The CHIRP Blog
All hail to the Queen of Soul on her 69th birthday. Yes, Aretha Franklin is one year older, and, thankfully, in better health, as she is soon to be touring. Next to Ray Charles, perhaps no one in soul music was so successful in translating the fervor of gospel music into the more commercially palatable rhythm and blues. Of course, when you’re father is a revered (C.L. Franklin) perhaps you have a leg up on the competition. Franklin’s voice is inspiring and oft-imitated, but not equaled. But it’s not just the voice — she is a great interpreter, who can make a song her own (the best example being how she revamped Otis Redding’s “Respect” — you top Otis, you must be a queen), a fabulous pianist, and had adapted to other fields, including opera. So let’s honor Aretha by grabbing your iPod or MP3 player, hitting shuffle, and sharing the first 10 songs that come up.
- Sweet — Into The Night (Sweet Fanny Adams): This hard rock number, featuring guitarist Andy Scott on lead vocals, came out in the States on the Desolation Boulevard album, which combines tracks from the Sweet Fanny Adams and U.K. Desolation Boulevard release, plus two singles. The song is somewhat in the vein of 1973-74 Deep Purple, with the addition of Sweet’s awesome harmony vocals. The track showcases Mick Tucker, who plays a snare-heavy drum break with a phased gong. The Beastie Boys dug the drum break, sampling it on a track on their classic Paul’s Boutique album.
- This Perfect Day — Could Have Been Friends (C-60): This Swedish power pop act managed to get this album released on a U.S. major, where it sank like a stone. Don’t blame the band — they mixed strong melodies with crunchy guitars about as well as fellow countrymen such as The Wannadies and Eggstone. And, they generally wrote clever lyrics that didn’t merely restate power pop cliches. This song has a great hook and that’s all one can ask of a pop song.
- The Angels — Long Night (Night Attack): The great Aussie hard rock band fronted by Doc Neeson. A lot of their songs could be described as “thinking man’s AC/DC”. The Angels (who were called Angel City and later, The Angels from Angel City, in the U.S.), are basic riff rockers, but Neeson’s growly voice and lyrics that focused on things other than sex, drugs and rock & roll set the band apart. This is a very representative track, full of drama and plenty to shake a fist or bang a head to.
- Randy Newman — Roll With The Punches (Land of Dreams): A bluesy number from Mr. Newman. This is classic Newman, exposing the follies of racism by singing from the perspective of a man who thinks that poor people of color should just deal with things, the ol’ pull yourself up by your bootstraps. Of course, the lyrics and singing make make this position seem absurd.
- The Pearlfishers — Todd Is God (Sky Meadows): Yes, this is a flat out homage to Todd Rundgren. The song has mixes a melody in the vein to Todd’s “We Gotta Get You A Woman” with The Pearlfishers’ Bacharach meets Brian Wilson sound. There is a lovely horn arrangement, and the song is lush and so darned happy.
- Fabulous Poodles — Work Shy (Mirror Stars): The whole new wave ‘movement’ allowed older pop songwriters a new place for tunes that didn’t fit in with ’70s rock orthodoxy. The Fab Poos fit that bill, as they were a very Kinks inspired band, down to the vocals. Arguably, their first couple albums were better than the ones Ray Davies and company were releasing at the same time. This is a fun blues based pop tune on the virtues of laziness, with good violin work by Bobby Valentino (chekc ).
- Superchunk — Rope Light (Majesty Shredding): I think Mac McCaughey spent Superchunk’s lengthy hiatus just collecting great riffs, as their return album, Majesty Shredding is chock full of memorable ones. The riff sustains the verses which then sets up a ripping chorus. Of course, the playing is terrific too. This sounds like it could have come out 20 years ago from a young eager band, a compliment to how well Superchunk still is a preminent hooky punk band.
- The Dentists — Space Man (Behind The Door, I Keep The Universe): The Dentists were a C-86 style pop band who graduated to a major label, and some fans criticized them for getting too slick. Since I had never heard their earlier work, I had no beefs with their perky, jangly Brit pop songs. This is my fave Dentists song, as it leaps right into the chorus and is full of cheery energy throughout.
