The Mix List July 12th, 2009: Ducklings and Swans
The Ugly Duckling – Danny Kaye – After a thirty year reign the musical was showing its age and never more so then in Sam Goldwyn’s biography of Hans Christian Anderson starring song and dance man Danny Kaye. The film was luscious, the colors hallucinations with a illussionary depth and beauty we don’t see in movies anymore (let’s call it Technicolor) but the story was Hollywood bathos mixing fantasy and lies (remember what they did to Cole Porter?), Frederick Lesser’s score a huge disappointment, the acting non-existent and the kids creepy with its now apparent undercurrents. Having said all that, this is a wonderful little song, all piccolos and strings but with such restraint compared to, say, “Wonderful Copenhagen”. Worth the price of admission for Kaye singing “…and he went with a quack and a waddle and a quack and a very unhappy tear.” The moral is if your outside is hideous hide untill you look prettier. Here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMKxnYRhk6I
New Caves – Deep sea Diver – They have a daytrotter session waiting to be posted.
On The Radio – Regina Spektor
Surfin’ Up – Vivian Girls
Vivre Para Ti – Los Amigos Invisibles
Cangote – CeU – The problem with songs in other languauges is it is difficult to hear the verbal hooks and so difficult to remember the songs melodies. But the back up track is lovely and the back up singers reinforce the hook.
Someday – Rob Thomas
Bad Complexion – Spider Bags – Are they saying “John Denver is dead”? I know they’re saying thank God for heroine. Patrick Stickle please elucidate.
Summertime Clothes – Animal Collective
Crying Lightning – Arctic Monkeys
Yes – LMFAO
New Harmonics – Mi Ami
Oh God – Ida Maria
I Like You So Much Better Without Your Clothes On – Ida Maria – Not everybody from Scandinavia is Abba though apparently everybody from Scandinavia can write killer hooks. These two songs are just addictive and they’re from Ida’s terrific first album “Fortress Round My Heart”. By the way, I was thinking of illustrating this post with a pic of Ida instead of Danny Kaye and discovered a great website about West Coast culture. It is called Los Anjealous and if you are in the market for Beck Hansen interviewing Tom Waits on draining the lakes of Los Angeles the address is http://www.losanjealous.com/
Jar – Green Day
Peacemaker – Green Day – I’ve been holding off writing about Green Day till I catch em live later this month at MSG BUT if you haven’t heard this stand out off their terrific but flawed “21st Century Breakdown” let me point it out again. A memorable, Middle Eastern flavored knees up about religious fanatism : “call me assas-in/it’d be a gas an’…”
We Are All Accelerated Readers – Los Campesinos – I better see you at Webster Hall August 4th… the daytrotter version is perfect.
Walk Right Back – the Everly Brothers
Smooth Operator – Michael Jackson
Jailbreak – Thin Lizzy – Soon I promise
Peach Pickin’ Time In Georgia – Merle Haggard – I know there is a cooler than thou component to raving constantly about an album you may not have heard of. But Haggards “The Peer Sessions” from 96 (along with George Jones “The Gospel Collection”) towers so far above the rest of pure country superlatives can’t reach it; if you love country you can’t go wrong with either album. Here is Jimmie Rodgers original from 32: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Miy4io-rGo0
