Sundialing

I don't know how to describe the vibe I get when I hear this. When I was little, I was very sick with some crazy fever. I remember it was cold outside at the time, I had to be in the hospital for several days. The sun didn't shine, but it was still bright outside. I remember I could see down the hall from my room. I would watch people talk in the waiting room with the light from outside on their faces, for some reason, whenever I hear minimal music like this Caribou track I am instantly taken back to that exact moment. I like the feeling, but I question why I like it.

Caribou "Sinuses" [from Tour CD 2005]

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-Drew

Nicholas Edward Cave

I re-watched one of my top 5 favorite films of all time today, "Zero Effect," an exceptionally entertaining, funny, and emotionally effective mystery. Equal parts Comedy & Drama, the film is one of those experiences that stuck with me over time, and gained even more of my respect with each subsequent viewing.

When I watched it today, I was once again struck by one of the films finest transitions, a sequence that leads from a lovely diner scene to the character’s long-awaited and awkwardly beautiful sex scene. The whole bit is anchored by the musical cue of "Into My Arms" by Nick Cave.

A few weeks back I spent an entire evening looking up videos of both Nick Cave and The Birthday Party on YouTube. I’ve always liked Nick Cave, but I was never really blown away by him until I started watching these videos. On record, I think his stuff with The Birthday Party has dated much better than a lot of his solo work has, but after watching these videos, it easy for me to see why he continues to be such an influence. I realize that only posted covers, but in this case, I’m more fascinated by his style than his song writing ability.

I particular like this cover of "In the Ghetto"




In The Ghetto (mp3)

A wonderfully vulgar rendition of "Stagger Lee" complimented perfectly by the video.




Stagger Lee (mp3)




What A Wonderful World (mp3) – Nick Cave & Shane Macgowan

Bonus Video & Mp3:




Junkyard (mp3) – The Birthday Party

--Popkoff

Exquisite Trash

Von Südenfed is a collaboration between Andi Toma and Jan St. Werner, of the electronic music group Mouse on Mars and Mark E. Smith, better known as band leader of The Fall. The three first collaborated on a 2004 12"double A-side "Wipe that sound/Cut the gain", which was released on the Sonig label; this is being followed by a forthcoming full-length "Tromatic Reflexxions", to be released on Domino Records in June 2007. "Fledermaus Can't Get It", is the first single and 12". If this song is any indication of the full-length then we are indeed in for a flirtatious genre/mind bending good time.

In sticking with my own personal agenda, if Mark E. [FUCKING] Smith makes a dance record then we seriously need to catch up...

Von Südenfed on myspace

Von Südenfed @ Domino Records

---Mr. Mark

When Opposites Attract! Outrageous Cherry & The Magnetic Fields

Last week I revisited the Magnetic Fields "69 Love Songs," and by my count, there are really only about 28 to 35 songs in the 3 disc set that I truly like and/or love. That’s a lot of filler for a collection I once held in such high regard. Yes, there was a time a few years ago where I felt that the best gift you could give someone you cared about was Stephen Merritt’s masterwork, but as time goes on, tastes change and so too do perceptions. Listening to it again, it would appear that while some tracks are meticulously crafted with love, others seems to be spat out like watermelon seeds. The quirky songs are as catchy as ever, and some of the ballads still hit me on a gut level, but there are others that affect me merely because they remind me of the time in my life that I discovered them.

As I worked my way through the 3rd disc, I came across the track, "Meaningless," which has never really been a favorite of mine, although I can relate to it’s unabashedly bitter take on relationships. As I listened to the track, my mind drifted off, and suddenly I found myself humming another song in my head, "Togetherness" by the band Outrageous Cherry.

I first posted about Outrageous Cherry all the way back in April ‘06, you can check that out here, although the links are D.E.A.D. "Togetherness" was the first OC song that I ever heard; I remember sitting at my girlfriend’s computer, after reading about them, and searching for them on Limewire or Soulsearch, or whatever it was I was using at the time. Listening to it that first time, it didn't quite sound like “crazy Psychedelia” I imagined it would from the article, but several years later when I heard it again within the Jangle-Pop context of their album, "Out there in Dark," it made much more sense to me.

Strangely, both songs start at different ends of the "Love Spectrum" but eventually reach the same conclusion: breaking up kinda sucks. In a head to head comparison, I think “Togetherness” is a better song. While Merritt seems to fancy himself a lyrical wordsmith with a literary sheen, his deadpan delivery can undermine his harder sells, in other words, it’s just hard to take him seriously sometimes. Outrageous Cherry vocalist Matthew Smith’s straight-forward approach on the other hand, while not overly sentimental, nor immediate, really hits home as the song builds to it’s final refrain.

The Magnetic Fields – “Meaningless” (mp3)
Outrageous Cherry – “Togetherness” (mp3)

Thoughts?

–Popkoff