Satan is Real Again

New digital mix

2006-11-16T00:40:00.000-05:00

Deux Filles

2006-11-14T05:28:00.000-05:00

DEUX FILLES "L'intrigue" [mp3] [link]

Because I haven't raved enough about Baby Dayliner...

2006-11-14T05:21:00.000-05:00

BABY DAYLINER - The Way You Look Tonight [mp3] [link]

He's got a few other great songs on his Myspace, and a couple cool videos on YouTube.

Video "Silent Places" [YouTube]
Video "The Way You Look Tonight" [YouTube]

When Things Get Too Heavy....

2006-11-14T05:15:00.000-05:00

Just call them helium.

AZITIS - Creation, Lord I Saw You Cry [mp3] [link]

Initials A.S.

2006-11-14T05:07:00.000-05:00

SERGE GAINSBOURG - Initials B.B. [mp3]

Census says...

2006-08-04T05:21:00.000-04:00

I don't update my blog enough. I'm sorry.

However... here are a couple bands who have written a few good songs and posted them on the King of all Websites, myspace.com.

1. Over the Atlantic myspace
Todd at Carpark sent me an email about this band from New Zealand. The few songs they have on Myspace are subtlely pretty electro-pop tunes, with some very nice Kiwi pop guitar strumming... and plenty of warm reverb, of course. Gee, I'm sure these guys get a lot of Flying Nun comparisons... really, that claim extends only as far as the reverb and the fact that they are from New Zealand. Lovely, and sometimes bears a strange resemblance to my friend Ben's pop solo project, Bones (formerly known as Bonedaddy. Bring back the old name, Ben!).

2. Beach House myspace
This pair is from Baltimore. In fact I think I've seen the guy strutting around town once or twice! They are touring with Over the Atlantic this fall, and they write wonderful songs as well. See them in Baltimore sometime. God knows the city needs your help.

Now, I'm spent. No wonder I never update. I'm bored already! Just kidding. Have faith in me, readers.

Mouth & A Brain

2006-07-24T18:21:00.000-04:00

This new mix is called MOUTH & A BRAIN, and it features the following:

1. HUEYS "You Ain't No Hippie"
2. TROPICAL FISH "Waterloo Station"
3. THE BEATLES COSTELLO "Soldier of Love"
4. JULIAN COPE "Bill Drummond Said"
5. LES POISSONS SOLUBLES "Can't We Start Again"
6. POCKET ROCKETS "Bela Lugosi"
7. THE PASSENGERS "Girlfriend's Boyfriend"
8. SCREEMING CUSTARD! "Mouth and a Brain"
9. THE FAMILY CAT "Final Mistake"
10. THE LONG BLONDES "Giddy Stratospheres"
11. THE MAISONETTES "Heartache Avenue"
12. KIM WILDE "Sparks"
13. MYLENE FARMER "Maman a Tort"
14. ROBERTO CACCIAPAGLIA ft. ANN STEEL "My Time"
15. NANCY NOVA "Made in Japan"
16. BATHROOM RENOVATIONS "Intensely Henna'd'
17. MARINE GIRLS "Flying Over Russia"
18. ROYAL FAMILY & THE POOR "Visions"
19. HOPKIRK & LEE "Free Arthur Lee"
20. MORGEN "Of Dreams"

DOWNLOAD IT HERE !
Link

Girls' Night Out mix reupped

2006-07-18T06:48:00.000-04:00

I re-uploaded the Girls' Night Out mix here. It will expire in seven days.

Girls' Night Out mix

2006-07-06T01:12:00.000-04:00

I made a mix called Girls Night Out. It's 20 songs from my favorite female vocalists and musicians.

I thank Jon and Stewart at Little Hits, Brett Lyman, palmsout.com, salon.com, the Shake Some Action series, 2 trombones and a crossbow, Chuck Warner, and many others for turning me onto these songs.