- Mano Negra — Patchuko Hop (Puta’s Fever): The seiminal rock en espanol band, led by Manu Chao, had only one album issued in America while they were still together. Puta’s Fever is a classic, with Mano Negra mixing styles and languages, while performing with manic energy. As a result, even an ethnic folk type number still rocks, as is the case here.
- The Orgone Box — Disposable (The Orgone Box): Rick Corcoran originally had a band called Orange, which never got much of anywhere. But he loved the sound. A mix of ’60s psychedelia and influences like John Lennon, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne and Roy Orbison, among others, define Orgone Box music. This is combined with cool mid-fi production that gives the songs the right feel. Although this is retro, there is an aspect that gives away that this is a modern take. Corcoran released two albums under The Orgone Box and they are both excellent.
Hey you! Quit it with your “winter blues” — it’s 60 degrees out! Get into spring mode and hear some blissed-out shoegaze and psychedelia from our friends Panda Riot and Relay Beken tonight for our monthly benefit at the Whistler! The night starts at 9:30pm, and DJ sets from yours truly will happen throughout the night. As always, entry is free, you must be 21 or older to enter, and we’ll be raffling off some very rad prizes. A portion of bar proceeds benefits CHIRP, so have a beverage of your choice for us, will ya?
Check out the facebook invite here, if that’s your style: [url=http://www.facebook.com/?sk=events#!/event.php?eid=131990133537845]http://www.facebook.com/?sk=events#!/event.php?eid=131990133537845[/url]
See you there!
Lush stood out amongst the band’s of the shoegazer movement. They took cues from the Cocteau Twins, but added a lot of dense guitar sounds, aided, appropriately enough, by Robin Guthrie of the Cocteau Twins. They went on to make a series of fine records. If there was a shoegazer pinup girl, it had to be Lush’s Miki Berenyi. Berenyi’s voice, alone or in combination with Emma Anderson, helped the Lush sound, well, Lush. In honor of Ms. Berenyi’s birthday, please grab your iPod or MP3 player, hit shuffle and share the first 10 songs that come up.
- Superdrag — Aspartame (Industry Giants): When this Knoxville, Tennessee power pop band got back together, all bets were off, with front man John Davis having released a Christian rock album prior to the reunion. Well, whatever his beliefs, he hadn’t lost his taste for rocking out. The Industry Giants was spotty, but this blistering track was a highlight, with Davis bitter and the band smoking, with just enough melody and nifty reggae tinged middle eight.
- Nat King Cole — Stardust (Selections from the Nat King Cole box set): One of the all-time great crooners, swelling strings and a classic song. How can you go around? Cole could be bluesy or urbane or both at the same time. This is so romantic.
- Run-D.M.C. — Proud To Be Black (Raising Hell): A deep cut from one of the first major commercial rap albums. Of course, the first two Run-D.M.C. albums were pretty great too, but this album augmented the hardcore beats and rhymes sound with a few extra elements, but not to the point of diluting it. This is closer to the spare sound of the debut album.
- Beastie Boys — 5 Piece Chicken Dinner (Paul’s Boutique): Some sampled hillybilly banjo picking, a short interlude on this stone cold classic (yes, an old expression, but the album’s old, so it’s okay).
- Doleful Lions — Driller Killer (The Rats Are Coming! The Werewolves Are Here!): A winsome melody, some pleasant jangle rocking and Jonathan Scott’s angelic voice. The first two elements are familiar and well executed, but it’s Scott’s voice and words that make this stand out. One thing that has made Doleful Lions consistently rewarding is how Scott continues to hone his songwriting while finding new musical contexts as he evolves.
- Kid Creole & The Coconuts — The Seven Year Itch (Doppelganger): August Darnell showed how adaptable funk was, as his songs mixed calypso and other tropical songs, with elements of Tin Pan Alley and showtunes, and the funk guitar parts in the background never sounded out of place. This song is so full of cool elements. The chorus isn’t as hooky as some of the horn lines and chord changes.
- Bettie Serveert — Have A Heart (Log 22): This Dutch band is steeped in ’80s college rock by way of the jangly side of The Velvet Underground, and with Carol Van Dyk, they skillfully mix melody and drone, topped off by an appealing personality up front. This is a languid mid-tempo tune augmented with some nice horns.
