Lots of inspiration to draw from on a collection of mostly older songs that I’ve been thinking about lately.
I was talking to Crystal the other night about her part-time job and my Boisian friend about her job at the Starbucks. Jobs done on the side because customer service jobs are fun.
Got me thinking about working at Starbucks when I was college and again when I did evenings on the Zone. Heard some great songs and bunch of these I first heard at Starbucks, or was listening to them in and around 2003-2007-ish (with some randoms that fit).
The Dave Matthews?… I don’t have much of a story for other than I thought about him the other day and played this song on the radio, I remembered I used to love it.
Over the weekend I played a bunch of these cuts in the lounge and liked the sound. So to put myself to sleep I made a playlist for my iPod… and thought, maybe I’d share it with you.
Thank you for taking the time to listen to my selections.
I want to be the Johnny Appleseed of the Sleigh Bells. The song “Rill Rill” is a current favourite of sexual energy. Not even sexual… more like first date, holding-hands and watching Titanic on the couch energy.
If I made a makeout jams playlist. Side one, track one is Sleigh Bells “Rill Rill.”
When she gets going on about the braces and her boyfriend’s opinion… well I just hope it is more innocent than maybe its intended to be.
I had a pile of excitement when A) we added Sleigh Bells to the feature rotation here at The Zone and B) they are playing in Vancouver at the Vogue on May 25th. I don’t know if I;d be lucky enough to go, but if I do… the opening band also has my ear.
Neon Indian is a group I have played tons during my lounge sets at Veneto. if I remember correctly, they were never a chillwave group my fellow chillwaver Huckdoll could get behind… but then, maybe she DID take acid with you, took her clothes off and jumped int he swimming pool. Sadly, I did not… and so the regret lingers. And that is what makes the Neon Indian song, “Should Have Taken Acid With You” so great (to me). Hipster regret.
Now I might be too old to be dropping some acid… but the sentiment remains… you should probably do it. Sometimes the world calls for bold action… or not… but then write a really good song about it.
My latest collection of 45s I picked up over the weekend. This time from Ditch Records in downtown Victoria.
It begins with the contemporary Mumford & Sons. The song “Little Lion Man” has taken on new meaning to me as of late and seeing it at Ditch was kismet so i had to have it. The b-side might be of interest to you major fans as its not on their album and could be new to you.
Then we blast off to the 60s. I bought “The Nana Song” by The Scorpions for my nana… but he really is singing “na-na” not about Nana. Oh well, groovy beat band of the 60s, and the song sounds great.
More beat band action from The Creation, then The Zombies who I have a major lust for as of late. The set ends with some American doo-wop of the 60s in Randy and the Rainbows and then a weird, rare cut from UK’s female vocal group the Four Pennies. The song “My Block” doesn’t appear to have ever been a single. weird.
I hope you enjoy the set. Thank you for making the time to listen to music.
Dave, Christi and Me somewhere in Nevada. photo: chrstwzrd
While driving around the deserts of Nevada, the HIGH desert, where it is fucking cold as fuck. Fuck. We saw lots of a gas stations that we fondly called Dinosaur Gas. We started looking for them and only filling up there. When we’d roll through some town that had a population far lower than its elevation, Christi Wizard would point and shout, “Dinosaur Gas!” And we’d look at the gas gage of the Chevy Cruze and stop or not. Sometimes we would just stop and take a picture!
Maybe it was the lack of sleep, or lack of food… or both, but we came up with a pretty hilarious cartoon for Dinosaur Gas (narrated by actor Paul Walker). I think the Wizard has it on her “to do list.”
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Ian White is rumoured to be heading to Vancity to become a Canuck? hmmm.
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In other news…
I got a great message the other night from Dustin McLean. This Victoria artist is in the band The Wicks.
Their song “Geese” has a superbly pleasant alt-country vibe going on. I almost think about Leeroy Stagger a bit when I hear it… and then wonder, Leeroy was a bit ahead of the curve with his brand of music. Its so hot right now and I remember seeing Leeroy Stagger at Steamers in like 2003?
I think The Wicks will be your new favourite band if you like a serving of fibre with your rock & roll.
“Whenever I think of Canada…. I just think of more Amurika. ” – some guy from Texas at the Blackjack table
A collection of songs that I am feeling right now. Some inspired by a recent road-trip of the western Untied States (minus the Green Day) some are just inspired.
I hope you love listening as much as I enjoy presenting them for you.
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DJ Notes
01) Beach Boys – “God Only Knows” could this be the greatest song of all time?
02) Geoff Lundstrom – “Sail” you already know the story of this fine AWOLNATION cover.
03) Local Natives – “Airplanes”
04) Sleigh Bells – “Rill Rill” we jammed this song out tons on our trip through the Western US last week.
05)Bear in heaven – “Wholehearted Mess”
06) Geographer – “Original Sin”
07) The Zombies – “She’s Not There”
08) Up Up Down Down – “Boise” one of my all time favourite bands singing a less than flattering song about the Capital of Idaho. i totally went there, Christi Wizard bought TWO jugs of wine! Truth.
09) Destroyer – “Poor In Love”
10) R.E.M. – “I Don’t Sleep, I Dream” that title sums out how I’ve been feeling lately.
