"An attempt to share my perverse feelings about music with the world. Songs that I feel are not only essential, but also songs that shaped the ‘alternative’ genre…new & old. I love to make playlists for people…so this is a glorified version of my ‘mix tape’ glory days. Hope you enjoy…at least a LITTLE."
Archived Perfect/Playlists can be found on the G Blog!
PERFECT/PLAYLIST (3/4/10)
"echo/echoes."
1. "miles apart" Vetiver
(just saw this guy for the first time a couple weeks back at the Clientele show Mike and I went to @ Maxwell's in Hoboken. Actually...that was the first i'd heard anything by him. i'd heard OF him...but not his music. it took me a few songs to hear something that caught my ear, but when he did...it hit me hard. there's times when you cant get away from his obvious Paul Simon obsession...but how many people truly mimic Simon, and wear it on their sleeve?? yeah, there's Dylan in there...and Petty...but this is unbelievably genuine and refreshing. i have a feeling i am going to buy everything this guy has done to date, and very soon. for now...im going to play 2 in a row to start (this is a first for this feature) things. "miles apart" is a B-side...and "everyday" is the newest single off their new album "Tight Knit". enjoy...
2. "everyday" Vetiver (see above)
3. "hey luci" Pablo
(pablo is from brooklyn, i believe...or it MIGHT be staten island. regardless...he has become a ShoreAlternative favorite...and a somewhat regular performer at our s*alt nights. this song never wears on me...and almost feels like its been a part of my life for 10 years. i love this kid's genuinity...and he carries a very unique vocal & musical style. he's also responsible for the best cover of the Beatles' "Girl" i've ever heard, hands down. seek out his live show with all the female backing vocalists and his ridiculously great guitarist/father...and you'll be won over forever.
4. "rock and roll" Velvet Underground (there's not much to say about this song...except that it fits perfectly into THIS spot on THIS playlist. this song has popped up randomly so many times in my life over the past year...and most of the times it has, it was beyond my control. i feel like this song is trying to get something across to me, somehow. i guess i should really stop and listen to the message. great track...
5. "johnny & mary" The Notwist
(the best Robert Palmer cover that exists...hands down. this was a bridge track from the heavy.. almost hardcore early days of The Notwist to their current experimental electronic melodic style (hows that genre specific). this was the track that introduced me to the Notwist quite some time ago...and still stands as an all time favorite cover. if i didnt know any better...i would've thought this song was written BY the band...since they own it so well. the lyrics seem a hell of a lot more direct and sad coming from this version, than Palmer's version.
6. "atlas air" Massive Attack
(every week i contemplate putting another new Massive Attack song on my playlist...but refrain because it seems too obvious. but why the hell not? this album is my clear cut favorite of the year so far [the only other 2 that are close are River City Extension & The Unmistakeable Man and Badly Drawn Boy "Fattest Man in London" Soundtrack/Score]. this is the closing track on "Heligoland"...and reminds me of everything i love most about Massive Attack. i love their use of Guest Vocalists...but this is Massive Attack doing what they do best, on their own. genius.
7. "scatterbrain" Radiohead
(another anomoly...this is my 13th episode of "perfect/playlist", and until now there's been no Radiohead. this is truly strange and ironic, considering they are the band that inspires me more than any other. maybe it just feels impossible to pick any ONE track to play... maybe i'd rather not have to make that decision on the FIRST one to be included because it would then spawn a series of playlists FEATURING Radiohead? and why "Scatterbrain"? this song isn't my favorite....probably not even in my top 20 radiohead songs--but there are few songs in their catalog that give me this same warmth. the chords are beautiful...the melody is perfect...and the song is in a near-impossible timing. why NOT "Scatterbrain"?
8. "love comes tumbling" U2
(this is why U2 is such a great band. there are songs of U2's that 98% of all casual fans have never heard, that would blow their minds. this was on Side B of "Wide Awake in America"...which was a 4 song EP that showcased live versions of "Bad" and "Sort of a Homecoming" from The Unforgettable Fire. Considered B-Sides...they later included this song, and the other track on the EP.."Three Sunrises"...produced by Brian Eno...on the Bonus disc included with "Best Of..Volume 1 80-90" [B Sides & Rarities]. this is a near perfect U2 song that even some people not interested in the band would enjoy. Eno adds such atmosphere to this song.
9. "what the butler saw" Squeeze
(this is my new favorite Squeeze song...as of 3 days ago. i dont know why it hit me...but i listened to this song about 8 x's in a row and still couldnt get enough of this melody. being up close & personal with the band for the past 6 months hasn't taken away from my connection to these songs. these songs man...theyre just so damn good. this is a song that Lennon/McCartney really COULD'VE written! they were hailed as the "next Lennon/McCartney"...but it was only because of HOW they got their songs across. concise pop songs that have lyrical depth and complex arrangements, all within the bounds of a 3 minute song. i cant believe i didnt fall in love with this song sooner...
10. "porcelain song (theme from 'Head')" The Monkees
(if you're someone that thinks the Monkees are a joke band/Beatles rip-off....just give this song a fair listen and change the way you think forever. ok, yes, there are many overtly sugary moments ("Daydream Believer" being one)...but there are also some amazing pop songs. and of course some epic, druggy, Magical Mystery-era type tracks as well...thus "Porcelain Song". if the song sounds familiar, it may be because it was featured in the movie Vanilla Sky. the line "My, my.. the clock in the sky is pounding away...There's so much to say" is a perfect way to start a song about a drug trip. i almost feel like im chewing acid in 1968...
11. "section 10: hold me now" Polyphonic Spree
(i've recently gone back to spend time with the Polyphonic Spree...after seeing a somewhat intimate show with them at the Stone Pony about 7 months ago. this was the closest thing the band has had to a hit, to date...and its mostly because this song was featured in a TV advertisement around the time of its release. somehow this song didnt get any radio airplay, and its a shame...this is a perfect pop song. even if its a perfect pop song designed to make hippies believe in tracks that clock in at under 6 mins. not bad for a band of reformed heroin addicts that were institutionalized for enough time to form a cult destined to live 'high' on life and dress exactly the same for every day of it.
12. "you could write a book" Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin (im still not sure where this band is from...but i DO know that they slept on Billy's floor at some point or another. i know "Boris" is in our family in some way...but how, im not sure. i feel like this melody was extracted from a Todd Rundgren song or something...but thats only because its so nostalgiac to me. i have no clue why i feel like this song came out in my childhood... even tho i KNOW it didnt. clever lyric...but this song is about feel more than anything.
13. "puzzles like you" Mojave 3
(i was so so sad when Slowdive called it quits and claimed it would never play together again. i knew i'd follow Neil Halstead wherever he took his musical talents...but i thought NOTHING could ever surpass the beautiful noise of Slowdive...ever! i was wrong and im not afraid to admit it. Mojave 3 exists in the same part of my soul as Tom Petty...except i feel like Mojave 3 might speak more directly to my troubled mind. their latest album (2 years old now) is titled "Puzzles Like You"...and doesnt waste a moment. im gonna close this list with the title track from that record...and maybe youll find yourself nurturing this band the same way I do. this is one of those bands that you want to turn other people onto... but only the 'right' people. theyre too special to just hand over to ANYONE. consider yourselves special today...