Karen Lawrence & the Pinz artwork

1. KAREN LAWRENCE & THE PINZ "GIRLS' NIGHT OUT" (1981)

Regina in her dance pop days

2. REGINA RICHARDS & THE RED HOT "TIGER" (1981)

Pauline Murray

3. PAULINE MURRAY & THE INVISIBLE GIRLS "DREAM SEQUENCE 1" (1980)

4. ELLEN FOLEY "SAD SONG" (1979)
5. TIN STAR "BRIGHTER THAN THE MOON" (1989)

Mary Jane Girls

6. MARY JANE GIRLS "ALL NIGHT LONG" (1983)

Mari Wilson

7. MARI WILSON "JUST WHAT I ALWAYS WANTED" (1982)
8. GIRLIE "ANDY (FOR LOVE IT TAKES TWO)" (1978)

Dolly Mixture

9. DOLLY MIXTURE "EVERYTHING AND MORE" (1983)

Family Fodder with Dominique

10. FAMILY FODDER "FILM MUSIC" (1981)
11. BATHROOM RENOVATIONS "APATHETIC HELL" (1980)
** Lead vocals are male, of course, but the girl's backup makes the chorus. Sounds great.

10LEC6 artwork from Counselling Orientation

12. 10LEC6 "WOLF TOOTH" (2006)
13. THE RENTALS "NEW YORK" (1979)

Anonymous Inside the Shadow

14. ANONYMOUS "J. RIDER" (1976)

Clay Allison 7" single

15. CLAY ALLISON "FELL FROM THE SUN" (1984)

Barbara Manning

16. WORLD OF POOH "STRIP CLUB" (1994)

Fran, Cannanes

17. THE CANNANES "SOUND OF THE CITY" (1989)

Shirley Collins

18. SHIRLEY COLLINS "JUST AS THE TIDE WAS FLOWING" (1959)

Fern Jones

19. FERN JONES "STRANGE THINGS HAPPENING EVERYDAY" (1959)

Betty Foley

20. BETTY FOLEY "OLD MOON" (1959)

Girl I've got a date

2006-06-22T00:08:00.000-04:00

Just started working at Amp Camp in Brooklyn, so I have a new excuse for not posting here very often. Phew! Good thing, I was worried I was gonna have to get creative. My first assignment was to review the latest Martin Hannett anthology. The review is here.

Myspace roundup... part 2

2006-06-16T04:19:00.000-04:00

Now, here's a real easy way for me to update without all the bullshit work associated w/ updating. Just link to some other shit!

ANA DA SILVA [Myspace]
Now, ya gotta be a fan of the Raincoats. A friend/fan of Ana da Silva (er, from the Raincoats) has posted some of her most beautiful songs from last year's "THE LIGHTHOUSE" on a Myspace site. Yeah, they been sittin there a while, but really, if you haven't heard this album yet, it's a very easy way to check it out now. Gorgeous, glimmering synthscapes on these-- gorgeous enough to even make the cheapest sound effects sound well-rounded. Greatest! All three songs highly recommended.

THE CARROTS [Myspace]
Picks: "Secret Since '99," "Beverly, "Kissing & Telling"
I'm a big fan of the Pipettes craze-- the production on the "Pull Shapes" single is HUGE, with soaring, cranked-up strings, and that wonderful, full, "in the red" analog warmth. I mean, it ain't Spector, but really, the song itself is just as good as the production. Anyhow, the Carrots are the Puppets, or the Blue Orchids, to the Pipettes' Shangri-Las-- they're a girl group, but low-budget, obviously small-time, with really great 60s girl group-style songs. I don't live in Austin, but I imagine the crowd down there really digs this awesome group. Kudos to B., as usual, for turning me on to them.

Myspace roundup...

2006-06-04T04:10:00.000-04:00

I'm on Myspace uh... too much... but when I find some good Myspace tunes I remember why I like Myspace so dang much in the first place. It ain't just for the pussy, y'know...

LE TONE (Paris, France)
Picks: "Lake of Udaipur" & "Paris Delhi"
This homeboy added me all the way from Paris. I almost ignored him like I do every other nobody crap band on Myspace, but I was delighted to find that he's actually a great pop producer who's been around since the mid-90s or so. The latest Le Tone record is called Le Tone en Inde, so a couple of the mp3s on his page are Indian-themed, but made more interesting with bouncy Jacno-style production, which of course I like a lot.

MAREVA (Paris, France)
Picks: Pourquoi pas moi
Speaking of Jacno, said producer lent a hand in this lady's album, and it couldn't be more obvious... listen to "Pourquoi Pa Moi." Has he found his new Elli? (Let's hope not.) The youtube video for said single is on her myspace, and here is the direct link. What a trip. I like this a lot.

