Come Up and See Me :: Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel

Here's a sentimental song for Memorial Day-

Come up and see me,
Make me smile...
Or do what you want,
Running wild...

You've done it all, you've broken every code
And pulled the rebel to the floor
You spoilt the game, no matter what you say
For only metal - what a bore!
Blue eyes, blue eyes, how come you tell so many lies?

Come up and see me, make me smile
Or do what you want, run on wild

There's nothing left, all gone and run away
Maybe you'll tarry for a while
It's just a test, a game for us to play
Win or lose, it's hard to smile
Resist, resist, it's from yourself you have to hide

Come up and see me, make me smile
Or do what you want, run on wild

There ain't no more, you've taken everything
From my believe in Mother Earth
How can you ignore my faith in everything
When I know what Faith is and what it's worth
Away, away, and don't say maybe you'll try

Come up and see me, make me smile
Or do what you want, run on wild

Coast is Clear :: Curve

I was on a mission to find this song! I remember this blaring through the wall of my older brother's room when I was a kid. I think I even had an old hand-me-down cassette with this song on it, but today I couldn't remember what it was called.

So. Curve. So Beautiful. I always loved the singer (Toni Halliday). She's so plaintive and mesmerizing. Enjoy.

P.S. I also love how this clip is from MTV's "120 Minutes." People who had cable used to tape it and then pass the tapes all over school. I remember it being so cool! To catch some Cure or They Might Be Giants and get a whiff of that other world out there, somewhere...

Above my bed in this ugly room
Hangs the whisper of the sandman
You can be my father, for the love you show
It's just a little too late
It's never enough to swallow those pills
Now I'm sick, and always will be

Take it, I don't want it, you can have what you like
Just don't try and trick me to sleep
Then turn out those lights

You can be my father, for the love you show
It's just a little too late
It's never enough to swallow those pills
Now I'm sick, and always will be

Dreams of meeting truth (be my father)
Dreams of meeting truth (for the love)

I said you can be my father for the love you show
It's just a little too late
It's never enough to swallow those pills
Now I'm sick, now I'm sick, now I'm sick

Just when you thought it was alright [x2 ]

Me Gustas Tu :: Manu Chao

I first heard this song seven years ago, when I was studying in Mexico. Manu Chao is this amazing musician of the "world music" variety, which I'm coming to believe means that he's hugely popular everywhere EXCEPT the United States. Anyway, Manu Chao is a Spanish-French musician who is highly influenced by indigenous music from Latin America. His songs are mainly in Spanish, and in general focus on the stories of people marginalized by capitalism and imperialism.

"Me Gustas Tu" roughly translates to "I Like You" in English (but it's more like "You make me happy" or "You are pleasing to me"). He lists off all these random things he likes (planes, wind, marijuana....) and always concludes "I like you." The chorus is Spanish and French: What am I gonna do? I don't know. I still don't know. I'm lost...

The loneliness of this song is what gets me. I remember those days of being a stranger in a strange land, when planes had just crashed into the World Trade Center, when all travel was grounded, when the war started with Afghanistan... and I came back to a different home. The old stuff was never coming back.

Que hora son mi corazon
Te lo dije bien clarito
Permanece a la escucha

Permanece a la escucha
12 de la noche en La Habana, Cuba
11 de la noche en San Salvador, El Salvador
11 de la noche en Maragua, Nicaragua
Me gustan los aviones, me gustas tu.
Me gusta viajar, me gustas tu.
Me gusta la maana, me gustas tu.
Me gusta el viento, me gustas tu.
Me gusta soar, me gustas tu.
Me gusta la mar, me gustas tu.
Que voy a hacer,
je ne sais pas
Que voy a hacer
Je ne sais plus
Que voy a hacer
Je suis perdu
Que horas son, mi corazn
Me gusta la moto, me gustas tu.
Me gusta correr, me gustas tu.
Me gusta la lluvia, me gustas tu.
Me gusta volver, me gustas tu.
Me gusta marihuana, me gustas tu.
Me gusta colombiana, me gustas tu.
Me gusta la montaa, me gustas tu.
Me gusta la noche, me gustas tu.
Que voy a hacer,
je ne sais pas
Que voy a hacer
Je ne sais plus
Que voy a hacer
Je suis perdu
Que horas son, mi corazn

