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LenLowLand Song of the Day |
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Tuesday, August 14, 2001
"Karma Police"
Radiohead OK Computer (1997) This is my favorite Radiohead song. I love the crescendo ending: "For a minute, I lost myself, I lost myself..." I first heard it on the radio senior year of college and wanted to know more about this "Radiohead" thing. One time I was in the car with my friend Lisa and this song came on the radio, and her initial reaction was to change the channel. I said "Actually I really like that song," so she switched it back. Weird thing is, it eventually became a favorite of hers too. I keep pressuring the Enlow Family Band to become proficient at this song, but I think Matt thinks he can't do it for some reason. I think we'd do fine... the drumming is slow and somewhat easy, I could probably sing it if needed. Oh well. Sunday, August 12, 2001
"Packt Like Sardines in a Crushd Tin Box"
Radiohead Amnesiac (2001) A cool way to start an album. It reminds me of the beginning to their previous album Kid A, the same kind of haunting guitar sounds as "Everything In Its Right Place". It starts with a simple but unconventional beat, a sound like a kettle drum or pots banging together, and some cool low guitar. Saturday, August 11, 2001
"National Anthem"
Radiohead Kid A (2000) This features a cool repeating bassline which you really have to listen to in order to determine what it's doing. For a while it is instrumental, and toward the end it is mostly cacophonous horns that get rather dissonant, prompting mother to request that we not listen to this track any longer when I'm visiting her. Friday, August 10, 2001
Pyramid Song
Radiohead Amnesiac (2001) This song is great, even for one whose meter is so difficult to figure out. Usually I don't care for anything that strays from the traditional 4/4 or 3/4 time, but then again I like Radiohead. I had to tap out the rhythm of this song to figure out that the melody repeats every 32 beats. So you're thinking "that's two to the fifth, surely it can be easily separated into eight measures of four beats?" But there is absolutely nothing holding together any grouping of four beats. I'll play it for Matt some day and he can analyze it better. At any rate, this song has really grown on me. Thursday, August 09, 2001
"Iron Lung"
Radiohead The Bends (1995) Starts off with a pleasant little hook and a calm slowness. But then it suddenly gets really loud and really dissonant, at which point Mom has asked that we not listen to this song anymore. This song isn't even in the top ten of my Radiohead favorites, but (1) I wanted to take something from the Bends and I already did "High and Dry", (2) so what. Wednesday, August 08, 2001
"Paranoid Android"
Radiohead OK Computer (1997) It is so hard to understand Thom Yorke sometimes. What makes it even more difficult is lyrics like this. "Kicking and screaming gucci little piggy"... "unborn chicken voices in my head"... "the panic, the vomit, God loves his children". Great song though. It starts off kind of mellow and then suddenly gets really loud and noisy, then there's a beautiful slow part, then it gets loud and noisy for the finale. But it's a good loud and noisy, if you know what I mean. Boy with descriptions like this, I should quit my job and become a music reviewer. Tuesday, August 07, 2001
"Morning Bell"
Radiohead Kid A (2000) I love the beginning of the song, especially the bass. It took me a long time to figure out there are ten beats to the measure (and Matt later confirmed it), so it's kind of tricky to sing along. I even thought "this song would be so much better if it were in 4/4 time." And whaddya know, on their next CD, "Amnesiac", they put a 4/4 version of it, but they leave out the cool bass and they slow it down a little. Arg. Ah well, I'll be sure to heckle them when I see them Tuesday. Yeah baby! Monday, August 06, 2001
"Deee-Lite Theme"
Deee-Lite World Clique (1990) This is the opening track of the CD that "Groove is in the Heart" is on. People call Deee-Lite one-hit wonders, but I really dig most of their other stuff. I especially recommend the CD "Dewdrops in the Garden". Anyway, this song is rather short, but rather funky. It's got a heavy beat and some funky saxophonage on top of the opening riff from Three Dog Night's "Mama Told Me Not to Come". Sunday, August 05, 2001