AXEL & THE FARMERS (London, England)
Picks: Kids, Red Nose, Boys Drool
Wonderful pop songs on this one here. I got no idea how big this band is in the UK, but I can see this doing real well for the Pitchfork crowd here in the States...

Summer sun

2006-06-04T01:37:00.000-04:00

Here's to doing nothing in the summertime. Some of my favorite summer songs that either sound like summer, or are written in recognition of that time of year...

KOOL & THE GANG "Summer Madness" (1975)
The quintessential summer song, best enjoyed in the thick of a hazy, 100 degree afternoon.

Diamond in the back / sunroof top / digging the scene with a gangster lean...

ONE BLOOD "Be Thankful for What You Got"
William DeVaughn's original 1974 version of "Be Thankful for What You Got" sold nearly two million copies. This reggae version appeared on the Soul Jazz comp, Hustle! Reggae Disco.

ROY AYERS "Searchin" (1976)
Essential Ayers.

THE ZOMBIES "Summertime" (1964)
A British take on the hazy summer sound.

XTC "Summer's Cauldron" (1986)
XTC reminds me why I like the Comsat Angels-- not the other way around. I never forget why I like XTC! A favorite from Skylarking.

RANDY WINBURN "Sunshine USA" (1979)
This one is about sunshine and hating the winter, not about the summer. Winburn wrote some of the best unheard power pop hits. An excellent cut from Numero Group's Prefill.

RELATIVELY CLEAN RIVERS "Hello Sunshine" (1975)
Perfect sliver of Californian "rural rock" (their words, not mine!).

Through space and time...

2006-06-02T02:44:00.000-04:00

I figured I'd update this out of the blue. The theme tonight is our Earth's moon. Since I haven't updated since February 24, I'll throw a bunch of songs on this one.

BETTY FOLEY "Old Moon" (1959)
A top-ten hit from '59. Betty was from Chicago, daughter of Red Foley, a popular country musician, television actor, and a bunch of other cool stuff. Ms. Foley died in 1990. This one is a tremendous country song, and a tearjerker (if you listen hard enough), IMO. Kudos to Z.P. at the now-dead blog, Vociferous Slam, for turning me on to this one.

TIN STAR "Brighter than the Moon" (1989)
Stewart Mason-- yes, the one from AMG-- posted this strange (but wonderful!) would-be hit on Little Hits last winter. Mason theorizes this one was a bit too country-tinged for Top 10 back in the fated era of trashy hair metal. Stick a wig and a snug pair of leather bottoms on this lady, and "Brighter than the Moon" would be three times as tearful as any lousy power ballad.

This song was, I think, featured in the 1987 Charlie Sheen film, No Man's Land. If that is the case, the above release date is incorrect.

DEAD MOON "Dead Moon Night" (1989)
Double whammy. Two moons in this one, from the essential Unknown Passage LP.

By the way, d'you know how many fucking songs there are about the moon?

RAH BAND "Clouds Across the Moon" (Extended Mix) (1985)
Oh, man! Another gorgeous, bizarre relic from Top of the Pops. Rah Band was a sham, actually, or rather the creative vessel for arranger and composer Richard Hewson. His wife sings on this Top 10 hit. It was a sticker on Top of the Pops. Rah Band had everything a great one-hit wonder should have-- costumes, a gimmick, a soaring chorus, and a heartbreaking story! Why are all these moon songs so sad? This is a big, big favorite.

ZOOMERS "From the Planet Moon" (1981)
I think I post too much H2D stuff, but what can I say, I suck at Warner's teet. Zoomers is perhaps the only Baton Rouge band I've ever heard of. I bought the Zoomers CD-r, and this is still the best song on it! The rest is... well, not this cool...

THE CHILLS "Rolling Moon" (Radio Session) (1985)
This is from the Secret Box set, which I sadly do not own, since The Chills are one of my favorite pop bands as well as top favorite New Zealanders (Crowded House is, believe it or not, second on that brief list). I've posted from this set before, and probably will again.

EXUMA "Monkberry Moon Delight" (Paul McCartney) (1972)
A great take on McCartney's original, though spawned from a dip in Exuma's career. It seems a lot of folks on the Internet hate this cover, but I like it. There are a number of Monkberry covers out there, from Exuma to Screamin' Jay Hawkins to Percy "Thrills" Thrillington.