Me gusta la cena, me gustas tu.
Me gusta la vecina, me gustas tu.
Me gusta su cocina, me gustas tu.
Me gusta camelar, me gustas tu.
Me gusta la guitarra, me gustas tu.
Me gusta el regaee, me gustas tu.
Que voy a hacer,
je ne sais pas
Que voy a hacer
Je ne sais plus
Que voy a hacer
Je suis perdu
Que horas son, mi corazn
Me gusta la canela, me gustas tu.
Me gusta el fuego, me gustas tu.
Me gusta menear, me gustas tu.
Me gusta la Corua, me gustas tu.
Me gusta Malasaa, me gustas tu.
Me gusta la castaa, me gustas tu.
Me gusta Guatemala, me gustas tu.
Que voy a hacer,
je ne sais pas
Que voy a hacer
Je ne sais plus
Que voy a hacer
Je suis perdu
Que horas son, mi corazn
Que voy a hacer,
je ne sais pas
Que voy a hacer
Je ne sais plus
Que voy a hacer
Je suis perdu
Que horas son, mi corazon
Que voy a hacer,
je ne sais pas
Que voy a hacer
Je ne sais plus
Que voy a hacer
Je suis perdu
Que horas son, mi corazon

Que horas son, mi corazon
Que horas son, mi corazon
Que horas son, mi corazon

Que horas son, mi corazon

Que horas son, mi corazon

Radio reloj

5 de la maana

No todo lo que es oro brilla
Remedio chino e infalible

Great DJ :: The Ting Tings

Taking a cue from Dyl Pickle, this is the Apple iTunes free download. For this week. So, you can download it for free until tomorrow (probably). It's good! They've been playing it on the Current a lot, too.

What more can I say? I'm feeling pretty poorly, but this song made me feel a little less deathly.

Fed up with your indigestion.
Swallow words one by one.
Your folks got high a quarter to five.
Don’t you feel your growing up undone.

Nothing but the local DJ.
He said he had some songs to play.
What went down from this fooling around.
Gave hope and a brand new day.

Imagine all the girls,
Ah ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah.
And the boys,
Ah ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah.
And the strings,
Eee, eee, eee, eee, eee, eee, eee, eee.
And the drums, the drums, the drums, the drums, the drums, the drums, the drums, the drums, the drums, the drums, the drums, the drums.

Oh
Nothing was the same again.
All about where and when.
Blowing our minds in our lives unkind.
Gotta love the bpl.
When the smoke was all baton
Remember how this all begun.
We wore his love like a hand in a glove.
Where the future plays it all night long.

Imagine all the girls,
Ah ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah.
And the boys,
Ah ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah.
And the strings,
Eee, eee, eee, eee, eee, eee, eee, eee.
And the drums, the drums, the drums, the drums, the drums, the drums

Making all the girls.
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah.
And the boys,
Ah ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah.
And the strings,
Eee, eee, eee, eee, eee, eee, eee, eee.
And the drums,
Ah ah ah ah, ah, ah, ah, oh.

All the girls
Ah ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah.
And the boys,
Ah ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah.
And the strings,
Eee, eee, eee, eee, eee, eee, eee, eee.

And the drums, the drums, the drums, the drums

Young Folks :: Peter Bjorn & John

So, this is the second Peter Bjorn & John song I have posted, but I can't help it. They are excellent, and their newest album is phenomenal.

I love "Young Folks." The voices are so plain, but so.... plaintive? ok, I am not super eloquent today.

I had a super emotional week- family issues, school issues, work issues, remorse... it culminated on Friday on my way to a seminar. I was riding on an express bus full of white men in suits. This track came on my iPod, and suddenly the whistling on it reminded me of my grandpa. And suddenly I was weeping profusely for a man who died almost sixteen years ago.

My grandpa was an amazing man. I remember him as being very loving and attentive and consistent, some things that were at times missing in my house. He took care of me a lot, and I have a lot of memories of feeling good and safe with him, on a tractor or listening to records, or watching Lawrence Welk... lots of memories.