- Green Pajamas — Laura Silver Bell (In A Glass Darkly): This band is best known for “Kim the Waitress”, which Material Issue covered. Jeff Kelly, the leader, writes wonderful psychedelic songs. It’s not all about fuzzy guitars and backwards tapes, but it’s more in the vein of early Pink Floyd and Kaleidoscope, with mystical lyrics. If the band was heavier, they might lurch towards prog. Laura Weller takes the lead on this pretty song.
- Electric Light Orchestra — Bluebird Is Dead (On The Third Day): An early E.L.O. song, with a basic blues progression and a bit of a John Lennon vibe in the verses, but more McCartney-ish as it heads toward the chorus. The string arrangements are pretty dazzling and Jeff Lynne’s singing is particularly strong.
- Blur — Entertain Me (The Great Escape): This is from my favorite Blur album, where I think they just hit all of their strengths on one album. This is a cool tune that has a bit of a Bowie feel. It works a very simple rhythm, with some busy bass work and mechanical disco drumming. Not one of the top tracks, but an interesting number.
The annual South by Southwest Music Festival will be in full swing next week in Austin, TX, and CHIRP Radio will be there! Here’s a rundown of shows we’re participating in…
Wednesday, March 16th: CHIRP Radio presents The Burger Boogie Tour @ Trailer Space Records [1401-A Rosewood] for an all ages show from 1:00 PM to 12:00AM. The scheduled lineup:
2:30PM – Summer Twins / 3:00PM – Feeding People / 3:30PM – White Mystery / 4:00PM – Jaill / 4:30PM – Mean Jeans / 5:00PM – The Pizazz / 5:30PM – Dreamend / 6:00PM – Devon Williams / 6:30PM – Gentleman Jesse / 7:00PM – Cosmonauts / 7:30PM – Audacity / 8:00PM – Peach Kelli Pop / 8:30PM – Apache / 9:00PM – Wrong Words / 9:30PM – Shannon and the Clams / 10:00PM – Hunx And His Punx / 10:30PM – Bad Sports / 11:00PM – Conspiracy of Owls / 11:30PM – King Tuff
Thursday, March 17th: Threadless, in association with Bud Light, Mike’s Hard Punch & CHIRP Radio, presents the 15th Annual Schubas & Lincoln Hall SXSW Round-Up @Yard Dog Gallery [1510 S. Congress] starting at 12:00 PM (18+ & free, RSVP on Facebook), featuring…
Alejandro Escovedo / Alex Winston / California Wives / John Vanderslice / Kopecky / Family Band / My Gold Mask / Reptar / Screaming Females / Walk the Moon
…Plus DJ sets throughout the day by Flosstradamus & Midnight Conspiracy.
Also on Thursday, Hardly Art and Art Fag, in association with Sailor Jerry’s and CHIRP Radio, present the Hardly ArtFag Party @ Sailor Jerry’s Shangri La [1016 E 6th Street] from 12:00 PM to 6:00 PM. Featured performers include…
La Sera / Dirty Beaches / Unnatural Helpers / Las Robertas / Dizzy Eyes / Young Prisms / Colleen Green / Heavy Hawaii
Friday, March 18th: CHIRP Radio presents TWO free showcases from HoZac records:
@Beerland [711 Red River St.] from 1:00PM to 6:00PM…
Mickey / Heavy Times / Outer Minds / People’s Temple / Fungi Girls / Xray Eyeballs / The Shrapnelles
@Cheer Up Charlie’s [1104 East 6th St.] from 6:30pm to 9:30pm…
Rayon Beach / Women in Prison / Radar Eyes / Teepee / Sleepovers / Reading Rainbow
Let’s pay tribute to one of the ’80s more unique figures, Nina Hagen. This German singer tapped into a special vein of weirdness, with vocals that ranged all over the place and songs that were designed to allow for that. Hagen was just as creative in her look, instantly standing out, even during the days of new wave and post-punk. Love her or hate her, Nina is a true original. In honor of Nina Hagen, please grab your iPod or MP3 player, hit shuffle, and share the first 10 songs that come up.
- Cheap Trick — Down On The Bay (Samurai Rock Band): Cheap Trick is an amazing live band, and hearing this 1977 live concert, recorded in their native Rockford, Illinois corroborates this. This is a cover of one of Jeff Lynne’s songs when he was in The Move, and Rick Nielsen’s guitar playing is amazing. His tone on the rhythm parts is so rocking — it’s this sound that captured the hearts of soon-to-be punk rockers in the Midwest, while his leads are playful and hold the parts of the song together. Meanwhile, the rhythm section is as steady as can be, and Robin Zander is his usual awesome self.