Alton Ellis

2006-02-24T19:35:00.000-05:00

Finally, I've got a minute to post some nuggets. Alton Ellis is one of the most popular Jamaican soul and rocksteady singers of all time. His material is pretty easy to find-- Trojan and Soul Jazz/Studio One throw him on compilations as often as they get the chance. My favorite Ellis material is all on 1970s Sunday Coming (left), which is almost top to bottom flawless. And that cover art! Doesn't get much better...

I would post the entire album if I felt right doing it!

ALTON ELLIS "~~Sunday Coming~~" (1970)

ALTON ELLIS "~~Joy in the Morning~~" (1970)

ALTON ELLIS "~~Live and Learn~~" (1960s, 12" disco mix)

War of the worlds

2006-01-21T02:57:00.000-05:00

My favorite part of religious mysticism-- no, one of my favorite parts-- is its aesthetic interpretation among musicians and visual artists. Exhibit A: The original cover art of the Louvin Brothers' Satan is Real, featured in my title graphic (and artfully erm, recontextualized by this author).

I also love the idea of polar good and evil--pure goodness checked by pure evil, with human nature somewhere in between. The artwork featured on Ace's 1993 collection of Claude Ely's mountain gospel songs plays up the "pure goodness" of Brother Claude-- there he is in white, gazing toward the heavens and pointing upward as if to say, "Hey God, it's me, Claude." The Louvin Brothers artwork bears a similar message, albeit in a more cartoonish and explicit way.

I thought perhaps the White Stripes were trying to play up the concept of "pure good/pure evil" in their dress and artwork, but thinking back to when I saw them in 2000 (when on tour with Sleater-Kinney!), their two-tone aesthetic was about peppermint candy, not religious mysticism (though Jack White does basically look like Lucifer these days...).

Some fanatics characterize the spiritual Earth as grounds for a turf war between pure good and pure evil, and that concept springs some really great art, not to mention good mp3s for me to post to the Internet.

The Terraplanes "~~Evil Going On~~" (1981). Another gem from The Terraplanes, formerly Animals & Men, as featured on Chuck Warner's Messthetics series and Revel in the Static, a collection of their demos and singles from 1979-83. Damn, what a good band!

Witchcraft, "~~No Angel or Demon~~" (2003). Pal B. turned me on to this Swedish group, who are often compared to early Pentagram, and whose 2003 A-side (this one) is produced so wonderfully it makes the song even better. Their clothes are fancy, but the studio was not!

Country Teasers, "~~Go Down, Mighty Devil~~" (199?). Speaking of perfect production... the Country Teasers, one of the two influences behind this blog's title! My boyfriend-- who unintentionally saw this band several times while touring in Europe-- and I were talking about the Teasers while at Joe's in Baltimore last weekend, and we agreed that their newest recordings are flawed in songwriting, but I forgot to mention that they also fail in production. As is the case on the awful Secret Weapon Revealed at Last (In the Red, 2003), the band sounds like they're trying to sound lousy (and really sounding lousy), rather than just being lousy (and ultimately being great). Then on Destroy all Human Life, which is unremarkable, but not bad like Secret Weapon, there are the beginnings of great songs that meander into dull territory ("Go Away From My Window," "David I Hope You Don't Mind"), and dang, they just sound better when they've got fuzz to fill in the dull parts, or at least just write good songs. Now, how did this turn into an encompassing review of the Country Teasers' recording career? I suggest you ask the three cups of coffee I just drank. Did I mention they are one of my all-time favorite bands (not for their later work, as you may have guessed)?

Davie Allan & the Arrows, "~~Devil's Angels~~" (1967). Davie Allan & the Arrows were hung-up on devil imagery and juxtaposing pure good and pure evil in anthems (shit, which Arrows songs weren't anthems?) like "Devil's Angels" and "Angel with a Devil's Heart." Since they were such a huge "rider" band, writing countless songs based on riding, cycles, rumbling, and other motorcycle fare, they're big on that whole devil/angel thing that bikers-- past and present-- are into. By the way, what is the deal with that?

