São Paulo by Morcheeba Album: Charango
The closest I’ve ever come to Brazil is Spain, which I realise isn’t very close. (In fact,Washington State may even be closer.) But walking around Barcelona was lots of fun. What an interesting and sexy place. It didn’t seem unusual to see a young man and woman riding a bicycle together, but with her in front facing him. Where was I going with this? Oh, yeah. Morcheeba. And when you’re walking along the beach meeting extroverted people, this is the soundtrack. But why is the singer so depressed? It’s chill. Go with it.
Sex and Candy by Marcy Playground Album: Triple J Hottest 100, Volume 6
I don’t know much about the band, but I like the groove of the song. And while the phrase ‘disco superfly’ never really made into the vernacular (partially because of questions as to its usage), it wasn’t the fault of Marcy Playground. A good listen.
Captivate by Nitzer Ebb Album: Belief
I was on this huge industrial thing back in 1990-91. Ebb was a band that I quite liked, even though I knew they were kind of derivative. Except that I never really knew how to pronounce the name. ‘Night-zer’ seems to have prevailed, though I was a ‘nit-zer’-ista. There’s a sexual streak in the Ebb, especially this song. Smooth beats pump, not pummel as in so much of their work. Is it a seduction, or something a little rougher? Does the lead singer have his hands down his pants, in that special way that thrilled so many concert-goers?
Junk Culture by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark Album: Junk Culture
OMD was an anomaly, in that they actually got better the more commercial they got. And while every band peaks and each successive album gets suckier and suckier, each new OMD album after Junk Culture turned out to be not as sucky as you expected it to suck. In fact, they were quite good. At the time. Junk Culture finds OMD poised at their perfect moment — the experimentalism of Dazzle Ships is over, and ‘If You Leave’ is yet unpenned.
A Guide for I and I by Thievery Corporation Album: Ministry of Sound: Clubbers Guide to Breaks
I am not a clubber. I do not club. It’s just that you see these albums at the library, and you think, “Here’s a chance for me to hear how the other half lives, without having to actually waste money on the CD.” And then someone sees it in your iTunes Library and says, “Don’t you feel like a dick having songs by somebody with ‘DJ Whatever’ in their name? What are you, 18?” And I’m like, “39 is the new 18.” I will defend this track; it grooves along pleasantly, despite the annoying references to ‘Jah Almighty’. It could probably be longer, even. But you didn’t hear it from me.
9 June 2006 at 5:47 pm
So I’ve been meaning to ask you this anyway. What are the top five recordings you think I probably have not heard in the past 20 years that you would strongly recomend I listen to?
10 June 2006 at 12:09 am
Morcheeba come from Folkestone in Kent UK which is my nearest town. It’s a town of faded Victorian/Edwardian glory and currently has a bigger drugs problem than London. That might explain it!
Thievery Corporation are superb – if you haven’t got there yet, I also recommend Troublemakers for a little more edge and Tosca for a little more chill.
10 June 2006 at 1:16 am
Boards of Canada – Music Has the Right to Children
Air – Talkie Walkie
Pixies – Doolittle
O Yuki Conjugate – Undercurrents/In Dark Water
The Lilac Time – Compendium: A Fontana Trinity
and I’m sure you’d like
Jack Johnson – On and On
but you’ve probably heard of these before.
12 June 2006 at 3:03 pm
SNOWQUEEN: Thanks! I’ll let ya know what I think.
Dan:
Got to see Jack live at the Gorge a while back. Fun! Except the sorority girls sitting next to us. Pixies, of course. I think the rest are new to me so I will give them a try. I’m still terrible with names so I might start listening and realise I’ve been listening to them for years. I’ll let ya know.