"Possum Kingdom"
The Toadies Rubberneck (1995) Okay, I need to continue to touch on songs that you have probably heard. But at least you didn't know what the title was. This is another song that was stuck in my head for a long time and I had no idea how to find out what it was. I think all I knew was the line "Give it up to me... do you wanna be, my angel...", and I probably had the lyrics wrong anyway. But finally I sang what I knew to a coworker and he just happens to own the one-hit wonder's CD. So that was cool. Anyway, this is kind of a hard rock/grunge song whose allures I once again cannot describe. I just like the way it sounds okay? P.S. They never say "possum kingdom" in the song. How's a dude supposed to find your song when you pull something like that? Saturday, August 04, 2001
"Chemical Beats"
Chemical Brothers Exit Planet Dust (1995) I heard this CD for the first time at a listening station in a music store and knew I had to have it as soon as I reached track 5. I must have listened to Chemical Beats four times in the store, all the while straining to refrain from some serious head-bobbing, and proceeded directly to the checkout counter. The best part is a heavy beat sampled from the Ohio Players' "Funky Worm" complete with cowbell. The other main parts are some sort of electronic noise going "OW, ah-oo-ow... uh-ah-oo OW, ah-oo-OW" and what sounds like a group of people all saying "UH!" at the beginning of each measure. Good stuff. This song evokes fond memories for me because I breakdanced (brokedance?) to it in front of about a thousand people in college when I co-emceed the annual lip synch contest. Fortunately I was going for laughs. Friday, August 03, 2001
"Kernkraft 400"
Zombie Nation Kernkraft 400 (1999) I suppose this might fall into the category of songs you've heard but never knew their titles. You've heard it at sporting events, you've heard it at clubs, you've heard it... in some other places probably. No, it's not "Who Let the Dogs Out." It's that NN-TSS NN-TSS dance number with the repititive but pleasant loop. The original version of this song is just some synthesizer making the main melody, but its more popular iteration goes a little something like this: "Oh oh oh oh oh... Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh, oh oh, oh oh...." and if you listen close you can hear a deep voice go "Zombie.... Zombie.... Zombie.... Zombie Na-tion." By the way I have no idea what "Kernkraft 400" means. It really bugs me when I like a song but don't know what it is so I can't look for it in Napster/Kazaa/other, so I had to ask the DJ at the Purple Shamrock what the song was such that I may acquire it myself. I felt a little silly singing the "oh oh oh..." for him, but it was worth it. It reminds me of the time I called up Emerson College's radio show "88.9 at night" to ask them about a song I just had to have. Thank goodness I can carry a tune... I felt pretty silly imitating the flute loop from what turned out to be "Off the Books" by the Beatnuts. Thursday, August 02, 2001
"One Bad Apple"
The Osmonds One Bad Apple (1971) A successful attempt to sound just like the Jackson 5, "One Bad Apple" is a funky song led by young Donny on vocals. It sure is a catchy tune; I just wish it wasn't so blatantly a copy of the Jackson 5 style... it's like they said "Hey they're five brothers that use this formula to soar up the charts, let's do the same exact thing. Donny you can sing that high, right?" At any rate, there's no way Donny could match Michael's interpretation of "the Robot", perhaps the best I've seen. Wednesday, August 01, 2001
"Hip Hopola"
The Goats Tricks of the Shade (1992) I know you haven't heard this. Nobody's heard this unless your last name is Enlow or you're a rap fan from Philly. I was introduced to the Goats freshman year of college by Pieters, who happened to be a rap fan from Philly. The Goats were an underground hip-hop group whose lyrics, though fiercely political and thoroughly anti-George Bush Sr., were quite clever. But lyrics never (and I do mean never) dictate whether or not I like a song. The Goats had great original beats, samples, and melodic aspects to their music, all of which I love about good hip-hop. Tuesday, July 31, 2001
