The SiwekSays Music Blog

SiwekSays TV Jukebox #1: Gettysburg (History Channel)

2011-05-31T19:47:00.001-04:00

Ok, music supervisor, you bricked here! BIG TIME! I see a trailer for the upcoming "Gettesyburg" series trailer on the History Channel and what song do I hear?

"Running Up The Hill". A cover of the 1985 Kate Bush classic by a band named, Placebo. Placebo is a trio with two British dudes as their rythym section and a flamboyantly gay Seattle-ite named, Brian Moloko, fronting said trio.

Bush's track is a known, based on her own interviews, gender role reversal tale that begs for a "deal with God" to help them better understand each other during the course of said relationship. So, director's Ridley and Gary Scott, thought to have this song soundtrack the commericals for their series about the American Civil War! Interesting choice...

Not well done! FAIL! Quiet as kept, Moloko's Placebo's band's second album, Without You I'm Nothing, is solid!

Hollywood, lazy ass music supervisors, and you busters on Madison Ave., I'm coming for you...just wait!

SiwekSays

The NEW SiwekSays TV Jukebox Feature (Read on...)

2011-05-31T19:37:00.000-04:00

Ok, I'm sure many have you noticed that popular music, or music on the fringe, is being featured in many television commercials and movies. The messed up thing is, any "music supervisor" worth their salt is not doing their jobs.

Was I appalled in 1987 when the Beatles "Revolution", being in featured in a NIKE ad campaign was all over TV? Sort of, but not really. Flash forward years later, so many artists are having their tunes featured in commercials and movie trailers or on movie soundtracks. Legendary music supervisor, Karen Rachtman, has always done her job extremely well, but for some "hack" advertising schlocks, their music acumen is sub-par.

This column serves to be a "watch-dog" on songs that work and those that don't. Easy enough, right?

I've always wanted to be one of these "music supervisors", but since I'm not hooked into Hollywood, I will be their watch dog. Some songs fit, some songs do not. I am comfortable, finally, that bands need to sell their tracks for recognition, but sometimes, these so-called "music supervisors" that work for advertising agencies and movie studios are not getting the point about the songs they place. You "supervisors" are now f**ked!

SiwekSays

The Beastie Boys - Hot Sauce Committee Part Two (Capitol Records)

2011-05-03T21:57:00.000-04:00

Quick, name a hip-hop group that has been together and is still relevant 25 years after their major label debut?

(Jeopardy music playing...)

Thought so.

The Beastie Boys, after a seven year absence from the hip-hop game (four years actually if you count their instrumental excursion, The Mix Up) are back with Hot Sauce Committee Part Two. For those scoring at home, I will not go into the story of what happened to Part One, I am here to talk about a serious return to form from the New York City trio of rhyming miscreants.

The group's last true hip-hop outing was the pretty heavy handed and bland tribute to their hometown, To The Five Boroughs. While the album had it's inspired moments, the beats were flat, and the lyrics were somewhat unforgettable. Hot Sauce restores the jocular hi-jinks on the microphone and sees the trio of Adam Yauch (MCA), Michael Diamond (Mike-D), and Adam Horowitz (King Ad-Rock) relying less on known funk and jazz samples in the creation of the the album's scant running time. The production is thick and chunky and beats are uniquely crafted from homegrown studio jams ala the Beastie Boys 1992 epic, Check Your Head. Seriously, you will not hear beats like this on any record you hear in all of 2011! Loping bass-lines that are about as fat as Albert's waistline, crisp kick and snare drums, and more analog synthesizer and keyboards than you can shake a friggin' stick at. Plus, the vocals are treated with more studio Robitussin and flange techniques to bend your mind for days. I personally love the fact they employ this technique.

Guest artist, the one and only NaS, lends his vocal fitness to the re-worked, "Too Many Rappers", which is an appropriate dismantling of the novices out in the "rap" world. Long the story has held that there is an intrinsic distinction between a "rapper" and an "MC" in hip-hop and the Beasties are taking prisoners with what is essentially an album chock full classic of battle raps and braggadocio that hearken back to the days of Kool Moe Dee versus Busy Bee. Something most "rappers" these days would not know about seeing as they get famous for hopping some bullshit R&B remix or regurgitating an album of their own.

Other highlights on Hot Sauce include what should be the best summer slammer of 2011, "Don't Play No Game I Can't Win" featuring underground chanteuse, Santigold. Riding an authentic mid-1980s new wave reggae vibe, any savvy DJ worth his/her salt will have this one lined up to rock the dancefloors during the dog days. A Jamaican beef patty from the local bodega along with 20 "D" Energizer batteries, please, to go along with this winner!

The scorching, "Long Burn The Fire", is a lyrical tour de force and quite possibly has become one of my personal favorite Beastie cuts of all time, and finds the trio going for the lyrical jugular with every verse. Honestly, with the mish-mash of pop-culture reference and exquisite vocabulary turns throughout the album, Mike D steals the show on this tune. To quote, "Mike Dino the Jewish Brad Pitt" will have you spitting your venti skim capp all over your over steering wheel. Grown up bourgoisie assholes who think the Beastie Boys are rhyming about AARP cards and shuffleboard (yes, D-Niz, talking about your snarky Facebook post a few weeks ago, go listen to a Bruno Mars record, jerk off), welcome back to a feelgood record!

Simple and plain, this is not a record to over analyze. This is a party record, though there are lyrical curveballs galore. This is a record to "wild out" in your bedroom to like you were in middle school lip-syncing to "Girls" (from Licensed To Ill, 1986) in the mirror. To quote The King Ad Rock from the aforementioned, "Long Burn The Fire"; "...the proof is in the pudding, and the pudding's in my pants, you heard me rapping, now watch me dance!"

Dance muthafuckas!!! This is an instant classic!

SiwekSays 2011 NBA Playoffs First Round Preview and Predictions

2011-04-16T08:36:00.000-04:00

(SiwekSays Note: This was a little fun write-up I did for the first round of the 2011 NBA Playoffs for a little pool my old high school buddies, Lansing, Michigan's J.W. Sexton High School, and I have been doing for a few years now. I went for a speedy read and I am not, by any means, a hardcore hoops scholar, I just enjoy the game. So while this isn't my normal musical fare that appears here, I just thought the change of pace might be nice. For my music fans, I equate these first round matchups to A Tribe Called Quest's A Love Movement album. Solid, with a few standouts, but mostly a by the numbers affair. Read on and hopefully you will see what I mean...Enjoy!)

Alright fellas, the NBA enters what could be the most intriguing playoffs in years thanks to pre-season moves, trade deadline head-scratchers, and mercifully Piston-free courtesy of their season long rebellious unprofessionalism. With the new format for the fourth (?) annual J-Dubbs Playoff Challenge, I felt compelled (or politely asked by D.P.) to write a first round preview. I will provide my picks in this write up as well. Now, I'm no roundball scholar, so these will be brief and lighthearted. First up the Eastern Conference matchups...

Chicago (1) vs. Pacers (2)
How did the Pacers sneak into this spot? Did the ghost of Nosferatu Miller get some late season ticks? Anyway, this series is really an afterthought for Chicago and their regular season MVP, Derrick Rose. Is this Bulls team a force like the Jordan era Bulls? No, but they easily handle the Posers.
SiwekSays: Bulls (4-0)

Heat (2) vs. 76ers (7)
Well, well, well...Hey Bron-bron, how is the road to multiple championships going so far? Reality kind of stunk when you found out you, D-Wade, and the human velociraptor, Bosh couldn't play with three basketballs every night. I commend you on locking up the two seed, but face it, the Heat have a tough go in the next two months. Statistically, these teams do match up well. The Heat will drop one, maybe two to the 76ers. Elton Brand cobbled together a decent season, surprising play from rookie Evan Turner off the bench, and deceptively quick point guard play by Jrue Holiday, these youthful Sixers have some fight, but not enough to conquer the King at this point in time. Under Doug Collins' tutelage, these upstarts could eke out a couple close ones.
SiwekSays: Heat (4-1)

C's (3) vs Knicks (6)
Oh baby! Where to begin with this series! In my opinion, this is playoff appointment television. I'm thrilled the Knicks are back in the mix, but these are not the Knicks that bashed their way through the playoffs in the mid-1990s. Face it, these "New-Look" Knicks play horrible defense and that will be their Achilles throughout this entire series. The addition of Carmelo has brought excitement back to the Garden, but if the Trifecta of Amare, Melo, and Chauncey can play consistent "D" and score well, they have a puncher's chance. The true x-factor for the Celts will be and remain Rajon Rando. This guy quietly remains the true heart and soul of the Celtics as their big three climb the way to AARP cards (Shaq-Fu already has his). If Amare can lock up KG, and Melo handles Pierce, Shuttlesworth and Rando should be able to slice up the rest of the Knickerbockers. Madison Square Garden games will be off the hook! John Starks I miss you...
SiwekSays: Knicks (4-3) May Spike get lots of TV time...