My grandpa was also an amazing whistler. He whistled everywhere he went (except for the dinner table, where there was a no-whistling policy).

I know this song is supposed to be about romantic love, but it makes me think about me being a little kid and sitting around with my grandpa, listening to him whistle.

The Bleeding Heart Show :: New Pornographers

In honor of the Rock the Garden event coming up [sorry Dyl Pickle], I'm posting a New Pornographers song. I absolutely love this band. The first time I saw them was when they went on tour with Belle & Sebastian as the opener and blew everyone away. I saw them all raw, no fancy lights or stage mechanics, and the power and energy of their songs just blew me away. They were awesome again at First Ave last fall, and I'm sure they'll be great again at Rock the Garden [though Neko Case might not be singing with them!! She hurt her foot.]

This song is from Twin Cinema, their 2006 album. It starts off really slow and minimal, then builds and builds until everyone is rocking their faces off and dancing their asses off. You might have heard this song on Kodak commercials, also for University of Phoenix online. It's super surreal to hear NP on commercials now!

I leapt across three or four beds into your arms
Where I had hidden myself somewhere in your charm
Our golden handshake has been smashed into this shape.
It's taken magic to a primitive new place
Watch 'em run, although it's the minimum, heroic

We hunched together in one chair out on the deck
In snow that froze and fell down on the modern set
It looked as if I picked your name out of a hat
Next thing you know you are asleep in someone's lap
Watch 'em run, although it's the minimum, heroic

We quit the room
Quit so our thoughts could rest
Rest them, I'll never move?
That's when we grab a hold
Of whatever it is we fell into
Lousy with your content
With what the majestic cannot find
In business of your lives
The perception, it is wrong, mile after mile
The phantom taste drinking wine from your heels

We have arrived too late to play the bleeding heart show

Heroes :: David Bowie

Hi folks! I've been a bit lame and out of the loop lately, so today I'll put forth one of my "golden oldies:" "Heroes" by David Bowie. This is one of Bowie's more understated, less-danceable songs, but for whatever reason, it reaches something inside of me and pulls. Hard.

So here's the song:

I
I will be king
And you
You will be queen
Though nothing will
Drive them away
We can beat them
Just for one day
We can be Heroes
Just for one day

And you
You can be mean
And I
I'll drink all the time
'Cause we're lovers
And that is a fact
Yes we're lovers
And that is that

Though nothing
Will keep us together
We could steal time
Just for one day
We can be Heroes
For ever and ever
What d'you say

I
I wish you could swim
Like the dolphins
Like dolphins can swim
Though nothing
Will keep us together
We can beat them
For ever and ever
Oh we can be Heroes
Just for one day

I
I will be king
And you
You will be queen
Though nothing
Will drive them away
We can be Heroes
Just for one day
We can be us
Just for one day

I
I can remember
Standing
By the wall
And the guns
Shot above our heads
And we kissed
As though nothing could fall
And the shame
Was on the other side
Oh we can beat them
For ever and ever
Then we can be Heroes
Just for one day

We can be Heroes
We can be Heroes
We can be Heroes
Just for one day
We can be Heroes
We're nothing
And nothing will help us
Maybe we're lying
Then you better not stay
But we could be safer
Just for one day

For extra Bowie fun, you should check out his 1970s movie [biopic?] "The Man Who Fell to Earth," as well as the "Bowie in Space" send-up by Flight of the Conchords. I would embed these things here for you, but I can't get to YouTube presently...

Definition of the term "butt rock"

Last week I posted about some of my favorite "butt rock" bands. I assumed this term was a universal; apparently I assumed wrong, and we all know what that makes me...

