hipster friends.

Paul Simon – Me and Julio Down By The School Yard
The lesson here is if your going to get it on with some guy named Julio by a school yard, make sure your mom isn’t around.

Belle & Sebastian – Wrapped Up In Books
This will describe a lot of you guy’s college experiences. Luckily, I’m a Mass Comm major, which means minimal book-reading and lots of watching TV (for homework).

TV Theme – Saved By The Bell
Perhaps the most accurate portrayal of high school/college ever. Oh, the memories.

To this fine list, I would add the following selections to round things out:

“Education” – Pearl Jam
(Vedder questions his education in true rock ‘n’ roll form)

“Chemistry” – Semisonic
(not really the kind of chemistry you are learning in class per se, but a great sly pop song with educational allusions)

“Middle School Frown” – Josh Rouse
(I am so glad that I am not in middle school anymore – or “junior high” as us old folks used to call it back then)

“Conjunction Junction” – Better Than Ezra
(A little Schoolhouse Rocks! ditty to help you remember your good grammar)

“Don’t Stand So Close To Me (’86)” – The Police
(a nod to those of us who ever had a completely inappropriate crush on a hot teacher)

And the audio from the BEST CHRIS FARLEY SKIT EVER:

“Lunch Lady Land” – Adam Sandler singing, picture Chris Farley twirling

Joshua Radin is rad

Somehow at the music conference in Boulder I found myself babbling to Joshua Radin’s manager that if I had the letters “r-a-d” in my last name, I would pronounce it as “rad” because, well, it’d be rad to have that in your actual name.

Joshua Radin (who actually pronounces it “Ray-din”) writes quiet, beautiful music that is both lovely and wrenching, and I have found myself listening to it on repeat lately. A recent addition to the world of musicianship, Radin decided to start songwriting at age 29 (only three years ago) after previously being an artist and a screenwriter. He released two independent albums (and EP and a full-length) which he created and recorded in his apartment before Columbia Records took note and signed him recently.

Recommended for fans of the brand of hushed melancholy championed by Elliott Smith, Nick Drake or Sufjan Stevens, Rolling Stone just gave his We Were Here album 4 stars. I think that is pretty dang impressive — this is a really good collection of songs and Radin offers quite the confidently established live performance for someone who was not a musician for 9/10ths of his life.

This is some sort of melodic crack because lately I cannot get enough of his music. Something about it has an absinthe-like quality — dreamy, rich, hazy, but with a bit of an edge.

I caught his little set up in Boulder, and these two songs were my favorites of the set. The first, “Closer,” was introduced as being written about his ex-girlfriend. Radin said, “I was in a relationship for SIX years. The first two were really good. The last four were not. My friends used to ask me, ‘Why didn’t you leave after the two good years?’ I had to tell them, ‘It’s because she was a crier. She got FOUR YEARS out of me with those tears.’” Hence the lyrics:

I take the blue ones every time
Walk me down your broken line
All you have to do is cry

“Closer” – Joshua Radin
Live at Reg’s Coffee House, 4/24/06

The second song is the one that has been wearing out the repeat button on my stereo. It’s a cover of the early ’80s synth-laden junior high slowdance favorite “Only You” by Yaz (remember it from Napoleon Dynamite?), which Radin said he chooses to perform because he liked it when he was a kid. However, he completely reinvents it into something that is absolutely beautiful, a flawless little gem of a song that I think I’ve listened to 15 times today.

“Only You” – Joshua Radin (very highly recommended)
Live at Reg’s Coffee House, 4/24/06

Radin is featured on Zach Braff’s latest soundtrack endeavor (the two are apparently BFF), following the deafening roar of Braff’s success on the Garden State Soundtrack, so I would imagine that this might be a name we will be hearing more about in the months to come.

Definitely check out the Columbia re-release of his album We Were Here (eMusic has the earlier EP First Between 3rd and 4th as well, with a nice Smiths cover on it and fan-favorite/Scrubs-soundtracked “Winter”) and go see him on tour if you get a chance.

Heartfelt and truly lovely.

Another argument for that expanded $79.99 cable TV package

The Sundance Channel and Grey Goose Entertainment (I wasn’t aware that Grey Goose offered entertainment other than their vodka) announced six of the pairings for this season of “Iconoclasts,” their hour-long TV program (produced by Robert Redford) which pairs two “leading innovators” from different fields who come together to discuss their passions and creative processes. I’ve never seen the show, oh me of cheapie basic cable, but the idea sounds interesting.