- The Guess Who — All Right (Shakin’ All Over): Before The Guess Who became a perennial on the charts in the late ’60s and early ’70s, they went through the typical phases of any ’60s North American rock band. First, playing the typical covers that bands like The Beatles and The Hollies and The Rolling Stones were doing, as is the instance with this R & B flavored song first waxed by The Searchers. Second, move in a more garage rock/psychedelic direction. This sounds like an early vocal by Burton Cummings, who supplanted original group leader Chad Allen. Without this move, we would have never know who The Guess Who were.
- Surfer Blood — Fast Jabroni (Astro Coast): Despite the band’s name, this band does not have a surf sound. At times, they seem to come close to bands like The Shins and Rogue Wave, but with more of an old rock ‘n’ roll orientation. Here, you have vocals with a bit of echo, and a big melodic guitar part, on what is a really sweet traditional pop rock song. This is a band I discovered by volunteering at CHIRP, and just listening to this, I hope they have a new album out this year.
- Chestnut Station — Elephant Candy (In Your Living Room): This is a collection of hip Chicago musicians from bands such as Eleventh Dream Day and The Coctails playing old rock songs. This album was actually recorded live. This is a somewhat garage rock take on the ’60s bubblegum gem from The Fun and Games. These guys are having fun, and it comes through in this performance.
- Wavves — Linus Spacehead (King Of The Beach): I really enjoyed the second Wavves album, which came out last year. Stupid fun pop songs played with a lot of gusto. The first time I heard of it, I thought the music was somewhat in the spirit of the last couple of Jay Reatard albums, and then I learned that the members of the late Reatard’s band played on the album. This is a sing-songy tune with loud guitars that could have been done in the ’90s by a band like The Muffs or Flop. And I like that.
- Roky Erickson & The Aliens — Don’t Save Me Lucifer (I Have Always Been Here Before): The two CD compilation that this track comes from is essential. From his days with the 13th Floor Elevators until now, Erickson has created a terrific body of work that touches upon blues, psychedelia, garage and folk rock. Erickson is an outstanding songwriter, with a distinctive voice and lyrical perspective. This is a very trad rock song — somewhere between Chuck Berry and Creedence Clearwater Revival. The guitars are smoking, Erickson is passionate and the song simply rocks.
- Crowded House — Never Be The Same (Temple Of Low Men): Crowded House’s fourth album showed a band that had perfected its sound. Neil Finn’s songs ached with passion, even if his lyrics weren’t always clear, and Nick Seymour and Paul Hester were in lockstep with him. This song shows off Finn’s incredible facility with melody. The song is tuneful throughout, in a mesmerizing way, but the way he gets to the super memorable chorus is not obvious, making the pay off all the greater. And Finn is an understated guitarist, who shines here.
- Ohio Players — Feel The Beat (Everybody Disco)(Ohio Players Gold): As the ’70s wound on, funk bands had to adapt to the changing landscape. This meant going disco. For the Ohio Players, as evidenced by this track, the way to do this was to use their usual funk tricks, but do them at a faster pace, and add a couple melodic flourishes. It’s an uneasy compromise, as the dance beat could perhaps be a bit better, and the funk is a bit distilled. But I still like this song.
- The Blasters — Bus Station (Non-Fiction): A very typical Blasters’ song, with a ’50s rock and roll base and telling an evocative story. It’s about a struggling couple. The husband apparently can’t keep a job, so they move from town to town, living on the lies that things will be better at their next destination, when they both know it will just be more of the same. Phil Alvin’s vocal is fantastic, and in the context of a classic rock structure, the sadness of the situation comes through.
- Neil Finn — Faster Than Light (Try Whistling This): A double dose of Neil Finn this week. A swell song from his nuanced and textured first solo album. I bet you that Neil’s son Liam was influenced by this song. It uses a drum machine and some spare guitar on a classically melancholy Finn melody. As with the Crowded House song above, the hook sneaks up a bit on the ears, but once the chorus hits, the song lodges in one’s brain.