The Pop Group "~~She is Beyond Good and Evil~~" (1979). I'm mixed on the Pop Group, but for reasons that have little to do with them-- I think there are a lot of contemporary bands that want to remake their music, and those bands aren't very good. I'm grasping for examples here, but I won't bother since I leave most of my grandiose statements unsupported anyway.

You know, relistening to the last song, I realize I don't like it, but I'm going to keep it up there in case someone else hasn't heard it and might like it. And who knows, maybe they'll form another stupid band that sounds like the Pop Group and I'll have lent a hand in making someone famous!

Grass is green, girls are pretty, etc

2006-01-10T02:01:00.000-05:00

Just returned from a weekend trip to New York, which looks terrific in the cold season. The city wears the season well, like it was built for cold. Being from the suburbs, I have a couple fantasies about the way New York looks and feels in the summertime and the winter: my New York summer is all Spike Lee, and my winter New York is Dickens's London. The South Bronx is stuck in an eternal winter, bleak and gray year-round; Times Square is a perpetual Christmas tree; slums in the Bronx, Yonkers, Queens and Brooklyn are dilapidated, barred-up and desperate; Scarsdale and Hastings-on-Hudson in Westchester County house quaint Victorian homes, elegantly framed by picturesque, softly falling snow.

But realistically New York this past weekend wasn't very cold, and I didn't see any snow. I got drunk at a shitty bar on the Lower East side, ate Chinese in the West Village, dropped off my friend's sister in Carroll Gardens and stopped by another friend's apartment in the East section of Clinton Hill, Brooklyn. It was cool. I fucking hate summer New York, but I was bummed to leave winter New York.

And here are my favorite songs either about or in reference to American cities:

The Rentals ~~"New York"~~ (1979)
The Rentals were kind of a big deal in Boston in the late 1970s, opening for the Clash at Harvard Square Theater in 1979. They relocated to New York and broke up a year later. Their first single "Gertrude Stein" is tons of fun-- a (kind of?) homage to the late great, splashed with lyrics about soda drinks. "New York" is a thumper along the same lines as "Stein," with a big chorus and lots of Psuedo Carol, whom I love, almost as much as Joe Harvard does:

I just dug that woman. I remember seeing her out one night with a bra on that was made of two baby-doll's heads connected by dog chain, one white and one black, each of them covering one of her boobs. She was a genius.

The Rentals' "New York," "Gertrude Stein" and "I've Got a Crush On You" (their biggest single) are all featured on Chuck Warner's Homework series.

The Chills ~~"Donald Duck in Chicago"~~ (1982)
This is of course a previously unreleased live Chills recording included on Secret Box. A very early Chills show from 1982, recorded at the Rumba Bar in Auckland. The extent to which "Donald Duck" is explicitly about Chicago is foggy-- it's an instrumental song, though perhaps composed with the city in mind. Who the hell knows.

The Go-Betweens ~~"Before Hollywood"~~ (1983)
Again, a reference to Hollywood that is not explicitly sustained. Oh well! Great song! They were wonderful in the 80s. Maybe not so good now...

ElectroniCAT ~~"Frisco Bay"~~ (2003)
I first heard this on Michael Goodstein's now-dead WFMU show, Choking on Cufflinks. "Frisco Bay" is laden with Fred Bigot's trademark fuzzy synth and guitar sound. Bigot (not the body builder) is cheesy as hell and has remixed Depeche Mode. He also does a nice remix of Mense Reents's "Alles ist Dada." Released 2003, Disko B.

Zion I ~~"The Bay (Chopped & Screwed)"~~ (2005)
It's beginning to look like I love California... Zion I is a rap duo from Oakland/Bay Area, regrettably tossed into the "conscious" scrap pile, and this is their tribute to their hometown-- chopped & screwed, thus pounding another tie into the invisible railroad that seems to exist between SF and the south when it comes to rap music. This is a nice change-up from the typical Bay/Mac Dre (RIP) cluster that is mostly concerned with purple and getting hyphy. Anything but the same old synth breaks...

Paired with my favorite songs about cities in other countries:

Cidinho & Doca ~~"C.I.D.A.D.E. D.E. D.E.U.S."~~ (Year?)
Paying respects to the slum depicted--albeit like a blaxploitation film-- in Fernando Meirelles's City of God (Cidade de Deus). Included on Essay's Favela Booty Beats compilation.

