Why Can’t I Touch It? – The Buzzcocks – One of the greatest bands of all times, I have been blasting this after noticing Pearl Jams version on their live album. Originally a b-side the lyric is a typically obtuse take on how life feels by the great Pete Shelly and, not unlike the 79 album A Different Kind Of Tension, it is tonal mood guitars and repetition of a minor riff as the verse? chorus? repeats and repeats. .Written by the band instead of the usual Shelley composition. Might I just mention I interviewed Shelly once and he was a great thoroughly nice guy.
Exile On Mean Street – Angus Khan – A Fricke pick a coupla issues ago, these limey Stones fan play a riffarama head down no nonsense hard rock.
Run The Town – Jay -Z – I love Rihanna’s vocals
No Time To Cry – Iris Dement
She’s A Genius – Jet
Knotty Pine – David Byrne and Dirty Projectors – This is a fabulous collab between two people who know more than their fair share about, how you say, art rock? What makes both Byrne and Longwreth greats is they are both instinctive pop writers: they never lose their hold on an audiences ear.
Comin’ Tonight – “I can steal a melody…” a sorta post-feminist “Superstar”, I loved Martha before I loved Rugus and if you have never heard her this is good place to start.
Autobahn – Kraftwerk – I fine myself closer to Nessing than Nevin on this one: even this extended remix doesn’t have a chillness to it and its influence is literally everywhere… I mean, no OK Computer without an “Autobanh”. PS did anyboidy else read where Radiohead said they are going to start releasing only singles for awhile. I am not a big Radiohead fan but that is precisely how you maintain sales in a digital climate.
Mr. Selleck – The Roches – From their first album, a wonderful feminist snicker
Just Tell Her Jim Said Hello – Elvis Presley – Country hook made rock by the Jordainiers who over do the keybs a touch and Presley’s voice keeps calm till the last word of each line and then he clips it good and in the bridge he sings falsetto (the closest he comes to losing it) and through tricking up “Don’t say I’m thinking of her, don’t tell her I still love” he makes the tiniest of falls on “just tell her Jim says hello” intensely poignant on what is essentially jukebox country. The point is because he is singing to a third party and not the girl, Presley needs to sell the song thru self-control not thru an emotional outburst. Good stuff by a great singer.
Let The Mystery Be – Iris Dement
My Old School – Steely Dan
Strange Enough – N.A.S.A.
Sugar Town – Nancy Sinatra – Zooey Deschanel sings this during the Karoake scene in the date movie of the year “500 Days Of Summer” and it is inspired because the uncommited Zooey sings a song both sweet and very, very sour, the operative line isn’t “I’ve got some troubles but they won’t last” but “never had a friend or wanted one”.