Heavy Rotation, Week Ending May 8th, 2010

I am writing this at 30,000 feet somewhere above Missouri, or at least the rout the pilot mentioned earlier. On my way to Seattle for what sounds to be a fancy meeting with fancy people. I’m honored to be included, and that’s not snark.

If you want to picture me, I’m in row eight on the 6:10 PM Alaska Airlines flight from Atlanta to Seattle. Alaska is much more humane ordeal than the onerous Delta that I usually fly. I still paid six dollars for a bag of tortilla chips, but at least I got off handedly got comped an extra vodka soda by the cool like that flight attendant. They haven’t had much to eat, but they run three drink services so I’m happy even though I showed some discipline and skipped the second. Meanwhile, in flight Wifi? You’ve been flirting with me for months now, I’m ready to get to first base at least.

On to Music Monday, a Twitter tradition that doesn’t get nearly as much respect or mainstream play as it should. Here’s what’s been burning up my iPod the last week or so, a little new, little Gen-X, and one that’s little really, really old, but I bet you haven’t heard it.


Born Free - MIA

Yes, I have heard. There is a video. So true. But forget about that because this song absolutely rocks. MIA creates, the industry follows and I’ll listen to whatever she decides to gift us with. You think it’s easy to write a song that gets played in Hip Hop club and a mosh pit? Think about even having the idea to try.




Oh No – Gogal Bordello

I’ve had this song for a few years and never really listened to it before this week. Here’s the deal, my wife has been altering this thing she calls ‘The Stairs’ into her running routine which not surprisingly involves running up and down this really long set of stairs into this drainage gorge called ‘Orme Park’ that’s been made into a city nature preserve. So what the heck, right, I run, I can do this thing called stairs I say to myself. Ten minutes later I’m literally lying on my back, panting, in a pool of my own sweat and this song comes on. Suddenly it’s like a scene from the Reanimator, a finger twitches, then a whole hand, then … well forget about that scene this is a music blog. Next thing I know I’m up and I’m literally dancing down the stairs. That should be enough right there to get you to check out the song, but wait, there’s more.

The lyrics are about how when crises hits we all band together and party, but then when the trouble passes we all go back to whatever f*cking zombie life we collectively chose to inhabit. Well “Oh yeah, oh no! It doesn’t have to be so.” We can party and be emotionally in touch with ourselves and each other all the time. That’s what Gogal Borbelo says at least. It is. Go ask them how they do it.

Your Hands (Together) - The New Pornographers

If you haven’t heard that Karl Newman, Dan Bejar, and Niko Case,  and their band the New Pornographers’s have a new album coming out then you must be one of my so-called older friend (we prefer the term ‘seasoned’ people!). ‘Your Hands’ is a classic rock anthem tight and driven (wait, did that come out wrong?) and danceable in a white-guy shuffle Beavis and Butthead head banging sort of way. The New Pornagraphers are at the top of the Indy marquee now, and with this song, they’re backing it up.



Bust a Move – Young MC

I don’t care that I was too cool for school for this when it came out, and most likely sneered at it while listening to ‘Mother’s Milk’ or the next song on our list. If you find someone who can’t like this song, you might want to check for a heartbeat.


Stop – Jane’s Addiction

(Sorry, you have to watch a commercial, but Perry Farrell is worth it right?)

Senores y Senoras nosotros tenemos mas influencia con su hijos que tu tiene. Pero los qieremos crejado y rejado de Los Angeles . . . Juanes Addiction.

That took 4 minutes of my life to transcribe/mutilate. You’re welcome.

Here we GO!


Phosphorescent – The Mermaid Parade

Ok, so where did this song come from and how did it get on my iPod? I must have downloaded it from Tsururoadio and let it get lost before the shuffle of my iPod brought it back to me. Let’s just say I was having one of those good sensitive and in touch days and instead of skipping to something more familiar I stuck with it.

I’m going to let it slide that no person on earth has even booked a flight to LA from New York and happened to cruise by Coney Island. The point is, if they had and the day were right, and they were open to the circumstances, they might have stumbled across the obscure but amazing real live Mermaid Parade, and they might have been moved to stop the cab and get out, and they could have met a naked pretty and small girl dancing, and made a new friend, and this whole episode could have resulted in them resolving their bittersweet addiction to their ex-girlfriend Amanda who cheated on the, and you know what? That could really happen. It. . . Could. And it’s a good song too.


Songs Written For Girls – Camera Obscura 

I tweeted this earlier in the week after hearing it as part of Tsururadio quite nice Bibliofile mix tape. I’ve been a little hooked. The deadpan delivery of the the gorgeously gifted lyricist (name here) front it, but the slow slide guitar sure doesn’t hurt either.


The (New) Return of the Freaks – Russell Luis and his Orchestra

By “New” I mean recorded in 1929 as opposed to well, I'm not really sure but before 1929, when the 1st version was cut. The new version is distinguished from the old version by the set of lyrics “Kick out your can, here comes the garbage man.” about half way through. That was how musicians used to stay “Shake it girl, I’ma gonna hit that” before pop music lost the art of poetry. Russell Luis is most famous for his work with Louis Armstrong. His daughter has quite a beautiful voiced herself, and has new recording out if you’re into things like that.