Thoughts or feedback, you know where to leave a comment.
It is nice to not be in Wells. Truth. And I missed my kid more than I thought I might. I hope you missed my blog at least a little bit?
Where was I? Last week, David Eleanor, Christi Wizard and I took off to Las Vegas for a radio/Chevy Cruze adventure. If you’re into checking out, hit The Zone dot FM. I do hope to blog some stories on here but right now, I am more interested in music.
Because… music soothes even the savage beast. And I could use some of that.
When I got back early yesterday morning, there were many correspondents to correspond with. One was an email from my ganger Jason Cook sharing with me Geoff Lundstrom’s cover of AWOLNATION‘s “Sail.”
If you love that cut you gotta check this out. If cover songs are not your style, move along.
Geoff and Jason perform as Adults on Thursday nights at theCanoe Brewpub. My man Josh heard the song the other day and implored me to check it out… so just before we were off to Vegas, Dave and I popped in and were impressed with Geoff’s interpretation.
The song takes on a whole different and sadder direction when the party beats and anthemic driving bass is removed. What we’re left with is a very mellon collie bluesy tune that boils the song down to some very humbling and basic truths. There is a lot of remorse and regret permeating throughout the song.
Jason and the rest of Geoff’s band, continue to push the song forward with the drive of the original, but where the original has the bass as the central story, the insecurity of the character shines to wrap you in his misery.
And of course, maybe it sucks and I’m an idiot or perhaps I just heard the song in the right frame of mind and it grabbed my ears.
Love your thoughts.
I have a mixtape welling up in me, might bubble out tonight if I find the energy, look for that if you care.
I hate the words “soft rock.” Its like, if you identify with that kind of music, I don’t want to be your friend. It reminds me of being 19 or 20 years old and working at QMFM in Vancouver and not getting it.
Turns out they do (QMFM crushes in Vancouver radio ratings)… but the whole idea of “soft” and “rock” being two words, though maybe accurate, together to brand something seems weird and not right. On a fundamental level!
So what is up Destroyer? You’re new record Kaputt is getting a ton of positive hype and is described as soft rock. And yeah, honest moment, I didn’t buy the hype at all based on that description alone.
Pitchfork“Best New Music” ‘d the record. That is something right? PopMatters was a little more critical giving it a strong 6 out of 10.
My man Simon was talking about how good the record was last week at Veneto Lounge. Its funny, not until after a trusted friend says, “yeah, for real,” did I even think to check it out.
I began by downloading the free download offered up at Pitchfork.
First listen… while doing other internet trolling… it was pleasant. You know, like soft rock.
Second listen… this is too much, too much.
Third listen, OK I like the album cover (I’m a sucker) so I bought the record Kaputt.
Admittedly, it was a hard for me to get into right away. It wasn’t till I hit the middle-ish and songs like “Savage Night…,” “Suicide Note…,” “Poor In Love,” and “Kaputt,” that i started to gel on the record a bit.
The disc is crazy pleasant… and can be too much for some (it was for me at times… saxophone fills? c’mon man!). This record reminds of eating too much Koala Kandy Kones at work. So yummy, so upset belly.
The final cut is an older song that he had released then included on Kaputt, “Bay of Pigs.” There are some interesting tones and audio-weirdness that feel like a massage on all the little hairs that grow in my ears.
If I had to give it a score, I might split the difference between Pitchfork’s glowing 9 and PopMatter’s ho-hum 6. Like a 7 or 7.5. Its a cool record, but it won’t be for everyone.
I am not too sad in that… well the band hasn’t been functioning lately. It was like a married couple that gets separated. We’ve seen this coming… and now the paper just got served and its official. Sad, but we’re glad they’re both happy now.
I like that they ended it, because it helps preserve the great amount of art they have created before. They can’t become a parody of themselves. PLUS, now we have a future “Oh My GAWD!” reunion show for Coachella to think about.
The White Stripes – “Fell In Love With a Girl”
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I need to cut my nails. I hate, HATE, H A T E typing with nails. gross.
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So I am pretty much obsessed with both the desert and the arctic.
If there is a documentary on my holy trinity of HD channels of Discovery World, Nation Geographic or Oasis on either hot or cold climates… I HAVE to watch it.
Saharan Africa… well I have my night planned out. I know pathetic, I also have four channels of porn, but I’d rather hear about Timbuktu or Berber peoples.
The other day, there was a show about Hammerfest, Norway. The northern most “city” in the world.
Such an adorable city. If Canadian northern communities looked more like this and less like … uh, well less… I’d be living in Nunavut.
To be fair, there is a $10 BILLION dollar natural gas plant pumping $90 million dollars into the local economy every year… so, yeah, they can afford to pave a few streets and open a few pubs.
But I keep reading about all the potential of the Canadian North and how there *could* be riches buried beneath the ice or sea bed, but it sure ain’t no Hammerfest.
I may never make it to Hammerfest, but I do hope to one day get a chance to explore the Canadian Arctic. There is a radio station in Iqaluit. neat.
Lots of inspiration to draw from on a collection of mostly older songs that I’ve been thinking about lately.
The Morning After 