Radiohead is arguably best known for their textured soundscapes and skillful experimentation (not to mention, their infamous pay-what-you-want scheme). Nevertheless, their back catalog includes a number of hauntingly brilliant-yet-minimalistic, piano-centric songs. I would count In Rainbows's "Videotape" and The King of Limbs's "Codex," both of which follow this formula, among my favorite Radiohead album tracks. Perhaps the most minimalistic of their songs is "How I Made My Millions," the flipside to the OK Computer song "No Surprises," which will be spotlighted here.
This song seems to provide a bit of emotional redemption following its A-side, which may very well be one of the most depressing songs of all time. Unlike the aforementioned piano ballads, this track is just Thom Yorke and his keyboard, without any additional instrumentation or effects. There's no need for anything else. Yorke gives a strong performance, his unmistakable voice floating over a breathtaking melody that flawlessly transitions between darkly beautiful and beautifully uplifting.
Interestingly, Thom recorded this song on a 4-track at home. For proof, listen closely. Under the barely intelligible, cryptic lyrics and dreamy piano you'll hear doors opening and closing and some other sounds that almost seem to go right along with the song, at least in some parts. In fact, when I first listened to this song, I mistakenly thought that much of the domestic rustling was just a bit of sparse accent percussion.
As the story goes, this song was supposed to be fleshed-out in studio; however, recognizing the raw beauty in this demo recording, they decided to release it as-is. Don't let the recording imperfections fool you: this song is indeed perfect.
Watch on YouTube:
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Monday, October 3, 2011
Bargain Bin #1: DGC Rarities, Vol. 1
One of my favorite places in the world is the 4-for-a-$1 bin that occasionally makes an appearance at Hastings. Admittedly, as far as most of the CDs in this section go, a quarter is overpaying. Probably 90 percent of the stuff in this clearance-on-steroids section is junk, but it's the rare gems that make 15 minutes of digging and looking like a total cheapskate completely worth it.
I thought I would kick off this series of posts with one of the first CDs I dug up back in January. DGC Rarities, Vol. 1 is a 14-track compilation of B-Sides, outtakes, and other rarities by DGC Records, David Geffen's record imprint, perhaps most known as a seminal 90s alternative rock label. As such, this album includes several tracks by legendary alternative bands, as well as songs from lesser known bands. The liner notes in the CD cover, in many cases written by the bands themselves, provide some interesting information on each of the tracks.
Naturally, because the compilation consists primarily of outtakes and B-sides, it's to be expected that the album might be subpar; however, there are a handful of pretty great tracks.
Weezer's "Jamie" is one of my favorite tracks on the album (sharing that title with Posies song "Open Every Window"). In fact, it's definitely among my favorite Weezer tracks overall, if not my absolute favorite. While the songwriting and singing is unmistakably Weezer (though slightly off-form), the production and instrumentation has a sound that calls to mind the sludgy-yet-dreamy sound of some of the more radio-friendly Smashing Pumpkins songs (i.e. "Today").
Among others, Teenage Fanclub, The Posies, and St. Johnny make great contributions to the set. Murray Attaway's track "Allegory" got on my nerves at first, but upon listening to the compilation in its entirety several times to write this post, this song has started to grow on me. Nirvana fans will recognize "Pay to Play" as an early version of Nevermind track "Stay Away," with a muddier production and a few lyrical changes being essentially the only differences.
Beck's "Bogusflow" is another song worth mentioning. This seemingly nonsensical acoustic rambling, of which the title is a play on a certain Pearl Jam song, calls to mind other Beck songs such as "Pay No Mind."
Overall, this is a pretty decent compilation that will make a good addition to any 90s alternative purist's collection. While the songs themselves aren't quite up to the big names and talent behind them, fans will appreciate the step back into the vaults.
Track Listing:
1. Teenage Fanclub: "Mad Dog 20/20"
2. Nirvana: "Pay to Play"
3. Weezer: "Jamie"
4. Cell: "Never Too High"
5. Hole: "Beautiful Son"
6. Beck: "Bogusflow"
7. Sonic Youth: "Compilation Blues"
8. that dog.: "Grunge Couple"
9. Counting Crows: "Einstein on the Beach (For an Eggman)"
10. The Posies: "Open Every Window"
11. Sloan: "Stove/Smother"
12. St. Johnny: "Wild Goose Chasing"
13. Murray Attaway: "Allegory"
14. The Sundays: "Don't Tell Your Mother"
DGC Rarities, Vol. 1
I thought I would kick off this series of posts with one of the first CDs I dug up back in January. DGC Rarities, Vol. 1 is a 14-track compilation of B-Sides, outtakes, and other rarities by DGC Records, David Geffen's record imprint, perhaps most known as a seminal 90s alternative rock label. As such, this album includes several tracks by legendary alternative bands, as well as songs from lesser known bands. The liner notes in the CD cover, in many cases written by the bands themselves, provide some interesting information on each of the tracks.