Magic (4) vs. Hawks (5)
Grand Ledge in the house! Horford is not going to carry this team and will get his lunch handed to him by Dwight Howard. Joe Johnson is also nice for the Hawks and Crawford is decent, but there is no chance for them at the end of the day. Let's see if J-Rich can light up someone too. Hey Jameer Nelson, please bust out the t-shirt under your jersey for old times sake!
SiwekSays: The Ron Jeremy's (4-1)
The Wild, Wild West:

Spurs (1) vs. Grizz (8)
Kind of a tough series for the long-in-the-tooth Spurs. The Grizzlies have talent and have played the Spurs tough, winning their last two head to head matchups in the regular season. Bitch-ass Battier is a nice piece the Grizz picked up, if Mayo can layoff the energy drinks from the local Gas N' Sip and score like he can, and throw in ex-Sparty Z-Randolph; Memphis looks tough. Ginobli went down last night and that throws a proverbial monkey wrench in the Spurs gameplan this round, but experience ultimately wins out. The Grizzlies are a couple key components away from making serious noise in the west (or until Z-Bo can put down the Memphis BBQ and shave a couple pounds).
SiwekSays: Spurs (4-2)

Lakers (2) vs. Hornets (7)
Between Mamba calling refs "fa***ts", Bynum in limbo, and a possible chicken pox threat, the Lake Show is a conundrum going into their title defense. What team will show up? Can Phil summon more magic? Will Shannon Brown put his nuts on someone's head? Fortunately for them, the Hornets don't have that enchantment they had a couple season ago with CP3 looking to set up shop elsewhere and it's obvious. Okafor could prove troublesome in the middle if Bynum isn't 100 percent, but the Lakers are too experienced to drop this series.
SiwekSays: Lakers (4-1)

Mavs (3) vs. Blazers (6)
Seriously, how do the Mavericks keep winning 50 games a season for well over a decade? These Mavs this season to me, are a collective mess. Sure, Dirk is still one of the premier players in this league, but Jason Kidd is what, 89 years old? Portland has the league on notice going into these playoffs. Brandon Roy seems to be fine and the trade for Gerald Wallace is paying off nicely for the former "Jail-Blazers". Let's not forget the consistent play of the underrated LaMarcus Aldridge. The Blazers, sans Oden's schlong, are finally a team to root for. The Mavs don't have a good playoff history, so piss on Mark Cuban.
SiwekSays: Blazers (4-3)

OKC (4) vs. Nuggets (5)
This should be, on paper, another dynamite series. Since the Melo-Mr. Big Shot trade, the Nuggets have clawed their way to respectability employing the Bill Simmons "Ewing Theory." I'm still a little salty that Raymond Felton had to relocate, but I will get over it. The Thunder are the one team, who I believe, is the total team package rolling into the first round. Picking up, no, stealing Kendrick Perkins, from the Celtics the Thunder they lock down the middle against Nene. The Nuggets have no other answer for Perkins and Nazr Mohammed in the paint. Hey Prout, have fun watching your man crush, The Birdman, flail around too. Durant and Westbrook are the most exciting combo in the league! Though, this series will be tight.
SiwekSays: Thunder (4-2)

I'm excited to see how all these series shake out over the coming weeks, thanks to the NBA's screwy scheduling. Good luck in the J-Dubbs challenge. See you for round two...

Radiohead - The King Of Limbs

2011-02-18T20:58:00.003-05:00

On the album's closing track, "Separator", Radiohead lead vocalist Thom Yorke declares, "I know you think this is over, you're wrong." This should be the tell-tale sign that the Oxford quintet has no designs on going anywhere quietly.

Radiohead's eighth studio album, The King Of Limbs, was announced to the world somewhat serendipitously hours after this year's Grammy awards and in the process usurping all the momentum from Album Of The Year winners Arcade Fire and that charlatan, Lady Gaga. (All jokes aside, can someone/somebody make her just go away. SiwekSays thank you!) The album was announced via the inter-webs and unlike their 2007 release, In Rainbows, this would not be on the "pay what you want" availability scale. You could shell out for some elaborate package to be released in May 2011, or simply fork over less than $20 for a download (at the time of the February 14th press release was to be February 19th.) Once the downloads were delivered, the band was essentially ensuring the world could listen together. A communal event of sorts.

Well the 19th of February came on the 18th and The King Of Limbs is dangling out there for all Radiohead fans to hear and dissect.

After multiple listens, the SiwekSays verdict is this: Radiohead has once again reached a high watermark in their studio recording career!

The King Of Limbs is the coalescence of all the essential elements the group has been commiting to tape since 2000's Kid A. They make the human sound, more or less, in-human. Though this time out, the ice castle Thom Yorke and Company built around their sound in 2000 has now melted away with what is the group's most listenable record. An album with actual warmth and heart. What sounds icy and heartless on album opener, "Bloom", is sunny and vibrant by track three's, "Little By Little", with a Brazilian influenced shuffle.

By track six, the ethereal "Codex", Radiohead has delivered the most delicate ballad of their career. The next track, "Give Up The Ghost", is the most organic sounding track on the record. Layering a spectrum of arboretum birds and fresh air against a bed of acoustic guitars and prepared vocal loops, the effects are stunning.

Clocking in at an economical 38 minutes, The King Of Limbs is Radiohead's shortest album, but fans already clucking about feeling ripped off should rejoice in the fact that your ears are rewarded with each repeat listen. This is 2011's first truly great album.

Headphones would help as well...

2010-12-31T17:59:00.000-05:00

(SiwekSays note: The following is a special contribution to the year end, SiwekSays Best of 2010, by the one and only Ryan Brown aka The BRZA! Brown hails from Michigan and now resides in the booming metropolis of Memphis, TN with his fantastic wife. He is known for having elbowed Stephen Malkmus while playing pickup hoop, having Johnny Marr crash his wedding for the "free booze", and bitch slapping Anton Newcombe of the Brian Jonestown Massacre. Not to mention being a great ear for music and willing to call me out on my musical "preferences" on The SiwekSays Blog group on Facebook. I trust his tastes with the utmost respect! He has influenced me a great deal throughout the years! It is a privilege... Ladies and gentlemen of the SiwekSays fandom, Brown's Tops of 2010...)

My Year in Music – 2010
Doing a Top Ten list is a fruitless endeavor. I simply don’t have the time nor the energy to whittle down a bunch of great LPs, CDs or (gasp)MP3s into a tidy little list of diez(that’s ten in Mexican) releases. I apologize about the lack of Hip Hop. This just wasn’t a great year for that particular genre. I did listen to some great mixtapes but they tend to age as well as a box of chablis. Here’s my favorite shit that came out in 2010. As far as I can remember and in no particular order…..

Endless Boogie-Full House Head (No Quarter) Real deal, no frills Rock-n-Roll. If I was Tim McCarver, I’d say these guys “bring the heat” but if I was Tim McCarver I’d also be drunk right now and it’s 8 in the morning. This one goes to ELEVEN.

Tyvek-Nothing Fits (In the Red) The best, yet most inconsistent, band in Detroit these days delivers their best LP by far. Side A is as immediate as anything I’ve heard since Thee Oh Sees “Help”.

Superchunk-Majesty Shredding (Merge) This band was as influential to me as anything else in my early 20’s. Somehow they managed to release their best LP some fifteen years later.

The Fall-Your Future, Our Clutter (Domino) See the Superchunk review. The Fall have been at it since 1977. Too many ex members to count and it’s not like Mark E. Smith could give a fuck. When I first heard it, I didn’t think I’d hear anything better all year. Still not sure I have. Brilliant.

Eddy Current Suppresion Ring-Rush to Relax (Goner) My favorite band going right now. Ignoring the “lo-fi” sound so many of their contemporaries favor, ECSR bring a manic energy sadly missing from todays current crop of “punk” bands. I don’t typically buy band t-shirts but I own a ECSR one. That’s saying a lot.

Grinderman-Grinderman2 (Anti-) Nick Cave outdoes himself with this one. Still on my turntable as much as anything else since it’s release. Brutal and beautiful.

John Wesley Coleman-Bad Lady Goes to Jail (Goner) Bourbon soaked garage rock from a member of Austin’s brilliant Golden Boys. Simple and great.

Gil Scott Heron-I’m New Here(XL) First time I, knowingly, heard GSH was at the first DEMF. Me and The Jenkins were waiting for the Roots to play and a DJ was playing “We Almost Lost Detroit”. I was blown away and Jinx hipped me to GSH. Kind of like Rick Rubin did with Johnny Cash, XL label boss gives GSH some strange covers and brilliant production. Surprise LP of 2010 in the best way possible.

Hank IV-III (Siltbreeze) Hank IV are older men playing a young man’s game, a game that, if you’re good, you can grandfather yourself into. There’s no secret to reveal on their first album, Third Person Shooter, nor is there any in the superior follow-up Refuge in Genre, as unashamed and rambunctious as any rock record that’s been made since the Volcano Suns hung it up nearly 20 years ago. No lesson, save one: It’s uglier on the outside than on the inside. Young people, listen: the kind of loners who buy every new garage single hate a band like this because it’s a tale of what their lives might become. They call it "bad bar rock," having never truly experienced a bar rock band in all its putrid shame. Those bands play mostly covers, and couldn’t really understand where a lot like Hank IV are coming from.