"Just Dropped In"
Kenny Rogers The First Edition (1967) This song isn't amazing, but it tends to get stuck in my head. That's probably because it's featured in the Big Lebowski. "I just dropped in... to see what condition my condition was in (yeah... yeah... oh yeah what condition my condition was in)". I was kinda surprised to find out it was Kenny, because... I liked it. Monday, July 30, 2001
"California"
Rufus Wainwright Poses (2001) I heard this song for the first time the other day, and I recommend it. I had never heard of Rufus Wainwright before, and he's not too bad. I was considering buying the album based on the reviews, but I listened to most of it and I think I may be able to do without it. But this song's cool. Sunday, July 29, 2001
"Carey"
Joni Mitchell Blue (1971) A pretty little ditty that would remind you of JM's more popular "Yellow Taxi." Here's another song whose allures I cannot explain, unless you count "I like the melody." I borrowed "Blue" from Katie and this happened to be the song I listened to over and over. Saturday, July 28, 2001
"Hey Hey What Can I Do"
Led Zeppelin Immigrant Song (1970) I've been trying to limit my Songs of the Day to ones that I've never heard on the radio, and ones that the average Joe has likely never heard. But I can't do that forever. I think this song comes pretty close, though, because I was a huge Led Zeppelin fan after discovering them in 1995, yet I had not heard "Hey Hey What Can I Do" until 1999, maybe even 2000. And it is now one of my favorite Zeppelin songs. The reason it eluded me is that it did not appear on a full-length album, only as the B-Side to the "Immigrant Song" single, which was released only in Japan. It's hard to explain why I like it so much, it's just got a great melody and it rocks hard. I'd pressure the Enlow Family Band into playing it, but I don't believe Kate would do (or wants to try to do) Robert Plant's part justice (and that's probably a good thing, what with the screeching and the yelling and all). Friday, July 27, 2001
"Red Alert"
Basement Jaxx Remedy (1999) This is the great dance song that was featured in the Coke commercial with the fat kid dancing in the forest. It's hard to explain its allure, except for a catchy little hook, good dance beat, and the superb use of silence at the very beginning of the song. Thursday, July 26, 2001
"Getting Nasty"
Ike Turner & His Kings of Rhythm Cussin', Cryin', and Carryin' On (1969) I discovered "Getting Nasty" because I found out it provided the sample for the Jurassic 5 song "Concrete Schoolyard", which I thought was rather fonky. All it is is Ike getting down ("nasty", if you will) on the piano while the drummer and bassist lay down the rhythm. Which makes me wonder why Matt and Tom and I haven't given it a real shot. Maybe I put the kibosh on it when I realized I got bored on the drums. Wednesday, July 25, 2001
"If I Could"
Phish Hoist (1994) There was a time when I would never have admitted to liking a Phish song. And that was sophomore year of college, when my ears were bombarded with their music for what seemed like the whole year, thanks to new roommate Bill. Most of what I heard was goofy songs by guys who couldn't sing ("Dinner and a Movie" and "My Friend, My Friend" spring immediately to mind). So it killed me to discover a Phish song I enjoyed. I still think the dude's voice could use some help, but the harmony and simplicity of "If I Could" is quite soothing. I often wish the Enlow Family band would perfect this and add it to our limited repertoire, but (1) Katie doesn't like it as much as I do, (2) Katie doesn't know all the words, (3) Katie can't do the harmony by herself which is the best part, and (4) Katie is part of the Enlow Family band. It's a shame neither Matt nor I can shift any focus away from our instruments to help with the singing, because Matt plays a mean "If I Could" piano solo. Not that... Uncle Tom's... singing... skills... wouldn't be welcome... it's just that.............. I don't know how to finish that sentence. Tuesday, July 24, 2001
"Spy's Spice (Mon Espionne)"