But, no, I didn't make it up, it's a term [some] people use:

From Urban Dictionary:

1. BUTT ROCK


Butt rock is the any Heavy Metal music from the eighties that is so horrible that it is both hysterical and hella rad at the same time. These bands usually have amazingly ugly members who wear exceedinly tight pants big hair and make up. One good way to tell if a band is "Butt Rock" is if during their music video, the drummer blows a kiss to the screen while drumming
Quiet Riot and Twiztid Sister are the best examples of butt rock. If you really want to know about the radness of butt rock download the song "Cum on feel the noise!" by Quiet Riot
by rad kid Dec 11, 2003

My favorite butt-rock band, Guns 'n' Roses:

Cappuccino :: The KNUX

I saw this video when I was home this weekend, watching mtvU with my brother. It's the Knux! It's zany! Whimsical! [insert jazz hands]

They are a pair of brother-DJs raised in New Orleans, displaced by Katrina, now settled in California. Their myspace profile describes their sound as "garage-hop."

Enjoy!



I couldn't find the lyrics online, but it must be about... coffee, right? Right?

Top 5 Butt-Rock Anthems

In no particular order:

"Here I Go Again" by Whitesnake



[The floaty ethereal chick is the singer's real-life wife. awww]

"Cherry Pie" by Warrant



[Haha this is some person playing it on Guitar Hero. Much better than the actual video.]

"Dead or Alive" by Bon Jovi



[Bon Jovi w/long hair= butt rock.]

"We're Not Gonna Take It" by Twisted Sister



[Total queer liberation! Gender-bending.]

"Every Rose Has It's Thorn" by Poison



[One song twenty years ago, and this dude gets his own reality show...]

Save It for a Rainy Day :: The Jayhawks

It was probably 2004 when I first became acquainted with the Jayhawks. It was in the summer of my year with the Lutheran Volunteer Corps, and my housemates and I were looking for something cheap to do one hot, muggy night. There was some sort of free art and music thing in the theaters downtown, so we went down there to check it out. I coaxed them into going to see Brenda Weiler and some other guy, Gary Louris. Brenda Weiler was good, but Gary Louris blew us away. He is the singer for the (now-defunct?) Jayhawks, an alt-country band from Minnesota. Anyway, he is a magnetic performer live. After that show, I got a bunch of Jayhawks CDs from the library, and for the rest of the summer I drove my housemates nuts playing them on repeat.

Save It for a Rainy Day

Pretty little hairdo don't do what it used to
Can't disguise the living
All the miles that you've been through

Looking like a train wreck
Wearing too much makeup
The burden that you carry
Is more than one soul could ever bear

Don't look so sad, Marina
There's another part to play
Don't look so sad, Marina
Save it for a rainy day
Save it for a rainy day
Save it for a rainy day

You neve make your mind up
Like driving with your eyes shut
Rough around the edges
Won't someone come and take you home

Waiting for a breakthrough
What will you set your mind to?
We stood outside the Chinese restaurant
in the rain

Don't look so sad, Marina
There's another part to play
Don't look so sad, Marina
Save it for a rainy day
Save it for a rainy day
Save it for a rainy day

Stay Don't Go :: Spoon

Spoon is one of those bands that I find to be a little hit-or-miss. I really enjoy some of their songs, like this one. I think it's because they have really strong, driving bass lines. Or it could be that I am imagining playing Guitar Hero to this song. I dunno. But I like it.

Keep Believing The Things That You Tell Yourself
Everyone Needs Something They Can Tell Themselves
To Hold On To Cause After All Of It’s Said And Done

Confession Is Stay Don’t Go
Ooh It Is
Ooh Now Stay Don’t Go

At Times You Find That The Truth Is The Best Way Out
Sometimes Telling The Truth Is The Best Way Out
And It’s The Wrong Words That Make You Prick Up Your Ears
When Later Alone

Confession Is Stay Don’t Go
Ooh It Is
Ooh Now Stay Don’t Go

Let's Call it Off :: Peter, Bjorn, & John

This song is by Peter, Bjorn, and John. They are from Sweden, I believe. I chose it because it has a little of that cool-'60s mod-rock Belle and Sebastian sound to it. Plus the opening drums make me remember playing "Wipe Out" in pep band, back in high school.

When you decided to knock on my door.
Did your remember what happened before?
It just didn't sparkle it just didn't grow.
Somethings are better to leave unexplored.

Did you agree, we just let it be,
And did you agree, It's a must...
Let's call the whole thing off.
We just have had enough of us.
Let's call the whole thing off.
We just have had enough of us.