Ty Segall-Melted (Goner) I realize my list is a little heavy on the Goner Records releases and in full disclosure mode, those are my peoples. Still, this record like the other Goner shit I’ve mentioned totally rules it. Ty grew up on this LP. It’s just a great rock-n-roll record.

Howling Hex-Rogue Moon (Golden Lab) Don’t bother buying this record. First of all, it was a limited run of 500 copies. Secondly, you will most likely hate it. Neil Michael Haggerty(Pussy Galore, Royal Trux) is one of my favorite guitar players ever and this puzzling LP does nothing to diminish that fact. Like most Royal Trux records, you’re gonna have to sift though some pretty challenging stuff to find the gold but when you do, it’s as good as anything else you’ll ever hear.

Guinea Worms-Sorcerers of Madness (4rd Year in a Row) For 10 years, the Guinea Worms have been making the best records and playing the best live shows by any band you’ve never heard of. This is not necessarily a legit 2010 release as it’s a comp of 12 or so CDR’s the band sells when they tour(far too infrequently).

Demon’s Claws-The Defrosting of…(In the Red) Leave it to Canada to produce the best psychedelic southern rock/country band playing today. Every LP these boys put out is essential and this ones no different. Fuck the Arcade Fire, Demon’s Claws are Montreal’s best import.

Ghostface Killah-Apollo Kids (Def Jam) And you thought I wasn’t gonna include any hip hop? The best in the whole damn game does it again. No contest. Hip Hop record of the year.

Honorable Mentions

Teenage Fanclub-Shadows (Merge)

Kurt Vile-Square Shells (Matador)

Fresh and Only’s- Play it Strange (In the Red)

Big Boi-Sir Lucious Leftfoot (Def Jam)

Menthols-Michigan Works LP (Useless Eater)

Intelligence-Males (In the Red)

The Young-Voyagers of Legend (Mexican Summer)

No Age-Everything in Between (Sub Pop)

Heavy Times-Dead (Rotted Teeth)

Puffy Areolas - In The Army 1981 (Siltbreeze)

The Mantles-The Mantles (Siltbreeze)

Reissues/Comps

Syl Johnson-Complete Mythology (Numero Uno)

Pastor T.L. Barrett-Like a Ship….Without a Sail (Numero Uno)

Good God: Born Again Funk (Numero Uno)

The Endtables-The Endtables (Drag City)

Death-Spiritual, Mental, Physical (Drag City)

Lagos Disco Inferno (Academy)

Mebusas-Blood Brothers (Academy)

Psychedelic Aliens-Psycho African Beat (Academy)

Saigon Rock & Soul (Sublime Frequencies)

The Rain Don’t Fall on Me (Mississippi Records)

Abner Jay-Folk Song Stylist (Mississippi Records)

In the Storm So Long (Mississippi Records)

Song of the Year!

“You Raise Me Up”- originally released by Josh Groban in 2003, this inspirational song was covered by Rich and Rita Rodriguez backed by the University of Michigan American Football Team Choir at their annual banquet.

SiwekSays Best of the Rest of 2010...

2010-12-31T17:44:00.000-05:00

You think all SiwekSays is singles and albums? Haha! Think again fair readers...

SiwekSays Top Reissues of 2010:

Syl Johnson - Complete Mythology (Numero Group) A thing of beauty for an underrated Chicago soul legend! 4 CDs/6 LPs at an affordable price and package to boot! Genius just oozes from this set...

Rolling Stones - Exile On Main St. (Universal Records) Taking one of my top three albums of all-time, remastering it, and adding an extra disc of "unreleased tracks" is akin to making the hottest girl in the room 100 times hotter! Seriously, the bonus disc of track recorded around the same time as the album equates to the best Rolling Stones album released in nearly three decades! Worth the price of admission for the version of "Soul Survivor" alone! Originally, the album's closing track, can be found sung by a very audible "fucked" up Keith Richards. Awesome!

Tammi Terrell - Complete Solo Recordings (Hip-O Select Records) Universally known for her stunning duet work with Marvin Gaye, Terrell's solo work has gone largely unnoticed...until now! She sadly left this mortal coil from a brain hemorrhage at the tender age of 22, her solo works are incredible! Fuck Diana Ross, Mary Wells, Martha Reeves, and the soulful white girl Chris Clark, Tammi Terrell will always be my favorite Motown female! Check out her funky, funky single "I Can't Believe That You Love Me" for proof...

The Stooges - Raw Power Deluxe Edition (Legacy Records) Worth it for the stoic, incendiary second disc "Georgia Peach" which documents a band teetering on the brink of self-destruction but playing beyond it's talents! Check for Iggy Pop baiting and taunting a largely southern, cracker ass audience. Hicks!

SiwekSays Music DVDs of 2010:

Rush - Beyond The Lighted Stage: Admittedly, I was no Rush fan going in, besides my adoration of the song, "Working Man," but after the first viewing my respect grew. Not to mention intense focus on Neil Peart, one of rock's greatest stick men!

Various Artists - The T.A.M.I. Show: Giving the kids in the 1960s what they wanted across this great land! Stones, Beach Boys, Marvin, Chuck, and an incendiary performance by James Brown that cemented his legacy FOREVER! No more crap bootleg DVD of this show for me...

The Rolling Stones - Ladies & Gentlemen, The Rolling Stones: Again, no more shite bootleg DVD of this legendary performance captured in the deep south of the USA. Two words sum up this concert footage succinctly...Mick. Taylor.

SiwekSays Top 10 Long Players of 2010

2010-12-31T17:16:00.000-05:00

10. Grinderman 2 - Grinderman (Anti-Records) A lascivious record that demonstrates how Nick Cave and some of his Bad Seeds are making records these days. Warren Ellis is a beast on guitars (and bouzouki) adding to songs that would make the girls out there blush. Need proof? Just listen to the song "Worm Tamer" and you will hear that sex, drugs, and rock n' roll never needs to grow up!

9. Treats - Sleigh Bells (Mom & Pop Records) A crisp 40 minutes of speaker shredding futuristic tunes! Their use of a Funkadelic sample has to be heard to be believed!

8. Sir Lucious Left Foot...The Son Of Chico Dusty (Def Jam Records) Who says you need Andre 3000 to make an incredible non-OutKast record? Seriously, after years of legal label red-tape, Antwan "Big Boi" Patton, released one of the most inventive and creative hip-hop albums of the year! Cannot wait for that next 'Kast record though, but in the meantime, check for the tune "Daddy Fat Stax" or "Tangerine" with your iTunes gift cards...

7. New Amerykah Part Two - Erykah Badu (Motown Records) An embarrassment of soul riches from whom I consider to be the most important female artist of my generation! Another classic!

6. I Learned The Hard Way - Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings (Daptone Records) Yes, I did get up on stage and dance with Ms. Jones at the Magic Bag in Ferndale, Michigan a few years ago, but that does not diminish the fact that they are truly one of the best bands, of any genre, working today! Another jukebox worthy classic by this New York collective!

5. Apollo Kids - Ghostface Killah (Def Jam Records) Yes, this was just released on December 21st, but it marks a much needed return to glory from Tony Starks, he who has one of the best catalogs in all of hip-hop. The Great HAS-dini, never dead...(right K.T.?)

4. Contra - Vampire Weekend (XL Records) Say what you want about these guys, but they sure know how to turn out endlessly playable albums! Yeah, they lift from the Talking Heads, Paul Simon, and various other sources, but their second album was just as digestible, and danceable, as their first!

3. Halcyon Digest - Deerhunter (4AD Records) I admit, I was not a fan of this band's earlier output, but one road trip to and fro to pick up record shelves convinced me! Yes, "Desire Lines" is my song of the year, but the whole album must be heard! Recorded analog, the production is pushed way up "in the red" for maximum effect and the songs are not too bad to boot!

2. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy - Kanye West (Def Jam Records) Yes, this record will be considered "classic," but with a little bit of editing, this would have been damn near a perfect album. Not to say that West did not create an album that will be revisited for years to come, yes, the album is that good, but a bit of self-control would have served it better. Plus, I would be remiss in saying that Nicki Minjaj's verse on the tune "Monster" is the VERSE OF THE YEAR from anyone (too bad her own album sucked!) Kanye West created an actual album, a rarity these days, in any genre. This long player demands focus and that is rare these days with our society being so "iTunes" driven and all. You must sit and listen all the way through and the rewards are rich. Twenty years from now, this album will be poured over and discussed. That is a great thing! But...

SiwekSays Top Long Player of 2010:
1. Wake Up The Nation - Paul Weller (Island Uk/Yep Roc Records) Weller is a legend who consistently puts out records that beguile his age of 52! From The Jam, the wilderness years of The Style Council, to a rock solid 10 studio solo albums, the man knows no bounds. This album is a crisp 40 minutes of the man digesting new sounds and regurgitating them into is nothing short of the coolest jukebox you will ever hear at your local watering hole. He is a man you want to have a pint with. Now if he will stop eschewing other parts of the States when he decides to perform live, that would be great too. In the meantime, I can deal with an album and/or a live dvd document every other year from such a brilliant artist. When Kanye can do that, then maybe he gets bumped up a notch, but when you have been getting after it for the better part of four decades, come and talk to me. Long live Weller!