Yummy Fur ~~"Hong Kong in Stereo"~~ (1997)
A tiny song 50 seconds long from the Yummy Fur's Kinky Cinema. I love Douglas Wolk's nerdy breakdown of Kinky (as well as his record label!) and what he calls pop "miniatures":

Pop songs got standardized around three minutes because that's what 78s could hold, but sometimes life is just too short for that. Which is when bands that are very fast, or very good condensers, or just very terse, become useful. Just think: in the time it takes to hear the radio repeat the chorus 18 more times, you could be listening to three one-minute songs, or six 30-second songs, or a dozen 15-second songs.... [Miniaturism's] new champion is a twitchy Glasgow band called the Yummy Fur, whose formal and lyrical obsessions include brevity, whoredom and how they get along with pop. Their second album, "Kinky Cinema" (on the British label Guided Missile), is a beeline through 60 tracks, 58 of which are actual composed rock songs and about two-thirds of which make it in under the 60-second line. Most of them are newly released, though 10 appeared on the 1995 single "Kodak Nancy Europe", a game stab at the short-song grail of the perfect 7-inch album (attempted by punk miniaturists from the late '70s - the first singles by the Suburbs and the 49 Americans - to... Runaway Weiner Dog's ineptly Residential "Cheesy Fun From 1 To 10").

Lastly, I present my favorite song about a made-up city:

Lio ~~"Oz"~~ (1980)
Lio was a Portuguese teenager who became Belgium's pop darling at age 17, then later famous for making clothes and posing spread-eagle. So it goes! "Oz" is the last song on her 1980 LP produced by Jacno (Elli and Jacno) and Marc Moulin (Telex). It's a French synth pop record with three very cute singles: "Le Banana Split," which was a scantly veiled sexual metaphor, followed by the girl group-inspired "Amicalement Vôtre" and "Amoureux Solitaires," a teary playground rhyme/sad love song barely filled out by Jacno's pecky production. Lio was briefly gigantic in Beglium but her latter work didn't enjoy similar success. "Oz" was not a single and I have no idea what she is singing about, but it is glittery and pretty just like I imagine Oz... a truly wonderful, magical place.

Other city songs I considered: Nina Hagen's "New York New York," Hasil Adkins "Memphis," Lawrence Lange "Surfin' Kansas City," Monoshock "Hong Kong," Dj Technics "Charm City Theme" (Baltimore), Mistah FAB "N.E.W. Oakland," Bill Direen & the Bilders "Dublin," Big Black "Jordan, Minnesota," The Standells "Dirty Water" (Boston), X "Los Angeles," Telex "Twist a St. Tropez," Gary Wilson "New York Surf," Caetono Veloso "London London," Giorgio Moroder "Lost Angeles," Boogie Down Productions "South Bronx," Bun B & Middlefingaz "Clutch City" (Houston), Michelle Shocked "5am in Amsterdam," The Fall "41 Loop/Houston," Shrimp Boat "Houston Tower" (a stretch), XL Capris "My City of Sydney," Cavity "Goin Ann Arbor," MC Shy D "Atlanta, That's Where I Stay"

Songs about Moscow:
Telex "Moskow Diskow," Orange Juice "Moscow" and "Moskow Olympics," The Feelies "Moscow Nights"

Songs about made-up, exemplary, conceptual, or unidentified cities:
Yummy Fur "Escape from Oz," Ellen Allien "Cloudy City," U.S.E. "Emerald City," Orange Juice "Satellite City," The Driving Stupid "Fast City?", Empire State Human "Digital City," The Househunters "Shopping City," The Jam "In the City," Prince Alla "City without Pity," Johnny Copeland "Sufferin' City," every version of "Train from Kansas City," X (Australia) "Hate City"

Consult Eric's Geography Songlist for a nice list of well-known city/place/region songs.

Only God can judge me

2006-01-01T11:59:00.000-05:00

From the depths of the Internet, I have reared my mighty head. Gettin over a nasty hangover from New Years Eve and the drugz are still hummin in my brain. The theme today is, All the Shit I Put in My Body Last Night.

1. Mick Farren ~~"Half Price Drinks"~~
A pal handed me a nice single malt scotch last night. As I told my mother, it tasted like I'd just stuck my head in a wood cabinet. Lovely! Presley obsessive and friend to the Hells Angels, former frontperson of the Deviants (Social Deviants), this is Mr. Mick Farren solo. Dang I wish I coulda had a drink with Farren on NYE. Great cut from second album, Vampires Stole My Lunch Money (1978).