I know many people who met the same way.
Relations that lasted for more then one day.
But i don't wanna know why we couldn't do more.
Somethings are better to leave unexplored.

Did you agree, we just let it be,
And did you agree, It's a must...
Let's call the whole thing off.
We just have had enough of us.
Let's call the whole thing off.
We just have had enough of us.
Let's call the whole thing off.
We just have had enough of us.
Let's call the whole thing off.
We just have had enough of us

Irish Blood, English Heart :: Morrissey

I'm a completely unabashed Morrissey fan. I think it's because he's so introspective and self-exploring (or self-obsessed, however you think of it). He delves into every part of himself and somehow wrenches it into a song.

"Irish Blood, English Heart" is a pretty simple song at first. Morrissey's parents were Irish, but they moved to England, so he grew up English. He thinks about his country and his identity, and yearns for the day when "to be English...is not to be baneful..." Then the song gets more complex. It references a semi-scandal he was involved with back in the day. He posed for a cover of a music magazine with a British flag, and people attacked him for racism because of it. This totally hurt his feelings- why should posing next to a British flag be racist? Anyway, you can read more about "this charming man" (nudge, wink) by clicking HERE. I'll also include the Wikipedia for Oliver Cromwell HERE.

Irish blood, English heart, this I'm made of
There is no-one on earth I'm afraid of
And no regime can buy or sell me

I've been dreaming of a time when
To be English is not to be baneful
To be standing by the flag not feeling
Shameful, racist or partial

Irish blood, English heart, this I'm made of
There is no-one on earth I'm afraid of
And I will die with both my hands untied

I've been dreaming of a time when
The English are sick to death of Labour
And Tories, and spit upon the name of Oliver Cromwell
And denounce this royal line that still salute him
And will salute him forever

Your Beauty is a Knife I Turn On My Throat :: Eagle*Seagull

I found Eagle*Seagull on myspace of all places. A friend of a friend had one of their songs on his profile, and I heard it and said, "Wow! Who is that?" Eagle*Seagull are from Nebraska, but for some reason they are uber-famous in Germany and Europe, but barely known here. I don't really get that. They are really good!

Why should I assume the task
Of disowning what I could not ask
It's killing me
It's driving me crazy
And I think I'm getting lonely, oh
When I see you in my bed
I surprised you better in my head

Is there room for love with doubt
Is loneliness what loving you's about?
It seems to me your love is washed up and green
I'm torn between
And I feel so crazy
When I see you in my bed
I surprised you better in my head

Your beauty
Is a knife
I turn on my throat
Oh, (such a) your beauty
It is a knife
I turn on my throat
Oh, your beauty
It is a knife
I turn on my throat
Oh, oh, oh
Oh, your beauty
It is a knife
I turn on my throat

Is there room for love with doubt
Is loneliness what loving you's about?
It seems to me your love is washed up and green
I'm torn between
And I feel so crazy
When I see you in my bed
I surprised you better in my head

Your beauty
Is a knife
I turn on my throat
Oh, (such a) your beauty
It is a knife
I turn on my throat
Oh, oh
Oh, your beauty
It is a knife
I turn on my throat
Oh, oh, oh
Oh, your beauty
It is a knife
I turn on my throat

Bonnie and Clyde :: Brigitte Bardot et Serge Gainsbourg

Okay, I'll be a dork and admit that the first time I heard this song was when I saw Rush Hour 3 at the drive-in last summer. It came during a quasi-burlesque scene, and I was utterly mesmerized. I did some googling and found out it was a duet between Brigitte Bardot and a goofy French folk singer named Serge Gainsbourg. They did several numbers together for a French TV special sometime in the late 60s. I love this song primarily for Bardot- her dull droning makes my scalp tingle. It's magic.