SiwekSays Best of 2010: Top 15 Singles

2010-12-31T14:44:00.000-05:00

Deciding on the SiwekSays Top Singles of 2010 was an arduous task to say the least! What started out as a list of 89 (!!!!) songs was chopped down to 30, then with surgical precision, it is now at a tight 15. So without further ado, The SiwekSays Top 15 Singles of 2010:

"Back Again" - Reflection Eternal feat. RES (Warner Brothers Records) Officially my favorite summer jam of 2010. Talib Kweli has not lost a step and that buttery smooth hook by RES capped this jam off nicely.

"Deadly Medley" - Black Milk feat. Royce Da 5'9" and Elzhi (Fat Beats Records) An intense Detroit stomper that brought that old "boom-bap" back!

"Taxi Cab" - Vampire Weekend (XL Records) Snooty chicks are snooty and deserve to be treated as such according to this gem from this New York quartet.

"Born Free" - M.I.A (Interscope Records) A pulsing manifesto wrapped neatly around a long-forgotten Suicide bass line. If this does not get you hyped, or better yet, wanting to push your life to the limits; you and your ears are essentially dead.

"Jail La La" - Dum Dum Girls (Sub Pop Records) Amazing lo-fi tune that harkens back to the days of Brill Building girl groups smashed with C-86 British sounds of the late-80s. Genius!

"I Should Have Known It" - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers (Warner Brothers Records) Sludgy Zeppelin inspired tune cut on the fly by one of rock n' roll's legendary bands. To paraphrase Newman from Seinfeld, but "it's the wood that makes it good!" Lead guitarist Mike Campbell reportedly shelled out a cool 250 GRR for a vintage Les Paul before recording this record and the guitar work on this cut alone makes it all seem worth it! Their album, "Mojo," was a rock triumph!

"Romance To The Grave" - Broken Social Scene (Arts & Crafts Records) Ever evolving Canadian collective added two of Chicago's finest to the mix on this tune. Employing Tortoise drummer John McIntire to produce their "Forgiveness Rock Record" they roped in Sam Prekop from The Sea & Cake on this gem. Honestly, the last couple Sea & Cake records have fallen short, but this cut makes up for it ten fold!

"Rush To Relax" - Eddy Current Suppression Ring (Goner Records) Perhaps the coolest song on this list. A minimalist, tribal stomper that is a throwback back to the sounds of seminal band The Monks, this tune was essential to the SiwekSays gym playlist and many other occasions. Check the video out too!

"The Sniper" - The Black Angels (Light In The Attic Records) Austin, Texas' finest psyche-rock giants produced another colossal album this year with "Phosphere Dream." SiwekSays always loves a killer album closer and this one was right up there! The riff that kicks in at about 1:30 is jaw dropping!

"Right On" - The Roots (Def Jam Records) Employing a slick Joanna Newson sample (she still is overrated by the way,) the hardest working band in music turned in an uplifting classic with this tune. Black Thought's verse (still underrated in the pantheon of great hip-hop MCs) is worth the listen alone!

"Audio Dope II" - Curren$y (DD172/Def Jam Records) Wow! Thanks to K.T. & The Jenkins for the recommendation and introduction to NOLA's finest MC (Sorry Lil' Wayne.) Pairing up with legendary producer Ski-Beatz, who honestly I thought left his mark with Camp Lo's debut and Jay-Z's "Reasonable Doubt," over a loping steel drum track crafted not one, but two solid albums in one calendar year! Suss out "Pilot Talk" and "Pilot Talk 2" for some of the best hip-hop you will hear all year!

"O.F.Y.C. Showcase" - The Fall (Domino Records) British rock's "Last Angry Man Standing," Mark E. Smith, and his latest lineup of The Fall turned in a snarling diatribe on the future. The drums on this track makes you want to get your Terry Tate (office linebacker) on! Damn right!

"Table Tennis" - Flying Lotus feat. Laura Darlington (WARP Records) Adventurous Los Angeles based Flying Lotus cranked out one of 2010's most complex, yet satisfying albums. This song was the head and shoulders highlight amongst many. Employing the sounds of ping-pong along with Darlington's ethereal vocals, it was easy to be hypnotized by such creative sound-scaping.

"Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)" - The Arcade Fire (Merge Records) Who would have thought a concept record about suburban alienation and assimilation could have such an impact in 2010? Win Butler did; although I cannot for the life of me watch the guy perform live with that wack haircut! Anyway, his wife picks up the vocal slack with a tune that would have been perfect for any revisionist John Hughes movie, had dude not kicked the bucket a couple years ago. Classic!

Siwek Says Top Tune of 2010:
"Desire Lines" - Deerhunter (4AD Records) Anthemic. Sprawling. Chilling. Lyrical. Worthy of repeat listens upon first hearing this. Admittedly, I was not a fan of this band, but one 6+ minute listen to this song made me a fan of this album. You will not find a better representation of musical craft in 2010.

=

The Best of February 2010

2010-03-02T17:42:00.004-05:00

The second month of 2010 is in the books! So let's have a look back on the SiwekSays approved Top Tunes and Long Player of the 28 days gone past...

Top Tunes of February 2010:
"Pueblo" - Pavement (Wowee Zowee: Sordid Sentinels Edition - Matador Records) or "Kentucky Cocktail - Peel Session 1" (Slanted & Enchanted: Luxe & Reduxe Edition - Matador Records) With the reunion of Stephen Malkmus and his merry bunch of intelligent indie rock misfits underway, I found myself all throughout February in the midst of a huge Pavement jag. Now in my 30s, the music on these five studio albums speak to me clearer now then they did when I was in high school and in college and a lot better than 87% of the crap out there that passes for "music."

"You Are My Face" - Wilco (Sky Blue Sky - Nonesuch Records) Since their stellar show in East Lansing toward the end of February, the band's fifth studio album is now the solid number two favorite of mine behind 1999's Summerteeth. The songs are complex without coming across as difficult as opposed to the album that preceded this, A Ghost Is Born. This song in particular, was a quiet standout at the beginning of the sold-out show.

"Flammable" - The Soft Pack (The Soft Pack - Kemado Records) A sub-three minute burst of delectable guitar energy from this California quartet, who up until the release of their self-titled album, used to call themselves The Muslims. The chorus is hooky as hell on this number too! As a matter of fact, this entire record is all-killer, no-filler, 10 songs strong!

"Gunman" - Them Crooked Vultures (Them Crooked Vultures - Interscope Records) Amongst the sludge-y riffing and King Kong on Ritalin drumming of Dave Grohl, comes this stinging tale of controlling the wild, I'm guessing female. Who can resist a verse and chorus like this, so ominous and at the same time apropos:
Violence is just an incomplete thought
Thrown in to a complete start
You're so clever, you tear us apart
The masquerade of the heart, not smart
If you held a word on yourself
that tells us you hate your self and don't know
Chorus:
Following a lead, your leading the same
that's why you went for refrain ,come again
it don't matter don't try to explain
you're just a dog to be trained, choke chain
Your gonna end on a tooth gun and nail
If you catch a tiger by the tail, don't fail

"Monica" - The Kinks (The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society - Sanctuary Records) Re-discovering the riches of this album again for about the one-hundredth time this month, this little tale of a hooker slid by BBC censors in 1968, and to this day remains one of my favorite Ray Davies joints of all-time.

"Albatross" - The Besnard Lakes (from upcoming album, The Besnard Lakes Are The Roaring Night, released in March 2010) Tucked onto a free sampler with the new issue of Uncut magazine, this tune opened my ears and eyes in a big way! I am looking forward to the full length and hopes the record lives up to the bombast found on this cut.

"Microphone Killa" - Freeway & Jake-One (The Stimulus Package - Rhymesayers Records) The frentic centerpiece to a somewhat disappointing record. Honestly, the Jake-One production is top notch, as one has now come to expect by one of hip-hop's underrated producers; sadly the content of most of the lyrics by the once fierce Freeway seem dated and corny. This track is the lone wolf! Hitting on all cylinders, and wait, is that actual turntable scratching I hear on this cut? Wow!

"Everything Changed" - The Charlatans UK (Songs From The Other Side - Beggars Banquet Records) A collection of B-Sides from the early stage of their career, I hope this one features on the 20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition of their debut, Some Friendly, hopefully surfacing this summer. I've always loved this track!

"Played Like A Piano" - King Tee featuring Ice Cube and Breeze (At Your Own Risk - Capitol Records) Throwback to 1990! A true West Coast classic! Plus, I love the Grover Washington Jr. sample used wholesale here. Do you know what Washington cut was used? C'mon observant SiwekSays reader, put your "name that sample" ears on!

"Mystic Voyage (For Roy Ayers)" - The Last Electro-Acoustic Space Jazz & Percussion Ensemble (Miles Away - Stones Throw Records) Just an elongated pseudonym for the ever prolific Otis Jackson Junior aka Madlib. Though musings like this in his catalog should never be taken lightly, this spry little number features a tremendous drum break at around the 2:17 mark that should not be missed. The keys are vibrant and the overall mood of the track is pretty joyous and why not, most of the work the song pays tribute to is in the same vein. Not to be missed!