Naturally, because the compilation consists primarily of outtakes and B-sides, it's to be expected that the album might be subpar; however, there are a handful of pretty great tracks.
Weezer's "Jamie" is one of my favorite tracks on the album (sharing that title with Posies song "Open Every Window"). In fact, it's definitely among my favorite Weezer tracks overall, if not my absolute favorite. While the songwriting and singing is unmistakably Weezer (though slightly off-form), the production and instrumentation has a sound that calls to mind the sludgy-yet-dreamy sound of some of the more radio-friendly Smashing Pumpkins songs (i.e. "Today").Among others, Teenage Fanclub, The Posies, and St. Johnny make great contributions to the set. Murray Attaway's track "Allegory" got on my nerves at first, but upon listening to the compilation in its entirety several times to write this post, this song has started to grow on me. Nirvana fans will recognize "Pay to Play" as an early version of Nevermind track "Stay Away," with a muddier production and a few lyrical changes being essentially the only differences.
Beck's "Bogusflow" is another song worth mentioning. This seemingly nonsensical acoustic rambling, of which the title is a play on a certain Pearl Jam song, calls to mind other Beck songs such as "Pay No Mind."
Overall, this is a pretty decent compilation that will make a good addition to any 90s alternative purist's collection. While the songs themselves aren't quite up to the big names and talent behind them, fans will appreciate the step back into the vaults.
Track Listing:
1. Teenage Fanclub: "Mad Dog 20/20"
2. Nirvana: "Pay to Play"
3. Weezer: "Jamie"
4. Cell: "Never Too High"
5. Hole: "Beautiful Son"
6. Beck: "Bogusflow"
7. Sonic Youth: "Compilation Blues"
8. that dog.: "Grunge Couple"
9. Counting Crows: "Einstein on the Beach (For an Eggman)"
10. The Posies: "Open Every Window"
11. Sloan: "Stove/Smother"
12. St. Johnny: "Wild Goose Chasing"
13. Murray Attaway: "Allegory"
14. The Sundays: "Don't Tell Your Mother"
DGC Rarities, Vol. 1
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Instru-mental #1: Hüsker Dü's "Reoccurring Dreams"
Hardcore punk of the 1980s was marked by songs of minimal length. Like an eerily quick pizza chain, many bands seemed to promise delivery of a complete song in two minutes or less (or your money back). For instance, an oft-repeated anecdote claims that influential punk band Minutemen were named as such for the length of their songs, which rarely topped the one-minute mark in their early days. This may or may not be true, but you'd be hard-pressed to find a song in the far reaches of their back catalog longer than 60 seconds.
Basically, the songs were short. And for good reason: their blistering fury was enough to melt faces in large doses.
Accordingly, the last thing any mosher would expect would be a swirling 14-minute instrumental epic, but that's exactly what legendary band Hüsker Dü does. The last song on their classic 1984 album Zen Arcade, "Reoccurring Dreams" is an exhausting aural assault (in the best way possible) that seems to never end, and yet the listener feels cheated when it finally does. Aside from intermittent breaks that blast the listener with a wash of feedback and noise, this marathon song hardly lets up. The hypnotic ascending riff over a backdrop of jazz-infused-drumming-on-speed (provided by underrated drummer Grant Hart) combines for a dizzying listening experience. Admittedly, the song may drag on a few minutes longer than it should, but this one-take jam is a must-listen anyway.
Here is a condensed live version. Though this version is just half the length of the album version, it makes up for the missing 7 minutes with raw fury.
Watch on YouTube:
Basically, the songs were short. And for good reason: their blistering fury was enough to melt faces in large doses.
Accordingly, the last thing any mosher would expect would be a swirling 14-minute instrumental epic, but that's exactly what legendary band Hüsker Dü does. The last song on their classic 1984 album Zen Arcade, "Reoccurring Dreams" is an exhausting aural assault (in the best way possible) that seems to never end, and yet the listener feels cheated when it finally does. Aside from intermittent breaks that blast the listener with a wash of feedback and noise, this marathon song hardly lets up. The hypnotic ascending riff over a backdrop of jazz-infused-drumming-on-speed (provided by underrated drummer Grant Hart) combines for a dizzying listening experience. Admittedly, the song may drag on a few minutes longer than it should, but this one-take jam is a must-listen anyway.
Here is a condensed live version. Though this version is just half the length of the album version, it makes up for the missing 7 minutes with raw fury.
Watch on YouTube:
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