Recently, my good friend Dr. Jake asked me to rate my three best whiskeys. Having never met a whiskey I didn't like, I could only reply thus -- I think we have to accept that Scotch, Irish and Bourbon are different if kindred spirits. Maybe kissing cousins (I can't think about rye, never could drink it.) The best bourbon I ever came across was Gentleman Jack, an 18 year old Jack Daniels, although there are people who swear by George Dickel, and, of course the Keith Richards school that favor Rebel Yell, but I think they crave only fire water, and I've always found it akin to drinking aviation fuel. Not, of course, that it ever stopped me. Scotch is a problem. In a bar, I usually take the wiseguy route and order Johnny Walker Black. Chivas Regal is okay, but basically for pimps. To rate the best scotch involves one in the single malt wars, and a lifetime is hardly long enough to try them all. If asked, I'd probably say Laphroaig, and waffle on about peatreek, but, after three or four, it all becomes firewater and fuck the peatreek as meaningless snobbery. If you're in a bar with no other single malts you recognize, Glenlivet is always a safe bet. As to the Irish, I've never liked Bushmills or Paddy, but I did drink Jamieson's for a number of years; the twelve year old, if they had it and I could afford it, but, one winter morning, I awoke and decided that it was too sweet and switched back to Jack. Mick Farren (2000) [source]

2. Project Pat ~~"Whole Lotta Weed"~~
I defer to Project on the topic of marijuana. From Mista Don't Play: Everythang's Workin, this is a less-than iconic track, especially in comparison to the seminal opening cut, "Chickenhead." Can't get enough of Project's style-- he's a master of tight beat rhyming and syllabic manipulation. My favorite Triple 6 rapper next to La Chat. All due respect to Dj Paul & Juicy J. Since I don't think this song is that great, I'll post one of my favorite Three 6 tracks w/ a Project verse. It's a short appearance: Three 6 Mafia "We 'Bout to Ride" [YSI]. Also, as posted all over the Interweb this past fall: the unreleased Roots collaboration with the Patster, "Should I" [YSI].

3. Unit 3 with Venus ~~"Beer"~~
Featured on Homework vol. 2, Unit 3 (III) with Venus was a band from California with a nine-year old girl on vocals.

4. Abner Jay ~~"Cocaine"~~
The one-man band from Fitzgerald, Georgia: banjo, guitar, harmonica, drums, and vocals. "Folk song tells true stories but terrible stories! Because folk are terrible. Terrible songs make big songs. Why do you think kids like rock 'n' roll? Because it's terrible! Do you think they're gonna listen to the Philadelphia Symphony? One hundred and one strings?"

5. Dando Shaft ~~"September Wine"~~
A tremendous "mystical jam" from Coventry's Dando Shaft. This one sends my mind runnin through the forest, where I meet a velvet-clad elf picking guitar amidst a circle of dancing, drunk woodspeople. Pal B. turned me onto this group.

6. Potna Deuce ft. B-Legit & Lil' Bruce ~~"Hennessy"~~
Bay Area group from the mid-1990s. An ode to our favorite $30 cognac, delivered over a squelchy G-funk track. Classic! Kudos to cocaineblunts for posting it recently.

I considered these, too: Three 6 Mafia "Stanky Stanky," Original Symptoms (Swingin' Medallions) "Double Shot (Of My Baby's Love)," R. Kelly "Sex Weed," Dj Quik "Speed," Velvet Underground "Heroin," My Bloody Valentine "Strawberry Wine," New Order "Ecstasy," Ramones "Carbona Not Glue," Lazy Cowgirls "Carbona Not Glue"

Satan is Real Again

2005-12-30T17:21:00.000-05:00

I used to have a home over at popularshape.blogspot.com, but it suicided and while I'm sittin here in MD on winter break from college, I thought I'd write about some more music. I was tellin my boyfriend the other day that conceptually, I ain't a fan of most music writing-- particularly the Internet kind-- but damn I am into downloading music!

Props to ZP over at vslam.org, and B. at Good Thoughts Bad Thoughts. Friends! Onto it.