Long Player of February 2010:
Teen Dream - Beach House (Sub-Pop Records) The perfect album for the gray days and bone chilling nights of February winters. The ethereal vocals, the wispy musicianship, all neatly folded into an album that fits the moods of this month perfectly. The epic opener, "Zebra," showcases singer Victoria Legrand's new vocal direction. Looks like someone discovered that females other than Nico released albums that women could emulate, and I do not mean that to be rude. Legrand has now found her footing amongst the sophisticated song structures laid down by fellow bandmate Alex Scally. I personally love the album's second song, "Silver Song," where the vocals almost have an androgynous quality, the soaring "Walk In The Park," and the borderline shoegaze homage in "10 Mile Stereo" which hitches the emotional core of the song to another failed/doomed relationship. Closing out this record is the hauntingly spare, "Real Love." The Baltimore duo is now three albums into their career, but more albums that build and expand on the maturing musical formula they have executed on Teen Dream and astute music fans will much to look forward to with each new release.

Honorable Mentions:
"Intimate Moments For A Sensual Evening" - Aziz Ansari (Comedy Central Records)
"From The Mars Hotel (Remastered Edition)" - Grateful Dead (Rhino Records)
"Fireball" - Deep Purple (Rhino Records)
"I Am The Cosmos" - Chris Bell (Ryko Records)
"Black Man's Cry: The Inspiration Of Fela Kuti" - Various Artists (Now Again/Stones Throw Records)

Until March...

She Didn't Kill Wilco: Wilco February 21, 2010 Cobb Great Hall Wharton Center East Lansing, Michigan

2010-02-22T11:13:00.001-05:00

As the saying goes, "the third time is the charm."

After seeing Wilco for the third time in less than a year, I walked away more in love with that band than ever, a feat I really did not think possible as it is still really difficult to listen to some of their songs. Viewing their setlists from recent shows, I was almost expecting a retread from the October 2009 show I went to Ann Arbor (as covered in the SiwekSays premier blog post) so when the sextet ripped into a scorching version of my favorite Wilco song, "Bull Black Nova," I knew this was no ordinary concert experience. The evening's setlist was a delicious balance of tracks spanning the band's acclaimed 16 year career.

Acoustically, the Cobb Great Hall at Michigan State University's Wharton Center lacked the richness that Ann Arbor's Hill Auditorium delivered in spades back in the fall, but nonetheless, the overall sound was crisp and vibrant throughout the well paced 27 song, 2 hour and 20 minute show.

Surprises for the Wilco diehards were definitely in store throughout the course of the evening. The last two shows in July and October 2009, setlists were mainly drawn from the last three albums. Tonight the band's first three were given a tremendous amount of shine; including THREE tracks from 1999's Summerteeth, my favorite Wilco album by a country mile. I cannot believe they trotted out the title track and a shock airing of "Candyfloss" to go along with a buoyant "A Shot In The Arm." A trio of deep cuts from their debut, A.M., also made appearances. The tender "Should've Been In Love" and "Passenger Side." was joined by original bassist John Stirrat's Gene Clark-esque, "It's Just That Simple." The band's second album Being There was also well represented by a quartet of tracks including "Red-Eyed and Blue," and what struck me at the moment as an incredibly relatable and personal reading of "Misunderstood" during the encore. Songs from the last three albums, particularly a white-hot "Spiders (Kidsmoke)," the biting "Hate It Here," and the gorgeous baroque pop of "Deeper Down" from Wilco (the album) were also highlights.

On a chilly February evening, the music of Jeff Tweedy and company warmed the ears of a sold out house and out of the handful of times I have been lucky enough to see them, this show by far, was the most powerful of the bunch.

The Anti-Valentine's Day Special Dedication

2010-02-14T15:57:00.001-05:00

This year instead of mushy, lovey-dovey tunes, I went in the other direction. Here is a brief anti-Valentine's Day playlist with some of the more vitriolic lyrics thrown in for some of the songs, referred to here as Cupid's Broken Arrows:

"Idiot Wind" - Bob Dylan

"I'm Gonna Find Another You" - John Mayer (Recent idiocy aside, this song is simple, yet incredibly truthful.)
Cupid's Broken Arrow:
So go on baby
Make your little get away
My pride will keep me company
And you just gave yours all away
Now I'm gonna dress myself for two
Once for me and once for someone new
I'm gonna do somethings you wouldn't let me do
Oh I'm gonna find another you

"No Distance Left To Run" - Blur
"Hope She'll Be Happier With Him" - Bill Withers (Though I prefer the version by Sweetback featuring Leroy Osborne on vocals. Sweetback is essentially Sade's backing band. Look for this version...)

"Putting Out Fires" - The Bluetones (This group's debut album from 1996 was lost in the shuffle as the BritPop bubble burst. Every song is fantastic. Worth seeking out.)
Cupid's Broken Arrow:
You once was the fire, you once was the glow
I was so sure then, and now I don't know

I've wasted time away,
But I think that it's ok cos
I've wasted time away with you

"You Don't Know What Love Is, You Do As You're Told" or "Forever For Her Is Over For Me" - White Stripes
"Ex-Factor" - Lauryn Hill

"Cars Can't Escape" - Wilco (An outtake from the Yankee Hotel Foxtrot album, this is also available as a bonus on their I Am Trying To Break Your Heart DVD.)
Cupid's Broken Arrow:
And blue has no value, power, or hue
Or open skies, relationless
Carelessness is what I miss
And that's how I think of you

Sometimes, good times
Were all we had to do
So I tap my glass and nod my chin
And wonder who you've been in rhythm with

"Happy Valentine's Day" - Outkast (Found on the Andre 3000 "solo" album The Love Below, I always perceived this song as a joyous one, but dig a little deeper and it is ice cold. Plus, how can you argue with a song that basically codas with the refrain of "F**k that valentine" for about a minute.)
"It Always Loved To Happen" - The Spider Bags

"The Rain" - Oran "Juice" Jones (Classic!)
Cupid's Broken Arrow:
You without me is like corn flakes without the milk!
It's my world! You just a squirrel tryin' to get a nut...

"Don't Think Twice, It's Alright" - Bob Dylan (This would've been number one on the list, but it has been upstaged, but you have to love this closing verse!)
Cupid's Broken Arrow:
I'm walkin' down that long, lonesome road, babe
Where I'm bound, I can't tell
But goodbye's too good a word, gal
So I'll just say fare thee well
I ain't sayin' you treated me unkind
You could have done better but I don't mind
You just kinda wasted my precious time
But don't think twice, it's all right

"Bad Cover Version" - Pulp (Pulp's last album, We Love Life, was a heavy rotation staple of mine in the fall of 2009, and one day the lyrics just stuck out as I was on a drive and for the encore of this 2010 Anti-Valentine's Day Playlist, this is the door slamming shut! I can't help myself in providing the complete lyrics to this one. Check the SiwekSays Music Blog Group page on Facebook for the video too...)
Cupid's Broken Arrow:
The word's on the street: you've found someone new.
If he looks nothing like me I'm so happy for you.
I heard an old girlfriend has turned to the church -
she's trying to replace me, but it'll never work.
'Cos every touch reminds you of just how sweet it could have been
And every time he kisses you it leaves behind the bitter taste of saccharine.
A bad cover version of love is not the real thing.
Bikini-clad girl on the front who invited you in.
Such great disappointment when you got him home -
the original was so good; the one you no longer own.
And every touch reminds you of just how sweet it could have been
And every time he kisses you, you get the taste of saccharine.
It's not easy to forget me, it's so hard to disconnect
When it's electronically reprocessed to give a more life-like effect.

Aah, sing your song about all the sad imitations that got it so wrong
It's like a later "Tom & Jerry" when the two of them could talk
Like the Stones since the Eighties, like the last days of Southfork.
Like "Planet of the Apes" on TV, the second side of "'Til the Band Comes in"
Like an own-brand box of cornflakes: he's going to let you down my friend.

Not to say every Valentine's Day is awful, even if you are with someone, just too many lists are chock full of Barry White, Marvin Gaye, Isley Brothers, and other obvious songs about how great love is. Boring!

The Best of January 2010

2010-01-29T17:32:00.003-05:00

As the first month of the year draws to a close, I thought I would compile a playlist to spotlight the Top Tunes of the month and to crown the Long Player of January as well. Here goes!