Participants for Season Two are Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder and big-wave surfer Laird Hamilton; dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov and chef Alice Waters; filmmaker Quentin Tarantino and singer/songwriter Fiona Apple; actress Isabella Rossellini and inventor Dean Kamen; music great Paul Simon and producer Lorne Michaels; and comedian Dave Chappelle and poet Maya Angelou.

Broadcast schedule here, as well as excerpts from Season One (including the episode with Redford and my favorite Old-Guy-Who-Used-To-Be-Really-Really-Hot, Paul Newman).

New songs from The M’s!

On August 22 Chicago’s fuzzy-retro-rock band The M’s will be re-releasing their self-titled debut album on vinyl (Polyvinyl Records). Along with the album comes a bonus 7″ of the Isley Brothers‘ song “Tuning In, Turning On, Dropping Out.”

Below are mp3 links to both sides of the 7″. It is one long, feedback-laden song broken up into two parts.

“Tuning In, Turning On, Dropping Out (Part One)” – The M’s

“Tuning In, Turning On, Dropping Out (Part Two)” – The M’s

More good stuff from Boulder: Jackie Greene & Corinne Bailey Rae

Friday night in Boulder was a tag-team lineup of great acts at the Fox Theatre, and then we were to scurry next door to Tulagi to catch the next act before repeating it all over again. It was great. Here were my two favorites:

Jackie Greene‘s absolutely marvelous set at the Fox on Friday night (and then chatting with him a bit in line while I bought a drink afterwards at the convenience store across the street). Kid’s younger than me, but sounds like he has amassed a lifetime of road-weary wisdom and tight musical chops. Definitely buy his new CD American Myth, post-haste. He’s on tour now.

JACKIE GREENE, SO HARD TO FIND MY WAY (video)

(or click this link if the stupid embedded video doesn’t work. This is my favorite video I’ve shot recently, just an excellent performance. Sorry about the three blips of loud audio.)

Corinne Bailey Rae is absolutely enchanting live – she commands the stage with her voice, but couldn’t be more adorable (and I say that in a completely non-patronizing way – it is effortless charm, not cutesy gimmick). Even though I was about to die during her set from the 147 degree barn that is the Tulagi venue on a hot summer night with NO A.C., I took these two videos for your viewing pleasure (and occasional audio displeasure, sorry for the loud spots), then I almost fainted.

CORINNE BAILEY RAE, PUT YOUR RECORDS ON (video)

(direct link here)

CORINNE BAILEY RAE, SINCE I’VE BEEN LOVING YOU
(LED ZEPPELIN COVER) (video)

(direct link here. Oh, embedded video, why do you hate me so?)

Don’t Hassel the Hoff

This is so wrong on *so* many levels.

“Oh, Rexy, you’re so sexy“ anyone? I need to go take ten showers.

Kiss me out of desire, babe, and not consolation

One of my favorite songs probably in the world is Jeff Buckley’s “Last Goodbye” (Grace, 1994). It’s not just the beauty of the instrumentation (although that skittering melody gets me every time), but the richness and the poetry of the lyrics as well. One of the best breakup/moving away/leaving songs ever recorded because of its reality – it’s not a total screw-you song like “You Oughta Know” or simply a mopey song like “Forever Blue” but instead it plumbs the depths of a real relationship that’s dying.

Few artists that I know of have attempted their hand at covering this masterpiece, but Natalie Merchant undertook the effort with mostly favorable, if staid, results (I really don’t think there is any way I could like any cover better than the original). I love Merchant’s gorgeously unique voice; I think my favorite exhibition of it is, for some reason, a little song off Tigerlily called “Beloved Wife,” which just wrecks me. This version is pretty faithful, instrumentally, to the original Buckley rendition.

Last Goodbye (Jeff Buckley cover) - Natalie Merchant

I think that one of the best moments of integration and explosion in a song is where Last Goodbye breaks – the notes immediately prior, the vocal soaring, then:

Did you say ‘no, this can’t happen to me,’
And did you rush to the phone to call
Was there a voice unkind in the back of your mind
Saying maybe you didn’t know him at all

As much as I love the album version, my favorite version forever and ever would have to be this alternate from the Eternal Life single. The first 25 seconds are so changed as to be almost unrecognizable. It builds more slowly. Jeff also adds a small tag that I love, right before the lyrics quoted above:

Why does she call me
When she knows what it does to me . . .

Last Goodbye (alternate version) - Jeff Buckley
From the Eternal Life single

-