What We're Listening To: When 2 Become 1 Edition
TNG Music Editor Rocky submits this post for your listening pleasure.
It’s hard to describe my deep wells of affection for this album, which I first heard on cassette tape in high school. So I won’t even try, except to say that I cannot resist Peter Cox’s voice and that there cannot possibly be many album sides that sound better than Go West’s first five songs. - Philip
I think I've found an early contender for a spot in the 2009 edition of the summer-y mix I inevitably end up making each year. Said candidate is "Sushi" off of Nashville-based pop singer Kyle Andrews' new album, Real Blasty, which was just released on January 20th. The song is simple, bouncy, catchy-as-hell and has been knocking around inside my skull non-stop since the end of last week - which is a good thing. A little searching revealed you can download the song for free here, and I'd definitely recommend a listen as a counterpoint to mellower, more seasonally-appropriate fare. - Jolly
It seems fitting that Clarkson's return would be marked by the biggest jump on the Billboard Hot 100 in chart history. Yes, it's a guilty pleasure. But after she stood up to producers with her last album, wrote her own radio-unfriendly songs, and refused to back down, things feel a little less guilty now as she returns to the top of the charts. This single, from the upcoming album All I Ever Wanted, reminds me that sometimes the purpose of music can be just to make you feel good. Plus, word on the street (i.e. drunken karaoke parties w/ TNG staff) is that Clarkson is gay, which would add a whole new level to the "Since U Been Gone" video. Think about it. Yeah. - Corey
Just when I thought I had escaped the allure of Morcheeba and Zero 7 and all the other bands i wished I was getting high to in High School: Fol Chen's album (which is incidentally out today) has made me want to reconsider the simple pleasures of incense, a darkened room and a towel placed carefully under the door. It's not chill-out so much as atmospheric pop with a tinge of sonic brattiness. Besides, who could resist a song that uses "Cable TV" as a seduction method? - Zack
I recently moved into a studio apartment with nothing but an old record player and a dream (and a couch, a bed and tv). To save money I raided my parent's basement to find old gems for my new diggs. Underneath a broken side table, some old family photos and menthol cigarettes, I found my brother's old record collection! Marvin Gaye, Blondie, Bob Dylan, Crosby Stills Nash and Young, and my favorite...Peter, Paul and Mary. I spent two hours this weekend listening to three of their records. PP&M's songs are beautifully somber, catchy, and whimsical. Plus Mary makes me swoon! - Allison
I don't know about you, but I'm sick of hibernating. Yes, it's the dead of winter, but just like every year around this time, I'm starting to get a little restless. Screw the cold, man. I'm trying to hang out and party and have a good time. Time to put that Bon Iver away! So thank the sweet lord for Norfolk MCs, Clipse, and Hell Hath No Fury. It's the absolute truth, y'all. Why? The beats! My god those beats! I'm not always the number one fan of Pharell's production; sometimes it's just... weird and way too much (see: N.E.R.D.). But you can't deny he's had some moments of pure unadulterated genius ("Drop It Like It's Hot," "Rock Your Body") and this entire album is definitely one. Every song will make any party jump off instantly. It's an underappreciated hip-hop classic that's only getting better with age. - Rocky
I'm not a big fan of Lily Allen, but I can't get this song out of my head. I don't know the lyrics even, I just think of the beat and say "du du du du duh, du du du du duh, dudda dudda duh duh duh, duh," and it's enough to be annoying. - Ben
And now, ladies and gentleman, with any further ado... THE MIXTAPE!
As usual, I went ahead and added a couple of extra songs, because that's how I roll. First, I went with "Uninvisible" the title track off of weirdo/acid jazz/postmodern funk trio Medeski, Martin & Wood's 2002 release. Why? Because it randomly came on my iPod the other day and I'd forgotten how sweet it is. (Also, I did a lot of drugs in college. Just sayin'. I mean it's not like there's much else to do in New York City...) Second, I was driving back from a Super Bowl party in Philly the other night with some friends, and two songs came on that kind of changed our lives. A few weeks ago, Zack wrote a piece about Animal Collective's new album, Merriweather Post Pavilion, an absolute masterpiece. You should go cop that immediately. Well, my favorite song on the album is "My Girls" and if you haven't sped along a dark, desolate highway on a cold night with the windows open and this song blasting as loud as possible, well, my friend, you simply have not lived. Listen to that one as loud as possible. And then I feel like everyone needs a little of that smooth 80's yacht rock in his or her life from time to time. "Foolish Heart" by Journey, anyone? That's right. You're welcome.
Here's the complete playlist. Thanks for stopping by and we'll see you next week! Boom!
Animal Collective - "My Girls" (Rocky)
Kyle Andrews - "Sushi" (Jolly)
Lily Allen - "LDN" (Ben)
Go West - "We Close Our Eyes" (Philip)
Peter, Paul & Mary - "Leaving On A Jet Plane" (Allison)
Medeski, Martin & Wood - "Uninvisible" (Rocky)
Fol Chen - "Cable TV" (Zack)
Clipse - "Dirty Money" (Rocky) (NSFW!!!)
Kelly Clarkson - "My Life Would Suck Without You" (Corey)
Journey - "Foolish Heart" (Rocky)
1 comment:
In listening to the mixtape, I had a sudden realization about the song I contributed, Go West's "We Close Our Eyes." When Peter Cox sings the line, "We are tigers in the night / We are burning," he's alluding to Blake. I must have listened to that song hundreds of times since high school, and that had never occurred to me. Either I'm pretty dim or TNG's mixtapes have the power to expand minds!
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