Top Tunes of January 2010:
- "Trick Pony" - Charlotte Gainsbourg (IRM - Elektra Entertainment Group) In late January, the daughter of Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin released a fantastic follow up to 2007's 5:55, this time replacing collaborators Air and Jarvis Cocker with the one and only Beck. The pairing of her haunting vocals (in both French and English) with Beck's musical flourishes is a winner throughout every cut on this record.This particular tune sees Beck creating a sublime sonic homage to Charlotte's daddy's instrumentalist Jean-Claude Vannier. It was Vannier's work on papa Gainsbourg's classic 1971 album Histoire De Melody Nelson that Beck has cribbed twice before on his solo work, but the influence is felt all over this album. A winner!
- "Ego Death" - A Place To Bury Strangers (Exploding Head - Mute Records) A throwback the "shoegaze" genre of huge, enveloping walls of guitar sound, the band wouldn't sound out of place in a stack of old Jesus & Mary Chain and My Bloody Valentine records. I would say this track is more sinister in scope thanks to a symphony of distortion-laden chainsaw-like guitars dripping in squealing feedback accented by pile driving snare crashes. Not a lot of low end in the mix, played loud, this will blow your speakers and your mind.
- "Dreams Burn Down" - Ride (Nowhere - Sire Records) "Shoegaze" forefathers Ride also get lots of play in the winter months. A classic tune from a classic early-90s wall of guitar album.
- "Laura" - Girls (Album - True Panther Sounds) Apologies never sounded so sweet. Irresistible!
- "It Always Loved To Happen" (Goodbye Cruel World, Hello Crueler World - Birdman Records) I honestly cannot get enough of this band sometimes lovingly referred to as "drunk rock." This song is a boozy and bloodshot eyed ode to the wrong women in all of our lives. I mean honestly, who can resist a couplet like this: "I always remember when you looked at me to say/Anything that starts f*cked up, is bound to end that way..." Truer words never sung or spoken!
- "Taxi Cab" - Vampire Weekend (Contra - XL Recordings) No sophomore slump for the NYC quartet whose sneering looks at upper class society and faces dressed in global influences sound bigger and warmer this time around. A tender ballad proving that you can be a jerk while dating a rich girl and be better off for it.
- "Goon Squad" - Elvis Costello & The Attractions (Live At Hollywood High - Universal) A smoking live set capturing a band ascending to greatness in the United States in June of 1978. This cut, which would later appear on the Costello classic Armed Forces, is a slamming tour-de-force, making me personally question why Attractions drummer Pete Thomas is never mentioned in the conversation of all-time great stick-men.
- "(You Got To) Fight For Your Right To Party" - The Hot Rats (Turn Ons - Fat Possum Records) In lieu of one of my favorite bands, Supergrass, releasing a new album, two-thirds of the band along with producer Nigel Godrich (Radiohead, Beck) have teamed up for what is essentially a piss poor album of half-baked cover tunes. No risks were taken on any of the tracks by David Bowie, Roxy Music, The Kinks, and The Cure except for this re-imagining of the Beastie Boys classic as a sensitive pop song. Fantastic work!
- "Ladies" - Lee Fields & The Expressions (My World - Truth & Soul) A stepping soul tune that sings the praises of how cool the ladies can be. A definite one-eighty when compared to the Spider Bags, but what is one without the other.

The Best Tune of January 2010:
- "Crown On The Ground" - Sleigh Bells (Demo) Unsigned Brooklyn duo have unleashed something that I cannot even describe as a genre. The drums are huge. The synths are sharp. The female vocals are somewhat intelligible. What makes this cut stand out is the intentional "in the red" mix of the track. Yes, it is distorted on purpose and for my money, there is no better song for the gym than this little nugget of audio gold right here. Don't believe me, please see The Official SiwekSays Music Blog Group on Facebook for proof...

Long Player of January 2010:
Contra - Vampire Weekend (XL Recordings) The most hyped band of recent memory has released the most anticipated album of the last year or so to, of course, great reviews and even the #1 slot on the Billboard Album Charts. So? Here is what is great about Vampire Weekend: Yes, they sound like they are ripping off Paul Simon's The Rhythm Of The Saints (screw Graceland, those who know know this is the superior Simon album), yes they sound like Wire, yes they sound like the Strokes of old, yes they sound like they should be scoring Wes Anderson movies and blah blah blah! What Vampire Weekend did on Contra is not reinvent the wheel after their successful debut they went ahead and just rotated the tires. The album is much warmer and fuller sounding than their debut, but they also are a bit more descriptive in the content of the songs. Take the aforementioned "Taxi Cab", the nose thumbing bourgeois of "White Sky," and the idealist escapism of "Run," and you have another sweet 36 minutes of ear candy to suck on until their next album comes out. Enjoy!

SiwekSays On Facebook!

2010-01-27T15:40:00.001-05:00

That's right! As a companion to this blog, please join The Official SiwekSays Music Blog Group on Facebook today.

The Facebook group will be more of a rapid-fire update portal and to spotlight music and artists that scream for immediate attention, whether it be old or new, weird or cool. Stay abreast of what's great and impress your friends with your latest iPod playlist or used record store find.

Join today! The first posting is already up...

Song L: The Forgotten Greatness of Sonic's Rendezvous Band

2010-01-27T15:38:00.001-05:00

The sycophantic conversation about Michigan rock n' roll usually goes something like this, "Seger. Nugent.Whatever genre Kid Rock thinks he is going to be today. Or The Romantics." Kidding about the last one. Those who are ensconced in the rich tradition of Michigan rock n' roll will always slam their piss-warm Stroh's Light on the table and emphatically shout, "The Stooges! MC5! The Rationals!"

What if I told you that a band existed once upon a time with the mightiest musical forces from all three of those bands. Most likely, I would be hit with a quizzical look. But in the late-1970's, as Iggy Pop was doing blow with Bowie in Berlin and the Motor City Five splintered horribly, such a band became an underground phenomenon around Southeastern Michigan; their legendary output (one rare 7" single) and live shows largely whispered about. Comprised of the MC5's Fred "Sonic" Smith and Scott Morgan of the revered white rock/soul group The Rationals on vocals and guitars, bass player Gary Rasmussen of late-60's Ann Arbor band The Up, and anchored by Scott "Rock Action" Asheton of The Stooges on drums. Ladies and gentlemen, this was Sonic's Rendezvous Band.

In the chilly days of Michigan winter, their music always seems to strike a chord with me, especially since their "authorized bootleg" of their January 14, 1978 show at the Masonic Auditorium in Detroit, opening for the Ramones mind you, is in heavy rotation. The music this quartet generated during their short time together, is equal to swallowing a locomotive going full steam. The songs, mostly originals by Smith and Morgan, are no nonsense Detroit rock n' roll. The band had pressed a single for the song, "City Slang," which Smith acknowledges toward the end of this show as coming out in Detroit in "a couple of weeks." The tune is 5+ minutes of sledgehammer drums and firey guitar work, must be heard! If you scored one 32 years ago, consider yourself lucky, those little 7" slabs of vinyl change hands for hefty sums.

As far as other "releases" go by Sonic's Rendezvous Band, I would highly recommend the aforementioned show, available on Alive Records. The other recording available is "Live at the Second Chance Ann Arbor, Michigan February 22, 1977" on Applebush Records. That show in particular is over 90 minutes of blistering rock and roll, save for a relatively tame cover of Bob Dylan's "Like A Rolling Stone." The set kicks off with Smith's "Electrophonic Tonic" and does not let up for one second. Sometimes it is hard to forget that Scott Asheton of the Stooges mans the trap-kit, but I have never heard a drummer play with such passionate power while keeping the rhythm section in pocket. Fantastic drum work here kids!

The quality of these recordings as you would imagine is not soundboard, but you can just hear a band firing on all collective cylinders cutting through the soup of an otherwise pretty decent audience recording. Hell, the 1978 show's liner notes say the source was a Maxell C-90 cassette tape! Audio sources aside, you cannot call yourself a fan of Michigan's musical history unless you have heard Sonic's Rendezvous Band! Do your ears a favor and you will never mention Rhythm Corps in the same breath of great Michigan bands ever again. Ha!

Ear Bleeder Of The Week: "Cinderella" - Langhorne Slim

2010-01-08T16:19:00.001-05:00

Everything here at the ol' SiwekSays Music Blog cannot be all warm and fuzzy in doling out musical praise. Sometimes, a song pierces the ear drum then drills itself in to the point of absolute annoyance upon repeat listens. These songs, dear readers, I dub the "ear bleeders."

This week, I am choosing "Cinderella" by Langhorne Slim from his 2009 album, Be Set Free (Kemado Records) for the sheer fact WDBM 88.9fm, Michigan State University's college radio station, is playing the tune seemingly ad nausea the past few days while I am trying to get some work done. Slim's song seems peppy and aimed at the college bar chick set for sure, but the call of "Cinderella" by Slim and the response from his all-male band of "Yes, my handsome fella" would be a bit cooler if female voices were utilized instead. Couple that with inane saccharine sentiments of courtship and the song comes across as the poor-man's "Tubthumping," or some early Harry Chronic Jr sides when he thought that gimmick was cool too, but I digress; some people like this kind of dreck. On the other side of the argument are those of you reading this and thinking by having me write about the song, no matter how horrible, I am just publicizing the artist and their work. That argument may be true, but hey, this is my blog and foul audio cannot be ignored!

So Foghorn Langhorne, before I go all Chicken Hawk on you and bash a guitar over your head, your song is like a combination of Paula Abdul, Yogi Bear's tiny sidekick, and Young-Holt Unlimited, "Straight Up Boo Boo Wack Wack!"*

*I could not help but crib that little jab from a review in the debut issue of Grand Royal magazine in early 1994, just seemed all too fitting...