Veni Vidi Vici :: The Black Lips

Mirror mirror on the wall
Who's the greatest of them all
My man, Muhammad, Boy Jesus too
Who's Messiah be good for you

Cause I came I saw
I conquered all
All ya'll, all ya'll, all ya'll

People look towards Mecca's way
Sistine Cahpel people pray
It don't matter what you do
Holy World War will come for you

Big Girl :: Mika

This week, I'm going to write about one of my favorite performers, Mika. He is so sweet and nice and cute and funny and... okay, maybe I have a little crush on him. He's a fascinating guy with a fascinating story- he is generally considered to be queer, yet he refuses to discuss his private life because he feels that his sexuality cannot be defined in conventional terms. He was born in Beirut, to a Lebanese mother and an American father. They fled the war and went to Paris, where Mika lived until he was 11. Then his family moved to London, where he is mainly based now.

His songs are goofy and funny and generally pretty joyous. In this song, he celebrates women of size and shape:

Walks into the room
Feels like a big balloon
I said, 'Hey girls you are beautiful'

Diet coke and a pizza please
Diet coke I'm on my knees
Screaming 'Big girls you are beautiful'

You take your skinny girl
Feel like I'm gonna die
'Cause a real woman
Needs a real man here's why

You take your girl
And multiply her by four
Now a whole lot of woman
Needs a whole lot more

Get yourself to the Butterfly Lounge
Find yourself a big lady
Big boy come on around
And they'll be calling you baby

No need to fantasize
Since I was in my braces
A watering hole
With the girls around
And curves in all the right places

Big girls you are beautiful
Big girls you are beautiful
Big girls you are beautiful
Big girls you are beautiful

Walks in to the room
Feels like a big balloon
I said, 'Hey girls you are beautiful'

Diet coke and a pizza please
Diet coke I'm on my knees
Screaming 'Big girls you are beautiful'

You take your girl
And multiply her by four
Now a whole lot of woman
Needs a whole lot more

Get yourself to the Butterfly Lounge
Find yourself a big lady
Big boy come on around
And they'll be calling you baby

No need to fantasize
Since I was in my braces
A watering hole
With the girls around
And curves in all the right places

Big girls you are beautiful
Big girls you are beautiful
Big girls you are beautiful
Big girls you are beautiful

Get yourself to the Butterfly Lounge
Find yourself a big lady
Big boy come on around
And they'll be calling you baby

No need to fantasize
Since I was in my braces
A watering hole
With the girls around
And curves in all the right places

Big girls you are beautiful
Big girls you are beautiful
Big girls you are beautiful
Big girls you are beautiful
Oh you are beautiful

Get yourself to the Butterfly Lounge
Find yourself a big lady
Big boy come on around
And they'll be calling you baby

No need to fantasize
Since I was in my braces
A watering the hole
With the girls around
And curves in all the right places

Big girls you are beautiful
Big girls you are beautiful
Big girls you are beautiful
Big girls you are beautiful
Big girls you are beautiful

Here's a clip from Mika's show at First Ave last Wednesday. The two "big girls" are fans from Minneapolis!

Do Ya Think I'm Sexy :: Revolting Cocks

This blog post goes out to my brother, my awesome friend who introduced me to everything I knew as a teenager. He is one of the coolest people I have ever known. As he transitioned to CDs, I inherited his old tapes: Pixies, Ned's Atomic Dustbin, Cure, My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult... how did he have such good taste in music?? I can't figure it out. We lived out in the middle of nowhere. No cable, no MTV, no nightclubs, and this was pre-internet... hmmm.

This is the Revolting Cocks covering Rod Stewart's "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy." Revolting Cocks, or "RevCo" was a side project for people that were in all these other industrial/techno/dance bands, like Ministry and Nine Inch Nails. This song is from their 1989 album "Beers, Steers and Queers." I take this song as sort of an ironic fuck-you to all those smarmy people like Rod Steward who were big in the late 80s / early 90s. My brother played this song ALL THE TIME, usually playing his bass along with the tape. He was / is so cool!

Breaker :: Low

I don't have a lot of stuff by Low, but I really like this song. They are from Duluth, and this song sort of sounds the way Duluth makes me feel- stark and gray and on the edge (but in a good way).

I searched for the song on YouTube and saw the video for it for the first time last night. All I can say is, I hope they got it all in one take...


http://www.myspace.com/low



Lyrics:

Our bodies break
And the blood just spills and spills
But here we sit debating math

It's just a shame
My hand just kills and kills
There's gotta be an end to that