United Future Organization 3rd Perspective (1997) These dudes are Japanese, and the song is in French. And what a curious little song it is. It kind of sounds like spy music, whatever that means... it features a good blend of a wide variety of instruments. I remember playing this for the fam during Christmas of 1998... at first they were not too impressed, but then when the horns, bass and drums came together I think Dad may have unleashed the Dad Dance. Monday, July 23, 2001
"Share the Fall"
Roni Size/Reprazent New Forms (1997) Some very fast drum & bass from the godfather of drum & bass. Pretty much the only thing that makes this song great is the percussion. It seems to be a very sped-up version of the beat from the break-it-down part of "Bust a Move" by Young MC. "This must be what Hell sounds like." -- Matt's buddy John L. Sunday, July 22, 2001
"Once Around the Block"
Badly Drawn Boy The Hour of Bewilderbeast (2000) Good stuff. Catchy. He makes the guitar sound funny. I'm tired. Saturday, July 21, 2001
"Show Me"
Mint Royale On the Ropes (2001) Features the main MC from De La Soul, Posdnuos. This is the only song on the album that dabbles in the rap music, and it sounds pretty cool. It also features a foreign-language chorus whose lyrics nobody can figure out, but which is really catchy. You guessed it, I like to play this song really loud in the car. Friday, July 20, 2001
"High and Dry"
Radiohead The Bends (1995) A beautiful song by an incredible band. Catchy chorus, catchy verses... just kinda weird that he seems to be singing about a stunt motorcyclist. Anyway, Radiohead is fresh in my mind because yesterday I picked up tickets to see them at Suffolk Downs in August. Really looking forward to it. I'm not a huge fan of concerts; I only like to go if I'm very familiar with and very fond of the artist. Hence, MC Hammer circa 1990. But seriously... I had no problem paying for Fatboy Slim, De La Soul, Chemical Brothers, Black Eyed Peas, and now Radiohead. Here are some more artists I would definitely shell out for: Tribe Called Quest (they need to reunite first), Led Zeppelin (I need to go back in time), the Roots, Belle and Sebastian, Public Enemy... probably lots more if the price were right. It's just that in concert they'll never sound better than they do on CD. That's why you need something else, like the breakdancing of the Black Eyed Peas or the DJ skills of Fatboy Slim. Well, here's hoping Radiohead will bust out some fresh windmills, headspins and 1990's. Just kidding... their music will be enough. Thursday, July 19, 2001
"Strange Powers"
The Magnetic Fields Holiday (1994) An odd little song which I find catchy. The guy's voice is deep and kinda cool, the melody gets stuck in your head, and his lyrics are funny: "On a ferris wheel / Looking out on Coney Island / Under more stars than / there are prostitutes in Thailand". Wednesday, July 18, 2001
"Everybody Needs a 303"
Fatboy Slim Better Living Through Chemistry (1996) I can't believe I didn't know about this album until 1998. I remember borrowing it from a coworker and thinking "wow". This song begins with a funky bassline and then throws in a fast, percussion-heavy beat. It makes for a great dance song. My favorite part is late in the song when it builds up to a crescendo (in true F. Slim fashion) by repeating "needs love, needs love, needs love..." and the hits you with a barrage of bass and whistles and who knows what else. I saw Fatboy Slim at Avalon in December of 1998 before he really hit it big, and it was probably the best "concert" I've been to. He spun for like four hours, and he hardly played any of his own stuff. He mixed together techno songs, oldies, and Top 40 hits that blew us away. The only song I remember hearing of his was "Everybody Needs a 303", and I was happy to finally have an opportunity to dance to it. I wonder why it's called "Everybody Needs a 303." What's a 303? And the only lyrics in the song are a sampling of "everybody needs love." Make love, not 303. Tuesday, July 17, 2001
"I Wanna Buy You a Ring"
Huffamoose Huffamoose (1995) A pretty little love song. See how diverse (and incredibly unpredictable) my tastes are? The lyrics are kinda funny and the guy has a cool voice, kinda soothing. You may recognize this song from a jewelry commercial. Monday, July 16, 2001
"Dynamite!"