Tunes Of 2009

2009-12-11T18:24:00.005-05:00

I have to admit, this list was harder to compile than it should have been. With the introduction of iTunes and the iPod during this decade, the single has returned to prominence for most music consumers. A shame really, but if you think back to the dawn of the rock n' roll era in the 1950s, singles drove sales and albums were pretty much an afterthought. I still cherish the ideals of a cohesive musical statement in the form of the long player, but why fight it. Here is a list of the songs that dominated my ears this year. I've taken the liberty of breaking these tunes up into groupings. Some will have write-ups as to their inclusion and for the most part there is no official ranking here except for the "Tune of 2009" which will be revealed at the end of the list. Enjoy!

THE CONTENDERS

- "Cornerstone" - Arctic Monkeys (Humbug - Domino Records)
- "Out Of The Blue - Julian Casablancas (Phrazes For The Young - RCA) Strokes frontman creates a damn irresitable '80s influenced number that would not sound out of place on a John Hughes soundtrack. Sounds wack, but this song kills! I really did not want to like this record, but it stayed in heavy, heavy rotation for weeks. Worth seeking out.
- "Somebody Keeps Calling My Name" - Baby Grandmothers (Forge Your Own Chains (Psychedelic Ballads & Dirges 1968-1974) - Now/Again Records) Swedish psych trio treasure from 1969 tucked onto the very end of this impressive compilation from the crate digging mind of Egon at Now/Again. This baby cooks along for almost ten minutes with searing guitar work that would make Hendrix blush. Has to be heard to be believed!
- "Love Czars" - Sa-Ra Creative Partners (Nuclear Evolution: The Age Of Love - Ubiquity)
- "Chillin' - Wale feat. Lady GaGa (Attention Defecit - Allido/Interscope) Hotly tipped MC for the skinny jeans set serves up a club banger with help from "it" girl Lady GaGa, who delivers a great hook.
- "Stillness Is The Move" - Dirty Projectors (Bitte Orca - Domino)
- "See Fernando" - Jenny Lewis (Acid Tongue - Warner Brothers)
- "Love Vigilantes" - Iron & Wine (Around The Well - Sub Pop) Fantastic New Order cover!
- "Wishes And Stars" - Harper Simon (Harper Simon - Vagrant) Sounds like the old man, but that is not a bad thing. Breezy little shuffling tune.
- "I'm Ok By Myself" - Morrissey (Years Of Refusal - Lost Highway)
- "Kiss With A Fist" - Florence & The Machine (Lungs - Universal)
- "You Make A Fool Out Of Me" - Brendan Benson (My Old, Familiar Friend - ATO Records)
- "Whatever Makes My Baby Feel Good" - Funkadelic (Standing On The Verge: The Very Best Of Funkadelic - Westbound) A missing link between Parliament's Osmium album and the debut of Funkadelic, this track featured Rose Williams, then part of Isaac Hayes' Hot Buttered Soul female singers, and is a groovy funk number. The drumming of Tiki Fulwood is so in the pocket it is ridiculous, not to mention a greasy solo by Eddie Hazel.
- "Shake Shake Mama" - Bob Dylan (Together Through Life - Columbia)
- "I Want You To Know" - Dinosaur Jr. (Farm - Jagjaguwar)
- "Here To Fall" - Yo La Tengo (Popular Songs - Matador) Veteran New Jersey trio delivered another stellar album to their canon this year and this lead-off track sounds like the best track The Verve never recorded complete with buttery keyboard work and sweeping strings.
- "Unthought Known" - Pearl Jam (Backspacer - Monkeywrench Records) A very mature Pearl Jam bubbles to the surface on this track hidden in the middle of an album full of taut rockers.
- "Gastown" - Smoke Fairies (7"single - Third Man Records) A late entry to the list by this ethereal female British duo. Featuring drum work and production by Jack White, this smoldering tune is perfect for chilly days and frigid nights. This vinyl-only tune is well worth sussing out, or just succumb to the man and pony up the 99 cents the easy way.
- "Dive In" - Dave Matthews Band (Big Whiskey & The Groo Grux King - RCA)
- "Cheerleader " - Grizzly Bear (Veckatimist - Warp) A modern soul classic with a futuristic twist served up by nerdy white dudes.
- "Powerless" - The Flaming Lips (Embryonic - Warner Brothers) Seven minutes of freaky electric Miles Davis with a pinch of Can and a dash of Krautrock all baked together by Oklahoma's weirdest musical chefs for a butane torched spoonful of fuzzy psychedelic stew. Say that three times fast...
- "Say What You Want" - White Denim (Fits - Downtown) Did someone unearth a lost Blue Cheer song and channel it through a trio of Austin, Texas musicians? Listen for the cool shift toward the end of the song as well.
- "Black Coffin" - The Fresh & Onlys (Grey Eyed Girls - Woodsist) Shout out to Ryan Brown for throwing along this recommendation. I love this track for the fact that it brings, in my ears, early Echo & The Bunnymen albums into the 21st Century.
- "Oh No" - Andrew Bird (Noble Beast - Fat Possum)
- "Losin Yo Head" - Monsters Of Folk (Monsters Of Folk - Shangri-La Records) Jim James of My Morning Jacket blows away his other cohorts in this "supergroup" with this bombastic rocker that would not sound out of place on an upcoming MMJ album. As a matter of fact, every James composed cut and song where he takes the lead vocal chair is a winner; heads and shoulders above the other participants on the album.
- "Cone Of Light" - The Almighty Defenders (self-titled - Vice Records) An unholy alliance of The Black Lips and King Khan & BBQ who set out to record a shambolic collection of "gospel" inspired tunes with mixed results. This track is the standout of the flock with Marc Sultan (aka BBQ Show) taking the lead vocal here. The best way to describe the greatness of this tune, is to picture the late Sam Cooke fronting a garage rock band. Amen to that shit!

THE HEAVY HITTERS
- "Maybe So, Maybe No" - Mayer Hawthorne (A Strange Arrangement - Stones Throw) Also known as DJ Haircut around the metro Detroit club scene, Hawthorne takes a little heard soul gem by Motor City legend Richard "Popcorn" Wylie's group The New Holidays, and created a strident remake that stayed on heavy rotation during the summer of 2009.
- "Dominos" - The Big Pink (A Brief History Of Love - 4AD Records) Huge anthemic blast steeped in the tradition of Britpop anthems of the 1990s. Once that chorus kicks in with, "these girls fall like dominos" you cannot help but be hooked!
- "Pearl Bastard" - The Stone Roses (The Stone Roses 20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition - Sony/Legacy) Hard to believe one of my three all-time favorite albums turned 20 this year. Amongst the revealing demos on the second disc of this deluxe package was this previously unreleased gem. More "Where The Angels Play" than "I Am The Resurrection" this tender tune was one to savor and made me fall in love with this masterpiece of an album all over again, as if I needed another reason to do so in the first place.
- "Check The Vibe" - People Under The Stairs (Carried Away - Om Records) From the little underground hip-hop duo from the Bay Area that can literally do no wrong on wax comes this deep album cut that pays unique tribute to A Tribe Called Quest both lyrically and musically courtesy of a sublime Hammond B-3 organ sample that will perplex me for a long while as to find the original source material.
- "The Wind Did Move/Last Kind Word Blues" - Dex Romweber Duo featuring Jack White (7" Single - Third Man Records) Flat Duo Jets founder Dex Romweber added his sister to man the trap kit after his influential band dissolved and stayed mainly underground. White roped them into the studio to cut a single that launched his "Blue" series this year and the songs were so smoking hot, I had to include both! Essential listening for not only this year, but if you consider yourself a fan of music period.
- "Who Says" - John Mayer (Battle Studies - Columbia) Here's where all my street cred goes out the window. I'll admit that I like John Mayer, but this album by all accounts was a clunker save for this very simple number about the joys of bachelorhood. The amazing thing about Mayer, is that he says, in lyric form, the things most men are thinking. Hearing this tune at the right time of the year for me restored piece of mind in that while compromise is good, changing to fit someone else's ideals of what they want is not always the best thing. Rewriting one's own history is what should be paramount and personally I lost sight of that for way too long.
- "I Want To Thank You For (Stepping Into My Life)" - Dam-Funk (Toeachizown - Stones Throw) A straight throwback to the best of early Prince records along with the coolest R&B cuts you could hear coming out of a JVC boombox chilling in front of Busy Bee Market on Logan street circa 1985. Those who grew up in Lansing know what I'm talking about, raise your hands if your remember AM1170 WXLA and you will know exactly what I am talking about when it comes to the overall coolness factor of this track.

- "15 to 20" - The Phenomenal Handclap Band (self-titled - Friendly Fire Record) Simply great! Enough said.
- "Psychopathy Red" - Slayer (World Painted Blood - American) The best two minutes and twenty-six seconds of pure metal of the year. What more could I expect, it is fu*king Slayer!
- "Cheat On Me" - The Cribs (Ignore The Ignorant - Warner Brothers) Johnny Marr contributed some of his finest guitar work in years on this record, and the hook, delivered with a throaty holler that punches you straight in the gut through your ears.
- "Scumbag Blues" - Them Crooked Vultures (self-titled - Interscope) This was by far the hardest track to choose from the debut of the three headed monster of Queens Of The Stone Age guitarist/vocalist Josh Homme, Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones, and drummer extraordinaire Dave Grohl. This track combines crushing drums with snarling guitar leads with Jones' funky clavinet work that is reminiscent of the classic Zep track, "Trampled Under Foot." A good look to say the least!
- "Love Won't Leave You A Song" - The Reigning Sound (Love And Curses - In The Red) Greg Cartwright crafts another aching lovelorn rock classic of the highest order. A criminally underrated American songwriter in a criminally underrated band.
- "On To The Next One" - Jay-Z featuring Swizz Beatz (The Blueprint 3 - Roc-Nation Records) Without question the track that is perfect for any situation calling for that adrenaline shot of gritty East Coast hip-hop proving that at 40, Shawn Carter is the summit of the genre and all others are just rapping Sherpas running out of rations and freezing on the mountainside.
- "Enemy Destruct" - Thee Oh Sees (Help - In The Red Records) Pulverizing lo-fi rock stomper.
- "Forever My Queen" - The Dead Weather (Live At Third Man Records - iTunes Exclusive) Captured live, this scorching cover of early-70s American metal forefathers Pentagram, Jack White's latest side project absolutely knocks this out of the park. There were other cuts on their debut that showed the influence of the early Mk-I Deep Purple, but this track shows a bright future lies ahead for this combo should they get around to recording another album.
- "Make Her Say" - Kid Cudi Featuring Kanye West and Common (Man On The Moon: The End Of Day - Motown) Misogynistic hip-hop has returned along with noodle-y turntable cuts and a clever use of the Lady GaGa tune, "Poker Face" that puts the phrase in a light that has nothing to do with turning a flush on the river, if you know what I mean.
- "Trouble" - Spider Bags (Goodbye Cruel World, Hello Crueller World - Birdman) Another shout out to Ryan Brown for the recommendation on this band. This seven minute opus starts out like a waltzing country rocker about how trouble can be found or how trouble finds the protagonist before devolving into a drunken blur of scuzzy guitar histrionics filtered through a bottle of the brownest of the brown liquor.
- "10 Bricks" - Raekwon Featuring Cappadonna & Ghostface Killah (Only Built For Cuban Linx II - Ice H2O Records) There was no possible way that the Chef of the Wu-Tang Clan could follow up the coke-rap classic Only Built For Cuban Linx, and then he went and did it. This menacing tale of the dope game with production by the late J-Dilla is just one of many killers on the sequel.

- "Houston Don't Dream About Me" - The Black Crowes (Before The Frost... - Silver Arrow Records) With the exception of that truly god-awful disco experiment on their latest album, the Crowes created their best album since 1994's Amorica. This song especially, encompasses everything that ever made the Black Crowes great. An inspired melody infusing subtle, yet effective guitar and piano interplay, along with an instantly memorable, goose-bump inducing chorus. Southern perfection.

PACQUIAO: THE TUNE OF 2009
- "Bull Black Nova" - Wilco (Wilco (the album) - Nonesuch) America's best working band, on and off stage. Wilco's front man Jeff Tweedy wove lyrics of violent paranoia and a murder with the narrator driving a Chevy Nova into a musical bed of stinging guitar work by Nels Cline and piercing piano chords that stab your ear drums like a razor sharp knife. These are the kinds of songs that instantly grab your attention and never let go. The walls of guitar noise created by Tweedy and Cline crescendo with Tweedy screaming "Pick up!" as the demons in his head lay bare the guilt over spilled blood. Springsteen may have had his tales of "meanness in this world" on the album Nebraska, but Tweedy delivered the most harrowing of murder ballads ever recorded in one five minute salvo. Ladies and gentlemen, your official SiwekSays Music Blog, "Tune Of 2009."

Song Of The Moment: Willie West - "Fairchild"

2009-11-05T14:26:00.000-05:00

This little nugget of soul goodness can be found on the 2006 Rhino Records 4-CD box set "What It Is" and is currently getting heavy repeats on my iPod these days. Willie West, a New Orleans based singer, cut this sparse Allan Touissant and Marshall Sehorn (minds behind the Meters great Josie output of the early 70s) production in the late 1960s, only to reappear with a horn-heavy mix in 1970 on the Josie label. The horn-less version appears on the aforementioned box and is the one I recommend.

West confindently, though with an undercurrent of suspicion, sings of a woman who may not be that into him or "his good lovin'" anymore, and emphasizes the "no man can love you better than I" aesthetic over what can only be the Meters Zig Modeliste's stuttering drum work. A slept-on soul classic and one of the greatest "kiss-off" songs ever recorded. After one listen, "Fairchild" can put a spring in a man's step. Essential listening!

Shuffle & Flow #1

2009-10-23T21:32:00.000-04:00

A quick background before beginning this section. Shuffle & Flow will be a random look into the music currently on my iPod. The 3rd Generation Nano is my attempt to curate, in my eyes (and ears,) the best jukebox in the best joint. I make no apologies for anything on here because the songs must be here for a reason, but I will try to write a short review for every tune. The Shuffle & Flow portion of this blog will be in increments of five. Here we go...

1) "You Make A Fool Out Of Me" - Brendan Benson (My Old, Familiar Friend - ATO Records) Detroit songsmith Benson pens a poignant, polished ballad about a man who thought he did the right things, but the woman in his life took him for granted and relishes the opportunities to stomp him at every chance. Eventually, on a wayward nighttime drive home he realizes she was not, or ever was, worth it.

2) "Morning Glory" - Oasis (Stop The Clocks - Epic Records) A sneering anthem about the toll blow will take on you and your dreams, but can make you feel so good about everything else in the meantime. Best lyric: "Another sunny afternoon, walking to the sound of your favorite tune," Indeed...

3) "Old School" - Busy Bee (Running Thangs - Jive Records) MC pioneer Busy Bee tucked in this tribute to the old school of hip-hop on his 1989 album, but the production sounds intentionally as if it was meant to sound like it was released durning the late-70s genesis of the genre. Bonus points for the tongue-in-cheek innuendo laced first verse. A hidden gem!

4) "Thick As Thieves" - The Jam (Setting Sons - Polydor) Perhaps my favorite tune from Paul Weller's first band. A rollicking ode to the friendship and mischief that binds youth and how the onset of adulthood may one day drive people apart; the spirit of those halcyon days never fades. Ever.

5) "This Is A Visit" - Downtown Science (Downtown Science - Def Jam) Not necessarily from a lyrical standpoint, but for overall production by Sam Sever, the group's 1991 eponymous debut, is truly the most slept-on album in the entire Def Jam canon. A loping drumline envelopes the synths from The Who's "Eminence Front" and some Pink Floyd bass lines for a true east coast classic.

Wilco @ Hill Auditorium 10/16/09: Best Sounding Concert EVER, But...

2009-10-23T13:59:00.003-04:00

After attending a 31-song marathon at the Royal Oak Music Theater in July, it was a treat to have the opportunity to see Wilco again a scant three months later. The band is firing on all cylinders on record and on stage this year that is for sure.

Stepping onstage to the familiar refrain of "The Price Is Right" theme song, the Jeff Tweedy and company launched into "Wilco (The Song)" and didn't look back for over 2 1/2 hours. What struck me the most during this particular show was the startling clarity of the sound mix. Every guitar duel between Nels Cline, peeling off nimble solos that would sometimes veer off into thick walls of guitar noise, and Tweedy's muscular Neil Young-esque lines seemed to bounce off the venue walls with verve. Drummer Glenn Kotche was spot on with every fill and percussive direction taken, quite impressive to watch in person by the way. The mix was so precise that every note plunked on Mikael Jorgensen's assortment of keyboards was clean, as were additional flourishes by the group's other multi-instrumentalist, Pat Sansone. Each Hammond b-3 gurgle or Fender Rhodes tickle served a purpose. A concert should not sound so good, right?

Well...

Here's the rub on Wilco I came to realize after the show: sometimes too much is too much. Don't get me wrong, this is a band I love and consider to be one of America's best working bands going, but after a while, the decision to have songs devolve into noisy soundscapes, sometimes for no apparant reason, comes across as gimmicky or lazy somewhat akin to the way Monty Python would end sketches in an absurd fashion because there was no logical conclusion. I applaud Jeff Tweedy after escaping the countrified confines of Uncle Tupelo and the first Wilco record (A.M.) and forging a musical path that is unique in the music industry today, their new album, Wilco (The Album), is a solid song-based record with few missteps (namely that god-awful "You And I" song) that shows the band stepping away from the skronky feedback of A Ghost Is Born and into genuine craft. In concert, the new songs are vibrant and pack a punch, but surrounded by songs that contain droning feedback seems to dull the impact of their recent work.

One song in particular though, encompasses using noise and sonic soundscapes to cradle lyrics of violence and paranoia to perfection. A chilling centerpiece on the band's latest album, the track "Bull Black Nova" is perhaps the group's best song, period, and on a night where it was trotted out way too early in the band's set, it showcased a band laying all their collective strengths, musical and lyrical, on the table in one six-minute blast.

So now the 1992 Palace of Auburn Hills Morrissey show and the 2000 St. Andrew's Hall show by Primal Scream (with Kevin Shields even) have company, in my mind, as the greatest sounding shows I've ever attended.

The last minor quibble against Jeff Tweedy and clan on this night was that not one song from the band's 1999 album, Summerteeth, was played before this sold-out crowd. Shame on them...