The Roots Things Fall Apart (1999) I wasn't going to do two hip-hop songs in a row, but I was just listening to this on the way into work. Loud. The song features a groovy groovy jazzy funky bassline and a relatively slow beat pounded out by the drummer, ?uestLove. I wish I had a question mark in my name. Or maybe some other type of punctuation. Maybe I'll change my name to "Łuke." At any rate.... great song. Great for driving on a sunny day like today. Maybe that's why Volkswagen used it in a commercial a little while back... the one with the yellow beetle I think. Sunday, July 15, 2001
"Joints and Jam"
Black Eyed Peas Behind the Front (1998) A catchy little hip-hop number in the tradition of De La Soul and Tribe Called Quest. It only contains one sample (which is something special these days), and it's of Q-Tip saying "that's the joint." But they have a full band with DJ, and three very talented MC's. Those guys also dabble in the breakdancing. Matt and I went to a show of theirs a couple years ago and were duly impressed by their skills. Saturday, July 14, 2001
"Sea Song"
Doves Lost Souls (2000) Hard to explain. Some cool unpredictable major and minor chords and some haunting singing make for an enjoyable song. I can't even think of anything to compare it to, sorry. Friday, July 13, 2001
"Don't Falter"
Mint Royale On the Ropes (2001) A nice happy song. Very different from the rest of the album in that it's a catchy pop tune rather than an NN-TSS NN-TSS techno song a la Fatboy Slim. Don't get me wrong, the rest of the album is great. This song, like all the other songs of the day, is something I love to turn up real loud in the car. Thursday, July 12, 2001
"Harder Better Faster Stronger"
Daft Punk Discovery (2001) From the people who brought you the infectious dance hits "Around the World" and "Da Funk", this is my favorite song on their new album. What makes this song great, besides that it makes you want to do the robot, is the clever use of the vocorder. First you hear the electronic voice: "Work it... Make it... Do it... Makes us...." then "Harder... Better... Faster... Stronger"......... "More than.... Hour..... Hour.....Never"..."Ever...After...Work is...Over". Eventually they bring all together at once, and you hear "Work it Harder Make it Better Do it Faster Makes us Stronger / More than Ever Hour After Hour Work is Never Over" which is pretty close to making sense. Anyway, they use the vocorder's words as an instrument, stretching it all over the scale and doing cool stuff with it. "Of all the songs you play, this is DEFINITELY the worst." - Bill Wednesday, July 11, 2001
"Brothers Gonna Work It Out"
Public Enemy Fear of a Black Planet (1990) This is a noisy rap song. I would not be surprised if many of the people I know would not like it. But it sure does fire me up. The beat, Chuck D's hard rapping style, and P.E.'s trademark "whine" (this time in the form of feedbacky guitar riffs) all combine well to make a powerful song. The strange thing about this song for me is that when Matt and I first listened to this tape in about '91 over and over and over, we didn't think much of this song. The first time I remember being hooked on this song was sophomore year of college, when I nostalgically bought the CD. Ever since, I have popped this in whenever I want to get fired up for a game, or if I feel like yelling. Sounds good, eh? Another thing I should mention is that this song together with the song that precedes it (the instrumental "Contract on the World Love Jam") combine for possibly my favorite all-time one-two punch to start off an album. Honorable mentions go to the Vengaboys' Party Album (laugh if you must, but this is a great 1-2-3-4 punch), Radiohead's "OK Computer" (best 1-2-3-4-5-6 punch), and the Beastie Boys' "Hello Nasty" (a great 1-2-3-4-5-6-7). Tuesday, July 10, 2001
"The Boy with the Arab Strap"
Belle & Sebastian The Boy with the Arab Strap (1998) This song just makes me happy, even after about a thousand listens. If you're not familiar with Belle and Sebastian, well... they're good. It's much more mellow and folky than I usually partake in, but the music is excellent. Anyway, the song is great for driving, and singing along. Of course, you have to know the lyrics first. And that's the only thing keeping the Enlow Family Band from including it in our repertoire. I can sing it, but not while I'm playing the drums. And Katie doesn't know the lyrics, nor does she seem to want to learn. But the instrumental is just as fun to play. Monday, July 09, 2001
"I'm Chief Kamanawanalea"
The Turtles The Turtles Present the Battle of the Bands (1968) Amazing song, especially considering it's by the Turtles and it's from 1968. It is near-impossible not to bob your head as soon as you hear these drums. Perhaps that's why they are often sampled. These are the drums you hear in "Jimmy James" by the Beastie Boys and "Hip Along Hop" by Luke Vibert & BJ Cole, and it makes these songs great. |
